Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *Whines* Really wish we didn't have to stay here… from my calculations, the new How to Train Your Dragons movie has been out for a week or two… and we're stuck here, unable to go see it. But… if we leave, there will be lots of chaos and war and whatnot…
DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': Maybe you can ask Aragon to let you go see the movie?
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': He probably doesn't even know what a movie is. Besides, I doubt he would allow me to leave 'his domain' for any reason.
DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': Don't worry, once Dora finds Sam, Aragon will let you go. According to the canon episode, Aragon wants a human bride, just so he'd have something nobody else in the Ghost Zone would have.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Hopefully it will be that simple. I wouldn't put it past Aragon to want both Sam and the current leader of a kingdom of dragons.
DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': See, this is why being an ordinary fox is a good thing. I don't have the expectations of being a bride to the crown prince of dragons, at least in this universe.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *Looks around in an exaggerated manner*An ordinary fox? I don't see any ordinary foxes nearby. I only see a giant chubby hamster with a snake tail that is essentially a giant pet.
DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': I don't have a wheel to run on to get in exercise. And besides, being a giant hamster pet is better than being a bride who would cause a war if I try to leave. At least if I ran away, the most I would get is 'oh… get another pet then'.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': And an angry dragoness wanting to get her revenge for being abandoned.
DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': Relax, I wouldn't do that to you… on purpose anyways.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': I swear… I'm starting to consider Aragon's offer to put you on a leash… *Notices the camera* Oh… hi there… I uh… whatever you saw isn't what it looks like. I totally wasn't contemplating putting Hamsuke on a leash…
DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': If anyone has seen Sam, could you send her our way? I think Onyx is starting to get cabin fever.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *Mumbles* More like wanting to go to war fever… and a hint of bloodlust…
DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': *Clears throat* You all should get to the story now. I'll try to keep Onyx from… going on a rampage. As much as a giant hamster can keep a dragoness from going on a rampage.
*In the background, Onyx makes a motion as if she's grabbing someone and with one claw, make a violent tearing motion*
DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': *Turns to see what Onyx was doing and sweatdropped* … Maybe I better call Dora...
Chapter 62: Recruiting Help
"I returned to my brother not too long ago… and when I returned I found out… that my parents, the queen and king of my realm, had been exiled by my brother," Dora explained. "My brother is power hungry you see, and Mother and Father would never have allowed him to become the ruler of our kingdom, so he challenged them. He somehow won the challenge and exiled my parents, but thankfully they had put a law into place which states that a Prince cannot become King until they are wed."
"Your brother sounds like an absolute jerk," Danny said, which caused me to glare at him. "What? Tell me that I'm wrong. He wanted power so much that he was willing to exile his parents."
"There's something called 'tact', Danny," I sighed.
"It is fine, Andrew… er, Andy… Sorry, I have been forced to act like a proper princess lately and sometimes it is hard to turn off that side of me," Dora said with a wave of her hand. "My brother had to have done something unfair in order to win. My parents are among the toughest ghosts I have ever seen. They could give Clockwork a run for his money as the saying goes."
I looked at Dora's ring she had on her finger. The ring had an unusually big green stone on it. "Speaking of Clockwork, why did you have him freeze time around us? Couldn't you have just talked to us in a secret location or something?"
"Ahh, right, if I had not had him frozen time, I would not have been able to talk earnestly," Dora responded as she lifted up the hand with the ring. "You see, this is a communication device that my brother has unfortunately bound to me. He can see everything and hear everything that goes on around me. The only way to not let him overhear me would be to pause time for both the Ghost Zone and Earth."
"So your brother is forcing you to wear that?" Danny asked before Dora gave him a nod. "But why?"
"He is forcing me to find him the perfect human princess, and the only way to ensure I do not slack or choose the wrong candidate is to keep me under constant surveillance," Dora explains. "It also has the power to conceal my ghostly aura so you two wouldn't be able to sense me. He also most likely does not wish for me to go looking for Mother or Father."
"I have to say, that's pretty smart of him," I said.
"He is slightly insane, but he is still quite intelligent," Dora replied.
"So the fact that you had Clockwork freeze time," Danny said as he gestured to the frozen classroom. "Is so you could talk to us in private, right?"
"Yes, that is correct," Dora answered with a nod.
"Then that means you…" Danny began to say.
I smiled before I said, "You wanted to make plans with us, right?"
"Yes, that is also correct," Dora nodded. "I am sure you just heard, but there will be a pageant this Friday at your school. It is actually a front to find the perfect princess for my despicable brother. I would like your assistance with dealing with my brother. The way that all this connects, is that I will be the one picking out the judges. And I want you both to be two of the three judges, the third judge I will randomly be choosing from the crowd."
"Okay, but…" I frowned a bit.
"How does us being the judges help you?" Danny finished for me.
"Because you will be able to choose a candidate who will be able to resist Aragon's advances until you two come to 'save the princess' if you will," Dora explained. "I would like to remove my brother from power and the only way to properly do that would be to make him seem like an incompetent leader."
"Aragon… is that your brother's name?" Danny asked.
"Yes, Aragon is my brother's name," Dora acknowledged. "And before you say anything, yes I realize that if you change the first 'A' for a 'D' you get Dragon, my parents were not trying very hard with naming my brother."
I couldn't help but chuckle, "Did they name him after the amulet you're wearing or did they name the amulet after him?"
"They named the amulet before my brother was even born," Dora replied. "But they had actually forgotten that name at the time they named my brother, so while they are both named 'Aragon' they actually have no relation to each other."
I looked over at Danny and said, "Well, bro, what do you think? You want to help Dora out and be one of the judges for this beauty pageant?"
"Are you seriously asking me if I want to do this?" Danny asked with a raised brow. "We don't really have much room to say no. If we did, we'd only end up sending one of our classmates to the Ghost Zone to end up the bride of a nutball prince."
"Yeah, but as Clockwork once said, you always have a choice," I chuckled. "And I already figured you'd do it anyways."
"Then what's the point of asking?" Danny asked in response with a laugh.
"It's a standard question, always feels like I have to ask," I said with a small shrug.
Danny shook his head, giving another laugh before he looked at Dora. "We'll help you however we can."
"I really appreciate it," Dora said with a smile.
"It's no problem, we don't mind helping out," Both Danny and I said at the same time.
Danny and I looked at each other, surprised.
"I should probably get back to my position and let Clockwork return the timestream to normal," Dora said with a giggle. "If we stay here for too long, all three of us might end up in sync. I bid you two a fond farewell, Andrew and Daniel, I shall see you both later on today."
"Bye Dora," Danny waved.
"We'll see you later," I waved.
Dora turned back into the human form she had appeared in before disappearing in a bright blue flash.
Danny and I quickly sat back down in our desks before time started to flow again.
"-ses," Tucker finished the sentence he had started before time had stopped. "1000 dollars would be perfect to upgrade my computer system."
"As if you didn't have enough high tech junk stuffed in your backpack already," Sam grumbled.
"Hey, I want to make my home computer comparable to Mr and Mrs. Fenton's OPs Center systems," Tucker retorted. "If I have a strong enough computer, I could start hooking into the security feeds all over town and set alerts to whenever a ghost showed up so we wouldn't have to find out when they make themselves known."
"Heh, well good luck with that Tuck," Danny chuckled to him.
"It sounds like a good idea, if you're able to do it, I would like to see that," I said with a smile.
"My goal is to eventually have a system in place that picks up the slightest trace of ghost energy before they appear so we can be there to beat them before they have any time to do anything," Tucker explained.
"Okay everyone, settle down!" Our homeroom teacher called out. "We need to take attendance first and then you can socialize."
The school day was the same as usual. We walked to different classes, had lunch together, followed by PE. But today, instead of going to the last class of the day, we headed to the auditorium where Principal Ishiyama was waiting on the stage with the human-disguised Dora. Everyone was sitting down in their own little groups and cliques as they filed in. This included me and Danny as we sat down next to Sam and Tucker.
"Welcome everyone, please take your seat and quiet down so we can begin the presentation," Principal Ishiyama said as the last of the students filed into the auditorium.
Everyone began to quiet down, turning their attention to the stage. I noticed that the stage looked to be decorated with a wooden tower, a wooden sun, and a wooden shadow of a dragon behind the tower.
"Welcome, students, as you all heard at this morning's announcements, we will be hosting a beauty pageant here at our school," Principal Ishiyama explained. "To help explain what will take place as well as to choose the judges, I present Miss Dorothy Crowne."
I smiled when I saw Dora, using her human disguise, walk to the center of the stage. Principal Ishiyama handed Dora the microphone before she walked offstage, leaving Dora up there on her own. I noticed that Sam was giving a bored expression as Dora began her announcement.
"Thank you, Principal Ishiyama," Dora said with a smile before turning to the crowd. "Greetings, students of Casper High, I am so happy to have been granted the privilege to host a beauty pageant here at your school. I did have somewhat of a speech prepared but it felt a little cliche and sexist so I shall just adlib. I shall start off by stating the rules of the pageant. Only females will be allowed to participate as the theme of this pageant is 'Medieval Princess'."
"Awwww…" I heard Tucker groan not far away from me.
"There was little chance it was ever going to happen in the first place, Tuck," Danny said, trying to cheer Tucker up.
"At least we don't have to worry about that cross dressing nightmare fuel," I whispered to Danny, making him chuckle.
"The other rules go as follow. All participants will be given their outfits by me, I would like to keep the pageant an even field mainly based on personality and how well you can pull off the role and not just on 'who has the most expensive dress'," Dora continued to explain. "There shall be no sabotage allowed, if one contestant tries anything to make another contestant fail from tripping them to downright verbal abuse, they will be immediately disqualified and reported to Principal Ishiyama. For those who wish to participate, you will be granted a special pass out of your classes for special pageant training hosted by yours truly."
"Ugh, I hate this a lot. Even more so than the morning sun," I heard Sam grumbling from beside Danny.
"Aww come on, Sam, it's not that bad," Danny said.
"Besides, what's wrong with beauty pageants?" Tucker asked.
"It's pointless, and it turns girls into shallow doormats, not to mention it turns all guys into drooling idiots," Sam grumbled.
"Sounds like you have a pretty bad view in all this," I said. "It's not meant to be sexist or demeaning. If the girls want to do it, let them have their fun. Nobody's forcing you to do it, Sam."
"I will be choosing the judges from those among you, and yes, I did say judges as in more than one. There shall be three judges in total to make sure that the winner is not selected out of bias," Dora continued. "Now instead of jumping up or waving your hand around to try and be chosen as a judge, I will be choosing from those who remain seated and are best behaved. Before I choose the judges, does anyone have any questions? If you do, this is the time to ask."
Paulina stood up and raised her hand.
"Yes?" Dora asked, pointing at Paulina. "What is your question?"
"I know you said no foul play, but what about trying to cozy up to the judges? Is that also banned or is it allowed?" Paulina asked.
"That is an excellent question, young lady," Dora said with a smile. "I shall allow it as long as any actions are done in a ladylike or princess like fashion. I will not allow downright bribery with money. Now then, are there any other questions before I choose the judges?"
"Will we be allowed to wear makeup?" One of the other girls asked from the crowd.
"Yes, all participants will be allowed to wear makeup as long as it is within a reasonable amount," Dora answered before looking around. "Any other questions?"
Nobody else asked anything. I did notice that a lot of the boys were smiling, and looking ready to show off so Dora could pick them to be the judges.
Dora began looking at the crowd, walking along the stage, "I'll begin choosing the judges. When I point your way I ask that you stand up to confirm that you have been chosen. Let's see, I have already spotted two gentlemen who would be more than perfect of the role of judges."
Dora pointed at Danny and then me. "Will you two please stand up?"
Danny gave a smile before he said, "That's our cue."
Danny stood up, and before I could, Tucker stood up beside Danny with a huge grin on his face.
"This is why I made sure to have the judges stand up," Dora said with a kind smile. "I am sorry, but would the young man wearing the hat please sit back down?"
Tucker frowned at this, "Is she talking to me?"
"I'm afraid so, Tuck," Danny said to our friend. "I think she was pointing at Andy."
"Aww man, how embarrassing!" Tucker groaned, blushing from embarrassment before he sat back down.
"Sorry about that, Tucker," I said in an apologetic tone before I stood up.
"Excellent, I shall now choose the final judge," Dora said as she looked back to the crowd. Her eyes fell upon someone on the other side of the auditorium and for a second I could swear I saw Dora's eyes flashing red.
I couldn't see who Dora was looking at, but she gave a smile before she pointed at someone in the crowd.
"Young miss, would you please stand up? If you plan on participating in the pageant you can stay seated, but if you do not have plans of being a contestant I would be thrilled to have one of our three judges be a young lady like yourself," Dora said, still smiling.
I saw the figure standing up, and recognized her as Katrina. I was surprised that Katrina was willing to be a judge, she seemed like a girl who might've been interested in participating this beauty pageant, but then again I don't really know her.
"Is it really okay for a girl to be a judge?" I heard one of the boys asked.
"Yes, it is," Dora responded, hearing the question. "As it allows a more unbiased opinion. With the gentlemen, they could be driven to their decision by simply 'who is the prettiest' instead of looking at things objectively."
"You know, I'm starting to like her," I heard Sam said in a less sour tone.
"Now, would the three judges please come up onto the stage?" Dora asked with a warm smile.
Katrina was closer to the stage than Danny and I were, so she was the first to make it on stage, standing beside Dora. Danny and I had to walk through the crowd until we got to one of the walkways which led straight to the stage. Danny and I quickly got to the stage before we stood next to Katrina. I felt nervous standing in front of everyone like this, I was never one for a lot of attention. It's a good thing I had decent control over my ghost powers, or I might've accidentally gone invisible in front of everyone.
"Thank you three for accepting the honor of being the judges," Dora said as she walked over to us. "I would like to ask each of your what your names are."
"My name is Katrina Nightshade and it's an honor to be chosen as one of the three judges," Katrina introduced herself.
"What an elegant name you have," Dora said with a smile. "And such marvelous manners too, I am already hopeful about the pageant contestants."
Dora then walked over to Danny and I.
"I'm Danny Fenton, it's uh… cool to be able to be a judge," Danny said awkwardly, I could tell he was just as nervous as I was standing in front of all these people.
Dora chuckled at Danny's nervousness. "Relax, young man, I promise I won't bite."
"Of course," Danny said with a sheepish grin.
Dora then looked at me and said, "And what about you, young man?"
"My name is Andy Fenton," I said, trying to seem braver than I felt. "I uh… hope to be a good and fair judge."
Dora smiled and nodded before turning to face the students in the audience. "There you have it, our three judges. Katrina Nightshade, Danny Fenton, and Andy Fenton."
The students all gave a cheer. I had a sinking feeling that most of the girls might try to butter Danny and me up since we're two judges and Katrina was one.
"The sign up sheets for the pageant should be in the hallways by now, I wonder how many of the young ladies in the audience will sign up," Dora said with a smile. "And remember, the winner of the beauty pageant will be given a one thousand dollar reward. I shall also bestow upon them a magnificent tiara and they will be allowed to keep the dress they use in the pageant if they so choose. Now, I wish you all a magnificent day. Oh and I would like the three judges to stay up here until all the students have left so I may explain your roles."
Danny, Katrina, and I watched as the students got up from their seats and started leaving the auditorium. I noticed Tucker and Sam hesitated before they walked out themselves. Leaving me, Danny and Katrina alone with Dora.
"Again, thank you three for accepting the honor of being the judges," Dora stated as she turned to look at us. "I will keep the explanation short so you can get back to your friends or head home. Your roles are to judge each of the contestants in the pageant using a sheet that I will provide. On the sheet will be traits for you to use to judge the contestants. You three have to come together to choose one winner. I would like you to try and decline any actions from the contestants that could be considered 'cozying up'. I would like you to hear the offers and actions though in order to use that in the final judging. Now, do you have any questions for me?"
I think I got what Dora was trying to say. She wanted Danny and me to choose who we think could resist Aragon for the longest amount of time so we could mount a rescue. If we chose someone like, say… Paulina, she would easily marry the guy simply because he's a prince. So we can't have our minds clouded by the favors and desires offered to us by the girls. I'm not sure what Katrina would do, but if Danny and I agree on our votes, it would be two to one.
"Excellent, it looks like there are no questions. I should clarify what I stated earlier, I said all three of you would have to choose a winner, but if two of you decide on one person, then they shall be the winner as it would be the majority vote," Dora clarified. "That is all I needed to say, so you are free to go, but I would like to talk to you in private for a few minutes, Miss Nightshade."
"Of course, Ms. Crowne," Katrina said politely.
Danny and I looked at each other, both of us probably wondering the same thing of why Dora wanted to talk to Katrina alone. We decided it wasn't any of our business, we could trust Dora. We walked off the stage and headed out the door to see that Sam and Tucker were waiting for us.
"So what did she want?" Sam asked us in slight concern.
"She was explaining to us our roles as judges," Danny replied. "Now, since this was the last period, I think we can just head home."
"I still can't believe out of everyone, she chose you two," Tucker grumbled, looking at me and Danny. "I mean why choose twins? You two are practically the same."
"Hey, no we're not and you know it, Tucker," I said with a frown.
"Perhaps she wanted to see if they have differing opinions," Sam guessed with a shrug. "Anyways, let's get going, I'd rather not be here when the sucking up starts."
"It won't start until tomorrow," Danny said with a chuckle.
"It could start today, actually," Tucker chimed in. "I mean anyone who plans on signing up wouldn't want to waste any time cozying up to the judges. You two are so lucky…"
"Hey, you're our best friend," I pointed out.
"So?" Tucker asked.
I rolled my eyes before I said, "So that means they'll want to suck up to you by association."
"Wait! Really?!" Tucker asked excitedly.
"Ugh," Sam groaned. "I'm leaving."
"A beauty pageant? That sounds like the best idea I've heard in a thousand years!" Scarlet joyfully said.
"We won't be participating, Scarlet," Juliette chuckled. "For one, we aren't students at Danny and Andy's high school. And two, it's a princess themed pageant, not a knight themed pageant."
"Besides, we only told you about this so you could help us when we need it," I said.
"What kind of help would you like?" Juliette asked curiously.
"Well, according to Dora," Danny said. "The beauty pageant is a set up for her brother's chosen bride. Whoever we pick is going to be taken to his castle in the Ghost Zone."
"Dora? As in Clockwork's dragon assistant?" Juliette asked.
"You know about Dora?" I asked, surprised.
"Clockwork was trying to get me to be one of his assistants for centuries," Juliette pointed out. "During that time, I met Dora. Once she actually tried to recruit me herself."
"Who is this Dora's brother?" Scarlet asked.
"His name is Aragon," Danny answered. "Supposedly he's the dragon prince or something."
"Prince Aragon?" Scarlet said before frowning. "I know of him. The dragon family are royalty in the Ghost Zone, they're powerful with their amulets giving them the power and forms of the mighty dragons. Even I have trouble taking them down."
"So why does he want a human bride?" Juliette asked me. "I understand why he would want a bride as according to ancient laws, a prince must take a princess in order to become king, but why a human? Why not a ghost?"
I shook my head and said, "Heck if we know, Dora didn't say the guy made any sense, just that he wants a bride that nobody else in the Ghost Zone has."
"Dora made Andy and me two of the three judges so we could pick someone who could stall Aragon long enough for us to find and rescue them from him," Danny continued.
"The problem is that no matter who we pick, they're going to get kidnapped and taken to Aragon's castle in the Ghost Zone," I said with a frown.
"And the Ghost Zone is huge, we could easily get lost in there, especially since we've never been to Aragon's castle before," Danny said with a shake of his head.
"Not to mention we may have to fight him," I continued. "Fighting a dragon ghost might be too much for just the two of us."
"So we were hoping if maybe you two could help us with this," Danny finished.
"You realize you two were just completing sentences for each other, correct?" Juliette pointed out.
I blinked in shock, as if just realizing this myself. I looked over at Danny and noticed he was looking at me with the same expression.
"It uh… might've been when Dora had Clockwork stopped time for us earlier," I suggested, feeling a little self conscious.
"She said it has that side effect, to make us in sync sometimes," Danny said with a small shrug.
"But would you still be under the effect of it even after multiple hours?" Juliette asked before she shook her head. "Sorry, I am taking us off track. I know Scarlet would be more than willing to help you to fight Prince Aragon, but what is it that I could do? I prefer to not fight if I have a choice in the matter."
"I don't feel comfortable leaving you here alone, my princess," Scarlet said to Juliette.
"We're not asking for you to leave her alone, Scarlet," Danny said. "We were actually thinking Juliette could help us find some clothing that fits the period of where Prince Aragon reigns as well as guiding us through the Ghost Zone."
"Guide you?" Juliette repeated in a questioning tone.
"Yeah, you have been through a good part of the Ghost Zone and you know different routes to get to locations without being noticed," Danny responded. "We want to avoid getting spotted by any of our enemies on the way to Aragon's domain."
"Do you also have something that could help humans not phase through everything in the Ghost Zone? We may have to use our human forms for our disguises, too many ghosts would recognize us in our ghost forms," I said.
"I personally don't have anything that could keep humans from phasing through objects in the Ghost Zone, but I can think of a few places where we could find such items," Juliette responded after thinking for a few moments. "There are quite a few bazaars and shops in the Ghost Zone where you can find just about anything. There are objects in those places that exist in both this world and the Ghost Zone which would cause anyone holding or wearing the objects to be unable to travel through matter in either world."
"Bazaars and shops in the Ghost Zone?" Danny asked, surprised by this.
"Oh yeah, I remember you mentioning something about that," I added thoughtfully.
"I've looked at a few blacksmiths in the Ghost Zone when I was on my crusade, only shopping at those stores that I deemed holy enough for my purposes," Scarlet said. "Some of my weapons and armor are from those stores, others I scavenged from fallen foes."
"Wow, I never knew the Ghost Zone had anything like that," Danny said in wonder.
"The Ghost Zone isn't just where ghosts live, Danny," Juliette began to explain. "There are other things that exist there like shops, bazaars. The Ghost Zone is endless, meaning there are endless possibilities of what can exist."
"Hold on, if there are things like shops and bazaars in the Ghost Zone…" I began to say, thinking. "Then that means ghosts use currency, right? What kind of currency do they use?"
"There are many different currencies used in the Ghost Zone. It all depends on where you travel. For some stores, they use precious metals like gold, silver, bronze and copper. Some other stores use dollars from the current American monetary system," Juliette answered.
"So it's like a different culture and time era thing?" Danny asked.
"Yes, but there is a common currency that most stores use which can easily be obtained by trading in currency at banks," Juliette replied. "The common currency of the Ghost Zone is named Ecto Dollars, but they are better known as Ectos."
"Ecto Dollars?" I asked.
"Basically, like the name implies, it's a dollar bill made of pure ecto energy," Scarlet explained. "The reason why most ghosts accept that kind of currency is because they can absorb the ecto energy to give themselves an energy boost."
"While they can be drained of energy like Scarlet said, they cannot be charged with ecto energy. This prevents ghosts from creating the currency," Juliette explained. "When drained of their energy, though, the value goes down. There are different levels of bills just like the American Dollar. Singles, fives, tens, twenties, fifties, hundreds, and for the richest or most powerful ghosts, thousand Ecto bills. Unlike your currency, instead of just having a different number on them, they are different colors. Singles are green, fives yellow, tens orange, twenties red, fifties purple, hundreds blue, and thousands are white."
"Wow, that's a lot to remember," Danny chuckled sheepishly.
I gave a sigh, "And sadly not something we have. How would we be able to afford anything in the Ghost Zone?"
"You can use some of my money," Scarlet offered. "I'll be more than happy to put that money to good use."
"We should only need a few things," Danny said. "Like that object to keep our human selves from phasing through stuff in the Ghost Zone."
"Well you would each need an object to use," Juliette said. "Otherwise you would all have to constantly be holding onto a single object. Also, Scarlet, how did you end up getting money?"
"I got money from some of those that I slayed, but I also took on certain slaying jobs that paid extremely well," Scarlet answered.
"Hopefully they're not too expensive, would three or four be too much?" I asked.
"Four?" Scarlet asked.
"Oh yeah, we might have to take Tucker and Sam with us," I said sheepishly. "You uh… haven't met them yet, but they're our human friends who help us with our ghost hunting."
"It shouldn't be that expensive," Juliette stated. "Depending on what it is you purchase. If it's something like tableware, then it should be cheap, but if it is something like clothes or armor or jewelry, it will be a little more expensive."
"Oh! Are you and your friends going to want some weapons too?" Scarlet asked with a smirk.
"Uh… well they've been using a lot of good weapons our parents made," Danny answered Scarlet.
"Those might not work as well in the Ghost Zone, and depending on what type of land the Prince Aragon lives in, technology might not work at all," Scarlet said.
"We could probably discuss weapons when we get there," I said. "For now though, I would like the object to be something wearable, like a necklace or a bracelet. That way we don't always have to be holding it."
"Understood, I think I have a bazaar in mind that could work well. Though we should most likely go before the pageant actually takes place," Juliette commented.
"We can't," Danny said. "Or at least Andy and I can't, we kind of have to be there or Aragon will get suspicious why we're gone for long periods of time."
"Juliette, would you and Scarlet be able to get the objects we need before the pageant?" I asked.
"What about when the girls are doing their training?" Juliette asked. "Are you required to be there at that time?"
"The training would be during school," I said. "We could try to leave, but we would get in trouble by the teachers."
"We could always say we're not feeling well or we're being overwhelmed by the girls who will no doubt be trying to sway our vote to them," Danny pointed out.
"We'd rather go with you as well," Juliette said. "While Scarlet and I can go on our own, it is more logical to go as a larger group."
"I'm sure it won't be that bad, bro," Danny said to me.
"I don't know… I don't like the idea of skipping school…" I said with a frown.
Danny sighed before he turned to Juliette and Scarlet, "We'll think about it. If we go, we'll come and get you before we head into the Ghost Zone."
"Understood, we'll be waiting here for your response," Juliette said with a warm smile while Scarlet smirked.
"This is gonna be fun, I always wanted to fight a dragon!" Scarlet said eagerly. "I've always heard how strong they can be, it'll be a great challenge."
Danny and I were laying in our beds that night, thinking about the beauty pageant.
"Hey Andy…" Danny spoke up.
"Hmm? What is it?" I asked.
"That vision we had of Sam getting married… you don't think that was Aragon she was marrying, do you?" Danny asked in concern.
"Why would it be Aragon? Sam isn't even interested in participating in the beauty pageant," I asked.
"I mean it's possible… you did say your visions usually happen in a day or two," Danny pointed out.
"It was a possible vision, it doesn't mean it will happen," I answered.
I felt a small tug on my bed sheet. I looked down to see Hope trying to climb onto my bed.
"Ugh… I really need a ladder or something…" Hope whined a little.
"Hope?" I bend down and picked her up. "What were you doing?"
"Isn't it obvious, child?" Hope asked. "I wanted to sleep in your bed tonight."
"Child?" Danny asked with a small chuckle.
"Shut up, Danny," I grumbled before looking at Hope. "I mean if you want to sleep in my bed, I guess that's fine. Must be uncomfortable having to sleep on the desk all the time."
"Just as long as you promise not to w-" Hope started to say before I covered her mouth.
"There is such a thing as too much information," I said to Hope quietly.
Danny smiled at me, "Aww, looks like my little brother finally has his own teddy bear to sleep with."
I glared at Danny, "Like you don't have your own."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Danny said with a nervous grin.
"Don't play dumb, bro. You think I wouldn't have noticed whenever you cuddled with your own teddy bear? I'm highly alert to when it comes to teddy bears," I said with a grin myself.
"I remember seeing a pink and yellow teddy bear under your pillow," Hope said to Danny.
"You shut your mouth now before I sew it shut," Danny threatened.
"No need to threaten her, bro, it's not like I didn't know," I said before laying down. "Now go to sleep, we've got a hectic week ahead of us."
"You've got that right," Danny said with a sigh.
"Goodnight, Danny," I said quietly. "Goodnight, Hope."
"Yeah, goodnight, bro. And goodnight to your precious teddy bear," I heard Danny say before he turned off the lamp on our nightstand.
It was a strange experience, actually cuddling something in bed. Hope's fur was very soft, and she was very still, making it easy for my arms to wrap around her. I closed my eyes while I cuddled with Hope, and fell asleep before I knew it.
Luna Lillyth: DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': Thanks. We should be getting back to this story soon though. We just need to finish up something else first. I think the ghosts have some sort of honor, that or they don't care about the humans enough to want to blab it to someone. Likely the humans wouldn't believe the ghosts anyways, especially the parents.
Heh, the plot changes are mostly from Onyx, she finds it boring to basically repeat the episode. We do use the episode as the base plot, but then do a complete makeover with our own.
Raidentensho: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': I don't know if Andy would try to learn a foreign accent. I do see him possibly learning other languages, but accents are something a bit harder to learn and use. Scarlet could possibly be a mentor when it comes to language, but that might be something more up Juliette's alley considering she most likely had lessons in the languages of nearby countries.
Anime lover 3493: DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': There was… only one judge in the original, and it was just Danny. Tucker was Danny's best friend, so the girls went out on a date with Tucker by association. Dash wasn't even a judge. We made it three in this one since that's how most pageants would have, that and we wanted a way to use Danny and Andy for the plot. And yes, they would pick both Danny and Andy due to the plan Dora had for them, not because of the pageant itself. As for if Andy could pull off being in a dress… I… never thought about that to be honest. ^^' Do you think he would?
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': I could see it. I mean if Yami from Yugioh (Abridged) can look sexy in a dress, I'm sure Andy could pull it off as well. He would just need to be confident and cool about it.
DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': … Are you trying to tempt me?
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *Smirks* Maybe~
DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': *Grumbles and moves on to the next part* Anyways… Andy does have attachment to the hoodie and feel safer while wearing it. Andy hasn't completely gotten over his trauma from what happened with Corrupted Danny, and Danny realizes this, but he's not sure what he could do about it to help other than comfort Andy. Thankfully nobody is demanding us to keep going here, it's just we wanted them to be prepared for our slow updates for a little while.
The Moonfox Collective: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Well his visions are tied into his time powers. His full time powers aren't really needed at any point. … Everytime I read your outro my brain instantly defaults to reading it in the narrator from Dragon Ball Z's voice. 'Next time on Dragon Ball Z!'.
DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': Andy's visions, as Onyx said, are tied to his time powers, or what's leftover of them. But Andy can't control when he gets visions or what he'll see, at least not yet. He can only share his visions with Danny, and Danny can only see them if he's touching Andy during the visions. And nice with the dramatic outro there. XD
Mana: DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': Dora's human disguise's last name was Mattingly, but we thought it was stupid, so we changed it to Crowne.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Crowne actually was inspired from the fact that she's the princess of her realm. As for having more judges than just Danny, it was in part due to the fact that most pageants have 3 or more judges to be more fair and also we wanted to include both Danny and Andy in the plan.
DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': I think Sam joining the pageant to prove a point was weird to be honest. I mean why do the thing you hate doing just to say it's stupid? That's just me though. That's why I came up with the whole Sam suspecting Dora being a ghost idea, cause I feel like that would've worked better. I mean if Butch really wanted Sam to do it to make a statement, that could've been a bonus in Sam's eyes, so it wouldn't feel as petty.
While I agree that Sam did handle herself pretty well, what was she going to do after Aragon took the crown off? Likely he would've had her thrown in the dungeon for making such a mess, or have her executed. Sam can't navigate in the Ghost Zone by herself, and I wasn't sure if Dora was going to help her in her current state of mind at the time. But in the end, I did like that Sam managed to convince Dora to break out of her brother's hold and fight back.
Why does Aragon want a human bride? I think Dora said it's because he wants something nobody else in the Ghost Zone has, but it does seem rather weird, doesn't it? Well, in Aragon's point of view, he doesn't see a bride as a lover to treasure for the rest of his… err… afterlife, he just sees her as a trophy to add to his bragging rights. It's clear that Aragon doesn't see women as people, but as slaves, servants, or a prize. That's my take on why Aragon wanted a human bride, I'm guessing the age didn't really matter.
It's possible that Dora and Aragon's parents gave their children the amulets. Though nobody knows where the parents are, or why they let Aragon get like this. But I'm guessing that's why Aragon never took Dora's amulet away.
Valerie is entering, but as for winning… well… just wait and see. Beauty is subjective, most people agree that beauty has to be from someone thin, perfect skin, great hair, and just the right amount of makeup, which often creates the shallow, sexist, throwing-dignity-out-the-window people. If that sounds like Paulina, then congratulations, you know how Andy feels about her.