The Battle on the Ice

"What kind of weather is this monstrosity? It looks like it should be freezing cold, but I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt and I'm not freezing, what the hell is this?" Erik shouts out loud in confusion to all of nature to hear. He manages to hear himself courtesy of nature's echo.

Erik's sonar beeped as he paced around the snowy landscape in utter confusion. He swung his pickaxe wherever his sonar beeped. Eventually, he found a rock that had some delicate bones sticking out of it.

"Perfect, a fossil rock! I wonder what kind of creature is in this rock? I'll take this back to the lab to revive and use whatever creature it is in a battle," Erik explained to himself.

Erik's pockets started to vibrate. He was receiving some text messages.

One glance at his phone, he saw it was Rosie.

"Oh, great. She probably wants to go on some crazy adventure and is trying to find where I am to tag me along," Erik added with a livid tone and an eyeroll.

(The text) "ROSIE: Hi Erik! My grandfather is so grateful to what you did. He wants to talk to you. I have a better idea though! Let's go on an adventure to see Woolbeard again!"

"As I suspected...as cool as that sounds, I just want to grind out my skills and use them in battle. I helped her retrieve her dino medals. I saved her from sharks. Like, why can't I do what I want to do?" Erik thought to himself as he remembered all the activities him and Rosie have done together.

As Erik walked back to the lab, he ended up sliding out of control on a frozen pond. "God, these attendants should really place a sign warning you to watch where you walk. Though, I guess they assumed it would be fine considering the weather is oddly warm, yet the snow and ice are freezing cold. How does that work?" Erik cursed out in confusion.

"Erik! Erik!" A childish, feminine voice called out.

Immediately, Erik knew who was calling his name.

"Rosie, watch out!" Erik yelled.

"Huh? Ahhhhhh!" Rosie screamed as she slid across the ice, crashing into Erik.

"Don't say I didn't warn ya, how many times is that now?" Erik chuckled.

"Shut up, Erik. Stop rubbing it in that you've saved me so many times," Rosie grumbled. "Besides, I came for you, y'know. Didn't you get my text?"

Rosie stood there with crossed arms. Her eyes gazed at Erik deathly.

"I already seen that. Frankly, I don't care. I just want to train--" Erik replied, breaking the short silence.

"Oh my god, Erik, that's literally all you ever do," Rosie interrupted. "What even is the purpose?"

"Tsk, tsk. If I don't train, my opponents will have an easier time. I want to be a tough challenge for anyone who faces me. Hence why training is important to me. I never get time to do said training because someone drags me into their little adventures," Erik laughed.

"Well, maybe I like your company. I like working as a team," Rosie huffed.

"And maybe I like working alone. Kind of like a lone wolf," Erik added with a sharp tongue.

"Fine, if you really don't care. Then I won't ask you to come on adventures with me, and I won't even tell you what my grandpa wanted to say to you," Rosie enraged.

"Good, that's a favor. I bet you wouldn't survive a battle without me," Erik chuckled.

"Goodbye!" Rosie yelled.

"Watch your step!" Erik screamed back.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Rosie yelled as she fell on the hard, cold ice. She got up quickly and headed back towards the lab.

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Erik's Perspective:

"Finally, now I can get my training done in peace. No more annoyances asking if I want to partake in adventures. I'm free!" Erik yelled out as he trained in Ice Grip Plateau.

He was free to dig wherever he wanted and battle wild dinosaurs and other prehistoric beasts for experience in battling.

"Heh, the more battling, the stronger I'll become. I'll be a worthy opponent for everyone to face," Erik chuckled.

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Rosie's Perspective:

"Ugh, I can't believe Erik. Why does he spend all his time 'training'? He'd rather do that than go on adventures with me," Rosie sobbed as she paced around her room.

"I know what I'll do, I'll prove I don't need Erik to partake in my adventures, even though he makes them more enjoyable. I'll partake in a battle to prove I'm stronger than he thinks. Erik will be proud of me," Rosie thought out loud to herself.

"Rosetta, is everything alright?" her grandfather muttered from behind the closed door to Rosie's pink bedroom.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Rosie cheerfully gleemed.

"Where's Erik? I really need to talk to him," her grandfather added in confusion.

"Oh, Erik? He's busy. You know him. Train, train, train is on his brain, brain, brain all day long," Rosie joked.

"Well, is he coming over for your latest adventure?" her grandfather asked.

"No, I cancelled it. Besides, I want to participate in that new tournament at the Fossil Stadium. Knowing Erik, he's probably already there," Rosie lied as she chuckled a bit.

"Oh? That's surprising coming from you, Rosetta. You're not one to take battling seriously and are more keen on adventures. Though, I guess it is true that wherever there's a battle, Erik is always close by," her grandfather replied in shock.

"Grandpa!" Rosie shrieked.

"What? It's true. You're always exploring landmarks around the island. You hardly ever battle. You always leave that bit to Erik--I mean, I cannot blame you. He's got talent in that matter," her grandfather added.

"Anyway, if I'm going to the tournament, I better head over to the Fossil Stadium to sign up and battle," Rosie replied, quickly changing the subject.

"Alright, if you insist. I'll be in there as well. Good luck, Rosetta," her grandfather obliged. "Also be careful on your way out--"

"Ahhhhhh!" Rosie shrieked as she headed out the door and skidded down the icy stairway.

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At the Fossil Stadium:

"Huh? What's this flyer?" Rosie asked to herself.

"Seems someone didn't get the memo," a masculine voice chuckled in the distance.

"Huh? Oh, it's just you, Holt," Rosie replied in relief.

"Why are you so keen on battling all of a sudden?" Holt asked, squinting his eyes in suspicion.

"I'm trying to prove to Erik that I don't need him to battle for me," Rosie explained.

"Ha~ha, that's adorable," Holt chuckled.

"Holt, this is serious!" Rosie yelled.

"You know what Erik's capable of. If you participate in this tournament, there's a ninety-seven percent chance you'll face off against him. The dude has never lost a battle in his entire career as a fighter," Holt explained.

"Yeah, so?" Rosie asked.

"Rosie, dear, it seems you aren't understanding this. This is a terrible idea on your part. I've faced off against Erik multiple times and I cannot even make a dent in his team," Holt explained further.

"Why does everyone assume I cannot win?" Rosie asked.

"I'm not saying that at all. You can win the tournament, that is if Erik doesn't participate. Which is pretty much downright impossible to assume Erik won't be there. However, if you must know. They moved the tournament to Ice Grip Plateau. Y'know, the dig-site because it's rarely ever used," Holt informed.

"Alright, that's where I'm headed. Cheer me on, Holt," Rosie yelled as she stormed off to Ice Grip Plateau.

"Okay...even though you're bound to get your ass kicked by Erik," Holt muttered.

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Back at Ice Grip Plateau:

"Holy...there's a ton of people here compared to normal," Rosie gasped.

"I mean, what do you expect? I'd say most people here have came to impress their idol, Erik," Holt shrugged.

"He's really that famous?" Rosie questioned.

"Of course he is. You expect a fighter as good as Erik to not have a spotlight? He's also famous because he partakes in wacky adventures," Holt muttered.

"Next!" a feminine voice yelled.

"Oh, I'm up next for sign-ups," Rosie muttered.

"FFID please," the attendant requested.

"Here you go. My name is Rosie Richmond. Master Fighter. Granddaughter of the island owner," Rosie cheerfully introduced herself.

"You will be battling in the next ten minutes. I suggest you to get ready," the attendant urged.

"What? So soon?" Rosie asked in shock.

"Yes, we don't have many high-ranked fighters participating. One of the high-ranked fighters doesn't have much competition," the attendant explained.

"See, I told you that Erik would be here," Holt whispered. "Where else would he be?"

"Holt, you gotta help me!" Rosie muttered loudly.

"No way, I'm a level 6 fighter, you're the master fighter here," Holt chuckled. "Besides, wouldn't it be nice to beat Erik on your own?"

"I can't do that, I needed help to even get to my rank," Rosie admitted.

"Let me guess, Erik helped you?" Holt jeered.

"Not the time for mocking, Holt, but yes, he did," Rosie replied.

"Well, maybe use Erik's advice against him? I don't know," Holt suggested.

"Hmm, alright, I'll use Maia, T-Rex, and Giganto, sound good?" Rosie suggested.

"That has got to be the worst team I have ever seen. Those are all fire types, all he has to do is bring one water type on the battlefield to counter your entire team," Holt explained with a disgusted look. "Not to mention, Giganto and T-Rex weaken your team."

"Ok, ok, how about Maia, Shanshan, and Nychus?" Rosie asked.

"I swear, didn't Erik tell you not to have Shanshan on your team? Shanshan is USELESS. Not suited for high-rank playstyles at all," Holt explained aggravatedly.

"Then suggest to me a team!" Rosie yelled.

"Alright. Since you like Maia so much, she'll be one of your supports. She's a healer, not suited for attack. Next, Plesio: he's a long-ranged attacker who can deal some deadly poison. We'll put him as the second support slot. Finally, your main attacker will be F-Raptor," Holt suggested while giving a brief explanation.

"But Plesio and F-Raptor are ugly. They aren't pink," Rosie cried.

"Looks don't matter, just use my suggestion," Holt replied.

"Fine, I should get ready," Rosie added.

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The Tournament Battle:

"And another victory for Erik!" Slate Johnson announced. "What do you think about Erik, Trip?"

"I assume we don't have many fighters left for Erik to fight," Trip Cera muttered concerningly.

"No, according to the attendant, we have a master fighter," Slate Johnson reassured.

"Oh? Then bring them to the arena!" Trip Cera shouted.

Rosie stepped out onto the battle arena, eyes squinted and her arms crossed. Her eyes met Erik's surprised eyes.

"I must admit, Rosie, I didn't expect you of all people to fight me," Erik chuckled. "I hope I taught you well."

"Let's fight already," Rosie enraged.

"Battle formations, assemble! Tricera, Lambeo and Jara engage into your battle positions!" Erik commanded.

Lambeo took on the role of the main attacker, while Tricera and Jara took on the roles of the two supports.

"B-battle f-formations, assemble!" Rosie stuttered as she slipped on the icy, frozen pond.

F-Raptor took his role as the main attacker, while Plesio and Maia took their roles of the supports.

"The battle has begun!" Trip Cera shouted.

"Indeed it has. I wonder what Erik's battle plan is," Slate announced.

"Will you two cut it out? Your comments get repetitive and annoying real quick," Erik called out angrily. "Anyway, Lambeo, use Sliding Ram onto F-Raptor."

Lambeo followed Erik's command. The move knocked F-Raptor's health in half.

"Crap. I don't know what to do. Wait, I got an idea. Maia, use Dainty Punch. Plesio, use Plesio Poison. Both on Lambeo," Rosie commanded.

Maia attacked first, though she didn't do much damage being a healer. Plesio's attack was next, and the poison went through.

"Alright, Lambeo, you know the drill. Sliding Ram and finish off F-Raptor. Jara, use Knockout Cry on Plesio," Erik commanded.

Lambeo finished off F-Raptor like he was told. Jara used Knockout Cry on Plesio, putting Plesio to sleep for a turn. Erik decided against swapping out Lambeo, causing Lambeo to take a decent amount of poison damage.

"What the hell, Erik? You're that confident in your abilities that you just let Lambeo take the damage?" Rosie asked in shock.

"Clearly, you don't know much about Lambeo. He's a powerful attacker and he can take hits. Plus, Lambeo is a descendant of Maia. Meaning healing is an option. Overall, Lambeo is the best fire-type in my opinion," Erik explained.

"Well, okay, that doesn't seem smart to me," Rosie shrugged. "Anyway, Maia, use Dainty Punch again on Lambeo."

"Don't you think that's the wrong move?" Erik asked jeeringly.

"No? I don't understand," Rosie asked confusingly.

"I may be your opponent, but I want you to learn from your mistakes. Simply put it this way, you may have better luck going for Jara over Lambeo. Sure, Lambeo may be intimidating in health and attack power, but Jara's capable of stealing YOUR vivosaurs' energy, and putting YOUR vivosaurs to sleep," Erik explained. "Regardless, it doesn't matter because you clocked your move in."

Maia did as she was told. Again, being a healer, she didn't do much damage.

"Y'know what? I'm feeling confident. Jara, use Spite Blast!" Erik commanded. "Basically, Spite Blast is a sacrificial move. Jara will take out Plesio, but in turn, Jara will eliminate itself from the battle."

Jara did as Erik commanded and took out Plesio AND itself.

"Who the hell would want sacrificial moves?" Rosie asked with a puzzled look.

"High-ranked fighters who want to eliminate the largest threat," Erik jeered. "This is what high-ELO fighting is like."

"Erik, how do you forfeit?" Rosie asked.

"Forfeit? High ranks don't forfeit because we like to gain experience every battle," Erik explained.

Rosie stomped her foot in the ground as hard as she could. She ended up cracking the ice of the frozen pond beneath her. However, the ice didn't break through completely.

"Erik, I'm done. I don't want to fight anymore. I just want to go on an adventure again," Rosie forfeited.

"Well, well, well, I was right, wasn't I?" Erik joked. "This is why I train constantly and consistently!"

"Fair point, but the battle life isn't for me," Rosie admitted. "I just wanted to prove to everyone I could beat you."

"Seriously? You knew that no one would believe that. I've developed quite the reputation around here," Erik chuckled. "Even if I am only a level six fighter."

"That reminds me, grandpa wanted me to tell you something," Rosie added.

"Huh? You mean the text message?" Erik asked.

"Yes, grandpa was trying to contact you about moving up to Master Fighter. I-I feel guilty at the fact that I received Master Fighter status before you and it was undeserved." Rosie cried.

"Nah, that's fine. If anything, your title pushed me to be the best fighter on the island," Erik replied.

Additional Information:

- This story is based off a childhood game that I would play, the dialogue and actions are different, but the names and characters remain the same.

- In the game, you are introduced to a pink-haired girl who's also dressed in pink; she refers to herself as "Rosie." Rosie is also portrayed to be "unlucky" in the game.

- Rosie is the granddaughter of the island owner. Hence why she refers to him as "grandpa."

- Holt is the name of your "rival" in the game. Holt also has a love interest with Rosie, but Rosie prefers your character.

- The terms "dino medals" and "battle" refer to actual game itself. You, as one of the main characters clean the fossil rocks to get a dino medal, then you head into battle with your new friend.

- "Erik" refers to the 'hero' of the game. You play as a boy in this game. You can change the name to fit your own desires, you even give him a color scheme and what his favorite dinosaur is.

- The name of the game is called "Fossil Fighters," this is the first game in the series, and it has a very beautiful storyline. It was made in 2008, hence why the graphics may not be up to some's standards.

- Ice Grip Plateau is not from "Fossil Fighters" but instead from the 2nd version of the game: Fossil Fighters - Champions.

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