Chapter 1
It was Sunday at Amity Park, all the occasional ghost attacks have become more frequent, but no one has really noticed, except for one person. A girl of 14, wears all black, is a vegetarian, and has two friends who seem to be clueless about anything she tries explain, one of which is Amity Park's own Danny Phantom, otherwise known as Danny Fenton.
"Danny, don't you think it's strange that the ghost attacks have been happening more and more lately?" Sam asked as Danny.
"Sam you worry too much." Danny replied.
"Yeah, Sam." Tucker said.
"I am the Box Ghost!" Suddenly the Box Ghost came out of nowhere. "Fear my four-sided horror!"
"Don't worry guys; I'll take care of this quickly." Danny said stepping forward. "I'm going ghost!" Danny changed into Danny Phantom. "Alright Box Ghost you--"
There was a sudden black energy blast that hit the Box Ghost knocking him to the ground. A darkly clad figure came stalking out of the shadows of a brick wall; he made sure to stay in the dimmest part of the light. He walked over to the Box Ghost who lay knocked out on the ground. He picked him up. "Thanks for distracting him, seems not all ghost are out to harm the living." The figure said referring to Danny and his friends. The figure removed a small carton-like gadget from the belt a crossed his chest and placed it against the Box Ghost's forehead sucking him into it. He turned and headed toward the shadow of a nearby delivery truck.
"Danny! Do something!" Sam said nudging him in the ribs.
"Yeah man, this guy could be like Skulker, hunting other ghosts for fun.
"Hey you! Hold it right there!" Danny flew forward, but didn't reach the stranger in time; he had disappeared into the shadow of the delivery truck. "Well that's something you don't see every day." Danny said surprised.
"He reminds me of somebody, someone we've faced before." Tucker said.
"Johnny 13." Sam said folding her arms.
"HUH!?!" Tucker and Danny asked at the same time as Danny turned back to his human-self.
"That was Johnny 13?" Danny asked.
"No it wasn't." Sam said walking past them. "You know that feeling you get when bad luck is about to strike?"
"Yeah, the same feeling when Johnny's shadow attacks." Tucker replied as he and Danny followed Sam.
"Wait, you mean to tell me that was Johnny's shadow?" Danny asked in disbelief.
"I'm not sure, but it's a possibility." Sam said. "Don't worry; we'll have more time to discuss it tomorrow at school. Night boys."
"Night Sam." Danny and Tucker said together.
The next day when the group arrived at school there was a buzz about a new student coming to Casper High.
"Like, I wonder what the new kid is like." Paulina said to her friends.
"Yeah I hope he's cool, not that we need is another lame geek, or a loser like Fenton." Dash said tripping Danny as the group passed by.
"OW!" Danny said as he hit the ground.
"Ha! Nice one Dash!" Laughed another one of the jocks as they all left Danny and his friends. "But you know we still got to put the new kid through a week of New Kid Initiations." Everyone nodded in agreement.
"A new student huh? Wonder if it's a boy or girl." Danny said getting up and dusting himself off.
"I hope it's a girl, maybe someone who likes high tech fashion like me!" Tucker said his eyes sparkling. "What about you Sam, what do you think?"
"It's a boy." Sam said crossing her arms; she then pointed to the student drop off area because of the confused looks on the guys faces.
A young man of 15, with a dark complection, stepped of a black H2 Hummer; he wore a pair of baggy blue jeans, a white beater with a short sleeve button up shirt over it and unbuttoned. As he head to the front door Dash and two cronies stood on the front steps.
"New kids have to pay to get into our school." Dash said poking the boy in the chest.
"I don't have time for this." The young man said trying to push by.
"I don't think you heard me." Dash said pushing him back with one hand. "No cash no pass."
"Look, if you touch me one more you and your friends are going to be giving each other wedgies." The boy said narrowing his eyes at Dash.
"You right." Dash said shoving the new kid to the ground.
The new kid got up and placed his backpack on the ground, students began to gather around as Dash and his 2 cronies charged the new kid. The new kid tripped Dash and grabbed the back of his underwear and pulled upward. Dash let out a high pitch scream as the new kid spun passed the next guy and grabbed his underwear in the process, the third guy charged forward and swung at the new kid, who side-stepped out of the way and kneed him in the stomach knocking the wind out of him. He held the three by their underwear and picked up a stick, he stuck it through the backs of the underwear and began twisting it, that he twirled it so that wherever they move the wedgies would get worse.
"I warned you." The new kid said as he picked up his bag cheering could be heard from the other students.
"Please tell me I'm not dreaming?" Tucker asked wide-eyed.
"I can't believe what we just witnessed." Sam said shaking her head.
"Now that was cool." Danny said as the bell rang. "C'mon, we don't want to be late for class."
Everyone sat quietly in Mr. Lancer's class as Dash and his cronies came staggering in late, everyone began snickering and laugh.
"My word!" Lancer said surprised. "Dash, y-you're late!"
"It's not our fault Mr. Lance its---" Dash started.
"Sorry young man, but no excuse is going to get rid of your tardy for today." Mr. Lancer said turning back to the rest of the class. "Even if you captain of the football team."
Dash grumbled as he and his cronies went to their seats. Suddenly the new kid walked in before the door closed, he walked over to Mr. Lancer's desk and placed a slip of paper in front of him. Mr. Lancer picked it up and read it over.
"Well then, welcome!" Mr. Lancer said shaking his hand. "Introduce yourself to the class, tells little about yourself and where you come from."
"Yeah, whatever." He said turning to his new classmates. "Name's Jerrel Kenton, I don't like to be pushed around. Some found that out the hard way." Jerrel grinned as the class began snickering and laughing again. "As to where I came from....Salem, Massachusetts. Any other info wanted you ask me, at lunch or after school." Jerrel said as he went and sat in an empty desk behind Sam.
"Okay class let's get started." Lancer said as he hands out textbooks.
After what seemed to be an eternity of Lancer lecturing the bell finally rang. As everyone headed for the next class Danny stopped, he could see his breath. Jerrel was facing the opposite direction and was down the hall a ways, he covers the back of his neck, it felt as if it were on fire.
"Guys, we've got ourselves another ghost to catch." Danny said to Tucker and Sam.
"C'mon we better get you somewhere so you can transform." Sam said grabbing Danny by the arm and heading to the gym, followed by Tucker.
Jerrel snuck into the computer lab to change, not realizing someone else was in there at the time. Jerrel fell backwards into his own shadow, only to arise seconds later as Grendel, the Human-Shadow. He was about to leave when he heard a gasp. He spun around to see Jazz drop a stack of papers.
"Who are you?" Jazz asked, she had only seen Grendel she didn't see Jerrel enter the lab or turn into Grendel. "What are you?"
Crap, she's seen me! Jerrel thought. "Name's Grendel, I don't have time to chat, I have other pressing matters to attend to." He walked forward and stood in Jazz's shadow; he sank into it and disappeared.
Jazz fell to her knees as Grendel (Jerrel) disappeared; she sighed heavily as she began to pick up the papers. 'I hope Danny's ok. I should probably check on him, he already knows I know.' Once Jazz finished restacking the papers she set them on the main desk and wrote a note and placed it on top. This so goes against everything I've said about fighting ghosts, but it runs in the family so I better get used to it.
She ran down the hall to her locker and pulled out a strange white and green watch in a small glass orb, it was different from most watches, it didn't tell time. She had found it at an old building that used to be Jack Fenton's and Valerie's dad's main building of operation. Danny was fighting a ghost at the time, and they destroyed the old building and most of the equipment.
"No better time to find out what this thing can do." Jazz said as she ran into the Girls' Bathroom and opened the case. She placed the watch on and pressed the green face turning it on.
'Ectoplasmic activity in progress.' Scrolled across the face of the watch as it flashed.
"Wow, it detects ghosts." Jazz said amazed. "Huh? What's this?" She noticed a small blue button on the side of the watch glowing and pressed it.
'Now taking voice sample and arming.' Scrolled across the small screen. 'Acquiring location.'
"Arming?" Jazz asked surprised. Suddenly a blue beam appeared around her, and white plates began appearing over her body. "Wow! This is awesome!" Jazz said as she looked in the mirror.
Outside at wide open field stood a rather large ghostly shadow like figure stood fighting Danny. So far Danny wasn't having any luck fight the thing by himself.
"Oh man this sucks!" Danny growled floating above Sam and Tucker. "Any ideas?"
"We may need your parents on this one Danny!" Sam cried as she and Tucker ran as the large shadow creature knocked Danny to the ground.
"Yeah man, maybe they have some sort of weapon that could help!" Tucker yelled from behind a tree.
"What?! My parents?!" Danny cried surprised. "No way! They're the last people I need right now."
Suddenly Grendel began to rise from the shadow of the tree Tucker and Sam were hiding behind. He chuckled to himself as he saw Danny struggling against the giant shadow figure.
"Seems, ghost-boy is having some trouble with the Gamora Shade over there." Grendel said leaning against the tree.
"Huh?" Tucker looked up and fell backwards. "GAH! It's another one!"
"Relax; I'm not here to hurt you." Grendel said laughing.
Danny looked over his shoulder and saw what he thought was Grendel attacking his friends. He turned and took off toward them leaving the Gamora Shade to wonder off toward the Nasty Burger.
"Leave my friends alone!" Danny cried as he punched Grendel across the face, knocking him to the ground.
"What are you doing?!" Sam cried.
"Protecting you guys! What does it look like?" Danny asked keeping his eyes on Grendel as he got to his feet.
"Protecting us? From what, he didn't do anything!" Sam said walking over to Grendel. "Are you ok?"
"Please, I've taken harder hits than that; I think I'll be okay." Grendel said with a smirk. "But that's not important now, we've got to stop that Shade from reaching the city, they be big and slow, but they are used as a gateway to the 2nd realm of the Ghost Zone, so we don't have much time." Grendel took off flying after it.
Sam followed close behind Grendel, Danny floated there dumbstruck, he couldn't believe what had just happened.
"Dude, you just lost major points, big time." Tucker said shaking his head.
Grendel reached the Gamora Shade, but it was too late, it was standing with its mouth open toward the sky, the whole in its chest began to swirl into a vortex. People ran screaming as small more energetic Shades emerged from it, destroying everything in its path.
"Crap! We're too late!" Grendel said as he and Sam approached the area.
"How do we stop it now?" Sam asked as Grendel lowered himself to the ground.
"We need a strong concentrated energy attack to shoot in its mouth from close range." Grendel told Sam. "As for the Mini-shades, I'm sure you and your friend with the glass can handle them." He pulled to small rods of his belt, the resembled extendable cattle prods.
"Holy cow! What the hell is going on?" Tucker asked as he and Danny reached Sam and Grendel.
"Here, you and the little Miss will take care of the smaller ones, while ghost-boy and I try to take care of the Gamora Shade." Grendel said handing them the Ecto-prods.
"Cool, and since they're just small shadows, they shouldn't take up that much space in the Fenton Thermos." Danny said handing it to Sam. "Ok shadow-boy, let bring this giant down."
Grendel nodded, he and Danny took off toward the Gamora Shade and began attacking it, only be deflected and attacked by tendrils suddenly erupting from its body. Jazz finally arrived on the scene, she saw Tucker and Sam taking care of the Mini-shades with ease, their only problem was they were outnumbered. She then noticed Danny and Grendel have more trouble than they bargained for against the Gamora Shade. She flew over to them.
"Seems you boys are having trouble." She said her voiced masked a bit, so she would be recognized. "Maybe I can be of assistance."
"Yeah, sure, whatever!" Danny said as he concentrated on defending himself.
"We need to attack it inside its mouth....." Grendel started. "That'll weaken it and make it shrink down enough to be captured." He finished as he blocked the Shades attacks.
"Okay, will do." Jazz flew up above the Gamora Shade, her right arm turned into blaster. "Cool!" She loud enough for only her ears. "Okay you overgrown shadow, lunch time!" She fired. "Huh? Nothing's happening." Instead of firing a beam, it began trying to suck the Gamora Shade into the Ecto-Vac on the arm. "Gah! No, wrong setting!" She struggled trying to figure out how to change the setting when she was knocked to the ground by one of the tendrils from the Gamora Shade.
Grendel and Danny looked at each other and tried not to laugh.
"Hey! You okay down there?" Danny asked.
"Yeah, you sure you've fought ghosts before?" Grendel asked chuckling.
"Shut up!" Jazz said aggravated.
She finally got the setting right and flew off into the air zigging and zagging, dodging the tendrils as the lashed out at her. She charged the blaster as she neared the head. Suddenly one of the tendrils grabbed Jazz and tossed into the Gamora Shade's mouth.
"Uh, what just happened? And what's that high pitch whirring sound?" Danny asked looking at Grendel.
"I don't know, but either it's a good thing or a bad thing." Grendel answered. "Either way, I say we back off and see what happens."
As they began to fly backwards a large beam shredded through the Shade, splitting it right down the middle and destroying the ghost portal in its chest, along with the remaining Mini-shades running around nearby. Jazz changed the setting back to the Fenton thermos and sucked up the Gamora Shade, half by half.
"Well, that turned out fine. Thanks for the help, uh..." Danny started as he held out his hand to Grendel.
"Its Grendel and you're welcome, um...." Grendel started as he shook Danny's hand.
"Danny Phantom." Danny said. "And thank.....you......where'd she go?"
"Huh?" Grendel looked around, Jazz had taken off. "Dunno, guess she left already."
Jazz had made it back to Casper High; she was sitting in a stall in the girls' bathroom freaking out about her perfect attendance.
"There goes my perfect attendance." Jazz said shaking her head. "I'm not sure whether I should just wait till next class or show up late. Even if I show up late there's only 30 minutes left in class. I wonder Danny does?"
Meanwhile back in the city, Danny Phantom and Grendel went off to find Tucker and Sam. They finally found them in Amity Park, surround by the Mini-Shades. Sam was using the Ecto-prods, and Tucker was using the Fenton thermos. They had everything under control, but Danny saw it otherwise.
"Sam! Tucker!" Danny flew forward to help his friends.
"Wait!" Grendel said grabbing Danny by his leg. "They've got it under control."
"What are you talking about?!" Danny cried pulling away from Grendel. "They're my friends, and they are surrounded by an army of gremlin sized shadows."
"Well, if they're your friends, shouldn't you have a little more faith in them?" Grendel asked as he leaned against a nearby car. "I mean, they must have watched you fight ghost for awhile now, so they should know what to do, right?"
Danny was about to protest, but he knew Grendel was right. Danny turned and watched his friends defend themselves; he could feel his jaw drop as his eyes took in the scene before him. Sam seem to be an expert ghost fight, she was using the Ecto-prods as if they were short staffs, any and every Mini-shade the tried to attack her was sent spiraling into a tiny ghost portal at the end of the Ecto-prods. Tucker also seemed like a different person; if Rambo was a black adolescent, with a high IQ, a tech fetish, wore a red beret and glasses, than he was would be Tucker.
"Wow you guys are awesome!" Danny cried out. "I didn't know you guys had it in you!"
"Oh really?" Sam asked smirking as she looked at Danny. "What else would we have done, I mean we've battled ghosts together before, plus Tuck and I have been practicing for awhile."
"Yeah man, we figure it's about time we helped you out a bit." Tucker said walking over to Danny and hand him the Fenton Thermos.
"Say, where's that Shadow-guy at?" Sam asked Danny.
"Oh, you mean Grendel, he's....." Danny turned around to see no one standing behind him. "He was right here a second ago."
Jazz decided it'd be better to just go and get ready for her next class, which luckily for her was Gym. As Jazz walked down the hall Grendel silently rose from her shadow, their backs facing one another. Grendel then proceed to float down the hall in the opposite direction as Jazz headed to the girls' locker room, both of them completely oblivious to one another's presence. Back with Danny, Sam, and Tucker, they were trying to decide on what to do next.
"So what do you guys want to do now?" Danny asked his friends as he changed back to normal.
"I don't know, how about we go to the Nasty Burger." Tucker suggested.
"Ugh, how about not." Sam replied with disgust.
"Then where do you suggest we go?" Tucker asked crossing his arms.
"How about a movie?" Sam finally said.
"Sounds like a plan. Let's go see a movie." Danny said.
Back at school Jerrel had managed to change back to his human form without anyone noticing. He looked at the clock, 15 minutes left of class, he shrugged and went to his locker and grabbed his stuff, as he closed it and turned to leave he saw Jazz exit the girls' locker.
"Skipping on your first day at a new school? You sure know how to make an impression." Jazz said folding her arms.
"Well, maybe if I had any real reason to stay, I wouldn't have to ditch school, now would I?" Jerrel said as he looked Jazz up and down. She's actually kind of cute; she's got some nice legs.
"Let me see your schedule." Jazz said bringing Jerrel out of his train of thought.
"Huh, what for? Going to nark on me?" Jerrel asked raising an eyebrow.
"No, why would I do that." Jazz said defensively.
"Whatever, here." Jerrel pulled his schedule from his bag.
"Well, what do you know, we both have the same class next, Gym." Jazz said hand the schedule back. "Don't know why anyone would want to skip such an easy class, but hey it's your choice." Jazz said walking away."
"Yeah...." Jerrel watched Jazz walk away, well, more like he was staring at Jazz's butt. "I guess I could stick around a little longer." Jerrel said softly, so Jazz couldn't hear him.
Jerrel put his backpack back in his locker and headed to the boys locker room. "Wonder what they're doing today in gym...." Jerrel said softly as he entered and sat on one of the benches.
The bell rang signaling the end of class, students flooded the halls of Casper High as they made their way to their next class. A bunch of boys filed into the locker room, they were all chatting and changing into their gym clothes. After changing they all headed into the gym and sat on the bleaches, Jerrel followed but instead of joining the students on the bleachers he wait for the teacher by the door.
"Alright class today we'll be playing kickball, since I lost my organizer that has today's class plan in it." Said the teacher grouchily.
"Excuse me teach." Jerrel said walking over to the upset faculty member.
"What?" The teacher snapped turning around. "Huh? Who are you?"
"I'm the new kid, name's Jerrel Kenton." He replied.