I DO NOT OWN MONSTER ALLERGY
Up in the Suspended city of Bibbur-Si, Elena was working with Mr. Uzka on recreating the special sunglasses she made for Zick. "Well I heard some kids at school saying how Zick has this ghoulish stare, and when I saw that his eyes glowed whenever he uses his Tamer powers I knew that was the cause. So I made these special double layered sunglasses to cover his eyes. I had no idea it would give him a power boost." Elena explained.
"I see, and what exactly did you to make those glasses?" Uzka asked.
"Well first I tried putting several dark lenses together but that just made it too hard to see. So I used the mirror lenses instead. That way the light from his eyes would be reflected, dimming it somewhat without compromising his vision." Elena explained.
"I think I see what's going one here then," Uzka pondered. "Elena do you know why Tamer's eyes glow whenever they are using their powers?"
"Not really, I just thought it was an involuntary reaction. Kind of like how Zick sneezes whenever his allergies start up." Elena shrugged.
"Well my dear, you are partially corrected." Uzka mused. "It's actually more of a, how should I put it, an exhaust port."
"You mean like in a car?" Elena said skeptically.
"Not quite," Uzka shaking his head. "As a Tamer starts building up power, the excess amount start venting out of his body, kind of like how humans sweat when you get too hot. Normally this power will just dissipate upon leaving the body, but your glasses is catching this energy and reflecting it back at the eyes, causing an incredible buildup of Dom Energy." Uzka figured.
"Holy spit, that sounds dangerous." Elena gulped.
"Oh it is," Uzka agreed. "If Zick wasn't able to control the buildup, his head might have exploded."
"That might explain why Teddy lost control of his powers when he tried to use the glasses." Elena sighed. "Maybe we can find a way to make the glasses safer to use?"
"I do have a few theories, but without a Tamer to test them on, it will be a bit of a challenge." Uzka admitted.
"Well I like a challenge," Elena said enthusiastically. The two worked diligently testing different lens combinations but so far no success. The energy just got reflected back to the power source, causing it to overload. "I don't get it. What are we doing wrong? Even Zick's glasses never messed up this badly, and I made those on accident." Elena wondered.
"There must be something we're missing," Uzka groaned as he examined the glasses. "Are you sure there isn't anything else you did?"
"Nothing off hand. I mean this is everything I did. Mirror lenses, double layer for extra protections; but it does seem a bit different." Elena noted taking a closer look at the glasses.
"Different how?" Uzka asked. Before Elena had a chance to answer; the Tutor Guard along with Jeremy in his true monster form came bursting into the lab.
"Elena Potato," the guardsman spoke.
"Yes," Elena answered.
"I'm sorry Elena I didn't mean for this to happen," Jeremy apologized looking ashamed at himself.
"What? What's going on?" Elena demanded.
"Elena Potato, by order of the council of Maximum Tutors, you are here by under arrest for your part in the release Char the Wraith." the Guardsman announced.
"Holy spit, you've got to be kidding me!" Elena protested.
"Elena please, it's a decision of the council." Jeremy pleaded, knowing Elena's temper.
"Fine," Elena conceded. As the guards were escorting her out; Bombo and Bombolo were nearby, witnessing everything and dropping their jaws in shock.
Over at the funeral home, Char grinned with anticipation as the Dark Phantoms brought in two coffins. "You have done well," Char praised as he gestured the Phantoms to move away. After the Phantoms complied, Char raised his hands and shot two bolts of energy at the coffins, destroying the seals. Soon the coffins opened up, releasing the same fog that Char's did when his opened, and two figures slowly rose up. "Welcome my brothers, welcome." Char greeted.
"Who are you calling brother? Do I look like a boy to you?" this feminine voice protested.
"Well you do look a bit on the masculine side," the second figure laughed.
"Vex, Drak, it's good to see you two again." Char said.
"Yes, it gives me a chance to do this!" the female identified as Vex punched Char in the face, knocking him down.
"And yet you wonder why no one thinks of you as a girl sister," Char ridiculed.
"You're just lucky I only punched you. If I had the magic to spare I'd turn you into a pit of sludge." Vex threatened.
"She's got a point Char. Why did you release us? Are you trying to destroy us?" Drak demanded.
"Just the opposite but first," Char waved his hand and the two remaining cocooned monsters floated towards them. "Eat up. You're going to need your powers." Char instructed.
"But Boss, you said those were ours!" the Dark Phantoms protested.
"You'll be getting more I assure you," Char promised. Not really understanding, the Dark Phantoms started to quiet down as Vex and Drak devoured the monsters.
"Hm, monsters have certainly grown a lot more tastier in the last 1000 years," Vex complimented.
"Yes, but if only they were more satisfying," Drak sighed patting his stomach.
"Now that you are ready I have a task for you. I want you to lead the Dark Phantoms in a raid of the Monster city." Char ordered.
"What? Are you insane? The Suspended City is protected by Anti-Ghost defenses! We'll be destroyed." the Dark Phantoms cried.
"Which is why my brother and sister will be accompanying you." Char said calmly.
"And why should we be doing this?" Vex asked with Drak nodding in agreement.
"Because I have another task you for." Char threw down some magic dust on to the ground and an image of Zick appeared. "I need you to engage this young Tamer. My spell shows that he is right now on his way to the monster city."
"What's so special about this Tamer?" Drak asked.
"I'm not sure yet, but I do know that this boy has a special power. One that will aid us greatly." Char said with confidence. While Vex and Drak were hesitant, the one thing they did know is that Char is usually right. So if he says this boy is important, then the boy is important.
"Very well we'll do this little task for you." Vex agreed.
"But if this is a trick," Drak warned.
"No trick, in fact I think you'll rather be pleased with the results." Char promised them. With that, Vex and Drak ordered the Dark Phantoms to lead them to the Suspended City.
Back at Bibbur-Si, Zick finally arrived at the council of Maximum Tutors. Where he found Elena sitting in front of the tribunal. The last time he and Elena were here was for Bombo's trial. As Zick and the other Tamers took their seats. Timothy came rushing in. "I got here as soon as I heard," Timothy whispered. "What's going on?"
"Not sure, but if what Jeremy told me is true, the Maximum Tutors are trying to blame Elena for Char's return." Zick informed him.
"Figures they'd do this. Obviously they want to use her as a scapegoat." Timothy said critically.
"But that's not fair!" Zick protested.
"Fair or not, this is a trial. We can only hope that we can get the charges dropped." Timothy sighed. There are times when he really hates the politics.
"Elena Potato, Monster Keeper in training. You stand accused of releasing one of our most dangerous enemies back into the world. How do you plead?" the Maximum Tutors asked.
"It wasn't my fault! How was I suppose to know that there was a wraith there? I didn't even know what a wraith was until now." Elena argued.
"Even so you were instructed by Jeremy-Joth not to touch anything suspicious and yet you and Tamer Lay entered a suspicious crypt and broke the seal without informing the others, ignoring proper protocol." The Maximum Tutors reading from Jeremy's report.
"Well that's not exactly how it happened." Elena objected. The entire council waited for her to give her testimony. "Okay so that's sort of what happened." Elena reluctantly admitted.
"So you admit to this crime," the Tutors accused.
"I always expected something like this from her, she's not even from a dynasty." another murmured.
"Ahem, may I approach the council?" Timothy requested.
"The council recognizes Stellar Tutor Timothy-Moth." Jeremy announced breathing a sigh of relief. As much as he would like to help Elena's case, as a Maximum Tutor regulation stipulate that he must be impartial and therefore can't support her. However if anyone can help the young Keeper in training, it would be Timothy due to their history.
"Fellow Tutors, is this really the time for this foolishness? Yes Elena may have been responsible for freeing Char, and has a history of causing problems due to her annoying habit of always wanting to poke her nose into everything not concerning her." Timothy started off saying.
"I think I need a new lawyer," Elena said cynically.
"But let us not forget all the times she helped save monster kind against foes like Magnacat." Timothy using his powers to show images from his memory of Elena fighting monsters and even saving Zick from several tight spots. "And these were from before she was given the gift of sight. She's also been very helpful against Moog Magister and the Anguane." Timothy showing more images of Elena's involvement against their foes.
"Compelling evidence, Tutor Timothy." the council agreed. Everyone started to perk up, hoping that they would drop these ridiculous charges. "However her past deeds does not excuse her for her latest offense!" the council countered. "Now we shall deliberate for her sentencing." The Maximum Tutors all got into a meditative trance.
"What are they doing?" Elena asked.
"As you know we Tutors are telepathic with each other. So there are simply having a meeting of the minds so to speak. It's actually a lot more efficient than jury duty." Timothy joked.
"We have reached a verdict," the Maximum Tutors announced. But before they could pass their sentence, the alarms went off! "What is going on?" the council demanded.
"Dark Phantoms! Dark Phantoms are attacking!" the monsters screaming in panic.
"Raise the shields!" the Tutors sending the order telepathically. The Guards on duty at the controls immediately activated the shield upon receiving the command. Soon the entire city of Bibbur-Si was protected by the anti-ghost shield.
Outside the shield the Dark Phantoms along with the two Wraiths Vex and Drak hovered just out of range. "I knew this was a waste of time. Any ghost caught in that shield will instantly dissolve." one of the Dark Phantoms said shaking his head.
"Really? Shall we test that theory." Drak mused as he and Vex flew towards the shield. To the Dark Phantom's surprise, the two Wraiths harmlessly passed through the shield like it wasn't even there. "1000 years, 1000 years and yet they are still using the same anti-ghost measures." Drake laughed.
"You'd think they'd take a hint from these humans and try something new." Vex ridiculed. Even though this ghost shield is powered by technology, it has the same basic principles as a magical one. Like for instance, it is generated at the central location. Gently floating to the control room, the Guards tried to fight them off but their attacks prove futile as the Wraiths didn't even bother to retaliate and continued on to their destination. Upon reaching the control room, Vex threw a fireball at the controls causing the room to explode. With the shield gone, the Dark Phantoms began swooping in to capture as many monsters as they could. With the shield down, the Tamers and Tutors responded quickly to see if they could salvage this dire situation.
"How did the Dark Phantoms bring the shield down?" one of the Tutors asked.
"Hey is that Char over there?" Teddy pointing to one of the Wraiths.
"No that someone else!" Zick realized.
"And he's not alone!" Bobby pointing to Vex.
"Well what do we have here? A trio of Tamer cubs." Drak laughed as he approached the young Tamers.
"So which one of you is the one that Char told us to look out for?" Vex wondered.
*ENERGY DOM* A pair of Dom beam shot out at the two Wraiths knocking them back. "That would be me!" Zick declared wearing his glasses.
"Did you feel that?" Drak asked Vex.
"Indeed, Char was right. This boy..." Vex couldn't finish that sentence since Zick blasted them again.
Inside the council room, Elena watched as her friends valiantly tried to fight off the ghostly invaders. While the Tamers and the Tutors can easily handle the Dark Phantoms, the Wraiths were another story. Even with Zick's enhanced Dom blasts he could barely hold back a single Wraith, but now there are two of them. While Zick was attacking one, the other would assault the other Tamers and Tutors preventing them from forming a defense against the ghosts. So now the Dark Phantoms stood mainly unopposed as they gathered up more and more monsters. It was during this battle that Elena saw the glasses she made for Zick in action. This causes her memory to start jogging and recall how she made them. Making sure that the coast is clear, Elena hurried all the way back to Uzka's lab only to find it empty. "Mr. Uzka are you still here?" Elena called out.
"Elena, what are you doing here? We are in an emergency situation!" Uzka cried from his hiding spot.
"Look I think I know how to perfect the glasses," Elena said as she ran up to the unfinished glasses.
"What do you mean?" Uzka asked with great interest abandoning his hiding spot. His scientific curiosity just superseded his fear of the Dark Phantoms.
"Here, we set up the lenses so that the tinted ones were placed after the mirror ones. But when I made Zick's, I had them here behind them." Elena explained putting the tinted lenses behind the mirrored ones so that it would be closest to the face. Crossing her fingers, Elena placed the glasses in the tester and sent a small dose of Dom energy through. Like before the energy got reflected back, but unlike before instead of returning back to the source the energy stayed within the glasses. Reflecting back and forth between the lenses.
"Of course now I get it," Uzka said excitedly. "These glasses act more like a capacitor."
"What's a capacitor?" Elena asked.
"It kind of a fancy way of saying rechargeable battery," Uzka trying to simplify it. "You see I thought that the energy was reflected back into the Zick's eyes, but instead it was actually being collected and stored in the glasses until Zick uses it to enhance his Dom blasts."
"I guess that's why no one's head have exploded yet," Elena said thankfully as she grabbed the glasses.
"Um where are you taking those?" Uzka asked.
"To one of the Tamers, their going to need all the fire power they can get!" Elena said as she ran out of the lab.
"Oh okay then," Uzka almost forgetting that they were under siege, immediately crawled back into his hiding place.
Back at the battle, the situation is just as bad as Elena left it. The Tamers and Tutors have fallen into disarray, allowing the Dark Phantoms to cocoon more monsters. Zick was facing off against the Wraiths, and it looked like he was doing a good job keeping them at bay. Looking for the nearest Tamer, Elena ran up to Bobby who had just blasted a Dark Phantom and was starting to blast free the monster it was cocooning. "Bobby here try these!" Elena said handing him the glasses.
"You finished them?" Bobby said with glee.
"Hopefully they won't make your head explode," Elena muttered.
"Say what now?" Bobby hoping that he misheard that.
"Never mind, you got to help Zick!" Elena reminded him.
"Oh right." Bobby put on the glasses and began charging his Dom energy. As with the testing the energy started collecting in the glasses. As Bobby touched the lenses with his hand, the energy transferred from the glasses into his hand. Bobby tried to aim as best he could, but he wasn't used to having that much power that the recoil sent him flying back and his shot went wild and crazy! Completely missing the Wraiths, but it did hit a couple of Dark Phantoms, dissolving them instantly.
"What the?" Vex and Drak looking over at Bobby and Elena. "Another one with glasses?"
Bobby charged up his glasses again, only this time instead of putting all that power into one hand, he placed both hands on the glasses trying to split the difference. Trying to aim a bit more carefully this time, Bobby fired a duel beam at the Wraiths. Strangely the Wraiths didn't move to avoid it. They just stood still as the beams hit them knocking them back a bit, and they weren't the only ones. The recoil from the blast again threw Bobby back as well. He landed on one of the bridges so hard that the glasses fell off his face and fell to the streets below, where it got ran over by a passing car. "Aw man I just got those," Bobby griped seeing his glasses shattered on the ground below.
"And I just made those," Elena equally annoyed.
Over at the funeral home, Char watched the battle via telepathic link with his kin. "That girl made those glasses?" Char repeated to himself. "Vex, Drak, fall back." Char ordered.
"But why?" Vex asked.
"We still need to capture the boy," Drak reported.
"Forget the boy, retreat!" Char said in his commanding voice.
"Dark Phantoms fall back!" Vex relaying Char's orders.
"But," The Dark Phantoms confused by this.
"Just grab what you can. We're leaving!" Drak warned. Knowing that they would be no match for the Tamers and Tutors on their own, the Dark Phantoms started carrying off some of the monsters they had cocooned.
"They are retreating, we've done it!" the monsters cheered. But for few, it was a bitter sweet victory.
"You see all this happened because Elena freed Char!" one of the Maximum Tutors accused pointing at Elena.
"Yes I say we revoke her status as a Keeper and take away her power of sight!" another said.
"I think that would be premature," Jeremy interjected.
"What are you saying?" the others demanded.
"That rather than blaming the girl for an accident, we should focus on the fact that her glasses have proven to be an effective weapon against them. It would be a waste to lose her now when we need all the help we can get." Jeremy argued.
"What you say may be true, but we can't just let her offense go." the other Tutors said.
"Then how about we just..." the Tutors all got into their meditative trance again. After a few seconds, they came out of their trance and nodded, Jeremy reluctantly so.
"What just happened?" Elena wondered.
"I'm sorry, but this was the best I could do for you." Jeremy apologized to Elena.
"Monster Keeper in training Elena Potato; for your part in releasing the Wraiths and bringing this catastrophe to the Suspended City, your status as Monster Keeper is hereby suspended. Pending that you resolve this crisis and rid us of the Wraiths." the Tutors declared.
"What does that mean?" Elena asked.
"It means that until you find a way to defeat the Char and the other Wraiths, you will no longer be a Monster Keeper." Jeremy informed her.
"But what about Bombolo?" Elena cried.
"I was able to convince them to transfer him to the Barrymore house," Jeremy said apologetically. Elena broke down crying, even though the Barrymore house is just next door, it still hurt to think that she was losing her monster.
Over at the funeral home, the Wraiths and the Dark Phantoms returned with their prize, 23 cocooned monsters. Char stood outside to greet his minions. "Bet cha he and his brothers are just going to eat them all again," the Dark Phantoms murmured to themselves.
"You all did an excellent job," Char praised. "Did I not promise you that you will all get your fill of monsters? So go and feast, you've earned it." The Dark Phantoms feeling a bit confused of his change of attitude, but hey they weren't going to give up their chance to eat monsters. As the Dark Phantoms celebrated, Vex and Drak followed Char inside the funeral home. "Well what of the boy's power?" Char asked.
"It's just as you describe. He will indeed be very useful to our cause." Vex grinned.
"Yes, but why did you order us to retreat? Why not capture him now?" Drak asked.
"My dear brother and sister. Why steal a jar of honey when you can have the entire hive?" Char chuckled. Vex and Drak looked at each other feeling a bit confused about the analogy. "I have some things I need to look into. Take charge of the Phantoms, continue looking our other brothers and sister, as well as capturing more monsters. For we will need as many as we can to make more potions."
"If the Dark Phantoms don't eat them all," Drak joked.
"Yes why do you put up with them?" Vex asked, she hates working with beings she feels are beneath her.
"They may be vulgar but they have their uses. Just keep things running smoothly, I will return shortly." Char instructed as he phased through the wall.
Over at Zick's house, Elena and Bombolo were having a tearful goodbye and she handed Bombolo and the former Dark Tamer Sinistro turned monster to Greta. "You know you can visit him at any time," Greta said hoping to ease the pain.
"Yeah you come here so often you practically live here." Zick joked. Earning him a warning glare from his mother.
"I know," Elena said softly. "Well I better get to work. If I'm to regain my keeper status, I'm going to need to find a way to defeat those Wraiths." Elena said leaving the house. As the front door closed, Bombolo started crying at the lost of his surrogate mother. Outside Elena leaned on the door. Hearing Bombolo's crying was tearing out her heart; but there was nothing that she could do at the moment. Even though she disagreed with the ruling, even she wouldn't defy the Council of Maximum Tutors. Running home as fast as she could, which didn't take that long since she lived right next door, Elena rushed to her bedroom and pulled out her book on witches. If she was to get Bombolo back, she needed to deal with the Wraiths, and it seems the best way to deals with the Wraiths is to study up of witches.
Elena studied the witch's book well into to the night, before falling asleep at her desk. Waiting just outside window for this moment, Char phased into her room. Quietly going through her notes, he couldn't help but admire Elena's work. While most of her data was a bit inaccurate, due to her confusing folklore with facts, still it showed her potential. Potential that Char is planning to exploit. Pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket, he opened the witch's book to a random page and seamlessly added it in. Satisfied that the seeds of his plan have been successfully planted. All he needed to do now is wait until they blossom.