And with that, the search begins. They also need a plan on how to find them.

Tanzanite says, "Hmm. If it was Grim who took the card, we might be able to get Grim to come to us."

"I was thinking the same, and the best way to lure him out is with food," Riddle says.

"That's brilliant. We should absolutely give it a go," Azul says, liking the idea.

"All right, we can open one of the food packs we took from the hangar," Riddle says.

The three then take out some food, open the packaging, hoping the smell of food will lure Grim to them.

Azul is not pleased by the smell, "I can't say it smells very appealing..."

Soon, something does come out to them, but it's not Grim.

It lets out a voice, "FOOD... FOOD..."

"Oh, look! This one's a foodie," Azul says.

"A shame it's not who we're looking for," Azul says.

"And I think it wants some of the food," Tanzanite says.

"Get ready," Riddle says.

The three prepare to fight as the Phantom charges in. Riddle is the first to make the attack. Azul and Tanzanite fire their magic as well. However, it seems very interested in the food the boys have. They continue to battle against the Phantom until they're able to defeat it, and it melted into a puddle.

"Whew, that was one hungry Phantom," Azul says.

"I agree. It wanted the food we wanted so much that it attacked us," Tanzanite says.

"You said it. I didn't think rations would appeal to them. I wonder if some of the Phantoms need food to survive," Riddle says.

"Who knows? All I can say is we opened one of our precious food packs and got nothing for it," Azul says.

"I wonder where that Phantom came from," Tanzanite says.

The three look around, and Riddle notices the cage labeled, "PTM-456", is already open.

"It's probably from there. It must have already broken out of its cage when we got here," Riddle says.

"Probably even before we enter the facility," Azul says.

Then Riddle says, "We should eat it. We've got a long road ahead of us still."

"I typically try to avoid this kind of stuff..." Riddle says. "But you're right, I'm going to be burning more energy. I can't afford to be picky."

And with that, the three begin to eat some of their snacks.

"It's quiet in here... Grim would've swiped the food by now," Riddle says. He then smiles, "To think I'm actually starting to miss his obnoxious behavior... Silly, isn't it?"

"Maybe, but I kind of miss it. Grim will always try to get more food," Tanzanite says.

Then the two giggle.

Shortly after having their snack, the three arrive at the next cage, "PTM-621."

"All right, I'll aim at that cage and..." Riddle says.

But suddenly, they notice something is wrong with the cage. Before they can do anything the Phantom rams the door off and escapes.

"What?! The Phantom burst out before I could fire off my spell!" Riddle reacts in shock.

And the Phantom begins to charge for an attack

"Agh, I won't get a barrier up in time!" Riddle says.

But suddenly, "Hnh!"

Someone puts the barrier up while another magic spell attacks the Titan.

"Good thing I had my barrier spell ready to go," Azul says.

"Are you okay, Riddle?" Tanzanite asks.

"I'm okay. It caught me off guard," Riddle says.

"Let's do this while the Phantom is down," Azul says.

"Right!" Riddle agrees and casts his magic at the Phantom, taking a very effective attack.

The others also continue to fire their attacks and strikes at the Phantom with full force. Soon, they're able to defeat the Phantom, and it melted into a puddle of ink.

"Good riddance," Riddle says.

And Tanzanite says, "No ID card, though."

Then Riddle says, "You really saved me back there, both of you. Your prudence paid off."

"It's no trouble Riddle," Tanzanite says.

Not sure I like where that was going, but okay Oh, not at all. It's so predictable," Azul says. "Your monotonous —ah, that is, your guileless disposition saved us both."

Not sure I like where that was going, but okay," Riddle says, "Your preparedness saved the day regardless."

Soon, the group walks to the next cage, "PTM-278."

Azul sighs, "I'm absolutely sick of opening these cages. We already know they just have Phantoms in them. If only they contained something valuable. Then this would feel worthwhile and give me something to look forward to.

"You mean like, historic literature or art?" Riddle questions.

"Yes, that would be very nice! Antique dishware or coins would do as well. Oh, and jewelry..." Azul says.

"Wow. That's interesting," Tanzanite says.

"Considering this place screams science lab, I doubt we'll find anything of that nature," Riddle says, "Besides, even if that stuff were here, you'd never be able to claim it."

"That's not necessarily true. If I used this entire mess as leverage..." Azul says. "I'm confident I could wrangle the acting director into some kind of negotiation."

"Heh. Sounds like that's something to look forward to. I can only hope you find what you want. All right, I'm going to open this cage now," Riddle says.

Riddle then opens the cage with his magic and the Phantom comes out. When the Phantom tries to attack, Azul casts the barrier to protect them. Then Riddle and Tanzanite fight against it. They continue to fight it until it is defeated and dissolves into a puddle. So far, the key is not in its possession.

"Well, I knew all along we wouldn't find any treasure on this mission," Azul says.

"There's no ID card in here either," Tanzanite says.

"Yes, such a shame," Riddle says. Then asks, "By the way, are you getting tired, Azul?"

"...What? Why do you ask?" Azul questions.

"It's unusual for you to make small talk. Or am I overthinking things?" Riddle responds.

But Azul says, "...No, you're right. I'm completely worn out, so I thought I might try and lift my mood a bit. I'd appreciate it if you'd indulge me in some conversation while we open these cages."

The group then heads to the next cage "PTM-943".

"I suppose this is the next one,"Azul says, and approaches the cage.

However, he comes to a stop.

"What's the holdup, Azul?" Riddle questions.

"Is something wrong?" Tanzanite asks.

"This cage is locked down much more than the others. That could mean there's a particularly dangerous Phantom inside," Azul says.

But Riddle says, "We can't ignore it, though. There's a chance the ID card's in there."

"Yes, that fact is not lost on me, I assure you," Azul says.

"Heh. Don't worry. I'll hit whatever's in there before it can hit us," Riddle says.

But Azul says, "All right. I'll open the cage then. Here we go..." And casts his magic on the cage, "Hah!"

That causes the Phantom inside to get riled up. And with Azul's magic, it's able to break through the cage.

It lets out a, "GYAAAH!" and begins to attack.

Riddle then starts the first blow, then Azul and Tanzanite fight back. Despite how strong it is, the three also dodge the Phantom's attack and are able to attack with their own. Soon, they're able to defeat the Phantom and it turns into a puddle.

Azul says to Riddle, "Nicely done, Riddle. That was a superb first strike. My lack of injuries is, without question, a testament to your skill. Since I did give you a prime opportunity, I would've preferred for that first shot to have finished it off. But I suppose that'd be asking for too much."

"Oho, what an unusual thing for you to say," Riddle says, "What happened to your trademark greed? I dialed things down so I wouldn't hurt you as well... But if that's what you want, I'd be perfectly happy to show you what I can do next time. But I still can't have you getting hurt. So you'll have to watch from a safe distance."

Tanzanite then shrugs his shoulders in response.

Suddenly, they hear a strange sound,

"What was that?" Tanzanite asks.

"It came from over there," Azul says.

The group walks near the cage labeled,"PTM-735." As they arrive, they hear the loud scratching sound, but it seems that it's coming from in the cage.

"There's a noise coming from this cage... It sounds like a cat sharpening its claws. Grim could be in there. Let's open it," Riddle says.

"Does Grim actually sharpen his claws?" Azul asks.

"He actually does," Tanzanite says.

Then Riddle says, "Indeed he has. I had his head one day when I caught him scratching up the sofa in our lounge."

"I remember. You weren't too happy when you caught him. Both you and Briar scolded him for it," Tanzanite says.

"He always insists he's not a cat, but maybe he really is one..." Azul says.

"I always wonder about that too. He claims he's not a cat, but he actually does look like one," Tanzanite says.

"Cat or no, sharpening one's claws on the couch is a major infraction! Riddle says.

"Yeah. Briar and I were thinking of getting him one of those scratching poles, or those playhouses that cats like," Tanzanite says.

But then Riddle says, "..Though it hardly matters at the moment. All right, I'm opening it!" And then casts his magic, "HRAH!"

As soon as the cage is busted and opens, the Phantoms inside quickly make themselves known.

One of them says, "HeE hEE heE! HeRe, kiTty kitTy! It'S TiMe fOR yOuR WaLk!"

Another lets out a, "SCREECH!"

The three boys act fast and use their magic against the two Phantoms with full force. They fight against them with all their might, until they're able to defeat them. Soon, they begin to melt.

One of the Phantoms says, "I thOught I coULd go oUtside..."

The second Phantom lets out a, "Screech..."

Soon enough, the Phantoms have melted into ink blot puddles. Soon, one of the Phantoms drops the Id Card on the ground.

Riddle is the first to notice, "There's the ID card! That Phantom must've attacked the researcher.

"So it wasn't Grim after all....." Tanzanite says, saddened and disappointed.

Riddle can understand why Tanzanite is disappointed. They really hope Grim is here.

"Don't worry, Tanzanite. We'll find him," Riddle says.

"That humanoid Phantom appeared to have some authority over the smaller one," Azul says. "Maybe it made the little one steal the ID because it wanted to get out..."

"Can Phantoms actually cooperate with each other?" Riddle questions.

Remember, Riddle —the Phantoms used to be exceptional mages, just like us," Azul says.

"...Yes, of course," Riddle says.

"You're right," Tanzanite says, "But... it's still hard to believe that all these Phantoms were once mages, like us."

"Yes. Regretfully, they were," Azul says.

Then Riddle says, "Regardless, we have the ID card. Let's help the researcher escape, and then be on our way."

"Right," Azul and Tanzanite agree.