Disclaimers:
Dinosaur King is owned by Sega, Sunrise, 4Kids Entertainment, Discotek Media, ANN, etc.
Fossil Fighters in owned by Nintendo, Nintendo SPD, Red Entertainment, M2, Artdink, etc.
Story heavily inspired by 'Dinosaur King Retold' by Drew Luczynski.
I do not claim ownership of anything featured in this story.
Dinosaur King:
Fossils Reawakened
Ep: 1, Prehistory in the Making Part 1
Planet Earth. This magnificent sphere has existed in the vastness of space for a time span unfathomable to mortal men. Over that time span, this world has drastically changed its appearance, with the lifeforms inhabiting its outer shell changing as well. Lifeforms of all different shapes and sizes, different niches and adaptations, different ways of life, all of them amazing in their own way. But there was one group of lifeforms that have perhaps captured people's imagination more so than any other:
The Dinosaurs.
For 186 million years, these legendary creatures dominated the globe. They varied greatly in both appearance and behaviors. Some were giants that towered over the rest of their kind. Some were vicious predators, always on the hunt. And some were… just downright bizarre. And yet despite their presence leaving such a significant mark on this planet, we understand so little about these magnificent animals. As our only evidence of their existence are from fossils buried deep within the crust of the Earth. We can only make educated guesses on what they looked like and how they lived, as at the apex of their reign, the dinosaurs unfortunately met their end.
A meteor, bigger than the largest of mountains, entered Earth's orbit 66 million years ago. As the last day of the Dinosaurs neared its end, the meteor barreled into the Earth's atmosphere, signaling the start of a cataclysm that was about to devastate the entire world! Until finally, the meteor…
(…)
"Slams into the Earth, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake!" Rex Taylor is suddenly jolted awake by the sound of a familiar voice's overenthusiastic reading. He soon rolls over on his bed, going from facing the wall, to facing the rest of his shared bedroom. His eyes take only a second to get adjusted to the moderate darkness encompassing his surroundings. What he sees is the adjacent side of a room he's spent the last thirteen years of his life living in. Dinosaur memorabilia is everywhere, consisting of posters adorning every inch of the walls, plastic toys of both full animals and skeletons littering the floor and taking up several wall shelves, and books meant for a variety of contradicting age demographics taking up an entire small bookcase. There's also a couple bits of merchandise related to other prehistoric animals unrelated to Dinosaurs, such as one poster featuring Woolly Mammoths, and a toy Dunkleosteus sitting next to a globe on top of a dresser.
But what really had Rex's attention was the brown haired boy sitting on the bed parallel to his own. This is Rex's brother Max, who is currently so engrossed in a book that he's unconsciously reading it out loud. Rex recognized the book through the darkness, it was a kid's picture book that their dad would read to them when they were six. Not something anyone would expect a thirteen year old would find interesting. Nevertheless, Max seemed to treat the book with reverence as he reads the very end.
"Every dinosaur caught in the blast instantly met their end! And thus, the age of the dinosaurs was over." Max reads off as he slowly closes the book.
"Are ya done?" Rex speaks up in a very groggy voice.
Max jumps at the sound of his brother's voice and whips his head to his right towards the opposite side of the bedroom. His brother's side of the room is much more baren compared to his own side. There was not a single poster adorning the walls, nor any collectables being displayed on non-existent shelves. In fact, the only thing of note taking up space in that side is a generic bed with blue sheets. That, and of course the blond-haired boy sitting in the bed glaring at him.
"Oh, sorry Rex." Max sheepishly says. "I thought I was being quiet."
Rex rubs his eyes as he begins to respond. "What are you doing reading at…" Rex pauses as he notices the display on the clock on the dresser sandwiched between their beds. "4 am?! You woke up at 4 am just to read a book for kindergarteners?"
"I couldn't sleep, okay." Max tried to defend himself.
Rex wasn't buying it. He knew Max has stayed up late just to indulge in his dinosaur collection before. But staying up until four in the morning is easily the most egregious it's ever been.
"Max, you can't keep doing this. We have the first day of school in the morning."
"Alright, just let me put the book away real quick."
Max slides off his bed to go put the book back on his bookshelf. But Rex couldn't care less as he just rolls back over in his bed to try and get back to sleep. The subtle noises of Max walking over to the bookcase and sliding the book back are somewhat disrupting but does little to stop Rex from starting to drift off. Although he could've sworn he heard Max say something along the lines of, "What the heck is that?" but didn't think much of it. That is until he's soon shaken awake again by Max.
"Rex, get up! Hurry!" Max hurriedly says as he proceeds to rush over to their closet to rummage through.
"What now?!" Rex frustratingly lets out as he finds himself once again sitting up on his bed.
"I glanced out the window while I was putting the book away, and I saw a meteor land in the forests near the mountains!" Max franticly blurts out as he pulls a black backpack out from the closet.
"No you did not. Now go back to bed."
"Oh man this is huge! I gotta call Zoe, she's gonna freak!"
"4 am, Max. I don't think Zoe's gonna appreciate being woken up either."
But Max isn't listening as the bare-foot, pajama clad boy rushes out the bedroom door. Rex simply lays back down. He was not getting in trouble for this.
(…)
Rex felt extremely uncomfortable sitting in his seat in the middle of homeroom, and not just because of his school uniform. He never did well with groups of people, or just simply being around people in general. In fact, he could count the individual people he could be himself around with only one hand. It's not that Rex didn't like people, it's more so that he felt intimidated by the mere presence of others. A feeling that kept getting worse every time another student comes through the classroom door and sits down at a random desk. Max hadn't arrived yet. The last time Rex had seen him was when he rushed out of their room at 4 in the morning. The clock above the whiteboard read 8:55, 5 minutes before class is supposed to start. For both of their sakes, Rex hoped Max didn't actually go off into the woods by himself.
The clock now read 9:10. Max still wasn't there in class. The homeroom teacher had already begun to take roll call. Several of the names called Rex recognized. But there was a surprising amount of names that were unfamiliar to him. Of course, it didn't take long until the teacher called a name that made Rex feel a pit in his stomach; "Max Taylor?" Obviously there was no response. The teacher quickly marked down Max as absent and moved on to the next name, one that made Rex's stomach pit feel even worse; "Rex Taylor?" Rex absolutely hated it when attention was drawn to himself. But he also understood that this was necessary. So, he quickly raised his hand and blurted out, "Here." before returning to his slumped, unassuming position at his desk. That is, until the teacher followed with more questions.
"Oh wait a minute, Rex Taylor? Are you per chance related to Max Taylor? Do you know why he's not present?"
Everyone now had their eyes on Rex. Any thoughts about Max's whereabouts completely vanished from Rex's head. In fact, Rex couldn't think about anything really. His mind and body was now overcome by pure anxiety. But before he could give in to his instinctual desire to bolt out the classroom door, A very disheveled brown-haired boy comes trudging in.
"I'm here. I'm here. Sorry I'm late." Max quickly lets out, clearly exhausted. Not only was his uniform clearly haphazardly thrown on, but his hair was completely disheveled and had a couple leaves and twigs sticking out of it. Max immediately heads to the closest desk adjacent to Rex's but is soon stopped by the teacher.
"Max Taylor, I presume?" asks the teacher.
"Yeah." Max turns around.
"Are you aware that your pants are on backwards?"
All the students begin to break out into laughter, while Max's face reddens. And while Rex was slightly glad that the attention was off of himself, that didn't stop him from trying to sink into his shirt out of embarrassment.
(…)
A girl with pale red-violet hair, tied back into two massive bushy pigtails, walked through the cafeteria with a tray of bland food in tow. She hadn't seen her friends all day, on account that she had a completely different class schedule from them. Luckly for her, It didn't take long for her to spot a table with a familiar brown haired boy waving her over, along with a blond haired boy with chronic bed-head sitting opposite of him.
"Hey guys!" says Zoe Drake as she goes to sit down next to Max. "Glad to see you haven't been destroyed by your first classes yet."
"Ehh… I wouldn't exactly say that." Rex speaks up, sounding a bit frustrated.
"Why's that?"
"Ask him."
Understanding Rex's gesture, Zoe looks to her right to find Max currently trying to pull a spare twig out of his spiky hair.
"Sigh, I walked into homeroom with my pants on backwards." Max answers. "But it really wasn't that big a deal."
"You then fixed your pants right then and there in class." Rex exasperatingly reveals.
"I panicked, okay!"
As Max desperately tries to defend himself, something suddenly comes to Zoe's mind. "Does this have anything to do with why you apparently called me at 4 in the morning?" Zoe asks, pulling out her phone to show a notification for a missed call.
"Oh yeah, sorry about that." Max sheepishly apologizes. "It's just that I woke up early and I saw a meteor land in the wo-.
"No he didn't!" Rex interrupts. "He's just trying to get us in on one of his dumb 'adventures' again."
Zoe was taken aback by Rex's harsh interjection. She knew that Rex had lost a lot of interest in the three of them going out and exploring. Something they used to do all the time when they were little. However she had no idea Rex felt so strongly against them now. Max meanwhile, started to grow a scowl on his face.
"I know what I saw, Rex. And I saw a meteor! It landed in the woods by the mountains!"
Zoe could tell by Rex's incredulous look that he wasn't buying it.
Rex began to interrogate his brother. "Oh, you mean just like the time you 'totally' found a treasure map in our attic? I tell ya, those crayon drawings were 'super' convincing."
Max attempted to defend himself from Rex's sarcasm. "Okay that was-."
"Or the time you thought you saw a kappa in the park when it was just some old man?"
"I mean, that-."
"Oh! How 'bout the time you found a sea monster that washed up on the beach? Ya know that sea monster looked an awful lot like a horseshoe cra-."
"ALRIGHT I GET IT!" Max suddenly shouts at the top of his lungs, causing Rex and Zoe to jump back. Neither of them had ever heard their friend get so loud before. All the other students in the cafeteria turned their heads towards the direction of their table. Which of course caused Rex to tense up. But luckily for him, it didn't take long for the other students to go back to their mediocre meals. Rex, Max, and Zoe meanwhile, spent the next few minutes in complete silence. That is until Zoe suddenly spoke up.
"Wait a minute. Max, you went off into the woods by yourself to look for a meteor for 5 hours?"
Max didn't respond. He'd rather not bring up just how much of a disaster his attempt to go looking the meteor was. Instead, Max decided to wait a few seconds before finally speaking up.
"Guys, I know we're getting too old to go out on our adventures anymore. But this time's different: what I saw was real. A meteor really did land in the forest. And after school I can take you two right to it!"
Rex still wasn't convinced. Although he did seem a bit guilty when he responded. "Sigh, Max, I get it. I really do. But I really don't think I can do these dumb adventures anymore."
The three of them went back to silence for a bit. Until a somewhat frustrated Max reached into his backpack and pulled out a small object that he then slammed onto the table.
"Tell me what this means." Max sternly asks Rex while pointing at the object.
Rex looked down at the object and raised an eyebrow. It was a small badge of the letter D with three triangles jutting off from the left side, giving it the appearance of a dinosaur footprint. Rex thought he knew exactly what the badge represents but was having second thoughts due to Max's question. He also wasn't sure what it had to do with looking for a meteor.
"Tha- that's just the symbol from our old club, the D-Team?" Rex replied in a confused tone.
"Right, and what does the D mean?" Asked Max.
Rex still didn't get what the point his brother was trying to make. "I mean, the D stands for Dinosaur, but that has nothing to do with what we're talking about. And besides, you know I really don't care about Dinosaurs anymore.
Max was starting to get irritated at Rex's obliviousness. But before he could clarify what he meant, Zoe interrupts with a question.
"Then, why do you still wear that tooth around your neck?"
Rex started to gently caress his Dinosaur tooth necklace; a brown, three inch long, dagger-like fossil with his name engraved into it. It was Rex's most prized possession, something he's had for as long as he could remember. "Y-you know why I-I still wear this…" Red answers as his cheeks begin to flush red.
"I didn't mean what the D literally stands for," Max clarifies, "I meant what does it symbolizes."
Rex and Zoe exchange looks. Neither of them could understand where Max was going with this.
"It symbolizes all three of us," Max continues, pointing at the badge's three triangles, "and that we'll always have each other's backs no matter what." Finally, Max's point was starting to get to Rex and Zoe, who both started to feel a bit guilty. Rex in particular had a lot on his mind. He still didn't believe in Max's claim, but he did understand how important it was for the three of them to still spend time together. And as much as he really didn't want to go on anymore of their little adventures, he knew that they wouldn't be able to go on them forever. So Rex decided to make a deal.
"Alright Max," Rex sighed, "we can go looking for the meteor after school. But this is the last time."
"Awesome!" Max exclaimed, ignoring Rex's last sentence. "Zoe, you in?" He turned to his left to address the girl.
"Oh of course, you now I'm down for anything!" Zoe reassured.
"YES! The D-Team is back, baby!"
Max jumps up in pure giddiness, which Zoe can't help but grin at. Rex lets Max continue in his excitement for a bit longer before interrupting with another condition. "And we're bringing an adult with us for supervision."
"What?!" Max exclaimed. "But that ruins the whole point of the D-Team! We can't have an adult join us on an adventure!"
"We need someone to watch over us in case something bad happens. Unless you want a repeat of your solo adventure from this morning."
Max couldn't tell if Rex meant if they didn't bring an adult with them, he would be on his own again, or if the three of theirs's attempt to find the meteor would end the same as his first attempt. But either way, he could tell Rex wasn't gonna budge from his position.
"Okay, fine." Max relents. "I guess you want Dad to come with us, right?" Rex nods his head in conformation. Suddenly, Max lightens up from what he initially believed to be a damper on his plans. "Actually, I'm pretty sure the meteor landed not far from the Institute. We could probably convince Dad to come along as part of his work."
"So then, we'll head over to the forest entrance at around 3?" Zoe asks.
"Sounds like a plan." Max replies in agreement. Just then the school bell rings, signaling the end of lunch period. So before Rex could voice any more oppositions, the three friends are forced to split up to continue the rest of their school day. Only a couple more hours to go.
(…)
The Richmond Institute of Science and Technology (or R.I.S.T. for short) is a research center located on the outskirts of Sanjo City. Founded and funded by the aptly named Richmond Corporation, this state of the art facility focuses on both the study of all manners of natural science, and on developing technological innovations to improve further studies. In the paleontological wing of the Institute, two paleontologists are hard at work in the lab. The head paleontologist, Dr. Spike Taylor, was a bearded burly man of his mid-forties. Right now he is busy delicately chipping away at a massive fossil rock sitting on the center table. The other scientist, a dark skinned younger man with curly turquoise hair, is attempting to get a large device next to the table working.
"Are you almost ready, Diggins?" Dr. Taylor addressed his colleague in a slightly impatient tone.
"Sorry Spike." Diggins apologized. "I'm just having some trouble getting this stupid x-ray to work." Diggins continued to fiddle with the machine. The hope was for the x-ray machine to scan the fossil rock, revealing the entire fossilized skeleton inside. Unfortunately, due to the fact that the x-ray is an untested prototype, Diggins is understandably have issues getting the device to work. "Do you think we could ask Ms. Drake to take a look at this?"
"Er- I doubt it." Spike Taylor replied. "Reese is already having a hard time moving into her new office."
"Oh yeah. They're moving her into the old observatory, aren't they? Honestly it could be worse. Remember when I started working here? My first office was inside a supply closet."
Just as Dr. Taylor was about to start reminiscing about old times, a ringing noise starts emanating from his jean pocket. Spike reached for his phone, only to be surprised to see that the call was coming from his youngest son: Max.
"Hold on, this will only take a moment." The Head paleontologist addressed Diggins as he turned away to answer his phone.
"Hello?"
…
"I'm still at work, son. Can you call me back later?"
…
"A scientific discovery?"
…
"A meteor!?"
…
"I feel like I would have seen something about that in the news."
…
"Alright, what time?"
…
"In a half an hour?" Dr. Taylor checked his watch and saw that it read 2:30pm. "Max, you know I can't get out of work that early."
…
"Heh, I don't think I can pass off 'discovering a meteor' as part of my paleontological work."
…
…
"Sigh, alright I'll see what I can do. I'll text you back in a few minutes."
…
"Your welcome. Love you, son." *Beep*
Dr. Taylor began to contemplate how he would accompany his sons on their little adventure. Perhaps he could get someone else to go instead. Just then, Diggins spoke up in excitement.
"Eureka! I think I figured it out!" Diggins exclaimed as he flicked a switch on the machine. A few seconds later…
KRRZZERRT*
A bright flash erupted from the x-ray, engulfing the entire lab in an inhumanly bright light for a brief second. Dr. Taylor was lucky enough to have been turned away when the flash went off. Diggins meanwhile…
"Ack, my eyes! I think I'm blind!"
Not so lucky.
(…)
Rex and Max had just gotten off their bikes and were waiting by the entrance to the forest. The two brothers had previously stopped by their house to change out of their uniforms and grab some supplies. Zoe meanwhile was taking a bit longer to catch up, as her house was much farther away from the woods than the Taylors'. Now, Rex was leaning back against a tree with his hands in the pockets of his blue hoodie. He looked over to see Max busy adjusting his own outfit, straightening out his red and white fingerless gloves, tightening his matching boots, dusting off his red t-shirt, and repositioning his visor cap. Rex never liked that visor cap. It was made out of this cheap red plastic, and had two plastic horns jutting out of the headband, giving the vague impression of a Triceratops. He thought it looked absolutely ridiculous, yet Max seemed to think it was the coolest piece of headwear of all time. But before Rex could comment, both of them spotted a yellow and pink blur speeding towards them from the horizon.
"Sorry I'm late guys," Zoe apologizes as she pulls up next to the other bikes. Just like the two brothers, The redhead had changed out of her school uniform and into her usual outfit, primarily consisting of a light yellow unbuttoned vest with reddish trim, matching short shorts, and a black t-shirt underneath that she had rolled up to expose her midriff. "So, are we ready to go?"
"Not yet." Rex answered. "We're still waiting for our dad to get here first.
Max suddenly perked his head up. "Oh… right, I forgot to mention." The brunette sheepishly tugged his sleeve. "Dad texted back and said he can't get off work in time. So Dr. Diggins is gonna go with us instead.
"Wha- Diggins?!" Rex exclaimed incredulously. There were only a handful of people that Rex felt he could be himself around. Diggins was not one of them. "Why are we bringing Diggins with us?! That guy's a complete nutjob!"
"I like Diggins." Max shot back. "And besides, you're the one who wanted an adult to accompany us."
"Diggins barely qualifies as an adult."
The two brothers continued to bicker until they were nearly at each other's throat. But before it could spiral out of control, Zoe finally stepped in.
"Guys, come on. This isn't worth fighting over. We're just going for a nice trek through the woods."
"To find a meteor!" Max enthusiastically added.
"Yes, yes, to find a meteor. But regardless, Let's not let this get in the way of us having a great time out here."
"Heck yeah!"
Rex wasn't entirely moved by Zoe's attempt at balance, but he wasn't going to continue arguing. And just as he was about ask Max when they should expect Diggins to show up, the three kids found their attentions being drawn to an out of breath, 30-something scientist rushing towards them with a large duffel bag in tow.
"Oh good, *huff* you three are still here." Diggins exasperatedly cries out. "I was worried I took too long to get the necessary supplies."
Diggins placed the duffel bag on the dirt ground in front of the kids and started pulling out various gadgets and gizmos. Max kept getting more and more enthusiastic with every meteor-studying device Diggins brought out. Rex meanwhile, was just staring in disbelief at how this grown man had just about the same level of passion as his own brother. Rex always had mixed feelings towards the doctor. It wasn't that he particularly disliked Diggins; it was more so that he thought that he looked and acted way too childishly for a supposed high-regarded scientist. His lab coat and half-rim glasses seemingly clashed heavily with his Hawaiian shirt and flip-flops. Max however had always stuck a chord with Diggins, due to both of their life-long obsessions with prehistory. This was illustrated right then and there as Max and Diggins began to do a little cheer as they rushed off into the woods, unknowingly leaving Rex and Zoe in the dust. Rex let out a frustrated sigh.
"Don't worry about it." Zoe tried to cheer Rex up. "I'm sure this won't take long anyway."
(…)
One hour later and the four of them were still walking aimlessly through the woods. Max and Diggins were leading the way a little ways ahead from Rex and Zoe. The brunette and the doctor were somehow still just as passionate as they were when they first entered. Rex had since tuned out of their conversation. He may have heard bits and pieces such as Max talking about some dinosaur theories he recently heard about, and Diggins mentioning how he nearly blinded himself with an x-ray earlier. But at this point, Rex really could not care less. He had just about had it with this 'meteor adventure.'
"That's it, I'm bringing this to an end." Rex tells Zoe as he rushes forward before she could get a word in.
"Alright Max, I think this has gone on long enough."
Max turns around to see Rex with an annoyed look on his face. "What?! But we're so close to finding it. Just a little bit longer."
"Max, I've tried playing along, really." Rex interrupts. "But you need to accept that it's over. There's no meteor."
"I know what I saw Rex, and it's out here somewhere!" Max turns his head towards Diggins, who had just been standing quietly nearby. "Diggins, back me up."
Diggins scratched the back of his neck. "Well, sorry Max, but it is getting late." The doctor pointed out. "It's been fun, but I should probably get you kids home."
"Bu-but!" Max was flabbergasted. He had always seen Diggins as one of the few adults he could rely on. Regardless, he was not going to throw in the towel this easily. "Alright, Zoe, what about you?" Max called back to Zoe, who was trailing far behind the rest of the group. "Do you wanna quit searching for the meteor, too?"
Zoe didn't respond. She was too focused on something off to the side of the trail.
"Zoe?"
"You doing okay?"
"Guys?" Zoe finally spoke up. "I think I found it."
Rex, Max, and Diggins quickly rushed back to where Zoe was standing. All four of them could see a huge clearing where a line of trees had been knocked down. At the end laid a burnt, dead tree with a hole embedded in it. A faint yellow glow seemed to be emanating from the hole.
"Ha ha!" Max laughed triumphantly. "I told you I saw a meteor this morning!"
"Is there really a meteor in there?" Rex questioned. "Why is it glowing?"
Diggins started to rummage through his duffel bag. "Oh dear, I knew I should have brought better protective gear." He pulled out two rubber gloves that he proceeded to slide onto his hands. "Alright, you kids stay here while go and…"
"Max what are you doing!" Zoe suddenly calls out.
Max had sprinted towards the dead tree. "I just gotta see this." He said to himself.
"Max, get back here! That could be dangerous!" Rex shouts.
"Exactly!" Max shouts back. "Dangerous stuff like this is what the D-Team is all about!"
"What, the 'D' stands for 'Danger' now?" Rex asks, sarcastically.
The three of them start walking over towards Max, who is already shoving his head and hands into the hole.
Diggins placed a hand to his forehead. "Oh, Spike's gonna kill me."
Just as they had caught up to Max, he suddenly turns around with a strange-looking stone in his hand. "Guys, look at this."
Rex, Zoe, and Diggins didn't look at the stone. Instead, they continued to stare at Max with a mix of shock and concern on their faces.
"…What's wrong?"
"Um…Max." Zoe speaks up. "You're…glowing."
Max looked down to see that his entire body was enveloped in a bright yellow glow. He jumps back in shock and drops the stone. As the stone hits the ground, the bright light enveloping Max fades away.
"Whoa!" was all Max could get out.
"What was that about?" Rex added.
Diggins picked up the stone to examine it. Rex and Zoe come over to him to get a better look. The stone was sand colored and was surprisingly smooth, and looked to have been carved into the shape of a trapezoid with the edges curved inward. One side had an image of two yellow lightning bolts carved into it. And on the shortest edge there was a metal nub with a slit running through it.
"This…is not a meteor." Diggins stated the obvious. "I'm not sure what this is."
"Hey guys!" Max calls out after sticking his head and arms into the tree again. "There's something else in here." He pulls out a metal egg shaped object the size of his hand. "I think it's some kind of capsule." With barely any effort, Max manages to snap open the capsule and out comes two grey cards that gently float to the ground.
"Okay, this is getting weird." Rex states as Max picks up the cards.
"Hey! Check this out!" Max showed the other three the illustration on one of the cards, as he slides the other card into his pants pocket. It featured a profiled silhouette of an animal vaguely resembling a rhinoceros. In the top-left corner was a text blurb reading the name of the animal. A name that all four of them knew all too well.
"Triceratops?" Diggins read out in confusion.
"So…wait, a weird stone with a lightning bolt on it and a capsule containing two cards fell out of the sky into that tree?" Zoe questioned.
"And one of the cards has a dinosaur printed on it?" Rex added.
"Apparently so…" Diggins finished.
"Yeah but look." Max flipped the card around to show the same lightning bolt symbol as the stone on the backside. "I think the stone and the card go together. Let me see the stone again."
"Max, why are you acting so causally about all this?" Rex asks.
"I'm not sure." Max admitted. "I just feel like this is something important, ya know?"
"Alright." Diggins relents as he hands over the stone. Miraculously, Max didn't start glowing again. "Just, please be careful."
Max immediately notices the metal slit on the stone. It reminded him of the credit card readers at the checkout whenever he would go grocery shopping with his Mom. This immediately gave him an idea. Without a word, he quickly swiped the card through the slit. The card was suddenly encased in a bright light that whisked out of Max's hand and flew to a nearby clearing. The light rapidly grew in size until it was nearly the size of a bus. At that point, the light began to take the shape of large horned animal. Until suddenly, the light shattered, revealing a real live breathing dinosaur underneath.
A thirty foot long quadruped, with a head that took up a third of its body length. Two curved horns as long as a man protruded out right above its eyes, while a much smaller horn rested above its snout. A massive beak that could effortlessly snap a man's arm off like a twig. And a frill that stretched to the back of the dinosaur's neck. All of these elements put together to create one of the most recognizable animals from Earth's past.
*BRAAAUUUUWWAAAAI* The Triceratops bellows. Its orange-yellow scales practically glistening off the sun.
The four humans stood in abject shock for a couple seconds, before they all bolted away as fast as their legs could carry them. Rex, Zoe, and Diggins all ran to the same bush to hide behind, While Max had split off from them and was now stuck against a tree in the Trike's line of sight.
"Max, run!" Rex shouts as loud as he can.
Max was paralyzed in fear as the Trike walked towards him, until they were practically touching face-to-snout. Its nostrils, which were so large Max could easily fit one of his fists inside, were sniffing heavily in his face, threatening to rip Max's hair right off of his scalp.
In a desperate attempt to draw the Trike's attention. Diggins picks up a pebble and chucks it as hard as he can near the Dino's eye.
"Ow!" an unknown voice cries out as the Triceratops flinches in agitation. Max is knocked out of his paralysis and starts to fiddle with the stone's metal nub. Suddenly, the Trike is engulfed in light and turns back into a card.
As Max starts to catch his breath, the other three slowly emerge from the bushes. "What the heck was that!" Zoe exclaims.
"There's no way that was real!" Rex adds. "That had to be a hologram or something."
"No way!" Max spats out. "It breathed on me! That was definitely a real dinosaur!" A huge grin crept onto his face.
"How is that possible?" Zoe questioned. "Er…Diggins, what do you think?"
Diggins was lost in thought for a moment before finally answering. "Sorry kids, but this is beyond even my understanding."
Before he could inquire the scientist further, Rex notices Max starting to bring the card and the stone together again. "Max, don't swipe the card again!"
But it was too late. Once again, the card whisked out of Max's hand in a ball of light. Rex quickly grabbed his brother and dragged him back into the bush along with Zoe and Diggins. As they all peak out from behind the bush, they notice that the ball of light had only grew to about the size of a housecat. When the light shattered, it revealed a much smaller yellow Triceratops, complete with an oversized head, beady eyes, and a small body.
"What the…?" Rex blurted out as he and the others stare at the tiny dino.
"Ohmygosh, it's so stinkin' cute!" Zoe practically squeaks out.
"Max, did you do something different?" Diggins asked.
"I think I might have swiped the card on a short edge rather than a long edge." Max theorizes.
The four continue to watch from the safety of the bush, as the Trike inspects its surroundings. Soon Max couldn't help himself and began to approach the little dino, regardless of the other's protests.
"Hey there, little guy." Max greets the Trike as he crouches down. His heart pounding in excitement as the dino cautiously steps toward him. He truly could not believe what was happening. He was talking to a real live dinosaur! Never in his wildest imagination did he ever think something like this would ever happen in his lifetime. And it was about to get even more unbelievable.
"It's okay, I'm not gonna…" Max was interrupted when the Trike crept up and bit him on the nose.
"Oww!" Max shouts, causing the Trike to bounce back in surprise, and Max to fall on his butt. "What's the big idea!?" Asks the young teen as he clutches his bleeding nose, obviously not expecting an answer.
"Bleh. Sorry. You didn't even taste that good anyway." Speaks a young male sounding voice, coming from…the Triceratops?"
Max's eyes widened to the size of plates as he started in dumbfoundment at the tiny dino. "D-di-did you just talk?"
"Yeah? of course I did." The voice casually answers. It was definitely coming from the Trike, even though its mouth wasn't moving. "Honestly, I'm just as surprised that you can talk, you weird creature." The little dino moves over to start nibbling on Max's boot. "Mhm, this is better."
Any words Max wanted to say completely slipped his tongue as he watched the talking dino chew away a layer of leather. There was no way what he was experiencing was real. It must still be the early morning when he first went off into the woods. And this must be a dream he was having after collapsing from exhaustion. But…no. Everything that had just happened was real, and young Max's thirteen year old brain could not handle it.
"Okay! Am I dreaming right now?!" Rex questions as he walks out from the bush.
"No, I heard it too." Zoe adds, following close behind. The Trike had moved on from gnawing on Max's boot to chewing on his orange jeans.
"Max? Are you okay?" Rex asked his brother.
"…This is the best day of my life." Max quietly states.
"So, your called a Max?" The Trike asks, looking up from his denim meal.
"Well, that's my name, yeah." Max hesitantly answers. "And this is my brother Rex." Rex hesitantly waves his hand. "And our friend, Zoe."
Zoe kneels down to get a better look at the tiny ceratopsian. "So, what's your name?"
"Oh, my name is…I…don't…know." The Trike solemnly admits.
"Can you not remember your name?"
"I guess not. The last thing I remember was munching on some ferns, when all of a sudden this bright light appeared in the sky. And then all of a sudden, I'm here."
"Guys, I think we need to go home and talk to Dad about this." Rex suggests, not thinking straight.
"That might be a problem." Zoe states, pointing to a sandal-clad foot sticking up from behind the bush. "I'm pretty sure Dr. Diggins fainted when the Triceratops started talking."
(…)
After Diggins finally regained consciousness, and Max had gotten a bandage for his nose, the D-Team headed straight for the Taylor household with the tiny Trike in tow. Diggins had since split off and went back to the Institute in order to further examine the mysterious stone. On the way back, all three kids attempted to explain to the dino all they could about the modern world. They explained to him that they were humans, that they were mammals, and that they were headed to a place called a house. The little ceratopsian barely listened to any of it. He was too focused on biting the kids' clothing. Eventually, the trio made it back home while the sun begins to set. Spike Taylor had returned home from work and was now sitting on the deck in the back yard, patiently listening to his sons as they explain what the strange creature they brought home with them really was.
"You're saying that's a real Triceratops?" Dr. Taylor questions as he adjusts the brim of his brown cowboy hat.
"I know it sounds ridiculous, but…" Rex starts.
"He's totally real!" Max finishes.
"And he's super cute!" Zoe adds. "He's like a little chibi dinosaur."
Just then, the chibi dinosaur scurries over to Dr. Taylor and starts chewing on his maroon vest. "Mmph, good stuff. I'm not sure why you guys wear such tasty things, but I'm all for it!"
"He can talk?!" Spike jumps in shock, accidently knocking the little dino back onto the deck.
"Y-yeah?" Rex answers. "I thought we already told you that?"
"Er… sorry. You probably did. It's just not everyday you see a real life talking Triceratops the size of a small dog."
"He was actually full-sized initially." Max clarifies as the chibi Trike starts gnawing away at the wooden deck.
"Really?! May I see it?"
"Sorry. But we need that stone in order to turn him full-size. And right now Dr. Diggins has it."
"Hey, I just realized something." The chibi trike suddenly perked up. "Why do you guys keep acting surprised to see me? Don't you guys see Spike-Noses like me all the time?"
The D-Team and Dr. Taylor exchanged awkward looks at one another. How the heck were they going to explain to a dinosaur that his kind is gone forever?
"Well," Zoe finally speaks up, her voice dripping with unease. "It's just that…ya see…"
"Dinosaurs went extinct millions of years ago." Max blurts out, earning glares from the rest of the D-Team.
"Wha…extinct?" The Trike questions, tilting his head.
"As in, died out." Dr. Taylor solemnly clarifies. "Dinosaurs like you have been gone for an unfathomably long time."
All the little Trike could do at this point was look down with his eyes wide and mouth agape. Taking in the information he just received.
"H-hey now, it's not so bad." Max attempts to cheer up the dino. "I mean, you're still here, and you've got all of us now. It's gonna be awesome, just wait and see." Rex wanted to say something about his brother's potentially insensitive comment. But before he could, their Dad suddenly stood up to address the kids.
"Actually, that relates to something I need to tell you all." Spike states in a much more serious tone. "This is an absolutely huge deal you kids stumbled upon. If any news of this discovery gets out, the entire world would be sent into chaos. So for now, this has to stay a complete secret. Can I count on you kids to not tell anyone about this?"
"Yes, Dad." Rex and Max reassure in near unison.
"Yes, Mr. Taylor." Zoe added.
"And that goes for you too." The paleontologist addressed the Trike, picking him up so they were looking face-to-face. "Unless we say otherwise, under no circumstances are you to talk to anyone besides the four of us and Dr. Diggins. Have I made myself clear?" The tiny dino, still taking in the information that he is the last of his kind, simply nodded his head in understanding as the paleontologist puts him back down.
Just then, the slider door opens and out steps a woman with shoulder-length brown-hair, wearing a yellow dress and coat. "Alright everyone, it's getting late, you might want to head inside now." Speaks the gentle voice of Aki Taylor, the wife of Spike Taylor, and mother of Max and Rex.
"Yes, honey." Spike responds.
"Oh, hello Zoe." Aki notices the red-head sitting next to her sons. "I didn't realize you were here. Will you be staying for dinner?"
"Uh, sure Mrs. Taylor. Thank you."
Suddenly, Aki notices the chibi Triceratops sitting by her feet and kneels down to get a better look. "Well now, who's this little guy?" Aki reaches her hand to start scratching behind the little dino's frill. Any thoughts the Trike had about being the last of his kind completely went away as lost himself to the satisfying sensation.
"Oh! That's a…" Spike started to say. He needed to come up with a good excuse. Too bad he was never great with coming up with stuff on the fly. "That's a dog…that…followed Max and Rex home from school."
The D-Team's individual jaws dropped at the ridiculousness of Dr. Taylor's lie. There was absolutely no way Aki was going fall for-
"Well, he's certainly a very unique looking dog."
…Never mind.
"Uh…yeah." Max hesitantly agrees as he stands up to walk over to his mom. "His name is…" Max pauses. He just realized that he never gave the Trike a new name. His mind completely blanked on name ideas; all he could think about was how the little dino would chomp on anything in front of him- That's it!
"Chomp! …his name is Chomp." Max reveals as he goes to pick up the newly named chibi Triceratops. Chomp looks back at the boy in confusion.
"So, what do ya say Mom? Can we keep him, pleeeeeease?"
Aki couldn't say no to her son's pleading face. "That should be fine. "As long as you're the one who takes care of him, Max."
"I will, Mom. Thanks!"
"Great. Now come on in, dinner's on the table."
Aki heads back inside the house, leaving everyone else still outside.
"I like her." Chomp speaks up once Aki is out of earshot.
"So, we have to keep Chomp a secret from Mom as well?" Rex whispers to his father.
"Yes, but only for a little while." Dr. Taylor whispers back.
"By the way, what's a dog?" Chomp asks.
(…)
Meanwhile, at the Richmond Institute's abandoned observatory, a young bespectacled woman with two massive blond braids, wearing a lab coat over a green turtleneck, is currently working at her new desk. She had just finished moving all of her stuff into what is now her new office. Definitely unconventional, but at least there was more than enough space (no pun intended) for her equipment. Her desk was positioned directly in the center of the observatory dome, with a nearly 100 feet radius of free space surrounding her. On her desk to her right lies the mysterious stone the D-Team found in the woods. Dr. Diggins had brought it in for her to look at due to the strange technology embedded within. For unexplainable reasons, The stone had automatically wirelessly synced itself to the woman's computer. Right now, the woman and Diggins were viewing the data that had appeared on the computer monitor.
"Fascinating." The woman observes in a nearly monotone voice. "This is unlike anything I've ever seen before."
"Will you be able to decode it, Reese?" Diggins inquired.
"Honestly, I have no idea." Reese admits. "Right now I going to let the computer run a scan and see where we can go from there."
"I swear, this stone gets more and more perplexing with every new discovery." Diggins places a hand to his chin.
"What do you mean?" Reese turns around in her chair to face Diggins. "What else did you discover about the stone in your studies?"
"I'm glad you asked, Ms. Drake!" Diggins struck a pose as he readied his incoming spiel. "My analysis revealed that the composition of that stone matches almost exactly with rock strata dating back 66 million years ago, when the dinosaurs went extinct. And yet, it contains technology far exceeding our current standards. My best theory, as un-scientific as it is, is that the very essences of the dinosaurs was stored inside of the stone as a way to preserve them. And that same essence can only be brought out through the use of a card reader!" Diggins pumped his fist as he revealed the big secret to his coworker.
Reese Drake turned back to her computer screen. "Dr. Diggins, if you're not going to take this seriously, I suggest you leave me to my work."
Diggins simply slouched in defeat.
(…)
It was now 9 o'clock at the Taylor household. Zoe had long since gone home, and Max and Rex were now getting ready for bed. This time however, the brothers had a third party joining them.
"So, this where me and Rex sleeps." Max tells Chomp, who immediately runs over to gnaw on Rex's bed frame.
"Mrm, not as good as the deck, but still good."
"Why do you keep chewing on everything anyway?" Rex asks as he pulls the chibi trike away from his bed.
"I just like to eat." Chomp bluntly admits. "And now that I'm here in this new world, there's all kinds of new stuff to try!" Chomp rushes over to Max's bookcase to taste-test some of the books. Thinking faster than usual, Max quickly goes over to pick up the dino before any of his favorites could get ruined.
"Nonono! Those are off limits!" Max frantically explains.
"I think we're gonna have to teach him what not to eat." Rex states to this brother.
"No fair." Chomp pouts.
Max places Chomp at the end of his bed, as he and Rex tuck themselves in for the night.
"Oh man, just you wait, Chomp!" Max gets all excited, trying to hype up his new dinosaur buddy. "Tomorrow we're gonna have so much fun doing all the stuff the modern world has to offer!"
"Max, you realize we have school tomorrow, right?" Rex asks.
"Aw, dang it! I forgot!" Max crosses his arms and leans back. "Ow well. I'm sure we'll be able to have some fun early in the morning. Right, Chomp?"
Chomp had already curled up and fallen asleep. Shortly followed by Max, he had been up since 4 in the morning after all. For first time in a long while, Rex let a genuine smile creep onto his face. He was actually glad he went looking for that meteor with Max. As he and his brother ended up becoming quite possibly the two luckiest kids in the world.
(…)
A beast made his way through the woods as the sun begins to rise over the horizon. It had been a strange morning for the beast. He couldn't remember a thing from before a couple hours ago, not even his name. All he could remember was seeing this bright light, and then getting up next to a small fire. Their were these two small, bipedal creatures that took off screaming right after. One of the creatures was holding two eggshells. The beast wasn't sure what that was about. Right now all that mattered was getting out of this cramped forest and getting a bearing on his surroundings. Luckily, there appeared to be a clearing straight ahead.
After emerging into the clearing, the beast took a good look at his surroundings. As far as he could see, strange structures of various sizes and colors jutted up from the ground. Trails made out of stone weaved their way between the structures. And weird box-like beings rolled their way across the trails. The beast had never seen anything like this before. But if this was to be his new territory, he might as well get used to these odd additions. Time to let out a roar to assert dominance.
*RWAAAAAAAAAAEEEEENNG*
(…)
Rex was getting his stuff ready for school when he noticed Max playing with Chomp in the backyard. As much as even he found the scene to be incredibly charming, He new he had to be the barer of bad news for his brother.
"Hey, you do realize the bus is gonna be here in like, five minutes?" Rex states as he opens the slider door.
"Shoot!" Max stomps his foot. "Alright Chomp, I guess we'll see ya later."
"Why? Where ya goin'?" Chomp asks as he follows the brothers inside.
"Someplace horrible." Max deadpans as he goes to get his uniform.
"To school." Rex clarifies. "It's a place where human kids learn about the world and how to function within it."
"Ya don't just learn stuff through trial and error out in the wild?" Chomp tilts his head in confusion.
"Heh, I'm afraid things now are a lot different than when you…" Rex begins to answer before he notices something laying on the living room coffee table. It was another card. On one side there was the same lightning bolt symbol that was on the stone and the back of Chomp's card. The other side however, had an illustration of a nondescript ceratopsian silhouette making a charging motion, with sparks coming off the horns. The text box in the upper corner simply read 'Electric Charge.'
"Hey Max, what's this?" Rex asks after his brother comes back out carrying his uniform.
"Oh, that was in the capsule with Chomp's card." Max clarifies. "Not sure what it's for though. Doesn't look like it's another dinosaur."
"Huh. Chomp do you what this is for?"
"Why are you asking me?" Chomp shrugs. "I didn't even realize I was turned into a card until yesterday."
"Weird. Maybe Dad or Diggins might be able to figure out what this…"
Rex was interrupted by the sound of Max's phone ringing. On the other end was Zoe, clearly terrified and panicking as she speaks.
"Max, you and Rex need to get over here right now!"
The two brothers and Chomp were obviously taken aback by how much the girl was freaking out.
"Uhh, okay. Where are you?" Max answers, nearly matching the same panicking tone.
"I'm hiding under a car on 7-3-1, Sanjo."
"Wha-why are you-?"
"JUST GET OVER HERE! PLEASE!"
A roar could be heard in the background of the call right before Zoe hung up.
"I recognize that roar." Chomp says, his voice dripping with dread.
All three of them briefly exchange horrified glances right before they took off out the front door.
(…)
Right outside the Richmond Institute, Dr. Diggins is struggling to drag the x-ray out of the building. The cart he picked out to place the machine on just had to be the one with the loose wheel. He was so focused on getting rid of this stupid device, that he didn't even notice his colleague approach him from his side.
"Couldn't get that stupid thing to work, huh?" Dr. Taylor abruptly inquires, causing Diggins to jump back in genuine shock.
"Oh…Spike, it's you." Diggins tries to catch his breath. "Yeah, I'm going to send this back to factory for repairs. Actually, would it be possible for you to help me get this into my car?"
Both paleontologists proceeded to take the x-ray the rest of the way through the parking lot. Dr. Taylor's muscular fortitude making the trip far smoother than if the scrawny Diggins had to finish by himself.
"Oh, there's actually something I needed to talk to you about." Diggins alerts Taylor after they've finished placing the machine, and the cart, into the trunk. The dark-skinned scientist reached into his lab coat pocket and pulled out the mysterious stone. "Ms. Drake did an analysis on the stone we found yesterday, and… the results were inconclusive." Both scientists slouched in disappointment. "I think we'll have to send it to other labs for further analysis."
Dr. Taylor picked up the stone and inspected it with a concerned look on his face. "I don't think we can afford to do that Diggins. If word get out about what this stone is capable of it could potentially lead to-." The bearded scientist was cut off by a notification alert from his phone. It was a text message from Rex.
The message made Spike's blood run cold.
"Diggins, get in the car and start driving." Dr. Taylor states, as he slides the stone into his pocket. "I'll explain on the way."
(…)
7-3-1, Sanjo was not far at all from the Taylor household. It only took the Taylor brothers and the chibi Triceratops six or so minutes to get there by running as fast as possible. Notably, there appeared to not be a single person out in their neighborhood today. Not that any of them paid attention to that fact, all of them were laser focused on getting to their friend before the worst could happen. Once the three of them arrived, what they saw caused each of them freeze in abject terror:
Zoe had indeed hid herself underneath a random car, as a theropod dinosaur inspected the surrounding area.
It was nearly forty feet from head to tail, its head built like a brick and its body built like a barrel. Two pillar-like back legs helped to support the theropod, while it's front arms were pathetically short with only two stubby claws. Hidden behind its lipped jaws was an impressive array of banana-sized sharp teeth, eager to rip apart any poor being that ends up in there. All over, the theropod was covered with bright red scales, with a striking orange stripe running down its side. Any person, even those with barely any knowledge about dinosaurs could instantly tell you what this creature was:
Tyrannosaurus rex!
The T. rex continued its investigation of the area, as Max, Rex, and Chomp hid behind a nearby trash can a couple houses away. It didn't take long for the theropod to start sniffing the area of road right next to the car Zoe was under. Rex tried to mouth the word 'run' to Zoe, but the poor girl was too scared out of her wits to react to anything that was happening. She continued to lay down on her stomach, uncontrollably breathing rapidly as the predator grew closer.
"This is so bad." Max whisper yelled. "There's nothing we can do."
"I could try to stop that flesh-shedder if I wasn't stuck in this small form." Chomp points out.
"I already texted Dad asking him to bring the stone." Rex clarified. "He better get here, and quickly!"
The kids' and the Trike's hearts nearly stop as the T. rex starts to rub its head against the car, causing its side to lift up slightly. At this point, Zoe couldn't take it anymore and let out an impressive shriek, causing the theropod to jump back slightly… Before swinging its head hard, flinging the car into the air, and revealing the panicking girl underneath. Zoe slowly looked up to see two piercing green eyes staring back at her. Any survival instinct she may have had completely vanished, as in her petrified state, the only thing she could manage was a pathetic whimper.
Max and Rex wanted to scream for Zoe to run for it. But both brothers were just a paralyzed with fear as their friend. Which only got worse when the T. rex slowly lowered its snout right in front of Zoe's face.
At this point, Chomp wasn't having it. He may have just met these kids, but they were the closest thing he had to a herd right now. And he wasn't going to let another flesh-shredder take that away from him, even if he was stuck in this smaller form.
Before anyone could react, Chomp ran down the street as fast as his tiny legs could carry him. Once he got in between Zoe and the T. rex, he leapt up and bit the theropod right on the chin, causing the beast to swing its upper body back and forth in an attempt to dislodge the tiny Trike. But even in chibi form, Chomp's grip was like a vise, and refused to let go no matter the intensity of the swinging.
Finally, Zoe had snapped out of her paralysis and ran over to the two brothers behind the trash can. "What do we do now?!" Zoe asked, still panicking.
"Beats me." Rex answered, sounding a bit hopeless. "There no way Chomp can take on a T. rex at that size."
The D-Team continued to watch as the Tyrannosaur increased the intensity of his swinging, causing Chomp's grip to loosen slightly. Only for their attention to drift when a car pulled up a few feet behind them.
"Wow! A real live Tyrannosaurus!" Diggins squees as he and Spike step out of his car.
"Focus, Diggins!" Dr. Taylor scolds his colleague before addressing his son. "Max, take this!"
Spike tosses the stone towards Max, who catches it right as Chomp losses his grip on the Tyrannosaur's chin. Immediately, the brunette fiddles with metal nub as the tiny Trike flies through the air. Just before Chomp could hit the ground, he is once again engulfed by a yellow light that whisks away and turns back into a card, landing at Max's feet.
Max lets out a heavy breath as he picks up Chomp's card. "Alright, here goes nothing."
The thirteen-year-old swiped the card through the medal slit, causing a full-sized Triceratops to materialize in front of them all once again. Chomp let out a bellow, instantly catching the Tyrannosaur's attention. The landscape and sky around everyone suddenly gained a purple tint, as both dinosaurs sized each other up.
"Did the sky just turn purple?" Zoe asked.
"Is this really happening?" Rex questioned as he watched the dinos get ready to fight.
"Yep! And it's going to be awesome!" Max gets himself pumped up.
With another bellow from Chomp, and a roar from the T. rex, the two prehistoric titans clashed. Chomp knocked the Tyrannosaur back with his horns and proceeded to take a defensive position. Every time the T. rex tried to reach forward and take a bite, Chomp would always strike first with a horn uppercut. It would seem that no matter what angle the theropod tried, the Triceratops was able to keep the carnivore at bay. The D-Team cheered for their new friend as he kept up the assault. Until all of a sudden, the T. rex started to back up. Chomp braced himself for whatever the theropod had planned, but no one could have prepared for what happened next.
The Tyrannosaurus suddenly and briefly gained a red aura. Then a fire started forming from inside his mouth, as he swung his head around in an intimidating manner. Afterwards, the theropod shot out a blast of fire across the ground towards Chomp, engulfing the poor ceratopsian in flames as he screeched in pain. Once the fires went away, Chomp collapsed onto his side as the Tyrannosaur slowly made his approach.
The D-Team individually blinked at what had just happened. "D-did that…thing just…breath fire?" Zoe asked in pure disbelief.
"Wait a second!" Max suddenly got an idea. He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out the second card. Could whatever the T. rex just did be similar to what this card is supposed to do? Only one way to find out.
"I hope this works." Max swiped the card through the metal slit.
Beep Beep*
Nothing happened other than the lightning bolt symbol on the stone blinking. So, Max swiped it again.
Beep Beep*
Still nothing.
At this point, the T. rex was looming directly over Chomp as he breathed heavily. The Tyrannosaur strikes, biting into the Triceratops' neck hard, as Chomp squealed in pain.
"Chomp, get up!" Max yells in desperation.
"It's over Max." Rex somberly states. "We gotta get out of here."
"No! we can't leave him!"
The T. rex continues his ruthless attack, not intending to let up until being absolutely sure the Trike would not get up. When all of a sudden…
"Hey, rexy!" Spike shouts, getting the theropod's attention. Both he and Diggins were pushing the x-ray machine towards carnivore. "I think it's time for you to see the light!" Diggins flipped a switch on the machine as they both let it roll forward.
"You kids might wanna cover your eyes." Diggins meekly adds, as the device comes to a stop in front of the T. rex.
KRRZZERRT*
The blinding flash causes the theropod to recoil in aggravation, making him change his focus to destroying the cursed device. The distraction is enough to get Chomp to slowly get back on his feet.
"Max…Now!" Chomp orders between breathes. Max simply nods his head determinedly, as he swipes the card one last time.
Chomp briefly gained a yellow aura, as his brow horns start generating electricity. The Tyrannosaurus, who had just finished thoroughly thrashing the x-ray, turns his head just in time to see the Trike charging straight at him. A large ball of pure electricity formed at the tips of Chomp's horns as he collided with the Theropod, sending him flying. The T. rex landed on his side a little ways down the street, and after picking his head up in a desperate attempt to keep fighting, was engulfed in a red light and turned back into two cards. The surrounding area immediately turning back into the proper shades as the cards gently float to the ground.
Both the kids and the adults stared in amazement at everything that had just happened. Two long extinct dinosaurs just took part in a battle not seen in 66 million years. All five of them started to celebrate, as Max ran over to Chomp's side.
"You did it Chomp!" Max congratulates his friend.
"No…We did it." Chomp clarifies before he collapses from his wounds, turning back into a card.
As Max goes to pick up Chomp's card. Spike runs down the street to collect the cards the T. rex left behind. Both had the same symbol of a burning ball of fire. Flipping them over revealed that one card, quite expectantly, featured the silhouette of a bulky theropod, with the text box reading: Tyrannosaurus. The other card however, featured the silhouette of a nondescript theropod breathing a stream of fire towards the ground, with the text box reading: Volcano Burst.
Interesting.
(…)
"Well, I guess we won't be getting that x-ray fixed now." Diggins joked as he continued to drive. Dr. Taylor, and the D-Team were riding along in Diggins' car, as he drove to the school district. Max had since resummoned Chomp into his chibi form, who seemed to be no worse for wear after the vicious battle with the T. rex. Right now, the little trike was laying down on the brunette's lap, nibbling on the seatbelt.
"Thank you all so much for saving me." Zoe says, finally taking in everything that had just happened. "Especially you, Chomp."
"Think nothing of it." Chomp looked up at the girl. "I was just looking out for my new herd mates."
"Although, it would have been easier if you didn't just sit there when the T. rex lifted the car away." Max somewhat smugly adds, earning a look from Rex.
"I-I thought if I just stayed still, the T. rex wouldn't see me." Zoe attempts to defend herself.
"Oh that's just a bunch of Hollywood nonsense." Diggins speaks up from the front. "Tyrannosaurus had some of the best eyesight out of any animal."
"Now you tell me…" Zoe deadpans.
Soon afterwords, Diggins pulls up right in front of the kid's school.
"Do we really still need to go to school after we just survived a T. rex attack?" Max tries to argue.
"We can't miss the second day, Max." Rex points out.
"But we're already running late."
"Don't worry kids." Dr. Taylor turns his head around to face the D-Team in the back seats. "I'll try to put in the good word with your principal."
"Thanks, Dad." Rex says genuinely before he and the rest of the D-Team step out of the car.
"See ya later, Chomp!" Max leans back in to scratch the little Trike on the frill, before addressing his father. "You'll drop him off back at the house, right?"
"Of course, now get going." Spike chuckled. "And remember, absolutely no word about this to anyone!"
The three kids take off towards the school. As Diggins drives away, Chomp decides to take a nap in the back seat.
"You do realize what this all means, right?" Diggins asks Dr. Taylor in a much more serious tone. "Chomp wasn't just a fluke. Dinosaurs are indeed coming back via cards. Which has to mean that someone out there is bringing them back to life. But who? And why cards? And what would they have to gain from it?" Diggins gets an intense look on his face. "This is all starting to really disturb me."
"Personally, if you want my opinion Diggins." Spike matched Diggins' tone. "It's the 'who' that disturbs me the most."
(…)
Meanwhile, in the south pacific. On an island impossible to find on any map. A man in a dark burgundy lab coat is hard at work trying to reboot an island wide computer system. At this point, he was simply sitting at a metal desk, running his leather gloved hand through his spiky slate grey hair, waiting for the massive computer monitor in front of him to move past the rebooting screen. The blueish glow from the monitor being the only source of light in the cold sterile room the man was working in. Soon enough, the computer finished rebooting, revealing a large selection of programs the man intended to systematically check for errors:
Project: ARK NEO, Droid Control Systems, Disrupter Antenna, Power Grid, Security Cameras, Global Scan Map…
That last program caught the man's attention. Due to a little notification blip in the corner of the icon.
Double clicking the Global Scan Map icon opened up a map of a world the man had not seen in a long time. Seven continents, rather than the two supercontinents he was used to seeing. But what really got his attention, was a certain island country off the coast of eastern Asia. Most of Japan was obstructed by a blinking red dot. Zooming in caused the dot to split, revealing two blinking dots near a town the map labeled Sanjo City. The Man couldn't help but smirk, as he immediately understood what this meant.
Two of Alpha Co.'s Dinosaur cards had been reactivated.
Time for the retrieval process to begin.
Author's Notes:
Here we go; after nearly SIX YEARS of this story living in the back of my brain, I've finally gotten the first chapter done. Sorry that it ended up being such a long read. The good news is I'm fairly certain that the upcoming chapters will be shorter.
So, some clarifications:
This fic is a reimagining/retelling of the original Dinosaur King anime, with elements from the Fossil Fighters games sprinkled in (like the inclusion of Dr. Diggins). This is however, a Dinosaur King fic first and foremost. The Fossil Fighters elements are basically just 'seasoning' for the story. Although they will play a much bigger role as the story goes on.
To reiterate one of my disclaimers, this fic does borrow heavily from Drew Luczynski's 'Dinosaur King Retold' (Such as the dinosaurs being able to talk, the three main villainous dinosaurs joining the D-Team, etc.). However, I actually came up with an idea similar to this story long before I even discovered Drew's fic. That, and I plan for my story to differentiate itself from 'Retold' greatly as the fic goes on. Go check out 'Dinosaur King Retold' if you haven't BTW. This fic wouldn't exist if it wasn't for that one.
My plan is that this fic will have what I call 5 'seasons,' each containing 26 'episodes' (chapters). Seasons 1 & 2 will be an adaptation of the first series of the Dinosaur King anime. Season 3 will be a continuation inspired off of 'Retold.' And seasons 4 & 5 will be a completely original continuation very loosely based on the second series of the anime: Mesozoic Meltdown. This is definitely going to be a lengthy endeavor for me. Especially for something I'm not getting paid for…
Anyway, thank you so much for reading! Hope you stay along for the ride!