PHANTOM BRAVE:THE LOST CHAPTERS

This is a fan-fiction continuation of a not-so-popular Nippon Ichi game "Phantom brave." This game has made it's way into the hearts of many gamers, however, mine included. This is for fans of the game and those who enjoy obscure Fan Fictions. This is not a continuation of the storyline of "We meet again" or "The Hermuda triangle", but of the original "Phantom Brave" story. This contains many spoilers, and should not be read by people who have not completed the game.

Thanks to Martin III for major editing assistance.

This chapter introduces a new character!

PHANTOM BRAVE -

Episode 22 - Phantom Brave

Walnut had been wandering this damned dimensional plane for what had seemed like a lifetime. He calculated his battle with Sulphur over again: The terror he felt as he fell through the warp tunnel on the back of the hell beast itself, the blue swirling lights wooshing past as they fell down the temporal rift... The white light at the end of the tunnel, signifying that they had arrived at the place that Sulphur had come from...

They crashed through the dimensional gate and found themselves falling from the black, wretched sky. This wasteland, Sulphur's domain, looked like the Island of Evil times a hundred. Writhing, twisting tentacles shot up from out of the ground, red veins covered the landscape, and a sickly red lava flowed through the rivers. This place... is hell, he thought as he rode on Sulphur's back down to the surface.

CRASH!

Walnut timed his jump, and leaped off of Sulphur not a moment before he crashed into the landscape, letting out a demonish cry of pain. His cracked face (From his fight with Marona) now became shattered, his black and red blood spewing onto the ground, killing what was left of the black grass there. Walnut cast his power at the accused creature one last time-

Fire of Battle, Reveal my heart, Psycho Burgundy!

-then watched it die, bent in agonizing pain. Sulphur was finally dead, at the cost of Walnut's life. He found that, somewhere from the point when he dragged Sulphur back from Ivoire, to now, he had become a phantom. He considered the pain that he felt when he cast his soul-burning power to drive back Sulphur in the first place... "There... that's when... I died..."

Now he wandered the accursed dimension, just as devoid of life as he himself was. Dead.

Walnut: 'I will find my way back to Ivoire. Since I'm a phantom, I have more than enough time to do that- now, I can finally live up to my name- faded, heheh!'

He laughed maniacally for some time, then leaned against one of the twisting ventricles that came up from the ground. Walnut searched his coat for his last resort canteen, downing the last drop of Ochre. He threw it to the ground, laughed one last time, and continued navigating through Sulphur's hell.

Ash: 'Marona! It's about time to go to the ceremony on Vapor Island, get ready!'

Marona blinked sleepily, and asked Ash to repeat himself. She was tired from waking up so early earlier, and found herself back in bed. She soon drifted back to sleep.

Ash got rather annoyed, as the ceremony was meant for him. He didn't want to be late for his first official public appearance. He frowned at Marona, then got an interesting idea.

Ash picked up his sleepy Marona, who groggily questioned the meaning of being picked up. Ash brought her downstairs and out the door of their home. Marona, blinded by the merciless sun that had just peaked the horizon, turned over and covered her eyes in Ash's scarf.

Then, she found herself airborne.

W...whaa?

!

SPLASH!

Ash tossed Marona into the ocean, who came quick to her senses and soared out of the water with a distraught, angry look, and Ash laughed the way he did only when he saw something truly funny.

Marona: 'ASSSHHHH! Ahhhhhh! WHAT DID YO-'

Ash just laughed as Marona threw a fit. He found himself being pushed into the same ocean, laughing with her.

Marona chuckled as Ash fell into the water. He dried himself off by switching to his phantom form, then back to his physical form. Ash looked at Marona pleadingly:

Ash: 'Come on, Marona, we'll be late for my ceremony!'

Marona: 'Ohh, right! come on! We're going to be late!'

Ash grabbed Heliotrope from the weapon rack, and hurried over to the boat. He was excited to attend a ceremony in his honor... but what is it about?

Vapor Island

As Ash and Marona piloted their ship into Vapor Island's docks, they saw many other ships docked there, some of which they recognized.

Marona: 'Hey, isn't that Sienna's boat?'

Ash: 'It is! And that boat has Bamboo company pharmaceuticals printed on the side!'

Marona: 'And that boat! Is that captain Drab coming out of it? Those are the fighting beasts!'

Ash and Marona marveled at all the people that came to Ash's ceremony. Ash felt pleased that so many people cared about Marona enough to run a ceremony for her phantom accomplice.

Ash and Marona walked up the docks to Vapor Island's main building, many of the people they had met on their travels greeted them.

Captain Drab: Hey, it's little miss badass over here! Hey, is your little ghosty friend with you?'

Drab searched for Ash but gave up looking for him, when suddenly he materialized from thin air.

Ash: 'Looking for me?'

Captain Drab: 'Whoa! Neat trick, Phantom. When I had heard that Marona's protector was being thrown a ceremony, I had to come! You and your phantom buddies have schooled us fighting beasts more than once, and you have earned our respect. Well, you only beat us because we had already been through a difficult, ahhh, battle you see...'

Captain Drab snorted as he tried to explain himself after being beaten by a little girl no less than twice.

Marona: 'It's okay, your Fighting Beasts are very good,you were just... weakened when I showed up!

Captain Drab: 'That's right, little girl. Now, shouldn't you two be heading on to your ceremony? I hear it's really important!'

Ash and Marona hurried up the steps to Vapor Island's central building, running by even more people they had encountered during their travels;

"Hey, look, it's that possessed chick that defeated Sulphur! Way to go! Kid power!"

"You're that little girl that beat us on the Island of Evil!

"Mahoonaaa, Braiiiiins!"

As they walked through the doors, Marona was shocked by the massive amount of people that showed up for Ash's ceremony. Ash, on the other hand, noticed a beautiful, Scarlet-clad woman, with black hair and purple eyes that shimmered as Ash looked into them. She... could see him... Ash had never met this woman before, but... she was very interesting...

As they walked up to a podium that had been set up in their honor, they noticed a familiar scrabbit sitting in the seat next to the podium, clapping his hands at the sight of Marona.

Count Malt Carmine: 'And here they are now! Marona and Ash, saviors of Ivoire! Let's give them both a big hand!'

(The count had always talked in a low-toned calm voice, and seeing the count so excited made Marona happy. She missed the old man. )

Ash knelt down to Carmine's height, and shook his hand before making his way up to the main podium, while Marona stood next to him on the second step.

The crowd of people cheered, and the Count, with his quiet, noble voice, had trouble calming them down.

Count Malt Carmine: 'Now, this is an official announcement. The reporters of the Ivoire times have come to document this historic moment... '

Ash looked around nervously, unsure what to think. Being in front of this many people unnerved him, but he kept his cool, calm attitude in check.

Count Malt Carmine: 'Ash, for your brave sacrifice to the people of Ivoire, the people have voted, and decided that you are to be the Tenth Sword of Ivoire!'

Marona's eyes fluttered, and Ash felt paralyzed in place... Can this be real!?

Count Malt Carmine: 'Ash, it is my pleasure to name you Ash the Brave, the Tenth Sword of Ivoire! You are the first ever Phantom Brave!'

Ash could not move. He was filled with happiness and anxiety.

Count Malt Carmine: 'To make this position official, I am proud to give you Zephyranth, a katana forged from the broken pieces of Shiva, Sprout's sword. The priests of The Isle of Healing Waters were able to cleanse the evil out of it, it no longer holds the darkness it once had. Ash, do you accept the position of the tenth sword?'

Ash: 'I do. Thank you, thank you everyone.'

Ash did now know any more to say. This was so overwhelming! He finally mustered up the courage to say again:

Ash: 'Thank you all! But... Marona's the real hero... We've been together through thick and thin. But thank you Count Malt. I accept.'

The count held out the sacred sword for Ash, and he took it, coming down from the podium.

Count Malt Carmine: 'Marona, please step up to the podium. I want to make you an offer as well.'

Marona: 'Me? Of course!' She stepped up to the stage, her head barely poking up from behind the podium.

Count Malt Carmine: 'Marona... you and your phantom fighting force have served Ivoire time and time again. Would you consider becoming the leader of the Phantom Syndicate, and become official Ravens?

(Ravens are the more powerful mercenary groups of Ivoire. They are larger groups like the White wolf Army and the Fighting Beasts, but work similar to Chromas. They live by a code to never wage war on another raven clan, but often this is forgotten. They are the protectors of Ivoire.)

Marona 'Of course! I accept!'

Count Malt Carmine: 'Then it's settled! Ash and Marona are the new heroes of Ivoire!'

Ash saw the scarlet-clad woman leave the door out of the corner of his eye. He sheathed Zephyranth onto his back and enjoyed the rest of the celebration with Marona. Soon, he left with the rest of the people that attended the announcement. Marona thanked the Count one last time, and left with him. Today, Marona and Ash had become heroes.Too bad that so much publicity may also be a bad thing...