Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or X-Men: Evolution. They belong solely to Butch Hartman and Marvel Studios respectively.
More Enounters and Discoveries
Three days have passed for Danny since his first encounter with the X-Men. He was thankful that they didn't blame him for the wreckage done to Bayville Mall, but now Bayville is on the lookout for Danny Phantom in a way.
Right now, Danny, Sam, and Tucker were in the parking lot of the mall, but the complex was closed, due to repairs in need to be done as well as the police finalizing their investigation. However, every law enforcement couldn't get a solid piece of evidence to at least give them a lead, they decided to call it quits and drop the case.
"So, it was Technus who showed up?" Sam asks as she and her friends are leaving.
"Yeah, but that's not what I'm worried about." Danny said.
"What do you mean?" Tucker asks in curiosity.
Danny looks at his friend and says
"What gets me is about Scott and his friends." Danny replies. "And that scruffy dude with the knives."
Sam and Tucker glanced at one another before they heard Danny continue.
"It's so weird. They were all wearing some sort of uniforms and they were doing some things that I've never seen any ghost can do." Danny explains. "Not to mention, they also had this blue monkey guy with them who looks like Kurt."
"You sure they weren't working for the Guys in White?" Sam asks with concern.
"They weren't." Danny replies. "Otherwise, they would've gone after me from the beginning."
Sam and Tucker breathed a sigh of relief when they heard that. However, it intrigued them both when Danny described the abilities that Scott and his friends were capable of doing. Never before have they heard of humans doing what they can do. It was obvious that a few had powers that were similar to the ghost powers that Danny possessed, but possibly advanced or primitive, depending on what they believe.
"Be careful, Danny." Sam subtly warns. "The last thing you need is being hunted by those guys."
"I know, Sam." Danny says.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm heading back to the Gut Bomb." Tucker says. "Want to come?"
Sam rolled her eyes before she said
"Jumping ship, huh?"
"So what if Bayville doesn't have the Nasty Burger." Tucker says in response. "At least the Gut Bomb is the best substitute for it."
Danny shrugged as Sam rolled her eyes, knowing Tucker's taste for meat, especially since he would be at the Nasty Burger all the time when they were living in Amity Park. Now that they're in Bayville, the African boy sees the Gut Bomb as the most edible "replacement" in his point of view. Soon after, the trio altered their course to head for the fast food restaurant.
"When we're done, we still have the rest of Bayville to explore." Sam comments. "I just hope Tucker doesn't make anymore pit stops for meat."
"Ignoring that." Tucker comments.
Before the three could enter, they heard an unfamiliar voice telling them
"What are you three doing here? Lost or something?"
They turned to see a group of boys that did not recognize at all. One was a short kid with a greenish skin tone who looked completely unkempt. The second was a mountain of a boy topped with a mohawk. The third was a brown haired boy who wore clothing that screamed "rebel". Finally, the last one was a slim boy with white hair who wore skin tight clothes and looked like he was on a sugar rush.
The group approached them as the white haired boy said to Danny, specifically.
"I think Lance just asked you a question."
Danny was about to say something before he noticed a foul smell. It didn't take long for Danny, Sam, and Tucker to find the source of the odor coming from the short boy
"Dude, when was the last time you took a bath?" Danny asks as he covered his nose like Sam and Tucker did.
"Hey! I got a condition, yo!" the short kid replied, completely offended.
"You know Todd, he's got a point." the white haired boy commented. "You seriously need to bathe more often."
"Bite me, Pietro!" Todd snapped.
"Pietro?" Danny asks in curiosity.
Pietro took it as an offense as he asked Danny in a challenging tone.
"You want to make something of my name?"
"Maybe he needs to be taught some manners." the big guy said while cracking his knuckles.
"Hold on, Fred." Lance said before he approached Danny.
"You three are not with the X-Geeks, are you?"
"X-Geeks?" Danny, Sam, and Tucker all asked simultaneously in confusion.
Fred saw that the teen trio were not from any part of Bayville when they said that as he observed the genuine confusion in their eyes and expressions too.
"I think they're new here." he innocently comments.
It was then Lance realized that Danny and his friends were not native to Bayville after hearing Fred's comment about them before he said to them
"Come on, guys. We got better things to do."
While the group walked away, Pietro gave a suspicious look towards Danny and his friends before walking away as well. All the while, Sam just asked to no one in particular when the group was out of earshot.
"What was that all about?"
"I don't know, Sam." Danny says. "But whoever these guys are, they got trouble written all over them."
Suddenly, they heard a voice, startling the trio.
"Yeah. They sure do"
They turned around to see Kurt, accompanied by Scott as they were about to get inside the Gut Bomb as well. Danny kept his cool as he asked.
"You know these guys?"
Unfortunately, yes." Scott replied. "They're the Brotherhood boys."
"You make it sound like they're part of a gang or something." Tucker comments.
"You can say that." Kurt said, trying to keep the existence of mutants covered.
It was then that Kurt noticed the trio before he asks.
"I take it you like this place, too?"
"I do." Tucker said. "Though, it's not like the Nasty Burger back in our old town."
"The Nasty Burger?" Scott asked while raising an eyebrow. "Why would they call it that?"
"Probably as a sick joke." Danny replies.
"Hey, don't knock 'til you try it!" Tucker enthusiastically comments. "Their slogan is Nasty is one letter away from Tasty."
Scott was still skeptical as he said hesitantly
"Yeah, I'll think on that."
"Same here." Kurt adds, also skeptical as well.
"Hey, it's not as bad as you think." Sam said, voicing her opinion. "I may be a vegetarian, but their food there is actually quite edible."
Scott and Kurt were still skeptical at first, but after hearing Sam's comment, they relaxed a bit as Kurt said while opening the door,
"You can join us, if you want."
Tucker shrugged and went inside as did Sam. Eventually, even Danny went inside while he thought to himself
"Okay, so far, so good. They haven't figured out that Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom are one and the same."
Nevertheless, the ghost boy couldn't help but get a dread feeling that today, something was about go down later on; something big. Thankfully for him, no one else seemed to notice that.
Meanwhile, the other X-Men were in their civilian clothing as they spread everywhere in Bayville searching for the ghost kid, but coming up empty-handed in their progress.
Jean was searching one part of Bayville before she used a kind of communication device to contact someone else.
"Kitty? Anything?"
"Like, no." Kitty said through the other line. "I don't see him in the east side of Bayville."
When Jean called Rogue, she received the same answer that the petite brunette girl gave her.
"He ain't here on tha north sahde."
After Jean got the same answer from Evan when contacting him, she received communication from Professor Xavier.
"Jean? Any sign of him?"
"No, Professor." Jean replies. "Rogue, Kitty, Evan, and I have come up empty-handed."
There was a pause before he said to her.
"I want you and the others to return to the Institute. I'll see if Scott and Kurt have any luck in finding him."
"Okay, Professor." she replies.
At the Institute, Professor Xavier was trying to look for any clues that could give him and the other X-Men a lead on Danny. From Jean's report, 4 of his students were unable find him.
"Anything?" Ororo asked as she walked in.
"I'm afraid not." Professor Xavier replies to her.
"Something will come up, Chuck." Logan assures. "If another one of these ghosts shows up, so will he."
"I hope so, Logan." Xavier said with concern. "So far, Jean, Rogue, Kitty, and Evan have come up empty-handed."
"I just hope that Scott and Kurt have found at least a clue." Ororo states.
"We can only hope, 'Ro." Logan said in response.
Back at the Gut Bomb, Danny and his friends were with Scott and Kurt as the German boy returned with his tray of food.
"So Kurt comes here very often, eh?" Danny asks.
"Yes. In fact, he was nearly late for school several times." Scott replied while looking at his friend.
"I can't help it!" Kurt said with his mouthful and a shrug. "It's an addiction."
Sam rolled her eyes at Kurt's comment before she said
"Tucker is the same way when it comes to the Nasty Burger back at Amity Park, or rather all kinds of meat in particular."
"Hey!" Tucker shouts, completely insulted by that crack.
Kurt snickered at that comment while Scott found it amusing how these 3 teenagers interact with one another. In his perspective, they seem like normal people when they were around them.
Suddenly, Danny's ghost sense went off. While Sam and Tucker noticed, Scott and Kurt did not. It only took a few seconds for Danny to receive a phone call as he asked
"Could you excuse me for a few minutes?"
After he leaves the table to get to the men's room, Danny sees his caller ID to see that it is Jazz who is calling him.
"Hello?"
"Danny! Thank goodness!" Jazz said through the other line.
"Jazz, slow down!" Danny tries to calm her down, but keeping quiet at the same time. "What's going on?"
"Two ghosts have gotten out." Jazz informs. "One of them is the Box Ghost, and I think the other one is Ghost-X."
"You mean Skulker?" Danny asks while rolling his eyes since his sister always gives his enemies lame codenames.
"Whatever." Jazz said. "Oh, and be your toes. Mom and Dad are out there, too."
Danny was worried when Jazz told him that his parents were out there in Bayville.
"Okay, Jazz. Thanks."
"No prob!"
After Danny hung up, he returned to the table where the others were.
"Hey, guys? I got to go. There's a...family emergency going on, and I need to be there." he says, trying to make an excuse and keeping his secret under wraps.
Sam and Tucker knew what he was talking about as they nodded in response. However, they didn't notice that Scott caught that subtle tone in the boy's voice. Once Danny quickly left the restaurant, Scott waited for a minute before he looked at his watch.
"Speaking of which, Kurt and I need to go as well." he says.
Kurt heard what he said before he wrapped up what remains of his burger before following Scott out the door to get to a safe distance. After the two took a turn into an alley, Scott pulled out a device before he spoke into it.
"Professor? I think we have a suspect."
It was afternoon when Danny was in ghost mode as he flew invisibly in the sky, searching for the Box Ghost as his first target. He began his search, looking at warehouses where the Box Ghost could possibly be. Suddenly, he hears the all-too-familiar voice bellowing the usual phrase
"BEWARE!"
Danny narrowed his eyes in annoyance as he comments with a sigh
"Found him."
Also, he sees people fleeing from a packaging plant. Quickly phasing through, Danny located the Box Ghost controlling pallets of cardboard and bubble wrap. While the ghost laughed maniacally, Danny confronted him with a ghost ray.
Meanwhile, while Scott and Kurt were catching up with Jean and the others, they saw people frantically screaming and running before the group heard someone shout
"Ghost!"
In an instant, the X-Men knew what that only means...
"He's here!" Evan exclaims.
"Ya thank?" Rogue asks out of sarcasm.
Then, they see a vehicle unlike any other. Especially when they heard a male voice speaking through the loudspeakers.
"NEVER FEAR! THE FENTONS ARE ON PATROL!"
When FFAV stopped, Jack asked one of the fleeing civilians
"What's going on back there?"
"A ghost!" the civilian replies before continuing to flee.
"Let's go, Jack!" Maddie says. "If there's a ghost, then that ghost kid will be there!"
Right away, honey!" Jack shouts. "Let's get that ghost kid and tear him apart molecule by molecule!"
Maddie nods her head as Jack drives off, causing the other teens to worry. Soon enough, they see a black van approaching them.
Jean knew who it was as she waved to it, causing the vehicle to pull over.
"Get in!"
The X-Men got onboard the van as Scott drove en route to the Xavier Institute. Inside, Jean pulled out the same device before she spoke into it.
"Professor, he's here somewhere! We're on our way back to the Institute!"
"Understood, Jean." Professor Xavier said through the other end of the communication. "I want you all to suit up when you arrive. Logan, Ororo, and I will accompany you when we take the X-Velocity."
"Tha sooner, tha bettah!" Rogue said. "That kid's gonna have company, but not tha good kahnd."
Back at the warehouse, the Box Ghost sees Danny after getting shot by the ghost boy's ghost ray in the butt.
"Being a pest again, Box Ghost?!"
The Box Ghost levitates the unfolded boxes and rolled up bubble wrap packages as he shouts his monologue
"You can't win this time! For I, the Box Ghost, have a large supply of corrugated cardboard, and the bubble wrap to finally destroy you!"
Danny narrowed his eyes in annoyance before he simply pointed the Fenton Thermos at the loudmouth spook and sucked him into the device. The cardboard and the bubble wrap simply fall onto the floor due to the Box Ghost being sealed into the Fenton Thermos.
"Man!" he bemoans. "He gets more annoying every day."
After turning intangible, Danny flies through the ceiling of the warehouse before he says to himself
"Now to find Skulker."
When Danny turns tangible, he narrowly dodges an energy blast, courtesy of Maddie aiming her Fenton Bazooka at Danny, not even realizing that she was targeting her own son with the weapon.
"By the authority vested in me, by the new city of Bayville, I sentence you back from once you came!" she shouts.
"Oh, great! As if finding Skulker wasn't hard enough." Danny says with a groan.
He flew faster in hopes of finding Skulker soon as the sun was starting to set on the horizon and to evade his parents, who were still in hot pursuit. However, the Fentons were not the only ones pursuing Danny.
High in the sky, the X-Men were in the X-Velocity searching for Danny as well. They hope to get to him first and perhaps have him join them as well as keeping the existence of mutants hidden from the world; a world that Xavier felt wasn't fully ready to know about mutants.
Logan and Ororo were piloting the aircraft as everybody else looked around for any sign of Danny.
"Like, where is he?" Kitty asked as she looked out one of the windows.
"I don't know, but wherever he is, hopefully we'll catch him." Evan said.
When Rogue looked out through her window, she sees a figure in black and white flying in the sky.
"Guys, there he is!"
The others went to the window that Rogue was looking through. Indeed, they all see Danny. However, they also see a vehicle that they have never seen before following him from the ground below.
"Man, whoever they are, they must be after him as well." Evan comments.
"I doubt it's the Brotherhood." Jean says. "There's no way they would have a car or whatever it is, in that particular model."
"Yeah." Kurt adds in agreement. "They usually have a jeep."
"Guess we better step on it, then." Logan said as he activated the thrusters.
Back with Danny, he was still being pursued by his parents. After turning invisible, he darts in a different direction, causing the FFAV to screech to a halt.
"Where'd he go?!" Jack shouts while looking out.
"I don't know." Maddie replies.
Then, she opens the glove compartment to pull out a certain device before closing the door of the compartment and turns the device on.
"Good thing I stashed this." she says.
"I was looking for the Ghost Detector." Jack comments.
"I placed it in here, just in case." Maddie says.
Once the device informed her that a ghost was nearby, she turned to her husband and said.
"Let's get him, honey!"
As Danny turned visible, seeing that his parents weren't following him, his ghost sense went off once again. Looking around, Danny sees an incoming missile as the ghost boy dodges it before seeing Skulker with a smoking missile launcher.
"Do you really believe that by changing habitats, you'll escape me, ghost child?!"
"I'm seriously not in the mood, Skulker!" Danny said in annoyance.
"I won't stop until your pelt is hanging on my wall!" Skulker declares.
The two ghosts began to tussle in the sky, completely unaware that two parties were coming their way.
In the FFAV, Maddie sees the Ghost Detector beeping once again.
"Jack! Looks like another one is here!"
"Good, honey! That means we get two for the price of one!" Jack shouts as he floors the gas pedal.
In the sky, the X-Men see another ghost that Danny is fighting, but they are unable to get a clear view of what it is. The only thing they could make out was that this new ghost is mechanical with a flaming green mohawk.
"Looks like we bit off more than we could chew." Scott comments.
"Let's just hope that this boy won't flee for a second time." Ororo comments.
"I couldn't agree more, Ororo." Professor Xavier said.
Back with Danny, his fight with Skulker took them all the way to a park. Thankfully, it was empty, so no one would be caught in a crossfire. Skulker summoned another missile launcher, but Danny fired a ghost ray, destroying it before his opponent got the chance to attack.
"You don't know when to give up, do you?" Danny demands.
"The hunt won't stop until I have your pelt!" Skulker replies.
"Man, where's Tucker when I need him?" Danny asks no one in particular.
The fight continued as Danny and Skulker got serious with one another. They countered each others attacks, almost leading the fight into a stalemate. The ghost boy decided to try a new tactic as he turned intangible and disappeared into the ground. Skulker looked around to figure out where Danny was hiding.
"Where are you, ghost child?!" he demands. "Show yourself, coward!"
Right when he stepped on a twig, Skulker was ambushed by Danny as the ghost boy fired his ghost ray from below, catching his opponent by surprise. After turning tangible while rising up from the ground, Danny was ready for more as Skulker got to his feet and activated his flight gear.
Only to get blasted in the backside by a shot, courtesy of Maddie as she and her husband arrived on the scene, armed and ready for a fight.
Suddenly, the same red beam that Danny has seen before hits Skulker in the knee, causing it to bend out of reflex. Looking to the other side, Danny sees the X-Men as well. All of them he recognized in an instant, except for the dark skinned woman with blue eyes and a mane of white hair.
"Uh oh..." Danny comments with worry as he sees his parents on one side and the X-Men on the other.
On the X-Men side, Kitty sees the Fentons at a distance and says to her teammates.
"Guys, like, we have company."
The others look to see where Kitty was looking; indeed, they too see the Fentons who were mainly focused on the ghosts.
"They're humans." Jean said through her telepathy. "But they're focusing on the ghost kid as we are."
The X-Men were now extremely worried. Here they were, out in the open and in front of two humans who were armed and mainly focused on their mutual priority. However, their main fear is them discovering that they are mutants.
With the Fentons, they see a group of people clad in some sort of uniform as they were focused on the ghosts. However, they were suspicious of them.
"You don't suppose they're with one of the ghosts, do you?" Maddie asks with worry.
"Well, if one of them shot at the ghosts, they can't be all bad." Jack comments. "Even though I don't know how they did it."
While everybody else was distracted, Skilker glanced at both parties before glancing at Danny. Seeing that he was distracted, the ghostly hunter took the opportunity to land a sneak attack on his prey. Summoning an electrical taser-like weapon quickly, Skulker throws his fist to have his device come in contact with Danny.
The ghost boy cried out in pain from the shock before he got on his knees. Unfortunately for him, his powers shorted out, causing him to transform back to his human form. Danny was horror-stricken as he heard an audible gasp. He looks to see both parties instantly shocked about what they had witnessed.
"It's him!" Rogue whispered in shock.
"Like, no way!" Kitty said, completely shocked.
"Unbelievable!" Evan comments.
Kurt was slack-jawed as the other members of the X-Men could only stare in shock, realizing that Danny, the boy they had recently met, was the ghost boy that they had seen two days ago. However, they were not the only ones who were in shock.
Jack and Maddie were even more shocked at what they had witnessed. They hunted the ghost boy the entire time, and they did not realize that it was their own son that they were targeting on sight. They felt ashamed that they would attack Danny so relentlessly and even made threats about "tearing him apart molecule by molecule."
With both parties stunned, Skulker took advantage of the situation once again as he took a step towards an incapacitated Danny, causing the boy to look at him, still horro-stricken as the hunter grinned.
"My favorite part of the hunt."
Skulker's arm forms a circular saw before it activates with a buzzing noise.
Jack and Maddie's parental instincts kick in to overdrive, instantly getting them out of their shock as both grimaced before Maddie aims her Fenton Bazooka and shouts in anger
"GET AWAY FROM MY BOY, YOU ECTOPLASMIC SCUM!"
Maddie fires, nailing Skulker in the chest before the Fenton woman tossed her blaster aside, pulls out the Fenton lightsaber, and charges at Skulker with a primal cry of fury while Jack rushes in to grab Danny and get him to safety.
Danny was the one who was shellshocked the most. He honestly thought that his parents would despise him after finding out what he was, but instead, they're defending him from Skulker. Soon, he was carried by his father and taken 30 feet away from the scene.
After gently placing his son down, Jack puts on a pair of the Ghost Gloves and tells Danny
"Stay here, son!"
Danny could only watch his father running back to give his mother backup, despite her inflicting serious damage to Skulker. Soon, she hears her husband calling her
"Maddie! Catch!"
Jack tosses her a pair of Ghost Gloves. She deactivates and pockets her lightsaber before catching the gloves and puts them on.
Skulker was barely getting up before he was grabbed by both of the Fentons as they lift him up. Jack and Maddie still grimaced at Skulker before they pulled back their fists, causing him to whimper in fear
"Oh no..."
Instantly, Jack and Maddie assault Skulker as the ghost cried out in pain while the two humans with anti-ghost weaponry relentlessly pummeled and tore his cyber armor apart, bit by bit. Skulker tried to escape by crawling away from his assailants, only to be pulled back as they continued their assault.
The X-Men were absolutely stunned as they watched Jack and Maddie beating down Skulker mercilessly as the ghost tried to escape multiple times, only to be pulled back in while lugnuts, bolts, and various metal shrapnel and parts flew everywhere.
"Shouldn't we...stop them?" Kurt asks hesitantly
Out of the brawl, a robotic arm flew out before landing near the feet of the X-Men as they took a step back, completely startled. Evan looks Kurt like he was insane.
"Dude, you seriously want to get us killed?!" he asks in an "are you out of your mind" tone.
Eventually, all that was left of Skulker was the robotic head before the faceplate opened to reveal the tiny ghost, which was his true form. The X-Men got a clear view of it as they were all confused and shocked at what they were seeing.
"Like, what the...?!" Kitty says in shock.
Jack grabs the tiny ghost before tossing it to Maddie, who sucked it in the Fenton Thermos. After screwing the cap onto the device, both of them heard footsteps before they saw Danny approaching them.
"Mom? Dad?"
Maddie runs to Danny and hugs him while she sheds tears.
"I'm so sorry, Danny." she said through her sobs. "I didn't know that it was you this whole time."
"So, you're not mad about...what I am?" Danny asks hesitantly.
"You're a Fenton, first and foremost!" Jack says in response. "And our son! Nothing will ever change that."
Danny smiled, happy with the fact that his parents did not despise him as he feared that they would. Soon, he sees the X-Men approaching them as he said to his parents.
"I think I owe them an explanation."
Jack and Maddie turned around to see the group followed by a bald man bound to a wheelchair while Logan lifted up his mask.
"We owe you just as much of an explanation as you do." Scott says.
Danny instantly recognized Scott and the others, along with recognizing Logan. Then, he looked harder at Kurt specifically and asked.
"Kurt? Is that really you?"
"Yeah." Kurt replies, slightly afraid. "It's me. Sorry if it..."
"Hey." Danny interrupts. "I've seen weirder things, so this is practically normal to me."
Kirt smiled, seeing that Danny wasn't afraid of his true form before Xavier said.
"Indeed, this is an interesting turn of events." he holds out his hand. "I'm Professor Charles Xavier."
"Nice to meet you, Professor." Danny said while shaking hands with him. "I'm Danny Fenton..."
Suddenly, Danny felt the ectoplasm coursing through his body once again.
"Or..."
A ring of light appeared around his waist before dividing, transforming him into the very ghost that the X-Men encountered before.
"Danny Phantom."
After returning to normal, Professor Xavier nods before he asks
"I take it that you have met my students?"
"Yeah." Danny said before looking at Logan. "I especially met the scruffy dude there with the knives."
Logan growled at that crack while Kurt, Evan, Kitty, and Rogue snickered at Danny's joke. Even Ororo had an amused smile, as did Scott and Jean.
"Well, Mr. Xavier," Jack began. "I guess we both have a lot to talk about."
"Why not come visit our home?" Maddie suggests. "It's only fair that we show you our secrets first.'
Professor Xavier considered their offer. In fact, he saw that Jack and Maddie were genuine in their offer. He also saw that since they were accepting Danny being half-ghost, they were willing to be accepting to mutants without a doubt.
However, no one knew that they were being watched.
High in the sky, a certain master of magnetism was watching the events ominously. He was at a safe distance so Logan won't be able to pick up his scent.
"Quite an interesting discovery, Charles." he whispers. "But you're naive and foolish to begin trusting humans."
It was barely evening as Professor Xavier and company, in their civilian clothing, arrived at the Fenton home, courtesy of Jack giving them the address. Thankfully, there were no stairs for the telepath to worry about as Scott rang the doorbell.
It was only a few seconds before Maddie opened the door to see that the guests had arrived.
"Mr. Xavier. I'm glad you all have made it." she says before stepping aside. "Come on in."
Everybody entered the house as Jazz saw who arrived. Apparently, Jack and Maddie realized that she knew about Danny's secret as well. Sam and Tucker were present too. While the teens went to Danny's room, the adults followed Jack and Maddie to the basement. Logan carefully maneuvered the wheelchair so Professor Xavier would be able to follow as well.
"Your laboratory looks quite impressive." Ororo comments as she looked around.
"Why thank you, Ororo." Maddie replies with an appreciative tone.
Logan and Professor Xavier were gazing at the Fenton Portal while the shutter doors were closed.
"So, that's the portal leading to this Ghost Zone, eh?" Logan asks with his arms crossed.
"Yes, sir, this is it." Jack replied.
"I would like to see what it looks like when the shutters are open." Professor Xavier conments.
"I rather you not." Jack says. "Best that the doors are kept closed. Who knows what will emerge from there."
"I see your point." Professor Xavier said in response. "It's rather best not to jeopardize innocent people."
"Well, in case it ever did, Danny would be there to stop them." Jack says.
Logan noticed the proud tone in Jack's voice as he said
"You must be really proud of your boy."
"More than you realize, Mr. Logan." Maddie says, equally proud.
"So, what is this Institute that you spoke of, Mr. Xavier?" Jack asks.
In Danny's room, Danny, his sister, and his friends were talking with the X-Men as they were filled in the details of one another.
"So, this X-gene that you guys have, it's what gives you your powers?" Tucker asks.
"Yes, it does." Scott replies. "However, everybody is different when it comes to that. Sometimes, we have to find a way to compensate for our mutation."
"I'm guessing that because of what you look like, you wear that watch to look like a human in public?" Sam asks Kurt.
"Yeah, but I have to be careful because sometimes it goes on the fritz." Kurt replies, despite that he was in his natural form indoors.
"Wow." Danny said as he crossed his arms. "I didn't know that your powers can get out of hand."
Scott nodded in response before he said.
"By the way, I've been meaning to ask. Are there any others that are like you?"
"Well, there is one other half-ghost." Danny begins. "However, he's the same age as my parents, bitter, evil, and one seriously crazed-up fruitloop."
"I honestly agree with my brother." Jazz comments.
"It seems you've met him before." Jean said.
"Oh yeah, I did." Jazz replied. "He really is a fruitloop."
"I agree with both of them." Tucker said
"Same." Sam also says.
"But, like you, Danny, no one must know about the existence of mutants." Scott says. "The world isn't ready and..."
"Hey." Danny interrupts. "I won't tell anyone about you guys being mutants. After all, we all have a secret. don't we?"
"You can count on us." Tucker said. "We've kept Danny's ghost powers a secret, so hiding your secret will be no problem."
"Same here. My lips are sealed." Sam says.
"Me too. You can rely on me." Jazz said in agreement.
The X-Men were relieved and rather glad they would keep their secret safe. Also, they were genuinely glad that Danny, his family, and friends didn't despise them as they feared that they would.
"That reminds me," Danny began. "Those Brotherhood boys, I'm guessing they're mutants too?"
"Unfortunately, yeah." Evan said in response.
"They, like, always pick fights with us or cause trouble." Kitty adds.
As they were all talking, Rogue was subtly staring at Danny. She was still puzzled from her first encounter with him when he first arrived in Bayville as the mutant goth girl thought to herself
"How am Ah able to touch him without drainin' him?"
In the living room, Jack and Maddie were having some tea with Professor Xavier and Ororo, while Logan polite passed on their offer.
"So this Institute you run, you train mutants how to control their powers?" Maddie asks.
"Yes, indeed." Professor Xavier said after taking a sip of his tea. "However, the reason why you're the first people to know about this is because I fear that the world isn't ready to know the existence of mutants yet."
Jack and Maddie were astonished as Professor Xavier continued.
"If it ever became public knowledge, people would ridicule and persecute mutants without a justifiable cause. In addition, some people believe that mutants are the next in the human evolutionary line."
"I understand fully well, professor." Maddie said compassionately.
"So do I." Jack said. "It'll be like the Jim Crow laws, but far worse."
"Indeed." Ororo comments.
"My prime objective for my Institute is to provide a safe haven for mutants." Xavier explains. "Not only will they learn how to control their powers, but also learn to be positive members of society."
"Sounds like you're doing a good thing." Maddie said.
"Yes. I want to create a future that is beneficiary for humans and mutants; for both to leave peacefully amongst each other." Professor Xavier says.
Jack smiled before he put his cup down and said.
"Well, professor, as of today, you and those who live in your Institute will always be welcomed in our home."
"Always." Maddie adds in agreement.
Professor Xavier nods in gratitude. In the telepath's perspective, seeing Jack and Maddie being accepting and welcoming him and his students was the first crucial step towards his dream of peaceful coexistence between humans and mutants.
Ororo was also grateful. Never has she anticipated that she would meet humans who are not afraid of mutants. For the Fentons to welcome Xavier and everyone who resided in the Institute to their home, truly was a crucial step, giving Xavier hope that his work will be achieved.
"Well, in any case," Professor Xavier pulls out a business card from his pocket and hands to Jack and Maddie. "I would like to invite you and your family to visit the Xavier Institute tomorrow."
Jack and Maddie both looked at the address on the card before Jack said to him in response.
"Well then, professor, we'll all be there tomorrow at 12:30 sharp."
Professor Xavier nodded before he heard Logan saying
"Better get the kids, Chuck, so we can get moving."
Back in Danny's room, all of the teens heard Professor Xavier through their minds as he contacted them via telepathy.
"X-Men, I would like you all to come to the living room. We are returning to the Institute in moments."
Once the professor cuts the link, Danny and the others were confused about their sudden facial change as Jazz asked
"What was that all about?"
"The professor is a telepath, as I am." Jean said. "We're going to be heading back to the Institute."
"Leaving so soon?" Danny asks.
"Yeah, but we'll probably be back or see you guys around town." Evan said in response.
"Cool." Tucker said.
Eventually, the X-Men departed from the house before Sam.and Tucker left as well so they could return to their homes too.
Then, Danny and Jazz hear their parents calling them
"Danny? Jazz?"
Once the children arrived, Maddie said to them
"Professor Xavier invited us to visit his Institute. We'll all be going tomorrow at 12:30 sharp."
Danny and Jazz glance at one another before the former says
"I better tell Sam and Tucker that I'm going to be busy tomorrow."
"I think it's best if you do, little brother." Jazz said in agreement.
The next day, as promised, the Fentons in the FFAV arrive at the gates of the Xavier Institute. Jack pressed the button on an intercom before they heard Ororo's voice.
"Can I help you?"
"Ororo? It's Jack. My family and I are here as we promised."
"Very well, I'll let you in."
They heard a buzz before the gates started to open. Once they fully open, Jack drives the vehicle up the driveway of the Institute grounds. To say the least, they were amazed at the sheer size of the building.
"Wow! I thought Vlad's castle was big. This place is huge." Danny thought with amazement.
They pull over in front of the Institute. As the Fenton family were getting off of their transport, the door opened to reveal Ororo and Professor Xavier.
"Jack, Maddie. I'm glad you all have arrived." Xavier greets.
"As we promised." Maddie said.
"Welcome to the Institute." Ororo said in an inviting tone.
Once the Fentons entered the Institute, they were just as amazed to see that it was just as enormous inside as it was outside. They even see the chandelier on the ceiling. Jack whistled in amazement.
"Nice place you have here." Maddie comments.
"I'll say." Jazz adds in agreement.
"Yeah, but it can be hard to find some peace and quiet around here." Logan said as he walked into the same area.
"Now that you're here, I would like you all to come with me to the lower levels." Professor Xavier said.
Everyone follows the bald telepath to an elevator, which takes them to the lower levels of the Institute. Once they exit, the Fentons see that they were in a laboratory of sorts; one that was obviously bigger than the lab inside the basement of their home. When they entered another room, which was a medical ward, Danny saw the X-Men there as well.
"Hey guys." Danny greets.
The X-Men greet him as well before Professor Xavier asks.
"Danny, if you don't mind, I would like you to lie on that platform so we can all get a clear view of your x-rays."
Danny nodded as he obeyed the professor's request and lay on the platform of the machine for the examination.
Everyone else were looking at the screen as they saw Danny's x-ray scan. Right now, they were seeing what they normally find in any person's anatomy; bones, organs, everything. When Xavier asked Danny to transform, the ghost boy complies, resulting in what they now saw when he did.
"Incredible..." Ororo said astonishingly. "Looks like everything is starting to make sense, professor."
"Indeed." Xavier said in observation. "I'm beginning to understand why Jean was unable to sense him, and the Cerebro did not detect him. When assuming this form, Danny's body does not contain any organs in his anatomy, but rather... some sort of energy that I've never seen before."
"Ectoplasm." Maddie states. "The main component in a ghost's molecular structure."
"Interesting." Logan comments.
Professor Xavier looked at the screen as he continued his assessment on Danny
"Well, it seems that this ectoplasm, as you call it, has bonded to Danny's DNA entirely, and it's completely stable without any dangers of a cellular breakdown."
As Danny transformed back, he rose up from the x-ray scanner before joining the group while Logan said to the professor
"I, for one, want to see what the kid's got."
"Yes." Professor Xavier said in agreement. "Perhaps a session in the Danger Room will give us a complete insight on his full capabilities."
Danny was confused as he asked, getting everybody's attention.
"Excuse me, but what is this Danger Room that you have?"
"You never heard of the Danger Room?" Ororo asks in curiosity.
"No." Danny replies. "I can't say that I have."
Suddenly, Danny sees Logan giving him a predatory grin, causing the boy's eyes to widen in an "uh-oh" manner before he had only one thought that both Jean and Xavier heard loud and clear.
"Me and my big mouth."
Stay tuned for the next chapter as Danny undergoes a trial in the Danger Room, acquires a uniform of his own, and must make a crucial choice.
A/N: If any reader out there feels that Danny should have a codename, feel free to suggest it to me through either a review or a direct message. I'm open to any suggestions that you may have.
DJ Rodriguez: I'm glad you like it so far, and Logan can be pretty intimidating to most.
YuukiHiro98: I won't be rewriting my old story any time soon, but I'll make sure that this one will remain active.
Guest (10/18): How's this?
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