Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *Comes over and pulls off a gasmask* Okay, so I measured out how much dust there was left… and it wasn't much. So it seems Andy may be a cat that looks like Luna for a while.

Andy: *Is curled up on the couch*

DarkFoxKit: Shhhh, our little furball is sleeping adorably~

Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *Raises a brow* What… did you do to get him to sleep? I was sure he was going to be trying to claw out you eyes for at least another week or two before he passed out.

DarkFoxKit: Oh he tried, but it exhausted him to the point of collapsing before too long. *Is playing on a handheld*

Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *Gives a nod* I didn't take into account the fact he isn't used to physically being a cat, so each movement would be twice as draining for him.

DarkFoxKit: Yup, though when he wakes up, he'll likely come after me again.

Darkzdragon 'Onyx': What do you think he'll do this time? You've been transformed into other animals a lot lately, so I don't think he would go with the obvious choice. Perhaps… he puts some itching powder in your shampoo and conditioner? Or swaps out the labels on the salt and sugar. Oooh, he might try to switch out your tea for something that has the opposite effects or tastes awful.

DarkFoxKit: *Frowns as she looks up from her game* Andy wouldn't do that… would he?

Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Considering he's probably going to be a cat for a month or two, he might. Games of revenge or pranking usually are more of a game of one upping the other person. At some point you'll do something to him that you normally wouldn't do and he would do the same back.

DarkFoxKit: Oh… you're probably right.

Andy: *Yawns* Hey, Onyx… so what's the damage?

Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Do you want the sugar coated answer or the blunt answer?

Andy: … Just tell me.

Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *Mumbles* Blunt answer it is then… *Takes a deep breath before letting it out* You're going to be a cat anywhere from 1 to 3 months.

Andy: WHAT!?

DarkFoxKit: So, I have to go somewhere. *Takes off really quickly*

Andy: FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOX!

Chapter 76: Champion of Shadows

That same evening, Andy was in the Palace Library

I was glad that I could finally be granted access to the palace library. Tucker's trust had been building up with me since I had started talking to 'his precious queen', so he decided it couldn't hurt to let me go to the library and maybe interact with my sister again.

This was good, because the palace library had all sorts of information that would come in handy. I had recently gotten an update from Valerie, that Dash managed to smuggle a key, but it was the wrong one. There were a lot of keys, and with how Danny had been progressing in the arena, it wouldn't be long until he faced the champion. I couldn't just wait around until Dash got the right key, I was going to have to assume that Danny will be facing the champion in the colosseum.

"Jazz," I spoke up to my sister.

"Hmm?" Jazz raised a brow. "What is it, Andy?"

"Do you know anything about the current champion in the colosseum?" I inquired.

"I do know a few things, but mostly just basic things that everyone else knows," Jazz answered. "While I'm normally a bit of a bookworm, I haven't been reading all that much here as half of it is fabricated lies that simply paint Tucker as a living god."

I sighed at that. "Yeah… that's Tucker. Well… could you point to me the scrolls about the colosseum's champion then? I want to find out as much as I can about them."

"Okay, but why?" Jazz asked as she began to look through the scrolls.

"I just… have a bad feeling that our brother may have to face them soon," I replied, trying to keep the worry out of my tone. "If there's a weakness, or something about the champion that Danny needs to know, I want to find it before he has to fight them."

"There aren't any actual scrolls on the champion, but I could do some digging and perhaps 'beseech our great ruler to allow me to create a record of their greatest fighter'," Jazz responded.

"I guess that's the best thing we can do then," I sighed. "According to Valerie, Danny has already fought about 10 battles, so we have about 10 more before we have to worry about him fighting the champion."

"How long does that give us?" Jazz asked.

"According to the rules of the colosseum, the same fighter can only be dragged to the arena 3 times at max per day. Of course, we don't know if they'll only make him fight once or twice a day, so it's best to assume they make him fight 3 times a day. That would give us about… I think 4 days," I concluded.

Jazz gave a nod. "That sounds about right. That should give me enough time. Hopefully I can get some information about the champion before then that gives Danny an advantage."

"Okay, you do that," I stated. "I'm going to see if I can find Sam in the meantime. I had her try to see how many ghost guards thare are in the palace, and if there are any differences in numbers between day and night."

Jazz nodded before giving me a worried look. "Maybe you should try to take it easy. I see dark rings starting to form under your eyes. You've been running yourself ragged."

"There's no time to rest. There are so many things to watch out for, the smallest of thing could throw everything out of whack. Not to mention I have to worry if there's a traitor among us, meaning there's only a few people I can actually trust. For all I know, the traitor could've had a command implemented in their subconsciousness, so they wouldn't know they were a spy," I ranted. "What if you're a spy? What if Sam's a spy? What if I'm a spy? I doubt Tucker would trust me as much as he has unless he knew he could have me under his control!"

"Sorry, what was that about me being a spy?" Sam asked as she walked into the library.

"Andy's just having one of his freak out moments," Jazz sighed like this was a normal thing. "He hasn't been sleeping all that well."

"Oh, so he's being his usual stressful situation self?" Sam remarked in amusement.

"Nevermind that now!" I snapped. "Sam, have you managed to count up all the guards?"

"I'll excuse your tone on account of your exhaustion," Sam replied before she nodded. "I have a general count. I'm not sure if it's 100% though."

"That's better than having only vague knowledge, and… sorry for my outburst," I stated and apologized, calming down. "We should discuss it somewhere more private, you never know who could be listening."

"We can talk about it tomorrow, after you've gotten at least a few hours of sleep," Sam said in a stern, no nonsense tone.

"I've slept though." I frowned.

"Did you actually sleep or daydreamed more ways of plans going wrong?" Sam asked in a knowing tone.

I didn't give an answer to that.

"Just like I thought, go get some sleep," Sam ordered. "If I have to, I'll let our 'great leader' know that one of his advisors isn't at the top of his game and needs some sleep."

I paled at the thought of what Tucker would do to make sure I got some sleep. I didn't want to risk having him or his scepter in my head. "N-no, that's okay, Sam. I'll go get some sleep… after I check up on-"

I felt someone grab my arm and started to drag me out of the library.

"Oh, no you don't, you're going straight to your chambers and actually sleep!" Sam stated sternly.

It's times like this I wish I still had my ghost powers… I grumbled.

As for Danny back at the colosseum...

I just took down another gladiator in the arena. I hated fighting in the arena, because it meant the death of the one I defeated. At least when I was training, I didn't have to worry about that. I started to actually talk to the gladiators I was training with. It turns out they did have their own personalities, they just wore a mask whenever they came to the arena, all wanting to act like gladiators who were fighting for the honor of the gods or their pharaoh. It was all just for show, because of Tucker's wish and the Scarab Scepter. Knowing this, I hated fighting and dooming these gladiators even more than I ever did before.

A part of me wondered if the losers got taken to that shadowy figured I talked to a while back to get their cores eaten. I shivered at the thought. And yet, there was a small part, a part that I wish didn't exist, that found that to be exhilarating. I didn't know if that just my ghostly nature, or if some part of me still retained that… what did Andy call it? That... corrupted form I had. Whatever it was, I was more than happy to just ignore it and pretend it didn't exist.

I heard gladiator fetcher's voice at my cell door. I stood up, wondering if he was going to take me to training or the arena again.

"Well done in that last fight, White Phantom," The gladiator fetcher congratulated. "Your next fight is going to be your last. But don't worry, that fight won't be happening until tomorrow."

"You had me go to the arena 3 times the day before and yesterday, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you all wanted to get rid of me as quickly as possible," I remarked. "So, what are you here for then? Meal time? Training? Or just to tell me I better prepare myself for tomorrow's match?"

"Meal time and then training," The gladiator fetcher answered as he slid a tray of food into my cell. "You eat up and I'll be on the chair across the way to take you to the training area when you are done."

"Great," I grumbled before taking the tray of food. I really don't like it when someone I barely know watches me eat.

I ate pretty quickly, I didn't want to spend too much time eating, especially when gladiator fetcher wasn't too far away. I also wanted to talk to Scarlet as soon as possible. When I was finished, I turned to the door of my cell, leaving the empty tray on the ground.

"Okay, I'm ready to go," I stated.

The gladiator fetcher put the cuffs on me, like had become routine, before he started escorting me towards the training area.

"You know, a bunch of the guards actually are creating a bit of a pool of how long you'll last in your next fight," The gladiator fetcher informed as we started walking up the stairs that lead to the training area. "I'm currently the only one in the pot that believes you'll somehow pull off the unbelievable and defeat the reigning champ."

I raised an eyebrow, that was probably the nicest thing gladiator fetcher had ever said to me. "Uh… thank you? Not that I don't appreciate it, but why do you believe I'll win?"

"I can tell you've been holding back an ace that could easily wipe out any gladiator you faced," The gladiator fetcher explained. "I can also tell that you won't simply attack head on and will use as much strategy as you can to survive for the longest time while trying to find a weak point. Trust me, as a former military general of Pharaoh Duul Aman, I can get a good read on anyone's abilities after only meeting them a few times."

Ever since I got here, I've been thinking more like Andy. That and Scarlet also wanted to make sure I remember to never charge in head first into battle. I sighed to myself, before what the gladiator fetcher said sunk into my brain. "You used to work for the Pharaoh who has us trapped here?"

"Indeed I did, when I was still alive," The gladiator fetcher confirmed. "But that was long ago and sadly it would appear that the Pharaoh forgot that, as I am now simply a man who takes gladiators to and from locations."

I frowned a little. I didn't expect to talk or get much out of the gladiator fetcher, but Andy did say that understanding others was generally a good thing.

"I see. Are you happy to be serving under your Pharaoh again?" I asked.

"I am indeed, as I now have a second chance at life," The gladiator fetcher answered. "And there isn't much need for a general in the Pharaoh's new kingdom."

I gave a small sigh. "Um… do you have a name or something I can call you?"

"My name, when I was alive, was Bek," The gladiator fetcher replied.

I gave a nod, it was nice to know Bek's actual name now, instead of referring him as 'the gladiator fetcher' all the time. "Would you be okay if you had to go back to the Ghost Zone if something were to happen to the Pharaoh though?"

"I wasn't in the realm of the ghosts before," Bek informed. "My soul was used in the empowering of the Scarab Scepter, meaning that I am bound to it."

I frowned at that. Would that mean he would die if I broke the Scepter? Or would Bek be set free?

Bek must've noticed my worried face, because he chuckled. "I'll admit, it's nice to see someone worried about me. But don't be, it was my fate to serve the Pharaoh, even in death. If I should cease to be because something happened to the scepter, then so be it, I can die knowing I had served my Pharaoh."

I still didn't like it. There were a lot of ghosts here that were doing what they believed was right, not much different from humans, really. But I didn't say much more than that, I didn't want to get too attached to Bek in case I ended up having to fight him, or cause his death.

When I was finally in the training area, the first thing I did was go ghost before I flew over to Scarlet.

"Scar- I mean, Trainer Scarlet, there is something of importance I must discuss with you," I spoke up.

"Oh?" Scarlet raised a brow. "Then let us find somewhere to speak that is out of the way of the training gladiators."

"Yes, I agree." I nodded.

Scarlet lead me to a quiet corner in the training area. We were covered by the other gladiators who were sparring, the guards didn't pay too much attention to us here.

"What is it?" Scarlet asked quietly.

I held up two fingers. "Two things. One, I'm apparently going to be facing against someone powerful tomorrow, and two, do you know any shadowy ghosts who likes to eat the core of other ghosts?"

"Shadowy ghosts that eat cores of other ghosts…" Scarlet repeated, giving a thoughtful look. "I've taken out a number of ghosts like that, so none really comes to mind. As for your first point, I am worried that the only one with more power than you in the arena would be the current champion which I have only caught glimpses of."

"Do you know anything about the current champion?" I asked. "Did anyone tell you anything about them? Or did you ever speak with them? Anything at all?"

"I haven't spoken with them, no. Like I said, I've only gotten glimpses of them," Scarlet pointed out. "What I have heard of them is that they barely ever use their weapons and prefer to get up close to their opponent."

"Okay…" I frowned a little. "Nothing I'm not used to at this point, but still… if they are that strong, I better be careful… I'm also concerned about that shadowy ghost who seemed really interested in eating my core."

"What were your fighter's instincts telling you about them?" Scarlet questioned. "Did you get the sense that they were incredibly strong? If so, there is a chance you may have had a conversation with the champion."

I paled a little when Scarlet said that. "They… felt pretty strong, but… it was difficult to get a read on how strong. The things they said, made it… hard for me to concentrate that well. I… guess I was just… sickened by how much they were boasting about eating ghost cores."

"Being sickened by that is a good reaction to have," Scarlet noted. "If you weren't sickened by the idea of consuming the core of another being, then I would have to question if you truly are right in the head and good in your heart."

I didn't give a verbal response to that as I felt a stab at her words due to that tiny part of me that, for some demented reason, found the idea of consuming a ghost core enjoyable. Of course, she didn't need to know that.

"If they are the champion, however, that's going to be a problem then…" I frowned. "I rather not have my core eaten, thanks."

"Then in that case, I will have to train you extra hard to today," Scarlet decided. "We will be taking lessons on how to fight a powerful opponent up close. I may even have to discard my appearance of being a weak or unfit trainer in order to do this."

"If this is the champion I'm fighting, then that should be fine. If I win, then I'll be presented to 'the Pharaoh', and the… you-know-what can proceed," I said quietly. "If I lose… I… rather not lose."

"You won't lose," Scarlet confidently assured.

I nodded before looking over at the other gladiators. "Is it alright if I talk to them before we get started? This might be my last chance to try and convince them to help us."

"That is fine, I need to get the proper equipment ready after all," Scarlet answered. "Just make sure not to take too long or get in any of their ways."

"Of course, I won't," I promised before I flew over to some of the gladiators who were taking a break.

As soon as I landed, the gladiators stopped talking and almost flinched when they saw me. I frowned a little, before realizing they probably saw me defeat their latest friends.

"Hey, um… so I wanted to talk…" I started, feeling a little awkward.

"What is it, White Phantom?" One of them hesitantly asked me.

"You guys don't like it here very much, do you? I mean here, we're forced to kill each other in the arena," I pointed out. "Not to mention that we're treated like criminals or animals when all we wanted was to live our afterlives in peace."

One of them gave a frown before talking in a quiet tone. "Of course we don't like it here. It's absolutely terrible. But we can't really do anything about that, can we?"

"Maybe not right now, but if you did have a way to fight back and be free, would you take it?" I asked. "Or would you rather stay here, follow the rules, and continue to 'be safe' until you lose at the arena?"

"If there was a guarantee that we'd be free and not just executed on the spot, then I would probably take it," One of the gladiators replied, which got a few agreeing nods.

"Then in that case, what if I told you that I have some friends on the outside who are helping us to get out of this realm?" I brought up.

"Who would help us?" One of the gladiators asked. "Everyone would rather just watch us fight and die."

"Not everyone, some of them were taken to this realm against their will as well," I explained. "They want to get out of here as much as we do. What the 'Pharaoh' doesn't realize is that we're not going to just be his slaves, some of us are willing to fight back, even if that means cooperating with those not of their kind."

"Not… of their kind?"

"Wait, are you talking about those humans that were brought to this realm?"

"What are they going to do? It's not like they're a big threat to the Pharaoh or his ghost guards."

"Exactly." I pointed out. "That line of thinking is going to be our biggest advantage. With the 'Pharaoh' and his minions underestimating the humans, they can work in secret to get us out. But they're going to need our help to fend off against the 'Pharaoh's' guards. So… would you help us escape from this realm when the time comes?"

The gladiators glanced around at one another for a few moments before they all started to give nods.

"We shall assist you as best as we are able," The first of the gladiators stated.

I gave a smile, glad to see that this was working out in my favor. "Great, then we should spread the word to the other gladiators, but be careful not to let the guards know. We don't want them knowing we're planning to try and escape after all."

"But some of the other gladiators may not believe you'll be able to fend off the guards once we can escape," The second of the gladiators pointed out. "And if you were to get defeated in battle, then what would we do?"

"I won't. I will win the next battle, and then… that's when we'll strike," I promised.

"White Phantom, it is time to train!" Scarlet called out to me.

"I better go start training then," I said before I flew towards Scarlet.

I will win, no matter what. I'll win, then free Tucker, and get all of us out of here.

Meanwhile, with Andy...

I hadn't gotten much sleep yesterday. Jazz finally managed to convince Tucker to allow her to gather information on the Champion and write it down in a scroll for the records. Jazz had managed to get an interview with the Champion. Jazz looked worried after she had finished writing down information on the Champion, and handed me the scroll. That itself was already an ominous sign. When I started reading on the Champion, I could quickly start to tell why Jazz looked so worried.

The Champion was a knight, similar to Scarlet, but the biggest difference was that Scarlet was a holy knight, this was something called a black knight. It wasn't quite the Fright Knight, but it was similar, as they both used powerful dark energy.

Though from all signs, it looked like the Champion may have been stronger than the Fright Knight. While the Fright Knight had his legendary sword, he only existed to serve those he deemed worthy and strong. The black knight, on the other hand, doesn't work for others, instead, they grow stronger by consuming other ghost cores.

I couldn't help but shiver when I read this. While I was aware that ghosts are capable of eating each other's cores, I only ever saw one ghost who did that. I paled as I thought about him. I slapped my forehead, trying to knock away the images that were threatening to overtake my mind. I couldn't let myself lose it now.

I looked back to the scroll. The black knight was powerful, enough to rival even some of the strongest known ghosts in the Ghost Zone. In a combination of training as well as core consumption, it was little wonder why the black knight was so strong. There didn't seem to be any known weaknesses. According to Jazz's belief, the black knight was highly likely to be female.

I groaned to myself. What is it with us meeting with super powerful female knights?

"I couldn't find any glaring weaknesses…" Jazz informed as I finished reading the scroll. "The only thing I could see when I interviewed the Champion was that it looked like near their left waist was a decent sized crack in the armor. If Danny could somehow get up close and maybe use a strong attack on the crack, he could destroy the armor and possibly get a chance to strike at her core to knock her out."

"I don't know, Jazz. Even if Danny could break the armor, that doesn't mean he'll have the advantage. If anything, he's more likely to make the knight speed up without all that heavy armor weighing her down," I sighed. "And even without armor, I highly doubt the knight would have her core so easily exposed."

Jazz gave a nod to that. "You might be right, but when I was interviewing the Champion, it seemed like they still followed a bit of a code. One code that most knights tend to follow is to not fight without armor."

I remembered when I asked Scarlet why she always kept her armor on, she told me it was so she was always prepared to fight for Juliette, without the armor, she wouldn't be able to fight without violating a sacred rule among knights. I didn't get it, but then again, I'm not a knight. From what Scarlet told me, knights, even corrupted ones like the Fright Knight, all have sacred rules they follow or they couldn't call themselves a true knight.

I wasn't sure if that rule would've applied to someone like the black knight, who ate other ghost cores, but then again there didn't seem to be a law in the Ghost Zone set against those eating ghost cores. I would have to ask Juliette later if she knows the laws of the Ghost Zone, ghost culture is very different from our's after all.

"If what you say is true, and the black knight does follow this code, then Danny may have a chance against her," I observed with some hope.

"We need to try and get this information to him as quickly as possible," Jazz stated. "By the sound of it, Danny is going to be facing the Champion tomorrow at noon."

My eyes widened when Jazz gave me the news. "WHAT!? Danny's going to fight the Champion TOMORROW!?"

"Just calm down, Andy, don't start freaking out now!" Jazz quickly said. "It'll be fine, all you have to do is get someone to give Danny the message of how to beat the Champion, and everything will be okay."

"I can't do it today," I pointed out. "I already used up my messages for today."

"How did you already use up your messages for today?" Jazz raised a brow. "It's not even that late into the afternoon."

"I had the ghost guard bring Dash and we were discussing on what the right key could be. I had wanted to get Danny out before he faced the Champion, but it looks like that's not happening," I groaned. "The keys all have hieroglyphs on them, so Dash can't read any of it to figure out which key unlocks Danny's cell."

"I guess that means you didn't figure out the right key then?" Jazz inquired.

"No. I did the next best thing I could; I gave Dash a tiny scroll that he could hide on him that has the inscription for the words 'cell', 'jail', 'prison', and 'gladiators'," I answered, rubbing my head a little. "Honestly… I am a bit surprised and slightly worried at how quickly I'm picking up hieroglyphs."

"You aren't a spy, Andy…" Jazz sighed.

"How could you possibly know that for sure?" I frowned. "Hidden, unaware spies are hidden for a-"

"Because I know my little brother!" Jazz interrupted. "If you were a spy, even without knowing you were a spy, then surely none of what we are talking about would be happening right now."

I gave Jazz a small nod. "Yeah, maybe. Tucker and Hotep Ra don't seem to know anything's been going on yet. I've been making sure I only told the plan to the people I trust the most. I'll explain the plan to everyone else once everyone's gathered at the last minute, because I believe that is the best way to attack without someone leaking the information."

Jazz chuckled before she rubbed the hair on my head. "And you always say you're not a genius."

I pouted. "I'm not. I mean look at my grades in school, they're not horrible, but they're just… average. Compared to you, I'm just… average."

Jazz shook her head. "An average kid who happens to be half ghost and have a half ghost brother and two genius, ghost hunting, inventor parents and an amazingly smart and caring sister. You are anything but average."

I blinked before chuckling. "I suppose when you put it like that, my life isn't average. Although right now, I wouldn't call myself half ghost."

"You don't need to be half ghost to not be average," Jazz pointed out. "While you might only have average grades, that doesn't mean you don't have some genius part of you. I mean you're a strategist, you easily dominate everyone when it comes to strategy based games because you're already 50 moves ahead of everyone else. You can truly think outside the box, which isn't a trait a lot of people have. I'll admit that it's something I don't even have. I mean sure, there are times when I can think of out of the box solutions, but it's hard for me to do that, unlike with you."

"You give me too much credit," I sighed. "I don't play a lot of strategy based games. I'm also not 50 moves ahead, just maybe 2 steps ahead."

"Really? Because I remembered about 5 years ago, we were playing a strategy game as a family and you completely annihilated everyone," Jazz remarked. "You were more than two steps ahead on some of the turns. For instance, you told me that you had already figured that I was going to do something with my pieces about 5 moves before I even got to them."

I laughed, making Jazz raise an eyebrow at me. I probably looked a little insane at the moment.

"That's because I just know my family really well," I finally answered.

"That doesn't mean you don't have the mind of a strategist," Jazz pointed out.

"Jazz, listen, I never said I wasn't a strategist, just that I wasn't a genius," I clarified. "By the definition of genius, I mean in booksmarts. I hate math, I can't rhyme to save my life, and sometimes I accidentally fall asleep if I have to read something I'm not interested in. My brother and I can't help but envy your bookworminess in school, and your photographic memory, that must be especially helpful in tests."

"That's just one definition of a genius, Andy," Jazz chuckled. "Here are a couple other definitions I think fit you spectacularly. A genius can be someone who is exceptionally intelligent or exceptionally creative or has some kind of other remarkable natural ability that stands as an example. A genius can be someone with a unique natural ability, like thinking outside the box. You don't need to be a straight A student or have a library like mind to be a genius, Andy, you simply need to excel at something that others might have trouble at. I mean Einstein was a genius, but did you know that when he was younger he wasn't all that great at school?"

It was so like Jazz to go on and on about this. I mused to myself.

Before I could reply to Jazz, someone opened the door and came into the library. It was Sam, and she looked tired.

"I swear, if I have to clean up one more hallway or room in this palace, I'm going to just scream," Sam growled as she sat down on a chair. "How much longer are we going to be stuck here?"

"Hopefully not much longer," I said. "Tomorrow is likely when the plan will be executed."

Sam raised a brow at that and couldn't help but crack a small, relieved smile. "Oh really?"

"Yeah, because tomorrow is when Danny will be facing the Champion. If- when he wins, he'll be able to come to the palace and be presented to the 'Pharaoh'," I explained. "That's when we all need to gather around. It's not quite the sneaky stealth plan I had in mind, but as long as Danny is here with his ghost powers, that's all we need." At least I hope so. If Danny isn't able to take the scepter away, we're going to be in for a tough time against the ghost guards and Hotep Ra.

"The only problem I can see…" Sam sighed. "Is if Danny defeats the Champion and is presented before Tucker, then Tucker might try to do something which will make Danny obedient. I've seen him brainwash and hypnotize some of the students and staff of our school using it."

I frowned as I remembered Danny being mind controlled by Freakshow before. I refuse to let that happen again.

"I could tell Danny to go in disguise, but even then it's not guaranteed," I replied. "Juliette can help keep Tucker distracted. But I'm mainly worried about Hotep Ra, there's a chance he might see through the disguise and warn Tucker before Danny can get close to him."

"I don't think there will be much use for a disguise," Jazz pointed out. "Tucker most likely already knows that Danny is the White Phantom."

"Tucker didn't seem to know Danny still had his ghost powers," I stated.

"We'll have to hope that Tucker is under the assumption that Danny is simply relying on his training with Scarlet," Sam responded.

I sighed, rubbing my temples. Not getting enough sleep was catching up to me. "I'm going to get a message ready for Danny tomorrow. I just hope I can get it to him in time."

"Make sure to get sleep though," Jazz said. "It's still obvious that you're only sleeping for 2-3 hours at most. If the plan is going to happen tomorrow, then you need to be in the best state you can possibly be in."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," I answered tiredly. "Now… can you please hand me an empty scroll?"

The next morning, Danny was preparing himself

While I liked to believe I got decent sleep last night, I was too anxious to sleep well. Scarlet and I had been training hard together yesterday, so much so the other gladiators stopped sparring in order to watch. Many of them were shocked at how well Scarlet could put up a fight without most of her powers, while others were impressed that I was able to hold my own against such a tough opponent. I still didn't feel like I was ready for this upcoming battle, however.

Some of the words that the sinister shadowy figure said were still echoing in my mind, digging up memories I wanted permanently buried. During my, mostly restless, night, I had some very disturbingly clear memories resurface. I remembered what it felt like and tasted to eat a ghost core, and while I was mostly sickened by the memory, a part of me… wanted to do it again. I wanted to pull my hair out at such a thought. I began to worry less about the fight, and more about myself and my sanity.

What if I go 'corrupt' again? What if I actually become tempted to eat a ghost's core again? What would my friends and family think? What would… Andy think?

I was even more terrified and worried when I felt a small nagging whisper in the back of my mind that wanted to find out what would happen. What is happening to me!? Is Freakshow's freaky mist thing still inside me somewhere? … No, that's impossible, Andy made sure it never fused with me. But… what if what he couldn't stop it from fusing with me? Or what if it fused with me so well that Andy turning back time didn't really do anything but make it go dormant…? Uuugh, now Andy's got me doing it!

"Are you okay in there?" Bek asked, suddenly snapping me out of my thoughts. "Are you feeling sick?"

I snapped open my eyes, turning to my cell door, seeing Bek looking at me in surprising concern. I noticed my face was covered in sweat, and I quickly wiped them away with my hands. I had never felt more thankful for Bek interrupting my thoughts before.

"I'm… I'm fine," I answered softly. "Just… anxious about the fight is all."

Bek gave a frown. "I see, you are experiencing pre-combat anxiety. It happens to even the best of warriors. Hopefully a morning meal will help you feel better."

I wasn't sure if I could keep down a meal right now, but Scarlet did tell me it would be idiotic to battle on an empty stomach. Bek slid out a tray of food. While the food mostly had meat, I was thankful some of Sam's lessons of the importance of vegetables got through Tucker's thick skull enough to mix some vegetables into my meal. I picked up the tray and slowly started to eat. I ate slow due to not wanting to throw everything back up, and also because it might be my last meal, so I figured it would be better to savor it.

"Smart man, it is unwise to stuff your face when you are feeling anxious," Bek commented with an approving nod. "I've seen many fools try to eat their meals quickly before getting into battle and they ended up getting sick on the battlefield."

I gave a small nod at that. While it was common sense not to eat too quickly before a strenuous event, a lot of people tend to forget about that and stuff themselves.

Heh, out of all the ghost guards Tucker had summoned here, Bek will be the one I'll miss the most. I guess it's only natural to get attached when you see someone over and over again. I mused.

Before long, however, my tray was empty. I put down my tray and looked over at Bek. "When would I be taken to the arena today?"

"The battle is scheduled for after noon," Bek answered. "I believe the time Pharaoh Tucker said was 3 in the afternoon. I shall give you the option today, would you like to rest until your battle or would you like to go train?"

I was about to choose the option to train, but then stopped myself.

"I'll stay here and rest," I decided. "While I would like to prepare myself some more, it wouldn't be good if I was too tired to actually fight." That and I need to get myself mentally prepared. I can't lose it during my battle against the Champion.

Bek gave a nod as he took the empty tray from me. "Would you prefer to rest in silence or would you like some company? As you were just feeling anxious, I am more than willing to assist you up until your battle by simply being here to keep you from going insane."

A part of me wanted to be alone, on the other hand, I rather not be alone if my thoughts started to spiral out of control again. "You can stay here. It might be nice to have some company."

Bek gave a nod before he pulled over a chair and sat down in front of my cell.

I sat down myself and took a deep breath. I knew I was going to be facing someone who ate ghost cores and was proud of it. I couldn't hide or run away from that. I was going to have to face it head on. Meaning, I can't let this memory consume me whenever they mention it. I have to remain in the present and strong if I want to have any hopes of winning. I can deal with whatever sick and twisted part of me wanting to eat ghost cores later, for now, I'll just have to deal with it during the fight. I must focus on winning first and foremost, winning and survival.

The time had come far too quickly for my liking. I was already cuffed and following Bek to the arena.

"Remember to keep your head," Bek advised. "Do not let your opponent control your emotions. Do not let them distract you or make you miss any opportunities to strike. I will give you a warning, you must keep yourself moving against the Champion otherwise they will end you quickly."

I nodded, listening to Bek's words. "Thanks, for helping me out. You didn't have to help me, but I appreciate it."

"You don't need to thank me, after all, I do have a reason to want you to win," Bek chuckled before he turned and looked at me with a serious expression. "In this battle, you will need to use everything you have ever learned. You will need to combine skills you may have never thought to combine before. And you will most definitely have to use all the strength that is within you, even though you may feel you have to hold it back."

I hesitated for a second, before giving a nod. "I'll do whatever I can to win."

Bek smiled as he held up the cuffs that had been around my wrists in his hand. "Good. Now go on to the ready room."

I gave a small smile back before I went into the ready room, sighing to myself. This is it then. If I could just win, we can finally get out of here.

I reached into my ice cold core, letting it spread out through my body before a ring of light burst on my torso, transforming me into my ghost form. When I was ready, I began walking out of the ready room, and into the arena. I could already hear the crowd cheering loudly and excitement. Ahead of me, I could see the shadowy figure stepping out into the light of the arena.

I was surprised to see the figure was wearing a solid black plate armor, from head to foot. They had a helmet on so I couldn't see their face. The figure looked thin, and had a feminine figure to them, so they were likely female. There was what I think was a sword tied to her waist. Upon closer inspection, I saw that the sword was undrawable as it had thick cloth coming from the grip tying it to the sheath.

What's the point of having a sword if you can't or won't even use it? I wondered to myself.

"Are both gladiators ready?!" An officiator, who really only showed up for big fights from what I've heard, asked from the edge of the arena.

"I am ready, but if my opponent has any last words, I would like to hear them now," The black knight answered with the same sinister voice of the shadowy figure that had visited me a few nights prior.

I didn't show any signs of intimidation this time. I kept my face straight and determined. "I'm ready."

"Oh? You aren't going to beg for mercy or pray for help from your gods or anything of that sort?" The black knight questioned in surprise. "How interesting. All my prey thus far has done something to that effect."

"Like I told you before; I will not be easy prey," I reminded bravely.

"Then I shall not hold back~" The black knight said in a tone that was both slightly impressed and a bit excited.

"As both gladiators are ready, the battle shall now commence!" The officiator yelled before a loud bell went off.

The black knight immediately dove towards me. I reacted quickly and flew back, my legs fusing into a ghostly tail, having her stop before she flew after me. I zipped to the other side, barely avoiding her hands. Even though her hands looked small, I could tell they would pack quite a punch. I managed to blast her back a few feet with my ghost ray, needing some room to breathe a little.

So she seems to be a powerful speed ghost type with how she's able to keep up with me. I noted.

The black knight came at me again, a slight glow around their hands that gave me a bad feeling. I didn't stick around to find out what her glowing hands would do to me. I zipped across the arena, before I threw an ecto ball behind me. I managed to turn it into a shield to see what would happen. The black knight, as I figured she would, punched the shield instead of going around it. The shield shattered immediately upon impact.

Okay, really don't want to get hit by that. I quickly decided before I watched the knight continue, their fist hitting one of the stone pillars set up in the arena. My eyes widened a small bit when I watched the pillar practically explode, sending dust and rubble in my direction.

I didn't hesitate to go intangible and invisible, though I wasn't sure how much invisibility would help me since it was very likely the black knight could sniff me out like a dog. I flew higher, trying to get above the rubble and dust without hitting the barrier that covered the arena. I was very glad that I was intangible, because if I wasn't, the black knight would've pounced me from behind. She gave me what I felt was an annoyed look when she went through me. I did return to visibility and solid though, since I didn't want to drain my energy too quickly.

"You're definitely an interesting prey," The black knight remarked. "When I defeat you, I shall take my time to make sure I extract your core as slowly as possible and savor every… single… bite~"

I shivered at that. "Um… okay, eew. I don't need to know what you plan to do to me."

As soon as I said that, I shot out a ghost ray at her. She dodged the first one, but I managed to get the second one to slam into her chest plate.

"Seems my prey is more than just a cockroach that can run and hide to survive," The black knight chuckled, seemingly unphased by my ghost ray. "It has been quite some time since I have experienced a prey that will actually make me work up an appetite."

I did not like how similar she was to my other past self in the taunts. I gritted my teeth and struggled to stay in the present. Unfortunately, this costed me. I let out a hiss of pain when I was suddenly pinned to the hard ground below.

"Oh? Is there a reason you are suddenly hesitating and not making smart moves?" The black knight asked, sounding intrigued. "Perhaps my words are reaching a part of you that you never thought existed… or perhaps thought had vanished."

"Don't talk like you know anything about me!" I snapped as I struggled in her iron grip.

"Now now, I'm trying to have a civil conversation, if you're going to keep struggling, I shall break you to the point where you are unable to move," The black knight scolded. "Tell me, have you ever eaten the core of a ghost?"

I shut my eyes, trying to block out her voice. I can't let her get to me. I need to focus.

"Oh, you have, haven't you~?" The black knight snickered, taking my lack of an answer as a 'yes'. "How interesting. Did you do it out of necessity? Or perhaps anger? Or maybe you simply had lost your mind at the time and didn't know what you were doing. Or… you did it by choice, by desire, wanting to know what it was like."

"No! I never… I never did that!" I denied.

"You can try to lie to me, but I can see the truth written all over your face," The black knight replied in a smirk-like tone. "You have eaten a ghost's core before, perhaps even more than one. Tell me, did you find it enjoyable? Was it satisfying to fill that base instinct that all ghosts have?"

I hissed before smirking. "Did you see this written on my face?"

While the black knight had been talking to me, I was building up energy in my ghost ray. The black knight tensed in shock before I managed to blast her away from me with my powered up ghost ray. I quickly got back onto my feet.

"Heh… well played there," The ghost knight chuckled as she recovered from hitting the barrier over the arena.

I rubbed my right shoulder a bit, sore from that iron grip the black knight had on me, but I kept my eyes on her. Her demeanor seemed to have changed a bit. She no longer seemed like a predator eyeing an interesting prey, but more like a hunter who found an interesting species. I couldn't say if that was better or not.

"I hope you don't mind, frankly I don't care, but I want to see what you are capable of~" The black knight stated before she rushed at me.

I braced myself, ready for whatever she was going to throw at me.

Reviews

haloguardian452: DarkFoxKit: Yeah, Danny having more control of his powers. It's a nice thing.

Anime lover 3593: DarkFoxKit: Yeah, Danny is finally getting to see what it was like for Andy, though he knew he had terrified Andy, he just didn't know to what extent.

We were trying to make some of the side characters play a bigger role, though since we're doing the story in Andy or Danny's point of view, it's rather difficult to do something like that. We don't plan on changing it to the third POV though, since the story has always been about Andy and his adventures in the series, with the occasional switch to Danny. And, well, they can't exactly talk to everyone, because someone might spill it to Hotep Ra or Tucker, and they really can't afford that.

Darkzdragon 'Onyx': That question about why Andy didn't mention that the queen was with Tucker… what exactly did you mean by that? Are you asking why Andy didn't mention he saw Juliette beside Tucker in his vision? Or are you asking something entirely different? It's a bit hard to understand the question.

DarkFoxKit: The idea of other ghosts being dragged was Onyx's idea. I originally intended it to just be the scepter's creation.

Darkzdragon 'Onyx': However, I thought that it would be interesting if Hotep Ra's Scarab Scepter had some kind of connection to the Ghost Zone. After all, in a lot of Egyptian mythology, there is a strong connection to the afterlife and the worlds beyond life. Besides, it is easier for Hotep Ra to pull ghosts into his world instead of having to constantly sustain illusions or creations that were made with the scepter.

DarkFoxKit: Yeah, Andy can't really do anything other than try to get information and pass it on to people he trust the most, and hope for the best. As for your guess… um… I'm not too sure on what you're guessing here, other than it being a Spongebob The Movie reference with the whole 'Plan Z' thing.

Heh, well you are right in saying Andy is in danger of possibly getting his own ghost core eaten by the black knight, though it would be incredibly difficult to write for something like that since it would put us in a corner, and we might have to rely on a deus ex machina, and I'm sure none of you would want that. If Danny uses the Ghostly Wail while he's in the arena, he could end up hurting everyone, including himself. He wouldn't be able to fly away so easily since using the Ghostly Wail would exhaust him to the point of turning back to human.

Like I said, this is done in Andy's point of view (for the majority), so we can't exactly show the struggles Tucker's going through, but we will show how this will affect him once the episode is over.

The episode was kind of… weird, I don't know, it's like they took out one of the main writers, then just had Butch amp up the looney tune comedy for no particular reason. It felt a bit too much like a Fairly Odd Parents episode rather than a Danny Phantom episode, which isn't good since the two series are vastly different from each other in terms of tone and story. You'll see what we did with the Sphinx. As for Katrina, we are keeping her role subtle until it becomes much more important down the line.

Andy: I won't scratch you if you cuddle with me. I've had fans who cuddled with me when I was human anyways, so feel free to do so, at least this way it won't feel as… creepy.

Jewel moonstone: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Glad you're enjoying what we've been doing. Wait… you made your own plush? I might shoot you a PM after this. Ahh, yeah way too many unicorns in the world. What mythical beast would I like to see more in modern media…? I'd probably go with the giant wolf Fenrir.

Luna Lillyth: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Yeah, it's nice that we were actually able to add some stakes to this arc. Due to the 22 minute time slot of most episodes, there really isn't too much time to build up pressure. That and with episodic series, like Danny Phantom, it's usually guaranteed that the protagonist wins. So adding stakes like this where it truly feels like we could go either way is really refreshing.

Mana: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Heh, we have quite a few plans for the evil sinister female voice in the future, though nothing we can say right now. I can confirm that she will make more than one appearance. Talking about Valerie Gray's mother, I have been toying around with a few different ideas to share with Fox. Most of them do involve Valerie's mother no longer being alive. There are actually a few mothers that are never made mention of, like Valerie and Paulina. Perhaps in the future, we might go into what happened to them or where they are in the world.

DarkFoxKit: Yeah, I think that's what they were going for when they had Danny lose his weather powers, but it bugged me because it wasn't explained well. At least when Danny did accidentally get weather powers, they attempted to explain how that happened, but they pretty much hand waved how he lost it. So we're just supposed to assume because Danny got hit by Vortex's powers, he lost the weather powers? How? And why? Did Vortex pull some kind of energy suction that sucked away the weather powers that was in Danny? It didn't look like that, he just strike Danny with lightning, which was how Danny got the weather powers in the first place. Then again, in Phantom Planet, Danny somehow lost his ghost powers by going through the accident again, which made no sense… seems Butch thinks that if you go through the same thing again, the reverse happens, do you see how ridiculous that is? Ugh… anyways, I'm going off on a rant again. I do wonder if Danny would've had the power to create snow and blizzards with his ice powers, but I guess we'll never truly know.

Nocturne was a really cool and intimidating ghost. They could've done an episode where he forced the main characters into nightmares, unable to escape while he absorbed their subconsciousness energy, and the main characters would have to face their inner demons or worst fears to get out of it. They played with an idea like that with the Fright Knight's Soul Shredder, but that sadly never came back.

I'm… not sure on what you mean by Undergrowth being Sam's ghost, and Nocturne being Danny's ghost.

Darkzdragon 'Onyx': I think perhaps they're talking about how Undergrowth fits Sam's personality and beliefs so well as she's an ultra recyclo vegetarian. Undergrowth's entire thing is plants and all the things that Sam stands behind. So, in a way, Undergrowth is like the ghost of Sam's beliefs and all that. Or something along those lines.

DarkFoxKit: That… was a strange way to put it. Anyways, yeah, Urban Jungle did feel like a horror movie. The town got taken over, humanity was becoming slaves and food for the plant life, Sam was turning into the mother plant queen, completely under Undergrowth's control. When Danny came back, he was the last one left, everyone else were taken or turned into plant slaves. I appreciated the horror theming, especially since it was a season 3 episode, and it would've benefited so much more if it was an hour long special instead of a 22 minute episode. And there was a monster plant movie, so I kind of get what you're talking about, but sadly I don't remember the title either. ^^'