Hello, peoples of the internet. Temporal Break here with a new logo! Oh, and some announcements.

Firstly, I have started a new story called Kid Icarus: Daybreak! This story details the adventures of the multiplayer fighters in Free-For-All and their fight against a robotic swarm. More details on the story can be found in the end chapter author notes.

Secondly, this story takes place one week after the events of The Lost and The Found. This would allow Danielle ample time to recover and make her choice for a pro. Also, all events in this story will refer to events in the previous stories or the Phantom canon in general.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy 150 Milliamps!


Chapter 1: A Lesson in Strength

Saturdays in the United States often brought a sense of peace and tranquility after a long and difficult week of therapist inducing memories. Par for the course at most high schools. On weekends, teenagers would often hang out at their local fast food venues, enjoy a ride or two at a local amusement park, or just chill with some video games at a friend's house.

Most teenagers would not have their butts kicked in a Japanese dojo.

In front or a small group of karate students.

In the middle of the hottest desert in the United States.

Which was exactly was Danielle was doing.

Within the dojo, Danielle panted with her hands on her knees. She wiped rivulets of sweat off her brow and looked up at her opponent: a middle aged man, slightly balding, with his arms folded across his chest and wearing a karategi wrapped in a black belt; this was the master of the dojo, Kirito. Danielle herself was wearing a similar robe, but with a white belt tied around her waist. As she tried to recover, she heard the man speak in a stern voice.

"You are not beaten yet. Face me again."

Despite her exhausted state, she got up and faced her opponent, holding her fists at face level and bending her legs. In turn, Kirito uncrossed his arms but remained upright, with one foot pointed at Danielle and the other turned 90 degrees away. Both stared each other eye to eye as they prepared for another match.

Danielle stuck first with a forward jab aimed at Kirito's stomach; the punch was blocked with his left forearm and countered by a roundhouse kick. She quickly ducked and prepared to strike his open back, only to be struck in the face by a backward kick. She reeled back in shock and pain, then shook it off and approached him again, taking up her previous defensive position, albeit a bit more shakily.

The halfa knew that while she had trained with Team Phantom for half a year, she couldn't possibly beat a black belt master without some help; that is, help generated in the form of invisible ecto energy.

Suddenly, Kirito struck out with the blade of his foot. She quickly generated a small transparent ghost shield above her forearm and blocked the strike; when the kick collided, the older fighter was caught off guard and lost his defensive form. Danielle took advantage of the opening and quickly landed a few small ecto charged jabs on the fighter before he regained his form. Suddenly, he ducked under the barrage and swiftly punched the halfa in the stomach, forcing the wind out of her lungs.

Danielle momentarily doubled over before another punch to the gut left her on the ground, gasping for air. The defeated halfa propped herself onto one elbow and stared at Kirito, who had turned to address his apprentices, using Danielle as an example.

"You see, students, those who choose the way of power, and power alone, are defeated before they can fight. Take time to observe your opponent, think how he thinks, and then strike. But above all, never rely on power or stratagem alone; train both body and mind in balance, and you will succeed."

Both master and students bowed in respect, and then all the students exited the dojo. All, that is, expect for one: Danielle, who sat on the floor next to the master, cradling her head in her hands and seething in anger. Even with her ghost powers, she was still bested by her master. Surely she, a half-human half-ghost hybrid could take down a human, even if he was a black belt master.

"Excuse me, Danielle, but why are you still here? Would you like to train more?"

The lone student looker up at her former opponent and sullenly mumbled, "Why? So you can humiliate me again?"

Sensing anger from his raven-haired student, the master sat down next to Danielle and attempted to console her.

"I understand that you are upset over your performance, but remember that skill and practice come through time. Unless, of course, that isn't the problem," he said softly. Danielle looked up at him with a hateful glare, but that hate soon turned to regret as she leaned forward, crossing her arms over her legs.

"I know I shouldn't be mad at you, but I'm so used to being strong enough to overpower my problems. I feel like if I can just fight fast enough and quick enough, I won't have to worry about losing. But you? I can't seem to fight you fast enough to win."

At this, the old man chuckled and replied, "I think I see the issue here. You find power in strength, and see it as the ultimate solution. I imagine that you would think strategically if push came to shove, but you often power through your problems before all else. The trouble is that there is no thought behind the action.

"Your strength is like a horse without a bridle; full of potential, full of energy, but not yet harnessed. This strength must be reined in and refined with discipline and reflection," The master slowly got up and walked toward the door, cautioning Danielle, "When you come back tomorrow, we will train again, but then, you will put thought before action when we spar."

Before he left, Kirito commented, "Do not think that your strength is useless; as a matter of fact, it nearly overpowered me in our last match."

"Huh, really?" Danielle questioned, lifting herself up from the mat.

"Yes, when you struck me, I felt a numbness spread through my chest," the master pondered, gripping his pectorals in minor discomfort. "It was almost like a small jolt of electricity had spread through my body. You must have found a powerful pressure point that even I have not yet identified."

Danielle gave a small start as she heard this information; after all, while her strikes were stronger when charged with spectral energy, she had only charged them with a small amount of power. Her energy couldn't cause numbness in any form; at least, as far as she knew.

Unless…

Nah, it was probably just a weird pressure point.

Danielle stepped out of the dojo and onto the main street of Vaga. A cold breeze reminded her that evening was coming and a blisteringly cold night would soon follow. She quickly ran down the avenue despite her aches and pains and ducked left into a street next to a biology lab. She walked past a few more houses before turning into a red brick building adorned with two windows, whose sills were adorned with cacti and desert flowers.

In other words, the Mander house.

Danielle opened the door to the Mander's dwelling, yelling, "Hey, Jaike, Mrs. Mander, I'm home! Where are you guys?" She took off her red sneakers, stepped over the threshold and immediately walked onto something hard and metallic. Wincing in discomfort, she lifted up her foot and found that she had stepped on a small green circuit board.

"What in the…?"

"Hello, Danielle."

Danielle flicked the circuit board off of her foot and looked up to see a woman in her thirties sitting on the stairs to her left: Jaike's mom. She was somewhat short, about 5 feet 8 inches, and had dark blond hair which was tied back into a braid. She wore a grey short sleeved athletic shirt with a black stripe down the side, black track pants and grey ankle socks.

"It's good to see you back. How was your first day with Master Kirito?" the woman asked with a soft spoken voice. Her tone almost made Danielle forget that this was the mother of the oddball inventor otherwise known as Jaike

"Ah, it went fine, thanks." Danielle responded, walking toward the stairs. "Hey, could you tell me where Jaike's hiding? I want to make sure she isn't attempting nuclear fission."

The woman chuckled and replied, "Last I saw, I think she was upstairs welding something for a project that Mr. Polasid gave her. Words of advice, though; knock before entering her bedroom. If I'm not mistaken, you would probably want to keep your hair."

"Uh, thanks," Danielle said nervously, walking past the woman on the steps. At the top of the stairs, a bright glow caught Danielle's eye. She turned to her right, curious as to what could be causing the glow, and saw the door to Jaike's room outlined in a sharp yellow light. She cautiously approached the door, turned the knob…and the door stayed closed, locked from the inside.

"Heh, nice try, Jaike," she acknowledged as a transparent blue hue spread across her body, "but you can't keep a ghost from going where it wants to go." She stepped through the door, now fully intangible, and saw the silhouette of Jaike outlined by the glow of a welding torch. She was leaning over her junk table and appeared to be wearing heavy goggles and a thick welding jacket.

Danielle tapped Jaike's back; Jaike responded by whirling around with the lit blowtorch, nearly roasting the halfa's hair.

"AAH, WHO, WHA? Oh, hey Dani. I thought I locked the door; how'dja get in?" Jakie asked, taking off her goggles and laying them on the table. Danielle, visibly shocked, shakily spoke up as the adrenaline began to wear off.

"Okay, first of all, you know that I can go intangible. And secondly, why on earth are you using a blowtorch in your bedroom? Isn't there a workshop somewhere in Vaga?" Danielle asked curtly as Jaike hung her jacket on the coatrack to the left of the bed.

After hanging up her protective gear, the young inventor turned back to the table, responding, "Well, I wasn't working with metal; I was making…"

Suddenly, Jaike whirled around, holding a piece of burnt bread aloft in her hand.

"TOAST!"

Danielle stared at Jaike for a long time, wondering why Jaike would use welding equipment as an oven before quipping, "You do realize that you have a toaster in your kitchen, right?"

"Sure," Jaike said, shrugging her shoulders, "But where's the fun in that?"

"It would certainly be more practical…" Danielle commented, leaning on the junk table and picking up a small piece of copper.

The muffled thump of a heavy object directed Danielle's attention to the bed in the middle of the room, where Jaike had flopped onto the sheets of the mattress. A nearby clock revealed that the time was only eight o' clock at night; it wasn't nearly late enough for Jaike to go to sleep. She was about to ask why the hyperactive inventor had taken a nap, when Danielle heard the crunch of burnt toast coming from the bed

"You know, I just said that you had a kitchen downstairs," the black-haired girl said, flipping the small sheet of copper over in her fingers. Jaike turned to face Danielle, crumbs falling from her mouth.

"Bu I'h hungwy naw," the blond mumbled, small particles of bread falling from her mouth. "Bushides, awen't yah shupposhed ta be headin' awt shoon?"

Danielle's face scrunched up in confusion as she listened to Jaike's garbled speech.

"What are you-oh, right, the portal stake out. I'm gonna rest up here for a few minutes; I'm still sore from fighting the karate master at the dojo. After that, I'll start my search around the town"

"I take it that Kirito really musta laid into you if you of all people need a break," Jaike said thoughtfully, wiping crumbs off her mouth. "Ya know, you might be the Determinator incarnate, but Kirito is called the pro fighter here for a reason. How was your first day with him, anyway?"

"Painful, both physically and emotionally," Danielle moaned, sitting down on the bedside next to the hungry eccentric. "I chose Kirito as my teacher because I wanted to train for any more ghost attacks. I wasn't expecting to be used as an example for the other students." She began to feel bitter as she remembered her misadventures in the dojo.

"I thought for sure that I could beat him; I'm part ghost, for crying out loud. Why can't I beat a human when I've both taken down my hafla creator and saved the Earth from a spectral asteroid?" Danielle hissed. Suddenly, she realized that the crunching of toast had suddenly stopped. Turning to face Jaike, she saw the blonde with her mouth hanging slack jawed, half-chewed food falling from her lips.

"I-I'm sorry, did you say 'Spectral Asteroid'? As in, THE Disastroid? The one that would have wiped out all humanity if the ghosts didn't- you were a part of the group of ghosts that saved Earth?!" Jaike exclaimed, throwing aside her burnt toast and rushing to Danielle's side.

Danielle slowly scooted away from the excitable teen, trying to come up with an excuse to explain away her outburst; unfortunately, no good excuse came to mind, and Jaike's pleading green eyes made it difficult to lie to her.

Eventually, Danielle gave a heavy sigh and muttered, "Yes, I may have helped to save the Earth with the help of some ghosts. There, are you happy?"

"That's SO COOL!" Jaike squealed, a happy grin adorning her face. "You saved the Earth from certain doom by setting aside your differences for the greater good! I thought that only worked in movies and kids shows! So whadja you do after that? Huh? Whadja do? I bet it was twice as cool as the asteroid!"

Danielle turned away from Jaike, murmuring, "I'd rather not talk about it…"

"Oh come on, I bet ya were fighting genies and kings and dragons with Danny! It musta been so amazing to fight ghosts like that!"

"I said, I didn't want to talk about it, okay?" Danielle said angrily, grating her teeth in frustration.

"But your adventures musta been so awesome! Just tell me-"

"I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!" Danielle yelled furiously, whirling on the cowering inventor and gripping the metal scrap tight in her hand. "Geez, are you deaf and stupid?! There are some things I'd prefer people not to know!"

Jaike tumbled of the bed in shock and bewilderment, but quickly recovered from the fall and scurried toward the door, not wanting to anger the enraged half ghost any further.

Before she reached the door, Jaike turned to Danielle with a look of regret in her eyes, "I-I'm sorry for prying. I'm really not good with talking to people. If you wanna stop being my friend, that's fine." Jaike said, reciting the words as though she had said them a hundred times.

With that, Jaike opened the bedroom door and walked into the hallway. Danielle merely sat stunned on the bedside, startled at her own outburst until she realized what Jaike had said to her.

"She called me a friend, and I shut her down," Danielle said quietly.

The halfa wasn't sure what to do next. Should she apologize to Jaike for the outburst? After all, she didn't know about Danielle's past. Then again, the sooner she left, the sooner she could find the portal, and the sooner she found the portal, the sooner she could sabotage it, leave Vaga and come home to Amity Park as an asset to Team Phantom.

Yes, leave Vaga…and leave the lonely inventor.

"No, no, Danielle, eyes on the prize," the halfa muttered to herself as a white band of light formed at her core. "You can't afford to sacrifice this mission because you slipped up…again."

Two rings of light enveloped her in an otherworldly glow, transforming her into her ghostly persona. The halfa quickly turned both intangible and invisible to avoid detection. Before she left, she flicked the scrap metal onto the junk table, then flew through the walls of the brick house, ready to begin her search.

Unbeknownst to her, however, Jaike was watching her transformation through the crack in the door. When Danielle left, the disheartened designer walked into the room and stood in front of the table where the halfa had thrown the scrap metal.

"I know I shouldn'ta been prying," Jaike said quietly, reaching for the metal that Danielle had been fiddling with. "I just hope I can make it up-YEEEEOW!"

A searing, burning sensation made Jaike wrench her hand away from the scrap. She stared at the metal accusingly, like a dog who just left an "accident" on the floor.

"You jerk," Jaike muttered, talking to the copper as though it were another human being. "I give you a nice home in my junk pile and this is how ya treat me. I should..."

Jaike trailed off as she saw a small arc of lightning travel across the surface of the scrap, which wouldn't have been so odd if not for the fact that the metal was never in contact with any electricity. No batteries, no wires, nothing.

Matter of fact, the only thing that the piece of metal had touched was...Danielle.


Nighttime in Vaga was a sight to behold: thousands of stars glittered in the night sky, with not a cloud to be seen. A crescent moon shone above dwelt among the stars like a celestial deity; its light made the sands surrounding the town shimmer and sparkle, transforming the landscape into a golden sea. Below the lunar god, the twin mesas towered above Vaga, vaguely resembling a pair of enormous stone guardians.

A glowing figure sat at the head of the north guardian, too wrapped up in her own problems to notice the beautiful scenery around her.

"Come on, how hard can it be to find a portal into the afterlife in a town like this?" Dani moaned, flopping back onto the surface of the mesa. She had been flying around the desert town for nearly four hours searching high and low for the hidden portal. She had even turned invisible and flew through a few houses to try and locate it. Despite not finding the portal, she had located the Box Ghost's cell, found a secret bunker, and learned the horrific kissing art of "tonsil hockey".

"Ugh, I never want to see that again. The slurping..."Dani hissed, shuddering involuntarily.

Shaking the painful image out of her head, the ghost sighed, pushed herself off of the plateau, and flew above the quiet town. It was nearly midnight, and all of the lights in all of the buildings were shut off. The scene was almost peaceful, nearly 300 feet above the surface of the Earth, and Danielle momentarily forgot her problems as she stared at the simple beauty of Vaga. In spite of its small size, the town was full of wonderful people, an amazing community, and...

...the sound of a Klaxon alarm?

Sure enough, she heard a faint rhythmic siren blaring from Vaga, just as a wisp of blue vapor rose from Dani's mouth. The sky turned a deep shade of red, and Danielle groaned in infuriation at the prospect of a ghost encounter.

"Seriously? A ghost? At this hour? You'd better be worth my time," Danielle hissed, scanning the terrain for any spectral activity, "because it's been a long day and I need a punching bag right about now."

"If that's what you want, then who am I to disappoint?"

Danielle whirled around to face a floating green figure garbed in a black shirt and pants, tall black boots, and a flowing grey cape. His silver hair was tied back into a ponytail, and pitch black sunglasses covered his eyes. Danny had mentioned this ghost in passing, but Danielle wasn't quite sure who he was.

"Excuse me; I don't believe that we've met formally. You are...?" Danielle asked, gesturing toward the ghost.

"Why, child, I am Technus, master of all technology, paragon of code and binary, and king of all things technical and electrical!" the slilver-haired ghost boasted, cackling in his supposed superiority.

Dani stared at Technus with an apathetic look in her eyes, crossing her arms and flatly stating, "Okay, Technus, why don't you cut the creds and tell me why you're here? I don't have all night."

The ghost chuckled, responding, "You see, ghost child, I have gained knowledge of a human weapon known as an Alutanium Shockhammer, which is capable of generating powerful electric shocks. I lost my electric staff due to an unfortunate robbery years ago, and this hammer sounds like an excellent replacement,"Technus said maniacally, rubbing his palms together in sinister glee. "Now all I need to know is where it could be located. Would you happen to know?"

Seeing as Technus wasn't going to rescue orphaned kittens with a death mallet, Dani responded, "Well, Technus, I've had a bit of a bad day, so instead of helping you find your death weapon, how about I beat the ectoplasm out of you instead?"

She flew back a few feet and readied a defensive flying stance, charging her balled up fists with spectral green energy

Technus began to laugh as swathes of blue binary code ran up his arms like streams of water. The code gathered in the palms of his hands and formed into two orbs of flashing blue light, binary numbers orbiting around the orbs.

"Ooh, I like your spunk, kid! Very well, then; face me!"

With that, the two figures raced toward each other in a battle only to be witnessed by the lunar god and Vaga's stone guardians.

At least, that's what Danielle hoped, anyway.


Just a few quick things before I wrap up here.

Kid Icarus: Daybreak is going to be an infrequently updated story regarding the multiplayer avatars in in Kid Icarus: Uprising's multiplayer modes. I figures that these guys don't get enough love, so I'm here to fill in the void. However, KI:D will not take precedence over The Lost and The Found series. I fully intend for KI:D to be a side project, while my Phantom stories will be my main focus.

Secondly, this story is going to have a more serious tone than my first story. Does that mean it's going to be brutally horrific? Of course not, but it will have elements that may have a heavier impact. To those who think a more mature tone is reserved for a T rating, please watch Gargoyles. That is all.

Thanks for your time, and stick around for Chapter 2 of 150 Milliamps!