Pixel Park was usually a peaceful place, where tiny dinosaurs roamed around colorful forests made of blocks and shapes. Every creature had a role: the Stego sprites guarded berries, the Trike sprites dug for treasure, and the tiny Raptor sprites ran around chasing butterflies made of pixels.

But not Riff.

Riff was smaller than the other raptors and, according to the game code, absolutely not supposed to leave Level One. He had one animation:
run left.
And sometimes
run right.

That was it.

Whenever players visited Pixel Park, the raptors would zip back and forth like they were supposed to. But Riff… well… Riff liked to look up. He would stop, tilt his blocky head, and stare at the glowing platforms above him.

“I wonder what’s up there…” he’d whisper.

The others laughed. “Raptors can’t jump,” they said. “The code won’t let you!”

But Riff kept dreaming anyway.

One night, while the game was quiet and the console was resting, a flicker of lightning zipped through the screen. A small glitch bounced across the ground like a spark, then zipped right up Riff’s tail.

He jolted. “Whoa!”

He suddenly felt lighter. Braver.
And maybe… bouncier?

Riff looked at the nearest ledge.

“Only one way to find out.”

He bent his tiny pixel knees, squeezed his tiny pixel eyes shut, and…

boing!

He left the ground.

Just a little.
But it was a jump.

Riff gasped. “I did it! I actually—”

He landed face-first in a berry bush.

But it didn’t matter.

Riff had jumped.

The next morning, Riff practiced nonstop. Little hops. Medium hops. Sneaky hops while the other dinosaurs weren’t looking.

Finally, after dozens of tries…

FWIP!
He landed on the first platform.

Then the next.
And the next!

Soon he was higher than any raptor had ever been. Higher than the Stego’s berry bushes. Higher than the Trike’s treasure holes.

Pixel Park stretched beneath him like a glittery quilt.

Then Riff saw something he’d never seen before:
A swirling blue doorway pulsing at the top of the level.

“Is that… Level Two?” he whispered.

Legend said Level Two had waterfalls, secret puzzles, and a giant friendly Brachio sprite who gave out hints. But no raptor had ever reached it. The game didn’t think they needed to.

Riff bounced closer.

“Almost there… just one more—”

Suddenly the ground shook. Blocks trembled.

Something enormous was stomping below.

A huge, scaly shadow darkened the platforms.

The others screamed, “Riff! A player spawned the Mega Rex! Get down!”

Mega Rex was the boss of Level Five. He definitely was NOT supposed to be in Level One.

Riff froze as the giant pixel T. rex roared, making the screen rattle.

His friends scattered in every direction.

Riff swallowed. “He’ll crush the park… I have to help!”

He turned toward the doorway.
But instead of escaping through it…

He jumped straight off the platform—
falling toward the Mega Rex.

Riff landed on the Mega Rex’s head with a surprising BONK.

The T. rex blinked.

Riff blinked back.

Then Riff boinged—
right on Mega Rex’s nose.

The boss let out a confused “Whaaa?” and stumbled backward, tripping over a row of breakable blocks.

KA-THOOM!

Mega Rex crashed so hard he glitched… then despawned entirely in a puff of sparkles.

The whole park went silent.

Then the other dinosaurs erupted into cheers.

“Riff saved Pixel Park!”
“I didn’t know raptors could jump!”
“He beat the boss without leaving Level One!”

Riff smiled shyly.

Suddenly, the sky shimmered. The game code rearranged itself like falling Tetris pieces. A message appeared:

NEW ABILITY UNLOCKED: RAPTOR JUMP
ALL RAPTORS CAN NOW ENTER HIGHER LEVELS

The others’ eyes widened.

Riff beamed. “Who’s ready for Level Two?”

They roared with excitement.

One by one, dinosaurs of all kinds bounced toward the glowing doorway. Riff led the way, proud, happy, and still a little bouncy.

He looked back once at Level One.

“Sometimes,” he whispered, “all it takes is one jump.”

The screen faded to bright pixel light as the dinosaurs leaped together…

Into a whole new level.