Trike snarled as the energy radiating from her fragment surged, her scales glowing an incandescent red as the swirling hot air around her distorted the arena. She was a living weapon under the light of the meteor shard, her movements filled with a raw, untamed fury. Her horns gleamed menacingly as she charged at Para with all her strength.Para, seeing the rippling energy Trike exuded, adjusted her stance and narrowly sidestepped at the last second. The dodge left Trike momentarily unbalanced, her momentum carrying her straight past Para and into the edge of the crowd. The impact sent a ripple of shocked murmurs through the gathered onlookers."Ow! What the hell?!" snapped a Pachycephalosaurus girl, rubbing her shoulder as she stumbled backward. The Pachy, often referred to as Bonehead for her thick skull dome, turned toward Trike with an annoyed snarl. Without hesitation, she rammed her head forward, landing a resounding blow against Trike's side. The force of the impact made Trike flinch and take an involuntary step back, her glowing aura faltering for a brief moment.Meanwhile, Para staggered over to Anon, breathing heavily as she wiped sweat from her brow. "Man, she moves fast. I've been dodging her this whole time, but I'm running out of steam. Hey, can you guys tag in for me?"Stega raised an eyebrow, her arms crossed and her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, now you want our help? After you acted like you didn't need us earlier?"Anky, however, grinned and cracked her knuckles. "I mean, I kinda don't like her already, so sure, I'll take her on. C'mon, Anon, you're with me."Anon blinked, alarmed. "Me? No way! I suck at fighting. I'll just get in the way!"Anky rolled her eyes, grabbing him by the wrist and dragging him forward. "Shut up. Humans are vicious animals. Don't play dumb. You'll do fine. I'll grapple her, and you can use that big monkey brain of yours to take cheap shots whenever I'm not throwing blows."Reluctantly, Anon scanned the area for anything he could use as a weapon. His gaze landed on a decorative flower stand nearby. He grabbed the stand, carefully placing the pot down, and hefted it like a staff. The weight felt awkward in his hands, but it would have to do.Just as he prepared to move into the fray, he felt a hand on his back. Expecting it to be Stega, he turned, speaking in halting Chinese, "Oh, uh, Stega... you want to help too?"Instead, a voice behind him responded in Russian. "Hey, got room for one more?"Anon spun around, startled to see the raptor girl from earlier—the one who had called him out in the cafeteria. He hadn't realized she'd been watching or that she'd moved closer during the fight. She seemed oddly interested, her sharp gaze flicking between him and the chaos unfolding in the arena.Before he could respond, the Pachy charged again, slamming her dome head into Trike with enough force to make the latter stagger back. Trike growled, attempting to retaliate, but before she could recover, Anky's tail came whipping around with a resounding crack, striking Trike hard in the side and sending her sprawling to the ground.Stega winced from the sidelines. "Ouch. That's like getting hit by a car."Anky stomped toward Trike, her expression filled with satisfaction. She kicked Trike while she was down, eliciting a pained yelp. "That's what you get, perra, for trying to punch me earlier. Not so fun being the punching bag, huh?"The raptor girl sidled up next to Anon, watching the spectacle unfold with interest. "So, comrade," she began casually, "is it true what that Stega said earlier? About humans guarding factory workers who aren't dinos to stop them from escaping?"Anon froze at the unexpected question, his mind racing. He figured that this carnivore, with her sharp teeth and calculating stare, wouldn't like the truth. Rubbing the back of his neck, he avoided her gaze. "I... don't know what you're talking about. All the working conditions in Chinese-owned businesses are completely acceptable."The raptor narrowed her eyes, clearly unconvinced, but before she could press him further, Anon swung his makeshift staff, landing a solid hit across Trike's face as she tried to get up. The blow left her momentarily dazed, giving Anky an opening to kick her again.Park joined in, landing her own kick to Trike's face and smirking. "Ha! Take that, you bitch. Always trying to pick fights."As the chaotic beatdown continued, Anon couldn't help but reflect on the situation. Out of all of us, Trike is definitely the strongest, he thought. It's taking all of us working together to bring her down.After several minutes of relentless attacks, he noticed the raptor girl chuckling beside him, clearly enjoying the violence. Even Pachy seemed to have joined in, ramming Trike repeatedly with her dome head."You know, comrade," the raptor said, her voice tinged with amusement, "where I'm from, jumping people was considered a bonding activity. It's how new members became part of the pack. I wonder... is this our first team-building exercise?"Anon chuckled despite himself. "Yeah, maybe. I'll call you when we decide to take on that Rex over there." He tilted his head toward the towering Saurastar, who had been watching the fight intently from across the gym.The mention of the Rex caused her to shudder, but it also made the raptor girl widen her eyes in surprise. "You'd say that about the apex?" she asked, her tone laced with curiosity. "You're not afraid of her, are you, human?"Anon shook his head. "No. I don't care who has a head start on the pecking order. School's just started, and they won't stay on top for long."Behind him, Trike let out a pained scream as Anky landed another brutal kick.The raptor girl smirked. "Huh. Here I was thinking humans were weak. I'll admit, I only ratted you out because I thought everyone would devour you. But here you are, throwing your very own jumping session for some random girl. You're starting to remind me of my old pack leader."Anon shrugged. "Very generous of you to not do it again.""Don't get too overconfident, human," the raptor said, her sharp teeth gleaming in a predatory grin. "I haven't made up my mind about you yet."Anon sneered, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Yeah, when have women ever made up their minds?"The comment earned a laugh from Stega, Park, and even the raptor, though Anky glared at him. "Oh, ha-ha, Anon," Anky retorted. "Why don't you kick her like a man? You kick like a girl. She doesn't even have a black eye yet!"Trike groaned from the ground. "Ahhh, my face...""Kick, kick!" Anky yelled, punctuating her words with another vicious stomp.Anon's eyes drifted back to the Rex, who was still watching them. Her expression was strange—almost wistful. She murmured something to herself, her lips barely moving, but Anon could make out the words: So this is what it's like to be on a team in Dino High. The weak get singled out, and everyone descends on them to devour them.The observation sent a chill down Anon's spine. What if it's me next? he thought grimly. He knew he had to de-escalate before things got worse.Clearing his throat, he called out to the others. "Alright, guys, we've had our fun. I think she's had enough. Let's give her some space. Pretty sure we won."The group groaned but backed off reluctantly, leaving Trike groaning on the floor. The raptor stayed beside Anon, still intrigued by him."So," she said casually, "it is true what they say. Humans are always staring. Wonder what goes on in that monkey brain of yours."Anon deflected with a fake smile. "Not much."