Normal Tuesday

Moving on instinct and experience, I fly straight up so fast a human would only see a flash of white light. The swooshing, crackling sound from where I was not even a second before proves me right, he was trying to get in close. Once again relying on my gut, I fall into a curly cue randomly dodging left and right. I have yet to actually see my attacker, but there is only one ghost I know that has pink ecto-energy. Dipping down and weaving through some trees trying to stay ahead of my archenemy, I reach up and mess with the electronic device designed as an earring, which for the record had gotten my parents into quite a huff. Beeps signal that I'm connected.

"It's Plasmius, I'm going to need some backup," I say, keeping my tone light despite the twinge of worry I feel.

"On it," says Sam.

"Gotcha," replies Tucker.

"What do you want us to do, little brother?" asks Jazz.

I smile at the support before turning on a dime and flying off in a different direction avoiding yet another blast. "Hide under the bleacher, I will try to lure him back so you can ambush him."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Roger."

"Yup."

I need to make some contact soon or Plasmius will get suspicious, not to mention it will give the others time to get into position. Taking a chance I flip on my back, still flying at an impressive speed and stick my tongue out childishly at the dot above me knowing he would be able to see me clearly. A larger-than-normal blast comes hurtling my way. Once again I turn abruptly and avoid the blast, loving the control I have over my flight. I had always been so clumsy on the ground and yet in the air I'm impossible to catch. Pulling another sharp turn, I come up to his level hovering a good distance away but close enough that we can talk.

Plasmius halts and we both freeze in mid-air, analyzing one another. Vlad Plasmius is virtually unchanged since I first saw him. His black hair is shaped up into horn in gravity-defying spikes. His clothes are stark white and timelessly elegant, complete with a cape that has a pink underside that matches his pink eyes causing his vampire fangs to glint menacingly. I have long-since become immune to his intimidating presence, now I find it almost funny. That isn't to say he doesn't intimidate me, however.

"So what is it today?" I ask, smiling completely carefree.

Plasmius gave his small, and condescending smile as if he was humoring a small child; I hate that smile and he knows it.

"That would be telling, son." Plasmius' smile grew at my grimace. "But if you really want to know-" Plasmius said pulling out a very ancient-looking necklace with gold, priceless stones and intricate designs. The accessory was dripping with energy, I'm surprised I hadn't felt it earlier. "This artifact has an interesting effect on emotional ties."

My eyes widen, instantly knowing the ghost's plan. My mind registers Plasmius starting to move toward me. Okay, talking is over, time to get to the football field. Cutting off the power keeping me in the air, I drop like a stone just for a second before shooting off to the west. At least, that's what I try to do... two powerful arms wrap around me. I choke, the arms not yielding an inch. There is no way Plasmius could have gotten to me that fast, but the ghost is a master at duplicating his form and he loves flaunting that little fact in my face.

"Honestly Daniel, you're so predictable," gloats the vampire-looking ghost-duplicate as the original glides toward me in no hurry. I growl, all friendliness out the window. I wriggle and wiggle, trying to break free even though I know from the past experience that it will do little good. My mind races faster and faster as Vlad sneaks closer.

A spark is my only warning before ecto-electricity courses through me. Choking down the scream, I ride out the current. I hate electrocution especially when it is ectoplasm-based. Hate, hate, hate, hate it. It reminds me of when I first got my powers; and while I love my powers, I'm still on the fence if the process of getting them was worth the reward.

The ghost energy in electric form leaves. I waste no time falling limp, focusing on breathing. That's the thing with being electrocuted, it makes you clench every single muscle in your body as tightly as you can for as long as the current is passing through you. Even a few seconds would leave the strongest person worn out and raw.

"Honestly Daniel, I don't know why you struggle so much," his voice is directly in front of me. I had lost valuable time, now I had to get creative and desperate. "Things would be so much better for you if you just gave in and joined me."

A gloved hand lifts my chin rather gently and I am forced to face the other's expression. It is strange how the solid-colored orbs he has for eyes can convey such complex emotions. Even now, even as a ghost, Vlad's humanity shines through. All joy from our battle and my capture is gone; now he just looks heartsick. Like he honestly wishes I would join him just so he wouldn't 'have to' hurt me so much. In some twisted way, Vlad cares for me or about me or something. We are the only two of our kind, me being the child of the woman he loved is just the icing on the cake. More than once I have wanted to train with him, trust him, or just talk with the only person in existence that understands what it's like to feel life and death every second of every day, but the price…

"I can't disown my dad Vlad." The price was too high. "I can't turn my back on my morals." I knew first-hand what would happen if I did. "I can't change who I am." Even as I say it I know it is a waste of breath. "I can't be the son you want."

Confusion and denial come on Vlad's face. I never understood the phrase 'talking to a brick wall' until I met this other half-ghost. Whether he is "Masters" or "Plasmius", nothing I said ever got through to him. It's as if I had spoken in another language. He just cannot make sense of what I am saying.

"You will soon," Plasmius says reassuringly, but whether that is for me or him is hard to tell. The highly-delusional half-ghost moves to wrap the antique necklace around my neck.

I thank my lucky stars Plasmius hasn't noticed the thin sheen of ice I coat myself in. Focusing my own ecto-energy into a fire-like consistency, I make it burn as hot as I can handle and let it flow out of my hands, race over the ice to everywhere the duplicate is holding me. The sudden attack makes the doppelganger loosen his grip just a touch. In the blink of an eye I use my flight to drag me down and out of the duplicate's grip. Turning intangible the second I'm free, I turn west once again and shoot in the direction of the high school.

The others would be in position by now. We need to end this quickly, Plasmius will not make the same mistake again. He always gives me at least one freebee, one chance to accept him willingly before resorting to whatever unconventional means he's going to try. I dread the day he snaps and stops asking.

I make sure to zigzag and double-back to convince him that I have no destination. My speed and agility is the only true advantage I have over him. Yes, I have loads of other powers but so does he. And, yes, I have some powers that he doesn't, but in the ghost world determination, knowledge, and cunning are more important. I have beaten ghosts two or even three times more powerful than me by getting creative and outsmarting them. Vlad and I have an easier time staying focused than real ghosts. Because of that focus, I usually have an advantage where it counts against most ghosts. Against Plamius though… not so much.

At the sight of the football field I give a sigh of relief, right before a scorching hot blast clips my shoulder. The speed of the blast knocks me off course, plowing me straight into the turf and creating a skidding crater. Thank god mortal world objects are on a different plane of existence to ghosts, so being slammed into the ground doesn't hurt the same way it would if I were in human form.

I have barely stopped moving before I phase straight into the ground. I come back up a little distance off, invisible of course. At my top speed I find my backup. As I had thought, all three are in position. I kick an aluminum pop can, just loudly enough to lure Plamius under the bleachers.

My fellow half-ghost has been waiting for any clue to where I am. There are horror stories of ghosts phasing into the ground and losing all senses, never finding their way out of the earth's surface so he knows I haven't phased far. I may be predictable but so is Plasmius. The second the sound echoes, he shoots towards me.

His tunnel vision is only focused on me and he doesn't see the others in their poorly-placed hiding spots. The second I phase through the stands I form my energy into a goopy rope-man, you gotta love ectoplasm!-and throw it in a way that would stick my stalker to one of the beams supporting the bleachers. Plasmius tries to dodge, but Tucker and Sam fire their wrist rays at him, pushing him into the sticky trap's path. All three of us open fire. The goop is no more than a nuisance and he is skilled enough that none of our shots are actually hitting him, but it's enough to keep his attention on us while a third human sneaks up behind him. To conserve energy, Plasmius only ever makes a small shield which is only in front of him, so there's nothing to stop Jazz from jumping in behind him and locking the metal belt-called the specter deflector-around his waist.

My parents' ghost hunting invention immediately does its job, shocking and weakening him. But my older sister still isn't done: Pulling out her collapsible anti-creep stick (basically a baseball bat modified to effect ghosts as much as any earthy item can) and smacking him across the head. I flinch but it does the trick; Vlad Plasmius collapses to the dusty, wrapper-filled ground.

Black light rings erupt around his waist, splitting into two rings, one going up and the other down. The four of us watch, unimpressed, as the dramatic vampiristic ghost is replaced with the billionaire mayor of Amity Park, Vlad Masters. His long white hair is pulled into a low ponytail while his expensive black suit and ridiculously shiny shoes are all currently getting very acquainted with the ground.

"I w- word we could just suck him into the Fenton thermos and keep him there forever. If nothing else than to get him to leave you alone." Tucker mumbled to me.

Sam and even Jazz nodded in agreement, I stayed quiet. Did I want Vlad to leave me alone and let me live what was left of my life? Yes. Did I want to trap him in my parents smallest ghost containment device and keep him there for all eternity? No.

Deactivating the Fenton Wrist Ray so it collapses back into a bracelet Sam crossed her arms. "So, what did he want this time?"

Walking over, I pull the necklace from his pocket and toss it to Tucker. "It's some kind of magical artifact," I explain, throwing one last sad glance to Vlad before turning back to join the others as we begin walking back to school. "Said it's supposed to affect emotions or something."

Tucker looks it over with an air of caution, nodding. "Guess we've got another one for Pandora's collection, huh?"

I nod, thinking about my Greek friend. As punishment for releasing horrors into the world she was sentenced to recapture all of the evil in all of creation. Naturally, this means she was given free rein to leave the Hades underworld and she eventually settled in the Ghost Zone as she fulfills her punishment. After a thousand years of hunting down and capturing the worst evils in all the worlds, she has changed a lot from ancient Greek myths. She now has four arms and wears ancient Greek battle armor 24/7. She has the fierce attitude of a dragon and yet, to those in her favor, she can be as gentle as a mother cat to a kitten. We became friends a while back. Now, whenever I find anything hazardous, whether it be an evil creature or artifact, I give it to her for safekeeping. It's what she specializes in, after all.

"Let's get to class. Maybe we can actually catch last period." Just as I finish my sentence, a blue mist exits my mouth once again. I groan loudly. "Maybe you guys can catch last period."

My friends and sister wave as I fly up to find the other ghost. Tucker quickly hides the necklace in a containment device disguised as a book.

"Don't forget, you promised to tell us what is up with you today," comes Sam's voice.

I flinch, having completely forgotten our deal. "Right, yeah," is all I say before flying up to find whoever it is.

-0-

It doesn't take much effort to find the intruder because, like I said, most ghosts come to school looking for me. It's only Johnny 13, his 'guard' Shadow, and girlfriend Kitty, the daredevil couple that like to tear through town at high speeds on Johnny's motorcycle, just don't care if they cause an accident or two. Compared to many that I have to deal with, Johnny and Kitty are pretty chill and Shadow was basically a mindless servant. Once I get past the grudge of Johnny dating my sister as a scheme to get Kitty into the human world, and Kitty overshadowing someone to date me in order to get back at Johnny, we have been like frenemies. But every so often, the two need a thrill to blow off steam; oftentimes I am more than happy to oblige.

"Guys, what did I say about coming around while I am at school?"

"But you're always there," whines Kitty from her place behind Johnny.

Johnny, still dressed in his 90's punk clothes, nods. "It's not like you're actually going to use what they teach you in there anyways. You need a break."

I huff, refusing to release the bike from the goo spike strip or Shadow from the Fenton thermos until I got my point across. "I get plenty of 'breaks' from all the other ghosts constantly interrupting me at school. I don't need more."

"But-"

"No 'buts', guys," I interrupt. "The next time you bother me at school and the Ghost Zone isn't on the verge of a complete hostile takeover, I will capture you in my parents' thermos like all the other ghosts."

The two ghosts shut their mouths. Neither of them have been in my thermos before and they have no intentions of experiencing it. No doubt they've heard plenty of complaints from their 'friends' about how cramped it is.

"Alright, no bothering when you're at school," says Johnny, sounding incredibly put-out.

Kitty only nods, then poses and bats her makeup-eyes cutely at me. "Can we go now?"

I roll my eyes, but there is a small smile on my face. I wave my hand so the goop disappears. "Stay at the speed limit, lots of people can't tell you're ghosts," I remind them, releasing Shadow who promptly rejoins Johnny's actual shadow. The three don't wait and tear off yet again.

One glance at the clocktower confirms what I already knew: I have burned the last period of class chasing down the daredevils. My earlier conversation and promise comes back to me and I wonder if it is still too late to call Johnny and Kitty back for one more chase. Sighing, I glide my way back home taking my time. I know Amity Park like the back of my hand, inside out and backwards. I have spent hours upon hours patrolling it from the skies, on the ground, and even from the underground sewer. I know every inch, so I barely pay attention as I take a detour to my house, pondering the whole way home.

The more I think about it, the less of an issue it seems, whatever it is. Everyone gets confused now and then. Do I really need my friends and sister digging around? It will probably just make them more worried over nothing, and I can handle it. I'm Danny Phantom, teenage ghost superhero, one of the only half-ghosts in existence. I've taken on ghosts three times my power level, including the High King of all ghosts, and even an evil future version of myself. I can do this.

With that thought in mind I phase into Fentonworks and flop onto my bed, sighing as I morph back into Fenton. My cells turn over, the energy idling into a simmer that's tucked safely into my chest, and a familiar range of feeling washes over me as I'm able to experience the human world the way it's supposed to be felt. Eyes closed, I revel in the peaceful silence.

Wait, silence? It's never silent at my house! Between my dad's shouting, inventions blowing up, and hundreds of machinery running and humming, silence is impossible. Not to mention Tucker and Sam should be here, we agreed to meet at my place. Opening my eyes, I look around.

My insides freeze at the unfamiliar furniture. I whip around, looking all over. This is NOT my bedroom, this isn't even my house. Jumping off of the bed, I trip and fall to the floor. A muffled shout and footsteps rush closer to investigate the noise. Purely on instinct, I morph into Phantom and turn invisible, phasing out of there as fast as I can. I immediately recognize the street and realize that I'm on the other side of town, nowhere near my house, or Tucker's, or even Sam's.

"Okay, I was wrong," I say to myself. "I was so, so, so wrong. I do need help."

-)(-

You would not believe how much this chapter fought me. I don't even know why, it was just hard to write.

For those that are curious, this story is focusing on Danny's journey, so for now I don't plan for this story to have crossovers. If I ever do a sequel it would be chock full of all kinds of crossovers, but that is a long, long way off.

I do not own 'Danny Phantom'.