Danny fell down exhausted on the pavement of the street. Every muscle in his body ached, but he forced himself to sit up. He surveyed his surroundings and saw live power lines, probably shot down on their way to the ground. He watched the chips fall to the ground and sighed. He was at a gas station.
He crossed his arms in front of his face to shield himself from the blast and turned intangible to avoid hitting things unnecessarily as the shock wave blew him away. He closed his eyes and crossed several buildings, before a strange sensation ran through his entire body and he fell sitting on a cold metal surface. He widened his eyes and frowned as he looked at his hands. His white skin was on display, instead of the silver gloves of his suit. He looked down at his clothes and he noticed that he was wearing his civilian clothes. He looked up into the air and saw the ghost half of him, who had just finished doing the same to his body, watching him with the same expression on his face.
They both looked back to where they came from and saw the Fenton Ghost Catcher glowing in front of them. They observed their surroundings and discovered that they were inside the ghost ship.
- This is bad. – They said in unison.
Fenton tried to get to his feet, but the pain in his body prevented him. Phantom got out to help and seat him in one of the rear seats.
- Why is this thing here?
- Don't know. - Fenton replied. – Jazz was the one who drove it…
- I know that. I was talking about…
- The Ghost Catcher? No idea. I mean, you need to be within a meter of your target to use it.
They both looked at each other for a few seconds.
- This is rare. - Phantom said. – It's as if…
- You were talking to yourself?
- We really need to stop doing that.
They both nodded and fell silent. Phantom flew to the back door of the truck to look out. He rested a hand on the metal surface and watched as the weather outside seemed to get worse by the second. Thunder could be heard and lightning could be seen, but nothing was happening. Fenton watched him for a few moments before returning his attention to the interior of the ship. Supporting himself against the walls of the ship, he silently rose to his feet and walked towards the artifact that had split his two natures. He flipped the switch to change the setting to "join" and his gaze drifted for a few seconds into memories.
When that happened to him in the past, he remembered that all sense of responsibility had fallen to the ghost half of him while the human form of him had become a carefree slacker. But now he…he still had the same sense of responsibility as always, and judging by how his phantom counterpart looked into the distance, he did too. "I guess that indicates I've matured." He smiled at that conclusion, as he proved that everything Dan had told him were lies.
He sighed and turned serious. He tried to lift the device, but as he tilted it, his arm shot a stab of pain and he dropped it. The noise it made when it fell to the metal floor of the ship caught the attention of Phantom, who quickly went to his human counterpart to pick it up and put it back in its place, thinking that he had tripped over it.
- No, no. – Fenton said when he saw that he wanted to put him back on the ship. – Put it outside the ship.
- Why? - Phantom asked.
Fenton raised an eyebrow, noting that they were no longer as in sync as they had been seconds ago.
- Well… we need to go through it together and I can't go through it with solid material behind him. – He tried to joke. – I thought we could take some weapons and…
- You want to go back?
That simple question set off all the alarm bells in his mind.
- We have to go back.
- Have? – Phantom asked again.
- Danny... - He warned him with his voice.
- You don't have to do it...
Fenton was about to retort when he finally understood what Phantom was saying.
- No.
- Just listen to me…
- We started this together, we finished this together. – He sentenced. – Regardless of the result.
- I understand that. I understand you! But… You've already sacrificed enough for the cause. And you don't have to die because of me.
- For you? What are you talking about?
Phantom looked down at the ground, searching for the right words to make his point clear.
- Since I exist... I have been a very heavy burden for you. I mean, no 14-year-old should risk their life to defeat an immortal millennial being from another dimension. And of course, you did the best you could with what you had… we did. But look what happened to your life since I showed up: your grades dropped drastically, your relationship with mom and dad turned cold due to the need to keep secrets from them; we even pushed Jazz away…
- That's called puberty.
- Your love life disappeared, your life and the lives of everyone close to you were at risk because of our little secret.
- Because ghosts were attacking the city and we had the power to stop them… Look, I know that in the past I've complained vocally about having to deal with all that responsibility, but, if necessary, I'd do it again.
- Yes, because we were a unit and it was our duty. But now... - Phantom pointed to the space between them. – You are free of that burden.
- Don't…
- I know how you felt days ago... when Tuck and Sam talked about their future.
Fenton looked down.
- You felt stuck, stagnant. Like you're not living up to your friends. The terror of doing this for your whole life. Take your time at university as an example: my presence was almost unnecessary and your grades went up, your sleep cycles became regular, our love life could have been very active...
- Hey! We didn't want that...
- I know, but it's not what I want you to understand… - He paused. - The point is that you have a life that goes beyond being… well, me. You can look for a job, have a family, travel, buy the puppy we always wanted... or none of that. You have options. On the other hand, this is the one thing I can do. – He took him by the shoulders. - Let me do it.
- Why?
- Because Dan was wrong. – He paused. – Yes, your adolescence may have been more exciting than that of the average person, but the dangers I put you through…were not worth it. I owe you that much.
Danny looked at the ghost version of himself in the eye. Without a doubt, that had been the strangest conversation/monologue of his entire life.
Accepting the proposal was saying hello to the future. One where he could get a high paying job that would allow him to buy the car he wanted since he was 17, one where he would meet Tucker every weekend to hang out or just talk, one where maybe he and Sam would solidify their relationship...
But it meant saying goodbye to his past. No more ghost hunting, no more getting out of trouble easily with his powers, no more interesting stories to share with those close to him, no more satisfaction in doing something that mattered, no more helping those in need...
He opened his mouth to speak…but no words came out. He looked at his counterpart in the eyes for a few seconds and sighed.
- With a condition. - Fenton said.
Tucker and Sam crawled out of a hole in the ground, after the carnivorous plant they were on opened its mouth.
- Urgh! – Tucker was cleaning himself. – That was worse than eating them.
Sam rolled her eyes and surveyed her surroundings. Clockwork was helping Ember with her injuries, Aragon was carrying his sister by the arm who was struggling to stay conscious, Kitty was tending to Shadow's wounds… but with no Dan in sight.
- Where is everybody? – The man asked.
- King Dan was shot down a few streets ahead. They are there while we try to recover.
It took some work for them to recognize the ghost writer, who was the one who answered them.
- Is everyone here? – The boy asked again while he inspected the crowd of ghosts.
- We were all here… - He spoke again. – Some returned to the ghost zone, others are with your friend fighting and others… they were not so lucky. Why do you ask? – He said without energy.
- Because… I really want to make a wish!
- Why the hell are you screaming?! – Sam intimidated him, until a small cloud formed behind them.
- You said… wish?
- You can bet on it.
Tucker's enthusiasm was cut short when he faced the ghost: her clothing was worn, her physical size was reduced to the smallest he had ever seen and she had severe injuries. She looked exhausted, but she watched the brunette with a small spark of hope. Tucker smiled at her.
- First: I wish...
- Wait!
Jazz was being pulled through the sky above them by the Infimap and landed behind them. The ghosts widened their eyes upon noticing the map in her possession and she ran until she was in front of Desiree.
- Where you were? - Sam asked.
- Getting this! - She said excitedly, taking the key out of her pocket. – Now I need you to fulfill my wish.
- Hey, the line starts with me. – Tucker said getting between her and the ghost.
- What I need is more important!
- According to whom?
- According to me!
- Well, I believe…
- Just make the damn wishes!
They both turned to see the ghost who seemed anxious and looked at them with some anger in her eyes. Jazz opened his mouth, but Tucker beat her to it.
- First, I wish you return these to their original owner. - He said taking off his glasses.
Desiree just snapped her fingers in front of him and the glasses disappeared. She stood still, waiting for him to continue speaking.
- I wish I had my glasses in my hand. – She snapped her fingers and the destroyed glasses appeared in his hand. – I wish the glasses to be like new. I wish…
- Why didn't you ask for it in one wish? – Jazz asked desperate for his slowness.
- She needs to grant many wishes to regain her strength and if she…
- Keep wishing! – The ghost scolded him.
- I wish my head is cured!
She snapped her fingers and he brought his hand to the back of his head. He felt for the wound and smiled when he only felt his hair.
- I wish the blood stain I left on the headrest of the passenger seat of Sam's car to be erased...
- You what? – Sam said looking at his friend.
- And I wish I had the biggest and most powerful anti-ghost weapon of all those here.
When she snapped her fingers, something like a rifle appeared in Tucker's hands and the weight of it made him almost drop it to the floor.
- Careful with that. – She warned him approaching to his face.
- You finished? – Jazz said desperately.
Tucker waved a clear path to Desiree as he adjusted his new rifle. Jazz looked at the ghost.
- I wish that the sarcophagus of forever sleep comes here and is close to Dan!
The mention of the sarcophagus caused the ghosts around them to start murmuring. Desiree snapped her fingers and Jazz fell silent, waiting. Seconds passed and she surveyed her surroundings.
- It worked?
- Yes. The sarcophagus is near Pariah, as you requested.
- Excellent! - She said animatedly. – Now I just have to take the key…
- I will do it.
They all looked up to see Danny straight-faced and staring straight ahead. For a second, he shifted his gaze to the key in Jazz's hands and reached down to take it. Reflexively, Jazz withdrew her hand and earned a hard look from her brother.
- Danny...
- Jazz… the key. We can't waste more time.
There was something weird about him. All 3 of them could notice it, but they couldn't identify what. He hadn't made eye contact with anyone other than his sister. Danny stepped forward and held out his hand.
- Don't make me take it off you.
Jazz was surprised by the tone Danny used with her and handed him the key. He took the key and inspected it for a few seconds, before closing his fist around it. He looked up and began to float.
- Stay back. Things are going to get ugly.
The lightning that crossed the sky, but never fell, provided enough light to be able to perfectly outline the figure of Vortex hidden among the clouds. The size of him had grown since the last time he punched him off him and he finally noticed the gale that had been blowing across the city for minutes. He was getting ready.
He took two steps back and felt how his chest sent another pulse of pain through his entire body. He struggled to stay on his feet even as his knees trembled. He was about to turn and flee through the portal when a new kind of pain ran through his entire body. A particular pain that he was sure he knew. His shaking hands traveled to the center of his chest and he looked down from him to see 4 sharp points coming out of him.
- Did you also decipher this plan?
Vlad's whisper in his ear startled him and made his eyes widen.
- What…?
Dan swallowed his question as Vlad dug the ghost glove's claws harder into his chest and twisted them, letting out more red smoke as Dan finally let out the scream of pain he had been trying to hold back for several minutes. With his available hand, Vlad yanked Dan's head back into a hold that left him looking up, where the sky was growing more electrified. Dan's eyes widened as he understood Vlad's plan.
He tried to shake him off, but he didn't have the physical strength to do it at the moment; he wanted to use his powers, but Vlad twisted his claws again and cut off his attempts. Out of nowhere, the sarcophagus of forever sleep appeared behind them wide open. He started to shake harder, but his feet were caught in several layers of plants.
- Cowards... - He spoke as he struggled to free himself. - ... can't be heroes!
- No, but something we're good at… - He said, struggling to keep him still. – … is dragging others with us…
The lightning ceased and thunder rumbled the ground.
- You're crazy?!
- Just a little… - He smiled.
Vlad looked up at Vortex, who slowly began to gather a white glow around him. From his position on the ground, Dan was able to watch a small smile form on Vortex's face. Vlad for his part, diverted his gaze to the side. He made eye contact with Nocturne for a few seconds and then looked over at Danny, who had just arrived at the location.
"Plan B". Danny thought as he watched Vlad nod at him.
Nocturne wrapped around Danielle in a hug to cover her just in time for Vortex to finally fire the lightning he had been creating for minutes. Dan raised his left hand and pointed it at where Vortex was, deciding to use the ring's energy to counter the attack. Danny created a sphere of energy and when he was about to block Dan's attack, he heard a muttering.
- No, no, no... you're coming with me.
Vlad took his hand out of the glove with which he had impaled Dan and used it to finally remove the crown, causing Dan's attack to disappear just before both attacks collided, letting the most powerful lightning in the history of humanity descend and hit them with a direct critical hit.
In general, lightning doesn't take more than a fraction of a second to appear and disappear. But not this one. 20 seconds of a continuous powerful electrical discharge fell to earth until Vortex drained all his energy and he ended up falling out of the sky, unconscious on top of a building. The glare from the impact was enough to blind all onlookers and the sound stunned them for several minutes, even causing the few crystals that were still intact to shatter.
A small shock wave was generated in the surroundings, causing everything that wasn't fixed to go flying, including Nocturne. Being closer, Nocturne absorbed some of the energy from the electric arc created by the presence of metals in the rubble. Danny had formed a shield around him that protected him and allowed him to be the first to react.
He inhaled deeply and blew out a cold breath to get rid of the smoke that was clouding his vision. He quickly scanned the area for his target and when he located it, he sped off to end it all. The sarcophagus had been dragged back several meters (courtesy of lightning, possibly), ending up resting on a pile of rubble tilted 60° to the ground. The lid was still open, blocking his view inside, so he determinedly stepped closer.
He touched the lid with his hand, but the high temperature of the metal around the edge made him drop it. He coated his hand in a thin layer of ice and lifted it up. In that position, he was able to see the full extent of the damage the lightning had done: Dan had a fist-sized hole in his chest and all the surrounding tissue was cauterized, spreading throughout the ghost's body. His left eye and some fingers had been spared, but the rest of his skin was black. Dan's suit was charred and what little metal of his armor was molten on him. Danny's attention traveled to his left hand and without hesitation, he used his free hand to remove the ring.
He was so intent on removing the ring that he failed to notice the slight movement on Dan's intact eyelid.
Nocturne rolled onto his back and released Dani to try to regenerate. The girl quickly tried to stand up and when she did, she saw a crater of at least 3x3 meters in front of her. She looked up a little more and saw Danny about to close the sarcophagus. Her breathing became erratic as she remembered the last thing she saw before the lightning struck and she flew into the crater that had formed, being transfixed by what she saw.
Danny tossed the ring back, rolling it to the ground. With that out of the way, he slammed the lid of the sarcophagus down, but it bounced off before he managed to close it. From inside, piercing screams began to resound and the lid was about to open all the way again, but Danny leaned all his weight on it to keep from letting it out.
The sarcophagus began to shake violently and Danny was struggling to close it, while the screams from inside began to disturb him. Danny noticed that a boot had prevented the lid from closing completely. He took the lid in one hand and the rest of the sarcophagus in the other, to snap it shut on both sides.
- Dani!
The cry for help snapped her out of her musings and she flew to Danny's aid, using all of her strength to push the lid shut. It was about to close, when a kick from inside caused the lid to bounce and hit Dani in the face, who stopped pressing for a few seconds, allowing a hand to reach out from inside and grab Danny by the collar of his suit.
- You…! – Shrieked the voice from inside. - Are you coming…!
- With us! – Shrieked another.
Danny's eyes widened as he saw 4 red pupils glowing in the darkness inside. Then he realized that Dan and Pariah were already separated inside. Another hand grabbed Danny out of the suit and began to pull him inside, while Dani went back to trying to close the lid. Dan's and Pariah's screams continued to pierce his eardrums and made them even more nervous, for he couldn't understand the pain behind those primitive exclamations.
Dani panicked when she saw that her cousin was being sucked in and that another hand grabbed his arm and began to pull him. She began to scream from the effort to close the lid on her own, as Danny had had to let go of the sarcophagus to fight to free himself from their grasp. The lid closed further as Clockwork's weight fell on it and soon, Walker joined the two in attempting to seal it.
With his free hand, Danny resisted to move away from the opening of the sarcophagus and placed one of his feet on the edge of the lid to try to fly away from there, but the 3 hands that had him managed to get his torso closer to the opening. Pariah's hand released Danny for a few seconds before wrapping around his waist and pulling him tighter inside.
Dani gave up trying to close the lid and focused on freeing the cousin. Running, Sam and Tucker entered the battlefield accompanied by the ghostwriter and the Fright Knight. Both ghosts flew towards the rest and positioned themselves at the top and bottom end of the sarcophagus to help close it, allowing Dani to grab Dan's wrist with both hands and use an energy shock to make him release Danny's hand.
Sam ignored the screams that echoed around her and extended vines that wrapped around Danny's chest and began to pull him back with all her might. The boy looked back when he saw the plants on him and saw Tucker pointing a gun in his direction, but with a look on his face that betrayed frustration.
- Tucker! – Sam growled pulling the vines. - Do something!
- I can't see them! – He said lowering the gun.
Danny shifted his gaze to the ghosts in front of him doing his best to close the lid, managing to lower it another inch. He watched as Danielle struggled against Pariah's arm wrapped around his waist as she kept Dan's hand from catching her. And he knew what to do. He stopped fighting the tugs and his waist was about to enter the sarcophagus.
- Tuck! – He called him turning his head. - Shoot!
- I don't have a clean shot!
- You do have it!
Tucker's face froze as he looked Danny in the eye.
- Do it!
- No! – His best friend said closing his eyes.
- There's no choice! – He told him as they pulled his legs into the sarcophagus.
- Danny! - Danielle yelled putting her hands on Danny's chest to push him out.
Clockwork looked up at that instant to Danny and stared at him.
- Tuck!
- No! There must be…!
Tucker's eyes widened, the look of peace on Danny's face puzzled him. His best friend nodded, giving him a small smile. "Trust me". It was what Tucker could read on the lips of his best friend. He swallowed the lump in his throat and raised the gun, aiming it at him through the rifle scope. If Danny was counting on him, he wasn't going to let him down.
- Tucker… What are you doing? Sam asked watching the boy inhale deeply and exhale slowly. – Tucker… Tuck, no!
- I'm sorry, man… - He murmured.
He closed one eye and when he had Danny's back in his sights, he pulled the trigger. The recoil of the weapon caught him hard in the shoulder and knocked him to the ground. The sound of the shot notified Danny of the start of his plan. In a split second, he fired a bolt of ectoplasm at Danielle to pull her away from him and ejected Danny Fenton out of his back, causing the anti-ghost round Tucker had fired to brush his hair as he fell to the ground.
The shot hit him right where Sam was pulling him, breaking the vines of plants and throwing her to the ground due to inertia. Phantom's body sprang forward, hitting the arms and legs that were preventing the sarcophagus from closing before disappearing, in front of Clockwork's careful gaze. Without resistance, the efforts of the ghosts paid off and their strength managed to close the lid. They all looked up.
Danny Fenton scrambled to his feet and ran to the sarcophagus, pulling the key from his pants pocket and jumping on the lid. Taking advantage of his human form, he jumped knowing that he would phase Walker's body and quickly inserted the key into the slot and turned the lock.
The screams continued to echo and the sarcophagus began to light up, with energy surrounding it. Danny grabbed onto both sides of the sarcophagus as the ghosts around him were thrown from the sudden discharge of energy. When the glow faded, only Danny was left lying on top of the lid, eyes tight shut, the muscles in his arms tensing with the effort of holding on.
The sound of someone pulling out the key made him open his eyes to see the Fright Knight leaning on the lid in front of him, key in hand. He turned his head and noticed that the other ghosts were watching him in silence, Danielle included. He moved his head to the other side and saw his friends looking at him in surprise. A hand on his shoulder made him jump, and turning around he realized it was Clockwork.
- We won? – Sam asked the crowd.
- We did it. – Clockwork confirmed with a smile.
- We won… - Danny repeated.
- WE WON! – Tucker yelled euphoric. - WE WON!
In the surroundings, Tucker's scream caused a series of murmurs, which grew among the ghosts in shouts of joy and victory. Upon hearing the news, Jazz made her way until she saw his brother trying to sit on top of the sarcophagus as Sam and Tucker approached him. She ran towards him, shoving the two out of her way as she pulled her brother into a tight hug.
A pang of pain shot through Danny's body as Jazz's body slammed into his chest. The girl jerked away in concern when she heard him groan and her protective instincts made her inspect him for injuries. Danny tried to calm her down as Sam and Tucker joined them, encircling him in a group hug. The ghosts gave them their space.
Clockwork shifted his gaze back and saw an operative walking towards them.
-This is Operative W. – He said through the device in his ear. - I have eyes on the target.
- Status.
- Sir… - He smiled. - We got it.
In the buildings, O he smiled upon receiving the news and turned to all the operatives who were looking at him expectantly. O took the transmitter in his hands and pressed the button on the microphone to let everyone know.
- We won.
Shouts of happiness echoed in the empty streets where the operatives had conglomerated. Some hugged each other, others fell to their knees, and a few cried. Jack hugged Maddie with all his strength while his wife cried on his chest; Valerie sat on her speeder, removed her helmet and started laughing, happy that it was all over; the operatives who had been left behind at the emergency posts shared the news with the wounded they were treating; Damon walked over to the nearest transmitter to communicate with Valerie and the Masters' Blasters gave each other a group hug as they yelled euphorically.
- Dude, sorry for shooting you...
- Glad you're okay, little brother!
- Danny, what happened?
- Yes… What the hell happened?
- How did you do that?
Danny was being bombarded with questions, but his gaze drifted to Clockwork. The ghost floated away from them and stopped to pick up something from the ground. He lifted the object with one hand and brought it level with his face to blow on it. Ignoring his friends and the pangs of pain in his ribs, leg, face, and back, he walked slowly toward him. When Clockwork felt someone behind him, he turned and saw Danny.
- Hi...
- Daniel… - He smiled at him and extended the object in his hand. – You dropped this.
Danny looked at the object and recognize the ring. He looked up and returned his smile. He was about to say something when they both noticed the Fright Knight descending next to them and soon, Frostbite joined them with the crown in his icy hand.
- You did it again, Great One.
- With a lot of help. - He sighed. - Thank you. For everything.
The yeti smiled at him and held out the crown to him as well.
- There is an open vacancy. – Frostbite told him.
Danny looked at the items being offered to him and sighed.
- The ghost zone doesn't need a king.
His answer earned the approval of the three ghosts next to him. Frostbite retracted the hand with the crown, but Clockwork took Danny's right hand and dropped the ring into his palm. Danny was about to return it to him, but Clockwork moved away from him, taking his staff with both hands and transforming into the youngest version of himself.
- It is not wise to keep both items on the same plane.
- What about the crown? – He asked.
Frostbite and the Fright Knight exchanged glances. They both nodded and exchanged the crown and key.
- It is my sacred duty to preserve the crown of fire… - The knight said.
- And the Far Frozen will protect the key for eternity... just as we protect the Infimap.
Danny smiled and squeezed the ring into his hand. The knight gave him a little bow and said goodbye to him. Frostbite put his hand on his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. They both said goodbye and the yeti advanced to where the rest of the ghosts were and began to coordinate them to return to the ghost zone.
- What you did was noble...
Clockwork's voice caught his attention.
- Sacrifice your ghost part to seal Dan and Pariah. – The master of time clarified with a smile.
- I wasn't the only one who sacrificed something...
They both turned to see Danielle, who was standing next to an operative looking into the crater. Clockwork turned his gaze to the sky seeing his colleagues approaching them, but Danny didn't move.
- Go. - He encouraged him. - She needs you.
Danny looked back and saw how between Nocturne and Pandora, they held a very weakened Vortex. From the ground, Undergrowth came up and Danny frowned. Clockwork just smiled and shook his head. He exchanged glances with the vegetal ghost, and Undergrowth reached out his hand in Sam's direction. Danny watched as the plants withdrew from Sam's body before Tucker's astonished look: it was as if Sam were peeling, removing all the costume and hairstyle granted by the powers of Undergrowth and leaving his Sam in its place.
- It was only temporary. – Undergrowth said looking at the blue-eyed man.
He didn't find the strength to get angry with the ghost, so he just mumbled a thank you and sighed. He inspected the 5 ghosts while his mind traveled between memories of that night and 7 years ago.
- I was told that ancient and powerful ghosts defeated Pariah Dark in the past… - He looked at them all. - You were them?
- We were… - Vortex answered.
- And who is the sixth?
- He's gone. – Nocturne murmured.
- After defeating Pariah... - Clockwork began. - ... He used his power to split into many fragments with the intention of observing everything from all angles.
- United, he was the most powerful of the 6; but fragmented... - Undergrowth spoke. – Each Observant received a small fraction of his power…
- And Dan destroyed them one by one. – Concluded Clockwork.
- Fortunately, we had you. - Pandora smiled at him.
Danny processed the information he had just received and sighed. He was silent for a few seconds before stretching out his hand to the front. Clockwork smiled, while the others just exchanged glances without understanding what he wanted with that gesture. He dropped his staff and reached out with his right hand to squeeze Danny's.
- I guess this is goodbye.
- We'll see. – The master of time replied.
Danielle descended into the crater and the sound of her boots splashing in a puddle made her stop for a few seconds. She energized one of her hands to illuminate her surroundings and dipped her fingers into the viscous liquid on the ground. Although it was covered by dirt, the distinctive green glow of ectoplasm was still there.
"Farewell". She thought to herself as she got to her feet.
- What's that? – An operative asked.
- This… - She said, floating out. – It's Vlad Plasmius.
- What?
- He was with Dan when the lightning... - She bit his lip and looked away. - He… he held Dan back.
- Are you sure about that?
- I was there when it happened. – She said pointing to a place a few meters from the crater.
The operative just nodded and turned to inform O through his comlink. Danielle didn't want to pay attention to what the operative was saying, but her mind snapped when she heard the phrase notify his daughter. She started to walk quickly to get away from there, but Danny stopped her by grabbing her shoulders.
- Are you ok? – He asked with the older brother tone that he always used with her.
- Yes… I just need to get out of here. Quickly.
She gave him a small smile and tried to go her way, but Danny planted her in her place.
- Are you ok? – He asked again, searching her eyes with his gaze.
- I really have to go. - Dani pointed at the operative. – They put out a search bulletin for Danielle Masters. They need to… tell her.
- I understand. – Danny said releasing her. - But we'll talk about this.
She nodded her head. She stayed with him for a few more seconds and in a moment, she hugged Danny. The boy returned the gesture before she broke away from him and flew out of there. Danny looked up at the sky in the direction she'd headed before the rest of the team Phantom arrived with him.
- Where is she going? - Jazz asked.
- She's needed elsewhere. – He said looking down at Tucker, who was looking at him with concern.
- Dude... What the hell happened?
Danny opened his mouth to answer him, but at that moment, several ghosts landed next to them. The 4 of them turned their bodies to face the group of familiar ghosts. They were tired, injured, and about to head back to the ghost zone, but had decided to have one last talk with the former ghost boy. Walker, Ember, Desiree, the box ghost, Sidney, the lunch lady and in front of them, the real Skulker.
- For a long time, I wanted to put my hands on you to exterminate you, boy… - Walker spoke.
- Another lousy choice of words. - Danny joked.
- I'm glad I never did. – The white ghost replied, ignoring his comment.
- You saved us again from that monster... - Sidney spoke. - So, I guess we owe you something.
- It is a unique offer and for a limited time, so think carefully about what you want. - Desiree said.
- And I can't stress this enough…don't let it go to your head. - Ember intervened.
Danny smiled.
- Well... - He turned his face to inspect his surroundings before answering. - …it would be nice if you stayed and helped us clean up this mess.
Ember smiled at him.
- I'll spread the word.
Skulker flew up to be level with Danny's face to speak to him, but got angry when the 4 of them saw him and suppressed the urge to laugh at his appearance.
- Now that you saved the world, you have become an even more coveted prey for me. – He spoke trying to sound threatening. – However, now you are only human… so hunting you is no longer such an impressive challenge. It would be like fishing in a barrel with dynamite.
Team Phantom's gazes fell on Danny's back at that comment. He sensed them, but did not broach the subject. For now.
- Knowing that you hold me in high esteem is enough for me. – He joked.
- Good luck, Danny Fenton. – Sidney said goodbye.
- Goodbye guys. And thanks.
The ghosts smiled and flew off towards the group of ghosts that were about to return to the ghost zone. With them out of the way, Danny sighed and turned around, ready to face the questioning that was coming his way.
- You're only human now? - Jazz asked.
- Danny… what the hell did I do? - Tucker said.
He held up both hands to calm them down into silence. He inhaled deeply as he thought about where to start the story.