Ember looked at her daughter, standing in the spirit-armour Technus had given her. Valerie had a tactical mind. Val's main plan would too get rid of her guitar and limit her mobility, and weaponry. Still what Val wasn't likely to know was that Ember could blast from her hands even though it was far less adaptable than from the guitar.
Three highly inaccurate blasts came ftom Valerie's head cubes. Ember made a note that while she considered her flaming hair a weapon of last resort, Val loved it. Still Val didn't understand how to use the beams the way she should. They were never a main weapon. Still three beams, ouch, no wonder Val loved them. Ember knew she'd have to break Val of that bad habit, especially since her aim was terrifyingly poor.
Ember studied her opponent carefully noting how the board gave Val a big advantage over most hunters though there had to be a way of defeating her. It wasn't like she could use her voice destructively, and that suit was bound to protect Val from other enchantments, even if she didn't happen to be her daughter. Then it hit Ember, Val was assuming that her mobility was limited to the guitar. While she couldn't knock Val off that board, she could surprise her, and not by sacrificing her most powerful weapon and using her normal ecto-blasts.
Ember teleported up to Val, and swung her guitar in an arc towars Val's face, Val leaned back to avoid the improvised club, but had leaned back too far so fell of the board. Ember shook her head to clear her confuzzled state This wasn't supposed to happen. She'd heard about the fight. Technus couldn't help telling people everything Almost too late Ember realised Val's fall had been a trap, and she had blasted at the guitar, as the board took a direct route for her. Ember had only just become intangible in time.
Unnoticed by Ember and Val several identical unformed ghosts are hidden behind several of the floating stones, ready to ambush them when the time is right. After all they would be sure to blame each other and their mutual tempers would lead to an all out battle.
Good, each was facing away from the other and the guards as well. Two immensily powerful red blasts streaked out,but before they hit Valerie and Ember, everyone heard two quietly spoken words "Time Out." Clcokwork moved them out thew blast and palced them at and angle where they could both see where the beams where coming from."
"Time in."
Both girls nodded to each other hopped onto their boards and attacked the ghost they could suprise. The one firing at the other girl, and both girls let loose with everthing. The flaming 'hair' as well as the standard ectoblasts.
"Cutting it fine, weren't you?"
"Sorry about the delay. Forgot how likely Walker was to try and provoke you into attacking each other." Clockwork sighed. "By the way how's your practice going?"
"Good" stated Val, until Ember contradicted her. "Val needs to seriously practice her aim, and to realise her hair isn't a main weapon. If she had used it in conjunction with the arm weaponry when chasing Phantom..."
Clockwork rolled his eyes. This was only going to make his job harder. He had put Danny back mostly on the straight and narrow, and now he had to do it for Valerie. In some ways this would be harder, because he couldn't say look at this future, she's willing to kill her own family. And since she was in one of her negative phases showing Danny's double life would only put her back. Still on the positive side, at least Val's absence wasn't due to Ember kidnapping her this time around, and since his other friends and family were still around Danny had support.
This couldn't have worked out better if he had planned it himself. Clockwork cursed. He really hated himself at times like this. No wonder he couldn't see what was coming. Still it was now time to head for the first round of questioning. Valerie would not be allowed to see everything but even Walker would keep to the rules here.
Valerie sat down, in the small guest box.
"Technus says he's going to be late and will pay the fine. Plasmius trouble."
Every ghost nodded. If Technus was dealing was Plasmius, then they'd have to wait for him. Still flexibility could be exercised, and in this case it should be. At least Skulker was there. It was time to examine him carefully.
"I don't understand this ritual" Skulker complained. "It won't stop ghosts from lying." he then went ahead and swore an oath. He looked at Valerie. "Hey, nice to see you actually getting on with a ghost. What happened to the friendship you and the ghost-childe were forging?" Skulker noticed Val's suit flash on and off and her glare. "Don't want to know. Got it..."
"Concentrate would you Skulker before the PDA takes you away again." Clockwork stated. "Your name?"
"Skulker."
"Profession?"
"Ghost Zone's Current Greatest Hunter. Hunter of unique and competent things... The offer's still open by the way Clockwork..."
"So a person has to be both unique and competent. Something so rare you are not likely to find another for?"
"Centuries at least." Skulker stated. "It's sheer luck so many impossibilities turned up in such a short time."
"If Valerie Gray was what Vlad Masters believed would you have hunted her?"
"Hell no! She'd have been brilliant, competent, but hardly unique. I reckon Maddie and Jazz Fenton could have taken to the sled. Not as well considering Val's inheritance, tutoring, and ability."
"So why did you hunt Valerie Gray?"
"She is formidable, and unique. She is spiritborn. The only one to be born since Desiree was sealed."
"Is there any other reason for hunting Valerie Gray and the Phantom, but not Plasmius?"
"Acting as hunters they are encroaching on my conceptual realm. Plasmius does not encroach on it."
"But a normal human hunter cannot do so?"
"No."
"You say that Valerie encroached on your realm? Why do you believe so?"
"Val and the ghost-childe were able to defeat me in my conceptual realm. And the main cause of my defeat was her. Somehow weapons that should not have penetrated my ecto-suit hurt me. Phantom knew I wore a suit. Valerie did not."
"Why would that affect you, then?"
"Because Valerie Gray was considered a co-owner of the territory. And the only way that can happen...
"Is if she's spiritborn?"
"Yes."
"Was Valerie wearing her Spirit armour at that time?"
"No, Valerie was not. She was instead wearing technological armour."
"So how come your exo-suit failed to protect you?"
"I'm no expert ..."
"If you had to surmise?"
"Objection calls for speculation."
"Sustained."