Chapter 6: Third Round
Danny took a moment to finally relax, hiding from Paulina and other prying eyes as he sat on some stairs.
How much longer? He thought.
An animalistic roar was heard from a few feet away.
Danny turned and noticed a couple of ghosts who were intimidating some humans for their food. One was a crocodile, the other was a gorilla.
"H-here..." The guy said as he handed his hot dog and his friend gave up his popcorn.
The ghosts smiled greedily as they began scaring it down, eating as messily as the animals they are.
"Stop!" The Box Ghost was heard shouting.
The ghosts paused for a moment as Danny watched.
"What's this?" Danny asked.
He saw the Box Ghost chastising the two beastly ghosts.
"Every good boxer knows that it's a bad idea to eat too much before a match. Not only do you risk getting a cramp, but also indigestion and getting weaker during the actual fight." The Box Ghost said.
"Does he actually think they'll listen to them?" Danny asks himself.
The two ghosts ignored him and resumed eating.
The Box Ghost frowned.
"Ignore me, will you?! Fine, but don't blame me when you guys lose!" Box ghost said as he floated away in a huff.
Danny only blinked, keeping a neutral expression.
"I guess he knows his stuff when it has the word box in it." Danny reasons.
How and why the Box Ghost of all people is an amazing boxer is beyond him, but it made this tournament he entered to stop ghosts from causing trouble a lot harder.
Meanwhile, outside the stadium
Jack and Maddie were still working with the drill, both looking tired and sweating a bit as they kept typing.
"Almost there..." Jack said as he kept looking from the keyboard to the drill.
"Any moment now…" Maddie said.
After a few minutes, the drill finally made a dent and started making cracks.
"HAHA! Jackpot!" Jack declared as he felt a sliver of success.
"Finally...I haven't waited that long since that time I downloaded that horror game." Tucker muttered as they hid in the shadows.
"Focus!" Sam snapped at him. "How are we supposed to get inside without being seen?!"
Star tried to brainstorm and then noticed something that caught her eye. She smirked as she got an idea.
"I think I know how..." She said, gesturing to something.
Sam saw what she was looking at and adopted a horrified look.
"No..." She moaned.
Inside
"Ladies and Gents! People of all ages! Prepare for the next round!" Antelo declared with his microphone.
"The ghosts best finish up whatever they're doing in exactly 10 minutes." Goatsly said calmly.
Hearing that, Danny got up.
"Guess I should get going and-" He paused, realizing someone had just spotted him.
"It's you! The love of my life! I knew that you'd come for me!" Paulina went.
"Ugh, what the heck are you talking about?! I gotta go!" He went, flying away.
Paulina, with inhuman speed and strength, pushed her way through people without slowing down.
"Come back, Ghost Boy! I love you!" She went.
Hiding behind a vending machine, Danny turned invisible, waiting for her to run past him.
"To think I used to want her to do that…" Danny muttered.
She finally ran past him and he snuck away.
Meanwhile, among the crowds of people watching, a few inhuman spectators sat down in disguise.
"Baby Pop winning and Skulker got the boot fast? This rocks!" Ember went, in a trench coat.
"Poor Johnny…" Kitty went, also in disguise wearing a hat, sunglasses and coat to protect her identity.
"Weren't you two fighting?" Bertrand asked, using his shapeshifting to use his "human" form.
"Yeah, why are you upset?" The Lunch Lady asks, wearing a big hat, a pink "grandmotherly" dress and loafers.
"Doesn't mean I don't love him…" Kitty said.
"You need to meet better men." Ember reasoned.
"Like you with Danny?" Kitty joked.
"Dann-Dipstick is not my boyfriend! I just think having the toughest foe I have as my king when I rule the world is just pragmatic!" Ember went.
"Sure… and I'm rooting for you." Kitty went happily.
"Don't say it like that…" Ember went.
"Oh, come on. I knew on some level you must've liked him. And as someone who technically "dated" him before...well, as much as I love Johnny, Danny is decent boyfriend material, so I think you two would be great together." Kitty went.
Ember rolled her eyes before she saw Danny in ghost form and smirked.
Hmmm...might as well have some fun since his blonde doll isn't around... She thought mischievously.
With Danny
The ghost boy panted, and just barely managed to avoid another attack from his most crazed fangirl.
"Stupid Paulina. When is she gonna get that I'm off the market?" He muttered.
"Doesn't stop me..." Ember said as she approached him.
Danny groaned and rolled his eyes, seeing her in the disguise.
"What do you want? Also, what are you wearing?" He asked.
"Wow, testy much. Not even gonna do any of that witty banter. Also, to answer your question, it was all I had on hand." Ember said.
"Whatever, I have bigger issues to deal with." Danny complained.
Before Ember could continue, the sound of Paulina calling out caught his attention.
"Ghost boy, darling! Come back, just give me a chance to prove my love!" Paulina called out.
Danny was about to go when Ember grabbed his arm.
"Hey, wha-"
He was cut off when she pressed him into the wall and kissed him.
And not a second too late as Paulina walked by.
"Oops, sorry…" She said before running off. "Ghost boy?!"
Thankfully, Ember's coat and hat made it hard to see Danny, so she didn't see him.
Ember pulled back.
"You're welcome…" She said with a smile.
"You know I could turn invisible, right? You can too." Danny pointed out as he wiped his mouth.
"Where's the fun in that?" Ember asked, stroking his face with her ungloved hand.
"Not in the mood. I'm stuck in this crazy match, barely avoided a stalker and I'm probably gonna be late to my girlfriend's dad's birthday party on top of everything, so I don't have the time to be hit on by my most attractive bad guy..." He said, irritated.
"Well, maybe I can ease the tension..." Ember said, trying to hit on him.
Danny frowned and pushed her back.
"My mouth disagrees with the idea..." He said.
"Chill out Baby Pop, I actually came here for another reason aside from probably making out..." Ember said.
"What is it?" Danny asked, wanting to move on from this.
Ember gestured to the ring, and the Box Ghost floating around, people actually applauding him.
He was getting a surprising amount of cheering and support, something he wanted so badly as he grinned.
"I'm gonna be honest, I never expected him to be this good at boxing...or anything really..." Ember admitted.
"Same here..." Danny said, watching this.
"So, soon as you're done, come sit with me." Ember said.
"Why?" Danny asks.
"Because I'm less annoying than the school queen and I don't mind when you throw a punch." Ember states.
"True…" Danny admits.
"It's time for the first match of the third round." Goatsley called from the ring.
"That's my cue. Gotta go..." Danny said as he disappeared.
Ember sighed, almost sadly.
"I almost wish that it was me he was going up against..." She muttered, before going back to her seat.
Danny appeared in the ring.
"Okay… who am I going up with this time?" He asked.
That's when he heard the referee.
"Danny Phantom… vs… Rocky Long!" He shouted.
"Rocky Long? Who is that?" Danny asks.
That's when he appeared.
A huge, hulking gorilla ghost who seemed to be 8 feet tall, with red fur, glowing green eyes and large, sharp fangs. The large ape ghost pounded both fists into each other.
With crowds cheering, Danny blinked, and for some reason, was reminded of the monster from Specter Island.
"Guess that's my answer..." Danny said. "So, you want the belt too?" The ghost gorilla didn't answer, just glaring at him. "Huh. Strong silent type, huh?"
"Rocky Long here is one heck of a vicious ape! Y'know the old stereotype of gorilla's being killers? He's the living embodiment of that! Perfect for this tournament!" Antello said.
"And..." Goatsley started.
"FIGHT!" Antello went.
Suddenly, Rocky leaped towards Danny and the young hero quickly jump aside as the ghost gorilla slammed his fists on the mat, causing the whole arena to shake wildly.
"Suffering spooks! If that hit me, I'd be paste!" Danny exclaimed, having almost fallen from the shake of the ring.
He was so nervous, he didn't even realize he said one of his dad's own catchphrases.
Suddenly, Rocky rushed towards Danny on all fours before leaping again and threw a massive right, which Danny barely dodged, his cheek getting grazed. Danny quickly dashed away and made it to the other side of the ring. Rocky turned and glared at Danny before he pounded his chest and roared.
Rocky panted heavily and angrily at Danny.
"Why couldn't it have been a teddy bear instead of a gorilla?" Danny groaned as he prepared to fight the gigantic ape.
The crowds were captivated or horrified by the fight. Danny's enemies were watching and making comments.
"Man, Baby Pop is toast..." Ember commented.
"Let's hope not, he could be the best shot at winning that belt. Seduce your way and you got yourself the new king of the Ghost Zone as a beau..." Kitty said.
"Yeah, that'd be awesome. I'm almost glad that I didn't have time with him longer than I did..." She said as she continued watching the match.
They saw Danny barely avoid getting crushed by Rocky's fists.
It's only been four minutes, but it felt longer to Danny, who ducked to avoid a vicious right hook from Rocky. He was so focused on dodging those massive punches that he was holding his breath, afraid that if he stopped to take a breath, his head would fly out of his body.
Suddenly, Rocky, with a mad roar, delivered a powerful uppercut, which Danny barely dodged. The momentum was too strong, so Rocky was sent tumbling down the ring, rolling halfway across before he managed to correct himself.
Danny breathed hard, relieved to get a breather.
He's stronger than the last one… where do I hit?! Danny thought. Even Ryosuke wasn't this hard to fight, and he was wearing armor! If only this gorilla had a weakness…
Ryosuke's weakness was the small gap in his helmet, giving Danny a target, which was his head, but this gorilla didn't have a single gap he could use.
That's when he recalled something.
He saw the gorilla and the crocodile earlier. Then he recalled what The Box Ghost said.
"Every good boxer knows that it's a bad idea to eat too much before a match. Not only do you risk getting a cramp, but also indigestion and getting weaker during the actual fight." He recalled.
That's when he smiled, figuring there was a weakness.
"All I need is one punch to the stomach, and he gets a knock out." He muttered to himself as Rocky corrected his stance and pounded his fists to his chest. "All I have to do is avoid his bone breaking punches…Yeah, this is gonna be fun." He miserably said.
Danny rushed forward, surprising the gorilla. When he got in front of Rocky, the gorilla roared and tried to slap him, but Danny started circling him counter-clockwise, confusing the gorilla. Danny then aimed at the body, but he couldn't time it well, so he missed the stomach, though he was annoying Rocky, who tried to punch him, but kept missing.
Suddenly, Rocky roared and suddenly started spinning like a top, actually picking the wind up.
"Oh sure, like this wasn't hard enough!" Danny exclaimed as he stopped his circle and focused on avoiding the massive tornado. He kept backing away until his back hit the corner, trapping him as the tornado was just inches away from him. Though, just as he was about to get hit, the tornado suddenly slowed down before it stopped, leaving a dizzy Rocky who started stumbling around the ring.
Though confused, Danny quickly took advantage and threw his punch, but his fist was caught as Rocky shook the dizziness off. He growled at a nervous chuckling Danny before he lifted him in the air and aimed a punch. Danny quickly blocked the punch, but he was still sent flying across the ring, hitting the ropes. He managed to snag his arm on the ropes to avoid falling face first on the mat, but he could feel his arms throb painfully from the punch.
Rocky roared and rushed towards Danny and threw a massive hook. Danny quickly untangled himself from the ropes and moved to the side, the punch going through the ropes. Rocky tried to pull back, but his fist got caught by the ropes, trapping him.
Danny, seeing a chance, rushed forward and threw a strong punch, finally hitting the stomach.
After what seemed like a long pause, Danny heard a rumbling sound as Rocky fell on his knees, clutching his stomach, and groaning in pain.
"Finally…" Danny muttered.
"Knockout!" The unseen ref called out. "The winner is… Danny Phantom!"
The audience cheered.
As this went on, the champ in his dark room took a large glass with his gloved hand and drank the soda from it.
After drinking it, he saw Antello and Goatsly on the screen, talking about the fight.
"I'd hate to be Rocky right now. That ghost kid knocked the wind out of him..." Goatsly said, as he even touched his own stomach in pseudo sympathy.
"Talk about a stomach ache! I guess Rocky ain't feeling so stone cold right now!" Antello went excitedly.
The champ snorted loudly, mildly impressed as he waited to see who came next.
"This isn't nothing yet, we still have one more match before the final round. Goatsly stated.
"Yeah, and then things will get real good!" Antello said with a nod.
The champ said nothing, he just continued to watch the match with interest, especially with one certain contestant that was showing promise.
New chapter with thanks from Flower princess11 and TheWhiteTitan.
RonaldM40196867: No female fighters. Wait and see. Most likely. FP11 came up with him. Maybe? Dunno. Nope... she's too crazy and violent. Probably.
pokemon fan 1991: Thanks
TheWhiteTitan: Wait and see.
danifan3000: He has admitted that's just a hobby for him. He separates what he loves and work.
Jebest4781: Thanks.
Leonardo: He's not a king here.
Invader Johnny: We shall see.
Luiz4200: Wait and see.
DP-Obsercant69: We have some spectator ghosts.
hmilles02: Thanks. I might use Ryosuke in the future.
Mathlete73: He got luckier here.