Ghost Plasma: The Veteran 

Ghost Plasma comes from Fantum, a city renowned for its Halloween carnivals. Growing up, Ghost Plasma was drawn to these events, and from their very first time attending the celebrations, the young marble could always be encountered racing through the crowds, desperately trying to keep up with the procession as it weaved through the streets.

This quickly became a tradition among Ghost Plasma’s friends, who would spend the spooky season racing each other around the outskirts of Fantum in preparation for the carnival. More often than not, Ghost Plasma would come out victorious in these races, though the group never took them particularly seriously. “We were always out there just having fun,” the athlete later remarked. “We kept score, of course, but particularly as we got older the races became less about trying to outdo one another, and more about hanging out and enjoying ourselves.”

While these Halloween contests had very low stakes, they sparked Ghost Plasma’s passion for sports. After achieving top grades in high school, they went on to study sports science at university, where they took up parkour and cross-country rolling. Ghost Plasma turned out to be particularly good at the latter, competing in several local tournaments and making the top five on a regular basis. In the second year of their degree, Ghost Plasma took home their first trophy in the Fantum Dirt Rally, the city’s most prestigious off-road racing tournament. Their win caught the attention of a talent scout named Spirit (occasionally confused with a member of the Golden Wisps), who introduced themself to Ghost Plasma after the final race.

Spirit was looking for marbles to compete in the individual division of the Ramen Bowl, held in nearby Om, and offered to work with Ghost Plasma if they competed in the tournament the following year. Ghost Plasma accepted, and a few months later they traveled to their first major tournament.

“That first time in the Ramen Bowl was something else entirely,” Ghost Plasma later said. “Competing at a major tournament like that was so different to local leagues, but the biggest difference was not knowing anybody there. It was honestly terrifying having to go toe to toe with complete strangers, but I handled it pretty well.”

Despite their previous lack of experience at this level, Ghost Plasma stunned the competition at their Ramen Bowl debut, winning the first race in a shock upset after a close fight with defending champion Starman. The success went to their head, however, and they went scoreless in the following race after finishing second to last. “That sudden turnaround taught me a lot,” Ghost Plasma explained in a press conference after the tournament. “I went from Fantum’s top dog straight to being a Ramen Bowl gold medallist, so at least in some way, I felt like I was invincible. The second race shut that idea down quickly.”

Ghost Plasma went on to have good finishes in the rest of the tournament, finishing in sixth place overall despite not winning any more races. After the event was over, their success inspired Ghost Plasma to make a bold move: they decided to take time out of their degree and turn pro, hiring Spirit as a coach full-time.

In the following years, Ghost Plasma became a Ramen Bowl mainstay, emerging as one of the best racers in the tournament’s individual division. They quickly established themself as a rival to Dragon’s Egg, who had been the most successful competitor in recent Ramen Bowl history, although despite the fierce battles on the course, in the locker room the two became good friends. Ghost Plasma also worked with Spirit to expand their skill set, making their blocking game and tactical thinking a trademark of their racing.

During the 2015 Ramen Bowl tournament, Spirit surprised Ghost Plasma and the other athletes with a viral featurette about the Knikkegen Marble League. Jelle Bakker, the organizer of the KML, was known among the Ramen Bowl’s individual league for a series of exhibition races they had held over the previous year, and this new featurette sparked a lot of discussion among the Ramen Bowl competitors.

Ghost Plasma went on to come second in the 2015 Ramen Bowl behind Dragon’s Egg. A week later, Spirit came to Ghost Plasma with some unexpected news: their success at the Ramen Bowl hadn’t gone unnoticed in the wider world, and Jelle Bakker had an offer for them. Following the success of the 750-Foot Sand Race, Jelle was organizing an exhibition race among Marblearth’s most prominent off-road racers, with the hopes of creating an international league should the exhibition prove successful. Based on their success in the Ramen Bowl, Ghost Plasma was one of the athletes Jelle wanted to invite.

Ghost Plasma eagerly accepted the offer, and in April 2016 flew to Knikkegen for the 500-Foot Sand Marble Rally alongside fellow Ramen Bowl competitors Dragon’s Egg, Comet and Starman. Despite their inexperience in such large races, Ghost Plasma finished 12th of 33, which both they and Spirit were happy with. The race’s popularity had the desired effect for Jelle, and when the 2016 Marble Rally was announced, Ghost Plasma dropped out of the Ramen Bowl and joined the new international tournament.

The 2016 Marble Rally began with a qualifier race to set the starting line-up for the tournament’s first race. After starting at the back of the grid, Ghost Plasma’s tactical skill showed with their use of the first joker chute to pass a large number of marbles, eventually fighting through the pack to place ninth – tied with their old rival Dragon’s Egg.

This starting position, the outside right of the grid, proved to be a major asset to Ghost Plasma. In the first race of the season, they leaped out of the gate and into the first split, quickly taking the lead from Big Pearl, running in the other lane. After losing the lead to Pollo Loco, Ghost Plasma battled with Slimer and Super Turtle for second place, beating out both for the first silver medal of the season.

The next race, which was held on the same course, saw Ghost Plasma start on the same side of the grid, which they quickly capitalized on. Another lunge out of the gate saw Ghost Plasma take the lead in the early stages of the race, but again lost it after a back-and-forth fight, this time to El Capitan. A slingshot move by Super Turtle saw them and Ghost Plasma once again battling for second place, with Ghost Plasma coming out victorious. Even though they couldn’t catch El Capitan, Ghost Plasma finished the race in second once again, which was enough to take the top spot in the overall standings.

Ghost Plasma had another strong finish in the next round, narrowly missing out on a third consecutive podium finish to take fourth place. However, Race 3 saw the emergence of an all-too-familiar challenger: their Ramen Bowl rival Dragon’s Egg, who was trailing Ghost Plasma by only two points after finishes of fourth, fourth, and first.

Ghost Plasma’s response to this challenge was to step it up a gear: after starting Race 4 from the center of the front row and challenging Wisp of Darkness for the lead, Ghost Plasma’s tactical racing style paid off at the second split, where they took the lead and raced off into the distance, holding the lead for the entire remainder of the race. “I’d had brief leads through the splits in the first two races, but I’d always been feeling the pressure from someone else,” stated Ghost Plasma in their post-race interview. “Seeing Tarantula get hung up on the rock behind me, I knew this time I had the breathing room I needed to hold on.”

Ghost Plasma had a comfortable 17 point lead over Dragon’s Egg going into Race 5, but their rapid success had to come to an end sooner or later. After starting the next race strongly, some poor maneuvering through a slalom section sent Ghost Plasma plummeting to end the race in 15th – Ghost Plasma’s first finish of the season outside the top five. Championship rival Dragon’s Egg, meanwhile, came in third, cutting Ghost Plasma’s championship lead back down to just two points. Race 6, the elimination round, saw both championship rivals starting near the back of the grid, with neither finishing high enough to score points, but being safe from elimination at the top of the leaderboard meant neither was particularly fazed by the result.

During the summer break, Ghost Plasma attended the inaugural Marble League alongside Spirit and their friends. “It was an interesting experience, particularly compared to the individual tournaments I was used to. I’d never really been interested in the team side of things at the Ramen Bowl, but something about the Marble League clicked for me.” Ghost Plasma’s own success didn’t go unnoticed either: plenty of Marble League fans had also been following the Sand Marble Rally, and they ended up signing a lot of autographs. Spirit later remarked, “It all got a bit much for them, to be honest. At one point we were traveling around in disguise, just so Rally fans would let us enjoy the events in peace!”

Returning to the Marble Rally after the summer break, Ghost Plasma saw a return to form in the second half of the season, scoring back to back fifth-place finishes in Races 7 and 8, before claiming their fourth medal of the tournament, another silver, with a last-second lunge past Blue Smoke in Race 9. The second half of the season saw a third marble rise into the title fight alongside Ghost Plasma and Dragon’s Egg: Big Pearl, who had seen a rapid rise after placing second and first respectively in Races 7 and 8, and followed this up with consistent finishes to surpass Dragon’s Egg as the main challenger to Ghost Plasma’s dominance.

Despite Big Pearl’s rise, mid-pack finishes in Races 10 and 11 were enough for Ghost Plasma to keep hold of the championship lead, and heading into the final race only Big Pearl and Dragon’s Egg still had a chance to steal the title. “I don’t really know who I’d consider more dangerous,” the athlete remarked in their penultimate press conference of the season. “Obviously Big Pearl’s got the better odds, but I don’t know how they race under this kind of pressure. Dragon’s Egg might have a slimmer chance mathematically, but I’ve watched them beat the odds enough times not to count them out.”

With the final race looming, tensions were high on the practice courses. Despite their rivalry usually staying friendly, Ghost Plasma made a clear effort to stay away from Dragon’s Egg in the days before the final. “The tension really got to them,” Spirit remarked. “Ghost knew how prestigious this title was – took it too seriously, I thought.” When the day of the final came, Ghost Plasma’s only pre-race message was: “One of us is going to make history.”

All three championship contenders started on the back row of the grid. Ghost Plasma needed to finish in sixth place or higher, or ahead of both Big Pearl and Dragon’s Egg. None of the three got out to a particularly impressive start, but Ghost Plasma slotted into the midpack while the other two challengers fell to the back of the field. Things looked good for Ghost Plasma, and then:

“Big Pearl… has got a long ways to go, has to pick things up right now – Oh! And they stop! Right behind Dragon’s Egg! The second and third place runners in the championship appear to have come to a complete stop!”

Just like that, a collision with Starman had effectively sealed the championship. Big Pearl and Dragon’s Egg had been able to get going again, but neither had a hope of catching Ghost Plasma as the championship leader worked their way up the field to a respectable seventh place finish. Greg Woods even suggested that with the other contenders having stopped, Ghost Plasma could have stopped racing for an early ice cream break – “I was tempted!” the champion joked afterward.

Ghost Plasma’s victory in the inaugural Marble Rally was the subject of vigorous celebration in Fantum. The athlete was considered a local hero throughout the tournament, and their return home was marked by a three-day festival. Ghost Plasma was also quickly inundated with sponsorship deals, partnership offers, guest appearances, and more – an aspect of racing they had little experience with. Overwhelmed, Ghost Plasma soon signed with a management team to help deal with their newfound fame, their one condition being to keep Spirit as their coach.

With their team’s help, Ghost Plasma quickly found themselves enjoying the attention they received. Their off-season was spent on numerous publicity events, and although they continued training regularly, their coach Spirit reportedly found Ghost Plasma unfocused. “Their sports science background worked wonders on their fitness, but it wasn’t a physical problem we were dealing with.”

The 2017 Marble Rally Qualifiers rolled around, but despite being the defending champion Ghost Plasma’s place was not guaranteed. After a poor start to their qualifier, Ghost Plasma was able to make late moves to qualify in third. However, the qualifiers were the first taste of a potential challenger – Red Number 3, a racing prodigy from Numerun famed for their victory in the 750-Foot sand rally. Ghost Plasma had first encountered them at the Giant Funnel Race, an exhibition event earlier that year.

Ghost Plasma’s championship defense got off to a slow start with a 13th place finish in Race 1, before taking a turn into terrible territory with a run of four consecutive DNFs, capped off with barely failing to score points in the sixth race of the season. It was a disaster for the defending champion, with Ghost Plasma’s only saving grace being that their terrible run was overshadowed by the fierce rivalry between Red Number 3 and Quicksilver at the top of the table. During the mid-season break, Ghost Plasma made few public appearances, even skipping the Marble League, and spent a lot of time training. However, with the news that Jelle Bakker was planning to expand the Marble League and their victory in the first Marble Rally, their management team had suggested expanding into a franchise. Although they weren’t completely sold on the idea, they agreed to give it a go.

Ghost Plasma’s one public appearance of the break was the Herbotamia in Bloom contest, won by a team from Fantum. Ghost Plasma visited the winners at a mine in nearby Ionise as their publicity commitment, where something caught the athlete’s eye about these florists. They were clearly strong and intelligent, and their victory in the contest and the races they held with each other during the tour demonstrated a competitive spirit that Ghost Plasma recognized from their youth. At the tour’s end, Ghost Plasma approached their management with a newfound spark – they’d found their Marble League team.

After convincing the miners to accept their offer, Ghost Plasma let their team handle most of the technicalities. The newly created Plasma Franchise was announced at that very festival, and Ghost Plasma personally picked a young analyst named Cell to oversee Team Plasma’s training, reasoning that the strategist could help direct their coaching efforts effectively. For the most part, though, Ghost Plasma focused on getting into gear for the second half of the 2017 Marble Rally.

After a couple more disappointing finishes, Ghost Plasma was able to turn things around with top-six finishes in Races 9 and 10, before claiming their only medal of the season in the next race, a bronze. However, a scoreless finish in Race 12 saw them enter the final in 19th – even with the double points on offer for the final, they had almost no hope of even making the top ten. In the final race, a disappointing 13th place finish saw them fall to dead last in the final standings – while their old rival Dragon’s Egg took home the championship.

Thoroughly miserable and utterly ignored by the media that had once flocked around them, Ghost Plasma returned to Fantum for the off-season. “My management spent weeks analyzing where things went wrong in 2017 – starts, finishes, hours of debating the effect all the new obstacles had, the works. I didn’t want anything to do with it.” For the next two months, Ghost Plasma took a break from racing, instead choosing to spend more time with their family and friends in Fantum.

Ghost Plasma did take the time to visit the qualifiers for Marble League 2018, the debut of their new team. Watching from the sidelines, the newcomers had a terrible start to the qualifiers with Curling, finishing dead last after a loss to the Limers. The next round, the Snow Race, was where Ghost Plasma hoped their staff and facilities would give Team Plasma an edge – and it did. Despite the race ending in a now-infamous full set of DNFs due to weather conditions, Team Plasma’s Fearo performed brilliantly and was awarded first place, much to the delight of both the team and Ghost Plasma. Unfortunately, the Snow Race proved to be a fluke, and Team Plasma finished seventh and eighth in the final two events, failing to qualify.

The failure of both the 2017 Rally and 2018 Marble League took a huge toll on Ghost Plasma. Training for the 2018 Qualifiers continued, and Ghost Plasma was able to secure a place in the upcoming tournament, but after discovering that their management team had done almost nothing to work on Team Plasma before their debut, a huge internal battle began to wreak havoc on their preparations for the season. Ghost Plasma, feeling ashamed of having let down Team Plasma once, refused to do so again, taking an active role in negotiating on the team’s behalf.

However, this distraction cost Ghost Plasma in the 2018 Marble Rally, and besides one silver medal in Race 5, the 2016 champion failed to finish any of the races higher than tenth, ending the season in 19th. Spirit reported that Ghost Plasma’s training had received just as much attention from management as previous years, but the athlete themself “just didn’t have their head in the game all season. They didn’t trust their management, they didn’t trust their training, they didn’t even trust themself.”

Ghost Plasma spent the rest of 2018 embroiled in the legal disputes surrounding Team Plasma’s retirement, which eventually came to a conclusion at the new year. With everything settled, Ghost Plasma returned to full-time training, only taking a break to attend the Marble League 2019. “Since they’d officially replaced Team Plasma, I had something of a soft spot for the Green Ducks,” they remarked. “I was really hoping they’d live up to the place I’d been able to free up, and holy roly did they impress.” Ghost Plasma came away from the Marble League invigorated. “The Green Ducks reminded me of my racing debut. Watching their phenomenal run inspired me to embrace my own underdog status.”

Ghost Plasma returned to training with a new drive, one that Spirit hadn’t seen since the 2016 Marble Rally. After their dismal 2018 season, Ghost Plasma competed in the wildcard qualification race, with only the top two finishers qualifying for the 2019 Marble Rally. Ghost Plasma cleared the field soundly to take the second spot behind Reflektor, only losing out by 0.03 seconds.

With only two weeks to go before the Marble Rally began, Ghost Plasma made a shocking announcement – after everything that had happened since 2017, they had split with their management. Spirit was the only member of their team that would stay. Media speculation abounded, with pundits and analysts predicting that such a late change would lead to another turbulent season for the former champ. Ghost Plasma’s response to these claims: “Just you wait.”

The first race was an immediate improvement over 2018, with Ghost Plasma overcoming a slow start to reach the top five, eventually ending the race in eighth. Building on this, Ghost Plasma’s trademark tactical racing shone, with a split path allowing them to make up a huge number of spots and eventually finish in fourth, narrowly missing the podium to Cobra. After a ninth place finish in Race 3, that same tactical brilliance led to another fourth place finish for Ghost Plasma, holding on to fifth place in the standings.

Races 5 and 6 were Ghost Plasma’s chance to prove they were back on top form. In the fifth round, Ghost Plasma had a slow start, but their intelligent racing worked expertly as they used the wide boulevards to pass several marbles at once, and their blocking game allowed them to defend their position to finish in fourth again. The following race, on the same course, Ghost Plasma made a strong start into third, holding off numerous attempts to pass, before using the same boulevards to slingshot around everybody to the lead. Their blocking game once again let them hold on to the spot, but Pollo Loco’s late charge allowed them, Dragon’s Egg and Comet to pass Ghost Plasma. After a lot of tense passes on the final stretch, Ghost Plasma was able to pass Comet and hold off Cobra to take home the bronze medal, their first of the season, and climb to second place in the overall standings.

With the championship coming to a close, Ghost Plasma was one of the top contenders for the title. In Race 7, their battle with Red Number 3 saw on-course representation as the two spent most of the early race back to back just outside the top five. Ghost Plasma finished the race in seventh, but championship leader Red Number 3 took fifth, holding the lead. With one race to go, only three marbles could still win the title: Superball, Ghost Plasma, or Red Number 3.

“Superball’s a brilliant racer, but their chances are really slim given Red’s lead,” claimed Ghost Plasma in their post-race conference. “Unless they pull off a miracle, we’re going to see a repeat champion here. I’m confident it can be me. This season might have proved I’m not just a ghost of my former self, but I’m not just going to settle for that when I can go all in.” 

However, Ghost Plasma’s remarkable consistency had to end at some point. After a poor start, Ghost Plasma made almost no impact on the final, barely finishing in the points in 14th. Red Number 3, meanwhile, had a decent eighth place finish, enough to secure the championship while Ghost Plasma had to settle for second, one point ahead of the third-placed Superball.

“I’m a little disappointed, of course, but I’m still incredibly happy to be back where I was three years ago. I’m at the top of my game again, I’m back on the final podium, and it feels good to be home.”

2020 saw an extended off-season for the Marble Rally competitors, during which Ghost Plasma visited Helarve with their cousin, the original Ghost Marble, to attend the Midnight Melee tournament, where the newly reformed Team Plasma were competing. Despite attempting to remain incognito, they were fairly quickly noticed by the Midnight Wisps and invited to appear as a special guest during the tournament. The pair accepted and ended up opening the third night of the tournament with a one-on-one demonstration of the Nature Run course. After the evening’s events, the athlete got a chance to hang out with Team Plasma, ruminating on how both the team and the racer were much better off outside the confines of the Plasma franchise.

Much to Ghost Plasma’s delight, Team Plasma ended up finishing second in the Midnight Melee, behind the hosts. “That was probably my proudest moment with the team since I met them,” they said in an interview. “With all the drama and difficulties surrounding the team, and their quick retirement, I felt like I’d failed them. Seeing them come back from the dead like this has really shown me just how much one marble’s decisions can make a difference. I made that choice to do right by them after 2018, and I only now see how much that’s done for those marbles – and for myself.”

Poor weather conditions meant that the start to Marble Rally Season 5 was delayed, now running across the new year on either side of Marbula One Season 2. Despite the bad weather, the season got underway with Ghost Plasma as one of the favorites. The season got off to a crazy start, as the bad weather led to seven DNFs in the first race alone – notably paralleling the start of the previous season. The similarities continued as Crazy Cat’s Eye, who won the 2019 opener, took the gold in front of Cool Moody and Marbly McMarbleface, while Ghost Plasma hung around the midpack all race to finish ninth.

The second race, in equally awful weather, saw Ghost Plasma start off strongly before fighting up to second through a slalom, breaking away from the pack with Cool Moody, Ducktape, and Superball. After Ducktape disposed of Cool Moody, they and Ghost Plasma battled down the final straight while both gaining on Superball, with Ghost Plasma’s blocking game finally yielding to Ducktape seconds before the finish. Ghost Plasma settled for the bronze medal, which moved them up to third in the standings.

In Race 3, Ghost Plasma made the most of their starting position to leap out to an early lead, but this classic Ghost Plasma move gave way to the classic Ghost Plasma rivalry – Dragon’s Egg, who soon passed for the lead along with Quicksilver. Ghost Plasma fought back up to second but lost out to Quicksilver again at the shuffleboard. The two traded places several times while Dragon’s Egg stretched off into the distance, with Ghost Plasma eventually solidifying second place, until:

“Dragon’s Egg will win it, big gap to Ghost Plasma who stalls at the line!”

A helpful nudge from Cool Moody allowed Ghost Plasma to cross the line in third, claiming another bronze medal, but the racer was later seen ranting about the terrible weather conditions. Ghost Plasma did issue a statement thanking Cool Moody for helping them but made no complaints about the track quality.

Race 4, on the same course, saw a slower start for Ghost Plasma, but their tactical skill returned once again at the shuffleboard, where Ghost Plasma made up several spots to enter the top five. Staying near the top for the whole of the chaotic race, Ghost Plasma was able to launch onto the final stretch with just the right line to drift past Marbly McMarblyface and Nemo to take home a third consecutive bronze medal – taking second overall and equalling the record for consecutive podium finishes.

Ghost Plasma was determined to break that record with another podium – something many commentators thought impossible. The Kobalts’ captain Azure, who was in attendance and had been making friendly wagers on the outcomes of the first few races, claimed there was “no way” Ghost Plasma would podium a fourth time in a row.

With good weather at last, Race 5 got underway, with Ghost Plasma starting from P20. Ghost Plasma quickly worked their way up to sixth before falling back, but was able to use a split path to move up to the top five and battled past Summer Sky to take third. With sights set on Lollipop and Red Number 3 by the end of the sector, Ghost Plasma dived in front of Lollipop on a turn to take second – only to overshoot the move and crash straight over the side from second place.

It was a disaster that did not go unnoticed by the race organizers, but Ghost Plasma talked it off as them “getting cocky” when they saw an opening they should have left. Ghost Plasma only dropped one place in the standings, and the season moved on to Race 6 with Ghost Plasma starting from pole.

A reasonable start saw Ghost Plasma notch into a comfortable sixth place while the leaders battled up ahead, but Ghost Plasma’s tactical mind noticed something important – the leaders’ fighting was putting them on course for a much slower path at the upcoming split. Of the top six only Ghost Plasma and Nemo took the top line at the junction, which let the pair speed off into first and second. “After that quick battle with Nemo, it was all over,” a jubilant Ghost Plasma explained in a post-race interview. “I was right back in my 2016 rhythm, racing off to the lead and never looking back.”

Ghost Plasma’s gold medal was their first since 2016, and a huge moment for the inaugural champion. The win also bumped Ghost Plasma up to the top of the standings for the first time since their championship – and they were determined to stay there.

After the winter break, the Marble Rally returned with a twist – snow races. Almost none of the marbles had any experience on ice, but they were more than happy to give it a go. In Race 7, with momentum behind them, Ghost Plasma got out to a solid start on the ice, entering a prolonged battle with a resurgent Red Number 3. The defending champion went on to win the race, while Ghost Plasma’s icy inexperience caused them to fall back to fifth place. This was enough to hold on to the top spot and widen their lead, but Race 8 saw Ghost Plasma mired in the pack while championship rival Cool Moody took third, narrowing the gap once again.

Race 5 notwithstanding, Ghost Plasma had had an incredibly consistent season, but as always that couldn’t last, and Races 9 and 10 saw Ghost Plasma collect just one point between them, barely holding onto the championship lead by one and two points over Superball and Cool Moody respectively. Race 11 was a welcome return to form, with Ghost Plasma taking a solid fourth place over Superball, but a silver medal saw Cool Moody take over the standings – the first time in history Ghost Plasma had lost a championship lead. It was still only a three-point difference, however, and with the final race looming the championship was anyone’s game.

While defending champion Red Number 3 still had an outside chance, the real battle was between the top five: Slimer, Ducktape, Superball, Ghost Plasma, and Cool Moody, all within 11 points of the top. With all five of them starting on the back row, the final was delayed by a hailstorm that damaged the track, but quick repairs were made and soon enough, the race was on.

A chaotic start saw Slimer, Ducktape and Cool Moody fall towards the back of the field, while Ghost Plasma notched into the midpack and Superball shot out to the lead. Ghost Plasma quickly recovered to sixth place while Superball fought for the top spot with Pollo Loco and Cool Moody worked their way into the top ten. At the start of sector 2, Ghost Plasma weaved their way into third, while Superball fended off Pollo Loco. As things stood, Superball would win the championship, with Ghost Plasma in second.

A battle with Marbly McMarbleface saw Ghost Plasma fall to fourth while Superball stretched the lead. The hailstorm damage was making things difficult for all the competitors, but it appeared the top three had already been decided.

On a braided path ahead, hailstorm damage had blunted one of the dividers. The top three dodged past it, as did the climbing Dragon’s Egg. Ghost Plasma, darting away from a battle with Lollipop, hit the damaged section and stopped.

Just like that, it was over. The damaged course spelled the end of Ghost Plasma’s title run. While Superball went on to win the race and the championship, Cool Moody took home the second podium spot, and with a seventh place finish, Slimer stole the third step from Ghost Plasma by a single point. Ghost Plasma was soon seen venting their frustrations on social media, but was quick to clarify that their ire was aimed only at the damaged course, with no intention to detract from Superball’s victory. “I wasn’t in any position to take the title when I stopped. It’s just incredibly frustrating that something that I couldn’t prevent cost me both the other steps on the podium.”

Although they lost the championship, Ghost Plasma’s impressive run had certainly proved that the inaugural champion was back in business. “Despite how it ended, I’d definitely say that was my best performance since 2016,” Ghost Plasma stated in an interview with Marbles Today. “With how much I’ve overcome since then, I couldn’t be prouder of where I am now. I may not have broken any medal records or taken home another trophy, but this redemption season has shown me that I still have what really counts: my fighting spirit.”

Ghost Plasma was quick to return to training, in particular trying to improve their ability to handle trickier racing conditions. Despite their public face being one of calm acceptance of their loss, the intensity of their training regimen and the number of public appearances they turned down over the next few months told a different story, and Ghost Plasma’s refusal to comment in detail on the reasoning behind their intense training only fuelled speculation. Ghost Plasma did, however, take a break to attend the 2021 Marble League with Team Plasma, and as news of Marble Rally Season 6 being delayed began circulating, the racer began relaxing their training regimen and gradually returned to public life. Coach Spirit, in an interview with the Let It Roll podcast, claimed that “Ghost took their loss a lot harder than they were prepared to admit, even to themself. Frankly, a longer break will probably do their mental state some good, and we can get back to the top level when next season finally rolls around.”

As delays to Marble Rally season 6 piled up, Ghost Plasma filled their free time guest writing for sports news outlets and appearing as a pundit throughout 2022, though with rumors of Team Plasma’s potential return to the Marble League spreading in the run-up to the tournament Ghost Plasma was notoriously tight-lipped on the subject. The racer had spent more time with the team since the Midnight Melee, including interviewing Fearo and Ecto for an article in the Fantum Bugle, and after the official announcement that Team Plasma would be joining the Marble League Showdown that year Ghost Plasma was quick to congratulate them, claiming the return was “a long time coming and thoroughly earned” and going on to refute much of the criticism thrown at the team’s selection by news outlets after their press conference. Two weeks later, the fan website TV Plasma announced Ghost Plasma’s appearance as their correspondent for the 2022 Marble League.

Ghost Plasma spent much of the main tournament watching alongside Team Plasma’s fans, as well as enjoying the sights of Bermenghank. Ghost Plasma had never been shy about their fondness for the Green Ducks, supporting them in the main league and interviewing Ducky and Quacky on TV Plasma about their hosting experience. When the Showdown came around, however, Ghost Plasma’s tone quickly turned serious and professional – for the three minutes it took for Team Plasma to open their return with a record-breaking gold medal in Swing Wave.

Throughout Team Plasma’s outstanding title run, Ghost Plasma interviewed the team’s fans, staff and athletes, even coaxing a written interview out of the notoriously shy Ghosto. Speaking with Marbles Today after the tournament, Ghost Plasma said, “After reconciling with Team Plasma at the Midnight Melee, I’m incredibly pleased to have spent their return season supporting them properly. Heck, Spirit and I even got brought in to coach Fearo directly for the Sand Rally – that never even got discussed back in the franchise days!”

Amid all the excitement of Team Plasma’s triumphant return to the Marble League, there was even more news for Ghost Plasma – the Marble Rally was finally returning for Season 6 in early 2023. Throughout the Marble League Ghost Plasma had been training steadily but little, but once their work as a pundit finished the athlete was back on the training slopes full time. Spirit did make sure to keep the intensity of the training lower than it had been after the previous season ended, however, and Ghost Plasma continued spending time in the public eye alongside their focused training regimen.

Despite slipping off the podium last-minute, fourth place was still enough for Ghost Plasma to auto-qualify for Season 6, and instead compete in a friendly round against Superball, Cool Moody and Slimer at the qualifying tournament, where Ghost Plasma finished second behind the defending champion. The day’s qualifying rounds had been brutal with the A League roster reduced to 16 racers, and after Dragon’s Egg, Summer Sky and Comet failed to qualify, Ghost Plasma and Slimer were left as the only two marbles with a perfect attendance record since the Marble Rally’s inception. Commenting after the day’s races, Ghost Plasma said “It had to happen eventually, but I’m shocked that our little perfect attendance gang got gutted quite so fast. Dragon’s Egg losing out in particular was a shock, both with them being a former champion and a long-time close competitor of mine, but sometimes that’s just the way it goes.”

The first race of the season was a strong start for Ghost Plasma. Getting out of the gate into the rear end of the leading pack of marbles, as the field stratified out Ghost Plasma was able to make several quick moves to reach second place and spent most of the race battling for the lead against Wisp of Darkness, with first place going back and forth between the two several times and Ghost Plasma’s recent rival Superball briefly getting a look in before the two broke away once more. However, also on the rise was Marble Rally rookie Amethyst, who took advantage of the battle between the leaders taking them onto a slower line at a split and made a difficult swerve onto the faster path, coming out in front. Though Ghost Plasma was able to bank momentum and close up on the rookie, Amethyst’s blocking game was enough to hold off the former champion and win the first race of the season, with Ghost Plasma finishing under a tenth of a second behind for the silver medal.

“I’ve got to hand it to Amethyst, they beat me at my own game today,” said Ghost Plasma in a post-race interview. “A risky move to take a faster line and steal the lead is exactly the kind of play I’d make, and then at the end Amethyst knew exactly where to be to stop the speed boost being an effective strategy for me. If that’s the kind of racing they’re going for, then they’re going to go far, just you wait.”

The second race was a disappointing follow-up to that strong opening, as Ghost Plasma was mired at the back of the pack and soon crashed out of the race, claiming to have slipped up while plotting out potential overtakes. Ghost Plasma dropped to 8th place, 11 points behind race winner and new championship leader Silver Bolt, but was quick to remind commenters that it was still early days in the season. One DNF would hardly be enough to end a ten-race title run, after all.

The third race was where Ghost Plasma’s racing experience once again started to pay dividends. After starting in P1 and settling into third place after the first few turns, Ghost Plasma briefly fell back to fifth before their trademark course knowledge came into play. The entire leading pack took the faster line through the first split, but Ghost Plasma was able to use the final turn of the split path to slingshot around the battling Amethyst, Crazy Cat’s Eye and Slimer, straight into a fight for the lead with Ducktape. Ghost Plasma was able to sneak past the leader right before a speed boost, giving them the perfect momentum to hold first place all the way to the finish.

The win rocketed Ghost Plasma back up into second, though with a bronze medal Silver Bolt was able to hold on to the championship lead. In an interview with TV Plasma’s new correspondent, Neon, they stated, “At this point I’ve been doing this long enough not to get flustered by DNFs, and I hope this proves it. I’ve always prided myself on strong openings to tournaments, and with a pair of top two placements I’d say this one isn’t any different.” Little did they realize at the time, “different” was exactly what the first half of their season was about to become.

Having taken pole position in the previous race, Ghost Plasma started from P16 in the fourth round. Coach Spirit had been heard behind the scenes discussing how the wide track through the first few turns made for an excellent equalizer, and as the race began Ghost Plasma was quick to prove their coach right.

“A nice jump out by Reflektor…that’s a big lead, and look at who’s already up into second spot, that’s Ghost Plasma, trying to do the double!”

As Ghost Plasma and Reflektor moved ahead of the rest of the pack, the potential milestone began making waves among fans. Back-to-back race wins had never been achieved before in the Marble Rally A-League over 5 seasons, yet as the pair sped on it seemed the only marble able to keep it that way was Reflektor – and Ghost Plasma soon managed to slip past them.

Unlike Ghost Plasma’s previous wins, however, they weren’t able to extend their lead off into the distance, and Reflektor stayed on their tail, even retaking the lead through the split and managing to hold it for a while. However, as marbles crashed out behind them, Ghost Plasma juked their way back into the lead through the third-to-last turn, holding the top spot to the finish line and winning the first ever back-to-back gold medal in Marble Rally history.

“It only really set in as Reflektor overtook me, and that gave me the drive I needed to pull it off,” Ghost Plasma told the post-race interviewer. “Back to back is an amazing achievement, and I’m so proud to be the one to manage it first.”

But the former champion wasn’t done yet. Once again starting from the back of the starting grid, Race 5 saw Ghost Plasma quickly join a competitive front pack before battling Crazy Cat’s Eye and long-time rival Red Number 3 for the lead and eventually slaloming into the top spot for the third race in a row. Despite a spirited charge from Crazy Cat’s Eye reclaiming the lead briefly, some trademark expert line choice saw Ghost Plasma right back in front where their blocking skills held the challenger off to the end – Ghost Plasma had landed a hat trick.

Appearing together on Good Morning Nijellen two days later, Ghost Plasma and Spirit were still a little in shock. “We thought the back-to-back was impossible,” claimed Spirit, “and yet here we are, the shattered remnants of that milestone spread out behind us, like…”

“Like the party decorations from last week that we still haven’t put away yet?” Ghost Plasma replied.

Their last two wins had rocketed Ghost Plasma to a 15 point lead over Silver Bolt, and a fourth place finish in Race 6 extended it to beyond what all but perennial rival Superball could surpass in a single race. Ghost Plasma seemed untouchable in such incredible form, with a 7th place in race 7 being their lowest result outside their race 2 DNF, but fans and racers alike were brought back to earth after Ghost Plasma once again crashed out of the eighth round.

Even then, the championship leader seemed unfazed. “With this kind of lead, one DNF isn’t enough to be a concern. Maybe I have been getting a little too relaxed at the top, but I’ve never been one to turn down a good chase, and I’m certainly more than capable of staying out front.” they claimed in interviews after the race, and it seemed true – while consistent challenger Superball had closed the gap to within 10 points, the rest of the field were still a long way behind. Half of the field were eliminated from title contention, and even rookie sensation Amethyst in fifth was more than 20 points back from Ghost Plasma. Confidence in the veteran’s camp was still high.

And then in race 9, Ghost Plasma DNFed for a third time.

Not only that, but Superball’s eighth place finish was enough to steal the championship lead from Ghost Plasma, and silver and bronze medals for Ducktape and Slimer had turned Ghost Plasma’s seemingly unassailable lead into a tight four-way battle for the championship going into the final round, with outside chances for Amethyst and Crazy Cat’s Eye. Flashbacks to the previous season were on everyone’s mind, and for the first time since taking the lead in race 4, Ghost Plasma seemed worried.

Even when confronted by the press Ghost Plasma gave no interviews over the following week, instead training nearly non-stop for the final race of the season. When the day came, both they and Superball started on the front row, with Slimer and Ducktape on the back row.

Out of the gate, the championship leader almost immediately crashed into a branch on the side of the track, leaving the door wide open for the other three contenders. Ghost Plasma soon settled into 8th place, ahead of Ducktape and only a few spots behind Slimer. With the pair tied on points, Ghost Plasma needed to finish ahead of Slimer to take the title, while still holding off Ducktape.

As the race reached the halfway point, with Ducktape mired in the back of the pack, Ghost Plasma caught up to Slimer and juked ahead. If they could stay ahead, they would win the championship. Blocking Slimer’s attempts to pass through the next couple of turns, Ghost Plasma rounded a sharp turn fast. Too fast.

A third consecutive DNF cost Ghost Plasma what could have been their second championship. Slimer, working their way up to third place in the final, took home the title, while Ducktape was able to recover to eighth and jump both Superball and Ghost Plasma for second place. For the second year in a row, Ghost Plasma had gone from holding a strong lead to crashing out in the final and finishing in fourth.

“I don’t even have the words,” Ghost Plasma told the post-race interviewers, clearly on the verge of tears but maintaining their professional facade in front of the cameras. “Last year I had the fairly shaky excuse of storm damage on the course, and I wasn’t even in contention when I crashed. But I was running the numbers in my head, and if I’d just held on to where I was and stayed ahead of Slimer, I would finally have done it. 2017, 2018, all that would have been just dust in the wind. But I let that all in, at just the wrong moment. You don’t get the luxury of losing concentration in a fight like that.”

Ghost Plasma gave no more interviews in the aftermath of the final, appearing only at the podium ceremony to congratulate the championship winners and reportedly leaving the racers’ end-of-season party early. It was a couple of weeks before they returned to the public eye, but when they did it felt like the heartbreak had never happened and Ghost Plasma was as cheerful and outgoing as ever. Eventually, appearing on a talk show alongside Slimer and Cool Moody, they were persuaded to open up about how they’d processed the loss.

“Well, it helped that fourth place is still enough to autoqualify for next season,” Ghost Plasma laughed as Slimer posed the question. “No, but really, it was tough. You deserved that title for sure, but I couldn’t help but feel like I’d let myself down, but also my coach, my fans, and everyone else who’s built me back up over the last few years since dissolving the franchise. It felt like they deserved the win, and I let them down. I didn’t even get out of bed for a few days.”

“So what changed?” asked Cool Moody.

Ghost Plasma smiled, pulling a small card out of their pocket. “I woke up to see this pinned to the back of my door.”

As Slimer looked over the card, they seemed surprised. “Ghosto gave you this? I’ve never even seen them say more than two words at a time, even to you.”

“I know,” Ghost Plasma replied, “they’ve always been like that. I put it down to them being intimidated at first, but as I got to know the team better I realized it’s just one of those things. But it made me realize that, no matter how much you might screw up, or how many times you don’t stick the landing, so long as you’re out there fighting you’re an inspiration to someone. And if I could make Ghosto come out of their shell enough to give me that, even after flaming out that hard, then just imagine what I can do by coming back to try again.”

Credits

• Writer: GhostDM
• Copyeditors/Editors: Fouc, Millim, Smacg13, Stynth
• Artists: Momoikkai, Toffeeshop
• Graphic Designers: Laurent Rollon, GhostDM, Piney (Marble Maker Picrew), Tim Ritz
• Photographer: Phoenix
• Photo Credits: Jelle’s Marble Runs
• Release: 03/07/2024