Chapter 17 Dinosaur Heroes

The night skies continued to shower over the city. Almost a klick into the city from the beach, the streets were scattered with running and screaming. Local civilians and tourists fled for their lives, tires screeched across the asphalt as cars turned and drove away from the Chimerasaurus galloping down the road. Alpha was both panicked and enraged. Beverly's nanites infected him because she caused the chopper to crash. Now he was a mutated dinosaur running around the streets with no idea what to do.

He was at a cross junction on the road, bellowing and snarling loudly. There were too many people scampering around shrieking with hysteria for him to think straight. A minivan drove away with a hatchback and a sedan fleeing in the same direction, all fleeing from Chimerasaurus.

The minivan made a sharp turn, the tires skidded on the rain-coated road and the minivan tilted on its side. The hatchback's wheels locked and the car smashed into the minivan's underside. The hatchback had no chance to back up either when the sedan crashed into it from behind. Smoke was puffing from the three crashed vehicles. The glass panels were turned into shattered webs. Chimerasaurus snarled at the wreck before turning away into an alley, unbothered with the lives of the drivers trapped in their vehicles.

A police car was speeding down the road. A pair of policewomen were getting bombarded with radio chatter as they made a turn at a junction.

"Just when we are about done patrolling here, we have to come back because of a disturbance?" The policewoman in the passenger seat, Yui Shimizu, leaned on the car's door as she complained to her senior.

"Don't complain." Setsuna Sato, the senior officer behind the wheel, said to her junior. "We're lucky we have a car in this rain."

"What possible disturbance could be happening in the rain?" Yui shook her head. "Witnesses are saying a big animal is running around the street?"

Setsuna shrugged her shoulders, "Could be some dog, or a bear, or a guy in a dog costume."

"A dog costume? Gross." Yui shuddered.

"The sooner we deal with this, the sooner I can go home," Setsuna said. She could already picture the hot bath waiting for her back at her apartment.

"What about those dinosaurs?" Yui popped the question.

Setsuna scoffed, "You don't believe those things right?"

"Did you see the videos?"

"Probably fake." She made another turn on a cross junction and pressed the pedal to pick up speed.

Neither of them had any warning when a two-story quadrupedal mutant dinosaur burst out of an alleyway and onto the street. Yui and Setsuna screamed for their lives and Setsuna jammed her foot on the brakes. The police car skidded along the wet road. Chimerasaurus felt the force ramming into his hind leg from the side. Setsuna and Yui's screams were muffled when their faces were stuffed into the airbags.

Chimerasaurus turned and blasted a frightening roar at the police car with a wrecked hood. Chimerasaurus bellowed again before pulling back his massive clawed arm. The wrecked police car was sent spinning down the road and slammed into the sedan's boot, adding to the pile of crashed vehicles. They were both stuck in their car strapped by their seatbelts, scars riddled all over their faces.

"Shimizu!" Setsuna called for her partner firmly, taking her role as the senior officer.

"Ugh..." Yui was barely audible, she had her face stuffed in the airbag and her brain was rattling in her head. "C-Chief?"

"Hurry!" Setsuna ordered, "Get out of the car!"

They unbuckled themselves and pulled the door handles. Yui's side of the car was pinned by the sedan's boot. Setsuna's door was too heavily damaged to budge as well.

"Chief! I can't get out of my side of the car!" Yui cried, panic was starting to take over her.

Chimerasaurus roared and headed for the police car. He was not going to let any police witness his state or call for any reinforcements. He sprinted for the police car with Setsuna and Yui watching in the wrecked car. They could only scream and brace for impact while the colossal mutant dinosaur charged her way.

A trumpeting bellow echoed around the blocks, halting Chimerasaurus in his tracks. He turned around, and five prehistoric beasts roared at him.

Tropeognathus was perched on a building's rooftop, his wings spread wide and screeching. Eotriceratops brandished his horns, snorting and howling with aggression. Raptor was about ready to pounce, she hissed and snarled in a crouch. Spinosaurus growled and had his giant arms curled up. Tyrannosaurus Rex stomped her foot forward, standing tall and bellowing out.

Chimerasaurus made an uncanny roar back at the group, he knew who those five creatures were. The anger was visible in his eyes. T-Rex spotted the upturned police car behind Chimerasaurus. She could see a pair of policewomen stuck inside.

Setsuna and Yui were frozen in awe and terror. There they were. The rumors she had dismissed were right in front of her, ready for a battle. Dinosaurs.

Setsuna's heart leaped to her throat when the obsidian T-Rex looked at her. Perhaps she was just dizzy after the crash, but Setsuna could see concern coming from those green eyes.

The T-Rex brought her attention back to Chimerasaurus, bellowing again she sprinted for the mutant dinosaur with Spinosaurus, Raptor, and Eotriceratops by her side. Tropeognathus leaped off the rooftop and swooped down before leveling out, flying above the dinosaurs.

Chimerasaurus charged and lowered his head, pointing his horns right at T-Rex. Thinking quickly, T-Rex strafed to her right. The horns nearly missed Tyrannosaurus and she took the chance. She chomped onto one long horn and pulled Chimerasaurus her way.

Raptor leaped onto Chimerasaurus' torso, piercing her talons in his flesh and she began biting all she could. Tropeognathus slammed himself onto Chimerasaurus' back and sunk his needle teeth into the frill. Chimerasaurus shrieked in pain from the assault he was getting, he reared up on his hind legs. His burst of energy knocked Raptor off him, his clamped horn was wrung free. Raptor landed on her back and rolled away. Tropeognathus took the sky again. T-rex stepped back from the Chimerasaurus.

Just when Chimerasaurus was going to slam his arms down on T-Rex, a surprise three-clawed hand struck his face from the side and Chimerasaurus stumbled away. Spinosaurus rushed at Chimerasaurus, snapping his jaws onto the back of his neck. He pushed Chimerasaurus into a building. The bricks rumbled and the glass panels cracked. While he had his teeth on the neck, Spinosaurus pushed Chimerasaurus down with his two massive arms.

Eotriceratops made his move, charging into Chimerasaurus with horns pointing forward. A searing pain erupted in Chimerasaurus when Eotriceratops stabbed a horn into his thigh and blood poured out. Chimerasaurus, in a burst of second wind, shook off Spinosaurus' grip, swiping at his face with his claws. Spinosaurus roared out and staggered back, three long scratches across his snout. Chimerasaurus struggled back onto his feet and wrung himself free from Eotriceratops' horn. The mutant dinosaur shot a foot right into Eotriceratops' nose and he fell onto his side. Spinosaurus was quick to his feet, roaring at Chimerasaurus in defiance.

While Spinosaurus was keeping Chimerasaurus distracted, Tyrannosaurus Rex turned away and focused her attention on the wreckage. She hurried over with Raptor joining her. T-Rex lowered her head to see Setsuna and Yui.

The policewomen shrieked in fright as T-Rex stepped on the car's hood and bit the door frame, ripping it open. Neither Setsuna nor Yui moved a muscle, staring at the giant carnivore with horror. T-Rex got down low to look at them on their level. Once Setsuna could see the T-Rex's eye, she saw the same look of concern earlier. As if the Tyrannosaur was worried for them.

Raptor, attending to the other civilians trapped in their vehicles, cawed to the Rex. The theropod raised herself back to her full height towering over the police officers. Each footstep made a rumble as she got to Raptor. Setsuna, still trembling in her legs, stepped out of the car, never taking her eyes off the dinosaurs.

"Chief?" Yui squeaked, getting out of the car as well.

Raptor hooked her claws on the sedan's door and opened it with ease. The sedan's driver was a man in his forties, unconscious with his face in the airbag. She snapped her head back to the two policewomen standing in the rain and made a caw.

"Eii?!" Yui flinched.

Setsuna squinted, observing the Raptor who made another caw at her. She could not believe it when Raptor brought a hand up and pointed a claw at the driver in the sedan. She did not know anything about these dinosaurs, but she needed to be the senior police officer here.

"Shimizu! Get the SAT and an emergency vehicle here, now!" Setsuna ordered Yui.

"Eh?!"

"Hurry Shimizu!" Setsuna approached the sedan, she was conscious of the Raptor who stepped back to give her space. Setsuna unbuckled the man's seatbelt and helped out of the vehicle. Now it was onto the hatchback sandwiched between the sedan and the toppled van.

T-Rex pushed the hatchback from the back with her head, freeing it from its entrapment. Once she could access the driver's door, she wasted no time. She clamped her jaws on the door frame and ripped it open like she did earlier. Setsuna quickly came and got to the man behind the wheel. None of them cared how awkward it was. At the moment, people needed to be rescued.

T-Rex loomed over the van. She used her chin to pull on the van and it began to tilt. Pulling it over to her, she carefully set the van upright with her muzzle. Setsuna flinched when T-Rex let out a short bellow at them. T-Rex gave her an intense look before pointing her snout at the van. Setsuna, despite her state of terror, could almost read the T-Rex telling her to help the van driver. Raptor and T-Rex turned from them and ran back to aid the rest of the dinosaurs.

"What the hell am I doing?" Setsuna shuddered, opening the van door and assisting the man inside.

Meanwhile, Chimerasaurus snapped his jaws at Spinosaurus who backed away dodging the attack. Seizing the opening, Spinosaurus threw a left cross at him with his claws. Chimerasaurus did not recover when Spinosaurus slapped him from the right. Chimerasaurus roared at him in a fury, slash marks all over his face.

He charged at Spinosaurus with horns pointed at him. He did not get the chance to stab Spinosaurus when a blow struck him on his back. Tropeognathus clamped onto his frill again and yanked on it, steering Chimerasaurus away from Spinosaurus. The mutant dinosaur bellowed and thrashed about to shake off the Tropeognathus clamping onto his head. Excruciation burst in Chimerasaurus' other thigh once Eotriceratops rammed his horns into him. Chimerasaurus roared out. Eotriceratops pushed in deeper and shoved the mutant dinosaur away from Spinosaurus. The three backed away from Chimerasaurus, Tropeognathus landed on the ground, standing beside Eotriceratops and Spinosaurus. Tyrannosaurus Rex and Raptor quickly regrouped with them.

Chimerasaurus had bleeding slashes on his face and bloodied holes on each of his thighs. But he was not going to turn and run. He was too irate and had lost too much. He had every intention to kill those five teenagers, no matter what it took. Chimerasaurus roared at them in defiance.

Eotriceratops, Tropeognathus, Raptor, Spinosaurus, and Tyrannosaurus Rex. All five of them bellowed in unison.

Eotriceratops charged in, horns pointed at Chimerasaurus. They clashed their horns together. Eotriceratops had a thicker skull and was able to push Chimerasaurus back. Raptor took advantage and sped in, leaping onto the side of Chimerasaurus' face. Her sickle talons pierced into his face and she began raking. Tropeognathus perched on the frill, slamming his crested snout onto Chimerasaurus' left eye. The onslaught had no rest. Eotriceratops pushed Chimerasaurus back and swung his head upwards. He jammed his nasal horn into his underbelly.

Raptor and Tropeognathus jumped off Chimerasaurus, Eotriceratops pulled away and blood leaked from Chimerasaurus' chest. Spinosaurus clamped his jaws onto the back of his neck. His arms pressed Chimerasaurus down. But Chimerasaurus still had the strength to resist Spinosaurus' pressure, pushing back to prevent himself from collapsing.

Tyrannosaurus Rex attacked from the other side biting down on Chimerasaurus' back. She stomped her foot on Chimerasaurus' toes, holding him in place. T-Rex and Spinosaurus pushed Chimerasaurus down but the mutant dinosaur still would not give in. Raptor and Tropeognathus jumped on Chimerasaurus' head again, biting and clawing at him. Eotriceratops charged in again and pierced a horn right through Chimerasaurus' right arm. Chimerasaurus had no chance to fight back, he was getting attacked from all sides and was completely overwhelmed.

Tyrannosaurus Rex dealt out the final blow. She bit down on Chimerasaurus again, this time on his hips. Her jaws muscles clenched hard and she crushed the bones. The mutant dinosaur howled out before his legs gave out and he slumped on the ground. A flash of lightning lit up the stormy sky followed by a rumble of thunder, Tyrannosaurus Rex stomped her foot on his back, bellowing out with the rest of the dinosaurs.

Setsuna and Yui, having rescued the drivers, spectated the entire battle. Their body cameras had recorded everything.

Sirens could be heard from a distance. Tyrannosaurus Rex roared and turned tail. Tropeognathus took to the skies again, the rest followed T-Rex and escaped the scene.

"Halt!" Setsuna shouted and ordered them to freeze. "Stay where you are!"

It was useless, the dinosaurs ran off into the cover of the rainy night. The only one remaining was the crippled Chimerasaurus.

The mutant dinosaur kept on roaring out, crawling around in a fruitless attempt to flee. The sirens were getting closer, and soon a pair of Special Assault Team trucks pulled up at the scene. A unit of SAT operators poured out of the trucks. Despite what was already told from HQ's radio chatter, none of the tactical-vested officers were prepared to stand before a mutant dinosaur paralyzed from the hip down, roaring out at them.

Chimerasaurus was surrounded by the troopers, all pointing their MP5s at him. Alpha was too manic to act rationally, he bellowed out once more and the streets were lit up with gunfire.

Morning, at the Uchida residence, Satsuki yawned and scratched her head. While she brushed her teeth in the bathroom, she surfed through the internet on her phone. She spat out the foamed toothpaste in her mouth once she saw the picture of an obsidian Tyrannosaurus Rex in a stormy night. She rinsed her mouth and burst out of the bathroom. "Narumi!"

Satsuki trotted down the stairs, she could smell rainwater and earth in the living room. "Narumi!"

She got down to the hall to see Narumi sprawled out on the couch. Her chest slowly rose up and down in a deep slumber. The couch was stained with dirt and rainwater.

Satsuki could not fathom the ridiculous tight navy blue outfit Narumi was wearing. As much as Satsuki wanted to nag her daughter to get a shower, she could not. Underneath Narumi's black bangs, her exhausted face with her mouth agape compelled Satsuki to let her daughter rest.

As Satsuki went back up the stairs, she brought her phone up again to surf the internet, drawn to pictures of T-Rex and other dinosaurs battling one giant horned quadruped.

The title of a news article gripped her as well.

'Dinosaur Heroes?'

In the early morning, Matabei Itou surveyed the beautiful lagoon before him. He had flown back to the island and was inspecting every corner. The water in the lagoon was a vibrant blue. The beach's white sand and lush vegetation painted the perfect scene of a tropical getaway. It was a stark difference from the dreadful image it gave during the night. It was quite surprising that there was such an island off the coast.

Matabei chalked it up that no one goes to the island because of how inaccessible it was with its perimeter consisting mostly of cliffs and rock walls. He was beginning to doubt if anyone even knew about this place.

Matabei made a boisterous grin. Matabei had an outlandish idea. Superheroes needed a base or a lair. Be it a skyscraper in the middle of a city, a fortress built in the Arctic, or a cave underneath a mansion. This could be theirs. A dinosaur hero's base.

The Isle.

This whole week was a roller coaster. He fully embraced the idea of being a dinosaur hero, even though it started incredibly rocky, his thoughts drifted to his teacher. But still, he pulled through. He fought the Five Deaths, battled Chimerasaurus, and saved the day with his team.

His adventure, however, was far from over. The next step was to clean up the rubble in the Isle, he was going to need the others to help him with that. Transforming into the Tropeognathus, he launched into the air and flew back to the mainland.

Daichi Kurosawa took a drag from his cigarette. Shaded from the sun in an alleyway beside his family's auto shop, he leaned back on the wall and scrolled down the article on his phone. He did not read the details of the article other than the title, 'Dinosaur Heroes?'

Daichi took another long drag, tilting his head up to the sky. By his account, he should not have been alive to enjoy his cigarette. Had it not been for the team he was supposed to be a part of, he would have been left for dead. Dissected and vivisected by the Five Deaths and Doctor Rossiter.

But his team came for him and busted him out of his imprisonment. Even when his heart was not in it with them from the start, they came for him. Now, he was going to do the same for them when they needed it.

He did not choose this path; to become some abnormality with the ability to transform into a ceratopsian. But now he was going to accept that it was a path he was going to take with the others. On top of it all, as much as he did not like to admit it, he felt great saving the city like a hero.

In the Morita estate, Weyland the German Shepherd was having the time of his life in the backyard. Etsudo Morita had a smile on her face as she gave him a heartful belly rub. Even though playing with her dog was a sure way to keep herself entertained, the thought of her kidnapping still hovered over her. She got caught because she was afraid. Her fear got her to abandon her schoolmates and she paid for it.

Yet, they came to rescue her. She was never going to forget that for her life. Now, she found her heart after the fight on the island, the clash with Chimerasaurus, and rescuing those people on the streets. Raptor gave her courage.

At first, she was fearful of her condition. Afraid and unsure what to make of it. But she was starting to see the idea of the team. Looking back, she made those outfits for the dinosaurs, she fought alongside them and saved the day. Being a dinosaur hero was a way to make good of her condition. It was her way forward, and she was not going to let her fear control her again.

Kohaku Taiyo's bedroom was dimly lit. The only source of illumination in the room was the computer on his table. He had zero anticipation that his first year in high school would be like this. He expected another year of being on his own like it was in middle school the previous year.

Instead, he gained the ability to transform into a dinosaur along with his upperclassmen.

When his upperclassmen talked about sticking together and becoming a team of dinosaur heroes, he was looking at things from all angles. He could see where each of his senpais were coming from.

It would be scary and ridiculous to go out and fight some bad guys when getting the appropriate authorities to handle the situation was the most logical option. On the other hand, the adventures and possibilities of being a dinosaur hero were too good to pass up.

He joined up with his senpais for the strategic advantage and to discover what he could do. But most of all, he found people he could stand alongside with; senpais who were genuine with him. He may not have made any friends in his first-year class, but he made bonds that were far stronger with his senpais and he saved the city as Spinosaurus.

One thing was certain, however. This was far from over.

He typed on his keyboard and clicked on the link to GenaTech's website. After sifting through information on the biotech firm's page, he found the person he was searching for.

Koji Kengo, CEO of GenaTech.

With the news of five prehistoric creatures sighted on the streets spreading like wildfire. Kohaku was positive that Koji was going to do something about it. He would have to be ready for a fight when Koji makes his move.

And he would not be alone.

A couple of days had passed. We got filmed battling the last mercenary who turned into some triceratops and raptor hybrid. Like some hybridsaurus. Or... Chimerasaurus. Yeah, Chimerasaurus sounds better.

Narumi Uchida was on the school roof. She rested her hand on the perimeter chain-link fence, gazing into the horizon.

I almost feel sorry for him. He had no chance to change back into a human when the police's special unit gunned him down. Maybe he didn't know how to, maybe he didn't want to. I don't know.

This wasn't much of a victory. Song and Rossiter are dead, and with them their research. The police are investigating Benedict's assassination in the school, and GenaTech is going to have to explain why one of their scientists was on school grounds. The worst of it is that Tachibana-sensei is in the hospital after she got hurt really badly. All we can do is stay under the police's radar, and hope Tachibana-sensei comes back in full health. Hell if the police are going to question us, the best we can say is that we simply followed Tachibana-sensei's instructions to run for our lives.

There is one good thing that came out of this. The whole city knows about us now. Not just from a sighting in the rain, or from a blur in the sky. But a lengthy footage from that policewoman's body camera. It wasn't just the battle with Chimerasaurus, but rescuing those injured drivers as well. I don't think the media could have any more doubt about us if the footage came from a cop.

Narumi's pensive face slowly formed a smirk.

The media is calling us 'Dinosaur Heroes' now. We're just getting started. This life was thrust upon us, but we're going to do what we can with it. This is what we are, what we do. To anyone is going to create trouble, you're being hunted. Beware of the Dinosaurs.

"Very nice, Uchida-senpai."

Narumi's eyes went wide and she spun around. Kohaku stood there with a small smile on his lips. "That was good."

"You did not hear that." Narumi pointed at him.

"I heard it, senpai." Kohaku nodded.

"You did not hear that!" Narumi's cheeks were flushed red.

"I heard it."

Narumi got up to his face, "Please don't tell anybody! Please!"

"Uh well..." Kohaku's head slowly turned. Narumi followed his direction and she wanted to bury herself.

Matabei finally let out the guffawing he was holding in, continuing to film Narumi with his phone. Behind him, Etsudo gave a timid nod and Daichi lit up a cigarette.

"You were narrating! Hahaha!" Matabei shrieked with laughter. "I can't believe it! You were doing a hero's narration! Out loud! Hahaha!"

Narumi stared at the floor, her long black hair shaded her embarrassed face.

"What the hell was even that?" Daichi turned away and shook his head.

"This is going to be one of those moments that will be stuck in your brain forever!" Matabei laughed again.

"Stop filming me already dammit!" Narumi shot up and yelled at him, "What are you guys even doing here?!"

"You told us to meet you here, Uchida-san." Etsudo pointed out. "We were already here so we waited for you."

"Is this why you wanted us to come here?" Matabei joked at her, "To listen to you narrate?"

"No!" Narumi shrieked.

"So what do you want to talk about, Uchida-senpai?" Kohaku asked.

"Later!" Narumi buried her face in her hands and squatted down again, "I'll tell you all later! Just go away!"

"Sure whatever," Matabei chuckled and headed for the door, "Come on guys. Let's leave Uchida to narrate in peace."

"That's not it! Ahhh!"

End of Volume 1