Chapter 12
"This meeting has commenced! Please be sure you are in your designated seat so that we may begin!"
Phantom looked around the busy auditorium and watched as all the seats were becoming filled as everyone found their designated seat, which was apparently unheard of.
'That means that this is serious. Pariah and Dan have become such a problem that even the top three Observants are present. Heck, even Frostbite of all people is present, and even that's unheard of.'
Someone gently grabbed Phantom's hand and he turned to see a tense Princess Dorathea with a look of worry and concern on her face. She was silently asking him, 'Are you alright?' In which he looked towards the 'audience' with a concerned look as well, 'I don't know'.
"ORDER, ORDER!"
The room quieted down slowly and the meeting officially began.
"Welcome. I know we speak for everyone when we say that it is shocking to have a full house present today. But rest assured, it is necessary. We, the Observers, have called this meeting due to the recent events both inside, and outside, of the Infinite Realms. Major cities, trade posts, and markets have been destroyed and many ghosts have gone homeless, or have even faded as of recent."
Harsh murmurs and whispers broke out but were quickly hushed by the other Observants.
"We are aware this information is frightening, however, it is our duty to inform you of what is going on within the Infinite Realms. Thus, the reason for this meeting. We must find a way to stop the menaces known as Dan Phantom and Pariah Dark from continuing their onslaught through the Ghost Zone. That is why we have not only summoned Frostbite of the FarFrozen but Princess Dorathea of Aargon, Clockwork the Keeper of Time, Pandora of the Greek Acropolis and lastly, Sir Daniel Phantom of the Living World, Savior of the Ghost Zone and heir to the throne."
As the Observants called out their names, each one entered the room and sat in the front on either side of the Observants. The room was like an auditorium, however, the front of the room looked more like a Court Room with eight chairs/desks facing the audience. The Observants sat in the middle, Frostbite, Pandora, and Clockwork sat on the left side of the Observants, while Dora and Phantom sat on the right side.
"Did he really have to mention the 'heir to throne' part?" he whispered to Dora, who in turn chuckled at the worrisome teen.
However, as they made their way to their seats, multiple ghosts shot out of their seats and began protesting and arguing, either directly towards the Observants or towards each other.
"Why come now after all this time?!"
"He can't just disappear and come back to play hero! That's not how it works!"
"Let's just give him up already! Then they'll leave us alone!"
"He's not going to be my king!"
"But he's saved us countless times, he can be trusted!
"Ha! Like how we trusted him not to leave us behind?!"
"EVERYONE PLEASE QUIET DOWN! ORDER! ORDER!"
It took a while, but eventually, everyone settled down to grumbles and murmurs before one of the Observants continued.
"We are aware that some of you dislike the idea of Phantom returning to the Infinite Realms, however, we are in great need of assistance. If you are so unhappy with his presence in this meeting today then you are more than welcome to leave-"
"Excuse me Observant, but I'd to request permission from both you and the main rulers sitting here to say something before any ghosts may decide to leave the vicinity," Phantom interjected.
The Observant looked at his brethren and whispered to them, before turning to the other ghosts up front, and then back to him and nodding, "You may proceed."
"Thank you. Now," Phantom stood from his seat and turned to the audience, "first and foremost, I owe all of you an apology for my absence. It was selfish and uncalled for, and therefore, I am sorry."
"Great One," Frostbite interjected, "You do not have to apologize for the wrongs of others. You were ill, and therefore forgiven."
Phantom gave him a small smile, "While I completely understand how you, along with the other ghosts alongside me here, may understand and forgive my absence, the other ghosts present do not."
He turned his attention back to the other ghosts, who were now intrigued as to what Phantom had to say.
"About a year ago, I had disappeared not only from the World of the Living but from the Infinite Realms as well. This absence was not planned, nor was it a capture. I had fallen ill. However, it was no normal illness, but something far worse. I was fading-"
Murmurs and whispers broke out again, but they quickly settled down when the Observant called for order.
"Several ghost present in this room can confirm and were witness to my illness before I had decided to disappear. I left the World of Living because it was causing my illness, and I did not want to burden any ghost within the Infinite Realms to help me, so I decided to leave until I had regained my strength. I realize now, that it was selfish, and that should've stayed to help protect the Ghost Zone. Again, I can only ask for your forgiveness. I completely understand if you still wish to leave the vicinity due to my presence here, and I will not stop you, or convince you otherwise. That is all," Phantom sat once he had finished.
The room remained quiet, and, surprisingly, no one left the auditorium. Instead, their attention remained forward, awaiting the next speaker.
"Thank you, Phantom, for shedding some light on the subject. Now, back to the reason why we are here. Would any of the rulers present like to start?"
The rulers looked at each other and silently agreed. Frostbite stood up and began explaining the condition of the FarFrozen and how many injured ghosts they've healed for the past couple of months, and how many are left to be treated. He then explained the warriors that were prepared to fight if it ever came down to having to fight.
Once he was done explaining, he turned and nodded to Dora, who in turn stood up and proceeded to provide information about things in her kingdom. The trading decrease because of the fear of being attacked was one of the few topics. Another being the weapons in storage that are available to anyone who may need to fight.
It continued like that for a while, including what Phantom had to report regarding the Living World. Which mainly consisted of the attacks and injuring of the people. And when all was said and done, the Observants took the stage again.
"Now that we've heard the conditions of the main realms, we'd like to ask for input from the rest of the audience. Whether it be the conditions of the Infinite Realms in general or possible solutions to the threat we've come to know as Pariah and Dan Phantom."
It wasn't even moments later when the arguing began.
"We should consider all our options! If it comes down to it or if the situation becomes desperate, then we should give up the Phantom!"
"Desperate?! We already are desperate! I say we give up Phantom now!"
"No! Then we'll have no heir!"
"Heir shmeir!"
"Yeah! We don't even want a king!"
"We need a king to keep order and who better than the Savior of the Ghost Zone!"
"I disagree, have you all forgotten all of the problems that boy has caused in the past?"
"Exactly, /the past/. He is different now, he understands our culture and our ways, and he is always willing to help those in need."
"But he is apart of the Living!"
"He's an abomination!"
"He shouldn't even exist, never the less be our king!"
"ENOUGH!"
The room went silent as Clockwork stood from his chair.
"This meeting was meant for ghosts coming together to find a way to defeat the present threat, not bicker about whether or not you will have a new king. Now, Pandora, you wished to speak?"
The she-ghost blinked blankly at Clockwork before clearing her throat and standing. "Uh, yes. Thank you. I believe I have come up with a way to defeat these two powerful beings. Sir Phantom-" Phantom stood from his seat and nodded his head. "You've fought both of these entities before correct?"
He shifted his weight a little, "That is correct."
"Is there any additional information you be able to provide about them?"
Phantom stole a glance at Clockwork, who discreetly shook his head in response, before turning his attention back to Pandora. "I do not know of their background. The only information I have gathered is what I've investigated while present in the Infinite Realms and what I've experienced in battle."
Pandora raised an eyebrow at his response but continued on with her questioning. "Would you mind describing in words how these two beings fought? Battle strategies, personality, anything can help us at this point."
"I will try to the best of my ability. Pariah Dark's fighting is based more so on his strength than his intellect. He advances head-on, but with a lot of force. He prefers to use his strength more than his powers, however, he can sense when he is losing a battle and he'll switch tactics. One of his main flaws while fighting is his temper. Dark is quick to temper and that can be used in our favor since he will lose his ability to think quickly and strategically. Dan, on the other hand, will be a lot more difficult to fight. While Dan can be cocky, he will use that to his advantage by trying to anger his opponent. He tries to best his opponent, proving that he is stronger and better than them. He'll use his intellect and powers a lot more often than Dark, yet still has the upper hand when in terms of strength. With both Pariah Dark and Dan Phantom working together, we're going to have a tough battle on our hands."
"Thank you, Sir Phantom. Now that we've heard what these two threats can do, let us discuss how this could be used to our advantage," Pandora explained as she sat back down.
Phantom quietly breathed out a sigh of relief as he watched the ghosts start to discuss the matter without arguing. He felt someone nudge him and turned to see Princess Dorathea give him a comforting smile. 'You okay?' she seemed to ask. 'I am now that the attention isn't on me.' She chuckled as both ghosts turned back to the discussion at hand.
"What about ambushing?"
"According to some of Walker's guards, Dan has found a way to sense others nearby."
"I would recommend attacking from afar, however, we don't know how far Dan's sense can reach. And that is a very big risk to try to take."
"What if we used a diversion? We have someone distract them and then we all attack at once. Strength in numbers, right?"
"Good idea, but you still forgot about Pariah. We could easily just toss us aside if we try that!"
"If I may," Danny said as he stood up, causing all ghosts to go silent. "While Poindexter does make a fair argument with Pariah, Johnny 13 is on to something. A distraction. Although Dan is intelligent and will most likely see a trap or an ambush from miles away, we may still be able to gain the upper hand. Am I correct to assume that all of you heard Dan Phantom and Pariah Dark state that all they wanted was me and me alone?"
He got several murmurs of confirmation. However- "Great One! We can not ask you to give yourself up nor use yourself as bait!" Frostbite, Pandora, and Dorathea all stood up and were staring wide-eyed at Danny.
"Sorry, Frostbite, but you're forgetting an important piece of information. Pariah and Dan want me, preferably alive from the sounds of it, and I'm assuming it's because they want revenge. So if someone else were to try to distract them or give themselves up pretending they have information regarding my whereabouts, Dan would either kill them after gaining the information or kill them on sight. So the only way to successfully get their attention is for me to be the distraction."
The room filled with murmurs as the ghosts debated his words, sneaking glances at the main rulers and the Observants. Several minutes passed before Frostbite raised his hand for silence.
"Though we may not like the idea of you being the distraction, you have made a valid argument. Is there anybody here that disagrees with the Great One and has an alternative?" The room remained silent for once, a silence that wasn't relieving to Frostbite. He sighed as he continued, "Very well. Then it is decided. Pandora, Princess Dorathea, do either of you wish to state anything else before we begin planning?"
They both shook their heads.
'This is going to take longer than I thought...' Danny sighed mentally as the arguing began yet again.
M'gann smiled as she watched Gar and Bart compete for first place while playing their racing game. The day had been slow since Dick hadn't assigned anything and Danny was attending a meeting in the Ghost Zone. Most of the younger members had decided to take advantage of this 'free-day'. So Bart, Gar, and Tim were playing video games (with M'gann watching over them), Conner and Kaldur were in the training room, and Zatanna and Dick were in the Observation Room.
She sighed as Bart passed the finish line and Gar immediately began arguing with him, claiming that he cheated in some shape or form. It was as the arguing was going on that she heard a beeping sound in her ear. It was her comm link.
"Miss Martain present, what seems to be the problem?"
"M'gann it's Danny. I need you to let Nightwing know that the meeting I'm attending will take longer than originally planned."
M'gann nodded to herself and said into the commlink, "Sure, no problem. Take care of yourself, alright?"
She heard chuckling on the other side of the link, "I'll try my best. I'll be back as soon as this meeting is over with. Phantom out."
There was a CLICK, and the link went silent.
M'gann sighed in exasperation as she realized that the younger two members present were still arguing. However, before she could break the two up, Dick walked in with Zatanna with a concerned look on his face.
"We've got a problem. Three ghosts are attacking Amity Park. Two towards downtown, and one at the mall. M'gann, can you round everyone up?"
She nodded and immediately sent a telepathic message to all of the Team members.
Within minutes everyone was dressed and in the living room, ready to receive their orders.
Nightwing quickly split everyone into three groups; Miss Martain, Kid Flash, and Superboy had the mall, Beast Boy, Impulse, and Robin had one of the targets in downtown, while Aqualad, Zatanna, and himself had the last target downtown.
"Now remember, if the target starts getting out of hand, make a tactical retreat and come find me," Nightwing ordered as they began climbing the stairs.
"But what about Phantom? Couldn't we just ask him how to defeat them? Or better yet come back and help us fight them?" Beast Boy asked.
"I'm afraid that won't be possible," Miss Martain interjected. "Phantom just contacted me stating that the meeting has been extended and will not end until further notice."
"Gggrreeeaaatttt, now that ghost-boy can't be here, we're basically going in blind!" Kid Flash fumed.
"Whoever said we're going in blind?" Nightwing chided with a smirk.
"Where did he even get this?!" Kid marveled at the holographic screen in which every single one of Phantom's enemies with their strengths and weaknesses were listed.
Superboy shrugged, while Miss Martain chuckled in response as the three of them walked into the mall.
The place was completely abandoned, Nightwing told them the citizens had already been evacuated and looked wrecked. Papers were scattered everywhere, shards of glass littered the floor, table and chairs were knocked over, and more than a couple of light fixtures were busted.
"Tread carefully and keep your eyes peeled, the scanners are saying that the ghost is still here," Kid Flash cautioned as Miss Martain put up the mind link.
They didn't walk more than ten feet when Superboy motioned for them to stop. "I hear something, something big."
First, there was silence—then there was a monstrous black dragon leaping towards them, jaws opened wide.
"So, what exactly are we looking for?" Impulse questioned.
The three youngest members had just entered the downtown area and were now looking for the ghost that had set off Nightwing's sensors.
"I'm not entirely sure. The scanners that Phantom has at the hideout aren't all that great. They simply notify the Observation Room if a ghost is attacking or if one has been it that particular location, it doesn't give any specifics," Robin explained.
"So, are we just supposed to walk around and yell, 'Here ghosty, ghosty'?" Beast Boy asked.
The temperature dropped several degrees around the members.
"Well that's one way to do it," a suave voice responded back.
The three youngest members whirled around to watch as a green blob with red eyes turned into a glowing green bear with red eyes. "Or you could've just asked," it offered with a sneer.
Nightwing, Aqualad, and Zatanna were sneaking their way through downtown as they kept a lookout for their ghost.
"I'm not seeing anything, what about you guys?" Zatanna asked.
"Negative, I believe it would be wise for us to go back and retrace our steps. Maybe then we may discover something we might have missed," Aqualad proposed.
"Good thinking, let's head back towards—"
Nightwing was cut off as he was tossed into a nearby wall.
Aqualad quickly summoned his water swords, while Zatanna got into a fighting stance. "Show yourself!" Aqualad demanded.
An evil cackle echoed throughout the street as a black figure with red eyes rose from the building's shadow. The figure was woman-like and stood within a confident—yet relaxed—stance.
She smiled a sharp-toothed smile as she chuckled, "Today must be my lucky day... I finally have some heroes to play with." She started to walk towards them as she continued, "But I'll make sure not to play with you too long. You know what people say, 'don't play with your food'..."