The final stage of training for the special missions began that day. Danny and Lieutenant Jones were awaiting the crew members in the large room where astronauts normally learned how to pilot space shuttles and gear.

Instead of the giant machinery, there was just an empty space. The white, circular room had nothing but the bowl-like center that was haloed in steps, undoubtedly so that people could sit on them. But without the usual NASA training gear, the room look incredibly bland.

"What kind of trainin' is this?" one of the crew members wondered.

Lieutenant Jones cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention. "Ladies and Gentlemen," he announced, "Dr. Fenton will introduce this final test that each of you will need to pass in order to embark on these missions. You will listen closely to what he explains; this is the last training test, but the hardest to beat. There's only been one man in NASA to pass it completely."

Danny stepped forward. "You should all be familiar with virtual reality training," he began. "It's part of the training you take to become an astronaut." He walked down the steps that led to the space at the bottom of the bowl and looked up at his crew. "This one is no different, save the fact that you will not be learning how to fix satellites. Instead, you'll be fighting."

"Fighting?" David echoed. "What's there to fight out in space, Sir?"

Danny looked at him. "You'd be surprised," he replied. "There may not be any aliens, but spirits come incredibly close."

"You mean ghosts?" Lancer said aloud.

"That's right."

"That sounds a little far fetched, Captain."

Danny frowned softly. "You know about Amity Park, right?" he asked.

Lancer looked at his crewmates before answering. "Uh, yeah," he replied.

"And you know that it's been overrun by ghosts for decades now, right?"

"Well, yeah—!"

"Then what makes you so sure that there aren't any ghosts in space?"

At these words, Lancer remained silent.

Danny walked back up the steps towards his crew. "Ghosts can go anywhere," he said. "Their weapons are deadlier than any of ours. To a certain degree, they outrank event the gadgets my own parents come up with." He stopped once he had reached his teammates and stood among them. "Ghosts exist," he said. "And I know all of you know that. The samples that we will be trained to retrieve will be pieces of anti-ghost objects or ectoplasmic items, which ghosts can use to their advantage. Space is filled with these things. Things just like that asteroid that nearly destroyed Earth years ago."

"Hey, I remember that!" Arthur announced. "That was when Danny Phantom and all of those ghosts turned the world intangible, right?"

Danny looked at him in silence for a moment before answering. "And what is Danny Phantom?" he asked.

Nicholas cleared his throat softly, catching Danny's attention. "Uh, he's a ghost, Sir," he said, almost meekly.

Danny did not frown at him, but he did not keep his eyes on him either. He immediately turned and walked off. "If Danny Phantom is a ghost, if he was able to travel into space, what makes you so sure that other ghosts can't do the same?"

No one replied.

Danny stopped walking again and pulled up a Fentonthermos. "These missions will be dangerous for the main fact that ghosts could attack us at any time," he said. "Our shuttle is specially equipped to withstand certain spiritual blows, but where the ship can't protect you, you will need to protect yourself. And the best way to do that is to familiarize yourselves with your gear." He held up the thermos. "How many of you recognize this?" he wondered.

"That's a ghost thermos," a crew member replied.

"Correct," Danny said with a nod. "This is your most useful gear. It can suck a ghost in and trap it for as long as it needs to be trapped. But it only works efficiently if the ghost in question is weakened. You could just suck them in, but unless they're actually incredibly weak ghosts, there's a bigger chance that they could escape again."

He held up a white gun. "This is an ectoplasmic ghost ray gun," he explained. "It was designed by Dr. Madeline Fenton, and improved on by Mr. Tucker Foley. These allow you to shoot ghosts back with the same kind of weapons they can shoot at you." Danny smiled cleverly. "Watch it, though; they're just as dangerous for humans as they are for ghosts, so don't point it somewhere you'll regret."

A few astronauts chuckled at this. Danny put the gun away. "You'll each get a chance to try this test out," he said. "There are ten levels, each short but augmenting in danger and difficulty the more you advance. You each have five lives to begin with, which is plenty, considering that in real life, you've only got one. Your goal is to find the sample you need to return to the ship. Clear enough?"

Judy raised her arm, catching Danny's attention. "Just one question, Sir," she asked. "If we're only gathering information about ghosts or gathering samples, why would any of them try to attack us?"

Danny did not reply right away. He only stared at her in silence, before finally looking away. "Not all ghosts want to fight," he said, "But the majority of them do. And the only way I'll be able to keep my crew safe, is if you learn how to keep yourselves protected."

Lancer raised his hand. "Um, just another question, Captain," he began, "But, do you think it's really necessary to go through this kind of testing? I mean, not everyone on the crew is going to leave the ship, are we?"

Danny remained silent before cracking a clever grin. "You think that no ghost will be able to come aboard the ship?" he asked.

"Well…"

"You're feeling lucky?"

Lancer lowered his arm.

"You don't think that this training is… necessary for this type of mission?"

"Uuuhhh," Lancer hesitated to answer, not knowing what to say. He looked at his captain after looking at his crewmates. "No?" he replied.

Danny only grinned some more and walked over to a stand where a helmet with dark shades was sitting. He held it up. "This is called the Fenton Virtual Reality Creator," he explained. "Or VRC for short. My father created its first model back when I was in high school so that my sister and I could learn how to train to hunt or fight ghosts. It projects a virtual reality before your eyes, like a video game. My best friend helped me redesign the VRC in our Senior year at Casper High, and so far, I'm happy to say that it works like a charm." He smiled deviously at Lancer and tossed the helmet up at him.

The brown-haired man gasped in shock and caught the helmet as it landed against his chest. He and the others stared at it in silence before looking at Danny.

"If you think you don't need this training, Mr. Erickson, why don't you go first?" Danny asked cleverly. Crossing his arms, he added, "I'm sure that it will be far too easy for you, right?"

Lancer stared at him in silence while the others laughed softly.

Nicholas, however, remained silent. He simply looked at Lancer and waited for his friend to make a move.

After a moment, Lancer cleared his throat and walked down to where his Captain was. Danny pointed at the circle on the floor. "Stand here, so that you're at an equal distance from everything," he instructed. Once Lancer had gotten into position, Danny handed him a type of stick. "This will be the first weapon," Danny explained. "You will use this in any means possible to destroy the spirits."

"But it'll phase right through them," Lancer pointed out.

"In the game, it's a whole different thing than just a stick, Pal. Now put the helmet on and get ready to fight."

Lancer took a deep breath and placed the helmet over his head. The shades covered his eyes from view perfectly. He remained silent and immobile for the first few moments, until he got into ready stance and held the rod up.

Danny walked up the steps and stood near Jones, who had remained to look over the project.

Lancer suddenly swung his stick out madly, startling his teammates. Everyone began to whisper excitedly and watched as he fought an invisible foe. He swung the stick and kicked his feet when necessary, groaning every now and then. He was pushed back a few times and groaned loudly before getting back into position and fighting again.

"It actually looks like someone's fighting him," Martha whispered.

Lancer fought back for another minute or so before finally being pushed to the ground and falling onto his back. There, he slowly sat up, all the while removing the helmet from his head.

"Not as easy as it seems, huh?" Danny said with a grin, walking back down to his crewmate.

Lancer looked at him. "He was throwing boxes at me," he said. "Every time I tried moving, he tossed a blasted box."

Danny picked up the stick. "The Box Ghost," he said. "He's the easiest ghost to capture, but always tends to find his way back into the Real World." Danny looked at the rest of his crew. "He will be your first foe to defeat in this training," he said. "By Monday morning, when we leave for Florida, I expect all of you to at least beat it up to level five."

Jeffery nodded. "That shouldn't be so tough," he said.

Danny raised an eyebrow before Lancer scoffed and walked back up to the group while rubbing his back. "Are you feeling confidant?" Danny asked.

Jefferey grinned in reply. "Sure," he said.

Danny tossed him the stick. "Then you're next."

They each took turns at using the helmet, but to everyone's complete surprise, even Nicholas, no one had been able to pass the first level. The longest to last in the first round was Nicholas, but that was not even for more than five minutes. In no time, he had used up his five lives.

"Not as easy as you thought, huh?" Danny announced once the last member had gotten a turn. He looked at his exhausted crew and frowned seriously. "This is not your normal video game, people; this is a training test. You've got five lives, but in real life, just one. Things that happen in space are a lot different than when they happen here on Earth. Ghosts have the advantage because they've explored Space several times before. We have only made it so far."

Danny crossed his arms. "We'll be the first astronauts to make it further than the moon, and in order for everyone to return in one piece, you have got to learn to fight like ghosts," he said sternly and loudly. "And ghosts fight much differently than humans do. They can use magic, much to our disadvantage, but you can outwit them."

He held up a manual and slapped it down into Nicholas' arms when he walked by. "You will each be given this manual to study overnight," he said, handing out a manual to each crew member. "It explains each ghost foe that you will need to fight in the training, and it will be up to you to find their weaknesses. From this moment on, when you step into this room, you will not think like a human…"

Danny paused here and looked at Nicholas. Nicholas did the same yet remained silent.

His captain's eyes seemed to grow ice cold. Danny narrowed his eyes. "… You will think like a ghost," he finished before turning his eyes away and walking off. "Ten levels, people; you need to pass five. Those with the highest ranking will be the first ones to come on this mission with me. Clear?"

Lisa raised her arm, catching Danny's attention. "Question, Sir," she stated.

Danny looked at her. "Yes?"

"This is just me, but are all the guys we need to beat in here ghosts from Amity Park?"

Danny smiled cleverly. "Sharp eye," he said. "This should make it interesting for you guys, then, considering what big fans of Danny Phantom you all are."

"Who created this training?" David asked. "How are we supposed to beat these guys if we only know them from television?"

"Read the manual," Danny instructed.

"All in one night? We can't learn that fast."

Danny's frown grew. "The Box Ghost uses boxes to his advantage and knows how to slip in and out of the Ghost Zone without being seen or detected," he began. "Skulker is an experienced Ghost Hunter and uses an ecto-skeleton to his advantage. Technus is a spirit that uses technology against his foes. Ember uses music." With every piece of information given, Danny's voice grew louder and louder. "Is that enough of a head start for you?"

No one spoke. Not even the Lieutenant interfered.

Danny squeezed his fists. "I know all of you are expecting me to tell you ghosts stories about Amity Park's Danny Phantom," he said, "But right now, you are all here to train. This training will allow you to see things in Danny's perspective, but without his ghost powers. You will need to think like a ghost to fight the ghost."

His voice echoed in the room. "Every foe will get more difficult with every passing level, so that manual you have in your hands is your most trusted companion." He pointed at his. "The Box Ghost is your first target. Skulker, Ember, Plasmius, you will eventually go through them all. You will go through the list of each popular Amity Park Ghost until you reach the most deadly, dangerous and evil spirit Danny Phantom's ever encountered: Dark Danny, otherwise known as Dan Phantom." He tossed the manual across the floor. "But asking me to give you pointers just to hear about Danny Phantom is NOT, I repeat, NOT the way to PASS THIS TEST!"

When Nicholas looked at everyone, he noticed that they all had a look of shame in their eyes. Somehow, Danny had been able to guess that they each wanted to hear a story about the famed Ghost-boy.

Danny remained silent, his fists clenched and his frown large, until he finally passed a hand over his face and sighed. "Training begins now," he said much calmer than before. "Lieutenant Jones will be the first to watch your progress. If you have any questions related to the training, I will be in my office, finishing some orders for the shuttle." He stood up straight. "But if you have anything Danny Phantom related to ask, don't ask me."

With that, he turned and walked out of the room. Jones watched him leave before looking at the crew. "You heard your Captain, ladies and gentlemen," he announced. "Time to train!"

They trained each for forty minutes, although none had been able to pass the first level. Nicholas did his best, but soon concluded that being the hero was not the easiest thing to do.

Lancer wiped his forehead as he put his things away in his locker before turning and looking at his crewmates. "He's tough, I'll give you that," he said. "But he's one heckova Captain. I didn't actually think he could tell what we were all hoping."

"Obviously, he's seen Danny Phantom in action," Arthur added. "Maybe they know each other personally."

"A ghost and a human? I don't think so, dude."

Nicholas silently put his things away while they spoke, hoping not to be pulled into the conversation.

Unfortunately, he was. "Hey, Nick, how well do you think you did?" Arthur wondered.

"You think you scored high enough for today?" David added.

Nicholas sighed, cursing the fact that they had decided to ask him something, and then looked at his companions. "Doesn't really matter," he said. "I'm his co-pilot. I go along with him on every mission."

"He seemed a little tougher on you for some reason," Lancer noticed. "When you did your first round while he was there."

"Like I said, I'm his co-pilot, Lance—!"

"That, or you're on his bad side."

Nicholas fell silent for a moment before replying. "Look, I'd rather not speak about it, okay?" he said. "I made a mistake, and now I need to regain his trust."

"His trust?" David announced. "But we haven't known him long enough to even get on his good side yet."

"I… just managed to push his buttons, that's all."

The others remained silent for a moment before sighing and getting back to their things. "I'm gonna go study Dr. Fenton's manual," Arthur announced. "If it's that important that we learn how to fight ghosts, then maybe this thing really is needed."

"Same here," David added. "I don't want to tick him off." He giggled childishly. "Plus; it's already sweet that I'm working for this guy, man; isn't it awesome that we're working for the youngest captain in NASA history? Man, if he can read our thoughts that well, just think of what he'll be like in space!"

He and Arthur walked off together, already chattering away about their career and boss. Lancer, on the other hand, looked at Nicholas with a bit of concern in his eyes. "You okay, Nicholas?" he asked. "You get pretty nervous when the Cap'n just looks at you."

Nicholas sighed softly and closed his locker. "I just need to get used to this job, that's all," he replied. "I want to show him that I can be trustworthy."

"For what, though? I still don't get it how you got on his bad side already. He's only been our boss for less than a week, man."

Nicholas shook his head and straightened out. "You wouldn't understand, Lance," he said. "At least not yet." He turned and walked off. "I'm gonna go see my uncle for a moment before going to study. We'll meet up later for supper, kay?"

"Sure. Later days, Stevenson."

Johnson was busy studying samples from the Ghost Zone when someone knocked on the lab door. "Come in, come in," the British man announced without looking up from his work.

The door creaked open and in walked the man's nephew. "Hey, Unc," Nicholas said quietly.

Johnson raised his head and grinned. "Nicholas!" he said. "So good to see you!" He wrote something down before removing his lab glasses. "I heard you did some serious practicing today with the Fenton VRC. How did you like that?"

The red-haired man shrugged and leaned against a table. "Not bad," he said. "It's incredibly difficult. No one's beaten the first level yet."

"Ah, yes; a few years back it was introduced as a good training test," Johnson announced. "Dr. Jones tried it out himself; hardly anyone was able to beat the first level within a day or two."

"Just one guy did, apparently. It's crazy. The most advanced and difficult training I've ever experienced."

Johnson nodded solemnly. "And how was Danny?" he asked softly.

Nicholas remained silent for a moment before slouching and sighing sadly. "I don't think I'll ever gain his trust, Uncle," he said. "I messed up at breakfast and at training he literally bit my head off. He's making it crystal clear to me that he's not all fun and games, and that his job isn't either."

"I told you that you were in for trouble, Nicholas," Johnson warned him as he returned to his microscope. "Because of your carelessness, Daniel is not going to be very gentle on your training. When a secret as important as his is let out, it becomes a very grave matter indeed. He'll be shooting nails at you until he sees that you can handle it; then, he will begin to trust you."

"I know, I know," Nicholas groaned. "It's my fault, I know that already. And I know I deserve it. But why does he have to be so cold?"

"Once again, you unravelled a very serious secret, Nicholas. Do understand that Daniel's life has been slightly threatened, thanks to your untameable curiosity."

Nicholas passed a hand over his face. "He really wasn't impressed when he realized that the crew was just asking him questions to get him to tell stories about Danny Phantom," he said. "He almost blew it, but the Lieutenant didn't do anything."

"Dr. Fenton is one of the Lieutenant's best astronauts, Boy," Johnson explained. "He already knows that, considering that Danny comes from Amity Park, people have asked him to talk about Danny Phantom. He knows that Danny feels uncomfortable in those situations, and he also knows that it is disrespectful to toy with a Captain that way."

Nicholas looked at his feet.

"Daniel is a good man, Nicholas. But he does not want people using him to get information about his ghost-half. Not only could it put him in danger, but it could put those he loves most in danger as well." Johnson looked up at his nephew. "Try putting yourself in his shoes for a moment, Nicholas; how would you feel if your secret had been discovered, was being threatened and that the only reason people want to speak with you is because they think you have information about their hero?"

Nicholas looked at his uncle shamefully. "I guess I'd feel pretty crummy," he said. "Not to mention scared."

"That's exactly what Daniel feels at the moment. It may not seem like it, Nicholas, but heroes happen to have more fears than any ordinary person…" Johnson stopped working for a moment again and looked up at his nephew once more. "And, do understand that, Danny has become his greatest fear," he added softly. "Before he gained powers, the supernatural frightened him. What would you do if you had accidentally become the very thing you are most afraid of?"

The red-haired man stared at him in silence until the doors to the lab opened.

Danny walked in while looking at some papers before raising his head. Upon seeing the two men, he stopped abruptly in his tracks, froze for a moment or two, and then cleared his throat. "Um, I didn't know you had company," he said, trying to avoid eye contact with Nicholas.

Johnson shrugged. "He's only here for a little while, Daniel," he said. "Did you bring what I asked?"

Danny finally moved again while digging into his pocket. "Yes," he replied, walking towards the professor. "These are the data sheets Tucker sent me. He thought you'd find them interesting."

"That I would," Johnson replied, taking the papers from the astronaut. He flipped through them quietly. "That I would."

Danny watched him in silence for a moment before looking at Nicholas again. Nicholas felt his heart skip a beat and he began to nervously shuffle his feet.

Danny remained silent before finally speaking. "You should be studying that book," he said sternly.

"I-I will, Sir," Nicholas replied. "I just wanted to visit my uncle for a moment."

Danny did not reply.

"I promise I'll study it right away, Captain."

These words seemed to rekindle the cold feelings Danny felt towards his new co-pilot. The black-haired man frowned softly before looking away. "Of course you promise," he whispered dryly.

Nicholas sighed heavily and looked away.

Johnson nodded after a moment and looked at Danny. "Yes, I think I'll take a thorough look at these," he said. "I may need a sample or two, though, of the plant in question. I was going to send a robot into the zone, but it's not ready to go in yet." He hesitated before speaking again. "I did not want to ask you this, Danny, considering the last time you did this for me, you were nearly killed, but could you get a piece of the plant your friend was telling me about? If I collected a leaf or two, I could certainly conjure something up and send a bit of it to your mother."

Danny stared at him in silence before looking at Nicholas from the corner of his eye. "You want me to enter the Ghost Zone?" he asked.

"If you can."

"… Right now?"

"While you're off duty, preferably."

Danny studied Nicholas over before looking away again. "I… uh…" He looked at his mentor. "He needs to leave, first."

Johnson looked at Nicholas once these words had been spoken. Nicholas looked at his feet sadly.

"I refuse to transform in front of anyone outside Amity Park."

Nicholas looked at the man.

"It's bad enough that he already saw me do it."

The red-haired astronaut sighed heavily and pulled himself away from the table he was leaning against. "Fine, I'll leave," he said. "I've got a ghost manual to study, anyway."

Johnson looked at him pitifully, although Danny had turned his head away again.

Nicholas stared at his captain in silence before sadness filled his eyes. He turned and walked to the doors. "See you later, Uncle Mike," he said softly before leaving the lab.