New York City: Early Morning…
Danny, as Phantom, and the girls were chasing a lady thief, in purple, across rooftops. Sure, the halfa could just as easily do this himself, but that wasn't the point. Over this past half a year he's learned much about teamwork which included how those around him could grow.
All they needed was a chance. What chance would the girls have if he always did everything for them; furthermore, what kind of a teammate would he be? It's not like they weren't each capable in their own rights, and he was there in case something went wrong.
"She's heading right for our trap." Sam stated.
"We're totally good." Alex declared.
"Totally fast as well." Clover had looked at her watch. "Looks like I can still make it to my facial appointment."
"Clover, not the time." Danny stated.
The thief noticed their net just in time to stop herself from falling into it; however, the spies had caught up with her.
"Don't look so sad." Alex stated. "I got something that will blow you away."
The raven-haired spy pulled out the Tornado Blast Hair Dryer. A smart move in Danny's opinion only something seemed off. Alex activated it revealing she'd been holding the gadget backwards. Danny had just enough time to phase as it blew the girls away.
The thief was starting to run until Danny got in her way. "Yeah, you're not getting away."
The thief had assumed this was some odd-looking guy, but to see that he had ghostly abilities freaked her out. In fact, the thief was freaked out enough to end up stepping back and falling into the net.
"Gahh, get me out of here!" The thief yelled.
The net registered someone trapped within, so it automatically bound together leaving the thief trapped while hanging off the building. She was trying to somehow struggle free even as the girls recovered from Alex's mistake.
Beverly Hills High: Underneath Track Bleachers, Early Morning…
Danny had arrived, and like any other day, since returned from Spring Break, he was dragged to the bleachers by Arnold who wanted to show him some new gadget he was working on. By this point, the girls and Danny had been made aware of David and Arnold's recruitment.
Danny felt they'd do excellent where they'd been place. While the girls were happy for David, it was a little hard for them to accept Arnold, but the halfa got them to give it a shot. As for the current situation, most would likely be miffed at being dragged around.
This wasn't the case with Danny. Sure, when Tucker spoke about his technology, it had bored the halfa; however, looking back, with a new perspective, made him realize that any moment with his friends had value. He would not make the same mistake twice.
"Alright, I got a feeling you're going to like what I have to show you this time Danny." Arnold was smiling as he took out a fully sketched out, detailed design. "Ever since you trusted me with your secret, I've been hard at work whipping this up, and I want your opinion on it."
What Danny was staring at was not a jumpsuit, like what he normally wore in his ghost form, but a cat suit. This suit was black with touches of white and ectoplasmic green. The gloves and boots were white while two white lines went down the front along with a green D in the center.
Arnold said, "I plan for the suit to be powered by ectoplasm hence the touches of ectoplasmic green. Since you're a ghost, the ectoplasm wouldn't negatively impact you. With the ectoplasm being contained in the suit, there'd be no negative impact to your team.
Even if the suit were broken, the ectoplasm wouldn't stick around. What's important about the power is that it wouldn't be there for nothing. The suit would be designed to resist ghost harming items from the mythological to technology. What do you think?"
"What do I think?" Danny took the sketch happily. "This is amazing! I've been thinking I need a cat suit like David and the girls. Not only is this an awesome cat suit, but it doesn't lose what makes my jump suit what it is while helping me defend against my weakness."
"I'm glad you like it." Arnold took back the sketch proudly. "Keep in mind that it will take time to complete since I'm not one to risk the lives of others. Also, don't think this will make you impervious to ghost harming items. It'll just help you resist."
"I'll take whatever I can get." Danny nodded. "Honestly, it's great, and I can't wait to receive it."
"I'll get started on prototypes after school." Arnold closed the book and tucked it away safely. "For now, I'll see you around Danny."
Once Arnold left, Danny walked out from under the bleachers and took a deep breath. He was feeling great these days. Sure, there was that major bout of wrath he felt a while back, but he hadn't felt anything like that since.
Danny heard someone plop down on the bleachers, so he moved to reveal himself as not to be there to eavesdrop. He walked onto the bleachers only to spot Alex sitting there seeming rather down.
She spotted him as well and immediately perked up. "Oh Danny, what are you doing here?"
"Arnold had another design to show me." Danny walked over. "That's rather minor against you hiding how your down."
Alex sighed. "I should have known I couldn't hide negative emotions from you of all people."
Danny sat down beside her. "Alright, let's hear it. What's bugging you?"
"It's just…" Alex sighed. "…I feel like I'm constantly messing up. If you hadn't been there, that thief may have gotten away. There was that misfire, the short circuit, and the deletion of data from something said to be undeletable. Three missions prior to the thief where I screwed up."
"No one's perfect Alex." Danny stated. "It's part of life. I mean, I've made so many mistakes before coming here."
"Oh yeah, like what?" Alex asked.
"I misused my powers on several occasions from getting revenge on Dash to avoiding punishment. As much as I liked my friends, I let them sway my opinions and actions. Until I came here, I never showcased how far my powers went because Tucker was jealous.
I loved Sam, but she always seemed to want me to use my powers in the ways she wanted. In many cases, she was right, but there were times she crossed the line. Like this one time she wanted me to destroy a truck.
I didn't do it, some ghost possessed cow tried, I stopped it, and she wasn't a fan. Then, there was my ultimate mistake. Even though I didn't do it, an alternate version of myself did, and I almost did. It's as much my mistake as it is his."
"Danny, you don't have to talk about him." Alex stated. "I know…"
Danny shook his head. "I won't deny that it hurts to even think of Dan, but I've come to terms with what happened." He took a deep breathe. "While the mistake he made is mine as well, I didn't become him, but he became himself. That's the point I'm trying to make.
Everyone makes mistakes, but it's how we act in the face of those mistakes that defines who we are. Dan may be an extreme case, but he's a case none the less of how we can let negative emotions color our mistakes."
Alex smiled. "Thanks Danny."
"No problem Alex." Danny stated. "By the way, have you studied for that test in Mr. Summer's Class?"
Alex went from smiling to utter horror. "There's a test today?!"
"The big end of the year test. You know, one of several." Danny shook his head amused. "I may be no Sam, but if we study until then, you might squeak by with a passing grade. I'd also ask Mr. Summers for some extra credit. I did just yesterday in hopes of raising my grade."
"Great!" Alex grabbed Danny by the arm and started dragging him along. "Come on, let's get started right away!"
Science Class, Next Week…
It was near the end of the period and Mr. Summer was handing back everyone's tests. He just finished as the bell rang and students started to file out. Sam was particularly interested in what grade Danny got since she has been helping him study for some time now.
Danny knew this and smiled as he looked back at her. "Thanks to you Sam, my grade point average is going to soar." He showed the test which had an A- on it. "Thanks to Mr. Summers giving me some extra credit, I'm finishing the year with a B."
Sam was impressed. She was by no means underplaying how smart Danny could be. Far from it. In all honestly, it was rather amazing with the rate at which his grades could improve through tutoring.
"Next year, your grades will be better than B's and B-'s." Sam nodded. "I'll make sure of it."
Danny smiled. "Thanks Sam."
"What grade did you get Alex?" Clover asked
"Thanks to Danny helping me the day of the test, I managed to finish with a C-." Alex nodded. "Nothing spectacular, but at least I'll pass Science with a C+ thanks to that extra credit assignment Mr. Summers game me."
Danny nodded. "That means the four of us will be moving onto the next year guaranteed."
Just as the girls were about celebrate, all four of them were summoned by WOOHP.
WOOHP: Jerry's Office
The group ended up on the cushion before Jerry. "Spies, there is a phenomenon sweeping some of the world's largest cities. It's already struck Tokyo and New York. Take a look."
Jerry stepped aside as the screen behind him played footage of New York in which everyone and thing was moving slowly.
"Jerry, I don't think we're so burnt out by our test week that we can't keep up." Alex stated. "You can play it at normal speed."
"That's just it." Jerry stated as the screen turned off. "That was regular speed. Activities in these major, metropolitan areas have been slowed at an alarming rate."
The spies stood.
"Slowed?" Sam questioned. "Why would anyone want to do that?"
"That is what you're going to find out." Jerry stated. "To do so you'll have m-ray contact lenses, finger print tracer gloves, a pair of knee high leather rocket powered boots, cashmere deflector shield, and the wind tunnel 3000 tornado blast hair dryer if you're up for it."
Alex looked at Danny who nodded in support before turning to Jerry. "I promise I'll do better this time."
"That's what I like to hear." Jerry nodded. "I have complete faith in your Alex." That further boosted the raven-haired spy's confidence. "Before I continue, would you mind transforming Danny?"
"Not at all, but why ask?" Danny asked.
"I plan on sending WOOHP's newest agent out with you four." Jerry stated. "Unless you wish to let her know who you are, I'd suggest transforming." He looked at the girls. "As well as yhat you three call him Phantom."
"Got it." Danny stated before transforming.
Once he was transformed, Jerry pushed a button on his desk. "You may send her in." A girl around their age, with olive skin, long blue hair, and purple eyes, walked into the room. "Allow me to introduce Britney. Our newest agent."
Britney smiled and waved. "Hi."
Sam and Clover moved to greet her while Alex was less than thrilled.
Danny decided to stick by her and patted her back. "Alex, it's alright. Don't go jumping to conclusions."
Britney's smile only grew when she noticed Danny. "Oh, you're Phantom!"
Danny looked at her confused. "You've heard of me?"
"Of course, I've heard about you." Britney stated. "I'm one of your biggest fans, and I especially think you got a raw deal in Amity Park. You don't know how glad I was to hear that you were an agent here, and a rather rising one at that. At least they appreciate you for the hero you are."
In the past, Danny would have eaten up the attention of a pretty girl, but he's wasn't that person anymore. Sure, it felt good, but it always felt better getting appreciation from, and giving it to, his friends. Especially Sam.
Danny simply nodded. "It's nice to meet you Britney, and I look forward to working with you." He patted Alex's back once more. "Of course, I'm just one member of team these days, and each of these girls are excellent spies. They did teach me how to handle a mission."
"Really?" Britney nodded. "That's so cool."
Looking back on his interaction with Ember, Sam had felt a bit jealous of that halfa for kissing Danny on the check even though she hadn't been dating him at the time. Now, there was a girl showing interest in Phantom making those same feelings rise within her.
The red head had great self-control, and she wasn't about to act on those feeling. Especially since she knew the type of guy Danny was. There's no way he'd go around dating other girls when he was dating her. With that thought in mind, she was able to calm herself.
Naturally, Danny had noticed the moment from the corner of his eyes. "Huh, Sam can get jealous, but good on her for not acting. That said, I should make sure she's knows how much I value being with her."
Suddenly, alarms began to blare.
"Oh my, it seems as though another city is being hit by this phenomenon." Jerry stated. "Good luck spies."
He pressed a button opening a hole in the roof and taking the entire group away.
Ghost Zone: Clockwork's Tower
Clockwork had returned from his meeting with the remaining observants, and after sending them where he sent the first two, he had observed what happened with Danny. Not only was it time to take the next step, but it was nigh time for his death. How he died would be crucial.
For now, the Time Walker waved his hand opening a portal to Future Danielle and dragging her back. Clearly, she was not happy, but that was nothing new. That said, she remembered the threat made to Dan, so she wasn't about to act to rashly. Not when he was at risk.
"What do you want Clockwork?" Elle questioned.
"The time for you to play your part is close at hand." Clockwork threw here the sphere containing his time magic and Nocturn's nightmare energy. "When I next open a portal, you will go through it and confront Danny.
Your job will be to slam that orb into his chest before proceeding to antagonize him. You'll know how when you see what this orb can do. After you see all red, you are to fight Danny with everything you have. Am I clear?"
Elle looked at the sphere. There were questions she could ask, but quite frankly, she didn't care. Not to mention, Dan was on the line here, so she'd do what Clockwork wanted. If anything, he just gave her permission to beat down on her father's weaker self. A plus in her books.
"Crystal." Elle stated.
"Good." Clockwork stated before turning back to the screen. "If you try to attack me, I will stop you and eradicate Dan with no remorse."
Given the guy's unique position, he couldn't really make good on that threat. Clockwork was still powerful without the use of his time powers, but there were advantages afforded to those outside of the proper timeline. Elle didn't know nor did she need to know that.
Mexico City
Danny flew while the girls parachuted down from a jet into the city. Sam, Britney, and Clover managed to land on a statue on each other's shoulders, but Alex ended up hanging from said statue by her parachute.
"I-I'm okay." Alex stated.
"Hold on, I got you Alex." Danny stated. "Just be ready to land."
Danny moved up to and phased her out of the parachute. Alex, along with the other girls, landed in a crouched position while the halfa landed up right.
"Whoever said cheerleading was a waste of time?" Clover questioned as she posed.
"Not me." Britney joined her. "I'm captain of a school squad myself."
"Awesome." Clover smiled. "I knew we had a lot in common."
"In fact, the only thing that could pull me away from practice was a good chess game." Britney declared.
That piqued Sam's interest. "No way. I love a good chess game."
Alex looked over at them. "Enough chit chat girls. In case you forgot, we have a seriously messed up situation to deal with."
"Right." Britney nodded. "We better investigate."
They all ran off right past Alex who was a little miffed.
Danny just shook his head. "Alex, keep your jealousy in check." She looked to him. "Look, I get that the girls seem enamored with Britney, but that's because she is a new spy. You're their friend and have been for a long time. Keep that in mind to prevent rash mistakes."
"You're right." Alex nodded before running off. "Come on, let's catch up."
The group eventually made it into the city and watched as everything moved slowly around them.
"This is so weird." Sam stated. "What could you possibly gain by slowing everything down?"
"The most out of a good hair day." Clover offered.
Danny nodded. "Given some of the villains we've dealt with, that could very well be the reason."
Britney stopped a citizen and asked what was going on; however, said citizen's words came out as a slow mess. Alex declared that was useless, but Britney had an idea. She took a recording of those words and speed them up to a normal pace.
It told them that this was done by some stranger wielding a machine. Not only that, but where said stranger was going to strike next. With a destination, the group sped off to make it there before him. It wasn't long after their arrival, that a guy in a Mexican get up appeared and fired .
"Did you see that?" Sam asked. "We have to do something."
Danny looked at Alex and decided she needed a win. "Alex and I got this."
Alex looked at him. "We do?"
Danny nodded. "I'm going to head over there and phase the weapon out of his grasp grabbing his attention. Alex, you blow him into that candy stand over there using the hair dryer. Sam and Clover will arrest him while Britney acquires the weapon."
"Are you sure you should trust me with that?" Alex asked.
Britney nodded. "Alex, if Phantom trust you with this, then he must know you can do it."
Sam put a hand on her shoulder. "Not to mention we trust in you to do this Alex."
Clover smiled. "You may have made mistakes recently, but you got this."
Alex thought back to her various talks and all the trust people had in her before nodding firmly. "Alright, I won't let any of you down. Let's take this creep out."
Everyone moved to enact the plan. Danny went invisible and floated over to the stranger before placing hands on the guy's back. The halfa phased him, but not the weapon causing it to clatter to the ground uselessly.
This shocked the guy, but not as much as Danny suddenly appearing in front of him. "What are you!? Who are you!?"
He seemed to talk a little slow, but nowhere near the rate that weapon made people go.
"It doesn't really matter." Danny stated. "I'm here to stop you."
The rest of the girls, especially Sam and Clover, watched as Alex sprang forward and retrieved the hair dryer. Clover and Sam moved back just a bit when their friend was pointing it at herself. Alex recognized this and flipped it around to face the stranger.
Speaking of the stranger, he stared at Danny oddly. "Aren't you going to pick up the weapon?"
"I could." Danny turned invisible. "That's not my job though."
The stranger frantically looked around before Alex hit him from behind with the hair dryer's blast of air knocking him into the candy stand. Sam and Clover than moved to either side of him and put the cuffs on while Britney picked up the weapon.
The group approached the stranger with Danny standing in front of him. "Alright, out with it. What were you doing here and who are you?"
"My name is Willard." The guy spat angrily. "I was correcting a problem with world today. Everyone's always in a rush. No, you can't have a raise because you work to slow. No Willard, you can't be on the track team because you run to slow. It was to be no more!"
Everyone looked at one another.
Britney asked. "What are you talking about Willard?"
"I'm talking about taking control." Willard replied. "Once everyone was slower than I, no one could accuse me of being too slow."
"That's a personal problem dude." Danny stated. "I mean, I feel bad for you, but it sounds like you refused to change. You'd rather cut everyone than improve. I get that track and your job may have been your passions, but surely there were areas you could have exceled in."
"I didn't think of that." Willard stated as he looked at the ground.
"Now you'll have plenty of time for self-reflection in prison." Sam stated.
Alex thought about her talk with Danny before turning to Willard. "How you deal with these mistakes will determine who you become."
This mission wrapped up short, sweet, and to the point leaving everyone in high spirts. Especially when Jerry and WOOHP came to take Willard away.
WOOHP HQ: Jerry's Office
The spies all sat before Jerry. "You all did a splendid job, and WOOHP labs is currently helping the world move at a normal pace once again."
Britney nodded. "Even though the mission was short, I learned a lot from each of them."
"I'm glad to hear it." Jerry stated. "While short, this is a completed mission which means your training is completed. Fortunately, I already have a team of two that could use a third member. Not to mention, that keep you close."
"Does this mean what I think it means?" Alex asked.
"Britney will be starting at Beverly Hills High next year since she will be joining David and his partner to create a team." Jerry stated.
"Really?" Britney questioned happily. "Is that's great!"
"Totally." Clover stated. "Having another gal pal around will only make things that much better."
Sam was uncertain given her earlier feelings, but she had to admit Britney was nice enough. Plus, it's not like they were on the same team, and Phantom wasn't a school mate whereas Danny was. Alex was apprehensive, but she was willing to give it a shot.
At that moment, a familiar portal opened allowing a woman with Vlad's skin tone, red eyes, and pointed ears, but Dan's white hair pulled back into a ponytail, into the office. She wore a black and white sleeveless top with shorts. In her hands was the orb which she slammed into Danny.
They both vanished leaving the girls in shock while Jerry pressed a button on his desk. "Agents, a malicious ghost has done something with Phantom. Start tracking him and update me if you find anything." He looked to the girls. "You four are with me as we track him."
The group ran out of the office and moved towards the labs.
"Who the heck was that ghost?" Alex asked.
"You girls don't know." Britney stated.
She tried to keep up to date with what she could concerning the ghost of Amity Park, but her knowledge was lacking compared to those who lived there.
"We don't know a thing about her." Clover stated. "She's none of the enemies in Phantom's database."
"That portal is from a ghost he knows." Sam stated. "This is either his work or someone managed to steal his powers."
With Danny
After that familiar looking ghost slammed that orb into his chest, all Danny could see was light. Now, that light dissipated leaving the halfa standing in a light blue sphere surrounded but pure darkness.
He frantically looked around for that ghost but didn't see her. "W-What is this?"
The darkness cleared and Danny found himself, still in the sphere, standing on the side lines watching that fateful day unfold. The same day from his nightmare. Everything from returning, fighting Dan, his promise, and being forced to watch before beating the malicious ghost.
The halfa felt a great deal of pain throughout, but he came to terms with this day by this point. Ultimately, he had no idea if this was a hallucination, one of his nightmares, or he was in the past.
That said, he did transform and try to break out; however, it achieved nothing. He couldn't even crack the sphere, and no one seemed able to see or hear him. Eventually, Danny stopped as he was once again trapped in darkness.
At this point, Danny was more annoyed than sad, angry, or hurt. "Whoever you are, and however you got that information, it's outdated. I'm long past the point of breaking down upon seeing that."
"Here's the thing." Elle's voice rang out all around. "I know that still hurts you. It may not be anywhere near as much as before, but it's a precursor to what you will see now."
The sphere around Danny vanished and the darkness dissipated leaving him in a crater and staring up at a cloudless, sunny day. He froze in place as the silhouette of a figure was flying away.
That silhouette was unmistakably Dan Phantom. Danny looked around as the crater shifted becoming Beverly Hills before shifting back to the crater. This crater was all that remained of Beverly Hills after Dan Phantom got through with it.
This genuinely terrified Danny, but not as much as what he saw next. Just ahead of him where the bodies of Arnold, Dean, Martin, David, Clover, Alex, Sam, Dani, and Jerry. Most of them were dead, with Jerry taking deep, shuddering breaths before seizing.
Danny's eyes were starting to flicker from their ectoplasmic green to crimson red as tears started to build in his eyes. The halfa immediately ran over to the only other person that seemed alive, Sam, and checked for a pulse. He found one, but it was weak.
Sam saw Danny and reached for his arm. "It's… not… your… fault." She let go of his hand and he retracted it slowly. "We… should… have… been… stronger. I lo…"
Danny saw the life leave the red head's eyes and his breathing hitched. The halfa slowly stood and backed up as his eyes continued to flash. His breathing became haggard and the tears continued to build. He could feel his wrath building within.
At this point, it didn't matter to Danny what this was because it was happening before his eyes.
"They're all gone. They're all gone." Danny gripped his head and fell to his knees as the tears in his eyes spilled forth. "They're all gone, and I could do nothing to save them!"
To Danny, it seemed so unfair that the sky would continue to be sunny when everything he had was lost to him once more. The halfa dropped his hands to the ground and curled them into fist with enough force that he bled ectoplasm from his palms.
Danny just let loose as everyone he lost or perceived he lost flashed through his mind. He screamed to the heavens as his eyes solidified on a crimson red and a burst of ectoplasm made the entire area turn red before cracking the world around him.
Outside Beverly Hills: Huge Clearing
Danny had freed himself from the sphere and now stood in that same clearing where he fought Vlad before. Only this time, he was facing the one who put him in that sphere in the first place. This time, he was full of wrath. This did mean he knew what he saw hadn't been real.
Elle may have agreed to do this, granted she really had no choice, but it's not like she believed the past version of her father could ever be as strong as him. Let alone as strong as her. To top it off, while her father could get angry, it wasn't anything special like Clockwork led her to…
Danny moved faster than he had against Vlad and came to stand before Elle shocking the future halfa. The wrath filled halfa wasted no time in punching Elle in the gut hard enough to send her through several trees.
WOOHP HQ
Jerry, the girls, and Britney had just made it to the specter speeder. After telling the Boooo-merang to find him, they were off towards Danny's location.
"Jerry, Phantom doesn't have any ghostly enemies he hasn't told us about, does he?" Alex asked.
"He's been open this entire time Alex." Jerry stated. "I don't get the feeling he's been holding anything back."
"Then, who is this ghost that attacked him out of the blue?" Britney asked.
"I don't know, but we'll be there to back him up no matter what." Sam stated firmly.
Clover nodded. "You know it Sammy."
Danny vs Elle
Elle eventually came to a stop when she hit the ground. "He's stronger than I thought." She punched the ground cracking it. "He doesn't know who he's messing with." She stood up as visible, green air encircled her. "Why don't I show him how useless his resistance is?"
Elle flew back through her path of destruction at Danny aiming a punch for his face. Danny bent backwards before grabbing her arm and throwing the other halfa into the air. Elle recovered only for Danny to grab her by the face and fly her into the ground hard.
Her face was used to crack the ground in the clearing. Elle turned into air and flowed around Danny ending up above him with a face of rage. Danny noticed this, put his hands on the ground, and pushed both feet into her gut.
Elle felt the pain on that one, but she was used to pain from the moment her father decided to take her in. She grabbed Danny's legs and tried to toss him into the air only for the wrathful halfa to phase threw her grip and fly up to her level.
"You showed me visions of everyone I care for dying." There was no mercy in Danny's eyes. "That is a future I will not allow you or Dan to make no matter the cost I must pay. More arcuately, you choose this path, so you will pay for it."
The way he said that made Elle instinctually back up as this moment reminded her of every moment with Dan as he trained her. The older Halfa soon became enraged with herself at being fearful, for even a moment, of this weakling.
"You talk a big game Danny, but you are nothing compared to Dan." Elle stated firmly. "You are even less when compared to me!"
Danny shot forward and grabbed her by the throat. "We'll see about that." He tossed her up before moving higher himself and spinning around kicking Elle in the stomach sending her hurtling towards the ground. "Won't we?"
Elle recovered only for Danny to press the attack with an axe kick to the top of her head slamming the future halfa into the ground. Even with a ghost's durability, that one made Elle's head ring before Danny kicked her across the clearing.
The future halfa once again became air and moved above Danny as she collected her ectoplasm to a hand. "I will wipe you out like you did that clone at the golf course you petulant upstart!"
"Call me what you will." Danny looked at her. "Your opinion of me doesn't matter."
Elle grit her teeth as she charged more ectoplasm to her other hand before slamming both spheres together to create something larger. Danny was unfazed and stood his ground giving her that same, wrathful look. Elle fired at Danny who threw up a red barrier.
Even as strong as the halfa's wrath made him, Elle's strength wasn't to be underestimated. Danny was pushed back as the barrier cracked and broke, but he held up his hands blocking the final remnants of the opposing ectoplasm as it singed away his gloves leaving him with bruises.
Elle stared at Danny in shock as he casually closed and opened his hands. "I can bear this." He looked at his opponent who floated on down to stand opposite of him. "Question is, how much more can you bare?"
Elle grit her teeth before tightly clenching her fist. "You'd be surprised how much pain I can withstand Danny."
In this wrathful state, Danny's mind was calculating, and he wanted to end this fight sooner rather than later. "Let's see if you can take my best."
Danny let lose a red ghostly wail which sounded far less like a ghost's wail and more like the roar of a demon. Even to someone like Elle, who was no stranger to death, destruction, and devastation, it made the ectoplasm in her curdle. Then, she was hit by the wail.
This wail knocked Elle away with every tree in its path. Any trees on the outside of the area of effect were blown down while the ground was torn up. Elle ended up on top of a large pile of broken trees. Danny slowly approached while not registering the boooo-merang hitting him.
With Jerry, the Girls, and Britney
Those in the specter speeder observed Danny approaching the ghost after arriving. It was clear that the halfa had won; however, something felt off about this with Sam and Jerry. They couldn't see it exactly, but Danny wasn't moving like he usually did.
"Alright, he managed to beat that ghost." Clover cheered.
Britney nodded. "I only wish we could have been here to see it."
"This is a far cry from his fight with Plasmius." Alex stated.
Unlike the other girls, Sam was deeply worried, and Jerry was right there with her. Both were concerned for the halfa. They were not going to turn away from this. Maybe everything was okay, but if it weren't, they had to be there for him.
Sam walked to Jerry's side. "Take us down so we can make sure he's okay."
Jerry nodded solemnly. "Right."
The other girls picked up on their moods and immediately ceased their celebration.
Clearing
At this point, Elle could only move her head which she managed to move to look at Danny who slowly walked towards her. "This shouldn't be happening. I trained practically 6 months combined with my decade of experience. He shouldn't be able to keep up."
Danny stopped before Elle's downed body and held both his hands up creating a large sphere of red ectoplasm that would wipe this ghost out in one shot. It continued to grow all while Danny looked down on her.
"Damn, I can't believe this is how it ends." Elle thought.
She was disappointed at losing to her father's weaker past. This was no worthy end even if she was able to die in her ghost form. Her father made sure she could maintain it in even the worst of states. Her only solace was that the weak would become strong. Danny would become Dan.
"Maybe I can live with this no matter how much disapointment I may feel in my demise." Elle stated. "Throughout all the pain, suffering, and fighting, I had a father who hadn't abandoned me like Vlad. Yeah, I can live with this if it creates Dan once more."
Danny didn't care as a myriad of emotions flickered across his opponent's face nor that she looked familiar. All her cared about was bringing this conflict to an end and making this ghost suffer for even insinuating that all he had would be snatched away once more.
"You showed me what could happen, but it will never come to pass." Danny stated. "Like you, I will end Dan if he so much as appears in the same room as those I care about."
"Like you could beat him." Elle weakly chuckled. "My strength is great, but it's only thanks to him that I've reached this level."
"Look at you." Danny stated mockingly. "Proud of your skills which amounted to nothing." The sphere was ready. "Fitting since that's what you'll be to me in mere seconds. Now, you die by my hand!"
Jerry had come right on over to stand between the downed Elle and his great nephew causing the halfa to pause. In that moment, Jerry could see the wrath in Danny's eyes along with the fact that they were currently red.
"Uncle, move out of the way." Danny stated firmly. "She needs to die."
"Danny, you are a hero. I've never thought any differently, and at this time, I still do not. As a hero, you made a promise to the family you lost that you would never become Dan. Tell me, isn't killing a downed opponent out of aggression something he'd do?" Jerry asked.
Danny's eyes began to flicker from red to green. "She showed me all of your death." He looked back at Sam, Alex, and Clover. "There deaths to. That's as good as a threat on your lives. I can't… I won't lose you all."
"Danny, we know that's what you fear, but we're still here." Clover stated. "Trust me when I say this isn't what we'd want if we weren't."
"I know it'd hurt if we were gone, but we'd want you to keep being the same Danny I, Sam, and Clover have come to know." Alex stated. "Don't make this mistake. You may learn a lot, but the cost is too high."
Britney may have had no form of relationship with Danny Phantom, but didn't want to see him kill someone. "Phantom, I've always thought you were a hero no matter how Amity Park tried to paint you. You can't do this. It'll validate them and invalidate everyone who believes in you."
The crimson red sphere above Danny started to decrease in size as his eyes took longer to go from green to red.
"It all felt so real." Danny stated quietly. "Everyone I've come to care for dead again. I-It hurt, and I felt powerless."
Sam approached and wrapped her arms around him from the back. "That must have hurt to see Danny, but we're all right here and you defeated the bad guy. You can stop now."
The sphere completely dissipated, and Danny's eyes returned to normal. "I'm sorry."
Danny phased out of Sam's hold and took off into the sky.
"Danny/Phantom!" Clover & Alex/Britney shouted.
Danny didn't look back and was soon gone from their sights.
"It's alright girls." Sam nodded. "He needs some time alone before returning."
"You and the old man there think that, but he won't be back." Elle coughed. "You may have stopped him this time, but his future is already cemented. No matter what you do, Dan is his future."
"I think we know Danny better than you." Jerry stated as he approached her with a Fenton Thermos. "That does not matter because we're bringing you in for questioning."
A mirror appeared below her drawing Elle in before Jerry could act.
The mirror then vanished before appearing in the air above. "Sorry Jerry Fenton, but like Ariel, this one has her uses." Jerry didn't hesitate to fire off the thermos at the mirror, but rather than enter, it bounced off. "We'll eventually meet face to face, but I'm more interested in Phantom."
The mirror vanished leaving this group with questions. Questions like who the one in the mirror is and what they could want with the mysterious ghost or Ariel. Of course, Danny's sudden departure worried each of them on some level, but they would stand against whatever comes.
Barren World: Far into the Future…
Where the thermos containing Dan once sat, there was an indent in the ground quickly being covered by the sand blowing over it. A nearby mirror was just vanishing as Dan's maniacal laugh rang out over the barren landscape only to be silenced once the mirror vanished.
Since next chapter is the season end, there will be more to come after, I figured I'd do a next time for this story just to give you guys something to look forward to.
Next Time of My Other Sam: How one dies is crucial moving forward. Danny is at a loss when it comes to his bouts of wrath, so he takes a visit to Amity Park in hopes of clearing his mind. Little does he know, he will learn more about his wrath than he intended. That's not all, as Vlad will be receiving an uninvited guest.
Next Time: Time Walker's Story
qazse: I just figured it would be best to have Danny and Diana bond there. As for Dash, have a little faith. I have bigger plans in mind for him than simply turning over a leaf.
Jebest4781: Darkness and light should go hand in hand when crafting a story in my opinion.
Runeion: Have a little more faith. I'm not an author that partakes in writing lemons. If something like that were to happen, it'll be insinuated or alluded to.
IrishKatana: Thanks for the compliment. As for your idea on Clover, personally I think there are no bad ideas. Just poor execution. Honestly, I'm not opposed to same sex relationships, but I always fear I'd end up screwing something up. Personally, none of the characters in Totally spies has stuck me with the feeling that they want a same sex relationship, but that's just me.
Matt: I watched the episode and it was interesting.
pokemon fan 1991: It's sad when anyone loses something like what Dash lost; however, there is a key difference, other than the cause of death, between Danny and Dash's lose. That's the aftermath. Danny got his uncle Jerry and got to the point we've seen him at. Dash will have Mario who is working with Tim Scam. Given Dash's confirmed lack of mental skills, the current is looking up for the jock exactly. We'll see what happens.