Chapter is go. Repeat chapter is go.
Danny POV…
Danny may have made a slight miscalculation.
He groaned into the desk of his lair as Ember stood by smirking at his misfortune.
"Hey you were the one who literally asked for it." Her lack of sympathy had Danny sit back up and glare at her.
"I was making a point! I was sick of Walker being able to boss us and basically everyone else around and I'm stronger than him now! I didn't really think about all the logistics of it!" He gestured at the pile of documents and files in front of him. He'd barely even started looking through it all. Records of every lair and ghost in the entire area of the Barrens as well as landmarks, numerous copies of Walker's "rules" and several of what he could only call state secrets.
He may have both overestimated and underestimated a few things.
"I mean you didn't have to do anything other than give him the Ripper." Youngblood pointed out from the couch. "Like you said, you could kick his butt now, what's he gonna do? Quote his rules louder?"
"It was supposed to be symbolic." the phantom just grumbled not wanting to concede the point.
Ember snorted. "Well, literally, you're now for all intents and purposes, the de facto leader of the most lawless place in the entire Ghost Zone. How does it feel?"
"Like Walker is a spiteful piece of trash." Danny picked up a sheet of paper and glared at it, imagining it as the pale ghost's neck as he crinkled it.
"You mean he wasn't before?" Youngblood asked.
"Touché."
Truth be told, he had been expecting a significant amount of backlash from Walker, he thought the older ghost would put his foot down and threaten him a bit more, but he'd let him through with a mocking smile the entire time. No doubt the bastard had planned to overwhelm him with the logistics and force him to turn things back over to the warden.
And Phantom had almost done it.
He had not of course. Yet anyway. More than a little bit out of spite but there was still a part of him convinced that he could do a better job than the other ghost. At least he wouldn't constantly spit out new and continuously stupider rules every other day.
Was this a stupid idea? Probably, but wasn't the first time he'd done something incredibly stupid and have it work out.
For the most part it did anyway.
"So are you going to keep whining about it or…?" Ember trailed off, maybe because she had no idea what he was going to do now anyway.
That was a shame, neither did he.
"I need to think, I've barely started looking through this." he gestured to the mess on his table. "On a somewhat related note, did you know like a third of the ghosts that live in this area are in Walker's prison at a given time?"
The rock-star seemed surprised. "Huh really?"
"How do they all fit?" Youngblood looked confused, Danny couldn't blame him on that one, he didn't get it either.
"I dunno, maybe I'll ask Walker at some point. That or demolish the prison but that just might make things somehow worse around here." he rubbed his temples. "For every prisoner that doesn't deserve to be in there, there's probably another that needs to stay in there. I don't want another Spectra or Ripper getting out."
"I can't say you're making this easy on yourself, if it were me, I would've just cracked that prison wide open and threatened anyone who didn't fall in line." Ember explained.
"And what do you do for the ones that slip through the cracks? Or the ones you can't put down for whatever reason?"
"That's easy, I get you to put them down for me."
He groaned. "Don't you have a concert to prepare for or something? We don't have to worry about getting locked up for the next millennia and we have a way to the human world. You can go back on your tour."
"Pfft, nah, well, not now at least." Ember decided. "I did consider it initially but then you decided to declare yourself dictator for afterlife and I decided this was much more entertaining. I can make you propaganda music if you like?"
"No!" Danny yelped. "I am not a dictator!"
"To be frank, you did come in, take power from the previous leader and declare yourself in charge using violence as a threat. I mean technically you don't have an army but you're powerful enough to make it work." Mr Bones reasoned.
"I have an army!" Youngblood "helpfully" contributed to the cause.
"Guys, no. Come on…" the "dictator" in the question sighed.
"We're just pulling your leg." the resident rock star laughed at him. She shot a glance towards the other inhabitants of the room. "Well, I am anyway."
"Ehhhh." Bones waved his wing in a rough approximation of a so-so gesture.
"What do you suggest I do then? Hand things back over to Walker? I guarantee he'll make our afterlives hell because if there isn't a rule against taking power from him, there will be once he has it back!" Danny defended.
"You could try to find ways to legitimize yourself." Bones suggested flapping over to the desk and poking at one of the stacks of files with his beak.
Rather than shoo the bird away, Phantom decided to see where he was going with this and let him pull out a few files.
"As you well know, we're in the Barrens, your new territory. But the Barrens borders most other sections of the Ghost Zone, or at least the local areas, there are deeper and darker parts that I'm not sure anything dwells in but that's not important." Bones explained as he flipped some of the files open, information on other regions contained there-in.
"There's Far Frozen, ruled by Frostbite as you know, but there are others too, the Kingdom of Aragon, ruled by King Aragon, the Abyssal Depths ruled by Captain Sinbad, Olympus ruled by Pandora, Netherstorm ruled by Anomalus. There are others of course but those are the closest to us." Mr. Bones listed for them.
"You'd think Far Frozen would be farther away." Ember mused.
"It probably is from some places." Danny pointed out.
"Missing the point." Bones glared at them before shaking his head and muttering "Teenagers."
"Sorry, go on."
"As I was saying, if you can get one of those Ruler's to recognize you, you might be able to cement yourself as more legitimate. Walker can say you're "in charge" and you can do the same but if no one listens to you or pays attention, then it doesn't mean anything." Mr. Bones, looked him in the eye. "If you really are serious about this, then you need to take responsibility and be a good ruler."
The ghost boy met the bird's gaze but he was the one to look away first, not to the side out of shame, but at the files the skeleton had pulled out. "Alright, we can try Far Frozen first, I actually know Frostbite so that might be a good place to start."
The Outskirts of Far Frozen…
"Yeah…" Ember stared at the apparent frozen wasteland that stretched out before them. "You guys have fun. I'm going to stay here."
Danny opened his mouth to argue but closed it again. "Alright that's fair. I think you're hot enough to deal with the cold but the Yeti's might not like you melting their stuff." he chuckled.
"Good luck, I'll be here. If you can't find me just listen for the epic music." She strummed her guitar, not blasts or waves coming out this time.
"Onwards!" Youngblood declared and dove into a snow drift. Danny just chuckled again and followed after the childlike ghost.
It took a little while to start finding signs of civilization but they slowly started seeing flags and other smaller structures that looked like forward outposts or scout positions. They followed these until they started seeing signs of… well not life but sapient activity.
As they approached one of the large piles of snow with a flag implanted in the top and what looked like a frozen hovel burrowed into it a small trio of ghosts approached them.
"You!" An armored yeti ghost stood before them. "State your name and business in Far Frozen!"
"I'm Danny Phantom, I'm here to see Frostbite if he's available." Danny explained himself with Youngblood and Bones quickly following.
"The chieftain cannot make time to see anyone who happens to show up looking for him. He is a busy ghost." The apparent guard explained to them.
"I don't suppose there's a way to make an appointment then? I do need to speak with him. We're willing to wait."
"Phantom you said your name was?" When he nodded the ghost looked thoughtful for a moment. "Have you been here before, that name sounds familiar."
"I ended up here when my Ice Core first activated, Frostbite helped show me some of the basics, like how to form crystals in tools and weapons." he gestured his head at the hammer strapped to his back.
"If you're here for another lesson there are other ghosts who can help you with that."
"Oh no, I mean I would appreciate the lesson but I need to talk to Frostbite specifically about something. There's some changes going on in the Barrens and it was suggested we seek out other leaders and ask advice from them." he explained to the guard.
"Changes? What, has the Warden been supplanted?"
"Uhh, kind of?" Danny winced at the question, not quite willing to admit that he had done the supplanting.
"I will see if the chieftain is available please follow me, do not cause trouble in Far Frozen." The guard turned and led them past the guard's station, his two fellows returning to their posts as they moved past.
As they entered the hustle and bustle of Far Frozen proper Danny took a moment to appreciate how much it seemed like a proper town or city rather than just a loose collection of people working together. He doubted he could pull something like this off in the Barrens but it gave him a bit of hope that it wasn't the entire Zone that was a mess of chaos and violence.
As they reached the cavern system that Danny supposed could be called either a palace or capital building the guard had them wait outside. "I will check the availability of Chief Frostbite, please wait here."
As he left them Danny and Youngblood settled in to wait. The physically older boy taking the time to fiddle with his eyes powers in a colder place. Honestly it felt actually quite comfortable to him here. He had not put a lot of thought into it before but some places of the Ghost Zone were a lot warmer and by proxy uncomfortable compared to either here or the winter the human world was experiencing right now.
Maybe he could look into making his lair colder.
Youngblood on the other hand seemed to just be taking in everything around them, the kid probably had never been here before and it showed from the look of wonder in his eye.
"Jeez these guys are pretty high tech." The apparent pirate muttered as he watched a flying metal vehicle soar past them.
"Yeah, pretty cool huh?" Danny asked, somewhat rhetorically as he formed a gauntlet around his hand, wincing when it shattered as he moved his fingers. He'd forgotten the joints, good thing he was testing it now.
"It's quite interesting isn't it? Most tribal societies tend to be fairly low tech but these people have managed to achieve quite a few technological improvements, even over the human world, it would seem their localized society and simple governmental structure has benefitted them. It probably would not work for a larger or more robust population but for a relatively smaller group like this they've used it to their advantage." Mr. Bones observed, starting to theory craft. Danny and Youngblood just gave the bird blank stairs.
"Ugh, you boys could at least try and appreciate the world around you a little. I'm sure Miss Mclain would appreciate my observations." The parrot rolled his eyes.
"No she wouldn't." Danny retorted.
"You're not the only one who can delude themself you know." Bones sighed at him.
"What does that mean?!"
The conversation was cut off by the return of the guard.
"It would seem you came at an opportune time, while the Chieftain's schedule is rather full he is currently at lunch and invited you to join him for it so that you may speak."
Frostbite was indeed at lunch and if Danny didn't already know the large ghost was a bit of a softy he'd be terrified at how efficiently he devoured his meal. He idly wondered what kind of animals lived here that they could even eat but that would be getting a bit too off track.
"Ah young Phantom! It's good to see you again." Frostbite grinned and waved him over. "No issues with your ice core anymore?"
"None so far, your training certainly helped. I am thinking of lowering the temperature a bit more in my lair though." Danny greeted him.
"Shouldn't be too hard once you put your mind to it. I'm sorry I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting your friend?"
"Chuck Youngblood." The ghost introduced himself before pausing. "Uhhh am I supposed to bow? What's the electric here?"
"That's etiquette, not electric." Bones corrected his compatriot.
"Oh sorry." Youngblood apologized to the much larger ghost.
Frostbite just laughed at the exchange. "No need for bowing. Please have a seat, Chillmax mentioned that you wanted to talk to me about something in the Barrens?"
"Right, before we start, how much do you know about what the Barrens are normally like.
"Hmm, from what I know it's a dangerous and lawless place, made worse by the fact that many of the newborn natural ghosts find themselves there. Walker, the Warden, supposedly tries to keep a tight leash on things but is generally unsuccessful for the most part." Frostbite summarized. "Am I correct in that?"
"Mostly, though Walker's tight leash is less from his efficiency and more because of his incredibly idiotic rules and punishments."
"They can't be that bad…?" Frostbite trailed off seeing the other Barrens residents faces. "Oh dear, so what's changed?"
"Well, me." Danny shrugged. "I've been feeding my obsession and apparently since my core is young enough it's kind of building up power."
"So let me guess, you're now stronger than Walker, so you walked up to him and told him to quit it or something along those lines?"
"I kind of told him I was in charge now and he had to deal, and yes looking back I can see that was a dumb move but I can't really go back now."
Frostbite hummed and folded his hands, ice interlacing with fur. "Well I must say that is a monumentally stupid decision. Though you're probably right about not being able to rescind it and since you're here, I presume you're doing your best to embrace it."
"Yeah, I'm not sure if you can help or even have the time or want to but I figured I could at least ask."
The yeti ghost sighed at him. "I acknowledge your desire to try and right an unjust system but you jumped into things far too soon. Currently I do not have much time to spend trying to aid you in your efforts, to get the Barrens in order I presume?"
"Maybe not in order but at least make it so we don't have to worry about being attacked by either rogues or so called officers around every rock and island." Danny explained a bit.
"Right, I can offer you some advice, there are no doubt ghosts in the area who feel the same way as you and may wish to aid you. I suggest you seek local help to help firm up your position, as strong as you may be now you are inexperienced and until you master duplication, you can only be in one place at once." Frostbite advised the young ghost.
"Duplication?" Danny asked before blinking. "Oh right, I remember now that lets you split yourself into multiple bodies right?"
"Yes, it can be quite a useful power, although it is difficult, I tend not to use it due to the toll it can take over long periods of time and the fact you must split your power between bodies." Frostbite explained, "It can take a mental toll on you, not just a physical one."
"That's something to keep in mind but other than look around for ghosts who might support me is there anything else you can suggest?" Danny was reluctant to try pushing the other ghost to waste his own resources helping him deal with the stupid decision he'd made. But he'd happily take what advice he could get.
"Hmmm, well, and I understand if you're reluctant to try this, have you tried talking to Walker yet?"
"I mean, yeah I kind of had to when I took over from him."
Frostbite waved his hand. "No, no. I mean have you talked to him about working together? I can't imagine he likes the idea of losing his power. If you are stronger than him now he may not have much of a choice but to accept your position, that does not mean he will not try to undermine it. But if you give him some autonomy with oversight he may be one of your greatest allies."
"I… did not consider that." Danny admitted thinking about it. There was some logic to it although it may have been asromgic. "It feels like it could backfire in my face, but all things considered it might be my best choice."
"You've put yourself in a dangerous position young Phantom, the road forward, whichever you choose may be difficult but I wish you luck on whatever path you tread."
"Thank you Frostbite." the phantom accepted and stood up from the table. "Sorry to bother you."
"No trouble, although I would appreciate it if you could call in advance next time." The yeti smiled at him and waved goodbye as they left.
Later…
"This is a stupid idea." Ember muttered as they flew through the zone at a blistering pace.
"Probably, but considering the one leader I know could only really offer us advice, going around begging all the other leaders will probably only make me look bad. Besides we don't have anything to offer in exchange yet."
"Freaking politics." The rock star muttered bitterly. She then winced. "Ah crap, we're becoming the man."
"I don't really think people use that slang anymore." Youngblood pointed out to her.
"I don't really care." She shot back.
"Fair enough." The smaller ghost admitted.
"If you two don't wanna deal with him, I don't blame you, you can head back and do whatever. This is my problem, I'll figure out how to solve it."
"I mean…" Ember looked reluctant to just cut and run but she obviously didn't want to deal with Walker. "How about we just wait outside the office, you can deal with him, we'll make sure the guards don't try anything."
Youngblood nodded in agreement, "Sounds like a plan."
"Alright, thanks for having my back." The prison came into sight, slowly growing larger as they approached. "Can't say I'm looking forward to this."
"If it makes you feel any better." his female friend said as they arrived at the gate, "I doubt he'll enjoy it anymore than you will."
"It actually does, a little bit at least."
The prison hadn't changed much, even despite Danny's declaration, the guards still glared and so did the prisoners. There weren't any new apparent damages so there probably hadn't been any riots either. Although the guards didn't even bother trying to stop them as they went on their way, so that was something new.
Arriving at Walker's office he nodded at his friends and stepped inside.
"About time you came back punk." Walker muttered at the boy as he walked in. "I was honestly starting to think you were stupid enough to try and hold onto that dumbass decision."
"Well don't count me out just yet." Danny told him, choosing to remain standing instead of sitting down in the chair.
"You're kidding." Walker's gaze was a mix between a look of bafflement and a glare of fury. "You've just barely scratched the surface of what it takes to be in the charge of this wasteland and you're seriously thinking about holding onto it?"
"Yes." Danny told him simply. "Walker, let's be frank, I don't like you much and I doubt you feel much better about me." The silence spoke volumes so he continued. "But you've been in charge for years, centuries if not longer. Like it or not, I'm the strongest free ghost here."
"That can be changed." Walker threatened.
"How? I've already taken down the biggest threat you ever brought in and without the body count you had. And besides that, I'm not alone." He glared at the older ghost though he didn't seem to want to back down.
He returned to his earlier point. "But whether I like it or not, you have a hell of a lot more experience than I do. So I suggest, rather than cut one of us out, I say we try and work together."
The silence was deafening. Walker's jaw was hanging and it occurred to Danny this might have been the first time he'd ever seen the warden surprised.
He decided now was the time to push his luck. "Look, I think most of your rules are stupid, but this place does need rules. I won't try and force you to throw the book out or anything but maybe take a harder look at it and stop focusing on making new ones. Instead just try and enforce the ones that could affect the greater Barrens instead of just the petty contrivances."
"This is ridiculous." Clearly looking ready to throw the entire idea out.
"But it makes sense!" Danny pressed. "You have the fortified positioning, the other regions recognize you, but I'm stronger and I can actually enforce things better than you. Please!" He shouted just as Walker was looking ready to give another rebuttal. "Just give it a trial run. I've put a good chunk of the stronger ghosts in here but you have the facilities. You'd have an empty prison without me and I'd have nothing to do with the troublemakers without you!"
Walker was silent, clearly contemplating.
"So Walker, just give this a chance. For the good of the Barrens." He held out a hand.
The warden stared at the hand a moment. He stood up and walked around the desk. He looked out a barred window into the depths of the zone. At last he turned around and grasped Danny's hand.
"For the good of the Barrens, Phantom."
I HAVE BEEN WAITING TO DO THIS FOR SUCH A LONG TIME.
Like some people picked up on the mentor student thing Walker and Danny had going on a long time ago. But with all the fics as Walker the ooh big bad lawful evil villain, I wanted to do something different.
So Danny's in charge, but he's got Walker helping him. God I can't wait to continue this plotline.
So this chapter was mostly dealing with the consequences of Danny's bold declaration last time. We haven't seen the end of the troubles this has caused but we'll see the good changes it brings about as well.
Anyway, a few big things planned for the next chapter. But for now, reviews!
cg037: I'm more than happy to!
Kalstorm99: Thank you. Danny is pretty cool.
Wolfking0811: I mean, I took the original concept from the Obsession series in the crossover section but I didn't want to wholly rip off how it was used so I figured out something different to do. Oddly enough I didn't actually see the conqueror's haki in action until I decided what I wanted it to do exactly.
zixalZane: Glad you liked the fight! A part of me was worried people would skip past it to get to the dialogue bits.
Johnny Boy: Totally.
RedRock12: Yeah, i probably could have dropped the fudge bit though. Those fudge jokes were a dumb move on my part.
Guest: Yeah my author notes were pretty shit for awhile, I think I've made them more bearable now. At least more so than your review :P. Although yeah the writing was pretty bad, it's why I'm rewriting parts of this.
FriendlyNeighborhoodImbecille: I would not have called it a book but you're not wrong, I actually put together the chapters up to about 20 or so in a single doc and it's over a hundred pages. All the same, I'm glad to hear you liked it!
louniq: Not quite dead yet. And I understand not reading my other stuff as it does spread over fandoms but I do have a new Danny Phantom/Young Justice crossover if you want more Danny Phantom!
And that's all for now folks! Have a good one!
~FriTik
R&R