《Highschool Jurassic Heroes》


 Tyrannosaurus Rex

    Kakushin City. A metropolis on the east side of Japan''s Kanto region. Where skyscrapers reached into the skies. The late-night clouds thickened and it began to drizzle over the city.


    A van pulled up in an alley, its side door opened and three men got out wearing balaclava ski masks. They sneaked over to the back door of a jewelry boutique. Cracking the lock with a wrench and wedging the door with a crowbar, they broke into the store.


    "Quick, grab whatever you can, and cut the power." The first thief said and the others did so, destroying the power box and smashing into glass displays. They took all they could into their bags. Gems, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and other valuables. With security disabled, the store was being stripped clean.


    "Alright, I''m going to dump the stuff into the van." The first thief exited the boutique leaving the other two to continue. He quickly made his way to the vehicle, opened the door, and dumped his loot. He got to the front of the van and smirked at the driver. "We''re hitting big this time."


    Suddenly, the ground rumbled, and the thief felt it in his feet.


    "What the hell was that? Did you feel that?" he asked the driver.


    With a flash of lightning in the sky followed by a clap of thunder, the night sky started pouring a storm. The alleyway was getting inundated by the cloudburst.


    The driver waved it off. "Bah, it''s just the storm."


    There was another rumble in the ground, the same as before. The puddles in the water had a second of ripples before it stopped. This time the criminals were on edge. The thief turned around with a cautious eye checking every corner. "Okay, that was not the rain. What was that?"


    "Hey," The remaining two thieves came out of the boutique with their loot, oblivious to their predicament. "we''re hitting more than our quota with this." They dumped their stolen goods and boarded the van.


    "Wait, something''s not right." The first thief cautioned them. There was a third rumble in the ground, followed by another rumble, and another. The consistency made it seem like it was the footsteps of something massive. Peering out of a turn in the alleyway, it finally appeared. An obsidian Tyrannosaurus Rex nearly two stories tall, wearing a navy-blue tight suit leaving the head, arms, legs, and tail exposed. The T-Rex stomped and gave a furious bellow, primal green eyes fixed on the thieves.


    "Shit! What is that!" The first thief shrieked and everyone followed suit. The driver stepped on the gas and the van sped off into the district. In the back of the van, the criminals could only watch in terror as the Tyrannosaurus Rex stormed over, catching up to the speeding van. "Must go faster! Faster!"


    The driver caught a glimpse of the reflection in the side-view mirror, the Tyrannosaurus Rex bellowed and was too close. He smashed the gas pedal to the floor and everyone in the vehicle panicked as the T-Rex closed in on them. The dinosaur''s head swung and struck the van''s side with incredible force.


    Everyone screamed in terror and the driver lost control. The van swerved and pulled to the right till it flipped onto its side. The vehicle was wrecked, glass shards were scattered everywhere and everyone inside was battered and bloodied.


    The Tyrannosaurus Rex loomed over the van and bellowed. All they could do was scream. The T-Rex lifted a foot and planted it on the van, pressing down hard. The metal frame of the van creaked, caving downwards and damaging the doors. The Tyrannosaurus Rex stepped away and left the thieves trapped inside the crushed van. The only piece of evidence of a dinosaur''s involvement in the perpetrators'' apprehension was a giant footprint on the van.


    Elsewhere in Kakushin City, the obsidian dinosaur had a moment of respite in another alley.Holy shit! That was crazy! To think that a few days ago, I was just a regular high school girl!


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    One week ago.


    A coach cruised down a highway in the late afternoon. The bus was ferrying students from Soru Academy, from first-years to third-years. It was a school trip to remember, in which students from different years were gathered. In the middle row, a second-year student was leaning on the window gazing at the city.


    Narumi Uchida. A girl with black hair that reached down to the small of her back, her fringe curtained her forehead with cross bangs at the middle. Narumi had an aggressive look in her eyes and had her school uniform tucked out, giving her a tomboyish vibe. Despite her appearance, she was the model student and garnered a good reputation at Soru Academy. All of her juniors admired her and her classmates adored her.


    The bus pulled over by the roundabout of a corporate tower owned by GenaTech, the prominent company in biotechnology for the ages, and Soru Academy was fortunate enough to get an excursion for their students. The teacher in charge of this excursion was Yukari Tachibana, Narumi''s homeroom teacher and school guidance counselor.


    "Alright, everyone. We''re here, let''s go." Yukari announced and the students were soon exiting the bus. Narumi got off and set her eyes on the towering building before her, rising high into the sky. A fountain in the middle of the roundabout. Flag poles in a row at the front with banners of various countries. The buildings had a bronze tint. The students assembled in the lobby and the tour guide was ready to receive them.


    "Good afternoon, everyone." The tour guide greeted and the students returned the greeting. "Welcome to GenaTech. My name is Furuta Rumi, I''m your guide today."


    Narumi stood in the crowd of students with arms crossed, Rumi''s introduction had been drowned out by her lack of attention. Seeing the students around her, she grumbled. For a moment, she wondered why she got selected to participate in this excursion with students of all three years, especially since it was after school hours.


    She let out a sigh.No use whining about it now. Might as well get it over and done with.


    "Now then everyone," Yukari Tachibana said, "I''m going to call out your names for your groups." Narumi kept her ears tuned, all the while hoping she would not be grouped with the wrong crowd.


    "Group four. Morita Etsudo of Class Two-A, Kurosawa Daichi of Class Three-C, Itou Matabei of Class Two-A, Taiyo Kohaku of Class One-B," Yukari paused to catch her breath, "and Uchida Narumi of Class Two-A."


    Narumi found herself bunched with her group, three boys and a girl. Her eyes flicked to the right. The other girl was Narumi''s classmate, dark brown hair reaching the base of her neck with her fringe at her brows, and frameless glasses that practically gave the girl a scholarly look. This was Etsudo Morita; heiress to Morita Industries which was the forefront competitor in the bioengineering industry.


    Matabei Itou, a classmate of Narumi just like Etsudo. His blond hair was parted in the center reaching below his ears. In addition to the school uniform, he was wearing a navy blue sports jacket. He was a class athlete and a member of the soccer club to boot. Narumi nodded at Etsudo and Matabei and they reciprocated.


    The other two guys, however, Narumi did not know them. The third-year student, Daichi Kurosawa, was the tallest in the group at five foot eleven. His light brown hair was spiked up and a bit of stubble was on his chin, making him appear like a delinquent.


    The last person in the group was the freshman, Kohaku Taiyo. He was about her height, naturally tanned, and his black hair was a medium length with his fringe shading his eyebrows. With his disinterested eyes and aloof demeanor, Narumi could not get a read on the guy.


    "Now that you''re in your groups," Yukari said, "we can continue."


    "Once again, welcome to GenaTech. Let us begin." The guide added and the tour began, with no one aware of the trouble brewing on the upper levels.


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    In a laboratory on the fifth level, a repeated experiment yielded no results. A head scientist of GenaTech, Doctor Benedict Song, clenched his fists. Beside him was fellow head bioengineer, Doctor Beverly Rossiter.


    Doctor Song fixed his eyes on his failed experiment, a sealed container with three dead lab mice with a gas tube attached to the container and a fume hood. The gas tube had been channeling a dull yellow aerosol into the container from a pressurized glass cylinder the size of a test tube.


    His experiments were attempts at introducing laboratory mice to a separate species'' genetic code. Through the work of nanotechnology in the aerosol, the mice would experience a severe chemical change, and bear the foreign species'' phenotype. Essentially, the mice would turn into entirely different animals.


    However, all of Song''s efforts have been for naught thus far, none of the subjects were responding to the aerosol positively. The lab mice kept choking in their container until finally, they laid on their backs, lifeless.


    "Goddammit." Benedict groaned. "Alright get rid of it."


    "We''re close, Song," Beverly said.


    "We''re not there dammit!" Benedict raised his voice and turned away from his experiment. "Dispose it, the used aerosol, the mice, all of it!"


    "Perhaps if you could test it on larger subjects instead of mice, like I told you before?" Beverly asked while eyeballing him.


    "You start with mice trials first, if it doesn''t show anything why would anything else get a better result?" Benedict shook his head, stopping by the laboratory table and snatching the remaining sealed vials of aerosol. "All the potential in these vials and we can''t even tap into it. Might as well be useless."


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    Later, Soru Academy''s tour of the company came to an end. Narumi Uchida had returned to the lobby along with the rest.


    "Alright, everyone," Yukari said, taking out a stack of papers from a folder in her handbag. "I want you all to take a reflection form and fill up your experience here in GenaTech."


    Narumi, in the crowd of students, watched as a student from each designated group took a form and a pen from her homeroom teacher. Soon the rest of the student body split up, leaving Narumi with her team.


    "Uh, everyone?" Narumi took the initiative, noting those who were with her. Etsudo Morita, Matabei Itou, and the freshman, Kohaku Taiyo. Their eyes were all trained on her. Narumi''s attention went back to the form in one hand and clicked the pen in the other. "Alright, the first question is, what is your impression of the company before arriving?"


    Etsudo, Matabei, and Kohaku shared glances at each other until Kohaku stepped forward and said, "We''re missing someone."


    Matabei''s eyes widened making the connection, "Oh yeah, Kurosawa-senpai." Matabei chuckled, amused by the situation. "Where is he?"


    Narumi''s eyes perked, scanning the rest of the students, but no sign of a spiky-haired boy with a chin stubble. "Where the hell is he?"


    Kohaku gazed at the door to the fire escape stairwell exit, he had an idea where Daichi was, considering the door was ajar.


    "Yo," Matabei said and nudged Kohaku, "where are you looking at?"


    Kohaku pointed his head in the direction of the fire escape. Narumi took notice too and her eyes squinted in suspicion. They got to the fire escape exit, Etsudo looked over her shoulder with trepidation at the rest of the students and Yukari was on the phone, oblivious to her surroundings.


    "Excuse me, shouldn''t we tell Tachibana-sensei?" Etsudo said to them so softly that none of them could make out what she said.


    "Huh?" Narumi said to her with a hand by her ear while stepping into the stairwell with Kohaku and Matabei. Upon entering, tobacco smoke filled her nose and she scrunched her face. There he was; Daichi Kurosawa sat at the bottom of the stairs with a lit cigarette in his mouth.


    "Seriously?" Narumi deadpanned at Daichi with the others behind her. "You''re smoking in here? Now?"


    "What? Are you going to squeal on me?" Daichi spat and took a drag from his cigarette.


    "No, but we need you in this discussion as well," Narumi handed him the form, "and we need you to put in your name."


    "Badass, smoking on the side." Matabei sneered leaning on the wall with arms crossed. Daichi gave him a look before taking the paper from Narumi to read the reflection form.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    "Excuse me?" Etsudo Morita said timidly, "We shouldn''t be here."


    "Relax, Morita. We won''t be here for long. Just fill this up quick and we''re done." Narumi sighed.


    Daichi read the first question in the form, "What was my impression of the company before arriving? Here''s my impression, this place reeks." He exhaled a puff of smoke and everyone had a whiff.


    "I wonder why," Kohaku added. The sarcasm did not go unnoticed.


    "You say something?" Daichi glared at him.


    "Can we just put an answer down already?" Narumi urged them.


    Meanwhile, at the higher levels in the stairwell, Benedict Song was having a smoke as well. Benedict leaned over the parapet, taking a puff while gazing at the nanite vials in his hand. He scowled, "Goddamn headache."


    The door behind him opened, and Beverly stepped in as well. She said, "We cannot give up."


    "Every goddamn trial ends with failure." Benedict took another drag.


    "I told you already that it probably won''t work on the mice," Beverly suggested. "We should test it on another form of subject. Let us not forget-"


    "What I cannot forget-" Song cut in, "is the trouble and investment I had to go through just to get to this point and now I can''t even see it through because of this goddamn roadblock."


    "Then get rid of the roadblock," Beverly said. "We have to go another way."


    "What other test subjects am I even going to use huh? Chimpanzees? Dogs? If the press catches wind of that shit-"


    "Human trials," Beverly said it straight. A tense silence ensued while Benedict fathomed what she had just suggested.


    Benedict gathered the vials in his hand holding the cigarette, he squeezed his brows together with his free hand. "Are you out of your tree? Human trials?" Benedict scowled, "Who the hell is going to volunteer? And what do we tell them?"


    "That it''s an inhaler drug for all they know." Beverly pressed the matter. "I think death row inmates is a start."


    "My work is not-"


    "Yourwork Benedict?" Beverly''s voice went colder. "If it weren''t for my nanites, you''d be at nowhere with your paleogenetic materials. Be careful of your place Song." Beverly took a step closer and held out her hand. "I think you should hand me the vials."


    "What are you going to do with them?" Benedict stepped back.


    "Just give them to me." Beverly''s eyes narrowed.


    "You''re not going to do human trials."


    "Quit the bullshit! Give them to me!" Beverly lashed out, grabbing his wrist.


    "Hey! Goddammit!" Benedict tried to pull from her grip, unaware of the burning cigarette between his fingers. Once the embers touched his skin, the involuntary action took hold.


    "Ahh! Shit!" His hand burst wide open and they fell. The five vials clinked through the stair''s parapet.


    "No!" Beverly screeched, reaching down for them, but it was too late. They fell over the edge, plummeting down. As luck would have it, the vials fell right to where the students were.


    "And with that last question, we''re done," Narumi said. She had just finished putting her answer to the final question. At that, the sound of glass shattering by their feet caught them by surprise. Clouds of gas erupted from the ground, encapsulating all five of them in it. Shocked shrieks and yelps came out of the cloud followed by unending coughs.


    "What is this?!" Kohaku wheezed out, looking over their heads to see where the vials came from. All he could see were two silhouettes peering their heads over the parapet from above.


    "Out! Out! Let''s get out of here!" Narumi choked. The five scampered out of the fire escape, coughing their lungs out.


    Benedict watched from above, his whole body froze seeing the disaster below. "Oh my god. Those kids."


    Beverly froze too. What caught her attention, however, was that the students were not dead. The gas dissipated and the students escaped, this was her opportunity.


    "We have our human trial."


    "What in the hell was that?! That stinks!" Matabei exclaimed as he shut the door and he let out a cough. "Man, that shit''s nasty! Smells like rotten eggs and durian in a sewage cocktail!"


    "Oh god, oh god." Etsudo had shivers in her spine, feeling fouled up by whatever had happened in the stairwell.


    "I uh, I saw someone upstairs," Kohaku said with his eyebrows furrowed.


    "You saw someone?" Narumi turned her head to him, "Someone threw that shit at us? What, to prank us?"


    "Oi, you guys." Her teacher called from afar, "What are you all doing over here?"


    Oh shit.Narumi clenched her teeth.


    "Ms. Tachibana." Narumi tried to come up with something. "We uh-"


    "We were discussing that reflection form." Daichi quickly came in, standing in between them. "We uh wanted to be somewhere quieter to fill up the form properly. We were in there for a while, but then someone upstairs," Daichi glanced at Kohaku, "Uh...chased us out. Even threw cigarettes and cigarette packs at us too."


    Etsudo tried to intervene. "Hah? But-"


    "Yeah, that''s what happened, Ms. Tachibana. Crazy I know but yeah." Daichi quickly added, before eyeballing Etsudo with a glare, silently telling her to shut up.


    "Someone threw cigarettes at you?" Yukari Tachibana gawked.


    "Yeah..." Daichi scratched his stubble, "I guess someone is having a bad day upstairs. Well, no big deal." Daichi took the form from Narumi and handed it to Yukari.


    Before anyone could say anything, the sound of an engine revving up to the tower''s drop-off point, the couch bus had returned. Yukari saw the rest of the students gathering at the exit. Yukari sighed and turned her attention to the five again.


    "You guys are okay, right? You are okay?" She asked them.


    "Yeah, yeah we''re okay," Daichi answered for the group.


    "Okay, come on let''s go back already." Yukari went to join the other students.


    Narumi grabbed Daichi''s shoulder turning him around, "Seriously?" She hissed.


    "Look, it''s probably just some asshole scientists who hate kids, throwing some kind of stink bomb at us." Daichi defended.


    "Harmless?" Kohaku deadpanned.


    "Look are you choking now?" Daichi pointed at him and then at everyone. "Are you coughing out your lungs? Do you feel like you''re dying now? Any of you? Are any of you actually hurting?"


    None of them could answer.


    "Then it''s nothing!" Daishi spat, "Seriously don''t be such a wuss, what''s the matter with you all? I just want to get the hell out of here! And I swear to god if any of you spill about my sticks, you will get it." And with that, Daichi parted from them.


    Narumi, Kohaku, Etsudo, Daichi, and Matabei had gotten away scot-free. The sun was already setting when the coach bus was ready to leave. Narumi''s mind was only on what had happened at the stairwell.


    What the hell was that gas? It smelled so bad. Who the hell threw it at us? Is some idiot pranking us? Well, I-I don''t feel anything wrong, I feel fine. I feel okay.Narumi thought, slouching on her seat.


    She had not spoken to anyone about escaping that gas and had spilled it to no one. She could only hope that the rest who were involved did the same. All the while, as the bus brought them back to school, the nanites in the aerosol in their systems were already doing their work.


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    The sun had almost disappeared from the horizon by the time the students had been dropped off at the school and went their separate ways. Narumi was on her own, strolling down the pathway back home with no one else around.


    The night sky had reddish-grey clouds dotting the sky, with the only sources of light being the street lamps. To her left and right were dense forests spanning further than the naked eye could see. Narumi began to entertain her concerns in her head.


    Some shitty excursion this turned out to be. What the hell was that disgusting gas? I hope it''s not some poison or anything like that, I mean I feel fine...right? Dammit, hang on...who threw that at us-


    All thoughts ceased in her mind, a new overwhelming sensation flowed through her body and she immediately arched over.


    She was forced to drop to her knees and clutched her abdomen. She started to shiver, clenching her eyes shut she gritted her teeth hard. Hyperventilation escaped from her mouth, her whole body was shivering like a terrible cold fever.


    Her eyes burst open and gone were any resemblance of a human in her eyes. In replacement of her white sclera and onyx iris, were a primal shade of black with her irises green.


    Her body shook and trembled, her back felt like it was stretching beyond any possible human limits. It stretched to the side, upwards, and back. Every limb was starting to extend as well. The sound of bones cracking all over her body drove her into a hysterical panic.


    Narumi felt every single part of her body was stretching and expanding, the sensation was horrifying for her. She kept crying out in fright, it was all that she could do.


    Her skin grew, and her muscles bulked up in mass. Her skin started to change in color. Narumi felt her skin starting to become tougher and sturdier like it was stronger than any human skin could be.


    Her fingers started to twist out of shape, three of her fingers in each hand regressed into her palms leaving only her thumbs and index fingers. Adding more to the nightmare, her thumbs stretched out, reaching to the length of her index fingers.


    Her nails grew larger and hardened with a change of color to black. From human nails, they became razor-sharp claws. Her feet expanded, stretching out and her little toes grew back into both feet. The remaining toe grew out, while her big toes stretched back to her ankles. Her human feet had turned into feet of three-toed massive claws.


    At her rear, an appendage protruded out, right at her tailbone. It kept growing and growing, she had a tail, and it kept getting longer and longer.


    Her face snapped in a frightening motion, stretched, and grew outwards. Her mouth stretched out a snout. The shape of her nose flattened out into a curve. Her skull began to expand out and reshape. Her teeth enlarged, forming a set of razor-sharp and serrated teeth.


    As she screamed her lungs out, her voice cracked and deepened into growls and snarls. Narumi''s screams dissipated into a primal trumpeting roar. "AHH! AHHRAAHH! RAAHRGH! GRAAHHR! GRROOAARRAHH! ROOOAAAWWWRRR!"


    Her body kept changing and growing, any resemblance to a human was completely gone. Instead, there stood a creature in obsidian scaly skin, standing on two massive clawed feet, a tail high above the ground, and two arms with two clawed fingers. A massive head with a battery of serrated sharp teeth.


    Tyrannosaurus Rex. That was what Narumi had turned into. An animal long extinct sixty-five million years ago, a creature now thrown back into the world through a seventeen-year-old girl.


    Narumi cried out in panic, but all that came out of her mouth were loud roars and growls. The second she heard what she sounded like, she clammed up. Her eyes darted around, realizing her vision was so high off the ground.


    Oh my god! Oh my god!She panicked in her mind.What?! What is this?!


    She felt everything in her, everything was a whole lot bigger. Tilting her head and peering her eyes down, she noticed her feet and hands looked nothing like they used to be, all belonging to a Tyrannosaur. She tried to scream, and again a roar sounded off from her.


    I can''t speak! I can''t! What!? What is going on?!


    She kept looking around at every inch of her body, noticing the tail at her rear end she spun around never taking her eyes off her new tail.


    She was in so much panic until she realized, she was not hurting really. She was not in any form of pain at all. Her breathing slowed down and her pulse reduced.


    Calming down, Narumi tried to process just what happened to her. The small two-clawed hands and three-toed feet, the tail, the bulky head, and the noise she was making. She came to one conclusion despite how insane it appeared to her.


    I''m...a d-dinosaur?! I''m a dinosaur?!She gasped in her mind.What?! Just w-what?!


    Another notion hit her, she outgrew her clothes as evidenced by the ripped-up garments on the ground. Embarrassed, she squatted down and tried to cover herself with her arms, which did not do much considering how small they were compared to the rest of her body.


    Still feeling embarrassed she kept herself as low as possible. Looking around, however, there was no one around. Nervously she rose back up to her full height. She needed to get out of the streets to keep out of sight.


    With her bag on the pavement, she tried to reach for it with her new dinosaur arms, but it was futile with those kinds of arms flinging around trying to grab her bag. Her groan of frustration turned out to be an aggressive growl.


    She leaned forward so that her mouth could reach her bag instead. As she opened her menacing jaws, she felt the new sensation of how wide her mouth could open, feeling a breeze through her teeth.


    She took extra care to be careful, gently and slowly clamping her teeth on her bag and lifting it up. She kicked off into a sprint away from the streets, into the forest. Every footstep gave a small rumble in her frantic escape.


    Running with her bag in her mouth, she turned her head around seeing she was away from the streets and the coast was clear. Now it occurred to her, just how well she could see in the dark. Everything was so crisp and clear, such clarity in the pitch-black was impossible for any human.


    What am I going to do?!


    Opening her mouth she dropped her bag. Narumi was freaking out to no end, she had a million thoughts flooding her head. How did she end up like this? What caused this nightmare? How was she going to get out of this disaster?


    The questions and fear were brought to an abrupt halt when her body felt another impacting sensation. Everything was pulsing through her like she was convulsing again. Her body trembled and the Tyrannosaurus Rex was starting to shrink. Like the dinosaur was disappearing, returning to its previous shape, back to human.


    Her face cracked back into shape, her snout started to shrink back and flatten. Her teeth changed back, from serrated razor fangs to human teeth once more and her human nose started to appear again.


    Her claws were forming back into fingernails, and the fingers that were gone started to grow back. Her body shrank, her bulk and size reducing. Her toe-clawed feet were disappearing as well, her human feet and toes were coming back. Her tail was regressing into her rear. Everything resembling a dinosaur was gone, and the girl had returned. Narumi Uchida was back to normal.


    Narumi kept on gasping with her heart pounding in her chest. Her trembling eyes scanned for every part of her body. She was completely human again.


    "W-What? What the hell?" She wheezed out, bringing her hands up to assess them. Her ten fingers were back in place, no scales on her hands and no dislocated bones, but that did not calm her down at all.


    "What the hell just happened to me?! What''s going on?!" She shrieked. She dropped to her knees as she was still unclothed. She scampered for her bag, taking out her P.E. attire. Now she was dressed she slung her bag over her shoulder and ran for her life, straight back to her home.

 Spinosaurus

    Red clouds in the sky had gotten thicker. There was a flash of lightning followed by a clap of thunder rumbled through the air. Narumi kept running down the road barefoot, skidding to a halt by her house. A decent-sized bungalow in the neighborhood, with a brick fence surrounding it and a low metal gate before the door.


    Narumi vaulted over the gate and stopped at the door. Another clap of thunder roared through the sky and the rains came showering down.


    I made it. Oh God. She thought and arched over, hands on her knees panting. The rain pattered on Narumi, wetting her hair and body. After catching her breath, she went in.


    "I''m home." She said softly, the sound of a news broadcast from the living room''s television gave away who was at home.


    "Mom?" Narumi called anxiously. "Mom?"


    Footsteps approached her from the living room and her mother, Satsuki Uchida, appeared. She was a little shorter than her daughter and sported long dark brown hair tied in a ponytail. She was wearing a set of office wear, a white shirt, and black pants.


    "Narumi, how was your-" Satsuki''s question turned into a gasp seeing her daughter''s state. The grime on Narumi''s shins, her wet hair, and the fact that she was in her P.E. attire instead of her uniform. "Narumi? What happened?"


    "Mom, you''re not going to believe this!" Narumi exclaimed. "I don''t even know how it happened!"


    "Narumi what happened?" Satsuki asked her again.


    "Mom I-I..."


    "What Narumi?"


    "I just turned... Into a dinosaur!" She blurted it out.


    That got Satsuki to have a perplexed expression, "What?"


    "I was walking back home and then I just changed. I just turned." Narumi hysterically explained. Satsuki remained confused. Narumi continued, "I know it sounds crazy. I just became a big lizard."


    "Narumi..." Satsuki squinted her eyes.


    "I swear it was real! I had a tail! I had fangs and claws Mom!" Narumi stressed again. "I had scales everywhere! I was huge!" She was in so much panic her mother had to stop her.


    "Narumi look at me." Satsuki said holding Narumi''s shoulders, "Quiet down, breathe Narumi."


    Narumi did what her mother said. Breathing through her nose, her chest rapidly up and down.


    "Slow down, Narumi," Satsuki added. Satsuki then said, "So you just turned into a dinosaur."


    "Y-Yeah." Narumi nodded.


    "But then, you don''t look like one now." She said, "Now, you look filthy."


    "What-"


    "Go and bathe, you stink."


    Narumi had a slight pang hearing that, her brows knitted and she shook her mother''s hands off her shoulders. She said, "Mom, you think I''m messing with you here?! I''m serious!"


    "Narumi, you got caught in the rain. You''re probably just tired, weren''t thinking straight, and just saw things in your mind. Now go and bathe." Satsuki said.


    "Mom I am not joking here, I really-"


    "Narumi, go and bathe. Now." Satsuki''s tone turned stern.


    Narumi was about to argue, but she bit her lip. Instead, Narumi turned away from her mother and dashed upstairs.


    Goddammit, she''s not going to believe me, shit.


    All she could was just hope that what had just happened would not happen again since she was in the house.


    In the bathroom, the shower head rained warm water on Narumi and she scrubbed herself clean from the dirt on her body and hair. Her mind was so weary, and her shower was something she really needed to rejuvenate her.


    Wrapped in a towel, she stared at herself in the mirror. She leaned forward, pulling her lower eyelid she kept inspecting her eye. Nothing primal looking, it was just her human eye looking normal as it had been throughout her life.


    Both of her hands were in her line of sight, nothing was resembling a dinosaur. No claws, no scales, no tail.


    How did it happen? Narumi wondered. Okay, I-I''m not crazy. I was a dinosaur, the tail, the claws, the noise, it really happened. But how?


    Looking back on her day, there was only one anomaly. That gas, what was in it? It did this to me? Narumi''s eyes darted everywhere in a frantic.


    Oh God... The others.


    She changed into her nightwear, a white t-shirt and a pair of black running shorts. She was in her room with the lights out. She lay down on her bed with her knees propped up. Narumi shut her eyes tight, forcing herself to go to sleep, and the only thing on her mind was staying human. It took a very long while, but sleep eventually took over her.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The sun had already risen over the horizon when Narumi''s eyes burst open, her empty stomach was roaring at her for breakfast. Freshened up, Narumi was in the kitchen and was back in her school uniform, she had already lost one set and she was having an underlying fear that she might lose another one somehow.


    Sheer hunger got her to stuff her face with a peanut butter sandwich. As she chomped down her last bite, her mind began running thoughts on what to do later.


    I need to find the others, but dammit how can I find them? I don''t have any of their contacts. Narumi bit on her lip. Morita and Itou? Maybe I can find them first. But what about the other two?


    Narumi''s ears picked up footsteps coming from upstairs. Satsuki came down and spotted her daughter in the kitchen.


    "Narumi," Satsuki said to her kid, taking a mug from the cabinet.


    "Morning, Mom," Narumi said filling her mug with tap water. "Uh...did you sleep okay?"


    "Yes, I slept okay," Satsuki said as she prepped herself a cup of tea. "What about you? You slept fine?"


    "Uh..." She gulped down her water fast and placed her mug in the sink. "Alright."


    "So, last night. What''s that about?" She asked her straight. Narumi''s heart jumped.


    "Ah, it''s nothing, Mom."


    "What do you mean nothing?"


    I have to go already, bye." She grabbed her hag from the dining table.


    "Narumi?"


    "Bye, Mom I''m off." Narumi went for the door, put on her shoes, and took off. Leaving her mother to ponder for a moment before shrugging it off.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Soru Academy was situated on a hill, students had to walk up a winding roadway to the school. Narumi was waiting by the side of the school''s main gate, keeping an eye on everyone coming up the hill.


    Come on, come on. Where are they? Narumi took note of every student passing by her the best she could. Taking her phone out of her bag she checked the time. There was still ample time, around forty minutes.


    "Good morning Uchida-senpai." A couple of freshmen girls greeted her.


    "Ah uh, good morning." Narumi gave a quick smile and a wave at them.


    "Good morning Uchida-san." Another pair of students greeted her.


    "Morning." Narumi waved again, in truth, it was getting a little annoying, it was the second time she had to wish her schoolmates, and she needed to stay focused. She went back to scanning each student passing by to spot her quarries.


    No sign of the other four she was with the previous day. Until her eyes picked up something right at the far end of the road''s bend, two hundred meters away from her spot. It was a boy dragging his feet up the hill on his own, his bag slung over his shoulder and hands in his pockets. He had naturally tanned skin and medium-length hair with his fringe shading his brows.


    It''s the freshman from the group. Narumi recognized him. And he''s alone? But ah crap, what''s his name?


    She did not begin to wonder how she was able to see him so far away, but she needed to get to him fast.


    "Narumi-chan!" Someone else called her just when she was about to make her move. Coming right up to her side was her friend in class, Ryouko Asaki. A girl with brown hair styled in a classic crop.


    "Narumi-chan, morning." Ryouko beamed a smile at her.


    "Ah h-hey Ryouko, morning," Narumi said, but she really did not want to contend with her now. She needed to focus on the freshman.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "How''d your excursion yesterday go?" Ryouko asked. "Let me guess. Boring?"


    "Uh y-yeah, sure." Narumi was taking her leave already. "Listen uh you go on ahead to class, I need to do something first."


    "Narumi-chan?" Ryouko raised a confused eyebrow. But Narumi had already left her, making her way down the road and passing by the other students.


    "Hey, you." She waved to get the freshman''s attention, and she did. He tilted his head up and stopped in his tracks while she approached him.


    "Uchida-senpai? Morning." He greeted her, but his tone did not give much expression.


    "Uh yeah, it''s um..." She tried to guess his name, "Kotaro Taiyo right?"


    "Kohaku." He corrected her.


    "Sorry." Narumi gave a little apologetic smile, but she got right to the point. "Hey listen, I need to talk to you about something, and somewhere more private. It''s very important. Okay?"


    "Uh..."


    "Okay, let''s go." She did not wait for Kohaku''s answer, she took his hand and pulled him her way to his surprise.


    "Oi! Hey wait. What the?" Kohaku stammered and together with Narumi, he stepped off the pavement and into the forest by the roadside.


    As she held his hand pulling him into the forest, moving past several trees. She had a sinking feeling in her chest and scenarios kept playing in her mind. Any one of them could just turn out of the blue.


    "Uchida-senpai?" Kohaku asked, "What is going on?" The road to school was not in sight anymore. Around them were Cherry blossom trees and maple trees, with the spring wind breezing through.


    "Coast should be clear." Narumi stopped and released his hand.


    "Okay, Taiyo-san." Narumi said, "I know this is going to sound insane okay, but this is serious and you have to believe me alright?"


    Kohaku had a guarded look on his face. He asked, "Okay... What is it, Uchida-senpai?"


    "Alright. Yesterday someone threw some gas ''thing'' at us at GenaTech, right? You said you saw someone." Narumi said, recalling the events the previous day.


    "Yeah, I could not tell who it was though." Kohaku''s eyes drifted to the side, in his mind he tried to make out who he saw but to no avail.


    "Did you tell anyone about it?" Narumi asked.


    "No."


    "Did something like... Happened to you last night?"


    Kohaku''s eyes started to squint in suspicion. He answered, "No. Why? What happened to you?"


    "Uh...I...uh..." Narumi started to stutter. "Okay, I know it sounds crazy, but it really happened."


    "Okay..." Kohaku said, taking a glance at his watch, there was still time before homeroom class started.


    "We got back after the trip." Narumi tried to explain. "I was alone, heading back home. But then out of nowhere, I''m not lying here. But..."


    Kohaku''s stone-cold face did not help in easing the tension. Narumi let out a sigh, ready to spill the truth.


    "I turned into a dinosaur," Narumi said it straight. It took a few seconds for Kohaku to take in what she had just said.


    "What?" Kohaku raised an eyebrow.


    "I know, I know it sounds stupid, but I swear it''s real," Narumi said. She started pacing back and forth, "I was heading home after we got dropped off at school. Halfway to my home, I just turned into a dinosaur."


    "Okay..." Kohaku still had a cautious look, but then he asked. "How?"


    Narumi blinked twice, she stopped her pacing, "How? I don''t know, it just happened. I grew claws, sharp teeth, even a tail, but then I changed back. Wait a minute. You believe me?"


    Kohaku took a step back, "Try curious."


    It would have to do for her, for now. She continued, "I think it has something to do with whatever happened in that fire escape. But you said that nothing happened to you last night?"


    "Yeah. Just the same night like any other school night." Kohaku shrugged.


    "How''s that possible? It happened to me, it could very well happen to you or the others anytime."


    Kohaku made another glance at his watch, the clock was still ticking for the both of them, about twenty-five minutes before the homeroom class. He asked Narumi, "Then, what do you want me to do?"


    Narumi had a finger by her chin, planning what to do for Kohaku. Her eyes scanned him from head to toe.


    "Um... Well, if you''re going to change, you''re just going to... You''re going to grow out of your clothes, Taiyo-san." Narumi pointed at him.


    "Huh?" Kohaku''s eyes narrowed.


    "I think you may need to strip." She said shrugging a shoulder, nonchalant with the notion.


    Kohaku gave Narumi an unamused stare, his sullen eyes turned to slits. He replied, "Yeah, you had me until the stripping part." Kohaku adjusted his bag''s strap and turned away from her. Kohaku said, "Uchida-senpai, class is going to-"


    Suddenly a sensation exploded in his abdomen, he was forced to his knees and he let out an intense groan. His bag plopped on the ground as well.


    Narumi immediately rushed to his side, she knew what was going to happen.


    "Quick! Your blazer! Take it off!" She exclaimed, grabbing his school blazer she pulled it over his head, the sleeves slipped out his arms and Narumi yanked it away from Kohaku.


    Kohaku started convulsing, he held his head tight. He rolled onto his back and the sensation in his body took hold of him. He clenched his eyes shut.


    "Oh no!" Narumi started grabbing the end of his pants frantically, pulling it down his waist. "Hold still, Taiyo-san!" She yanked his pants off him along with his shoes.


    "Ahh! Ah!" Kohaku let out panicked yelps, he forced himself up to his feet staggering away from Narumi.


    "Hey! Steady Taiyo-san!" Narumi ran up to him, but then his eyes burst open for her to see. She instinctively brought both hands to her mouth and she gasped. "Oh my God!"


    Kohaku''s eyes were no longer human. The white of his eyes was now black, and his irises were a striking red. He arched over as he started to expand and stretch. His skin was stretching out and changing color, turning into red scales. His growing body was ripping through his shirt and his growing legs through his boxers. The sound of bone cracking went all over his body and he fell on his knees again.


    All Narumi did was stand there and watch in terror with a lump in her throat.


    Kohaku slammed his hands on the ground which rumbled the immediate area, they stretched out even further. Muscles on his arms expanded even bigger and his watch snapped off his wrist. On both hands, his middle and index fingers along with his thumbs grew even larger. His ring and little fingers regressed into the palms. His enlarged nails hardened and turned into sharp claws like meat hooks.


    His legs grew larger too as well as his feet, the little toes grew back into his feet. His big toes stretched back while his remaining toes grew. His toenails turned into devastating claws.


    A tail was stretching from his rear, right from the tailbone. Kohaku''s head grew larger, his face stretched forward, and an elongated snout was taking shape. His teeth were becoming sharp and conical. Kohaku''s spine spurted upwards, it reached up so high along with his skin, growing into a sail on his back. Kohaku''s voice was gone, now it was guttural growls and roars.


    Narumi stared with dropped jaws, stumbling back as what was in front of her was no longer a human. Kohaku Taiyo was now a red-scaled gigantic beast, with two large feet with clawed toes, and massive three-clawed arms. A long tail and an elongated snout with straight, conical teeth. With an arching sail on his back.


    Spinosaurus.


    Narumi stared at the Spinosaurus frozen, jaw hanging at the sight of the dinosaur. "Oh my God."


    Kohaku Taiyo he tried to scream. Only a guttural roar came out of his new snout, seeing his new clawed hands, he got shocked spinning around in a panic. As he spun around, he did not realize his tail crashed through the branches of a sakura tree. Twigs scattered across the ground and pink petals flew in a whirlwind around him and Narumi.


    "Taiyo-san!" Narumi shouted to him, waving both arms wide. "Kohaku! Stop!"


    Kohaku heard a girl calling his name and stopped his thrashing. Narumi waved at him once more, and Kohaku kept his eyes on her.


    "Taiyo-san?" Narumi said. "Can you... Can you hear me?"


    The dinosaur before her tried to answer, but only roars and growls sounded off from him.


    "Shhh! Quiet! People are going to hear you!" Narumi shushed him and the dinosaur clammed up. Kohaku gave a slow nod to her.


    "You understand me, right?" Narumi asked him and he nodded again.


    Kohaku lowered his body down so he was at Narumi''s eye level. Narumi gawked at the sight of such a gigantic animal so close. An animal long extinct for millions of years, now revived into the world with Narumi to witness.


    "Oh God... It''s... It''s a dinosaur."


    Kohaku took a look at his own massive clawed hands, he just could not believe it. Narumi took her phone out of her pocket, trying to sneak in a photograph. Just as she took a shot, her phone started ringing, which brought Kohaku''s attention.


    The caller ID revealed that it was Ryouko Asaki.


    "Oh no." Narumi pursed her lips. A few seconds later the phone was still ringing and Narumi had to make a decision. She declined the call.


    "Taiyo-san, hold still for a moment," Narumi said. Turning around, she extended out her hand holding her phone. Then, she took a selfie with the Spinosaurus in the background. Kohaku let out a snarling growl, even Narumi could make out a hint of disapproval from his snarls.


    "We need proof that this is real," Narumi explained putting her phone away. She picked up his bag and his remaining uniform.


    "Oh, yeah." The notion hit her holding his clothes, "You''re... You''re not... um-"


    The Spinosaurus roared out in surprise, instantly crouching down hiding his rear from her view. Narumi rubbed the back of her neck and the Spinosaurus gave a loud hiss, Narumi could see a leering look in that elongated snout.


    "Hey, I warned you, Taiyo-san." Narumi sassed at the dinosaur. "Well, it''s okay, right? I mean, there is nothing that looks like a guy now. Anyway, you can''t be seen, come on we need to get further inside."


    Kohaku let out a snort, he pointed his head in the direction of the school. Narumi caught on to what he was implying.


    Narumi scoffed. "Oh come on, are you thinking about class now? This is a whole lot bigger than a day at school. You just got turned into a giant lizard. The same thing happened to me last night. We''ll just call it a sick day or something because we need to figure this out."


    She went and grabbed Kohaku by a claw in his hand, one single claw was bigger than her whole hand. "Come on, let''s go."


    She pulled his claw again. Kohaku slowly rose from his crouch, still embarrassed by his naked state. Narumi led Kohaku deeper through the maple trees while holding his claw, each careful step from the dinosaur could be felt by Narumi''s feet.


    They pushed through the sakura and maple vegetation until they got into a clearing. There was a concrete canal cutting through the forest. Narumi and Kohaku made their stop in this clearing.


    "Okay," Narumi released her hold on Kohaku''s claw. "Let''s take this from the top."


    The Spinosaurus nodded and Narumi started pacing around again, "We got exposed to that gas, and then last night I changed into a dinosaur. But it''s not like what you look like right now, I think." She said to him showing him the selfie she had made. His lower jaw hung open by what he saw on the phone.


    "I''ve no idea what you are. But it''s definitely a dinosaur." She put her phone away, taking a long look at the Spinosaurus in front of her. "Whoa, I''m officially the first person in the world to have seen a real live dinosaur."


    Kohaku growled lowly, his red primal eyes narrowed, slightly annoyed by her. Narumi winced an apologetic smile. "Oh, right. Sorry."


    She then said, "But I''ve changed back. I''ve no idea how I did it. It just happened."


    Kohaku did not like that, staying as a dinosaur was the last thing he wanted now.


    "Maybe just focus on becoming human again? I don''t know." Narumi suggested scratching her head, but then she remembered about the others involved.


    "Oh no. The others." She brought a hand up covering her mouth. "Do you know who the third-year student was?"


    Kohaku shook his head.


    "Dammit." Narumi bit her lip, "Wait, Etsudo Morita and Matabei Itou are in my class." She checked the time on her phone. "Oh shit."


    There were only about seven minutes before homeroom class started.


    Narumi hurriedly said to Kohaku, "I got to get to Morita and Itou. I need you to stay here, alright?"


    A questioning snort was Spinosaurus'' response to her.


    "Look, just stay here and stay hidden. Figure out how to become human again or something. I need to get to the others. Just wait here." Narumi sprinted off back to school, leaving the Spinosaurus on his own.


    Damn, I guess I have to go to school this time. Narumi grumbled.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    At the corporate tower of GenaTech, a very sensitive matter was in discussion at Beverly Rossiter''s office. Nothing was untidy in her office, her documents filed securely in each cabinet, nothing out of place on her desk.


    "You cannot be serious in making this disaster a human trial?" Benedict Song asked her in disbelief.


    Beverly, sitting in her leather chair, gave a cold response, "Those five students did not suffer any symptoms after the exposure to the aerosol. I want to know if there is an effect on them later on."


    "Then what do you suggest we contact the school to ask the students to come back here?"


    "No you dolt, that would be like telling the school that we had a hand in the situation they''re in and I don''t need that for the company nor do you." Beverly stood up from her seat, "We make observations, like in any other experiments. If results show promises, we act accordingly."


    She crossed her arms and continued, "The aerosol did not have an adverse reaction on them, which means the nanites did something to them. As far as I''m concerned, whatever is inside their bodies belongs to GenaTech, thus they''re GenaTech property."

 Raptor

    Narumi Uchida sprinted through the brush, leaving the Spinosaurus to figure out his situation. She could see the road to school again, and she did not have much time till the first period started.


    She hopped over a shrub with ease and was back on the asphalt. Kicking off in a run, she hurried to Soru Academy. Narumi started to notice it, she was running faster than she could ever do before. Narumi reached the school''s main building entrance without even needing to catch her breath. With a quick change into her indoor shoes, she climbed up the stairs quickly to the second-year level. Taking a turn from the stairs her classroom was in her sight, and swiftly she entered in.


    Narumi laid her eyes on one student in the classroom, Matabei Itou. He was chatting away in the back corner of the classroom with his peers.


    One down, Narumi thought, making her way to him. "Itou."


    As he heard his name called, Matabei turned around. He quickly breathed out a relieved exhale. "Oh, Uchida. Oh, thank God."


    Taking his leave from his peers, Itou went up to her and said, "Look, I need to talk to you."


    Narumi paused to figure out what he meant, till she felt hollow realizing Matabei''s case. Whatever was going on with all of them, it occurred with Matabei the previous night just like Narumi. She looked around, people merely gave a glance but returned to their own devices. Narumi leaned forward and whispered, "It happened to you last night?"


    Matabei had a slightly confused face, "Y-Yeah. Y-You know what happened?"


    "We need to get out of here. Kohaku Taiyo is waiting for me in the forest on the road to school. He changed already, and he''s a giant dinosaur. I''m not kidding. I have to get Morita out of here too."


    "The freshman? Outside of school right now?" Matabei gawked. "He''s changed? Dinosaur? Oh, man... Oh, I got to see this."


    With a gaming look on his face, Matabei did not wait for Narumi and bolted out of the room leaving Narumi a little confused by his impulsive move.


    Okay, now for Morita. Narumi thought. A quick scan across the class and Etsudo Morita was in Narumi''s sight, seated by the inner side of the classroom on the second row. Etsudo Morita on her part paid no mind to the exchange between Narumi and Matabei, putting her attention on her books.


    It was not until a shadow cast above her that took her attention away from her studies. Etsudo raised her head, seeing Narumi standing tall over her.


    "Morita," Narumi said.


    "Uchida?" Etsudo asked.


    "Look, I know this is sudden. But we need to get out of the class."


    That got Etsudo taken aback, and softly squeaked, "Get out of class?"


    Narumi nodded, "Yeah. Look, something is going on with our group from yesterday. I can only explain if we''re out of the classroom, okay?"


    Etsudo was getting nervous, "Out of the classroom? Y-You mean cut class?"


    Before Narumi could respond, the door slid open and Yukari Tachibana entered the class. The teacher announced, "Morning, everyone. Alright, settle down and take your seats."


    The chatter from the students soon died down and they went back to their seats, except for Narumi who was still standing by Etsudo''s side rather put off by her teacher''s timing.


    "Uchida, sit down. I''m starting the class already." Yukari told her.


    Narumi''s jaw hung at her struck-out luck, giving Etsudo a look before returning to her table. She hissed, "You got to be kidding me."


    Narumi took her seat at the back of the class, with Ryouko on her right. And Ryouko immediately leaned over and asked, "Where the hell were you? I called you earlier."


    "Just ah, well um..." Narumi left the sentence hanging until she figured out a cover, "You know yesterday''s trip to GenaTech? I needed to meet with one of the teammates about the form we submitted."


    "Hah?" Ryouko raised an eyebrow. "Was it so important you had to be late in class?"


    "I''m not late." Narumi shrugged, "I''m here now, just in time."


    "Shh." A classmate on their right shushed them and the lesson began.


    Yukari carried out the homeroom class announcements, and Etsudo was giving her teacher her full attention. After about a few minutes, however, she suddenly felt something hitting her on the head from behind, something that felt light. It took her completely by surprise and she almost gasped. It landed on the floor and Etsudo realised what it was, a small piece of crumpled paper. Turning her attention to where the paper had been thrown from, she spotted the one who was making a small wave at her.


    "Morita," Narumi whispered across the classroom.


    Confusion and reluctance were all in Etsudo''s mind, not knowing what to make of the situation. Deciding that she wanted no part of it, she timidly turned her attention back to Yukari teaching the class.


    About a minute later, however, another crumpled paper hit her head. Now she had a frown, turning around she gave a disapproving look at Narumi.


    In which Narumi responded with an impatient look, and she held a paper up with a sign for her.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ''Open it dammit!''


    Etsudo read the message, she picked up the crumpled paper and opened it. Another message was in the paper for her.


    ''Just trust me. This is serious. I need you to go to the bathroom or the infirmary. Just tell Yukari-sensei that you''re sick or something. Quickly! Before it''s too late!''


    Etsudo''s face scrunched up with confusion. She turned her head back to Narumi, and Narumi urgently nodded at her, prompting her to be quick. Etsudo Morita became quite apprehensive.


    She did not know Narumi Uchida very well, only that she was in her class, she had better than average grades, and she was a decent enough person. And also most of the student body fawned over her. Mainly due to her boyish looks and personality.


    Looking back at her, Narumi''s eyes were even more intense, telling Etsudo to get moving already. Hesitation still took hold of Etsudo. She did not know if Narumi was pulling something on her, but she had to be serious if she sent this kind of message and she mentioned the previous day with the field trip.


    Looking back at her again, Narumi''s urgent expression did not change. Etsudo bit her lip and was finally compelled, Etsudo raised her hand, "Um, sensei?"


    Yukari turned around to her student. "Yes, Morita-san?"


    "Can I uh... Can I go to the uh infirmary? I''m uh-" Etsudo''s sentence was cut short when a sensation in her ribs took hold, causing her to clutch her side.


    Narumi''s eyes went wide and her heart skipped a beat. Oh no!


    "Are you alright Morita?" Yukari asked with concern, seeing her student''s state.


    "Sensei!" Narumi shot up from her seat, "I''ll bring Morita to the infirmary." She did not wait for Yukari to approve. Swiftly maneuvering through the seats in the classroom, she grabbed Etsudo who was still hunching over.


    "Come on, Morita. We got to go now." Narumi pulled Etsudo her way and out of the classroom, confusing the class.


    In the hallway, Narumi held Etsudo by her arms trying her best to keep Etsudo on her feet and they rushed to the infirmary.


    "Morita stay with me. Come on we got to go." Narumi hurriedly said, feeling the tremble in Etsudo''s body. Etsudo''s eyes were still clamped shut, she still clutched onto her ribs.


    "W-What is this?" Etsudo whimpered, horror overwhelmed her as she felt her body starting to grow.


    Finally, at the end of the hallway, the infirmary was right at the corner. Etsudo''s eyes burst open and she gasped out, Narumi caught sight of Etsudo''s eyes. The sclera in each eye was black, and each iris was a bright yellow.


    "Oh, God." Narumi breathed out, quickly scanning the empty hallways, she slid the infirmary door open. "Get in Morita, quick. Take off your uniform." Narumi hastily said, she shoved her inside and she locked the door.


    Etsudo''s body started stretching out. Narumi quickly assisted in trying to remove Etsudo''s blazer off her. Just as she pulled it off over her head, however, her body expanded too much starting with her torso. Her upper body expanded in its girth. Her arms and chest built up on muscles and grew out of her human proportions.


    The fabric of her shirt started to tear, Etsudo''s legs started to stretch and her muscles hardened and bulked up. She kept huffing out as her body changed, her hips were stretching out of position, her skirt buckle could not hold the pressure any longer and it snapped. Her hands were stretching, and her ring and little fingers on each hand regressed into her palm. The remaining three fingers in each hand stretched with each nail lengthened and sharpened into claws. Sounds of cracking bones were all over Etsudo''s body, her skin was turning into deep greyish-blue scales all over her.


    All this time her human voice was dissipating, shrilling snarls and hisses were soon in place. Etsudo''s tailbone had protruded out, stretching out from her rear into a nimble tail.


    Her shoes and socks could not contain her feet and got ripped apart with Etsudo''s feet, which were no longer human. Her big toes turning into claws had been stretched back right to her ankles, her little toes had shrank into her foot, and her remaining toes were changing into claws. With each of her second-digit toes, the claws grew even bigger compared to her other toes. Turned into massive sickle-like talons. Her face stretched forward, her mouth became a snout and all of her teeth sharpened into fangs.


    Narumi watched by the door and what before her was another dinosaur by her educated guess. This time thankfully, a dinosaur that could fit in the room.


    Etsudo was standing at nearly six feet tall and on sickle-clawed feet, her long hands having three talons each, a long and agile tail at her back, her snout filled with sharp teeth and her yellow bird-like eyes peering at Narumi.


    Raptor, the wolf of the Cretaceous. That what was Etsudo Morita had turned into.


    "Oh, God." Narumi gasped.


    Etsudo bobbed her head, turning it to check her body. Her bluish scales, her clawed hands and feet, and her tail. She started to panic. Etsudo opened her maw, but before she could make any noise Narumi quickly stepped in, holding her snout shut. "Shhh. Morita, keep it quiet, you''re going to startle anyone around."


    Narumi struggled to get a firm grip as Etsudo kept bobbing her Raptor head around. Hisses and purring came out of Etsudo''s throat. Narumi could feel the breath from the Raptor''s nostrils.


    "Morita, you got to calm down. Just keep it quiet." Narumi said, starting to get agitated with the Raptor''s panic, she released her grip on Etsudo''s maw. Narumi could hear the Raptor''s breathing starting to regulate.


    "Alright." Narumi exhaled, now taking in the sight of the dinosaur. "Morita, you understand me right? Nod if you do."


    Narumi was able to make out the said gesture from the Raptor.


    "God, this doesn''t make any sense." Narumi began picking up Etsudo''s uniform clothes and torn fabrics all over the floor.


    Narumi then asked her, "Are you in pain anywhere, are you hurting?"


    A shake of Etsudo''s head was her answer.


    "We gotta get you out of here." Narumi''s eyes started to dart around until they spotted her solution. "Out the window, quick."


    A squawk came out of the Raptor. Narumi could see the apprehension, she said, "Come on Morita, no one can see you. Now come on, let''s go."


    Narumi started shoving Etsudo towards the window, her Raptor talons scraped across the floor. With all of Etsudo''s ripped clothes in one hand, Narumi slid open the window with the other.


    "Come on, let''s go. Get over the window." Narumi said. The Raptor poked her head out of the window. Another questioning squawk came out of Etsudo.


    "It''s just the second level come on, you can do it. Come on quick before someone arrives, unless you want someone to see you like this." Narumi impatiently prompted her to move.


    Etsudo nervously lifted one leg and planted it on the frame of the window, she hoisted herself up and perched herself on the window. The Raptor stayed up on the window frame for a second, reluctance still gripping Etsudo. A knock on the door, however, got Etsudo and Narumi''s heart to jump.


    "Uchida? Morita?" Yukari Tachibana''s voice was on the outer side of the door.


    Oh goddammit! Narumi''s face paled and she instantly placed her hands on the Raptor''s haunches.


    "Go, Morita! Quick!" She hurriedly hissed at Etsudo.


    She gave one final push to Etsudo by her rear, and out the window, the Raptor went, right into the shrubs on the ground floor.


    "Uchida? Are you there? Morita?" Yukari asked again, knocking on the door.


    Oh, shit! Narumi made her move.


    "I''m coming in." Yukari drew the door open and stepped in. But her students were not in the infirmary. "Uchida? Morita? Are you here?" She went to check the beds but they were empty. The next thing that caught her attention, however, was the opened window.


    "Uchida? Morita? Where did you two go?" Yukari questioned.


    On the ground floor, the two girls in question had managed to flee from their teacher. Narumi picked herself up falling into the shrubs, right alongside the Raptor.


    Shaking it off, Narumi was both relieved and surprised that the fall did not even land a single scratch on her. Oh god.


    Stepping out of the vegetation. Narumi patted the dirt out of her clothes and said to the dinosaur in the bushes, "Come on Morita, we''re taking a leave of absence today."

 Tropeognathus

    Now over the fence, Matabei was on an adventure of his own. Looking for a dinosaur in the forest which was also his junior schoolmate. Getting a head start from Narumi and Etsudo, he trekked through the woods filled with sakura and maple trees.


    Uchida said he was around here somewhere...maybe I should have waited for Uchida. Matabei thought, in his excited impulse he went ahead of Narumi and Etsudo to look for Kohaku, a dinosaur.


    Though, his impulsive action was in a way, a blanket on his anxiety over the issue, especially what had happened to him prior.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    It was last night, Matabei had reached his home situated in the neighborhood not too far from Soru Academy. He stepped into his house and took off his shoes. "I''m home."


    However, there was no one to respond to him. Lately, his home had been repeatedly empty at this time in the evening. His parents would not be back from work until nine or ten at night.


    "Only in a biotech company do I get pranked by a stink bomb. The smell better not be permanent." Matabei grumbled to himself and dropped his bag on the couch. "I better shower first."


    Getting into the bathroom, Matabei took off his school uniform and stepped into the shower. The water rained down on him, he had no warning of what would come in the next moment.


    It took hold of Matabei, causing him to hunch over. His core shook violently, he stumbled out of the shower. Without any control, he swung his hand across the sink toppling over toothbrushes and shampoo bottles. There were no words from Matabei. Instead, a primal sound came out from the bathroom. The door burst open and out came Matabei, still wet from the shower. He crashed into the opposite wall and he dropped to his knee holding his abdomen tight. He strained his head up and his eyes burst open, the sclera in his eyes was an animalistic blue. Matabei''s muscles started to grow. His arms started to stretch out beyond human limits. His little fingers regressed into his palms. His ring fingers, however, bent backward and stretched out to a horrid length of four meters. In the process, a membrane stretched out from below his arms, from his ring fingers to his knees. His feet cracked into shape, his little toes grew back into his feet and the remaining toes stretched with the nails on all limbs turning into claws.


    His rear grew out a short tail reaching nearly two feet long. His neck stretched out and his face cracked into it new form, his mouth expanded forward into a long narrow snout, and an arcing crest formed at the tip of the upper and lower snout. His teeth sharpened into needle-like fangs. His muscles grew and hardened, turning lean in its peak form far beyond human. A creature bigger than a human with folded wings. A wingspan of nine meters cramped up in the house''s hallway.


    Tropeognathus. A Pterosaur, a flying reptile, and the undisputed king of the skies in its prime. The Pterosaur perked his head up and he opened his beak. But what came out of his voice was an otherworldly sound instead. A squawk with a mix of hissing and snarling. He clamped his snout shut immediately. He tried moving his feet, all that did was force him to lean forward and place his hands on the floor. It felt incredibly awkward for him, having to walk on all fours to finally get to the bathroom mirror to see himself.


    The response was a surprised caw from the Pterosaur. But after a pause, he slowly took a good look at himself. The beak, the wings, the body structure, he recognized it. It was the extinct flying reptile from the documentaries he had watched when he was a small child. He leaned forward, getting a closer look at himself in the mirror. Before Matabei could do anything, another sensation took hold of Matabei''s entire body.


    The Tropeognathus groaned out a caw sinking his head low, his body convulsed and the membranes in his wings started to shrink, back into his arms, his ring fingers shortened back to their natural lengths in the process. His claws were soon regressing, his limbs turning back to human and his tail disappeared into his rear. His snout shrunk back and his bones cracked back into their previous shape. The Tropeognathus was gone and an unclothed Matabei had returned. Breathing heavily, Matabei stumbled back onto his feet and looked at himself in the mirror.


    "Wha?" Matabei wheezed. "What? What the hell?"


    He brought his fingers up to his face, all was human again. "I uh...I think..." Matabei stammered, "I think that school trip did something to me."


    The rest was history in hindsight, Matabei wanted to warn the others like Narumi, but it turned out Narumi had the same plan and now another student was a dinosaur already. Now all he had to do was find Kohaku Taiyo. How hard could finding a giant dinosaur in the woods be?


    Apparently, for Matabei, it was a little. After a minute of trekking past the maple and sakura trees, he finally spotted something that sent chills. A footprint, showing three digits spread out and huge. And there was another footprint, identical to the first, followed by another and another, leading towards the canal.


    But the trail got cut, and the footprints stopped to Matabei''s confusion. And with it, was a school bag along with a male student''s uniform placed together.


    "What the hell?" Matabei muttered.


    Feeling something was behind him, Matabei turned and his entire being turned white. Kohaku Taiyo, the Spinosaurus standing right before him.


    "Argh!" Matabei recoiled at the sight of the giant dinosaur, how he did not sense him coming was beyond him. Kohaku stepped back as well, letting out a snort.


    "Oh, my God!" Matabei cried out and his eyes bulged. He tripped and fell on his behind.


    The Spinosaurus, on his end, recognized who Matabei was. And if Narumi set out earlier to retrieve the others, he would guess that Matabei already knew the situation.


    Before Kohaku could approach Matabei however, a massive sensation gripped the Spinosaurus. The dinosaur arched his back, letting out a groaning growl. Kohaku stepped away, he felt like his body started to shrink slowly and Matabei watched in awe. His sail started to regress, spines in his sail started returning to their original position. His snout was shrinking back and his sharp, conical teeth were turning back into human teeth. His arms decreased in muscle mass, the claws started to disappear and his human fingers came back. His feet were losing their scaly appearance, toes that had regressed into the feet were remerging and human feet were returning. His tail was shrinking back into his rear and his red scales were losing their color, human skin was coming back. Kohaku Taiyo was no longer a Spinosaurus, he was back in his sixteen-year-old human body. He quickly scampered for his uniform to cover himself up.


    "What the?!" Matabei looked away. Now back in his uniform, Kohaku turned to him.


    "Itou-senpai?" Kohaku asked with a frown, embarrassed by his naked state from earlier.


    "Yeah, I know what''s going on." Matabei said, "Narumi told me what happened to you."Narumi and the Raptor were moving past the trees away from the school. Narumi, in her school uniform, may have stuck out obviously amidst the vegetation, but Etsudo''s bluish scales surprisingly blended well with the woods.


    "Morita." Narumi started. "I know this whole thing is completely insane, but we need to find Taiyo-san and Itou first, along with that third-year student to figure this whole thing out."


    Etsudo gave a chuff as if trying to make a response.


    Narumi continued anyway. "Morita, I think something happened to us yesterday. I think it has something to do with whatever that gas thing that hit us. I left Taiyo-san around there somewhere, he also changed into a dinosaur. And Itou seems to know what was going on before I approached him."


    Etsudo raised a shrilling squawk. Narumi sighed, "At this point, I''m not surprised by the next dinosaur I see."


    A little deeper into the woods, maple and sakura trees surrounded them, Narumi said, "I stopped Taiyo-san from going to school earlier. I told him to wait for me around here. I don''t know where Itou is."


    The spring wind breezed through the area, and Narumi spotted the concrete canal in the vicinity. She knew Kohaku was somewhere around here, but she did not see any massive dinosaurs around.


    "Oi! Taiyo-san? Where are you?" Narumi called out, but all she got was silence for an answer. Behind her, the Raptor was still timidly inspecting her entire body, her legs squeezed together as she was not clothed.


    "Oh, come on. How difficult is it to find a giant dinosaur? Oi! Taiyo-san?! Where are you?" She called out again louder.


    "U-Uchida-senpai?" A male voice appeared, and it was coming from a sakura tree. Some sense of relief emitted in Narumi and she turned to the direction of the reply, and Kohaku poked out of his head behind the particular tree. He was wearing his blazer, slacks, and shoes. He had his blazer buttoned up to hide his chest. And with him was Matabei Itou.


    "Oh, Taiyo-san." Narumi jogged over to him. "You''re... normal again?"


    "Y-Yeah." Kohaku nodded. "I uh-"


    "Uchida!" Matabei cut in, "Oh, thank God! I just saw him earlier and he was huge!"


    "I know right!" Narumi did not wait and grabbed Kohaku''s arm pulling him out of hiding. She called to Etsudo over her shoulder, "Hey Morita! It''s Taiyo-san and Itou."


    The second the boys laid eyes on the Raptor, they went white.


    "Shit! What the hell!?" Kohaku exclaimed, eyes darting back and forth between Narumi and the dinosaur. "Uchida-senpai! Get back!"


    "Holy shit! It''s real!" Matabei blurted out, stepping back.


    Etsudo, on her part, let out a shriek. Such an otherworldly shrilling noise gripped the boys in place. A noise they had never heard before.


    "Hey, wait! No, Taiyo-san. Wait!" Narumi got in between the Raptor and the boys. "It''s Morita, from yesterday, remember?" She looked back at the Raptor, "Morita, see? It''s Taiyo and Itou from our group."


    Kohaku was taking a good look at the dinosaur that Narumi mentioned, his jaw hanging down. The sharp teeth and the talons on both her hands and feet. It was all the traits of a carnivore.


    Before any one of them could make a move, a sensation took hold of Etsudo. The Raptor''s body trembled and it started to decrease in its mass. Her skull started to crack, and her snout regressed and flattened. Her sharp teeth turned back into human teeth. The tail shrunk back into her rear. The claws in her hands and feet grew back into her nails, her missing digits grew out again and they all snapped back into their original positions.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Matabei and Kohaku could only watch in shocking horror until it dawned on them that the Raptor was changing back into a girl in her birthday suit.


    "Ah, shit." Kohaku and Matabei turned around from Etsudo.


    Etsudo instantly squatted down, her arms covering her chest. Beads of tears formed in her eyes and she let out a shriek, "What is going on?!"


    "Jeez!" Narumi rushed forward to her with Etsudo''s blazer in hand, covering her up. Narumi scratched the back of her head, "We uh... We should probably take a moment."


    There they sat. Narumi Uchida, Kohaku Taiyo, Etsudo Morita, and Matabei Itou.


    Etsudo looking away with a timid face was sitting in seiza, clutching onto her blazer to cover herself. Narumi had lent her school blazer to Etsudo for more cover. Narumi had her sleeves rolled up and she sat next to her while Kohaku and Matabei sat opposite them.


    "Okay." Narumi started off the conversation, "There''s no question about it, something happened to us at GenaTech."


    Etsudo was still shaken up by the situation they were in, keeping silent. Narumi saw this and turned to Kohaku.


    "You uh... how did you change back? How long was I gone till you were a dinosaur no more?" She asked him.


    "Around ten minutes," Kohaku answered short and simple.


    "How''d you do this?" Narumi asked him, this time Etsudo eyeballed him as well.


    Kohaku gave a pensive look, he tried recollecting, "I just stayed here, was just thinking how to change back? How to be human again? Something like that? About a minute later it happened."


    "Just like that?" Narumi leaned over, before nudging Etsudo. "Just a moment ago, were you thinking the same thing?"


    Etsudo''s head perked up now, giving a small nod for her answer.


    Narumi brought a hand to her chin, she began reflecting on the previous night. Both of them were thinking about the same thing, and so was I last night.


    "Alright we got to do something about this," Narumi said, "Morita, do you know the other guy that was with us? The third-year student."


    "This is not happening." With a whimper from Etsudo, her eyes were becoming glassy. "This is a nightmare... What''s happening to me?"


    Narumi, Matabei, and Kohaku watched her struggle. Narumi had an uneasy look, unsure of how to console Etsudo in such a situation especially since no one had ever experienced a situation where they could turn into dinosaurs.


    "Morita. Do you know who the other guy is?" Narumi asked again, trying to converse with Etsudo to cease the waterworks. Etsudo still had a shaky breath, wiping the tears on her face.


    "It''s Kurosawa-senpai," Morita answered.


    Narumi then stood up, she said, "Alright we need to get to him in school."


    "And how exactly are we going to do that?" Kohaku stood up with her and asked.


    "I...um...ugh..." Narumi was stumped.


    Etsudo, still having a couple of tears rolling from her eyes, listened to the three. Sobbing about her dire crisis was not making things any better, she needed to get a grip.


    "Guys?" Etsudo tried to speak up.


    Narumi and Kohaku turned their attention to her. Etsudo said, "Kurosawa-senpai''s family owns an auto shop. I heard it from the teachers. He often skips school to work there."


    "Great, but we don''t know if he is actually in school or skipping classes at home now." Kohaku pointed out and started avoiding Etsudo''s sight, "And we don''t exactly look decent now."


    Etsudo''s face heated up. Narumi rubbed her temple, "Oh, crap. We can''t go anywhere like this."


    "Uh, Uchida-san?" Etsudo asked. "Do you have your phone with you? I can make a call."


    "Really? Who?" Narumi asked. She pulled out her smartphone from her skirt pocket. Now she noticed the number of text notifications she''s getting from Ryouko Asaki. Ignoring them for now, she unlocked her phone and handed it over to Etsudo.


    "I can call my family''s chauffeur. She is at my family''s company office right now. She can fetch me home." Etsudo said and started dialing.


    "A chauffeur? Wow, talk about resourceful Morita." Narumi remarked with a little sass. Kohaku on his end, was silently eyeing the two, not having anything to add to the conversation.


    "Shit, the school''s going to chew us up if they know what''s going on." Matabei chuckled while shaking his head.


    "Oh, God. Tachibana-sensei." Etsudo said, her hands covering her face.


    "We''ll... I don''t know. We will figure that out later." Narumi pinched her brows.


    While Etsudo was on the phone with her domestic helper, Kohaku picked out another factor. He called for Narumi, "Uchida-senpai."


    "Hmm?" She turned to him.


    "How do we know we won''t just change again?"


    A brief moment of silence set the tension back in. The daunting fact remains; something inside them could just come out and start causing a heap of trouble, intentional or not.


    "You said keeping it human was the only thing in your mind and then you became normal again right?" Narumi said, "Well, maybe we have to keep that in our heads to stay that way. That''s all we got now."


    Kohaku''s eyes drifted down, giving a distant expression.


    "Uh... U-Uchida-senpai?" Kohaku called for her another time.


    "Yeah?"


    Kohaku lifted his head, looking her in the eye. "Thanks for helping me out... I''m sorry I doubted you before."


    Despite the circumstances they were in, a brief moment of gratitude towards her was something she deserved at least.


    Narumi gave a smile, "Sure thing. And thanks for not blowing me off completely."


    "Um, everyone?" Etsudo said to them as she hung up the phone. "My driver is on the way, she''ll be on the road to school soon.


    "Then we should go now," Matabei said.


    "Dinosaurs and cutting classes, just what the hell is next huh?" Narumi added, taking the lead in heading back to the main road.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Approaching the main road, Narumi burst out of the forest, taking a step onto the asphalt scanning her left, taking another step she checked her right. No one by the school gate to spot them, lucky for them. Kohaku came out to join her, followed by Matabei. Etsudo hid behind a tree, still embarrassed by her apparel.


    A long, black sedan soon rolled up the hill slowly towards them. Narumi turned her head to Etsudo, who gave a nod in response.


    The car stopped and out came a woman. Her short black hair was gelled back and she sported a chauffeur attire. This was Hana Fujio, the chauffeur of the Morita Household.


    "Ojou-sama." She bowed, noticing the heiress by the tree. But as Etsudo stepped out, Hana got taken aback.


    "It''s not what you think, Fujio-san." Etsudo quickly said.


    Hana, looking confused, laid her eyes on Narumi, Matabei, and Kohaku. Considering Kohaku was lacking a shirt underneath his blazer, it was sending the wrong message to Hana. But she had to believe Etsudo''s words.


    "Yeah, what she said." Narumi gestured at Etsudo.


    "Fujio-san, can you take us home please?" The heiress asked, shyly scampering into the front passenger seat.


    "This would be so much easier if we knew where that third-year student was," Kohaku said.


    "Yeah. But we have to stay together in case anything happens to one of us," Narumi said, looking back at Kohaku and Matabei for a second. She made a bow at the chauffeur and made her way around the other side of the car. The boys joined her sitting in the back.


    In the car, Kohaku sat in the middle with Matabei and Narumi by his sides. It was an awkward ride out of the school zone with Kohaku having to rub shoulders with the two. Etsudo at the front had panic in her eyes, like she was trying to wake up from this nightmare.


    On the front side of the car, Hana was focusing on the road but took the opportunity to question Etsudo.


    "Ojou-sama, who did this to you?" she asked her.


    "It was an accident, Fujio-san," Etsudo said, holding onto her covers like a lifeline. She did not like lying, but she was not going to divulge the fact that she had just changed into a dinosaur. Hana, whilst a little unsettled, elected not to press the matter.


    Narumi, at the back, eyeballed the boys on her left, Kohaku''s eyes looked pensive as if trying to be composed in this mess. Matabei was looking understandably restless in his seat.


    "Uchida-senpai," Kohaku whispered, breaking the silence.


    "Hm?" Narumi turned to him and whispered.


    "Uh...does anyone else know about yesterday?"


    "No." Narumi shook her head.


    "No one knows then. Okay"


    "Well, she didn''t believe me anyway."


    "Wait, you told someone?" Kohaku said.


    "Y-Yeah, I told my mother, but she didn''t believe me." Narumi made a subtle sulk, "But I suppose I shouldn''t expect her to believe something this crazy."


    Matabei then leaned over, invading Kohaku''s already tight space. He whispered so the chauffeur could not hear. "What did you change into last night, Uchida?"


    "I don''t know. I''m sure it''s a dinosaur but I don''t know what exactly." Narumi shook her head, "What did you change into, Itou?"


    "A Pterosaur."


    "A what?" Narumi asked, not catching what Matabei said.


    "A Pt-" Matabei clammed up not wanting to let Hideji listen in on them. He leaned further in on Kohaku, much to the freshman''s discomfort. Matabei whispered. "A Pterosaur."


    The silence from Kohaku and the raised eyebrow from Narumi told him they had no clue what he was saying.


    "Forget it, I''ll explain later," Matabei said, leaning back on his side of the seat.


    Kohaku then turned to Narumi, "Tachibana-sensei. She will want to know why you three left school during her lesson, either way, Uchida-senpai."


    "Tch, dammit." Narumi brought a thumb to her mouth to nibble on. With the growing situation at hand, she had to admit, they would have to come clean to an adult sooner or later.


    But not right now at least.


    It was not long till the black sedan took a turn into a road up a hill. Following the road, the sedan stopped before a metal gate with brick walls on both sides creating a perimeter around the Morita estate with the manor at the centre. The gates opened, the sedan drove in and pulled to the front of the manor.


    "Thank you for dropping me off, Fujio-san. You can go back to the office now." Etsudo meekly whispered. She got out of the car and rushed into the house.


    "Uh, thank you." Narumi awkwardly opened the door and got out followed by the boys. Hana, still in the driver''s seat, gave them a wary look before driving out of the Morita estate. Narumi, Kohaku, and Matabei gawked at the size of the house.


    "Oh, man." Matabei''s jaw hung at the sight of the manor. "Check this place out."


    Narumi remembered her texts from Ryouko, she pulled out her phone and checked Ryouko''s messages.


    She checked the first text. "Narumi-chan?! Where are you?! Are you skipping school with Morita and Itou?! What''s going on?!"


    The second text, "Tachibana-sensei is going to eat you alive! Where are you?! Respond! Narumi-chan!"


    And the last text, "Good luck, Narumi-chan. I don''t know if I can help you now."


    Narumi pursed her lips. We. Are. Screwed.


    "Uchida-senpai?" Kohaku got her attention.


    "Ah, yes. What is it?" Narumi put her phone away and turned to him.


    "Itou-senpai was going to talk about yesterday at his home."


    Matabei then said, "Yeah, as I was saying. I was a Pterosaur, Tropeognathus actually. At least I think so."


    Narumi gave Kohaku a look, and he returned it to her. The crickets in the background told Matabei they were clueless about the name.


    "Ugh." Matabei groaned, pulling out his phone to search for the name over the internet. The image of the extinct animal he had turned into the previous night came up. He showed the picture to Narumi and Kohaku. "Look at this."


    "Oh, it''s a flying dinosaur." Narumi recognized the general appearance of the animal.


    "It''s not a dinosaur, it''s a reptile. A pterosaur." Matabei corrected her.


    "Uh huh, okay." Narumi studied the image, a giant flying Tropeognathus with wings spread out over the sea. "Tro...Tropeo..."


    "Tropeognathus." Matabei corrected her again.


    "Yeah okay. Whatever." Narumi did not care for that, it was too much effort to familiarise these complex dinosaur names.


    A sudden growling behind them got Narumi spooked, the sound of a dog growling. Narumi, Kohaku and Matabei spun around. A male German Shepherd stalked them, teeth-baring and barking.


    "Morita! You never said anything about having a dog!" Narumi exclaimed.


    The dog kept on barking, his eyes trained on Narumi.


    "Senpai!" Kohaku stepped in front trying to get the dog''s attention. Narumi stepped away from Etsudo''s dog. But unfortunately, she slipped on her footing and she fell back. As her rear impacted the ground, she let out a sound. A growl, nothing like a sound that a human could possibly make. It was loud, almost like a trumpeting snarl.


    Narumi''s growl went through Kohaku, Matabei, and the dog. Her eyes widened, and her hands instantly covered her mouth. The dog was now whimpering, his tail behind his legs and ears lowered. Etsudo, now wearing a pink top and black shorts, came out of the house.


    "Ah, Weyland!" Etsudo rushed towards her dog, holding him and rubbing his neck. "It''s okay Weyland, it''s okay."


    Etsudo turned her dog around and she shooed him away, unaware that Weyland was running away because of Narumi.


    "Geez it''s real, you have it in you." Matabei was gawking at Narumi after the growl she had let out, Narumi quickly got on her feet.


    "You just made a dinosaur noise, senpai." Kohaku pointed.


    "No, I didn''t." Narumi protested.


    "You just made a dinosaur noise," Matabei added.


    "No, I didn''t."


    "Yes, you did," Kohaku said.


    "No, I didn''t!"


    "Yes, you did," Matabei said.


    "Shut up! This is stupid enough as it is!" It was already embarrassing for her that she slipped and fell on her butt. But what troubled her the most was that the growl she had just made reminded her that a Tyrannosaurus Rex was hidden inside her.


    Etsudo joined them, "Guys, please come inside."


    The four of them settled down in the living room. It was pretty grand to put it at least, every furniture and appliance spoke of luxury.


    Etsudo sat on the couch and Narumi joined her. Kohaku stood by the side and Matabei was enjoying every single piece of rich aspects of the place.


    "Kurosawa-senpai works at his family''s auto shop?" Narumi searched for the address in her phone.


    "Yeah." Matabei nodded.


    "Then we''ll find him and figure this whole mess out... Assuming we''re not too late," Narumi said.

 Eotriceratops

    In another part of the city, Kurosawa Auto was busy with their customers'' vehicles. An administrative woman was busy on the desktop sifting through customer orders. The phone across the other side of the table came to life. With the phone ringing, the administrative woman got up from her seat to answer.


    "Kurosawa Auto, how can I help you?" She politely greeted and listened to the caller''s request.


    "You are looking for Daichi-san? I''m afraid he''s out collecting our bento lunches. Can I take a message?" She said taking a post-it note and pen. She continued to listen to the caller.


    "Oh, you''re his friend? I see, I''ll let him know you called." She said and wrote on the post-it note and hung up the phone.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Not too far away from the shop, Daichi Kurosawa was taking his time strolling back. One hand held the bento lunches in a plastic bag for everyone, the other held a lit cigarette.


    This had been a regular thing in the past few months, Daichi elected to play hooky to work on a couple of weekdays. That was not to say that Daichi did not like coming to school. His grades were not too bad. In fact, he had a reputation with some of the girls in the student body, they all claimed that he was quite the eye candy. But the money that he was getting from work tempted him to be a truant.


    The school trip he had attended the previous day was at best a day to relax from his daily routine. At worst a demand to participate from Yukari-sensei. He had to admit it was interesting, except it did not end on a good note with the accident on the fire escape stairs. As far as he was concerned, he wanted to think nothing more of it and hoped nothing went wrong. All he wanted was just to carry on and live his life as it is now.


    He took a drag from his cigarette and took a turn in an alleyway for a shortcut. The nicotine from the cigarette was putting his mind at ease, but it could not help what happened in the next few minutes.


    Something trembled through his entire body, he was forced down on his knees and he doubled over. Daichi''s heart hammered in his chest, and the panic in him rose instantly. In his crisis. Daichi''s eyes were forced shut with this sensation in him, every part of his body started to shake violently.


    "Argh! Rargh!" Daichi groaned out loud and his eyes burst open revealing a black sclera on both eyes with orange pupils. Every tissue of his muscles started to grow and harden. Daichi pushed himself off the ground. The sensation in Daichi''s entire being consumed him.


    His muscles continued to grow, his clothes started to tear from the increasing mass. His limbs grew as thick as tree trunks, his toes thickened and splayed out flat with his nails turning into blunt claws. His thickened hide changed from his natural peach tone to a scaly deep jungle green. He became so top-heavy heavy he was brought down on all fours.


    At his rear, his tailbone protruded out, stretching into a heavy tail.


    An intense feeling in his head arrived. In a horrifying sight, his cranium stretched outwards, growing out into a giant frill and his hair regressed into his skull. At the perimeter of the frill, bony spikes emerged. Dachi''s face expanded forward, and the soft bones in his nose and ears regressed into his face. His nostrils stretched forward, his mandible grew in length and his lips turned into a massive beak.


    At each of his eyebrows, something protruded out. Horns started to shoot out, stretching long and erect. At where his nose originally was, another horn grew but shorter than the other previous two. His face now wielded three horns. He kept on growing, turning into a giant animal long gone for sixty-five million years.


    A green beast on all fours standing at a height over four meters, and a length of nine meters. A face sporting a massive frill with three horns. Eotriceratops, the largest horned-face dinosaur to have ever lived.


    Eotriceratops in a panicked state opened his maw, but his human voice was gone, a bellow came out from him. He pushed himself off the ground with the forelimbs trying to stand on his rear feet again. The Eotriceratops reared back up, standing even taller. But his frontal weight started to pull him down. He shook the earth as he stomped on all fours again.


    Eotriceratops took the opportunity to run, kicking off with his rear legs. Unfortunately, not using his front limbs resulted in him tripping over on his face. Daichi, still in a daze of confusion, got back on his feet. He had no idea what was going on with his body. The frontal weight of his body forced him to stay on all fours.


    The Eotriceratops was panicking, letting out a stressed-out howl. He started to crawl, trying to walk like a dog and it was so alien to him. After another couple of steps, the horned-face dinosaur tripped over again. Daichi landed flat again and his face hit the floor. Daichi, inside the giant dinosaur, was having all but one wish, to make it stop. On cue, Daichi got overwhelmed again.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    A sensation trembled through his entire being, the Eotriceratops arched his body letting out a groaning growl. The dinosaur was starting to lose his horns as they were shrinking into his skull. The frill was losing its appearance. The beak was disappearing into his skin and his lips were reappearing back into shape along his entire skull. His muscles were shrinking as well, his tail regressed into his rear and his arms and feet turned back into human.


    Every fiber of tissue, every bone, and every organ was shifting into the anatomy of a human. Daichi Kurosawa was back. And unfortunately without any clothes.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Meanwhile, Narumi and her new gang were getting closer to Daichi''s auto shop. Narumi ended the call that she had made to the shop.


    "Kurosawa-senpai went out to get lunch. He''s not in the shop," Narumi told the rest.


    "Well crap, what now?" Matabei asked. "Wait in the shop for him?"


    "I guess." Narumi could only shrug her shoulders, it was not long till they reached the shop. The employees were turning their heads to them, it was not a common sight for four students in an auto shop.


    Narumi approached the counter, and the lady from before attended to her.


    "Good afternoon. Welcome to Kurosawa Auto, how can I help you?" she politely greeted Narumi.


    "Hi, we called earlier looking for Kurosawa-senpai. Is he back yet?" Narumi asked.


    "Uh, no. He''s still outside getting our lunch."


    "Alright, thanks." Narumi gave a subtle sombre look. Before she turned around to leave, however, the sound of the backdoor opening got Narumi''s attention. And Daichi entered the building, wearing only a thrown-away onsen towel. He looked weary, sweaty, and like he had been through the wringer.


    Narumi and Etsudo, both embarrassed, covered their faces and immediately turned around.


    "Kurosawa-senpai?" Matabei gawked. Kohaku remained silent but had a confused look.


    "You?!" Daichi huffed out. The awkward atmosphere lingered on within the five for a good moment.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    After a while, Daichi was wearing the auto shop''s overalls. Everyone had finally settled down from the crisis of the day. Narumi, Daichi, Etsudo, Matabei, and Kohaku were in the petite office lounge.


    Narumi and Etsudo sat together on a couch while the boys stood. The secret was shared between the five.


    "So uh guys." Narumi broke the silence. "We all have a grasp on what''s going on with us right?"


    "Dinosaurs?" Daichi, whose cheeks were still heated from earlier, crossed his arms, sounding firmly unconvinced. "What the hell?"


    "Yeah, here look at this." Narumi pulled out her phone showing the selfie she had taken with the Spinosaurus in the morning. Daichi, Etsudo, and Matabei took a good look at the photo, the subtle shock appeared on their faces slowly.


    "Shit... It''s real," Matabei said under his breath. Etsudo was too shocked to say anything.


    "What the hell is that thing? That can''t be real, right?" Daichi frowned.


    Narumi put her phone away, she did not exactly appreciate the doubt. "Thing? That was Taiyo-san. He was a dinosaur earlier. I''m telling you, this is real."


    Kohaku stood at the corner and looked away. He was really not comfortable with his picture taken earlier. He tried to voice out. "Uchida-senpai."


    "I know, Taiyo-san. Sorry." Narumi got up from her seat, "But this is concrete proof of what''s going on," she then bit her lip, "And I think we all know where this started."


    The simmering fact came into the light.


    "Yes. GenaTech." Kohaku said.


    "Ugh!" Daichi groaned, pulling his hair with one hand. "Listen, I don''t know why you guys decided to come here, but I don''t want to be a part of this. Not really."


    "Kurosawa-senpai?" Matabei was not expecting his response.


    "I already have a lot on my plate." Daichi said, "I''d rather I just figure this out myself and-"


    Matabei tried to cut in. "Yo, we came all this way to check if anything happened to you."


    "Nobody asked you to." Daichi still insisted, "Look, I''m going to deal with whatever this is by myself. I have my life to live okay? So, would you guys mind getting out of here?"


    Narumi was not budging, "Senpai. We''re the only ones who can help each other if something goes wrong again. Unless you want more people to know that you had just turned into a big lizard."


    That did not sit right with Daichi, as much as he was reluctant at first he could see reason. After a long moment of contemplation Daichi finally agreed.


    "Fine." He groaned at them. "What''s next?"


    Narumi pulled out her phone, "Everyone, share your number. Stay in contact, that''s all we can do for now."


    Their numbers were exchanged. It was still awkward between the five, but at least if anything they could turn to each other considering there was no one else. In the end, there was nothing else that any of them could do except to go home.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Narumi Uchida reached home when the sun was just starting to set in the horizon. Her stomach spontaneously rumbled and her hunger skyrocketed. She was so hungry she could very well eat an entire goat at that point.


    Oh damn. She grumbled and went straight for the kitchen. Opening the fridge Narumi pulled out an apple, a cold hard apple. It will have to do to hold the hunger she had until she made a proper meal. As she sank her teeth into the fruit, however, nearly half of it got obliterated.


    Her eyes widened in fright. The flesh of the fruit in her mouth was crushed up, bits of it dripping from her chin. She held what was left of the apple in her hand to her sight, and it had a giant bite mark. No high school girl could have possibly chomped down that amount of apple in one single bite.


    Oh, God.


    Narumi realized what was going on. The binocular vision when she spotted Kohaku at the school gate. The speed she had when she rushed off to her class. How she had the strength to walk off a two-story drop when she got the Raptor out of the bathroom window. She was getting traits from a dinosaur.


    The others must be having them as well. It was like...superpowers?


    Narumi was having enough for the day, all she wanted was her dinner and a shower.


    At night Narumi, now freshened up, was on her bed in her nightwear with her phone in her hand. She got right down to business. She opened up the chat app and added the contact numbers of the rest into a chat group.


    Her thumb hovered over the phone''s keyboard, hesitant to be the one initiating the chat for the group. She let out a sigh, she knew it would be unlikely that anyone would start the chat.


    Alright, let''s get this over with.


    Narumi started typing.

 Dinosaur power, release?

    Narumi ¨C (Hey guys? I made this group chat for us, are you all okay?)


    She stared intently at the screen for an answer from anyone. The hanging tension lasted for about a minute until a response finally came. It was from Kohaku Taiyo.


    Kohaku ¨C (Uchida-senpai.)


    Well at least there''s that, the kouhai can answer. Narumi clicked her tongue. Another message appeared this time from Matabei Itou.


    Matabei ¨C (Yo guys!)


    Soon after about half a minute, Daichi sent his text.


    Daichi ¨C (Hey.)


    Finally, Etsudo sent her message.


    Etsudo ¨C (Uchida-san, I am well. Thank you for asking, and thank you for making this chat group.)


    They''re all answering. That''s good, Narumi thought. She typed out her next message.


    Narumi ¨C (Did anything happen to you guys? Did anyone change or something?)


    She waited for them to answer. The tension in knowing whether any of them turned was gripping her, she could only imagine how much it gripped them as well.


    Matabei ¨C (Nada. Nothing actually, same old same old.)


    Daichi ¨C (Nothing.)


    Etsudo ¨C (Uchida-san, nothing happened.)


    No one changed again? I didn''t either, not since last night. Narumi squinted her eyes at the messages.


    Kohaku ¨C (Did something happen to you, Senpai?)


    Narumi ¨C (No, nothing.)


    Matabei ¨C (Well, we have to figure out how to change again right?)


    Daichi ¨C (What?! Why would you want to change again?)


    Matabei ¨C (We can become dinosaurs! How frigging cool is that? We''re dinosaurs!)


    Daichi ¨C (We are not dinosaurs! This is stupid!)


    Matabei ¨C (Yes, we are dinosaurs. And it''s not stupid. It''s awesome!)


    Narumi ¨C (Guys, enough.)


    Narumi ¨C (We have to see if we have this situation under control. Any ideas?)


    There was silence after she sent her text, it lasted for a minute and Narumi thought perhaps they were all stumped on what to do. She figured any other high school kid in the same situation would be too.


    Kohaku ¨C (Uchida-senpai. Can I suggest that we meet after school?)


    Narumi ¨C (After school?)


    Kohaku ¨C (Yeah. At the forest beside the school?)


    Matabei ¨C (Where I saw you as a dinosaur?)


    Kohaku ¨C (Yes.)


    Narumi ¨C (I say that''s as good as any other idea.)


    Etsudo ¨C (Uchida-san?)


    Narumi ¨C (Yeah, Morita?)


    Etsudo ¨C (Do you think maybe we should tell Tachibana-sensei about this?)


    Narumi choked the second she saw Etsudo''s text. Tell Yukari Tachibana about what was going on?! It would be a disaster waiting to happen.


    Narumi could not help her outburst when she replied to Etsudo''s text.


    Narumi ¨C (You''re kidding right?!)


    Etsudo ¨C (Uchida-san?)


    Matabei ¨C (Hell no!)


    Dachi ¨C (No way!)


    Narumi ¨C (Morita, I tried to tell my parents and I ended up looking like an idiot.)


    Etsudo ¨C (Okay, sorry. I''m sorry I asked.)


    Narumi winced at Etsudo''s apology text. Okay, that was harsh.


    Narumi ¨C (No, Morita it''s okay. Sorry I got too worked up there.)


    Daichi ¨C (No one else needs to know about this crap already.)


    Kohaku ¨C (Uchida-senpai. Tachibana-sensei will still come for us soon.)


    Aw crap. Narumi put her phone away and laid her head down on the pillow. She stared at the ceiling with a sinking feeling in her chest. It is going to suck tomorrow.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Narumi was seated on a couch in the counselor''s office. Matabei and Etsudo were with her and Yukari Tachibana sat opposite them over the coffee table. Yukari was looking displeased, to say the least.


    "I''m assuming you three know why you''re here," Yukari said. Her tone was slow and leading. She had one leg over the other with a tapping finger in her crossed arms. Etsudo was quivering in embarrassment, she could not even lift her eyes to face her teacher.


    "Uh...yeah..." Narumi seated in the middle said and nervously scratched the back of her head. Narumi, Etsudo, and Matabei flinched when Yukari put her foot down hard.


    "Where were you three?" Yukari asked with a stern and raised voice. "You, Itou. The class said you bolted out of the classroom before the lesson began. Even your belongings were left in the classroom."


    Matabei choked up. He tried to make up something in seconds. "Uh...w-well something came up yesterday?"


    "What?" Yukari asked, "What came up?"


    "Uh, well..." Matabei fell to silence, he had driven himself into a wall with this conversation. His eyes darted to Narumi and Etsudo. The girls eyeballed back at him, none of them anything to come up with as an excuse. Yukari Tachibana was getting annoyed at her students and she massaged her temple.


    "Oi. What''s going on with you three?" she asked them.


    "Um..." Matabei bit his lip, and Etsudo still writhed in embarrassment.


    Narumi, on her part, just could not say anything. She was just stumped on whether or not she should tell the truth. She could simply show Yukari the photograph of Kohaku as a dinosaur, but she knew it would not be fair for Kohaku at all.


    Tell her? Tell her not? Tell her? Tell her not? We don''t have much of a way out of this, none at all.


    "You played hooky? Is it that simple?" Yukari asked them. "Morita, you faked an illness just to skip school and have fun?"


    "No! Sensei that''s not it!" Etsudo blurted out. Everyone had their eyes on her and she squirmed in silence once more.


    "Okay, then what is it?" Yukari pressed on. Like before, none of the three students answered. Their teacher sighed, "Look, I know you guys are not the sort that would indulge in truancy. So what''s really going on? This is the third time I''m asking already."


    The response was still the same, uncomfortable silence.


    Yukari had enough, she dished out her punishment. "Okay, fine. You three will be doing cleaning duty for two weeks. Maybe you three may decide on coming clean then." Yukari got up from her seat and went for the exit. "I''ll know if you skip on any of them."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Narumi, now separated from Matabei and Etsudo, dragged her feet down the hallway. Her lunch break was cut in half after getting told off by Yukari Tachibana.


    She got to the cafeteria and, as she had dreaded, it was packed. People were lining up to get their snacks. Aw, come on...


    She whined and joined the line, waiting impatiently along with the others. At last, it was her turn and she got her food. Yakisoba buns and a chocolate milk packet.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    With her food scooped up in her arms Narumi surveyed the tables, and unlucky for her everywhere was occupied. At the far end of the cafeteria, by the windows, she finally spotted someone.


    Ryouko Asaki was seated at a center table along with her classmates, and her eyes lit up when she caught sight of Narumi.


    "Narumi-chan." Ryouka gave a wave, but Narumi was not looking her way. Instead, Narumi headed elsewhere away from Ryouka. She got quite confused with her friend''s actions. "Narumi-chan?"


    Ryouko watched as Narumi went over to a single table by the windows, occupied by a first-year boy, sitting alone and having a beef rice meal. Kohaku Taiyo, looking out the window with a listless face.


    "Taiyo-san," Narumi called out to Kohaku and he raised his head from his bowl. He quickly swallowed the rice in his mouth.


    "Uchida-senpai?" Kohaku greeted her.


    "Let me have this seat," Narumi said, grabbing the chair opposite Kohaku. She did not even wait for a response from him and sat down. A few other students started turning their heads, seeing their idol second-year girl sitting with a first-year nobody.


    "Taiyo-san," Narumi said, her face forming a frown. "Guess what? We got cleaning duty for two weeks."


    "Oh?" Kohaku did not expect this.


    "Yeah, because I had to get all of us out of school before you know what," Narumi said. "Guess I should not expect anything less for playing hooky."


    "Well um, thanks again," Kohaku said. He took a piece of beef from his bowl. He already noticed the onlookers from the other tables, it made him quite conscious of them.


    "Hey, so nothing happened right? You didn''t change again after we split up?" Narumi leaned forward trying to be discreet in their conversation.


    "No, nothing." Kohaku shook his head. "Same goes for the others right?"


    "Yeah," Narumi said. However, she recalled what she had gathered once she had gotten home; the traits of a dinosaur. "Hey, listen Taiyo-san."


    "Mm?"


    "Alright. The thing is, I think there''s something different. About me." Narumi said. "Yesterday, when I saw you on the road to school, I could see you so far away right from the school gate. It''s like binocular vision, you know?"


    Kohaku subtly got taken aback. Narumi continued. "I could run fast, like really fast. I fell two storeys and walked it off like it was nothing."


    "And you made a dinosaur noise yesterday." Kohaku reminded her as he finished up his rice bowl.


    Narumi flinched and narrowed her eyes at him. "Shut up."


    She then said, "Uh... well you know... I mean you know what I''m getting at here? Have you noticed anything similar for yourself? As a... you know... as a human."


    Kohaku gave a thinking look for a second. "Not that I am aware of."


    "Hmm, damn." Narumi then had an idea. "Ah, right. We need to meet after school with everyone right? It was your idea."


    "Yeah?"


    "So, you''re going to meet us at class Two-A after lessons."


    "Eh?"


    "You can help finish the cleaning duty faster and then we can figure out this whole dinosaur nonsense. I''ll send the text to the chat group, get Kurosawa-senpai to come over later." Narumi suggested with a shrug.


    She then grabbed her food, stood up, and pointed at Kohaku. "So, I''ll see you at the classroom later alright?"


    "Uh..."


    "Okay, I''ll see you in the classroom later." Narumi did not wait for a response and turned away. Only to see Ryouko coming right for her fast.


    "Narumi-chan!" Ryouko called her. "What''s going on? Why were you sitting here?"


    Narumi did not expect Ryouko to appear before her out of the blue. She tried to come up with an excuse quickly. "Ah? Ryouko? Uh, I was just talking to Taiyo-san here about the excursion."


    "Hah?" Ryouko raised an eyebrow.


    "Oh yeah. Ryouko, this is Taiyo-san." Narumi introduced her to the first-year student. "Taiyo-san, this is Ryouko-chan."


    Kohaku opted to be polite. He stood up and greeted Ryouko. "Hello, I''m Taiyo Kohaku of class Two-A."


    Ryouko was not so courteous. Instead of greeting him, she glared at him, something he did not appreciate. Ryouko turned back to Narumi. "Narumi-chan, I should let you know. It''s really sending a message to everyone around when I called you over, but instead of sitting with your friends, you are sitting alone with this creep."


    "Creep?" Narumi said, a little shocked by Ryouko after what she had just called Kohaku.


    "Uh I-I mean this guy." Ryouko pointed at Kohaku.


    Kohaku picked up his lunch tray and stood up from his seat, gaining their attention. Narumi noted his darkened, upset eyes. His usual aloof face now had a scowl at the corner of his mouth. He did not even give either of them a second look, he just took his finished lunch and left. "See you."


    Narumi could only watch as he went off on his own.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Hours had passed and lessons were over for the day. Which left the cleaning duty students in the classroom. Namely Narumi, Etsudo, and Matabei.


    As they got the brooms out of the closet, the classroom door was drawn open. Daichi Kurosawa stepped in with hands in his pockets.


    "Hey," Daichi said. The nicotine in his breath was noticeable.


    "Oh look, you''re actually in school." Matabei smirked, "And you''ve been smoking."


    He handed Daichi a broom to help with the cleaning. Daichi did not take the broom, he said to Matabei, "What? It''s your punishment. I''m only here because our meeting had a change of venue." Daichi grabbed the nearest chair and sat down with his feet on the desk.


    "Wow seriously?" Matabei said with a flat tone and carried out his cleaning.


    Kohaku arrived a second later. This time it was Narumi who went up to hand him a broom.


    "Ah, Taiyo-san. Help us with the cleaning, yeah?" Narumi said. Kohaku made a nod, he simply took the broom and started sweeping with the rest.


    The group continued cleaning up the classroom, after some time even Daichi got up to help clean the board. While Narumi was wiping down the window, she noticed the dark grey clouds coming from the city''s horizon and more were brewing.


    Matabei returned from disposing of the trash and said to the rest, "Okay, so now can we get back to figuring out how we turn into dinosaurs?"


    They all turned to him and Matabei continued, "That''s what we are all here for right? To find out how to change back into dinosaurs?"


    "We''re not dinosaurs dammit." Daichi groaned.


    "Yeah, we are." Matabei argued, "You saw all the evidence yesterday."


    Etsudo broke her silence and spoke out, "Uh..."


    Eyes were pointing her way and the attention was on her. She said, "I-I think maybe we should not try this at all."


    "Why not?" Matabei asked.


    "Um, well isn''t it uh, dangerous?" Etsudo gave a crucial point, "We don''t know anything about this."


    "Well, figuring out how to change is the first step right?" Matabei said eagerly. "Do you guys not see the possibilities?"


    Daichi crossed his arms. "All I''m seeing is that this is baggage that I don''t need."


    The tension in Etsudo was starting to reveal itself, her timid nature had a tint of annoyance. She addressed the problems Matabei did not see. "Itou-san. I don''t want to change into a dinosaur, we don''t know if we can change back and might stay as a dinosaur. We know so little of this."


    Narumi threw her piece into the conversation. "Guys stop. We''re going to find out how this works, and we''re supposed to help each other along the way."


    The decision was made for the group, they were going to stick to the plan. Matabei then asked, "So who''s our guinea pig?"


    Narumi quickly grabbed Etsudo''s arm, pulling the girl her way. "Not us, that''s for sure."


    "Hah?" Matabei raised a confused eyebrow. "Why?"


    "You already know what happens if you change. Your clothes don''t change with you." Narumi brought a hand to her chest as if to cover herself. "One of you boys do it."


    "It''s your idea jeez." Matabei scratched his head, "Well then uh..."


    "I''ll do it." Someone else said first. Kohaku, who was sitting quietly by the side, raised his hand. Everyone save for Daichi was not expecting the freshman to volunteer.


    "Taiyo-san?" Narumi questioned him and Kohaku nodded. In his viewpoint, it only made sense that he would have to be the experiment. Since there was photographic evidence of how he looked like as a dinosaur they would be able to check for consistencies.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    They vacated the classroom and moved to the hidden forest beside the school. Kohaku was surrounded by the other four anticipating anything to happen, and he was starting to regret this idea.


    Narumi had her phone up, recording their experiment. "Okay um, what should we start with?"


    Narumi gave a suggestion, "Try like uh I don''t know. Try calling it out?"


    "Calling it out?" Kohaku asked.


    "Yeah, like try summoning it out of you. It''s like inside of us right? Try bringing it out." Narumi said, and the rest kept their focus on Kohaku.


    A stumped Kohaku shrugged, "Okay then." He spaced his legs and announced, "I am uh speaking to the dinosaur inside me...come out?"


    Silence lingered on and nothing happened, except for the sound of wind flowing through the forest. As if it was not awkward enough, Narumi was still filming him standing there like a fool. She continued to encourage him. "Try again Taiyo-san! Focus and transform! Go Taiyo-san!"


    "Ugh." Kohaku complied. He clenched his eyes and tried to focus. "The dinosaur within me. I call you out. Transform." Kohaku tightened his abdomen. His forehead popped a vein and he gritted his teeth as he continued to strain. "Dinosaur power, release!"


    Narumi, Etsudo, Daichi, and Matabei just stared at him pitifully. Kohaku had enough. "This. Is. Stupid."


    "Alright, enough," Matabei said. "This isn''t working, what the hell do you think this is, a sentai show?"


    Narumi thought back to the Morita Estate. She made that dinosaur noise after being barked at by Etsudo''s dog, Weyland.


    "Now what?" Daichi said.


    "Maybe it works through emotions." Narumi threw in an idea. "Like maybe the more emotional are, you know."


    Matabei snapped his fingers, catching on to what Narumi meant. "So you need to get angry, is that it? Maybe get super angry to change?"


    "Eh?" Kohaku narrowed his eyes.


    Daichi took out a cigarette and lit it up. As he took a drag he gave a cruel suggestion. "We need to piss you off then."


    Etsudo got nervous with that, she could not handle confrontation or aggression of any form. Before Narumi could object, Daichi and Matabei then started their tirade.


    "Okay dumbass, what''s up with your face huh?" Matabei supposedly threw an insult. "Is that your nose or is that a cockroach on your face?"


    "E-Eh Itou-san?" Etsudo gasped.


    "Is that hair for real? Or are you wearing a wig for a joke or cosplay? No wait. I got it. God just gave up on making your face look nice." Matabei went on. "Yeah, I see your tiny brain piecing it together. And you''re right, I don''t like you." Matabei said his final piece.


    "Itou-san, stop. Please." Etsudo urged Matabei.


    Kohaku however did not budge at all, standing with crossed arms unfazed by Matabei. "This is not working," Kohaku said. "I know it''s not real."


    The group fell silent to that, but then Daichi took his turn, "What makes you think it''s not real?"


    The atmosphere soon took a dark turn. Daichi exhaled out his smoke and glared at Kohaku. "Yeah, I see right through you." The amber in his cigarette lit up as he drew the smoke in. He sneered, "Looking so gloomy and lonely. You think yourself a loner right?"


    Daichi continued, "You''re all sulky because of what? No friends? No one likes you? No one cares about you? You thought you could get a social life after middle school? Is that it?"


    Kohaku''s face darkened, and his eyes slowly and menacingly drifted toward Daichi. Etsudo turned white and Matabei knew this was over the line.


    "What? Do you want pity? Is that it? Face it, you''re just a loner." Daichi spat. He was not impressed with Kohaku''s glare. Taking one final drag, he flung his cigarette at Kohaku.


    "Enough!" A voice roared through them all and Etsudo shrieked in shock. Narumi stood in between Kohaku and Daichi. She pointed at the senior student, "Stop it! Leave him alone!"


    Daichi made eye contact with her for a moment, he was not expecting this kind of aggression from her. "It was your idea, Uchida. Don''t take it out on me."


    He leaned to the side to address Kohaku, "I guess it didn''t work?"


    Kohaku let out a long exhale. "No."


    Etsudo and Matabei simultaneously sighed in relief now the tension was reducing. Up in the sky, a flash of lightning followed by a booming thunderclap rumbled through them. The storm heading their way and the showering rain was going to show up very soon.


    "We''re not getting anywhere with this," Narumi said, looking up at the thick clouds. "We''ll pick this up tomorrow."


    "It can''t be helped." Matabei shrugged. The group made their way out of the forest, they did not make any progress at all. And the storm coming was almost as if it was to rub it in.

 Running and screaming

    The storm did not let up in the city, the rain showered the streets and water droplets kept pattering all over Narumi and the gang. The storm came out of nowhere, no one was expecting it. Thus, none of them brought an umbrella.


    Narumi''s cross bangs plastered onto her face, her uniform stuck onto her body. The rest were looking just as drenched. Things were getting worse for the week with these students, most notably they all had a freak accident without any idea of how to handle the situation, and now Narumi, Etsudo, and Matabei had been punished with Daichi and Kohaku dragged along.


    No words were exchanged amongst them in their trek down the streets and they reached a cross junction. Interestingly enough Narumi did not feel a hint of a chill in her body. The rain was not cold to her at all. She had just realised this and it made her wonder if the rest were having the same case.


    "Say uh," she broke the silence, "Anyone feeling cold from this rain?"


    They glanced at her before they took notice as well.


    "No. Eh, not really." Matabei answered. Kohaku shook his head.


    The gears in Narumi''s brain were working on this notion. This was another trait she had, that they all had. As they were crossing, however, somewhere down the road a disaster was approaching fast. A red Jeep Wrangler was out of control with a slob behind the wheel. He tried to make a turn. But with the pooled water on the road, its wheels have been locked.


    The jeep sped straight instead, shocking the truck in the opposite direction while it was taking a turn. This caused the truck to swerve out of control. All other cars on the road had no warning when the truck crashed into them. Every vehicle spiraled out in a frenzy.


    "Oh shit!" Matabei exclaimed. He and the rest were still in the crossing lane opposite the wreckage, and they started fleeing from the scene. Narumi at the back, however, had the short end of the stick when a green Toyota Land Cruiser was headed straight for her. Narumi noticed the headlights pointed at her from behind. She could only turn and scream.


    The Land Cruiser smashed into her, Narumi was plastered onto the car''s bonnet as it went down the road and it crashed right into an alleyway. Everyone in the wreckage by the cross junction was shouting in panic.


    The group, recovering from their shocked stun, hurried their way over to the alley. Narumi was hurting everywhere, everything just hurt too damn much. Her head was in a throbbing daze and a groan escaped her mouth. A small bead of blood rolled from the corner of her lips down to her chin. Glass shards were scattered across, and her soaked uniform had tears all over.


    The rains continued to pour. Her vision started to clear and she realized the grave situation she was in.


    The Land Cruiser had wedged her into a wall. She could not move at all with only one hand free over the car''s bonnet. But despite being pinned down by a car, she was not mangled into a bloody pulp. Not even a broken bone, just bruised and dizzy.


    The driver was looking worse though, he had been knocked out in the crash. His face had sunken into the airbag and was bleeding from the side of his temple.


    She did not care how she was able to survive that crash, she was in panic and her heart hammered in her chest. As she kept hyperventilating, her free hand gripped the car''s bonnet in a futile attempt to push the vehicle off her.


    "Come on! Come on!" She grunted and pushed again, but the Land Cruiser barely rocked an inch. At her core, she knew she could not save herself from this, at least not the way she is now.


    But something else can.


    She could only see one way out of this, it was her only hope. She knew she needed to change, she just had to. Her mind kept sending the outrageous message.


    The dinosaur must return.


    A sensation came into her again, the same sensation she had felt before. Her eyes clenched shut, she could feel her whole body starting to change. Her breathing became hoarse and she burst her eyes open now green and primal.


    Every part of her body started to expand, muscles kept growing and became stronger. Her back stretched out, tearing out her uniform, unfortunately. Her bones cracked and shaped into new forms.


    Narumi watched the index finger and thumb of her free hand grow in length and her nails turn into claws. The other fingers regressed into her palm.


    Narumi''s breathing turned into growls. Her body''s size kept bulking up, so much that she easily pushed the Land Cruiser off her by her own mass. The car skidded right to the opposite side of the alley and she stood up properly. Her face stretched forward. Her nose flattened with her mouth growing out a snout. Her teeth sharpened and increased in length, turning into serrated daggers.


    "Uchida!" Matabei, Etsudo, Daichi, and Kohaku called for her. As they reached the alley, the spectacle of Narumi changing into something else was before them.


    Narumi''s skin was hardening into obsidian scales. Narumi''s feet tore through her shoes and socks as it grew. The little toe in both of her feet went back into her heel, her big toes stretched back near to her ankles and all of her exposing nails hardened into sharp claws. Her rear grew out an appendage at her tailbone. Her long and massive tail was appearing again.


    Narumi turned around to face them, anything resembling a human was gone. In that alley standing over a torn school uniform and bag, was the obsidian Tyrannosaurus Rex. She took a step forward and let out a growl.


    Kohaku could only stare at her with dropped jaws. "Uchida-senpai?"


    Matabei stood motionless. Daichi breathed out, "What the..."


    Etsudo screamed in fright, stumbling back and fell on her butt.


    There was a clap of thunder from the sky and the Tyrannosaurus Rex let out a short bellow and made her way over to her schoolmates, stepping out of the alley to join them, unintentionally revealing herself to the public. Bystanders from the streets started with startled faces and proceeded with running and screaming from the dinosaur.


    The T-Rex gave out a surprised snort, in truth Narumi was scared. Absolutely terrified. Because no one had any clue what consequences would come now the public had seen a dinosaur, and she was that dinosaur. She turned in the opposite direction to retreat.


    But something stopped her. A cry coming from the car wreckage at the cross intersection. "Someone help please!"


    Back at the crash by the cross junction, the truck had decimated several cars and had crashed into a lamppost. The driver was knocked out and rested his face on the airbags. A grey sedan collided with a black sedan by the driver''s door, pinning it against the truck''s side. Every glass panel in every vehicle had been broken into a web. In the black sedan, the driver had come to, a mother who was on her way home with her son after a day in elementary school.


    "Takashi?" She called out to her son seated on the front passenger seat.


    "M-Mom?" Her son gave out a meek response. She reached over to him to unbuckle his seatbelt and did the same for her own.


    "Takashi can you get out?" The mother asked him. Her son tried pushing his door open, which yielded no result with the door being damaged and blocked off by the truck''s side. She tried to free herself as well, her side was just as bad with the grey sedan obstructing her. Inside the grey sedan, the driver, a middle-aged man was unconscious with his face in the airbags.


    Back in the black car, the mother and her son realized the people around the vicinity were running away. No one was even coming to aid anyone in the wreckage.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Someone help please!" The mother cried out, but no one came. Her son kept trying to open his door and he was starting to cry.


    "Mom! I want to go home!" He whimpered, thumping his hands on the door.


    "Someone please help!" The mother shouted again and slammed her hand on the horn. A shadow soon loomed over them from the driver''s side, followed by a low growl.


    They both gasped in fright at the source of the shadow, a Tyrannosaurus Rex''s head low to the ground with a fearsome green eye staring at them.


    The mother shrieked and moved away from the door shielding her son. The dinosaur''s attention was now on the grey sedan and the knocked-out driver inside. Planting the side of its head against the grey car, the T-Rex easily pushed it away from the mother''s car.


    It stalked towards the front of the truck. Clamping on the fallen lamppost with its teeth, the dinosaur easily tossed it away from the truck''s windshield.


    Now the T-Rex turned back to the trapped mother and son, noticing the driver''s door was still damaged from the crash, the mother still could not free herself. The T-Rex''s head approached the car door and opened its maw.


    With all those serrated teeth pointing at her, the mother could not help herself letting out a scream. The T-Rex''s upper jaw clamped onto the door''s window frame and the lower jaw on the bottom. The dinosaur pulled hard with one yank, tearing the door off the car.


    The mother inside now had an opening, but with the T-Rex outside she had zero intention of exiting the car. She eyed the T-Rex that was staring back at her. The animal stepped away and jerked its head in a form of gesture like it was telling her and her son to get out. If it wanted to, the dinosaur would have crashed through the roof to eat her already, but it did not. Instead, it freed her and her child.


    There was no time however, as the engine of the car started to catch fire and flames were puffing out of the car''s bonnet fast. The T-Rex let out a hasty growl trying to rush the mother and her son out of the vehicle.


    "Ahh god!" They both exclaimed and they ran out through the exit the T-Rex made. The mother took her son''s hand and ran away till some distance was made between them and the dinosaur.


    Flames were starting to consume the car. The dinosaur quickly headed to the back of the car and planted its foot on the trunk, in a burst of immense strength the Tyrannosaurus Rex pushed the burning car far away from the wreckage. And just in time. Now standing on its own in the middle of the street away from any hazard or civilians, the burning car exploded.


    The Tyrannosaurus Rex had saved them. Narumi Uchida had saved them.


    The dinosaur let out a roar before looking back at the mother and son. But all that resulted was the mother taking her son''s hand and together they fled.


    Sirens could be heard from the horizon, and the last thing Narumi wanted was for any paramedic or police officer to see her like this. She wasted no time, turning around she ran out into the rainy night. To the only place she could feel safe, home.


    All the while, Kohaku, Etsudo, Matabei, and Daichi witnessed the whole ordeal.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    At the Uchida residence, Satsuki Uchida had come home early after taking half a day off from work. She was lazing on the couch and her attention was fixed on the television''s program.


    Hearing the pattering rain outside, she started to wonder if her daughter was going to get back home safely. She thought back to the night when Narumi was completely out of it, going on about how she had turned into a dinosaur and changed back. Satsuki had a long day then, she did not really want to get hindered by her daughter''s nonsense and watch her television program.


    While she was completely distracted by her entertainment, something big was approaching the backyard.


    The Tyrannosaurus Rex stopped by the brick wall behind her house. Luckily enough, the barrier was at a height just below the T-Rex''s knees. She lifted one foot up high, taking a careful step over the brick wall. As her foot planted in her backyard, she quickly hoisted her other foot over. She nearly stumbled but was able to stand her ground. The T-Rex reached a height so high she could easily see the window of her room.


    At last, Narumi took a good look at her reflection on the panel. All the obsidian scales, the massive teeth, and the predatory green eyes. Narumi could not take her eyes off herself. The face of a dinosaur, a Tyrannosaurus Rex.


    It''s me. Her massive jaw hung down. It''s...It''s me.


    She had no idea just how frightening she looked before. With the stress building in her, she had no control letting out an agitated groan. But as a T-Rex, it came out as a loud snarl and she instantly realized her mistake.


    "Hey! Someone there? Who is that?" Satsuki Uchida voiced out inside the house and Narumi froze in shock. Satsuki drew the curtains and opened the backyard door. She pulled out her phone in her pocket, "I will call the police."


    Instantly Satsuki''s attention was drawn to the hulking presence in her backyard. The phone slipped out of her hand and the frozen Satsuki, with wide eyes, stared at the Tyrannosaurus Rex who was staring back at her.


    Satsuki screamed out and the T-Rex hissed in surprise. Satsuki was stricken with hysteria, she backed away and tumbled back onto the wall behind her. Satsuki kept gasping exasperatedly.


    The dinosaur in the yard took a step towards her and crouched down. The T-Rex gave a low rumbling growl that resonated through Satsuki. There was a look in the dinosaur''s green eyes, a certain expression coming from those eyes. Like it was begging at Satsuki, pleading for her.


    But Satsuki did not see it, in her terrified state she got up and rushed back into the house away from the T-Rex. She closed the door and drew the curtains back. Satsuki''s eyes darted everywhere, trying to figure out what to do. She had to get another look at what she had just seen. She ran up the stairs to Narumi''s room.


    She got to the window and the T-Rex was still there. But something was happening, Satsuki watched the dinosaur arching its back and it was starting to shrink. She brought her hand to her mouth.


    It was losing its snout, the teeth were getting smaller. Both two-fingered hands were growing out three fingers like human hands. The clawed toes were shrinking, the feet were turning into human feet. The tail was regressing into the body. The obsidian scales were starting to disappear and peachy white skin was in its place.


    The dinosaur was slowly turning into a girl. She hunched over on her knees, unclothed and drenched under the rain.


    Satsuki was completely frozen in place by the sight of a dinosaur transforming into a girl. She leaned forward placing a hand on the window, a second later she recognized the girl in her backyard. "Narumi?"


    It was all coming together for Satsuki. Everything her daughter had said the other day was all true.


    "Narumi!" Satsuki called her. She grabbed a towel from the closet and rushed downstairs. The rain continued to pour. Satsuki got out to the backyard, Narumi sat by the opposite end of the yard with her knees closed shut and her arms covering herself. Her breaths were shaky and her hammering heart was at her throat.


    A towel had covered her up soon and Satsuki tried to reach her daughter. "Narumi?"


    There was no answer from Narumi as if she was in a trance. Satsuki tried again. "Narumi?"


    Satsuki gently placed a hand on her, she gasped when Narumi suddenly burst up to her feet. Narumi held the towel tight and she ran right into the house. Narumi scampered up the stairs and into her room.


    Locking the door, she slumped down into the corner of her room by her bed. She knew she should at least take a shower but she did not want to leave the room. Being in her room, however, did not bring her any sense of comfort at all. Not after what had happened.


    To her, it felt like she could not get help from anyone. Her own mother did not believe her words the last time, now when she saw it in person she was horrified by it. Just like that mother and son back at the car wreckage, they were scared of her. And she could not blame them at all, not after realizing how she really looked like as a dinosaur.


    A pang of loneliness and dread engulfed her for the moment, being feared and being so different. This sense of loneliness and isolation was something she was familiar with but she never wanted to feel those things again.


    She tiredly reached under her bed, she pulled out a small maroon tin box. She pried it open easily, inside was a piece of paper. A very old letter, yellowed from oxidation. Narumi took it out and could easily read it in the dark, it only gravely reminded her just how much she was not the same anymore.


    "This is Narumi.


    To the couple willing to take her as their child, please take great care of her. Please give her the love she deserves. Please be the parents that she needs, the parents that we could not be. You have our eternal gratitude and blessings.


    To our dear precious Narumi, words cannot express how sorry we are that this has to happen. But know that your future is a bright and wonderful one. You will grow up to be an incredible and beautiful girl.


    You are in our hearts and we love you very, very much."


    Narumi let out a trembling sigh after reading this letter, a letter she held onto for so long.


    There was a knock on the door. "Narumi? Narumi, are you okay?"


    Narumi put the letter back into the tin box and under the table. She eyed the door and Satsuki knocked on it again, "Narumi, please say something."


    Narumi did not move from her spot, everything was so confusing. She thought she had a plan with the group before. But with the mess after school, she was clueless about what to do.


    "Narumi. I''m...I''m sorry." Satsuki''s voice turned solemn, which perked Narumi''s attention. Satsuki bit her lip and continued. "I''m sorry I didn''t believe you before. You came to me scared and I didn''t believe you. I''m sorry Narumi, will you open up please?"


    Satsuki waited for a moment but it felt like ten minutes to her, just waiting for any response from her daughter. The door opened and Narumi stepped out clutching onto the towel covering her. Satsuki could see the exhaustion in Narumi''s eyes. She brought Narumi into her arms for a warm embrace. Narumi buried her face into her mother''s shoulder, she said. "I''m going to go shower."


    "Okay dear." Satsuki said, running a hand through her daughter''s hair. Narumi pulled herself away from Satsuki''s hug and went into the bathroom.


    The rain had stopped. Satsuki and Narumi in a change of clothes were seated at the dining table. Satsuki was rubbing the side of her head, she wanted to help her daughter but she had no idea about what to do. She retrieved her phone from the yard and contemplated whether she should call her husband immediately. Her train of thought was brought to a halt when suddenly the doorbell rang.

 You are a dinosaur

    Narumi and Satsuki turned their attention to the door and cautiously stood up. Mother and daughter shared a look before Satsuki took the lead.


    Narumi''s heart leaped up to her mouth. "Who the hell is it?"


    She was sure she got away from the car wreckage before the police. But now doubts crept into her mind. If the police were here, just what would it entail? All sorts of thoughts ran through her head.


    Satsuki got to the door and carefully eyed through the peephole. A moment later, Satsuki turned back to Narumi.


    "Uh, are these your friends Narumi? They''re wearing your school''s uniform." Satsuki asked. Narumi was confused by that, but she quickly realized who they were.


    "Mom!" She practically glided over to the entrance. "Leave this to me okay?" Narumi got Satsuki away from the door.


    Narumi opened the door and stepped out of the house. She hissed at them. "Guys?!"


    "Uchida-senpai." Kohaku greeted, along with Etsudo, Matabei, and Daichi. They all looked soaked after being in the rain for so long.


    "U-Uchida-san. Are you alright? After what happened?" Etsudo asked.


    "What are guys doing here?!" Narumi did not answer the question.


    Kohaku stepped forward, "Senpai, you left your bag at the alley." He lifted his hand holding Narumi''s bag.


    "Oh, my bag." Narumi took it from her. But then she realized. "Wait, hang on, how did you know where I live?"


    They all started to fidget, reluctant with the answer. Narumi asked again. "Guys?"


    Daichi at the back answered. "Your address was on your ID card."


    Having heard that Narumi''s brows knitted. She unzipped her bag seeing the contents inside, which were her shredded uniform and underwear. Heat flushed her cheeks and her eyes narrowed at the boys, "Who. Touched. My. Clothes?"


    Etsudo was quick to defend the boys. "Uchida-san, it was me. I gathered your uniform back at the alley."


    "And my wallet? You looked up my ID card?"


    "N-No. I-I didn''t. I-I wouldn''t do such a thing." Etsudo raised her hand in defense, eyes drifting toward Kohaku''s direction. Matabei and Daichi followed.


    "Ugh." Kohaku was quick to notice the attention of everyone. He explained himself. "Look, we had to figure out where you live."


    Narumi sighed, "N-Never mind, save it. Taiyo-san, I don''t want to hear it. It''s okay."


    Satsuki Uchida then made her presence known, stepping behind her daughter, "Narumi? Are these your friends?"


    Narumi quickly turned to her, "Ah, uh Mom. Y-Yeah they''re uh my friends."


    Etsudo, followed by the rest, greeted Narumi''s mother. "Evening Uchida-sama."


    "Hello. Um, Narumi?" Satsuki tugged on Narumi''s sleeve, "Do they uh know about..."


    "Yeah, they know." Narumi nodded sombrely. "They know that I was a dinosaur earlier, they were there."


    Matabei for lack of control in his enthusiasm with the situation, blurted it out. "Oh yeah! You were a frigging T-Rex! And you saved those people from the car crash!"


    "Car crash?" Satsuki gasped.


    Narumi immediately growled at Matabei with gritted teeth. "Would you shut up about that?"


    "What? I mean it''s true." Matabei stepped back. "You''re a T-Rex! T-Rex! It''s going to be all over the news tomorrow I''m sure of it."


    Narumi felt a hand on her shoulder, and Satsuki''s eyes showed her concern. "Narumi, what happened today?"


    Ah shit! Narumi bit her lip. She turned and started shoving Satsuki inside the house. "Mom, can you please wait inside? I''ll explain everything." Once Satsuki was inside the house, Matabei quickly closed the distance.


    "How did you do it?" Matabei hastily asked.


    "Eh?" Narumi leaned away from him.


    "How did you change into a T-Rex? A T-Rex?!"


    Narumi pushed him away and shushed him. "Will you quiet down? Like seriously Itou-san! You and your big mouth!"


    Kohaku said, "Senpai, you changed in that alleyway. How?"


    "I don''t know, okay?" She said to the group. "Listen, thanks for bringing my stuff okay? I''ll email you guys and see you tomorrow."


    "Oi. You didn''t tell your mother about us right?" Daichi took a step forward. "That we''re, you know..."


    Narumi answered. "No, she doesn''t know anything about you all. Look, go home guys. Just give me time to think and we''ll continue this tomorrow."


    Daichi frowned at her, unconvinced. Narumi did not appreciate how he looked at her, so she sassed him, "What else do you want? You want to come inside for tea?"


    Daichi rolled his eyes, turning away and leaving them. Narumi opened her front door to step inside and told the rest. "Go back first everyone. I need to think this through."


    "Hey, you can''t just leave us hanging. How did you do it?" Matabei pressed the matter, and Narumi had enough.


    "Goodnight." She deadpanned and shut the door.


    Matabei, Etsudo, and Kohaku were left by themselves, Daichi was already long gone. Matabei gave a loud tsk in annoyance, he turned around and trekked away from Narumi''s residence. "Dammit."


    "Itou-san?" Etsudo followed him. Kohaku gave one last glance at the house before he let out a sigh and joined the two. "I don''t think you should be upset with her, Itou-san." Etsudo said.


    "I''m not! I''m just... Ugh!" Matabei vented out his building frustration. He slowed his pace and softened his tone. "It''s just that we seriously need to catch a break here." He then said, "We have to figure out what is going on with us and fast."


    "Shouldn''t we talk to someone about this? Or go to the hospital?" She asked him.


    "No!" Matabei immediately objected, his frustration was starting to boil, "We can''t go see a doctor about this! What do you think they''re going to do? They''re going to tell the whole world, and we''ll become lab rats! They''re going to probe us, stick a needle in us, and we may not see the outside world ever again!"


    Matabei then added, "But don''t you guys think that something amazing has happened to us? This is something huge! We can change into dinosaurs, we just need to know how. And Uchida could do it earlier."


    "Itou-san, how is this amazing?" Etsudo argued, her mouth was starting to tremble. "I-I don''t want this, I just want things to go back to normal."


    "Yeah, well maybe if we can get control over this whole dinosaur thing then normal will come back, ever thought of that? Why not just take this as an opportunity instead? Just for a while at least?" Matabei suggested. Etsudo fell silent for a moment, she did not have anything else to add. With a shake of her head, she carried on her way past Matabei.


    "Itou-senpai."


    Matabei turned to Kohaku, he had nearly forgotten that he was with them. "Taiyo, you''re on board with this right?" Matabei asked. "Tell me that you agree with me?"


    "Uh, y-yeah." Kohaku eyed the horizon giving a pensive look, he was unsettled. Another unanswered problem had been bothering him from the start.


    "What?" Matabei asked.


    "Something doesn''t add up," Kohaku said.


    "What is it?"


    "GenaTech," Kohaku answered. "The root of all this must have been from them, that time in the stairwell. Have you ever stopped to wonder how they did this, and why? What else do you think they''re up to?" The chilled wind breezed through the streets as the haunting thought lingered between the two.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The night sky was still thick with clouds. Elsewhere in the city, at GenaTech''s headquarters, Beverly Rossiter walked down the corridor to her office. Walking alongside her, Koji Kengo, brushed the lapels of his suit. Past working hours, the whole building was desolate save for the security at the ground level.


    "You''re the only one who enjoys overtime, Rossiter," Koji said. "What is so important to talk about and why did it have to wait till night?"


    "Because this is about a list of assets concerning my research, which in turn would concern the company," Beverly answered. They reached her office and she opened the door for him, "We can talk in here."


    They stepped into the room, the glass-paneled window opposite revealed the view of the metropolis lighting up the night.


    "Okay, I''ll get to the point straight away," Beverly said, turning to Koji. "There has been a situation involving my intradermal nanotech research."


    "This again..." Koji groaned.


    "Sir, I know there is history with this. I know how you feel about the nanotech project, but you know that it is a-"


    "What I know is that this is a black mark on this company and I have you to thank for it. As I recall you created the human physio-augment project with your nanotech. But instead of doing the proper steps, you went straight for human testing."


    "And we have results to show for that, it was a success."


    "Really? And what did we get out of that success? Nothing. This nanotech venture is heading to a dead end."


    Despite being Beverly''s superior, her pride would not let Koji''s remark stand. Beverly said, "Nothing? Sir, the success of the previous tests opened up a whole new branch of research. This is a goldmine that only we own."Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    "A gold mine that we cannot make any money out of. No military will pay top dollar for these physio-augment nanites." Koji said.


    "There will always be a buyer somewhere, this gold mine will profit."


    Koji crossed his arms. "So you say. And where is that batch of successful test subjects you had? Wiped off the map?"


    "Sir, you don''t need to worry about them. They''re living out their lives and I''m still monitoring them. It''s all under wraps and without a peep." Beverly sat on her desk with her legs crossed. "And this isn''t what I needed to discuss with you."


    "Alright." Koji took a breath. "What is it then?"


    "It''s regarding my work with Dr Song, one of the biology department''s heads," Beverly answered.


    "Yeah, I know who he is, the geneticist and paleontologist. He made a breakthrough in synthesizing viable paleo nucleic acid, but that brought us nowhere as well. That idiot."


    "Yes. He and I were using our research together. His attempts to create prehistoric organisms with paleogenetic material had failed. So he came to me seeking any assistance I could provide with my nanites."


    A tense moment of silence between the two lingered until Koji spoke, "Go on."


    "The objective was to create an organism bearing the genetic traits of the prehistoric species. The experiment plan was to introduce a test subject with the genetic code obtained from Dr Song. With the help of my nanites, the test subjects would assimilate the foreign nucleic acid, and the test subject would bear phenotypes of the new species."


    Beverly continued, "Dr Song tried it with mice first. None survived, every lab mouse suffocated in the exposure."


    "So it''s a failure then. Another waste of resources and money." Koji seethed, he leaned against the wall with arms crossed.


    "No, not quite."


    "What the hell do you mean?"


    Beverly took a breath and dropped the morbid news, "An unintentional human trial has been done."


    Koji had the appropriate stunned look before his brows knitted. He stormed at her and hissed with clenched teeth, "What the hell have you done this time?!"


    Beverly held her ground, "Sir, I had nothing to do with it. Dr Song is responsible for this mishap. He was careless and accidentally dropped a batch of nanite vials on five people, exposing them to the contents."


    "How in the hell?! And who are these people?!"


    "In a fire escape stairwell, Dr Song dropped the vials on five students by mistake."


    "Students?!" Koji exclaimed direly. "From the school tour program?! Students?! Children?!"


    "Unfortunately." Beverly said undeterred by his raised voice, "But there is a-"


    "Every time I hear from you, it''s one goddamn disaster to the next! And now this! Do you have any idea what this will do to me?!"


    "I am fully aware. Sir, if you want to pin it on someone, it is Doctor Song and his negligent unprofessionalism. But what I was trying to tell you is that there is a positive result from this incident."


    Koji had to take a moment for that news to sink in. "What?"


    Beverly got off her table and pulled out her phone. Bringing up a news web page she showed it to Koji. "This was taken just a few hours go."


    The page played a video of a cross junction with the pouring rain, a car wreckage consisting of two sedans and a truck. The sound of a bellow soon followed, and an obsidian Tyrannosaurus Rex appeared in the video. The video continued to play, the Tyrannosaurus Rex freeing the people trapped in the sedan and saving them before it detonated. The video ended when the dinosaur ran off, disappearing into the storm.


    "The trial was a success." Beverly declared.


    Koji could only gawk at the sight of the dinosaur, an animal long extinct now returned to the world. "W-What...this is real. This is real."


    "Yes sir, it''s real. It worked." Beverly the phone away. "I know that this is one of the subjects from the unintended trial. The result we have gotten exceeded what we had expected. The subjects have completely assimilated the new genetic material, by now the nanites would have left their bodies and rendered useless. And now they are essentially a cross-species."


    "You''re saying that a student...turned into a dinosaur." Koji eyed her.


    "In the layman''s terms, yes," Beverly said. "And we need to act on this quickly. Other competitors would be doing anything to acquire these prototypes. Prototypes that I''ve made."


    "You''ve made?"


    "Yes. I made." Beverly was insistent, "This was made possible because of my nanites. And now we have to secure these subjects before someone else does."


    Hearing her words, Koji was getting highly suspicious of her. "You''re implying, to kidnap students?"


    "I''m saying that we need to do what is required before our gold mine gets taken away by someone else and this company loses out." Beverly twisted her words.


    Koji had zero illusions as to what Beverly was doing, baiting him into accepting her plan. He was well aware of her obsession with her work, doing everything for it. Cutting corners, seizing chances, and having questionable principles. But he also knew that in a competitive company, a person like Beverly was needed. She was very vicious and good at what she did.


    Plus, he would not lose valuable company assets to another corporation. Assets that they made, assets that they own. The argument could be made that these students stole company property, and they needed to act.


    Koji turned away from her, putting his hands in his pockets. The tense silence dragged on for nearly a minute. Koji then sighed, "If you''re so confident in your plan, do what you have to do then."


    Before Koji made his way to the door, he turned back to her. He raised a finger at her, "But you are on your own in this. It''s a mess you''re involved in, so you clean it up. I don''t want to know how you do it, I don''t want my name tied into whatever you plan on doing. Just make sure this ''gold mine'' as you call it can profit this company."


    "I''ll handle it." Beverly nodded. "And Doctor Song?"


    "You leave him to me. You just stick to things on your side." Koji said, "And you better damn well do this properly. I don''t want any more accidents in my building. So you''re taking this operation off-site." Koji had a tone that left no room to argue.


    "Don''t worry sir. I have a plan." Beverly said. "I got a place."


    Koji shook his head, "I don''t want to know about that, just get it done. And you are on thin ice here, either you get it right or it''s over for you. These may be your nanites, but don''t forget where you stand with me."


    After saying his final piece he exited the room, leaving Beverly to scowl and glare at his departure.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Early morning had arrived, and the clouds thinned out revealing the blue sky from above. It was still too early for any students to be heading out to school. The news of a dinosaur sighting had spread like wildfire.


    The video of the Tyrannosaurus Rex saving the mother and son played again. Narumi, sitting in the passenger seat of the family car, kept repeating the clip on her phone. Satsuki Uchida was driving the car, in the direction of Soru Academy.


    Every news page on the internet was talking about it, and Narumi did not like it at all. That''s me, a dinosaur...that''s me.


    "Narumi put the phone away," Satsuki said. "You don''t need to keep seeing that." But her daughter still had her eyes glued to the screen.


    "Narumi," Satsuki called her again.


    "You didn''t tell Dad right?" Narumi asked.


    "No. You know he''s still in Australia. He won''t be back for another three weeks." Satsuki said.


    "Oh." Narumi slumped into her seat.


    "But when he gets back, you are going to tell him everything."


    Narumi immediately sat up straight. Heat flushed in Narumi''s cheeks, and she whined at her mother. "Why? Why do I have to tell him?"


    "He''s your father, I''d say he should know something concerning you. Especially with something like this." Satsuki was not one to hide anything within the family. Every matter between father, mother, and daughter was to be shared. "You''re going to tell him when he gets back, and that''s final."


    "Ugh." Narumi groaned with a hand holding her temple. She sunk deeper into her seat. Satsuki pulled the car over before the turn up the hill to the school.


    "So where is this place you want to try changing again?" Satsuki asked, switching off the engine. Narumi turned her gaze into the maple forest.


    "It''s in that forest. I tried to find out how I could change but nothing worked." Narumi pointed at the vegetation by the side of the road, "Mom, you don''t really need to come along. Don''t you have work?"


    "Don''t worry about that, you are more important." Satsuki said, "If school is giving you trouble because you are late, you tell me. I''ll talk to them." She got out of the car. Narumi sighed, she grabbed her school bag and got out too. Together they ventured into the forest, away from any passing eyes. Soon after, Narumi and her mother were in the same spot again, where the whole group was before. Satsuki gazed around and she agreed that the spot was well secluded enough.


    "So, let''s go through this again." Satsuki turned to her kid. "You came into contact with some gas in GenaTech and made you change into a T-Rex after you were coming back."


    "Yes." Narumi nodded, "That pretty much covers it."


    "And we are not going to the hospital about this?" Satsuki asked.


    "No." Narumi quickly objected.


    Satsuki frowned at that, but she would not force her daughter if she had no intentions to go to the hospital. She then asked, "But your friends know about it? You told them?"


    "Yeah," Narumi nodded. She was careful not to tell Satsuki that they were exposed to the gas as well. "I told them. They wanted to see if it was true. I tried to show them at first, to see if I could change. But I couldn''t."


    "Not until last night. When you got..." Satsuki had to pause to swallow her worry. "When you got pinned to a wall by a car in a massive road accident, you changed into a dinosaur. Are you sure you''re alright after that accident?"


    Narumi nodded. "I''m fine. Look, I don''t even have a single bruise now."


    Satsuki then said, "So let''s see if you can change again now. That''s what we''re here for."


    Narumi bit her lip, "Uh right." Her cheeks had a tint of pink, she hesitantly removed her school uniform. Underneath, she was wearing her old swimsuit.


    Her mother could see her writhing in embarrassment. "Narumi. It''s your idea that if you did change at least it will just be your old swimsuit getting stretched. Plus, I''m your mother, it''s okay with me right?"


    Narumi sighed, "Yeah, I guess." With a shake of her head, she began pacing around, "Anyway, what I tried was...ugh it''s stupid."


    "What?" Satsuki asked.


    "I tried calling it out of me you know, like it''s inside me and I have to think of bringing it out of me."


    Hearing what her daughter said, Satsuki could not resist a giggle bringing a dainty hand to her mouth. "Silly girl, you watch too many of those shounen anime and sentai shows."


    Narumi groaned at that remark, "Okay, I get it. It''s dumb, but I don''t even know where to start with this."


    "Alright, dear. Then what else have you tried?"


    "Well, I tried to get really, really angry. Thought that would bring it out but it did not." Narumi shrugged. Narumi stopped her pacing, she clenched her eyes and fists shut, trying to focus on bringing the dinosaur back out.


    "Come on, come on work." A vein popped in her temple, her face was showing her strain. But nothing was working again.


    She quickly felt hands cupping her cheeks. Satsuki said to her, "Dear, stop. That''s enough. It''s looking weird."


    "Argh dammit!" Narumi snarled out. "I don''t understand this! How is it that it only worked last night?!" Narumi did not notice it, but a guttural growl came out from her frustration.


    "Narumi." Satsuki said. "Just calm down alright."


    Narumi backed away from her. "I can''t mom! I had enough from the last two days! I''m not the same as before! The whole city knows about a dinosaur in the streets! Everyone was terrified of me! Like some monster!" A water bead was welling at the corner of her eye.


    Satsuki watched as her child went back and forth, she was feeling the struggle Narumi was in and she would not have it. She stepped in, she gripped Narumi''s arms.


    "Look at me Narumi," Satsuki said. She nearly lost her balance when Narumi wriggled in her grip. There was such an immense strength in Narumi, that just holding her in place was nearly impossible for Satsuki.


    "Look at me. Just breathe." Satsuki said. Narumi''s eyes rested on her mother and her breathing slowed down. Keeping her gaze on her mother, her body started to relax. "Breathe."


    "I''m... I''m sorry," Narumi mumbled.


    "It''s okay dear, it''s okay." Satsuki soothed her, she brushed a lock of hair behind Narumi''s ear. "One step at a time alright?"


    Satsuki''s tone became a little stern. "Narumi, listen to me. You are not a monster, don''t ever call yourself that. You''re my girl, an incredible and beautiful girl, always remember that."


    "Mm." Narumi made a small nod.


    "You know what I think? Even after everything that''s been happening to you, you saved those people in that car crash. A monster would not do such a thing. Even if they were scared of you, they are alive because you saved them. Of course, I would worry. But you saved those people and I''m proud of that."


    I saved them. Narumi grew a deep pensive face, thinking long and hard. She was a hero that day, she rescued people from that wreckage. She asked herself again. Why did she do it? Why did she help those people as a Tyrannosaurus Rex?


    Because it was right, it was the right thing to do.


    "I saved them," Narumi said.


    "You did it yesterday," Satsuki said, releasing her hold on her. "Any idea what was on your mind that got you to change?


    There was a moment of silence before Narumi gave her answer. "I guess that I... That I needed to be a dinosaur again? So that I could free myself."


    Satsuki collected everything she had learned in her head. Calling a dinosaur out from the inside did not work, and neither did getting angry. When Narumi was a dinosaur, it was still Narumi in the body, mind, heart, and soul. Things were starting to piece together.


    "Narumi." Satsuki said, "Maybe you''ve been thinking about this all wrong."


    "Huh?" Narumi was a little taken aback.


    "You can''t just think through this, you have to feel it. You felt the need to become a dinosaur, and you did. Maybe a dinosaur is not inside you." Satsuki then pointed at her daughter''s chest. "Maybe you are that dinosaur."


    Narumi fell silent again. She took a step away, her head was deep in thought and she gently closed her eyes.


    Feel it. A dinosaur is not inside me... You are a dinosaur... You. Are. The dinosaur.


    And surely, she had felt it surging through her. Her eyes opened, revealing the green iris and black sclera. She brought her hands up, showing her hands turning into T-Rex claws with obsidian scales. She raised her head up letting out a rumbling growl.


    Every part of her was growing and her muscles were hardening. But there was no panic in Narumi, she felt completely serene and powerful. Her human feet had changed, now they were shaped like a carnivorous dinosaur and it was growing big and fast. Her skin thickened into black scales and her face stretched forward into a dinosaur head. Her tail was emerging, and her swimwear was tearing from the increasing mass. Nails turned into claws, her jaws wielding daggers for teeth.


    Satsuki could only watch with dropped jaws. The giant Tyrannosaurus Rex roared before her in the forest.


    Narumi Uchida had done it, she found a way.

 Found a way

    "Oi. You."


    Kohaku heard someone calling as he changed his shoes by the lockers. He recognized the voice but did not think it was directed at him.


    "Oi, I''m talking to you!"


    Kohaku sighed and turned around. "Asaki-senpai. Good morning."


    "What were you talking about with Narumi-chan yesterday?" Ryouko Asaki pointed at him. Her brash approach to him did not help at all.


    "What''s it to you?" Kohaku asked, keeping his guard up.


    "Hah?!" Ryouko did not like his tone, she put a hand on her hip. "Narumi-chan is my friend. That''s why I''m asking what you were discussing with her."


    Kohaku gave the same story Narumi used before. "We were talking about the excursion."


    "About what exactly?" Ryouko stepped forward.


    "The reflection form that needed to be finalized."


    Ryouko narrowed her eyes at him unconvinced, "Really?"


    "Didn''t you talk to Uchida-senpai yesterday?"


    "She did not tell me much," Ryouko said. "So I will ask you as much as I hate it."


    Kohaku replied, "Well I just told you, now you know." He turned away to leave.


    "Oi! Wait!" Ryouko stopped once more. Kohaku sighed in annoyance and turned to her again.


    "Yes?" He asked.


    "Is that really what you and Narumi-chan were talking about in the cafeteria?" Ryouko pressed the matter. "Nothing else?"


    "Nothing else," Kohaku answered. "If you don''t believe me, why bother asking?"


    "Tch." Ryouko glared at him once more, and Kohaku was not going to entertain it anymore. With a shake of his head, he took his leave. "Oi, I''m not done talking to you!" Ryouko spat.


    "I''m done talking to you," Kohaku said. He had lost his patience with Ryouko''s aggression. He trudged to his classroom with his hands in his pockets.


    Kohaku Taiyo was no popular hottie, he was not a student model. He was a guy who kept to himself. He did not stick to a clique, or rather he could not. But he was no feeble prey either. If someone wanted to pick a fight with him, he would be the one to finish it.


    His principles are simple. Just like Newton''s third law; if there is an action against him, there would be an equal opposite reaction. If someone was decent to him, he would be equally decent. If someone were rude towards him, he would be equally defensive. He would react accordingly. And more often than not, it was the latter case.


    He entered his classroom, classmates were already chatting amongst themselves not even noticing him. It did not bother him, not anymore. He had gotten used to it.


    He overheard them talking about the Tyrannosaurus Rex sighted last evening. He took his seat by the corner ignoring the rest of the class. A vibration in his pocket alerted him with a message in his phone, a rarity in his life.


    He took out his phone and read the message, it was from Narumi Uchida. She had sent her message to the whole group.


    Narumi ¨C (I have found a way.)


    In Class 2-A, Matabei and Etsudo read the text as well. They shared a glance at each other, a sense of hope came from Narumi''s message, it was definitely good news.


    At the top floor by the stairwell, Daichi, taking a drag from his cigarette, read her message too. He knew what it meant, and as much as he was reluctant to join, these people were the only chance he had in getting his predicament under control.


    Kohaku was the first to respond.


    Kohaku ¨C (You know how to change Uchida-senpai?)


    Narumi ¨C (Yeah.)


    Matabei ¨C (How did you do it then?)


    Narumi ¨C (I''ll tell you later after class. Meetup at Class 2-A again.)


    Etsudo ¨C (Where are you, Uchida-san?)


    As if on cue, Narumi hurriedly came into the classroom taking her seat just before Yukari Tachibana entered the room as well. Calming herself down after rushing up to her classroom, Narumi turned around to Matabei and Etsudo. She gave an assuring smile to them, which they nodded in return. Things were coming around for them at last.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Lessons for the day had ended. Narumi, Matabei, and Etsudo still had to carry out their punishment. In Class Two-A, the three had finished their cleaning duty and the remaining two were making their way over there.


    Daichi and Kohaku came across each other on the way to Class Two-A. Neither had anything to converse about as they entered the classroom. "Hey." Daichi said drawing the door closed after stepping in.


    "You''re here, great." Narumi said to Daichi and Kohaku.


    "You said you know how to change," Daichi said, taking the nearest seat to him. Everyone''s attention was on Narumi.


    "I do." Narumi nodded, "And it''s not really that difficult."


    "What do you mean Uchida?" Matabei asked.


    "We all just have to accept that we''re not the same. Not anymore." Narumi said. "We''re all different now."


    Etsudo, having a somber face, asked her. "Because of what we have in us now?"


    "No." Narumi approached her. "That''s the problem with what we''ve been thinking. It was never about what was inside us. We''re all different now, not because of what we have in us. But what we are now."


    Kohaku and Matabei had a knowing look, catching on to what she meant. Etsudo''s eyes drifted away from the group.


    "Are you kidding me?" Daichi groaned.


    Matabei then said, "We''re dinosaurs now."


    "No, we''re not you idiot!" Daichi raised his voice a little.


    "Kurosawa-senpai." Matabei turned to him.


    "What?"


    "Stop being an asshole." Matabei did not hold back on his words. "It''s not helping."


    Daichi was starting to clench his teeth, "What did you say?"


    "Seriously, what is your problem? Did you come here just to whine?" Matabei said, getting annoyed with Daichi''s attitude.


    "This whole dinosaur nonsense is my problem," Daichi said. Calming his nerves, he sighed. "Look, I had my life on track. Get enough to graduate and work after that, plain and simple. And now this thing happens to me and there goes my simple life."


    "We''re both human and dinosaur," Narumi said standing in the center. "That''s what we are now, as much as you don''t like it, Kurosawa-senpai." She emphasized her point as her eyes started to change, showing them her green irises and black sclera. She let out a growl.


    "Holy shit." Matabei wowed at her eyes. "You did it."


    "It is how it is now, guys." Narumi''s eyes slowly turned back to her human eyes and sat on her desk.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Kohaku was grasping everything the group had said. He finally spoke up. "Senpai, after you mentioned things are different about you, I discovered the same thing happening to me, and maybe all of us as well."


    Narumi turned to him. "What''s different about you now? Show me."


    "Um, well..." Kohaku''s eyes darted around trying to see what he could use, until he came up with an idea. "Uchida-senpai."


    "Hm?" Narumi perked her brows at him.


    Kohaku approached her as she sat on her table. "Hold on tight."


    A hand clamped on the edge of her table, and he easily lifted it over his head, with Narumi along with the ride.


    "Whoa! Whoa!" Narumi immediately gripped the table for balance. "Taiyo-san!"


    "Whoa!" Matabei exclaimed.


    "Uchida-san!" Etsudo had a hand to her mouth.


    "Put me down Taiyo-san!" Narumi squeaked at Kohaku and the boy complied, slowly setting the table. Narumi got off her table and stormed into Kohaku''s personal space.


    "What do you think you''re doing to your senpai all of a sudden?!" Narumi brought her face too close to his, flicking his forehead.


    Kohaku rubbed his forehead, "You said you wanted me to show you. Besides, is it so surprising for you now? You got hit by a car like it was nothing yesterday." He took a pause. "The point is that you''re right. All of us are different in one way or another, it''s too late to turn back. You said you''ve found a way to change, can you show us how?"


    Narumi gave Kohaku an earnest look. "First, don''t do that again. Second, thanks. See guys? Taiyo-san gets what I''m saying." She slapped him on the back. Kohaku had a cough escaping him from that. Narumi headed for the door. "Come on, let''s get out of here and see what you all look like as a dinosaur."


    "Whoa hold on." Daichi held his hand up. "Go where? Back to the forest beside school?"


    "Why?" Narumi turned to him.


    "You expect me to just transform and rip my uniform apart? Like you did last night?"


    "Umm." Narumi got stuck in her plan, she smacked her lips. "Dammit. Yeah, we seriously need to find a way to change while clothed." Narumi shook her head.


    "Like what? It''s not like we have dinosaur-sized pants." Daichi said. Narumi sulked, she could not deny the truth. There was no such thing as a dinosaur outfit.


    "Aw, if only there''s something we could use, that will fit a person and a dinosaur at the same time." Narumi sighed. Etsudo''s attention perked up, the idea of apparel to cater to them and their ''conditions''. She had an idea, an opportunity she could not pass up. But she had to get them to agree.


    "Uh," Etsudo spoke up. The attention she was now getting made her a little uncomfortable, but she needed to speak her mind. "I-I might have something that could help. Could we go to my home?"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Soon after, the evening sky gave everything a tint of orange. Etsudo and the rest had reached the Morita estate again. She said to them, "My parents are away on a business trip, and Fujio-san is not working today. So no one is at home today, don''t worry."


    "You''re living alone?" Narumi asked.


    "For the time being." Etsudo nodded.


    Minutes later, the group was in the backyard the size of a small garden park. Etsudo sat on the porch and had her laptop with her running a program. Daichi said, "You''re going to tell us what your idea is now?"


    "Ah right." Etsudo began explaining. "I had a project item for the material science department in my family''s company. A fabric with high tensile strength, capable of great elasticity. Designed for aeronautic purposes. It can act as a form of clothing in case one of us turns."


    "This is going to work?" Daichi did not sound convinced.


    "I-It should. I just need to take your measurements."


    The others had no idea what to make of her plan, but it was the best thing they had for now. Gathered at the center spot in the backyard. Matabei Itou was the first to volunteer. He stood at the center, ready to become a whole new creature. "So uh it''s a case of, I am a pterosaur? Is it that simple?"


    Narumi nodded. "It''s not about bringing it out of you, because there is nothing to bring out. You are that dinosaur. It''s about feeling that you''re becoming it."


    But suddenly Matabei realized the idea of changing in front of them was not too pleasant, considering he would not be clothed as a pterosaur. He stared at the rest in uncertainty.


    Etsudo caught on to the issue. "Uh Itou-san, why don''t you try changing behind the garden shed? It''s behind the thicket over there." She pointed behind Matabei. "Itou-san, this is uh purely professional. If you don''t, I cannot help you."


    "Okay..." Matabei slowly complied. "It''s dinosaur time yeah?" He turned to them, "If any of you try to sneak a peek I''m suing your ass."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Passing the thicket and behind the garden shed, Matabei''s mind focused on what Narumi had instructed. And sure enough, he felt it through him. His eyes turned into a vibrant blue. Half a minute later, an eerie noise screeched out in the yard.


    "Itou?" Narumi called for her classmate. Another screech was the response, and Matabei poked his head out of the brush. Only it was not a human head, Matabei had a narrow snout bearing needle-like teeth with crests at the tip of his snout, and his eyes were a vibrant blue. Matabei had done it, he had turned into a pterosaur. The Tropeognathus.


    "Oh man." Daichi said under his breath, even he was getting overwhelmed seeing two dinosaurs in two days. Etsudo kept gasping.


    "Itou? That you?" Narumi asked. Matabei let out a caw and nodded at them, his primal blue eyes showing his excitement.


    "Hey! You did it!" Narumi whooped. Matabei let out an elated screech. He was about to leap out of the brush, he recoiled. They noticed his hesitation.


    "What is it? Itou?" Narumi questioned him. Matabei hissed out but no one could understand him clearly.


    Kohaku then answered for him, realizing Matabei''s issue. "Technically he''s still naked."


    "Oh. Right." Narumi bit her lip. "Um come on, it''s fine right? I mean, nothing is looking like a guy now. Think of it like your dinosaur form is your outfit for now."


    The Tropeognathus leaped through the bushes, revealing the giant flying reptile before them. He was nearly as tall as Daichi, he had yellow scaly skin, and his muscles looked absolutely lean. He craned his neck up, letting out a haunting caw in the garden. Matabei needed to get used to his stance soon, being on all fours with his wings folded and his legs shorter than his arms.


    "So he''s a flying dinosaur," Daichi said.


    Etsudo began running her photogrammetry program on her high-end laptop. The camera attached to her laptop captured the image of the Tropeognathus. But there was not enough data when Matabei''s wings were folded. She needed to know his full wingspan.


    "Uh Itou-san?" Etsudo called him and the pterosaur bobbed his head her way. "Can you uh, can you open your wings?" Matabei tilted his head. He tried what Etsudo requested of him, fidgeting his fingers, he needed to get the senses in his fingers right.


    "Come on, flying dinosaur! Spread your wings!" Narumi cheered. Matabei then had an idea, he pushed himself off the ground to stand on his hind legs. With his arms free, his wings burst open in a glorious sight. The underside of his wings displayed a beautiful citrine. It was a surreal thing to see for the group, nothing alive today had wings this striking. Etsudo shook herself out of her admiration. She continued gathering the data she needed, Matabei''s wingspan and height.


    "Try to fly Itou!" Narumi suggested. They all had eager eyes on him, even Matabei was too excited with the idea of flying into the sky. He even forgot the fact that he was unclothed. Matabei began flapping his giant wings, the winds blew towards the group with every swing. But it did not help Matabei to lift him off the ground. The pterosaur flapped his wings even harder, the strain was visible in his eyes.


    "Maybe we should try this another time." Narumi grimaced. She turned to the rest. "Um...next dinosaur?"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    About ten minutes later, Matabei came back in his uniform. And in the center of the yard, was an even larger beast. Standing at four meters tall and with a length of nine meters, Daichi Kurosawa was a massive three-horned face dinosaur. The horns above his eyes were more than a meter long, sharp and intimidating. His green pebbled skin gave the image of a very thick hide, like a living tank.


    "He''s a... what do you call those? The horned dinosaur?" Narumi asked Matabei.


    "The ceratopsians," Matabei answered with a nod. Matabei made his way over to Daichi much to the dinosaur''s discomfort, Daichi snorted out a rumble from his nostrils.


    "What kind?" Etsudo curiously asked as her laptop began running the measurements.


    "A Triceratops?" Kohaku added.


    Matabei began inspecting the dinosaur, the sheer size of it was something peculiar to Matabei, Daichi was too big to be a Triceratops. Matabei said to them, "I think it''s something bigger."


    "Bigger? Like what? How many are there?" Narumi scratched her head.


    "Oh, there''s plenty of them, a lot of species." Matabei stepped away from Daichi. "But I think Kurosawa-senpai is an Eotriceratops."


    The awkward crickets could almost be heard. Matabei saw it coming, none of them knew what he was saying. "Right." Matabei sighed. "You don''t know much about dinosaurs."


    As Etsudo''s photogrammetry continued to run and measure Daichi, she searched for the name over the internet. Narumi responded to Matabei, "What''s the difference between a Triceratops and an Eotriceratops?"


    "Simply put, Eotriceratops is an older and bigger version." Matabei shrugged. Narumi had an unamused look, for all she knew it could just be the same species, but she had no interest in bringing the point up.


    The excitement soon simmered, while Etsudo was still running her program and Matabei was still gawking at the giant horned dinosaur, and Daichi did not like it. Narumi remembered another issue, it was about Kohaku Taiyo. She shifted over to him, which Kohaku noticed. "Uchida-senpai?"


    "Ah, Taiyo-san." She nudged him on the shoulder, "I almost forgot."


    "Hmm?"


    "I heard you gave Ryouko-chan a hard time."


    Narumi noticed he froze a little. He asked, "What did she tell you?"


    "That you would not answer what we were talking about, you were not being very friendly. That''s not good Taiyo-san." Narumi flicked her junior''s forehead.


    Kohaku''s eyes squinted from the flick. "She was not being very friendly in the first place."


    Narumi pursed her lips, she remembered what Ryouko said about him in the cafeteria. Kohaku then said, "She was pestering me about what we were talking about because you did not tell her. I didn''t tell her anything either. At least nothing about the fact that we''re part dinosaurs."


    "Oh." Narumi had a look of restraint, before she continued, "Look um, I''m sorry about what Ryouko-chan said. She''s uh you know um..."


    "It''s alright. You don''t have to apologize on her behalf." Kohaku said.


    "Oi. You two." Someone called them both, it was Daichi. He had turned back already, not looking particularly happy. "Which one of you is going to transform so Morita can take your measurements? Hurry up, before this guy starts climbing up on me for a ride again." Daichi pointed at Matabei.


    "Hey, I wasn''t!" Matabei defended himself.


    "Yeah, you were! You freak!"


    Kohaku and Narumi shared a look. Both appeared to understand the issue at hand, who was up next?


    "You go." Both said to each other. Narumi pouted at Kohaku, but he did not budge.


    "Eh, that''s not good Taiyo-san. You want your senpai to go change behind a shed? That''s horrible." Narumi feigned the cute act. But Kohaku was not one to bend.


    "Says the senpai who told her kouhai to strip in front of her." He said it flatly.


    "Ugh." Narumi stammered, she did not expect that counter from him, especially when he was right. She huffed. "Alright, fine. Rock paper scissors?"


    It was fair enough for him. "Rock paper scissors."


    They both got a fist out. "Three, two, one!"

 The Pack

    In the yard of the Etsudo residence, the obsidian Tyrannosaurus Rex appeared once again. Everyone in the yard could not take their eyes off the most infamous dinosaur on the planet. Narumi had lost her rock paper scissors match to Kohaku and had to change into the Tyrannosaurus Rex.


    Etsudo tried to keep her cool, but the sight of all those razor-sharp teeth and those terrifying eyes chilled her spine. Her laptop began running her photogrammetry program. The Tyrannosaurus Rex had such a presence.


    "Hahaha!" Matabei whooped. "T-Rex!"


    Even Daichi was floored by such a monstrous beast. As data was being collected for Etsudo''s outfits, the Tyrannosaurus Rex constantly set her eyes on Kohaku, staring right down at him.


    Narumi was still not pleased that she lost to Kohaku in that game of rock paper scissors and had to change for Etsudo''s measuring, but fair was fair. Kohaku noticed her stare but decided to let her have it given the circumstances.


    Matabei''s delight over all the dinosaurs did not let up, the silly grin on his face could not be hidden. "You guys think she cannot see us if we don''t move?" He snickered.


    The response he got was the T-Rex leaning forward. She took a step forward and her head peered down on him. Narumi growled and bared her teeth right in front of Matabei''s face, her green eyes fixed right on him. All Matabei could do was stand there, white and frozen.


    "Yeah. She can see you." Kohaku remarked on the side. Narumi pulled her head back away from Matabei finally giving breathing room.


    Despite their unorthodox situation, Narumi could not help the sensation she had. Being a Tyrannosaurus Rex felt powerful.


    Upon completing the measurements for Narumi, Etsudo called out to her, "Okay, Uchida-san I''m done."


    Hearing Etsudo, Narumi brought her tail over to her side, the tail pointed right at Kohaku. Narumi growled, she wanted Kohaku''s turn really badly. Kohaku could only sigh at that.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Moments later, yet another creature was in the courtyard.


    Kohaku Taiyo, as the Spinosaurus.


    Everyone stared at him, and Narumi was the first to voice out, "What the hell is he?"


    "Whatever he is," Daichi said, "He''s bigger than you."


    "Hah? Bigger?" Narumi raised an eyebrow.


    "Slightly."


    Narumi gave Kohaku a scrutinizing look, examining him. She could not deny that the giant sail or fin on Kohaku''s back made him look larger.


    She wondered. "Maybe without that fin, then he won''t look bigger?"


    "Hmm." Matabei hummed. "Spinosaurus?"


    "What?" They turned to him. Matabei was already searching for the image of the animal on his phone. They all gathered as Matabei showed the image, a Spinosaurus eerily cruising in the sea, with a fish in its mouth.


    "So, he is like a water dragon or something?" Narumi remarked, looking back at Kohaku.


    Matabei chuckled, "Well, close enough."


    Etsudo continued running her photogrammetry measuring program from her laptop, only to discover a new problem. Kohaku was too tall, particularly with his sail.


    "Uh, Taiyo-san? I need you to lower yourself to the ground. You are too tall." Etsudo called to him. Kohaku made no objections and crouched down, and Etsudo was able to measure his sail. Narumi had scanning eyes on Kohaku, a mischievous grin was forming at the corner of her mouth.


    As Etsudo was finally able to measure his back, Narumi''s grin became toothy. She rushed in before anyone could react and hopped onto the Spinosaurus'' neck. She laughed, "The first girl to ride a dinosaur!"


    Kohaku growled out in surprise by the sudden weight in his neck, he quickly rose up to full height with Narumi along for the ride.


    "Whoa! Ah!" Narumi yelped and she gripped Kohaku''s neck for balance, all the while she had a big grin. "Giddy up dinosaur!" She playfully kicked her heels hitting his neck.


    Kohaku in response turned his head, he could only see Narumi at the corner of one eye. His eyes narrowed, giving Narumi an unamused stare. Narumi could see his displeasure in his eye, making her giggle more. Kohaku lowered himself down, he was not interested in being a petting animal. Narumi simply stuck her tongue at him and got off.


    "And now finally," Narumi said, turning her attention to Etsudo.


    Etsudo''s cheeks started to redden. "Eh?"


    "What?" Narumi said. "You said it yourself, this is purely professional."


    Etsudo stood up stammering, "I-I know. I-It''s still embarrassing."


    "It''ll be fine, Morita," Narumi assured her. "You didn''t look anything like a human last time."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Minutes later, Kohaku had returned in his school uniform. Finally, the last dinosaur to show, is Etsudo Morita as the Raptor. She had blue scales all over and was now standing nearly as tall as Daichi, with feet wielding talons for toes and one giant sickle claw on each foot. Her tail swished side to side, her snout held razor-sharp teeth, and she had three-clawed hands.


    "Raptor," Matabei stated.


    Narumi took over Etsudo''s laptop to run her measurement program. Narumi had to admit, the program was fairly easy to use. She was starting to feel like a scientist herself.


    "Morita, where did you buy this software? How much was it?" Narumi asked as she kept the camera on the laptop focused on the Raptor to measure her size. The Raptor tilted her head almost like a bird, Etsudo raised her hand up, pointing a claw at herself.


    Narumi''s eyebrows raised, understanding what Etsudo meant, "Wait. You made this program, Morita?"


    Etsudo nodded, leaving Narumi stunned. "Wow, that''s incredible Morita." She said to Etsudo.


    The Raptor''s head dipped in shyness. The laptop finally collected all the data needed, showing how tall and how long each dinosaur was. Etsudo would have her work cut out for her, each individual required separate calculations and all were equally delicate.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Soon after, the group left Etsudo Morita to herself, alone in her family''s mansion. It has always been like this throughout most of Etsudo''s life, on her own in her house. She headed down the stairs into the basement, where the family''s laboratory was. Cutting-edge equipment, made by the Morita family.


    Etsudo Morita was the heiress to the Morita family and the company, Morita Industries. Her parents, Kyosuke and Seiko Morita ran the company and they had been prosperous in research and development.


    Etsudo''s life consisted mainly of studying and staying at home. While her parents, all too often, had to focus on their work. But the bond between parents and child never waned, Kyosuke and Seiko made sure that Etsudo knew they loved her. Etsudo had the privilege of being introduced to the biotech industry by her parents, and thus her passion for science was created and her grades had always been on top.


    She did not want to admit it, but she was eager to work on her fabrics. At last, putting her project to good use. What she did not like, however, was the reason behind it.


    She still wanted to wake up from this terrible dream, changing into a dinosaur. She was scared, it terrified her that she along with the others could turn into dinosaurs. There were so many questions they did not have the answers for. What other conditions were their bodies affected by? Just what was GenaTech up to meddling with dinosaur genetic material? How was it even possible?The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    She turned on the fabric machinery getting to work on her new project item, every measurement and calculation was delicately inputted. While Morita Industries could not find any use for high-expanding coveralls, Etsudo finally had her subjects to test them on. She tried to distract herself from her worries, keeping her eyes on her machine weaving through every fibre and thread to form a fabric. It was not a speedy process, but it was better than nothing.


    Then she remembered something, she pulled out her phone to check the time. It was already past midnight. She groaned in annoyance.


    Dammit, there''s the physical test in the morning. Etsudo was never one for sports, academics, and books were her expertise. But physical education had never been her thing.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The next day, the girls in Class Two-A were assembled in the school field for their physical fitness test. Etsudo lined up at the standing broad jump station. A physical education teacher had a clipboard recording every student making their jumps.


    Etsudo was not bothered in trying, not going for the gold. She intended to just hit the passing mark and be done with it. She stood at the mark, bent her knees, and made a hop.


    Right as her feet touched the ground again, she heard the murmurs and gasps behind her. Even the teacher dropped her clipboard in shock. Etsudo finally looked at her distance, her little hop turned out to be a three-meter leap. Without putting any effort into her jump, she had cleared a distance no high school girl could possibly make.


    "Ehh?!" Etsudo stumbled back and fell on her butt, which reduced her score to two and a half meters.


    Soon after, the girls were on the track to run their laps. As soon as they kicked off, Etsudo got into a jog. Her mind became oblivious to her surroundings and continued shuffling and dragging her feet down the track.


    "Morita!" Her ears suddenly picked up someone calling her from behind. Narumi soon caught up to her and the two jogged side by side. Narumi then said to Etsudo, "You don''t think you''re a little too fast?"


    Etsudo got confused by what Narumi said. Only when she turned around did she understand what Narumi meant. The two were at least six meters ahead of the group. The girls behind them were already panting their lungs out.


    Etsudo finally grasped what was happening, she now had vitality equal to a dinosaur. Etsudo, Narumi, and the boys. They all had it. But that realization only gave Etsudo dread in her heart, she still wanted to get out of this nightmare.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    School had ended, but Narumi, Etsudo, and Matabei still had to serve their punishment. Soon, Kohaku arrived at Class Two-A.


    "Ah, Taiyo-san." Narumi greeted him.


    "Uchida-senpai. Itou-senpai. Morita-senpai." Kohaku greeted them back and joined them.


    "Guess who is here to join us already." Narumi gave a smug face, she gestured over to Daichi who was wiping the windows with a cloth. Daichi gave a glare at her.


    "Turns out that Tachibana-sensei did not buy that cigarette cover-up story he fabricated. She gave him the same punishment as us." Matabei chuckled as he swept the floor.


    "Shut up." Daichi threw the cloth at him. A quick sidestep from Matabei and the cloth slapped itself onto the blackboard.


    Narumi then took her turn to voice out, "Guys. You all should have seen Morita on the track in the morning. She ran faster than everyone without even trying." Etsudo''s cheeks reddened and looked away from them. She did not like the attention especially when it was regarding her ''ailment''.


    "Eh really? That''s cool." Matabei grinned.


    Narumi eyed everyone in the room and a smile crept onto her face. Five students, five dinosaurs. Raptor, Tropeognathus, Eotriceratops, Spinosaurus, and Tyrannosaurus Rex. Thinking back on how she saved that mother and son in the downpour, her imagination drifted off to all the possibilities.


    What else can five dinosaurs do? Her pensive smirk did not go unnoticed though, Kohaku got her attention, "Uchida-senpai?"


    "Huh?" Narumi whipped her head to him, "Taiyo-san?"


    "What''s on your mind?" He asked her.


    Narumi grew a smirk on her face. She went over to the blackboard, picked up a chalk, and began making her drawings. Soon the blackboard had doodles of five chibi dinosaurs. With the Tyrannosaurus Rex in the middle roaring and standing proud.


    Everyone else in the classroom took a good look at her drawings.


    "What the hell..." Daichi''s mouth sank.


    "Everyone, imagine this." Narumi turned back to them. "What if we can use this dinosaur part of us properly?"


    Daichi''s eyebrows knitted in apprehensive confusion, Etsudo and Matabei shared a glance, and Kohaku still had his pensive face.


    "A dinosaur saved a mother and her son a couple of days ago, think about what more we can do?" Narumi finally pushed her idea to them.


    "Senpai?" Kohaku asked.


    "You know, to help people?" Narumi smiled at the group. "Like a superhero, you know?"


    "As... dinosaurs..." Kohaku trailed. "Dinosaur heroes..."


    "Something like that. Yeah." Narumi nodded.


    Silence filled the room for a good moment. The awkward atmosphere was unbearably palpable as they all stared at Narumi.


    "Eh?" Etsudo pipped.


    "Are you out of your damn mind?!" Daichi shot down the idea without pause. "I am not going to be part of whatever you are planning alright?!"


    "Hey, why not?" Matabei said with glee, almost bouncing on his foot. "It''ll be so cool. Save the day? As a dinosaur? Now there''s an idea." Matabei then motioned to Etsudo, "We also have our costumes ready very soon right Morita?"


    "Eh?!" Etsudo squeaked inching away from Matabei. "W-What do you mean?"


    "You are making those outfits for us right?"


    "W-Wait, please. I am making those just in case that if we change we would still be covered. I-I did not say anything about using it as a hero costume. That''s not what they are for." Etsudo pleaded.


    "Well, now it is," Matabei added. His enthusiasm was unnerving Etsudo. "Dinosaur heroes in costumes."


    "I-I d-don''t know..." Etsudo timidly said.


    "Hey, I got a better idea for you." Daichi pointed at Matabei. "Why don''t you start a traveling dinosaur circus instead? You can be the ringleader taming and feeding the T-Rex. You''ll be making a fortune."


    "Hah?! I''m not a circus animal!" Narumi snapped at Daichi.


    "Wait a minute. Making a fortune?" Matabei asked, he had yen in his eyes. In response, Narumi huffed and threw a chalk at the back of his head. "Oi!"


    "A second ago you agreed to the hero idea!" Narumi had her arms on her waist.


    "Well yeah sure, that too of course." Matabei rubbed his head. "But uh...maybe some money on the side?"


    "You were actually taking it seriously, Itou?" Daichi shook his head, "You''re a bigger idiot than I thought."


    Narumi could not believe Daichi and Etsudo. The senior was just being an all-around jerk and Etsudo was too scared to take a chance.


    "Then what''s your plan, Kurosawa-senpai?" Kohaku finally voiced out.


    Daichi''s words stumbled. "Well...I..."


    "Why have you been coming here all this time if you''re going to be like this?"


    "Because I just needed to know how to control the dinosaur change so I can get my life back on track properly." Daichi turned to him.


    "So you plan to not do anything," Kohaku stated.


    Daichi figured there was no point denying it, "Yeah, I just want to leave it at that." Daichi stepped away from them, "I''m not a part of this."


    "I think it''s too late for that," Kohaku said and he crossed his arms.


    "What are you talking about?"


    "Are you all forgetting something?" Kohaku addressed the rest.


    "What?" Narumi asked the freshman.


    "GenaTech."


    Matabei remembered, "Oh crap yeah, we talked about that."


    Everyone was caught unaware when Kohaku finally reminded them. "GenaTech made this happen. You all don''t think it''s a bit suspicious that a biotech company would possess such capabilities? Why would they possess genetic properties of extinct animals?"


    Kohaku then said, "I think they would be onto us already, especially after Uchida-senpai made herself known to the public."


    The classroom became eerie after Kohaku said his piece. A conspiracy in the dark, all because of a very bad school trip. It did not matter if anyone wanted out, they all have a common enemy now.


    Narumi was the first to respond, "How much do you know about GenaTech? I mean, aside from what the tour guide told us?"


    "I did some digging yesterday after we left Morita-senpai''s house. GenaTech has a certain reputation, making outrageous revenues annually. Their research departments are known to have several breakthroughs, but they also have been the recipient of accusations from other research companies. Forums on the internet accused GenaTech of various crimes. Intellectual thefts from other scientists, unethical testing, and unauthorized experiments. But none of these accusations could be proven true. We''re talking about a biotech firm that has more lawyers than scientists."


    "Shit." Daichi blurted. "Just what I need. Goddammit."


    "Then, then what should we do? Uh, should we go to the police?" Etsudo asked.


    "Whoa! N-No way!" Matabei quickly objected. "The police will tell the world who we are. No way! Absolutely not!"


    "But then should we do?"


    Narumi, by the chalkboard, looked inwards to herself, her face grew pensive. Narumi pictured the reflection of herself from her window. The face of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Perhaps back then, she would have been terrified about the whole ordeal. Back when she was merely a high school girl trying to get through school. But after what she had been going through for the past few days, she had a much different epiphany.


    Some creeps are coming after me. Yeah, try to take on a Rex. Bring it on then. The Tyrannosaurus Rex declared in her mind.


    "I''ll tell you what I am going to do," Narumi said to the group. "I am going to do what I said I would do. And if GenaTech or anybody thinks they are going to try and take me, they better be prepared to fight a dinosaur." Narumi let out a growl which resonated through the group. The irises in her eyes turned green and the sclera turned black.


    "Alright look." Narumi addressed them. "We all need to know what we''re capable of. Taiyo-san, you could lift up a table with me on top with one hand." Kohaku looked into her eyes. He gave her a nod of acknowledgment.


    "Itou, you are a flying dinosaur, you can actually fly. You just need to know how." Narumi turned to Matabei and his lips drew a motivated smirk.


    "Morita, you can run faster and jump further than any girl ever could," Narumi said. Etsudo averted her gaze with red cheeks.


    "Kurosawa-senpai. You know you can change into a dinosaur. Just think about how much you can help with that." Narumi added. Daichi gave a conflicting sigh.


    Narumi''s eyes returned to normal and she continued her speech, "We need to stick together, and figure out what we all can do as dinosaurs. And imagine what we can do. Who is with me?"


    Narumi watched them all sharing glances. Matabei was the first to speak up. "Hell yeah. Let''s do this shit."


    Etsudo bit her lip, but a quick moment later she conceded. "Okay."


    Daichi groaned, but ultimately he had to agree. "Ugh, I am going to regret this. But fine. Fine."


    Narumi turned to the last one, and Kohaku gave a smile. He nodded at her, "I''m in."


    The dinosaurs have been united at last. The pack has been formed.

 Must go faster

    The weekend came, and the afternoon sun shone through the city. Narumi, Matabei, Daichi, and Kohaku arrived at Morita''s residence. The group agreed to meet on Saturday now that Etsudo had completed the outfits. Kohaku took the initiative, got to the gate, and buzzed the intercom. Kohaku spoke. "Uh Morita-senpai?"


    "Yes?" Etsudo answered. "A-Ah, Taiyo-san?"


    "Hey Morita, it''s us," Narumi added.


    "Ah, y-yes. Come inside." The gate opened and the four let themselves in. Heading over to the main door, Etsudo waited for them.


    "Pardon the intrusion." Narumi was the first to step in and the others followed. They were greeted by Etsudo''s apparel. Etsudo stood awkwardly in what looked like a dark navy blue surfing suit where the cuffs ended at her biceps and thighs.


    Narumi gave Etsudo a confused glance "Morita? You going to the beach later?"


    Etsudo''s cheek flushed at the remark, "N-No, this is the suit."


    Matabei could not help the snicker escaping his lips. He stepped forward, "This is the costume? It looks like it''s meant for diving."


    Etsudo''s lips made a frown, she averted their gazes. "I-It works Itou-san."


    "How do you know?" Matabei asked.


    "I tried it."


    "Really?" Narumi asked while her curiosity peaked, "Show us Morita."


    "E-Eh?" Etsudo''s cheek flushed. "Now?"


    "Yeah, come on Raptor! Raptor!" Narumi cheered.


    "Ehh?" Etsudo backed away timidly. "It''s embarrassing."


    "Raptor! Raptor!" Narumi cheered eagerly. The pressure from everyone else staring at Etsudo pushed her enough.


    "Alright, already, Uchida-san." Etsudo conceded.


    She took a moment and inhaled before her eyes turned into a striking yellow. Everyone took a step back while Etsudo changed. Her lips parted revealing her razor-sharp teeth, her limbs stretched out and hardened in muscles. The Raptor''s snout erected out from her face and her skin slowly turned into blue scales.


    The little finger and ring finger in each of her hands regressed into her palms. The remaining fingers stretched out and her nails sharpened into claws. Each of her fifth toes regressed into her feet while the remaining toes grew into talons. Her tail emerged out piercing through her suit from behind. Every inch of her body was reshaped into the Raptor. She let out a howling snarl and her tail swished left and right.


    Narumi, Daichi, Matabei, and Kohaku were bewildered by the fabric still intact and clothing the Raptor. Only her hands, feet, head, and the end of her tail were exposed. Narumi inched closer, inspecting the fabric on the Raptor.


    "It really works huh?" Narumi asked her. She placed a hand on the Raptor''s shoulder to feel the texture of the outfit. It felt like nylon in her fingers stretched out to its limits, it only reminded her just how much of a diver suit the outfit resembled.


    Soon, the rest of them were outfitted with their designated suits.


    "Well, this is like a onesie," Daichi said, pulling on the collar.


    "I''m going to wear this while I''m changing into Tropeognathus. Seriously?" Matabei said with furrowed brows. Raptor did not appreciate her crafts dismissed like that. Her yellow eyes narrowed and a hissing snarl escaped her maw.


    "We are definitely decorating this at some point." Matabei insisted.


    "Come on guys, it''s not that bad." Narumi said, adjusting the tightness on her hip.


    Kohaku was quiet for the most part, inspecting his suit in silence.


    "What do you think of the suit, Taiyo-san?" Narumi asked him.


    "If it works, it works." He gave his short response, then turned to the Raptor. "Thank you for your help, Morita-senpai." The Raptor nodded at him.


    "Okay, now I say it''s time that we test out what else we dinosaurs can do," Narumi said to them all. With their attention all on her, Narumi smirked.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    In the backyard, the Tyrannosaurus Rex reappeared into the world. This time sporting a dark navy-blue suit.


    Wow, the stuff Morita can make is so cool. At least now I can stand upright without the wind between my legs. Narumi thought.


    While the rest sat by the steps, Kohaku stood by the T-Rex holding out a baseball bat, pointed straight at her.


    Matabei called out, "Okay here we go, T-Rex bite test. Let''s go!"


    Tyrannosaurus Rex opened up her jaws, all of her serrated dagger teeth right in Kohaku''s direction. As soon as Kohaku placed the bat in her mouth, splinters burst into the air. T-Rex clamped her mouth hard and the sound of wood broken in half resonated through the yard. Kohaku stumbled back with only a broken bat handle in his hand. Tyrannosaurus Rex raised her head and spat out the wood chunks in her mouth. The rest of the bat had been crushed into bits from her bite.


    Moments later, the Tyrannosaurus Rex turned back into Narumi.


    Soon after, the Eotriceratops appeared. Though his eyes did not show any enthusiasm for the situation. He too sported the same navy-blue outfit.


    "Give a roar, horn face!" Matabei shouted out. "Let''s hear it!"


    The orange eyes of the Eotriceratops glanced at him and gave a snort of annoyance. He lazily laid down on the ground, not cooperating with them. "I wonder how hard his head is," Narumi popped up at his side, taking him by surprise. She threw a playful punch on his bony frill, which only ended up hurting her knuckles. She stepped back while shaking her fingers to ease the sting. "Ow! Now that is really hard."


    The Eotriceratops did not take the hit on his head lightly, he got up and bellowed at Narumi. She scampered away while guffawing at her prank. "Yeah, there it is. There''s your roar hah!"


    "Yeah, you got lungs!" Matabei laughed. The Eotriceratops snorted again, annoyed with the two of them. The ceratopsian closed his eyes and took a deep breath, his frill starting to shrink along with his horns. His tail rescinded into his rear and his whole mass reduced. His whole body was regaining his human appearance. Daichi called out to them, "Very funny."


    Weyland, the German Shepherd, trotted up to Etsudo''s side who had transformed back into a human earlier. She began to run her fingers through Weyland''s fur on his neck. She watched the suits that she had created being put to the test. While she appreciated the chance where her skills could flourish, it did not cloud the grave situation they were in; being dinosaurs.


    "Did anyone hear that?" Kohaku suddenly broke his silence. They all stopped their antics, their ears picked up something. It was coming from the front of the house. It was the sound of a car engine.


    Etsudo gasped. Oh no.


    "Everyone!" She swiftly got up to hush them down. "Please change into your school uniforms!"


    The gang scrambled back inside the manor, snatching up the school uniforms they had left on the two couches in the living room. Narumi and Etsudo quickly buckled their skirts while the boys put on their pants. As they frantically buttoned up their shirts, Weyland trotted over to the door, scratching at the doorknob.


    "Weyland! No!" Etsudo hissed at the dog. Weyland continued pawing and barking at the door.


    "I''m back." There was another voice by the door, which sounded sweet and feminine. The sound of the door unlocking soon followed.


    "Oh shit." Narumi cursed, finishing up the last button. She vaulted over and sunk into the couch.


    The door opened and two people entered. A man and a woman. They both had chocolate hair reaching their necks and they wore office attires. Additionally, the woman wore frameless glasses and the man had a thick mustache. Weyland whined and brushed against their legs.


    "Hello Weyland! I missed you too!" The woman cooed and ruffled his fur, while the man addressed the people in the living room.


    "Etsudo?" the man raised an eyebrow. "Who are these people?"


    "Father. Mother. Welcome back." Etsudo went to greet them. Kyosuke and Seiko Morita had returned from their trip.


    "Hello, Etsudo." Seiko hugged her daughter tightly. "I see you''ve brought some friends over."


    "Uh..." Etsudo stammered, looking over her shoulder. "Y-Yeah, my friends." Daichi and Matabei sat on one couch, and Kohaku and Narumi sat on the other. Nothing too suspicious looking.


    "I uh, I thought you would still be away on your trip," Etsudo said.


    "Our work finished early. So, we came back early." Seiko explained, "Fujio fetched us from the airport. She''s parking the car right now."


    "So, now you''re throwing parties in our house while we''re away? Instead of focusing on your studies?" Kyosuke''s voice grew a little stern.


    "Dear, be nice." Seiko gave her husband a look, "This is just Etsudo''s friends visiting."


    "Y-Yes, mom." Etsudo went along with her mother''s assumptions. The group got up from their seats and approached Etsudo and her parents. Etsudo gave the proper introductions, from oldest to youngest. "These are my friends. Kurosawa-san, Uchida-san, Itou-san, and Taiyo-san."


    "Nice to meet you." They all bowed at Kyosuke and Seiko.


    "It''s a pleasure to meet Etsudo''s friends." Seiko beamed a smile.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Mmm," Kyosuke grumbled, setting his gaze on Etsudo''s guests. One girl and three boys, none of them looked like the kind of people Kyosuke would want his daughter to be friends with. They all had a delinquent look to them.


    "Etsudo, did you make your friends some tea?" Seiko asked.


    "Uh..." Etsudo stammered.


    "Well, go make some tea. Goodness, I thought you''d understand basic etiquette by now." Seiko nagged at her daughter. Etsudo, with pink cheeks, shuffled over to the kitchen.


    "I apologize for that," Seiko said to the group. "Are you enjoying yourselves here?"


    "Yes, we are having a good time here," Daichi answered. "Thank you for having us here."


    "Yeah. You have a very nice house, Morita-sama." Matabei added, "And Weyland is a very good dog."


    "Oh, that''s wonderful." Seiko had an elegant smile on her lips. "We trained him to get along well with strangers." She then whistled, "Weyland."


    The German Shepherd trotted over. Seiko patted his head, "Come on, go play."


    Weyland woofed as he turned his attention to the group. Once his eyes were on Narumi, however, his tail went in between his legs. His ears perked back and he lowered his head. Weyland started backing away and letting out a whine. Everyone noticed, and it was putting Narumi in a spot.


    "I don''t think he likes you, Uchida," Matabei said.


    "Weyland," Seiko frowned at the dog, "Behave yourself. Be nice to the girl."


    Narumi tried to approach him. "Come on, Weyland. Good doggy." Instantly, Weyland turned tail and ran out the front door.


    "Hey! Weyland! Bad dog!" Seiko chided, but Weyland did not hear her and ran around the front yard.


    "Strange," Kyosuke, standing by the side, said, "Usually, he''s good with people. Not sure why he doesn''t like you."


    "I apologize for that," Seiko bowed, "Please enjoy yourself. My husband and I will head upstairs to rest from our flight."


    "Thank you for having us here, Morita-sama." Narumi and the others said.


    The sun was setting by the time Narumi, Daichi, Matabei, and Kohaku were out of the Morita estate. They were all wearing their dinosaur suits underneath their school uniforms.


    "This suit smells like a spare tire." Daichi tugged on his collar and took a drag on a lit cigarette. The puff of smoke reached Matabei.


    "Oi." Matabei coughed a little, "Do you have to smoke now? Not all of us like being second-hand smokers."


    "I haven''t had a stick all day. So deal with it." Daichi shrugged.


    Matabei rolled his eyes. and went ahead of Daichi to avoid the scent of tobacco. Kohaku, being quiet as usual, kept his pace behind Daichi. He was not too bothered by Daichi letting out a puff. Narumi, at the back, was deep in thought.


    Her mind was spinning with ideas. Alright. We got our dino suits. Now, we gotta put it to good use. But how? We still don''t fully know what we can do. And GenaTech is still an issue. Aww, but I still want to get out there though.


    While the boys were heading down the road, Narumi stopped in her tracks and gazed out into the city. A smirk grew on her face and her eyes narrowed with ambition. She had an idea of how to spend her weekend.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The sun had already disappeared. In Hong Kong, a small office building by a barely lit downtown street is being watched.


    A lanky man in his twenties stood by the back door taking a drag from his cigarette. His hair was dyed blond and gelled back, his untidy attire consisted of a purple sports jacket, grey slacks, and sneakers. Standing guard by the back was a boring shift for anyone in this kind of work, namely the Triad kind of work.


    While the thug took another drag from his stick, someone approached him from the darkness in the alley. He finally noticed who was coming into the light, a woman in her twenties wearing a black combat uniform. Her auburn hair was tied in a ponytail, her suit was tight around her waist accentuating her well-toned body. She made her way to him.


    "Uh excuse me?" She said to him, her voice was sweet to his ears.


    "Y-Yes?" He fumbled on his words, her presence was too distracting.


    "I''m a little lost. Could you help me out here?" She leaned over and asked him.


    "Um, o-okay? How- geaaargghhh!" He screamed when a searing pain pierced through his ears from the sound of a high-pitched audible tone. The woman rushed in, one hand gripped his head and the other clamped his mouth shut. Blood poured out of his ears.


    The woman''s eyes grew sinister, her lips were parted as the audible tone continued, emitted from her voice. The man''s ears kept on bleeding, his limbs lost all of their strength and his eyes rolled back into his head. The woman dropped him and brought a finger to the earpiece she was wearing. "This is Echo. Back door secured."


    "Roger." A deep male voice came from her earpiece. "Delta, secure the roof."


    "In a minute, fufu." Another voice, feminine and sinister, said. On the rooftop of the building, another thug was completely oblivious to the intrusion downstairs. He was on his phone leaning against the fencing surrounding the roof. He had no warning when a searing gash went deep through his throat. Blood poured out and he clutched his neck. He gagged for a second before dropping onto the floor, his blood pooled at his neck.


    A psychotic giggle came right after. The air in front of the body distorted out, shaping a humanoid figure before the assassin revealed herself from her camouflage. A woman in the same combat uniform, her hair was black, short, and wild. She twirled the blood-soaked knife in her hand and bent over to admire her work, the slain thug on the roof.


    "Delta, roof secured. This is too easy." She said over her comms.


    "Just stay in position." The same male voice responded. Back on the ground the two more from the team closed in on Echo''s position. A man and a woman, both in combat uniforms and looking mean.


    Charlie, the third woman, approached the door and clenched on the knob. She was a tall woman, standing at five foot ten with braided brown hair resting on her shoulder. With a flex in her arm, she broke through the locked door with little resistance and little sound. "We''re in."


    Bravo, the man, was equally tall as Charlie. Another obvious feature was his bald head. He stepped into the building while the ladies guarded outside. Upstairs in the offices, several Triad men were tending to their work. The front doors burst open and in came Bravo pulling out two silenced Glock pistols in each from behind.


    "What the hell?! Who are you?!" One thug shouted, only to get a bullet into his head with his brains scattered on the floor. The rest scampered in surprise by the muffled gunshot. They were too late to gather themselves. Before anyone could pull out their weapons, Bravo lunged over in a roll and began shooting up the office.


    With such speed and precision, every bullet went through every Triad member''s head. The scent of smoke and gunpowder lingered in the room. Bravo inspected every dead man. Each had a bullet hole right between the eyes. All that was left was the head office door, Bravo kept his eyes on the head office.


    "Clear." He said and holstered his pistols. From his barged entrance, the rest entered. Charlie, Delta, and Echo.


    "Ah well done. Again." Delta hopped over to Bravo, patting him on the head leading him to roll his eyes.


    They all fell silent as they felt another presence approaching. Alas, the final member has entered the fray. Alpha. He was the commander of this group of assassins known as the ''Five Deaths''.


    Alpha was a giant of a man standing at six foot eight, he had blond hair swept back. His presence gave such an intimidating aura that demanded reverence from his teammates. He went past them, and each slow step exuded austerity. He turned his head and addressed them, "You all carry on. Strip this place apart."


    Alpha gripped the doorknob and let himself into the head office. Their target was in sight. The head of this Triad family, Zhi Meng. He was a big man as well standing at six foot six, dressed in an office suit and his tattoos could be found around his neck.


    Zhi Meng breathed fast through his nose, his face red with anger and fear. "Who are you?! Why are you here?!"


    Alpha replied, his voice was deep and cold. "We''re simply hired help. And you are a competition to our client. Thus your death is required."


    Zhi Meng''s eyes flashed in anger before he glanced at his Kanata on the wall. He rushed for it and drew out his blade. With a yell, Zhi Meng brought his sword over his head to swing it down on Alpha. Zhi Meng''s wrist had been held tight from Alpha''s hand and he twisted the sword out of Zhi Meng''s hold.


    Alpha then clenched onto Zhi Meng''s head with his other hand. Without any effort, Alpha lifted Zhi Meng off the ground. Alpha''s fingers started to squeeze, slowly but hard.


    "This isn''t personal, but we''re getting extra to make this messy," Alpha said and his hold on Zhi Meng''s head grew tighter and tighter. Screams erupted from Zhi Meng, blood poured down all over his head while his skull kept cracking. When Alpha''s hand easily made a fist, Zhi Meng''s head exploded into pieces. Blood and bits of flesh scattered around the room and Zhi Meng''s headless corpse plopped onto the floor. Wiping the blood off his face and hand, Alpha left the head office to tend to his team. "Alright. We''re done."


    A sudden vibration in his back pocket got his attention along with his team. Alpha''s eyes narrowed with suspicion. Taking out the PDA from his back pocket, he inspected the new message sent to him.


    [It''s me. Your doctor.]


    "What the hell? It''s her again?" Delta spontaneously said, peeking over Alpha''s shoulder. He turned to her and gave her a look. With a sheepish giggle, Delta took a step away. The rest exchanged glances with each other, unsettled by the ''doctor''s text.


    Another message came into Alpha''s PDA.


    [I need your assistance.


    It''s a job you''d be interested in.]


    Alpha''s eyes narrowed. Charlie took a step forward. "What the hell does she want?"


    Alpha did not answer, he put his PDA back into his pocket and headed for the exit. "We''re moving out."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Back in Kakushin City, somewhere in a district near Soru Academy, trouble was brewing. It was a Sunday night, and it became even more eerie as it began to rain. A van pulled up in a dark and empty valley. The side of the van opened and three men emerged out of the vehicle wearing black balaclavas over their heads to conceal their faces.


    They cautiously sneaked over to the back door of a jewelry boutique. Cracking the lock with a wrench and wedging the door with a crowbar, they broke into the store and began their raid.


    "Quickly grab whatever you can. And cut the power." The first thief said. The other two did as told, destroying the power box and smashing into glass displays. They took all they could into their bags. Watches, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and among other valuables. With security disabled, the store was being stripped clean.


    "Alright, I''m going to dump the stuff into the van." The first thief exited the boutique leaving the other two to continue. Slinging the bag over his shoulder he quickly made his way to the vehicle, opening the door he dumped his loot. He got to the front of the van to speak to the driver. He smirked at the driver. "Get ready man, we''re hitting big this time."


    There was a sudden rumble in the ground, the thief felt it in his feet. The driver felt it too, he asked. "What the hell was that? Did you feel that?"


    With a flash of lightning in the sky followed by a clap of thunder, the night sky started raining a storm. The alleyway was getting drenched from the downpour. The driver waved it off. "Bah. It''s just the rain."


    There was another rumble in the ground, the same as before. The puddles in the water had a second of ripples before it stopped. This time the criminals were on edge. The thief turned around with a cautious eye checking every corner, "That was not the rain. What is that?"


    "Hey." The remaining two thieves came out of the boutique with their loot, oblivious to their situation. "We''re hitting more than our quota with this. We''re scoring it now." They dumped their stolen goods and boarded the van.


    "Wait, something''s not right." The first thief cautioned them. Then there was a third rumble in the ground, it felt much closer to them. It startled everyone now. And another rumble, followed by another, the consistency made it seem like it was the footsteps of something massive.


    Peering out of the turn in the alleyway, it finally appeared. The giant obsidian Tyrannosaurus Rex.


    She was wearing a navy-blue tight suit leaving the head, arms, legs, and tail exposed. She stomped a foot and gave a furious bellow, primal green eyes fixed on the thieves.


    "Shit!" The first thief shrieked in fright, he dived into the van and yelled to the driver. "Drive! Now goddammit!" The driver stepped on the gas and the van sped off into the main road. In the back of the van, the criminals could only watch in terror as the Tyrannosaurus Rex stormed its way over, catching up to the speeding van. "Must go faster! Faster!"


    The driver caught a glimpse of the side mirror which showed the Tyrannosaurus Rex roaring out. All he could do was plant his foot on the pedal, everyone in the vehicle was panicking in hysteria by the dinosaur chasing them down. Tyrannosaurus Rex brought her head lower, she closed in on the van and swung her head. She struck the van''s left with incredible force.


    Everyone inside screamed in terror, the driver tried to keep the van steady but lost control. The van swerved and pulled to the right till it toppled onto the side. The vehicle was a wreck, everyone in the van groaned out with throbbing headaches, and they were all bruised up and battered.


    "Are you all okay?" The driver weakly asked his gang. They could not give an answer when the Tyrannosaurus Rex was looming over them. The Tyrannosaurus Rex stalked towards the van, and she gave a threatening growl. All they could do was hide in the frail safety of their van.


    The T-Rex needed to subdue the criminals quickly and she had an idea. If they felt safe in that van, she would play along for them. She lifted her foot up high and planted it on the van, she then pressed down forcing all the mass of her leg onto the vehicle. The metal frame of the van gave away, caving downwards and damaging the doors. The sound of metal creaking could pierce their ears. Tyrannosaurus Rex took her foot away leaving a crushed van with the criminals trapped inside.


    Tyrannosaurus Rex had done it, she stopped the heist and the criminals, albeit in an unsubtle manner. She raised her head around to scan her surroundings. Any resident around would have definitely heard the commotion, she had to go. Turning away, the Tyrannosaurus Rex left the scene.


    The only evidence of a dinosaur''s involvement in the criminals'' apprehension was a giant dinosaur footprint on the van.


    Elsewhere in Kakushin City, the obsidian dinosaur had a moment of respite in another alley. Holy shit! That was crazy! To think that a few days ago, I was just a regular high school girl!

 On Ancient Wings

    At GenaTech''s headquarters, another dispute was underway in Benedict Song''s office.


    "Sir?" Benedict rose from his seat. Koji Kengo did not appreciate that gesture from Benedict.


    "I said your research with Doctor Rossiter is over," Koji repeated himself.


    "What did she tell you?" Benedict''s eyes narrowed in suspicion.


    "Nothing that you will concern yourself with anymore."


    "What is she going to do with those students?"


    "Let me make this clear to you." Koji raised his voice. "Rossiter will clean up the mess that you have caused. You, on the other hand, are going to find another reason why I should keep you here in this company."


    "Sir," Benedict did not back down, "You cannot trust Rossiter on this. Let me get those students, and bring them here, so I can treat them safely."


    "And risk defaming my company?" Koji leaned forward. "I''ll tell you what''s going to happen. Rossiter is going to clean this up, and you are going to keep your mouth shut. Do not escalate this anymore. You try to go over my head again, and I will bury you."


    Koji turned around, heading for the exit. Benedict almost flinched when Koji slammed the office door. Benedict slumped back down on his seat, his head throbbing from all the pressure.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The next morning, more news on the T-Rex spread. At the Uchida''s residence, Narumi stepped out of her room and made her way down to the kitchen. She was dressed in her pressed school uniform, her bag was slung over her shoulders. Her long black hair still had that wildish look. She got to the kitchen and opened the fridge, taking out a wrapped yakisoba bread for her breakfast. As she unwrapped the bun and sank her teeth into it, she took out her phone and viewed a news webpage.


    There was an image of a wreck in the middle of the road, a van''s roof had been caved in with the passengers trapped inside. Said passengers were thieves with the stolen jewelry in their possession. The article also showed another image of a footprint on the road, a footprint belonging to a theropod dinosaur. Narumi had a smirk growing on her lips. "Hehe."


    Just when she was about to take a bite, a roar came from upstairs. "Narumi!"


    She flinched when the master bedroom''s door burst open and her mother stormed down the stairs. Any confidence she had a moment ago was gone. No amount of dinosaur powers could prepare her for a mother''s wrath.


    "What were you thinking?!" Satsuki slammed her hand on the dining table and showed the same webpage on her phone. "You went and stopped a jewelry heist?! You got any idea how much danger you put yourself in?!"


    Narumi recoiled in her seat, "What? Those thieves were robbing the boutique. I just stopped them from escaping, that''s all."


    Satsuki continued her tirade. "It''s a miracle no one was killed! A miracle you''re not dead!"


    "What are you talking about? What''s going on mom? Last time you said you were proud of me and now this?" Narumi argued.


    "That was different! You were rescuing people from an accident, and you were there by happenstance! This is you putting yourself in danger because these are criminals Narumi! Those men could have had guns!"


    "They didn''t have guns, Mom." Narumi said, "Besides, what could they really do to me?"


    "The point is that what you did was very dangerous and you are not doing it again!" Satsuki pointed at her.


    "Hah?!" Narumi recoiled.


    "Am I clear, Narumi?!" Satsuki raised her voice.


    "But I... okay...um...I..." Narumi backed away to the front door, she had to bail. Before Satsuki could ask anything else, Narumi got her shoes, "Gotta get to school already."


    "Hey don''t-"


    "I''ll be going now." Satsuki could not stop her daughter once she was out of the house.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    On the main road to Soru High, Narumi let out a sigh."The others better not get annoyed with me about last night. Kurosawa-senpai and Morita would probably be. Itou and Taiyo-san should be fine about it, I''m sure."


    After the trek up the road along with greetings from other students along the way, she got to the shoe lockers. Students around her were the same, going on with their lives thinking about academics, clubs, and anything in between concerning school life. Narumi had her mind on her escapade the previous night. She looked back to it, chasing those criminals, stomping down the road, and roaring out into the night. Hunting down terrified prey was such a rush for her. She shook her head and hid the chuckle in her mouth.


    Heading up the stairs, she was nearing her classroom. Down the corridor, she heard two girls chatting by the window.


    "Hey, you saw the video of that dinosaur?" The first girl said.


    "Oh yeah, the dinosaur caused that road accident. How scary." The second girl shuddered.


    "Huh? The dinosaur didn''t cause the road accident. It saved that mother and son who were stuck in their car. I saw the news."


    "Where is that dinosaur now? It could be out there eating someone. Scary."


    Narumi drowned the gossip out of her ears and carried on her way to her classroom. The lessons went as normal for the day. Once the day was over, Kohaku got to the classroom. Narumi, Matabei, Etsudo, and Daichi had already started their cleaning duties.


    "Excuse me," Kohaku said.


    "Hey Taiyo-san." Narumi greeted him and handed him a broom, "Help us out with the cleaning."


    Kohaku nodded and began sweeping the floors by the window. Kohaku asked, "How long do you three have to do this cleaning punishment?"


    "Two more weeks."


    Matabei, by the blackboard, got the group''s attention, "Now that we''re all here, are you going to tell us what happened last night, Uchida?"


    "Eh?" Narumi pipped, "Oh! You mean the jewelry heist bust?"Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "So like what, you were just in the right place at the right time?" Daichi raised a skeptical brow.


    "Yeah..." Narumi shrugged.


    "You were waiting in the district for something like that to happen," Kohaku stated. Narumi responded by sticking her tongue at him with a wink.


    "That''s not fair." Matabei grouched at Narumi, "Why didn''t you tell us you were going to bust some criminals? We could have taken them altogether."


    "But you still don''t know why to fly yet." Narumi pointed out, "How were you going to help?"


    "Well damn. I''m going to figure it out right now then!" Matabei set the broom to the side and headed for the door.


    "Huh? Right now?" Narumi asked.


    "Yeah, now." Matabei said excitedly, "The classroom is about as clean as it can get. Do we have anything better to do? I''m heading for the roof."


    "Eh?" Etsudo recoiled. "The roof?"


    Matabei was already out of the classroom. Narumi let out a chuckle under her breath before turning to the rest, "Well, let''s go guys."


    The sun was already touching the horizon, casting an orange hue across the city. The breeze blew over Soru Academy''s rooftops. Matabei was already removing his school uniform to reveal his sleeveless navy blue suit underneath. He hunched over and the iris in his eyes turned blue. Matabei''s body grew, his limbs were elongating out with his suit expanding with him. Human skin was turning into yellow scales. His little fingers regressed into his hands. His ring fingers stretched far and membranes grew under his arms. The sleeves of his suit widened, accommodating the emerging wings. The remaining fingers and his toes turned into claws. His face stretched out into a snout with needle-like teeth and crests at the edge of his upper and lower jaw. By the time the rest got to the school''s rooftop, the Tropeognathus was spreading his wings in a spectacular display.


    "Um, guys?" Etsudo said, "We''re not supposed to be on the roof."


    "Relax, Morita." Narumi nudged her, "No one is going to come here."


    Daichi strode to the chain link fence before he glanced back at the Tropeognathus, "Still can''t fly huh?"


    The Tropeognathus snapped his snout at Daichi with a hiss and began beating his wings frantically.


    "Come on! Fly, Itou!" Narumi put on her game face, clapping and cheering him on. Tropeognathus craned his neck upwards, reaching for the sky. No matter how hard he flapped, however, he just could not lift himself off the ground. Tropeognathus ceased his flapping, he got on all fours with a frustrated snarl, panting loudly through his nostrils.


    "Itou-senpai." Tropeognathus heard Kohaku approaching his side. "I think you need to jump." A confused squawk came out of him.


    Kohaku continued, "You cannot take off if you are on the ground. You need to launch yourself into the air and create lift. Like a bird, or a bat." He showed him an artwork on his phone. The picture showed another pterosaur in a marsh, leaping off the ground with its hands and feet, before flying up into the sky.


    Tropeognathus made a pensive look through his eyes. Thinking back, it made sense. After all, every dinosaur documentary he had seen when he was a child showed the pterosaurs springing off the ground. Almost like they were pole vaulting into the air. Tropeognathus shook his head, he should have known this whole time.


    He got down low, bending his arms and legs, before leaping up above their heads. As he made one flap with his massive wings, he hovered in the air for a good second. Tropeognathus'' eyes widened in shock. He froze in surprise before plopping back down on the ground with a pained squawk. Everyone, however, saw it. Even if it was for a second, Matabei stayed airborne.


    "Hey! Did you all see that? It''s working!" Narumi pointed at Tropeognathus with excitement. He got back up, his heart hammering in his chest. A sly grin etched in the corner of his snout, now that he knew what to do. He crouched down again and took in a deep breath. Every fiber of muscle in him coiled and grew tense.


    Tropeognathus launched himself into the air. Strong gusts of wind blew around the roof from the power of his wings. He kept going up higher to reach for the orange sky.


    Narumi, with eyes wide, threw her hands up in a cheer. "Hell yeah! He can fly! Woooo!"


    "Holy shit," Daichi muttered.


    "Wow..." Etsudo covered her mouth with her hands.


    Kohaku could only stare with his mouth agape, the astonishment was infecting him as well. They all could see the flying reptile''s figure getting smaller as he kept going higher.


    The wind blew all around him briskly, but he did not stop and climbed even higher. Quickly glancing down, he let out a surprised screech realizing he was well over a hundred metres above the ground, and he was not stopping in his ascent. Tropeognathus was still climbing up until he finally leveled out at an altitude of nearly five hundred meters. The wind carried his whole body like a kite and he soared through the evening sky. Gazing down, everything appeared like a diorama. Soru Academy looked so tiny below him. He could barely see the group on the rooftop.


    He was flying, Matabei Itou could fly. The notion overwhelmed him in a terrible excitement, and he let out a screech of victory. The city was in sight, and through some unexplainable instinct, the skyscrapers beckoned him.


    Back on the school''s rooftop, Narumi brought her hand to her forehead to shade her eyes. "I can still see him."


    "Yeah, I see him too," Kohaku added, squinting his eyes and peering upwards.


    "Yes, I can see him as well." Etsudo said in a soft voice, "He''s flying...away?"


    "Eh?" Narumi pipped, "Wait, where is he going?"


    The Tropeognathus soared to the city with incredible speed, the view from that altitude was enrapturing. Weaving through the buildings all around, he could see his reflection from the buildings'' glass panels. From high above, he spotted people going about their lives on the streets. Beyond elated in his flight, Tropeognathus let out another screech that howled over the skies.


    The skyscrapers were clearing, and Kakushin City''s midtown park was in his sights. The trees were dyed in sakura pink. Petals were falling around like snow. Tropeognathus pitched down in his flight, his wings rippled through the air in his speedy descent. He pierced through the winds, down to a giant pond. Pulling himself up and leveling, he was able to put himself into a glide. He soared over the water, ignoring the gasped faces of the people in the park, he was in his own world. Ducks and gulls in the pond fluttered out of the way as the ancient giant of the skies came through.


    With powerful beats from his wings, Tropeognathus flew over the sakura trees and the incoming drafts churned the petals into the air. He climbed up higher, getting back into the skies. He banked to his right making a complete turnaround. Passing through the skyscrapers once more, he was leaving the city behind him, back to Soru Academy. Over the suburbs, he spotted the school sitting on the hill.


    Tropeognathus glided down from his high altitude, he was getting closer to the school''s rooftop. But suddenly his throat felt heavy, his eyes showed anxiety. He had not accounted for the most important part when it comes to flying; how to land.


    The group could see him returning to them. Kohaku had a scrutinous face, "How is he going to land?"


    Tropeognathus'' eyes were widening, his majestic screeches were turning into panicked squawks. He pulled himself back, getting his wings to catch as much air as he could to slow himself down. The group was sharing his panic, he was not slowing down in time.


    Daichi was backing away, "Oh shit. Oh shit."


    "Eek!" Etsudo squeaked and the two scampered back into the stairwell.


    "Itou!" Narumi shouted, waving her arms about to get his attention. "Itou, get back!"


    Tropeognathus kept on squawking in his distress and leveled himself back up. Narumi and Kohaku crouched immediately on instinct as Matabei zoomed over the rooftop and narrowly dodged the chain link fence. Gusts of wind blew Narumi''s hair into a frenzy. She got right back up to see Tropeognathus crashing into the sakura and maple trees behind the school, churning up the leaves and petals in a whirlwind.


    "Oh, my God!" Narumi gasped and the group dashed down the stairs.


    In the woods behind Soru Academy, there were broken branches and scattered leaves all over the place. A Tropeognathus was lying flat on the ground with a trail of upturned soil. His wings started to shrink, regressing into his sides. His snout shrank and his needle teeth were losing their sharpness. His claws turned back to nails and his ten fingers returned. His limbs shortened and his hair was back on his scalp. Matabei appeared human again


    "Ugh..." He wheezed and rolled onto his back. He stared at the sky, gasping for breath.


    "Itou!" Narumi and the group rushed over to him. "Are you alright?"


    "Argh..." Matabei groaned. But quickly his pained noises turned into a chuckle, "Hehehe."


    "Eh?" Etsudo pipped.


    "Hahaha!" Matabei let out an uproarious laugh. "Haha! I can fly!"


    He leaped back onto his feet in a spontaneous burst of energy, pumping his fists in the air, "I can fly! Whoo! I can fly!"


    Daichi grimaced and shook his head, "You''re crazy. You know that? You''re insane."


    "Whatever! I can fly!" Matabei continued to cheer.


    "Itou-san, are you alright?" Etsudo worriedly asked.


    "I''m great! I can fly!" Matabei cheered, patting the twigs and dirt off his chest.


    "Yeah. Now you have to figure out how to land." Narumi smirked.


    "Hey! I got an idea!" Matabei, in his enthusiasm, said excitedly. "Who''s hungry? Let''s get some ramen!"

 Hunted

    At GenaTech''s basement car park, Doctor Beverly Rossiter was heading to her sedan. It was a grey sedan parked in the corner. She pulled on her handbag strapped over her shoulder and she kept a constant eye out as she headed down the corridor. Taking Dr Benedict Song off the board was the first step, now she needed to get the rest of her plan underway. Her car beeped to life as she unlocked it and entered the driver''s seat. She tossed her handbag on the front passenger seat and was about to turn on the ignition.


    "Rossiter." A deep voice from behind almost spooked her.


    She stiffened and adjusted the rear-view mirror to see Alpha in the backseat, dressed in a suit and hidden in the dark.


    "I''m here for my medical appointment," Alpha said.


    Beverly rolled her eyes and turned to him, "You weren''t supposed to meet me here. You can''t just sneak in and hide in my car."


    "Drive," Alpha instructed.


    "Did you not hear me? And where''s the rest?"


    "On standby. Now drive. Unless you want to look suspicious after you just got into your car." Alpha stared at her intensely.


    Beverly tsked, she turned back to the steering wheel and turned on the ignition. The night was illuminated by the city''s neon lights all over Kakushin City. Beverly drove into a tunnel and the car''s interior lit up each time it passed under a tunnel lamp.


    "The job," Alpha said, keeping his eyes on Beverly. While keeping one hand on the wheel, she opened her handbag and pulled out a folder.


    "Here." She handed the file to him. Alpha opened it and inspected the photographs. The first was the picture of a school, situated on a hilltop. The second was a still image from a security camera footage. It was GenaTech''s tower lobby, with a crowd of students and teachers gathering there. Five students were circled in red. Finally, there were five pictures of the aforementioned students, taken and enhanced from the same camera footage. Alpha singled out one in particular, a picture of a girl with long black hair with her fringe and cross bangs covering her forehead.


    "These five? From this school? Soru Academy?" Alpha asked Beverly.


    "Yes," Beverly said as she drove out of the tunnel.


    "You don''t have their names? Or where do they live? Just the school?" Alpha asked.


    "Just the school." Beverly nodded.


    "You want us to kill them quietly? Or do you want it messy?" Alpha closed the folder.


    Beverly glanced at him through the mirror. "I want them alive."


    Alpha narrowed his eyes, he put the folder away. "We''re assassins, not abductors."


    Beverly said, "They''re no good to me dead."


    "Who are they?"


    "They stole company property. I need to get it back from them."


    "Company property? Is that what you''re calling us now?" Alpha raised a brow.


    "What?" Beverly glanced at him again.


    "There''s only one reason you want these students alive. Only one reason you contacted us." Alpha crossed his arms, "They got into the same treatment as we did."


    Beverly was silent for a moment. She never liked it when someone saw through her schemes. But she kept her cool. "Not the same treatment."


    "What''re their augmentations?" Alpha asked.


    "Don''t wait to find out," Beverly said and her impatience was starting to show. "Just get them and bring them to me."


    "I cannot guarantee they will be unharmed."


    "I don''t care how you do it. So long as they are breathing and no one else knows about it."


    "What do you want us to do about Doctor Song?" Alpha went through the photographs again.


    "How do you know about him?" Beverly blurted in displeasure.


    Alpha repeated his question, "What do you want us to do about Doctor Song?"


    "Nothing. Kengo will handle him. You just stick with what I am hiring you to do. Get those kids and bring them to me." Beverly scowled at him through the mirror again.


    Alpha stared back at her, if he was irritated by Beverly''s tone he did not show it. "Done. Stop here."


    Beverly frowned at him before pulling over to the side of the road. Without bidding farewell, Alpha exited the car and disappeared into the busy nightlife.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Elsewhere, in a quieter part of the city, Matabei had brought Narumi, Etsudo, Daichi, and Kohaku to a modest-looking ramen restaurant situated at the corner of a street. Two red lanterns hung from each side of the entrance and a menu stand on the right. They could pick up the smell even from outside the restaurant. The scent of ramen broth and noodles ignited their appetites.


    Narumi squinted her eyes as she read the sign, hanging over the entrance. "Itou Menya?"


    "Yeah. Come on, guys. Let''s eat." Matabei was already salivating and he entered the restaurant. "Pardon the intrusion."


    "Oh! It''s Matabei!" a booming voice came from the kitchen. There was a bearded man, appearing in his early thirties. He wore a black t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and an apron tied around his waist.


    "Good evening, Uncle!" Matabei greeted him.


    "And you''ve brought some friends I see." Hotaru shined his teeth with his hands on his hips.


    "Pardon the intrusion." The group let themselves in.


    "Welcome." Hotaru gestured to the counter seats.


    "Hey Uncle," Matabei called, "Any chance we-"


    "No free bowls," Hotaru said as he went back to tend to the boiling broth. "Every customer pays."


    "Eh?" Matabei sulked and his shoulders slackened.


    "I like this place already." Daichi rolled his eyes with his arms crossed.


    "C''mon. Let''s order." Narumi said.


    Moments later, the five were seated by the counter seats. Starting with Etsudo from the left, followed by Daichi, Matabei, Kohaku, and Narumi.


    Etsudo was distracted by the cooking process in the kitchen. She watched Hotaru stir the noodles in the strainer submerged in the boiling water.


    "Huh..." She started licking her lips, the smell of noodles was blasting her senses.


    "Morita." Daichi''s voice snapped her out of it.


    "Eh?!" Etsudo''s face reddened and she turned to him. "Kurosawa-senpai?"


    "What? You''ve never seen a guy cook ramen before?" Daichi raised a brow.


    "W-Well. I uh, I''ve never been to a ramen restaurant like this before."


    "Are you serious?" Daichi recoiled. Etsudo averted her eyes away in her embarrassment.


    Soon enough, five bowls were served. Etsudo had shio ramen, Daichi had shoyu ramen, Matabei had spicy tonkotsu ramen, Kohaku had miso tonkotsu ramen, and Narumi had regular tonkotsu ramen. Everyone gave their thanks for the food and dug in.


    While everyone was dining in, Matabei bounced his legs in giddy excitement. After slurping in a mouthful of broth and noodles, he stretched his arms upwards. "I tell you what guys, I think I can beat the traffic anytime anywhere now. Hell, I won''t even need a plane ticket if I want to travel."


    "Figure out how to land right. Then you can talk." Narumi smirked at him.


    "Yeah, yeah." Matabei waved her off.


    Something else came into Narumi''s mind which made her brows furrow, she lowered her volume. "Speaking of which, um...did anyone find out more about GenaTech?"


    Etsudo, Matabei, and Daichi exchanged glances, but none of them could answer.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    "Did you find anything, Uchida?" Daichi threw the question back at her.


    "Uh...no." Narumi rubbed the back of her head.


    "I did," Kohaku spoke up, and they all turned to him.


    "Oh?" Narumi clasped her hands together. "What did you get, Taiyo-san?"


    Kohaku looked around, no one was waiting outside the restaurant and Hotaru was busy in the kitchen. He softly said. "I tried looking up the staff members of GenaTech. Trying to narrow down someone that could be connected to our situation."


    "And?" Daichi leaned forward on the counter.


    Kohaku set his chopsticks down and pulled out his phone. "One person stands out."


    His phone showed a social network website, and there was a profile picture. "Dr Benedict Song."


    "Benedict Song?" Narumi repeated after him, reading the page on his phone.


    Kohaku continued, "He''s Korean-Canadian. Been working in GenaTech for about five years now. And he has a Bachelor''s Degree in Biotechnology and a doctorate in..." Kohaku turned to the rest, "Paleontology."


    The light bulbs lit up in their heads.


    "He used to be a paleontology lecturer before working as a head scientist in GenaTech." Kohaku said, "He could be the one of the people I saw at the top of that stairwell."


    "And who''s the other person that you saw?" Daichi asked.


    "I don''t know," Kohaku answered. "But this Doctor Song does."


    "So this guy," Daichi pointed at the profile picture, "This is the moron that is behind our problems."


    "Or at least, if GenaTech is going to do something, he will be the one behind it," Kohaku said.


    "Then we will find this guy. Get him to help us." Daichi said.


    "What do you mean help?" Matabei turned to him.


    "Get this dinosaur problem fixed."


    Narumi scowled, clearly displeased with his change of heart. "After all I said about what we all could do."


    Daichi grew annoyed. "Uchida, you said we are supposed to stick together. I''m only doing it because I thought that GenaTech would come after us. But now we know who is the one who did this to us, so we find this guy and get him to fix us."


    Narumi glared at him, a heaviness swelled in her now that she learned that not everyone was wholeheartedly in support of her idea for a dinosaur hero team. She sighed and went back to her bowl of ramen, eating in silence.


    Kohaku could feel the black haze forming over the dispirited Narumi. He turned to Daichi. "Kurosawa-senpai. What makes you so sure that Doctor Song can help you? Or us?"


    Daichi was not expecting that question from Kohaku, "What do you mean?"


    Kohaku then said in a flat voice. "All we know is that Doctor Song may have a hand in this situation. We don''t know if we can trust him to act in our best interests. Like you said, this is the ''moron'' behind our problems. How do we know if he won''t make things worse?"


    "Well, thank you, dampener. So much for celebrating the first flight." Matabei said with his appetite ruined.


    "Get to your point already." Daichi scowled at Kohaku.


    "My point is that we''re on our own." Kohaku''s words were sinking into all of them.


    "Thank you, Taiyo-san." Narumi brought her head up again. "You see, Taiyo-san gets it."


    "Ugh, shit." Daichi groaned and propped his head up with his hand.


    "Um, guys?" Etsudo''s meek voice caught their attention. "I still think we should report this to somebody."


    "I told you already," Matabei snapped at her, "If we do that, everyone is going to know who we are."


    Etsudo, however, pressed the matter, "Itou-san, we need to."


    "Even after you made those outfits for us?"


    "I did that to help us for the time being. But we cannot stay quiet about this forever. Maybe the police, or what about Tachibana-sensei?"


    "You want to tell somebody? You can say goodbye to your future after that. Along with the rest of us." Matabei grimaced. Etsudo bit her lip at Matabei''s reasoning and looked away.


    "Matabei," Hotaru approached them while wiping his forehead with his towel. The five of them froze in place. Hotaru started nagging, "Hurry up and finish your ramen. The same goes for all of you. I got customers waiting outside already."


    They turned to see a queue lined up by the door, looking a little impatient due to five high school students taking their time in the ramen restaurant. They resumed their dining in silence, each of them had a swirl of conflict within themselves.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The next morning, Narumi was trudging on the main road to school. Her eyes did not have her usual high-spirited nature. One hand held her school bag over her shoulder, the other had her phone. She was reading another piece of news. There were pictures of her as the Tyrannosaurus Rex next to the car wreckage in the storm, and her footprint on the crushed van that belonged to the thieves that broke into the jewelry boutique. She did not pay much attention to the article, instead, she went right to the comment section. Netizens had been leaving plenty of remarks, and none of them were what Narumi had been hoping.


    "No way it is real. Probably a machine."


    "What if it''s real? Maybe dinosaurs still exist?"


    "That''s just impossible. How can they be alive today? And how are they here in Japan?"


    "I don''t even want to go outside. What if there is more than one?"


    "Isn''t the Wildlife Management Office supposed to do something about this?"


    "Kill it before it eats someone."


    "You cannot just kill an animal like that. It should be kept preserved."


    "Is no one else paying attention? It looks like that dinosaur was saving that mother and child in the car crash. And it seems like it was stopping those thieves from fleeing."


    "What are you trying to say? That the dinosaur is some hero? That''s absurd."


    Narumi let out a sigh and put her phone away. So far, her idea to make a dinosaur hero team had little progression. Matabei was on board from the start, even more so now that he could fly. Kohaku seemed to agree with her; that her plan would be the best course of action. Etsudo and Daichi were either too scared or uninterested to see what being a dinosaur could do for them. Her dejected moment had to be put on pause when her nose picked up a whiff of something peculiar.


    The smell stopped her in her tracks, and she sniffed the air. A couple of fellow students nearly bumped into her. They carried on past her while giving Narumi a look. She could not narrow down what exactly it was, the scent was putting her on edge with her hair on the back of her neck standing. She drew in another breath through her nose, the scent was not coming from the two students that went past her, it was not coming from anyone she could see, but something was definitely in the vicinity. While she could not narrow down what it was exactly, if she had to give a description, it''d be something acrid.


    "Narumi-chan!"


    Someone called to her from behind. She turned and gave a little wave. "Good morning, Ryouko."


    Ryouko jogged up to Narumi''s side and the two resumed their journey to school.


    "How have you been?" Ryouko asked.


    "Alright," Narumi said.


    "Really?"


    "Yeah. Why?"


    "I was just wondering, Narumi-chan. Was it worth it? To get cleaning duty every day after you skipped class with Morita and Itou?"


    "Ugh..." Narumi''s shoulders sank. Whatever concern she had over what her nose picked up earlier was gone now that her friend was getting on her case again.


    "I never thought that Morita would fake an illness just to get out of Yukari-sensei''s lesson. Itou? I can see him doing that. But definitely not Morita." Ryouko added, "She just doesn''t seem the type. She''s a bookworm, not a delinquent. Why would you pull a stunt like that with her?"


    "Huh?" Narumi turned to Ryouko. "What do you mean?"


    "It''s not like you to just cut classes out of the blue that day. With Morita or Itou for that matter."


    Narumi winced, "Well uh, why not just live a little, you know?"


    "Hah?" Ryouko raised her brows. "Narumi-chan, did that guy have something to do with this?"


    "What guy?"


    "That freshman loner." Ryouko had no hesitation in making her jab.


    Narumi needed no more specificity, and she did not appreciate what Ryouko had said. She snapped at her, "Hey. That''s not nice, Ryouko."


    "He was so rude the other day," Ryouko said.


    "Sure, because you were so polite to him at first." Narumi eyeballed her.


    Ryouko made a face and squirmed after she had been called out.


    "What is your problem anyway?" Narumi asked.


    "Listen, Narumi-chan," Ryouko brought her hands to her chest, "It''s not that I want to complain. But you''ve been alone with that guy for like two days. First on the way to school, then in the cafeteria."


    "So?"


    "What is going on between you two?" Ryouko stepped closer to her.


    "I told you already, I just had to talk to him about the trip to GenaTech." Narumi played the lie again. She could feel the weight of guilt in her chest every time she had to lie.


    "What about the GenaTech trip?"


    "W-Well...I uh..." Narumi started fumbling with her words. Her head was running through what had happened over the past several days, and it all started from that stairwell.


    "What is it?" Ryouko pressured her further.


    "T-That''s between me and Taiyo-san." Narumi blurted out and got ahead of Ryouko, completely unaware of the implication.


    "Hey, wait! What''s that supposed to mean?!" Ryouko called her.


    "Let''s go already. Otherwise, we''ll be late." Narumi picked up the pace.


    "Tch!" Ryouko smacked her lips. "I''m going to make you spit it out, Narumi-chan!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    At Soru Academy, the day went on as usual. In classroom Two-A, Narumi, Etsudo, and Matabei were planted in their seats. None of them could get the chance to speak about the previous day. Narumi had not seen Daichi or Kohaku the whole day either.


    At the end of the final period, students from class 2-A were packing up to head home. Narumi wasted no time, she headed to the closet and got the brooms out. As the students were flocking out of the classroom, her nose caught a whiff again. It was the same scent she picked up on the road. Narumi turned on her heel, sniffing the air while scanning the room.


    "Morita. Itou." She said to them in a hushed voice.


    "Yes, Uchida?" Etsudo responded.


    "Do you all smell something?" Narumi approached them. Breathing through her nose, she could tell the scent was close by.


    "Eh?" Etsudo tilted her head.


    "What are you talking about?" Matabei asked.


    Narumi rubbed her nose, "I smell something...odd. I don''t know what, but it just doesn''t smell right."


    Matabei could not resist a quip, "You''ll tend to smell something odd when you stop taking a bath for a week."


    Narumi threw a broom at him with red-tinted cheeks. "I take a bath every day, you jerk! I''m being serious here!"


    Etsudo decided to take a deep breath. Her face scrunched up, "Um..."


    "You can smell something right, Morita?" Narumi asked her.


    "I-I think Uchida-san is correct." Etsudo nodded. Matabei took a sniff himself and at that point, even he was able to smell it, something bitter or pungent.


    "Okay...what the hell is that?" Matabei narrowed his eyes.


    "That''s what I''ve been asking this whole time, Itou." Narumi rolled her eyes. The scent felt like it was nearing them, and Narumi approached the classroom door. Now she could hear footsteps approaching.


    She drew the door open and was taken aback. "Tachibana-sensei?"


    Yukari Tachibana stomped towards Narumi with a most displeased look. Two more students were by her side, both of them having frowns on their faces.


    "Kurosawa-senpai? Taiyo-san?"


    "Uchida, Morita, Itou." She came into the classroom. "You three, come with me now," Yukari ordered them. "Same goes for you two." She pointed at Daichi and Kohaku.


    The five had been exchanging glances with one another as their teacher led them down the hallway. Kohaku, at the back, flared his nose. Narumi noticed and nudged his shoulder.


    "Psst," Narumi whispered, "You smell that, don''t you?"


    Kohaku nodded.


    "What is it?"


    "I don''t know," Kohaku whispered behind his teeth.


    "Now what are you on about?" Daichi asked him.


    "Can''t you smell that?" Kohaku glanced in his direction.


    "Smell what?" Daichi squinted his eyes.


    Yukari, at the front, snapped her fingers, "Hey, I don''t want to hear you guys whispering amongst yourselves. You guys better come up with a good explanation soon."


    Matabei tried to argue, "Sensei. What is this about?"


    "Just come with me." Yukari''s voice gave no grounds for objection. The teacher led them to the staff room and slid the door open. "Get in."


    The tables were filled with stacked papers, files, and textbooks. Jackets and coats were hung on the rolling chairs. A view of the city was shown through the wide windows.


    "Go there. To the lounge." Yukari pointed to the room dividers by the corner of the room.


    The five could sense someone was waiting for them. Narumi peered her head past the screen, and her heart jumped in shock. Narumi nearly tripped on her foot. The rest joined her and they almost toppled over each other. All five of them straightened up and froze in place. Narumi felt hollow in her abdomen with a lump in her throat. This was the last person she expected


    Oh shit.


    There, seated on the sofa by the corner window, was Doctor Benedict Song.

 The Five Deaths

    Tension brewed in the staff office. Yukari Tachibana took her seat beside Benedict Song on the sofa. Narumi and Etsudo sat on the opposite couches while Daichi, Matabei, and Kohaku stood by their sides. On the coffee table, situated between them, were photographs of security camera footage showing the five students bursting out of the stairwell from GenaTech.


    "This is Doctor Song. He is from GenaTech." Yukari gestured towards Benedict.


    "Hello, students." Benedict made a bow. Silence lingered for a moment, the five remained stiff without returning Benedict''s greeting.


    "Hey." Yukari chided them with an annoyed look, "Greet him."


    Narumi cleared her throat and made a reluctant bow, "Good afternoon." The rest followed suit, equally hesitant and nervous.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Meanwhile, a security guard patrolled around the school''s perimeter, whistling while he was at it. It was not long until he heard footsteps behind him. A fiery pain exploded in his knee when a suppressed Glock pistol fired his kneecap. He could not scream when a hand covered his mouth and an arm constricted his neck. Within seconds, the security guard''s eyes rolled back into his head and he was out.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The five students remained silent in the teacher''s lounge, but dread was already creeping into them.


    "Before this goes any further," Yukari pointed at them, "I am going to give you all the chance to come forth with anything that you want to declare."


    The words were so close to being confessed out of Etsudo''s mouth, but she stayed clammed up. The group glanced at each other, none of them were willing to utter anything. Yukari made a huff with a shake of her head, disappointment emanating from her.


    "Doctor Song here," Yukari said, "Claims that he witnessed you five in the stairwell that I saw you all come out from. And that you guys have something that belongs to him."


    Everyone reacted accordingly.


    "Sensei?" Etsudo squeaked.


    "Hah?!" Narumi instantly got up to her feet.


    "What are you talking about?! We didn''t steal anything!" Matabei raised his voice.


    "Are you kidding me?!" Daichi did the same. Kohaku, while silent, narrowed his eyes on Benedict.


    "Enough! All of you." Yukari''s voice gripped them in place. Narumi sat back down and the group settled down, all the while staring daggers at the doctor. Yukari then said, "Everyone, look me in the eye and tell me. Did you all steal anything?"


    "No," Narumi answered for everyone.


    The tension was palpable in the room. Neither moved in their positions. Yukari pinched her brows, "Please, students. If you have done something wrong, please tell me. I cannot help you if you don''t."


    Narumi said firmly. "Sensei. We''re telling the truth."


    Benedict took the chance to cut in. "Tachibana-sensei. If I may. Can I speak to your students in private?"


    Yukari narrowed her eyes at Song, "Excuse me?"


    "Tachibana-sensei, please." Benedict made a bow, "I will be very fast."


    Yukari glared at him, before she addressed the five, "Everyone. Whatever happens, just know that if you need help, you can come to me for anything."


    The five fell silent, they were still keeping their mouths shut. Yukari got up and left the lounge corner, returning to her desk on the other side of the faculty room.


    The doctor, sounding hurried and hushed, said to them. "Kids. I need you to listen to me. You have all been exposed to GenaTech''s experimental product. It''s the intradermal physio-augment nanotech."


    Dammit. Narumi cursed in her head and clenched her fists. The five kept their composure as much as they could.


    "So that was what you dumped on us in that stairwell," Kohaku asked in an eerie low voice, finally breaking his silence.


    Benedict sighed and dipped his head, "It was an accident. I''m sorry."


    "I am sorry this has happened to you all." Benedict apologized again. "But the nanites have done their work, and now your physiologies have been altered to scales I''ve never imagined."


    "Then can you fix us?" Daichi leaned forward with urgency.


    Benedict had an unsure look, "If I can study you guys properly, I will do what I can to help you. But the situation has changed. My partner, Doctor Rossiter, is involved in this matter as well. I don''t know what she is planning for you five. But I guarantee you, she does not have your best interests at heart."


    "And you do?" Kohaku scowled.


    Benedict rose to his feet as well, "Please trust me. If we hurry, we can-"


    The window panel shattered into shards. Benedict jolted with a spray of red bursting out of his chest. The doctor crashed onto the floor, his eyes wide open and blood pooled underneath him.


    "Ahh!" Narumi shrieked and launched herself backward, toppling down the divider screens.


    "Aiiieee!" Etsudo screeched and covered her face in reflex, shrinking into her couch.


    "Shit!" Matabei and Daichi flinched in shock.


    "Get down!" Kohaku dropped down, immediately planting himself on the wall for cover, and everyone followed suit.


    Opposite the school, on the rooftop of a building in the city, a mountain man in a black tactical outfit was lying prone with an M110 sniper rifle. It was Alpha, the commander of the Five Deaths.


    Alpha brought a finger to his earpiece. "Secondary is down. All units, move in."


    Red pooled around Benedict Song. The breeze came in through the open window and the air was thick with the smell of blood and sulphur.


    Kohaku, staying low, grabbed a room divider by the leg. He propped up the blinders against the broken window.


    "Oh, my God! Oh, my God!" Etsudo hyperventilated.


    "Shit! What is going on?!" Matabei was freaking out.


    "Whatever this Doctor Rossiter is plotting," Kohaku said through gritted teeth, "Is already underway." He snatched the photographs that were on the coffee table.


    Narumi quickly wiped the tears from her eyes, her eyes narrowed intensely and her trembling hands were clenching tight. Narumi started baring her teeth and growls were escaping her throat.


    "Everyone!" Yukari rushed over to the lounge.


    "Tachibana-sensei!" Narumi crawled to her teacher and pulled her arm down to the floor, "Get down!"


    "Everyone, stay down! Don''t move!" Yukari shouted, "Is this the police?" She spoke to a police dispatcher on her phone.


    "Anyone got a plan?" Matabei frantically asked.


    Kohaku was the first to answer. "Okay. First, we have to-"


    "I''m out of here!" Daichi bolted for the door.


    "Someone help! Please!" Etsudo fled as well, wailing with tears rolling down her cheeks.


    "Hey! Where are you going?! Get down!" Kohaku yelled at them, but his warnings were ignored. Daichi slid the door open which slammed to the side.


    "Kurosawa! Morita!" Yukari called them.


    "Guys! No!" Narumi yelled.


    "Shit! Goddammit!" Matabei and Kohaku cursed and dashed out to catch Daichi and Etsudo, keeping as low as possible.


    "Uchida! Come on! The police are on their way!" Yukari took Narumi''s hand and got out of the office. Once they were out of the staff room, Daichi and Etsudo rushed down the hallway, abandoning everyone in the faculty room. There was a flight of stairs in the middle of the corridor, but they ran past it, opting for the stairs at the end of the hallway.


    "Help! Someone!" Etsudo continued to screech. As she was about to reach the stairs, she let out another shriek and she fell on her butt. "Eeek!"


    Two people climbed up the stairs and appeared before them. The first was a bald man. He was dressed in a tactical attire similar to Alpha, and he wore a sleek mask covering the lower half of his face. The second was a tall woman with brown braided hair resting on her shoulder. She wore the same apparel and mask as the man, and both of them wore a black peculiar device on their ears that seemed to act as earplugs.


    It was Bravo and Charlie of the Five Deaths. Bravo gave an intense glare at Etsudo. He pulled a custom-made pistol from his holster and aimed. Etsudo let out a cry and covered her head in reflection. Bravo squeezed the trigger, and with a muffled shot, a dart was fired.


    "Argh!" Daichi yelled as he felt the prick of the dart on his shoulder. Etsudo instantly got up and turned on her heel.


    "Stay down, boy." Charlie commanded, "Take him, Bravo. The girl is mine." Charlie got into a sprint, chasing after Etsudo who jumped down the flight of stairs she had passed earlier.


    Matabei and Kohaku were out of the staff room, followed by Narumi and Yukari. They spotted Etsudo being pursued and Daichi squaring off against a giant soldier.


    "Don''t screw with me!" Daichi plucked the dart from his shoulder and rushed at Bravo. If the soldier was surprised by Daichi''s resilience, he did not show it. Bravo squeezed the trigger twice, this time two darts hit Daichi''s neck. "Argh!"


    Before anyone could make a move, however, their ears were assaulted by a high-pitched noise. It sent stabbing pains into their heads and they clutched their heads.


    "Ahhh!" Everyone yelled in pain.


    Matabei, Daichi, Narumi, and Kohaku all hunched over as pain kept jolting them. Enduring the stabbings in his ears, Kohaku turned to see who was emitting the noise. It was another woman with auburn hair tied in a ponytail. She was Echo, in the same getup as the other assailants. She leaned forward with her mouth agape behind her mask like she was straining her voice.


    Yukari screamed in sheer pain before her limbs lost any strength in them. Her phone slipped through her fingers and she plopped onto the floor. Blood leaked out of her ears.


    Amid the excruciation in her head, Narumi pulled the strength in her to turn and tend to her teacher "Sensei!"


    "U... Uchida...run..." Yukari managed to wheeze out her before an invisible force struck her in the face, knocking her out bleeding.


    Narumi had no time to react when she too got a blow to her head and stumbled towards the corridor windows, visibly confused. Narumi had another invisible blow to her stomach and a strike to her chin, but none of the hits were hard enough to knock her off her feet. "What the?!"


    "Whoa! The little girl sure can take a hit! She''s tough like a brick! Tougher than her teacher! Fufu!" A woman''s voice appeared seemingly out of thin air. Despite the intense pain in her head from the high-pitched tone from Echo, her other senses, particularly her nose, were working just fine. She picked up the scent that was right in front of her, it was the same acrid smell she had been detecting since morning. The air distorted and a feminine body appeared right before Narumi.


    Delta let out another psychotic giggle and emerged from her camouflage. Her combat outfit was a little different from the other mercenaries''. It was a black digital camo pattern designed to accommodate her camouflage capability. She also wore the same pair of black earplugs Bravo and Charlie wore, designed to resist Echo''s attack. Delta stomped on Yukari''s phone, shattering the screen, and the phone''s light went out.


    Delta drove a boot into Narumi''s midsection, slamming her back into the wall, she pinned her forearm on Narumi''s neck pressing her against it.


    "Let''s see how tough you are, girly." Delta flashed a grin at Narumi.


    Echo pressed on with her high-pitched screeches, aiming them toward the boys in front of her. Matabei turned to see who was tormenting him and Kohaku. Even through the anguish in his ears, Matabei had to run his mouth. "Shit! Lady! Is that how you scream in bed?!"


    The anger was clear in Echo''s eyes, she dialed up her soundwave on Matabei and Kohaku. Matabei started writhing about in pain till he was on his knees, yelling in agony whilst clutching his ears. Kohaku staggered forward, standing in front of Matabei in some futile attempt to take the frontal assault for Echo''s soundwaves.


    Narumi''s heart was pounding in her chest. Her eyes darted towards Matabei, Kohaku, and Daichi covering their ears from the Echo''s assault. Through the chaos and agony, Narumi still had this in her mind; these people hurt her homeroom teacher and she needed to retaliate with primal force.


    "Everyone! Take them down!" Narumi bellowed and her throat made a ferocious growl, resonating through the corridor catching the mercenaries by surprise. Delta watched the sclera in Narumi''s eyes blackened and her pupils turning green. Delta was too late to avoid the punch to her mouth, especially not the sheer strength behind the blow. It was as if she just took a steel bar to the face. Delta could not even register that she had been knocked back into the glass window behind her. A tooth was chipped off from her jaw and her mouth was warm with blood. She had no time to recover as Narumi charged in with a bellow. The glass panel shattered as Narumi got herself defenestrated, taking Delta with her and they crashed into the school''s central courtyard.


    Kohaku took the chance, pushing through the pain in his head he went after Echo. His eyes darkened with his pupils turning red, he let out a guttural snarl. Before Echo could evade Kohaku, her neck was caught in his hand. Her high-pitched screeching ceased and she started to gag. The hold on Echo''s neck tightened like it had been caught in a hydraulic press. Kohaku lifted Echo over his head with snarls escaping through his gritted teeth. Turning around, he threw Echo with ease. The banshee mercenary careened through the hallway, straight into Bravo''s confused expression.


    The two tumbled down the stairs and Daichi made his escape. Tearing the darts off his neck, Daichi dashed past Bravo and Echo hurried down the stairs.


    "Holy shit!" Matabei yelled now that the ringing in his ears slowly dissipated, he grabbed Kohaku to get his attention, "Come on! Let''s go!" They turned tail and ran in the opposite direction, towards another stairwell on the other far end of the hallway.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Bravo shoved Echo off him, glaring at her. Their radio came to life with Alpha''s voice again, "What happened? Report."


    "We intercepted them! But they got away! They''re headed for the school entrance!" Echo wheezed while rubbing her visibly bruised neck, "What did that bitch doctor give them?! My soundwaves and Bravo''s tranquilizers couldn''t drop them!"


    The irritation was clear in Alpha''s response, "I''ll cut them off. Safeties off. Secure the targets. Now."


    At the other end of the hallway, Kohaku laid out the plan to Matabei. "Itou-senpai!"


    "Am I still shouting?!" Matabei asked.


    "We have to split them apart! You get to the roof, I''ll get to the ground floor!"


    "I got it! And you take the banshee bitch!" Matabei pointed.


    "Fine! Just go!" Kohaku shook his head to ward off the lingering ache in his head.


    Matabei started waving his arms around, taunting Bravo across the hallway. "Hey, baldie! You want some of this, huh?!" To add to his insult, Matabei gave the middle finger. "Come and get me!"


    "Bravo, get that loudmouth prick! The pipsqueak is mine!" Echo got up and gave chase.


    Bravo almost grinned, holstering the tranquilizer gun he pulled another weapon out from his back. His trademark silenced Glock pistol. He pulled the slide and chambered a round, rushing back up to pursue Matabei. Kohaku rushed down the stairs while Matabei climbed up.


    By the time Daichi reached the shoe cabinets by the main building''s entrance, his vision got swirly. His limbs were starting to slacken and fatigue was consuming his brain. He slumped onto a shoe cabinet and rattled the entire thing. He limped towards the entrance, his breathing was labored. His legs felt like driftwood and they finally gave out. Daichi fell onto his back, his senses were too dulled and before his vision diminished, he glimpsed a giant humanoid silhouette standing over him. Alpha bent down and retrieved Daichi''s phone from his pocket. He crushed it in his hand and tossed it away. He then carried Daichi by his side with one hand.


    Matabei rushed up the stairs, once he was through the door to the roof, the iris in his eyes turned into a fierce blue. Bravo was catching up fast, he was already fuming that this operation was turning into a disaster. He flicked the safety switch in his Glock pistol, he figured a bullet to the knee would humble the mouthy boy. Bravo got to the door and burst through it, but Matabei was not there.


    Bravo immediately checked every corner in a tactical manner and even the water tower, but there was no one. The roof was completely deserted. A slight movement caught his eye and he instantly turned and fired off two rounds. Smoke smoothly rose from the pistol''s suppressor. Bravo took a proper look at what he shot and it only made things more confusing. It was a school uniform shirt and pants on the floor, and now each of them had a bullet hole.


    Slowly approaching the discarded clothes, he felt a change in the air before something came down from the sky. Tropeognathus slammed his feet down on Bravo''s shoulders, crushing him onto the floor. Bravo had not a single second to recover from what hit him from above. Tropeognathus snapped his jaws onto Bravo''s hand holding the pistol. With needle-like teeth piercing into his wrist, Bravo gritted his teeth in pain and he released his hold on the gun.


    Tropeognathus released his snout from the hand and struck the back of Bravo''s head with his crested snout. The claws on his toes gripped tightly on Bravo''s shoulders, digging into them. Tropeognathus launched himself from the floor, pulling Bravo up with him. He flapped his wings harder than he had previously due to the added weight. Through the strength in his feet and wings, he was able to lift Bravo up in the air. Tropeognathus was away from the roof, flying over the school''s bicycle parking lot. Bravo struggled about in a panic. So much so that Tropeognathus lost his grip on him. Bravo realized his mistake too late and he plummeted down, crashing through the shed of the bicycle and a cloud of dust erupted.


    Oh shit! Tropeognathus let out a squawk of surprise and flew back to the school''s roof. Banking downwards, he adjusted the position of his wings to catch more air as he descended. He had learned his lesson after the last time he attempted a landing.


    Flying down towards the roof, Tropeognathus leaned back and slowed his descent like a gentle glide. Pointing his feet forward, he approached the field like a parachutist. His feet made contact with the ground and his momentum lurched him forward. But he was able to catch himself from falling as he planted both hands on the ground. At last, he made a successful landing. Transforming back, Matabei quickly put on his school uniform. He noticed the pistol on the floor and the black powder-stained bullet holes on his uniform.


    "Holy shit! The guy had a real gun!" Matabei paused at the notion, taking a few seconds to collect himself. "Oh no. The others." Matabei dashed for the roof door access and headed back down.


    In the bicycle parking lot, Bravo crawled out of the small crater he made from his fall. He was battered and lacerated all over. Above all, he was livid and shell-shocked. A flying reptile just attacked him, picked him up, and dropped him from four floors. To hell with finding his target that disappeared from the roof, he had to regroup with the other mercenaries.


    Kohaku got to the ground floor from the stairwell he was in earlier. There was no time for him to rest, however, as Echo found him. Sharp agony stabbed his ears once again. He covered his ears and turned to see Echo by the bottom of the stairs.


    Kohaku growled in pain and prowled towards Echo. The banshee noticed and stepped away, emitting her agonizing screech from a distance. She was not going to let Kohaku get too close to her, and she intended to make him suffer immensely first before capturing him.


    Kohaku backed away, still clutching his ears. His path to the school entrance was now cut off and he made his way further into the school, continuously enduring the agony coursing through him. Kohaku had to find a way to get Echo close to him so he could stop her from making her horrible scream.


    He rushed through the corridor until he spotted something through the window, a facility he could use. Stumbling through the corridor he made his way out of the main school building, towards the pool hall. Echo, maintaining her distance, watched Kohaku bursting through the doorway.


    "Tch." Echo ceased her soundwaves and tsked, irritated that she lost visual sight of him because she stayed too far back. Echo kicked off into a run and got into the pool hall. The intense scent of chlorine permeated the pool hall. There was a school uniform and a pair of shoes tossed by the side of the fifty-metre pool. Standing by the edge of the water, she could see a dark shape at the bottom.


    "Hiding in the water, boy?" Echo taunted, "You''re not very smart, are you?"


    Echo emitted her screeching again, pointing at the water which made violent ripples on the surface. The dark shape started to change. It was getting bigger, much bigger. The figure looked reddish and serpentine with a giant tail emerging. What appeared to be an arched scaly sail emerged through the surface.


    "W-What?" Echo''s high-pitched screech stopped, she had never seen anything like this and she did not realise her body was starting to tremble in fear.


    The water exploded and out came the gargantuan Spinosaurus, letting out a guttural roar that rumbled the pool hall. The giant dinosaur was wearing a navy-blue suit that covered his body, leaving his limbs, tail, and sail exposed. Spinosaurus turned to Echo, his red eyes were staring at her intensely. Terror got the better of Echo and she turned to flee.


    Spinosaurus reached over with his snout, knocking Echo to the ground. His jaws then clamped onto her leg. Echo screamed her banshee soundwaves as conical teeth pierced into the flesh of her leg. The dinosaur ignored her cries and lifted her off the floor. Echo flung about in her panic as Spinosaurus held her upside down and he dunked her into the pool.


    Now fully submerged in the water, Echo was screaming with a constant stream of bubbles. Spinosaurus, still clamping on her leg tight, simply waited while she ran out of air. He could see her in his jaws, the bubbling quickly stopped and Echo slowly went limp. Spinosaurus pulled Echo out of the water and tossed her onto the side. Echo crashed onto the floor with a bloodied leg.


    Spinosaurus dipped his snout into the pool, rinsing the blood off his teeth. He stepped out of the pool and scooped up his uniform and shoes with his claws. After a moment, Spinosaurus arched his back and he shrunk in mass. It took a while but Kohaku put on his school pants and shirt. His wet inner suit started soaking his uniform. Without buttoning his top, Kohaku slipped on his shoes and bolted out of the pool hall.


    Not long after Kohaku was gone, Echo coughed out chlorine water and gasped for air. She looked around, checking if the gigantic creature was gone. She groggily pushed herself to her feet and hissed in pain from her leg which was filled with puncture wounds. Blood seeped through her pants and she had to limp away. All the while, her soul was shaking from what she had just encountered.


    Narumi was lying down on her side in the school courtyard. She groaned in pain and shards of glass surrounded her. She was able to swiftly get back on her feet, but only to get an invisible strike to her cheek.


    "Ah!" Narumi took a step back, but the blow did not hurt her as much as it surprised her.


    "Bitch! You just broke my tooth!" Delta screamed at Narumi, coming out of her camouflaged and spitting out a glob of blood and spittle. Delta reached behind her and pulled out a transparent combat knife, Delta turned invisible and started circling Narumi. "We''re supposed to take you in alive. But I''m going to make sure you bleed like a stuck pig first!"


    "You people hurt my teacher!" Narumi yelled.


    "Well, tough!" Delta''s voice surrounded her, "That wasn''t personal! But this sure as hell is!"


    Narumi cried out and she clutched her bicep as Delta sped past her. Beads of blood slowly oozed out of a cut on her arm. Narumi gave chase in the direction she guessed where Delta was. But Narumi reeled back again as she took another slash on her thigh.


    "Argh!" Narumi tripped and dropped onto one knee.


    "Hahaha!" Delta laughed, zipping past her, and Narumi''s nose caught the draft. The same scent yet again, every mercenary she had just encountered had the smell. Narumi deduced that they must have been scouting the school this whole time. Especially Delta, if she was able to infiltrate the school while camouflaged.


    Narumi had an idea, she breathed in through her nose. She could feel the flow of the air, where the scent was drifting around the courtyard. Through her ears, she could hear muffled footsteps circling her, and closing in. She turned to the direction of where her senses were pointing, but she took yet another cut on her other thigh.


    "Shit!" Narumi snarled.


    "That''s right!" Delta, while camouflaged, taunted and continued to circle her.


    Narumi had nicks on her arm and both her legs. Fortunately, none of Delta''s attacks were able to make any gashes or deep cuts. But now, Narumi could smell the mercenary''s flowing scent and hear the muffled footsteps speeding around her. Now, it was as if Narumi could feel where Delta was.


    Narumi got into a run, she had to find the others or at least make her escape to call the police. Her nose and her ears had located her target; right behind her. Turning around quickly, Narumi lunged and bulldozed into Delta and she was knocked out of her camouflage. There was a flash of white in Delta''s vision when the back of her head hit the ground. Narumi pinned down Delta''s hand holding her knife. But Delta lashed back, she wrung her other hand free and smashed it into Narumi''s face.


    "Mmmh!" Narumi had a muffled shriek. Delta made a manic laugh as her fingers wriggled their way to Narumi''s eyes. Narumi made a quick reaction, pressing her head down and she made a roar before clamping her teeth down.


    The sound of bones cracking echoed through the courtyard and Delta screamed, her wrist felt like it had been caught in a bear trap, only much harder. Narumi kept growling and hissing, clamping her jaws tight. Her teeth were soaked in blood as they pierced through flesh, bone, and into the marrow.


    Narumi relaxed her jaws for a brief millisecond before she bit down harder. Delta screamed her lungs out as the bones in her wrist shattered. Narumi began shaking her head, her teeth were sawing through the bones, and spurts of blood sprinkled all over. She pulled her head back and Delta''s hand was ripped off from the wrist.


    The floor was splotched with red all over. Narumi staggered away from Delta, hunching over with deep growls from her throat. The green in her eyes was much more intense than before. Delta''s remaining hand clutched at her bleeding stump, she let out high-pitched wails and crawled away.


    Narumi dropped Delta''s hand, flesh and blood were painted all over her mouth. She stood there like a feral predator with her uniform dirtied and tattered. Her eyes appeared almost like they were glowing green. Every breath she took had a growl rumbling through the courtyard. Delta turned and ran for her life, a mix of anger, shock, and fear boiled in her.


    Narumi was about to give chase, but then she made a gulp. Horror spiked in Narumi''s heart, she had no control over swallowing blood and bits of flesh in her mouth. They went down her gullet and Narumi dropped to her knees. She hunched over and started gagging in a desperate attempt to cough it all out.


    Oh, my God! Narumi thought. She had just consumed blood and human meat. The primal green eyes were disappearing and her human eyes returned. Red smears covered all over her hands and cheeks. She was sick to her stomach. Oh God! I just drank that lady''s blood!


    Etsudo was on the ground floor, running through the school building with Charlie on her tail. She was too afraid to delve into the fact that she left Narumi, Kohaku, Matabei, and Daichi to fend for themselves. In her panic, Etsudo took a wrong turn and she found herself in the home economics room. She gasped in fright hearing the footsteps closing in on her. Charlie caught a glimpse of a silhouette entering a classroom and followed. Charlie got to the door and entered an empty home economics classroom.


    "Come out," Charlie said, taking a step into the room. She flipped the switch on by the side of the door and the lights flickered to life. Charlie''s eyes scanned across her periphery, she pulled out her tranquilizer gun from her holster and held it firm. Somewhere in the home economics room, Etsudo hunkered down. She had a hand covering her mouth to silence her whimpering.


    "Girl, just make this easy for us, okay?" Charlie said, "We''re not here to kill you. We just want something that you and your friends have taken."


    Charlie took another step in, her boot creaking through the wooden floor. "Your friends are being collected already, no one is coming." Charlie switched off the safety in her weapon, "Just come out and join the others. Don''t make any trouble for us and I will not hurt you. I promise."


    All Charlie got was silence, which irritated her. "Don''t make me come in there and get you."


    Charlie narrowed her eyes in annoyance, she got to the first table at the front. Circling around it, she spotted no whimpering girl, just a counter table with metal bowls and a gas stove. Charlie went right to the next table, looking the same as the previous one. The mercenary picked up her pace, going to the next table to search for her target. Etsudo remained in her hiding spot, her hands trembling as she held the kitchen knife, her only means of defense. She could hear Charlie''s footsteps and tried to shrink herself.


    Charlie went to the last table and circled around it, but Etsudo was not there. Charlie gazed at the window, but they were closed. Which meant there was only one spot left. Charlie slowly turned to the metal closet by the corner of the home economics room. Charlie had a ticked frown, she stormed right to the cabinet and burst it open.


    "No!" Etsudo shrieked in fright and charged out of the cabinet. Crashing into Charlie with her knife pointed forward, Etsudo fell on top of her with her blade plunging into the woman''s chest. Charlie started gurgling blood in her mouth. Horror gripped Etsudo, seeing Charlie lying there with a knife in her chest with red pooling around it. Etsudo did not even register the tranquilizer dart in her midsection. Etsudo was screaming hysterically and ran for the exit. Just as she was out of the home economics room, a shadow loomed over her.


    "Aiiee-" Etsudo''s cries were cut off when a massive hand grabbed her neck. Alpha lifted her off the ground. Etsudo frantically kicked around but Alpha slammed her head against the wall. Etsudo had stars in her vision for a second before pain surged in her body. Alpha tightened his grip on her neck and pulled her out of the wall. Alpha drove his head into her face. Etsudo''s head jerked back before her vision faded, and a bead of blood rolled from her nostril.


    Alpha inspected the knocked-out girl in his hand, he dug into Etsudo''s pocket and took out her phone. He crushed it in his hand and tossed it away. Alpha placed Etsudo over his shoulder. In his other arm, he carried a sedated Daichi. With Etsudo and Daichi subdued by Alpha, the lead mercenary entered the home economics room. He stood over Charlie and gave her an unimpressed look, not even bothered by the knife in her chest.


    "Stop messing around. You''re a professional." Alpha commanded.


    Charlie glared at him before she turned onto her side, she rolled to her side before plucking the knife out of her chest. The wound spurted blood out for a few seconds before the bleeding slowed to a stop. The bloodied hole started shrinking and mending. Charlie quickly got back on her feet and her chest was fully healed.


    "Stupid girl." Charlie seethed at Etsudo hanging over Alpha''s shoulder.


    "Where are the rest?" Alpha asked.


    Footsteps rushed to the home economics, and Bravo staggered in with Echo limping behind. The marksman was tattered in cuts and bruises, and covered in a layer of dust. The banshee was soaking wet with a mangled bloody leg.


    "What the hell happened?!" Charlie exclaimed.


    "We just got attacked by goddamn dinosaurs!" Echo yelled, "I''m not even kidding! Big ass lizards!"


    Hysterical wailing came behind them. They turned to see Delta rushing in, with one red stump that was once her right arm. If Alpha was surprised by Delta''s state, he did not show it.


    "That bitch!" Delta''s crying was almost unintelligible, "She bit my hand off! My hand! My hand!"


    The Five Deaths were physically augmented people, each possessing a unique ability. Alpha may be the strongest of them all, but individually they were faster and tougher than anyone. Yet, they all had been brutalized by high school students.


    "Tourniquet yourselves" Alpha commanded Delta and Echo. "We''re pulling out. We''ll hand in these two first." The Five Deaths got to the school entrance and made their exit, with Etsudo and Daichi as their captives.


    Back in the central courtyard of Soru Academy, Narumi was still on her all fours coughing and reeling in disgust with herself. She kept rubbing her forearms and her face to wipe off the blood. "Oh god, that''s..."


    "Uchida-senpai!"


    Narumi''s eyes widened and snapped her head to see Kohaku rushing out of the school building towards her. His uniform was unbuttoned and he looked drenched.


    "Taiyo-san?" Narumi mumbled, blinking the tears away.


    Kohaku got down to her level, visibly worried from all the blood on her, "What happened? Are you okay?"


    "I-I just..." Narumi stammered, "I just bit her hand off! H-Her blood was in my mouth!"


    She wiped her lip again, she could taste the iron on her tongue. Kohaku was not exactly sure how to respond to that, he hesitated for a moment inching closer to her and she did not pull away from him.


    "Uh...you''re okay. Come on, you''re going to be okay." Kohaku tried to assure her. "Uchida-senpai, you''re going to be fine."


    She took a deep breath. Hearing a familiar voice was a sliver of comfort in the moment. "Yeah. Yeah."


    Kohaku got up and offered a hand to her, "Uchida-senpai."


    Narumi let out a growl before she grabbed his hand. Kohaku pulled Narumi up to her feet, she felt the sheer strength he had from his arm. Kohaku took his hand away and Narumi looked back at Kohaku, finally taking note of his drenched state. "What happened to you? W-Why are you wet?"


    "I had to uh, take a swim in the pool." Kohaku explained vaguely, his hair was dripping chlorine water profusely. "I managed to get away from the banshee and I found you."


    "Hey!" They turned around and Matabei dashed right for them, "Guys!"


    "Itou?" Narumi called him.


    Matabei flinched at the state of them, "Shit! You guys don''t look good!"


    "Did you get shot?!" Narumi exclaimed, seeing the bullet holes in his uniform.


    "Huh?" Matabei glanced down at himself, "No. I uh, picked up the baldie and uh threw him off the roof. Sort of." Matabei tried to wipe the black powder off his clothes. "Aw hell, this is going to be really hard to explain when it''s time for laundry."


    "Seriously?!" Narumi snapped at Matabei, "You''re making a joke now?!"


    "Hey!" Matabei held his hands up, "When I''m panicking, running my mouth is all I can do! Sorry, but we just got our asses kicked by some crazy soldiers sent by this person, Doctor Rossiter!"


    Kohaku stepped in between the two of them, "Uchida-senpai, Itou-senpai. I''m sorry but we have to go. We''ve made too much noise, the police are on their way."


    Narumi pushed down the sobs that were threatening to rise. But then Narumi widened her eyes, recollecting that Etsudo ran off and Daichi got shot with tranquilizers. "Oh God. They got Morita and Kurosawa-senpai."

 Blood trail

    The sun was already by the horizon, Narumi''s eyes were darting everywhere and her breathing was erratic. The blood around her mouth was still slick in deep red. Matabei paced back and forth, while Kohaku inspected the blood trail in the courtyard.


    "Oh shit!" Narumi panicked, "Morita! Kurosawa-senpai!"


    "I don''t know where they are! They left us!" Matabei exclaimed, his tone hinting at bitterness. His hands were on his hips. "We were supposed to stick together, and those two just left us!"


    "Uh...Uh..." Narumi stammered, "W-We got to go find them."


    "How?" Matabei looked around.


    "Follow the blood," Kohaku said, pointing at the small patches of red leading to the school''s building. Narumi turned in Kohaku''s direction, and her look of confusion slowly turned into a focused one.


    "Come on." Narumi trotted onwards with Kohaku and Matabei. The three followed the blood trail, through the hallways till it brought them to the home economics classroom. Narumi entered the home economics classroom with Matabei behind her. Kohaku was about to follow when he spotted a broken mobile phone on the floor.


    Narumi and Matabei saw the horrible mess in the classroom with the opened broom cabinet and the pool of blood. "What the hell happened here?"


    Kohaku stepped into the room, glancing at everything. "I think they cornered Morita-senpai here. The woman you fought earlier came here. She must have met up with the other people that were after us. There was a scuffle, but they must have taken Morita-senpai."


    "How the hell do you know that?" Matabei eyeballed him. To answer his question, Kohaku held up the crushed phone he had picked up.


    "That''s Morita''s phone. Oh, God." Narumi said with worry as she took the phone from him.


    "I don''t know about Kurosawa-senpai but it''s possible they got him as well. We haven''t seen him since we got separated earlier." Kohaku added.


    Matabei slapped his forehead, pacing around the room. "Aw shit! This is all going to hell! They left us! They should have stayed with us, but they left us!"


    "Itou! Enough!" Narumi turned to him. "We''re going to save Morita and Kurosawa-senpai. We''re going to find those bastards who took them."


    "How? We don''t even know where they''ve gone!" Matabei pointed out.


    "They must have gone to see Doctor Rossiter," Kohaku said with arms crossed, a frown plastered on his face.


    "But where is this doctor? Back at GenaTech?"


    "Maybe. But we don''t know for sure." Kohaku said.


    Then a frustrated growl escaped Narumi''s teeth. "Dammit, I can''t think with all the blood everywhere! The smell is so strong like it''s in my brain!"


    As if a lightbulb lit up over Narumi''s head, she sniffed the air. "Wait."


    The scent of iron was flowing through the classroom, towards the door, and to the hallway. The cogs in Narumi''s mind were turning; if she could pick up the scent of the camouflaging woman when she fought her in the courtyard, they might be able to follow the other bleeding mercenaries.


    "You guys can smell it, right? The blood?" Narumi asked the boys. Kohaku took a whiff of air, followed by Matabei.


    "Yes, I can smell it," said Kohaku.


    "Yeah. But so what?" Matabei added.


    "We follow the blood with our noses." Narumi gave her outlandish idea to them.


    "What?! Seriously?!" Matabei raised a brow. "What are we? Bloodhounds?"


    "We got to try something!" Narumi urged him. "If we have to follow them like this, then that''s what we''re going to do!"


    "What about Tachibana-sensei? Or that Doctor Song? We can''t just leave them."


    "We can''t do anything for them now. We have to go, otherwise we''ll lose Morita and Kurosawa-senpai!" Narumi raised her voice, taking the lead among the three.


    After Narumi rinsed the blood off her hands and mouth by the home economics room kitchen sink, the three of them followed the scent of blood flowing through the hallways. They rushed down the hallway while sniffing out the blood in the air. The mercenaries had a very distinctive scent as if there was a foul rot in the trail. It led them to the shoe cabinets by the school building''s entrance.


    "Hey." Matabei pointed out another phone that was on the floor. He picked it up and inspected the phone''s cracked screen. "This is Kurosawa-senpai''s phone."


    "Shit." Narumi gritted her teeth and took the phone from him. "They can''t be far."


    "I''ll take to the skies," said Matabei as he removed his school uniform, revealing his navy blue outfit underneath. It took him roughly half a minute before he fully turned into the Tropeognathus. He leaped into the air and flew up, leaving Kohaku to be the one to pick up his school uniform. Tropeognathus climbed higher and higher until he was way above the school.


    They continued to follow the trail, they sniffed the air and followed their noses. as they hurried down the main road from school with Tropeognathus circling over them. Narumi breathed in deep through her nose and took a moment to process the scent in the air. She turned her head, gazing through the sakura trees by the roadside.


    "They went in there," said Narumi, whiffing the air a second time for confirmation. "Yeah."


    He turned and peered his ears, he picked up a sound that was coming from the road in the distance. "Uchida-senpai. I can hear the sirens already."


    "Then let''s get out of here already," said Narumi.


    She hurried through the woods with Kohaku behind her and Tropeognathus flying over them. Sakura petals were swirling all over as they dashed through until they reached the canal.


    "What the hell?" Narumi said confusedly. Kohaku, standing by her side, took a sniff and narrowed his eyes. The scent was heading downstream, and since the mercenaries were not in the vicinity, Kohaku had one conclusion.


    "They must have gone downstream by boat," said Kohaku.


    "Boat?" Narumi gave a puzzled look,


    "They must have had it docked last night. This canal connects to the main waterway."


    "Where the hell are they taking Morita and Kurosawa-senpai?"


    "I''m not sure. But maybe we can still catch up to them," said Kohaku.


    "Let''s go," said Narumi and they trudged down the riverside.


    Tropeognathus watched Narumi and Kohaku from above, the blood trail was still fresh in his nose, and he picked up speed soaring over the canal. Narumi and Kohaku could see him getting far ahead to scout downstream. Narumi and Kohaku trekked down the riverside, the scent of the river water did not impede their sense of smell. They were honing on the faint smell of blood, boot leather, black powder, and that distinctive foul rot.


    The sakura trees were starting to thin out, the river was getting wider as they headed further east. While they were following the trail, Narumi''s mind had been running through the current events, and it was weighing her more than ever.


    We were supposed to be a team and we just got wrecked. Morita and Kurosawa-senpai just left us like that, and they got captured. Tachibana-sensei is... Narumi froze and bit her lip as Yukari came into her head. What the hell am I doing?


    Kohaku nearly bumped into her back when Narumi stopped in her tracks. "Uchida-senpai?"


    It''s a miracle no one was killed! A miracle you''re not dead!


    Narumi words crept into her mind. Kohaku saw Narumi shifting her body uncomfortably and she huddled her arms. She sucked in air through her teeth.


    "Taiyo-san," said Narumi, there was clear uncertainty in her voice.


    "Senpai?"


    "W-Were you s-scared? Back at school?" Narumi stammered.


    "Huh?"


    "Were you scared?"


    Kohaku glanced up in the sky, the Tropeognathus flying away was still in his periphery. He threw the question back at Narumi. "Were you scared, senpai?"


    "I asked first," said Narumi, her brows furrowed.


    "Uh..." Kohaku''s voice lowered. He could not lie to her about this, "Yeah. I was."


    Narumi was half-expecting his answer, but to hear it from the guy who had been anticipating GenaTech''s plans. It was not encouraging to her. She had to hide her face from him.


    "If you are telling me that, imagine how I am right now." Narumi rubbed her face in frustration, "This wasn''t supposed to happen. None of this was supposed to happen. All that big talk about a superhero, but I was...I was scared."


    Kohaku listened to her frustrations. The worried face she was pulling did not sit well with him, and he clenched a fist. Narumi continued, "How can we get Morita and Kurosawa-senpai back? How am I going to pull this off now?"


    "Uchida-senpai. You can do this. Because you''ve done what none of us have." said Kohaku.


    "What''s that?"


    "You brought us together."


    Narumi raised her head to Kohaku. He then said, "You made this group happen. You were the one who came to me when this whole dinosaur situation happened, and then you sought out the rest. If you can seek us out the first time, you can do it again."


    Narumi stood there frozen, staring at him with her lips parted. She could not help the pink tint in her cheeks. "D-Did you just come up with that in your head? Or did you have that written down yesterday?"


    Kohaku frowned and his eyes drifted to the side. Narumi then quickly said, "No, I''m sorry. T-Thank you, Taiyo-san. You''re right, we can do this."


    Narumi let out a low growl, she was getting pumped up. Come on, Narumi! You saved that mother and son, you stopped that jewelry robbery! You got this!


    "Come on, Taiyo-san! We''re going to save the day!" Narumi growled through clenched teeth. She sniffed out the air once more, thankfully the scent trail was still present. She tilted her head up, Tropeognathus'' figure was getting smaller as he flew downriver. They were going to have to sprint to keep up.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "Let''s go!" Narumi bellowed. She dashed ahead and Kohaku was right behind her. It did not take long till the canal connected to a wide river channel. Shortly after, they got onto the river''s esplanade and continued their pursuit.


    The sun had disappeared on the horizon. Thanks to his enhanced vision, Tropeognathus was able to survey the waters properly in the dark of night. He spotted a boat further down the river. Not like a yakatabune or the regular water buses. It was a sleek and black rigid inflatable boat.


    One would think it was a police patrol boat, but it did not fool the Tropeognathus. Especially when he recognized four people onboard, they were the assassins that attacked the schools. Tropeognathus could not tell who was the man behind the wheel, but judging by how he looked, this was the man in charge of those assassins. In the middle of the boat''s deck, Etsudo and Daichi were lying there tied and gagged.


    It''s them. Oh man. Tropeognathus had half a mind to swoop down and grab Etsudo and Daichi. But that would have been a bad idea. At the moment, he had to stay in the air and watch where the boat was going.


    Narumi and Kohaku continued to sprint down the river esplanades, ignoring the looks they were getting from anyone enjoying their evening by the water. They could still see Matabei in the air and followed the pterosaur. The prehistoric strength in their legs enabled them to go faster and further than any other person. They traveled further east. Matabei kept watch on the boat while Narumi and Kohaku followed Matabei to the fishing port. However, Narumi and Kohaku''s chase came to an end when the Tropeognathus flew past the port and the lighthouse, essentially heading out into the ocean.


    "What the hell?" Narumi, panting her lungs out, squinted her eyes in confusion, "Where is he going?"


    She scanned the waters, trying to pinpoint what Matabei was following, and she spotted the boat driving away from the port, towards the beach areas of the coast. She could see the boat heading for a dark shape by the waters. "Taiyo-san, you see that boat? That''s what Itou is following. Morita and Kurosawa-senpai must be on it."


    "Yes, I see it." Kohaku nodded. "It''s heading for that island."


    "An island?" Narumi took a second look at the dark shape hidden in the night. With steep slopes and a plateauing top, the island almost had a volcanic shape. "Come on, let''s get to the beach."


    Tropeognathus watched the boat getting further from port. It slowed down as they approached the minuscule island. From how high he was flying, Tropeognathus guessed the distance between the beach and the island was roughly two and a half kilometers.


    He turned around and banked downwards, descending towards the empty beach where Narumi and Kohaku were.


    "Itou!" Narumi waved her arms at him. He flew down towards Narumi and Kohaku, his beating wings soon created a cloud of sand. Controlling his descent, he landed safely at Kohaku''s side. Narumi rushed to him, "Itou, you saw them?"


    Shaking the sand off himself, Matabei nodded at her.


    "You saw Morita and Kurosawa-senpai?" asked Narumi.


    He nodded again and pointed his snout at the island. The three took a moment to process the whole notion; Etsudo and Daichi were taken to an island off the coast of the city.


    "Why would they take Morita and Kurosawa-senpai there? I don''t get it." Narumi shook her head.


    "Maybe Doctor Rossiter is over there," Kohaku suggested. Tropeognathus looked at him with a squawk.


    "Morita and Kurosawa-senpai are over there. We have to get there as well." Narumi gritted her teeth. She started looking around. "I don''t know how, but we got to figure out something. Maybe we can go back to the port. See if anyone can help us. A fisherman."


    "And how are we going to explain to a fisherman that we need a boat?" Kohaku asked with skepticism.


    "Boat..." Narumi slowly turned and stared at Kohaku. She had an idea.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Daichi''s eyes twitched and opened, only to have light piercing into them and he instantly shut them. The left side of his whole body felt sore and cold from the metal floor he had been lying down on. Wriggling his fingers and toes, he could slowly feel his limbs again. His body was quickly recovering from the sedative. Groaning and writhing, he groggily got up to his feet.


    "Goddammit." He cursed and took a look around him.


    The air was dank and there was the sound of water dripping somewhere. Hanging white lights shined from above. He was boxed in grimy brick walls along with a prison cell gate with steel bars.


    "Mm." There was a weak moan by his side, Etsudo was lying there imprisoned just like him. She had a bruise on her temple and dried blood on her lip. Seeing her state, Daichi was quickly filled with concern.


    "Morita." He crouched and shook her shoulder. "Get up."


    "K-Kurosawa-senpai?" Etsudo stirred and he helped her up to her feet. "W-Where are we?"


    "I don''t know." said Daichi, "But I''m getting out of here."


    He trudged over to the prison gate. The second he gripped the steel bars, sparks erupted all over the bar. Stabbing pains were inflicted in every part of Daichi and he started spasming. He was flung back like he had been hit by a train.


    "Senpai!" Etsudo shrieked.


    "Ow! Ah! Shit!" Daichi yelled, his palms were lined with burn marks.


    "Don''t do that again." A rough and grizzly voice boomed in the room, coming from the other side of the cell. It was the Five Deaths. Etsudo started trembling and she backed herself into a wall. Alpha''s voice drew everyone''s attention, "There''s enough electricity in these bars to knock out an elephant. So don''t bother."


    Charlie stepped forward and pointed at Etsudo, "You owe me for stabbing me in the neck, girl."


    "And your friend bit my hand off!" Delta screeched, revealing her bandaged stump arm, "She''s going to die slowly when I find her!"


    "Charlie, Delta. Enough." Alpha took command and the two begrudgingly quietened down. The shutter doors behind them hissed open, and in came Doctor Beverly Rossiter in her office slacks and lab coat. Daichi stood up and went to the prison bars to take a closer look at Beverly Rossiter with Etsudo behind him. Beverly ignored the teens and she adjusted her glasses.


    Beverly and Alpha stared at each other in tense silence before the mercenary pulled out two vials of blood from his vest pocket. The irises in Daichi and Etsudo''s eyes shrank once they saw the vials; they knew where the vials came from.


    Beverly took them from Alpha and asked. "Only two? Where''re the other three?"


    "We engaged them, we got two. You will get the other three soon." Alpha answered with arms crossed.


    "You let the other three get away?" Beverly raised her voice.


    Alpha had no intentions of taking that tone from her, considering the series of events that transpired. He towered over her and gave a scowl, "In case you are blind, my team is wounded. One of my soldiers is missing a hand. If you had given me the proper intel about the targets, we would have taken them down and they would all have been delivered to you without any problems."


    Despite being the only normal person in the room, Beverly was hardly intimidated by the mercenaries'' presence. Beverly harrumphed, "Well you didn''t, and now there are three assets on the loose. You were supposed to bring in all five."


    "And you were supposed to deal with Doctor Song." Alpha shot back, "But he was there at school. He intercepted the targets."


    "What?!" Beverly screeched, "Where is he now?!"


    "He''s taken care of," said Alpha. Beverly was stunned by his answer. She nearly wanted to hit him in the chest, but she resisted the urge.


    "You killed him?!" Beverly screeched again. "At the school?! Do you have any idea what you''ve done?! GenaTech will get investigated!"


    "Then you should have dealt with him like you said you would." Alpha''s tone remained unmoved. "Regardless, you''re in the clear. No one is going to trace this back to the clinic or you."


    Beverly stared at him. She absolutely hated it when someone else got the last say. She turned to the captives in the prison cells. Daichi glared at her and Etsudo timidly stepped back.


    Beverly adjusted her glasses again, "I''m sorry this has happened."


    "You''re Doctor Rossiter," said Daichi with glaring eyes.


    "Yes, I am." she nodded.


    "Where the hell are we?"


    "You''re home." Beverly answered, "This is the place that made your abilities possible. I''m going to get straight to it, my nanotechnology has augmented your physiologies. You and your friends are the first successful batch from the paleo intradermal-nanotech experiment. I intend to study more of your genetic make-up now."


    "What?!" Daichi exclaimed angrily.


    "P-Please!" Etsudo whimpered, "Just let us go, please! We''re just high school students! Please!"


    "That is not going to happen." Beverly shook her head, "You may not like it, but you are now the most valuable bio-pharmaceutical data on the planet. You and your friends are company property and you are all worth more than billions. One way or the other, I will get what I am after."


    Alpha stepped in, "There is still the fee, Rossiter."


    Beverly gave him a look before exiting the electrified cell with the Five Deaths. Once the doors closed with a hiss, Etsudo was breathing erratically and clutching her hair.


    "Hey!" Daichi bellowed, "Come back! Hey!"


    Etsudo dropped to her knees, tears welling in her eyes.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The breeze from the seas chilled the city''s beach at night. The sound of waves washing up onto the beach was consistent. Thankfully no one was around to witness a Spinosaurus and Tropeognathus on the beach. After Narumi had hidden their school uniforms and shoes under a stone bench, she got back to the Kohaku and Matabei. All three of them were sporting their skin-tight navy-blue outfits.


    "Alright. Taiyo-san. Let''s go." Narumi said. She climbed onto his forearm and hopped onto his neck.


    Spinosaurus snorted in reluctance. He had not learned how to swim yet, and now he was going to throw himself into the ocean as Narumi''s so-called boat. As if she could read him, Narumi patted his head. "Come on, Taiyo-san. It''s just swimming. You''re like a crocodile dinosaur, right? So just swim like a crocodile."


    Spinosaurus snarled through his conical teeth. He was not entirely convinced but there was no time. They had to get to the island already. Tropeognathus made a gallop before launching himself into the air and flying up high. Spinosaurus approached the tide. Once the freezing waters made contact with his legs, Spinosaurus made a guttural hiss. He pushed forward, adjusting himself to the cold water.


    His feet shifted through the sand as he was hip-deep in water. Taking another step, however, there was no more ground to plant his feet and he nearly tripped forward. The sudden movement caused Narumi to lurch forward. To stabilize herself, she hugged Spinosaurus'' neck with her thighs and leaned forward. She held the ridges above his eyes and pasted her chest onto the back of his head.


    "Whoa! Taiyo-san!"


    Spinosaurus quickly backed up, they were at the point where the beach sheared off into a steep slope. From that point onwards, it was open water.


    "We''re at the drop-off." Narumi looked back at how far they were from land, and yet so far away from the island. She patted Spinosaurus'' head, pumping him up. "Come on, there''s no backing out now. You got this, Taiyo-san."


    Spinosaurus lunged forward into the open water. He tucked his limbs close to his body and started swaying his hips left and right, swinging his tail to generate power. It was working, until Spinosaurus started sinking. He let out a shocked bellow and splashed about as the water consumed him and Narumi.


    "Taiyo-san!" Narumi exclaimed, but she did not let go of Spinosaurus and sank into the sea with him. The cold waters froze Narumi''s lungs and she held onto him tight on reflex. Tropeognathus saw them getting swallowed by the sea, making a shocked squawk before flying down for them. Thinking quickly, Spinosaurus abandoned the crocodile style of swimming. Reaching out with his arms, he clawed upwards through the water. He kicked and pushed himself up with his hind legs. Careening his head and neck out of the water, Narumi coughed and gasped for air.


    "Oh, my God! So cold! Taiyo-san!" She shivered and resisted the urge to chatter her teeth, she wiped her face and flipped her soaked hair. But she could feel that they were moving, and they were staying on the surface.


    Spinosaurus clawed his hands through the water, followed by powerful kicks with his two hind legs. To propel himself even further, his tail paddled left and right. He cruised along the surface for a short while before he had to claw, kick, and paddle again. He repeated this process and he was swimming in a style resembling a cross between a crocodile, a polar bear, and an elephant. Kohaku did not know if this was how a Spinosaurus swam back in the Cretaceous period, but this was his own way of swimming. Relieved that Spinosaurus was pushing forward, Tropeognathus flew for the island.


    "It''s working! Taiyo-san, you''re swimming!" Narumi animatedly said and sat back up on his neck. Setting her determined eyes to their destination, she made her declaration. "Let''s get to the island!"


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Beverly and the mercenaries climbed up a stairwell. Above the rundown holding cells, at the top floor, was a personal laboratory. Everything she ever needed for her nanotechnology experiments was there. A fume hood with chemical equipment, a nanotech glove box, a lab bench, a high-end computer, an incubator, an atomic-force microscope, microwave reactors, a sputtering machine, a reactive ion etcher, and more equipment that would put a university science department to shame.


    Beverly leaned back against the lab bench and crossed her arms at Alpha. "You want to talk about payment? When you only got two out of five?"


    "Don''t trifle with me now, Rossiter. We delivered two, so we are to be paid for those two." Alpha''s usual stoicism is starting to crack. "Do not forget, we''re the only ones you can turn to for this op. And you already botched this op when you failed to handle Song." He loomed over Beverly with the other mercenaries at his back.


    "You can patch up Delta''s hand, pay us for the two targets downstairs, and pay us when we reacquire the other three. Or you can patch up Delta''s hand, pay us now, and find the other three yourself. Don''t forget, we can just take the data ourselves and sell it to the highest bidder."


    That shut Beverly up, the tension in her laboratory was almost tangible now that her life''s work was threatened. As much as she hated control taken from her, she had to concede.


    "I''ll wire the transfer." Beverly grumbled with gritted teeth and addressed the stump hand mercenary, "Delta, take a seat and show me your hand."


    Back downstairs, the dank and filthy holding cell was a stark contrast to the sophisticated laboratory above. Etsudo squatted down and clutched her hair, she appeared as if she had shut down inside. Daichi paced around, scanning every inch of his prison to see any way out. All the while, the sting of his palms continued to agonize him.


    Etsudo stared at the floor and she could hear her heart pounding in her throat. Her mind went back to the school. Benedict Song was killed. Her teacher was severely injured. She had no idea what happened to her schoolmates. On top of that, she remembered how she ran and left them behind like a coward.


    "We left them."


    Daichi stopped his pacing the second he heard what Etsudo said and a pang of guilt churned his guts. He did not bother to help his juniors. He turned tail and ran for the school''s exit.


    "We left Uchida-san, Itou-san, and Taiyo-san." said Etsudo. She raised her head to look at Daichi with bloodshot eyes.


    "Yeah." Daichi defeatedly slumped down to the floor with her. "And we got taken instead."


    Etsudo choked. "T-Tachibana-sensei..."


    "Maybe those three have gone to the police." Daichi suggested, "But that would mean they''ll be taken in for questioning. Shit."


    "We left them. We should have stayed with them, but we didn''t. We left them." Etsudo mumbled soullessly. Any sliver of hope she and Daichi had was dwindling by the second.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Thunder was rumbling in the far distance. Above the open waters off the eastern coast, the Tropeognathus was flying high in the sky towards the island. Below the pterosaur, a giant scaly sail cruised against the waves. Spinosaurus waved his tail left and right to paddle in the water. He kicked and clawed onwards, following the Tropeognathus above him. Narumi rode on Spinosaurus'' neck with a resolved look on her face, focusing her eyes on the island.

 As one

    Off in the pitch-black coastal waters of Kakushin City, shoals of fish swam away from the Spinosaurus as he got closer to the island. He kept his head and neck raised above the water line while Narumi rode on him. The constant sound of waves splashing about could numb the senses.


    It was not long until Spinosaurus'' feet finally made contact with the sea bed. Spinosaurus finally stood upright and was able to take a moment of respite. Narumi patted on his head once more, "You did it. Great job, Taiyo-san."


    Spinosaurus honestly did not like the head pats, as if he were some kind of pet, but he was not going to throw Narumi off his back for that. While Spinosaurus was catching his breath, Narumi scanned around her. With enhanced night vision, they could vividly see their surroundings which would otherwise be pitch-black to the human eye. Despite arriving on the beach, the interior seemed inaccessible due to the steep slopes, cliffs, and rocks. She could not see any boat or landing jetty, as if this island was completely uninhabited. Tropeognathus flew past Spinosaurus and picked up speed. He climbed up in altitude and circled the island.


    It was a small high-rise island, between thirty to forty hectares. Cliffs and steep slopes around the perimeter gave the island an almost volcanic appearance. Spinosaurus was on the west side of the island, the cliffs made it impossible for him or Narumi to get into the interior. On the east side of the island, there was unexpectedly a lagoon protected by the cliffs with a gap to the Pacific. Flying over the island, Tropeognathus could see structures in the center. It was a single dull grey three-story building like it was some sort of abandoned research facility. Except there was a helicopter on a helipad situated on the building''s roof.


    However, there was not a single boat in sight, or a dock or wharf. He let out a hiss in irritation, he banked downwards to check the entire island perimeter at sea level. There was nothing, but the mercenaries and their boat did not just disappear. Reaching the north side of the island, he finally spotted something. There was a concrete canal, seawater was flowing into it. Perfectly sized for a boat to drive into.


    Tropeognathus circled back to Spinosaurus and Narumi, still resting on the shore. He flew downwards, pulled back, and spread his wings, slowing his descent. It was a crazy idea, but he was going to land on the giant dinosaur. Catching as much air as possible, Tropeognathus parachuted down onto the sailed dinosaur. Spinosaurus instantly let out a loud snarl when he felt the sudden weight on his side. Tropeognathus held onto Spinosaurus like a windsurfer. He had his wings folded and his front claws were holding the top of Spinosaurus'' sail while his feet were perched on Spinosaurus'' body. Spinosaurus craned his neck to give a side glare at the Pterosaur.


    Narumi quickly said, "Itou. Did you find Morita or Kurosawa-senpai?"


    Tropeognathus shook his head.


    "Then what about the boat?"


    Tropeognathus cawed and pointed his head towards the north.


    "You want us to go around?"


    The Pterosaur quickly nodded again. Spinosaurus growled and started wading through the shallow water, getting around the island to the north side. Another thunder rumbled over the far distance, they knew a storm was coming and they had to get Etsudo and Daichi fast. Spinosaurus continued on his way towards the north with Narumi and Tropeognathus riding on him.


    Shortly, Spinosaurus reached the concrete canal. The dark tunnel awaited them. Narumi took a sniff of the air, and her eyes slowly widened when she recognized the same scent they had been tracking since school.


    "Guys," Narumi said with a low voice, "They''re in there. You smell them?"


    Spinosaurus and Tropeognathus picked up the scent as well and they snarled with narrowed eyes.


    "Everyone be careful." Narumi cautioned them. Spinosaurus headed into the tunnel, taking every step slow and steady to be as stealthy as possible. The dreary tunnel had concrete platforms on each side, the walls were grimy and stained with moss. His sail was barely out of the ceiling''s reach. The tunnel led them deeper in, the sound of the sea behind them was getting softer.


    Taking a left turn, they saw a boat docked by the platform which leads to an exit door. The same rigid inflatable boat Tropeognathus spotted from the river. Spinosaurus treaded to the side of the platform and his two passengers leaped off him. While Tropeognathus and Spinosaurus took the moment to change, Narumi sneaked towards the doors, creaking them open to check for anyone around. Matabei offered Kohaku his hand and pulled him out of the water.


    "Ugh..." Matabei groaned with goosebumps all over his limbs as he and Kohaku stood on the wet floor with their bare feet. "When we get Morita, she''s going to make shoes for our hero costumes."


    "Itou-senpai, what did you see over the island?" Kohaku asked.


    "I saw a helicopter on a building. It must be right above us." Matabei stepped in between Narumi and Kohaku. "There is someone else on this island."


    "Must be Doctor Rossiter." Kohaku guessed.


    "Come on. We got to find Morita and Kurosawa-senpai." Narumi said and the three climbed up the stairs.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    At the top floor, in Doctor Rossiter''s laboratory, Delta had her severed hand inside a nanotech box. Deep red blood was still dripping from the wound. A dull green gas was emitted from the nozzles in the box, the same kind of gas back in the stairwell at GenaTech''s tower.


    An instant sharp sting panged in her hand and she groaned in agony.


    "The nanites are going to seal up the bleeding and stimulate the healing process faster." Doctor Rossiter explained to Delta. The other mercenaries surrounded her. "Keep your hand inside the box for ten minutes, the bleeding will stop."


    While the nanites were doing their work on her hand, Delta took the chance to confront Rossiter. "Hey, Doc! What the hell did your tech do to those students?"


    "You made them into dinosaurs?!" Echo exclaimed ecstatically. "Those kids can transform into goddamn dinosaurs?!"


    "That''s how Song is involved in this," Alpha said, crossing his arms.


    "I told you it wasn''t the same treatment," Beverly said. "Doctor Song came to me with the paleo genetic materials, I provided the medium for it. He tried producing paleo phenotypes from lab mice for the pharmaceutical properties that paleo genetics hold. But now we have our human trial. You guys already know how the nanites work. They mutate the subject''s cells. The subject will change into the new species and back for a full assimilation of the nanites."


    "The same process we went through," Alpha said. "But your nanotech isn''t designed for lab mice. Exposure of any amount would be fatal to small animals." Alpha eyeballed her. "Song didn''t know that. You left that part out, didn''t you?"


    Beverly went silent after he pointed that out. The rest of the mercenaries gave her a look.


    "You knew Song would be too stubborn to proceed any further if the mice trial fails. You set him up from the start." Alpha deduced, "Make him look like an idiot to Kengo, then take his work for yourself, and continue the research for your own profit."


    "I don''t see how this is of any concern to you." Beverly got up and stared back at him, "Getting the other three targets is your concern. Payment for the two downstairs has already been transferred. So once Delta has been patched up, you''re going to get back out there and bring me the last three."


    Beverly went past him and got to another lab bench. She began her work on the blood samples. Petri dishes containing Etsudo and Daichi''s blood were placed in another nanotech box. The same dull gas was emitted from nozzles in the box. As soon as the gas came into contact with the blood on the petri dishes, the blood was absorbed into the mixture. Beverly did not particularly care if she was cross-contaminating the gas with two different blood samples. If all the biological properties were contained in just one mixture, that was sufficient for her. Proper and ethical protocols be damned. Afterward, the mixture was funneled through tubes out of the nanotech box, before being vacuumed and pressurized into a series of vials. The same kind of vials that started this whole mess. Soon after, they were stored in a secure case.


    "Now I have to deliver this to Kengo, a sample will satisfy him for the time being," Beverly said, holding the case in her hands.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Etsudo Morita and Daichi Kurosawa remained in their state of defeat, slumping down on the floor in their electrified prison. They could not help the swirl of emotions emanating. Morbid dread, worry, and above all regret. They did not use their new abilities when they could have.


    Etsudo and Daichi could have fought back when the mercenaries came for them at school. They were stronger and faster. Etsudo could have turned into the Raptor and ripped those mercenaries apart. Daichi was the Eotriceratops, the largest of the Ceratopsians. He could have plowed right through the mercenaries. But instead, Etsudo''s timidity and Daichi''s self-centredness won out. They left Narumi, Kohaku, and Matabei.


    They were snapped out of their funk when they heard footsteps. They shot up to their feet, bracing themselves for the mercenaries coming back for them.


    "Morita, get behind me." Daichi stepped in front of Etsudo.


    "Senpai." Etsudo shuddered.


    The footsteps were getting closer, their hearts pounded with anxiety. The door creaked open, and they backed away from the cell gate. Their eyes went wide and their mouths gaped like a fish once they realized who it was.


    Narumi poked her head through the doorway and spotted them, relief immediately swept over her. She dashed over with Kohaku and Matabei right behind her. "Oh, my God! Morita! Kurosawa-senpai! You''re here!"


    "Uchida-san?" Etsudo froze, "Itou-san? Taiyo-san?"


    "How the hell did you find us?!" Daichi was completely bewildered. "Where are we?!"


    "Long story," Matabei answered, "But we''re on an island off the coast."


    "What?!"


    "We''ll tell you about it later. Right now, we have to figure out how to get you out of there." Narumi said.


    "Y-You came for us?" Etsudo had a bead of tear rolling down an eye. "You really came for us?"


    Narumi, Kohaku, and Matabei paused at her question and gave glances at each other. Narumi said. "Of course we did."


    "Even after we left you. You came to find us?" Daichi was equally bewildered.


    "What? Did you think we were just going to leave you two?" Narumi scoffed and pointed at them, "I told you already we need to stick together. So you owe us big time for bailing on us. You understand?"


    Etsudo''s mouth was still gaping, surprised that Narumi still held onto that idea.


    "Do you understand, guys?" Narumi asked louder this time. "Those bastards who got us into this mess are around here somewhere, and they are not going to stop. We didn''t come all this way to find you two, just so you could run away again. So we''re going to take them down. We do this together."


    "Yes." Etsudo quickly nodded, wiping away the tear in her eye. "Yes, okay."


    "Yeah. Yeah, we''re with you guys." Daichi clenched a fist, "It''s payback time."


    Their hearts hammered, but fear was being replaced with hope and unity. Narumi, Matabei, and Kohaku came all this way to find them. They were going to repay it in kind, by finally acting as team players.


    "Now do you know where the keys are?" Narumi asked, bending over to inspect the padlock on the cell gate door.


    "Don''t touch it!" Daichi stopped her, "It''s electrified!"


    "Shit!" Narumi instantly reeled back, "The lock is not enough? They got to electrify the gate?! Alright, how do we shut it down?"


    "Uchida-senpai." Kohaku called her and pointed up. There was a thick cable welded to the cell gate. The cable ran along the ceiling and down a fuse box on the side of the room.


    Kohaku and Matabei got to the fuse box. Matabei noticed the padlock clamped on the side of the box''s cover. "Dammit. It''s locked as well."


    "Not anymore." Kohaku clutched the top of the fuse box''s cover. With dinosaur strength in his hand, he ripped the cover open and the padlock was snapped off, exposing the circuitry inside.


    "Uh..." Matabei rolled his eyes, "Why can''t these things have a simple ''off'' button? Do you have any idea which wire to pull?"


    "Just one. Maybe." Kohaku grabbed the one thick cable connected to the top of the fuse box. Growling through his teeth, Kohaku yanked the cable free. Sparks sizzled all over before it settled down.


    "Try it now, Uchida." Matabei said.


    Narumi got to the cell gate, her hand gingerly approached the gate. Feathering over them, Narumi let out the breath she had been holding once she could safely hold the bars.


    "Great." Narumi gripped the bars, "We still need to find the keys."


    "Get back. I have an idea." Daichi made some distance.


    "What are you doing?" Matabei raised a brow.


    "Probably something stupid." Daichi took in a deep breath, the muscles in his limbs thickened. The sclera is his eyes blackened and his irises turned orange. He let out a low rumble from his throat and kicked off into a charge. The door snapped open and the broken padlock was flung away as he rushed right through the gate. The entire room rumbled and the sound of clanging metal echoed through the entire stairwell.


    The group appeared like deer in the headlights. Narumi pipped, "Okay, everybody is going to hear that racket."


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The echoes reached the top floor and everyone heard it. Beverly Rossiter and the Five Deaths turned to the laboratory''s door.


    "What the hell was that?!" Delta asked in upheaval.


    "We''re not alone on this island," Alpha answered.


    "What?!" Beverly burst out in shock. "Everything is offline here! No one knows about this place! How could anyone-" Beverly snapped back to Delta whose severed hand was finally free from the nanotech box and had finally stopped bleeding.


    Beverly''s face contorted into a look of fury, "Your blood! You goddamn idiot! You led the other assets right to us!"


    Alpha wasted no time and took command. "Rossiter, get the chopper ready. The rest of you, weapons free."


    Alpha gave the order. Bravo upholstered his suppressed pistol. Charlie and Delta pulled out their knives. Lastly, they put on their specialized earplugs to protect themselves from Echo''s high-frequency screech.


    "I want them alive! Their organs better be functioning!" Beverly hollered as she grabbed her case and scampered for the helipad.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    In the dank basement, the dinosaur group was heading up the stairs to the ground level. Everyone was pumped up.


    At the front, Daichi cracked his neck, letting out a bullish grunt. Behind him, Etsudo made a purring snarl as she stretched a leg by pulling it from behind. Matabei stretched his arms and Kohaku cracked his knuckles. At the back, Narumi let out a growl. The sclera in Narumi''s eyes blackened and her irises turned into a deep green.


    "Okay," Matabei broke the silence. "I know we''re ready to kick some ass and all that. But do any of you have a plan?"


    "We see those soldiers, we kick their asses," Narumi answered.


    "What?" Matabei winced, "I mean like a real plan, Uchida. What should each of us do?"


    "Uh..."


    "If those soldiers are going to come at us again, we split them apart." Kohaku brought up his plan. "I''ll take the banshee again. Uchida-senpai, you take the chameleon woman. Itou-senpai, you take the baldie. Morita-senpai, Kurosawa-senpai, you two will take on the other two mercenaries. Each of us should fight the same person we fought before. You all know what that person can do, so settle the score. But we also got to get Doctor Rossiter. She sent those people after us, she started all of this."


    "Guys, Rossiter has a sample of our blood too," Etsudo added.


    "So we nab all of them," Daichi concluded.


    "And they''re going to answer for Tachibana-sensei," Narumi growled.


    "Alright. Guess that''s our plan." Matabei breathed in deep, "Let''s get these assholes."


    Etsudo listened to them while keeping quiet. She vividly remembered Charlie''s face, and she was going to face her again. But this time, she was prepared.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    The group reached the ground level and they found themselves in what appeared to be an old facility lobby. It did not look completely run-down, nor was the place riddled with reeds and moss. It just appeared aged and obsolete. There were dim white lights on the ceiling. Getting into the center of the lobby, they took in their surroundings. The building''s main entrance was a pair of glass panel doors that led to the woods outside. Opposite the entrance was yet another set of stairs to a walkway on the second level.


    "What the hell is this? Some kind of old GenaTech site?" Daichi asked.


    "I don''t think so." Kohaku got to the building''s entrance door. The dirty glass panel had a red ''R'' insignia. "I think this place belonged to someone else."


    "Guys." Narumi''s nose caught a scent, coming from the second floor. She swiftly turned around, eyeing the second level. Everyone followed suit.


    Out from the second-level doorway, the Five Deaths burst in. Alpha had a tall posture, giving an aura of stoicism. Bravo spun his pistol on his finger. Charlie and Delta twirled their knives. Echo stood there with murderous glares.


    "Let me guess," Narumi called them out to Alpha, "You''re the ringleader of this whole circus. Where''s Rossiter?"


    Alpha said, "Girl, you''re in over your head. All of you. I don''t know how you got here, or what you''re trying to do now, but it stops here. If you know what is best for everyone, get back in the cell with the rest. You have one chance to surrender."


    "Hey, big man. I got a better idea." Narumi pointed at Alpha hot-headedly. "It involves my teeth and your throat."


    Each side glared at each other. The sound of an engine starting up came right from the top, and whirring blades quickly came after. The group knew what that meant; Beverly was getting away.


    Delta slammed her hand on the walkway''s railing, "Bitch! You and I have unfinished business! You''re going to beg for death once I''m done with you!"


    Delta whipped out a transparent knife and launched herself off the walkway. In the air, her body disappeared. This time, Narumi could sense where Delta was camouflaged in the air. She braced herself and Delta lunged into her and they both rolled along the floor.


    "Echo," Alpha commanded.


    Echo ran down the stairs midway, she breathed in deep and emitted her most intensive high-frequency cry ever. The sound waves sent stabbing pains in everyone. Narumi yelled out in agony before she received an invisible strike to the face. Narumi was on her back and Delta came out of her camouflage. Delta mounted on Narumi. Just as she was about to plunge her transparent knife, Narumi grabbed Delta''s hand and pushed back. Both were in a lock, Delta pressed her knife downwards while Narumi held her back. All the while, Echo continued her screeching. The soundwave was putting everyone in excruciation, the mercenaries had no qualms in letting the pain linger for a long time.


    Etsudo was brought to her knees clutching her ears in pain. Charlie smirked and vaulted over the walkway''s railing. Twirling the knives in her hands, she stalked towards Etsudo.


    The banshee''s cry was cut short when Kohaku pushed through the pain and lunged right for her. This moment of surprise got Echo to step back. But on a set of stairs, she tripped and fell right onto her back. Kohaku pounced on her and gripped her mouth. Echo was faced with a pair of primal red eyes and snarling teeth before her head was slammed against the stairs.


    "Shut up." Kohaku tightened his clutch on Echo''s lower jaw and her mandible was snapped in half.


    Echo shrieked and blood started spurting out of her mouth. "Ahhhh! Ahhhh!"


    Bravo took aim with his pistol. Kohaku spotted him and let out a gasp before pulling Echo up as a human shield. There was a muffled bang echoing across the entire hall. The pistol ejected a bullet casing and Bravo fired a second time. Both rounds hit Echo''s back and she screamed in pain even louder.


    "Hold your fire goddammit!" Alpha commanded furiously, grabbing Bravo''s arm and pointing his gun away from the stairs. Echo bled like a leaking faucet from the back, her vision was fading. Kohaku tossed Echo up in the air and grabbed her ankle, he threw her at Alpha and Bravo. Alpha ducked down in time, but the sharpshooter could not get out of the way in time. Bravo''s feet left the ground as Echo slammed into him and they both crashed into the wall.


    Once the sound waves stopped, Narumi was able to focus. She pulled Delta''s hand close. She dodged the transparent knife and it stabbed the floor. Narumi seized the opportunity and bit Delta''s other hand. Delta screamed in violent agony once more.


    Alpha''s displeasure was evident on his face. "Do I have to do everything?"


    Kohaku got up and a fist rammed into his face. He staggered back in pain, he really felt that punch. Alpha grabbed Kohaku''s hair, twisting it hard before kneeing him right on the chin. A spittle of blood flung out of Kohaku''s lips. Alpha punted a boot into Kohaku''s gut and he tumbled down the stairs.


    "Hey!" Daichi angrily shouted and dashed for Alpha. With Daichi sprinting from the bottom of the stairs, his head and fists made contact with Alpha''s midsection. Daichi rammed into Alpha, knocking him off his feet. Daichi plowed Alpha through the second-level door where the mercenaries came from.


    Etsudo promptly recovered from her ringing ears. She squeaked and pulled her head back, narrowly evading the knife swinging at her face.


    "I told you." Charlie brandished her blades, leering at Etsudo. "You owe me for stabbing me in the neck, girl."


    Etsudo''s heart hammered in her chest, but she was ready for her enemy. Charlie made a slash at Etsudo''s face again and she swerved to the side dodging her attack. Charlie swung again and Etsudo pulled her head to the side, avoiding Charlie''s blades. This went on for a few seconds, Etsudo''s raptor reflexes gave her the edge and she kept dodging the blades coming her way. Charlie could not even make a small nick on her.


    Matabei got up to the Kohaku, "Taiyo!" he helped his junior up, "You ok?"


    "Get the gun!" Kohaku snarled through his teeth.


    Bravo shook his head, clearing the stars in his vision. Echo, with a folded mandible and bullet holes in her back, laid on top of him pinning him down. His pistol was lying by his feet. Matabei sprinted for the weapon, Bravo shoved Echo off him and crawled for the gun. Matabei snatched up the gun before Bravo could reach. Matabei stepped back and aimed. "Oh no you don''t! Hands up!"


    Bravo glared at Matabei, slowly rising to his full height. He dwarfed Matabei by a couple of inches. Bravo spat, "Do you even have the balls to shoot me, boy? I don''t think so."


    "I know you won''t have any if you don''t put your hands up." Matabei spat back at him, pointing the pistol at Bravo''s crotch.


    In that split second of distraction, Bravo kicked the pistol out of Matabei''s hand. With Matabei caught off guard, Bravo rushed at Matabei, grappling and pushing him towards the railing. Matabei yelled in pain when his back slammed against metal bars.


    Bravo pinned himself on Matabei, pressing a forearm against Matabei''s throat. Bravo shouted at his face. "Transform into that flying dinosaur now boy!"


    "I got a better idea!" Matabei choked out, "How about you fly!"


    Matabei threw a fist into Bravo''s gut. The mercenary gagged from the blow. Matabei''s other hand grabbed Bravo''s lapel. Tapping into his prehistoric strength, he lifted Bravo over his head. Roaring out, Matabei threw Bravo over the railing. Bravo yelled and crashed onto the ground floor. Matabei vaulted over the railing, the iris in his eyes was a striking blue. Matabei landed on Bravo hard, stomping on the mercenary''s guts.


    Bravo let out a gurgling cough before his consciousness faded away. Bravo went out cold within seconds and Matabei leaped off him. "I guess you can''t fly. Sleep well, baldie."


    "Raargh!" Charlie shouted in frustration, she made a wild swing at Etsudo who bent backward to dodge the blade. Before Charlie could attack again, Etsudo lashed out and pushed her back to make space. Charlie got the wind knocked out of her as she landed on her back a few yards away.


    Etsudo''s eyes shined yellow and she hunched over, her muscles were expanding and she tore off her uniform revealing her navy-blue outfit. Etsudo''s skin was turning greyish blue. Her hands were changing into three-fingered claws and her toes were changing into talons. Charlie was not going to wait for whatever Etsudo was doing. She got back up and rushed at her. Etsudo quickly spun around and a surprise tail swept Charlie off her feet.


    A snarling roar burst out of her maw and the Raptor pounced on Charlie, stomping on her with her weight. She stabbed her talon claws into the mercenary''s vest. Raptor clamped her jaws on Charlie''s wrist and began thrashing about, breaking the bones and the knife was tossed aside. Charlie yelled out and blood sprinkled all over. Raptor released Charlie''s wrist and clamped her teeth on her head.


    Delta was screaming her lungs out as Narumi bit her hand once again. Narumi made a muffled bellow with her mouth full. Narumi''s teeth crushed through the bones and ripped the flesh. Narumi clenched her jaw and yanked Delta''s hand off.


    "Ahhh! Ahhhh!"


    Delta rolled away, blood spurting out all over. Narumi stood up with a menacing presence, spitting out the hand in her mouth.


    "You! You bitch!" Delta screamed. "You''re dead! Dead!"


    Narumi drove her foot into Delta''s face, reducing her to silence.


    Raptor thrashed Charlie''s head in her maw. She pressed her talon feet deeper into Charlie''s body. Raptor bit harder, her teeth sinking into her scalp. She kept shaking Charlie''s head left and right until she heard a snap. Raptor''s eyes went wide in shock, she did not intend to break Charlie''s neck. She stepped away with worry.


    "Y-You..." Even more shocking; Charlie was not dead. She was paralyzed from the neck down. Her neck was bent almost perpendicularly and her body was completely mangled. Yet, the wounds all over her face were mending. Her body was healing up. "Y-You''re dead. Whatever you are, freak. When I get out of this, you''re going to wish you killed me properly. You understand me?"


    Raptor purred, she stepped away from Charlie and regrouped with Narumi.


    While the battle in the facility''s lobby was occurring, Daichi continued ramming Alpha through the hallway. Alpha grunted in pain and irritation. He brought his arms up and hammered them down on Daichi''s back.


    "Ah!" Daichi yelled. The blow to Daichi''s back was enough distraction for Alpha to force his legs down to the floor. Alpha grasped the back of Daichi''s collar and threw him. Daichi was careened through a door and into Beverly''s laboratory. Daichi rolled along the floor and crashed into a lab bench. Toppling bottles of chemicals all over.


    Right as Daichi got back up, Alpha clenched his hand on Daichi''s throat and lifted him up. Daichi choked and his feet dangled in the air. Alpha delivered a headbutt into Daichi''s forehead, expecting it would knock him out like it did Etsudo.


    Instead, Alpha''s vision went white for a second. He released Daichi and staggered back, nearly tripping on his own feet. Daichi rubbed his neck to soothe it from the grip earlier. While Alpha was stunned, Daichi took his chance.


    "My turn, asshole." Daichi gripped Alpha''s vest and smashed his own head into Alpha''s nose, shattering it.


    "Gah!" Alpha''s composure had finally snapped, and blood poured from his broken nose.


    Daichi did not let up. He slammed Alpha''s head on the lab table, dragging him across and smashing through all sorts of chemicals and toppling the computers and screen monitors. Daichi finally threw Alpha right into a wall, rumbling the entire lab. Gas tanks by the side toppled and fell onto the floor, gases hissed once the tanks'' spigots broke. The broken computers and screen monitors sizzled sparks over the spilled chemicals, creating an ignition.


    "You son of a bitch!" Alpha yelled, coughing from the fumes the burning chemicals emitted. His usual stoicism had disappeared. He pulled out his M110 silenced sniper rifle and ripped off the scope.


    "Shit!" Daichi gasped and took cover behind the end of the lab bench. Alpha began irately firing his sniper rifle in Daichi''s direction. He made himself as small as possible and ducked his head. The rounds hit the wall and began ricocheting all over. One round managed to hit a fuse box while another punctured the large stationary hydrogen tank.


    Alpha ceased fire, but it was too late. The fuse box was sizzling out sparks, gases from the tanks were leaking out fast, and the spilled chemicals were still burning.


    "Fuck this." Alpha slung his rifle and got to the door for the roof access. He brought a finger to his earpiece. "All units fall back. Vacate the building now."


    Daichi too noticed all the hazards in the laboratory. Picking himself up, he ran back from where he came.


    "Run!" He shouted and dashed past Kohaku on the walkway, "The lab is going to blow! Run! Run!"


    "Oh shit!" Kohaku ran down to the ground floor with Daichi.


    The gas from the tanks in the lab caught fire and a terrible explosion erupted. The shockwave coursed through everything indoors, shaking the entire building. On the helipad, Beverly heard and felt her lab went boom. Alpha appeared out of nowhere. He snapped the pilot''s door open, surprising Beverly.


    "What did you do?!" She shrieked. "What happened?!"


    "I''m flying. Move over." Alpha ordered.


    "My lab! What have you done?!"


    Alpha pulled Beverly violently by her collar. "I said move over."


    The group was reunited in the lobby after the mass explosion. The walls began to crack all over. The pillars started to crumble and pieces of debris fell from the ceiling.


    "Everyone!" Narumi shouted, "Out!"


    There was no chance to get the other mercenaries out. The ceiling began to collapse and the walls shattered. Charlie, who was still paralyzed, screamed out until a giant piece of debris fell on her.


    Raptor was the first to speed out of the lobby, she lunged through the lobby entrance breaking the doors open. Narumi, Daichi, Matabei, and Kohaku were right behind her. They ran into the woods, clearing enough distance as the building caved in.


    What was once a personal research facility became a giant pile of rubble. In the cloud of dust, Narumi shielded her eyes with her arm. "Guys?! Where are you all?!"


    "Here!" Everyone responded as they coughed out. The Raptor let out a series of caws.


    "Follow that Raptor''s voice guys!"


    Everyone quickly became visible and they grouped up. The dust was clearing up, revealing the demolished facility. Narumi and Daichi''s school uniforms were in tatters, no sense to keep them on considering they still had their suits underneath.


    "Everyone okay?" Narumi wheezed.


    "We''re fine." Matabei spat out the dirt in his mouth, "Can''t say the same for those guys."


    "What happened?"


    "That big man blew up the lab. Cause the whole building to fall." Daichi croaked, wiping the dust off his face.


    "What about that helicopter? And Rossiter?" Kohaku asked. Whirring blades from above drew their attention. Looking up, they spotted the helicopter flying away.


    Alpha circled the island, Beverly was clutching onto her case of vials on the passenger seat.


    "Alpha to all units, respond," Alpha said to his earpiece. No answer came through. "Respond."


    Silence was all he got.


    "Get back down and finish the job," Beverly ordered him. Alpha snapped at her with a furious look. He pulled the cyclic control in the helicopter.


    "Hey!" she shrieked.


    They elevated higher and soared away.


    Back on the island, the group saw Alpha and Beverly leaving.


    "We got to follow them," Narumi said.


    Matabei''s eyes flashed blue and he started transforming.


    "The boat. Back in the canal." Kohaku said.


    "Anyone know how to drive a boat?" Narumi asked around.


    "Yeah, yeah I do." Daichi raised his hand.


    "Alright! Come on! Let''s go!" Narumi sprinted off. Kohaku, Daichi, and Raptor followed. Tropeognathus leaped into the air and flew ahead.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    The helicopter was halfway between the island and the coast. Alpha and Beverly were fuming, but each for different reasons.


    "What are you doing?! You''ve ruined my lab! You''re letting them go! Get back there and finish the job!" Beverly yelled in his ear.


    Alpha clamped his hand on Beverly''s head. "The job is over! You ruined your own lab when you failed to hold up your end of the deal!" Alpha shouted in her face, "You cost me my team! So now, you''re going to compensate! You''re going to hand over the vials. It''s going to be my payment!"


    Beverly''s breathing was rapid, "What?! How dare you?!" She was silenced from her tirade when she felt the immense pressure from his fingers squeezing her head.


    "Either you pay or you die!"


    Beverly slowly loosened her hold on the case, her hand inched for her inner coat. She pulled out and aimed a SIG P238 pistol at Alpha. A small handgun, perfectly hidden in her coat pocket.


    "Get your hand off me! You will not touch my work!" Beverly screeched. "We''re going to land! And you''re going to stay far away from me!"


    The helicopter was almost at the city''s beach, Alpha glared at her for what felt like years. Beverly pulled back the hammer in the pistol, giving further prompting to Alpha.


    The mercenary''s hand released Beverly''s scalp, he slowly moved his back. Beverly almost slackened once his hand was off her. But his hand neared the pistol, and Alpha pushed her hand with swift speed. The sudden jerk got Beverly to pull the trigger.


    The helicopter''s panel popped and sparks flew all over with a siren blaring. The fuel to the motor was cut. The rotating blades slowed and the helicopter began to descend. Alpha wrangled the cyclic control to get any stability but to no avail. Very quickly, the helicopter spun out of control going down to the beach. As the helicopter plummeted down. Beverly''s hysterical screams were cut short when Alpha grabbed her head again and clenched, crushing her head into bits.


    The helicopter crashed into the sand, the tail and blades broke and flung into places, and the fuselage rolled across the beach to a halt. The motor caught fire and it began to spread. Alpha crawled out of the burning helicopter and along the sand. His military clothes were ripped apart and scars riddled all over his face. Alpha pushed himself to his feet and limped away. Back at the fuselage. Beverly''s corpse was burning and her case laid there open, with the vials broken.


    Alpha''s limp disappeared and he stormed away from the crash. In the cover of night, the burning helicopter was the only source of illumination. Alpha slipped further away in the darkness, but he did not get far. Once he got onto the road, he felt like an invisible blow struck him in the gut, he hunched over and was forced to his knees. Alpha''s face scrunched up tight before he opened his eyes; complete yellow orbs with no resemblance to anything human.


    Alpha began to expand in bulk, tearing through his clothing. His growing feet tore out of his boots, turning into giant elephant-like feet. He slammed his hands on the sand, his little and ring fingers regressed into them, the remaining fingers lengthened and turned into claws. His skin was hardening with bluish-green scales and he continued to increase in mass. A tail was growing out of his rear, it swished left and right. His jaw stretched forward and his teeth sharpened into terrible fangs. A black horn popped on the top of his nose and two longer horns grew over the ridges of his eyes. The back of his skull widened, sprouting like a thick frill.


    What was once Alpha stood a creature nearly five meters in height and thirteen meters in length. He was standing on all fours with ceratopsian hind legs and raptor hands. His head had a theropod structure with horns and a bony frill. A horrid animal with ceratopsian and raptor features. A terrible dinosaur, hybrid and chimeric.


    Chimerasaurus.


    He let out a roar that sounded unnatural even for a dinosaur, it sounded like a mix of a trumpeting bellow and a snarling hiss. Chimerasaurus took a look at himself, the clawed hands and the trunk-like feet, the slender tail, and the sharp teeth. He let out another uncanny roar before galloping into the city.


    <hr noshade="noshade" size="1">


    Another thunder rumbled off on the horizon. Tropeognathus flew across the open water with a rigid inflatable boat tailing him. Kohaku sat at the front, Narumi and Etsudo huddled close, and Daichi was behind the wheel putting the boat at full speed. They bounced along the waves, they could see the beach and the burning crashed helicopter. The beach was just about three hundred meters away when the boat''s motor started spurting with fumes choked out of it. Right away, the boat came to a halt.


    "Are you kidding me?!" Daichi tried to start the engine again, "Those guys didn''t put in enough gas?!"


    "Eh?" Etsudo squeaked, "W-Well now what do we do?"


    "Taiyo-san." Narumi said to her junior. As if no other words were needed, Kohaku got up and dived into the water.


    "What the hell?" Daichi peered over, "Oi, you''re going to swim all the way there?"


    He got no answer from Kohaku seeing as he was completely submerged in the water. A short moment later, a sail rose out of the water with Spinosaurus'' head in front.


    "Come on, guys. Get on Taiyo-san." Narumi leaped onto him, followed by Daichi and Etsudo.


    Spinosaurus swam up to the beach, Narumi sat on his neck while Daichi and Etsudo clung onto each side of his sail. Spinosaurus'' feet came into contact with the seabed and waded over to the beach. Tropeognathus landed by his side on the sand. In just a day, he was impressed with himself with how fast he learned how to make a landing. Narumi slid off Spinosaurus'' neck while Daichi and Etsudo leaped off his back.


    Narumi scanned the beach and rushed right over to the crash, the sheer heat from the fire was keeping her at bay. But squinting her eyes, she could see a burning corpse in the cockpit. Judging from the size, she had to guess it was not Alpha.


    "Rossiter." Narumi backed away from the crash. Her keen sense of smell wrenched her attention away from the smoke. Something else was drawing her attention. Tilting her head, she eyed the blood trail leading away from the crash.


    "Hey, Uchida. Over here." Daichi''s voice called to her. Narumi spun around. Daichi, Etsudo, and Spinosaurus followed a path of footprints with drops of blood on the sand. It started as boot prints leaving the burning helicopter, which quickly changed into a patch of upturned sand with torn clothes scattered around and a pair of boots ripped open. What followed were giant depressions and slash marks all over the sand.


    "Oh, God."


    If the pieces of clothes tossed around and the giant tracks were of any indication to the group, they knew what had become of Alpha. The worst of it, the dinosaur tracks were heading toward the city. Up above, a bolt of lightning flashed in the thick clouds, preceded by a crack of thunder rumbling. Cold drops of water splashed on their heads, and then the sky unleashed the furious rains and howling winds.


    Daichi hunched over, the iris in his eyes became a deep orange. His mass grew rapidly. He got on all fours and his arms enlarged. His skin became a dull green with pebbly scales. The middle and index fingers along with the thumb in his hands turned into big stubby claws. The ring and little fingers regressed into his hands. His limbs became massive like tree trunks. A long tail grew from Daichi''s back with a slight curve. A large frill fanned out on his head, the three horns emerged on his face and his mouth formed into a beak. Eotriceratops stomped on the ground with a snort. After his entire ordeal from school to the island, he was ready to fight.


    Etsudo''s eyes became a vibrant yellow. She grew in mass and her skin was a greyish blue. Her thighs were muscular and scaly. The ring and little fingers in her hands shrunk back into her hands and her remaining fingers grew into claws. Her big toes were pulled back as her metatarsals stretched. Her little toes regressed into her feet. The remaining toes became razor-sharp talons. Her tail emerged out of her behind, long and slender. Her mouth stretched forward into a snout, filled with needle-like teeth. Raptor gave a purring hiss before a growl. She was not going to flee this time, now she was going to stand together with the rest.


    Narumi kicked off into a run, her eyes turned green and her body bulked up. As she sprinted for the city, her soft white skin was hardening into pebbly obsidian scales. The muscles in her limbs grew and hardened. The thumbs and index fingers on her hands grew into claws while the rest of her fingers regressed. Three middle toes on each of her feet grew and cracked into claws. Her big toes were brought back to the stretched metatarsals and the little toes shrunk inside. A tail emerged from her rear, growing long and massive. Her skull expanded with her hair pulled into her scalp. Her mouth stretched forward into a powerful set of tyrannical jaws with daggers for teeth.


    Tyrannosaurus Rex bellowed into the stormy night, stampeding onwards to the city. Raptor snarled and sped past her. Tropeognathus cawed and leaped into the air, flying over her head. Eotriceratops and Spinosaurus bellowed and roared, running together with the T-Rex.


    It was time to save the city, as one.

 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, and Setsuna and Yui watched inside the wrecked car. They could only scream and brace for impact while the colossal mutant dinosaur charged their 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.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    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.


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    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?''


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    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.


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    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.


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    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.


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    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.


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    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!"


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    End of Volume 1