Chapter 5, here we come! Welcome back everyone! This time it's going to be another half and half, but it will bring about another important face to this story. Danny gets his spotlight right here, right now. Before any of that, however, let's answer some reviews.
Mira_Covett: Thanks!
Hiji: It was designed to view a world unseen.
FeliciaBelle: I'm glad you love it! Here's another chapter!
SilverWolf212: Lol. That's a good one.
Fraanrmz: Who are you talking about lying?
vixen_uchiha: Oh wow. Thanks for the kind words. I'll do my best!
With that out of the way, let's begin. I don't own Miraculous, Danny Phantom, Marvel, or DC. I do own any original characters, concepts, creatures, and places that work their way into the story unless stated otherwise.
Mousegirl15- Marinette (Mouse)
Crashnebula- Danny (Crash)
Nightwing- Dick (Nightwing)
MonkeyKid16- Kim
LadyTigress16- Juleka
QueenBee17- Chloe
GothQueen- Sam
TooFineTuck- Tucker
Amity Park, Illinois
The night was cold as the street lamps buzzed over the empty street. Few dared to step outside at this time of night, especially on this street. This could be said about a lot of places, but this street was particularly known for trouble. There was a reason they called Amity Park the most haunted city in the US. No street embodied this one fact more than the street Fenton Works was settled on.
A sudden explosion of green energy hit the road, scaring off the birds in the area. A shadowy figure landed in the middle of the damage zone as it let out a roar. The creature seemed to be a red skinned reptilian with green fire leaking from its mouth and green glowing eyes. Its overall structure matched that of a canine save for the horns that protruded from where its ears should have been, the short spines that rested on its upper back, and a long, alligator like tail that completed the ensemble. It let out a monstrous roar as it began to charge a green ball of flames in its mouth, its sights aimed on a nearby feline.
"I don't think so Fido!" roared a voice. The beast's attack was halted as a green beam of energy struck it in the back. A boy with white hair, tan skin, and green eyes floated into view. He wore a black and white hazmat suit with a stylized "DP" on it, the "P" encased within the D. This was Danny Phantom, more commonly referred to as Phantom or "The Ghost Boy," the ghostly hero of Amity park.
The beast growled as it glared at the young ghost child, the fire in its mouth growing stronger. Phantom touched down on the ground with a cocky smile. "I'm not a big fan of cats myself, but my best friend would kill me if you hurt an animal on my watch. Not to mention you're tearing up my town, so I'm gonna have to ask you to come nicely." The beast's response was to shoot a stream of green flames at him.
Phantom quickly dodged out of the way as he charged an ectoblast in his hands. He threw the energy at the beast, but it quickly moved out of the way in favor of crushing a bench. It fed on the wood of the bench, growing in size as it's flame burned brighter. Phantom flew at it with a fist reared back, punching it just as it turned to look at him again. He flew around and kicked it in the side, but it soon crashed him down on the ground with a large paw.
He suddenly became invisible as he dove into the ground. The beast was about to go in after him when he popped up to its right with his eyes glowing blue. Phantom quickly shot a light blue blast at the ghost, but it moved just as quickly as before. He threw the attack a few more times before finally hitting the leg of the beast. The spectral reptile howled in pain as its leg was frozen.
The ghost beast reduced in size, breaking the ice around its leg in the process. It shuttered at the loss of heat as it tried to regain its footing. Phantom pulled a thermos out from behind him as he rushed towards the ghost. "I have a French quiz tomorrow so let's wrap this up pal!" He moved to open the thermos, only to be swatted away by the creature's tail. The attack also hit a fire hydrant, causing it to burst.
The villainous creature went intangible as it dove into the ground, a scared look on its face. Phantom groaned as he rubbed his head. Two rings of white suddenly appeared as they moved opposite directions from his torso. The ghostly hero now had black hair and blue eyes. The boy also wore a white and red t-shirt, baggy blue jeans, and a pair of red-and-white sneakers.
What most did not know was that Phantom was actually a human boy by the name of Danny Fenton. During a lab accident his DNA became half human and half ectoplasmic, meaning he was halfway to death's doorstep but still lived and breathed like a normal person. The event gave him the ability to take on a ghost form, bringing with it the typical powers of a ghost and then some. Danny tried to sit up as he rubbed his head. The sound of approaching footsteps concerned him until he saw the familiar shadows.
"Danny!" cried a feminine voice. The girl with fair skin, purple eyes, and short black hair that was accompanied by a ponytail held back by a green hair tie. She was the definition of goth as she wore purple lipstick, a black choker around her neck, a black top that exposes her midriff with a purple oval in the center, black striped skirt with a green crosshatch design, a pair of black bracelets around both of her wrists, purple tights, and black combat boots. This was Sam Manson, one of Danny's best friends. The second person to hold that title soon came round the corner as well.
This friend was a brown skinned boy with turquoise eyes, black hair, and black glasses. He wore a long-sleeve yellow shirt, a grey backpack, green cargo pants with a black belt, and brown boots along with a red beret. In his hands he held some form of radar. This is Tucker Foley, the geek of the group and a hopeless flirt. He put away the radar as he helped Sam raise Danny to his feet.
"You okay dude?" asked Tucker. "You look like you took quite a hit." Danny waved him off as he groaned.
"If he were as big as he was earlier then I'd feel worse." Answered Danny. "Thankfully I froze his leg so he had to shrink down. It's so annoying that he can shrink out of the ice. Please tell me the tracker still has a read on it." Tucker brought the radar out, only to groan as he shook his head.
"It's still undetectable when intangible. This thing works when you're intangible, so what's the difference with this thing!?" Sam looked at her watch and frowned.
"And it's close to midnight." Added Sam. "If we don't get back soon we won't have enough sleep for school tomorrow. If you fail that French quiz your parents will tighten your curfew Danny." Danny groaned as he walked away from his friends. The rings appeared again as he turned back into Phantom.
"I know." Groaned the ghost boy. "Let's call it a night. See you guys tomorrow!" The boy quickly took off at high speed, soaring through the air. Sam sighed as she shook her head, watching her best friend fly into the distance.
They had been chasing this ghost for days and they still couldn't catch it. It was the only reason they couldn't meet that new friend group of Danny's. She frowned at the memory of this new group. She still had to make sure they weren't using Danny in any way. She loved him too much to let someone take advantage of him.
"If you ask me he should've asked his parents to sign him up for Spanish instead." Stated Tucker, interrupting his friend's thoughts. "Then he could've been in class with Paulina, maybe even get me her number." Sam growled as she smacked the geek on the back of the head, ignoring his cry of pain as she stomped off. "Yeah I guess I deserved that. Goodnight Sam!"
Support Group, Miraculous Gamer Guild Server, Chatty
Mousegirl15 has logged on.
Mousegirl15: Hey Crash!
I know it's 5 AM in America but I wanted to wish you luck on your French quiz!
I hope our study sessions help.
Crashnebula has logged on.
Crashnebula: You and me both.
I had a rough sleep last night. Phantom was out chasing that ghost again.
If he doesn't catch it soon I'll go nuts.
Mousegirl15: Oof!
I swear why is it that everyone I know is plagued by some kind of magic or villain?
What even is he fighting?
Crashnebula: Some kind of ghost lizard.
It has a body like a dog with horns, spines on its back, and a flaming mouth.
It's the most annoying thing ever.
Mousegirl15: Hm…
I don't know much about ghosts, but I have a friend who knows a lot.
I'll ask her tomorrow if she knows anything about this thing.
Crashnebula: Thanks Mouse!
At the very least I can defend myself if this thing appears and Phantom isn't around.
Anyway, gotta head to school. Goodnight!
Mousegirl15: Goodnight, and good luck!
Mousegirl15 has logged off.
Crashnebula has logged off.
Casper High, Amity Park
Danny rubbed his eyes as he sighed. He may not have gotten good sleep last night, but that French quiz felt a little too easy. Either the sessions with Mouse were really helping or the other students in his class were groaning for nothing. He even finished first out of everyone else. It didn't mean much for if he'd make the grade or not, but it was still a sign that something was weird.
He opened his locker, being met with an ornate mirror. While one wouldn't have guessed it was special, this mirror functioned as a gateway to a place known as the Ghost Zone. The Ghost Zone was the place all ghosts lived and formed, whether they died in the living realm or not. Danny's locker just happened to belong to a ghost that used to go to Casper High in the past. He smiled as a familiar face popped up in the mirror.
"Hey Danny!" greeted a ghost. This was Sydney Poindexter, the Ghost of Casper High. He had black hair, white skin, and grey eyes. He wore wire-frame glasses, a pocket-protector, a bow tie, a white-sleeved t-shirt, 50's styled shoes, and tweed-styled pants. "How was French class?"
"It was fine Sydney." Answered Danny. "I hate how the quiz felt so easy. It makes me feel like I bombed it. Maybe I'd feel better if we caught that ghost dog a few days ago." Sydney frowned as he shook his head.
"If I knew what kind of ghost it was I'd tell you how to beat it Danny, honest. I'd be a bully if I didn't and you know I hate bullies." Danny nodded with a smile, knowing the specter wouldn't lie about this. He was just thankful that this was the last class of the day so he could plan his next move. Before he could do so, however, the school speakers came to life.
"Would Daniel Fenton please return to room 123?" Requested a voice over the speaker. That was the voice of the principal, and it wasn't usually good when a student was asked to double back. He got a silent good luck from Sydney as he closed his locker. He returned to the classroom, his French teacher holding one of the quizzes in her hands. Danny knocked on the doorframe, though she didn't look up from the paper.
"You can enter, Mr. Fenton." Answered the woman. Danny gulped at the use of his last name. That could only mean he was in trouble. He took a seat in front of her as she laid the paper face down on the desk. He tapped his foot nervously as he looked to her, a bit of sweat on his brow.
"Am I in trouble Mrs. Bisset?" asked Danny. "I know I haven't been very good about tardiness these past few days but I am trying to be better." The woman looked him in the eye, causing him to sweat more.
"That depends on your answer to my question. Did you cheat on today's quiz?" Danny's eyes widened. He was being accused of cheating!? He frowned, no longer scared of being in trouble.
"No mam. These past few days I've been taking study sessions with an online friend who speaks and writes in French. It's been really helpful for understanding everything." Mrs. Bisset continued to look him in the eye, a slight stare down ensuing. He was about to walk off when the teacher smiled and flipped over the paper.
"I can tell you're being honest Danny. You won't be getting this until tomorrow like the rest of your classmates, but I wanted to say how proud I am." Danny blinked a few times before looking down at the quiz. It was his own quiz, marked with a 98! "I hope to see more of this progress in the future, both here and in your other classes. You are dismissed."
Danny nodded mindlessly; surprise still written on his face. He left the room and returned to his original trajectory, ignoring teasing from kids who thought he was in trouble. He found himself slowly beginning to smile as he made his way outside of school. Tucker had a new console to pick up and Sam was participating in a rally to save the nearby forest, so he was alone until later today. He decided to pull out his phone and open chatty, surprised to find that the others were already on.
Crashnebula has logged on.
Crashnebula: Guys! Guess who found out early that he nearly aced his French quiz!?
Mousegirl15: No way! That's great!
Nightwing: Congrats Crash!
This quiz has been stressing you out for a while!
How'd you find out early?
Danny smiled as he typed the whole story to them. From how everything felt too easy to the accused cheating. Mouse sounded like she was about to fly to Amity Park to have a word with the school board herself, but he was quick to dissuade her with the rest of the story. It felt like he was talking to Jazz, his sister, about this. He'd half expect her to respond the same way when she hears that part of the story.
Crashnebula: It's the best grade I've had in a long time! I have you to thank for it Mouse!
Mousegirl15: Oh I wasn't that helpful!
OH! I talked with my friend about the ghost situation.
She doesn't know what kind of ghost it is, so I asked Nightwing if he knew anyone who knew a lot about ghosts.
Nightwing: And I did. She actually knew what kind of ghost it was, and how to defeat it.
Danny blinked in surprise at this. Both of his new friends knew people that were into ghosts. He'd be concerned if he didn't know Nightwing and Mouse as much. He shook his head as he felt a frown on his face. Time to see if he could end this little "fun fest."
Crashnebula: And? What did she say!?
Nightwing: I was getting to that!
It's like you don't even know what patience means.
She said it's a Devil Dog, more commonly known as a Hellhound in modern times.
They usually guard the underworld from the inside, kind of like how Cerberus guards it from the outside.
But they can be hazardous when outside of their realm.
Danny's frown deepened at this new information. So the Greek pantheon has some truth to it. The Ghost Zone must have been seen as the underworld back then, which it kind of is in a way. Either that or there was another place with ghosts that he didn't know about. He looked back to the screen as he began typing a response.
Crashnebula: So the Greek pantheon is real?
I guess I shouldn't be surprised with Wonder Woman running around.
Wonder if that means Valhalla is real, since we have Thor running about with the Avengers and all.
Getting off track there a bit.
Anyway, you said your friend knew how to beat it?
Mousegirl15: I'm actually curious about this myself.
It'd be nice to know just in case one comes here or Hawkmoth creates an Akuma based on one.
Nightwing: Yep. It's actually kinda funny how you defeat one here.
The thing you have to realize is they can grow in size the more flammable objects they consume.
Ergo, the hotter they get the bigger and stronger they are.
So if you can get it colder or reduce their flame, they get smaller and weaker.
You could even hose it with water and it'll lose access to the usual abilities ghosts have.
Crashnebula: Even the ability to go intangible?
Nightwing: That's actually the exact example my friend gave me.
Along with its ghostly fire breath.
Danny's eyes widened as he looked up from the screen. Of course it was that simple! Shrinking to break out of the ice was actually its form reacting to the loss in heat! It ran away whenever they were near body of water or when a fire hydrant was destroyed! He made a mental note to slap himself later as he began typing.
Crashnebula: Wow! That actually makes it less threatening now!
If Phantom found out about this he could defeat that pyromutt in no time!
I so gotta see if I can flag him down to tell him.
Nightwing: Careful about that Crash.
I know the media like to take things the wrong way or blow things out of proportion, but it's still safe to be wary around someone that could be a villain.
Mousegirl15: It's also important to remember that not everything is as it seems.
Phantom never has a chance to explain anything because he's hunted whenever he pops up and usually has to deal with the ghost of the week.
Regardless, it's still best to be careful when talking to people you don't know very well.
Danny smiled at the little back and forth between his online friends. It was more of a healthy debate then when Sam and Tucker fight over things. He decided to cut things short in order to prepare for a certain fiery canine.
Crashnebula: Thanks guys, for the information and the concern.
Gotta go! I promised to meet GQueen and Tuck at the Nasty Burger.
Mousegirl15: I still question the sanity of a restaurant named "The Nasty Burger."
But I digress.
Take care Crash!
Nightwing: Catch you later buddy!
Danny logged off before running into the nearby alley. He transformed into his ghost form before flying off to his house. He wasn't lying about meeting with Sam and Tucker later, but he needed to get everything ready. He now knew how to deal with the ghost that pestered him for the past week. It was time to hose this hound.
Night time
Jazz had reacted how Danny expected to his story, especially the part about being accused of cheating. His parents were overjoyed by the information, offering a raise on his allowance if he keeps up the good work. After a few hours he met with Sam and Tucker as promised. They were both proud for his good grade and shocked at the reveal of the Hellhound. Sam in particular was excited that such a dark beast of lore was actually real, even if it was trying to burn down the town.
They took to setting up their trap after some well deserved burgers, or salad in Sam's case. Water balloons, some hoses, and squirt guns made up the majority of their arsenal this time. They even set up bate in the midst of a part of town that had a lot of fire hydrants. What kind of bate could they use in this scenario? Well, said bait was looking at his friends with his arms crossed.
"How come I have to be the one to do this?" asked Tucker. He was currently wearing a cat lover shirt, a hat with cat ears, and was being loved on by a cat thanks to catnip. He would act as the bait by smelling like a cat so that the Hellhound would chase him. He obviously wasn't happy about it. "Also, where the heck did you get catnip Sam!?"
"I bought it for this occasion." Answered the Goth. "The ghost would be able to smell Danny's ghost half from far away, even if he's in human form. Not to mention you run faster when you're scared." Danny fought the urge to laugh as Tucker let out an indignant cry. The sound of flames and pounding feet soon caught their attention, the noise getting louder.
"Remember the plan Tucker." Began Danny. "Lead him to 12th Avenue. If we don't get him there we may never be able to pull this off again." The techno geek gulped as he looked to the oncoming light. The cat that was loving on him ran off in a fright as the Hellhound came into view.
"Um… Meow." Sounded Tucker. The ghost snapped its head in his direction like lightning. It sniffed a few times, its flames increasing in intensity at the feline scent. The geek took this as his sign to run as the Hellhound began to chase him. He screamed like a girl as he ran as fast as his legs could carry him.
He drew closer and closer to the trap as he tried to ditch some of the cat merch. Sam stood bye around a corner with a water gun in her hand as Danny floated above the nearby roof, a bucket of water balloons. He quickly used one of his powers to clone himself as Tucker's squealing drew closer. The Hellhound's flames came close to licking Tucker as he ran into the target area. "Any time now guys!"
"Now Sam!" roared the original Danny. Sam watched as the Hellhound ran past her, cocking the water gun with a grin. She aimed the weapon at the ghost, striking it in the back. The beast roared in pain as it shrank a bit. The Danny clones quickly grabbed up water balloons as the beast rounded on Sam.
They began to pelt the Hellhound with the projectiles, forcing it to get smaller and smaller. It whined out in distress as it began to lower to Sam's chest in size. The beast roared as Tucker hit it with water from a fire hydrant. Soon it stopped changing size, coming to about half Danny's height. "That's enough!"
The water soon stopped as Danny readied the Fenton Thermos. The Hellhound roared as it tried to fire a blast of flames, but it coughed up smoke. It leapt at Tucker with a snarl, the boy holding out his arms. The boy was surprised to find that he could hold it back rather easily. The boy would have laughed at the change in strength if the ghost wasn't trying to attack him.
"Ha!" cried Sam. "Even Tucker can hold it off now! Hurry and nab it Danny!" Tucker let out an indignant cry at the slight against his strength. Danny quickly flew towards the boy with a fist reared back.
"Not before this!" roared the ghost boy. He punched the specter in the side, sending it flying out of Tucker's grasp before it could bite him. The beast tried to slam him with its tail, but he grabbed the extremity. He spun the beast around before sending it flying into a wall. The Hellhound growled as it moved to try and float through the wall, only to bump into it instead.
The beast clawed at the corner as Danny readied the Fenton Thermos. "Looks like it's the pound for you Pyromutt!" He removed the top from the thermos, causing it to glow blue. The Hellhound changed in color to match the thermos's glow as it was suddenly sucked into the device. Once the ghost was fully within the Fenton Thermos, Danny locked the top back on.
He sounded his relief as he sat on the ground. "That was a long time coming. To think a little water was all we needed." Tucker and Sam had smiles on their faces as they approached him. Tucker stretched as he let out a yawn.
"Now I can get my sleep schedule back on track." Stated the boy. "The only thing I like more than meat is a good night's sleep. Thank goodness tomorrow is Saturday." Sam rolled her eyes at the geek's exaggeration. She helped Danny up with a slight grunt.
"I think we could all use some sleep after tonight." Agreed the goth. "It'll be nice to not be dead tired for a change. The last time we had a break was when the Box Ghost used those boxes of pillows against us." Danny chuckled fondly at the memory. He nodded to the others with a slight yawn.
"Sounds like a plan." Stated the ghost boy. "Goodnight guys. Meet you at the Nasty Burger tomorrow!" He resumed his ghostly form as he flew off, leaving his friends behind. He finally had a moment to appreciate the wind in his face like he usually would mid-flight.
His thoughts floated back to the Miraculous Gamer Guild, no pun intended, and the friends who made this possible. Maybe it was time to bring his friend groups together. Sure Sam might be a little inquisitive and skeptical around them, but she showed that she would give Mouse the benefit of the doubt. That could wait till a later day, however. Tonight was one of dreams and good sleep, and he was determined to see that through till morning.
Chapter 5 done and done! The first actual bit of action in this story has come and gone, even if it was on the lighter side of things. Not to mention the first time their secret lives were directly influenced by their public lives. Plus an actual reference to Marvel being in the series. A lot of grounds being broken here.
Anyway, it won't be long before the guild gets a little expansion. With that particular ghost dealt with and with Marinette having a good amount of time to determine who she can trust amongst her old friends, even if it's only some of them, the introductions are bound to happen. It could be as soon as next chapter or it could be one or two more off from happening. I haven't fully decided when it should happen, but you'll know it when you see it. The title will literally spell it out.
In any case, what did you think? Did you like the chapter? Was there enough action with the Hellhound? Was the subtle drop at the Avengers being in this universe a good one? Let me know what you think down below and I'll try to get back to you ASAP. This is Inkaliber, signing out.