Dina rushed into the Fighter Station, keeping her head held high. She was a little more than determined to win this round, especially knowing that the BareBones Brigade were still out there. She greeted her opponent with a polite nod and stepped into the Stadium.
The girl had a team of all fire elements, so Dina decided to put Riptide in the front. Once the battle had started, he raced forward, slamming into the Berto. Fury ran alongside him, biting into the Berto's leg. The Berto stumbled back and fell to the ground.
The Sungari shot a beam at Fury, sending her skidding back a little. Furious, Riptide charged it next, defeating it instantly. Fury grinned at Riptide and leaped at the Berto, sinking her fangs into its neck and defeating it.
The Yango hit her with its tail, slamming her into the wall and reverting her back to her Dino Medal. Riptide charged into it, ending the battle. The crowd went wild. Dina could spot Todd in the stands cheering and she could have sworn she saw Rupert somewhere in there as well.
Once she returned to the Lobby, Todd hugged her, congratulating her on her victory. Dina laughed silently and returned the embrace
"That was a smoking-hot battle, Dina!" Terry clapped as he walked over to the two, a huge smile on his face. He handed her a giant fossil rock and wished her luck.
Dina swayed a little and Todd squeaked, rushing to hold her up.
"You look tired," he said. "You should head to your room and rest, you've had a really long day." He walked her back to her room before wishing her a good night.
The next morning Dina cleaned the Peloro fossil that she had been given the day before and revived it before heading to the new dig site that had been opened up after her last battle. As she headed up the path, staying as far away from the edge as possible, she spotted a woman and a small dog. Todd rushed over and stood beside her.
"Hey, cool!" He smiled. "That Fighter has a dog! We should go say hi." The two kids walked over to the woman. Dina signed a hello to her while Todd seemed a little more interested in the dog.
"Bonjour," the woman smiled at them politely. "My name is Joanie and zis is Madame Pooch. She is entered with me in ze Cup. You are both Fighters, no?"
"You bet!" Todd answered. "I'm Todd, by the way. This is my best friend, Dina. She can't speak, but she's a great Fighter." Joanie nodded in understanding. She let out a gasp.
"Sacre bleu! I was almost forgetting! I have discovered here a thing which is being quite lovely." She pulled something out of her backpack which was full of fruit. "It is a lovely bowl, no? It is big and round and so I have made with ze filling it with fruit!" She seemed very happy with her discovery.
"She's a little different," Todd whispered to Dina. She elbowed him in the side.
[If you haven't noticed, I don't think anyone in this tournament is normal.] She signed to him.
Madame Pooch pawed at Joanie and barked. Joanie nodded to her and put the bowl away. "Adieu," she said to the two kids, walking away.
Todd and Dina continued down the path. Todd held Dina's hand, trying to comfort her and keep her mind off the long drop beneath them. When they reached the other side of the long rope bridge, Terry greeted them. He told them how to work the gondola and talked to them about the many fossils they could find. The two headed down the gondola, digging up some fossils together. After a few fossil battles, Peak and Riptide gained a rank up. Once they reached the end of the path and got to the ground, Dina spotted something. From the outfit and the hair it was obvious the person was Pauleen.
"Where did it go, digadig…?" She was mumbling to herself and wandering around. "I know it diga-dropped right around here…"
"Do you see that, Dina?" Todd breathed. "That girl...She is soooo cute! Come on! We should go help her find whatever she's looking for!"
Is he for real right now? Peak laughed. Does he not know that's Pauleen!?
Who is Pauleen? Fury asked. An enemy?
Not really an enemy, Mayrah answered. Not a friend either, to be honest. She's just another human in the tournament that Dina and Todd have met. She usually wears a mask, but she seems to have lost it.
I told you guys she was pretty, Riptide huffed.
Normally I would tell him that's Pauleen, Dina said. But this time I'm just going to let him figure it out for himself. She nodded to Todd and walked over to Pauleen.
"Hey, are you having trouble, because I can help if you are" he said. Pauleen squeaked and darted behind a large boulder. Todd blinked in surprise. "Hey, wait! Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you! We're nice, I promise. Right Dina?" Dina was trying hard not to grin as she nodded.
[As nice as my Tricera,] she signed. [And he's one of the nicest vivosaurs I know,]
Oh, stop it, you're making me blush! Riptide giggled.
"Look, I'm Todd, and that's Dina." Todd looked back to Pauleen who was still hiding behind the rock. "I wasn't expecting to find a cute girl like you wandering around Rainbow Canyon. Someone must have dropped an angel, because I can see myself in your eyes! Wait, that's not how it goes. I mean, I can see an angel walking around in...no, that's not it..."
Skies above, Todd, just shut up before you embarrass yourself further, Mayrah sighed.
Is he trying to court her? Fury asked. Because if so he's doing a horrid job of it. Peak was too busy laughing his tail off to say anything and Dina was trying very hard not to laugh herself. Todd, red faced and flustered, shook his head.
"N-never mind!" he squeaked. "What do you need? Are you looking for something?" Pauleen slowly walked out from behind the boulder. She seemed very nervous and even a little insecure.
"Can you..help me, digadig?" she asked softly. Todd nodded, grinning. "I dropped something very important."
"Sure! Yes! Definitely! Absolutely!" he turned to Dina. "We will help, right, Dina?" Dina nodded. "Don't worry, you just stay right there, and we'll be right back with you...um...your...Hey, wait. What are we looking for, anyway?"
"You will know it, diga," Pauleen answered. "It is big and round and helps to protect me."
"Big and round...hey! That sounds like the bowl Joanie found! Ok, we'll go find it! Come on, Dina!" He gently grabbed his friend's hand and began to lead her away. They headed back up the gondola and spotted Joanie and Madame Pooch with the bowl.
"Hey, Joanie!" Todd called. "We need that bowl. A pretty girl down there lost and and she really needs it back."
"Ah, it is a shame," Joanie sighed in disappointment. "We have grown so attached to ze bowl, you see? Very well. We shall return ze bowl…"
"Arf!" Madame Pooch, however, didn't seem very happy with the idea. She growled and barked at Joanie, pawing at her leg. Joanie knelt down, frowning.
"No no, Madame Pooch," she said. "If we do not return ze bowl, we are no better than the burglar of cats, no? Although, you may be more of ze dog burglar. You did not find ze joke to be amusing, no…? Ah, I see, I see. Very well. Zat is what we will do." She got up and turned to the two.
"She can talk to dogs?" Todd whispered. Dina shrugged.
"We want to make ze Fossil Battle with you," Joanie announced. "If you can defeat Madame Pooch, we shall give you ze bowl." Todd frowned, raising a brow.
"You want us to battle your dog?" He asked.
"Ah, no!" Joanie gasped. "I have not said zis correctly. You will make ze Fossil Battle with me, Joanie."
"Alright, I'll battle you then." Todd shrugged and took out his Dino Medals. Madame Pooch whined and shook her head.
"No, no," Joanie said. "She wishes for me to make the battle with Dina. Ze request is good, no?"
"Look, lady, we just want the bowl," Todd groaned. "Alright, Dina, do your thing." Dina sighed and nodded, pulling out her Dino Medals.
Riptide took the lead with Fury and Mayrah behind him. The Peloro rammed into Riptide and knocked him back a bit. The Machai and Tryma joined in on the attack. Dina quickly realized she would have to take out the Tryma. Fury leaped at it, snapping at its neck. Riptide charged Joanie's Machai and Fury helped take it out. The Tryma kicked and picked at Mayrah and the Peloro slammed into her, hitting her with a critical. Fury took out the Tryma and Riptide charged the Peloro. The two locked horns, but Riptide was stronger. He rammed it into the wall, sending it back into Dino Medal form.
Joanie frowned and looked down at Madame Pooch.
"Our vivosaurs, zey have lost," she said. "Do not be angry, Madame Pooch. It was bad luck, no?" Madame Pooch growled softly.
Luck had nothing to do with it, Fury snarled. It was pure skill. They were doomed to fail from the start.
Calm down, Fury, Mayrah said. The humans blame luck for many things. Fossil battles are no different.
"Well, you have defeated me, so I shall return ze bowl," Joanie said. She handed Dina the bowl. "Madame Pooch says ze Fossil Battle was fun. But now, adieu!" She and the dog walked away.
"Let's get the bowl back to that cute girl!" Todd grinned, a small blush forming on his cheeks. "She's got to be thankful, right? Maybe she'll even like me!" They paused as their Paleopagers went off.
"This is an alert for all fighters," it said. "The BB Brigade has begun kidnapping Fighters from Rainbow Canyon. As of now, they appear to be targeting young females. Female Fighters in Rainbow Canyon are urged to seek shelter immediately." Dina shared a worried look with Todd.
"The BareBones Brigade is kidnapping girls?" Todd clenched his fists. "How low can you get!? Joanie's got her dog, so she's probably all right, and you've got me and your vivosaurs, but that cute girl could be in real trouble! Come on! Let's get back and find her!" Dina nodded and chased after Todd as he raced away. When they got back to the clearing, they found that Pauleen was nowhere to be found.
"H-help me, digadig!" The two spun around and saw a couple of grunts dragging the poor Fighter away and up a gondola. Todd and Dina hopped back into theirs and chased after them. When they reached the top they spotted a suspicious door with a button in front of it. Two BareBones Brigade members were quickly approaching the door, carrying fruit. One pressed the button and the door opened. They headed inside.
Todd and Dina waited a moment before rushing over and pressing the button. They made their way inside, stepping carefully into an odd scene. The kidnapped girls were all laying on comfy chairs with two posters painted like a beach behind them. They were complaining to the BareBones Brigade members to bring them juice and fruit and one of the girls even made one of the grunts dance.
[Does it count as kidnapping if the girls are enjoying themselves?] Dina signed. Todd shrugged.
"Oh, look," he whispered, gripping Dina's shoulder. Pauleen walked into the room and looked around. "It's the cute girl! Come on, let's go rescue her!" When the BareBones Brigade grunts weren't looking, they snuck their way over to her.
"Are you alright?" Todd asked her quietly. Pauleen nodded.
"I'm okay," she answered. "They haven't diga-done anything to me. Those BareBones goons are just glorified servants, diga. They've been pampering us diga-day and night. Most of the girls love it! They say they don't even care about the Cup anymore!"
"They're being nice to girls so they lost interest in the cup…?" Todd frowned and looked to Dina. "You sure they almost killed you last time?"
[Those might have been different grunts,] Dina signed in reply. [Either that or their boss heard about it and they got a huge scolding. I don't think Don Boneyard really wants to kill anyone, just scare them away like the bad guys from Scooby Doo.]
"But why only girls?" Todd asked. The three thought for a second before Todd spoke again, "Actually, you know what? We can worry about that later. Have you learned anything from your time here? If you know who's in charge, we can knock him out and chase off the rest of the BB Brigade."
"I think the man in the back is the boss, digadig," Pauleen answered. Todd nodded, his blue eyes fierce and determined.
"Ok! I'm gonna show him what's what! Let's go, Dina!" He said. Dina raised a brow.
How to make a male grow a pair; throw a pretty female in front of him, Peak chuckled.
Todd and Dina hurried deeper into the cave. Todd puffed out his chest, trying to make himself look big and fierce.
"H-hey!" he called. "BB Brigade commander guy! Sh-show yourself! We'll show you what happens to guys who kidnap girls and...treat them really well!"
[Todd that's a horrible choice of words,] Dina signed to him.
"I do believe you are referring to me." A boy with black and red hair, red glasses, a black star painted over his left eye and a white and black outfit walked over, arms crossed over his chest. "You have the guts to come in here and challenge me, the most revered of the three BB Brigade commanders. Say hello to Cole...! Yep. Pretty slick, huh? Do you like the glasses? That post-modern look is so right now, don't you think?" The two stared at him in silence. Dina because of how young the commander seemed to be and Todd for an entirely different reason...
"Ugh, he's a hipster!" Todd stuck his tongue out in disgust. "Now I understand why the other BB Brigade goons are scared of him." Dina let out a snort of amusement.
He doesn't look any older than Todd and I, actually, she observed. Maybe a year or two at the most.
That's a boy? Peak questioned.
"Yeah, so I suppose you want us to stop pampering the ladies, yeah?" Cole asked. "Not gonna happen, bro. We spoil the chicks, and then they stop giving two hoots about the Caliosteo Cup. And without ladies to impress, all the male Fighters lose the will to fight!"
[That's terribly inaccurate,] Dina signed to him. [Yes, some Fighters may be doing it to impress the ladies, but most do it for the fun or for the glory of the challenge itself. People, like Rupert, don't exactly care about ladies as far as I've seen.]
"Well, none except you," Todd muttered. Dina elbowed him in the side.
"Oh, shake a leg and get lost before I feed you to my Boneysaurs!" Cole snapped. Dina stiffened for a moment at the mention of them. Todd, who hadn't seen her last battle with the BB Brigade, was left confused.
"Boneysaurs? D-did he really say Boneysaurs, Dina?" He asked. Dina nodded.
[They're horrible, unnatural vivosaurs made of bones and darkness,] she explained. [they're very powerful as well. The BB Brigade members back on Mt. Krakanak used them as well.]
"S-skeletal vivosaurs made of bones and darkness?" Todd squeaked. "Y-you mean they're l-like a vivosaur g-g-ghost? Ooooh, my stomaaaaach! I'm gonna be sick, Dina! This guy's all yours!" He hurried away, clutching his stomach.
"Still here?" Cole turned to Dina, eyes narrowed. "You're not just trying to steal my style, are you?"
[I'm here to stop you,] Dina answered.
"Sorry, I don't know sign language," Cole waved his hand dismissively. "Listen, I've got a yacht-rock concert to get to, so lemme just make this quick. Feast your eyes on my beautiful boneysaurs!" The two sent out their vivosaurs at each other. Cole had a B-Rex, B-Lambeo and B-Plesio on his team. Dina sent out Mayrah, Peak and Riptide with Mayrah in the front.
The B-Plesio rammed into Peak. He skidded back some and Mayrah knocked it away from him with a blast of wind. The B-Plesio then turned on Riptide. He shook it off and slammed into the B-Rex. The B-Lambeo and B-Plesio slammed into Riptide, but he held his ground and charged into the B-Rex again. Peak bit down into the neck of the B-Lambeo.
The B-Plesio again attacked Riptide and again Riptide shook it off and focused on the B-Rex. Peak continued his attack on the B-Lambeo, hitting it with a critical hit. The B-Lambo turned on Mayrah and headbutted her. Riptide took out the B-Rex while Peak continued to bite the B-Lambeo. The B-Plesio kept going for Riptide, but its attacks weren't doing much. The B-Lambeo managed to shake Peak off long enough for it to defeat Riptide. Peak roared in fury and sent it back into its Dino Medal.
Mayrah stopped and bit at the B-Plesio. It thrashed desperately, but in seconds it to was a Dino Medal. Cole took a step back, his eyes wide.
"W-what!?" He sputtered. "N-no! This can't be happening! How could I be beaten by someone so terminally unhip? This is worse than the time that guy sold me off-brand shoes!" He ran away crying and Todd walked over, grinning ear to ear.
"Way to go, Dina!" He hugged her. "That hipster just ran off bawling his little eyes out, and the rest of the BB Brigade took off after him! I think the girls will leave once they realize no one's going to pamper them anymore."
Sure enough, the girls did leave soon after that and Pauleen approached the two, thanking them.
"Aw, you don't need to thank us," Todd said, blushing. "We were happy to help. Oh! Hey, wait. We also found that bowl you were looking for." Dina handed it to her.
"Thank you for finding it, but this isn't a bowl," Pauleen said. "It's a mask." She dumped the fruit out of it and put it on.
"W-what!?" Todd fell back onto the ground. "You were Pauleen all along!?"
"I sure was!" Pauleen puffed out her chest in pride and put her hands on her hips. "The one and only Pauleen! So what the heck took you two so long, huh? When a beautiful girl is in distress, you drop everything and come running to help her!"
"Well, well! Looks like you're the big heroes once more!" Terry walked over to them. "A few kidnapped girls just wandered back into town and told us their story. I can't believe you two ran off the BB Brigade all on your own! You must be some kind of Fighters."
"Pffft, the BareBones Brigade is no match for a teen idol like me!" Pauleen scoffed. "Miss Pauleen is on the scene!"
"Um, yeah, except that you didn't do anything," Todd managed to overcome his shock and got up. Pauleen slowly turned to look at him.
"Did you say something?" She questioned. Todd squeaked and ducked behind Dina.
"Well, thanks anyway," Terry spoke up. "Now we can get the Cup under way without any further delay. Keep an eye on your Paleopagers! We'll have Round 4 info coming soon. Thanks again, guys. Keep up the good work, okay?" He headed out. Pauleen raced away.
"Man, Pauleen is so weird," Todd said. "It's like she's a different person once that mask is on." Before they could think on it more, their Paleopagers alerted them that Round 4 would be starting soon. Dina hurried back to the City to her next match.
Her opponent used an all air element team, so Dina sent Peak out in front. He immediately bit down on the neck of the lead Camara, defeating it instantly. Fury leaped at the green Camara, digging her claws into its side. The green Camara shook her off and slapped her away with its tail. Its friend joined in on the attack and Fury reverted back into a Dino Medal. Peak slammed into the green Camara and Mayrah attacked the blue one. The two Camaras attacked Peak, but he refused to go down without a fight. He hit the green Camara with a critical hit, knocking it down. The blue Camara rushed to its friend aid, but Peak ended the green one's battle quickly. Mayrah leaped in and bit down on the blue Camara's tail. It bellowed in rage and slapped her away with its tail. Peak rushed in and rammed it into the wall. It fought back to defend itself, hitting him in the face with its tail. He bit down on its tail, growling in annoyance. It raised its tail and slammed him to the ground, defeating him. A final bite from Mayrah ended the battle.
Todd later met up with Dina in the Lobby.
"I really think you can win this Cup, Dina," he said.
"I suppose all this BB Brigade fighting has taken away from your fossil hunting, huh?" Terry asked. "And yet you still cleared Round 4! You're really something, Dina. Oh, here. It's a little prize for winning your Round 4 match. He handed her a new fossil rock. "It also seems that word of your heroic exploits against the BB Brigade has reached the highest levels. Joe Wildwest himself wants to speak to you!"
"Wait, you mean the Joe Wildwest?" Todd asked. "He wants to meet with us? Really!?"
"He sure does," Terry answered. "Now, I know you're busy, but I bet you can make a few minutes to see Joe up in his suite, right?" The two kids nodded, eyes bright. Terry pointed them in the direction and Dina told Todd to wait for her there. She wanted to clean this new fossil first.
Hey, Riptide, you want this fossil? Dina asked. You were the first Vivosaur I revived.
What about Mayrah? Riptide asked.
I don't want it, Mayrah answered. You go ahead and take it, dear.
Alright, if you really want me to…
Dina smiled and integrated the fossil onto him. He changed from blue and brown to red and blue.
Wow, I actually feel a lot stronger! He said.
Dina headed back out where Todd was waiting and they hurried up to the elevator. They spotted Pauleen about to go in.
"Oh no," Pauleen groaned. "Don't tell me Joe invited you two jokers along!"
"What are you doing here, Pauleen!?" Todd shot back. "Did Joe give you an invitation, too? Aw, man. This is the pits. I thought we were going to chat about old times, but if Pauleen's invited, that seems unlikely."
"Well!?" Pauleen huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Are we going to do this, or are you going to stand around and look depressed all day?"
They stepped into the elevator and made their way up to Joe's suite. He was staring out the window at the clouds rolling by through the sky.
"Howdy, folks," he turned and greeted them. "Sorry to take up yer time, but I'm real tickled ya'll came to see me. I'm Joe Wildwest, owner and proprietor of this here Caliosteo Fossil Park. Now, I've been hearing about yer heroics from Terry, and I don't mind sayin' that he's a mite impressed. He told me how ya'll rescued them girls from the BareBones Brigade. If it warn't for that, I mighta had to shut down the whole Caliosteo Cup! So then, it seems I owe you my thanks."
"There's no need to thank me," Pauleen said. "I just did what any beautiful and talented fighter would do."
"Yeah, like stand around and do nothing," Todd grumbled.
"You stay out of this!" Pauleen snapped at him.
[Guys, knock it off!] Dina signed to them, stepping between them.
"Whoa there!" Joe said quickly. "Let's all just tucker down now, pardners. Now, I can yell ya'll are skilled Fighters with a strong sense'a justice. And that's why I've got an offer for ya. I want ya'll to join the Caliosteo Patrol Team! Them BB varmints are persistent as flies on a manure pile, and I reckon they'll strike again before too long. So I'll need ya'll to keep yer eyes peeled for anything that looks like trouble. If ya smell anything fishy, just let either a staff leader or myself know, ya hear? That's the job of the Caliosteo Patrol Team. Of course, Dina and Pauleen would continue fightin' in the Caliosteo Cup. Just consider this a little side job to make life better for all the other Fighters."
"You can count on me, sir!" Todd stepped forward. "I'll do whatever it takes to stop the BareBones Brigade!"
"It sounds like fun," Pauleen agreed. "Plus, you'll need someone as beautiful and talented as me if you hope to succeed."
"Well, shucks, you two. Yer makin' me happy as a pig on a slop." Joe grinned. "So how 'bout you, Dina? Can I convince ya to join the Caliosteo Patrol Team?" Dina nodded to him.
[Someone needs to make sure these two don't kill each other,] she joked. Todd nudged her playfully.
"I knew you'd say yes!" he said. "Besides, this is our chance to pay Joe back for saving our lives two years ago!"
"Pay me back?" Joe asked, frowning in confusion. "What'n the heck are you talkin' about, small fry?"
"Don't you remember, Joe?" Todd asked. "Two years ago you came along and saved us from a rogue Allosaurus! Don't tell me you've forgotten us!"
"Sorry, pardner," Joe replied. "But I don't remember anything like that. Right then! I hereby declare the Caliosteo Patrol Team open for business! I'm expecting some great things from the three of you, so don't let me down, y'hear?" While they cheered, Dina couldn't help but wonder.
What's wrong, Dina? Fury asked. Aren't you excited?
I am, really, Dina answered. But you think Joe would remember saving two kids from an Allosaurus and giving one of his vivosaurs to one of them. Plus there's the fact that he didn't tell his staff members he was giving away the Park as the grand prize for the Cup. There's something not right about this whole thing. I just wish I knew what.