Chapter 10: Going Un-Ghost
Sam and Tucker were at Fentonworks for a study session with Danny when the Masters' Blasters suddenly showed up to arrest Jack and Maddie Fenton for harboring a ghost. As the Blasters started scanning everyone for ghosts, Danny quickly decided on a desperate course of action. He went to the yet to be completely updated Ghost Portal and activated it again, making himself a normal human again except for a streak of white hair.
When the Masters' Blasters scanned Danny and his friends, their scanners read "No Ghost", prompting the Blasters to apologize to the Fentons and leave them alone.
"Little brother, what'll you tell the Ghost Force when they ask you to help them fight ghosts?" Jazz asked.
"That I no longer have powers, I suppose." Danny answered.
"Danny, won't you ask them to figure out a way to restore your powers?" Sam asked with a frown, hating Danny's decision more than anyone else in the room.
"It's an idea but I won't dare to keep my hopes up." Danny commented.
"If they don't, see if they can give you an ectocap." Tucker suggested. "And see if they can spare one for me as well."
"If anybody here other than Danny deserves an ectocap, it's me!" Sam insisted. "But they'd better not give me a pink suit."
"So, road trip to New York?" Jazz suggested.
Later that day, Danny, Tucker and Sam were on a video call with Andy, Liv and Mike. "That's terrible." Andy commented.
"How did you know you wouldn't become a full ghost instead, Danny?" Mike asked, shocking everyone.
Danny hesitated before answering. "To be honest, I didn't stop to think about it."
"So, are you saying Danny was not only selfish but also stupid?" Sam asked while glaring at Danny.
"I'm not saying any of those things, Sam." Mike answered with disapproval.
"And what's so selfish about sacrificing his powers to save his family?" Liv asked, also disliking Sam's attitude.
"The only thing I'd do differently would be to leave and ask my friends to say it's because I'm afraid of the ghost." Andy added.
"Anyway, you can have Ms. Jones examine you the next time you come to New York." Liv suggested. "If it doesn't work, at least we can date, assuming no ghost gets in the way."
"With Danny's luck, one will." Tucker commented.
"And you're okay with that?" Sam asked Liv.
"Well, I'm a member of the Ghost Force and it's easier for me because I'm dating someone who already knows my secret." Liv explained.
"No, I mean with having a normal boyfriend." Sam clarified. "You turn into a pink ghost to protect New York from ghosts practically every day and are content with having a boyfriend who's no different from average boys?"
"Hey!" Andy protested. "Mike and I have no problem with having normal girlfriends even if I wanted to let Carla into my secret."
"And you, Andy?" Sam asked. "Ghost hero or not, you're a jock. Are you okay with your sister dating someone who's considered a loser in school hierarchy?"
"Sam!" Danny glared at the goth.
"Don't compare me to people like Dash Baxter or Drake Miller." Andy protested.
"Danny, I understand she's one of your childhood friends and used to help you fight ghosts but she needs to accept that you love somebody else." Liv said.
"Liv, I already told you that Sam and I are just friends." Danny replied, tired of what he believed to be a mere joke.
"Danny, you might believe that's all she wants but the way she looks for excuses to hate me suggests otherwise." Liv said.
"You have a point but she just has this bad habit of imposing her views on others, Liv." Danny argued, making Sam glare at him. "Have I told you about the time she used her influence to replace the school cafeteria's food with grass?"
"I did nothing wrong." Sam protested. "And how can you be too clueless to realize my feelings for you?"
"Sam?" Danny was shocked.
"Danny, I do love you!" Sam finally said, surprising everyone. "For longer than I can remember!"
Danny took some time to recover from the shock. "Sam, I never suspected." He said and then Tucker muttered "Clueless.". "But Sam, unless you stop insulting Liv and accept that we can be just friends, I don't think we can be even that."
"I see." Sam sadly said while leaving the room. An awkward silence ensued until Tucker Foley broke it. "So, do we still get our ectocaps?" The techno geek suddenly asked.
"Who ever said you would get one?" Mike asked.
"I had to try." Tucker stated and then whispered to Danny. "Bring up that topic with them when they're trying to restore your powers."
On the next weekend, Danny took a plane to New York and, once he arrived, Liv, Andy and Mike took him back to Ms. Jones' lab. There, Glups approached him without triggering his ghost sense, which only served to remind Danny of the fact he no longer had ghost powers. He then looked around and noticed Glowboo was inside his recharging station. "Can he hear us while there?" Danny asked.
"Not at all, Danny." Ms. Jones answered. "Now, may I analyze you?" She asked.
Right after she started testing, an alarm was sounding. "What was that?" Danny asked.
"A ghost is attacking New York!" Ms. Jones quickly answered and then described the ghost to the Ghost Force, who quickly transformed.
"I'm goin'..." Danny started saying but Ms. Jones interrupted him.
"You're goin' nowhere, young man." Ms. Jones said.
"Oh, sorry." Danny sadly said.
About 20 minutes later, the Ghost Force returned and detransformed. "How're you feeling, Danny?" Liv asked.
"I finally understand what my friends and my sister felt whenever I fought ghosts and they waited for me." Danny replied. "I felt so defenseless I have a newfound respect for their desire to help me."
"And yet Sam Manson is not relieved for no longer having to worry about you." Andy commented.
"She has this weird obsession about being unique and saw my powers as something that made me so." Danny explained.
"Are you saying she'd eat meat if everyone else in Amity Park were vegetarians?" Mike asked.
"Mike, I'm not sure I want to know the answer." Danny answered.
"Anyway, I think there's a way to restore your powers, Danny." Ms. Jones commented. "As it turns out, they left an ectoplasmic residue which I can use to restore them to the level they were at when you deactivated them but it's risky."
"What?" Mike shouted as he watched something on his smartphone. "Look at this!"
To everyone else's horror, they watched news of an asteroid that was on a collision course towards Earth. A disasteroid as it was called on the news. "Ms. Jones, I'll take this risk." Danny said.
Ms. Jones' plan was painful but it paid off. Because of the ensuing panic, several flights, including the one Danny was supposed to catch in order to return to Amity Park, was cancelled. "I'll talk to my parents and see if they're willing to let you stay at our home." Liv said.
"Thank you, Liv." Danny replied and then took another look at the disasteroid. "That asteroid looks familiar."
"Do you think that's the asteroid Plasmius was mining?" Andy asked.
"I hope not since it'd mean I cannot even touch the disasteroid, much less preventing it from crashing on Earth." Danny commented.
"Hopefully the way I restored your powers inspired me to do something that might enable Myst to make a portal big enough for the disasteroid to pass through it." Ms. Jones said.
Danny then heard his cell phone. "Mom?" Danny asked.
"Are you okay, son?" Maddie desperately asked. "I've heard about some flights being cancelled due general panic!"
"Liv's calling her folks to see if they let me stay with them, Mom." Danny explained.
"They said 'yes', Danny." Liv intervened.
"They said 'yes', Mom." Danny repeated, just in case Maddie didn't hear Liv.
As days passed, armed forces from around the world have tried (and failed) to destroy the disasteroid. In spite of this, airports eventually reopened and Danny managed to return to Amity Park without having to let more people into his secret. With financial aid from Vlad, Jack Fenton build a rocket with special missiles to destroy the disasteroid. Unfortunately, because Vlad "accidentally" (or so he says) set the wrong coordinates on the ship's computer, the missiles hit the wrong target and the disasteroid remained a threat to Earth.
"I can't believe that fruitloop would jeopardize Earth only to make Dad look bad." Danny muttered.
"I know." Tucker commented. "That sounded too low even for him."
The next day, Vlad had everyone in Amity Park reunited for an important announcement. To everyone's surprise, even Team Phantom's, he revealed himself as a half-ghost. The Masters' Blasters tried to capture him but he inutilized their equipment. Vlad, after introducing his ghostly self as "Vlad Plasmius", made a proposition: in exchange for making the disasteroid intangible so it'd simply phase through Earth without causing any harm, he'd be given five hundred billion dollars and proclaimed ruler of the world.
"Not so fast, fruitloop." Out of everyone who heard this reply, nobody was more surprised than Vlad. Especially when he saw Danny Phantom hovering next to him. "How?"
"I'll save Earth for free just so I won't have to live in a world ruled by Plasmius." Danny declared.
"As you wish, Danny Fenton." Vlad replied, shocking everyone.
"Nonsense." Jack said. "My son's right he..." He then noticed his son wasn't with him. "Danny!"
"It cannot be!" Maddie screamed in horror.
"It can and you can thank ghost portals for the both of us." Plasmius said.
"Priorities." Danny replied. "We have a disasteroid to stop!"
After the Fenton Rocket was refueled, Jack and Danny flew towards the disasteroid. "So, you got your ghost powers from the original activation of our Fenton Ghost Portal?" Jack asked his son.
"Yes, Dad." Danny awkwardly answered.
"But why didn't you tell us?" Jack asked.
"I was afraid." Danny said.
"Of your own parents?" Jack asked, feeling hurt.
"You and Mom keep talking about dissecting ghosts and ripping them apart molecule by molecule." Danny argued. "What was I supposed to think?"
"I see." Jack sadly replied, accepting his son's point.
They eventually reached the disasteroid. "Ooooooouuuuuuuch." Danny screamed upon touching it. "This asteroid is made of Ecto-ranium!"
"Let's go back to Earth!" Jack exclaimed. Upon their return, they shared the bad news. "Not only Danny cannot touch the disasteroid, no other ghost can."
"Good news, Mr. Fenton." Agent Alpha declared, based on your designs, we made more missiles for your rocket. "Some fragments of the disasteroid might hit our planet but it's better than leaving the whole asteroid hit it."
With that help, Jack Fenton destroyed the disasteroid. Meanwhile, Ms. Jones was watching it on the news back in New York. "Well, I guess I'll have to wait for another chance to test my invention." She commented.
At the Baker household, the Bakers were also watching the news. "Liv, if Hollywood wants to make a movie about your boyfriend, tell them to talk to our parents first." Andy said.
End chapter