Zenkai no Hajimari: The Battle of Dinoterra

66 million years ago during the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary, an asteroid of tremendous proportions hurtled towards Earth. On that very day, it was the last day for the dinosaurs and other prehistoric fauna. During the last hours before the collision, it was a strive for survival for the ancient beasts. They fought each other for food, turf, and for their lives. They roared, clashed, and battled to the death. The massive space rock drew closer as closer as its collision was imminent. As it reached what is now known as the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, a mysterious force surrounded Earth, splitting the planet into two different Earths.

The asteroid then crashed, nearly wiping out almost all of the dinosaurs and other prehistoric fauna. However, it did not spelt extinction for them, as the Earth split into two different Earths before the impact. The other Earth disappeared into another world, a universe distant from the universe where the heroes known as the Espers live. Those who fought against the Deviants and their creator deity, Dark Nightmare to uphold order and peace in their homeworld.

The other Earth was dark for a moment, and the sky was pitch-black, devoid of stars. The dinosaurs were saved from extinction by the mysterious phenomenon. As the other Earth finally settled, the skies brightened up as it orbited around a massive ball of fire that resembled the other universe's sun. The pitch-black sky slowly turned into a clear blue sky, and the sun-like red giant shone brightly upon the giant reptiles. It was a moment of respite for these remarkable ancient beasts.

As time passed by, some of the dinosaurs gained sentience. They were able to speak and communicate with each other with words, aside from their usual roars. Mankind began to appear on the other Earth as well, though they were pretty primitive during that time. Mammals and other fauna from the Cenozoic era overlapped and coexisted with the dinosaurs. A handful of Paleozoic fauna came back to life as the new Earth went past its beginning. The first mankind of the new Earth dubbed the land as Dinoterra, the land of dinosaurs.

Later, cities and other buildings were built in Dinoterra. Dinosaurs and mankind coexisted as they worked together to build what appeared to be the first civilization on the new Earth. Life flourished once again in the formerly desolate planet, that was home to a handful of dinosaurs and other prehistoric fauna that were spared from their extinction. Soon, a series of volcanic activities gave birth to other landmasses on the new Earth. The volcanic activities also caused the new Earth's climate to become varied, from tropical, and temperate to polar. Many of the ancient beasts adapted to these new changes. Some of them grow fur-like feathers to keep themselves warm, and some of them even have extra organs such as spine sails to regulate heat within their body, especially their blood vessels.

"It's a new day in Dinoterra, and I can't wait to be the king of the dinosaurs!" said a young Tyrannosaurus as it left its shelter. The locals named it Rex Karrun, in hopes that this theropod will become their leader in the future. Rex went to the primeval marshlands in search of his favorite food: Parasaurolophus. He knew that the tube-crested hadrosaurs were the favorite prey of his species, as they were pretty sluggish despite the loud nasal honks that they emit to alert their herd.

Rex pursued a herd of Parasaurolophus that was feeding on aquatic plants. The hadrosaurs' herd leader honked upon seeing the tyrannosaurid close towards them. They fled as Rex gave chase to them. One of the younger Parasaurolophus tripped on a driftwood and fell into the shallow water. Rex took the opportunity to kill the injured young Parasaurolophus.

“Hahaha, easy meal!” said the Tyrannosaurus as he feasted on his first prey.

Not far from him was a young Spinosaurus looking for its favorite prey: the Coelacanth. It dove into the depths of the marshlands, almost close to the sea in search of the lobe-finned fish. The Coelacanths live in tropical rivers, estuaries, and reefs, usually in caverns or beneath mangrove roots. On the other Earth, they were regarded as living fossils as they were the remnants of the Paleozoic era, usually found in deep waters around eastern Africa and Indonesia. However, in this new Earth, Coelacanths were adapted to shallow waters, and some of them can tolerate freshwater as well. They make easy prey for spinosaurids, pterosaurs, and marine reptiles as they're pretty sluggish and rarely respond to stimuli due to their docile nature.

The Spinosaurus dove like a penguin and snatched a rather plump Coelacanth. It carried its prey to a nearby ledge and began feasting upon the dead fish. Rex looked at the Spinosaurus, amazed by its graceful movements in the water. "Maybe I can befriend it, who knows I can be pals with it," said Rex in his thought before he approached the Spinosaurus. The sail-backed dinosaur looked at Rex as he approached it. “Oh hi there, anything that I can help you with?” said the Spinosaurus.

“Mind if we uhh.. be friends?” said Rex. The Spinosaurus nodded in agreement without a word or two, as it felt lonely since its parents died after they were attacked by a Megalodon while they were hunting for Coelacanths and other fishes in the sea.

The Megalodon, also known by its genus Otodus is a gigantic shark resembling the other Earth's great white shark, feared by mankind and dinosaurs alike. It is one of the apex predators of the Dinoterran seas, preying upon anything that it sees, be it a fish, a mammal, or even a reptile. However, the Megalodon preferred colder waters, as it's where its favorite prey lives. Megalodon hunted blubber-rich mammals such as whales, walruses, seals, and even massive sirenians known as the Steller's sea cows. However, their hunting ground is also home to their rival, the gigantic raptorial sperm whale, Livyatan melvillei. A pod of Livyatan is capable of overwhelming and tearing a Megalodon into shreds. In warmer waters, Megalodon hunts large ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, and giant fishes, as the mammals rarely live there.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Dinoterra, massive long-necked dinosaurs known as the Titanosaurus live. They reside in the redwood forests of Dinoterra, where the trees are so tall that they're blocking out the skies. These long-necked giants feed on the redwood’s leaves, providing smaller plants sunlight and fertilizer from the dinosaurs’ feces. A young female Titanosaurus wandered around the forest, slowly separating herself from the herd. It pursued a Meganeura, a giant dragonfly from the Carboniferous period out of curiosity. Just before she could give chase to the Meganeura even further, a pair of Carnotaurus stalked the young Titanosaurus.

"Mommy, help!" said the young sauropod as the two-horned theropods surrounded her. Suddenly, a lash of the young Titanosaurus' mother's tail sent the Carnotaurus flying. The two abelisaurids fled upon hearing the larger sauropods' nasal howl. "Are you alright, my dear?" said the older female Titanosaurus. Her daughter smiled and nodded, as she was very worried about her daughter’s safety.

"Next time, don't wander away from the herd," said the mother to her daughter.

In the deserts of Dinoterra, a young male Kentrosaurus fended himself against a ravenous Ceratosaurus. He raised his back spikes and plates to scare his predator away. The predator ignored it and charged at the young Kentrosaurus. The spiky stegosaurid lashed his thagomizer on the Ceratosaurus’ nose, scarring it. The horned theropod attempted to go for the Kentrosaurus’ neck, but he swiftly dodged his predator and gored it with his shoulder spikes. The Ceratosaurus’ right eye was brutally stabbed by the Kentrosaurus’ shoulder spike and it fled after losing a part of its sight. The Kentrosaurus roared victoriously and continued grazing on cacti.

In the snowy pine forests of Dinoterra's northern tundra, a herd of Pachyrhinosaurus was crossing over a freezing river as they migrated to the warmer southern plains. A young female Pachyrhinosaurus swam with her parents across the river, not knowing that there was danger lurking beneath it. One of the younger Pachyrhinosaurus that crossed the river was bitten by a Deinosuchus from below and sank into the cold depths of the river. The female Pachyrhinosaurus and her family swam as fast as they can, despite their body weight.

After they successfully crossed the river, another trouble struck the Pachyrhinosaurus herd. A pack of Gorgosaurus pursued and attacked some of the herd’s members. Unlike other ceratopsians, Pachyrhinosaurus lacked horns and they had thick dome-like masses of keratin on their snout in place of them. They formed a circle-shaped formation to protect the younger, elder, and weaker individuals from the fleet-footed tyrannosaurids. After a few hours of standoff, the Gorgosaurus pack fled and decided to go for other dinosaurs to hunt.

“That was close…” said the female Pachyrhinosaurus.

The herd continued their march. They passed through another pine forest, which was inhabited by other predators such as Utahraptor and Troodon. They stuck together as they moved beneath the snow-covered trees until a ball of fire struck the forest. The forest was burning, and the animals were fleeing the inferno. The herd panicked and attempted to escape the fire, but they were attacked and killed by mysterious individuals. They had glowing yellow eyes, a hood-like frill on their heads, and razor-sharp claws. They looked more humanoid than dinosaurs, and they brutally slaughtered every prehistoric fauna they saw. The female Pachyrhinosaurus was separated from her parents, as her mother and father were injured by the flames and the mysterious beings. She managed to escape, at the cost of her family and her kin.

"I'm so sorry. Mom and Dad…" said the female Pachyrhinosaurus as she lamented the inability to fight against the mysterious beings. She was the only one of her kind that managed to reach the southern plains. She then found a pair of Sinoceratops, where they took her in as an adoptive daughter.

Unknown to the prehistoric inhabitants of Dinoterra, the mysterious beings were actually aliens that came from the asteroid that was meant to wipe out the dinosaurs and other prehistoric fauna. The asteroid landed on a volcanic portion of Dinoterra, left dormant for years until it broke itself free after a long slumber. They were the bringers of extinction, vowing to kill all dinosaurs and other prehistoric beings after the asteroid failed to wipe some of them from Earth. They were led by a figure dubbed the Dark Emperor, and they named themselves the Reapers.

The dinosaurs and the rest of Dinoterra waged a war against the Reapers. Rex and the four other dinosaurs gathered in the heart and capital of Dinoterra in order to join forces against the extinction-bringing aliens. "We may not know each other, but we will fight, live, and die together to protect the land and people we love," said Rex. The Spinosaurus, Titanosaurus, Kentrosaurus, and Pachyrhinosaurus nodded in agreement. As soon as they gathered, a wave of Reapers came and invaded the capital.

The five dinosaurs fought hard against the aliens. They fought tooth and nail to protect their kind and their land, killing the Reapers one by one. “Grrr… you meddling dinosaurs will not get away with this!” said the Reapers’ lieutenant, the Hydrochloric Reaper. It is a high-ranking Reaper with a crown-like protrusion on its head and a venomous breath.

Rex fought against the Hydrochloric Reaper all by himself, while his comrades fend off its minions. The Tyrannosaurus and the venomous alien clashed against each other as Rex used his powerful jaw to rip the Reaper’s scythe-like claws. Before he could do that, the Reaper sprayed a toxic fume at Rex. The theropod dinosaur coughed and fell on his stomach. “I feel.. sick..” said Rex as his vision blurred. His comrades were overwhelmed by the Reapers too.

“Wake up, future King of Dinoterra.. unleash your Jurassic instincts with the power of Zenkai. I grant you the power of Zenkai to save your land and brethren from destruction and extinction. You must survive!" said a mysterious force from within his thought. The dinosaur thought he was already dead until the voice told him that he fell unconscious from the Reaper's venom.

“What is Zenkai?” asked Rex.

“You will find out about it soon! Now, rampage, rampage, rampage, turn up! Get up! Rampage, rampage, push forward!” said the voice as it charged Rex with a burst of energy within him. Rex stood up once again and roared loudly that he scared all of the Reapers, causing them to freeze in fear.

“RAAAAGH!! Watch as the king uses his invincible power!” said Rex as he woke up from his unconsciousness and unleashed a fire elemental power at the Hydrochloric Reaper. His comrades also awakened their elemental powers as well. The Spinosaurus gained a water elemental power, the Titanosaurus gained an earth elemental power, the Pachyrhinosaurus gained a wood elemental power and the Kentrosaurus gained a wind elemental power.

Rex breathed a fiery beam at the Reaper, causing it to fly into the sky while burning. While mid-air, Rex leaped high into the sky, lashing his tail at the Reaper and sending it flying into the volcano. "Long live The Dark Emperooooooooooooooooor!" said the Hydrochloric Reaper as it flew into the volcano crater, exploding in the lava while causing the volcano to erupt at the same time. The volcano eruption killed many of the Reapers that the four other dinosaurs fought.

The Tyrannosaurus and his four other dinosaurs roared in triumph after they repelled the Reaper invasion. The common folks of the currently unnamed city cheered for Rex and his friends. However, the Dark Emperor is still at large and is still sending Reapers to other parts of Dinoterra. If the leader does not stop, then the second extinction of the dinosaurs and other prehistoric faunas will continue. "Alright gang, let's go find the mastermind and bring peace to this land once and for all!" said Rex as he and his fellow dinosaurs swore an oath to defeat the Dark Emperor. Joining their cause were a young Quetzalcoatlus and a young Kronosaurus. "Help from the skies and the seas has arrived! We will put a permanent halt to the extinction together!" said the young azhdarchid pterosaur.

The seven prehistoric beasts went to the volcano where the asteroid lies. To Rex’s surprise, The Dark Emperor has turned into a horrifying yet towering gigantic beast, bent on the extinction of Dinoterra’s populace by unleashing Reapers, tampering with Dinoterra's volcanic activities and climate, and unleashing diseases upon the land's prehistoric flora and fauna, as well as mankind. It turned its back and saw the seven prehistoric beasts, still alive and well after the first Reaper onslaught. “You…. Dinosaurs… DIE!!” said the Dark Emperor before it roared at the seven.

“We’re not afraid of you! We will defeat you for the sake of our kind’s survival and this land! Everyone, CHAAAARGE!” said Rex before he and his friends battled the Dark Emperor. In retaliation, the Dark Emperor unleashed a legion of Reapers. The seven fought their way through the alien army, slaying them one by one with their new elemental powers, granted by the mysterious being known as Zenkai.

Two new Reaper lieutenants were unleashed, this time they were the Golden and Ghastly Reapers. The former was a Reaper that resembled the Hydrochloric Reaper, except with a gold-colored crown-like protrusion while the latter was a Reaper with a red and blue color and the ability to camouflage itself like a chameleon. The Kronosaurus used its ice-elemental powers to freeze both of them in their tracks, while Rex finished them off with a fiery headbutt.

“Urgh.. is this..” said the Golden Reaper. “Our end?” said the Ghastly Reaper.

"YES!!" said Rex, causing the two Reapers to fall on their back and explode violently. The Dark Emperor has run out of Reapers, as all of them have been defeated by the dinosaurs. "You… YOU!! I will make you pay for this, lowly beings! Dinosaurs… DIE!!" said the Dark Emperor as it attacked the seven heroes of Dinoterra with rocket-like projectiles and a breath of darkness. The heroes avoided the attacks, though the breath of darkness nearly killed them.

“He’s too big for us to fight, what are we going to do?” asked the Spinosaurus.

“We’re no match against it, yet we must defeat it together. How about if we combine our powers and CHARGE into it?” said the Pachyrhinosaurus.

Rex wanted to take the ceratopsid's suggestion, yet it would be a suicide attack that would not only end with the Dark Emperor's destruction but also theirs as well. At the same time, the heroes could not defeat Dark Emperor due to its size and strength. The Tyrannosaurus took his time to think, and he decided that he would go with the Pachyrhinosaurus' plan. "Some sacrifices are necessary to be made for the greater good," said Rex in a rather somber tone. "Even if we die in the end, the freedom of Dinoterra will be celebrated by our kind for generations to come. Come on, let's finish the Dark Emperor off!" he continued, though his tone changed at the end.

His friends nodded and gathered behind Rex. The Tyrannosaurus turned into a ball of fire, while the rest turned into elemental spheres representing the elements they old upon receiving them from Zenkai. They merge into one, massive rainbow-colored ball and hurtle themselves towards the Dark Emperor. "A ball of light will not easily defeat me-" said the Dark Emperor before he was cut by the combined forces of Rex and his friends.

“This is for Dinoterra and my kind! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!” screamed Rex as he and his friends crashed into the Reapers’ leader.

“I can’t believe it… I lost to a bunch of low-life dinosaurs… Damn you, dinosaurs! I swear to destroy you when I return someday! CURSE YOU ALL TO HEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLL-" loathed the Dark Emperor before he fell forward on his face and exploded violently. The ball also exploded as well after it collided with the Dark Emperor. There was nothing left except for the remains of the gigantic alien, as well as the skeletons of the seven heroes. They were positioned as if they were asleep together, taking a rest after the arduous battle.

Weeks later, a pair of Tyrannosaurus found the skeletons, lying on the volcanic fields where the final battle took place. They were Rex’s father and mother, and they were very sad to find that their son, who was about to be crowned as the King of Dinoterra, dead alongside his friends. However, their deaths were not in vain, as they sacrificed themselves to defeat the Dark Emperor. To honor them, the two theropods, along with a pack of Velociraptors and a flock of Rhamphorhynchus picked up the bones and assembled them in the capital’s town plaza. They were displayed along with the scythe-like claw of the Dark Emperor, as a sign of their victory against extinction.

Rex’s father took his son’s name and became the King of Dinoterra, taking his place after his death. From that day onwards, he was named Rex Karrun, after his own son to honor him. The people and animals of Dinoterra cheered for him as he promised to bring an era of peace to the land and restore Dinoterra to the way it was before the Reapers’ invasion.

Years later after the battle, a brown-haired boy and a blonde girl visited Dinoterra. The capital of Dinoterra has finally found its name: Moonstone City. The city was bustling with dinosaurs and mankind living together. "Who were they?" asked the girl. An Albertosaurus approached the two. "I will tell you the story of the first-ever Zenkai Battle.." said the Albertosaurus before it opened a book with its tiny arms and told the two the story of Rex Karrun and his dinosaur friends, along with their battle to save Dinoterra from the Reapers.

“This is the beginning of the Zenkai Heroes, and the origin of this world” continued the Albertosaurus as it told the story to the two human beings.