Welcome back, phans!
Yeah, I'm shocked I managed to write this one so quickly as well.
First of all, I just want to say thank you to everyone reading this story and sending me reviews.
Second, mikaela2015, I hate you. I hate how well you make those Danny Phantom style stories. I hate the fact that you actually wasted time reading this garbage. And I hate the fact that I love your Oliver and Company (DP Style) story and now I can't get "Why Should I Worry?" out of my head! Obviously, I'm messing with you, please don't kill me. Also, I knew your name looked familiar, I just didn't realize it until just after Episode 54 was released. Because I'm stupid.
Third, User724… I cannot confirm nor deny this claim.
Everyone reads comment: But it's possible, right?
*Silence*
Everyone: PhantomHedgehog…!
I'm not sayin' a thing. You'll just have to wait.
Everyone: So it's true!
Yes, my *CENSOR* is much bigger than yours… wait, why was that censored? I said 'heart'.
Finally… Enjoy the new episode. Better hold onto your butts!
Ver. 1.0.1 (1/3/20)
Update (1.0.1): Grammatical errors fixed.
Standard Disclaimer, I do not own Danny Phantom. But sometimes… sometimes I have dreams that I do, and Butch Hartman is my partner. Then I wake up and realize that I have more writing to do. And that the fall semester is slowly creeping up. And that I'm craving for chocolate covered, peanut butter filled pretzels. If you shop at Trader Joe's, you know what I'm talking about. Okay, let's start the episode.
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
It was a clear evening in Amity Park. Danny Phantom was flying around the neighborhood, patrolling for any trouble. He was wearing his Fenton Phone and talking with Jazz.
"How's it looking, little brother?" she asked.
"Nothing over here," he replied, "Tucker? Sam? How are you guys holding up?"
"AAAHHHH!" they screamed.
"Um, do you guys want some help?" Danny asked.
"No!" Tucker exclaimed, "It's just Cujo! We'll get his ball back from the garbage truck in no time!"
"Heel, boy! HEEL!" Sam shouted, "Ugh, and people wonder why I'm a cat person…"
"Alright, I'm heading to you guys, right now," Danny stated as he began flying off.
"Danny, really, we've got this!" Sam exclaimed, "If only this idiot driver would just STOP FLOORING IT AND LET US GET THE BALL!"
Danny sighed.
"Should we help them?" Jazz asked.
"Nah, they can handle it," said Danny, "Besides, they'll just get mad at me for not letting them pull their own weight or something."
"It's nice to see how much more open you've been with them, Danny. It shows how much more trust is being built among the three of you," said Jazz as Danny continued his patrol, "Any sign of the Hunter?"
"Thankfully, no," Danny answered, "It's been days since we've last seen him. But right now-"
Danny gasped as his ghost sense went off.
"Danny?" Jazz asked with concern as he looked around for whatever ghost was nearby, "Is something wrong?"
*WUMP*
Something hit Danny from above and sent him flying towards the ground. He landed in a dumpster that was directly below him.
"Uugghhh…" he moaned as he pulled himself out of the garbage.
"Danny?" Jazz asked again.
"Hello, whelp."
Danny looked up and glared at the 'Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter'.
"Skulker," he growled.
The hunter landed before Danny and retracted his jetpack. He did not look pleased with Danny.
"Jazz, I'm going to be busy for the next five minutes," Danny said into the Fenton Phone, "What do you want now, Skulker? Another chance to steal my pelt?"
Skulker activated his wrist cannon and aimed it at Danny.
"Not yet, whelp," he growled, "First you are going to tell me what you have done with all the ghosts you have kidnapped from the Ghost Zone. Then, you will release those ghosts, starting with my girlfriend! And finally, I will beat you to a pulp until your pelt falls off!"
Danny raised an eyebrow.
"What are you talking about, Skulker!?" he exclaimed, "What do you mean ghosts have been kidnapped!? Also… who's your girlfriend?"
Skulker blinked a couple of times.
"Didn't we go over this at some point recently?" he asked, "It's Ember."
"Wait… you mean Ember McLain!?" Danny exclaimed.
"Yes," said Skulker.
Danny tried to hold back his laughter but failed miserably.
"Oh, man, you really had me there, Skulker!" he said as he wiped away a tear.
He stopped laughing when he saw that Skulker was glaring at him.
"Seriously?" Danny asked, "She does realize she's just dating a walking booger, right?"
Skulker growled and fired his weapon at Danny. The blast splattered him against the wall above the dumpster and he fell in again.
"Alright," Danny muttered as he started climbing out, "now I'm mad."
Skulker suddenly grabbed Danny by the collar and brought him close to his face.
"Last warning," he said, "Tell me where everyone is, or I will make your life more miserable than you can possibly imagine."
"Ahem!"
Skulker turned around and saw Jazz Fenton aiming the Fenton Ghost Peeler* at him. With the press of a button, Jazz activated the weapon and was covered in the anti-ghost body armor.
"I believe you are looking for the wrong person, ghost," she told him as she fired the weapon.
Danny quickly turned intangible and escaped Skulker's grip as the beam hit the hunter.
"No!" Skulker shouted as his armor began to come apart, piece by piece.
He tried to fly off, but Danny fired a ghost ray from above to keep him on the ground.
"That was for earlier!" Danny shouted.
After a moment, Jazz deactivated the Peeler and relinquished the armor. She and Danny approached the small blob of ectoplasm that was laying on the ground.
"Go ahead, whelp," he growled, "Take me to the others."
Danny crouched down and glared at Skulker.
"Skulker, I swear, I don't know what you are talking about! Now tell me what's going on!"
"Well, if you must know, many inhabitants of the Ghost Zone have gone missing. Ember, Johnny 13, Kitty, Desiree, Youngblood, Spectra, even the Box Ghost, just to name a few," Skulker explained, "It was rather suspicious for so many ghosts to just vanish at once, so I began searching for them. Earlier tonight, I witnessed as Poindexter and the Lunch Lady Ghost were captured by someone using a Fenton Thermos. The very same Thermos that you always use to capture us!"
Danny and Jazz glanced at each other.
"Skulker, I telling you, I didn't do it!" Danny exclaimed as he pulled out his Fenton Thermos, "Look, I'll prove it."
Danny aimed the Fenton Thermos away from everyone and hit the release button. The Thermos starting whirring before shutting down, indicating that it was empty. Skulker's eyes widened.
"See?" Danny asked, "I haven't even seen one ghost tonight at all, besides you. And Tucker and Sam are busy with Cujo."
"Then, who-?"
Before Skulker could finish asking his question, a grapple beam from a Fenton Thermos above them grabbed Skulker and pulled him inside. Danny and Jazz looked up and saw someone cap the Thermos and then run off. Danny flew up and tried to follow, but the mysterious person disappeared.
*Caw* *Caw*
Danny looked up and saw a ghost raven flying overhead. It looked at him for a moment before flying off.
*CRASH*
Danny looked over and saw Cujo playing with his red ball next to Jazz. Tucker and Sam walked up to her, out of breath.
"See?" Tucker asked Sam, "I told you we didn't need Danny's help."
Sam glared at him.
*Cue Intro*
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
Danny Phantom in: Cloak and Dagger (Episode 56)
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
Later that evening, Phantom was flying around the Ghost Zone to see if Skulker's claims were true.
"Ghosts kidnapped from the Ghost Zone?" he asked himself, "How? And why?"
He flew over to one of the many floating doors that led to a ghost's home and opened the door.
"Hello?" Danny called out as he poked his head inside, "Anyone home?"
No reply. He closed the door and tried another one.
"Anyone here?" he asked, "Nothing."
Danny looked around the room and noticed all the hi-tech equipment and weapons.
"Must be Technus' Lair," he noted, "At least I didn't catch him in the middle of his bath this time."**
He left the room and flew off.
"No sign of Technus," he muttered.
He looked over and saw Klemper's realm, but no Klemper.
"Or Klemper," Danny added.
A few moments later he landed in the snowy wasteland of the Realm of the Far Frozen.
"Hello~!?" Danny called out, "Frostbite!?"
He started walking around to see if he could find any sign of the yeti-ghost or his people. He looked around the arena and nearby caves but found no one. Sighing, Danny flew off and headed home. A couple of minutes later, he exited through the Fenton Ghost Portal and closed it behind him. After checking to see if the coast was clear, a white ring appeared around his waist and he reverted to his human form.
"How did someone get their hands on a Fenton Thermos?" he asked himself.
His eyes widened and he rushed over to where all the ghost hunting equipment was stored. On one of the shelves were a few Fenton Thermoses, but there was a large gap between two of them that was big enough for another Thermos to be placed.
"This is not good," Danny moaned.
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
The next day, Danny, Tucker, Sam, and Jazz were walking around the park, discussing about the events that happened last night.
"Aaaahhh," Sam sighed, stretching out her arms, "Now this is much better than chasing Cujo all around town."
"You can say that again," said Tucker, "Garbage, dog drool, invisible dog poop."
"Well, if it makes you feel better, I fell into a dumpster twice," Danny told him.
"Yeah, that does make me feel better," said Tucker, "A little."
Jazz turned to her brother.
"Danny, what do you think that ghost was talking about?" she asked him, "Do you think someone is actually kidnapping ghosts?"
"Not someone," Danny replied, "I'm pretty certain I know who's behind it."
Tucker and Sam looked at Danny with surprised looks.
"Wait," said Sam, "So ghosts are missing in the Ghost Zone?"
"Yep," Danny nodded, "I took a look around there when I got back home. And from what I've heard and seen, I'm betting the Hunter is behind it."
"That's a great theory, Danny, but what makes you think that?" Tucker asked.
"Remember our encounter at the Nasty Burger?" Danny asked.
"Yeah," Sam replied, "He waited until we were outside, grabbed Vin, and tried to use…"
Her and Tucker's eyes widened.
"Oh," they stated.
"Exactly," said Danny.
Jazz raised an eyebrow.
"What?" she asked, "What did he have?"
"He had a Fenton Thermos," Danny replied, "And I just did an inventory check this morning. There's one missing."
The others glanced at each other with concern.
"You think this guy snuck into the Fenton Works and stole a Thermos?" Jazz asked.
"And without triggering any of the alarms?" Tucker added.
"Well, it makes sense," said Danny as they stopped in front of the park fountain, "Also, every time we've seen that ghost raven, the Hunter is also around."
Danny and Tucker sat down at fountain's edge while Sam and Jazz sat on one of the nearby benches.
"Didn't you do an inventory after first seeing him with a Fenton Thermos?" Jazz asked.
"Uh… no…" Danny admitted, "I didn't really think about it at the time."
"It doesn't matter now," said Sam, "The question is what he plans to do with all the ghosts."
"If he's the one that took them," Tucker pointed out.
Danny turned to him.
"Who else has a green Fenton Thermos?" Danny asked, "My parents never use them; we're the only ones who do. And Vlad's Fenton Thermos is red, but we've never seen it work.***"
"Wonder what happened to that thing," said Tucker.
"Who knows?" Danny replied, "*Sigh* Sure would be nice if Vin was in town. He could have answers for us."
Suddenly a ghost phased their head out of the ground between the group.
"Did someone call for me?"
"WHOOOAAAA…!" Danny and Tucker exclaimed as they jumped back in fear.
*Splash*
"Oops," said Vin with a shrug, "Uuuhhh… sorry…?"
Danny and Tucker frowned in annoyance as they sat in the fountain. Sam and Jazz offered them a hand and helped them out.
"Thanks," said Danny as looked around for any other people before turning himself and Tucker intangible.
The gang then turned their attention to the cloaked ghost.
"You know, for a friendly ghost, you sure know how to scare people," Danny smiled as he approached his ghostly friend.
"Yeah, sorry," Vin apologized again, "Just got back into town. Finally got the Hunter off my trail and I figured I'd come see how you guys were doing."
"Not so good," Jazz told him.
"Something bothering you guys?" Vin asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well," said Danny, "turns out, the Hunter may have been staying in Amity Park since you left."
"What!?" Vin exclaimed, "I should have known it was too easy."
"And now he's been kidnapping ghosts from the Ghost Zone" Danny continued.
Vin shook his head.
"This is my fault," he sighed, "I shouldn't have led him to Amity Park."
"Well, as far as we know, he hasn't done anything with the ghosts yet," said Tucker.
"Do you have any idea what he plans to do with them?" Sam asked.
"Hm…." Vin pondered, "Well, like any hunter, I would assume that maybe he's been collecting bait for traps."
"For other ghosts?" Danny asked.
"Or you," Vin pointed out, "Why else would he have not gone after me?"
The ghost looked around nervously.
"Uh, I know this seems sudden, but could we head back to the Fenton Works?" he asked, "I feel safer there than out in the open like this. Especially with the Hunter around here."
The gang looked at each other, no comfortable with that idea.
"Look, I know I might attract his attention, but I don't want to risk getting captured by him," Vin explained, "Please?"
They thought it over for a moment.
"Well, alright," said Danny, "We better get a move on before something happens. And you might want to turn invisible before other people notice you."
Vin nodded and vanished from sight. Together, they turned began heading for the Fenton Works. But nearby, the Hunter was watching them from behind a bush. He moved some leaves out of his view and glared at the group.
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
At the Fenton Works, Jack and Maddie were busy working together on a new device. Jack was holding two large components together while Maddie welded them together. Danny, Tucker, Sam, Jazz, and Vin entered the lab and froze in place.
"Ah, hi, kids!" Maddie smiled, waving at the group.
"Shoot, my parents!" Danny hissed quietly, "Vin, hide in my room. We'll grab you in a minute."
Silently, Vin turned intangible and phased through the roof, towards Danny's room just as Jack looked over to the group.
"How was the park?" he asked them, "Did you see any ghosts?"
They glanced at each other for a second.
"Uh, no…" said Danny, "Hey, what's that you and mom are working on?"
On the table was a device that appeared to be a Fenton Ghost Peeler, only it had a longer, more rectangular barrel with three exit points, no scope, and the weight beneath it was replaced with a grappling claw attachment.
"Danny, I'm glad you asked! This is the Fenton Ecto-Energy Collector!" Jack announced, holding up the weapon, "The grapple claw is launched at the target, specifically ghosts, and will start drain them of their ecto-energy."
"That energy is stored within specially designed cells, which also amplify the power, and can be fired back in the form of an anti-ghost ray," Maddie finished explaining.
The gang looked slightly nervous as the explanation continued.
"And there's more!" Jack exclaimed, holding up a finger, "The claw attachment has a built-in tracker, which ensures that it will grab whatever ghost tries to flee. Hey! Let's give it a try now!"
"Uh, dad?" Danny said nervously, "There's no ghost to test it on. Why don't you test it when a ghost shows up?"
"Relax, Danny," said Jack as he pointed the weapon at Danny, "The Collector is perfectly harmless against humans, so the claw will just grab your arm, nothing more. Watch!"
Danny shut his eyes and the others braced for what might happen.
*Ding!*
"Ah! The fudge brownies are ready!" Jack explained.
He placed the weapon on the table and hurried upstairs. The gang looked at Maddie with confused looks on their faces.
"I promised to make him fudge brownies earlier," she explained before running upstairs, "Jack Fenton! If you eat all those brownies by yourself, you will be having salad as your meal three times a day for the next month!"
The members of Team Phantom looked at each other and shrugged. A moment later, Vin phased through the ceiling and floated above them.
"Is it safe now?" he asked.
"Yeah, my folks will be busy for now," said Danny.
"Okay," said Vin as his eyes glanced over to the Collector, "Whoa, is that the Fenton Ecto-Energy Collector?"
"Yeah, it is…" Jazz said, raising an eyebrow, "Why?"
Vin flew over and examined the weapon.
"Three-fingered claw, computer-aided tracking…" he breathed before shaking his head, "Sorry, just, uh, let a little of my nerdiness get to me."
"Eh, happens to the best of us," Tucker shrugged, "We should head for Danny's room and see if we can figure out what the Hunter is up to."
"Agreed," said Danny, waving everyone to follow him upstairs.
Jazz hesitated for a moment and took one last look at the Collector. She shrugged and turned to leave but noticed something was missing on one of the gunracks.
"Didn't I put the Peeler away last night?"
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
Early that evening, outside of Amity Park, Magnus walked into his cave. Once he reached his chamber, the kneeled before a dark figure surrounded in black mist.
"My master," said the magician, "Is something the matter? You wouldn't have met me in person otherwise."
"Apologies, Magnus," said a dark voice, "There is nothing to worry about. Are we ready?"
"Yes. By tomorrow, we will finally be able to proceed with your plan."
"And the Hunter?"
"Not a thing since he saved Phantom and his friends a few days ago."
"Hmm…"
"Should we prepare for possible interference?"
"No, that won't be necessary, magician. After our previous… encounter… the Hunter will be nothing but a bump in the road."
"Of course, my lord."
"Remember, noon tomorrow at the park."
The misty figure floated towards the cave exit.
"And this time, Danny Phantom will meet his end."
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
Later, Danny Phantom returned to the Fenton Works after patrolling for a couple of hours. He phased into his room and reverted to his human form before heading downstairs to the living room. Tucker, Sam, and Jazz were sitting on the couch, waiting for him. The TV was on, but no one was really paying attention.
"How's it looking, Danny?" Tucker asked.
"No sign of any ghost activity, or the Hunter," said Danny, "Where's Vin?"
"Hiding in the Command Center," Jazz answered, pointing up, "Figured that would be the best place for him to hide since there's no way for a human to get inside without using the front door."
"Did he tell you guys anything to help us figure out what the Hunter is planning?" Danny asked as Tucker pulled out his PDA.
"Nothing," said Sam, "He did seem surprised that you were still alive, Danny."
"He was?"
"Yeah," Tucker said as he looked up from his PDA, "Besides himself, you're the only ghost… or half-ghost, to survive an encounter with him multiple times like this."
"What an honor," Danny said sarcastically, "Where are my parents?"
"Down in the lab," everyone answered.
"Figures. Sam, you and Tucker leaving soon?" he asked them as he sat down next to her.
"Yeah," she yawned, "I am. I'm still tired since last night."
"And you're the one who trained me," Tucker smirked.****
"Yeah, I'm shocked you actually managed to keep up," Sam quipped, causing everyone to laugh.
Suddenly, the TV changed channels on its own.
"We interrupt your regularly scheduled program for this emergency report," said a female news anchor, "Just outside of Amity Park, a dangerous battle involving ghosts is currently occurring within the woods."
"What!?" Jack exclaimed as he poked his head around the corner, "Ghosts!? Here!?"
He rushed over to the couch and squeezed himself between Tucker and Jazz. Maddie walked in calmly and watched the report, standing. The camera changed to show live footage of what was happening from an aerial view thanks to a news copter. There were flashes of dark pink shining through the trees. Danny noticed movement through the shrubbery. A moment later, a white figure and a lavender figure were thrown from the bushes and landed in a clearing. The moment they hit the ground, Danny, Tucker, and Sam recognized them.
"Danny," Sam whispered, "Isn't that Walker and Bullet?"
"Yeah," he whispered back, "What the heck are they doing out there? Doesn't he have a prison to run?"
The ghost warden and his second in command got back up and flew straight back into the woods, disappearing from view. More flashes occurred and a stray dark pink ghost ray shot up into the night sky.
"Two ghosts!?" Jack exclaimed before holding up a finger, "Maddie, grab the Ecto-Energy Collector! It's time for us to do our thing!"
Jack got up and ran for the door.
"Jazz, you're in charge until we get back!" he shouted over his shoulder.
By then, Maddie had returned upstairs with the Collector and rushed out the door with Jack, who closed the door behind himself. After a few seconds of silence, Jazz turned to Danny.
"Do you know those ghosts?" she asked pointing at the screen.
"Yeah," said Danny, "Remember that time when the town was overrun with all those ghosts?"
"You mean when that ghost king showed up?" Jazz asked.
"No, before that," said Danny, "When I was framed to look like I was attacking the mayor. Before Vlad, of course."
"Oh, you mean when you were labeled as public enemy number one, right?" Jazz asked, "Was it because of them?"
"Yup," said Danny.
"Guys, look!" Sam exclaimed, pointing at the screen.
The camera shifted over to more movement in the woods. The ghost rays have stopped firing, but there was still some sort of commotion in the woods. Suddenly, a larger figure erupted from the bushes and landed in another clearing. They weren't moving and appeared too tired to move. But Danny, Tucker, and Sam knew who it was.
"WULF!" they cried out.
The camera zoomed in on their injured and exhausted friend as Walker and Bullet appeared from the woods and approached their escapee.
"You've run long enough, Wulf," said Walker, "Now it's time to put you back in your cage."
Walker snapped his fingers and Bullet pulled out Wulf's old shock collar. Wulf tried to get up, but he was too tired. Danny bolted from his seat and began to run for the door, but his hand was grabbed by Sam.
"Danny…" she said sadly, "There's nothing we can do."
Danny hung his head and released a sad sigh. He then glared at the TV and sat back down. They didn't want to, but none of the members of Team Phantom could peel their eyes from the screen. Danny's eyes began glowing green as Bullet began placing the collar on his friend's neck.
*BANG*
Suddenly, a flash from the corner of the screen appeared and the collar flew from Bullet's hand. It landed on the ground in two pieces; the hinge complete obliterated.
"What!? Who's out there!?" Walker shouted, "Interfering with an arrest is against the rules! And you will be punished for it!"
Movement occurred from the darkness of the woods as the shooter stepped into the clearing. Everyone in the room dropped their jaws.
"The Hunter!?" Tucker exclaimed, "What!?"
"Another ghost hunting amateur," Walker muttered, "Bullet, watch the prisoner. I'll make this quick."
Walker flew over to the Hunter and floated before him.
"Listen, punk," said the ghost warden, "I'm not sure what you think you are doing, but you are getting in the way of-"
*WAM*
In a flash, the Hunter spun around and kicked Walker aside. He then rushed forward and batted Bullet away from Wulf with his sniper rifle. He knelt down and, from Wulf's reaction, said something to him to get him moving. The Hunter helped Wulf by having him lean on him while he used his right hand to fire his weapon back at Walker and Bullet, who were trying to engage them both. A few moments later, the Hunter and Wulf vanished into the woods, but not before Walker and Bullet were both shot in their faces and left laying on the ground.
"I'm lost," Sam announced holding her hands up in front of her, "What the heck is this guy doing kidnapping ghosts and helping Wulf!?"
"Maybe Danny was wrong," said Tucker, "Maybe the Hunter isn't kidnapping ghosts."
Just after Tucker said that, a beam from a Fenton Thermos appeared from the direction the Hunter and Wulf disappeared towards and captured Walker and Bullet.
"You were saying?" Danny asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Okay, so the Hunter is definitely kidnapping ghosts," said Tucker, "But why not Wulf?"
"Because that's how he's been doing it," said a voice.
Everyone looked over and saw Vin floating down the stairs.
"Think about it," he continued, "Wulf is the only explanation as to how the Hunter has been getting into and out of the Ghost Zone."
"Wulf has the ability to create ghost portals with his claws, right?" Jazz asked.
"Yeah…" said Danny, "But it makes no sense! Why would Wulf help someone kidnap the other ghosts? His only beef is with Walker!"
"Danny," said Vin, "Have you ever wondered why Walker imprisoned Wulf in the first place? "
Everyone turned to face Vin.
"Wulf used to prowl around the wilds of Earth at night. Sometimes he would get caught by ghost hunters who intended to destroy him," Vin explained, "In exchange for his freedom, he would give the humans passage into the Ghost Zone, where they would attack other ghosts before returning back home."
Everyone in the room was speechless. After a moment, Danny shook his head.
"I don't believe that!" he exclaimed.
"Me neither," said Sam, "We've only known Wulf for a short time, but he's not the ghosts we've fought."
Vin held up his hands.
"Look, I'm just telling you guys-"
"Alright, I think that's enough arguing for one night," said Jazz as she got up to calm everyone down, "Look, it's getting late, why don't we all get some sleep and we'll discuss this in the morning?"
"Yeah," Danny said, irritated, "That's just great."
He stormed off upstairs, phasing through Vin with anger.
"Night, guys!" he called back to everyone.
Vin tapped his chin.
"I think I upset him," he said.
"Oh, you think!?" Sam snapped, "I'm heading home. Night, guys."
"Same here," said Tucker as he and Sam walked out.
Jazz turned to Vin and glared at him.
"What!?" he exclaimed, "I know the truth hurts, but-"
Jazz held her head high and walked by Vin without saying a word.
"Jeez," Vin muttered, "Sensitive bunch."
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
A little past midnight, the neighborhood was dark, with only the lights from the Fenton Works sign lit up. Danny was in bed, wearing his pajamas, resting peacefully. Across the street, on the rooftop, the Hunter looked upon the Fenton Works, glaring at Danny's bedroom window.
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
Danny stirred in his sleep and began to open his eyes. His hand brushed against something that was his bed.
"Huh!?" he exclaimed as his eyes shot open and he looked around, "What the-? Where am I!?"
Danny took a moment to take in his surroundings.
"The fountain?" Danny asked, "I'm back at the park? How did I get here?"
"Oh, you're finally awake," said a voice.
Danny turned and looked up. Standing over him was the Hunter.
"Evening, Phantom."
Danny hopped to his feet and jumped back a distance.
"You," he growled as a white ring appeared around his waist and he went ghost, "What do you want!? Where's Wulf!?"
"Relax, Phantom," said the Hunter, "I'm not here to fight you. And Wulf is safe. For now, at least."
Danny noticed something different about the Hunter.
"You sound different than you did a few days ago," Danny noted, "Get sick and lose your voice? You actually sound a lot younger now compared to that raspy old voice from before."
"Hmph," the Hunter scoffed, "Just be glad I can actually talk."
"Where's you rifle?" Danny asked, "Did you man up and decide to face me with your hands?"
The Hunter's red lensed eyes glared at the half-ghost.
"Listen, Phantom," he growled, "I'm in no mood for useless banter. I brought you here so we could talk in private."
"Well, I'm here now," said Danny, "But why don't we skip to the part where I kick your butt and you release all the ghosts you've captured from the Ghost Zone."
The Hunter blinked a couple of times.
"What?" Danny asked, "Thought we'd never figure it out?"
"I wasn't aware of any ghosts being kidnapped," the Hunter said calmly, "But I can assure you, I had nothing to do with it."
Danny glared at him.
"I don't believe you," he said as he darted towards him, "And I have ways of finding out the truth."
Danny went intangible and prepared to overshadow the Hunter.
"I don't think so," the Hunter growled as he cartwheeled out of the way, dodging Phantom.
Danny turned tangible again and floated before the Hunter.
"In case you've forgotten, overshadowing me is not a good idea," the Hunter reminded him, "And if you want to avoid a disaster, I suggest you-"
*WAM*
Danny punched the Hunter in the face and sent him reeling back a couple of feet. The Hunter, still on his feet, looked up, wiped where his cheek was covered by his balaclava, and glared at Danny.
"Bad move, Phantom."
He rushed Danny and pulled his hand back to ready a punch. Danny waited until the moment the Hunter was close enough to punch him to duck. But the Hunter read Danny's body and instead spun around and kicked him aside.
*BAM*
Danny flew into the air and slammed face first into a tree.
"This is a waste of time and it's really testing my patience," said the Hunter, "Now, will you stop and listen!?"
Danny turned around and held up a glowing green hand.
"Shocking," the Hunter muttered.
Nearby, a police cruiser flashed its lights and blared its siren, getting the two combatants' attention.
"Great, just what I need," said the Hunter before turning back to Danny, "Fair warning, Phantom. Stay out of my way. Don't stop me from doing what needs to be done. And no matter what, do not come back to this park tomorrow afternoon."
"Tomorrow afternoon?" Danny asked, "Why not!?"
"Let's just say…" the Hunter said as he turned away, "Just watch your back. You never know who will be holding the knife when they stab you in the back with it."
"Hey! Who's out there!?" an officer shouted as they approached the fountain.
Danny turned back to the Hunter.
"Why should I listen to-"
Danny stopped and blinked a couple of times as he realized that the Hunter was already gone. He glanced around for a moment before turning invisible and flew off home. Not far, the Hunter glanced up into the sky and watched Phantom fly off.
"Hmm…"
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
"WHAT!?" everyone exclaimed.
It was the next day, and Danny, Tucker, and Sam were riding with Jazz in her car with an invisible Vin flying close by. Jazz was so surprised by Danny's story of last night that she lost control for a moment of the car before regaining it.
"Hey, where did you learn to drive!?" another driver shouted at her.
"Sorry!" Jazz shouted back before focusing back to Danny, "What do you mean the Hunter took you to the park last night!?"
Danny sighed.
"That's exactly what it means," he said, "He somehow took me while I was sleeping last night and brought me to the park."
"Why?" Tucker asked.
"I'm not really sure," said Danny, "He said something about watching my back."
Vin phased his head inside and looked at Danny's back.
"Looks fine to me," he said.
Sam facepalmed.
"Not literally!" she and Jazz shouted at the same time.
Vin blinked a couple of times.
"OH!" he exclaimed, "Like someone will stab you in the back!"
"Did he have the other ghosts with him?" Tucker asked, "I mean, don't get me wrong, most of them I'm glad we'll never have to see again, but some of them don't mean any harm. Well, aside to you, Danny."
Danny shook his head.
"He insisted that he didn't kidnap any ghosts," he explained, "He seemed to have not known about it either."
"What about Wulf?" Sam asked.
"I didn't see him," Danny answered.
"Who's Wulf?" Jazz asked, "You guys haven't told me about him."
"He's the werewolf-looking ghost you saw on the news last night," Danny explained, "We helped him out after he ran from Walker's prison a second time."^*
"He also only speaks in Esperanto," Tucker added, "Which I've been teaching to Danny and Sam."
"Why that language?" Jazz asked.
"No clue," Tucker smiled, "But I'm fine with it."
Vin looked over and noticed Danny turning away from him.
"Danny, listen…" he sighed, "I'm sorry about what I said last night. Well, technically how I presented that information. I understand that you are friends with Wulf, but you have to understand that Wulf might not actually be the person you know."
Danny sighed.
"I know," he moaned, "But until I see it for myself, he's still our friend. And we're going to help him."
"That's the spirit, Danny," Jazz smiled as she made a turn.
Danny glanced outside and noticed they were driving by the park. He started pondering.
"Danny, you okay?" Sam asked, "You seem distracted by the park."
"Last night, the Hunter warned me not to go near the park at noon today," he explained.
"Well, it's almost noon now," said Tucker, "What are you thinking?"
Before Danny could answer, he gasped and his ghost sense went off.
"I really hope that was just caused by Vin," he moaned.
Suddenly, Jazz slammed on the brakes, causing the gang to lunge forward in their seats.
"Jazz!" they exclaimed.
"Are you trying to give us all whiplash!?" Danny snapped.
"Look!" Jazz exclaimed, pointing in front of her.
Everyone looked over and saw people screaming and running away from a floating ghost wearing a purple cloak. He turned and looked towards the group.
"Magnus," said Danny.
A white ring appeared around his waist and he went ghost.
"Vin," he told the ghost, "stay with the others while I go and deal with this guy."
"But what about what the Hunter warned you about?" Jazz asked.
But it was too late; Danny had already turned intangible and phased through the car. He turned tangible and flew towards the ghost magician.
"Well, if it isn't Danny Phantom," said Magnus, "Such a delight to see you again. And in good health as well."
"Enough chatter, metal face," said Danny, "Why don't you get out of here before I decide to throw your sorry magic butt into the Ghost Zone?"
"Oh, no," Magnus exclaimed sarcastically as he hid behind one of his cloaked arms, "Please! Not there! The Hunter will capture me and do such evil things to me!"
"Wow," Danny muttered, "And I thought Tucker's singing was a bad performance."
Magnus reached into his sleeve and pulled out his spell book. He quickly began turning pages until his eye glanced at a specific spell.
"Hm, well, if you didn't like that performance, let's see you do better!" Magnus chuckled.
He reached for a round flask around his waist that was filled with a green substance and threw it to the ground. The flask shattered and the green goo spilled onto the ground.
"Is that ectoplasm?" Danny asked himself.
""Jalaran moiparran moipar idish vinaquirem!" Magnus chanted, "Vigis lethodar ta aran kyrnawi!"
The ectoplasm began moving as a green skeletal paw reached out of the puddle.
*GGGGRRRRRRRR*
Danny glared at the creature as the ectoplasm formed into its body. The paw led a leg, and then a full skeletal wolf body with a missing tail. Its eyes were glowing a golden yellow.
"Ha. Shouldn't be a problem," Danny smirked, "You think a regular boney dog will stop me?"
"Now, now, Phantom," said Magnus, "Never judge a book by its cover. And to clarify this is a wolf, not a dog."
The wolf growled again, and Danny's smirk dropped when he saw red flames forming in its mouth.
"And this isn't a regular boney wolf," Magnus continued, "It's a pyro boney wolf."
The wolf's body became engulfed in red flames, with golden yellow flames appearing from behind to form a tail. The wolf arched its back for a moment before it howled at Danny.
*OwwwooOOOOOOOOO~!*
A red flaming shockwave erupted towards Danny and blasted him into a nearby building.
"Ugh!" Danny grunted when he hit the wall, "That hurt…"
He fell from the wall but get himself afloat in the air. He glared at Magnus and his new pet.
"Isn't he a howler?" Magnus teased, "His howl is much like your very own Ghostly Wail, only not as powerful. A… Ghostly Howl, you may call it."
Danny raised his hands and fired a few ghost rays at the wolf, but it dodged the attacks and started sprinting towards him. It leapt into the air and opened its burning mouth. Danny narrowed his eyes and waited until the last second before unleashing a cryokinetic ghost ray at point blank into the wolf's chest. The wolf yelped and went sailing into the park as Danny smirked to himself.
*BAM*
Magnus teleported behind Phantom and backhanded him, following the same path as the wolf had. He landed hard against the ground on his back. As he sat up, Danny's hand felt something wet.
"Huh?"
Danny looked down and saw that he had his hand in a puddle of ectoplasm.
"Seriously? After only one hit?" Danny asked.
"What they lack in defense," said Magnus, who was floating above him, "they make up in attack power. Shame… I really liked that one."
The ghost then dropped and attempted to stomp on Danny, but Phantom turned intangible and phased into the ground just as Magnus' foot slammed onto the ground.
"Ooh, hide and seek?" Magnus teased, "My favorite game."
*WAM*
Danny snuck up behind Magnus and kicked him in the back. The ghost flew through the air before spinning around and recovering.
"Enough games, Magnus!" Danny shouted.
"But the fun's just beginning, Phantom," said Magnus as he turned a page in his book, "Pveathr tasarak moipar ith!"
The ectoplasm began to glow as a purple rune appeared above it.
"Ya ithikitalkus a soth! Dolibix kiranann igira kair!"
The ectoplasm began to bubble as a familiar looking skeleton rose from the center.
"Oh, no…" Danny moaned, "Not you again."
"Ready for round two, Phantom?" Magnus asked as Warrior unleashed a loud roar into the air.
*RRRAAAAAAAHHHHHH!*
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
Nearby, the Hunter was walking around the park, looking for something, while keeping as low a profile as possible with his hood.
*Caw* *Caw*
"Hm?"
He looked up and watched as the ghost raven flew down and floated before him.
"What's wrong?"
*Caw*
"WHAT!?" the Hunter shouted.
*RRRAAAAAAAHHHHHH!*
The Hunter and the raven turned in the direction of the noise.
"Great," the Hunter sighed, "Well, might as well go and see the show."
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
Back at the Fenton Works, Jack was eating brownies while Maddie was reading a magazine at the dinner table. She noticed Jack was munching away at a number of brownies.
"Jack, you haven't been eating all the brownies, have you?" she asked.
"What?" he asked with his mouth full, "Of course not! The other half are still untouched!"
"Well, that's fine, but save some for the kids," said Maddie.
"I will, don't you worry, Maddie," Jack assured her as he got up and took his plate of brownies and glass of milk with him into the living room, "Now, let's see what cartoons are on. I hope the one with the monkey and the coconuts is on!"
As soon as Jack turned the TV on, a news report was playing. On screen was Danny Phantom engaging the warrior skeleton and Magnus.
"The ghost kid!" Jack exclaimed, "Maddie! Grab the keys! I'm getting the Collector! There's no way he's getting away this time!"
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
Sam, Tucker, Jazz, and Vin were watching the battle from Jazz's car with interest.
"Shouldn't you guys be doing something to help him?" Vin asked.
"After our last encounter with Magnus, I think it would be best to leave it to Danny," Sam replied.
*RRRAAAAAAAHHHHHH!*
Everyone looked outside at saw the warrior hulking over to Danny.
"What about that?" Vin asked nervously.
"We should probably help him," said Tucker.
Vin phased through the car as the others opened the doors and rushed over to give Danny support.
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
"Whoooooaaaa!" Danny screamed as he was thrown through the park by the Warrior.
He gasped when he saw an all too familiar fountain.
"Nope!" he shouted as he turned intangible and phased through it, "Not letting that happen again."
Danny turned tangible again and landed on one knee. He turned around and gasped when he saw the warrior ghost falling towards him with its chain mace ready to crush him. Danny held up his hands and created a ghost shield around him. The warrior slammed its weapon against the shield, but it was deflected back into its face.
"Alright, my turn!" Danny exclaimed.
The ghost shield disappeared, and Danny launched himself towards the brawler. He turned intangible and phased inside the skeletons central body cavity. Warrior tried to grab at Danny, but he couldn't touch him. The skeleton's chest began to glow brightly before Danny unleashed a repulsion field^**, dismantling the Warrior into a bunch of bones scattered around the park. Someone started applauding and Danny turned to see it was Magnus.
"Quite impressive," Magnus commented, "For a child."
Danny glared at the magician and flew towards him.
"Don't you mean teenager?" he asked as he prepared to blast the magician with a cryokinetic ghost ray.
"Boli kali ithikitalkus!" Magnus chanted.
Suddenly, a purple symbol appeared on the ground in front of Magnus and chains of the same color erupted from the ground and grabbed Danny by his wrists and ankles.
"Hey!" Danny shouted, "Let go of me!"
As the chains held Danny down to keep him on the ground, Sam, Tucker, Jazz, and Vin arrived on scene and saw him in trouble. They quickly hid in the bushes to stay out of sight.
"So, what's the plan?" Jazz asked.
"We need to get that spell book away from Magnus," said Sam, "Without it, he can't cast spells."
"What about Danny?" Vin asked.
"Hm…" Sam pondered, "Not sure."
She poked her head out and saw Danny trying to escape using intangibility, but it was no use.
"Let's focus on getting the book first," said Jazz, "Vin, you think you can grab it while we distract Magnus?"
"I sure can!" he exclaimed as he turned invisible and away to get into position.
"Okay," said Sam, "You guys ready?"
"I know I am," said Magnus as three groups of chains erupted through the leaves and grabbed them.
Danny was still struggling to break free from his bounds.
"Darn!" he hissed, "Why can't I use my ghost rays?"
"Because those chains are slowly draining your energy," Magnus explained as he floated over to him, "Oh, and I brought some people over to keep you company."
Sam, Tucker, and Jazz were pulled by the flying chains and anchored around Danny, inside the giant glowing symbol.
"Hey, Danny," Tucker smiled, "We were trying to save you, but got a little chained up."
"Great," Danny muttered, "Now we're all trapped."
He looked around and noticed someone was missing.
"Where's Vin?" Danny asked.
"I think he's still around," said Jazz, "But I don't… uuuhhhh…"
"Jazz?" Danny asked, "You okay?"
"I'm feeling… weak all of a sudden," she moaned.
"So am I," said Tucker.
"What's… happening to us?" Sam asked.
Magnus started chuckling, getting their attention.
"Your energies are being drained, thanks to my spell," Magnus explained as he pulled out a small black orb from his sleeve, "And thanks to all of you, we can now charge the Orb of Power."
The Orb began to float from the magician's hand and hovered above the group. A moment later, an aura of light traveled from each member of Team Phantom and traced through the air until they reached the Orb. Slowly, it began to glow a cyber yellow color and a slightly darker swirl appeared within.
"Ah, yes!" Magnus exclaimed, "The Orb is already nearly charged! All that's left is-"
*BANG*
Something impacted into Magnus' chest and sent him flying into a tree. Everyone turned to see what it was but didn't see anything.
"There you are, ghost!" Jack shouted as he came charging from the side, aiming the Collector at Danny, "Time to make sure you can't escape!"
"I already can't," Danny deadpanned.
Jack fired the Collect's grapple and it went flying towards Danny.
"Don't worry, kids!" Jack shouted, "I'll get you out of there in no time!"
*Caw* *Caw*
The ghost raven swooped down between the grapple and Danny, causing the auto-targeting to slightly change course. It was enough to avoid grabbing Danny and instead grab one of the chains holding him.
"Cursed bird!" Jack exclaimed, "Ah, no matter. The Collector is still charging up with energy."
A moment later, the chains from the spell disappeared, freeing all of Team Phantom. Tucker, Sam, and Jazz collapsed to their knees.
"Hey, you guys alright?" Danny asked.
"We're fine," said Sam.
"I'd be worried about your dad, dude," said Tucker.
Just as he said that, Jack was towering over Danny and aiming the Collector directly at his head.
"Any last words, ghost?" Jack said with a glare.
*CAW*
Suddenly, the ghost raven grabbed at the Collector and began pulling Jack away.
"Hey! That's mine!" Jack shouted as his heels dug through the grass, "Stupid bird, I'll show you what happens when you mess with Jack Fenton!"
As Jack went further into the park, Danny blinked and scratched his head.
"What the heck was that all about?" he asked himself.
He noticed a yellow glow from the corner of his eyes and approached the Orb of Power. He grabbed it and examined it.
"What is this thing?" he asked.
"One of your worst nightmares," said a voice behind him.
"Hunter," Danny growled as he turned to face him, "You must be the one working with Magnus, aren't you?"
The Hunter rolled his eyes and sighed as he hung his rifle around his shoulder.
"Wrong again, Phantom," he moaned, "And when I told you not to come here, which part did you not understand? And bringing your friends and sister too? Brilliant."
"What are you doing here?" Danny asked.
The Hunter took a deep breath and sighed again.
"I'm trying to stop the end of the world."
"Seriously?" Danny asked, not convinced, "You expect me to believe that?"
"If not that," the Hunter said as he reached under his shirt collar and pulled out a strange looking pendant, "then maybe this will convince you."
Danny took one look at what the Hunter was showing him and instantly recognized it.
"A time medallion!?" he exclaimed before glaring at the Hunter and readying his ice powers, "You've taken Clockwork as well!?"
"Wrong again," said the Hunter as he placed the medallion back under his shirt, "And if you want answers…"
He quickly spun around, grabbed at the air, and choke slammed something into the ground.
"… you should ask him."
"Vin!?" Danny exclaimed, "What the heck is going on!?"
"I don't know!" Vin shouted, "Let me go, you psycho!"
"Don't try and deceive them, Vin," the Hunter growled, "Tell them what you truly are!"
"Enough!" Danny shouted, "Let him go and tell us what you want!"
"That's not going to happen," said the Hunter as he pulled out a Fenton Thermos, "And I will prove that I'm telling the truth."
"Don't listen to him, Danny!" Vin cried out, "He could have easily stolen that medallion from Clockwork's domain!"
"Coming from the most dangerous ghost to ever exist?" the Hunter asked dryly, "Pathetic."
"You think you can win this fight?" Danny asked, "Your making a huge mistake, pal."
The Hunter flicked his Thermos against his hip, clipping the bottom of the cap so that it would pop off. He pressed a button and the Thermos began to glow.
"Wait!" Sam shouted as she, Tucker, and Jazz slowly got back up on their feet, "Isn't there another way to focus your anger, other than taking it out on every ghost you see?"
The Hunter froze in place for a moment.
"You guys are idiots," he muttered, "And I'm not wasting another second to continue this chase."
He aimed the Fenton Thermos at Vin's head and it began to glow brighter.
"No!" Danny exclaimed and leapt for the Thermos.
Just as his hands grabbed it, the Thermos instantly died down and deactivated.
"Huh?" Danny exclaimed.
The others sighed in relief.
"Nice save, little brother," said Jazz.
"I… didn't do anything," Danny admitted, "And neither did the Thermos. The only way it would do that is if…"
His eyes widened.
"Is if the Thermos was empty," he finished.
"HELP!" Vin shouted.
The Hunter's eyes glanced over to the corner and saw movement. Magnus was floating in the air and held out one of his hands at Tucker and Sam.
"Kalipar du xaquin idish!" Magnus chanted, causing sparks to appear from his hand.
"Wulf!" the Hunter shouted, "Viaj amikoj bezonas helpon!"
(Wulf! Your friends need help!)
Suddenly, from nearby shrubs, Wulf lunged out and slashed Magnus with his claws. The magician slammed into the tree again and lost consciousness as the sparks in his hands disappeared.
"Wulf!" Danny, Tucker, and Sam exclaimed, rushing over to their friend.
"Amicoj!" Wulf exclaimed and gave Danny and Tucker a big slobbery lick across their faces.
He was about to do the same to Sam, but she held her hands up.
"No, thanks," she said, "I've already been covered in drool once this week."
Wulf's face fell but smiled again when Sam gave him a hug instead.
"I'm glad to see you're safe," she told him before pulling away.
"Wulf, ĉu vi estas bone? Ĉu la Hunter vundis vin?" Tucker asked.
(Wulf, are you okay? Did the Hunter hurt you?)
"Jes, mi fartas bone," Wulf replied, "La Ĉasisto savis min, dufoje.
(Yes, I'm fine. The Hunter saved me, twice.)
"He says that the Hunter saved him," Tucker told the others, "Twice."
"Twice?" Danny asked, "We know he saved you from Walker and Bullet last night. Who else did he save you from?"
Wulf pointed his finger at someone.
"Vin?" Sam asked, "That's crazy!"
"Yes," said the Hunter, "He is."
"Can you just tell us what the heck is going on!?" Danny asked.
"Danny, Wulf was pointing at the Hunter! Not me!" Vin cried out.
"Let me ask you guys something," said the Hunter, "Vin says he's not from around here, right?"
"Yeah," Danny answered, "Why?"
The Hunter tossed Vin over his shoulder to the ground between him and the others. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a voice recorder.
"Did you mention any weapons to him before showing him around your home?" the Hunter asked, "Like a weapon that has yet to be seen by the public at all?"
"What are you talking about?" Tucker asked.
"Is there something we're not getting?" Sam asked.
The Hunter played the recording.
"Isn't this the amazing Ghost Chiller that I've heard about?" Vin asked in the recorder.
"Yes, it is," Danny said, yawning.
The Hunter stopped the recorder.
"Now, as amazing as that weapon is, no one has even heard of it yet, even after you little skirmish with Wick," the Hunter explained.
Danny started looking at Vin suspiciously.
"That does make sense…" he said, "Wait… how long have you been watching me!?"
"Long enough," the Hunter replied.
"Guys, he's crazy!" Vin exclaimed as he pulled his hood off, "We need to take care of him now!"
"Have you guys ever mentioned Magnus' name to Vin?" the Hunter asked.
The gang looked at one another for a moment.
"No, we haven't," Sam growled, glaring at Vin.
The Hunter played another recording.
"Or the time we first fought Youngblood?" said Tucker.
"But-"
"How about Magnus, who's still out there?" Vin added.
"Okay, okay, I get it!" Danny shouted before giving a sigh.
The Hunter stopped the recording and put it away in his pocket.
"I have plenty more," he stated.
"I have one as well," Jazz announced, "Yesterday, you were practically drooling over the Collector, telling us many of the specifications it has. You weren't even in the room when mom and dad were telling us about it. And those very specific ones you said were never spoken by our parents."
"Whoa, is that the Fenton Ecto-Energy Collector?" Vin asked.
"Yeah, it is…" Jazz said, raising an eyebrow, "Why?"
Vin flew over and examined the weapon.
"Three-fingered claw, computer-aided tracking…" he breathed before shaking his head, "Sorry, just, uh, let a little of my nerdiness get to me."
"And that weapon was just completed seconds before they showed it to us," Danny added.
Phantom marched over and grabbed Vin by the collar with his free hand.
"You know something about the missing ghosts, don't you?" he asked, "Where are they!?"
"Here's a better question you should ask him," the Hunter said as he turned to face to group, "Why is he hiding a Fenton Thermos under his cloak?"
The gang surrounded Vin and glared at him.
"It's over, Vin," said the Hunter, "Or should I call you by your real name?"
Vin looked around nervously before hanging his head. He started shaking and it sounded like he was crying. It wasn't until he lifted his head that he showed them that he was laughing maniacally.
"Oh, Hunter," he said evilly, "I must give you credit. You are much smarter than I thought. For a ghost hunter from the future, you've really surprised me.
Suddenly, black fog began to erupt from under Vin's cloak and his fists began to glow red.
"But you are too late," Vin smirked, "And this chase must now come to an end."
He unleashed a powerful repulsion field that sent the gang, the Hunter, and Wulf flying backwards. They all landed on their backs. Danny looked at his hand and realized he dropped the Orb. He then looked over and saw Vin picking it up.
"I must say, it was a pleasure meeting all of you… again," Vin grinned.
He waved his free hand out and summoned a large scythe with a glowing green blade at opposite ends of the staff.
"But the fun's over for all of you," he said darkly as he dashed towards Danny and prepared to slice the half-ghost in half.
Danny held up his arms as he turned intangible.
*CLANG*
"Huh?" Danny exclaimed as he went tangible again.
He looked past his arms and saw the Hunter holding his rifle up, blocking the attack.
"Danny, get everyone out of here!" the Hunter said, straining against Vin, "I'll handle this lunatic."
Vin kneed the Hunter in the stomach, causing him to lower his rifle. The ghost slashed his scythe upwards, cutting the rifle into two and staggering the Hunter. Danny glared at Vin and fired a ghost ray at his chest. The deceitful ghost was sent back a couple of feet before looking up and glaring at Phantom with burning red eyes.
"No happening!" said Danny, "This is my responsibility. I can handle him."
"This is not up for debate, Phantom," the Hunter growled as he dropped his destroyed rifle and rubbed his face.
Danny turned to face him.
"Well, too b-"
Phantom's eyes widened when he saw a huge tear through the Hunter's balaclava from left eye to lover right cheek. The Hunter grabbed the headwear and yanked it off, throwing it to the ground. Everyone gasped when they saw his face. He had long, dark brown hair that was shoulder length and dark green eyes. Although his balaclava was torn, his face was not scathed. Vin took one look at his enemy's face and huffed.
"Trevor…" he growled, "Should have known you were the one after me this whole time."
"Yeah?" the Hunter asked as he reached behind his back, "Well, thanks for breaking my rifle. Now I'll have to use 'Plan B'."
"Wait…" said Tucker, "The Hunter is a kid!?"
"Is now really the time for this, Tucker!?" Sam exclaimed.
Vin dashed forward again, this time for the Hunter, but Danny got in his way and blasted Vin with an icy ghost beam. It froze the ghost in place.
"Move aside, Danny," the Hunter told him.
Danny looked over and saw that he had the Fenton Ghost Peeler in hand and was already armored up. He jumped aside as the trigger was pulled and an energy beam rocketed towards Vin.
"Aaaaahhhggghhh!" the ghost screamed as the attack shattered the ice encasing the ghost and unveiled a purple rune around him.
Black fog began pouring out of Vin's cloak and, after a moment, was completely hidden within a thick cloud. The Hunter ceased fire and the armor retracted back into the weapon. Danny slowly began walking towards the black fog when he saw the yellow glowing orb roll away from Vin. A moment later, a Fenton Thermos fell to the ground and rolled next to the orb.
"Don't get near him," the Hunter warned, "That's exactly what he wants."
Danny stopped in his tracks as the black fog began to dissipate. A dark, evil laugh could be heard.
"The Fenton Ghost Peeler…" Vin chuckled, "Well played, Trevor."
The ghost before everyone was no longer recognizable. His size had increased by half, his cloak was now a pitch-black color, his black leather gloves now had metal spikes protruding from his knuckles, and his ghost tail was gone; only black smoke that leaked from below the waist. But the biggest change was his face; as he looked up, only a dull green skull was seen, with crimson red donut eyes glowing within his black sockets.
"Who… are you?" Danny asked nervously as he slowly backed away.
Wulf got on all fours and growled at the terrifying foe, protecting Tucker, Sam, and Jazz.
"I am… Reaper," the ghost explained as he pulled his hood over his head, telekinetically picked up the orb and Fenton Thermos, and pointed his scythe at Danny, "And your soul is mine to take."
Danny, Tucker, Sam, and Jazz stared in horror as the Hunter and Wulf glared at the threat.
"Magnus!" Reaper ordered, "Deal with the mutt. These two are mine."
The magician suddenly teleported towards Wulf and readied his spell book for use. Wulf snarled at him.
"I can't wait to see what fun this will be," Magnus chuckled.
The Hunter cracked his knuckles and stood in front of Danny.
"Sorry, Clockwork," the Hunter muttered, "But I'm doing things my way now."
Reaper's dark laughter filled the air.
To be continued…
"~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~"
{Notes}
* The Fenton Ghost Peeler is the weapon used to defeat Penelope Spectra in "My Brother's Keeper". It removes ghostly disguises as well as harm them. It also damages simple human clothing.
** Reference to the episode "Secret Weapons".
*** Valerie tried using Vlad's 'Plasmius Thermos' in "Shades of Gray", but she couldn't get it open. Since Vlad's never been seen using one himself, assume this Thermos was destroyed after the original Red Huntress suit was also destroyed thanks to Technus.
**** Tucker is referring to the events in "Micro Management".
^ Do I really need to remind everyone of "Public Enemies"? There's only two episodes involving Wulf, and you're going to make to remind you? And no, "Phantom Planet" doesn't count. With the exception of Dan Phantom, everyone ghost was in that episode. Though, I will say, I was very happy to see Wulf again in "Claw of the Wild". Two whole seasons just to bring him back. Why would they do that!? Was it because the show was getting canceled!? (Wulf: Um… duh?)
^* Again, really? "Claw of the Wild"… but Wulf getting his tongue stuck on a frozen Walker-sicle was funny.
^** A repulsion field is an ecto-energy ability where the user surrounds themselves in a ball of energy and then unleashes it the form of an explosion. First seen in the episode "Control Freaks".
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Just to be completely clear, this is NOT part one of a "movie", this is simply a two-part episode arc. The overall story arc will be longer. That being said, there will be "movies" once in a while, and maybe, possibly, an actual movie length story that will take place between seasons. Again, I haven't decided yet, but I have plenty of ideas.
Hope you guys enjoyed this episode. Did anyone actually predict this? Well, the fun's not even half done yet! If you think this was a shocker, just wait until next episode. If only have your brain exploded by now… well, better make peace with the other half, 'cause it won't be around for much long. *Wink*
Like, follow, and please review! Until next time!
~ThePhantomHedgehog