Okay, I actually have a good reason for the wait this time! This chapter is nearly 6200 words, absolutely massive. So hopefully it should be worth the wait.


Wes usually enjoyed health class. Honestly, he did. The units which involved organs and anatomy in particular never failed to pique his interest; knowing how the human body ticked made for a great platform in which to theorize how lesser known creatures moved and functioned. And the better you understood that, the easier it would be to someday find such beasts.

And yet somehow, Ms. Tetslaff managed to suck up any enjoyment he could have possibly gleaned from the subject. She shouted information to the class faster than anyone could write it down, not stopping for even a second to answer raised hands. Not that it would have mattered even if she did. Everyone knew that muscles moved because of the brain sending signals telling them to contract. Wes had learned that in fifth grade. What was the point of having a health class if it only ever rehashed things that were already common knowledge?

"I bet you all think you know so much," Tetslaff barked, sensing the class's complete disinterest. "But I doubt any of you pansies know how to properly use your muscles! I don't think a single one of you has ever used more than half your full strength. Heck, most of you haven't even used a third of it! And you know why? Your brain blocks most of the signals to your muscles so you don't starve or tear them to shreds! If you were really so smart, you would be able to use every single muscle fiber!"

Wes was certain that intelligence had nothing to do with physical strength. Heck, most of the football team was living proof of that. But he wasn't about to open his mouth to say so and risk a lunch detention.

Just when it seemed like he was going to be doomed to an hour of redundant monotony, he sat up with a jolt, skin prickling. The atmosphere changed, the silence in the room going from drowsy to wary in an instant. Wes could feel himself tensing, ready for a fight. He didn't share health class with Danny, meaning that he was going to have to face whichever ghost this was alone until Phantom could arrive. But he could definitely handle that. If he could take Skulker on, then whoever this was would be no trouble.

"BEWARE!" cried the ghost in question as he manifested. Wes felt his shoulders relax. "I am the Box Ghost! I am going to put you all to rest in your cardboard coffins of DOOM!"

Though Wes was feeling rather confident, the rest of the class clearly was not. Students screamed, fleeing the classroom in a frenzy. Tetslaff was right behind them, blowing harshly on her whistle as she power jogged after the crowd, not even checking that everyone had fled before slamming the door shut behind her.

The Box Ghost quickly spotted what appeared to be an easy target. He cackled, wiggling his fingers in what was probably supposed to be an intimidating fashion. Wes cracked his knuckles at the display, shaking out his arms. This was a ghost he could handle, no problem. With a characteristic flash, in Wes's place stood Wraith, tail smacking the floor as he prepared to fight.

Shockingly, the Box Ghost didn't seem remotely surprised. If anything, he seemed bored. "Oh, it's just you," he said.

Wes scoffed. "Just me?!" The implication that the Box Ghost thought that Wes was beneath him had him bristling at the offense. "I could take you on any day of the week!"

"Not without Phantom here to help you," the Box Ghost countered, "which he isn't. So BEWARE!"

"I don't need his help!" Wes shouted, rushing forward to attack. The Box Ghost yelped, flying upwards just in time to dodge. Raising his hands, he summoned the baskets stashed in the cubbies in the corner of the room, chock full of health books and diagrams. They flew towards Wes, who swerved around the soft projectiles easily, the tip of his tail swatting away any he hadn't fully avoided. The Box Ghost then launched a box housing an unassembled model skeleton, which Wes deftly dodged. He took to the ceiling, the lights flickering as he clung to a fixture for its precious charge.

The Box Ghost glanced around the room, seeing little that he could use as an effective weapon. "Huh. Maybe this wasn't the best room to fight in." Wes ignored him, once again launching himself at the opposing specter. He planted both hands against his chest and shoved, the discharge he released enough to send the Box Ghost sailing intangibly through the wall. "Yow!"

Wes followed him to the other side, fingertips sparking with his residual charge. "Still think I need Phantom to beat you?"

The Box Ghost took in his new surroundings, and he grinned. The two of them had landed in the neighboring broom closet, filled to the brim with boxes of cleaning supplies. "Yes! I think you do need Phantom! Because I'm about to polish you off and ship you to your DOOM!"

Wes paused. "...You really aren't that good at on-the-spot banter, are you. Because I'm pretty sure you've already used that line."

His comment went unanswered as the Box Ghost telekinetically raised an open box filled to the brim with bleach bottles. He threw it, and Wes wasn't able to properly dodge in the cramped space, the air forced out of his lungs as he was knocked down by the heavy box, its contents spilling all over the place. "Take that!" the Box Ghost gloated. "Your skin will be irritated if you don't take proper precautions, and your blacks will never be the same again!"

Wes growled, shoving the box off of himself as he rose to his feet, briefly turning intangible to relieve himself of the mess. His fingers flexed, electricity arcing along his fingertips as he prepared to release a more powerful discharge, one hopefully strong enough to put the Box Ghost out of commission.

All the warning he got was the briefest of jolts before one wall explosively caved inwards, the Box Ghost squawking in surprise as he was bowled over. "Hey, I had him!" Wes declared hotly, annoyed by the interruption.

But when the dust cleared, it wasn't Phantom holding the Box Ghost down. This figure was tall and imposing, easily standing at close to seven feet and thick with muscle. He looked rather militaristic, with a jade green tank top, cargo pants, combat boots, and dog tags. His pale blonde hair was styled in a bizarre crew cut, with the front swept up in a long point. But his oddest features by far were his nose, on which was mounted a small horn, and his rear, from which sprouted a short, thin tail, tufted at the end. He was most definitely not human.

Fantastic. This was exactly what Wes needed. A ghost he had never seen before. The guy looked like he could pack a mean punch, too.

The stranger, holding onto the Box Ghost by his overalls, turned his head to face the corner. Wes hadn't noticed before, but a freshman was hiding among the mops, shaking like a leaf. "...You're not hurt?" the ghost asked, his accent faint and hard to place. The student quickly shook his head.

Wes blinked. He'd never seen a ghost show concern for a human before. At least, not any genuine concern. He'd never seen one ghost attack another, either, save for Phantom, who barely counted. Who was this guy, and where did he come from?

Another brief shock, and Phantom himself was flying through the wall, further adding to the clutter in the closet. The only reason anyone could move at all was because the ghosts weren't exactly bound by physics. Danny looked just as surprised as Wes felt, blinking at the newcomer who was still wrangling a blubbering Box Ghost. "...Um. Am I... interrupting something?"

"...Any idea who this guy is?" Wes asked, hesitant to raise his voice lest he draw the ghost's attention.

"No clue," Danny replied. "But, if he's taking care of the Box Ghost for us, then he can't be all bad, right?"

Just then, the stranger turned, victim still in tow. He sneered, glaring at the pair with narrowed eyes. "...You," he said gruffly, pointing at Wes with his free hand. "You were here with this one. Causing trouble."

Wes was quickly shaking his head, waving both arms frantically. "No, actually, you've got it all wrong-"

But the ghost wasn't having it. He threw the Box Ghost, and Wes yelped, escaping the closet just in time for the door to splinter to pieces as the much weaker ghost was sent sailing through it. "I'm okay..." the Box Ghost mumbled against the wall he'd crashed into, his head having left a sizable dent.

"Okay, I take it back," said Danny, flying through to suck the Box Ghost into the thermos. "This guy is definitely bad news."

The ghost in question barreled through what remained of the door, his shoulders clipping the frame on either side of him and taking another hefty chunk of wall with him. "Riesenross will not let you hurt helpless students!" he shouted, bodily charging at Wes.

"Riesenross?" the jock repeated, too distracted by the odd name to be afraid as he narrowly dodged the attack. "What, you mean like the animal? That name is a little on-the-nose, don't you think?"

"Not rhinoceros!" Riesenross growled, turning for another charge. "That is a different word!"

Danny fired an ectoblast that cleanly connected with Riesenross's back. The soldier barely even flinched as he ground to a halt, whirling around to face his attacker. Having not expected him to shrug off such an attack, Danny wasn't able to get away as Riesenross grabbed him by the leg, smashing him against the ground before launching him down the hallway.

Wes made the mistake of glancing to Danny's prone form. In his moment of distraction, Riesenross clutched him by his suit, shoving him hard enough against the wall to crack it, the impact leaving him disoriented. Riesenross pulled back a fist, but Danny wasn't down long, flying over and bodily clinging to Riesenross's face. The ghost roared, releasing Wes as he stumbled back to try and pry Danny off.

Taking a moment to regain his bearings, Wes used the reprieve to take in their surroundings. After only a handful of seconds, the section of hallway they were battling in was absolutely destroyed. The walls were crumbling around them, and the lack of support had left the ceiling cracking and the lights struggling to stay lit. "We gotta get him out of the school!" he yelled. "He could take the whole floor down if we don't!"

Danny detached himself from Riesenross's face, putting some distance between the two of them. He took a quick look around as well, reaching the same conclusion. He nodded, then turned back to face Riesenross. "Yoohoo! Bet you're as slow as you are ugly!" Danny made a show of turning around and wiggling his rear, then manifested his tail and took off down the hallway.

That definitely got a reaction out of Riesenross. He snarled, baring blunt, flat teeth. He scuffed one foot against the floor, tail lashing, and he charged, taking off at speeds that belied his impressive size. Wes was right behind him, making sure to fly high so that he wasn't within easy reach. But even trailing a hand across the light fixtures he passed to soak up whatever energy he could, he found himself lagging behind. "Strong and fast, perfect," he muttered to himself.

Danny kept his flight pattern straight to minimize the damage, seeing as Riesenross had no qualms with destroying any surface he got too close to as he took chase. But luckily it wasn't long before Danny found a window, phasing through it while his pursuer simply crashed right through. Wes was only seconds behind, sparks dancing along his arms as he emerged. It seemed he'd stored up quite a bit already. Danny hesitated to suggest that he get close enough to Riesenross to use that energy, but should all other methods fail, he knew the option was there.

But he didn't have long to think. Riesenross lunged, and Danny swerved out of the way, landing a solid kick to the cheek as he did so. Riesenross hardly reacted, simply grabbing the leg and, much like before, throwing Danny to the ground. The Halfa bounced on contact, but he was immediately on his feet again, just in time to avoid Riesenross coming down with a heavy boot that left a crater where it struck. "Gee, not much for variety, are you," Danny quipped. "Doesn't fighting like that get stale after a while?"

Riesenross exhaled harshly through his nose, expelling steam as he did so. He took another lunge, which Danny successfully dodged. "Riesenross does not need fancy tricks," he growled. "Only an honest fight with his own fists!"

"Really? How's that working out so far?" Danny asked lightly.

Riesenross made to charge again, but then Wes was upon him, tail snaking all the way around his torso and constricting, forcing his arms to his sides. He thrashed and strained, but Wes held firm, gritting his teeth with the effort. He couldn't hold the guy for long, so he would have to make this quick. He crackled and hummed as he gathered his power, then pushed, releasing it with a loud crack!

But nothing seemed to happen. Sparks glanced across Riesenross's skin, but he appeared completely unfazed by the attack. "Did you think little spark could hurt me?" he asked, once again forcing his arms away from his sides, slowly but surely loosening Wes's grip. "Hide is too thick for that to work!" With a roar and a mighty flex, he broke free, Wes being forced to let go or potentially be ripped apart. But he wasn't able to move away quickly enough, Riesenross grabbing his tail and slamming him against the hard ground. Wes cried out, instinctively letting loose another mild shock, but Riesenross held on, using Wes's body to strike the ground a second time.

"Watt!" Danny called, swooping in to rescue him. Riesenross swung his hostage around like he was a flail, and when Danny got close, struck him hard with the ghost in his grip. Danny was sent reeling back, and Riesenross threw Wes after him, the pair landing in a tangled heap.

"...Ugh..." Danny groaned, sitting up and helping Wes to his feet. "This guy hits like a freight train."

"...I can't shock him," Wes grunted, struggling to raise himself even with Danny's support. "His skin is too thick or something, and my electricity can't get through it."

"My lasers aren't doing much good, either," Danny growled, watching Riesenross warily. The soldier seemed to be busy scuffing the ground in an intimidating display. "I don't think regular attacks are gonna work on this guy, so I've gotta hit him with everything I've got. How much juice do you have?"

Wes pursed his lips. "Not much. I used most of it on the first shock."

"Okay, I'll distract him so you can go charge and build up some speed. Then I want you to come back and distract him however you can so I can focus."

So Danny had a plan, then. Wes grinned. "Got it." He took to the air and flew back towards the school. Riesenross turned and made to swipe at him, but an ectobullet to the back of his head easily drew his attention.

"Hey, your fight's with me, Pinhead," Danny smirked.

"Enough with the childish insults!" Riesenross bellowed, flexing his arms with enough force that Danny could have sworn his biceps swelled. "You should not need words to fight! Come and use your fists!"

"Okay, but you're literally asking for it!" Danny cried, flying in to do just that. He reeled back a fist, giving Riesenross the most vicious uppercut he could muster. But he got even less of a reaction than last time, with the soldier's head not giving an inch. He returned with a blow of his own, sending Danny skidding against the ground and leaving him in a rut of his own making. "...Yup. I think that one sprained something."

Riesenross let out a ferocious battle cry, taking a mighty leap with the intent of crushing Danny underfoot. But the Halfa darted out of the way, shielding his face against the chunks of earth kicked up by Riesenross's landing. He decided that he did not want to fight this ghost hand-to-hand, bringing back his tail and shooting backwards to get some distance. But Riesenross was right behind him, heavy footsteps thundering as he ran to catch up. "You really don't quit, do you?" Danny hummed.

"Never!" Riesenross shouted in reply, bowing his head as he put on a short burst of speed so that he was directly under Danny. Flinging back his head, he made contact, the attack throwing the younger ghost backwards with a surprised shout.

"What is that, an actual horn?!" Danny exclaimed, struggling to get his tail back under him before Riesenross could land another blow. The ghost skidded to a halt and turned, ducking as he made another charge.

But this time Danny was ready. He ducked lower, arms splayed to his sides. When Riesenross got close, Danny encircled him, effectively halting his approach and sending his momentum upwards. From there, Danny heaved, throwing Riesenross behind his head, where he crashed into a lamp post hard enough to dent it before sliding back to the ground.

However, Riesenross was undeterred. If anything, the successful counter only made him angrier. He growled, teeth audibly grinding together. He got up and widened his stance with a forceful step, and on the same beat a single large spike sprouted from each shoulder, nearly reaching his ears and slightly curved inwards.

"...Oh! That's new!" Danny cried with a nervous laugh.

Ignoring the outburst, Riesenross charged. Danny, too distracted by the sudden growths, took the full force of the incoming punch, flying back and striking the ground over and over like a skipping stone before rolling to a stop. That had definitely been a stronger attack than before. "Oh, great. As if this guy didn't already hit like a truck."

Riesenross dragged his foot across the ground, snorting as he prepared to follow up on the attack. But then another voice called out, getting the attention of both him and Danny. "Yoohoo, Rhinoceros! You wanna piece of this?!" Wes called down from above their heads. He flew in quick, tight little circles, flashing and strobing an eye-catching shade of red.

The distraction did its job. "It's Riesenross!" the soldier shouted, turning to make a leap for Wes. But the young Halfa was more than high enough to avoid the attack, simply rising another couple of feet before jetting the other direction. Riesenross roared, chasing after him and occasionally making the effort to lunge. But evidently Wes had plenty of charge, for he was able to outpace his attacker with relative ease.

"Don't rile him up too much!" Danny called after them. "I think getting mad makes him stronger!"

"Of course it does," Wes groaned, but he offered a thumbs-up as he strafed around another attack. "Got it!"

Wes continued to avoid Riesenross's wide swings, making sure to keep him nearby but well out of range of Danny. The more experienced Halfa nodded, satisfied that this part of the plan was going smoothly.

Danny knelt down, placing both hands flat on the ground. He furrowed his brows in concentration, bringing forth the power from his core. He couldn't simply use his Ghostly Wail, not when he was this close to the school. That meant that he would have to use his next-strongest attack, but he had to make sure it would land. And to do that, he needed to make sure Riesenross would keep still.

He only hoped this would be enough.

Eyes blazing a startling shade of blue, Danny summoned a sheet of ice, rapidly creeping along the ground and towards Riesenross. As focused on Wes as he was, the larger ghost didn't even notice until the stuff had snared his ankles, and continued to climb up towards his knees. "What is this?!" he cried, making to lift a foot, but Danny redoubled his efforts, thickening the ice and willing it to progress further and further, freezing Riesenross up to his abs. The soldier thrashed about, struggling to get free. It held fast, but cracks could already be seen spiderwebbing along its surface. It would hold, but not for long.

Danny held both hands up, palms together and fingers lightly cupping. Green energy brewed in the space between, rapidly growing in brightness and intensity. The ectoplasm jerked and wavered as more and more power was poured into it, until it seemed that it would no longer fit in Danny's hands. Firmly planting one foot behind himself, he fired, the force behind the beam threatening to bowl him over as it ate at the ground below, heading straight for Riesenross.

It was a direct hit. The beam exploded on contact, releasing a plume of toxic-green smoke and a shockwave so powerful it sent Wes spiraling through the air, barely catching himself before he flew too far. "Yes!" he cried, pumping both fists in victory.

Danny's arms fell limp at his sides, chest heaving and knees trembling. It was all he could do to stay in ghost form, with even staying on his feet proving to be a suddenly monumental effort. He scrutinized the smokescreen, watching for any sign of movement. "...Did we do it...?"

Gradually, with an almost agonizing sluggishness, it became clear that they did not. The smoke slowly dispersed, one heavy, booted foot breaching the cloud. Not only was Riesenross still standing, he looked almost entirely unhurt, with a few scorch marks on his clothes being the only sign he'd been hit. Still, it was clear that he had changed. He looked to have grown close to a foot taller, with the extra bulk to match. The large spikes on his shoulders had been joined by a smaller one each, as well as a fresh set on his elbows and knees. Between clenched fists, gritted teeth, and a face as red as a beet, Riesenross looked absolutely livid.

"He's... still standing?" Wes asked, staring with a sort of awestruck horror. There were very few ghosts he had seen who were capable of taking a direct hit from one of Phantom's ectoblasts, and even fewer who could handle one at full power. And if an attack like that couldn't scratch him, then what could? "...This guy is a freaking juggernaut!"

Riesenross roared, letting loose a terrifying bellow that could be felt bone-deep, and charged straight for Danny. The Halfa couldn't have hoped to get out of the way, exhausted as he was. The much larger ghost enveloped him with both arms, squeezing with the intent of crushing him.

"Hey!" Wes ground his teeth, flying in at full speed to coil his tail around Riesenross's arm and, at a loss for anything better, sank his teeth into the tough hide of his shoulder. It did no damage, but it got Riesenross's attention. He released Danny, reaching across himself to grab Wes by the back of his suit and shoving him into the ground hard enough to crack it. Wes gasped, the wind being completely knocked out of him and leaving him choking for air.

Danny struggled to his feet, but he was barely standing by the time Riesenross was upon him. Danny fumbled for the thermos, but the soldier was making a grab for him before he could uncap it. Danny brought both hands up, but the resulting grappling match was short-lived, with Riesenross easily overpowering him in his weakened state. He shoved Danny back, leaving him stumbling to regain his footing. But before he could find his balance, Riesenross pulled back a fist, and struck, full force.

Wes had managed to catch his breath just in time to watch the blow land. Danny took the hit cleanly to the cheek, his head snapping to the side so quickly it looked like it should have flown right off of his shoulders. He struck the ground even faster, Wes's eyes going wide when there was an audible crack! Danny bounced, almost in slow motion, flying backwards and repeatedly hitting the ground before skidding to a painful stop close to a hundred feet away.

"No..." Wes whispered.

Danny never lost. No matter how many times he got beaten down, he always got right back up. No matter how strong his opponent was, he was stronger. And if he wasn't, he got stronger. Nothing could keep him down. And yet Riesenross had done just that. Danny didn't move for several seconds, and when he did, his movements were pained, sluggish.

Danny never lost.

"No...!" Wes balled his fists, slowly raising himself from the ground.

Riesenross snorted, his glare never once leaving the source of his ire. He kept his stance low, threateningly scuffing one foot. He took a step forward, then another, and then he was barreling full-tilt towards his target. And still Danny struggled to get up, watching helplessly as Riesenross advanced. He had managed to get to his knees, supporting himself with one arm and visibly favoring the other.

Broken. Phantom never broke anything.

Wes saw red. One moment, he was laying prone. And the next, he was directly in front of Riesenross, firmly planting both feet and levelling his opponent with a seething red glare. Riesenross didn't hesitate. He brandished his hands, and Wes locked them with his, clasping them together. But Riesenross didn't even slow down. He pressed on with the same single-minded determination, shoving Wes along like he wasn't even there.

Wes bared his teeth threateningly, the bridge of his nose wrinkling with the force of his snarl. He exuded waves of malice, of righteous fury towards the one who dared to hurt Danny so badly. Errant sparks frantically danced along his limbs in a rather intimidating display. But all the rage in the world wouldn't spontaneously make him strong enough to stop Riesenross. The much larger ghost, indifferent to Wes's anger, didn't at any point cease his charge. The two of them were rapidly gaining on Danny, despite Wes straining to stop Riesenross's advance. It just wasn't enough.

There had to be something, some way to overpower Riesenross. Wes just needed to keep him away.

"I don't think a single one of you has ever used more than half your full strength. Heck, most of you haven't even used a third of it! And you know why? Your brain blocks most of the signals to your muscles so you don't starve or tear them to shreds! If you were really so smart, you would be able to use every single muscle fiber!"

And what was a signal, if not electricity? Maybe he could try forcing one? Wes didn't know if it would work, thanks to his electrical immunity. But if his ghost sense worked by giving himself a mild shock, then it had to be possible, right? He had no choice but to try. Danny's life depended on it.

The sparks increased in intensity as Wes concentrated, arcing and bouncing more vigorously. Riesenross was unfazed, but that didn't matter. Getting the energy to discharge internally was much harder than doing it externally, but it was manageable. For a brief moment, the sparks disappeared entirely, retreating into his form as his whole body seized. But almost immediately his muscles lost their increased tension, returning to their prior tautness.

It had lasted for only fractions of a second, but it was a start. He just needed to gather enough to overpower Riesenross.

Not allowing his focus to lapse for even a second, Wes pushed for another rush of energy, then another, and another. It always came and went in short bursts, but with each attempt he earned a stronger reaction, tendons flexing as he forced more and more power through them. His heart raced in his eardrums, spurred by adrenaline and protective rage. But it still didn't appear to be enough.

But finally, finally, Riesenross stumbled. One lucky jolt had mustered just enough power to make the giant misstep, briefly slowing his charge. "Huh?"

Wes didn't give him a chance to recover. He surged again, and again, and again, physically pushing with each powerful jolt. Pain lanced across his arms with every shock, but he grit his teeth and ignored it. To Riesenross's disbelief, they were actually slowing down. The large ghost was stronger, but Wes's sporadic bursts were proving to be enough to disrupt his momentum. And then, finally, they skidded to a messy stop, mere feet from Riesenross's initial target.

And then Wes pressed forward, taking one slow step, and then another, and another, pressing on faster and faster. He ferociously bared his teeth, flashing blue-tinted gums behind lips that were peeled just a tad too far back to be completely natural. His burning gaze pierced Riesenross's bravado, and for the first time, the soldier felt uncertain in his victory. "...What?! This should not be possible!"

"...You... stay... away from him!" Maybe it was adrenaline. Maybe it was that, being a ghost, Riesenross weighed less than appearances would suggest. Maybe it was a combination of the two. But when Wes let loose one final discharge and turned, Riesenross turned with him, unable to relinquish his grip. His feet left the ground as Wes lifted him up, up, swinging the behemoth around and tossing him partway across the clearing. Riesenross hit the ground a good thirty feet away with a heavy thud, kicking up a plume of dirt as he landed.

Pain shot up Wes's arms and down his legs, a searing hot agony with every twitch of his limbs. He panted heavily, trembling with the strain. But his glare was no less ferocious as he stared Riesenross down, sparks returning to his surface as he bristled minaciously. He pushed aside the pain, lowering himself as he prepared his own advance. His stunt had bought him some time, but ultimately put him at a disadvantage. But that didn't matter. None of it mattered, so long as he kept this threat away from Danny.

Riesenross was so shocked by Wes's spontaneous show of strength, that for a moment, he forgot to be angry. He blinked, sitting up and scratching his head. He was quick to recover, however. He could be thrown, yes, but he would not be overpowered. Not by some neon runt half his size, and definitely not by one who would put defenseless children in harm's way. With a ferocious battle cry, he charged.

But his advance was short-lived. A blue-white beam struck him square in the chest, and when he moved forwards, it was not of his own accord. He tried to slow to a stop, to back up, but it was futile. He was thoroughly outmatched by this mysterious ray of light. With a furious roar, he was sucked into the thermos, which Danny wasted no time capping.

Wes spun around, gaping like a fish. One of Danny's hands held the thermos, while the other made absolutely certain the cap was secure. "...Danny! But... But your arm, wasn't it just-"

"Dislocated," Danny finished, "but not broken. It hurts, but it'll be fine before I go to bed tonight." Wes was inclined to doubt that, but he himself had recovered from a fatal injury in less than a week. Compared to that, a dislocated arm or shoulder was nothing. He suddenly found himself rather embarrassed by how strongly he'd reacted. Even if he had thought Danny had broken a limb, he may have gone a bit overboard.

Wes took a step, and a flash of pain coursed up and down his body. With a gasp, he doubled over, arms seizing before hanging limp. Danny was immediately at his side, hands hovering as if afraid to touch him. "Woah! Are you okay?"

Wes tried to lift an arm to offer a thumbs-up, only for the pain to return. He let his arm dangle again. Yep, definitely went overboard. "...I'm fine," he replied, somewhat breathless. "I think I just pulled or tore something."

"No kidding. The way you tossed that guy, I would be surprised if you didn't." Danny snorted, then gave Wes's chest an annoyed jab with his good arm. "That was really stupid, you know! But, I guess, it bought me enough time to stop him. So, thanks."

Wes huffed, rolling his eyes and changing back. Danny followed suit. "Just... go to the nurse, tell her you had to lift some rubble to save a classmate or something. She'll probably let you go home early so you can heal."

Wes nodded, pursing his lips. At least he could move his head without it hurting. "...You're good at coming up with these excuses, huh."

Danny smiled, but it was tight, and didn't quite reach his eyes. "Yeah, well, it kind of comes with the territory. You'll probably get pretty good at it, too. Now get outta here, I'm gonna make sure nothing actually did fall on anybody."

Wes opened his mouth to reply, to offer help, but he quickly closed it. He was in no shape to do much of anything, and he knew it. "...Alright. Just... promise you're okay?"

Danny's smile became just a little more genuine. "...I'm okay. Thanks." Wes didn't look convinced, but he did as he was told without further complaint, returning to the school to pretend he hadn't just taken part in an intense ghost battle.

Danny's smile faded after Wes had turned his back, becoming something more forlorn. It had been rather intense for an ordinary ghost attack. Injury wasn't uncommon for him, but he usually got away with only scrapes and bruises, maybe a few cuts or sprains if he was particularly unlucky. A dislocated socket was rare, because it took a lot of force to actually make something budge in his ghost form. What Riesenross lacked in finesse and technique, he more than made up for in raw, brute strength. Danny was not thrilled to have him possibly joining the rogues gallery.

And Wes... He hadn't gotten away from the battle unscathed, either. Danny frowned. He hated seeing Wes get hurt, hated that he kept getting caught up in all of his ghost business. No matter what Danny did, the jock always seemed to end up getting involved. Not that he couldn't hold his own; his athleticism seemed to lend itself well to combat. But it seemed that Danny just couldn't keep him out of danger.

But, Danny had to admit, having Wes fight alongside him wasn't all bad. His flashy moveset made him good bait, and his basketball background made him startlingly good at both ambush and hit-and-run tactics. Danny didn't know where his burst of strength had come from, but while his power output was definitely far lower than his own, it was sure to come in handy against ghosts that his other powers weren't suitable for. That wasn't even mentioning the fact that Wes was becoming increasingly proficient with his more standard abilities; while still nowhere near what his own were when he was freshly turned, the newer Halfa was getting stronger and faster every day. It wouldn't be long before he could handle ghosts without Danny's help. And from what Wes had told him, he already had, on at least one occasion.

So no, Danny didn't like putting Wes in danger on what was quickly becoming a regular basis. But, he liked having someone with powers similar to his own who could fight alongside him instead of against him. And, it seemed, it was safer than Wes possibly ending up having to fend for himself when Danny tells him to escape. No, it appeared that he would be safer at Danny's side, as he often insisted he be instead of doing as he was told.

Maybe, just maybe, this whole partnership thing wouldn't be so bad.


Boom baby, new character! If season 3 got to throw super powerful ghosts at us once and then never show them again, then I get to make strong ghost OCs. Sorry, I don't make the rules.

So the same buddy that came up with Wattson Wraith as the title was the one who named Riesenross. It's a German word that can refer to an idiot, and I believe also translates literally to "large beast." AND it happens to spell kinda like rhinoceros (though it's actually pronounced reason-hoss). He isn't actually German, though; I didn't want to stray towards the "evil angry German soldier" stereotype. He's American, hence the outfit, but his family hailed from a German-speaking country that I have not yet decided on. I have a few other ghost characters that I hope to introduce at some point, so I may or may not do that fairly soon!

The next chapter idea isn't fully fleshed out in my head yet. All I know is that it's gonna be gay.