Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *Walks over to the couch wearing a heavy sweatshirt* Looks like that was the last of the trick or treaters. I still can't believe it snowed on Halloween… *Notices the camera* Oh, hey, everyone, how's it going? Tell me, did any of you have snow on Halloween? Because it snowed by me.

DarkFoxKit: *Is wearing a pink pumpkin costume* I didn't. I want some snow. I just got a lot of cold wind, loss of electricity, and a lot of trick or treaters. I'm a bit of an introvert, so you can imagine how having to answer the door for these people I don't know was a bit of a nightmare for me.

Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Well, at least we're done now, so we can just sit back, relax, and do the AN. By the way, aren't pumpkins orange? Or are you a painted pumpkin?

Andy: *Strolls on in, still a black cat* She's a special pumpkin grown by the pink cat herself.

DarkFoxKit: Yes, and I'm not allowed to take this off until 8 in the morning tomorrow. It's hard to walk with this thing on my body.

Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Huh… that definitely sounds like something Mew would do. Anyways… *Points at the camera* say hi to the readers.

DarkFoxKit: *Goes off somewhere, then comes back with a huge red basket on her back, filled with candy* Here you go, readers, take some candy! You know you want to!~

Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *Raises a brow as some of the candy disappears* Huh… that's cool. Anywho, I hope everyone is staying warm, or cool if you're in areas that are still hot, and I hope everyone has a great two weeks until the next update.

Andy: Hey, is that a Kit Kat? I want some.

DarkFoxKit: Sure, here you go~

Andy: … On second thought, it might be a trap.

Darkzdragon 'Onyx': It isn't. I bought the candy and made sure it wouldn't be tampered with.

Andy: In that case, gimme! *Takes the Kit Kat bar*

DarkFoxKit: You just have to wait until you turn back to normal, cats can't eat chocolate, it's bad for them.

Andy: Q^Q

Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Heh… when you turn back, I'll get you a whole bag of Kit Kats, Andy.

Andy: Thank you, Onyx, at least someone cares about me. *Pouts*

DarkFoxKit: I care about you! It's why I warned you not to eat the Kit Kat yet.

Chapter 77: Internal Battle

A little bit earlier, with Andy

I rolled over on top of a very soft cloud. I didn't want to leave it. It was the first time in a while that I had actually gotten some decent sleep. It felt like it was too early to get out of bed. And yet, something was nagging at the back of my sleepy head. This nagging feeling kept me from going back into the welcoming arms of sleep, so I just, reluctantly, opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling, trying to figure out this nagging feeling.

I looked around the room I was in, remembering that I actually came in here to sleep. I slept because of something important that we were supposed to do today.

That was when my eyes widened. The plan was supposed to happen some time today, after Danny was to be presented to Tucker. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to give Danny the very crucial information on the Champion he was to fight today, yesterday.

Oh-no, what time is it!? I knew it wasn't night anymore, but I didn't know what time of day it was due to the lack of a proper sun in this realm.

I quickly scrambled out of the bed I was sleeping in, almost getting tangled in the blankets, and tripping onto the ground. I quickly slipped my feet into the sandles before I rushed to the door, and hurried outside. I ran to the nearest ghost guard I could find.

"Y-you! You… bring me… Dash Baxter, quickly, please," I panted, trying to calm my beating heart.

"Yes, Adviser," The guard bowed before he flew off at a rapid rate.

I paced back and forth while I waited. After what felt like hours, but must've only been a few minutes, the guard returned, dragging Dash with him.

"Here you are, Adviser," The guard said as he placed down Dash.

"Thank you," I said to the guard before looking at Dash. "Dash, come with me, quickly, we don't have much time."

Dash must've noticed the urgency in my tone, before he just nodded. Both of us went back to my chambers. I closed the door, making sure we were alone.

"Dash, tell me, is Da- Phantom at the arena yet? Or was there any announcement of the Champion battle or anything?" I asked, needing to know what was going on before I did anything.

"Um… last I saw, Phantom was being taken towards the arena by the ghost that escorts all the gladiators," Dash answered. "I assume by now he's at the arena and may already be fighting."

I hissed something inappropriate under my breath. I rushed over to the drawer where I had kept the scroll in. It was the scroll I wrote about the black knight's 'weakness', and a possible warning. As soon as I had the scroll in my hand, I rushed back over to Dash.

"Give this message to Phantom any way you can. If you're not allowed on the arena or in the stands, give it to someone who is and can throw it to Phantom," I explained urgently, slapping the scroll onto Dash's hand. "It's very important that Phantom sees this before the Champion takes him out. If Phantom fails, then we're all going to be stuck here as slaves for eternity!"

"I-I get it, but I don't think I know anyone who's allowed on the stands who would even help us, let alone toss this scroll to Phantom," Dash quickly said.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself before panic clouded my judgement. "Have you seen a lady-like ghost with long red hair, and likely wears white armor?"

"Oh, you mean the ghost lady who trains the gladiators?" Dash asked.

"Yes, her, give it to her. Tell her to toss it to Phantom, she'll do the rest," I informed quickly.

"R-right! I'll do my best," Dash promised.

I nodded before Dash and I hurried out of the chambers. I went up to the ghost guard while Dash hid the scroll in his clothes. "You can take him back now."

"Is there a reason you are sending your acquaintance back so quickly?" The guard asked. "Normally you tend to keep your friend around for a significant time."

"I didn't have much to say to him today. And I need to get back to my duties soon, as I had slept in far longer than usual," I answered, trying to keep calm. "Now please, hurry and take him back. I need to get going before the Pharaoh asks for me."

"I understand," The guard acknowledged before he turned himself and Dash intangible and flew away into one of the walls.

With Dash and the guard gone, I sighed and rubbed my head a little. I knew the lack of sleep was going to bite me in the butt, but I didn't think it might be at the cost of Danny. I wanted, so badly, to go to the colosseum myself to not just deliver that message, but to fight alongside Danny against this Champion. Another thing that worried me about this Champion was the fact that she ate ghost cores.

While it scares me to think she could eat Danny's core, not that I'm sure how it would work with him being half human as well, it's not nearly as scary to think how this could… would affect Danny's psyche. While Danny never really talks about it much, I know that… the time, when he was… corrupted, had affected him just as much, if not more so than me. I hate this feeling… this feeling of helplessness. But I've done all I can do… the rest is up to Danny now. Please Danny, please don't let this consume you, and get over here in one piece.

During the Champion battle with Danny…

My shoulders were a bit sore from the black knight's iron grip earlier, but I couldn't let that distract me now.

"Come now, is that all you are capable of?~" The black knight questioned teasingly.

"I'm not going to answer that, it's best to keep you guessing," I stated.

"I simply ask because if that is all you are capable of, I shall finish this fight quickly," The black knight replied. "If you do have more though, then I shall keep this fight going for as long as you have new tricks to show me."

"Stop stalling," I said. "I know you're eager to see what else I can do, so you know I wouldn't be all talk."

"Very well, let's see how well you'll do in close combat then!" The black knight launched at me quickly.

I managed to dodge most of her punches, though trying to block them wasn't very ideal since she hit as hard as Scarlet could. I couldn't dodged forever, unfortunately, and got her armored fist slammed into my chest. I let out a yelp as I was forced back several feet. I hissed as I hit the barrier and fell to the ground. I got the wind knocked out of me, it was a good thing I didn't need to breathe in my ghost form, but that was still painful.

She's strong, though she seems to prefer to attack aggressively. I observed through my pain.

"You seem to have quite the potential, but you lack the proper training… or perhaps mindset," The black knight commented.

"Why would that matter to you?" I asked as I managed to get back on my feet. Weird. I've been expecting her to attack again right away, not talk.

"Wouldn't you like to know~?" The black knight laughed.

I don't know what she's getting at. But maybe she's the type of enemy who likes to mess with her opponent's heads too, so I better watch out for that. I frowned.

The black knight came at me again. I flew to the side and fired a ghost ray at her, pushing her away a little. I didn't want to get too close, hand-to-hand combat would not work in my favor against her. She swiped her hand at me, but was surprised when her hand went through me. It wasn't because I went intangible, I had created an illusion copy of myself. I created more around her, trying to make it difficult for her to find the real me.

There has to be a weakness or some way I can knock her out… I analyzed, trying to fight defensively until I knew how to fight her.

"You must be a coward," The black knight remarked. "You've been doing nothing but dodging, blocking, and running away."

"Well excuse me for not wanting to get defeated in ten seconds," All the illusions responded at the same time I did.

"Oh? So you're a strategist fighter then?" The black knight questioned.

I frowned a bit. I'm not really much of a strategist fighter… but even I know better than to charge in headfirst against a powerful enemy.

"How about we switch roles for a bit and you go on the offensive?" The black knight suggested with a chuckle. "I want this fight to go on for as long as possible."

The black knight took a more defensive stance. I couldn't tell what she was planning, but it was clear she wanted me to fight back. I should think more about this, but if she was willing to give me an opening, I decided to take a chance.

"Fine then, I will!" I snapped before I and all my illusions fired a ghost ray attack at her.

I flew in close, knowing my ghost ray wouldn't have done much against someone like her. Punching her armor would only hurt me, so instead, I grabbed her arms. I struggled a bit to move her, but I managed to swing her to the otherside, tossing her away a bit. Then I created a huge ecto ball with my hands before tossing it at her. This caused a huge explosion. I knew the black knight was far from finished, but I didn't go flying after her in the smoke of the explosion. I still needed to be cautious.

When the smoke cleared, I was surprised that the black knight was on the ground, looking to struggle a little before she got back on her feet. I wasn't sure if she was just playing me or if I actually did manage to cause some damage to this seemingly invincible enemy.

"That… was one impressive hit…" The black knight complimented as she looked at her armor, trying to check for any damage.

I narrowed my eyes a bit, before realizing that my illusion clones dissipated during my attack. I had trouble concentrating enough to keep the illusion clones while I was attacking.

"Come on, don't tell me you're scared, I want to see what more you can do~" The black knight challenged.

I decided to take the invitation and attack again. At some point, I started to get confident enough to punch instead of just relying on my ghost rays. While the armor was hard, I must be doing some kind of damage, because the black knight was flinching from the attack. The black knight did try to block my attacks, which made me want to punch even faster and harder. I wanted to break that shell of an armor. Before I even realized what I was doing, I began to attack more aggressively.

I added ecto energy into my hands, punching even harder and faster. The black knight blocked even more, and she even used her own ecto energy, which was a reddish purple, and created a shield in front of her, making it even harder for me to punch through her defenses. Getting aggravated by this, I began to try and claw against the shield. I didn't even realize I was doing this until I left claw marks on the shield. I stopped and quickly backed away. I looked down at my hands, seeing my ecto energy had formed claws over my hands.

What am I doing? I don't fight with claws… not since I… I dissipated the ecto energy on my hands, before noticing my hands were now shaking. Stop it… stop shaking. It's nothing, focus on the fight.

The black knight started panting, letting down their shield. "Wow… you… have a savage… inside you…"

"I…" I frowned. I didn't know know what to say to that. Denying it wouldn't do me any good, but there was no way in all the Ghost Zone would I ever admit to it either. "That's… that's none of your business."

"You're wrong…" The black knight panted, her tone giving off the feeling that she was grinning underneath her helmet. "It's… exactly my business."

I shook my head, trying to recompose myself. "What's it to you anyways? Aren't I just a snack to you? Do you just like playing with your food?" This whole fight is weird. It almost feels like she's not really fighting me, but… what she's doing is… kind of reminding me of how Scarlet would teach me. Is it a knight thing? Is this how they fight their opponents? I mean the Fright Knight didn't fight this way, but then again he was trying to take back the sword I stole from him...

"You are no longer simply prey to me, child," The black knight chuckled. "You are something much more... interesting."

Please… please don't tell me I've turned her into another Vlad… I begged myself. It probably doesn't matter though, if one of us loses, then one of us will die, or fade or whatever ghosts do when they die. I just have to beat her… somehow… without… losing it again.

Then without warning, the black knight came at me again. I let out a yelp as I fought back on instinct. I wasn't sure, but the black knight might've been holding back her punches this time, as the punches weren't as brutal as before. I kicked and punched, trying to counter her own punches. I didn't use my ecto energy to enhance my punches this time, however, for fear that I would turn them into claws again.

The black knight's punches still hurt like heck, each punch feels like a truck hit me. I had to get her off me, or at least a few feet away. I tried to fly back, but she was still on me. The black knight refused to let me go unless I forced her off me.

"Come on, child, where's that vicious fire you had a minute ago?" The black knight taunted.

I managed to fire a weak ghost ray at her chest, but that didn't do much. I wish I could cut through armor, and slice it off her so I could cut through her body and be done with her. I was growing frustrated with this somewhat one-sided melee attack. My feet were fused into a ghostly tail, and I used it to push the black knight. My tail then curled around her waist before I threw her down with such force that she left a good size crater on the ground.

I blinked down at the black knight and the crater, looking at my ghostly tail. Did I do that? I didn't think my tail would be that strong...

"Oooh, quite intriguing~" The black knight observed before she stood up. "Let's keep going, I'm having too much fun to stop now."

I needed to stop this battle soon. The longer it went on, the more worried I became. Not for losing this battle, but for losing a different kind of battle.

"Awww, what's that look in your eye?" The black knight said in a disapproving tone. "You losing the will to fight?"

I glared at the black knight, but didn't answer back.

"What are you afraid of?" The black knight asked. "Surely it isn't me... no, you don't hold that fear of me like so many others do. You seem to be afraid of something else."

"Enough! I'm not going to let you toy with my head anymore!" I snapped heatedly.

"Danny! Catch!" What sounded like Scarlet's voice called from nearby.

I knew it was a bad idea to take my eyes off the enemy, but the black knight didn't seem all that interested in attacking right now, so I took a chance and turned to where I heard Scarlet. I was surprised to see some kind of scroll being thrown at me. I caught it.

If this scroll came from Andy, then it must be important. I opened the scroll to see what was written inside.

'Danny, the Champion has a 'weakness'. There's a crack in her armor, at the left side of her waist. If you can break her armor, she won't fight anymore, as it is a knight's sacred code to never fight without their armor. Oh, and watch out, she apparently has a super powerful ghost ray, think anime protagonist level of powerful.' - Andy

Cutting it a little close there, bro, but I guess late is better than never. I chuckled to myself in amusement.

"Tsk tsk, allowing yourself to be distracted by a simple parchment," The black knight scolded. "I could've easily killed you had I wanted to while you were simply unravelling the scroll."

I looked back at the black knight before I burned the scroll with my ghost ray, not wanting anyone else to see it. "Well then, why didn't you? You've had plenty of chances to kill me already."

"Like I told you, I'm not solely interested in having you as a meal," The black knight answered. "It's much, much more than that now~"

I didn't know if I should be horrified or not, but my main focus was destroying her armor now. I looked at her waist, trying to find the crack. I squinted my eyes before noticing a slight crack on the left side of her waist, just like Andy's message told me. I also remembered that super powerful anime blast attack that she apparently had. Deciding to see what would happen, I fired a ghost ray at her waist.

The black knight put her left hand in front of her waist, catching my ghost ray in her hand before chuckling.

"Really?" The black knight asked, chuckling. "What in the world was that?"

I shrugged. "Just testing something." Obviously she's going to protect that crack, so trying to get to it normally isn't going to work. But what if her using that anime blast attack has a similar effect on her as using the Ghostly Wail does on me? It probably wouldn't tire her out as much since she has so much energy, likely from all the ghost cores she's fed on, but even someone like her would have to have some time to recover from using a massive attack like that. It's risky, and a long shot, but it's the best I've got.

"What do you say we stop playing around?" I spoke up. "This fight has gone on for a while. I don't know if you're testing me, or playing with me, or what, but how about we end this with our strongest attack? Or, one of your strongest attacks in your case."

"I think I could use one of my strong attacks," The black knight agreed.

"Fine then, use it," I challenged. "See if you can destroy me with it."

What surprised me was the hesitance I was sensing from the black knight.

"Do you truly wish for me to destroy you? Or do you simply want me to use an attack that may kill you?" The black knight questioned.

"What, are you worried about me now?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't think you'd back off from the challenge."

"It's just-" She began to say before I interrupted her.

"I know you're strong, but I rather you didn't underestimate me. Come on, give me your best shot!" I said with determination before I began floating above her, making sure it was just the sky behind me. This way if the blast is strong enough to penetrate the barrier, it won't hit the audience.

"Fine, I shall attempt to take you out," The black knight decided. "I hope you will try your very best to survive."

I nodded to her and prepared myself. Please use that beam Andy was talking about…

The black knight's aura began to glow brightly. I could sense a dangerous amount of ecto energy forming into her hands. I waited and watched with anticipation. Her hands aimed at me, and they began to glow a bright reddish purple color.

Here it comes… now!

A huge, bright, reddish purple beam shot out of the black knight's hands. I had never seen any ghost used a ghost ray that powerful before, Andy was right in saying it was something like out of an anime. The blast was too big and powerful to be a regular ghost ray. I would have to think of a name for it later.

The blast finally ended after what felt like hours, though it was probably only a minute or two. The black knight fell to the ground, looking tired. She looked up at 'me', likely wondering how I wasn't dust by now. I had turned invisible and dodged the beam, since I knew it was coming, and left an illusion clone in my place. While she was distracted and recovering from using that attack, I, still invisible, quickly got in close. I lashed out my ghostly tail suddenly, wrapping it around her chest, and threw her into the sky. I returned to visibility as soon as I did.

In her confusion, the black knight didn't have time to react when I sucked in a breath and screamed as loud as I could. The green soundwaves of my Ghostly Wail slammed into her, and spread across the colosseum. I mostly aimed it at the sky where I had thrown the black knight. The barrier had a large hole in it from that ghost ray beam attack earlier, and my Ghostly Wail just shattered what was left of it. I kept up with my Ghostly Wail as I saw the armor cracking more and more, until it finally shattered off of her, including her helmet. I was glad I could finally stop using my Ghostly Wail, my throat was going to be sore in the morning.

I fell to the ground, onto my hands and knees. The Ghostly Wail always took so much out of me. I had to struggle to keep my core from changing me back to my human form. I wasn't sure if Valerie was watching, but I didn't want to take that chance.

"Well done… child," I heard the black knight weakly praised.

I looked over to her and saw a pure black mist.

"You'll be perfect~" The black knight added as the mist began to disappear. "But for now, congratulations on your victory. We shall see each other again relatively soon."

I couldn't help but get a shiver from that. Unfortunately I couldn't ask her anything, because the mist was gone, and so was the black knight. I don't think this will be the last time I interact with that creepy knight….

"I… I can't believe it! The White Phantom has won! The Black Knight is no more!" The announcer declared and the crowd went wild.

I heard it, but I couldn't believe it. Not only did I survive, but I won. Of course, I would have to thank Andy for the advice, I doubt I could've won otherwise. Still though, that black knight is alive and somewhere out there. She's creepy, and she seems interested in me now… like Vlad interested… how the heck do I keep getting these creepy, powerful ghosts interested in me?

Someone walked towards me, and stood beside me. I tiredly looked up to see it was Scarlet. She gave me a smile before she, surprisingly, gently helped me up to my feet.

"Scarlet…?" I began to question.

"Rest now, we'll take care of everything later," Scarlet quietly said.

I gave a tired nod before closing my eyes, letting the sounds of the loud and cheering crowd fade away.

While Danny was recovering, Andy was working hard to make sure the plan didn't fail…

I was rubbing my head, dealing with a headache that was borderline a migraine. I was in the queen's chambers after I had given Dash the message to give to Danny, and decided to talk to Juliette. I needed to talk to someone, and I didn't want to bother Jazz while she was doing her library duties. When I had gotten there, Juliette had sent Katrina away so we could speak in private.

I had been trying to get a vision, any future vision, that told me if Danny would be okay, or if there was anything that will change the plan again, or if something will go wrong. Unfortunately, trying to force a vision just caused my head to hurt.

"I told you it was foolish to try to force such a thing, Andy," Juliette scolded.

"I know, and I normally wouldn't, but if I don't, then how would we know that everything will turn out alright? If we fail, we're not going to get another chance." I paced around the room.

"Andy, while you may have the ability to see into the future, you will still occasionally have to wait until something happens on its own," Juliette pointed out. "I have a feeling everything will turn out alright and if you keep worrying as much as you are, you will exhaust all your energy and will not be able to help us enact the plan."

"The plan had to be changed a few times because Dash wasn't able to find the right key, so Danny had to go face the Champion. Not only do I have to worry if he'll survive the battle, but the plan will fall apart if he doesn't. And even if he does win, the plan had already derailed from the original, so I had to make some changes and compromises," I ranted, still pacing. "Not to mention, I can't help but get a really bad feeling about Dan-"

"Andy, stop this instance and sit down!" Juliette commanded, raising her voice.

I stopped pacing, looking at Juliette in surprise before sitting on the floor. My legs almost felt like jelly after pacing around for a while.

"Good," Juliette stated. "Now take a deep breath and let it out. When you do let it out, let your breath carry as much of your anxiety and worries as is possible."

I wanted to protest, but knowing Juliette wouldn't be too happy with me if I did, I decided to do what she said. I took a deep breath and let it out, feeling a little calmer when I did.

"Once more," Juliette instructed.

I kept going for a little bit until Juliette finally told me to stop. I was glad, because anymore and I would've started to feel light headed.

"Now that you have calmed down a little, we can have an actual conversation," Juliette said with a calm smile. "When Katrina comes back with news on the result of the fight, which I am more than confident Danny will find a way to win due to your help, we will all get into our positions. I shall go to Tucker and start distracting him, perhaps asking him to take these dreadful bindings off of me. That way when Danny is presented to Tucker, Tucker will be less focused than normal, which should give Danny an opportunity to strike. Danny will go for the Scarab Scepter and then when he has it, he will destroy the scepter. From all the observing I've done, that will sever the connection between Duul Aman and Tucker and return Tucker to normal while also freeing us from this world."

I gave Juliette a nod, it was the plan we had been discussing before I started freaking out. I had been trying to access my future visions to see if anything went wrong, but I hadn't been able to get any.

"How can you be so confident that it will work?" I asked.

"Because, when you are confident about something, your mind is better able to focus on achieving that goal," Juliette explained. "All worrying does is distract someone. If you believe the plan will work, then instead of having worries come to you, you will be able to focus on the plan itself."

I took another deep breath and let it out. "Okay… I guess you have a point there. Worrying myself half to death isn't going to do us any good. I can only hope for the best and prepare for the worst. I just… can't help but worry, you know? Danny could be in trouble, and Tucker… well, even if we were to succeed, if he remembers any of this, he's going to feel… really guilty. He still hasn't forgiven himself after he… almost killed Danny the first time."

Juliette raised a brow. "Tucker nearly killed Danny before? Why have I never heard of this?"

"It's not something we like to talk about," I answered softly. "Tucker wouldn't want you to know about what happened, he only wanted you to see the good side of him."

"While that is kind of him, it's also selfish and a bit… insulting," Juliette responded. "I would rather know Tucker for all of who he is, the good and the bad. If I only ever know the good about Tucker, then I can only ever consider him an acquaintance and not a true friend. True friends share everything with one another, both the positive and the negative."

"Heh, you should tell that to Tucker then, I'm sure he's gonna need a lot of… comfort and words of wisdom after this," I remarked.

Juliette frowned a little. "It… might take me a little bit of time to do that. After this is over, I will be taking some space from Tucker. I know it isn't his fault and that he is under the effect of Duul Aman and the scepter, but I still am a bit… off put by the things he has said and done while we've been here…"

I gave a small sigh. "I'm sure Tucker will understand."

"Queen Juliette, Adviser Andy, I have come with news," We heard Katrina's voice from the otherside of the door.

"Come in, Katrina," Juliette ordered in response.

Katrina came into the room, and closed the door behind her. She gave a smile. "News about the winner of the battle between the White Phantom and the Black Knight had been spreading like wildfire."

"Who won?" I asked, feeling anxious to hear the answer.

"The White Phantom won," Katrina answered.

I was glad I was sitting down, because relief hit me so hard that I wouldn't have been able to stay standing.

Juliette gave a nod. "If I remember right, the White Phantom will be given time to rest and clean himself up before he is brought before the pharaoh. Katrina, prepare yourself for however you must as we will be overthrowing the Pharaoh this evening."

"Yes, of course, Juliette." Katrina smiled before she looked at me. "Don't worry, things will turn out just fine, you'll see."

I blinked, before giving a nod. There was still something odd about Katrina that I couldn't put my finger on. Juliette held out her furry hand to me. I took her hand, and she helped me up to my feet.

"I guess this is it then," I mumbled. "Almost felt like this day would never come."

"You know what you have to do now, right?" Juliette asked.

"Yeah, I'll start gathering everyone I can," I answered softly. "I just wish I had some kind of weapon or my ghost powers."

"We'll figure out a weapon for you," Juliette assured. "After all, weren't you having Valerie sneak away and gather up weapons for everyone to use?"

"That's only assuming she was able to get any, I still need a guard to bring her here, they could confiscate her weapons if she doesn't hide them well enough," I pointed out. "But let's not worry about the what ifs now, we should worry about putting the plan into action. If I start worrying about the what ifs again… well, you saw how much of a mess I became."

"Heh, perhaps I should order Katrina to go with you to make sure you don't start worrying again," Juliette chuckled.

"That's okay, I'll be fine. I better go now if I want to get everyone gathered before Danny gets here," I said before I moved towards the door. "I'll see you later, your Majesty."

As soon as I out in the corridor I began the next phase of my plan. I felt more confident knowing Danny was alive, and that he would be here soon. I went up to a ghost guard.

"Can you bring Valerie Gray?" I inquired. "I need her here."

"Yes, Adviser," The guard said.

Before the ghost guard could take off, however, I spoke up. "Hold on, before you go, I want you to bring Dash Baxter as well."

The guard raised a brow. "Are you allowed to have two visitors at one time?"

"Of course. The Pharaoh's been pleased with me lately, thus he's granted me permission to have two visitors just for today," I answered with a smooth lie. "Especially since today's the day that the new Champion will be presented to the Pharaoh."

The guard gave a slightly suspicious expression before giving a nod. "I shall take your word for it, but I still shall be speaking with my captain later on to make sure I did not make any error. It would be out of line for me to question the Pharaoh's orders after all."

"Of course, speak to whomever you want after you bring those two here," I replied. Because your Pharaoh will be dethroned by then.

The guard bowed before they turned and started to fly away.

I waited a few minutes until the guard came back, carrying Valerie and Dash. Dash looked nervous, while Valerie was trying hard not to smile. The guard put them down in front of me.

"Valerie, Dash, let's go talk," I said vaguely.

Both of them nodded to me, likely knowing what was going to happen since they were both here. I took them to my room so we could discuss this as privately as possible.

As soon as I closed the door in my room, Valerie was the first one to speak up.

"It's finally happening, huh?~" Valerie asked with a smirk. "Took long enough."

"I wasn't the one trying to take the key," I pointed out, looking at Dash.

"H-hey, it's not like I can read Egyptian!" Dash defended. "Do you know how hard it is just to sneak one key out? Those guards are strict."

"I'm not saying it was either of your faults." Valerie sighed. "I just meant that I'm sick and tired of this place and want to get back to Amity Park and go see my dad, who is probably worrying sick about me."

"Maybe if we're lucky, time hasn't moved back in our plane of existence," I chuckled. "I can only imagine the chaos there would be otherwise."

"Well… so Phantom was able to win against the Champion, does that change anything?" Dash asked, looking nervous.

"It does change a few things," I confirmed. "But we'll likely still need to rebel and cause some chaos. I need you two to help gather everyone who was brought here from Amity Park into this room. I haven't told anyone other than you two, Danny via messages, Juliette, Katrina, Jazz, and Sam about our plans yet."

"Why haven't you told anyone else?" Dash questioned, scratching his head a little.

"Because the more people that know of the plan, the more likely it will get leaked out," I answered. "There could potentially be a traitor or a spy in our midst, or someone could've just accidentally spilled out the plans to a guard or Hotep Ra, and we really can't afford that. But now that the plan can finally be put into action, I can let everyone else know so they know what's going to happen, and hopefully, they'll help us create the chaos we need."

"I'll try to gather up anyone that can fight," Valerie stated. "I will say, I'm surprised at how little cares are given about missing weapons. I could equip a small army with all the weapons I was able to smuggle out."

"I'll gather up the sports team, they'll be athletic enough to fight pretty well without weapons," Dash informed.

I gave them both a nod. "Try to be quick but discreet. We don't want anyone asking us any questions, especially the guards."

"Any weapon you want me to try and get to you, Andy?" Valerie inquired.

"Just get me a staff if you can," I answered. "I don't need anything complicated."

"I'll try my best," Valerie promised.

With Dash and Valerie gathering everyone together, and handing out weapons for those who need them, I was to keep the guards distracted. It wasn't that hard, since the guards had to pay attention to me whenever I spoke to them. However, things got a little more difficult when Hotep Ra came out of the throne room.

"The Sphinx should be ready soon," Hotep Ra commented to a servant beside him. "How much longer must the Pharaoh wait?"

"May I give what my guess is?" The servant asked.

"Yes, you may," Hotep Ra answered.

I frowned when I saw Dash moving with a large group of people, trying to sneak down the corridor. There was a dangerously high chance that Hotep Ra would notice them. I stood up straight, and tried to look confident before I walked towards the mummy ghost who started this whole mess.

"I believe that the delays may be due to our reliance on using frail mortals to construct the Sphinx," The servant guessed.

"Head Adviser Hotep Ra," I spoke up, getting Hotep Ra and the servant's attention. "There is something I would like to discuss with you, that is, if you'll allow me."

"What is it, Adviser Andy?" Hotep Ra inquired, turning his attention to me.

I quickly wracked my brain to think of what to say. "I am a bit… concerned, about… the Pharaoh's queen. She… had not been very cooperative, even though I was able to get her to open up to me."

"Oh?" Hotep Ra raised a brow, or I assumed he raised a brow as the bandages above his eye went up slightly. "What is your concern?"

"She's been depressed, still refusing to come out of her room unless she absolutely needed to," I answered. "I was wondering if you had any advice on what else I should do to try and help… convince her to be… closer to the Pharaoh."

"Are you sure? I believe I saw the Queen leaving her room earlier," Hotep Ra remarked.

"O-oh, she has?" I asked, looking surprised. "Last I saw her, she still wouldn't leave her room. So has my talking helped her coped?"

"It is possible that you convinced the Queen to accept her role," Hotep Ra answered. "She may have simply needed time to reflect on your words and what choices she had."

"I am very glad then, that I could help the Queen and the Pharaoh with my words," I stated.

"I must say though, I am… surprised at how quickly and well you've taken to this role for our Pharaoh," Hotep Ra noted. "I would've thought you'd put up more of a resistance, especially knowing what happened to your brother."

"I don't know the fate of my brother," I lied. "But the Pharaoh was once a good friend. I, of course, want to help him any way I can."

"'Was once'?" Hotep Ra repeated. "He may be your lord, but I still do believe he wishes to have a friendly relationship with you."

I was genuinely surprised to hear that. "Doe- The Pharaoh wants to have a friendly relationship with me?"

"Indeed, if he did not, do you think he would've put you in a position where you are able to see him frequently?" Hotep Ra pointedly asked in response.

"I didn't want to make arrogant assumptions," I replied. "But it is good to know that the Pharaoh still wants to be… still wants to have a friendly relationship with me."

I relaxed a little when Dash and his group finally got out of sight.

"Hopefully your brother will be as wise as you are and take up the role that the Pharaoh will offer him when he is brought forth," Hotep Ra commented. "It is quite intriguing how you and him are both mortals and ghosts."

I blinked at that comment. "We- uh, I mean, my brother is going to be here?"

"Yes," Hotep Ra confirmed. "He has been fighting in the colosseum under the name 'the White Phantom' and defeated the champion earlier today. As such, he is to be brought before the Pharaoh and offered a position within the king's court as a royal guard as well as a military leader."

"I'm very glad that my brother is alive and will be given a promising position. Although I am shocked that he managed to win without his ghost powers," I said, mostly to test to see if Hotep Ra knew Danny still had his powers. "And aren't we just mortals now? The Pharaoh took away my ghost powers after all."

"You are just a mortal right now, but your brother still has access to at least some of his powers," Hotep Ra replied. "The Pharaoh and I are both aware that without his powers your brother wouldn't have made it as far as he did. I should also mention, that in a few more weeks, after you've fully settled in, the Pharaoh was going to grant some of your ghost powers back to you."

So Tucker allowed Danny to keep some of his ghost powers then? But I'm sure Danny had to have full access to his powers if he was able to beat the Champion. I observed. "That's gre- wonderful news, I look forward to that day then." A day that, hopefully, will never come to be. Likely will never come to be if we fail or succeed either way. Though if we do fail… perhaps Tucker may give us some- No, there is no chance that we will fail. This plan will work.

"I should go now. I must prepare my next ideas for the Pharaoh," I spoke up. "I'm sure you want to get back to your duties as well, Head Adviser Hotep Ra."

"Your brother will be brought before the Pharaoh in an hour," Hotep Ra informed. "You are more than welcome to join us. I am sure it would help your brother reach a decision if he sees you and knows you have accepted your role."

I hid a smirk at that. "I'll be there. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Reviews

Jewel moonstone: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Glad you enjoyed, here it is, and I am excited but also being cautious with the new games. After all… GameFreak has been a little… money grabby lately.

DarkFoxKit: And sadly, huge and long time Pokefans like me would take the bait no matter what. ^^' I mean I even got the Let's Go Eevee bundle… I both loved and hated the game.

Luna Lillyth: DarkFoxKit: Oh there is going to be consequences, though they may not pay off until later.

Mana: DarkFoxKit: Danny is sure going to try, but it's not easy when the champion knows what mental buttons to push, especially on a teenager. Well, the spy may or may not exist, Andy just knows that his vision warned him his first plan was going to go horribly wrong somehow, the spy was just a possibility.

Onyx came up with the name Bek. I was just going to leave the guy nameless since he was supposed to be a one off character.

Darkzdragon 'Onyx': I was looking around for ancient egyptian sounding names and saw that one, so I went with it. I wasn't really basing him or his name off any movies or anything.

DarkFoxKit: I just think if Phantom Planet could've gotten a re-write, I would like for them to change the ending as that was what turned me off the most. I didn't like for it to just be the unquestionable end, I didn't like that they had Danny reveal his ghost half to the entire freaking world, and that said world were just okay with it, there didn't seem to be any negative consequences for this revelation like there was in the Reality Trip special, nor do we get to see how this truly affected those around Danny like his parents, and Valerie, who had hunted Danny and tried to kill him on multiple occasions. If they had to end it, they really should've made it an open ending, so the fans could keep going with the fandom without having to completely change it or pretend Phantom Planet didn't exist at all. And it gives them a better point to continue from if they ever decide to revive the series. And I'm going on a rant again.

I have a theory that Danny's powers do use his emotions and mind to be used, and can become more powerful once he learns better control over his powers and his mind. Can you imagine how Danny could use his powers once he matured later on in his years? I would love to see Danny creating a blizzard, at least by accident, when he gets a little older and his emotions are going out of whack due to his hormones or something. That would be an interesting struggle and character growth for our little half ghost boy.

I mean I kinda thought that was the original intention with Nocturne when he first appeared in the series. The episode is called 'Frightmare', so wouldn't that mean they're trapped in a nightmare? I mean the episode could've been a two-parter, where the first episode turned out to be a nightmare Danny was trapped in, and in the second half, he's trying to get out.

That would've been really cool, having Nocturne turn Danny to his side, likely manipulating his dreams/mind, kind of like what Freakshow did, only he doesn't make him a mindless drone. We do see a little bit of 'evil Danny' when Freakshow controls him, imagine seeing that in full without Danny turning into Dan by Nocturne.

Ah, I never saw Little Shop of Horrors, but I think I've seen a review of it by someone before.

The Moonfox Collective: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Danny is pretty strong and hard to take down, without even having plot armor, so having some memories pop up would slow him down at most.

Hmmm… Catdy? Andyluna? Andelune/Anduruna? Could also do Lunandy. :P And I have been wanting to try a laser pointer and some other cat toys… maybe next time.

Andy: Don't you freaking dare. *Hisses*

Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *Picks Andy up, puts him on my lap, and starts petting him* Now now, Andy, no hissing. Unless you don't want any Kit Kats.

Andy: That's not fair, and stop petting me. *Pouts*

Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *Ignores Andy and starts scratching his head*

Andy: *Starts to purr unwillingly* Staaaaaaaaaap….

DarkFoxKit: *Giggles* Good, good, we're getting this all on video~