Chapter 8: Fourth Round
"And that's the gist of it…" Danny explained.
The two found a place to hide and talk, one of the stairways, and waited for the others. Danny has just finished explaining what happened to his friends, girlfriend and sister.
Star, however, had something else in mind.
"Wait… Ember kissed you again and you just now mentioned it?!" She asked.
Danny sighed bitterly.
"I've been busy dealing with getting punched by ghosts…" He points out.
"Fair enough… still, it's just you and the Box Ghost now, right?" Star asks.
"Yeah… the guy is surprisingly unbeatable in boxing." Danny points out.
"How bad could it be?" Sam asked.
"He defeated Skulker in the first round… without taking a hit." Danny points out.
"Oh, so he's an Outboxer. Good chance Skulker and everyone he's faced used Slugger style hits because they're used to him being easy to take down, so a good Outboxer knows to avoid blows, capitalize on mistakes being made and wear the Slugger down." Tucker explained, causing everyone to gawk at him funny. "My dad loves watching boxing on TV and it's the one sport I don't hate." He explained.
Before they could comment on that, one of the two ghost commentators was heard.
"The Final Round is to begin in less than 10 seconds! Fighters! Prepare yourselves!" Antello went.
Nodding, Danny morphed.
"Wish me luck." He said.
Star approached him and kissed him on the cheek.
"Good luck, Boo…"
Danny nodded before disappearing.
As soon as he's gone, Sam got everyone's attention.
"I say we find wherever this belt is and take it before the match is over. That way, Danny's not gonna need to challenge the champ and possibly get crushed in battle." She stated.
"That sounds… highly dangerous." Jazz pointed out.
"Any more dangerous than sneaking behind your parents' backs through a hole too small for us?" Sam asks.
Jazz rolled her eyes.
"You made your point…" Jazz stated
Danny once again appeared in the boxing ring, sighing bitterly again.
"Is it weird I'm getting numb to this?" He asked himself.
"And for the fourth round before the championship belt…" The referee once again called out from nowhere. "Danny Phantom! Vs… The Box Ghost!"
The Box Ghost was teleported to the other side of the ring, grinning as he readied his gloves.
"I have been waiting to use my skills against you for a long time!" The Box Ghost happily declared.
"Why couldn't I have been whisked away by the best bowler in the Ghost Zone?" Danny muttered.
Meanwhile
The four stepped out, not bothering to watch the fight as they wanted to find a means of ending this quicker.
"Any ideas?" Sam asks.
"Hmm… now that I think about it, where do you suppose the champ even is?" Jazz asks.
''No idea, and if we're lucky, we won't have to run into him..." Sam said.
"Maybe we can get those guys to tell us?" Tucker asks, pointing up at the press box.
"Good idea… they would know." Sam said.
"Well, if it's anywhere, it might be with them since it's the prize..." Jazz suggested.
"Are you guys sure? This seems unnecessary…" Star pointed out.
Sam groaned and dragged a hand down her face.
"Star. Do you want him to risk getting pummeled or not? He's been through enough…" Sam stated.
"Plus, your dad's gift might be there too." Tucker suggests.
That got the blonde girl's attention and she sighed.
"Fine… but only because I don't want him to show up with a black eye…" Star stated.
"Perfect. Now follow my lead." Sam said as they made their way to the press box.
"Ladies and Gentleman… let's end this and make room for the champ!" Antello said.
"Ready…" Goatsly said.
"And… FIGHT!" The referee said.
Danny made the first move, swinging his fist as soon as he was within striking range.
I saw his fighting style… he fought mostly keeping out of range, using his opponent's size against them and taking advantage of missing him.
However, his idea was a mistake as the Box Ghost raised his arms to block. A blow to his stomach sent him back as Danny clutched as best as he could.
"W-What happened?!" Danny asked.
"Do you think I'm only good at being an outboxer?! I studied all the greats! Ali! Tyson! Foreman! I know every major style and have learned to adapt! You saw an outboxer the whole time… now, see some boxer-puncher!" The Box Ghost declared.
A punch to Danny's face made it clear this was not going to be easy.
Star, Sam, Tucker and Jazz soon arrived at the door to the press box..
"That must be the way in." Star said.
Sam tried to open the door, but found it was locked and they lacked any intangibility to make it work.
"Ideas?" Sam asks.
"We'll have to break the door down or break in." Jazz said.
''But how?" Star asked.
"Tucker? Can you look up ways to-" Sam realized Tucker was absent. "Tucker?"
She saw Tucker several feet away, watching the fight with a worried look on his face.
"Oh man… Danny's gonna lose. But on the plus side, I'll win that bet." He said to himself.
"Bet? What bet?" Sam asks.
Tucker realized what he let slip. The girls all glared at him and realized he did something.
"Tucker, what is going on?" Jazz asked.
"What did you do?" Star demanded, wanting answers.
Tucker gulped and found he had to admit his deed.
"It's not my fault. Dash and Kwan found me and tried to beat me up to get some cash. The only way to stop them was making a bet that if Danny lost, I would win... " Tucker said, revealing the details of the bet.
As Sam and Jazz were shocked, Star looked outraged.
"How could you pull my boyfriend into your stupid bet?!" She yelled.
"It wasn't me! It was Dash and your ex!" Tucker said.
"And yet you agreed..." Sam reprimanded him.
"We don't have time for this. We gotta get in..." Jazz reminded them.
Star heard this and sighed.
"Fine..." She said, before sending another glare at Tucker. "We're not done talking about this..." She warned with an icy glare.
They went to the door, which is still locked.
"How exactly do we get in?" Sam asked.
"Leave it to me..." Star said.
Star, reaching into her hair from inside her disguise's cowl, pulled out a bobby pin. She inserted it into the lock.
"Oh please. That only works in movies." Sam stated with an unimpressed scowl.
After a minute of jiggling the lock, the door opened.
"All done." Star said.
The others were slack jawed to see that trick worked.
"How did you do that?" Sam asks.
"Believe it or not, this isn't just to keep hair from sticking out when I'm on a date." She said, before placing it back in her hair.
Tucker was still afraid of being punished and couldn't keep his mouth shut.
"Dang… if only you were more girly…" Tucker jokingly suggested.
In response, Sam grabbed him by the collar and growled despite not looking at him.
"Say that again and you best hope you can afford reconstructive surgery." She warned before letting a terrified Tucker go. "Come on…" She said, still not looking at him.
Danny watched as Box Ghost started using his foot work, hopping from one foot to the other as he kept his fists raised. Danny was on guard, feeling tense. This was the Box Ghost, someone he had beaten on a daily basis, but right now, he looked incredibly intimidating. He looked huge for some reason.
Calm down, Phantom, it's still the Box Ghost. he thought as he kept focus. He's a good boxer, but this is still a fight. I just need to hit him, even once, then I'll find a way to beat him.
Danny was about to take a step forward, when Box Ghost suddenly rushed towards him. He was suddenly below him, his arms raised just above his chin, like he was peeking over them. Startled, Danny tried to punch him, but Box Ghost just parried the punch easily before driving his fist on his abdomen.
Pain erupted from Danny's body as he felt the air leave his body. Stunned, he couldn't react when Box Ghost then threw a punch at his jaw, sending his face to the sky as he was lifted off the air. He would have fallen flat on his back, but luckily, Box Ghost punched him towards the corner, so he managed to stop falling.
Suddenly, Danny blinked and he looked around in confusion.
Huh? Why am I in the corner? He thought before he saw Box Ghost rushing towards him.
Startled, Danny quickly used the ropes to push himself off the corner, narrowly dodging a straight right. When the punch hit the corner, the punch vibrated through the ropes, traveling across the ring.
"I've been waiting to get payback on you in the ring for a long time!" The Box Ghost said with a grin over his shoulder.
"Suffering spooks! The heck kind of a punch was that!? I'd be throwing up my guts if I took that head on!" Danny exclaimed in shock.
Box Ghost quickly spun to face him and quickly rushed towards him. Danny tried to move, but found that his legs were unresponsive. In a panic, he quickly crossed his arms and blocked his left hook, though his block was easily broken. He could feel his arm throb from the pain. Box Ghost then used the momentum to throw a right hook, hitting Danny and sending him across the ring.
I can't keep taking hits! Danny thought in a panic as he steadied his feet. I need to hit back!
At the same time
In the audience, the disguised ghosts were cheering on the Box Ghost. Almost, as Kitty noticed that Ember looked unsure.
"Something wrong?" She asked.
"Not sure to root for or against Baby Pop. On one hand, he wins and he's got a chance at being all powerful. On the other, I can just leave to find him in the Ghost Zone and take the time to "nurse" him back to health." Ember admits, which she actually meant hitting on him while he was unable to fight back.
"Well… it sounds like you don't have to worry, you'll get something in the end." Kitty said.
Ember looked to see Danny punched in a way that made the entire stadium wince and audibly make their reaction to the pain clear.
"Well… he might not last long… so either way… it's a win-win for me." Ember said.
Inside the press box.
The four did their best to tip toe in, not getting the attention of the two ghosts inside.'
"There's the ghosts…" Tucker whispered.
Antello and Goatsly had their backs turned, watching the match.
"Ooh! I bet the Ghost Boy's feeling that in the morning!" Antello went.
"Assuming his pain receptors haven't been knocked out of him from potential blood loss." Goatsly added.
"Right! Who knew the Box Ghost could last this long?!" Antello shouted, still as excited as ever.
As the two were distracted, the four of Team Phantom decided to make their move.
"Where's the belt?" Sam asked in a whisper.
Danny was on the ropes, literally, finding himself out of breath.
"Where was all this last week when I stuffed him into the thermos again? Where was any of this before?! The one time he's good at fighting, and I'm in a hurry to finish this…" He said to himself.
"Don't just stand there chatting to yourself! You have no idea how much I've wanted to put you on the ropes like this!" The Box Ghost said.
Wiping his face with his arm, Danny took a breath and faced his foe again.
Suddenly, he saw Box Ghost swerving his body, creating a diagonal figure eight with his moving head. He saw the head move faster before he unleashed a barrage of punches. Danny quickly raised his arms to block the barrage, but he felt helpless as he moved back and forth from the barrage. Suddenly his block broke and a right hook struck his face, sending him down. Before he could hit the mat, his arm snagged the ropes and he managed to avoid falling down. He coughed a little, trying to breathe.
What was that!? He thought in a panic before he saw Box Ghost rush towards him.
Danny quickly got back to his feet, but couldn't move well due to the damage he received from Box Ghost. Unable to move well, the Box Ghost started throwing punches, which Danny somehow dodged, confusing him.
Suddenly, Danny saw himself in the corner, making his eyes widened as Box Ghost maneuvered him to the corner. He saw Box Ghost smirked before he did the weird swerving move.
Not good! He thought as he saw the eight-figure forming. In his panic, Danny pressed his back in the corner, then he saw something. He's just moving left and right! If I timed it right, I can hit him!
Eyes focused, Danny started following Box Ghost's movements before he saw Box Ghost about to throw a left hook. Clenching his teeth, Danny charged and threw a right punch. Both fists came flying towards each other, but luckily for Danny, his arm was longer. He hit Box Ghost on the face, but Box Ghost's fist barely reached Danny's abdomen.
Suddenly, Box Ghost fell to the mat face first as Danny stared at him in shock before he leaned on the corner, his arms on the rope to keep him up, releasing a breath of relief.
It took a second, but the crowds cheered.
"Knockout!" The unseen referee went. "The winner of the fourth round is… Danny Phantom!"
Hearing this, Danny breathed heavy in relief as he raised his arm.
"Finally…" He said to himself.
Although the Box Ghost was a better fighter, Danny's better strength gave him the only advantage he had. It was only luck that he made it work.
The Box Ghost managed to get back up and dusted himself. To Danny's surprise, the Box Ghost didn't look remotely upset.
"Even luck is a boxing skill, and you're gonna need all of it. Knock the champion out, Phantom." He said before disappearing.
At the same time, in the Press Box
"Looks like Phantom takes the cake!" Antello said.
"And I lost the bet…" Goatsly groaned as he got up. "Guess I better go tell the kid…"
As he disappeared, the rest of Team Phantom managed to make their way closer and noticed the belt hovering nearby over a pedestal..
"There it is..." Star said.
"Let's grab it, find Danny and get out of here..." Sam ordered.
The others nodded and made their way to the pedestal.
Star tried to reach for it but once she touched it, she phased through it.
"Huh?" She went, looking at her hand in surprise.
"Intangibility? Wait. that's a hologram." Jazz said.
An alarm went off and a shield formed around the four.
"That doesn't sound good..." Tucker said, stating the obvious.
That's when Antello turned around with a smile on his face.
"It looks like we got some unwanted guests trying to steal the prize, just like that jerk we didn't invite with the white cape. Good thing we set up that decoy belt." Antello said.
"Decoy?!" The teens exclaimed.
"I knew that this was too easy..." Jazz muttered, hating that they fell for such obvious bait.
"Well, too bad for you brats. The champ doesn't like thieves..." Antello said.
"What are you gonna do to us?" Tucker asks nervously.
Antello pushed a button and a camera descended from the ceiling.
"Hey champ, we got some troublemakers here. They went after the fake belt we set up as a decoy. Lemme know what you want us to do." He said.
The champion said nothing, but he grew angry and snorted like an angry bull. It steamed up the monitor that blocked his underling's view of his glowing eyes.
Antello smirked.
"Uh… why are you smiling?" Star asked.
"He's real mad now…" He explained.
New chapter with thanks to Flower princess11 and TheWhiteTitan.
Happy Thanksgiving!
RonaldM40196867: They did. Most likely. Yup. He's a guest at the Strong house.
Jebest4781: Thanks.
saberwolf335: My bad, but no time for that much drama. I have, yes.
Invader Johnny: That bet is the least of his issues.
danifan3000: Yup.
Luiz4200: It is, yes.
TheWhiteTitan: Next time.
JDF Legacy Morphicon: Thank you. Also, no artwork yet, but I'll work on it.
Leonardo: They learned now. Also, I have not, just an episode or two.