Dinosaur King - Remake! Out of Time and Space

Chapter 16 Rise Of The Summer Sun

The very same day, the D-team continued their crystal training. Rex once again as the only one managed to expand his element but unlike the last time, he had it under control. He was thinking about what Alice told him over and over again as he slowly wasn't thinking about that, but only about her. How she was the one who snapped him out of Mary's spells the first time, how she protected him from her, how she believed in him. He directed the wind around the room and then slowly decreased it.

"Good job."

"That's not fair," Max and Zoe said, jealous.

Reese made notes, while behind her Sora and Aki were just standing. He noticed her concerned face.

"You okay?" he asked the brunette.

She looked up at him. "I've been better."

"Figured. So, what's bothering you?" He folded his arms, raising his eyebrow.

She didn't reply.

"Michael and Kato, am I right?"

"Maybe..."

"Bingo. I noticed you acting like this when Komatsu and Shiraki were killed. I know how you feel." He placed his hand to his heart; he had a photo of a loved one in that pocket. "To tell you the truth, I was scared too when Shiraki died; I still don't believe it happened because he was a guardian since he gave up on that position. Maybe you should do the same."

"Give up on being Cole's guardian?"

"Yeah. Don't take it in a wrong way, but you've never seemed to be the type fit for a guardian."

"I'm too weak..." Aki sighed.

"Hey, I never said that! You're just... A pacifist in every sense of the word," Sora tried to explain. However, she turned away. "Sorry..."

She only sighed.

————

Meanwhile, in a small second-hand store Niki was carrying a box with jeans to a shelf; Stegi was following her. She put the box down and started putting the clothes on the shelf. Stegi sat down, looking up at her, wagging his tail happily. Niki noticed it.

"Well, just wait until I put everything in place and then we'll go play outside, okay?" Stegi nodded.

Then the door of the store opened and a man with dark greenish hair entered. Niki gasped, dropping a pair of jeans. She picked Stegi up and rushed into the closet, hiding inside.

"Mrs. Saka," he said as he walked to Nicole's mother who was selling at the store. She glared at him.

"Seiji."

Niki peeked out of the closet, covering Stegi's mouth to keep him quiet.

The man was Seiji Shuryo, Niki's uncle and Sora's boss.

"What do you want?" his sister asked him.

"I'd like to see my niece, that's all. You know I always love to see her."

"I do, but she's...she's busy right now. Sorry."

"Alright then. See you, Mrs. Saka." Shuryo left the store.

His sister sighed. "Arrogant, possessive and seeking for power."

Niki and Stegi walked out of the closet.

"He hasn't called me 'sister' or by my first name for fifteen years. I hope you and your brother won't have this kind of relationship when you get older."

"Well, me too." Niki went back to work.

Ever since the dinosaurs started appearing again, Shuryo started snooping around; they assumed it had a connection, that's why they hide Stegi from him. The whole family knows that he'd love power like that for himself and since it was rumored that he knows identities of people connected to the incidents, it was possible he thought that Niki is one of them. He was right in a certain way.