Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit one-shot shot set in its own alternate universe. Danny Phantom and its characters were created by Butch Hartman and is a Nickelodeon property owned by Viacom. Please support the official release!
The year was 2004, and the location was Amity Park, Illinois. This suburban area had a population of nearly five million people. Smaller than most cities, but it wasn't quite a small village in a third-world country, either.
Here, one point of interest came into view. A two-story building that serves as a family household with a laboratory in the basement and has a large UFO-shaped metal chamber that acts as an emergency operation center.
This was Fenton Works, home to two of the most brilliant minds and possible leading experts of all things paranormal.
Within the basement of a two-story household, a large black-haired caucasian man in an orange hazmat jumpsuit and his auburn-haired wife, who was also wearing a blue jumpsuit, stood in front of a machine covered by a tarp with their two children, one the eldest child (a red-headed girl) and youngest child (a black haired boy).
This was the Fenton family.
"Alright! We've got the whole Fenton clan banded together!" The patriarch cheered with excitement. "This calls for a commemoration!"
"Ooo! Good idea, Jack!" The matriarch squealed as she kissed her husband, Jack Fenton's cheek before practically skipping to the workstation to fetch something. "I'll go get the camera!"
"Good thinking, Maddie! This'll be a monumental moment worth writing down in the history books!" Jack raved to his wife, Maddie Fenton, and children. "Soon, the name 'Fenton' will stand next to the names of the great minds of history, like Einstein, Edison, Tesla, and Wright!"
"Don't forget about Da Vinci, Dear!" Maddie said, returning with a camera.
The son and daughter duo looked at each other and said, "Commemoration?"
"Dad, is there a legitimate reason why you and Mom called us down to the basement of all places?" The daughter asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm with Jazz on this one, guys." The son added, looking at the laboratory and its various stations with beakers and vials. "You never let us go down here."
"Ah, but there's a reason why I've called you and your sister in the lab, Danny," Jack explained, addressing the youngest family member, Danny Fenton. "I tell you, kids, from today onward, our lives will change forever."
Jazz and Danny did not like the sound of this, not that they hated their parents, but they were rather weary of their mad scientist tendencies.
"Uh, what do you mean by that?" Danny weakly asked with a nervous smile.
"Jazz, Danny, you know that we love you both. Both of you are our pride and joy." Maddie said maternally. "And we are aware that we tend to get a little…carried away with our passion for our field of scientific study. But, we believe that we've made a breakthrough!"
The Fenton siblings looked at each other in concern.
'...Oh God, here we go again.' Both siblings groaned in their minds.
"R-Really? That's great, Mom, Dad!" Danny said, trying to feign excitement for his parents.
Jazz, not afraid to speak her mind, crossed her arms and questioned, "...This won't be like the stuff you made that will blow up in our faces or spew goo and contaminate the house again, is it?"
"Not at all, Jazzie-pants!" Jack Fenton promised as he walked over to a machine that was covered in a tarp "You and Danny-o are in for a treat! Feast your eyes on this!"
Standing in front of Danny and Jazz was an octagonal device built into the wall of their parents' laboratory. From Danny's perspective, it looked like a gate of some kind, surrounded by thick metal beams. The metal doors that close off the portal are striped yellow and black.
"Woah…" Danny whispered in wonder.
Jack shredded a year of joy and sniffled, saying, "It's so beautiful…! It's only second to you, Madds!"
Maddie nodded and gave her husband a handkerchief to clean his face and blow his nose on.
"Thanks, Babe," The large man said.
Confused, Jazz turned to her parents and questioned, "Mom, Dad, what on Earth is that?"
"This, Jasmine, is our life's work," Maddie said with pride. "Over twenty years of research and studying has led us to this moment! Our first-dimensional gate to the unseen world of spirits."
"A gate to what!?" Jazz gasped. "You mean to tell me that you've spent all of mine and nearly all of Danny's childhood to build a portal to God-knows-where!?"
"Not nowhere, Jazz," Maddie said. "We've pinpointed the coordinates to open up a portal to the ghosts' dimension."
"A spirit world portal?" Danny asked.
"The Ghost Zone, Danny Boy!" Jack corrected. "Your mother and I coined that term ourselves back in our college years."
"But Ghosts don't exist, Dad!" Jazz stressed.
"Nonsense! We've already caught various sights across the United States and acquired plenty of ectoplasm over the years!" Stated Jack, taking hold of the power cord and power socket. "And with this new finished Fenton Portal up and running, the world will have its first man-made ghost portal and introduction into the world of spirits!"
"And since you two are old enough and responsible enough, you two will have simple tasks here to maintain the lab," Maddie announced. "Including changing the Ecto-Filtrator,"
"...Insane…" Jazz shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe this…"
Danny remained silent, but thought, '...They may be goofy, but this is freakishly impressive. Mad scientists or not, they are geniuses.'
"Maybe…maybe this can work," Danny said, causing Jazz to gaze at her brother in shock and the Fenton couple to smile at Danny's support.
"Danny!" Jazz hissed.
"Look, I get it. This is bonkers. And I'm not sure about the whole spirit world stuff, but they built this with their two hands and mind, Jazz." Danny expressed. "Maybe it won't work like they've intended, maybe it will. But they've come too far to turn back now. Let them have a chance to try it out."
Jazz furrowed her brows, then sighed in resignation.
"Alright. You win, Little Brother." The younger redhead said, raising both of her hands. "Let's get this over with."
"Atta girl, Jazzie!" Jack said, smiling at her grumpy daughter before turning to his wife. "You got that camera rolling, Babe?"
"Yes sir~!" Maddie purred, prompting the Fenton siblings to gag. "You're good to go!"
"Finally! BANZAI!" Jack cheered loudly before plugging the Fenton Portal up. The portal's doors opened, and lights began to flash within the chamber that was made to channel and project ecto energy in it.
Danny and Jazz took a step back and held each other close, bracing for impact…
…only for nothing to happen.
Everybody was confused. Danny, who was the first person to break the ice, asked the obvious question.
"...Uh, was something supposed to happen?" The youngest Fenton questioned.
"What the-!?" Jack said, clearly not happy with the result as he looked at the open, yet inactive portal. "What's going on? Why isn't it working?"
Turning to his wife, he asked, "Did we miss something?"
Maddie took hold of the papers of calculation and said, "...No, everything seems to be correct, Jack. Try to run a diagnostic over at the computer. Maybe we can find the problem that way."
Jack stomped over to the computer where a program ran the software for the machine. Next to it was the biometric lock. While typing on the keyboard, he grumbled under his breath.
"Stupid blasted thing! I didn't get kicked out of home and slaved in college to be made a mockery! I'll teach you not to make a fool out of Jack Fenton…!"
"Oh dear," Maddie sighed, turning off the camera. "Kids, we'll get back to you with the matter another time. It seems we might have gotten carried away again and overlooked something."
With that, Maddie walked over to Jack, who grew ever so frustrated with the Fenton Portal's inability to function as it was intended to do.
Jazz and Danny sighed in relief before letting each other go, thinking, '...Crises, averted.'
Crossing her arms, the eldest Fenton sibling stated, "And this is why I'm gunning for a psychology major when I enter a private university."
She turned to Danny and said, "If you need me, I'll be in my room, preparing for school next week. And since you'll be entering Casper High this year, you should do the same."
With that, Jazz quickly took off to her bedroom on the second floor. Danny turned to walk in the same direction, but not before looking back to his parents and their twenty years of hard work for the last time in the day.
He could see the prospect of failure hurting his father as he slammed his hand on the surface of the table where the computer was set up while letting out an exasperated sigh. This caused Maddie to rub his back to support him.
"...I don't get it! We were this close, Mads! I can feel it!" Jack expressed anger at himself. "What could I've done wrong?"
"I don't know, Jack. It's strange to me as well." Maddie said softly as she held her husband's face "But we can figure this out together."
"...You're right, Mads." Jack stated. "Setbacks like these never stopped us before."
"Let's leave the portal alone and take the night to go out, hm?" Maddie suggested. "Then in the morning, I'll make your favorite ice cream cake."
"With the fudge?"
"Extra fudge."
The couple hugged each other, sharing a tender and heartwarming scene.
Danny gazed at his parents with pity before leaving the lab.
-Several Hours Later-
It was seven thirty in the evening and Danny Fenton couldn't sleep. Right now, his parents were away on a romantic date. Meanwhile, Jazz held a study night with a group of girls at her high school and planned to get home roughly before Jack and Maddie.
He lay in his bed, thinking about what occurred hours ago. The young Fenton couldn't shake the feeling of guilt and ruth. Much like Jazz, Danny was affected by the eccentric and sometimes crazy tendencies of his scientific parents due to them being researchers of what many believed to be pseudo-science. So, whenever something insane would occur, the public would label them as loons, embarrassing him and Jazz.
Because of this, Danny felt that he needed to walk a different path from his parents. Something a bit more traditional. Rockets, other planets, celestial bodies, and the vast cosmos that composed existence fascinated Danny. He knew he wanted to travel to outer space, or at least help create rockets.
Thus, he decided to grow up and become an astronaut.
But it wasn't fair that he nor Jazz were supportive of their parents' passion when despite their pride as ghost researchers and "ghost hunters" would always support their hopes and dreams no matter what path either of them took.
And Danny could vividly remember how his father reacted to the portal's malfunction. It pierced Danny's heart, watching his father spiraling into disappointment and frustration. The feeling of pain only increased when Jack blamed himself after showing so much excitement at what was supposed to be his and his mother, Maddie's crowning achievement.
'...Oh, man. What if he gives up on his job? Even if he tried other ventures, it wouldn't be the same. Dad wouldn't be the same.' Danny recognized in his mind. '...If I got rejected from NASA, I wouldn't know what to do with myself.'
…Suddenly, a burning resolve arose within Danny.
He didn't know how he would pull it off, and it may be stupid and reckless to do so without guidance, but for once in his life, Danny felt the need to engage in his parents' interest just this once.
He was going to try and fix the Fenton Portal.
Danny got up from his bed, in his blue and white pajamas. He left his room, descended the stairway, and made it to the basement. He was given the passcode to the lab by Jack after being relegated to certain tasks that he would perform after the first week of school.
When he turned on the lights, Danny walked over to the closet and found lab coats, gloves, safety goggles, and other articles of clothes suitable for a laboratory setting.
"Knowing Mom and Dad, they probably have some tailored hazmat jumpsuits for me and Jazz lying somewhere…"
And lo and behold, he found a white full-body jumpsuit with black gloves and boots along with an emblem of Jack Fenton's face on it.
Danny gave the picture of his father a half-lidded glare, then quickly took it off the suit.
While changing his clothes, Danny said aloud, "Nice try, Dad, but this is going to be a one-time thing outside of the new chores. I'm not getting involved with anything that's not NASA or space-related."
Once he finished putting on the white and black hazmat suit, he walked up to a mirror and said, "...Still, they'd be over the moon if they saw me wearing this. Jazz would probably try to talk me out of this. Or send me to a psych ward."
Taking a deep breath, Danny slapped both of his cheeks with his gloved hands and said, "Okay, you can do this, Fenton. It's you…"
Danny turned and took a step forward toward the direction of his parents' invention, saying, "...And the portal."
Danny began to inspect his parent's notes while analyzing the portal. While he has been studious in math and science, the notes that Maddie and Jack jotted down were out of his element. Danny was only fourteen years old, but even he knew that the calculations written in the packet of notes were more complicated than physics and rocket science combined.
Of course, this is because the Ghost Zone, as Jack had put it, was a different dimension.
Setting the notes down, Danny stumbled upon the blueprints of the Fenton Portal. While trying to grasp each component as much as his teenage brain could, Danny once again mentally realized how intelligent his parents were.
"...Genetic Lock, Ecto-filtrator, Main Computer," Danny listed aloud as he inspected each one.
However, nothing seemed to be malfunctioning at the moment. The computer stated that the condition of the portal was excellent, but it has yet to come online. And this puzzled Danny for a moment until he thought of something.
"Wait, Dad only plugged up the portal," Danny thought out loud. "If what the computer said was true, then there should be a power switch or power button."
Danny then went back to the blueprint, then used it as a guide. Danny's eyes and smiles widened.
"...Aha!" Danny exclaimed, placing the paper back on the workstation as he approached the inside of the Fenton Portal. "The power buttons are inside the portal! Dad must have done this by mistake."
Danny excitedly headed inside, only to trip while heading into the portal. To catch himself from falling, Danny's right hand tried to take hold of the surface of the nearest wall.
However, his hand touched the "On" button of the Fenton Portal, thus activating the gateway.
From there, all that Danny could feel was what he would describe as millions of volts burning his flesh from the inside out as he let out a blood-curdling shriek. And then, everything turned black.
Fenton Works, Amity Park, IL, Year 2005
"-Danny? Danny! Wake up, it's seven! You're going to be late for school!"
The voice of seventeen-year-old Jasmine Fenton rang aloud, causing her sleeping brother to stir from within his room.
The fifteen-year-old grumbled in his sleep, uttering, "Ugh…N-No…Five more minutes…"
"DANIEL JAMES FENTON, IF YOU DON'T GET UP THIS INSTANT, I WILL GET DAD TO DO IT!" Jazz roared from outside of the room.
The blue-eyed teen smacked his lips while he begrudgingly sat up and said, "Alright! I'm up! Hold your horses, you spaz!"
With that, Daniel James Fenton awoke and began to start his day. He got up from his bed, grabbed his clothes from his drawers and closet, and set them on his bed. He then manages to shed his clothes by turning light blue, then phased through the door to his bathroom to shower.
Fifteen minutes later, Danny entered the kitchen, where the rest of the family gathered. His raven hair grew longer, reaching the back of his neck. Danny wore a white hood with red accents and a single-ringed red planet on the left side of his chest, blue jeans that were best fitted, and black sneakers.
Jazz wore a blue headband, a black long-sleeve v-neck shirt, aqua pants, and a pair of simple, black flats.
And Jack and Maddie kept their jumpsuits on while the couple discussed their favorite topic.
Ghost hunting.
"I'm telling you, Maddie, there's a lot of spectral scum running amok in town and that ghost kid is somehow at the center of it!" Jack raved.
"I know, Jack. To think it has already been a year since the portal started working," Maddie said with a hint of nostalgia. "The ghost outbreak was a real game changer. I'm not complaining about our big break, but the sheer number of those spooks has run us ragged."
"Never fear, Darling! We'll settle the score with the rest of those slimy scoundrels later. Besides, my gut tells me that the Phantom of Amity Park is the source of this madness. And once we catch that ghost, we'll destroy it for good!" Jack proclaimed.
"Wait, Jack, there's still so little we know about the Phantom. It's not like the rest of its kind." Maddie pointed out. "I say we dissect the ghost."
"I know, we'll dispose of it by ripping it apart molecule by molecule!" Jack responded before going to the counter to pour him a cup of coffee.
Jazz sat at the family table, reading one of her many psychology books.
The eldest child of the Fenton siblings suppressed a groan and thought '...Seriously, guys? If you'd just take off the scientific lens and use your big brains, you'd realize that you're talking about your own child. I mean, Phantom sounds an awful lot like Fenton!'
"Just one more semester," The redhead whispered to herself. "And then I'm free,"
Upon seeing Danny with his backpack on approaching her, Jazz formed a knowing smile and said, "Good morning, Little Brother."
"Morning Jazz," Danny casually waved at his sister while staring at his parents conversing with each other.
"What's got them all fired up this early?" The younger blue-eyed sibling.
Jazz groaned, "The usual ignorant filicidal prattel."
"Ah, right. How can I forget." Danny uttered sarcastically. "In their eyes, Phantom is publicly enemy number one. All the more reason to lay low."
"Even though he saves the town with his heroics on the regular." Jazz countered while smiling at her brother proudly.
"You help him out a lot too, ya know?" Danny smiled lightly.
"Well, duh. It's my job," Jazz recalled as Danny went to the pantry, getting Fenton's couple's notice.
"Good morning, Sweetie/ Morning, Kiddo!" Maddie and Jack spoke at the same time.
"Morning, Guys," Danny said, flashing a genuine smile as he opened the refrigerator to grab the milk carton.
"Are you excited for your sophomore year?" Maddie questioned as she watched him grab a bowl from a lower pantry and a spoon from the utensils drawer.
Danny then grabbed a box of cereal and poured it into the bowl by a countertop, saying, "...Well, excited wouldn't be the word I use, but-"
"-Why not? You get to see your little friends again!" Jack said with his enthusiastic mannerisms at full display. "Weren't you hanging out with Sam and the Foleys' boy?"
Danny's jaw clenched tightly shut with a frown while Maddie glared at him.
"Huh? Was it something I said?" Jack said, noticing the sudden tonal shift.
"Dad! Danny hasn't talked to Sam since the school dance from last year!" Jazz reminded Jack.
Jack facepalmed with a groan and said, "...Oh, right! Sorry about that, Son."
Danny shook his head and gave Jack a smile of reassurance," It's alright, Dad. A lot of crazy stuff has happened since last year. I don't hold it against you for remembering."
"It's not that, Danny. I assumed that the two of you would have gotten past what happened," Jack stated.
Danny sighed saying, "You don't know Sam like I do. When she finds a serious reason to be mad at you, she'll hold it over you till the ends of the earth. Unless you figure out a way to appease her."
"Which you still haven't done yet?" Jazz questioned.
"I tried to talk to her several times after the dance, but she keeps avoiding me like the plague after chewing me out," Danny explained, recalling the past. "I tried to let her down as gently as I could, but she…"
"So that's why Jeremy was screaming his head off over the phone during that time," Jack realized. "Sounds to me that she liked you, Son."
"I didn't know at the time," Danny guiltily said. "But as I told her, I didn't feel the same. She didn't take that well."
"Oh dear," Maddie said, putting a hand on her cheek. "She still must be heartbroken… Do you at least talk to Tucker?"
Danny poured his milk into his bowl, then stopped.
"...It's complicated, Mom," Danny answered.
"What do you mean?" The Fenton matriarch inquired.
"Tucker's playing the mediator, Mom," Jazz explained. "Him and Danny get to talk online through playing games, but at school, he has to keep his distance by talking to Danny and Sam apart to avoid another scene at school."
"At least until either Sam lets this go, or I find a way to fix this," Danny added as he took his bowl of cereal to the table.
"Well, I suppose we cannot interfere with your dilemma," Maddie said, crossing her arms. "You can't help how you feel. And a heartbreak takes time to heal. I think that the best things you can give Sam right now are space and time."
"Your mother's right!" Jack said, supporting his wife. "And if Sam and Tucker are people worthy to stick by, then you don't give up on them! After all, you're a Fenton, and we Fentons never quit! Take it from me!"
Danny solemnly smiled, thinking about the good times he had with his old friends during middle school.
Suddenly, Danny felt Jazz patting his back while saying, "You've been through a lot since the accident, Danny. Stuff like this takes one step at a time to deal with. If they understand that, your friends will come around."
Before Danny began to eat his food, Danny said, "Thanks, Guys."
Five minutes later, Danny finished his breakfast and washed his dishes before drying them and placing them back where they went.
As Danny and Jazz announced that he was leaving his family, his parents offered them a ride.
"Kids, we can give you two a lift to school if you want." Said Maddie.
"And what's a better way to arrive at school in style than riding in the Fenton Family Ghost Assault Vehicle!" Jack eccentrically added.
"Uh, Mom, Dad? You do know that I have my own car, right?" Jazz reminded her parents.
This caused Jack and Maddie to turn to their youngest child, who rubbed his neck.
"U-Uh, I'll pass," Danny answered. "I was planning on meeting up with Valerie. We were going to homeroom together."
"Valerie?" Maddie repeated.
Jack asked, "Who is that again?"
"Valerie Gray is a kid in Danny's class. Her dad works for Axion Labs." Jazz explained.
Jack snapped his fingers with his right hand, saying, "Right, wasn't that the guy who sued the original executives and won?"
Danny smiled at the memory and nodded, saying, "Yup, she's Mr. Gray's daughter."
"Well, you shouldn't keep her waiting," Maddie said before addressing both kids. "You two have a wonderful day."
"Bye Mom, bye Dad!" Jazz and Danny say before heading out the front door.
Nasty Burger, Amity Park, IL
Jazz had Danny ride with her as she drove away. However, once Jazz's black 2002 Buick LeSabre was out of her parent's sight, she quickly stopped at the local Nasty Burger.
From there, the siblings got out of the car and Jazz opened up a duffle bag full of gadgets made by Fenton Works. In turn, Danny opened up his backpack and began to call a person on his cellphone.
"Hey Val, it's Danny. Jazz and I are at the Nasty Burger near school. What's taking you so long?"
"...Technus? Where did he come from?" Danny said, shocked to hear a high-level threat being near her area. "Do you want me to fly there?"
One by one, Jazz began to put certain gadgets in her little brother's backpack during Danny's call with Valerie.
"...You sure? Okay. See you there. Bye." Danny said before ending the call.
"Valerie's fighting Technus, I presume?" Jazz inquired.
"She's dealing with Technus 2.0 at the mall," Danny answered with a frown. "She's most likely going to be running late. What did you get for me, Sis?"
"I packed a Fenton Thermos, a pair of Fenton Phones, and a Specter Deflector in case of emergencies." Jazz answered.
"You do know that the belt can hurt me, right?" Danny answered.
"Only if you put it on yourself." Jazz countered. "But if you can close the gap on someone like Plasmius, it can be used in your favor."
"You got a point there," Danny said, taking out the thermos. "Are you armed?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Jazz said before taking out a large metal and green cylinder blast. "I keep this little side piece on standby."
Danny smirked and snorted, "You call the Fenton Bazooka a side piece?"
The two siblings shared a big laugh before something different in the air triggered Danny to gasp. This caused a light blue ominous mist to escape the boy's lips.
From there, across the street, a block away from Nasty Burger was a ghostly robbery of a jewelry store. Many Ectopusses were terrorizing human civilians, who were busy running for their lives or driving off to safety. The criminal operation was the spirit who floated out of the front of the store. The spirit was a glowing caucasian man with pale skin with a green tinge, sharp teeth, and pointed and elongated elf-like ears. He had grey hair, a grey mustache, green eyes, and a butler-like outfit.
This was Bertrand, one of the stronger spirits that originated from the Ghost Zone.
"Is that the ghost from Spirit Week that was covering for Spectra last year?" Jazz pointed out.
"Bertrand!" Danny exclaimed as he clenched his fists and glared in the spirit's direction.
Jazz questioned, "What's a Class-4 Poltergeist doing here this early? And is it me or does he look a tad…different."
"Doesn't matter," Danny said resolutely before pulling out the Fenton Thermos from his bag. "Jazz, can you bring my bag to the front office? I have a feeling that I'm going to be late...again."
"Sure thing, Little Brother." Jazz nodded. "Good luck and be safe."
Danny smiled at his sister, ran across the street, then turned at the nearest alleyway. Looking around, the raven-haired found nobody around.
'No one around, and not a single camera in sight.' Danny thought. 'Looks like the coast is clear.'
"I'm goin' ghost!" Danny cried.
Danny accessed his mid-morph DNA, channeling the ecto energy from the center of his body, causing a white energy ring to appear around him. From there, the single energy ring split into two and traveled from above and below Danny's body. The rings transformed the youngest Fenton, giving Danny a tan, and changing his eyes from baby blue to light green, his raven hair combover turning snow white while it waved in the air, making it resemble fire. Replacing Danny's casual clothing was the inversion of his Hazmat suit from last year, a metal utility belt around his waist, and black gloves.
Standing in the place of Daniel Fenton was the Phantom of Amity Park.
Phantom turned invisible and morphed his feet into a ghost's tail before jetting to Bertrand's location.
-Shopping District, Amity Park-
Bertrand felt himself being corrupted by the negative energy that was getting soaked up by his ectoplasmic body every day. And he just couldn't get enough of it. Now, he could see why Penelope was addicted to it.
While having diamond rings on his fingers and gold chained necklaces, he turned to his underlings who were spreading fear and terror in the streets and said, "Keep up the good work, boys! We're racking up a big score!"
As the screams and wailing of mankind increased, Bertrand took a big whiff of the fear that the spirits were producing and sighed, "Ahhh~! This madness is just…intoxicating."
"Choke on this!" A voice said as an ecto ray violently struck Bertrand, sending him crashing on the sidewalk face first.
The pod of Ectopusses looked around to try and find where the mystery assailant was. Instead, he found the bunch of them getting picked off via arcs and blasts of ecto energy. When a handful of the smaller spirits remained, Phantom revealed himself, holding the Fenton Thermos while his hair flowed in the air like a passive flame and his eyes burned green.
"...You guys never learn," Phantom coolly spoke before sucking all of the Ectopusses into the Fenton Thermos.
When he closed the lid on the thermos, he narrowly dodged an ecto ray that was aimed at the back of his head. Phantom turned around to see Bertrand, peeved at the teenage superhero that thwarted his heist.
"YOU!" Bertrand hissed.
"Well, good morning to you, Bertrand," Phantom smirked. "How was the little morning dirt nap?"
"You little wretch! I've never met any spirit as insufferable as you, and it's only been a year! Must you always make things difficult!?" The flamboyant butler spirit growled before lunging toward the ghost boy, morphing into a green panther with his shapeshifting ability.
Phantom, on his guard, erected a rectangular ecto shield Bertrand slammed into face first. The ghost boy pushed him back, causing Bertrand to growl before splitting into three clones. These clones circled the half ghost, taking turns firing ecto rays that the white-haired teenager dodged skillfully.
However, Phantom was eventually struck in the sternum by one of the clones that took the form of a shinobi. Then one of the clones turned into a green ravenous bear and smacked him into a random building, causing Phantom to yelp.
Phantom got up, saying, "O-Ow! Suffering spook…"
While he compared to Bertrand's power a year ago, Phantom admitted, "...Okay, maybe he's gotten a little stronger."
Out of reflex, the ghost child dove away from a moving car that was thrown his way.
Turning around, he saw Bertrand, fully formed, getting increasingly enraged while red demonic veins emerged from his pale skin.
"INSOLENT LITTLE TWERP!" Bertrand growled as he began to morph again. "I'LL NEVER LOSE TO A LIMINAL FREAK LIKE YOU!"
While his body contorted, Bertrand shredded his human form, taking the appearance of a ghostly pointed ear ogre with four bat-like wings on his back, a lizard-like tail, and a cow's nose. Now, Bertrand was ten feet tall and had two sets of eyes with two mouths that wailed in pain and anger.
"...What the-ARGH!?" Phantom uttered before being blasted skyward.
While the ghost boy's body was hurled into the sky, the corrupted Bertrand flew after Phantom like a predator. Seeing his impending down above him, the ghost child turned tangible to avoid a lunge before forming a ball of ecto energy as big as a medicine ball and throwing it at Bertrand, launching him away.
However, when Bertrand landed on the ground with his back turned, he caught the ball of ecto energy with his first set of hands, condensed it, then devoured it in one of his mouths.
"H-He just ate my attack!" Phantom exclaimed in shock. " For breakfast!"
With the tongue of a chameleon, Bertrand caught Phantom's right human leg, then used it to fling the ghost hero across many structures of the shopping district, damaging the hero as he screamed in pain as he dropped the Fenton Thermos.
When he was down, the corrupted Bertrand flung the ghost boy's beaten body onto the ground ten feet away and cackled at Phantom's current state. Still, Phantom manages to muster the will to stand up. His suit was torn from the constant assault and several cuts were littered over his body.
'...H-Holy crap, I haven't been ragged on this much since my last fight with Vlad. …I-I think this guy's gone Wraith!' Phantom thought as the spirit took slow steps with the intent to finish the ghost boy off. 'H-He's getting too strong, but if I don't do something, I'm toast!'
As Bertrand readied to blast Phantom one more time, albeit charging an electrical-based ecto-attack. Seeing this, a primal fear washed over Phantom as he recalled the night of the accident. He can still feel the phantom pains of the Fenton Portal shocking his body and cooking his flesh from the inside out. Danny's entire body quivered, thinking about it.
Not wanting to experience that again, Danny took three steps back, shaking his head,
"No..!" The injured Phantom spoke. "G-Get away from me!"
When the beast took one more malicious step, Phantom screamed, "I said GET AWAAAY!"
Suddenly, out of reflex, Phantom produced a highly destructive stream of pure ecto-energy from their vocal cords and mouth. This power was accompanied by a sound reminiscent of a legion of tortured souls all moaning and groaning at once.
This power was so great, that it overwhelmed the corrupted Bertrand and knocked him over. The frequency of the wail caused him to ooze ectoplasm from his ears and scream in mouth-froathing pain. This new power shattered the glass from vehicles and buildings surrounding the area. Shortly after the screaming monstrous Bertrand fell, the spiritual being reverted to his smaller gelatinous self.
Phantom stopped screaming, and then fell to his hands and knees, huffing while trying to catch his breath.
"...W-What…did I…just do?" The ghost boy questioned.
When he controlled his breathing, he noticed his Fentom Thermos near him and grabbed it. Taking a look at the neutralized and shaken Bertrand, Phantom stood up and sucked him into the thermos.
'...Did I just unlock a ghost power?' Phantom thought as he closed the lid on the Fenton Thermos.
"...I better tell Jazz to reclassify him as a Wraith now-" Phantom thought aloud before a thought caused him to gasp. "Ah, crap! I'm gonna be late for class!"
With that, the Phantom of Amity Park turned invisible and flew to Casper High undetected in the air.
Homeroom, Casper High, Amity Park, IL, 2005
A bald overweight middle-aged caucasian man with a light black beard wearing a light blue collar, a black necktie, gray pants, and black loafers.
This was Mr. Ronald William Lancer, Vice Principal, and homeroom teacher of the class of 2007. The class was composed of at least thirty children sitting at their desks. Notable members included a dark long-haired Latina with tan skin, her blonde caucasian best friend, a dark-skinned African American boy wearing a red beanie with locks of black hair sticking out of it, a dark-skinned African American woman with a short but puffy afro, and a caucasian goth girl with black neck length hair that had a small pony-tail resting at the top, small green highlights. At the same time, the right side of her head was shaved to a buzz cut dyed purple.
These were Paulina Sanchéz, Star Lynne, Tucker Foley, Valerie Gray, and Samantha "Sam" Manson.
Ten minutes have passed since the final bell rang, and Mr. Lancer briefly went over the syllabus and class guidelines, making it clear what he expected from his students.
"...And as a friendly reminder, dear students, that Group Assignments are worth 20% of your grade, Student-Led Class Discussions are 10% of your grade, Tests are 15%, your Mid Term is 20%, your Final Assignment is 20%, and last but not least, Class Participation is 15% percent of your grade." Mr. Lancer spoke. "And for those who had me as your homeroom teacher last year, you are very aware of how passionate I am for punctuality, for life is a cruel and unforgiving mistress to those who let time slip from their grasps, and many employers can be the same. That is why I've kept my tardiness policy as strict as I possible-"
Suddenly, a winded Danny Fenton came in with his hood on, looking slightly frazzled. This got the attention of the class, including a heated glare from Sam and worried glances from both Valerie and Tucker.
"-Mr. Fenton," Mr. Lancer spoke with a deadpan expression on his face and an even tone.
Danny gave the older man a weary smile and said, "G-Good morning, Mr. Lancer, Sir. H-How was-"
-My summer?" Mr. Lancer finished before giving him a small smile. "It was quite relaxing. Thank you for asking."
Danny inwardly sighed in relief while gracing his teacher with a smile on his own.
"Although, I would be having a decent morning if two of my students who hold so much promise had the decency to arrive on time on the first day of class." Mr. Lancer said with a frown of disapproval causing chuckles and heckles from some of the popular and unnamed new kids.
Danny, while still wearing his hoodie lowered his head a little and muttered, "S-Sorry, Sir."
"You know my tardiness policy, Daniel," Mr. Lancer stated. "Expect to join Ms. Gray after school. Do not be late."
"Yes sir," Danny nodded before taking the walk of shame to an empty seat next to Valerie.
His enhanced hearing allowed him to hear exactly what some of the other teens were saying.
"Loser."
"No wonder Manson ditched him last year,"
"I bet he tripped on his way here,"
"Yeah, he's always been a klutz. Remember when he kept dropping those beakers?"
"Why can't he be like his sister?"
"He's a Freaky Fenton, just like his wacko parents."
"¡Ja, ja, qué bicho raro!"
While he ignored the jeering and side comments from most of his peers with relative ease, he flinched when making eye contact with Sam for a split second. But instead of saying anything, Sam scoffed and turned her head away. This was a gut punch from Danny. However, he called what his father told him this morning.
You're a Fenton, and we Fentons never quit!
'Dad's right.' Danny thought to himself with a new resolve. 'Sam might be pissed at me, but we've been friends since kindergarten. And I wouldn't change that for the world. I won't give up on her.'
With that, Daniel Fenton sat his bag down and took his seat next to Valerie.
"...Now, if there are no more interruptions, we will go over the literature that you will be required to read over the semester." Mr. Lancer said as he pulled out To Kill A Mocking Bird from the drawer of his desk.
Danny sat at his desk with his head down but facing the front. Just then, he felt a hand on his arms, prompting Danny to turn in Valerie's direction.
The girl, who sported a small afro but growing afro, quietly asked with a supportive smile, "...Rough morning, Spooks?"
Danny felt a tug on his lips as he weakly said, "For normal folks, sure. But for us, it's another Monday."
The two smiled at each other before resuming listening to Lancer's lecture.
Daniel Fenton knew that dealing with his double life wasn't going to be easy. And going through puberty wasn't helping his circumstances either. Thankfully, there were a few people in his life he could count on. And it's for that very reason that he will continue to push himself and be a better person and a hero.
Both as Danny Fenton and as the Phantom of Amity Park.
The End.
Author's Note: Hey, guys! This is DSG451!
As you know, this story was written by me with the help of two friends. One of them being UltimateDemonBeast65, and the other, Som3bodE. This idea came about when discussing old nostalgic shows and the characterization of certain people within the show.
Controversial creator aside, I've always liked the world of Danny Phantom, but never got around to writing about it due to other projects being conceptualized and me not thinking about the show for a long time.
And as you can tell the framing and position of certain characters, my friends and I like some characters compared to others. That includes shipping. We promise not to demonize the ones we are not fond of but don't expect any heavy romance plot points in the future either.
Goin' Ghost Retold is set in an alternate timeline where things happen differently with alterations in certain relationships between certain characters. You consider this little writing project a…pilot of sorts. We are not going to rush out a story or anything, but we're curious to see what you think about this one-shot.
If it does get attention and reviews, we might consider a mini-series involving this version of Danny Phantom with its own expanded. But that's all up to you guys.
Please leave your comments, questions, concerns, and criticisms in the Reviews. Tell me what you like, dislike, what could be better, and what you enjoy about the saga and/or story so far by writing a detailed review for me. What are your favorite moments? Who would you like to see more of? Let me know these things, guys! It helps me grow as a writer, and I enjoy reading your thoughts on my work.
Anyway, I'll see you guys later!
-DarkShadowGames451