Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *Is looking down at a strange cardboard box with holes poked into it.* What is this…? And… *Looks around* Where is Fox?
Dora: My brother wanted me to give this to you. He said that he thought it would help 'keep you entertained' or something. I don't know where Fox is, I haven't seen her around lately.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': I hope she's alright… *Looks at the box and shrugs before opening the flaps on top*
*Upon opening the top of the box, Darkzdragon 'Onyx' saw a half tan and half white giant hamster with a single vertical black stripe on its back. The hamster also had a large, long green snake-like tail.*
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *Stares at the creature for a few seconds before smiling widely and picking up the hamster* OH! MY! GOSH! YOU ARE THE MOST ADORABLE THING I HAVE EVER SEEN!
Dora: I believe my brother said it was called a 'djungarian hamster'. Though it's huge for a hamster, it fits right in the palm of your claws.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': I wonder where he got this little one from *Lightly scratches the back of the hamster's head* I wonder if there is a whole world of them.
Hamster: *speaks in a high pitch voice* Onyx… it's me, Fox.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *Stares that the hamster* What?
DarkFoxKit: Aragon decided to use some kind of potion to transform me into this giant hamster with this weird snake-like tail. I don't know what that's about.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': *Snickers* Well I think you look adorable. Maybe after Dora finds Aragon another princess to marry, I can find out what potion he used to turn you into this~
DarkFoxKit: Am I going to be like this for a while? My current name doesn't fit me while I'm like this. Maybe I should be called FluffyHamsterSnake or something.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Hmmm… *Gives a thoughtful look* How about… Hamsuke?
Dora: I think that's an adorable name~
DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': Very well then, I'll take on the name Hamsuke as long as I'm like this.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Come on, Hamsuke, let's go play in the garden or something~
Dora: Oh, be sure to feed Hamsuke, and make sure she gets the proper exercise.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': I will~
Chapter 58: A Lesson in History
It was the next morning. Everyone had already finished breakfast before going on about their day. Mom and Dad were working on a new invention that Dad called the 'Fenton Crammer.' Jazz was exercising herself with the virtual ghost battling goggles.
I hope she doesn't end up kicking someone in the face while she does that. I thought to myself as I headed into the living room and plopped down onto the couch. I'm really glad I made up with Hope, I had a great night's sleep last night. I still need to take her to meet Juliette, but I should wait. I don't want to risk Skulker following me and finding Juliette.
Suddenly the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it," I said before I got up to go answer the door. When I opened the door, I saw Dash there, wearing his white and red athletic clothes.
"Hey Dash, you came to whip my brother up into shape?" I asked with a smile.
"Yeah, I got a great fitness program set out for him for the next couple of days," Dash said with a smirk. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah, sure," I said before I moved out of the way, letting Dash inside.
"Thanks, I wanted to let your parents know about my plans so they didn't get worried," Dash responded.
"That's a good idea, they can get overprotective sometimes," I said with a chuckle. "They should be in the lab or the Ops Center working on another invention right now. But what do you plan to do with Danny, anyways?"
"I plan on taking him out to the nearby forest just outside of town," Dash answered. "We'll camp out near the camp in the forest for a couple days, maybe three to four at most. The camp out there is a summer camp, but they don't take down their equipment at the end of the summer, meaning all of the different activities are still set up. We'll be training on everything from the high ropes courses to the climbing wall. By the end of the training, your brother should be able to pass the fitness test without much sweat."
"Ah well, if you plan to take my brother all the way out there for a few days, try to go easy on him," I said. I just hope Amity Park can survive a few days without Danny Phantom…. I don't know how well I'll be able to protect the city on my own. "And maybe you two should try to get along better? I don't want you both trying to destroy each other."
"I'll give him a chance, Andy, that's all I can promise. If he doesn't want to get along with me, then there's not much I can do," Dash responded before he looked around. "Would it be alright to go down into your parents lab alone? I mean they might confuse me for an intruder or something."
"Just give me a minute," I said before I walked over to my parents' lab entrance and shouted, "MOM! DAD! A FRIEND OF MINE IS HERE TO SEE YOU!"
"Yikes, I think everyone in Wisconsin could hear you yelling," Dash said as he rubbed his ears.
"Nah, but they'd probably hear my brother if he ever screamed as loud as he could," I said, secretly referring to Danny's Ghostly Wail.
"BE RIGHT UP, SWEETIE!" Mom yelled from downstairs.
"I guess that's considered the inside voice of your family?" Dash joked.
"IS IT A GHOST!?" Dad yelled back.
"NO!" I answered with another yell.
Dash silently chuckled to himself as Mom came upstairs.
"So you said a friend of yours was here and he wanted to talk to us?" Mom asked before she looked over at Dash. "Oh, hello there."
"Mom, you remember Dash, don't you?" I asked, remembering she had been called to the school whenever Dash's bullying got out of hand.
"Yes, I do remember him," Mom said, her hand slowly drifting towards her waist.
"Mom, he's a friend," I quickly said, noticing that Mom was slowly reaching for one of her gadgets. "I promise, he's not a bully anymore. And he's here to help Danny out."
"Oh? I see," Mom said, slowly moving her hand away from her waist. "Then tell me, Dash, how do you plan on helping Danny?"
"Well you see, I was assigned to be his 'fitness buddy' and help train him and get him in shape for the Presidential Fitness Test that is coming up," Dash explained. "The reason why I wanted to talk to you was to ask permission to keep him out of the house for a few days. I would like to take him into the forest just outside of town, the one with the summer camp set up in it. I thought it would be a good idea to do his training where there was no tech and no distractions. Of course I'll have my cellphone on me in case of any emergencies, but I'd prefer that Danny didn't have access to any tech."
"Why can't Danny have any access to any tech?" Mom asked. "What if he got separated from you and needed to call someone?"
"We'll be sticking together the entire time. And the reason I don't want any tech is I don't want him to have any advantages or distractions," Dash responded. "And like I said, I'll have my phone so if he does somehow get lost, I'll call for help. One other thing, the forest isn't all that dense, so it's not that easy to get lost."
"Well, if it's to help my son pass the fitness test… then I suppose it's okay," Mom began to say before she frowned. "But you better bring him back in one piece. If I hear that you were bullying him the entire time, I won't hesitate to take action."
Dash gave a nervous smile at that.
"Relax Mom, I know Dash, he may have a hard time with Danny, but I don't think he'll intentionally hurt him," I quickly said, hoping to ease the tension.
"I'll take every safety precaution possible, I've already thought of everything that could possibly happen and taken steps to prepare for those possibilities," Dash promised. "I give you my word that the only pain he'll be feeling is the healthy burn of muscles that comes from training."
"Very well then, but no more than three days," Mom said firmly.
"Understood, Mrs. Fenton," Dash said with a nod. "If we're lucky, we'll be able to stay inside one of the camp's cabins."
"Should I go get Danny?" I asked. "Or would you rather see him yourself?"
"Do you think he would react well if he was given a warning? Or would he try to go out the backdoor if he knew I was here?" Dash asked in response.
"Danny? No, he wouldn't…" I trailed off as I thought about it more. Danny didn't seem too happy about having to train with Dash, and it's more than likely he would use his ghost powers to ditch. "Er… well then again… ah, maybe you should go see him, Dash."
"Alright, where did you last see him?" Dash asked.
"Last time I saw him, he was in our room upstairs," I answered.
"The room on the left, correct?" Dash asked in response as he began to head for the stairs.
"Yeah, the room on the right is Jazz's," I answered back.
"Thanks, Andy," Dash said before he headed up the stairs.
I gave a small sigh, "Danny's not going to like this."
Mom chuckled before she said, "You've been calling your brother by his name a lot lately, haven't you?"
"Hmm? What's your point, Mom?" I asked, looking at her.
"Oh nothing, it's just you and Danny used to call each other 'bro' all the time. And now I rarely ever hear you or him say that anymore," Mom pointed out. "Perhaps it's a sign of how much you two have matured in the past year."
I blinked before slowly nodding to that. Oh… yeah, Danny and I used to always call each other 'bro' a lot, didn't we? I guess I haven't noticed that we've been doing it less lately.
"DASH!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Mom and I heard Danny yelling from upstairs.
"Yup, he's not happy," I chuckled.
"He's most likely not going to be any happier when he hears what Dash has in mind for training," Mom said, chuckling herself.
I couldn't hear what Dash was saying, but I could definitely hear Danny grumbling loudly. Mom and I decided to give it a few minutes before we saw Dash coming downstairs with Danny. Danny was pouting, looking pretty angry about his situation.
"Alright, Danny, give your phone to your Mom, then we can head upstairs and pick out some spare clothes that you're definitely going to want," Dash instructed.
"Why do I have to give up my phone again?" Danny asked.
"Because we can't have any distractions during your training," Dash answered. "Now hand it over to your mom."
"But… what if there's an emergency?" Danny frowned, looking over at me.
"I'll have my cell phone, so if for some reason you're needed back here or we need help, we can still get calls," Dash answered.
"Don't worry, Danny, Dash already explained his plans to me," Mom said. "He says he has already thought of every precaution."
"Not every precaution…" I heard Danny mumbled.
"Hey Danny, it'll be okay. I'll be here if… something happens," I said, hoping he'll catch my meaning to reassure him. "And Valerie is also there to help… you know, to whip me into shape if I need it."
"Just make sure to include Sam and Tuck in your plans first and foremost," Danny said, giving me his own hidden message of how he'd rather have me rely on Sam and Tucker than turning to Valerie for help with ghosts.
I gave a nod, "Don't worry, I will. You just try to survive your own ordeal for the next few days."
"You don't need to worry about not surviving, Danny, I only plan on pushing you to your true limits," Dash said, trying to reassure Danny.
Danny looked at Dash, probably feeling weird that Dash is making an effort to be friendly to him.
"Hey, I'm getting graded on how you do, so I gotta make sure you get the best results possible from our training," Dash added, noticing Danny's suspicious look. "Besides, I did promise your brother I would try to be nice to you."
"Just try not to tear each other apart," I sighed, not sure how long their 'niceness' would last.
"Yeah yeah," Danny said as he dug his phone out of his pocket and gave it to Mom. "If Tucker or Sam call, please just let Andy answer, alright? And don't let Dad do any tests on it to 'make it work better'. I'd rather not have a phone that calls ghosts."
Mom laughed as she took Danny's phone, "Don't worry about that, Danny. Your father's probably going to be busy with the Fenton Crammer for a while to worry about your phone."
"Still think he could've came up with a better name for that," Danny mumbled before he looked at Dash. "I guess it's time to go prepare for our training?"
"Yup, let's start with picking out your clothes. I already packed food and other supplies like that for us for the next few days. No junk food, just healthy food," Dash responded as he and Danny headed back upstairs.
"So Andy, don't you have to train for the fitness test too?" Mom asked me.
"Yeah, a little," I answered. "Apparently Coach Tetslaff thinks I'm in better shape than Danny."
Mom then gave a smile, "In that case, perhaps I could help-"
"Ah! I should go, there's uh… something I need to do… that's not here," I quickly said before walking away and hurrying into the kitchen. It would be too risky to train with Mom, especially if she tries to use any of her Fenton gadgets.
Mom looked at me and chuckled before she called after me, "You could've just said no, Andy, I would've understood! I was just joking anyways!"
I sighed as I saw Jazz in the kitchen, she was still wearing the battle goggles. She punched the air and gave a kick.
"And one! And two!" Jazz said as she gave each punch and kick.
"Whoa!" I had to turn intangible for a split second before she kicked me in the chest. "Watch it, Jazz!"
Jazz, who heard me, paused and lifted the battle goggles a little. "Sorry, Andy, didn't see you there. You know, Mom and Dad really need to make it so these goggles include the real world. That way I would be able to see you and differentiate you from a ghost or zombie."
I rubbed my forehead and sighed, "Maybe you should use that thing in your room and put a 'do not disturb' sign on your door. The kitchen isn't exactly the safest place for you to punch and kick around."
"I guess you got a point," Jazz chuckled as she took the goggles off. "If I need a snack, I'll simply hit the pause button instead of possibly roundhousing the fridge."
"Are you getting ready for the fitness test too?" I asked.
"Oh, no, I'm doing this so I'd be more help in a battle with ghosts," Jazz responded as she walked over to one of the cabinet, grabbed a glass, and filled it with water from the sink. "I'm already in shape for the fitness test."
"Yeah, you're pretty agile and strong when you want to be," I admitted, remembering how she dealt with those animal ghosts with Dad. "I guess the only thing you need to work on is the clumsiness that Dad instilled in you." I still remember feeling cramped in that Fenton Thermos she accidentally sucked me and Danny into.
"Oh, I've already been working on that, I haven't broken as many things as I used to," Jazz responded with a smile. "I've also been working hard on my aim, so there won't be any incidental mishaps like we had when I kinda went overboard with helping you and Danny. I know I've agreed to stay on the sidelines because of it, but I'll make sure to be a much better teammate when I'm needed again."
Before I could answer, I heard Danny yelling from the living room, "WE'RE GOING OUT NOW! WE'LL BE BACK IN A FEW DAYS!"
"A few days? Where's he going?" Jazz asked.
"Dash is taking Danny to a forest or camp somewhere outside town to help train him for the fitness test," I answered. "Mom said she'll give them three days at most."
"So… who will be around to hunt ghosts?" Jazz asked. "No offense, but you're more of a supporter kind of person, not a frontline fighter like Danny."
I frowned, "I can be in the frontline if I need to… besides, it's not like we have a choice."
"If you need to, yes, but that's the problem, you aren't used to that role," Jazz responded. "Danny can, no offense again, take more direct hits than you. He would be the equivalent of a front line soldier. While you would more be like a spearman, just behind the main forces, hitting the enemies from a distance."
"Is that… really how I fight?" I asked.
"From what I've seen, yeah," Jazz answered. "Do you remember what happened back at Axion Labs? When you had to fight with Valerie against Technus?"
I frowned as I looked down at my feet, I definitely remembered that. I thought for sure that the world was doomed to be terrorized under Technus forever when Valerie and I failed to defeat him. If Danny hadn't come when he did… I didn't want to think about it.
Suddenly I felt a warmth rising in my throat, a feeling I was all too familiar with. I opened my mouth to let out the dark blue mist from my mouth. At least it wasn't unbearably hot this time. Before Jazz or I could say anything about it, we heard what sounded like something being fired out of a machine.
"What was that?" Jazz asked as the heat in my throat disappeared completely, making me raise a brow.
That's weird. Normally I would have a residual feeling of heat if a ghost was around, but it just suddenly disappeared… I thought to myself, giving a small frown.
"YES! THE FENTON CRAMMER IS A SUCCESS!" Jazz and I heard Dad yelling from above us, meaning he was in the Ops Center.
"The crammer is really loud…" Jazz said as she rubbed her ears.
I frowned before I said, "What does the Fenton Crammer do again?"
"I don't really remember, with all of Mom and Dad's inventions, I can't always remember every one of their purposes. Though by the name, I would guess that it probably crams things into other things," Jazz said with a small shrug.
"I wonder if that means the ghost I just sensed got crammed into something like the Fenton Thermos…" I said thoughtfully. That might explain why I don't sense it anymore.
Jazz shrugged again and said, "Probably… Anyways, where were we? Ah! Right, I was talking about your and Danny's different fighting styles. Danny, for some reason, seems more build for taking and dealing out damage. Even though you two practically have the same body type when in your ghost forms, it seems that you both have different… I guess jobs? Classes? Roles?"
"Yeah, I've noticed that Danny is a lot stronger than I am. Although I don't know if it's because he had his powers for longer than I have, or if it's because he's naturally stronger," I said with a small frown.
"I highly doubt that his strength is solely based off the fact that he has had his powers for longer than you," Jazz responded.
"I've thought of that too," I said with a nod. "Maybe the ghost powers are different in each perso- uh… ghost. Even among twins like us."
"It's not just ghost powers though," Jazz responded. "You two have entirely different strengths. Danny is more of the brawler while you're more of the… I guess rogue? And before you ask how I know those terms, I've been doing some research on video games and how they affect the mind of those that play them. Just a question though, what exactly happened when you became a ghost?"
"What?" I asked, not sure why she asked that.
"I'm asking, what happened that caused you to become a ghost after Danny already had his powers? What happened the second time that didn't happen the first time when Danny got his powers?" Jazz clarified.
"I… never told you?" I asked with a frown.
"No. I just heard that was apparently there was a second accident that gave you your ghost powers," Jazz responded as she put her hands on her hips. "And no, you didn't tell me. I knew what happened to Danny, we were all there when the first accident happened, but… what happened in the second accident?"
I sighed as I rubbed my hair, "Okay… just… give me a minute…"
"Maybe we should talk about it up in your room or my room instead of the kitchen though," Jazz said. "If you do plan on catching me up on everything."
"Yeah, my room works," I said before I took Jazz's hand. "Hey, are is ghost security off?"
"Yeah, I think so, Mom and Dad usually only turn them on when they aren't working in the lab. If they had the security systems on when they were working in the lab… let's just say it wouldn't be pretty," Jazz responded with a cringe.
"Oh yeah, that definitely wouldn't," I chuckled before I transformed into my ghost form and turned both Jazz and I intangible and flew us up into the ceiling. My and Danny's room were just above the kitchen, meaning through the ceiling was the quickest route.
As soon as Jazz and I were in my room, I dropped the intangibility and returned to my human form.
Jazz blinked before she chuckled, "You couldn't have just walked up here?"
"I just figured this would be faster," I said before I went over to my drawer to dig something out. Heh, I remember when I would used to freak out of ever doing such a thing.
"I'm not sure I might ever get used to the tingling feeling I get when passing through solid matter like that," Jazz said as she walked over and sat down on my bed. "Oh? Your teddy bear is right next to your bed. I guess my plan was more successful than I thought."
"Don't get your hopes up too high, Jazz," I said as I took out my journal. "I made an exception with her since she's… special."
"Her? She? You already assigned your teddy bear a gender?" Jazz asked in shock. "I mean I know it's mostly pink, but it could've still be a very effeminate male or a red teddy bear that got some of its color washed out."
I turned to look at Jazz and said, "Why does that matter?"
"I just didn't think you'd be progressing this quickly," Jazz answered before looking at my journal. "Now tell me, what do you have there."
"This is my journal. I've kept a record of a lot of things that happened in my life for the past year or so," I answered, looking at the book in my hands.
"And this is the first I'm finding out about it?" Jazz asked with a small chuckle. "Had I known about your journal, I wouldn't have had to come up with my own theories."
"What theories?" I asked, raising an eyebrow before sitting on the bed beside Jazz. "And I know you keep your own diary in your room."
"My diary is off limits, Andy," Jazz quickly said. "Regarding my theories, I've been trying to come up with different ideas of how you and Danny's ghost powers will develop. There is one favorite theory of mine which is that at some point you and Danny will be able to combine your powers into one mega attack."
I chuckled when Jazz told me her diary was off limits, "Hey, I don't have any interest in your diary. Our brother on the other hand… heh, just keep a close eye on your diary around him."
"When you next see him please pass on a warning," Jazz said before she took on a serious look. "If he touches my diary, he will end up in the Fenton Thermos for at least a week."
"Of course, that is assuming he'll listen," I said before shaking my head. "Anyways, I just figured this would be the easiest way to tell you how I became half ghost and why Danny seems more experienced with his powers then I am."
"So it's all there? Or just the important stuff?" Jazz asked, returning to her normal self.
"I didn't write every single thing that happened, so mostly the important stuff," I answered as I turned the pages.
I stopped for a few seconds when I saw the words 'Corrupted Danny' and shook my head. Jazz shouldn't see that. I quickly turned the pages again before stopping. "Ah, here it is."
"You going to let me read it myself, or are you just going to read it out to me?" Jazz asked as she looked at me expectantly. "It would be quicker if I just read it myself."
"I'll read it to you," I answered, not wanting her to see some of the entries. "Hey, just because I'm reading my journal to you doesn't mean I still don't want some of this stuff kept private."
"Uh huh," Jazz responded before she sat back. "Alright, read away. Though be ready for any questions."
I nodded to her before I began reading about the day Sam made a careless wish while Desiree was around.
When I got to the point where Danny and I got into the second accident, Jazz spoke up.
"So the second accident wasn't really an accident at all, it was something that Sam recreated?" Jazz asked. "How did none of us know about that?"
"Because Sam, Tucker and I made sure nobody was around when we did it," I answered. "Of course as you know, I had my own misgivings about it."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I definitely would've been hesitant at best about it if I was there," Jazz sighed. "It's not easy learning a family member is part ghost, let alone purposefully have them turn into one."
"Yeah… but I guess it just had to be," I sighed.
"But how did you get caught up in the second 'accident'?" Jazz asked.
"I guess Dad put the Fenton Skateboard in the lab again… although I didn't remember seeing it when we first came down into the lab," I answered. "Anyways, moving on…"
I continued reading, up until the point where I was in denial about my own powers and tried to lie to myself by saying I had a disease instead.
"Really? A disease?" Jazz asked, deadpanned. "I remember you saying you thought you had something like that, but-"
"Let it go, Jazz," I grumbled. "I had my reasons for being in denial at the time."
Then I came to the part where Danny and I had trouble using our ghost powers against Desiree, since neither of us were experienced. Well, I wasn't, Danny just forgot all of what he had learned.
Jazz was snickering, "Your reactions are hilarious."
"Jazz, it wasn't funny to me. We were fighting for our lives," I pointed out.
"I know, sorry about that," Jazz chuckled as she shook her head. "Then what happened next?"
I finally finished telling her about how Sam made the wish to reverse the damage. Giving Danny his memory back, but keeping me with my ghost powers.
I stopped reading after that point, because that was all she needed to know. "And there you have it. Thanks to some ghost genie, we had some memory shifting issues, but Danny had his ghost powers far longer than I've had mine."
"That would explain why you've taken on more of a support role," Jazz remarked. "Since Danny has more experience, he would be the best choice for the main front line fighter. Though if you really wanted to and were able to, you could've fought side by side with Danny, but you still chose to take on a support role. But reiterating what I said earlier, you definitely seem to naturally fit the support role in battle."
"Why do you say that?" I asked curiously, wanting to hear her answer.
"You're more of an analyst than Danny. He prefer to charge in first and take in the battlefield as he is fighting. With you, you try to take in your surroundings and what you know about your opponent before you join the battle," Jazz explained. "I'll put it extremely simply, Danny likes using his fists and you like using your brain."
I gave a small chuckle, "That's true. I don't like charging in headfirst into a battle, especially with an unknown enemy."
"But even if you do know the enemy, if Danny is there, you tend to stray a little farther away from the fight, trying to help Danny however you can," Jazz pointed out. "Hence why I say you're more of a support role. Though I guess tactician would also be an apt title for your preferred fighting style."
"Heh, well I don't know about a tactician," I chuckled sheepishly. "I mean Sam is more of the tactician one."
"Oh really? If you were facing Skulker and… let's say Technus, who would you target first?" Jazz asked.
"I'd probably try to take out Technus," I quickly responded.
"And why?" Jazz asked in response.
"Because Technus can control technology, he could put Skulker's battle suit back together if it were torn. He could make Skulker even stronger or faster if he wanted to. Technus is definitely the more dangerous one out of the two," I answered.
"Thank you for proving my point, little brother," Jazz said with a small smile. "You just thought about the two ghosts and which one would be the biggest threat overall. You thought exactly like a tactician would. If it was Danny, he probably would've said Skulker as Skulker has the most firepower between the two."
I nodded to her, "You have a good point. I may not be as strong as Danny, but I can definitely be helpful with finding the enemy's weakness and go for it while he distracts them."
"Exactly, you use your analytical mind to assist in battle," Jazz responded. "If you want to be 'as strong as Danny' you should train that genius brain of yours and learn skills that can be useful for both supporting Danny and also taking on an enemy on your own."
I thought to myself, remembering how I had failed to protect Valerie and Axion Labs from Technus before. I can still improve and learn from it, and hopefully something like that will never happen again. I looked over at Hope, who was sitting on the bed acting like a lifeless toy. I haven't seen or sensed Skulker around lately, maybe I could use this time to introduce her to Juliette.
"This was a good talk, Jazz," I said as I looked at my sister. "But I should probably get myself ready for the Presidential Fitness Test. I don't want to fall behind Tucker and Danny because I was being lazy after all."
"Uh huh, I want to hear more of what I missed out later on, understand?" Jazz stated as she stood up. "I won't read your journal without your permission, but I would like to be caught up on the important things that I wasn't around for."
"Heh, yeah sure, maybe another time," I chuckled as I closed my journal and put it back in my desk drawer.
Jazz walked over to my door before she turned to me and said, "Good luck with your training, little brother."
"Thanks, you too, big sis," I answered, chuckling before she left my room, leaving the door open with a slight crack.
"She has a point," Hope said as she sat up. "You should work more on fortifying your mental abilities and expand your range of fighting abilities."
I walked over and closed my door the rest of the way, not wanting someone to push the door open on Hope and I in the middle of a conversation.
"I've been experimenting on what I can do with my ghost powers," I said. "That's how I came across things like telekinesis, and being able to create my own weapons with my ghost ray."
"Well why not work on adding to your arsenal?" Hope suggested. "If you were able to create a gun or bazooka out of your ectoplasm, you would be much more useful in battle. For instance, if you could switch from a sword to a pistol and then back off and use a rifle, you would be able to seamlessly switch between different battle positions."
"A pistol and a rifle? But I don't know how to use a gun," I said with a frown. "And a sword? … Huh, come to think of it, my future self used two swords…"
"Didn't you say your parents have ecto based weaponry already? You could use their designs as your own," Hope responded. "For instance, an ecto pistol would simply shoot small concentrated ecto blasts out at high speed. Rifles are similar to that except it would fire more rapidly and the ecto blasts would be bigger."
"Hmm…" I closed my eyes as I thought about that. "Danny and I could already shoot ghost rays from our hands, but would it be more useful with a rifle?"
"How quickly and accurately can you fire your ghost rays?" Hope asked in response.
"I guess I see your point," I said as I opened my eyes and looked at the pink and white teddy bear. "Raw ghost energy is more powerful, but we can only fire it so fast and accurate. If I made a rifle that can shoot faster and more accurate, it could definitely help in some fights."
"That's not the only thing about rifles that are better. With a rifle you can actually aim it unlike simply throwing your arms forwards towards your enemy," Hope explained. "If you want to see some ecto weapons, you could always check out a Ghost Zone bazaar, there are always a few weapon vendors there."
"... There's a bazaar in the Ghost Zone?" I asked, surprised.
"There are multiple in different locations," Hope answered. "And the best part is, those places are usually treaty zones where ghosts aren't allowed to hunt each other. If a ghost breaks that rule, they get arrested and sent to jail."
"Huh… Danny and I will have to find one of those one of these days…" I said with a chuckle, imagining Danny's surprise if we ever did find a market place in the Ghost Zone.
"I could probably give you general locations," Hope replied. "For instance, there is one that is near the floating library through a door with a treasure chest on it."
"Hmm, I'll have to write that down," I said. "I wonder if Juliette knew about these…"
"Juliette? Who's Juliette? Another one of your allies?" Hope asked with a small frown. "I don't remember seeing her name in your journal."
"Oh right, I've been wanting to introduce you to her," I said as I remembered wanting to take Hope to Juliette. "Would you mind if I took you to see her now?"
"Are you gonna tell me a little bit about her first or no?" Hope questioned.
I chuckled before I said, "Well she's sweet, wise, and is a goat ghost."
"Sounds like someone has a crush~" Hope said with a chuckle.
I stared at Hope, and she stared back, her red eye glistening. I sighed and said, "I'm just going to let that comment go. Do you want to meet her or not?"
"Don't you have to do training for that test of yours? Or is this an attempt to skip training for today?" Hope replied with a sly smile.
"I'll be training, I'm going to run there," I said with a smile of my own before I picked Hope up.
"You get one drop of sweat on me and I will live up to your fear of teddy bears," Hope threatened.
"Hey, don't worry, I'll keep you nice and dry," I promised before I walked out of my room, leaving my door half open.
"You realize you're gonna be walking outside with a girly looking pink and white teddy bear, right? Wouldn't you rather put me in a bag or something to save yourself the embarrassment?" Hope pointed out as I reached the staircase that went down to the living room.
"Hmm…" I walked down the stairs and over to the front door and opened it. "Nah, I'm sure nobody will care."
"Heh, alright, but don't complain when people start staring and making comments," Hope quietly responded before she went limp, acting like a normal teddy bear again.
I headed outside, closing the door behind me, before I began to jog lightly on the sidewalk towards the opera house. It was a good way to train without exhausting myself in an all out run. I wasn't interested in doing any hardcore training for the fitness test, I would rather work on developing a new weapon with my ghost ray later.
"Hey, Andy!" I heard a familiar voice yelling from a little bit behind me.
I was a little surprised from the voice before I turned my head to see if it was who I think it was.
"Oh, uh, hey, Val!" I called back as she was jogging about fifteen feet behind me.
Valerie started to run in order to catch up, once she caught up she matched my pace.
"Out on a jog?" Valerie asked before he eyes drifted downwards towards my chest. "With your... teddy bear? Let me start off by saying, this isn't a dream, Andy, you are definitely awake."
"Oh stop with the dramatics, Val," I said with a roll of my eyes.
"Why are you jogging with your teddy bear? And why is your teddy bear half pink? I mean, it is pretty adorable, but I can't really imagine you with anything pink," Valerie commented.
"It was my sister's idea," I answered truthfully. "She wanted to 'cure my fear of teddy bears' by pretty much forcing this one on me. So I have to carry her around to satisfy my sister."
"Does that include carrying it outside?" Valerie asked with a raised brow. "If so, I would draw the line there, before you have to bring it to school."
"I don't really mind taking her outside," I said. "I just have to show her to a… new friend of mine."
"I guess if you're fine with it then I should respect that," Valerie said with a small shrug. "Just make sure Kwan and the other popular kids don't see you with it- er… her."
"They would make fun of me no matter what, what's one more thing?" I said with a shrug. "And anyways, it's not like I'm going to take her to school."
"I know they would make fun of you like normal, but if Kwan saw you with it… well let's just said he would probably do more than name calling," Valerie worriedly replied. "I'd rather you not get bullied and beat up over a teddy bear."
I frowned a bit, but then gave a small smile. Kwan is actually a nice guy, and he's Dash's best friend. I doubt it would get that bad, but it probably would be best to keep this on the down low.
"Even if it isn't Kwan, there's the entire rest of the football team, not to mention the other sports teams," Valerie continued.
"Stop worrying so much, Valerie," I said with a sigh. "I'll be fine, okay? And I take it you're out here training for the fitness test?"
"Alright, I'll drop the subject," Valerie chuckled. "I shouldn't worry all that much either, you can defend yourself fairly well if need be. As for why I'm out and jogging, you're right. I've been training for the fitness test since the sun rose this morning."
"Wow, you're really into it," I chuckled sheepishly. "I mean you're already pretty fit, do you really need to go all out for a simple test?"
"Heh, it's mainly because I can't do any training this afternoon," Valerie responded. "I have an evening shift tonight. Besides, while I know I am probably fit enough for a good grade, I'm trying to get as best a score as possible."
"I understand," I said with a nod. "By the way, how's your new suit and weapons coming along? Did your… supplier give them to you yet?"
"I've gotten a few temporary pieces of equipment, but my supplier said it would probably take another day or two to get a proper suit for me," Valerie answered.
"Well, when you do get your new suit, tell me more about it," I said. "I'm… curious, and I want to make sure you'll be safe when you go hunting ghosts again."
"I'd be more than happy to show you all the new features," Valerie said with a smile. "Apparently there's going to be twice as many features for everything."
I tried not to look pale at that. I felt Hope tapping my arm. I looked at Hope for a second before remembering that she had wanted me to try to ease Valerie into my secret. I don't have to tell her about Danny since that was his secret to tell, but I should at least start with mine. I gulped, I wasn't sure if Valerie would even see me as a friend anymore if I told her.
"Um… so-" I began to say before Valerie started going in a different direction. "H-hey, where are you going?"
"Ah, sorry Andy, but my jogging route is going this way," Valerie said as she kept going. "We can meet up again later though!"
I sighed as she was already gone. "I guess the talk will have to wait…" For now, I'll just focus on getting to the opera house. I hope Juliette's still there, she should be.
Mana: DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': Yeah, I always thought it was jarring that Tucker was able to get into shape that fast, especially when the show pointed out how out of shape he was in the beginning. Maybe if Tucker was in decent shape before due to the ghost hunting, then I could accept that, but here they made him out like a complete wimp who just got into decent shape in the course of one day. If more than one day did pass in the show, they didn't make that very clear.
As for the reward being a cell phone, we sort of brought the show to a bit more of our present day and age rather than the 2004 era it was aired on. I think I remember Butch saying he would've given Tucker our current cell phone than a PDA if the show was aired at this day and age. I also felt for Tucker when Sam gave him a fake PDA, regardless of the results, I would've been really upset with Sam if I was Tucker.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': That fakeout just seemed really unlike Sam. While she jokes around a bit, what she did there was downright manipulative and mean, which really isn't Sam. I think that ending was more meant to give the viewers an extra laugh before the ep ended, but I really felt it was pandering.
I definitely enjoyed coming up with the background for Hope. It was extremely interesting to just think of all the possibilities in the world of Danny Phantom that were never touched upon. I remember how I used to watch shows like Ghost Hunters and other paranormal shows like that and a recurring thing was haunted or cursed objects. That, as well as Monokuma and Monomi were big inspirations for Hope and her backstory.
DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': Yup, we can't have Andy be afraid of teddy bears forever. Though right now Hope is the only exception to Andy's phobia.
Scrappy Doo Fan: DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': I just imagine Andy having a voice similar to Danny's. ^^' But you're free to speculate who could voice act Andy if he was part of the show.
Jewel moonstone: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Happy extremely belated birthday!
Andys Fangirl: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Hope you didn't dislike how we decided to go with this chapter. As for who Andy fears more than Bearbert, I probably shouldn't say.
DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': We have our own plans for when Andy reveals his ghost self to Dash and Valerie. Don't worry, we don't plan to wait until near the end of season 3 for that. As for who Andy fears more than Bearbert… I thought it should be obvious, but I won't say either if you don't know for sure.
eeveemaster: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Well there are two of us here and both our names start with 'Dark' so if you want to cheer for someone, perhaps cheer for Team Dark?
DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': It is rather a funny coincidence that both of our names start with 'Dark'. So yeah, you can call us Team Dark if you want to give us a team name.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': If Hamsuke and I were to form a team in a Pokemon Mystery Dungeon game or world, it would probably be called 'Team Dark'.
DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': That is assuming that we can use that team name, as sometimes the game won't let you use a team name that's already in use by another. As for if Andy is going to be part of the 'Honey I Shrunk the Kids' adventure, I'll let you see as the story progresses.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': We know a lot of reviews ask how a story or chapter will progress and we honestly really don't want to say either due to spoilers or because our answer would be the next chapter itself.
FireSoulKid: DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': We do have something in mind for when Valerie finds out about Andy's alter ego, but we won't say how or what until we get there. It will be before D-Stabilize, because we really don't want to wait until pretty much the end of the series for Valerie to find out.
Mana: Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as you did last chapter. And yeah, I know. Butch Hartman said they only scratched the surface. I can honestly imagine that the show only explored like 1% of the Ghost Zone, if even that. Oh don't worry, we have lots of plans in mind before D-Stabilize.
DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': Heh, well, we do have our own plot for how and when Jack and Maddie find out about their children's alter egos. Maddie for sure, but Jack is still a work in progress. We haven't figured out the best way to tackle that subject with Jack yet.
The Moonfox Collective: DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': The story is more about character development and how they go about in their daily lives than it is about action. But when we do get into the action, we make sure it's good. That's what I feel makes this story unique from the show itself, I put in more human elements than I do scenes focused on action and ghosts. Even when we get to the ghosts, they all have their own personality and reasons for doing what they're doing.
Danny is being difficult because he still sees Dash as that bully who always beats him up, gets him into trouble, or stuffs him in his locker for the fun of it. Something like that isn't easy to forgive and forget.
Darkzdragon 'Onyx': Let's not forget that Dash had been bullying Danny for years. With the size of Amity park, I don't doubt that Danny may have been stuck with Dash through middle school and maybe even elementary school.
DarkFoxKit 'Hamsuke': Of course, you could argue the same could be said for Andy, since he and Danny have always been together for the majority of their lives. Andy decided to forgive Dash after he helped him out, Danny hasn't, that's the difference here. Thank you for your encouraging reviews, it's always nice to read what you have to say and respond back to it. We hope to keep improving ourselves.