Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom, the characters, or the series that solely belong to Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon, and Viacom International. I just own my characters that I create unless I say otherwise.
All Out War part 2
The city was now completely surrounded by the dome of ecto-energy. Danny was about to fly up to it in order to try and break it, but Mariko stopped him and shook her head in disapproval. All the while, Valerie tries to attack the Fright Knight, but instead, ghost saw her coming and simply backhanded her, not only knocking her unconscious, but her hunting gear deactivates.
"Valerie!" Danny shouts.
As Danny and Mariko ran to a downed Valerie, the Fright Knight announces
"The sword is sunk, your die now cast." Danny and Mariko have a look of horror on their faces. "The sword removed shall signal fast. Make reappear the Ring thou hast." Vlad looks horrified as well. "Or your next day..." Fright Knight points at the trio. "shall be your last."
The Fright Knight disappears in a cloud of smoke which also turns into a swarm of bats. While the bats flew off, the skeleton army remain frozen.
"The Ring thou hast?" Danny asks in confusion
"What is he talking about?" Mariko asks equally confused.
The two teens give Vlad a suspicious look as the older half-ghost shrugs with uncertainty.
Then, while Vlad disappears, Danny and Mariko hear Maddie's voice from an intercom.
"Children of Amity Park! Report to the safe bosom of the Fenton Family Assault Vehicle!"
As the vehicle plows through the frozen skeletons, reducing them to a pile of bones, Danny looks shocked as Mariko tells him
"Go before she sees you!"
Not needing to be told twice, Danny hides behind a tree to transform back before he catches up to Mariko who was still watching over Valerie. When the FFAV arrives at the football field, Maddie steps out along with Kenji and Damon as they all see Valerie beat up and unconscious
"The ghosts attacked her." Mariko fibs
"She's right. Valerie was caught by surprise." Danny says
The adults carefully carry Valerie into the vehicle before they get onboard and drive off.
Moments later, the group were at Fenton Works as the ghost shield was active. In the living room, Sam, Tucker, Danny, and Mariko were watching the news while Harumi was busy looking over both Valerie and Jack. The Japanese woman was able to treat Valerie's wounds as the African girl was lying on the couch unconscious. Meanwhile, down in the lab of the basement, Kenji was looking at the Ecto-skeleton while his wife was treating Jack.
"This is the suit that caused Jack-sama's condition?" Kenji asks.
"Yes." Maddie replies. "The suit uses neuro-receptors so the wearer can move freely, but it's dangerous."
While Kenji pondered, Harumi was currently having Jack drink a bottle of Gatorade as she says
"I'm guessing when the suit did this, it must've drained him of his electrolytes which is why he's out of it."
After Jack took a break from drinking the bottle, he declares while standing
"Once that suit's finished, I'll be the one to use it and beat those ghosts back into the Ghost Zone."
Maddie walks up to Jack and says with worry
"No Jack! You're still wiped out from the last time."
Harumi gently forced Jack to sit back down as she said
"She's right. Your electrolyte levels are dangerously low."
Suddenly, Kenji thought of an idea as he asks
"Maddie-sama?" he points at the incomplete battle suit. "You said that it uses neuro-receptors on the wearer as a power source, correct?"
"Yes. Why?" Maddie asks curiously
"I may have something to help remedy the problem." Kenji says before he walks away. "I'll be back shortly."
In the living room, Valerie was waking up as the others noticed.
"You feeling better?" Tucker asks as Valerie slowly sits up
"A little." Valerie replies before commenting. "Though I'm surprised you care."
"Well, considering that you were pretty mean to us in the past, what made you think...?" Sam says
"I already know, okay?" Valerie interrupts. "Mariko told me."
Only Danny noticed that Mariko was pondering on the words that the Fright Knight spoke of.
"The ring thou hast?" she thinks. "What does that..."
Suddenly, the Japanese girl realized the meaning as she gasped in horror.
"Mariko, what's wrong?" Danny asks with worry.
"Danny-kun? Can I speak to you, Sam, and Tucker in private?" Mariko asks with worry.
Sam leads the group into a large closet before closing the door and turning on the lamp.
"I've finally pieced it together." Mariko says with dread before holding out the Ring of Rage. "This is the ring that knight was looking for!"
Sam was confused as Tucker asks
"Where did you get that?"
"Vlad had it before Mariko found it." Danny explains.
"He must've stolen it from the Fright Knight and is using you to hide it." Sam says while glancing at Mariko.
"I should've known Vlad had something to do with this." Danny says in frustration.
The ghost boy stands up with a determined look as he declares
"We need to get to the bottom of this! Something is going on with that ring and we need to make the ghosts tell us what it is!"
Meanwhile, Kenji returned to Fenton Works as he carried a metallic object looked like a mechanical capsule with a green core. To other people, it looked heavy but the man carried it as if it was nothing but a sack of potatoes. While Damon was twist tightening a bolt, Maddie saw the metal capsule as curiosity got to her intrigued.
"What's that?" she asks.
"A project I've managed to perfect." Kenji replies as he set the capsule down. "What you're looking at here..." he points at the capsule "is what I call the Neo Plasma Reactor."
"How...does...that work?" Jack weakly asks
"It acts as an external power source for machines, like a battery." Kenji explains. "The best part is- the reactor never drains."
Jack glanced at the reactor as he said
"If we install that...to the Ecto-skeleton..."
"Then the neuro-receptors will divert power from the reactor, but won't hinder the wearer from using it!" Maddie finishes with excitement. "Brilliant!"
"One more thing, Maddie-sama." Kenji adds. "I suggest that you put in a lock system where only you and your family can access it."
While the adults were busy disassembling only a small part of the Ecto-skeleton to modify it for the installation of the reactor, Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Mariko snuck out of Fenton Works before Danny transformed once they were outside the building.
Out in the streets, the teens were walking past the skeleton army that remain frozen, despite that Danny flew at slow speed.
"Well, at least we don't have to worry about traffic." Danny joked.
The others chuckled at that. Suddenly, they hear a sound of something snapping which made them alert. Instantly, a huge ghostly dog appeared before them; one that Danny recognized.
"Cujo!" he exclaims happily.
For the Japanese girl, it was the first time seeing this particular ghost. Seeing her boyfriend was not on-guard, Mariko felt it was safe to keep her weapons holstered.
"Is that the ghost dog you told me about?" she asks curiously.
"Yeah. This is the one." Danny replies.
It was then that Cujo noticed Mariko, despite that she was armed. The dog slowly circled in suspicion while sniffing her. Mariko stood her ground without showing fear.
"It's okay." Tucker assures. "He's just checking you out"
"Yeah, to see if she's lunch." Sam says with worry.
Once Cujo was face to face with Mariko, the ghost dog instantly morphed into his small puppy form as he playfully wagged his tail before jumping to Mariko, making her catch him as she chuckled at the dog's antics while he playfully licked her face.
Danny couldn't help but smile that the ghost dog didn't attack Mariko like he would Valerie in the past.
The teens make it to the hunting goods store where Skulker was supposed to be located. They see him, or rather his backside, facing a corner. Danny draws the Fenton Thermos at the ready, but Mariko stopped him by placing her hand on his, despite carrying Cujo in her arms. Suddenly, Cujo's canine instincts kicked in as the ghost dog jumped out of the girl's arms before morphing into its large beastly form and attacked.
It turns out that it was a cardboard cutout when Cujo tore it to shreds as the others notice.
"A fake...?!" Sam says with confusion.
"That's right!" a voice boomed
Suddenly, the real Skulker suckerpunched Danny, knocking him into an inflatable canoe and paddles before stepping out of the shadows.
"Did you actually think you could sneak up on me?"
As Mariko draws her katana, Skulker converts his arm into a sword-like weapon on his own before he and the Japanese girl clashed blades. Instantly, Danny fired an energy blast at the mechanical ghost into a wall. However, when Skulker got up and was about to attack again, he was merely inches away when a certain voice spoke up, getting everyone's attention
"Ix-nay on the ight-fay, Skulker!"
They turn to see Sydney Poindexter accompanied by Ember, Walker, Technus, Dorathea and the other ghosts looking at him
"Maybe he can help us."
Mariko sheathed her weapon as Danny said to Skulker
"Please! Let me help you guys! Just tell me what's going on."
Once Skulker stood down and lowered his guard, Danny threw a sucker punch of his own.
"How is that helping?" Sam asks in annoyance
"It's payback." Danny replies while flexing his wrist. "It helps me on the inside."
All of the ghosts gathered around a neon light that resembled a campfire. Danny was sitting on a log next to Mariko as Cujo was lying down on her lap, curled up while Sam and Tucker sat on an inflatable raft.
"It was many years ago." Skulker began. "Before you, before me, before most of us. His name was Pariah Dark. And he ruled the Ghost Zone."
Danny and the other teens were silent as Skulker continued to tell the tale
"He was a ghost of such power and magnitude; only he can control the energies contained within the Crown of Fire and the Ring of Rage. When wearing both, he could do...anything."
"Until a group of powerful, ancient ghosts banded together in a last ditch effort to defeat the King, by locking him within the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep."
Skulker pauses before he said
"Or so we thought."
"He's only been freed for a day and he's already destroyed our homes." Ember adds bitterly
"And that's without the Ring." Danny says as he saw Mariko glanced at her pocket which contained the Ring of Rage with worry. "We can't let him get it."
Danny stands up as he says
"I'm going to need all of you to help me to put the ghost king asleep. I'll need you to battle against all odds! Face untold danger, doom, and destruction with no guarantee of coming back! WHO'S WITH ME?!"
The ghosts were silentg at first, but then they laugh as if their foe told a hilarious joke before they float away.
"You should take that as a no." Tucker comments.
Danny had a worried look before he felt Mariko's hand on his shoulder. He glances at her to see his girlfriend's assuring look which gave him some hope.
Several hours later, the teens returned to Fenton Works as Cujo was roaming about the city due to being unable to get through the ghost shield. However, outside of the home, Vlad was leaning against the lamppost casually like he waiting for someone. Then, minutes later, Danny steps out and sees him waiting.
"You wanted to talk to me?" Vlad asks
Danny had his arms crossed with a disapproving look as he said
"You're putting innocent people in danger. It stops. Now."
Vlad had a smug look as he taunts
"Really? You know what I'm up to? Your tiny teen mind has finally pieced together the rest of my plot?"
"That you stole the Ring, woke the Ghost King, allowed Mariko to take it from you so you can hide it, and you're now waiting for the chance to steal it back." Danny surmised.
"That's pretty good." Vlad smugly taunts. "It's almost as though I barely consider you...or your girlfriend a threat."
Danny glares at Vlad, taking that crack as insult.
"There's that temper again." Vlad says mockingly. "What ARE you going to do?" he leans in dangerously close. "What if someone sees us?"
At first, Danny was silent, but in his mind, he hears Mariko's voice telling him
Remember, a ninja's greatest weapon is stealth...and cunning."
Danny then had a smug look which catches Vlad by surprise. Suddenly, the ghost boy fired a ghost ray at the lamp post which turns everything dark.
"Oh sugar cookie!"
Danny fires another ghost ray at Vlad which knocks him out of the ghost shield before he transforms after walking out of the shield. Vlad was getting up as Danny kicks his archenemy into a billboard. However, the older half-ghost was impressed as he transformed as well.
"A sneak attack. Very good Daniel. You're getting more like me with every battle."
"I'm nothing like you!" Danny counters as he floats up to Vlad.
Suddenly, Danny delivers a roundhouse kick to Vlad which had enough force to knock him into the football field at Casper High. As Vlad gets up while Danny lands, he taunts further
"Really?" he leans in. "Always throwing the first punch, using your powers on people you don't like? You're more like me than you know."
Right when Vlad swung his arm to backhand Danny, the ghost boy blocked which caught his opponent by surprise.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Danny grabs Vlad's arm and flips him onto his back, making him grunt upon impact.
"What?!"
Vlad was bewildered as he was getting up.
"How did you do that?" he demands
"My girlfriend taught me a few moves." Danny says with pride.
Then, both half-ghosts notice Mariko who was holstering her blaster as she smiled at Danny proudly.
"And as I recall, you may have more experience with your ghost powers, but you have no martial arts training, do you?" Danny says with a smug look as he gets in stance.
Vlad glared as he sneered
"I don't need martial arts training to defeat you!"
Vlad charged at Danny, but the ghost boy saw it coming as he quickly dodged Vlad's punches that were enhanced with magenta energy. After ducking a left hook, Danny counters with an uppercut, then blocks more punches before he delivers a right cross and then a roundhouse kick to the head.
The force sent Vlad flying into the Soul Shredder that was still in the ground. As the older half-ghost crashed into it, the sword was moved out of the ground from the impact. Vlad gets up before he noticed and had a look of fear in an instant.
"Oh no!"
While Mariko ran to catch up to Danny, the ghost boy was confused as he asked his opponent
"What's with you?"
"That sword is a signal!" Vlad says with worry.
"A signal of what?"
For Danny's answer, the earth quakes as the energy dome starts to disintegrate. All civilians watched in horror as the dome started crumbling to pieces. Danny quickly turned himself and Mariko intangible to allow the shards to fall onto the ground without hitting them. Then, the dome finally disappears to reveal that the sky was now black with green highlights, as if the city was absorbed and is now part of the Ghost Zone while the skeleton soldiers came back to life.
Soon, the Soul Shredder begins to float off the ground before flying into the hand of a waiting Fright Knight, but he wasn't alone; next to the ghostly knight was Pariah Dark as the ghost king bellows
"Of surrender!"
Danny got worried as he turned to face Mariko
"Mariko! You've got to run! Take the Ring and hide it somewhere safe!"
However, Mariko was defiant as she said to him
"No, Danny-kun! I'm not leaving you!"
Unfortunately, both the Fright Knight and Pariah Dark heard them as they both landed several feet away from the teen couple before the ghostly knight approached Mariko.
"The King's ring! Relinquish it!" the Fright Knight commands while pointing his Soul Shredder at the Japanese girl.
Mariko placed her hand on the hilt of her katana, ready to draw it as she had a look of defiance while slowly shaking her head in a "no" gesture. However, before the Fright Knight could make a move, Pariah fired a crimson energy blast at Mariko. Danny got in the way to protect her. However, the blast was powerful enough to knock out both teens as Danny morphed back to his human form while the Ring of Rage slips out of Mariko's pocket.
At Fenton Works, Jack, now fully recovered, and Maddie were working with Kenji and Damon. While the Fentons were announcing the situation to every civilian, the other two men were at the control console working their stations
Also, from the Fenton home, Damon launched a sort of satellite as he informed Jack and Maddie
"I'm launching the Ghost Zone probe now."
Kenji pressed up a lever as the ghost shield radius increased to maximum as he said to them
"Ghost shield's radius increased to protect the city."
Meanwhile, despite still recovering, Valerie snuck out of Fenton Works.
Back at the football field, Pariah Dark held both Mariko and Danny who were unconscious with one hand as the ghost king said,
"One is a human and a ghost while the other is fully human." he charged his hand with red energy. "Is there no end to this day's surprises?"
Suddenly, before the ghost king could finish them off, he hears the Fright Knight call to him
"King Pariah! Look!"
The Ghost King sees the Ring of Rage on the ground before he drops the teens and focuses on the artifact. Suddenly, magenta ectoplasmic goo covers his face as Valerie shows up.
"Surprise Stoneface!"
The girl fires another shot at the Fright Knight before Pariah counters by firing an energy blast from his eye at Valerie who dodged it. Then, the huntress sees the Ring of Rage next to an unconscious Danny and Mariko before she lands next to them and grabs it.
The Fright Knight noticed as he confronts Valerie.
"The Ring! Give it to the King! NOW!" he commands
Valerie looks at the Ring of Rage before pulls out a rocket launcher, placed the ring on the tip of the missile, loads it, and aims the weapon at the sky.
"You want it?" she fires the missile. "Go get it!"
While Pariah Dark pursued the coveted artifact, Valerie took the opportunity to grab Danny and Mariko and fly away on her hoverboard while the Fright Knight pursued her. From his Soul Shredder, the knight fires a blast which damaged a rocket. Valerie crash lands into the ghost shield as the Fright Knight and his steed crashed into the shield as well. Soon, the knight tries to break the shield in vain as he shouts through each strike while the girl walks away, taking Danny and Mariko as well.
"This...is...not...over!"
Suddenly, Pariah Dark looms over him as he says, catching the Fright Knight's attention
"Actually, my loyal servant, it is!"
Pariah Dark reveals that he reclaimed the Ring of Rage before he placed it on. The Ghost King cries out in pain as the energy courses through him. Then, he grins, being at full power while the Fright Knight bows down.
"Come!" Pariah Dark says as he turns around. "We have plans to make."
Pariah Dark runs off. Each stomping foot leaves behind footprints composed of red flames as the Fright Knight follows close behind.
"For soon this...human world...will also be mine!"
In Danny's room, Danny was already awake as he was sitting on a chair. Sam and Tucker were accompanying him. However, on his bed, Mariko was lying unconscious before she started to groan. Slowly, the Japanese girl started waking up as she saw Danny staring at her with a worried look.
"Mariko, are you okay?" he asks worriedly
The Japanese girl placed her hand on her head as she replied while slowly sitting up.
"Slight headache, but I'll live."
Mariko noticed that her pocket was now empty as she got worried about the Ring of Rage being missing. However, Danny said to her
"The Ghost King already got it." he lowers his head in defeat.
Mariko placed her hand on the side of Danny's cheek, causing him to look at her in the eye
"It's not your fault, Danny-kun." Mariko assures.
"But it's my responsibility." Danny says.
Soon, the teens sneak to the entrance of the lab as Danny transforms. There, Maddie unveils the complete Ecto-skeleton, she informs to the crowd of people
"While the Ecto-skeleton increases your natural abilities one-hundred fold, it won't kill you thanks to the neuro-receptors diverting power from the Neo Plasma Reactor, courtesy of Kenji Watanabe."
"That's why I'll be wearing it!" Jack declares.
However, Maddie knocks out Jack with a slap as she said
"No Jack! You've done enough! I'll do it!"
Soon, Jazz knocks out Maddie with her own reason. Then, everyone starting knocking each other out with a slap. It startled the teens as Danny comments
"I thought I was going to knock out them out myself, but that works."
Sam realizes what he meant as she said
"Danny, no! You can't!"
"She's right. You can't do this alone." Mariko counters.
"I have to. I'm the only one who can possibly save our lives." Danny adds
"Someone should tell her that." Tucker says while pointing to an individual
The individual turns out to be Valerie Gray in her gear as Danny steps up to her
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to step away from the suit!"
Valerie notices Danny as she glared
"You! I don't know how you got in, but this is my fight!"
"It's not! Not anymore!"
Then Damon walks in and becomes shocked at what he was seeing. While Sam, Tucker, and Mariko snuck away, Valerie turns to Danny Phantom as she says
"You're not the boss of me!"
"No-" Danny pulls off Valerie's mask, shocking her. "But he is." he says with a smug smile
Damon was further shocked seeing his daughter as the red huntress.
"Valerie?"
Valerie screams before she shouts
"YOU ARE SO DEAD!"
The girl activates her shoulder cannons, ready to fire. However, Damon restrains her as Valerie struggled to get loose and attack. All the while, Danny turns intangible before taking the Ecto-skeleton and phasing through the ceiling of the lab. Valerie was still struggling as Damon asks
"You've been battling ghosts this whole time?" Valerie starts calming down. "Are you okay?"
Valerie calms down after hearing her father being concerned about her well-being.
"I'm...I'm fine." she replied bitterly
Damon released his hold as he was smiling. Suddenly, much to Valerie's shock, Damon becomes angry as he shouts
"THEN YOU ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!"
At the roof of the Ops-Center, Danny was in human form as he saw what appeared to be a thumb scanner on the rim of the dome. The boy pressed his thumb on the scanner before the dome opens up, granting him access. However, the ghost boy noticed the ghost shield deactivating, much to his confusion.
"Huh?"
Then, Mariko, clad in her ninja outfit and armed with her weapons, steps out of the door to see him.
"Mariko, what are doing here?" Danny asks.
"I can't let you go alone." Mariko replies with worry.
Danny was still adamant on his decision as he said
"I have to. No one is going to stop him but me."
The Japanese girl sighed, knowing that she can't convince him as she heard Danny speak up.
"Mariko..." she looks up to him. "No matter what happens, know this; I'm glad that I've met you and..."
Suddenly, Danny was interrupted as Mariko kissed him on the lips to silence him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and returns the kiss.
Once they broke apart, Mariko smiled at Danny as she said
"I'm happy to meet you too, Danny-kun."
After a moment of silence, Danny said to Mariko
"I'll be back."
Then, he gets inside the Ecto-skeleton as the dome closes.
"Activate neuro-receptors!"
The neuro-receptors attach to him.
"Initiate power up sequence!"
The suit comes online. Then Danny morphs inside. Suddenly, the suit takes a similar color scheme as his own costume with the logo on his chest. As soon as he did, red clouds suddenly appear before the face of Pariah Dark fades in as the ghost king bellows
"HUMANS! HEAR MY DECREE!"
"Well, that's my cue." Danny comments.
"Be careful." Mariko says
"I will."
Soon, Danny flies away to confront Pariah Dark as civilians watch him in awestruck. Then, Paulina shouts
"Go get him, Inviso-bill!"
"It's not Inviso-bill, it's Phantom!" Danny shouts in annoyance. "DANNY PHANTOM!"
Back at the roof of the Ops-Center, Mariko watched with a smile. However, she was still worried. Suddenly, she felt something, like paws, on her leg. Looking down, the Japanese girl sees the small puppy form of Cujo.
"Oh. Hello, little one." Mariko says with a smile as she got on one knee.
Cujo wagged his tail playfully as it happily stared at the Japanese girl. Mariko glanced in the direction that Danny flew off in with worry. Then, she looks back at Cujo who had his front paws on her knee, begging for attention. She gets an idea.
"I don't know if you can understand me, but I need your help."
In response, Cujo got off Mariko's knee before he morphs into his large canine form. Then, he lies down, indicating that Cujo was willing to let the Japanese girl ride him. Mariko smiles before she mounts onto him, grabs a hold of the ghost dog's collar and starts to lift her hooded cowl to put it on. However, Sam and Tucker arrive
"You're going out there, aren't you?" Sam asks
"I must." Mariko replies while lifting up her mask to put it on. "I won't let Danny-kun do this alone."
"Well, if you're going, you and Danny are going to need reinforcements." Tucker comments.
His words intrigued Mariko as the Japanese girl asks
"What do you have in mind?"
Danny sees Pariah's keep. He gasped in shock to see a legion of skeletons. There were thousands of them, covering every inch of the floating island that the keep was on. Still, it didn't deterred Danny a bit.
"Maybe if I try to pick these guys off one at a time..."
Danny launches a small blue orb from the finger of the suit to the skeleton army. The ones who saw it were confused at first, but then the orb detonated, creating a hole in a small area, decimating a small portion of the entire army. The ghost boy was really impressed at the results.
"Ha Ha! One hundred fold, huh? That DOESN'T reek!"
Danny clenched his fist and launches an energy blast, decimating more skeleton soldiers by the hundreds. Surprisingly, the ghost boy didn't feel any fatigue as he looked at the power level still remaining at one hundred percent.
"Wow! That Neo Plasma Reactor DOES come in handy."
Suddenly, Danny sees several skeletons readying their arrows. He forms an energy barrier in time to deflect the projectiles launched by the archers.
"STILL NOT REEKING!"
Danny counterattacks by firing several blasts, decimating the army even further. Once he lands, the skeletal army dogpiles on him before he breaks free by unleashing a large amount of energy, reducing them to scattered bones. Danny sees that he is surrounded as he gets in fighting stance. However, a different energy blast destroys some of them in another area. Looking in the direction, Danny sees the Specter Speeder with Sam and Tucker piloting the vehicle as well as Mariko riding Cujo before they land before him.
"So, this is the Ghost Zone?" Mariko asks as she glanced around.
"Guys, what are you doing here?" Danny asks as he floats up to them. "I thought I told you to stay put."
"I'm here to make sure you keep your word." Mariko replies with a determined look.
"And normally, I'm against violence, but in this case I'll make an exception." Sam comments
"Besides that, it was Mariko who wanted to help you." Tucker adds. "We're just here to make a delivery."
Suddenly, out of the Specter Speeder, every ghost that Danny knew was released before the vehicle flies away. Danny was shocked to see them here.
"How did they cram all of you into the Specter Speeder?" he asks.
"Hey! Ever been in your stupid thermos?" Ember counters. "Compared to that, it was the Taj Mahal in there!" she grins on the last part
"Less talking, more FIGHTING!" Skulker shouts as he activates his weapons.
The Box Ghost was the first to attack as he bellows
"BEWARE! FOR MY PLACE OF EMPLOYMEMT HAS GIVEN ME A NEW WEAPON!" he pulls a large roll of bubble wrap to hold it up. "THE BUBBLE WRAP- OF DEATH!"
Klemper freezes several skeleton soldiers with his ice breath before the Box Ghost wraps the bubble wrap around them. Then, Klemper pushes the frozen skeletons off the ledge before shifting his focus on to the Box Ghost
"Now will you be my friend?" Klemper asks
"NEVER!"
Dorathea, in her dragon form, and Ember destroy several more skeletons in one area. In another area, Sydney Poindexter sees a sword on the ground before he picks it up and confronts several charging skeletons. Upon seeing him with the weapon, the skeletons stop dead in their tracks as they tremble in fear while one of them whimpers in fear, pointing at Sydney.
"Back! Back I say!" Poindexter shouts as he swung the sword around.
However, the leader growls in annoyance before drawing his sword while letting out a guttural tiger roar. Suddenly, the skeletons drew their swords and let out a guttural tiger roar of their own, ready to fight. Sydney has a sheepish smile as he chuckled nervously while putting the sword onto the ground before he bolts.
With Mariko, she was battling several skeletons before she sees hundreds more in front of her. Knowing she was outnumbered, the Japanese girl looks around before she sees a barren tree. Glancing at Cujo who was shaking his head violently to break a skeleton soldier into pieces, Mariko gets an idea as she uses her katana to cut a large branch off. After sheathing her weapon, Mariko attempts to pick it up with two hands, but found it so light, the branch felt like an extension of her hand.
"What did Danny-kun call him?" Mariko asks herself before she remembers.
Then, Mariko calls out while waving the branch
"Cujo...?!"
Cujo looks back to Mariko when he heard her call. Then, she turns around facing the skeleton army as the Japanese girl threw the branch with every ounce of strength she had towards the legion.
"Fetch boy!"
Cujo's instincts kicked in as he let out a playful bark before running to catch the branch. The ghost dog ran so fast that a gust of wind blew past Mariko, nearly knocking her off-balance. The skeletons' eyes widen in an "uh-oh" manner before half of the legion were trampled on by Cujo, reduced to scattered bones as the dog chased the branch. With a jump, the ghost dog catches the branch with his jaws while landing on the other side of the legion
Cujo proceeds to run back to Mariko, trampling through the rest of the skeletal legion before he drops the branch at her feet. The Japanese girl chuckled while she gently scratched the dog's chin, making him thump his back paw as she cooed
"Good dog."
Near the entrance of the keep, Skulker blasts the skeletal dragon guards into pieces before he turns to Danny
"Now go! Defeat him, so that I will be free to hunt you another day!"
"Guy really knows how to motivate you." Danny comments to Ember with sarcasm.
Danny flies into the keep before he sees the double doors that leads to the throne room.
"Well, this is it."
He blasts the doors open and enters the throne room to see a grinning Pariah Dark, waiting for him. In the king's hand was a mace, ready to be used in combat. Danny grimaced angrily who wasn't intimidated in the slightest.
"A little ragged round the edges, eh, child?" he taunts.
"What do you say we skip the snappy patter," Danny gets in fighting stance after flying into the throne room. "And get right to the part where I kick your butt!"
"Very well." Pariah Dark replies. "I ACCEPT YOUR TERMS!"
Pariah charges at Danny. In response, the ghost boy counters with a roundhouse kick which knocks back the ghost king into the throne, destroying it. Pariah gets up, completely bewildered from the counterattack.
"In all of my conquests, never before have I faced someone who fights the way you do." Pariah comments.
"Let's just say I'm full of surprises." Danny quips as he readies himself for more.
Pariah attacks Danny again who easily blocks and dodges each strike, thanks to Mariko training him in the basics of ninjutsu. After ducking to dodge a swing from the mace, Danny delivers an uppercut which sends Pariah Dark several feet away. It served to anger the ghost king as he got up and threw the mace at Danny. The ghost boy managed to dodge it as the weapon sailed passed him. Unfortunately, it was what PariahDark wanted as the mace suddenly changed course, flying towards Danny again. The ghost boy noticed too late as he looked back in time to see the weapon strike him in the back, knocking him down while Pariah Dark catches it.
Sparks flew from the damaged backside of the Ecto-skeleton as Danny got up. The ghost boy looks at the screen to see a blinking red light.
Warning! Heavy damage to external power source! Neo Plasma Reactor offline! Diverting power from secondary power source!
Danny realized what that meant as he was horror-stricken
"Oh no."
Pariah Dark saw this and said in a taunting manner.
"Having that much power is a burden, isn't it, child? That's why you resorted to that handicap."
"No. The true burden is how I use it. It was only thanks to that reactor that I haven't been affected lately."
Seeing that the power level remained at one hundred percent, Danny had to play it smart, due to the neuro-receptors now diverting power from him. First, he concentrates for minute before creating 3 duplicates of himself. He starts to feel fatigued as the ghost boy sees the power level down to ninety-eight percent before returning to normal. Then, Danny and his duplicates confront Pariah Dark as they all pummel the ghost king simultaneously with a different set of ninjutsu skills.
Pariah swings him mace at a duplicate who blocked it and then grabbed it before using a roundhouse throw to send the king into a wall. Pariah looks to see all four Dannys corner him as they shout simultaneously
"NOW LEAVE MY TOWN ALONE!"
They throw a punch, wounding Pariah Dark.
At Amity Park, Sam and Tucker look up to see the sky flicker to being normal before returning to that of the Ghost Zone as they gasp in shock
"Whoa!" Tucker comments.
Back at Pariah's keep, the fight between Danny and Pariah Dark still continued. The ghost king managed to get a lucky shot at one of the duplicates, making it disappear as his mace glowed with red energy.
"Surrender child!" Pariah commands. "You can't possibly win!"
"I don't have to win." Danny comments.
He blasts a wall to reveal the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep behind it before one of the duplicates opens it. The ghost king steps back in fear as he realized what Danny was going to do.
"I just have to make sure you lose."
The duplicate blasts the Crown of Fire off of Pariah's head as the real Danny caught it before tossing it aside. Then, with the power levels of the Ecto-skeleton now at seventy percent, Danny proceeds to push Pariah Dark into the sarcophagus.
"NO! NO!" Pariah shouts in defiance
After the ghost king was forced in the sarcophagus, the duplicate shuts it before the real Danny absorbed them and held the sarcophagus closed as the power levels of the suit drained by the second. What made it more difficult was that Pariah Dark kept pounding on the sarcophagus to free himself. Danny was sweating bullets as he sees the power level now remaining at ten percent. Right before he blacks out, Danny sees a black gloved hand insert a key and twist it to lock the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep, sealing Pariah Dark for good.
As a result, the sky in Amity Park returned to normal, indicating that the threat was finally over and the city was no longer part of the Ghost Zone. Crowds of people cheered happily as the remaining skeletons disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
Danny only saw darkness before hears a familiar voice calling him
"Danny-kun?"
Danny slowly wakes up to see Mariko in his room. With her were Sam, Tucker, Jazz, Jack, Maddie, Damon, Valerie, Kenji, Harumi, Vlad.
"Wh-what?" Danny asks in confusion
"Don't scare me like that again, Danny-kun." Mariko said while shedding tears. "Or I'll put you in the hospital myself."
"Mariko said she found you just outside the dump when the town flickered back to reality." Jack explains. "She saved your life."
"It surprised me that you've survived from the using that machine when my husband's reactor got damaged." Harumi adds.
Kenji turns to Jack to face him
"I apologize at the loss of your invention, Jack-sama." the Japanese man said sincerely.
"That's okay." Jack assures. "Those pants made me look fat."
As Kenji and Harumi began to leave, Jack stops them as he said
"Mr. Watanabe?"
"Please, call me Kenji." Kenji replies as he turned around.
"Very well, Kenji." Jack says. "You and your family are welcomed in our home from now on."
Kenji bows in gratitude. Then, he says to Jack.
"I hope we meet again, Jack-san..." he pauses for a second. "Under different circumstances."
"I look forward to our next meeting, Harumi." Maddie says while she shook hands with Harumi.
"Oh I agree, Maddie-san." Harumi replies.
As they walked away, Harumi whispered to Kenji in Japanese when they got out of earshot
"Watashi wa kono vurado no kyarakutā o shin'yo shite imasen."
(Translation: I don't trust this Vlad character.)
"Watashitachi no musume no yo ni, watashi no kare kara fun'iki o emasu."
(Translation: Like our daughter, I get bad vibes from him too.)
"Well, I must go now Jack. Things to do, stuff to run." Vlad said.
"Later V-Man." Jack says while waving to a departing Vlad.
Meanwhile, the news coverage reported that with the crisis now over, Danny Phantom's approval rating soared sky high to astronomical proportions as he was now considered a hero.
However, in a home, a TV screen was blasted. It turns out that it was Valerie who blasted the television set in anger
"That depends on who you're asking." she grimaced
Suddenly, Damon's voice boomed
"VALERIE?! WAS THAT THE ECTO-GUN?!"
Valerie gets scared as she hides it behind her back and fibs
"No!"
It was a new day at Casper High. Danny closed his locker door as he had a look of anger while Sam, Tucker, and Mariko noticed.
"Dude, let it go." Tucker says.
"I can't!" Danny says. "The ghosts are off rebuilding their homes, but the Ecto-skeleton is gone."
"Danny-kun, it's okay." Mariko assures.
"How can you be certain?" Danny asks with worry.
"When my father helped modify it, he installed a failsafe where only you or your family can access it." Mariko replies. "If it scans the wrong thumbprint three times, the suit and the reactor will self-destruct."
"Come on Danny." Sam says. "You beat the big bad guy, you saved the town. That should be enough for one day."
Danny started becoming relieved from Mariko's information and Sam's assurance, now knowing that the secrets of the suit will not fall into the wrong hands.
In Wisconsin, Vlad was growling in frustration as he tried accessing the Ecto-skeleton.
"Stupid suit!" he shouts. "Why won't you work?!"
Vlad tries using his thumb on the scanner before it buzzes
Access denied!
The older half-ghost growled in anger and frustration as he transformed and grabs the suit by the dome. However, his thumb went on the scanner as it starts to beep. Thinking that it is finally working, Vlad smiles in relief as he said
"Finally!"
Unfortunately, he thought wrong
Self-destruct sequence has been activated! Five seconds til detonation!
Vlad's eyes widen in an "oh no" manner upon hearing that.
"OH! BUTTER NUTS!"
Vlad turns intangible just time before the suit and the Neo Plasma Reactor explode like an atomic bomb. Once the dust cleared, Vlad turns tangible to see that the Ecto-skeleton was completely incinerated into ash as he gasped in shock
"The battle suit!"
However, Vlad looks to see that his castle was completely obliterated in the explosion as he saw nothing but sky when he looked up. This made the man gasp more dramatically as he hollered
"MY HOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSE!"
Back at Casper High, Danny was walking down the hallway when he noticed someone behind him. Using his peripheral vision, the ghost boy sees Dash approaching him from behind.
"What is it now, Dash?" he asks in annoyance as he turned around
"We got unfinished business Fen-turd!" Dash replies angrily. "So we're going to settle it after school" he pounds his fist into his hand "you and me at the Nasty Burger."
Danny rose an eyebrow at Dash's challenge as the bully noticed
"What's the matter? Too chicken to face me without your girlfriend to back you up?" Dash taunts.
Danny simply smiles a smug one as he had a mischievous look in his eyes.
"Now it's settled." Danny says with a smile as he flexes his wrist
Basically, outside the Nasty Burger, Danny and Dash fought one another. However, the bully was no match for the ghost boy with his basic training in ninjutsu, courtesy of Mariko. Right now, Dash was inside the trash can, upside down as the teens who watched the tussle laughed and point at Dash's defeat while Danny walks away in triumph to return home.
"YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS FENTON!"
As Dash struggled to get out, the waste reciprocal tips over as Dash yells out in protest before he painfully lands on his backside while remaining inside the can, causing the teens to laugh harder.
In another area, at the outside benches of the fast food establishment, Mariko was sitting with Sam and Tucker when Valerie showed up.
"Looks like everything's back to normal." Valerie says.
"Looks like." Tucker and Sam reply simultaneously in an unwelcoming manner
Mariko glanced at them with a reasoning look to let go of the past.
"Although, there's something you should know; I'm starting to like Fenton now." Valerie says.
Mariko looks at Valerie in shock before she says in a reasoning voice
"Well, not that I'm glad to hear that, but Danny-kun is my boyfriend, Valerie."
The African girl had a smug look as she said
"For now."
Mariko caught the tone in Valerie's voice as the Japanese girl stood up and glared while asking
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Sam and Tucker glanced at each other with worry as Tucker whispered
"This could get ugly."
As Sam nods, Valerie says to Mariko.
"I mean, Fenton may be your boyfriend now, but the second you let him slip through your fingers, I'm stepping in."
Mariko hardens her glare as she responds.
"This is highly unlikely" she points a finger at Valerie threateningly "but don't think I won't be watching you."
Valerie smirked as she said while placing her hands on her hips
"I accept your challenge!"
Mariko had a smirk of her own as she said
"Then you leave me no choice."
Knowing what the Japanese girl was going to do, Sam offers
"You want us to do it?"
Mariko shook her head before she said
"No. Allow me."
Then, Mariko calls out in a sing-song voice
"Oh, NATHAN!"
Valerie screams in terror as she looks back for a minute before fleeing in fear while knocking down one of the tables as Nathan arrived with a boutique of flowers in one hand and a heart-shaped box of chocolates in the other as he whines desperately
"Valerie, come back! WHY WON'T YOU SAY YES?!"
And...done! Phew! Doing a two-part chapter was harder than I thought, but I've managed to get this done finally. Stay tuned because I plan on creating a new chapter where two characters return and I'll creating a poll, so keep your eyes peeled on that. Stay tuned.
A/N: When Poindexter stood up to those skeletons before he chickened out, you should KNOW where I got that reference from.
A/N #2: I've put in Cujo the ghost dog since he only had a cameo in the original. Plus, I did it for Starfire14 since she requested it, in a way.
A/N #3: I also wanted to have the Ecto-skeleton destroyed so that Vlad will have to know when he's licked like an all-day sucker.
Sakura132: I'm glad you like this story thus far
Batrenz: Learn patience, my friend.
NiteOwl18, Dragonrule: Hope this is to your liking.
ZAFT Convoy: You'll see what I have in mind.
Guest: I'll think on it.
Dreams Come True 996: I agree on things taking time. Nothing happens in an instant.
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