*Phantom appears in a puff of green smoke behind an object looking nervous*
Phantom: *whispering* ok, so first off, I'm really sorry that it took me so long to create this chapter but there is such a thing as exams where I am right now. My teachers have been piling last minute work on us and it won't end until our exams start.
Trainer: *also whispering, starts looking around the area from behind the object* I know what you mean.
Phantom: no you don't, when I do work you're reading/playing things on your computer. Anyways, I have also been caught up in other writer's works, but I think we all know what that's like.
Trainer: for those of you that are wondering 'why are we hiding right now?' the answer is simple -
Phantom: yeah, we pulled some stuff on Vlad and he didn't really like it all that much.
*Off in the distance, something was blown up. Trainer and Phantom duck from the singed debris*
Vlad: Where are you? When I get my hands on you - *his voice fading into the distance*
Trainer: *to Phantom, who is slightly nervous* it was totally worth it. *turning to the audience* I found a few really good lists about how to annoy a half-ghosts that were too good to pass up on, so with my accomplice, we pulled them off… sort of.
Phantom: so while we try to survive through the early chapters of my fanfic, please enjoy the third chapter of Ghostly Reunions.
Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom and some ideas are owned by Pearl84 and Truephan, but the plot is mine!
Chapter 3: Road Trip
"Open file: GL – 1200," Vlad commanded his computer.
Almost instantly, a file under the name of 'ghost log' opened on the mainframe's screen, revealing a list of ghosts, their abilities, where to find them, and several other pieces of information related to the ghost.
Vlad stared tiredly at the screens, reviewing the information he had only looked at once or twice before now. When Daniel had left, Vlad decided that it would be reasonable if he "borrowed" some of the knowledge that Daniel had collected during his ghost-hunting career and add it to his own before returning the few items that had been left behind. It truly amazed Vlad at the amount of information that his young rival had obtained. He really didn't give the younger hybrid enough credit sometimes. There were plenty of ghosts in the database, each with detailed notes about who they were, what they were weak to and more.
Vlad let out a tired sigh as he scrolled through the list, but stopping when he came by two ghosts. The image of the first ghost was oh a yeti. His fur was white and he had horns and an arm made of ice.
Vlad narrowed his eyes as he remembered the ghost. He had ended up in a place called The Far Frozen, deep within the Ghost Zone. That infernal map had taken him back to where the map itself had started, and then the yeti-like ghosts of the area had frozen him! Not exactly the way he had planned to spend his day.
"Open file ghost relics, subsection mystery books: GR-MB 1200," Vlad commanded his mainframe, and the information that Skulker had brought him popped onto another screen.
He re-read the section that he was looking for with a determined, yet tired, expression plastered on his face. He had to make sure that he was getting the right ghost. Then he could continue as he sees fit.
The writing read:
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.
Yes, it was definitely those ghosts that froze him and had sided with Daniel. Now the only question remained; if he were to go and look for clues at one of these two places, would he be able to do it without anyone noticing him?
He could go to the Forbidden Region, but he wouldn't know for sure if it really was the Time spirit without further investigation. Not to mention it would be near impossible for him to know exactly where he needed to go once in the Realm Beyond Time.
Vlad didn't know that if you used the path that Danny had put in his ghost database, you were instantly transported to the inner sanctuary of Clockwork's tower.
However, if he went to the Far Frozen, he knew both how to get there but there was still the fact that these ice powered ghosts really didn't like him.
Vlad sigh again as he realized that he was trapped in a corner unless, by some chance, a miracle revealed itself to him. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying really hard not to succumb to his anger. But for him to receive a miracle was as likely as Daniel willingly joining him.
A sudden beeping brought the older hybrid out of his thoughts. He looked back at the screen and realized that the spy bug that was in the basement of the Fenton household was going off again.
"Now what can Daniel and his little troupe of friends be doing at this hour?" Vlad asked the empty space around him, truly confused as to why they had returned to their lab so soon.
Danny had woken with one thought in mind: he should go and visit Frostbite and maybe some of his other ghost friends today. It was still the weekend and he had gotten his work done yesterday before bed, even though he didn't pay much attention to the writing on the pages. But for the first time in a while, Danny had the whole day to goof off with his friends and maybe fight a ghost that decided to attack his home.
Danny went through his morning routine before heading down the stairs and into the kitchen where his sister was serving herself a cup of coffee.
"Morning Danny," She said as she saw him enter, only to turn to him with a questioning look and asking, "Why are you up so early? I would think you would want to in and have a break."
Danny smiled at her as he filled up TJ's food bowl before announcing, "I kind of want to go and visit some of our ghost friends today in the Ghost Zone. You know, just pop in and say hi. I never get to do it unless there's some big emergency, so I thought it would be nice to have a change in pace." He explained while a happy puppy waited by his feet for his morning meal.
"Danny, that's a great idea!" Jazz exclaimed. "I've always wanted to meet some of your ghost friends since I saw your ghost log. Some of them seem really nice!"
True, Jazz had never really seen any of his ghost friends, well except Clockwork. But Clockwork seemed to really like his family, so he didn't question it. Clockwork was not only his friend, but his mentor and guardian! And the Fenton siblings knew that he didn't enjoy seeing them come by harm's way.
It was obvious from his sister's expression that she expected him to take her along for the ride, meaning that Sam and Tucker wouldn't be too far behind. But it was still early, so he could tell them about the trip when they got to his house. Today was going to be a great day.
An hour later, Sam and Tucker had come by to see how Danny was; both had noticed his sudden lack of focus during their regular training session and wanted to make sure he was fine.
When they got there, they were surprised to see him in such a happy mood. Danny explained to them that he was going to visit his ghost friends that day and that they, along with Jazz, were more than welcome to come with him.
They all headed down into the lab and started to go do their own things to prepare for the trip. Once again, none of them noticed Vlad's little spy bug watching their every move.
They all agreed and started to pack what they each thought would be necessary:
Sam grabbed some wrist rays and stuck one on her wrist and the other in her boot; in case an annoying ghost managed to pry the one on her wrist off. She was thankful that Mr. and Mrs. Fenton made tons of them.
Tucker picked his usual ghost weapon; the ecto-gun disguised as a tube of lipstick. He really didn't know how to use any of the other weapons well. He also packed a stick of jerky and his PDA, which were safely tucked away in his backpack.
Jazz was a terrible aim, but she was getting better. She grabbed the Fenton Ghost Peeler as well as the Fenton Ghost Fisher and stuck them inside the Specter Speeder.
Finally, Danny packed a few sets of Fenton Phones so that they could all communicate while in the Ghost Zone. He really didn't need to pack anything else since he had his powers to back him up. It was also pointless to bring a thermos along since he would just end up sending the ghost inside back in there anyways. Totally pointless.
Once they were ready, they stood outside the Specter Speeder to decide what they would do now.
Sam was the one to voice the impeding question, "so Danny, which ghost do we get to visit first?" clearly she had an idea already up her sleeve.
Danny started to rub his chin. Honestly, he hadn't even thought about that. "I guess we should map out who we'll visit in order," he said with a shrug.
Everyone stared at him and then broke out laughing at his response. They had anticipated something like this happening and were ready to sit down and think their route through.
Tucker immediately pulled out his PDA and opened the files concerning Danny's allies. "Ok, so the ghosts that actually like you and you are constantly friends with include… Clockwork, Dairy King, Frostbite, the ghost dog also known as Cujo, Pandora, Wulf, um… the Observants at times… I guess, Dora and… Danielle, oh, I mean Dani," Tucker finished with a satisfied grin.
Danny had been busy counting the number of friends that he had. If you looked at the Observants as a group, then Danny had a total of nine ghosts that didn't hate him! That immediately made the half ghost smile. He had no idea that there were so many with him on things.
"So who do we see first?" Jazz inquired now that they knew who they could go to.
The room became silent as they each thought it through. Then the three friends voiced their ideas at the same time, "Clockwork/Wulf/Dora"
The threesome looked at each other and broke into another laughing fit. Of course they each had someone that they really wanted to see. So they went back to square one and figured who they could visit easily and who they would have to run into while travelling.
Clockwork and the Observants were always in the Realm Beyond Time so they could visit them last, or on their way at any time. Cujo and Wulf were always travelling around, but they somehow knew where to find Danny so they would see those two soon. Dora and Pandora lived in their own abodes so they were near the top of the list. Finally, there was Dairy King, which Danny only ever seemed to see while at Vlad's in Wisconsin, and Dani, whom he and his friends hadn't seen since the incident several months ago. They would be the hardest to visit.
Danny recalled how Dani had told him that she spent most of her time in the Ghost Zone to keep herself somewhat stabilized until she found a way to heal herself. She had claimed herself a small island that he had passed once or twice, and hopefully she was there. He really wanted to apologize to her about everything that happed.
They then decided that they would first visit Frostbite. They hadn't seen him since Danny had first learned his ice abilities, and now was a good time to show his teacher what he had learned. He didn't really like having the entire population of the Far Frozen fear him because he had terrible aim when it came to his new powers.
Then Jazz recalled something that had been bugging her since her brother had told her about his and Vlad's last confrontation. "Does anyone know where Vlad is?"
Everyone gave her a puzzled look. So she explained, "I mean, you said that Vlad came and attacked you for a reason that none of us know, and then just left. Well that's just it! We haven't heard a word about our 'oh-so-wonderful' mayor at all. So, where is he?"
Danny looked at her, finally realising that he hadn't really thought about it and that he should have. "I-I don't actually know," he confessed. Vlad had all but disappeared after the fight, and normally if he found that his parents weren't around, he would pay them an annoying visit. But once again, nothing.
A small beeping brought him out of his troubled thoughts and he stared at his techno-loving friend. Tucker then announced, "It says in the mayor's schedule that he's going to be at his Wisconsin home for some time for what I presume he's said to be running his companies."
Well that solved that mystery. Vlad was at his original home away from the town. That made things a little easier for team Phantom. It meant that if they left the area of the town for a while, he wouldn't necessarily know. Today really was turning out to be the best day.
Danny smiled at his friends and sister before saying, "today is going to be one of the best days I've ever had!" They all smiled back, genuinely looking forward to the day's events and all that was to come with it.
The four of them, finally clearing up any doubts, entered the speeder and headed into the Ghost Zone to their first stop of many that day; The Far Frozen.
Vlad couldn't believe his luck! Daniel and his little group were going where he needed to be. With them distracting the attentions of the ice ghosts, he could look around for clues to those mysterious books.
Why Frostbite had two of the three books was beyond him, but it was best to go to where he had a better chance of finding more information, and possibly a few answers.
He had put a lot of time and effort into these books, and he was determined to at least obtain one. He had been fussing over the documents that Skulker had brought him and he had found something that couldn't be a coincidence.
The first book had many similarities to his own abilities and, although he had never seen it in real life, he had an idea as to its design.
It was his dream that night, the reason he had troubles getting back to sleep now. He was holding a glowing book with a blood-red gem in the centre of it. At each of the corners was a small white gem that looked like a pearl. Then, around the middle gem, there were four red, oval gems pointing out to each side of the cover. The main body of the book was black and the trim/decorations on the edges and around the centre gem was a beautiful gold.
The book overall was a work of art and he knew that he had to obtain it. It was like the book was meant for him, and he would have it.
The other thing that he found was that the first book had been seen around the same time that he became a half ghost. When his accident happened. He had originally just brushed it off as nothing more than a coincidence until now.
The second book had appeared around the time Daniel had his accident. And then the last one a few months after, which he assumed to be when he created Danielle. The appearance of these books did have a pattern, an unconventional one, but a pattern no less.
They came into existence when a half-ghost was formed or made in some cases. That would mean a world of possibilities for the future. If both Daniel and Danielle had children, and they inherited their parents' ghostly powers, then another book would form. But since neither of the two half-ghost teens would be having children any time soon; he couldn't test his hypothesis… unless.
Vlad pulled up the file containing Clockwork's information again and knew that if he could somehow get into his realm, then he may be able to see if his assumption was correct. He could see the day he became a hybrid, and then in turn see if on that very same day the first book was made. It was brilliant, to say the least.
Vlad tuned back in to what his spy bug was recording. Danny and his friends had been talking for a while now, but it was tedious to listen to so Vlad had gone back to the information concerning the books.
Danny and the group with him had decided to go to the Far Frozen just like he needed them to. All he had to do was follow them around the Ghost Zone to certain destinations to collect his prize.
Then, when he was about to wait for them on the other side of their portal, he heard Jazz say something that made him stay put until it was over.
"Does anyone know where Vlad is?" the red headed girl asked.
Everyone gave her a puzzled look.
She explained, "I mean, you said that Vlad came and attacked you for a reason that none of us know, and then just left. Well that's just it! We haven't heard a word about our 'oh-so-wonderful' mayor at all. So, where is he?"
Danny had looked utterly confused until he finally answered, "I-I don't actually know."
A small beeping brought attention to techno-loving boy. He was holding out his PDA, trying to find , Tucker then announced, "It says in the mayor's schedule that he's going to be at his Wisconsin home for some time for what I presume he's said to be running his companies."
Vlad was both relieved and annoyed at the scene that just happened. Not only did he find out that Daniel's little friend was even more annoying than he thought, but he now had a cover thanks to said boy. If something happened, they couldn't blame him. And if Daniel ever felt him nearby, he knew Danny would just think it was his imagination playing tricks on him. Everything was set on his end.
Vlad watched as Danny smiled at his friends and sister before saying, "today is going to be one of the best days I've ever had!" before he and team Phantom climbed into the speeder and zoomed into the Ghost Zone.
Vlad smiled to himself before transforming into Plasmius. "Oh yes Daniel, today will definitely be one of the best days ever," he replied with pleased grin on his face. He took one more look at the information, knowing that Danny would lead him right to both Frostbite and Clockwork, and then ventured into the swirling green mass that was the Ghost Zone.
"So how long do you think it will take for us to visit every one?" Sam questioned after a few minutes of silence. She really hated it when they went into the Ghost Zone and these awkward silences enveloped them. It was too creepy for its own good.
Danny was outside the Specter Speeder in his ghost form floating lazily beside it as they travelled to the far regions of the Ghost Zone. He had transformed as soon as they were within the swirling green and purple atmosphere and was just enjoying the feeling.
He hadn't turned on his Fenton Phone, partially by accident but also on purpose. He wanted to have a few minutes to enjoy being in the Ghost Zone for a reason that didn't involve the end of the world or saving somebody or anything.
It was only when Sam opened the Speeder and fired a weak blast from her wrist ray that he reluctantly turned on his headphones are joined in the conversation.
"you know, you could kill somebody by doing that," Danny said, his irritation leaking out of his voice.
"Well that's what you get for being cocky. Not to mention you were being rude," Sam countered as she sat back down, please with her work.
"I think you've become way too attached to that wrist ray Sam," Tucker commented, noticing how often she would use it.
Once again, Sam countered her friend, "I'm not the only one here who's become attached to a certain ghost weapon."
Both Jazz and Danny laughed, knowing that what she said was true. Meanwhile, Tucker scowled at being disproven when he finally thought that he had gotten one on his Goth friend.
"Also, can you really blame me? The Fenton Phones are a great accessory in terms of looks, but the wrist rays… well, they're the perfect accessory… of pain," Sam finished with sadistic pleasure written plainly on her face. She wasn't even trying to hide the fact that these two devices were her best friends on the battle field.
Danny jumped in, seeing that his friends might start something, ending with Tucker regretting it, "To answer your previous question Sam, it may take something close to an hour, maybe even an hour-and-a-half."
Sam sighed but just stared out the window for some time, taking in the floating islands and atmosphere. Clearly, being stuck inside such a confined space was not her idea of a weekend with friends.
Vlad, on the other hand, had been busy following the teens, only to stop from time to time to make sure that he wasn't being found out. After a while, he ended up floating right next to Danny, and Danny didn't even acknowledge his presence.
Either he didn't notice or he thought it was just one of the many residents of the Ghost Zone. Either way, Vlad now knew that he could travel with them without them actually knowing he was there. He doubted that it would do the group any good to turn on a tracker, so they probably wouldn't even turn it on. Yes, everything was turning out good for Vlad.
Sure enough, Danny was right. They were able to see the Far Frozen on the horizon after just an hour of flying. Danny's eyes light up with happiness as he turned over to face the incoming landmass. He really couldn't wait to see everyone again, and what better way to start their day than to visit Frostbite first. He was really looking forward to it.
Everyone, including the invisible Vlad, could see that Danny was about to shoot off at top speed to the frozen land in front of them and they weren't in any mood to stop him. Danny's friends and sister knew how much this meant to him, seeing as it was his idea in the first place. Vlad, on the other hand, just wanted to use the young hybrid as his decoy while he snuck in and out of the places he needed to get into, but he did like seeing Daniel happy and acting like the child he was for once.
Danny's legs were about to turn into his spectral tail as he started to pick-up speed when a green blur sped by, but not before it grabbed his leg and started dragging him around the empty space in front of the speeder.
The group just stared at their half-ghost friend as the green blur continued to drag him this way and that. Then, unable to hold it in any longer, they burst into another fit of laughter at the expense of the younger hybrid.
Vlad too was enjoying the scene before him. He wasn't even paying attention to anything around him except for the four teens he was secretively travelling with. This was a priceless moment that he wished he could get on camera. Too bad he didn't have one, oh wait… he did.
Vlad pulled out another of his spy bugs, and while keeping both him and the little robot invisible, he recorded the ongoing comedy that was his young rival being subdued by some unknown small blur.
Danny finally managed to slow him and his captor down enough to see who he or she was. Those watching didn't see, but when Danny had been dragged off, a little pink dog toy instantly hit his face, likely coming out of his captor's grasp. Danny quickly grabbed the toy in his gloved hand and began to squeeze it.
The sound was barely heard by the bystanders, but when the little green blur came to a stop, it and the half-ghost teen started to fall over each other and landed in a pile on a nearby island.
Sam, Tucker, and Jazz brought the speeder closer to their friend and brother as he propped himself up with his arms with his captor sitting on his stomach, clearly happy to see him.
Danny blinked away the stars in his eyes, and the little yapping puppy sitting on him brought his attention back tenfold. Danny smiled as he picked up the little green dog and brought him over to his friends and sister who were making their way out of the speeder to meet them.
Cujo barked happily between the four teens and the unknown Vlad Plasmius. Vlad, of course, remembered the little puppy from the time that he and Danny had gone to retrieve the order's crystal. He still didn't know how Daniel knew the small ghost, but he had a feeling that he was about to find out right now.
"Well, I didn't expect to meet up with Cujo before meeting everyone else," Jazz stated, clearly finding her brother's predicament funny. "I was wondering how you able to handle TJ so easily. Apparently, this little guy was your first pet."
"More like my first dead pet," Danny remarked. "It's like I have a dog for both sides of me, the Fenton and the Phantom," he added as he scratched the puppy's head while it contently wagged its tail.
"Yeah, I still remember when we first met him. After that, I'm surprised that Valerie and her dad had anything left," Sam commented. She smiled as she remembered the looks of shock on Valerie's face during those few days.
Jazz stood there utterly confused. What did this adorable puppy have to do with Valerie? "What are you guys talking about?" she questioned.
All three of the other teens shared a smirk before Danny stepped up to tell his sister the story involving Cujo and how they met.
"ok, so it was basically like this: after the whole thing with Spectra and you finding out my secret, Cujo kind of dug his way out of the Ghost Zone and through the doors to the portal. I caught him and sent him back, but then he kept on coming back and finding me and Valerie just happened to be in those areas too. Eventually, she and her father ended up in the position they're in now. Unfortunately, she now finds that Danny Phantom is the cause of all her recent troubles, and… she's technically not that far off. She's the Red Huntress and has been hunting every time a ghost appears in town… um, like me I guess. But for her it's for revenge on me and my kind," Danny said as his sister continued to listen, as did Vlad.
"So, eventually, Cujo here brought me back to Axion Labs. He was about to cause some really big problems for everyone until I showed up with this," he said as he pointed to the squeaky toy in the ghost puppy's mouth. "Ever since then, Cujo has sort of thought of me as his new owner, but I honestly can't complain too much, I kind of like it," he admitted.
His sister smiled at him and was about to help him up when he did it himself, picking the puppy up as he stood. The little dog yapped happily at having all the attention on him. Suddenly, Tucker piped in, "why don't we bring Cujo with us, we can use the Fenton Fisher as a leash."
"Yeah, because that worked SO well the last time, when we tied him to a tree!" Sam said sarcastically.
Danny and Tucker looked at each other, knowing exactly what she meant. But this time was different; this time they were in the Ghost Zone where nothing could be broken and he could watch Cujo all the time here.
"There shouldn't be a problem while we're here though, so I think we should be ok to bring him along, that is, if he wants to come with us," Danny said as he looked down at the excited puppy.
Cujo barked something that just sounded like random noises to the three humans, but to Danny and Vlad, it was Cujo replying to Danny's unasked question. He wanted to come along and play with his friends.
With that out of the way, Danny and the group continued towards their first destination.
When they arrived, they were greeted with open arms.
Frostbite came out to greet them himself and grabbed each of them in a bone-crushing hug. Well… all except Cujo. He just watched with a wide puppy grin.
As they caught up with the ghosts of the Far Frozen, Vlad snuck off to find his own clues to the mystery books.
He floated invisibly through the frozen town, looking at the different buildings trying to decide where to start. His first stop would have to be the most obvious location about any of these relics; the place the Infi-map was held.
He travelled to the place he recalled the map to have been placed and looked around the area for anything that could point to where the books might now be. He saw the chest that he knew the Infi-map was in. He made a mental note to return for the map one day, without the consequences of being frozen like last time.
He saw a few images on the wall, but stopped on one that resembled a person with two rings around the figures' waist. It was that of an adult as far as he could tell. As he continued to look around, he saw a similar image, but it was of two figures, both smaller than the original he had just seen.
His eyebrows creased as the wheels in his head started to spin in high gear. Three figures resembling him, Daniel and Daniel, in a place like this. He must be getting close. As he turned a corner, he saw another figure, but this one was different from the last. The place it was in was secluded from the rest of the cave, like it was a huge secret or something. It was also an adult figure, but the demeanour of it was… was almost frightening. It was like it radiated pure evil.
Vlad shook himself out of his shock and continued deeper into the secret cave. When it became very dark, he made his hand glow with his power and found that he was reaching a dead end.
"Wonderful, just what I needed. A dead end, just when I was getting somewhere," Vlad mused annoyed. Just when he thought he should turn back, he reached the far wall and saw another image.
"Now who would put something like this all the way down here where no one can see it?" the older hybrid deliberated, a ghost of a grin spreading like wild fire across his face.
He got closer to the wall and found that it was an image of four rectangles surrounding what looked like a ghost portal with a figure standing in the middle of it. And not just any kind of ghost portal, but the kind that humans created to enter the Ghost Zone.
Piecing bits and pieces together, Vlad came to the conclusion that the portal represented ghosts, or perhaps even the idea of being a ghost. The figure inside it was a human. So the two images together could be a human becoming a ghost, or more specifically, a hybrid; like the accidents that happened for one to come into being. The rectangles could be the books he was looking for. One of them certainly resembled the one he had seen in his dream and there was a pedestal below the entire image; large enough to hold a book.
Vlad knew he was on the right track, but he couldn't take this or any of the other images with him for further research. Then it dawned on him. He pulled out his spy bug and began taking pictures of the walls, the surrounding areas, and the pedestal.
Happy with his work so far, he returned to where Daniel and his friends were. They were still talking to Frostbite.
Danny and company didn't even notice Vlad coming back to them, since they didn't even know he was there. They had been catching up and observing how far Danny's ability over his ice powers had grown. He was quite proud of himself for even being able to go that far in such a small amount of time.
Frostbite was also surprised and congratulated the young hero, considering that the last time they had seen each other was under worse circumstances and he hadn't been able to complete his training.
After taking for a little while, Jazz and Danny noticed something about Frostbite. He seemed troubled about something, and with a glance at each other, they confirmed that they were going to talk about it. In unison, the Fenton kids asked their question, "Frostbite, what's wrong?"
Frostbite stared at them in disbelief, like someone had just blown his secret and he wasn't prepared for it to happen. As he looked between the four concerned faces of his friends, he realised that he couldn't hide it from them since they had asked.
"I am sorry my friends, it is just that… some relics have gone missing from our land, and much like the Infi-map, it was our responsibility to guard them until we gave them to their proper owners," the yeti leader told them. "We have only had them for a few months but I believe I can tell you what I know, if you'll keep an eye out for them," he finished.
All four nodded. They knew what ghostly relics could do in the wrong hands. Freakshow was a perfect example, since he used both the Reality Gauntlet and that Mind-controlling gem on past occasions.
Frostbite motion them to follow, and when they were out of sight from prying eyes, the yeti-like ghost began to tell them about the two missing books, what he knew about them, how there were two other books; one which was known and stolen and the other which was kept secret by its current protector to which no one knew about except for him. He told them that they were appearing randomly and there was no telling when another would appear, to which the invisible Vlad had to hold back a scoff.
Vlad, himself however, hadn't been expecting there to actually be four books. The missing report had only filed that three books were missing, but now to find that there was a forth book hiding somewhere gave Vlad another option should this one fail. This pleased him greatly.
When team Phantom had heard all that their friend had to say, they told him that they would keep an eye out for the books and report to him if they found anything leading to retrieving the items. Just as they started to leave the dwelling, Frostbite stopped Danny in his tracks. Danny's friends looked back at him, but sensing that Frostbite wanted to tell him something in private, he told them to go on to the Specter Speeder without him and that he would catch up.
As the rest of team Phantom left, Vlad stayed rooted to his spot. He was not letting this moment of privacy between Daniel and Frostbite go unseen by him. He needed all the leads he could get for the books.
Danny turned to face his snowy friend only to have a confused look when he did. Frostbite looked very serious, something that he had been hiding all morning from him and his friends.
Frostbite looked down at the boy in front of him, pondering what the best way to reveal this last bit of information. Finally he spoke, "Great one, I'm sorry that you had to become involved in such a manner, especially when you had come wishing to just visit."
Danny's face instantly brightened as he said, "don't worry about it. It's not like you could have planned it or anything."
Frostbite instantly felt gratitude towards the young halfa before him. He did understand, and that's what pushed the yeti to continue, "You are right, I could not have foreseen this happening, but I believe you are acquainted with someone who may have known." Frostbite pulled a medallion out of his clothing and handed it to Danny. He recognized it immediately. It was one of Clockwork's medallions, and that could only mean one thing; something big was going to happen.
"He came to visit me when the two books I had were stolen. He wanted me to tell you that whoever took them wasn't in the time stream at that time and that the final book is with him," Frostbite said, but then he continued, "he also wanted me to tell you that this is only the beginning of what is to come, and that he expects to see you soon, but I don't know why."
Danny smiled and thanked Frostbite for the warm visit, and then met the rest of his group back at the speeder with Vlad in tow before they took off again. Now Danny had to talk to Clockwork about a few things when he saw him, and possibly visit him again, but alone. With a sigh from the ghost boy, they headed to their next stop; Dora the Dragon ghost's abode.
Another hour had passed and the medieval section of the Ghost Zone was just coming over the horizon. All the travellers were happy to see it because they really wanted some time out of the Specter Speeder… well, all except Danny and Vlad who had been flying outside the entire time. Cujo had become tired and went inside the speeder for a nap, to which many were confused concidering that they were talking about the same hyperactive bipolar ghost dog that they had only known to be on-the-move. That didn't really matter, Cujo falling asleep made things easier for this part of their trip.
Danny and Sam, especially Sam, wanted to see Dora again. The last they knew, she had been helping them free her kingdom from her tyrant bother's control. But that's also what made Danny worried, which Vlad was the only one who noticed. Danny had told him about several of his fights, but none involving any beings from this region of the Ghost Zone. So for the first time that day, Vlad was curious as to Danny's reaction and constant fidgeting.
"Danny, calm down," Sam insisted, "I'm sure everything is fine in the kingdom now that Aragon isn't in rule anymore." Though she wasn't all that sure either. It had taken all of them; her, Danny and Dora to defeat the dragon maid's brother. If he was to suddenly come out wanting to fight Danny, she was sure hoping that it was for a friendly battle.
Almost as if on cue, a black dragon shot up from the castle and sped towards them. It came to a halt before them, red eyes gleaming and fangs showing. It let out a furious roar, trying to intimidate them.
Well, it worked for the most part. Tucker looked like he was about to wet his pants, Jazz froze and stopped the speeder before they crashed into the large ghost, and Sam hit her forehead clearly punishing herself for saying something that usually got them into trouble.
Danny, on the other hand, just couldn't believe his luck. Of all the ghosts in this area, why did it have to be the one that probably had a grudge on him?
Then the black dragon spoke to them, in the angriest voice they had ever heard, "Phantom, why are you her?" but noticing the Gothic girl inside the flying machine, he added bitterly, "And why have you brought your girlfriend with you? Is it not bad enough that you both ruined my wedding plans, not to mention over throne me from my rule?"
Danny and Sam immediately came out of their thoughts at the questions, but answered something that had been only a part of a question in unison, "She's/He's not my girlfriend/boyfriend!"
The two teens had started to blush when Aragon roared again and breathed flames at the entire group. Danny put up a shield while his sister drove the Specter Speeder out of reach of the impending fight.
Vlad had also moved out of the way, not wishing to blow his cover because of one of Daniel's many enemies.
When the smoke cleared, Danny dove out of the way of a black claw that had come at him from his right only to find that Aragon had also used his other claw to swipe from the left, trying to crush him in between the two. Danny turned intangible at the last second and flew out of the ghost dragon's grasp.
"Whoa! That was too close," Danny said before trying to talk with the agitated dragon, "Aragon, I'm not here to fight you! I'm just visiting your sis–"
Danny didn't even get to finish his so-called 'talk' with Aragon. The prince had sent him flying straight down onto the island below, not wishing to hear anything the ghost boy in front of him had to say.
Danny didn't get the chance to get back up. Aragon sent one of his powerful claws to step on the half-ghost teen. Danny was knocked out after that. He lay motionless in the crater the impact had created. Aragon was satisfied and headed back for the rest of the young halfa's companions.
"Now if you know what's good for you, you will tell me why you are in my kingdom and why I shouldn't crush you like I did that pest," Aragon threatened, furthering his point by pointing to Danny's unconscious body.
Tucker and Jazz were at a loss for words. Neither of them had ever met Aragon, but if he could take down Danny so easily, they knew he was trouble.
Sam, however, jumped out of the speeder and stood on top of it, her wrist ray charged to fire. "I'm only going to say this once, so you better not try anything," Sam began. "We only came here to visit Dora, so if you don't mind, we'd still like to do so," she finished, already annoyed that Aragon had attacked first and asked questions later.
Aragon stared back at the Goth girl, clearly not liking her from their last encounter, but replying anyways, "Dorathea is back at the castle currently. Besides, why should I let you, any of you enter my kingdom?"
"Oh, come on!" Sam said as she raised her arms. "We just want to pop in for a minute and talk to her. If you won't let us enter than what if she came out her to meet us?"
Aragon looked at Sam, and then at the defeated Danny who was now making his way out of the hole he was in. Facing Sam again, the black dragon said, "I will retrieve her for you, but you are to not enter my land. Besides, I am now even with that annoying flea." As he made a side glance at Danny before flying off towards his home.
Danny flew over to his friends and saw that Sam was sitting on top of the speeder. Now confused, he asked, "What just happened?"
As Sam and the other's filled him in on what Aragon had been doing, Dora made her way to them as soon as she found out that her friends had come to see her. As she came within ear shot, she heard Danny scream, "you mean he just wanted to get even with me?"
When Dora was close enough, she turned into her humanoid form and greeted the small party. Everyone turned their attention to the dragon maid and immediately smiled. Dora didn't need to hear from them what her brother had done before telling her that they were at her home to visit her. Her brother had barged into the room she was in and joyfully told her that he had beaten Danny Phantom.
"I am so sorry that Aragon had gotten to you all first," the dragon maid said before anyone could respond.
"It's ok Dora. It's not like you had known about us coming anyways. If this gets Aragon off my back, it was totally worth the beating," Danny said as he smiled and hugged his ghostly friend.
They had spent around an hour talking and sharing new stories with each other, when Cujo finally woke up. The dragon maid and the ghost dog hit it off instantly and became good friends. But knowing that they had more ghosts to visit, they said their good-byes and ventured off into the Ghost Zone once more.
Although Danny still wanted to see his friends and continue doing what he wanted that day, he couldn't stop thinking about the books that Frostbite had told him about and how Clockwork was also involved. Even when a problem involved one of the two, it usually meant that the problem needed to be fixed quickly. But since both of them were involved… well, Danny couldn't decide if this was worse than when Pariah Dark almost took over Amity Park.
Danny shook his head, knowing what the correct answer was. "Nope, definitely worse." Danny scolded himself.
Focusing on where they were going, they floated through the wide green space to each of the abodes they were going to visit.
It was now the afternoon, and team Phantom had successfully visited Frostbite, Cujo, Dora (and Aragon, unexpectedly), Pandora, and the Dairy King, who happened to be at Pandora's for a visit as well. There were only four more beings to find before they finished their route.
Danny had hoped to see Dani soon. He couldn't wait to see her again, if she would let him.
Then, off in the distance, Danny heard someone shouting his name. He stopped and looked back in the direction that they had just come from. Who was calling him?
Just as he was about to catch up with the others, he heard the voice even closer. It was a girl's voice that he knew all too well. He turned in time to see his 'cousin' rushing towards him as fast as she could go without wasting too much energy.
The two Phantoms embraced each other in a hug and were reluctant to separate. Finally Danny spoke, "Dani, it's good to see you. How are you faring, um… with the whole staying-stabilized thing?"
Danielle looked up at her cousin and smiled. "I'm doing better, but I still feel tired at times when I overdo it," she admitted.
Danny laughed and picked her up again before zooming off to his friends and sister, who had stopped, finally noticing that their hybrid bother and friend was missing. When he phased into the speeder, Vlad raised an eyebrow and phased in himself, making sure that no one noticed his presence.
As Danny turned human again, he put the little half-ghost girl in his arms down and sat on the floor. He really needed the break from flying, and he could use a nap. Everyone in the speeder looked at Danielle and were happy to have caught her, or more precisely, have her catch them.
Danielle was also happy to see them. She told them of her time in the Ghost Zone, where she was currently living, and how Frostbite had sent someone to her and told her that Danny and his friends were out looking for people.
Danny then invited the young girl to travel with them for the rest of the trip, to which she was more than happy to agree to.
While Sam, Tucker and Jazz continued to control the flying machine. Danny and Danielle retired to the back of the contraption with Cujo for a well-deserved rest.
Vlad decided that he needed a break too and remained in the speeder with the others. He remained out of sight, but moved into the back as well.
As the two halfas moved into the beds, Cujo jumped onto Danny's bed and curled himself under Danny's arm.
"Danny, where did you get that ghost puppy?" Dani question sleepily.
Danny just smiled at her and said, "I'll tell you when we wake up." And like that he was asleep. Dani followed his example and was soon asleep too, but in her ghost form. Vlad regained his visibility and looked at the two children on either side of his body.
Even though both of them had betrayed him in one form or another, he couldn't help but feel the need to care for them. Daniel was the son he had always wished for and, although she had been an accident, Danielle was his only true daughter and child. Smiling at the thought of them both being his kids, Vlad disappeared and sat on the floor between the beds, and waited for them to arrive at their final destination: Clockwork's Tower within the Realm Beyond Time.
Phantom: hey there everyone. I'm still hiding and Trainer and I got separated. But before you all decide to blow my cover let me just apologize. I know, I know, I left it at a cliff-hanger, but I assure you that it was necessary! How else was I to keep everyone on the edges of their seats?
Voice from nowhere: Oh, I don't know. How about we see what that's like, hmmm?
Phantom: oh crud.
Vlad appears from behind Phantom and grabs her.
Vlad: I'm not going to lie to you, since you gave me so many opportunities in this chapter. This will be unpleasant.
Vlad immobilizes Phantom with ecto-whips.
Phantom: Oh, come on. I was just the tool, THE TOOL! How was I supposed to know what was going to happen?
Vlad: I guess you should have thought of that before you did what you did.
Phantom: and I'm guessing you already caught my sister.
Vlad: Yes.
Phantom: *sigh* Ok, readers. While I try to sort this out, why not press that blue button on the bottom of the screen and tell me what you thought of the latest chapter.
Phantom OUT!
Vlad: I would do what she asked, or you'll have to deal with me.
*Vlad vanishes in a puff of pink smoke carrying the tied up Phantom*