Chapter Five: Fenton Family Adventure
Disclaimer: See chapter one
Well, hello, fellow Danny Phantom fan, and I hope you are enjoying this story as much as I am having making it. Funny enough, this chapter, start to finish I wrote in about six and half hours. It just poured out of me, which is a bit interesting as most chapters I work a bit on as I have ideas, so the fact that I literally started with nothing and wrote about twenty-one pages of some hopefully quality material is impressive.
I'll stop tooting my own horn now, I was actually inspired for this chapter by a fan art piece I saw on Deviantart about that was the family taking a trip into the Ghost Zone. One last thing, Lumas, this one is for you, you'll know what I mean by that later.
Anyway, on with the Show:
It was early August that the entire Fenton family was able to have some time to themselves, so they did the only logical thing for a family of ghost hunters that have a working portal to the Ghost Zone: Take a trip inside. Jack and Maddie were giddy as heck to do so, Jack was nearly bouncing off the walls. "You know, it is odd to think about, we have had the portal for years as well as various incarnations of the Specter Speeder and yet we haven't ever taken a trip into the Ghost Zone," Jack said as they readied the Specter Speeder.
"it is indeed a bit odd, but then again, considering how many dangerous risks that may be posed just by entering it, or by its inhabitants to us, is probably why it took us this long to do so," Maddie said.
"Safety reminder that I want everyone to remember, in the Ghost Zone, humans are the Ghosts, meaning that ghosts and almost anything made from ectoplasm can't touch us. Humans and real-world tech phase through things like walls, like as if a ghost was using their intangibility in our world, so Danielle, if we end up in a sticky situation, like say if walls are closing in on us, turn back to human, you will be fine," Danny said, reminding them oof that important information.
"Good to know," Danielle said, who was already in Ghost form.
"Also if we run into any of the Rogues, let me deal with it," Danny said in a way that left no room for arguing.
"Alright, do we have everything we need?" Jazz asked, as she took her seat in the speeder behind the controls as she had experience driving it, so that Mom and Dad could focus on observing their surroundings.
"I believe so, let's get this train on the rails," Jack said, the rest of the family was a bit confused by his turn of phrase. Jack and Maddie took their seats in the Speeder. Danny led the way into the portal followed by Danielle, and then the Speeder.
"Whoa," almost everyone said as they entered the Zone proper.
"Welcome, to the Ghost Zone, also known as the Infinite Realms," Danny said into the Fenton Phone in his ear to talk with everyone else.
"This place is amazing," Jack remarked.
"Also very creepy," Jazz said.
"I said the same thing my first time in here, Jazz, when I first ran into Walker," Danny remarked, the last bit of it with a bit of certain look on his face of bitterness as he remembered that encounter.
"Let it go, big bro," Danielle said, her voice shook Danny out of the line of thought that he was in.
"Right, there are things to see," Danny said. He led them in tour of the Ghost Zone, pointing out realms he recognized from afar, like Walker's prison, or the Clock Tower. He had decided not to visit Clockwork due to the fact that Dan was out of the thermos.
"So, Danny what is with all the doors?" Jack asked his half ghost son.
"Ah, that is an interesting matter, see many ghosts prefer to have a door that would lead to their realm, in some ways this to provide a bit of privacy, also helps to keep the Zone a bit neater, as it would be a bit more of an issue if every realm was out in the open. Now as for the ones that are in the open, for example, Walker is so that the idea of someone is enforcing law and order, of some kind, is ever present, others want to strike terror into other ghosts, Skulker, or are just friendly, like Frostbite," Danny explained. Perhaps subconsciously, he had lead them all the way to Pariah's Keep.
"There lies Pariah's Keep, where the King lies in eternal slumber, also the home of his greatest servant, the Spirit of Halloween, the Fright Knight. I don't want to visit at all as I don't know if the Fright Knight is awake or not, and I don't want to find out," Danny said.
"That's fair enough," Maddie said, recalling Danny's file on both mentioned Ghosts. They turned around and started to head back across the Zone.
When Danny realized they were near Skulker's island, he hoped the Hunter wouldn't notice them. On point with his luck, several shots rang out from the island, barely missing him and the Speeder, 'great, he has seen us,' he thought. "Well, who wants to meet the leader of my rogues gallery?" nobody was really eager to do so, but it wasn't like Skulker was going to give them the chance to deliberate on the matter as he flew up to them on with his jetpack.
"Well, Well, it is not every day that prey comes to you," Skulker said.
"Stow it Skulker, I am in no mood to deal with you right now, we are having a nice family journey through the Zone as everyone but me has never been here and I don't need you to muck it him," Danny's temper was rising, he had fought the Hunter of Spirits far too many times that it was almost merely an annoyance to deal with him.
Skulker's eyebrows raised in question, as usually they would have some witty banter and they would fight. He shifted his eyes between Phantom and the craft, then settling on the girl that floated next to him. "Who are you?"
"I am Danielle Phantom, you will learn to fear me, ghost. I have been trained by the best to handle your kind," Danielle said, trying to act tough in front of the leader of her brother's rogues gallery, the one that Danny always seemed concerned about when it came to her.
"How precious, you are a halfa as well, aren't you? It seems I have a new prize to try to catch," While true to his nature, Skulker would realize that it was a bad thing to say at the current time.
Danny floated up to his enemy, with a look on his face that Skulker had seen only one other time, when Danny had come after him looking for his older sister, but it seemed fiercer than before. Getting up in the Hunter's face, Danny's voice was low, almost a growl, "You stay away from her, your hunt is with me, and only me, leave her out it. Furthermore, you will let us be today, in fact send word to rest of the group that we are not to be messed with today, got it?" Skulker's brow arched even further in confusion.
'What has gotten into him? this is not the same Whelp I have a good fight with,' Skulker asked himself in thought, but seeing the boy's face, convinced Skulker that this was not the time to start a fight. "Alright, Whelp, I will do so, you'll have your pass for the day, but I can't speak for every ghost outside the Rogues."
Danny's face softened back to normal, "Thank you Skulker, can't believe I just said that, hey one question, if you please: Have you ever hunted Vlad Plasmius in the past?"
"I have in the past, but one of the first times we met he was already way beyond me, and he gave off the impression that he would end me if I tried. Plus, he had offered me a job with upgrades as payment, and I thought it was a good deal," Skulker answered, not really sure what was going on.
"That is what I thought, goodbye Skulker, we will have our battle next time we meet," Danny said, before turning to go back to the family and head off in a different direction.
Skulker floated there for a moment longer before returning to his Island, as he landed he activated the communicator in his wrist gauntlet, "This is Rogue Leader, come in Rogue group."
"Rogue Two checking in," Technus's voice came over the line.
"Rogue Three, what is it Skulker?" Walker's southern drawl came in over the comms.
"I want everyone to check in before I tell you what is going on," Skulker answered the Warden's question by avoiding it. One by one the others checked in.
"We're all here Skulker, what's the fire?" Ember's voice came through.
"I just had a weird encounter with the Whelp, and his family," based on the way Skulker said the world whelp, the others knew that he was talking about Phantom, "for today, I am issuing a noninterference order for all of us, if you see them in the Zone, let them pass unimpeded," Skulker knew the others were going to be incredulous at that notion.
"Something really weird must have happened in your encounter for you to issue that," Poindexter spoke up.
"Yeah, the kid didn't seem to be himself, he seemed a bit angrier, more than usual, as if seeing me was enough to agitate him," Skulker said.
"Well given how things have been going for us the last few weeks when we visit the human world, this encounter you had only adds to the situation we find ourselves in," Ember said, recalling the concert that the dipstick had broken up with his new police unit.
"I concur," Technus inputted, recalling his encounter.
"I think maybe it is time we have a talk with him," Spectra said, putting forward the idea.
"Not a bad idea, let us deliberate on that idea for a bit and well go from there. There is something else, another halfa is in play, a young girl, supposedly Phantom's younger sister," Skulker said in an odd way, as it had left him confused, and knew the others would be confused as well.
"Another one?" Walker asked, "as if one wasn't bad enough."
"Where would she have come from?" Desiree asked the question the rest were thinking.
"I don't know, but I do know someone that may have some answers, I'll let the group know what I find out," Skulker ended the call with the others, closing his communicator and activating his jets to go in search of his sometimes employer, Vlad Plasmius. Things were turning in ways that both did not make much sense to the Hunter and in ways that he did not like. "What is going on Danny Phantom, what is going on?" he asked the open void of the infinite realms, not expecting an answer.
Back With the Fentons
As they sped away from the Hunter ghosts' lair, they flew in silence for a time, until Jazz broke the still air. "What was that about Danny?" she asked concerned.
Danny was quiet for a moment before answering, "I have fought Skulker one too many times, so any time I see him now, my ire rises considerably," he said, but that wasn't the whole of it, but that is what he told them.
"Part of your burnout, Danny?" Jazz asked.
"Yeah, that is part of it. He also now knows about Danielle's existence, and no doubt will be looking to hunt her too as he remarked that he now had a new prize to try to catch, and he will no doubt know soon enough about her origins, which puts her in more danger from him," Danny said.
"You don't need to protect me, you know, I can handle myself in a fight," Danielle said.
Danny turned his head to look at her, "I love you little sis, but frankly in my eyes, you are not ready, not for them." He did admit to himself that she was nearly ready.
"Then when will I be? When you say so?" Danielle almost demanded an explanation from her big brother.
"You are nearly ready, in fact I believe you can take on most of them no problem, but Rogue's members one, two, and three are a different matter. Heck, both Mom and Jazz, along with Sam took down numbers four, five and seven/eight?" Danny had to pause in thought there as he couldn't figure out Kitty's number, "and they don't have powers, and you will be ready for them, I am sure of it," he half lied that last part, while he though she could take Johnny and Kitty and below, he wasn't sure about Desiree and up. Jazz knew something was up with Danny and made sure to mentally to speak to him about it at first chance.
"Who are those numbers?" Danielle asked.
"Ember, Spectra, and Kitty, as for the lower/higher numbers, Skulker, Technus, and Walker, as for who is number 6 if you are wondering that would be Desiree," he said.
"Ah, okay," Danny had filled her in on the names and encounters with each of them so she knew who he was talking about.
An uncomfortable silence fell on the family again, until Danny decided to get off the subject, "lets go visit Frostbite and the Far Frozen," he turned and led them toward the Far Frozen.
Reaching the Far Frozen, they had landed the Speeder on a makeshift landing platform that Frostbite must have had his people build after one of his recent visits, or Clockwork have told them that the family would be visiting, either was a possibility.
Frostbite greeted them, "Hail, Great One and family, welcome to the Far Frozen, we are honored by your visit."
"It is good to see you too, Frostbite," Danny said, as he hugged his friend in greeting.
"What brings you to our cold abode?" Frostbite asked.
"A family adventure into the Ghost Zone, as everyone else had never been," Danny answered.
"Well you have great timing, a great feast is being prepared, we would be honored if you will join us," Frostbite said, hospitable as always.
"Thank you Frostbite, we gladly accept," the Fentons followed after the Ghost through the halls. As they walked, Jazz grabbed Danny's shoulder, and Danny knew she had realized something was up with him. "Hey, we'll catch up in a minute, don't worry, I remember the way from one of the last time I was here."
"All right, don't dally long, or your food will be as cold as the snow," Frostbite said with a chuckle and led the others away down the hall to the dining hall.
When they were alone, and the others were out of earshot, Jazz crossed her arms and turned serious, "okay, want to tell me what is going on with you? I know you were holding back information with Danielle and that whole interaction with Skulker."
Danny sighed, "She isn't ready to fight them, sure, she is strong and capable in her own way, but it isn't enough."
"What has got you so worried about her? It's almost like you think she is your daughter, not your sister, and by extension of that, as a parent you want to keep your child safe," Jazz said.
"You hit the nail on the head, as she was created from me, sure it is technically the same genes as you and I have, it was me that was the template that used to create her. Also, seeing her literally melt into ectoplasm in front of you does not do any favors in that regard. Yes, I know I said I needed only a week to adjust, but the truth is I am still struggling with it. Also, despite the effort we have made to make Amity Park safe from them, I still worry that it is not enough to protect her," Danny explained.
"I understand, I do, but please little bro, let it go. Yes, I can see that you are struggling with the transfer of responsibility. We all want to fight alongside you, not having you fight for us. You have done more than enough for everyone. Let us help, you fought nearly alone for too long and it has affected you severely. You need a vacation," Jazz said, concerned just how much his fighting weighed on him.
"I'll take a vacation when the work is done," Danny said, "look, I am sorry I have been on edge lately and so worrisome about Danielle, its just…" he trailed off, not really knowing what to say.
"You are dealing with some form of PTSD, I hope it will fade in time, as you ease back from the hero life, back more towards a civilian life, but it has definitely left its mark on you. If you need to talk to someone, I am always willing to listen. I also think you should have a sit down with Danielle and lay everything out," Jazz said.
"Thank you Jazz, for everything, I may not have always been appreciative of your efforts, but I am now," Danny said, grateful to have had this chat with Jazz. She embraced him tightly, as it seemed that he needed a good hug.
"Hey, you guys coming? They just brought the food out," Danielle called from down the hall.
"On our way," Danny called down the hall, partially smiling again, to Jazz's contentment. The feast was grand as it had been when we had visited the first time. Plates overflowing with meats and veggies, a meal that both Tuck and Sam would have been jealous of.
During the course of the meal, "How about a tour of city afterward?" frostbite asked from the head of the long table.
"We would be honored," Maddie said, after wiping her face with a napkin.
"I will have one of my most trusted advisors show the tree oldest among you around, while I will take the younger two for training in Ice abilities," Frostbite said, to everyone's slight confusion. "While you may not need training in Ice, Danny, the young one does, I can sense her core already and it would be good to get her up to speed. I noticed it when I visited."
"That is good to know, I thought it would take a bit for her to manifest her abilities," Danny said.
"It is probably better that we start her training now so that when it fully develops, it doesn't backfire like it nearly did when you had yours made itself known," Frostbite said.
"I see your point," Danny agreed. They finished their meal and then split up for the tour and training respectively. Reaching the training grounds, Danny commented on the fact that there was no one in the stands.
"Well, after you were trained, it kind of scared all of my people away from watching these kind of trainings," Frostbite said.
"Whoops," was all he could say about that.
"Nice bro," Danielle said snarly.
A few hours of exercises and Danielle was able to conjure a few small icicle blasts since her core wasn't fully strong enough yet to have the same strength as Danny's when he was training. Still frostbite was pleased with her progress in such a short amount of time. "It is important to remember that the cold elemental alignment of your core needs to build up so that has nowhere to go but out, this is how you will be able to harness these abilities," Frostbite lectured.
"Speaking of elemental alignment, is there such thing as a fire core or a heat related core," Danny asked, with his evil counterpart in mind.
"There is, in fact if a ghost has a core, which is actually rare, it is either cold or hot, it is usually manifested in small amounts at first, but as you know can become an issue until it is allowed to be let out," Frostbite told him, then asked "is this related to your dark self that I met when we came to your house?"
"Yeah, it would be useful to know as far as what to expect with him. Despite being a full ghost, not half of one, he still has a ghost sense and it is red," Danny told his friend.
"Ah, I see, that means whenever he became the way he did, his cold core must have been either corrupted along with everything else about him, or it changed as well, which is even more of a rarity," Frostbite said.
"I see, well that makes sense, considering his hair is literally a burning flame, as it once caused a fuel tank that I had knocked him into to ignite and explode. Is it something I need to worry about? Is a fire core stronger than an Ice?" Danny asked.
"No, they are equal in base power, but what matters is the strength of will and ability to summon strength and put it into their abilities," Frostbite assured him.
"Well at least he does not yet know about that yet," Danny said.
With the tour and training over, the Fentons bid Frostbite farewell and hoped to meet again soon, Danny assured him that he would keep him informed on Danielle's progress. Leaving the Far Frozen, they turned and few off toward home. When they got home, they all went their separate ways through the house, satisfied but exhausted by the trip they had.
With Skulker
Skulker was flying through the Zone, thinking about his encounter with Danny. It sort of unnerved him to say the least. He knew had to find the one person that would probably be able to tell him what the deal was with the youngest one. Skulker found a natural portal and entered it, while normally dangerous to do, he had Vlad and later Technus help upgrade his suit to tell him what natural portals to take so that he could go between the Ghost Zone and the human world and make sure he was in the modern day. Once in the human world, he activated a transponder that if Vlad activated the other end it would lead the hunter to his employer. It took a few minutes but eventually Skulker got a lock on where he needed to go and activated the overdrive on his jets to get there quickly.
When he arrived at the location he was taken back a bit as it was a cave that he was led to, 'what happened,' he thought as he made his way down the cave to the bottom where a makeshift camp and laboratory was set up. Skulker called out "Vlad, you there?" Plasmius showed himself.
"What do you want Skulker, can't you see I am in a bit of a predicament," Vlad said as he waved to indicate the state he was living and working in.
"What happened to you?" Skulker asked.
"That little brat known as Daniel Fenton exposed both me and him as half-ghosts to the world. While he is heralded as a hero, I am hunted as a villain," Vlad spat, angry and bitter about the situation. "Now, I'll ask again, what do you want Skulker?"
"Just some information, what do you know about a young girl halfa that looks like the Whelp," Skulker asked.
"Danielle, the failed attempted clone of Phantom that is somehow still alive," Vlad said.
"Wait, Clone?" Skulker asked, his mind racing between how this knowledge made her even more unique to him, and therefore a more interesting prize, but on the other hand, it seemed wrong somehow to him to know she is a clone, at least now he knew why Danny seemed so protective of her earlier.
"If you want a job, you can hunt down and kill that little brat and bring me her body," Vlad said, with a certain kind of emotion that for unknown reasons made Skulker feel a bit odd, which didn't make much sense to him at the moment, he would have to mull over this.
"I'll think about, in the meantime, anything else I can help you with," Skulker said, hoping there was at least something else he could do while he figured out what to do about the girl.
"I need someone who can get parts for me to build a new portal, I can't get anywhere near Amity Park and the parts I need are damn near impossible for me to get now," Vlad said.
"That I can help with," Skulker said, glad to have something else to do. Vlad gave him a list of parts to steal and where he could look for them. Skulker took off from Vlad feeling weird about the information he had learned. Once he was back in the Ghost Zone he opened his communicator and waited for the rest of the group to check in before telling them what Vlad had told him about the newest halfa's origin. Most were in some way disturbed by that information.
"What do you plan to do about her Skulker," his girlfriend's voice shook him from his thoughts.
"I don't know yet, Vlad wants me to find some parts for him to build a portal, I am going to do that while I figure out what is going on, for a reason I don't understand, I feel wrong knowing about her origin," Skulker told them.
"It sounds like the great hunter has a conscience after all," Poindexter said. Some of the others snickered loudly at that notion. Skulker ignored them.
"Right now, my hunt will only worry about the whelp, the girl is a different matter to be decided upon at a later date," Skulker said.
"Probably for the best," Ember said.
"Skulker out," Skulker closed his wrist communicator, and flew off toward his island to think over the next prudent course of action.
Elsewhere in the Zone:
Clockwork had been observing the Fenton family trip into their world, Dan would come and go about the Clock Tower, however he had been in the room during the time when Clockwork had been watching the interactions with Frostbite, when Danny had asked about the fire core possibility for Dan, a frown crossed the time master's face, "Uh oh," was all the time master said as he knew Dan was right next to him.
"I have fire powers? More than just using ectoplasm to ignite fires?" Dan laughed, "oh Danny boy, our date with destiny can't come soon enough." Clockwork didn't say anything, but simply raised his time scepter and bopped Dan on the head. "Ow, what was that for this time?" Dan asked the Lord of Time, placing a hand on his head in the spot the scepter had hit him.
"You know why, also to slightly reset your progress on recovering your strength," Clockwork said with a smirk on his face.
"I don't like you," Dan said.
"Fortunately, I don't care if you do like me or not, I am your keeper, your jailor," Clockwork said, not even turning his head to look at the dark ghost in his care, "now why don't you run along and go find something else to do in the tower," he dismissed the other ghost. Dan huffed and left the room.
"What am I going to do with him?" Clockwork asked the open air, as to just voice the question aloud. Turns out he wasn't as alone in the room as he thought he was.
"You should destroy him," a voice said, Clockwork sighed, he knew who it was and he did not want to deal with the Observants right now.
"Every day he continues to exist, is one step closer to disaster, destroy him and be free of him, protect the timeline and the present," the other of the Observant duo said.
"You know that as long as he exists, your other, favorite charge is in danger and that they will do battle once again," the first observant said.
"Yes, I know that, I know everything, by keeping him here, I keep Daniel safe and give him the time to prepare for that day," Clockwork said, irritated by this conversation.
"Why do you dally, end the dark one and avert Judgment Day," the second Observant asked.
Clockwork scowled further, not even looking at the two ghosts that had intruded on his inner sanctum without warning, "because that day has become fixed point in time, the battle at Judgment Day, between good and evil counterparts must happen, but I would be remiss if I did not have a plan to sway the outcome in Daniel's favor," he told the Observants.
"In other words, you plan to cheat," One of the Observants said, Clockwork wasn't paying attention to which of them was speaking now.
"Yes, that is one way to look at it. Now, if your done questioning me, let me ask one of my own, have you observed where the the Crown of Fire and the Ring of Rage are?" he turned the interrogation on them.
"Not yet," one of them said.
"Find them, and until then, keep your corrupt, autocratic butts out of my tower, and if you do need to come speak with me here, knock on the front door. Now, observe the way out," Clockwork turned his head to glare at them. They wisely teleported out of the realm. Clockwork now had a headache and left his observation room to get something to relieve it. As he got a glass of water, he said to himself "When I make him King, the first thing I am doing is have him dismantle the Observants and their council, but that is for another day." Clockwork went to have a light lie down to abate his headache.
Well there you have it everyone, Chapter five of this tale, and to be honest, this was not my original plan as of last chapter's posting on Tuesday, but when I sat down today, I swear, I was guided by something in this direction, this chapter poured out of me, with barely any time in between ideas, it must have bene that as I wrote one idea the next seamlessly came to me and it was incorporated and I am glad it happened, I don't get many times that happens.
Next few chapters will be out probably fairly quickly as I have already started them and already have a good bit written for them, so that helps making this story. On the downside, I will need to adjust some of the later stuff I have written to be in line with this one. Oh well, I am pleased with what this turned out as. See you all next time.
The Emperor is Out. Peace.