Hey guys! What's up?
I got a couple of questions in my last reviews, so I decided to answer them here.
EvilChocolateBar: Honestly, I didn't remember that Tucker became Mayor at the end of the show, since it's been a while since I watched the show completely. I got the idea for this story halfway through the first season. So, unless I find a use for it in the story, just pretend Tucker handed the job over to a competent adult.
MsFrizzle: You asked why I put in an artificial ghost…. WELL! I THOUGHT you might let that one slide, but clearly you are TOO PERCEPTIVE FOR ME. I was originally going to go with Danny's parents spiking the food with ectoplasm (which I really don't think would do all that much harm, seeing as ghosts are MADE of ectoplasm, but all their weapons use ectoplasm as they seem to work…), but then I remembered all the times that Danny's ghosts sense DOESN'T GO OFF around ghost matter, just around (not) live ghosts. And since the ghosts have left Danny alone for the time being, this was my alternative (just roll with it, it's what I did)
Enjoy the next instalment!
Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom
Chapter 3: A Ghostly Encounter
The rest of the afternoon passed very much like the morning had. Nothing too dramatic or troubling occurred, though Sam and Tucker still kept an eye out for anyone who would bother Danny too much.
Danny overheard gossip about him. Conversations went along the lines of:
"He's not scary at all!"
"Really? Oh man, that is such a relief. I was worried about having to go to school with a ghost!"
"Me too, but they say he's only half ghost. Don't you think he's kinda cute?"
"Omg, I know what you mean! I wonder if he's dating anyone?"
Of course, guys talked about him more like:
"You see that squirt over there?"
"Where?"
"There! The one Dash picks on. He's Danny Phantom."
"What!? No way... I've seen him get pounded numerous times. Don't you think he would have fought back?"
"That's the thing! If he's so strong yet acted like a wimp, he must have really cared about protecting his secret identity."
"Do you think he regrets telling the world who he is?"
"Maybe. I know I wouldn't have had the guts."
"Just ignore them. They'll get over it eventually," Sam advised as they walked between classes.
"I dunno... will that work?" Danny replied unconvinced.
"Yeah, Sam. Won't that just make them talk even more? People without material to gossip will just make up more gossip. Soon enough they be saying crazy stuff like he's got no shadow or his weakness is getting trapped in a mirror," Tucker frowned.
Danny laughed, "I did get stuck in a mirror before, though." A ghost called Pointdexter had mistakenly believed Danny to be a bully and switched bodies with him, then trapped Danny in his realm in the ghost world via a portal in a mirror.
"Well, with ghosts, people might actually get some things right, I suppose," Tucker self-consciously scratched his face. Danny shrugged, as long as people were talking about him, the things they said were all the same to him.
At that moment, his ghost core twitched, sending a thrill of ice cold energy through him and forcing its way out his lips. He tensed just as a scream erupted from somewhere nearby, followed by more shouts.
Danny groaned, "Why now? I thought the ghosts would leave me alone from now on." Sam and Tucker placed hands on his shoulders.
"Hero duty waits for no one, my ghostly friend. We'll cheer you on from the side," said Tucker.
Sam nodded, "Just give us a shout if you need help. We'll back you up." Danny was grateful for their support, but he couldn't shake the feeling he had heard a touch of a patronising tone.
By now, the rest of the school had established a ghost was attacking, waiting for their hero to present himself. Those nearby looked to him with expecting, pleading eyes. Half were unsure, as if they didn't expect him to do anything.
He looked around for a place to go ghost, then smacked himself at the pointlessness of it. Oh right, he no longer had a secret identity, so why was he being so jumpy?
A familiar feeling settling over him as Danny called up the bright white ring around his waist. It split in two, traveling up and down his body, leaving black and white spandex where his jeans and t-shirt had been.
His logo appeared on his chest, his eyes turned bright green and his hair became the purest white, resembling snow. The rings disappeared, replaced by Danny Phantom, a determined look on his face.
Cheers rung throughout the hall. The students were marvelling over his transformation, whooping with delight. With one last nod at his friends, he turned intangible and flew through the ceiling. The floor above was full of students. They pointed him down the hall and shouted encouragements as he passed.
Danny came to a wall of windows along the classrooms that overlooked the back courtyard. Teens had their faces pressed against the glass and were staring with a mixture of excitement and fear.
"Where's the ghost?" He asked.
They jumped upon hearing his voice, having not noticed his silent arrival. Their eyes sparkled with amazement to see him there floating there in costume. A girl pointed out the window, "Down there in the courtyard! It appeared out of nowhere and demanded to know where you were!"
Danny nodded his thanks and shot off, phasing through the glass. His gaze quickly scanned the area and determined he couldn't see the enemy, perhaps he was invisible? Some boys huddled under a bench table. "Hey, did you see where they went? Or what they looked like?" Danny asked them.
One looked up with a frightened squeaked and gasped out, "N-no. It was t-too fast. Jumped out t-then disappeared."
So, he was invisible. Danny landed on the grass and stood stock-still. He closed his eyes and zoned out the noises and distractions around him, trying to sense the ghost's presence. He focused all his efforts into finding the ghost.
His eyes snapped open, his instincts screaming at him to dodge. He side-stepped to the left, spinning around and aiming an ectoplasmic blast in the face of his attacker.
"Stop or I'll ...!" the familiar figure before him caused his train of thought to crumble.
He recognised that square jaw and pale face. The hair and beard were flaming green, and instead of skin, there was blue tinged metal. An arm cannon was aimed right in his face, charged with a pulsing blue energy the same way his energy filled hand was ready to be unleashed at the ghost.
"Skulker!?" Danny chocked out.
The hunter grinned, "Miss me, whelp?"
Danny only stared, then his forehead creased in disgusts. "Are you STILL coming after me for my pelt? That is gross and, let's face it, if you could you would have done so by now."
The smile disappeared from the taller ghost's face, replaced with a snarl, "Careful what you say, whelp, or I just might find myself experiencing a mechanical failure and accidently blowing your head off."
Skulker's body was made entirely of metal and customised with weapons too, since his own body was about the size of a small pup and no threat to anyone. He needed his suit to be the self-proclaimed 'Best Hunter in the Ghost Zone'.
Danny scoffed at the threat. "Yeah? And when you do experience this 'mechanical failure' my ectoplasm will blow you to smithereens."
The hunter scowled, "Don't try to bluff. I know your ecto-blasts can't do that."
Danny smirked, "Try me." He manipulated the energy in his palm, compacting it and turning it the size of a marble. White light crackled around it like tiny bolts of lightning. He saw the ghost's eyes widen, saw the reflections of the ball in his hand in Skulker's neon green eyes.
"I call it: an ecto-bomb. It'll detonate the moment my concentration slips, If you take me out it will set it off and send you sky high."
Danny hadn't realised a ghost with metal skin could grow pale, but it was evident on the hunter's face until cold seriousness took over again. After a few more moments, he chuckled and lowered his weapon. "Still as fierce as ever I see, and getting better might I add."
Danny lowered his hand too, dissipating the bomb in his hand. His frown was the total opposite of Skulker's smile. He crossed his hands over his chest warily.
"So what are you doing here, Skulker? I thought we made peace. Not hunting ghosts, I presume. Maybe Vlad sent you after me?"
The ghost shook his head, "I have not seen or heard from Plasmius since he tried to turn the asteroid intangible. My long-range scanners indicate he is nowhere on your planet, nor in the ghost zone. He is either dead or lost in space."
Danny quietened. Vlad Plasmius was the alter ego of Vlad Masters, a friend of his parents and a halfa like Danny. He had coerced the world into giving him a huge sum of money in return for saving them all single-handedly. He had planned to use his ghost powers to turn the asteroid intangible, but failed when he found it was made of ectoplasmic resistant properties, preventing ghosts from touching it.
No one had heard from him since, presuming he had fled into space in shame. Danny vaguely wondered if he would ever see him again. The man had been a bit of a fruitloop - hitting on Danny's mom, having a grudge against his dad, trying to get Danny to join him and being an evil person just in general. Still, he knew his parents would miss him, even if now they knew he was part ghost like Danny.
Vlad had revealed his identity when he made his demands, and Danny had told them the story of how he had gotten his powers from the ecto-acne their college invention had caused. Both knew and regretted that it was their fault Vlad had gone on to become a terrorising ghost.
Danny shook himself from his thoughts, chiding himself that this was not the time to get lost in the past. He gave Skulker a questioning frown, "Does this mean you stopped by for a leisurely chat?"
The ghost scratched his neck, "Something like that, I guess. Just checking on how my prey was doing?" Danny stared at him blankly. Skulker looked away, but the self-conscious look in his eyes was too much and Danny laughed.
He didn't mind that students were coming out of hiding and peeking around trees to see there was no fighting going on, not to mention probably wondering why he wasn't beating the crap out of Skulker like usual. He laughed so hard that he unconsciously began floating and rolled around like he was suspended on a wire.
Skulker growled threateningly, "Be silent, whelp! Or I won't hesitate to skin you where you float."
Gradually, Danny calmed down and leaned back with his arms behind his head as if he was lounging in an invisible chair just above Skulker's head. "Why should I? It's not like you really want to skin me, now do you?"
Skulker shrugged, "Just trying to keep up the usual banter. I wasn't trying to be funny."
"It's totally funny! You-" Danny snorted. "-coming to see me like you would drop in on a friend. It almost sounds like you missed me!"
Danny knew he had struck a chord when the hunter broadened his stance, eyes narrowed, and pointed at him with an artificial arm.
"Listen here, whelp," he addressed Danny menacingly. "I am Skulker - the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter! With Plasmius gone and Pariah Dark defeated, I am now your greatest adversary. If I wish it, I could capture you right now without breaking a sweat. You would become my greatest prize, forever condemned to live your life in a cage. You would do well to remember that."
Danny waved a hand nonchalantly, casually flipping around so he was floating on his back. "But you won't, so stop pretending you're my enemy." He knew the hunter was stubborn – after all, he had spent a whole year trying to hunt him with varying degrees of success. He probably didn't know how to be friends with him since they had a rough past. Danny wished Skulker would let go of the past.
But that's not all, he thought. Skulker was keeping something back. "Why are you here?" he tried again. The hunter turned away, a hand on his hip.
"That is my business. Don't poke your nose in where it doesn't belong." The ghost boy studied him for a long moment, then moved to a cross-legged position and placed his hands on his ankles, still upside down so his fringe flopped in the air.
"So basically, you had a spat with Ember and she kicked you out. Am I right?" he asked, referring to Skulker's girlfriend, the guitar playing rock star and also a ghost Danny had fought before.
All of the ghost's bravado immediately fell away, replaced by a sad glint in his green eyes. Equally bright green eyes studied him with concern, "Are you alright?"
"No," Skulker sighed. "It is as you say. Ember has been a bit of an ice queen lately and I don't know why. I thought, you have an ice core, so maybe you would... you know, give me some pointers?"
Danny nearly fell out of the sky, "Are you calling me an ice queen?"
"What? No! I just thought you might know what Ember's so mad about."
Danny righted himself and floated right on front of Skulker, hands on his hips, and fixed him with a look of mild confusion. "And just how did you think having an ice core makes me helpful in this situation?"
Sulker tilted his head, "So… it's not helpful?" Danny rolled his eyes.
"Dude, for problems with your girlfriend being cold, you don't need to ask advice from a person who's literally cold. Anyone could have helped you. Why didn't you ask another ghost?"
Skulker considered it, then placed his fist into his palm, a connection being made in his mind. "I see. Then, I'll go ask for help from the Far Frozen. They have plenty of experience with ice, so it should work." Danny face-palmed, just how thick headed was this hunter? No wonder Ember was mad at him!
"Wait, wait!" Danny cried. He lowered himself to the ground, planting his feet and spreading his hands. "Look, that's not what I meant. I'm happy you came specifically to me for help and I'll be glad to give it. In fact, there's something in need your help for."
Skulker raised his brow, "What is it?"
Danny took a deep breath, "A favour."
Once Danny had explained his terms for helping Skulker, the taller ghost agreed and left to do as he asked.
As the white haired and green-eyed boy watched him fly away he let go of his transformation. The white ring of light once again split and travelled along his figure, replacing black and white spandex with his jeans, shirt and sneakers. His eyes reverted to their clear blue and his hair became messy and as dark as the midnight sky.
With a brief pat down to brush off non-existent specks of dirt, he surveyed the courtyard around him. Students were standing just outside the doors and crowding the windows. As soon as he turned his attention to them, the spell was broken and they rushed forward.
Danny yelped as he was grabbed and placed on someone's shoulders - which was easy for the jock since he was so skinny. Another student from the cheerleading squad led the crowd in chanting his name.
"Phantom! Phantom! Phantom!"
Danny was overwhelmed. The screams deafened him. The extreme jostling and arms reached out to him kept him frozen in shock. It was all he could do to hold on while the crowd paraded him around the courtyard.
Everywhere he looked, he saw wide smiles and star-struck eyes. But why? Danny hadn't fought Skulker at all. Not even scared him off! Maybe this was related to what Tucker said before, about the students not being able to recognise him as a hero. Seeing him in action – or, seeing him anyway– as Danny Phantom had finally struck the match that lit the fire.
The crowd was a burning oven at last ready to consume him. Their excitement swept over him in heat waves. With a slightly dazed look in his eyes, he looked around for his friends, hoping to see them nearby.
He spotted Valerie in a window. He gave her a small wave and she returned it, then rushed to catch the girl beside her who had fainted upon thinking he had waved at her. The popular kids, Dash, Kwan and Paulina, stood at the edge of the crowd with expressions of amazement, excitement and disdain respectfully.
At last, Danny's mind cleared enough to recognise the shouts behind him. He saw his friends forcing their way through the crush of students towards him. Danny's smile broadened. Without a word, he intangibly slipped from the jock's grasp and glided towards them. The mob groaned in disappointment, but kept away as Sam and Tucker bombarded him with questions.
"What happened!?"
"Are you alright!?"
"Did you catch the ghost?"
"What did they want?"
Danny felt a surge of gratitude towards his friends. They always worried about him and tried to do as much as possible to help him. He decided to ease their worries.
"In answer to your questions: Skulker was here, I'm fine, he went back to the Ghost Zone and he wanted advice about Ember." They stared at him, linking his answers to their questions, then sagged in relief.
"Thank goodness. It was hard to get through the doors because so many people were blocking it. We couldn't see a thing!" Tucker sighed. Danny hoped they would let the issue of not catching Skulker go, but Sam was too smart for him.
"Wait, didn't you say he went back to the Ghost Zone? Why trust him to get there on his own?"
Danny laughed nervously, "Well, I sorta-maybe-kinda asked him for a favour, and he went back there to do it." Something snapped in the goth's eyes. Danny feared for his life, desperately hoping it would last more than five minutes more.
She grabbed his shoulders and shook him like a rag-doll, screaming, "DANIEL JACK FENTON, ARE YOU INSANE? YOU LET A GHOST GO, BETTER YET, ASKED HIM FOR A FAVOUR? WHO KNOWS WHAT KIND OF TROUBLE HE COULD GET INTO! YOU SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST GONE WITH HIM!"
Daniel replied as best as he could while enduring such rough movement, "It's – fine, Sam. He'll – do just – what I – asked. They're – not my – enemies – anymore. We – made peace – after the – asteroid - …. I think."
Sam scrunched her eyes in frustration, "What you think is not good enough! What happened to the Danny who never let a ghost have their way? Who kicked them all out – no exceptions – with an iron fist? You might be on better terms since joining forces with each other, but you're still enemies."
Danny struggled to reply, she was still clinging to his shirt and scowling furiously. He tried to plead with his eyes for Tucker to help him , but the techno-geek just watched the whole scene with amusement. The crowd behind him however, glared at Sam for assaulting their hero, but were too scared to go against her.
Knowing that his next move might just make her even madder, he turned intangible and disappeared underground. Sam pounced on the place he previously stood, practically screaming at the dirt, "COME BACK HERE, we are not finished, Danny!"
"I know, you're mad, but trust me, Sam." He poked his head out of the ground (which in retrospect must look really creepy). "The ghosts and I see each other in a different light. They know the lengths I'd go to save our world, and theirs. It's been made perfectly clear to them that I respect them, but won't tolerate any unfriendliness towards humans."
He grabbed Sam's hands and pulled her up, setting his own feet on the ground. Sam felt a familiar heat flood her cheeks, but she kept her expression serious.
"Are you sure you can trust them? After all the fighting between you?" Danny gave her a bright smile, and planting a soft kiss on her cheek.
"Positive. It's time we stopped fighting."
Dun-duh-duh-duhhhhhhhh!
Who saw that coming? I certainly didn't! I realised that some of you might be wondering if DxS had a place in this fanfic, so I decided there is! Awwwwww, they're just adorable!
Tucker: Not to mention, I recorded the whole thing on my PDA. *evil grin* Blackmail….
Me: Atta boy Tucker! *casual smile* Send me a copy! *dark expression* No, really, send me a copy…
Tucker: *backs away slowly, runs for it*
Me: Hm? What's up with him? Oh, well… I finally came up with a name for my muse! Everyone, I'd like you to meet… *gestures dramatically, points to a curtain* JADE!
*curtain rises, reveals girl eating huge sandwich*
Jade: *freezes halfway through mouthful, swallows, mumbles* I worked really hard okay….
Me: THAT IS NO EXCUSE TO PLUNDER THE PANTRY, YOU GLUTTON! *sigh* Jade here has some "eating difficulties" and I'm still waiting for the baby locks to arrive.
Jade: *really quietly* As if that'll work…
Me: I HEARD THAT! Anyway, onto the next chapter! Coming soon!