DarkFoxKit: New story, new perspectives, new ideas. Although I guess it's technically the same story but remade? Revamped?
ZAFT: Pretty much a revamped version. XD
Takuya: This had better not be like the last series. You two had too much fun tormenting me and Andy! DX
Andy: I have a feeling it's going to be worse.
DarkFoxKit: Oh, come on, it's not going to be that bad.
Andy: I know you, and I've worked with you for years now.
DarkFoxKit: Okay, maybe I don't have the best track record. But people like watching you suffer. At least you'll grow from it, right?
ZAFT: Yeah, so look at it as a fun time with this new version~ XD
(Two symbols, one red, and one blue, spin before colliding and flaring with light as they do so, showing the title)
Digital Phantom!
(Shows six forms in shadow before they are revealed to be Danny Fenton, Sam Manson, Tucker Foley, Takuya Kanbara, Andy Fenton, and Jazz Fenton)
Falling into destiny
(A swirling green portal is shown, followed by the sky and cities of the living world before a computer monitor is zoomed in on, revealing another world of lush greenery through that)
Reaching across new boundaries
(Andy Fenton appears with Jazz beside him. Takuya Kanbara appears behind him as well, the form of Agunimon appearing behind Takuya himself)
Let our stories come together
(Andy is shown with the form of Phantom beside him, a shadowed form with blue eyes behind the ghost boy)
Growing stronger
(Andy looks on at Phantom fighting before running to help the ghost boy by taking out his Fenton Rod)
Our pasts intertwine
(Six glowing orbs of light are shown, each of a different color (red, teal, lavender, dark purple, white, and yellow) before the red orb speeds towards Takuya)
Showing our future
(Takuya holds up his D-Tector before fractal code surrounds him, dissipating as fire erupts from it, revealing him as Agunimon, lunging out from the fire as Plasmius fires off ecto-rays at him, only for a glowing orange orb to appear around Agunimon and deflect the beams)
As we evolve
(The blasts speed past the screen as Tucker is shown with a Fenton Wrist ray being fired at a ghost)
Let's go… EVOLUTION
(Sam is shown with her Fenton Lipstick, firing it at a different ghost)
As our worlds collide
(Jazz is shown beside Andy, her hand on his shoulder as Andy looked shell-shocked by something)
We stand as one
(Jack and Maddie Fenton are shown, with the Fenton Works logo behind them as it glows green)
Growing strong
(A shadowed form is shown with blue eyes and a glowing white blade erupting from what looks like a giant weapon in the form's hands)
As we move along
(Danny is shown walking down the street with those closest to him appearing one by one; Andy, Tucker, Sam, Takuya, and Jazz.)
CHOU… SHINKA!
(Fractal code is shown before it dissipates to reveal Agunimon lunging out of the dissipating data, fire around his left fist)
Let's go… EVOLUTION!
(The group is shown facing down Plasmius, who looms above them with hands outstretched as a dark form appears behind Plasmius himself.)
Nothing will stand in our way!
(Andy, Danny, Tucker, Sam, Jazz, and Takuya all appear with ribbons of fractal code streaming out from behind them, a swirling green orb behind the ribbons of fractal code.)
Digital Phantom!
Chapter 1: A Ghost Boy
Andy Fenton, a 14 year old boy living in a town called Amity Park. He sighed as he looked at his first line in the new journal he was writing. He had been recommended to write in this by his sister Jazz, who was 16 years old. Andy hesitated, decided maybe he should describe his family as a good way to start.
Andy decided to start with himself. He was just a normal white boy, living in America. He had raven black hair, it was kind of spiky, and it hung over his eyes slightly. He had emerald green eyes, he was an average height for a 14 year old boy, he was pretty thin and lean. He wore a black T-shirt with a blue triangle on his chest, and blue tips on his sleeves. He wore darkish red baggy pants, and blue and white sneakers.
Andy wrote down that he had a twin brother named Danny Fenton, who was also 14 years old. He looked identical to Andy, with the same black hair and hair style, same height, same thin body. The only real physical difference between the two were their eye colors. Danny's eyes were a baby blue color. Though to make things easier for others to tell them apart, Danny wore a white T-shirt, with a pale red oval on his chest, pale red tips on his sleeves, and baggy blue pants. He also wore red and white sneakers.
Andy moved on to their sister next.
Jasmine Fenton, also called Jazz, was taller than the twins, with long red/orange hair that went down her back. She had teal blue eyes and wore a blue headband in her hair. She wore a black long-sleeved shirt, and blue pants with black shoes. Jazz was also the same skin color as Andy too.
Andy began to write down his mother next. Maddie Fenton. She was a woman in her 40s, but she didn't look like it. She had a good way to look younger than she actually was. Her hair was shortish, but long enough to cover the sides of her head. Her hair was a brownish tan color, her eyes were purple. She often wore lipstick. She usually wore a teal colored hazmat suit over her clothes. Her arms and legs had black on them, and she had a black belt around her waist. She would sometimes put up her hood to cover her upper face, with only the red goggles showing her eyes.
The next family member Andy began to write about was his father, Jack Fenton. The man was in his 40s, and he was big, like really big. Jack towered above Maddie by at least a head, and he had a big girth. He had black hair with white on the sides and back of his head, leaving the top black. Jack also had blue eyes and a square jaw. He liked to wear a day-glo orange hazmat suit with black gloves and boots. Jack also had a hood with his hazmat suit, but with teal goggles, but he never wore it much.
Andy nodded to himself as he continued writing. Those were the Fentons. He paused for a moment before considering he should probably add in what they did.
Maddie and Jack were ghost hunters, as well as inventors. From what he knew, his parents talked about being into ghost research since their college days back in the 80s. They had a friend who helped them with their ghostly research, but an accident caused him to get hospitalized. Jack didn't like to talk about it very much. Many people considered Maddie and Jack to be 'crackpots' since not many people believed ghosts were real.
Andy sighed. Unfortunately, my sister Jazz is one of those people.
Andy couldn't help but notice a wedge between Jazz and their parents. Jazz used to think their parents were cool when she was 6, but these days she had been trying to distance herself from them, feeling embarrassed to be around them, especially in public. Jazz had taken up psychology, hoping to find a way to survive her adolescence, as well as try to convince her parents that ghosts weren't real.
His brother Danny was more neutral. He believed ghosts could possibly exist, but he didn't think they would ever truly see a ghost in their lifetime. If nobody had been able to document a real ghost after all this time, then they never would now. Danny was more easy going, he wasn't as embarrassed by their parents as Jazz was, but he had no interest in talking about ghosts, or listening to their parents' theories on ghosts, or how they plan to make something that could capture a ghost, or hurt them in some shape or form.
While their parents were a little too enthusiastic about ghosts, Andy had to admit they were geniuses when it came to their inventions.
In fact, most of the Fenton inventions were very well designed, looking quite futuristic in design. But that had nothing on their crown jewel, the Fenton Portal, which was a portal into another dimension, the so-called Ghost World or Ghost Zone, the world of the dead. Maddie and Jack had spent years making this Fenton Portal. They had poured their hearts and souls into making this portal. They had started on it not long after they had married and decided to move to Amity Park when they learned Amity Park was a hotspot for hauntings.
The Fentons had Jazz after about a few years living together. They took care of her, and then they had twins 2 years later. Maddie and Jack loved their children very much, and while they were still working on the Fenton Portal, they also made sure to take care of their kids. Maddie always made sure to keep the fridge stocked with food, even if Jack liked to keep his anniversary ham in there. On days when Maddie and Jack found a breakthrough, they made sure their kids would have enough to eat themselves when Maddie became too busy to cook. But even during their busiest days, they always tried to make time to spend with their kids.
Andy noted how Maddie would sometimes sigh and talk about how she missed how Jazz used to see them as a ghost fighting superhero when she was younger. Maddie would often talk to him or Danny about things, though Danny usually preferred to hang out with their friends since she and Jack would end up going onto the subject about ghosts.
Andy realized he had yet to write about his own relationship with his parents. Andy was likely the closest to his parents out of his siblings. He was sometimes embarrassed by how they would act in public, but he deemed that as normal since what teenager wouldn't be embarrassed by their parents? But he appreciated their work. He believed ghosts had to exist, because he wanted to believe there could be an afterlife after death. And while he wasn't sure about his parents' view on all ghosts being evil or mindless beasts, he couldn't say for sure if they were wrong either since he had never met a ghost before. He liked seeing what they would invent next, and he was fascinated to learn about these beings that he had never seen before, and what it would be like if these ghosts were in their world. And he was also grateful that despite their eccentricness and passion, they still loved their family, they loved each other, and they loved their children.
While it probably would've been nice if their parents were more 'normal' as Jazz would call it, Andy wouldn't want to change them if he could. Their passion for ghost hunting was what brought them together in the first place, and they just wouldn't be them if they were more normal, or more like everyone else. Andy was rather surprised Jazz couldn't see that, despite her study in psychology. He supposed her own teenage angst, and the people she hung out with, influenced her mindset, whether Jazz realized it or not. Andy had dabbled in psychology himself from time to time.
Andy sighed as he realized he probably shouldn't stall this out any longer. He needed to start writing the biggest reason why he even had a journal to begin with, and what happened a couple of weeks ago.
The Fenton Portal was finally completed two weeks ago. Maddie and Jack were very excited about it after they had finished their calculations. They wanted the whole family to witness them turning on the portal, so they brought Jazz, Danny, and Andy down into the lab. They had them wear their own, specially made hazmat suits to prevent ectoplasm poisoning. Jazz had a teal hazmat suit like Maddie, just in a smaller size. Andy and Danny on the other hand, had different suits, custom made ones. Danny's was white with black gloves and boots, as well as a black belt. Andy's suit was matching with the white, but the gloves, boots, and belt were all a navy blue color instead of black like Danny's.
Maddie and Jack were really excited as Jack held up the portal's plug, then he plugged it into an extension wire. There was a spark of electricity in the portal, but nothing else happened. They waited for a little while to see if anything would happen, but the portal was just as inactive as it was before Jack plugged it in. Seeing that nothing was happening, Jazz walked upstairs, throwing off her hazmat suit, saying that she knew this would happen. Maddie and Jack looked very disheartened to see after everything they had done, all the effort, the long years, everything they put into the portal was only for nothing. It was actually heartbreaking to watch as Jack and Maddie slowly went back upstairs.
It was then Danny decided to call for their friends to come over to the lab to check out the supposedly completed portal. Despite the portal not activating, Danny still thought it was cool.
Andy paused for a moment, realizing he would need to describe their friends next.
Andy wrote down about their friend Tucker Foley first. Tucker was a 14-year-old African-American boy with dark skin and black hair he wore under a red beret. He had blue eyes and wore glasses. His shirt he normally wore was a yellow color, and he wore army green pants with dark brown boots. Tucker was almost never seen without some kind of electronic device, either a PDA or something similar. Tucker had been their friend since they were toddlers.
Their other friend was Sam Manson. She was a 14 year old white girl. She had black hair in a bowl cut, though she wore a hair bow on top of her head. She had amethyst colored eyes, and purple lipstick. She liked to wear a black top with a purple oval in the middle, and a black miniskirt with green lines on it shaped like a tic-tac. She wore long purple socks, and black boots. Sam had been going through a goth phase just to spite her parents, though Andy felt she was a bit too emotional to be a real goth. She had been their friend since the 2nd grade.
Tucker was the technology nut of the four friends while Sam loved the supernatural stuff. Danny tended to love outer space, and even had model rockets in the room he shared with Andy. Andy didn't quite have any huge, obvious interest like the others did. He had his interests of course, but if he really had to choose, he might prefer just doing more research on ghosts, especially if they were real. Maybe if he could learn more about them, he could show his parents they might not be all hostile evilness, at least he hoped they weren't. Sometimes his friends and brother liked to call him the 'ghost nerd' due to this, though it was all in a good fun manner.
Andy himself had been very interested in the Fenton Portal, but it was a shame that his parents couldn't get it to work. Tucker and Sam met up with them in the lab. Maddie and Jack were too heartbroken to want to go back into the lab any time soon, so the kids had the lab to themselves.
Andy could still remember how it happened vividly in his head.
Sam took a picture of Danny and Andy standing in front of the inactive ghost portal, both of them holding their hazmat suits.
"That's another one for the scrapbook." Sam grinned.
Danny groaned as he blinked away the spots that were in his eyes. "Okay, I showed you guys the portal, now can we please get out of here? Besides, Mom and Dad say it doesn't work anyway." Danny grumbled.
"Even though it should," Andy remarked, frowning at the ghost portal like it had offended him.
"Bro, it's a dud. Mom and Dad tried it, and it won't work." Danny pointed out. "I love Mom and Dad, but this is going a bit too far. I mean, a portal to a realm of the dead? It sounds cool I admit, but that is science fiction."
"Well, if science fiction were real, you'd be into it," Andy pointed out. "Just imagine, what if this portal were to succeed? Mom and Dad could potentially make a teleportation portal that could go into space, or other planets."
Danny looked back at the portal again, the gears in his mind turning. Now that he thought about it… "You know what, bro? That would be cool." Danny said with a smile. "Who knows what kinds of cool things might lurk on the other side of that portal?"
"Why don't you go and check it out then?" Sam asked with a smile of her own.
"I can be on the lookout for your parents," Tucker suggested. "I have to admit, that is really cool. Even the inside looks futuristic."
"I don't know, what if it's dangerous?" Andy asked. "The portal may be inactive, but that doesn't mean it's safe to go into."
"C'mon bro, imagine it! A world where you could learn more about ghosts! That would totally be awesome!" Danny said with a grin as he slipped on his white and black hazmat suit. Danny then zipped up the front of his hazmat suit, revealing a sticker of Jack Fenton's face on it.
Andy shrugged before slipping on his own hazmat suit, zipping it up. His hazmat also had Jack Fenton's face on it.
"Oh my gosh…" Sam groaned before she approached the two. She quickly yanked the Jack Fenton stickers off of their chests. "I don't care if you two don't walk in public with those on, but you're not walking around with these ridiculous stickers on your chests."
Danny gave a cringe at the mental image of that as Tucker laughed at the thought.
"Thanks, Sam…" Danny admitted sheepishly.
"Yeah. Danny, you go ahead, just don't go too far in. I'm going to check the control panels to make sure it's safe to go in deeper," Andy said. "I'd rather not trip on a possibly active wire in there."
Danny turned to look at the portal again before he entered it. At the same time, Andy walked over to the control panels, pushing some buttons for something to come on the monitor. "Huh?"
"What?" Tucker asked, noticing Andy's surprise.
"The portal… isn't on?" Andy furrowed his eyebrows.
Suddenly, there was a beeping noise inside the portal. Andy and Tucker turned to the portal just in time to see the portal suddenly lightning up with green energy, and a loud, bloodcurdling scream that was inside it. Andy, in his panic, ran upstairs to get his parents to shut off the portal, not seeing the results.
While this was happening, Sam and Tucker were panicking, Andy could hear it.
Andy shook his head, getting out of the memory. It was the scariest day of his life. He thought he lost his brother. His parents were in a panic when they came down, seeing Danny lying on the ground, and the ghost portal was active. Tucker and Sam had managed to pull Danny out after the machine stabilized, but Danny wasn't waking up, nor was he breathing. Maddie and Jack were going to call an ambulance when Danny suddenly coughed, and was breathing again.
Everything had been in chaos for a while. Maddie and Jack kept an eye on Danny after that accident. Andy stayed near him, worried about him. Tucker and Sam stayed with him as well. But after some time, Mom and Dad went to check on the portal since it was now activated. They trusted Andy, Jazz, Tucker, and Sam to look after Danny and to let them know if anything happens to him. Tucker and Sam began to push Andy away from Danny's room, they wouldn't really explain why, just that they had it covered, and they wanted to keep Danny's door closed to keep a draft from coming in.
Some time later, Danny woke up again. But Andy and Jazz had missed his awakening, only Tucker and Sam were there when Danny woke up. Danny had looked a little freaked out, and for a while, he kept Jazz and Andy away from him. Locking his door, making Andy have to sleep on the couch since his room was in Danny's room. Andy wasn't sure what to think, he just knew his brother was scared about something, but Danny wouldn't talk to him.
Andy hated it. He hated how Danny had been isolating them, only really talking to Tucker and Sam these days. What did that portal do to him?
Andy leaned back on the couch he was sitting on, using the coffee table to write in his journal. He sighed to himself, wondering if this was how it was going to be from now on. He felt lonely these past couple weeks.
What Andy didn't know, or didn't see, was an invisible ghost boy watching Andy write in his journal, getting his thoughts out.
The invisible ghost boy slowly floated over closer to Andy, observing what he was doing and writing. Toxic green eyes, unseen by Andy, blinked as the journal's contents were read. A frown went unseen, but was on the ghost boy's face.
Later that evening, Andy could see on his calendar that school would be starting back up soon. It had been summer vacation while all of this was happening. He wasn't really looking forward to going to school, especially their first day of high school. He had heard all the stories about high school being tough. And with how his brother and friends had been acting, Andy wasn't sure he could survive school on his own.
Andy looked around his room, seeing that Danny wasn't here today. Danny had finally let Andy back into their room, and Danny was just gone. I guess he doesn't want to see me anymore…
Andy's depressed thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knock on the window. Blinking, Andy walked over to the window. He didn't see anything or anyone, he didn't know who could knock on the window since his room was on the second floor. He thought maybe someone was throwing rocks at the window.
Andy opened the window to see who would be throwing rocks at the window, but a piece of paper was suddenly in his face. Andy stumbled back, taking the paper off his face to see something written in it.
'Come to Central Park ASAP, alone'
Andy blinked, seeing the words had cut out magazine letters on it, likely so the writer wouldn't give away who they were with their handwriting. Andy furrowed his eyebrows, feeling this note was suspicious. Someone telling me to see them at central park, alone, at night? Sounds like a burglar waiting to ambush me. But… who would try to steal from a teenager? Or the Fentons? Everyone sees us as crackpots who believe in something that doesn't exist, at least in their eyes.
At first, Andy decided to wad up the paper and throw it into the bin. He was going to ignore it, because it was too suspicious. However, the note was still on his mind, and he couldn't help but feel curious. It wasn't like he had anything better to do other than worry about school, and wonder why the heck his brother and friends have been pushing him away. The boy might as well check it out.
But to make sure he wasn't defenseless if this was a criminal, Andy snuck into the lab to grab a weapon. A hard rod he could use to smack someone with to defend himself. The rod was retractable as well, so he could put it into his pocket. Andy also took his cell phone with him, hoping he wouldn't need to use it, but he brought it with him just in case.
Since it was a summer night, Andy didn't need to take a jacket with him. He just grabbed his moped, put a helmet on his head, and drove the moped all the way to central park.
The drive didn't take long, and soon Andy had parked his moped and was looking around for anyone who looked like they were waiting for him. His hand was on his rod. Unbeknownst to Andy, a form was watching him, but invisible.
Andy looked around for a little bit, only seeing squirrels running around. People didn't usually come to Central Park at night. Andy frowned, wondering where this person who sent him the note was. Just when Andy was about to give up and go back home, a voice that had an echo called out to him.
"Wait!"
Andy stopped, and turned around, his eyes went wide in shock when he suddenly saw a boy standing there. The boy looked to be his age, and he looked similar to Andy. He had the same hair style, and the same thin and lean body. His hair was unnaturally white, it was as white as snow. No human would have such white hair, even in their old age. The boy wore a mainly black hazmat suit, with white on his hands, arms, feet, legs, and his belt. But what caught Andy's attention the most were the unnatural glow around this boy's body, and… the eyes. The eyes were glowing a very unnatural green color. They didn't look like the eyes of a human being.
Alarmed and scared at this unnatural looking boy, Andy quickly held out the rod he took from the lab, extending it. "W-who are you!?"
"W-wait! I won't hurt you!" The glowing boy exclaimed as he held up his hands in a calm, passive gesture. "Just… put that rod away. I won't hurt you, I promise. Please calm down."
Andy frowned as he studied this unusual glowing being before him. The glowing boy looked unsure, nervous, almost contemplative, like maybe he was wondering if this was a good idea. Andy didn't let go of the rod, but he stood up, taking a less defensive position. Andy didn't know if he could trust this glowing boy yet, but he didn't want to scare him off either.
"What… exactly are you? You seem human, but you also… have traits that aren't human," Andy asked, still keeping his eyes on the glowing boy.
"Um… would you believe me if I said I was a ghost?" The glowing boy asked with a nervous grin.
Andy felt like he misheard the glowing boy, because even though he believed ghosts existed, he didn't think he would be face-to-face with one any time soon, let alone having it talk to him. "I'm sorry, did you just say you were a ghost?"
"Um… yes?" The glowing boy (ghost?) confirmed.
"You're… a ghost?" Andy repeated, seeming to try to wrap his head around that. "As in an entity that can go through walls, turn invisible, and fly, that kind of ghost?"
"Yes?" The ghostly boy replied. "... Are you trying to interrogate me or something?"
Andy wasn't sure what to think right now. Here was this glowing boy who claimed he was a ghost, just talking to Andy like this was a casual conversation. There was nothing casual about this conversation.
Trying to make sure this kid wasn't pulling some kind of elaborate prank on him, like using some kind of special effects to make himself glow, dyed his hair white for whatever reason, and wore some kind of special, glowing contact lens on his eyes, Andy looked at the boy.
"Prove it," Andy stated. "Prove to me you really are a ghost."
The boy who claimed to be a ghost looked nervous, but he did disappear before Andy's eyes, like actually fading away before reappearing in a similar manner. "Does that prove it? Or do you want me to fly a bit? Go through the ground?"
Andy didn't even answer, the self proclaimed ghost boy decided to do just that. He turned himself intangible, and sank underground like the ground wasn't even there. Then the supposed ghost boy came back up before he floated a few feet from the ground, he even moved around Andy in a circle just to show him he was actually flying and not using some kind of hanged wire trick or something.
Andy stared at the ghost boy. He had watched very carefully when the ghost boy did his tricks. He didn't see anything, not a single device, or hidden prop, or another person possibly, that could've pulled off these ghost tricks. They looked real. If that were the case, then this boy floating in front of him right now… was a true, genuine dead person.
When that realization hit Andy, he dropped his rod to the ground, and fell on his knees in shock. "I'm talking… to a dead teenager… I'm talking… to a dead teenager…"
"Hey, hey! Calm down! Please!" The ghostly boy pleaded. "I… Aw man… this was such a bad idea…"
The ghostly boy was starting to panic a little, seeing Andy's reaction. Andy, despite his shocked state, noticed how the ghost boy was reacting. He remembered how his parents always told him ghosts were evil beings who would pretend to have emotions to try to trick people into trusting them. But the ghost boy looked like he was genuinely scared of how Andy was reacting to him.
Andy pushed the thought of the ghost being a dead teenager out of his head for now. Since this kid seemed to be the real deal, this may be the best chance he would ever get to actually talk to a real ghost, no matter how… disturbing the implications may be.
Andy managed to stand back up on his feet, catching the ghost boy's attention. "You're… um… do you… feel like talking to me?"
"Um… that's… why I sent you that note…" The ghost bot stated, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean… you looked lonely, so…"
"I looked… lonely?" Andy blinked. "Were you… watching me?"
The ghost boy blushed, his face turning a slight green color on his cheeks. "Um… maybe…? B-but it's only because you looked like you needed someone to talk to!"
"I… didn't think a ghost would be concerned about a random human kid…" Andy admitted. "I… um… I actually don't know too much about ghosts. But my parents think you're evil beings who only want to hurt or use the living. You're the first real ghost I've ever met."
The ghost boy winced at the mention of being called evil. "Um… do I look evil? I mean… I may be a ghost, but I don't feel any urges to hurt the living or anything. I'm just a dead kid."
"Please don't say that." Andy frowned. "I'm still trying to ignore that fact about you to talk to you… I mean I don't want to sound insensitive, but… it's… really disturbing to think of you as… well… you know…"
"Don't remind me… I don't like it either…" The ghost boy admitted, his voice going soft. "It has only been a couple weeks for me…"
"Wait… what?" Andy looked at the ghost boy, his head snapping into attention. "You've only been d- a ghost for two weeks!?"
"Um… yeah…" The ghost boy admitted. "I'm… still trying to figure out being a ghost myself. I mean… I… it's just so… off-putting for me to be… you know…"
Andy frowned as he looked at the ghost boy. The ghost boy was new to being a ghost apparently. Andy didn't really know what would happen once someone died and became a ghost, he just kind of assumed the ghost would automatically know how to be a ghost. But looking at this kid, he clearly didn't seem all that comfortable about himself.
"There's a lot that I don't know, myself…" The ghost boy continued. "I know some things about ghosts, but I can't say I know anything about them either. I'm still learning how to even use my ghost powers. I'm also worried about getting caught due to my lack of skill at controlling my ghost powers."
Andy was intrigued. The ghost boy sounded more like a human than a ghost, then again, the ghost boy did only die a couple of weeks ago. He didn't know if the ghost boy would eventually become less human and more ghostly as time went on, or if he would become a mindless, or evil ghost that his parents kept saying all ghosts were. But for the time being, the ghost boy was just as scared and innocent about this as Andy was.
"I see… you were probably lonely yourself then," Andy concluded. "Having just… become a ghost recently. I guess it'd make sense you'd gravitate to me then… Around the same time you… became a ghost… There was a horrible accident at my home. My twin brother was caught up in it. He seemed fine despite that, but he won't let me get close to him anymore, or even really talk to him. My friends, Tucker and Sam, also don't let me really get close to Danny… my brother… when I tried asking them about it, they were really vague with their answer. I'm not really sure what to do. Mom and Dad were getting worried as well, but Danny refuses to talk to anyone."
Andy shook his head. "Sorry, I shouldn't be dumping all this on you. You have bigger problems to worry about than I do after all."
The ghost boy blinked before he shook his head. "No… No, it's fine. I… I think it's good you are telling me about this. It's… not good to keep something inside…"
The ghost boy then rubbed the back of his head. "I… can't imagine how hard it must be on you with your brother either…"
Andy gave a curious look at the ghost boy. "What do you plan to do?"
"What do you mean?" The ghost boy asked.
"I mean… what do you plan to do from here… now that you're a ghost?" Andy asked. "Are you going to haunt Amity Park? Maybe look for an empty building to haunt or something? Scare some people to feed off of their fear? … I wonder if ghosts do that… Do ghosts even need to eat?"
"Um… actually, I… have yet to figure that out myself…" The ghost boy admitted. "I… don't like the idea of scaring people either…"
"Oh… so are you like Casper then?" Andy asked, which seemed to have caught the ghost boy off guard. "You know, the friendly ghost? Have you ever watched Casper?"
"Um… when I was… alive… I did." The ghost boy admitted with a sheepish grin, "Heh… Casper the Friendly Ghost. I never imagined I would be compared to that."
"Well… I mean I'm not sure how else to compare you with. Mom and Dad believe the whole 'friendly ghost' thing doesn't exist after all," Andy sheepishly said. "And you do seem to be friendly." At least for now. I don't know if you'd stay this way forever.
The ghost boy smiled. "I'm glad that you seem to be okay with me…"
"Yeah… um…" Andy hesitated. "Do you have a name I can call you?"
"Um… Phantom. Call me Phantom." The ghost boy said. "It's… not really a name, but… It's what I would like to be called…"
Andy raised an eyebrow. How odd. That'd be like if I was calling someone 'human', I would think. But then again, since he's a newly dead… creepy… he still thinks more like a human. "Okay, Phantom it is. You can call me Andy."
"Andy… It's nice to meet you." Phantom said with a small smile. "I… never thought a human would be willing to give me a chance… to… be talked to…"
"I never thought a ghost would be willing to talk to a human," Andy chuckled slightly. "Maybe… I could help you?"
"What do you mean?" Phantom asked.
"You said you're still getting used to your powers, and you're worried about getting caught, right?" Andy pointed out. "Maybe I could help you train your powers? My parents have all sorts of gadgets used for hunting ghosts, and… I rather they didn't hurt you, so maybe I can help you train how to dodge the dangerous stuff? I… don't have much going on since my friends and brother pushed me away. I might as well be practical with my free time, and… I'm also hoping to get to know you more."
Phantom looked surprised before he grinned slowly. "That… would be great. I would like that very much…"
"So… where can I meet you again?" Andy asked. "Or do I have to wait until night to see you here again? Maybe I could meet you somewhere more secluded after school?"
"That… would be a good idea." Phantom admitted. "I think a more secluded spot would be good too."
"There's a lot of secluded spots in Amity Park, but most of them would be small, and not very comfortable for training," Andy remarked. "Maybe we could meet in the outskirts of Amity Park?"
"Sure. That may be a better idea than just looking for small spots to train in." Phantom admitted as he rubbed the back of his head.
Andy smiled, seeing that Phantom really reminded him of Danny when he was getting sheepish. He missed hanging out with Danny. "Then it's settled. I'll start meeting you at the outskirts. We could probably talk about what to do with you after some training as well. I doubt you'd want to go into the Ghost Zone any time soon."
"Not really…" Phantom muttered. "It sounds kinda scary… especially to a new ghost like me."
"Yeah… so like I said, we'll figure this out," Andy promised. "Until then, I should get home before my parents get worried about me." I wonder if this kid left his own parents behind when he died… that's got to be really sad. I wonder how his family took his death… he probably can't face them as he is now, after seeing them mourn for him…
"Um… yeah, you go ahead and do that. I… don't want you to get in trouble or anything." Phantom said with a small smile. "Oh… and don't tell anyone about me. From what you said, your parents are ghost hunters after all…"
"Yeah… it wouldn't be pretty if they knew about you," Andy agreed. "Your secret's safe with me, Phantom."
Phantom smiled. "Thanks, Andy. Now, you'd better get home."
"I will. I hope to see you again later," Andy said, smiling back.
For the rest of the week, Andy had been sneaking out of Fenton Works around 4 PM, as that was the time his school let out, and he wanted to get used to this schedule with Phantom. During this time, Andy would bring some ghost weapons like a Fenton Ray Gun. He used that to help train Phantom in his flying and agility to dodge long range attacks. Phantom would test his invisibility around Andy, while Andy would use some goggles he took from his parents' lab to try to find Phantom. Andy would keep track of how many trees Phantom could go through before he got too tired to hold onto his intangibility.
Andy noticed Danny was starting to open up to him more during the week. Danny stopped pushing Andy out of his room, and let his brother in, though Danny was still a little nervous whenever Andy looked at him for too long. Andy could tell Danny was hiding something, but he decided not to push it. He just hoped Danny was alright, and he had his ghost friend to keep him occupied if Danny, Tucker, and Sam still didn't want him to hang out with them.
A little bit later, Andy visited Phantom again in the outskirts. "Hey, Phantom! Are you there?"
Phantom appeared before Andy. "Hey, Andy. Been a while." He greeted Andy with a wave.
"I saw you yesterday," Andy chuckled.
"It still felt like a while," Phantom pouted.
Andy rolled his eyes before he spoke up. "Tomorrow I'll have school. I'll likely still come around at the same time, but school will likely keep me busy with homework. Did you used to go to school?"
Phantom rubbed the back of his neck. "I did… but I wasn't… popular to be honest. I was the loser…" Phantom looked uncomfortable talking about his past as a human, for obvious reasons.
Andy frowned a little. "Sorry, is it too soon to ask about your past?"
Phantom gave a small sigh. "Well… it's not something I try to think about seeing how I'm trying to… move on."
"I get it…" Andy sighed as well.
Phantom paused for a moment before deciding on something. "But if you want to ask me for advice, I don't mind."
"Are you sure?" Andy asked.
Phantom nodded. "I am sure. It may not be a bad idea to ask me for advice. I don't mind giving it. It… may help show that not all ghosts are bad."
"Heh… well… it may be harder to convince Mom and Dad specifically, but…" Andy began thinking. "You don't really think of yourself as a loser, do you? I know my brother does, even though I think the whole popularity thing is a bunch of horse crap."
"I… did when I was… well… you know…" Phantom admitted. "But… I don't know now… I mean… I…" Phantom looked uncomfortable again. "Can… we please get back to the training…? I feel uncomfortable with this talk…"
"I just wanted to ask you what your opinion was on the popularity ranking thing going on in school," Andy said. "I figured it might be better to hear it from someone who's been through it but no longer does."
Andy frowned and sighed. "But alright, if it's making you uncomfortable, we'll drop the subject. I brought over a new invention my parents made that I think would be a good test run for you."
Andy held out some kind of silver looking thermos. "It's called the Fenton Thermos, it supposedly catches ghosts inside it."
Phantom looked at it before taking it. "It looks like a soup thermos." He noted as he turned it over in his hands.
"I don't know how it works," Andy shrugged. "Mom and Dad think it doesn't work, but if it can only catch ghosts, they wouldn't have a way to test it."
Phantom looked at the thermos again and sighed. "Well, it'd be useful to have, if I knew what to do with my… afterlife… I don't want to just… float around aimlessly with no purpose."
"Would you like to talk about what to do?" Andy asked. "I did say we would after we trained you a bit. You seem to have a better grasp of your ghost powers now."
"Yeah… we did…" Phantom admitted, albeit unsurely. "I… don't really want to move on though… I'm… scared…"
"You don't have to move on… I don't think…" Andy said softly. "But you should probably gain a haunt, a place for you to… I guess 'live' in, for the lack of a better term. According to some stories, ghosts stick around because they feel they have a purpose here, or they feel regret for leaving something or someone behind. I don't know if that's the case for you, but having a haunt might help. Maybe you could try relaxing a little in Amity Park? I'm sure you can get into the movies for free with your invisibility. Maybe try out some new foods you never tried out in life? Uh… assuming you can still eat and taste food."
Phantom looked up at Andy with a small smile on his face. "I… think I will. It would be better than just… wandering around staying invisible all the time."
"Maybe I can ask Mom to take me on a shopping trip. I could see if I can find some clothes to try to hide your glow, maybe some sunglasses to hide your eyes, and a hat to hide your hair. I could show you around Amity Park if you'd like," Andy offered. "Might even help you find a place of your own to stay."
"Um… no, no, that's not really necessary. I've lived here before my… well… so I know the city pretty well." Phantom admitted. "I could find a place pretty easily."
"Still… it wouldn't be the same if you couldn't let people see you," Andy said. "And… admittedly I'd like to be able to hang out with you more than just out here, training you on how to use your powers."
Phantom gave a thoughtful look. "Why don't you try hanging out with your brother and friends again? From what you've been telling me, they've stopped trying to push you away as much."
"Yeah… but I don't know… I don't think they're that comfortable letting me hang out with them that much right now," Andy sighed.
"Just… give them a chance." Phantom said gently. "You might find you're wrong, but you won't know for sure unless you try."
"Will they even listen to me?" Andy asked.
"At least try… I know you said you've been distant from them since that accident, but I'm pretty sure your brother, at least, would want you to talk to him again," Phantom assured. "I'm sure he was just… scared before… the accident probably made him worried how you would… uh… see him. But I'm sure he's mostly over that now."
"You think so?" Andy tilted his head. "You haven't even met him yet."
"I've… observed your family for some time…" Phantom said cautiously.
"Really? Isn't that dangerous considering Mom and Dad are ghost hunters? What if they caught you?" Andy pointed out.
"I was being careful! I only… watched from outside…" Phantom admitted.
"Hmm…" Andy wondered if maybe he should have Danny or Jazz meet with Phantom. Surely he wouldn't be the only one who could be friends with this lonely ghost boy. If Jazz saw Phantom, she would have to believe in ghosts now, and Danny… maybe Danny would open up to him more, at least he hoped. "Do you think Danny or Jazz could meet with you too some time?"
"Um… No, no, it's… it's fine! I'd… rather not meet anyone else right now. You know, I'm a new ghost and all, so not very powerful." Phantom quickly said. "I'd… rather just remain known to only you. More people who know of me, the higher my chances of getting caught are."
Andy frowned, Phantom seemed pretty worried and stressed about that. "I guess you have a point. Maybe later then."
Phantom sighed in relief before he took the lid off of the Fenton Thermos to look inside it. The Fenton Thermos started to glow, seeing this, Andy quickly grabbed the thermos and pulled it away from Phantom.
"Uh… maybe a ghost shouldn't be holding onto a device that was designed to catch a ghost," Andy quickly said, taking the lid from Phantom and putting it back on the thermos.
"Oh… yeah… that… is a good idea." Phantom admitted while blushing green again. "I don't want to be caught by a piece of equipment I may be using, if at all…"
"It looks like the Fenton Thermos activates when you take the lid off and point the front at a ghost," Andy noted. "So I guess if you ever wanted to catch an unruly ghost, just do that."
Phantom actually seemed to be contemplating something at that point. "Actually… that… sounds like it might be better than just roaming around Amity Park."
Andy blinked. "What does?"
"Catching other ghosts. I mean… don't your parents have some kind of portal in their basement?" Phantom asked.
"Yeah," Andy nodded. "Although I have yet to see any ghosts besides you. I guess since you could exist here, other ghosts could as well. And they might come through the portal eventually… But would you want to do that? Having to catch other ghosts I mean? Most of them likely had been ghosts far longer than you have, they might hurt you for trying."
"Well… I have loved ones here that… may get hurt if those ghosts are indeed evil or something of that nature…" Phantom admitted.
"Well…" Andy smiled. "Maybe, but you aren't evil… so maybe not all ghosts are as bad as my parents think they are. So perhaps wait and see if the ghost really is evil before you try to catch them. They could just be lost like you were."
"Maybe… and… if I do this ghost catching thing, it may keep other ghosts from harming humans." Phantom admitted. "I… don't want to see anyone get hurt because of a ghost attacking them."
"Well a ghost hasn't yet," Andy reassured. "But I guess we'll see, only time will tell. If you're right though… it might be good to have a ghost defending the city from other ghosts." Assuming you never turn evil yourself. I still don't know what will happen once you've been a ghost for a long enough time. If other ghosts do come, and they're not all evil, hopefully that'll answer that question.
"Yeah… and I would have a purpose with my afterlife. I don't want to be just a ghost without a reason for having these powers." Phantom admitted.
"Then I'll keep an eye on things in the lab when I can," Andy chuckled. "Let's see if that training will be put to good use."
A bus stopped on the road of Amity Park. A few people got off the bus, including a teenage boy. This boy had brown hair that stuck up on the right side of his head slightly, brown eyes and slightly darker skin than Andy and Danny. He wore square goggles around his neck, and a black shirt with a few red lines down the front at an angle. His pants were a dark green color with matching gloves on his hands, and he wore red and white sneakers with yellow accents on them. He had in his hands a suitcase that was rolling along behind him.
The boy looked around Amity Park, seeing it had not changed much from his last time here, which was 6 years ago. Wow, the city hasn't changed much. I wonder if anything has changed here. The boy thought to himself.
The boy knew he needed to get a move on, since his school year started tomorrow. He had to get settled into where he would be staying before there. He could see more of Amity Park later.
The boy wondered if his cousins would remember him. Two of them were pretty young when he had to leave. Guess I'll find out soon.
The boy looked up at the building, with the neon sign that said 'Fenton Works'. Jack and Maddie likely hadn't changed.
As much as I love my aunt and uncle, they can get a bit… carried away with their ghost obsession. The boy thought as he approached the front door. He braced himself, expecting Jack to exclaim 'GHOST' when he rang the doorbell. The boy pressed the doorbell, tense for the exclamation, if it would come.
The door opened, and the boy was surprised to see Jazz had answered rather than Jack. It took the boy a second to realize this was Jazz, she had really grown up since the last time he saw her.
"Can I help you?" Jazz asked, not recognizing him.
"Um… Jazz?" The boy asked. "It's… wow… you've… grown." The boy said. "Has it been 6 years already since I moved away?"
Jazz blinked, raising an eyebrow. "Excuse me? Do I know you?"
The boy raised his own eyebrow. "Do you remember when I got those cookies Aunt Maddie made from the cookie jar so Andy, Danny, and I could eat them? I don't think you could forget that, right?"
Jazz's teal eyes went wide. "Wait… Takuya? Is that really you?"
The boy, Takuya Kanbara, smiled. "Yep! It's been so long since I last saw you!" Takuya said with a big grin.
"It's been 6 and a half years! I didn't think I would see you again until I earned enough money to fly to Japan!" Jazz beamed. "What are you doing here in America?"
"I got in on an exchange program!" Takuya grinned. "It was through my high school in Japan and Amity Park's own high school, so how could I refuse it? I knew I would get to see you guys again if I did so, here I am!"
"So you were the Japanese student coming here?" Jazz smiled before she hugged Takuya, then let him into the house. "It's good to see you again! I'm sure my brothers would be happy to see you again too."
"I bet Andy and Danny have taken off like weeds, given uncle Jack's height and all." Takuya chuckled as he followed Jazz into the house with his suitcase.
"Well… you'd be surprised," Jazz chuckled.
"Takuya! You're early!" Takuya heard Maddie's voice speaking up from the kitchen. "I wasn't expecting you for another hour!"
Takuya saw his aunt and ran to her. "The plane got in earlier than expected, so I took the chance to come here on the first bus I could find." He said as he hugged her tightly.
Maddie hugged Takuya back, happy to see him. "It's good to see you made it here safely. The guest room is already prepared for you."
"Takuya! It's great to see you again!" Jack's voice boomed as he ran over to them, holding onto a plate of fudge. "Would you like some welcoming fudge?"
Takuya had cringed at Jack's booming voice, but he smiled at his uncle nonetheless. The man was still as large as ever. "Sure, thanks, Uncle Jack." He said as he took a piece of fudge. Yep, still the same Aunt Maddie and Uncle Jack I remember.
"So, has anything exciting happened while I was away?" Takuya asked as he bit into the fudge.
"Oh, loads of things happened!" Jack grinned. "We finally finished the Fenton Ghost Portal! It's working beautifully!"
"Even though it caused a bit of a shock to Danny." Maddie frowned. "So don't go near the lab until we're sure it's absolutely safe."
Takuya's eyes went wide. "Wait… seriously?! You guys got it working?!" He exclaimed, almost in shock before his brain processed the rest of what he was told. "And… Danny got hurt?" Takuya added with a frown. "Is he okay?"
"He seems to be fine, but he was unconscious for some time after the initial shock," Maddie answered. "We're not sure how much of a shock he had, but his friends insist he's fine. But he's been acting… very distant lately."
"He's probably still recovering, but he's been distant to Andy too, which is quite unusual," Jack admitted, looking worried.
Takuya frowned again. "That… doesn't sound like Danny at all. It's…" He trailed off as he ran a hand through his hair. "Wow… this is the last thing I expected to learn when I got here…"
"Come on, how about we get you settled in first? Then you can worry about Danny after," Jazz suggested.
"Yeah, good idea…" Takuya admitted as he stretched his arms over his head. He grabbed his suitcase and made his way to the guest room.
Once at the guest room, Takuya opened the door and saw it still looked somewhat the same as when he had last been there. It looked more basic, less personal, but it was still the same place he had slept when he had visited often before his move out of the country.
Takuya unpacked his things, setting them into places where they needed to go. His spare clothes went into the closet, his other things he put on the shelf, and he laid on the bed for a minute since his body was recovering from jet lag.
"I see you got settled in already," Jazz said when she checked in on Takuya.
"Yeah, the room is pretty much the same, just… more basic I guess." Takuya said as he sat up on the bed. "Jet lag sucks though. I want to sleep right now, even though I am wide awake."
"Are you hungry? Mom could whip you up something, it might help," Jazz suggested.
Takuya's stomach growled. "Uh… yeah, that sounds like a good idea." He admitted as he blushed a bit. "Plane food doesn't hold you over for very long…"
"Heh, alright, I'll go let Mom know," Jazz chuckled.
It had been a long time since Takuya got to enjoy an American's meal, but it was as tasty as ever. Maddie was a decent cook when she wasn't mixing food with ectoplasm, whatever that was. Takuya felt better after eating a proper meal.
"That was good, Aunt Maddie." Takuya said as he put down his fork and knife. "I haven't had a meal like that in a long time."
"I'm glad you still like my cooking," Maddie chuckled as she began to clean up the empty plate and bowls. "You should get some rest, school starts tomorrow, you don't want to be too tired for that."
"Yeah… but what about Danny and Andy? I haven't seen them yet," Takuya questioned.
"Last time I saw them, they said they were going out to meet up with some friends," Maddie answered.
"Friends? Are they still hanging out with Sam and Tucker?" Takuya asked, remembering that Danny and Andy were close friends with the two.
"Yeah. They haven't made any new friends since… I can't help but worry about them. They seem to have it tough at school," Maddie remarked. "I just hope high school will be better. They should be home soon, they know it's a school night."
"Alright. I think I'll just wait until they get home then. I don't want to wander around after dark when I'm jet-lagged." Takuya chuckled.
"Okay, just don't force yourself to stay awake to wait for them. You'll have plenty of time to catch up with them tomorrow," Maddie chuckled as well before she walked out of Takuya's room, carrying the dishes to clean in the kitchen.
Takuya sighed as he fell back onto the bed again. He definitely felt like he wanted to fall asleep, even though he wanted to stay awake to see his twin cousins again. Dang… I'm tired. Well… maybe a small nap won't hurt… I can wake up… to…
Takuya's brain conked out, the boy falling asleep as soon as he got comfortable.
When Takuya woke up, he felt a strange chill in the air, despite there being no windows in his room. He sat up, and wrapped himself with the blanket, wondering why it was so cold. Did someone turn up the AC or something?
The cold feeling suddenly disappeared.
Takuya blinked, feeling warmer all of the sudden. W-what was that? That was… unusual… He noted. The boy got up from the bed, wondering if someone had somehow gotten into his room with something like a fan to blow on him, but that idea was ruled out. No, there wasn't a fan. I would've heard the sound. But… if it wasn't a fan… then… what was it I felt?
Sighing, Takuya got back onto his bed and lay there, looking up at the ceiling, his mind in overdrive now. He knew that feeling of cold he had felt had not been normal, but… he couldn't identify it at all.
He wondered if the twins had anything to do with it. From what he remembered, the two 8 year olds were quite mischievous. They loved to pull pranks on people, especially him, apparently he was their easiest target. Takuya had lost count of the amount of pies he had to the face, the banana peels, and toothpaste he slipped on, and how often he got buried under plushies, among other things. Even if they had grown up, that would just mean their pranks would get more elaborate, especially with Andy.
Ugh… If this was a prank, I'm not amused. Takuya thought irritably. I love my twin cousins, but their pranks on me have always been a source of annoyance to me! At least they didn't try anything that could trigger my fear of clowns…
Takuya groaned as he tried to push out some more… playful pranks from his mind. And when I try to get payback on the twins, they turn it around on me no less…
There was a knock on the door.
Takuya raised an eyebrow as he got up from his bed and walked to the door. He slowly opened the door, not sure if it was the twins waiting to pull a prank or what. "Who is it?"
"It's Danny," The voice answered. "I heard you were here, Takuya."
Takuya opened the door fully. "Danny?"
Standing before Takuya was a taller boy than the one from 6 years ago, though he was still a lot shorter than Takuya thought he would be considering his father's height.
"Hey, wow, you've grown, cuz!" Danny smiled. "You're still taller than me."
Takuya blinked before he smiled as well and hugged Danny. "It's good to see you too, Danny!" He exclaimed.
However, when Takuya hugged him, he noticed Danny felt really cold. Like he had just got back from being inside the freezer for an hour.
"Geez! Hugging you is like hugging a block of ice!" Takuya exclaimed as he let go of Danny. "Were you locked in a freezer or something? Because it certainly feels like you were." But why? Why does Danny feel so cold?
Danny blushed and awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "Ah… sorry about that… um… I'm sure my parents and Jazz told you about the accident almost a month ago?"
Takuya nodded. "Yeah… they did." He confirmed before frowning. "Are you okay? They said you got a bit of a shock from the portal activating."
"Yeah… it wasn't anything too bad or serious," Danny reassured. "But it was enough to knock me out for a while. I think the shock had some… ectoplasm in it or something, because it made my body a lot colder than normal."
Takuya's eyes narrowed a bit. "Well… that could explain it I guess. I don't know anything about ectoplasm though to be honest, so I can't say for sure."
"Just know I'm gonna be colder than normal," Danny chuckled sheepishly, then he looked down at his arm before he quickly moved it behind him. "So… uh… it's good to see you again, Takuya. It's been a while. What brings you here?"
"Oh! That's right! I came here because I am on an exchange program with the local high school." Takuya said with a grin. "So I took the chance to sign up and well… Here I am. I'm back and you can't get rid of me that easily!"
"Heh, well welcome back! And here I thought I'd have to go to Japan to see you again," Danny laughed. "So that means you're going to the same school as us, right?"
"Yeah, you could say that." Takuya grinned sheepishly. "I think the name is Casper High or something like that…? I'm not good with names of places I've never been before…" He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Yeah, that's the school Jazz, Andy, and I are going to," Danny confirmed, then he suddenly looked nervous. "Um… I have to go. But I'm sure Andy will be happy to talk to you when he gets home, okay bye!"
Danny suddenly ran off like his pants were on fire.
"Danny, wait!" Takuya called out, running after Danny. "Wait! What's going on?"
"Just a bathroom emergency! Don't follow me!" Danny quickly said, rushing upstairs into his room and shutting the door.
Takuya stopped, wondering what was going on with Danny. "What's with Danny? He… why did he just suddenly run like that?" Takuya muttered to himself. Now I'm getting worried for Danny myself…
Takuya's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the front door opening up, and a familiar voice. "I'm home!"
Takuya looked back at the voice. He made his way to the family room, only to see a familiar twin in front of him. The twin was the same height as Danny, and still shorter than Takuya himself.
"Andy?" Takuya asked. "Is that you?"
Andy looked up to see who was talking to him, and was surprised to see the older boy. "Huh?"
Takuya realized Andy may have trouble recognizing him like Jazz did, and decided to try to remind him by bringing up a memory from the past, mainly a prank the brothers did to him.
"Well, I'm surprised you don't recognize me, mostly because you would cover me in plushies quite often as a prank." Takuya said, cringing a bit at the memories of that. "Not that I enjoyed it…"
Andy blinked as realization came onto his face. "Takuya? Is that you?"
"Yep! I'm back, and as an exchange student no less." Takuya chuckled. "I was wondering when you would come back so I could see you again."
"You're that Japanese exchange student!?" Andy asked in shock before he smiled. "It's good to see you again, cuz!"
Takuya grinned as well. "You know it is. It's been 6 years since we saw each other! Your sister is really growing up! She's almost as tall as Aunt Maddie."
Andy smiled before he and Takuya hugged each other, unlike with Danny, Andy had normal body heat.
"Yeah, you've grown as well," Andy complimented when they finished hugging each other. "You look fit too, have you been taking up sports?"
"Yeah, I'm actually in the soccer club back at my high school in Japan. It's kinda a hobby of mine." Takuya admitted with a sheepish chuckle. "It's a lot of fun too. I've actually gotten quite good at it."
"Soccer, huh? Too bad our school only focuses on football and basketball, otherwise you might be quite the jock there," Andy chuckled.
"Although to be fair, in every other country besides America, soccer is called football," Takuya chuckled.
"That's true," Andy laughed. "So I take it you've already been settled in?"
"Yeah, I have." Takuya admitted. "But boy… jet lag makes it hard to get used to the new time zone. It'll be at least a few days before I get used to the time difference."
"Ah, yeah. That's probably going to be rough for you in school too," Andy agreed. "Have you already talked to everyone else?"
"Yup," Takuya answered.
"Even Danny?" Andy asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, but he ran off suddenly after we talked for a bit." Takuya admitted. "It's… odd. He's never been like that before, at least from what I remember anyway."
"Danny's been acting weird since the accident about a month ago… uh, did you hear about the accident?" Andy asked.
"I did. I can't… I can't imagine how hard that must've been to have heard Danny go through that." Takuya admitted. "It's… hard to believe that he had a lab accident like that."
"Yeah… we didn't know the portal had an on button inside it," Andy sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Apparently my parents had a brain fart and completely forgot about it."
"Inside the portal?" Takuya blinked, he had thought Danny was standing outside of the portal when he got shocked, not inside it.
Andy frowned. "Tucker and Sam told everyone Danny got a little bit of a shock from the portal, but… they didn't say he got shocked from the inside. It was no small shock either."
Takuya frowned as well. "Then… How did Danny survive it? If what you're telling me is true… And it was indeed not a small shock…" Takuya shivered at the thought that Danny could've really…
"I don't know… honestly it was a miracle alone that he survived. But… the really weird part was that he didn't have any burns on him at all, he looked perfectly fine when we found him unconscious on the lab floor," Andy answered. "But he, Tucker, and Sam had been acting weird since then. They kept pushing the rest of us away, and every time we tried asking what was going on, we would just get vague answers, or they would just tell us to stop asking."
Takuya frowned again. "That… is definitely weird. I thought Danny wouldn't push people away."
"Danny's gotten better about that lately. He used to not even let me into our room," Andy explained. "But I haven't really talked to him. I didn't want him to push me out again if I tried to say anything…"
Takuya winced at the idea of not being able to sleep in his room if he was in Andy's position. "Yeah… that is definitely not something Danny would do normally." He admitted. Then the older boy looked down in thought. "I don't think you should keep staying away from Danny though. If he's gotten better about pushing you away, then why don't you just talk to him?"
"And then what? He pushes me out again because I said the wrong thing? If I asked him if I could hang out with him, Tucker, and Sam again, he wouldn't tell me I can't and not explain why?" Andy frowned, it was clear he had been too afraid to talk to Danny in fear of being pushed away again. "For all I know he eased up on it because I haven't said anything to him yet."
Takuya sighed. "Okay, I won't push you to, but you have to talk to Danny again at some point. You can't keep being so afraid, Andy."
"When your brother almost dies, then starts acting weird and pushes you out of his room, then you can tell me to 'not be so afraid'," Andy bitterly said.
"Sorry!" Takuya said as he held up his hands. Geez… Andy sure is bitter about that… I guess I'd just better keep my mouth shut for now.
Andy let out a sigh. "Sorry, cuz, I shouldn't be taking this out on you. I'm just… worried. Sometimes I'm scared that Danny's going to suddenly drop dead because his heart suddenly stopped due to the accident. There's no telling what side effects that accident caused."
Takuya actually looked a bit pale at the idea of Danny just dropping dead one day. "Now I wish you hadn't told me that, because I'm imagining that happening myself…"
"Uh, well… maybe we shouldn't worry about that now. We should be happy that you're finally back from Japan after 6 years. Even if it's only for the school year," Andy chuckled.
"Yeah, but I could extend it for longer if I so chose, mostly because I haven't seen you guys in so long." Takuya admitted with a chuckle.
"Heh, well don't let us keep you from your own family in Japan," Andy chuckled back. "By the way… it's been 6 and a half years since our last prank, perhaps it's time we did some catching up~"
"Oh no…" Takuya muttered, knowing all too well what Andy was planning. "No, no, no! No more pranks! Geez! You two love to torment me, don't you?!"
Andy laughed. "You make it too easy!"
"You really haven't changed…" Takuya groaned.
Despite what Andy had said, Takuya received no pranks throughout the night, and he woke up the next morning with no whip cream on his face or anything, nor was there any rigged pie in his bathroom, he still wondered how the twins were able to rig anything in the house to throw a whipped cream pie in his face.
Takuya got ready for the day and made his way to the kitchen once he was dressed. He was half expecting a prank to come his way, so he walked there somewhat cautiously. So far so good. No pranks that I can see coming…
He finally made it to the kitchen, seeing Jack, Maddie, Jazz, Danny, and Andy already there. Maddie was using a blowtorch at the table on some kind of device. Jazz was trying to read a psychology book, which she was also using as a shield from Maddie's blowtorch. Danny and Andy didn't seem to care about the blowtorch. Andy looked like he hadn't really talked to Danny yet, and he was sitting next to Jazz, with her between him and Danny. Danny was munching on his cereal, looking over at Andy every once in a while. Andy was crunching on some toast with butter.
Takuya grabbed some toast himself and put some butter on it before sitting down at the table next to Danny. He made sure he was sitting far away from the blowtorch's sparks. "Um… good morning, guys." Takuya said as he eyed the device on the table, not sure what to make of it.
"Hey Takuya," Danny greeted.
"Morning, Takuya," Andy greeted as well, at the same time as Danny without meaning to.
The twins looked at each other, then Andy pretended nothing happened and continued to munch on his toast.
"Good to see you're awake, Takuya. I was debating on if I should wake you up or not," Jazz greeted.
"Well, I got up on my own, so no need to worry." Takuya chuckled before looking at the device on the table again. "Um… what is that supposed to be?"
Since Maddie was focusing on the device with her blowtorch, she couldn't hear Takuya's question.
"I don't know, but I'm sure our parents will explain it soon," Jazz grumbled, obviously not happy about it.
Danny went to take another bite of his spoonful of cereal when the spoon unexpectedly dropped into the bowl. Danny gasped and moved his right arm behind him suddenly. Andy looked at Danny, but then looked away, still not sure how to interact with Danny without Danny possibly pushing him away again.
Takuya blinked as he looked at Danny dropping his spoon for some reason, but because Danny had dropped his arm away from Takuya's line of sight, the other boy could not see what was going on with Danny's arm.
"Okay, 2 more days, and it's done!" Maddie announced, turning off the blowtorch.
Jack, who heard the word 'done', quickly ran over to the table. "What did you say, sweetcakes? It's done? The Fenton Finder is finally done?"
"Well, I said it's almost done, but I think it can be used for a test run," Maddie answered.
Takuya raised an eyebrow. "Fenton Finder?" He questioned. "Is it one of your ghost hunting devices or something?"
"Yup!" Jack smiled as he picked up the Fenton Finder. "This baby uses satellites to lead you right to the ghosts."
"Admittedly it's limited to your range," Maddie said. "I could probably increase the range if I had a ghost sample to study."
Takuya glanced back at Danny, only to see Danny looked a bit freaked out now.
"It uses… what to track the… what?" Danny muttered.
"It tracks ghosts?" Andy paled as well, looking worried.
The device beeped before a computer voice spoke up. "Welcome to the Fenton Finder. A ghost is near, walk forward."
Is Phantom here!? Crap, he needs to get away! Andy gulped, not sure how he could warn his possibly invisible friend to get out of here.
Jack and Maddie followed the Fenton Finder's directions, which led them straight to Danny, who was looking quite nervous and grinning uneasily.
However, Andy also stood in front of Danny, looking innocently at his parents and the device that appeared to be pointing at him.
"Ghost located. Thank you for using the Fenton Finder." The computer voice said.
Danny blinked, not having expected Andy to suddenly come between him and the Fenton Finder.
Takuya blinked, watching this with a confused look on his face. Odd… Why is the device reacting to Danny? I mean, he said he got shocked with ectoplasmic electricity, but that shouldn't make a device like that mistake him for a ghost… right? Or was it reacting to Andy?
"What the? That can't be right!" Jack said in disbelief.
Nobody saw Danny suddenly going invisible behind Andy, which Danny was thankful for when he looked down and saw his body had disappeared. He quickly returned himself to being visible before anyone could notice. He was lucky his brother stepped in front of him when he did.
"Mom, Dad, maybe you should scrap this one? I mean if your range is going to be limited, you're not likely to find any ghosts. Ghosts do fly and go through solid objects after all, right?" Andy pointed out. "And with how many ectoplasmic things you have in the house, the Fenton Finder could confuse those things as ghosts."
"Well, the device is still in progress, so I think we just need to work out the bugs a bit more." Maddie admitted.
"I'll help work out the bugs, sweetcakes." Jack smiled.
Danny sighed in relief when their parents went back to the table to look at the device. He looked over at Andy, wondering if he stood in front of Danny, trying to protect his friend. Andy shouldn't know his secret, but Andy was bound to get suspicious as to why the device was pointing at Danny specifically.
"Um…" Danny started to say, knowing he may have to be the one to start the conversation between himself and Andy. "Uh… Andy? I… uh… need to tell you something."
Andy looked over at Danny, surprised.
Jazz closed her book, acting like a professional counselor. "That's not all you need, Danny." She said in a matter of fact tone.
Takuya actually grimaced at Jazz's tone. Geez… when Andy said Jazz was taking up psychology, I didn't think she would act like a psychologist already…
"You need proper guidance, and parents who can actually provide it, rather than trying to act like ghosts exist," Jazz grumbled.
"Jazz, sweetie, I know what we do doesn't always make sense, but-" Maddie began to say.
"I don't want to hear it. You two have been so deep into your ghost fantasies that you've been polluting the minds of these impressionable little children!" Jazz scolded, wrapping her arms around her younger brothers, who were looking at her like she was crazy. "They need actual guidance that would get them through life, not seek out life after death! Come you two, unwanted poor kids, I'll drive you both to school."
"Jazz… are you okay?" Andy asked.
"Hey, Jazz… Danny and Andy are not that little." Takuya pointed out, not sure if Jazz would lump him in with the twins too.
"Just come on," Jazz grumbled, walking the twins out of the house. "You too, Takuya, we don't want to be late for the first day of school."
Takuya followed Jazz, glad she hadn't lumped him in with the twins, but it was odd that she was offering to drive them all to school. "Jazz, are you okay? It's not like aunt Maddie and uncle Jack are being neglectful. They are just really passionate about their work."
"I know, but I worry about how they're affecting my little brothers' psyche with all their obsessions with ghosts…" Jazz grumbled as they were walking into her car in the driveway. "The book I was reading described how teenage years are when most people decide their careers, and what they want to do when they become adults. I cannot allow my parents' obsession with ghosts to turn them into ghost hunting freaks as well."
"Come on, Jazz, they're not ghost hunting freaks," Danny grumbled.
"And you're not that much older than us you know," Andy pointed out.
"I may 16 biologically, but psychologically, I am an adult." Jazz insisted.
"And how is that any better?" Takuya quipped cheekily.
"Do you want to take the bus to school instead, Takuya?" Jazz questioned.
Takuya frowned.
"And I mean the school bus, in the middle of a hot summer, with kids piling up in one bus together," Jazz explained.
Takuya cringed. "Never mind… I didn't say anything…" Me and my big mouth…
The car drive on the way to school was an awkward one. Andy and Danny didn't really talk to each other, heck, Andy wouldn't really look at Danny. Andy just looked at his notebook, while Danny would look out the window, occasionally taking glimpses over at Andy.
Takuya, who was sitting on the passenger seat next to Jazz, decided to ask her something. "So… what's with those two?"
"Things haven't been easy since… the accident. Danny had been pushing Andy and I away, and he gets all hissy if we look at him for too long. So we decided to give him some space," Jazz answered. "Of course, as his older, mature sister, it's natural he would find me annoying and wouldn't want me butting into his life. But with Andy? That's unusual."
Danny frowned at the conversation, but didn't say anything.
"Danny kinda… pushed me away as well…" Takuya admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck with one of his hands. "I mean, I wanted to see what was wrong, but he told me to not follow him, claiming it was a bathroom emergency. That normally isn't an issue, but… he still ran from me. And when I hugged Danny, it was like I was hugging a block of ice!"
"Hey! I'd appreciate it if you two didn't talk about me like I'm not here!" Danny spoke up, sounding quite annoyed, and also embarrassed.
Andy looked at Danny for a moment, before looking back at his notebook. Andy had been a lot more sensitive when his twin brother told him not to look at him for very long.
"Just stop talking about me, alright?" Danny grumbled. "You already got the gist of it, Takuya, there's no need to keep repeating it!"
Takuya blushed as he looked away. Geez… It looks like Jazz was right… Danny is acting a bit hissy. He thought as he looked out at the road to see if he could see anything new about Amity Park.
From what Takuya could see, Amity Park certainly had grown since he last saw it. There were new shops, a new Amity mall, and a new Nasty Burger restaurant that was closer to Fenton Works as opposed to the Nasty Burger deeper into the city.
"Wow, Amity Park has expanded since I was last here." Takuya noted. "I didn't even see the new Nasty Burger that was built closer to Fenton Works when I arrived yesterday."
"Yeah, that Nasty Burger is closer to our school too, so it's become a teenager hang out over the past few years," Jazz replied. "Maybe you could hang out there too later."
"Maybe I will." Takuya grinned. "It would be fun to hang out with you guys again."