Let's see if I can get anywhere this time. At least there weren't any death threats. Anyway, the Titans finally fight Danny's nemisis. Hopefully, it'll be worth your time. I'm going to try and make it sort of "in-sync" with Reign Storm and Ultimate enemy.
Slade growled yet again. Vlad had beaten him once again. Even with his gifts given to him by Trigon, he was not yet trimuphment. Yet his master's desire was to eliminate the one called Danny Phantom. The boy had already proven formidable during the brief period of time that the Titans believed him an enemy.
However, one advantage Masters had over the Titans was the fact that Slade knew much less about him, despite their prior relationship. Perhaps the boy could help him, even if he didn't know it.
Soon, Masters, I will have my revenge. Thought Slade.
Jazz sighed as she laid on her bed. Despite her new power, she was able to do little to help in the last battle. Her brother had obviously forgiven her, but she was unable to do the same to herself. Fortunately, her powers were not done growing, as she had fired an energy blast out of her hand, similar to Danny's but blue in color.
She got up and started walking around Titans Tower. Predictably her parents were awake, working on yet another invention and from the looks of it, trying to improve the ecto-skeleton. She remembered the invasion of Amity Park, how Danny nearly died using the previous one and that Plasmius had his hands on the prototype.
Danny had finally gotten up and decided to eat breakfast. Unfortunately, little was edible and one of the pieces of food growled at him. However, he was used to this at home and thus, it didn't bother him very much.
"Hey, Danny." said Jazz.
"Hey Jazz." replied Danny. "So are we the only ones awake?"
"Actually, Robin and Cyborg are patrolling the town, Beast Boy is still asleep, snoring like a freight train, I might add, and Raven is undoubtedly meditating."
"Man, I just don't get that." said Danny. "How can she do it?"
"She's obviously had a lot of practice. By the way, I forgot about Tucker and Sam. Sam's going to a goth store, while Tucker hitting on every girl he sees."
"Let's just hope he doesn't do it here." Both of them shared a laugh. Coming out of it, however, they were obviously on edge. "You know, in retrospect, I probably should have used that ghostly wail, but I didn't want to hurt anyone else."
"You're right, it probably would have destroyed everything in its path." Jazz remembered all to well its destructive power when he used it against his evil self.
Meanwhile, Robin and Cyborg were almost finished with their morning patrol when a message came in from the communicator.
"Robin…Robin, can you hear me?" asked Speedy.
"I can hear you." replied Robin. "What is it?"
"We've been captured by someone who calls himself Plasmius." Speedy. "He's waiting for Danny. Do not let him come here. Repeat, do not let him come here."
"Why? What does he have planned?" He heard a brief laugh before the communicator fell silent.
"Well, it's time to move." said Cyborg. "We'd better get the others."
"Are you sure it will work?" asked the Fright Knight. "These metahumans are not to be underestimated, particularly Raven. She is well-known in the ghost zone."
"I'm not alone, if you recall." replied Vlad. "In any case, their power is nothing to mine. And with Daniel and Maddie by my side, I will be unstoppable!"
"That is what Pariah believed when he had the ring of rage and the crown of fire, yet he was defeated. Why do you not use the ecto-suit when you had the chance?"
"In retrospect, I should have. However, I believed young Jasmine would defeat him. That was a big mistake. Well, I think it's time to greet some visitors. Get the others up here."
"You called?" asked Skulker a few seconds later.
"What is it?" asked Technus. "It must be important, for I, Technus, am preparing for the next battle with the ghost boy."
"I, too, look forward to the next match." said Spectra, Bertrand at her side.
"You'll get your chance soon enough." replied Vlad. "The Titans are on their way here."
10 minutes previous:
"I should have guessed he'd have something to do with this." said Danny. "I'll bet he wants me and my mom to join him."
"He's got a trap in mind, I'm sure." said Raven as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"That may be true, but we've got no choice but to go." said Robin. "The Fentons will come with us, since there will be ghosts there, I'm sure."
"They will be eager to help us, right, friend Danny?" said Starfire.
"Duh, they're obsessed." Jazz replied.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Beast Boy. "Let's go."
"All right, but we better proceed cautiously." said Terra.
"I've got a bad feeling about this." said Raven.
"We cannot let friend Danny fight alone!" said Starfire. "We are teammates, friends."
"Well said." said Sam. "Jack and Maddie are standing guard and will notify you if the tower is attacked."
"Hopefully, I can gain control of my powers soon." said Jazz. Before anyone can answer, she added. "Don't even think about leaving me behind. I'm as involved as any of you."
"I'm staying here." said Tucker. "I want to find out more about the security."
"If we don't here from you in 30 minutes, we're coming after you." said Maddie. "I don't like this at all."
They had now arrived at Titans East. Raven sensed that their companions were alive, but injured and needed help immediately. She tried to sense something else, but Plasmius was apparently blocking her. The rest of them also proceeded cautiously.
"It's too quiet here." said Robin. "We better watch ourselves very carefully."
"It's too late, boy wonder." said a voice. Vlad had arrived, floating above them. The Titans immediately went into action. Cyborg and Starfire launched their energy blasts, but Plasmius merely grinned and put up a shield. Raven had no better luck.
Terra and Beast Boy went on the offensive. She launched boulders at him, while her companion transformed into a triceratops to protect her. Vlad laughed and went intangible. He returned with red energy blasts, burning Beast Boy badly and almost killed Terra, who used a rock as a shield just in time.
"You're right, Danny." said Robin. "He is powerful. I wouldn't fancy having to fight him alone."
He launched his exploding disks but Vlad again put up a shield. However, he had ignored Jasmine and Sam, who fired energy blasts at his back, stunning him momentarily. They immediately took advantage. Raven trapped him with a spell, while Starfire, Cyborg and Danny hammered him with energy blasts. Beast Boy had recovered and charged.
Just as it looked that Vlad was down for the count, however, he broke free and launched an explosion. Danny and Raven put up a shield to protect their companions, but it barely held. Sam fired another shot with the Fenton Gatling but Vlad destroyed it with an eye blast and lifted her up using telekinesis.
"So this is young Daniel's girlfriend." Vlad smirked. "You're certainly a strong woman. It's almost a shame to kill you." He could not believe it but he hesitated. Samantha reminded him much of Maddie.
His momentary distraction gave Danny time to get Sam out of his clutches while Raven tried another spell. Vlad dodged and split into three. The main Vlad went after Danny, while the two copies fought with the others.
"God, even his copies are strong." said Cyborg, when the copy went intangible and hit him with a barrage of energy blasts. Raven, Terra, and Robin were currently occupied with the other one, while he fought the first with the help of Starfire and Beast Boy.
"Not bad, boy, but you'll have to do better." said the copy, shocking Beast Boy. Cyborg finally managed to blast him and it disappeared. Meanwhile, Robin and the others had defeated the second.
As for Vlad, he was overpowering Danny, Sam, and Jazz. Danny was tempted to use his ghostly wail, but he did not want to reveal his trump card to Vlad. That, and there was a high risk of simply destroying everything.
"I thought you'd do better than this." said Vlad, kicking Danny in the gut. He returned with ecto-blasts, which Vlad blocked, but not as easily as he expected. The boy was indeed getting powerful.
He saw the Titans surround him. He knew that given time, he could defeat them, but his fight was with young Daniel. Besides, they would be useful for destroying Slade. He snapped his fingers and his minions appeared, looking eager to fight.
"It's just between us, Daniel." said Vlad. "No one else will interfere with our battle. And look, your friend and sister are deserting you. Why do you stand by them?"
"They are my friends, Vlad, something you don't understand." said Danny. "Either let us go or be destroyed!"
"My, my, such arrogance." said Vlad. "Let's see if your skill matches your courage."
Meanwhile, The Titans were fighting the ghost. Robin was up against Fright Knight, Cyborg against Technus, Raven against Spectra, Bertrand against Beast Boy and Skulker against Starfire.
"You will never capture me!" she cried, burning her way out of her net.
"This is the greatest catch I have ever had." said Skulker. "A Tameranian (forgive me if I spelled that wrong), a half-demon, a Cyborg, a changling, and a teenager with common sense. I cannot believe my luck!"
However, his monologue was cut short as Starfire tackled him. Her anger allowed her to fire powerful starbolts, but Skulker simply went intangible and laughed. He fired 4 rockets out of his robotic arm, and they went after Starfire. They happened to be smart bombs so she was in serious trouble.
Robin was faring no better. The Fright Knight was at least 40 times stronger than he was, and was a skilled swordsman. Thus far, he had been able to dodge the energy blasts, but for how long. He launched his exploding disks, knocking him back. He pressed the advantage, hitting him with his bo staff, but it broke on contact.
"How can you possibly believe that a mere human can defeat me?" said the Fright Knight. "My master will recruit your friend and the rest of them shall be destroyed."
"Never!" he cried, throwing a Birdarang. The Fright Knight simply chopped it in half.
Fortuantely, Cyborg was doing a little better. Despite his powers, Technus was having a difficult time fighting Cyborg as he too was a mechanical genius.
"I, Technus, will destroy your body and your spirit!" he cried out. "Your technology is nothing to my intellect!"
"Yeah, I've heard that about a thousand times!" Cyborg replied. "Stop talking and start fighting!"
"You dare talk with such disrespect to me, Technus!" said Technus. "I will fry your bacon! I will…" His speech was cut short as Cyborg blasted him with his sonic cannon. He looked furious and Technus realized that he had to concentrate to beat his foe.
Beast Boy and Bertrand were evenly matched as well. Whenever one gained advantage, the other simply changed forms and continued the battle. However, Bertrand could go intangible and invisible, so Beast Boy was at a disadvantage. Despite this, he fought quite well.
"Foolish boy." said Bertrand. "Your powers are nothing. It's only a matter of time until you run out of energy. All I have to do is wait."
Beast boy changed into a raptor and bit his arm nearly clean off. Bertrand screamed in pain and retreated. His opponent changed into a falcon and followed him. Bertrand came to a sudden realization that should have been obvious to begin with: He could overshadow him. Doing so, he laughed and went to help his allies.
Raven was faring the worst out of all of them. Her spell prevented Spectra overshadowing her, but she was now in a pool of misery.
"You're nothing but a pathetic weakling." she said. "You're setting yourself up for failure, Girl! Your friends will die and it'll be all your fault. I'll make sure it sticks into your memory forever!"
While the others were fighting, Jazz, Sam and Terra were trying to find the prisoners. Unfortunately, they did not know their way around and soon got lost.
"So what do we do now?" asked Sam. Jazz didn't answer and blew a hole in the Wall. Terra started tearing down the walls, while still making sure the foundations were steady. Needless to say, it was not an easy task.
"Guys, I think I found them." said Terra. "They're in bad shape. I doubt they will be up to helping us."
Danny had been faring fairly well against Vlad, but it was obvious that he could not yet beat him at full strength. And he began to think that Vlad was holding back for reasons unknown to him.
I've got no time to think about that now. Danny thought as he kicked Vlad in the head. I've got to beat him first.
"Not bad, Daniel, but you still have much to learn." he split into 4 and sent the copies at his nemesis. He still hoped to have Daniel as a son because despite himself, he was quite fond of the boy. True, his loyalty to his father was misguided, but he would much rather have him as an ally than an enemy.
Danny, meanwhile, was trying desperately to hold the copies off. His shield was blocking the energy blast, but he was beginning to become drained. He launched a ghost stinger, taking down one of the copies. However, the remaining two were beginning to overwhelm.
No, it can't end like this. Thought Danny. It won't! Vlad will never harm anyone again! After that thought, by some miracle, Danny managed to split himself into two. With the help of his copy, he was eventually able to defeat Vlad's, who was still watching. Each copy took about 5 percent of his energy if they were destroyed instead of recalled and he was beginning to feel the weariness.
"Looks like the tables have turned, cheese-head." said the two Dannys. Vlad grinned and battle continued. The copy soon fell, but Vlad was amazed that he could do it at all. It took him nearly 5 years.
Spectra was currently draining Raven of her happiness. What she did not know was that unlocked the power of Trigon with nothing to restrain it. Raven got up and grinned. Despite herself, she was worried.
"A pathetic effort, ghost." said Spectra. "Let's see if you can face my true power." He, or rather she fired a huge wave of black energy. Spectra's screamed filled the land but Trigon kept attacking until little of her was left.
Smirking, he turned to the others. Technus was the first to notice. He attacked Trigon with his attacks, but they barely affected him. He laughed and started using his power to rip the suit apart. Within a matter of seconds, he was back in his scientist form and fled.
Soon the Titans and ghosts actually started fighting side-by-side. Bertrand slashed Raven's body with his claws in panther-form, but they healed almost instantly. Starfire and Skulker fired their energy blasts, but they too had little effect on the demon. The fright knight's attacks had slightly more effect, but they were far from enough to take the demon down. They dueled with swords, but the Fright Knight was eventually overpowered and was launched to the cliff.
Beast Boy, Robin, Starfire, Skulker, and Bertrand made their stand, doing whatever they could to stop Trigon. While he could not use his full power in his daughter's body, it was more than enough to take care of them.
It was here that Trigon gained Vlad and Danny's attention. His minions had all retreated, and except for the Fright Knight and Skulker, incapable of fighting.
"It looks like we've got a situation on our hands." said Vlad, trying to sound confident but feeling afraid. No, Masters, you are afraid of nothing! Do not forget what you have been taught!
"Sir, what should we do?" asked the Fright Knight.
"We make our stand here." said Vlad. "No demon will defeat me and we must keep Daniel safe from him."
"Sir, I highly suggest…" he began, but Vlad cut him off.
"I've made my decision. Skulker, Fright Knight, prepare for battle.
Skulker was eager to fight the demon. This would prove once and for all that he was the ghost zone's greatest hunter. "Let's see what he's capable of." said Skulker, firing smart bombs out of his suit. However, all it did was bring the demon's attention to them.
"The legendary Vlad Plasmius." said Trigon. "Let's find out if you're as good as you say." Vlad split himself into 4 and the battle began, Skulker and Fright Knight entering as well. They were holding their own better than the others, as Vlad and Fright Knight were highly skilled, but it soon became obvious that Trigon had the advantage in sheer power.
Meanwhile, the Titans watched as the ground erupted around them. They were too weak to do anything to the demon. It would depend on Vlad and Danny to defeat it. Unfortuantely, it was going to be very difficult, if not impossible.
Meanwhile, Danny tackled Trigon, sending him to the ground and firing energy blasts. However, they did have much effect and the demon laughed. "I would have expected someone with your reputation to be stronger, Danny Phantom." said Trigon. "It is of no concern. Soon this entire world will fall before my power!"
There was a huge black burst and no less than 50 demons appeared. They were red and armed with medieval weapons. They were at least 8 feet tall and very strong, according to human standards.
"Fright Knight, Skulker, deal with the demons." said Vlad, summoning his copies back inside him. "Daniel and I will take down Trigon."
"You're more than welcome to try." he said. Vlad conjured two swords, giving one of them to Danny and both charged.
Jazz, Terra, and Sam had gotten the others out just seconds before the entire building collapsed. When they got out, they found that the whole area was surrounded with black energy. There were demons everywhere and most of the combatants had fallen. Vlad and Danny were currently fighting Raven, under control of Trigon.
"So what exactly are we going to do?" asked Sam.
"Maybe we should call your parents, Jasmine." said Terra.
"Have them face that thing?" Jazz asked in shock. "Right now, It looks like Danny and Masters are our only hope of survival. We've got to do what we can to help them. The others are injured but the enemy is not focusing on them."
"For our sakes, I hope you're right." said Terra, levitating boulders.
"Don't worry, Danny, I'm coming!" Sam exclaimed. She was relieved that Tucker had decided to stay. He would be little more than a liability.
All around Jump City, people were noticing black clouds on the outskirts. Many started panicking, tripping over each other in their haste to get away. But in a certain place, a pair of ghost hunters were ready for battle.
