Sorry this chapter took so long to post, but here it is! Be sure to leave a review and I'll see you all in the next one. ON TO THE NEW CHAPTER, SHALL WE! Also, check out my YouTube channel I created, Emperor Frost, and be sure to subscribe to me to become a member of Frost's Enforcers!
***I still don't own Danny Phantom or Zoids!***
Organized under strict rules and regulations,
Zoid Battles are fighting competitions held on enormous battlefields,
Using mechanical combat units known as Zoids.
The enthusiast young warriors put their pride on the line,
And sharpen their skills against one another.
Battle Mode approved,
Area scanned,
Battlefield set up,
Ready…?
FIGHT!
Illegal Battle: The Mysterious Backdraft Group!
It was mid afternoon, and Danny was driving back to the Blitz Team base with a supply of new parts that the doctor had sent him out to get. Thankfully, the parts were from a contact he knows, so he got a pretty good discount for them. Including the part that Leena had ordered.
Knowing full well of Leena's quick temper, Danny put in a LOT of extra effort into remembering to pick up the part she ordered. But at the same time, it felt as though they were hiding something from him.
Danny had asked for a bit of information regarding the CAS Units for his Zoid, and the shop owner just gave him a few papers that had information in regards to the weapons and capabilities of the transformation parts. Other than that, Danny had no other information to go on.
"Now why would they hold out on me when it comes to important Zoid parts?" Danny asked himself.
As he was pondering this, he noticed that he was near a Zoid battlefield and decided to check it out from a safe distance. What he saw was definitely the definition of a heated battle. A Heldigunner was going head to head against a Godos, and was actually holding its own!
Danny had to admit that he was quite impressed by the fight that was going on. However, he couldn't shake the feeling that something really bad was going to happen during this battle.
And he was right.
Right as it seemed like the battle was about to reach its climax, a huge explosion happened where the Judge Capsule had landed. Danny gasped as he witnessed something that sparked a bad feeling in his gut.
"DANGER! DANGER! BATTLE CANCELLED! BATTLE CANCELLED! BATTLE… CANcelled…"
That was the last anyone ever heard from Judgeman 2K3-E as the dust cleared to reveal a giant metal ball had landed on the Judge, destroying him and ending the battle. And Danny knew of only ONE team on the whole planet that uses equipment like that.
"This is NOT good! I've gotta get back to base, and fast!"
Without hesitation, Danny rushed back into his truck and sped off to the Blitz Team base. However, he was completely unaware that someone shady had seen him leaving the battlefield.
***Later That Day…***
Back at the base of the Blitz Team, Doctor Toros was busy briefing the rest of the team, sans Leena, on a few strategies he'd come up with for future battles. However, there's one member of the team that was not present at this meeting. And that's Leena.
This actually caused some worry to well up in Doctor Toros. It wasn't like his daughter to miss out on meetings like this one. Especially when it's about something as important as a Zoid battle.
Suddenly the door to the common room opened up and Danny ran in, worry written all over his face.
"Guys, we've got a situation! Where's Leena?" Danny asked.
"I let her take my Pteras out for a fly earlier today and haven't heard from her since." Jamie explained.
"She probably got lost." Brad said indifferently. "Leena's never used a flying Zoid before, so it stands to reason that she can't navigate with Jamie's Pteras."
Danny narrowed his eyes at Brad's indifference, and scowled at the Merc. That was Danny's girlfriend he was talking about, and he certainly did not appreciate such thinking about Leena like that. But our pilot of the Berserk Fury would dwell on that later. For now, Danny has other priorities. Like finding Leena!
"I know for a fact that Leena would never get lost, even when piloting an unfamiliar Zoid!" Danny said in Leena's defense. "But just in case, I'm going out to look for her."
Danny turned around to get into the Fury, but the Video Phone started beeping. Doctor Toros answered, and saw something unexpected. It was a man with strange looking sunglasses, and dark hair that was slicked back. He was sitting at a desk smiling with his fingers crossed under his chin.
In fact, it's the very same man that saw Danny leave the battlefield earlier today.
"Hello. I assume I have the attention of the Blitz Team?" The figure asked.
"You do. And who might you be?" Doc asked. "What reason have you for calling our humble team today?"
The figure gave a slight chuckle that set Danny on edge for some reason or another. And for good reason, too.
"We are the Backdraft Group." The man said.
"The Backdraft Group?" asked a puzzled Jamie.
"I heard about them during my travels as a Junk Dealer. These guys are a hardcore group that's too into money and power to understand civil rights. These guys are cheaters who don't play by the rules." Danny explained.
"They're also popular with unsanctioned battles, causing very many injuries and are even rumored to have caused a few deaths because their battles are so dangerous." Brad added.
The man on the screen hummed, still smiling for some reason.
"We take every precaution before attempting to do such, but accidents do happen. We find it more fun if danger is involved, both for those participating and for those watching. Makes a greater profit. How else can we do all the things we do? Our numbers and our powerful Zoids, and the research we do helps the world! Not just us." The man claimed.
But Danny just narrowed his eyes even more from such a proclamation. He knew of the kind of research that the Backdraft Group did, and knew that it would never help the world!
"Yeah, right! You guys have no right to call yourselves warriors! That so called 'research' you do is just digging into dark pasts that should remain buried! You do these unsanctioned battles without the other team's consent, and then rig them so you guys will win with no trouble on your part! You lack the honor of true Zoid Warriors!" Danny declared.
The man chuckled a bit more. This time it was a bit louder, and his shoulders shook as he did.
"Well, you must be very well informed to know how we operate. But we do still have SOME sense of honor! We do make sure if our opponent is in danger, we are in the same situation." The man said.
Danny just glared at him. He knew that he couldn't trust this man as far as he could throw him! The man cleared his throat.
"We would like to have a Zoid Battle with the Blitz Team. And before you answer outright, let me show you something..."
The screen shifted to show a blue Pteras Zoid that looked to be a dead ringer for Jamie's Pteras. Doctor Toros gasped as realization hit him like a ton of bricks.
"If that's Jamie's Pteras, and they have it... Then that means they also have..." Doc trailed off.
The man chuckled as he came back on the screen.
"You catch on fast, as I expect from a PhD holder and a highly intelligent expert on Zoids. Your daughter is here of course in our care. We will be keeping the Pteras, but if we battle and you win, you can have your daughter back. If we win, we take all your Zoids." The man challenged.
Danny growled as he tried to keep his anger in check. If there was one thing he knew from his days watching Japanese Anime and reading manga of the action genre, it was that rushing in blindly wasn't going to solve anything. But that didn't mean he had to like it!
"Like I said before. Forcing your opponent into these situations..." Danny growled.
Doctor Toros growled with Danny. Even though he didn't want to battle these guys, there was really no choice here. Like it or not, he had no choice but to accept.
"Fine, we'll battle. But you better give her back when we win!" Doc demanded.
"We are people of our word, no matter what others may say. We will send you the coordinates and the time within an hour." The man said with a nod.
When the screen turned off, a loud roar was heard followed by a bang. The others looked to see that Danny had punched a hole in the wall, bloodying his knuckles and creating a spiderweb of cracks in the process. They could see the rage in Danny's icy blue eyes as he pulled his fist out of the wall.
"THOSE MOTHER FUCKERS! HOW DARE THEY KIDNAP LEENA LIKE THAT, AND THEN FORCE US INTO BATTLE BY USING HER AS A BARGAINING CHIP LIKE THAT?!" Danny yelled.
He stalked off after yelling in order to vent his frustrations out on the environment. He already knew about Brad's mercenary code and that he wouldn't fight in this battle since there would be no prize money even if they won. That's the one thing Danny doesn't like about Brad. The guy puts money before the welfare of his team.
But with help from Jamie, they may just stand a chance against the likes of the Backdraft Group. Even if the odds are two against three in the enemy's favor, they should still be able to pull out a win!
Danny looked up at the sky as he walked out of the hangar of the base. He remembered all the times back at Amity Park where he would just come out at night to look up at the stars. It seemed like this was his only place of solace. But it didn't help him this time. The stars just couldn't seem to take his troubled mind off of the fact that the Backdraft Group has Leena in their evil clutches. Even though the stars aren't out yet.
A familiar growl followed by mechanical footsteps told Danny that he was no longer alone. He looked to the side to see the Berserk Fury had just walked up to him, concern showing in its glass lense eyes.
"I don't know what to do, Fury." Danny admitted. "I've got to save Leena from those criminals known as the Backdraft Group, but without Brad we stand that much less of a chance against any and every dirty tactic they throw our way!"
Fury roared softly as if encouraging Danny that everything will be okay. And Danny smiled as he understood that that was exactly what the Fury was telling him.
"You're right, Fury. We don't need someone like Brad, who only cares about his money, to win this battle. With Jamie and Doc backing us up, we'll beat the Backdraft and set Leena free!" Danny said.
The Fury reared back its head and let out a loud roar of approval at the attitude of its partner. But it still needed to be ready. There's no telling what kinda stunts these Backdraft Group upstarts will pull to win.
*Three Days Later…*
Three days later at the designated time and coordinates, Danny was now mobilizing the Berserk Fury. The Hover Cargo had activated its catapult, and launched Danny onto the battlefield. And after that, it opened up a launch pad at the front of the Hover Cargo to reveal Leena's Zoid in all it's glory.
"Launching Dibison!"
The black bull of a Zoid jumped from the station, calling out it's arrival. Normally, Leena would be piloting, but Jamie was in it now, knowing the Bison better than the Wolf anyway.
Suddenly, a huge shadow appeared in the sky. Danny and Berserk Fury looked up to see a huge, black carrier type Zoid known as a Whale King. Danny and the Fury growled as they waited for their enemies to make their move. The Whale King suddenly shot something out of its underbelly. Black rods came down around the perimeter of the battlefield with Danny and Jamie inside of it, while the Whale King flew to a ridge nearby.
Danny didn't know what those rods were for, but he knew that they must've had something to do with entrapment. The enemy Whale King set down, and something crashed into the ground. Rising up from the crater was something that looked similar to a Judge Capsule, only it was black and red in color. It opened up to reveal a Dark Judge. The only differences between this Judge and those of the ZBC were the fact that he was black, and his visor was spiked.
"This area is a designated Zoid battlefield. The Blitz Team vs. The Backdraft Group. Battle Mode... None! Ready...?"
While doctor Toros went on a bit of a rant due to the lack of a Battle Mode, Danny was thinking about something. Things just didn't add up.
'Why is the enemy team not here yet when the Judge is just a second away from starting the match? Unless... SHIT! THEY'RE INVISIBLE!' Danny thought to himself.
"...FIGHT!"
Danny twisted his Fury to the side, running as fast as he could to dodge the sudden bombardment of fire coming from invisible Hellcats. Jamie yelped as he got caught in the fire. Danny turned to slide his Zoid in a better position.
"Jamie, get moving! Their invisible!" Danny ordered/informed.
"No kidding! Evasive Maneuvers!" Jamie replied.
Jamie got the bull moving, the Bison slower than the Fury, but still speedy enough to dodge the fire coming at him. Danny looked around as the shelling continued, and noticed light flashing in the distance.
Danny remembered that there were several strategies that once could use in a situation like this. Especially against notorious cheaters like the Backdraft. Unfortunately, he was having a bit of a difficult time exacting them due to being blanketed by constant fire.
Danny saw three lights, meaning three enemies. One firing at him, two firing at the Bison. He sped the Fury to the perimeter that the rods made, and fired one of the cannons in his Buster Claws. The shots hit a field that appeared, electricity covering between two rods, and Danny turned the Fury on a dime, skimming the side of the perimeter as he got some distance.
He growled in anger as he saw this before seeing the man from before appear on his communicator system.
"Now you see the technology we use to ensure our opponent doesn't run away. It wouldn't be any fun if that happened." He said. "By the way, where's the Command Wolf? You hiding them somewhere?"
Danny twisted the Fury, having his claws and anchors skid along the ground to get a large angle turn and ran the other way, making the fire he was about to take miss him again.
"He bailed on us. Didn't like the idea he wasn't getting paid with prize money for our little encounter." Danny replied.
The man chuckled lightly.
"Two on three then? Not as challenging as I thought, but then again it seems you are good enough to fight back against those odds. Let's see you defeat at least one of my warriors." the man challenged.
Danny grinned as he did the same thing again, turning on a dime and jumping forward again. But before the fire could catch him on the rebound, he turned directly at the flashes of light from the guns the invisible Hellcat had and fired six painful shots from his Buster Claws. This heavy fire, in turn, turned the hellcat into a hunk of junk and on the ground.
"Careful what you wish for, 'cause you just might get it!" Danny quipped.
The other two Hellcats who were firing at the Bison turned to try and take him out, but suddenly both got hit hard with the barrage of fire from the Bison itself, having received a break from the bombardment to turn and fire.
Jamie smiled, snapping a finger.
"Gotcha! Good thing I am quick on my feet." Jamie said with a grin.
Danny appeared on his screen, smirking at his teammates abilities in battle. Jamie may not like to fight, but boy howdy! He's got it where it counts, and how!
"Good job. How you do it? Following the feet?" Danny asked.
Jamie nodded in affirmative before explaining his methods.
"I put in a system to do so, and found all three. But I wonder, how did you find one without it?" Jamie asked.
Danny chuckled, loosening up a bit.
"I remembered that there are several ways to fight off invisible enemies. The Zoids themselves may be invisible, but not the flashes from their weapons. I just followed the sight of their gunfire." Danny explained.
Danny looked to see the Dark Judge still passive. Danny's looked hardened as he growled at the machine.
"Call it, Judge, because it was three on two, and we beat you." Danny demanded.
The Dark Judge merely waved a hand, shaking it's head in response to the clearly angry demand.
"I never gave a limit on competitors, so your victory is not accepted. When you have defeated all enemies I will call it."
Danny narrowed his eyes and looked around, but saw absolutely nothing... until the Whale King shot something from the nose. It hit the ground, causing Danny to back the Fury up as he got ready to either run or activate his Energy Shield. The smoke cleared, and showed a big black ballin the middle of the battlefield. For a moment it did nothing. It just sat there motionless.
The ball suddenly gathered energy and rolled around and around before moving fast and rolling at Jamie.
"JAMIE! HURRY UP AND GET AWAY!" yelled Danny.
Jamie gasped and tried to jump out of the path of that rolling steel ball of death, but failed to get away as it hit him and sent the Dibison flying away. The G-forces involved in that hit would break bones in a normal situation.
The Bison hit the ground causing its system to freeze. Danny and the Fury ran away trying to get distance away from that thing.
"Shit, those cheaters! It's supposed to be a ZOID battle! The hell are they thinking bringing that in?" Danny growled.
Danny looked back to see the ball still rolling at him. He looked around the perimeter and saw rod after rod. But suddenly, just as all hope seemed lost to him... he found his salvation! He spotted a cliff, a place the rods did not cover on the ground, but on the top of the cliff. He sped the Fury to it and turned around looking at the ball as it was directly in front of him and the cliff directly behind him.
The ball rushed fast, picking up speed as it tried to crush him. The rolling black death trap hit hard the rocks hard, impacting the cliff and making a big smoke screen. At the side was Danny and the Berserk Fury, looking at it as the Zoid's legs were spread out like hell.
Danny sighed heavily, but kept his tension looking around and keeping an eye out for any hidden enemies. It almost felt like he was fighting in the war between the Zenebas Empire and the Helic Republic.
"I dodged it, but they might have more units out there so I can't let down my guard." Danny said to himself. "Come on, where are you…?"
The man came back on his screen.
"You are very skilled. Not only to find our units, but to dodge that? You must have great reflexes and a very agile Zoid, even though it is clearly a member of the lumbering Tyrannosaurus family."
Danny grinned at him.
"Just lucky, I guess. Come on and show yourself, because I would rather see the shithead cheater I am going to take down." Danny demanded.
The man chuckled evilly as he got close to the screen.
"Sorry, but not gonna happen. The Backdraft group ALWAYS wins. Say goodbye to your Zoids!"
Danny was suddenly shelled heavily, mostly in the side, and he grunted from the forces against him. He quickly snapped out of it, not caring about anything outside his cockpit as he got the Berserk Fury moving away from the fire. And just for a little extra protection and speed, he also activated his Energy Shield and had the Fury leap up as he activated the thrusters in its armor.
These thrusters allowed the Berserk Fury to hover a few feet off the ground while also propelling it forward at incredible speed.
He looked around but he saw absolutely nothing YET AGAIN! Nothing! Zilch! Nada! He sighed, growling as he calmed himself and tried to observe. He saw that the shelling was scattered in timing, so watching everywhere was going to be difficult with breaks in the firing. But it seems as though he got lucky and saw the missile fire.
"Gotcha!" Danny said as he turned Fury around.
The man in the invisible Saber Tiger growled, knowing what he was seeing as he saw it earlier. This means he was getting ready for a shot. He moved his Saber around, firing as he moved along with the Fury.
"You ain't taking me down so easily! Come on, give me all you got!"
Danny scoffed at this notion.
"Figures he's a quick learner! Come on! Let's take him Fury! Let's see how we both drive together."
The Berserk Fury roared as it deactivated it's Energy Shield and folded up it's Buster Claws before activating it's back Ion Boosters and zooming forward.
The Saber stopped as the Fury crossed it's path VERY closely. The man grunted.
"Damn, he picked up his game. Guess I have to do the same. COME ON!"
He turned at one hundred eighty degrees and kept firing, this time a continuous blast by both his guns, and seeing the Fury anchor itself to the ground.
Danny had the Fury anchor itself to the ground and slide along, turning all the way around and zooming past the other direction with incredible agility and high speed, and doing it again as the shelling tried to keep up. And he kept on repeating this process.
Danny was making sure the Fury was a hard to hit target, ducking, jumping, sliding, he was using all his skill to make sure he wasn't hit.
"Cheaters will never win against true skill! COME ON! Let's see you hit me now, you bastard! HIT ME!" Danny taunted.
Danny was watching the shots coming from the guns of his enemy, knowing that the Saber was trying to match his moves. This was a good strategy, but if you do not know the moves, you cannot keep up. Especially since Danny kept his eyes out and knew how to be unpredictable, never continuing the same maneuvers the same way.
The Saber hit the ground, falling on it's side as the legs gave out for a second. The Saber was Agile, but with heavy equipment all over it, it was hard to turn so fast so many times. The man got his Saber up fast, making sure not to stay in the same spot for long as he knew that his enemy was a very smart warrior, very skilled, and knew his way around the battlefield.
Danny turned the Fury forward, zooming up as he followed the flashing lights as he kept ahead of whatever direction it was going.
"You are so gone! This is what you get for being a bunch of cheaters WHO DO NOT HAVE HONOR! GO BACK TO THE RATHOLE YOU CAME FROM, AND GIVE US OUR TEAM MATE BACK!" Danny roared.
Berserk Fury jumped up, and with the Ion boosters he struck fast, Fury's legs glowing.
"STRIKE LASER CLAW!"
With gravity aiding him in his final attack, he slashed off the left limbs of the Saber, turning to face the downed Zoid and shutting the Boosters off.
"And that's how you do things by fighting with honor!" Danny declared.
"NOOOO! NO, NO, NO! AAAARG!"
The Dark judge was having a slight tantrum, having never seen this coming, even with it's greatest probability computer. He sighed heavily, fake spitting as he raised a hand.
"The winner... is the Blitz team... Ehhhh..." he cleared his throat as he turned around. "Until we meet again, and next time, be prepared to lose. Goodbye!"
The Judge blasted off and back into space. Danny sighed, relaxing now that the battle was over with. He looked over at the Whale king, and see it start to take off.
He growled as he began to let his anger overtake him.
"I KNEW THEY WOULDN'T KEEP THEIR WORD!"
Danny activated his Ion boosters as he tried to close in on the massive carrier. But even with the Fury's speeds it was near impossible.
"Hang on, Leena, I'm coming!"
But it seems as though she didn't need his help. She got out, and was helped by someone else. Danny blinked as he saw a Pteras zoom into the skies from the now smoking Whale King. Out of the smoke and dropping to the ground was a blue Command Wolf that Danny recognized anywhere. "No way..." Danny gasped in disbelief.
Leena came on the communications.
"Yoohoo! Thanks Dad, appreciate the help you gave me. Though I could have gotten out on my own." Leena said.
Brad came on, scoffing.
"You weren't fooling anyone with that disguise. You barely made it to the hangar, and I had to blow the bridges to make sure you could get to the Pteras. Anyway, glad it's finally over."
Danny sighed, and waited as the Command Wolf slid down the cliffs. The Whale King picked up the Saber and its Hellcats before flying off. Danny helped get the Dibison back in the Hover Cargo, and set his Zoid in. The Cargo was driving back to base as Brad walked over to Danny.
Danny smiled, turning to see Brad smiling at him.
"Hey." he greeted.
Brad waved back in response.
"Yo. Saw your moves. You did good out there. Your parents would be proud of you." Brad said.
Danny just scoffed and crossed his arms much to Brad's confusion.
"I doubt it. But thanks for the help anyway. Thought you didn't do Charity." Danny said in response.
Brad looked down and away, taking a step back. Apparently, he didn't know how to say what he was thinking, and turned away.
"Well, see you back at base." Danny chuckled lightly.
Brad sighed as he finally got away. But deep down, he was feeling like the lowest of trash at this point and it showed as he clenched his fists in disappointment in himself.
"Damn it…!" muttered Brad.
They got back to base and Tauros, Brad, and Danny were now gathered in the conference room. Leena was in the bath, and Jamie was fixing his Zoid. Danny wanted to help, but Brad said it was important to come into the conference room first.
Toros sighed in emotional exhaustion due to the day's events.
"That was a really tough battle. Sorry to put you guys through the thick of it." he said apologetically. "Anyway, I am supremely thankful."
Brad sighed heavily. He too was emotionally exhausted to a degree.
"Yeah Yeah... Just don't forget about our deal." Brad said.
Danny looked at Brad, eyes hardened and his vision of Brad being a better person vanished. Brad looked away.
"If you think that's bad, wait until you know what the deal was." he said to Danny.
Tauros sweat dropped. Thanks a lot for throwing him under the Death Saurer, Brad. That was sarcasm, for those of you who couldn't tell.
"Yes well... The deal was that I give him the pay from the NEXT battle's prize money that would have been yours to him instead."
Both men flinched in anticipation of Danny's response to that. And they were right to flinch, because Danny's eyes narrowed and widened in anger at the same time, if that's even physically possible. He raise his fist before bringing it down on the coffee table and causing cracks to appear in it.
"Of all the stupid…"
He brought down his fist again and made more cracks in the wood.
"Asinine…"
He raised his fist and left it hanging there as his anger boiled over completely.
"SHARK JUMPING BULLSHIT!"
He brought his fist down and completely shattered the coffee table, not even caring that his hand was bloody and possibly broken. This was the scene that Leena walked in on, now dressed in her normal clothes. Her eyes were wide with a little fear as Danny's eyes seemed to have shifted from their once beautiful blue color to an angry and ominous red.
"What the hell gives YOU the right to do with MY paycheck whatever you please?! Just because you had little faith in the team's ability to save Leena, you stole from me and agreed to this deal with a mercenary! A crime that is punishable by the laws established by the Zoid Battle Commission! You know how this would end if I were to take this up with them…"
Danny let that threat hang in the air as he saw both Doctor Toros and Brad go kinda pale as they knew what would happen. He got up and lowered his head so that his hair was hiding his eyes.
"And I thought my trust was well placed… Guess I was wrong." Danny growled.
He walked out of the room and past a stunned Leena, probably so he could help Jamie with repairs. All Leena could do was look at her father and Brad with disappointment. Danny had pretty much already ripped them a new one, so she figured her help was not needed. All she could do was go find Danny and help clean up his injuries while her dad and Brad stewed in their own muck.
This experience has been very hard on the team, not just physically, but emotionally as well. Will this tear the team apart? Or will they get over this whole fiasco and grow a stronger bond with each other?
*To Be Continued…*
Ending Narration (Danny): The mercenary warrior, Jack Sisco along with his Lightning Saix, have come to challenge us to a High Speed Battle. And it just so happens that I have new transformation parts for Berserk Fury. Perfect timing! Berserk Fury Z coming at ya!
But this isn't the only thing that needs the attention of Berserk Fury's new transformations. Some shady characters from my past are the ones who hired Jack Sisco to battle us! And they're trying to take me back by force! Yeah, when I have a friend like Leena and a great team on my side... That's never gonna happen! ...Wait, what do you mean she might want to be something 'more' with me? That's impossible! ...Right?
Next time on Phantom Fury; High Speed Battle: Transforming into Berserk Fury Zenebas! Ready...? FIGHT!