Disclaimer: I DO NOT own the video game franchise Fossil Fighters by Nintendo, Red Entertainment, and Artdink nor am in any way associated with them or their affiliates other than by purchasing their totally awesome games which I highly recommend you try.
Author's Note: Remembered the author's name of that series I was talking about, Fossil Fighter: Jay. Her name is I'mNotCrazy.I'mInsane and she has plenty of other Fics which are just as awesome as FF: J. Anyway, sorry, but the description for Fossil Fighters II might get changed a little bit; you'll understand as you read more. I will admit though that I didn't put too much fluff in for Hunter x Rosie fans, my apologies. Maybe I'll do a special one-chapter-edition to make it up to you guys or something.
Chapter 5: Too Late to Try
Hunter finished off his opponent's final vivosaur uninterestedly. He didn't take the time to revel in his fans' cheers or to congratulate Spinax, Nychus, and Spino for a job well done. The prior day's revelations still had him pretty down and confused. As he walked into the reception area, Rosie and Holt seemed to realize something was up.
"Hey, what's up?" Holt asked him, him and Rosie tailing the Master Fighter.
"You've been acting funny since that battle with that weirdo yesterday," Rosie noted. "I'm sure he was probably just delusional…"
"No, he was telling the truth," Hunter said. "Duna told me. The problem was, before that psycho came along, Duna had been lying to me about the whole thing."
"That's rough," Holt muttered, looking off to the side in sympathy.
"So, does that mean the dinaurians are trying that whole Project Mother Planet thing again then?" Rosie asked.
"That plan is done," Hunter said. "The new one is something Raptin calls Project Ragnarok. He plans on using some of their more successful attempts at populating the world with dinaurians to ravage Earth."
"What are you going to do?"
Hunter stopped. "I don't know. Duna told me something about a trio of skull-shaped islands owned by that Fossil Fighter Joe Wildwest. She told me that's where most of the Elders, the vivosaurs like that abomination in the arena, are known to be buried at. But after all those lies she's been telling me, I find hard to trust this isn't all just another trap. She's fooled me twice now; I don't intend on being fooled a third time."
"Whatever they have planned, there's no way you can't counter it, rival," Holt said. "You've stopped the dinaurians once before, am I right?"
"And who knows," Rosie agreed, "maybe Duna actually is trying to help? I mean, without her, after all, we'd all be space dust."
"Here's the fun part," Hunter said. "To stop Raptin from reviving the Elders, she basically wants me to bring back Guhnash."
"What?!" Rosie and Holt exclaimed at once.
"That's insane!" cried Rosie.
Holt followed up, "What was the whole point of killing it in the first place then?"
"Exactly. And here's what's even better…I actually believe her."
Rosie hung her head in disbelief. "You're kidding, right? Please tell me you're kidding."
"That T-Rex Lord back in the coliseum? I couldn't have stopped that with even the combined power of Igno and Frigi. Then Duna gave me those Dino Medals with Guhvorn, Guhweep, and Guhlith, and that Elder was such a cupcake I could've died laughing if it weren't for the mood I was in." He paused. "Here's the scary part though: Duna says that that wasn't even a proper Elder. She said that if I thought it was tough, I wouldn't stand a chance against true gold bones."
"Gold bones?" Rosie said in confusion.
"More on that later," Hunter dismissed. "So, what do you guys think I should do?"
"I heard Joe is starting up some Caliosteo Cup on his islands," Holt said. "It's a big tournament spanning across all three of his islands. You can go and wipe out another tournament, collect the prize, become a master twice over, and if you feel it's right, wipeout those Elders."
"What's the prize?" Rosie asked, her curiosity earned.
"Surprise," Holt said with a shrug. "I was actually planning on signing up myself, but if Hunter's signing up, all hope is lost."
Rosie smiled and looked at Hunter from the corner of her eye. "So, what do you say, hero?"
Hunter shrugged. "Why not? There isn't much left for me here on Vivosaur Island."
FFAFFAFFA
"So, you're sure you want to go then?" Mr. Richmond, Rosie's grandfather and the owner of Vivosaur Island, confirmed with his granddaughter and her friends.
"I'm sure, grandpa," Rosie said. "I'm already a Master Fossil Fighter here. It's Hunter you should be worried about. Joe Wildwest is going to get all of your guests if they find out he's going to the Caliosteo Fossil Park."
The big old man sighed. "Vivosaur Island will miss all three of you."
"Heyo," Captain Travers called from his boat. "Boat's ready. Anytime you three are ready, we can go."
"I've got my things," Holt said.
"I've got mine," Rosie agreed.
Hunter didn't say anything. He looked over at his friendly rival Holt. The two of them had packed light; a suitcase full of spare clothes, toiletries, and snacks, a satchel with their Dino Medals in them, and their pickaxe slung over their shoulder. Rosie, on the other hand, looked like she was bringing her whole room with her.
He had everything he needed, but knew he'd better take care of something first.
"Can you guys give me a couple minutes?" he asked. "I just remembered I have something I forgot to take care of."
"Okay," Rosie said.
"Yeah, we'll load up while you're busy," Holt said, then thought, Well, I'll probably be the one loading up…
FFAFFAFFA
Duna sat in her human disguise on hers and Hunter's secret spot's dock, her legs dangling over the edge as she listened to the waves singing as they crashed up against the shore.
"I deserve it," she thought aloud, also remembering her argument with Hunter. "He's right; I'm as much of a snake as Raptin. I'm probably the ancestor of the dodo bird, and this is my punishment for being so stupid."
Hunter materialized next to her, swinging his legs over the edge of the dock.
"I wouldn't say you're stupid," he said casually, removing his crown, "but I'm not saying anything about the dodo bird part."
Duna looked away from him. "What about the part about being a snake?"
Hunter didn't say anything. In truth, she had lied to him a lot. But he'd been rash to say something like that. Something so hurtful.
"I'm going to the skull islands," he said.
Duna looked at him disbelievingly. "Does this mean you forgive me?"
"Forgive you?" he laughed. "I was actually here to ask for your forgiveness, to be honest. I was the stupid one."
"And I was the one who made you act stupid," she replied. "The serpent who whispers lies into the heart."
"You're not a snake!" Hunter almost yelled. He reached over and pressed the gem down on Duna's brooch, reverting her to her dinaurian form. "You're a lizard girl."
"For some reason, that's almost worse."
The two laughed together, Duna leaning on Hunter's shoulder. After they calmed down a bit, she put her head on his shoulder, and he tensed up a bit. He was still scared to become to close with her, and he stood up, leaving Duna somewhat confused.
"Why don't you come with us?" he said. "Rosie packed enough for six. You could share supplies with her if you can't get anything off your ship."
Duna stood up and glared up at him, playfully offended. "What do you mean, if I can't get anything off my ship? I was trained in recon, and I know it better than anyone!"
"Well, move fast. And after that dinaurian in the coliseum, I don't think Holt and Rosie trust you much anymore, so you'd better grab a new disguise while you're up there."
FFAFFAFFA
Hunter and Duna stood a ways off from the pier where the others couldn't see them. Duna had gotten a new disguise, one of a brunette girl in a tank top and tight, denim shorts that were tattered at the ends of the legs and only went halfway down her thighs. She'd also held onto her old one, for nostalgia and in case she needed an emergency backup.
"So, what's my back-story?" Duna asked.
"I'll introduce you, and you make something up based on what I say," Hunter said.
"Well, that's elaborate."
"You're the secret agent from Mars."
"My home planet isn't Mars…"
They started out for the dock, walking casually. They had to stop a couple of times for some of Hunter's excited fans, but that only helped keep things looking normal.
"Took you long enough," Rosie complained before noticing the strange girl with him. "Who's this?"
"This is Trinity," he said. "She's coming with us to the islands." He thought for a split second before adding, "She's my girlfriend."
Duna's heart stopped from the unexpected add-on, but she managed to say with a slight Texan valley girl accent, "Hi, y'all."
"When'd you get a girlfriend?" Holt asked, genuinely confused. He didn't recall Hunter ever bringing her up.
"Sorry, just never came up, I guess," Hunter said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.
Rosie noticed her small bag right away. "Whoa, how'd you get all your things in such a little suitcase?"
Duna looked down at the bag, cursing herself for using the Alien Ware brand, and quickly covering up saying, "Oh, my momma packs bags at a fancy airport and my daddy is in the military. I picked up a few tricks."
"Perhaps you should teach them to Rosetta some time," Mr. Richmond said, causing Rosie to blush and laugh embarrassedly. "Forgive me, Trinity, but I'm afraid I don't recognize you. What is your last name?"
"Evens," Duna said randomly.
"Trinity Evens…" he said thoughtfully. "Ah, well. I suppose it isn't so important. Good to meet you, Miss Evens. Take care, children, I have matters to attend to."
"I'm seventeen," Rosie muttered as the others said goodbye to Mr. Richmond.
"So, is it go-time?" Travers asked.
"It's go-time," Hunter confirmed, everyone loading up onto the opened back of the boat.
FFAFFAFFA
"So, how long have you two been together?" Rosie asked Duna, making small talk.
"It's been a while now," she said, working the disguise. She looked between Rosie and Holt. "What about you Holt? How long have you two been seeing each other?"
"Wh-what?" Rosie stuttered, her and Holt stumbling over words simultaneously trying to say how ridiculous the notion was. Hunter looked at them in astonishment, and even Captain Travers leant a curious ear.
"Four years," Holt finally surrendered.
"Why haven't I heard of this?" Hunter asked, more humorously than anything.
"It never came up?" Rosie tried, earning laughter around the boat.
"Land ho," Travers called back to the teens, and they all craned their necks around the cab, watching as a green island rapidly came into view.
After several exciting minutes, the boat pulled up to dock at the edge of a large town. A ways off, several Fossil Fighters and their vivosaurs could be seen, some of them unfamiliar to the Vivosaur Island natives.
After saying their goodbyes to Travers, the four made way for the town square. Once they got there, Rosie and Holt excitedly ran ahead, but Duna and Hunter froze.
"Oh no," Duna whispered. "We're too late."
There were Elders. Everywhere.
End Chapter
Author's Note: Duna and Hunter like, "Oh SHYAT!" You would be too in their shoes, am I right? But I'm a fan of doubling over on things, or however it is that phrase goes. Eh, it's two in the morning here in America, just to let you many fans in Japan enjoying excessively hot daylight to know. And...I can't think of anything else to put in here, so, role the Fun Facts.
Fun Fact: First, my internet crashed (just ask I'mNotCrazy.I'mInsane about how it is) so this got posted way behind schedule also due to a rainstorm which rolled in. And that same storm helped me to discover a leak in my roof conveniently placed right above the power outlet where my laptop and 3DS happened to be plugged in, nearly starting a fire. "Out fucking standing." ~Sgt Roebuck (Call of Duty: World at War)