No crossover in this one-shot this time. However, it does take on a plot idea that I've had for a while. Only a little piece of it, however.
19. Return
Always back to the same time…
Ten years- it had been ten long years since he had last transformed into the hero that everyone once thought he could be. He could feel a strong sense of pain and agony rising in his chest as he stood inside the lab, which was covered in cobwebs and dust and smelling of mold. The man coughed slightly, shielding his eyes from whatever particles might have been rustled up when he opened the door.
Heck, it had been ten years since the ghost portal had actually zapped him. It wasn't like it was his fault that he wanted to give up his powers again. He thought he'd have a normal life again- that the city would quit hounding him for his unique ability to turn half human, half ghost. After all, only the entire school followed him around for the entirety of junior and senior year. He hated it, too- the publicity pressured him into doing one not-so-smart decision.
He went and got rid of his ghost powers again.
And here the man stood- inside of the lab with nothing but a broken down ghost portal and the thought of a city in chaos once again. Except the city wasn't in chaos because of him. No, it was their own doing this time around. They were the ones who had provoked a fight with the ghosts in the Ghost Zone. And he didn't have anything to do with the start of the battles that would ensue.
He wanted to help stop the fighting, but he knew that everyone would be so busy in following him around with a camera and trying to catch him in battle, thus risking their own lives to capture his on film.
So he left. He left the city when it needed him most. He left when the times got difficult for the people and turned his back on the ones he knew and cherished.
The man sighed and looked inside the large ghost portal, feeling emotion rise in his chest- anger, tension, fear.
But most of all, hate.
Hate for his home that had turned into a warzone. Hate for those who had started the battle against the ghosts. Hate for ones who threatened people for no apparent reason.
Hate for the one who nearly killed Samantha Manson and her child.
He stepped inside the portal and looked for a familiar button that had changed his destiny twice. It was hard to locate- the dust inside was so built up that it was have taken a miracle to actually get the first layer of dust off the device. Despite this slight setback, the person managed to locate the button and hover his finger over it temptingly. Would he do it? Would he dare go and help the city that had practically cast him out unknowingly?
Closing his eyes, he mashed his finger onto the button and heard the familiar whirring up of a motor. It wasn't as loud or as powerful as usual, as it seemed, but it did its job. There was a sort of greenish light the erupted from deep within the core of the portal, and the male turned to the source of the light, his eyes wild. 'I'm ready,' he thought, bracing himself for the shocking feeling of death once more. 'Throw me everything you've got! Hit me with all the energy you can muster!'
As if understanding and reading these very thoughts, the whirring became faster and louder, giving the man the shock of a lifetime. He felt as if he was being struck by lightning for the sixth time, almost as if being tortured on someone's electric bed. A scream erupted from within his soul, and he let it out of his mouth, clenching up and taking in the power being given back to him.
Suddenly, as soon as it started, it was over.
The man fell over and landed on his back, a loud thud echoing and bouncing off the metallic walls of the portal, closing his eyes. He lay there for several moments, reliving his first time becoming the hero everyone thought he was meant to be. His fists clenched up, feeling cotton between his fingers, an old emotion swelling up inside of him. 'How long have I felt like this?' he thought, feeling tears try to fall down his face. 'So long ago, I was the one that everyone could count on, but now…'
Damn it all.
He failed once.
He failed twice.
What if this third time was going to be the biggest failure yet?
His eyes opened up, no longer sky blue. They glowed a bright emerald green in the darkness, and he sat up, looking down at his hands. They were now covered and shrouded by a pair of white gloves. The man looked down at his clothing- a black HAZMAT suit… but there was no DP emblem on the front of it now. The mirror in the corner allowed him to see an older man with snow white hair. It was messy, strands strewn all over the place. Standing up, he could feel the power rushing through his body.
He had experience. He had done everything- saved the world, saved the city a few times, save his friends from danger.
Taking a deep breath, he willed energy to come forth and was comforted to watch a greenish flame light up his hands. Slowly, a wicked smile unfurled on his features. He had the power again- the power to create, the power to destroy. The smile faded, however, when he allowed the emerald light to disappear from his fingertips.
Swallowing, he allowed his body to relax as he took one step forward and looked up towards the ceiling.
It was time for the lost hero to emerge once more. Time to save the city from destruction. From pain.
From evil about to kill the last few things he had ever loved in his life.
He took a deep breath and phased through the ceiling of Vlad Masters' lab, flying towards Amity Park.
Danny Phantom had risen again.
This is actually a big moment for me in a fic I'm planning out. I thin I gave a lot away here, but I don't know if I want to expand on this. I do have the option of doing it, seeing as the summary is in my profile. Only you can tell me if I did good. I'd love your feedback. Thanks for reading.