"Really?" Danny said, his voice getting higher with an obvious level of excitement rising in it. "You think you may know why those ghosts want me?"
"Yup," Sam said. "Think of it like this: they want you to help them fight in a war between each other. Am I right so far?"
"So far, so good."
"Well," Sam continued. "You said that the Maldums imagined a peaceful world where everyone can get along and there would be no risk of war, right?"
"That's right."
"Well, here's what I'm thinking," Sam said. "I think that both ghosts are possibly trying to trick you into thinking something that you shouldn't."
Danny immediately lost the gleam in his eyes and instead had an expression of confusion and disappointment all over his face. "What do you mean by that?"
"Well, here's what I have so far: the ghosts at war imagine a peaceful world and that you would be the missing piece of the puzzle. However, both sides knew that you wouldn't trust either of them, so they decided to steal your powers."
"You think those ghosts were the ones who stole my powers?" Danny asked.
"Danny, you can't tell me you haven't already suspected that. Both sides have your power, right?"
"Uh…right."
"So," Sam said, raising her voice a little, "I think it's safe to say that one of the ghost armies stole your powers! And they're the ghosts who you probably shouldn't join in war, because they're probably the more hostile ones."
"I guess so," Danny said, "but I don't know which side stole my powers. Right now, both the Escersons and the Maldums have an equal amount of my power. How do I know which ones stole my power?"
"Maybe they both stole it?" Tucker said, butting into the conversation.
"Or, maybe one of the ghosts stole all your powers and the other ghost army stole half of what the other ghost stole from you," Sam said in a state of deep thought.
"Or maybe they're both trying to manipulate you and are just putting on some act," Tucker said. "Who knows?"
"Guys, I appreciate your help," Danny said with a sad expression on his face, "but you're making me even more confused than I already am."
Sam and Tucker immediately gave that sorry-I-was-only-trying-to-help look. After seeing that they were only trying to give him their best advice, Danny sighed and sat down on the floor. He covered his eyes in his hands and looked like he was getting extremely worn down. Finally, Tucker said something that would change Danny's entire perspective.
"Wait a minute," Tucker said. "What ghost was it that showed you your powers in a vial?"
"Uh…I think it was Raschenda," Danny said.
"And what army was she on?"
"She said she was the leader of the Escerons."
"Well, I think the Escerons are the ones who you should be watching out for," Tucker said. "Think about it: they show you your powers in that vial and show you that you are obviously weaker than you should be. Sounds to me like they're trying to bring you down, and that's not what your allies should do."
"I really don't know, Tuck," Danny said. "But, come to think of it…they were causing me a lot of problems. I mean, they attacked you guys at the mall, then they captured me…twice. And they also tortured me while I was there and insisted I tell them any information I know on the Maldums."
"They sound pretty hostile to me," Sam said. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but Tucker, you might be right. Danny, I think you should side with the Maldums. The Escerons tortured you and they are taunting you that you don't have your powers. If you don't think it matters which army you join, then you should go with the army that wasn't so aggressive."
Danny thought about it. "Maybe you're right…" he thought to himself. He took a few moments to think about it until he finally agreed.
"You guys are right!" he said. "The Maldums are the army I should join with! I don't think it'll matter who wins the war, so I might as well join whichever army I'm feeling more comfortable with. And out of the two, I definitely feel more comfortable with the Maldums!"
That was all Danny needed. Now, he had reason to join the Maldums. This war wouldn't affect him in anyway, so he just wanted to side with the Maldums because they were friendlier with them. He couldn't wait to tell Myrus the next time he popped up that he had decided to side with him.