Disclaimer: I do not own Fossil Fighters, any of the vivosaurs or characters (Except for Creed), and am simply writing this for my own amusement.
A/N: As the sequel to my previous fic, Dark Horse Gambit, this story will continue building up on the foundation I have already laid down. It shall detail the adventures of novice Fossil Fighter Vestello Leoncor as he competes in the infamous Caliosteo Cup. What sort of troubles will he face? You are welcome to read and find out.
Acknowledgments: Firstly, I would like to thank Devaro Ayanami for his wonderful help as both my Beta and my sounding-board. Secondly, I would like to thank Tempest Bound for encouraging me to post this story now, rather than later. Thirdly, I would like to thank Vathara for all the wonderful stories, which I highly recommend you read, he has posted. Reading them has helped me find ways of expanding my own writing style.
Chapter 2
Labyrinthine Monster I
From: Leveche
Subject: Re: Yet More Questions
I read that file on that legend and I don't like what it implies. The word 'majestic' is sometimes used to describe royalty. 'Vessel' is a hollowed out item used to contain something or other. Put the two together and it implies container used to contain something from or of royal origin. I don't think that title implies a great honor, Vestello. The prospects concern me. Do let me know if you learn anything more.
As I promised I'll tell you why there's a difference in vivosaur strength in the prelims and vivosaur strength on the islands. So I'll start from the beginning. As a vivosaur grows the smarter they become and the more individual quirks, traits, nature, etc that they develop. For example, Vicious is cunning and eager for a good fight. This is a direct result on the quality of their fossils. Vivosaurs unfortunate enough to be revived with poor quality fossils (between 50% and 80%) have very little personality and can hardly function mentally.
These vivosaurs are only able to respond to basic commands, the most basic of attacks, such as 'bite that'. Vivosaurs with better quality fossils are capable of understanding far more complex commands and strategies, even improvise for themselves should the situation call for it. Unfortunately, far too many vivosaurs suffer from poor quality fossils. Those you fought in the prelims, for example. On the islands only stronger Fighters were admitted, and stronger Fighters have better quality fossils, thus the tougher vivosaurs.
My next messages will begin introducing you to the finer details of Fighter Pressure.
Stay safe.
/\/\/\/\
"Hey! You there!"
Eh?
"Yeah, you! "
Okay… Puzzled, Vestello approached a large man standing by the wall.
"You're Vestello, right?" The man studied him behind dark sunglasses and the shadow of a broad hat brim. "I watched your Round 1 match. Very entertaining!"
A shrug.
"You're green as can be, but still…" A slow smile formed as the man gave him a once-over. "I see potential in you."
Vestello cocked his head, questioning.
The man laughed. "Oh, sorry, sorry. The name's Ned. Ned Tudor."
Tudor? I think I know where this is going…
"I'm the youngest of the three Tudor brothers. Ever heard of us?"
No. He shook his head, blue hair flapping.
"No?" A frown. "Sounds like I gotta get out more! Oh, and do you like the beard?" Calloused fingers stroked brown facial hair. "I've been working on it for a while now, and it's pretty lush!"
Vestello just stared, waiting. Ned coughed, sheepish.
"Yes, well! Enough about…whatever we were talking about. Beat me in a battle and I'll teach you a vital digging skill!" A grin. "Well? Are you up for it?"
Amber blinked, glanced around the Lobby, then landed back on Ned. Brows furrowed, Vestello pointed a finger at the ground at their feet, then spread his arms, palms up.
Ned laughed. "Not here of course, in the stadium. What? You think I'm stupid enough to mess up someplace owned by Joe Wildwest?"
A shrug.
"So, do you accept, or not?"
A smile, amber eyes glinting. Vestello nodded.
"Leeeeeeet's baaaaattle!"
Fingers clasped wrist, and Ned dragged Vestello to the stadium. Once in place, Vestello released Savage at point with Vicious flanking him. Then he examined his opponent's team.
At point, stretching eleven meters, stood an ornithopod, or 'bird foot' vivosaur. Derived from an iguanodon, meaning 'Iguana tooth', it was herbivorous and in the same family as the duck-billed dinosaurs. Its vivosaur incarnation, called an igua, was of the boxing-style—as Leveche put it—vivosaur. At its flank, almost hidden by the sand was… Well, Vestello wasn't quite sure just what it was.
Some kind of trilobite. He eyed the gray-blue, miniscule form. Small for a vivosaur, not even a meter…probably specializes in some kind of slashing attacks. The sweeping blades wrapping along the side of its mandibles and sticking out of its hindquarters were a pretty good indication. In fact, even its legs looked pretty sharp too.
"Radox Headbutt!"
The trilobite vanished in a sudden spray of sand.
::Brace.::
A rumble of ominous, muted red-oranges stirred in the abyss of patient blue-greens.
Savage straightened, exposing his chest. A tempting target the attacking radox could not ignore—
Ouch! A wince. That's a cracked blade, at least.
A rumbling laugh, a frail talon peeling the stunned arthropod from rock-hard muscle. The radox fell to the sand, twitching.
::Raja Fang.::
Ivory fangs flashed, the crunch of splintering carapace split the air, and the radox's saliva-coated Dino Medal dropped to the sand.
A whisper of polite greens wound into impatient reds.
::Next one, mine!::
::As you wish, the igua is yours.::
Rumbling still, Savage stepped back and Vicious charged forward.
"Igua Combo!" Ned yelled as Vicious neared the igua.
What followed next was more like a dance than a fight. The igua would lash out a forepaw, Vicious would duck, the igua followed up with a cross, Vicious would lean away. And what made it even more fascinating to watch was that both vivosaurs kept their feet firmly rooted in the sand, only moving from the knees up.
But after several missed jabs, both the igua and Ned were beginning to look a little frazzled.
::Enough games: Aero Blast.::
A mocking hiss, and wind and sand danced on a winding wave of turquoise and lashed out. The igua only slid back a few yards, but its head was knocked back to expose its underbelly and throat.
::Aeros Alert.::
The blue-and-gold head swung upward, teeth slicing across thick chest muscles but didn't stop. Sand sliding and twisting underfoot, Vicious spun. The igua bugled loudly as the blue, feather-tipped tail caught it across the skull and slammed it into the sand.
Its medal rolled down the dune, signaling the end of the match.
"Nice job!" Ned praised once back in the Lobby. "Very nice! Well, as promised, I have a special digging technique to teach you." He held up a finger. "A skilled Fighter can spot the elemental type of a fossil rock the moment it leaves the ground. And here's the secret…"
Fascinated, Vestello clung onto every word and completely ignored the odd flashing stone on Ned's pendant, and the odd static cling that made the hair on his arms stand on end.
"Voila!" A grin. "Pretty swanky, no?"
Vestello nodded, absently trying to brush away the static clinging to his arms and clothes.
"When you dig up fossil rocks now, they'll be one of five colors: red, green, yellow, blue or white."
One of the five elemental affinities.
"The color indicates the elemental type of the fossil inside. That'll make it a lot easier to dig, yeah?" Ned straightened up. "Go see my brothers on Cranial Isle and Ilium Island. They've got more stuff to teach you. And with that, I ride!"
Whooping, the odd man left the Lobby.
Vestello watched him go, shook his head, then turned towards the cleaning room.
/\/\/\
"Ah!"
Startled, Vestello whipped around to face Felic. The robot's optics were glued to the open Fossil Case.
"You have at least one wondrous fossil rock with you."
Wondrous Fossil? Bewildered, he pointed at one of the odd gourd-shaped fossils he had found. [Special?]
Felic whirred, bobbing in place. "If you successfully clean one, you can choose a vivosaur on which to use a silver fossil." If a robotic voice could grow sly, Felic's certainly did so. "Something amazing happens to any vivosaur that has a silver fossil used on it."
I think Stella mentioned Wondrous fossils when Todd and I first got here. They must be pretty special to merit that kind of reaction.
"Wondrous Fossils are also very soft-shelled, so you should be able to clean it easily. The drill by itself would work just fine."
Amber blinked. Well, that makes things easier.
Very much intrigued, he selected one of his Wondrous Fossils and set to work cleaning it. It was by far the easiest fossil rock he had cleaned yet, and he had no problem getting started despite the lack of any noticeable buster points.
It really is silver. He realized a short time later, eyeing the almost metallic surface of the 'fossil'. It doesn't look like bone at all, except for its shape.
"A silver claw fossil." Felic chirped. "Which vivosaur do you wish to integrate it with?"
Oops. He hadn't thought about that. Which vivosaur—
Wind roared in a sudden starburst of demanding ginger-orange.
::I want it!:: Vicious declared with such vehemence that it left Vestello blinking back a sudden onslaught of stars.
::Alright, alright.:: He swayed in place, stiffened, and then shook his head to clear it. 'Just don't do that again.'
As Felic moved the silver fossil, Vestello went to the revival chamber and placed Vicious's medal into the slot.
"Commencing integration."
The fossil inside the chamber pulsed, then dissolved into countless particles as Vicious's medal began to glow. The machines hummed loudly and a roar sounded as Vicious materialized in the midst of the swirling particles.
Right before Vestello's eyes the particles were drawn into Vicious's frame, and the air bone vivosaur changed.
The brilliant shine to his hide and feathers dulled to monochrome. Blue and gold faded, washed out, to dark gray and silvery white.
The mechanical humming came to an end, the glow faded, and Vicious arched up, reveling in the sense of increased strength that now flowed through him. Vestello just stared, astonished. This product had not been what he had been expecting at all.
::I think I prefer your old coloring better.:: He sent.
A scoff, both vocal and mental, answered as empowered hot colors welled up through the link.
Gusts rang through churning waves of elated yellows and aggressive blood-reds.
::I like this. This strength, power.::
Savage's link surged to the surface.
Firm earth shifted, rumbling, stirring up starbursts of demanding ginger-orange.
::The other, mine.::
Vestello sighed, unable to think of any reason to deny the Princely Lizard his request. Even if he didn't like the idea of changing him like Vicious had been changed.
A short time later, the second silver fossil was cleaned and the integration process started. As with the first, the fossil dissolved just before Savage left his medal. Also like the first, the warm and strong colors of brown and red-orange dulled to the cooler colors of gray-blue and a brighter cerulean blue. Even his claws changed colors, taking on an almost aquamarine sheen, though the white streak down his back remained the same.
Stone rumbled wave-like pulses of satisfied blue-greens.
::Stronger…I like.::
::Glad you approve.:: Vestello sent, tone almost wry as he mourned the loss of the warmer, passionate colors he had admired on his vivosaurs. Hopefully the power boost they received would make up for the less-than-preferable aesthetic changes.
Time to return to the Jungle Labyrinth. Perhaps now a little light can be shed on the sight.
Sniggering, Vestello left the room, the groans of Vicious resonating in the back of his mind.
/\/\/\
"Hey!"
Mid-step, Vestello paused.
"Hey, hey, hey!"
Shaking his head, the bluenette turned and waved at his friend.
"Hey, Vestello." The blonde grinned. "Are you digging hard, or hardly digging?" He laughed
A breeze of pained greens wound between annoyed pale-reds.
::His jokes are worse than yours.:: Vicious groaned over the link.
"Look, I have good news." Todd was, as usual, nearly bouncing with excitement. "If we go deeper into the Jungle Labyrinth, there's tons of cool fossil rocks. And since we're both here, I figured we could go digging together!"
Vestello paused, smiled, then nodded.
A sudden scream made them spin around—
Stars…
Amber blinked owlishly at the expanse of whites, blues, whites, greens, and whites overhead.
Ow…
"Vestello! Are you alright? Are you alright?"
Still trying to see straight, Vestello tried to sign an assurance that, though unable to see straight, or in proper color, he was perfectly fine.
"Vestello!"
Oops.
Evidently he hadn't signed what he thought he had signed. So what had he just said that provoked that kind of reaction from Todd?
"We have to get out of here!" An unfamiliar voice.
Vision clearing, slowly, Vestello sat up.
"Wh-what's wrong?" Todd looked about ready to bolt himself.
"B-b-back there! In the b-b-back! It's a horrible monster!" A second man, even more panicked than the first-if that was possible-sputtered out.
"It was chasing us like it was gonna eat us whole!" The first man, now that Vestello looked, was just shy the color of printer paper.
Amber narrowed. A feral vivosaur, perhaps?
"Or maybe it just wanted to chew first, but either way, that's not something I'm interested in!"
The second man turned wide-eyes to the first. "Wh-what if it decides to keep chasing us? What if it comes here?"
Vestello just barely managed to avoid being mowed down a second time as the two men fled, screaming.
"M-m-monster?" Todd was as pale as the two men had been as he tried to laugh their words off. "Yeah, there's no such things as monsters…" Wide blue met thoughtful amber. "…right?" A cough. "They, uh… They must have been mistaken! Yeah, that's it…"
"Now see here, folks, but I gotta disagree."
At the new voice, Vestello turned—
-paused, blinking. Is that supposed to be an Elvis impression?
Slicked back hair, protruding forward like an over-sized blunt horn, reflected brightly under the sunlight.
"Ain't no way two grown men make the same mistake, unh-hunh?" The man continued, golden-glitter coat shining even more than his hair. "Way I hear it, we got a big ol' monster lurking in this here jungle."
I…don't think I like this guy. Vestello frowned.
"Monster's got a mean ol' face and a personality to match. And if it happens to find ya…" A shrug. "It'll bite yer little head off."
Todd cringed back, violently. The Elvis-impersonator immediately zeroed in on him.
"I'd avoid goin' any deeper into this ol' jungle unless you wanna get yourself hurt, hnh-hunh?" Now his shifty eyes came to rest on Vestello. "Fossil rocks don't mean nothing if some monster gets to chew on you."
Vestello watched the man leave, frown deepening.
"Um, say, Vestello?" Todd turned to him. "Maybe we should just stop for today? What do you think?"
Dark brows rose, meeting blue hairline.
"I mean, it's not because I'm scared or anything!" Todd continued somewhat defensively. "My vivosaurs could stomp that monster into a pancake."
Uh-huh, sure. Not that he doubted Todd's vivosaurs, of course, but it was unlikely Todd would even remember to send them out, let alone give them an order.
"But there's probably tons of good fossil rocks right here!"
Marginally amused, Vestello shook his head.
"Oh." Todd's face fell. "You…you still want to go in, huh?"
A nod. Todd sighed.
"Yeah, of course you do. Yeah, well, alright." Moss and greens crunched underfoot as he shifted. "I'll g-go with you. B-b-but it's just that…"
And here it comes…
Arms wrapping around his middle, Todd hunched forward with a pitiful moan. "Oh, my stomach! It's killing me!"
I'm sure it is.
"I shouldn't have eaten that green tuna-fish sandwich for lunch."
A wince. That's his worst excuse yet.
Wobbling, Todd moved off the center of the path. "S-sorry, but can you go on by yourself? I'll catch up soon, I promise."
Schooling his face to a solemn expression, Vestello saluted and moved deeper into the forest.
/\/\/\
Three…two…one—
"Hey!"
Right on time. Vestello turned to Todd.
"Sorry I took so long. I bet you were pretty lonely without me, huh?"
One dark brow quirked as Vestello's lips twitched.
"But look, Vestello. Maybe we should just stop here, you know?"
Vestello rolled his eyes, tilting his head back to exaggerate the motion.
"And it's not because I'm scared!"
My, my, so defensive…
"It's just because…" Looking down, Todd shuffled his feet. "Well, we've gone a long way already, you know?"
Vestello sighed and brought up his hands—
-paused as some nearby bushes began to rustle.
"Gya!"
Bemused, Vestello glanced back at Todd. The blonde peaked around from behind the bluenette's shoulder.
"What's that? Who's there?"
The rustling stopped.
…Pink?
"J-just the wind!" Oblivious, Todd stepped away from Vestello. "Yeah, that's it. It's the wind." A pause. "Or a wild boar. That would be okay, too."
Amber blinked. Aren't boars nasty?
All the same, curiosity drew Vestello closer to the suspicious bushes, Todd in tow.
Leaves and branches exploded out as ivory whites and horns flashed.
Ow… Vestello massaged his inner ear as Todd's rapidly fading screech of 'monster' echoed throughout the trees' canopy.
"Did he just call me a monster?" An agitated though undeniably feminine voice growled. "'Cause that's kind of insulting."
Is there some kind of luau around here that I don't know about? Vestello wondered, eyeing the grass skirt, strap sandals, and overall lack of regular clothing.
"I don't know if you noticed, but I happen to be amazingly beautiful and charming."
Uh-oh, this could spell trouble… A polite cough drew the girl's attention to Vestello's quizzical expression.
"Huh? Who am I?"
A nod.
"Do you live in a cave or something?" Oversized pink pigtails swung about as the girl struck an almost drill sergeant-like pose. "All right, dig the wax out of your ears and listen up!"
Vestello cocked his head.
"I'm the girl who's going to win the Caliosteo Cup and be the biggest teen idol in the whole world." Twirling, the pinkette struck another pose. "I'm Pauleen!"
A blink. Well, she's certainly not lacking in confidence. Vestello eyed horns and otherwise fearsome features. But I don't think teen idols do Kabuki demon masks…
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Vestello gestured to his face.
"Is it the mask? It's the mask, right? Look, there's a very good reason I can't take this mask off."
Grotesque facial scaring?
"But trust me. I'm totally beautiful underneath it. People faint when I walk by. I'm serious."
Don't smile, don't smile. It would be bad for my health if I smiled.
"You're a Fighter too, right? Well then you should introduce yourself. It's only fair, you know?"
True enough. Vestello reached back and pulled out his tablet.
[VESTELLO: AVERAGE FIGHTER.]
Though it couldn't be seen, Vestello was pretty sure Pauleen blinked at the tablet.
"Can't you talk?"
He shook his head.
"Bummer."
A shrug.
"So your name's Vestello? Yes, well, it must be a real thrill for you to finally meet me."
Just how was one supposed to respond to a statement like that?
"So enough about you. Did you hear about the monster that's running around the jungle? Well, I'm going to fight it and I'm going to win."
Smile and nod, Vestello, just smile and nod.
"Oh, hey, I just had a great idea. You should come along, Vestello."
Why not? A shrug.
"That way you can see how awesome I am and then tell everyone about your new favorite teen-idol Fighter."
Lord, thank you for making me a mute.
"That's a great idea. I'm so glad I'm around to think of these things."
In an anime, this would be where the main character either sweat-dropped or preformed an elaborate face-plant. Unfortunately, a deeply ingrained sense of honor, ethics, and just plain manners, kept Vestello from indulging in the latter form of expression. Oh well, one could always dream.
"Well? Come on! I don't have all day!"
Yes ma'am. Dutifully, Vestello trailed after her.
/\/\/\
From: Harmattan
Subject: Friend of yours?
Your friend Rosie isn't competing in the Cup by any chance, is she?
/\/\/\/\
To DunaN2 (Guest): I look forward to chatting then.
I know the feeling. I have been known to pace the house filled with nervous energy as idea after idea bounces around in my head.
Ah, I had a feeling that that's what you meant, I just didn't know what it was called officially. Yes, I did intend on putting the Dragon's Note, though I'm not yet sure if it'll be in an epilogue of SHG or in a separate side piece all together. Vestello meeting that trio, I've been anticipating it since I first started this story ^_^
/\/\/\
Reviews are always appreciated. They let me know my story is not simply collecting virtual dust. And by reviews I mean something a bit more than 'awesome story' or the like. Tell me what you enjoyed, and even what you did not (though please refrain from going on a tangent).
/\/\/\
Sneak Peak:
A twitch. That…sounded all kinds of wrong.
The overhead speakers crackled to life.
"Our next match pits Rockin' Billy against Vestello. Combatants should enter the stadium immediately."
Glancing at the speakers, Billy grinned. "I'm gonna play you like a fiddle in a jug band, babaloo."
Would someone shut this guy up already? Vestello sighed, then followed his opponent out into the stadium. Those cheesy quips are really beginning to grate…