Phantom: *shaking from shock* ok. I never want to be sucked into the Fenton ThermosEVER again.
Trainer: *grins with malice/mischief* oh come on it wasn't soooo bad.
Phantom: SAYS YOU! YOU CAN'T EVEN BE SUCKED INTO ONE IN THE FIRST PLACE! *mumbles* I think I know how your pokemon feel.
Trainer: what? … Never mind. Anyways, time for chapter two!
Phantom: and to those that have commented/subscribed, I thank you for being a wonderful audience! Now on with the show!
Trainer: WAIT! Can we have a game time first?
Phantom: NOT NOW! Maybe later.
*Trainer mumbles under her breath*
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom and some ideas are owned by Pearl84 and Truephan, but the plot is mine!
Chapter 2: Food for Thought
"Danny, are you ok? You look terrible dude." Tucker pointed out bluntly.
Ever since he and Sam met up with Danny earlier that morning, the two had noticed something was off. Their half ghost friend had dark circles under his eyes and he looked… well, like a train wreck over all. The techno-geek and Goth girl exchanged a look that practically said "something's wrong".
And they couldn't be more right, either. Danny was still fussing over what had happened the previous night. "What does it all mean?" Danny asked himself. But finally clueing into what his friend had said, Danny reluctantly replied.
"Yesterday… I-I think I had a run-in with… Vlad" The hybrid said before lowering his gaze back down to the sidewalk they were travelling on.
Sam and Tucker stopped and stared at each other in disbelief. Then, they hurriedly caught up to their friend before they bombarded him with questions. Sam was asking most of them since the news annoyed her the most.
"What do you mean by 'I think'? It either happened or it didn't. And if it did, why now of all times?" Sam continued to rant without leaving room for either of the boys to reply. "I mean, come on! There's nothing that that horrible, deceiving, conniving, egotistical, evil, sorry-excuse-for-a-human-being could even do to you, let alone gain in the process by coming after you in this way." She turned around to face her two friends. Throwing her arms into the air, she exasperated, "seriously, why –"
"I know Sam, and I don't get it either," Danny interrupted her, mostly so that her anger wouldn't explode on him and the techno-geek. "I don't know why Vlad suddenly attacked me last night, but I think it was him who brought me back home too… that much I'm sure of. Before that, I had been battling the Box Ghost." Danny finished with a light shrug.
Finally, tucker came back into the conversation, "ok, how about we continue this conversation elsewhere. Maybe somewhere like, oh I don't know, the Nasty Burger?" Tucker looked hopefully between his friends who just nodded in agreement, and the continued to their usual hangout.
Off in Wisconsin, Vlad was busy with his own plans. Or at least plans of getting rid of a certain annoying pest…
"How many times must I tell you," Plasmius' voice echoed throughout his lab, "I. WILL. NOT. BE. YOUR. FRIEND. AND THAT WILL NEVER CHANGE!" Plasmius shouted at the now whimpering Klemper.
*Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.*
"Oh, what is it now?" the older hybrid said before throwing the ice ghost in stripped pyjamas back into the portal he came out of. Making sure that the portal was closed and that his lab was in order, Vlad exited the metal chamber while two black rings changed him back into Masters.
"This better be good, for whoevers sake." Vlad thought murderously.
After dropping Daniel off at his bedroom, Vlad immediately left for his own home. However, he didn't get back until an hour later, leaving him to arrive back at his castle in the wee hours of the morning. Vlad had managed to get to sleep, but still felt horrible. Clearly, he didn't get enough. Vlad just hoped that his visitor, as it was, was one of the ghosts that worked for him. He didn't think he would have the patience for any one of the many men and/or women that worked for him as Vlad Masters.
When he finally reached the main foyer, Vlad was relieved to find that it was indeed one of his ghostly allies. It was Skulker.
"Hello, Skulker. What brings you here?" The billionaire asked, even though he had a pretty good idea already.
The ghost turned towards the man with his green eyes slightly intensifying. His metal armour-like exterior clanking on the marble tile floor as he moved. A smile appeared on the ghost hunter's face as he finally addressed the white haired man.
"Hello, Plasmius. Sorry for dropping by so early, I had some… business to attend to." Skulker said, as he took in the scene of the obviously, very tired man. A smile was plastered on his face, guessing that it was either the whelp or some other ghost-related thing that had kept Vlad up until now.
"Now that I would have liked to see" Skulker thought, becoming very amused at the idea of someone like Plasmius being pushed to their limits by the runt instead of him.
Vlad had also been observing the hunter with a critical eye. "I see you're still wearing the current model of your suit. Does this mean that the one you told me about is still under construction?" Vlad remarked, noticing how his ally had a smile plastered on his face and had clearly gotten lost in his own thoughts.
Vaguely hearing the billionaire, Skulker nodded before he replied. "Yes, the new model I told you about isn't finished yet, but when it is I plan to use it on a certain ghost boy," the hunter finished, his grin doubling (if that was even possible).
Vlad knew about Skulker's plans of creating a new version of his armour. In fact, he had created the overall layout of the design himself. It was just up to Skulker to create the marvel. The colour scheme was black and green. It would have several weapons and equipment that the hunter would need to learn how to use properly, but he knew that his ally would be up to it. Little did the two know that the new suit's design was that of the future Skulker's, just without Technus inhabiting the chamber in the chest. It would be spectacular when it was complete, especially when Daniel would have no idea about it; or so they thought.
Vlad gave him a sly look, knowing that Skulker still had a bone to pick with Daniel and would love to use any new tricks to get the advantage on his 'favourite prey', as the hunter sometimes referred to Daniel as. Then he gestured the hunter to follow him. The two made their way into Vlad's private study, both knowing that from there, they would move to his private lab. Sure enough, Vlad tilted one of the golden footballs on top of the fireplace before it opened up to reveal the passage to the lab.
Once there Skulker finally revealed his intentions. "I am heading to Amity Park again later today, but I would like to adjust some things with my suit before I venture off," the hunter said without so much as caring what the older hybrid said. He was going.
Vlad looked back at Skulker like he was the most interesting thing he had ever seen. Then, Vlad asked, "Why are you heading off to that back waters town? Are you going to try and capture Daniel again?" measuring the hunter's reaction.
Vlad knew Skulker regularly went to Amity Park for several reasons:
1. He was going to hunt down Daniel for the who-knows-how-many time. "Which usually ends with him being shoved into that ridiculous thermos of Daniel's or his fleeing the scene, both resulting in his suit being extremely damaged, which ends Skulker here anyways," Vlad added mentally.
2. He was tracking another rare ghost that had travelled through one of the many temporary portals that lead to Amity Park.
3. He was doing a job for Vlad.
Or
4. He had some other purpose that Vlad didn't know about, and would most likely keep it to himself.
Vlad assumed that if anything, Skulker was indeed heading to the small town to catch Daniel off guard, which, as he had told himself earlier, would end terribly for the hunter. It couldn't be the second or third option, because he had not given Skulker any instructions on his plans and Skulker himself had told Vlad that he wasn't tracking anything new at the moment. That just left two options.
Skulker looked back at the half ghost and replied, "Something important has recently gone missing in one of the more secluded areas of the ghost zone. An ancient relic. I didn't want to tell you about it because I was sure that, even with the knowledge you have on ghostly-related relics and artefacts, you don't know anything on this particular one." The hunter finished with an apologetic look.
To the billionaire's surprise, his assumption had been very far off from the truth. Studying the hunter again, Vlad inwardly sighed, but replied, "Perhaps if I knew more about this relic I could… offer you my services in finding it." Vlad let his amused smirk spread across his face.
The hunter returned the smirk before moving towards the large mainframe on one side of the room. Connecting his PDA to the large computer, Skulker typed in several commands before information began to appear on the different screens.
With a raised eyebrow, Vlad said with genuine intrigue, "how very… interesting."
It was around noon by now and Danny, Sam and Tucker were now enjoying some lunch over at the Fenton household. Danny and Tucker were enjoying their sandwiches while Sam ate a salad.
They had spent the morning just travelling around town. Starting at the Nasty Burger, Danny retold everything that he could remember from the night's events, as well as what he believed to happen after he passed out. The conversation continued everywhere they went, so they eventually decided to just return to Danny's house and avoid someone overhearing them.
However, it was the first time that Danny revealed to his friends that he actually had a way of sensing Vlad that wasn't the same as his usual ghost sense that worked only with full ghosts.
"So… that's why you think he brought you back to your room? Because you can… what, feel his presence? I guess it makes sense, but that still doesn't prove that it was him, right? Maybe it was someone else," Tucker said with a hopeful expression.
"Like who Tucker?" Sam pointed out. "it's highly unlikely that someone would come across Danny and know that he lived here, let alone get into his house without rousing everyone else." But finally noticing something about the house, she asked, "by the way, Danny. Where are your mom and dad? Where's Jazz for that matter? I was sort of expecting them to be here."
Danny stopped eating and looked at the Goth girl before taking a gulp of his soda. Able to speak freely, the half ghost replied, "Mom and dad said that they would be gone for the next few weeks at another ghost hunting convention. They left shortly after we headed out, so we're free to do some training in the lab and can talk about this kind of thing without worrying about them listening to us… at least for a little while," he added.
Smiling a little, Tucker chimed in, "ok, so your parents are gone for a few weeks. That explains them, but where's Jazz? Isn't she usually here, or something, watching the house or getting supplies?"
Danny just shrugged as he continued with his lunch. He honestly didn't know where his overbearing sister was at the moment. And really, he didn't like that fact. He could really use some guidance right now. He was confused with Vlad's actions and somewhere in his ghost core, although it was dormant currently; he felt that something was off. Like something BIG was going to happen, and soon.
Danny got up and moved over to the fridge. Opening it he pulled out a pudding cup that had an attached Spork on the lid. Moving back to his seat, he told his friends, "I haven't seen Jazz since breakfast. Maybe she went to the library or something. I can always give her a call if we need to talk."
As Danny opened his desert, Tucker and Sam looked worriedly at their friend. He just seemed too calm about the whole thing. Like being beaten-up to unconsciousness, or from what he described; semi-unconsciousness, was completely normal…well, for Danny it was, but that still didn't make it any better.
Sam had noticed how fast Danny was eating, and that usually said that Danny was really troubled. "Danny you gotta' relax. We'll figure this out," She tried to comfort her distraught friend. Not really proving to any avail.
Eating his pudding faster, Danny exclaimed, "Relax? Relax? How can I relax when so much is happening?" shoving both his hands into the air, still holding the pudding and Spork. "I can't relax! Not even close," Danny said continuing to eat his pudding but faster than before.
Suddenly, when the movement of the Spork to his mouth became too quick, Danny swallowed the Spork. With a disgusted frown, Danny grabbed his throat and said, "And I think I'm eating so fast, I just ate my Spork… again!" Phasing his hand through his stomach, he grabbed the item before saying, "there we go."
Tucker made a muffled chuckling noise as he covered his mouth to prevent his lunch from flying out across the room. "Ok…heh heh… I can't believe you did that again. You are really lucky to be part ghost, Danny, or you might have two Sporks inside your stomach," tucker said, his laughter subduing to a soft snicker.
Danny gave a short laugh too. How ironic. The one thing that was causing him all this trouble was the same thing that kept him practically alive every day!
Sam smiled at her friends' amusement. "Now that's the half ghost and techno-geek that I know," Sam thought. "I have an idea. How about we help Danny train until Jazz comes back? It's better than doing nothing. Plus, it will let us each think about what's happening," Sam chimed in.
Danny and Tucker nodded in agreement and the trio moved down into the basement lab. From there, they started the usual routine tests for Danny's powers as well as some new ones for his newly developed ones. But Danny couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, and so he wasn't focusing too much on the exercises. Not that it changed his results all that much. However, none of the teenagers even noticed the little red light in the corner of the room. A small metallic bug was sitting on the wall watching their every move.
Vlad skimmed through the information on the different screens. At first glance, it would appear to be nothing more than complete nonsense, but to a ghost fanatic and treasure hunter; this was the most amazing find in the world!
It was like nothing he had ever seen before! It was…was…impossible! It was inconceivable, that something like this even existed, let alone that there just so happened to be several.
Looking back at the hunter, the older hybrid questioned, "Skulker, where in the Ghost Zone did these items come from? You were dead on when you said that I didn't know anything about them, but with a little more digging, I believe that I can and even find out what they're for." But then getting another idea, Vlad asked again, "Do you know what they're for?" He raised an expectant eyebrow.
The hunter stared back with an annoyed expression. He knew that his employer would eventually get to those questions and probably want to look for them himself. That was another reason as to why the hunter didn't want to tell Vlad about the items. "This will and well," he thought sarcastically.
"In order, I don't know where they came from and I don't know what they're for," Skulker replied nonchalantly.
The billionaire frowned at the news. "Well that makes things more difficult," he thought bitterly, his attention returning to the screens and what was on them. Vlad read through the information more clearly to make sure he didn't miss anything that he could use later.
The documents where descriptions, powers and history of the missing objects. See as Skulker wasn't usually the one who read things through in writing, Vlad doubted that he had gone through all the information before accepting the job. And that raised another question, "Who are you working for, Skulker?" Vlad asked as he continued to search the data in front of him.
"That's the thing, Plasmius. I don't know who exactly wants me to do this. A messenger came and said it was an urgent matter that, if left unattended, could be disastrous to time and existence," replied the hunter from the other side of the lab, where he was tinkering with his suit.
"Hmmm," was all Vlad could say to that comment. "Why does that sound familiar?" the older hybrid mused to himself. Vlad's attention returned to his mainframe as he began to read:
Several years ago, the first of these books appeared out of nowhere. It was discovered that this book had similar properties to items with extreme energies like the Crown of Fire and Ring of Rage.
Surprisingly, it was almost like the item had a core. Certain entities couldn't get near it let alone touch the mysterious book. When someone could grab the book, it almost always burned them or sent a current of electricity through the holder.
No one could open the book, so what's contained within is still a mystery. The blood red gem on the cover may be the secret to opening it however, what the key is, is also unknown.
The book was last seen being taken to the Forbidden Region by a ghost that has not been seen since the incident.
"I wonder how long ago this first book was actually made." Vlad said out loud, but mostly to himself. But then thinking of something else, he questioned, "Wait. There's more than one book?" with that in mind, Vlad continued reading:
Then, thirty-four years later, another book appeared. It had similar properties to the first book, but there were slight differences.
Instead of the red gem like on the first book, this one had a brilliant green gem. When others touched it, the book would send a freezing chill into the holder, not a burst of fire or electricity. The power it radiated was… more pure than that of the first.
…
Then, several months later, another book appeared near the second. The likeness between the two was almost identical. The only change was that the gem decorating the cover had a slightly whiter tinge about it.
…
The third book, for some unknown reason, seemed to deteriorate for some time until it solidified and was glowing brighter than ever before. While in its weaker state, a ghost from the Far Frozen found that it had similar properties to the Infi-map as well as other abilities that seem to only work when the book has been unlocked.
…
There is no pattern in the appearance of these books. Over time, they seem to grow in power, but never disintegrate or succumb to any form of destruction from the incredible growth. Another common trait among these peculiar books is that every once in a while, their glows become brighter for unknown lengths of time and just as easily dims as well.
Vlad read on, oblivious to the fact that Skulker was now next to him reading as well. For the most part, the older hybrid had been correct when he thought Skulker hadn't looked over the information. Skulker had only skimmed through the data once since he was in a bit of a hurry to complete his job.
In fact, Skulker wasn't too happy with being asked to track down something as simple as a book. But he was a hunter who kept his word, so what's done is done. He was going to do everything he could to find these missing items.
As the two read on, they realized just how important they were. "These aren't your average books," the two beings thought.
The first book has gone missing in the Forbidden Region due to the mysterious ghost who took it there. The remaining two are in possession of the ice ghosts of the Far Frozen.
…
Filed missing: all three mystery books gone from where they were hidden. No trace as to where they've gone or who took them. Assumed to have gone into the Human World for some reason.
Reported by Frostbite of the Far Frozen and anonymous ghost.
Vlad leaned back in his chair, while Skulker crossed his arms; both thinking about what they just read. They now had a better idea on what these relics were, but it still wasn't enough.
Vlad turned to his ally and asked with concern, "Skulker, are you really going to Amity Park to look for these… books? I'll admit, they are very tempting for me to go after myself, but even I would take precautions before heading out. More research for example; like who might have them? What would you be going up against? And would you need some… assistance?" Vlad let his last question hang there, knowing that the hunter would understand immediately. The smile on the hybrids face showed it.
And sure enough, he was right. Skulker gave him an amused smirk and raised his eyebrow at the obvious self-invitation. The ghost shook his head and said, "first off, you know that I would gladly accept your 'offer' of help, but I cannot this time. I know all too well that you would try and keep one of the books, and I can't let you, at least not yet. You know, as well as I, that I keep my word. And my word was to return those books if I found them in the Human World."
The billionaire frowned, only to realize a loophole in the hunter's agreement, which he shared happily. "You said 'if you found it in the Human World' correct?" and earning a nod from his ally he continued, "Well what if it wasn't here in this world? What if it was in the Ghost Zone?" he finished.
The hunter's eyes widened with understanding before he smirked at the hybrids analysis. He then replied, "weeeeeeeell… if it wasn't if this realm then I would say it's free game to anyone who comes across it."
But remembering one of Vlad's earlier questions, he quickly remarked, "and yes, I am going to Amity Park first. If these books really did fall into this world, than they're most likely there; since many items from the Ghost Zone seem to end up there. As for whose possession it's in; I don't know who might have it, but maybe the whelp could help me, even if he doesn't realize that he's doing so."
Vlad found this funny and chuckled at his employee's words. Skulker then turned towards the portal, clearly about to set out, but he then turned back to Vlad. With slight amusement eking in his voice he said, "Oh, and by the way Plasmius, you can keep that information if you want. It may prove useful in one of your 'treasure hunts', as you call it."
Vlad grinned back at the hunter before he replied in a similar tone, "thank you, I think I will." But then, in a more concerned tone, he added, "Skulker, just… be careful. I can't have one of my allies being dissected, now can I?"
The hunter gave him one final look before heading into the swirling green mass in front of him that was Vlad's ghost portal.
Watching as Skulker vanished into the Ghost Zone, Vlad sighed and looked back at the information he now had.
"There has to be a pattern, a sequence, to the appearance to these blasted books!" he told himself as he read through the history and descriptions again. Something about these artefacts just sounded too familiar.
Three books, each having similar yet also different attributes about them, the dates of their discoveries so different. There was something very important missing from the journal entries. What it was, Vlad couldn't figure out at this point in the game, but he was determined to find out.
With that, he made a mental note to get back to this matter later.
"For now, let's see what Daniel is up to," He said to himself. As if responding to his voice, a small beeping came from the monitor, alerting him that his spy bug's motion sensor had been activated and was now sending a visual of the scene. The hybrid now knew that someone was indeed at the Fenton home and in the lab, and it was most-likely the person he wanted to see.
Pressing a key, and image came up of Danny in his ghost form, manoeuvring around several ecto-beams and obstacles. Clearly, he was doing some training, but why take the risk when his parents might be home… unless, they weren't home!
Vlad made another mental note to look into that as well.
The older hybrid continued to watch as the teen tested several powers that Vlad knew the boy had in his arsenal, as well as a few he didn't even know he had developed. Vlad noticed that Daniel's friends were both manning the controls and keeping track of the results of Daniel's training. It was now obvious that they had gone through this routine before.
The older hybrid leaned back in his chair again and watched as his spy bug recorded the training session, and anything else that may happen.
*Bam*
Danny dodged another ecto-beam by turning intangible. Too bad the wall that was behind him didn't fare as well as he did. A huge scorch mark was left after the beam collided with the metallic surface.
"Danny, be careful! Anything that's not supposed to be blown up has to be fix by all of us before your parents return," Sam said as she made a note to fix that wall, among other things, that would later need repairs.
"Sorry… Sam! This lab… is only somewhat… ghost proof," Danny said between dodges. Currently, they were checking his reflexes and reaction time. The guns were set to a low, so that if Danny did end up getting hit, the most it would do was annoy him. They only ever set the guns to higher levels when testing Danny's durability to strong ghostly attacks, whether that be from an actual ghost or from a ghost hunting weapon.
"Well, at least it's not like the simulation room at Vlad's mansion. It seemed like the only thing I was allowed to work on was my powers and abilities," Danny mentally noted.
With one final dodge, Tucker turned off the guns and activated several walls and rings to appear from the floor and ceiling. "Ok dude, time for some agility and phasing actin," the techno-geek announced.
Danny started with the rings, and did several flips and swings through the rings like they were nothing. Then zooming to the metal make-shift walls, he lazily phased backwards through all of them, giving his friends at the other side a cheeky grin followed by a thumbs up.
"Agility and phasing ability, check," Sam proudly proclaimed.
*thud*
Danny hit one of the lab's walls and fell to the ground in a daze. Standing up, he gripped his head and looked over at his two friends who had smirks on their faces.
"And make check off that he got cocky again," Tucker said, earning a blush from his half ghost friend. The three broke out into laughter before Danny motioned them to continue with the training session.
Sam pressed a button on the monitor and several cardboard cut-outs sprang up from behind the lab tables in sequence. Danny hit them all as they appeared.
Ghost…*bam*. Ghost…*bam*. A cut-out of Jazz nagging Danny… skip. Ghost…*bam*.
But then with another grin, Danny aimed a finger behind his back and shot a blast of green energy at the Jazz cut-out, before he heard his friends say "Check!" in the background.
Then the young hybrid landed on the ground and looked to his friends as he waited for everything to slide back into the walls as that part of the training ended.
"Ok, let's test some of your other abilities, "Tucker said but then added with creased eyebrows, "and do not test your overshadowing on me. That's so not cool dude."
Sam and Danny giggled at their friend's response before they both nodded.
"Don't worry Tuck, I don't need to test that one. I know it works just fine. What I want to test are my newer abilities," Danny said with a determined grin.
Landing on the ground, Danny closed his eyes and took in a deep breath before he let his energy flow into his hands. Sam and Tucker had been expecting Danny's usual green energy, so they were completely stupefied when it came out in the form of a little blue flame. Danny opened his eyes and smiled at the tiny flame.
The Goth girl and techno boy looked at each other before Sam voiced the question that was now on both their minds. "Danny… when did you learn that?" she asked pointing at the blue energy in the hybrid's hand.
Danny looked up at his Goth friend with a now depressed look. Looking back at the flame, he replied, "I… learned it when I stayed with Vlad those few months ago. I learned other things that… personally I think could help me in protecting Amity." Danny then extinguished the delicate flame and looked back at his friends, who were now giving him an expectant look.
Danny sighed. He hadn't really told anyone, not even Jazz, about the things that had happened while at Vlad's. Sure, Jazz heard from him how portion of him wanted to stay with Vlad; to stop being the protector and be the protected, to learn about his other half, to be understood and… cared for.
Knowing that he had to tell his friends something, he decided that it better be the truth, or at least part of it. He began to tell them of the skills that Vlad had taught him as well as the natural skills he now had because of his being half ghost; things like blue energy, acute hearing, sensing Vlad, teleportation, duplication, and many others.
Duplication had been the hardest to tell them; since it was something he finally learned when he and Vlad had had their final fight over Danny's need to leave, his need to… save his sister's life. Sam and Tucker didn't urge him to continue, knowing how hurt, how torn he must have been at that moment.
When Danny had finished, Tucker took the opportunity to add his input. "Well, why don't we test some of these newly acquired abilities? It couldn't hurt right? I mean, along with your other powers, you now have a whole new arsenal that no one, except Vlad, knows about. The least we could do is keep them sharp, just in case you do need to use them," he quickly added holding his hands up in a defensive manner, seeing Sam give him a death glare.
Danny smiled at his friends. He was really lucky to have such great friends. Stepping between them, Danny quickly intervened, "ok, ok, settle down Sam. Tucker has a good point. I should practice what I've been given. Who knows, maybe they'll even come in handy one day."
With that said, they resumed Danny's tests. Step by step, they went through each of the things that Danny had described, each one being as successful as the last. When it came to duplication, the young half ghost became hesitant. He had only done it several times, and the first time he had done it without feeling tired was when he used it against Vlad.
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Danny decided to make a single duplicate. Concentrating, he made exactly one duplicate, no flaws or anything, and then let it disappear. He really didn't want to use this ability until he came to terms with what happened, that or if he was left with no other choice.
Moving on to his last two abilities, Danny began to act like his old self again. There was something about using his ice abilities that always calmed him down. He made his ice energy into crystals, beams from his hand and eyes, encasements around his arms up to the elbow, and finally into something he always wanted to try; Danny made an ice scythe that resembled the staff that Clockwork owned.
The detail was so intimate; he was reluctant to get rid of the make-shift weapon. The fact that he chose to model it after his mentor's own staff showed his respect and love for the spirit. Clockwork had helped him out with so many of the life-changing problems; Danny couldn't help but see the ancient spirit as something more than just the Master of Time.
Sam and Tucker noticed the design of the scythe and just smiled at each other. They had only seen Clockwork a few times in the past, but they knew his staff when they saw it.
Sam came up behind Danny and moved slightly to see the work that her friend had made. "Danny, this is beautiful!" she exclaimed, finally seeing the detail that had been put into it within just a few seconds.
It looked like the Time Master's staff, except that there was now a blade coming out of the top. The blade itself looked so fragile that if it hit anything, it would shatter. And on the blade was the 'DP' logo, carved strait into the ice.
Danny moved away from his friends, and made a swing at one of the singed targets that he used earlier. The blade cut through it like it was butter. Sam and Tucker were wide eyed with mouths agape. For something that looked so fragile, it was incredibly strong. Not even the shaft or blade broke.
Sam smiled again, but before she could say anything, Tucker jumped in. "Dude! That's amazing! I don't know whether Clockwork would be flattered or proud!" he said throwing his arms into the air in all his excitement.
"How about both?" Sam piped in. "it really is an amazing skill Danny. I thought that it was perfect that you modeled it after Clockworks staff."
Danny smiled again as the scythe turned back into energy and came back to him. "Ok, that leaves only one power… and I don't know about you, but I really don't want to use it unless as a trump card. It can be really destructive, especially in a place that's not ghost proof. You should see what I did by accident to Vlad's training room that one time," the younger hybrid said, not explaining what he meant be his last comment. There was a time and a place for everything, and now wasn't one of those times.
The trio headed back up to the main part of the house, only to discover that TJ was going nuts for some reason. Walking over to the puppy, Danny tried to calm him down. It was weird. TJ was acting like he had just seen someone from the family, yet he would make a complete 180 and hide somewhere in the living room in the next moment.
"Hey, buddy. What's wrong?" Danny asked the confused and scared Dalmatian. His answer came as a long crashing sound coming from outside the front of the house.
The three teens looked at each other and all but ran outside. When they got there, they found that it was Jazz and she managed to attract some unwanted attention.
Jazz and the Box Ghost were having a one to one battle. It wasn't that the Box Ghost was a real threat, but he was annoying.
Jazz pulled out a thermos and pressed the button before the pudgy male ghost could do anything. Danny was surprised by his sister's actions; not only had she actually fought well, but she managed to catch a ghost… other than him!
"Hah! Take that Crate Creep!" Jazz beamed, proud of her capture.
"Actually, his name is the Box Ghost," Danny corrected nonchalantly as he walked down the steps to his sister. Then he added, "Nice work by the way."
Jazz blushed only to notice something. "Danny, why are you guys here? I mean, I know that you live here, but why are Sam and Tucker here? It's getting late," she commented, looking back at her watch.
The three teens in front of her finally notice how dark it was outside. They had been in the basement, and it had no windows. They hadn't been keeping track of the time and it had apparently slipped away from them.
Saying their good-byes and confirming their plans for the next couple of days, the half ghost's friend headed for home while Jazz and Danny went back inside. Once inside though, Danny went and sat on the couch. TJ had moved from his hiding place and was now waiting for some attention by his owner, who had a saddened expression on his face.
Jazz noticed this and became a little worried. She only ever saw Danny this depressed when something was wrong, and she was going to find out. "Danny," she asked getting his attention, "what happened?"
Danny sighed. He really did need to talk to someone and get some advice, so who better than family? Danny proceeded to go through all the events up till now that Jazz hadn't known about, and he was thankful that she was willing to listen.
The two continued to talk until they decided to eat something and go to bed.
Vlad had watched Danny train with his friends for some time. He had his afternoon tea in his lab, and had grown somewhat bored of watching his young counter-part dodge and use the powers he knew the boy had.
He was about to turn away from the monitor and let the spy bug record when he suddenly heard the girl say, "Danny… when did you learn that?"
Turning his attention back to the screen, Vlad's eyes widened as he realized that the boy was using blue energy. Most would think that this would annoy the older hybrid, but it did anything but. Vlad felt a sense of proudness at the fact that his young rival was still using the skills he had taught him.
He continued to watch and listen as Danny listed through the powers and abilities that the billionaire had taught him. The way Danny had explained each one was incredible. It sound almost like… like Danny was praising him. Thanking him indirectly for teaching him.
Vlad was also surprised by the number of things he had taught the young hybrid. "Was it really that many?" He mused with a satisfied grin as he rubbed his chin.
After Danny created a duplicate, Vlad wondered if there were any other abilities that the teen could have. He knew that the boy's other abilities were increasing in strength each and every day, he had seen that through the training sessions when Daniel had stayed with him.
As if answering his unasked question, Danny created several light blue, glass-like objects and rays. The instant one of the rays hit something, the item would freeze over. Vlad's eyes widened only to narrow with pleasure. "So Daniel has learned how to use his hidden ice powers, has he?" he voiced out loud.
"Danny, this is beautiful!" he heard the Goth girl exclaimed. Vlad looked back at the monitor only to rub his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. In Daniel's hands was a beautifully crafted scythe. The blade had Daniel's crest on it, and the top of the shaft had what looked like a small clock adorning it.
It really was a work of art.
He watched as the young hybrid made a swing at one of the earlier targets, getting the scythe clean through the substance. But it was the next few comments that peaked the older half ghost's curiosity.
"Dude! That's amazing! I don't know whether Clockwork would be flattered or proud!" the dark-skinned boy said throwing his arms into the air in all his excitement.
"How about both?" the Goth girl piped in. "it really is an amazing skill Danny. I thought that it was perfect that you modeled it after Clockworks staff."
Well that did it. Vlad recalled that Clockwork was the Master of Time and that Danny knew the Time spirit, but how he really didn't know. All he knew was that the spirits usually kept to themselves and only intervened in life if it was truly necessary.
The billionaire then remembered some things that Daniel had tried to do before coming to him that night. Daniel had gone into the Ghost Zone and travelled to the Forbidden Region and… disappeared. Not even Skulker's instruments could pick up his ecto-signature.
After looking through the other hybrid's computer data, Vlad knew that that's where the Realm Beyond Time was located, and that's probably where the Time Master lived as well.
"Perhaps, one of the spirits knows where these books are. That Time spirit, Clockwork was it, would most likely know. But would he even tell me?" Vlad mused to himself.
Deciding to leave that thought for later, Vlad exited the lab and prepared for bed himself.
Phantom: OMG! This is amazing! Fantastic! Incredible! I'm just so happy I think I might cry!
Trainer: Hey, don't get mushy so soon, it's only the second chapter. Plus… there wasn't really anything huge to get emotional about. Why are you acting like that?
Phantom: Oh, I wasn't entirely talking about this chapter… but I'd like to make a dedication! *clears throat* Several days ago, I got amazing news. And I hope this will bring me luck in this story and my future ones. My music teacher is pregnant! And my piano accompanist for my exam got engaged! I would like to dedicate this to the two of them. How awesome is that?
Trainer: *speechless*
Phantom: ok. Well, I have tons of plans for this fanfic and hope you all enjoy what's about to happen. If you don't understand the point of the books, don't worry. You'll understand in Time.
Trainer: did you really just make a time pun?
Phantom: Sorry I couldn't help myself. But really, I've had this story planned out for a while and it already has a sequel planned out too. So these ideas are really important for both stories.
Trainer: I wish you would let me in on these things.
Phantom: alright.
*whispers several things to Trainer*
Phantom: Ok. One. Two. Three!
Both: Stay tuned for more Danny and Vlad shenanigans. And tell us what you think by pressing that nice little button down there. Until next time! Phantom/Trainer OUT!
Phantom: *to Trainer* well I think that went pretty well.
Trainer: same here. Game time now?
Phantom: yeah!