Chapter Seventeen: Skulker's Training
Disclaimer: See Chapter One
Well, hello everyone. Welcome back to the Phantom Saga. This chapter is just a short in between chapter that I needed to write to explain some stuff coming up and such, so enjoy.
On With the Show:
Danny was currently sitting at his computer, looking over notes he had left for himself to address in his book. Sitting next to the computer, was the gift Clockwork had given him for Christmas: A stop clock that could control the flow of time with but a push of a button. Danny had yet to try it, partially out of fear that he would mess something up and then Clockwork would have to fix the timeline.
Fortunately, Clockwork had left clear instructions in the box on how to use the watch. It told him that not only could he stop time for all but himself and anyone else he had in mind at the time he hit the button, but he could also slow the flow of time for everyone without them being slowed themselves. Once he had mastered the use of the watch, it allowed him to better manage school work and his research. With the clock he realized that he could have his book out before he graduated from high school, as the image of everyone at school reading a copy at the same time was funny to him. It also allowed him to take Skulker up on his offer.
When Danny finally decided to take Skulker up on his offer of training, he expected something different. When he arrived at the Hunter's Island, he expected to be ambushed right away. What he did not expect was that the Hunter had revamped up his obstacle course. In a weird way, it reminded him of the fitness challenge for school, only more advanced and complicated. Skulker came out of his home to see his old rival. "Welcome, Whelp, to your new training regimen."
"I see you updated this course since I was last here. I assume, still full of traps and hidden dart launchers." Skulker smirked at that statement.
"Do a few laps of the course and we'll go from there, for now." As Danny ran the obstacle course, Skulker stood atop the skull of his home with his arms crossed, watching him.
Danny was panting hard when Skulker told him to stop running the course. "Not too shabby for your first runs, now come." Danny followed Skulker across the Island to a clearing that the Hunter had made. It took him a moment to realize what it was. It was a dueling ring and training ground. "Now, Fight me." Though he had been a bit worn out due to a long school day and the obstacle course, Danny was able to defeat the Hunter in single combat with relative ease, though the Hunter was holding back. "It will not be so easy next time, Whelp."
"Are you ever stop using that term for me?" Danny asked in regards to the whelp title Skulker kept calling him.
"No, you will always be that, but I don't mean it as much as I once did," Skulker admitted, a bit sheepishly.
"Well, I have to get back. I 'll come over the weekend and we can have a longer training session." Danny took off for home.
Come the weekend, Friday evening Danny spent with Sam on a double date with Johnny and Kitty at the movies. Saturday afternoon, Danny journeyed into the Ghost Zone for his training with Skulker. When he arrived, he landed at the Dueling Ring, where the Hunter and the rest of the council were waiting for them. Danny's brow arched in question at the presence of everyone there.
"We are all going to help with your training, as we all have different ways to teach you." Skulker explained to the halfa.
"It's also a way for us to keep up the old game," Johnny said.
"Plus, we get to keep our skills sharp as well," Ember added. Danny fixed Spectra with a certain questioning look. She didn't say a word, merely raised her hand to her mouth and motioned that her lips were sealed on the matter of his mental health. That matter set to rest, Danny gladly accepted the change to the agreement.
To Danny's surprise, the Rogues did have stuff to teach him about fighting, and improving his reflexes and how to keep track of multiple opponents. Over the course of weeks and multiple sessions per week, the Rogues came in varying configurations to give Danny a challenge. even Frostbite got in on the action to show Danny how to redirect Ice attacks. From this session, Technus had gotten an idea.
When Danny showed up for a session, Technus was waiting for him alone. "I am going to show you an advanced technique. I will teach you to redirect lightning. Watch me closely." Technus began the motions. "You must allow the energy to travel up your arm, you channel it through the stomach, back up and out the other arm. It is very important that the energy does not pass through your heart. Now practice what you have shown." Danny practiced the motions Technus showed him, thinking that this technique would be useful against Vortex.
Once Technus thought Danny had it down, he charged his hand with a very weak bolt of lightning, just in case Danny messed up it would not affect his heart. Technus raised his hand and let the bolt fly toward the boy who took it on. He raised his left hand to point for the lightning to hit, channeled the energy through his body as he was instructed and out the right arm, blasting it out into the void of the Ghost Zone. Technus nodded in approval, "you can also use it offensively by sending the bolt back at its caster. He made Danny do the same move again a couple times to get used to the feel of what lightning felt like going through the body. Several of the bolts Danny sent back at his trainer, who blocked them with his hands or caught them.
"Very good, ghost child." It did strike Danny as a bit odd how many members of the Rogues had nicknames for him. Skulker's was Whelp, Technus was Ghost Child, Ember was Dipstick or Baby Pop. Johnny was just Kid.
"Vortex better be concerned now," Danny remarked off hand. Technus scowled a bit at the mention of the Lord of Weather.
"I hope you never have to use this technique against him, Child, because his is not just ecto-lightning as I generate. That is real lightning, much more dangerous and difficult to redirect, and he will not hold back." Technus warned the half, his arms crossed.
Walker used this opportunity not to just provide Dnany with training, but also training for his men to better track down escapees. GZPD officers would track Danny through the jungle of Skulker's Island in a Seek and Capture mission. It gave Danny practice in evasion of ecto-blasts.
One time when Danny showed up for his training, he was met by Spectra alone. "I asked Skulker to step out for this session. This will be a bit different than simple brawn to brawn. This is mental training, with your permission, I am going to use what you have told me in our sessions to mess with your mind."
"I consent to this training." Danny gave her his permission to proceed, and Spectra grinned a bit wickedly. She used his fears over Danielle, over Sam and everyone he cares about against him, to wind him up, to cloud his judgment. His hate was growing, Spectra was doing her job.
"Control your emotions, while they can be useful in a fight, if channeled properly, they are more a hindrance otherwise. Yes, anger and hate can be used to empower your attacks, but it also blinds you. It can impair your ability to fight. You must be careful not to be consumed by it." Danny agreed as he never wanted to wind up like Dan.
Another training he showed up for, there were the lovebirds, Ember, and Desiree. Before they began their fight, Desiree embraced Danny in thanks for turning her afterlife around, and he was glad Sam was not with him as Desiree was holding him tightly to her. "You know, I did have one idea around Christmas for you, Desiree."
"Oh? Pray tell, you came up with something for everyone else, but not me?" Desiree joked with him.
"Since you are a genie, if you are willing to not twist the wishes that you grant, perhaps one night a year, you grant the wishes of all the good children over the world, which would provide you with a power boost unlike any other." Danny explained his idea.
Desiree laughed in mirth, the idea of her being Santa. "It sounds interesting, I would need a network of people to help me, but I am not opposed to it."
"The network can be arranged," he told her.
"I'll let you know, in other news, things have been going good with me. Spectra has also taken me on as a patient to help me out with some issues." Desiree informed him, to Danny's curiosity.
"Maybe she'll open a therapy business for the Zone," Danny remarked.
"She has talked about it, since becoming your therapist, she has been more active in that department for the rest of us." Ember inputted.
"Yeah, she has been trying to help us come to terms with certain things." Kitty said.
"Good, put her to work, it keeps her out of trouble," Danny remarked.
"How touching, however, you are supposed to be training him," Skulker's voice rang out from the edge of the circle as he had come to check on the group.
"Yeah, yeah Skulker, we are getting to it." Kitty brushed off Skulker's presence. They did begin their training session under his supervision.
Once Danny was sure that the Rogues would not pose too much of a threat to Danielle, he started bringing her to his training with them so that she could get stronger as well. Much to Skulker's chagrin, he had to hold back more with her than he did with Danny. However, it had the intended effects as time went by, Skulker ramped up the difficulty for her, and she adapted to it well.
With the help of the Rogues and their training regimen, Danny saw gains on his body, as Skulker had added some weight lifting components to the training. Sam was happy with that side effect. What Danny didn't know however, was that the real reason that Skulker and the rest were training him was that Clockwork was making sure that Danny would be for his final showdown with his evil counterpart. A showdown that was rapidly approaching.
There you have it everyone, Chapter 17 of this tale. I will admit, not my finest work, but again it served its purpose and I was happy enough with it. Also, yes that was a reference to Avatar: The Last Airbender in there with Technus.
Next time: The Phantom Book gets written. See you there.
The Emperor is not out yet, as I got three more chapters to post today.