Chapter 52

In the Ghost Zone, Skulker sat in his lair, his glowing green eyes fixed on the screen displaying the aftermath of Danny's recent battle in the human world. Despite the destruction of his bot, his grin widened in anticipation.

"He's strong, no doubt about that. Experienced, too. But what baffles me is his attachment to humans. Where did you come from, Phantom? What region produced such a powerful being with such dreadful yet fascinating abilities?" Skulker mused, his voice laced with both admiration and challenge.

The camera panned to his main mech suit—a towering, heavily armored machine bristling with weapons that far surpassed the power of the bot Danny had just fought. Skulker moved closer to his wall of trophies, his grin stretching wider. The heads of various ghostly and monstrous creatures adorned the walls, each one a testament to his skill as a hunter. One space, however, remained conspicuously empty.

It was reserved for Phantom.

"Soon," Skulker muttered, running his clawed hand over the empty slot, already imagining the victory that would fill it. "But not yet. Not until I've made the necessary upgrades to my arsenal. I'll need something special to take down a creature like you."

His gaze shifted to another empty space on the wall, marked with a label that read Dragon. Skulker's grin turned predatory as he turned to the table in the center of the room. Scattered across it were detailed records of dragon clans—both those from the Ghost Zone and those rumored to exist in the human world.

Dragons. The pinnacle of power and a trophy that would elevate his collection and capabilities to unimaginable heights. Yet, dragons were a rare breed. The strong ones were nearly invincible, while the weaker ones were protected fiercely by their kin. Hunting one required more than strength; it required strategy.

To achieve his goal, Skulker had forged an alliance with the Dark Dragon from the human world—a powerful, sinister entity who shared his ambitions. The Dark Dragon sought an ancient amulet belonging to the royal dragon lineage, an artifact capable of transforming humans into dragons. With it, he planned to purge those who failed to transform and establish his dominion over both humans and dragons.

Skulker, however, was skeptical. "Even with that amulet, the Dragon King still sits on his throne. Your ambitions are lofty, Dark Dragon, but I'll humor you for now."

The amulet's current location was tied to Dora, the Dragon Princess. Unlike her tyrannical brother, Prince Aragon, Dora had always dreamed of a life outside her royal duties. Skulker had exploited this weakness, orchestrating her escape to attend a human world ball—her deepest desire. While she was distracted, his agents were tasked with stealing the amulet.

The plan, however, had gone awry.

"Boss, we've got a problem," came a distorted voice through his communicator. "The amulet slipped into a random portal during the scuffle. Dora fought back harder than expected."

Skulker's grin vanished, replaced by a scowl. He pulled up footage from his drone, watching as Dora obliterated his servants with fiery precision. Amidst the chaos, the amulet had indeed slipped from her neck and disappeared into the swirling vortex of a Ghost Zone portal.

"Locate it!" Skulker barked, his claws digging into the armrest of his chair.

"We're working on it, but the portal's trajectory was erratic. It could have landed anywhere in the human world."

Skulker rose, his mech suit powering up with a deep, mechanical hum. He couldn't afford to leave this matter to incompetent underlings. If the amulet fell into the wrong hands—or worse, if Dora managed to recover it—his plans would face significant setbacks.

"Prepare the portal stabilizer," he ordered, stepping into his mech suit and locking into place. "I'll handle this personally. Time to pay the human world another visit."

As the portal in his lair activated, Skulker's grin returned, though it was far more menacing than before. The hunt was back on, and this time, it wasn't just Danny Phantom in his sights. With the amulet as his prize and a dragon hunt in his plans, the Ghost Zone's most notorious hunter was ready to make his mark once again.

Dragons had always been the most powerful and awe-inspiring of magical creatures, their immense strength and wisdom earning them the title of Protectors of the magical realm. For centuries, they served as guardians not just for their kind but for all magical beings, intervening when conflicts threatened the balance between their world and humankind. Over time, however, the stories of dragons became distorted in human lore, reducing them to stereotypes of fire-breathing beasts. In truth, dragons were complex beings, their dispositions ranging from benevolent to malevolent—much like humans.

In Eastern mythology, dragons were revered as wise and benevolent spirits, controllers of the elements, and protectors of travelers. In contrast, Western mythology often painted them as destructive monsters, though these myths had their roots in only a handful of unfortunate incidents. Still, beneath the myths and stories lay a reality: dragons were powerful, but their power came at a cost.

In modern times, dragons had largely integrated into human society, their roles as protectors rarely needed in an age of relative peace. This integration, however, came with a price: many dragons had grown complacent and weakened, especially in the human world. They had lost much of their pride and ferocity, earning them disdain from their counterparts in the Ghost Zone, where dragons still waged battles and honed their strength.

The disparity in power was stark, and it was why even a single renegade dragon like the Dark Dragon could wreak havoc. The Dark Dragon was a being of pure violence, driven by a destructive nature that allowed him to unlock the full potential of his draconic power. He was a terror to both humans and dragons alike, embodying the very stereotype that dragons had long sought to disprove.

Unlike her rogue counterpart, Dora, the Dragon Princess, was gentle and kind, especially in her human form. Even in her true draconic form, her violent tendencies were mild compared to most of her kind. But tonight, she was far from composed. Panic filled her as she soared through the night sky, her human form lit by the faint glow of the moon.

The source of her distress was the Dragon Amulet—a royal heirloom of immense power. More than just an artifact, the amulet could transform its wearer into a dragon, amplify their power, and, most dangerously, open a gateway to the Dragon Region of the Ghost Zone. Worse still, it could subjugate weaker creatures and even dragons below her royal rank. If the amulet fell into the wrong hands, the consequences would be catastrophic.

'Brother is going to kill me if he finds out,' Dora thought, her heart racing as she scanned the landscape below. She cursed her carelessness. 'I need to find it, but how? I really regret not learning the spell for locating lost items.'

Her desperation was mounting when a thought struck her. The dragon clans of the human world. They were weak, considered the shame of dragonkind for their loss of pride and diminished power, but they were still dragons. Perhaps they could help her locate the amulet.

Dora hesitated for a moment, then steeled herself. Transforming into her true form, she spread her shimmering wings and let out a powerful beat, her senses sharpening as she scanned for a dragon's presence. Soon, she caught the faint scent of one nearby. Without hesitation, she soared toward the source, her speed so great it threatened to break the sound barrier. Yet, she kept her flight controlled, not wanting to draw undue attention.

The scent led her to a secluded lake surrounded by dense forest. As she approached, the scene before her made her stop mid-flight. A small, four-meter red dragon was locked in a fierce battle with a unicorn, their fight raging over the lake's surface. The dragon unleashed bursts of flame, the unicorn countering with powerful blasts of magical energy, their clash illuminating the night.

Dora hovered above the scene, her violet eyes narrowing as she observed the combatants. This dragon was far smaller than most she had encountered, but he fought with a ferocity that belied his size. The unicorn, equally formidable, seemed intent on holding its ground.

'This is unexpected,' Dora thought, her heart still racing from her panic. 'But I can't waste time. I need to approach carefully.'

Descending slowly, Dora let out a low, resonant growl—a sound meant to assert her dominance without provoking outright hostility. The dragon and the unicorn froze, their gazes snapping toward her.