It's Chess Daniel
Chapter One
Ending Events of Reign Storm
Sweat ran down the side of Danny's face from exhaustion. "I…I don't understand?"
Vlad stood behind him holding the key to the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep. The denizens of the Ghost Zone stood behind Vlad grinning proudly at Danny's accomplishment. Vlad held is usual evil grin.
"What? That I used two fourteen year old pawns to turn a knight and topple a king? It's chess Daniel, of course you don't understand, but then, you never really did." Vlad's words faded as Danny blacked out.
Six Months post Phantom Planet
"Can you make room for your girlfriend?" Sam smiled at the raven haired teen. She wore her usual attire with the added edition of a heart shaped locket around her neck and a class ring with a cobalt blue stone placed in the center of it.
"Of course, I was wondering when you would show up." Danny returned her smile with the most charming smile he could pull off. Ever since Danny Phantom had become the world's savior, Danny Fenton's life had gotten a little better, people had warmed up to him more, and as such he was no longer one of the 'outcasts'. The entire world knew about his ghost powers. Other than that nothing much had changed for the halfa, once in a while Skulker would show up and try to, as he put it, 'Mount Danny's head upon his wall'. However most of the weaker ghosts had simply stopped appearing, many of whom, Danny figured, feared for their afterlives.
"Hey guys." Tucker walked over to the table carrying a tray full of meat. "So do you want to check out a movie later?" Tucker sat down, pulled out his PDA, and began checking his calendar. Once he had become Mayor, Tucker's life had become more hectic. Although since he was not of legal age to vote yet, and as such was only Mayor in image, he still had to pass or veto many major decisions. Pile that on top of having a relationship, Danny was impressed that he could keep it all managed.
"I don't know Tuck, are you even available? I mean you do have a city to manage and all." Danny prodded the gray mass that the cafeteria called food with his spork. He looked at it for a minute before pushing it away in disgust.
"Yes Danny, I do have time." Tucker said as he looked up from his PDA. "I have made time for everyone, along with the time to hang out with my friends, although Valerie has a day long window of time." Tucker's eyebrows arched suggestively.
"Yeah dude we don't need to know about that. We don't tell you about our love life do we?" Danny clenched his eyes shut in an attempt to erase the image of what had just transpired. Sam just laughed lightly. While Danny was trying to forget what his friend did, Valerie walked over to the table and sat down.
"Hey guys, so do we have any plans later?" Valerie picked up her burger as she spoke.
"We were planning on going to see a movie. That is if Tucker had the time." Sam joked as she stabbed her spork into the salad sitting in front of her.
"Hey it was my idea to go see a movie in the first place." Tucker retorted before shoving another helping of meatloaf into his mouth. Danny chuckled at Tucker's response. Everyone at the table knew that Sam did that just to get a reaction out of him.
"What movies are out that we would like to see?" Valerie said in between the bites of her burger.
"I know of one that I have been wanting to see." Danny beamed in excitement. Just as quickly as it had arrive, the feeling left again when the thought occurred to him that perhaps the girls would not want to see that movie.
"Well, come on man, what is the movie?" Tucker stopped eating just long enough to wait for Danny's answer.
"Well, now that I think about it, you girls might not want to see it. The movie I was hoping to see was 300." Danny smiled sheepishly believing that the movie he had suggested was a terrible idea.
"Sounds fun to me." Valerie said taking another bite of her burger. Sam nodded her head in agreement.
"Yeah I have been meaning to see that movie myself. If you guys want we can watch it at my house." Danny and Tucker grinned widely at Sam's suggestion, while Valerie had a perplexed look on her face.
"Wait, how can we see it at your house? It isn't even out on DVD yet." Tucker looked at Valerie for a moment before responding.
"Oh right, you don't know do you. Sam is rich, like loaded beyond belief. Her house has a bowling alley. Did I not tell you this?" Valerie's mouth dropped open.
"Uh no, you seemed to have left out the fact that one of your best friends was wealthy." Valerie glared at Tucker.
Later that evening the four friends were in the Manson family theater. The popcorn machine was running on full power. The bowling alley was open for after movie fun, and the Pizza had just gotten there.
"So you guys ready for an awesome movie of violence and bloodshed?" Sam gave her usual dark smile that would send chills down the spine of anyone who didn't know her. Tucker and Danny were elated and ran to their seats on the couch. Valerie on the other hand was still trying to take in all of the amazing stuff that Sam truly had.
"This is your basement?" Valerie's mouth hung open.
"Haha, that is what I said when I first saw it." Tucker laughed remembering how it was for him.
"Well what are we waiting for Sam, pop this sucker in and let the blood bath begin." Danny smiled enthusiastically as he took his seat on the large leather couch. The rest of the night was spent enjoying the excessive sex, blood, and gore in the film. While watching the movie Danny had, absentmindedly, placed his arm around Sam. Who repaid his action by leaning on him for the entire movie, something which Danny truly adored. Yes life was perfect for Danny Fenton, and the whole night was filled with those perfect things. At the end of the night, when he, Tucker, and Valerie finally left Sam's, Tucker went to walk home with Valerie leaving Danny alone with his thoughts. The cool night air in Amity Park was always rather comforting, even though it was early spring you could still see the last vestiges of winter attempting to lay claim to the land for a while longer. Turning into his Ghost form, Danny flew home and into his room. After a quick shower and changing into sleeping cloths, he lay down and slept soundly, which was something he had rarely done ever since he had become half ghost. Around midnight a cold chill ran down Danny's spine. It was his ghost sense, the useful tool for letting him know that a ghost was near, had awakened him from his restful slumber. Danny sighed at the lack of sleep he had gotten and got out of bed.
"Alright, let's do this. Going Ghost!" Danny called out his signature catch phrase as two rings of light engulfed him starting at his torso and spreading out until they completely transformed him from his normal sleep attire into his black with white accents Jump suit. Flying out of his bedroom window, Danny searched for the source of his Ghost Sense. To his surprise he could not sense any ghosts after exiting his house.
"What the? Skulker? No he is never so quiet. Who could this be?" Danny, although talking out loud, was talking to no one in particular. So he was startled to hear another voice answer him.
"Yes Daniel, who indeed." Danny turned around to see Vlad Plasmius floating just above his house.
"Vlad? What are you doing here? I thought you were stuck on the outskirts of the solar system?" Danny was barely able to contain the seething anger within him as he spoke to his arch nemesis.
"Oh and here I thought you were going to say 'Thank you Vlad for helping me become the greatest Hero the world has ever know.'" Vlad smiled darkly at Danny, his red eyes glowing in the night.
"What do you mean? You failed at saving the earth, so I stepped up and succeeded where you couldn't." Danny smirked at Vlad hoping to get a rise out of him. However Vlad did not react, in fact he remained quite stone face about the whole issue.
"Wow you truly are a dimwitted boy aren't you. That was part of my plan, I wanted to create the perfect Hero. One who could do everything I could not. Why? Simple, I needed a test subject, and you were the perfect guinea pig." Vlad paused momentarily to let that information sink in before continuing. "You see Daniel, you were never in control, I have been playing this game far longer than you have. I have seen the out comes, and I knew of this happening well before you did." As if on cue Vlad split himself into ten different Vlads. "I am far stronger than I let on Daniel. I only wished to give you a fighting chance because it was sporting." Vlad let out a maniacal laugh before the nine copies lunged at Danny. Doing his best to fight off the nine opponents he had, Danny dodged and weaved out of the way of each shot, delivering a few good shots himself.
"Come on Vald, we have done this so many times already. Do you really think the outcome will be any different than before?" Danny toted as he roundhouse kicked four of the Vlads square in the face, causing them to dematerialize back into the original. However Vlad merely smirked.
"You are not the only one who has ghost powers beyond the norm. While you get a cold chill run down your spine when a ghost is near, I get a flash of heat burn through my body." Danny almost broke out laughing at this.
"What are you a fifty year old woman?" Danny lightly chuckled. Vlad however ground his teeth in rage.
"Where you can control ice, I can control fire!" As he spoke a massive fireball grew in his hand. The five remaining Vlads grabbed Danny by the limbs and held him there as the original Vlad launched his attack. The fireball engulfed him in a ghostly flame. Danny cried out in agony as he felt his flesh seared by the inferno. "That is merely a taste of what I can do Daniel. Now I have a request of you, one which I know you can't refuse." The other five Vlads released Danny and kicked him into the ground. His impact causing a small pothole to appear in the street. As the five Vlads returned to their source the original spoke up. "You are going to go into the Ghost Zone, and get two more items for me. The Ring of Sovereignty, and The Belt of Eternity. If you don't do this I will burn all of Amity Park to the ground. My Spectral Fire, is only one of my true abilities. I have so many more, and to be honest, I have relished the chance to use my Black Inferno again." Vlad's wicked smile never faded. As Danny faded from consciousness Vlads final words rang out like a bell in his head. "Don't worry about your girlfriend either Daniel, if you do as I say she will be fine." With those words Vlad laughed maniacally before using his ghost powers to teleport away from the area. The next thing Danny saw was the inside of his room as his eyes slid open upon hearing a knock at the door.
"Danny, honey, are you okay? You are going to be late for school." Maddie knocked again. Danny sat up in bed and wondered if what happened last night was real. Bolting out of his bed he ran to the window. Much to his relief there was no damage to the street. Checking himself, he didn't notice any burns on his body. It must have just been a dream, Danny thought to himself. "Danny!" His mother called a little louder. Not wishing to alarm her anymore, he stripped off his night clothes, threw on a clean shirt and pair of pants, and walked to the door. Upon opening it he saw his mother standing there in her usual blue jumpsuit.
"Hi mom, sorry for worrying you. Give me like five minutes and I will head to school." He smiled casually at her, which relieved some of her worry.
"Well alright honey, what about breakfast?" Even though she knew that Danny was a half ghost she still worried about him.
"It is alright, I will grab something before I leave. Okay?" Danny kissed her on the cheek before walking back to his closet to put on his socks and shoes.
Maddie smiled softly at this, why was she so worried, her son was the hero of the world. "Alright, I will get some eggs going for you." She turned away from the door and walked back down stairs. Once he finished putting on his shoes he phased through the floor and into the kitchen, startling Jazz.
"Eep!" She yelped slightly when he appeared on the other side of the table. "I wish you would stop doing that. It is one of the most disturbing things you can do." Jazz scowled at him.
"Hehe, sorry about that Jazz, but the day that it stops scaring you is the day I will stop doing it." Danny smiled broadly as Maddie paced a plate of eggs and bacon in front of him.
"Now Danny, we have talked about this, you are only supposed to use your ghost powers unless it is necessary. I don't believe you phasing through the floor is really necessary." Maddie scolded him lightly.
"Ahhh!" The three of them were startled by the shout that came from the basement. Jack stumbled up the stairs, black smoke surrounding him. "That darned machine hasn't worked since Danny did his whole phase the planet thing." Jack pulled up a chair at the kitchen table. "I don't know what it is but, ever since the events of the Desateroid, almost none of the ghost contraptions I have invented have worked right. The only things that still work are the Fenton Thermos and the Ghost Portal. Honestly, it's like everything ghost related has just stopped working." Jack looked at the table sadly.
"Is that really such a bad thing Jack?" Maddie walked up and placed her arm around him. "I mean there haven't even been any ghosts appearing since the event anyway. Well the exception being, what did you say his name was honey?" Maddie looked at Danny.
"Skulker, supposedly the greatest hunter in all of the ghost zone." Danny said nonchalantly.
"Right him. Only Skulker has shown up, and that is not even that common." This seemed to only make Jack more depressed.
"I don't know Maddie, I just feel like I have nothing to do since there are no Ghosts showing up." Maddie patted him on the back. Looking up she saw the time. "Oh Danny, you are going to be late, hurry up." Looking up himself, Danny saw the clock read 6:50.
"Ah crap, sorry guys gotta run!" Danny said as he wolfed down the rest of his food, grabbed his bag, and ran out the door. "See you after school!" He called back before jumping into the air and flying to school.