Volume 1: The Future Part 1
It has been twenty years since the Phantom Planet nearly destroyed Earth. In those twenty-five years, much has changed in the world as the idea of ghosts quickly changed. Fairly quickly the world had changed as ghost hunting was revolutionized through Danny Phantom's coming out to the world. The day Danny graduated from high school, he proposed to Sam, and got married that Summer. When they turned twenty
Now, at the Fenton Ghost Hunters Academy, Danielle Fenton studies on her ghost theories, preparing for her upcoming test. Her roommate, Star Foley, was practicing assembling an Ecto-Bazooka for her examination in three days.
Danielle was a freshman at the Academy, only thirteen years old, and she had been going to the Academy for four months. Her roommate, on the other hand, was a sophomore at the Academy, a month away from her fifteenth birthday.
Danielle was a stout girl, still waiting for her growth spurt, and sported a black beanie covering her jet black hair, along with a black tank top, jeans, and old combat boots, belonging to her mother when she was young. Star rocked a red beret over her long curly black hair, and her tall curvy figure hugged her combat suit well.
"How's the Ecto-Bazooka coming along?" Danielle asks. The Ecto-Bazooka suddenly went off, demolishing one of Danielle's bookshelves.
"Does that answer your question?" Star remarks, irritated. "How about those ghost theories, anything interesting?"
"Not really, I'm reading a chapter about how certain people become ghosts when they die, and how that happens. It sounds really painful."
"Nothing good comes easy," Star remarks. "Well, I'm going to hit the showers before heading to bed. I suggest you do the same." She leaves the room, leaving Danielle alone with her books. She continues reading the chapter, amazed at the pain that is endured in becoming a ghost. As she delves farther and farther into the chapter, reading about the details of how one's DNA changes from human to ghost DNA, she feels her eyes grow heavy until she eventually passes out.
The next day, Danielle rushes into her ghost theory class, ready for her test. Ghost theory is her favorite class, nothing but reading and facts, and is even taught by her aunt, Professor Jasmine Baxter. She takes her seat just when the bell rings, and looks to the front of the class, waiting for her test to be distributed.
"Alright, class, before I hand out your tests, we have a special guest speaker who wanted to see all of you. Please give a warm welcome for the founder of this Academy, my brother, Danny Phantom." Danielle looked to the roof to see her father make his usual dramatic entrance. Through the roof phased through her father, receiving a roaring applause from the class of freshmen ghost hunters.
Danny aged well, keeping his traditional gray hair, and his suit remained the same, although his build became extremely more muscular, although he kept his skinny slender figure. His clean shaven face was replaced with a well trimmed gray beard, and, while in his mid-thirties, Danny looked like he was in his mid to late twenties.
"Good morning, students, I hope you all studied for Jazz's tests, I know they can be quite a drag. Just be glad she started using the ghosts actual names to avoid confusion. Believe it or not, she used to call Skulker, 'Ghost-X'." The class roared with laughter at Danny's jokes, and Danielle began wondering just why he was there. "As you all probably know, this Academy is meant to train future ghost hunters, to eventually take our place as the world's protectors from ghosts. I hope you all know that you don't need powers to be a ghost. My wife, for example, is one of the greatest ghost hunters on the planet, as well as my sister, before she retired to take on the life of a teacher."
Danielle wants to feel inspired by her father's words, but can't help feeling depressed when he mentioned not having ghost powers. While Danielle's brother, Jason, was born with ghost powers, Danielle was not as lucky. She and her sister, Michelle, her older sister and the middle sibling, were not born with ghost powers. Although, while Michelle was skilled in every single aspect of ghost hunting, Danielle only served to be good at ghost theory. In every other class, Danielle has been failing, and has shown no chance of improving.
An alert went off on Danny's belt, and he looked to see what was alerting him. His wife, Samantha Fenton, had given an all ghost hunter alert in regard to Vortex's attack on Amity Park.
"Sorry, but looks like duty calls. Jazz, please add a bonus question regarding how Vortex became a ghost."
"Sure thing, little brother," Jazz answers as Danny flies off.
"Alright class, this test will account for twenty percent of your grade. I hope you all studied because you should know by now that not studying only results in failure."
Danielle looks to the roof, wondering what could have been when the test is passed out. She looks at the test, and instantly sees the answers form in her mind as she starts writing down one after another. Writing each answer, proving her intelligence, helps to distract Danielle from her earlier fantasies as she works through the test.
After the last student finished their test, Jazz leaves for the teacher's lounge, preparing for a meeting with the other teachers and staff members at the Academy. Every two weeks, the teachers and staff would meet to discuss the progress of certain students, any pressing matters, and other regards that may have come up. This meeting is rather special though, with Danny and the other top ghost hunters joining in the meeting.
Jazz walks into the staff room, seeing the other teachers all gathered together. The firearms teacher, Valerie Foley, is sitting next to her husband, Tucker Foley, the ghost tech teacher. The final examination teacher, Maddie Fenton, is sitting next to her son, and Jazz sees her husband, Aaron "Dash" Baxter, the athletic coach, saving a seat between him and Maddie. All of the teachers are catching up with Danny and Sam, who took a seat right next to her husband. Even after being married for fifteen years, the two were a loving couple, holding the kind of love and affection that can never be broken.
"Where's Dani?" Maddie asks her son. "I haven't seen her in months."
"Dani is handling any crisis that comes up during this meeting. After Vortex's attack, the President set a parameter that at least one senior member must be on standby at all times. So, how have you been doing, Mom, since that day?" A few months ago, Jack Fenton had suffered a heart attack in the middle of a final exam with Maddie. Even with all the medical supplies and personnel at the Academy, Jack didn't make it, running out of time on his timer for life. Everyone has been handling Jack's death in their own ways, but everyone has been worried about Maddie, unsure of just how she is coping with the loss of her husband.
"I've been fine, Sweetie. Anyways, what's the first matter to be handled today?"
"How about the reason Danny is here?" Jazz interrupts.
"Right," Valerie joins in, "your daughter, Danielle. Who would like to begin?"
"I guess I will," Tucker says. "She hasn't been understanding any of the concepts in Ecto-technology. I've tried giving her a tutor, personal tutorials with me, and even asked her roommate, my daughter, to help her out. We've had no progress."
"I felt that this was coming," Danny responds. "You get one with ghost powers, one that can do anything involving ghosts, and then one you don't know what to do with."
"Danny," Sam chides, "that's our daughter you're talking about. She'll find her place, and you know it. Just have hope in her."
"I think she has," Jazz interjects. "She got a perfect score on the ghost theory test today. Your daughter may become a pioneer in the future of ghost theory, I've never seen a student as skilled as her."
"Alright," Danny says, delighted, "keep me posted on her. I want to know if she makes any more progress. How about Michelle? When will she be taking her final examination?"
"Michelle is scheduled for her final exam this afternoon," Maddie answers. "You're both welcomed to watch, I have high hopes for her."
"We would gladly watch," Sam says.
"I'll make sure to call Dani; see if she is okay with running the ghost hunters for a few more hours. How about Jason? I heard he has become quite troublesome."
"Jason has been quite adamant on using his ghost powers," Dash states. "He has become completely uncaring for the parameters we've given, and no disciplinary action has proven productive."
"What do you recommend, Dash?"
"I honestly don't know what to do, unless you want to start using that thing Vlad used to short out your powers."
"No," Danny sternly answers, "I will never approve of using something like that on my son." An alarm goes off, startling all of the teachers, and Danny instantly goes ghost. He flies off to find what the problem is, being followed by all the teachers, each of them a ghost hunter at least one point in their life.
Danny finds the source of the alarm, the school gymnasium, and Danny phases through the wall to enter the gym sooner, seeing his son holding down the fire alarm.
"Jason!" Danny bellows out. His son swirls to his father, startled, and looks at Danny, unsure of exactly what to do.
"Oh, hey, Dad," Jason mutters, trying to play off the situation with a joking smile.
Danny paces around the principal's office, looking at his son with anger and disappointment. He asked the principal to give Danny the office as he talks to his kid, wanting to try handling the problem differently from the other times Jason misbehaved. Before, Danny had tolerated Jason's misadventures, but now his acts were reaching criminal.
"Why, Jason? Why do you feel the need to do this?"
"Do you want the real answer, or the innocent one?"
"Stop playing games," Danny yells, slamming his hands onto the table.
"I'm tired of sitting in class all day while you're off fighting ghosts. I've got ghost powers too, I've had them my whole life, and you started fighting ghosts when you were fourteen. I'm sixteen, and haven't even had the chance to fight a ghost!"
"Times were different when I started, Jason. You said you want to fight ghosts, then do it the same way as anyone else. Go to the Academy, graduate, and become a part of the Ghost Hunting Force."
"You didn't have to learn all this crap," Jason remarks.
"Really? I know how to use every piece of ghost tech known to man, and have since I was seven. I've helped write books about ghost theory, and I've learned how to shoot an Ecto-Rifle. You're lucky you actually have classes to learn this in. I learned this from my parents, and had school."
"I don't need to know this, I can fight ghosts with my powers just as well as you can."
"Really? What will you do if your powers stop working in the middle of a fight? What will you do if your thermos stops working, and you can't trap the ghost? You need to know all of this stuff, Jason." Principal Lancer storms into the office, done waiting for her office back.
"Danny, your wife says Michelle's exam is starting soon. Are you done here?"
"Yes, for now." Danny looks at Jason, who is wearing a smug smile, and says, "We're not done here." Danny leaves Jason with the principal, and Jason begins to worry, fearing the principal more than his own father.
"No matter what your father says, I won't allow this to continue. You can either shape up and get your crap together, or you're out of this school." Jason walks out, and looks at a framed picture in the hallway of his father standing with Sam, Tucker, and Jazz. He can tell that the picture was taken probably when Danny was nineteen. He has his arm around Sam, and the two are glancing at each other with love in their eyes. Jazz has her hand on Danny's shoulder, with her other hand holding a rifle that is leaning on her shoulder. Tucker is standing on the end, wearing a mech suit designed to fight ghosts. The picture was taken after the four of them defeated the combined might of Vortex, Undergrowth, and Prince Aragon.
"What do you do when your parents are heros?" Jason asks himself.
"You become a better one," Star says from behind Jason, startling him.
"Oh, hey, Star," Jason shyly greets her.
"Hey, what'd you do this time?"
"I, uh, pulled the fire alarm." Star laughs, but Jason can tell she is disappointed in him just like everyone else.
"So you're the one who caused that? I thought so."
To be continued...
Please review and give thoughts, I'm still unsure what direction I want to take this. Also I want to include some ghosts outside of the TV Show, and if you have any ideas for ghosts, please provide them in your review or send a message.