PHANTOM FORCE, Goin' Ghost Retold

by DarkShadowGames451

DP AU! Mass X-over! It's been a year since the accident, and Daniel Fenton has found a balance between his teenage life and secret life as a superpowered ghost hunter with the help of his older sister. But he will face new challenges and greater threats with new friends and allies while discovering his destiny as a liminal halfa. But will it all be enough to save the world?

8. Vol 3, Issue 2

Downtown, Amity Park, IL

It was an evening during the second week of September in the year of 2005. Standing on top of a gray deco skyscraper labeled the "Anson Building" was Danny Phantom and his ghost-hunting partner, the crimson Ghost Huntress. Both had been on a three-hour patrol together since six o'clock at night.

The Ghost Boy had been an ever-present topic for discussion, wondering if his heroic intentions were true or if he was scheming behind the citizens' backs like the horrid ghost some people still believe Phantom to be.

However, his newly improved reputation had given the youngest Fenton the drive to continue both daily and nightly patrols before and after school. Due to their newly found comradery, Valerie and Danny decided to take the daytime to patrol separately to cover more ground while they do so together at night.

Mason and Pacifica would often tease them, calling them a "working couple", but much to the shock of the two, the field members of Team Phantom went with the running gag in the literal sense. Well, they were less of a couple, and more a "working duo".

Now, don't be confused, Danny and Valerie had gone out on dates a few times, and the mutual attraction for each other was still present. However, Valerie stopped roughly around the time Danny (and Mason) figured out her identity. And once she learned that she left Danny to essentially hunt him down and kill him, Valerie's feelings of hatred turned into shock, immediate regret, and remorse.

Because of their conflicting feelings and new duties as a superhero/ghost gunter respectively, Danny and Val decided to remain good friends and to never take a leap forward toward one another.

But that didn't mean that they never danced around the idea or playfully flirted with no lack of interest.

Some would call their relationship complicated, and others would label them as "friends with benefits". To Daniel and Valerie, they were simply Spooks and Sparky; closer than most but not quite romantically involved.

The wind blew, allowing Phantom's hair to sway while he looked over the city with the Ghost Huntress.

"...So, come here often?" Danny Phantom jokingly questioned.

"Shut up, you know that we meet up right here almost every night." Ghost Huntress snarked, smirking at the Ghost Boy while her face mask was visible.

Phantom chuckled, "Well, yeah. I know better not to stand you up."

"I hope so...unless you like me hunting you."

"Relax, Sparky. I'm not feeling that nostalgic." Phantom quipped. "'Sides, I like how things are."

"Same here, Spooks," The Ghost Huntress admitted. "It makes things a lot easier."

Suddenly, Phantom's body began to shiver as a light blue glow surrounded him. When this happened, a message appeared on the Huntress' interface which detected Danny's temperature dropping exponentially.

"...Hey! What's happening?" Ghost Huntress questioned. "You're growing colder by the second!"

Realizing this, Phantom accessed his ectoplasmic energy to counter the cooling sensation until his temperature returned to normal.

Phantom panted, then let out a sigh of relief, saying, "...Man, it keeps getting worse."

"What was that, anyway?" The Ghost Huntress inquired, placing her hands on her hips. "Another power like that Spooky Screech of yours?"

"Still not calling it that," Phantom dryly stated. "But I don't know what that was. The best way I could describe it is like the cool feeling I get when my ghost sense goes off is getting stronger. I can barely counter it with my ghost energy, but it feels like I'm gonna turn into a ghost-sicle one of these days."

"Does Dad or Jazz know about it?" Asked the Ghost Huntress.

"Jazz knows everything about me, ghost-related," Phantom said, rolling his eyes. "I never had a chance to talk to Mr. Gray. Mason knows that. He suggests that I use my ecto energy toward the Ghostly Chills until we can find someone who knows how to deal with it."

The Ghost Boy then noticed his partner raising an eyebrow and gave him a questioning gaze.

"-What?"

"Ghostly Chills? Seriously?"

"Mason's term, not mine." Phantom clarified.

The Huntress shook her head, muttering, "Of course it was Piedmont."

Suddenly, a small satellite morphed from her shoulders and began to detect ghostly activity.

"Trouble?" Phantom questioned with a serious expression.

"Yeah, but it's in the direction of my new place." The Ghost Huntress explained before turning on her voice modulator to mask her real voice "Why don't you let me take care of this while you turn in for the night?"

"You sure?" Phantom inquired. "Chills or not, I'm always down to help. And it's been a little too quiet lately."

"You care too much, Danny." The Ghost Huntress grinned as she spawned her nanotech hoverboard. "I'm sure, and besides, I'm a hunter. There's a bunch of us going to run around. But there's only one hero of Amity Park, and we're going to need him at full strength. So get some rest, alright?"

Danny Phantom smiled as he began to float and morph his legs into a ghostly tail.

"Thanks, Val. Take care out there," Phantom said while he waved at her.

"Sure thing. See you at school tomorrow." The Ghost Huntress stated while her mask's screen turned bright red, obscuring her face from the outside to protect her identity but not obscuring her vision.

The Ghost Huntress then flew away, heading towards the source of the signal while Phantom flew off in the opposite direction.

Phantom took his time to fly back to his house, using the flight as a means to destress and cater to his thoughts. He enjoyed quiet nights like these. It allowed him to think and reflect.

His immediate thoughts lingered on his relationship with Sam and to some extent Tucker. Phantom wondered what it would have been like had they known from the start what had become of him. Would have they accepted what he was now? A half-dead kid trying to act as if nothing happened to him after 8/4? Maybe Tucker would have been more inclined to accept him, given they were no longer friends, hanging out before Sam came into the picture. Heck, he would have had him use his powers to pick up girls and score dates.

But then again, Tucker did unknowingly call upon Desiree and wished to be like him and inadvertently created the "Tucker Phantom" Poltergeist that overshadowed and nearly turned his best friend into a living Wraith. Perhaps it was for the best that he didn't know his secret.

But what of Sam? Knowing her personality, Sam would have acted as his moral compass much like how Jazz was currently. Though, given the goth's tendency to place her opinion above others at times, then stand on the moral high ground when it suited her, Sam would have most likely tried to manage and tell him how to and when to use his powers.

Come to think of it, if Danny was stupid enough to go to the portal on his own just because he felt bad about their failure to turn it out, had he waited to introduce his friends to it, Sam and Tucker would have probably got him inside the death trap to try and make it work. They'd be in on everything and cause some of the ghostly issues right there with him.

Just imagining being in a relationship with a controlling person while dealing with the negative tendencies of Tucker made the ghost kid shiver. And that wasn't factoring in some of the more dangerous enemies he made like Walker, Skulker, or Plasmius.

' ...Maybe things could have been a lot worse.' Phantom thought as he was about to pass the local amusement park.

It may not have been perfect at first, but Jazz became Danny's rock and moral compass, preventing him from making rash decisions like using his powers on others in other spaces such as school. Mason helped him with ghost-related research and helped him figure out the purpose of his powers. Pacifica had been helping him and the group destress and have a good time with her funding events, keeping him grounded in his humanity. Valerie served as his ghost-hunting partner and confidant, always being there as a close friend, and her father, Mr. Gray, served as their eyes, support, and trusted adult so that he could talk since his parents didn't know his secret.

'...I can't thank them enough.' Phantom smiled brightly. 'I don't know what I'd do without them.'

Phantom's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden appearance of several small flying figures moving toward him. The more these five creatures got closer, the more he noticed that they resembled vampire bats, except they seemed to have been made of stone and magenta markings.

"...What the-? Are those bats? It's not even October yet. What are bats doing in Amity Park?" Phantom questioned while noticing the texture of the supposed "furry" creatures. "Hold on a second... they made of stone?"

Phantom's pondering was cut short when the bats circled him hauntingly. Before he could perceive anything, the five stone bats fired what seemed to be a blast of magenta mana from their eyes.

The blasts hit Danny Phantom square in the chest, causing him to scream in pain as he was sent down to the ground, landing at the ground where the attractions of the Amusement Park were located.

The ghost boy got up next to the spinning teacups ride as he looked around to see where the bats were.

"Ugh..." Phantom groaned as he rubbed his slightly singed chest. "Man, that stung!"

Suddenly, Danny Phantom had to dodge a torrent of fire by cartwheeling out of the way.

He wildly looked around for his attacker. But once he saw another pink beam of light flying overhead, Phantom bent backward to avoid another attack, causing a hotdog stand to explode on impact.

From here, his ears picked up the sound of clapping, prompting the ghost boy to look up.

He quickly turned around to see Charmcaster floating in the air with the five bats circling their mistress as she stopped clapping. The hero gazed at her position in the sky, having an ominous sense of deja vu due to the last time he faced a foe that blindsided him.

That, and the fact that a human girl with stark white hair and glowing pink eyes that seemed at least four years his senior was floating in the sky had creeped him out. And he was the halfa here.

"So you're the infamous Danny Phantom that I've been hearing about," Charmcaster said, projecting her voice while her hair flowed in the air under the pale moonlight. "You don't seem like much to me."

"Sorry to disappoint," Phantom sarcastically snarked at the beautiful young woman. "Can I help you, Miss...?"

"My title is Charmcaster, and yes, I do have but one request..." Charmcaster said, floating down to the ground with a seemingly kind smile, her eyes returning to normal.

"Okay, what's up?" Danny Phantom inquired.

Keeping her smile, a dark gaze fell on the witch's face, "...Begone!"

Charmcaster held out her right palm and fired a large blast of mana. The ghost boy couldn't dodge the attack in time and crashed into the wall of a pizza restaurant which was right next to a merry-go-round.

Danny immediately got up when he saw Charmcaster running up to him while throwing dark stones of carved entities onto the ground. After a few seconds, these stones grew and morphed into dog-like creatures that were at the beck and call of their mistress.

While floating in the air, Danny Phantom found himself dodging blasts of mana from the white-haired witch.

Using his ghost rays, Danny fired and took out each of the rock monsters, reducing them into burnt rubble.

While in the air, the white-haired boy screamed, "You know, that doesn't count as a request!"

"Great! Then we're on the same page!" Charmcaster said with a faux cheery expression as she noticed a food cart nearby that Phantom was close to. "Eradico!"

Charmcaster summons a sphere of mana from her right hand which splits into five smaller beams. The witch grabbed Phantom using the spell and slammed him into the food cart before it caused an explosion that flung Phantom across the area.

Danny Phantom found himself crashing onto the roof of a shooting gallery. He immediately got up from the fall as his body had smoked from the explosion.

"Argh! ...She sure packs quite a punch!" Phantom groaned. "It's like she's Freakshow using the scepter, but it's all her. ...Or an experienced Gwen."

Suddenly, Phantom spotted a magenta comet heading straight for him. Phantom gasped, then backflipped to the ground once she crashed through the roof and destroyed the shooting gallery.

Charmcaster emerged from the debris by levitating while raising her hands casually.

"Tara tremmo eradico!" Charmcaster chanted, reducing the burning debris into smaller pieces and hurdling them at Phantom.

Using his ecto energy, Danny formed a protective dome that safeguarded him from the smoldering pieces that were aimed at pelting him.

'...Oh great, I'm dealing with a witch.' Phantom mentally groaned. 'If she wasn't trying to waste me, I'd say she's pretty hot.'

"Okay, Zatanna!" Phantom shouted as he charged his hands with ecto energy. "I don't know what this is all about but could you please explain why you're attacking me? I don't wanna fight and I really have somewhere to be right now."

"I don't owe you anything, you despicable spirit." Charmcaster hissed, building up mana in her hands. "You may have everybody fool with your false heroics, but I see right through you, and that stolen body you're using!"

"I'm sorry, stolen what?" Phantom inquired, completely at a loss for words before shaking his head and chuckling. "Okay. Lady, there are so many reasons why that statement is wrong."

Out of anger, Charmcaster summoned a pink whirlwind from her two hands, chanting, "Turbo!"

Phantom was blown away by the whirlwind thirty feet in the air. Thankfully, the ghost boy shook off the attack and then decided to defend himself.

'...She seems to be a long-raised fighter.' Danny thought as he tried to come up with a strategy.

"...I didn't wanna do this, but you asked for it!" Danny Phantom grunted as he started firing ecto rays one hand at a time.

Charmcaster snorted, then formed a crystalized barrier made of mana, chanting, "Thracius!"

The blasts ricocheted, with one of the ecto rays narrowly hitting Danny. He made three duplicates and circled Charmcaster as they took turns to pelt her with ecto rays. To counter this, Charmcaster had cast Silicis miles suscitatio and summoned three larger bat-like golems to deal with the Phantom clones.

The golems and the duplicates turned towards each other and battled, destroying each other in the process with their mana blasts and ecto rays respectively, leaving no Phantom and a baffled Charmcaster.

"What!? Where did he-!?" Charmcaster uttered, only to be met with a left jab in the gut, a right hook to the face, a kick to the chest, and a well-placed ecto blast.

This caused Charmcaster to scream in pain as the blast sent her to a nearby arcade that collapsed on her.

The real Danny Phantom went back to being visible as he dusted his gloved hands, proudly stating, "And down goes the Violet Witch."

As he turned around, Danny looked around and saw that the collateral damage he caused wasn't too major, but was definitely evident. He hissed in guilt.

"Man, I hope Mr. Gray doesn't get too upset about this one. I was literally ambushed. Again." Phantom thought aloud. "I have to make it back before curf-"

Just when Phantom was about to leave, Charmcaster warped in front of him. Like before, Danny had no time to process what was about to occur. The woman wiped the small trail of blood from her lip before she was abruptly struck on the chest by a bolt of lightning made of magenta mana. The ghost boy wailed in pain before collapsing on the floor again.

"I'll admit, Ghost Boy, you're clever." Charmcaster mused, walking slowly toward her target. "But not clever enough. If you weren't such a deplorable spirit and if this had been a different call, I'd keep you for myself. You would have made an adorable totem in my collection."

Phantom grunted, thinking, 'Not good... I-I gotta do something fast if I want to make it out of this and get back home.'

Charmcaster then summoned a complete magical seal from her hands that were blood red and said, "This town needs a break from you haunting it. I think a good five-hundred-year banishment to the spirit world is a suitable punishment. That way, everybody will move on and you'll be left forgotten."

As a response, Phantom glared at Charmcaster and said, "...I don't think so, Sabrina!"

With a flash of ecto energy from his glowing green irises, the ghost kid used a blinding light to immobilize his attacker. This radiating light acted as a stunning maneuver, causing Charmcaster's hands to recede the mana build-up while she screamed and covered her eyes.

Seeing this as his only chance to escape, Phantom turned invisible and immediately fled the amusement park in a matter of seconds, flying faster than a speeding bullet. Once the temporary blindness subsided, Charmcaster was left with an empty damaged area with no Phantom in sight.

She had been played by the ghost boy.

Instead of being angry with the situation, she smiled. The girl had always been fond of challenges and was eager to complete them whether Charmcaster had to use force or trickery.

An ominous smirk formed on the girl's face as she whispered, "Well played, Phantom. But this game has just begun."

Little did Charmcaster know that a small metallic bug with a head in the shape of Plasimus' likeness had been monitoring the witch by hiding in her coat.

---

Sixer's Repairs and Electronics, Amity Park

Funnily enough, Vlad Masters wasn't the only one with prying eyes that made hawks jealous.

Underneath the electronics repair shop and house, the everso-cautious yet vigilant Stanford Pines sat in his lab filled with various inventions. Thirty minutes ago, he had been working on a project based on the Plumber's Null Void projector, only to receive an alert from his "Weirdness Radar".

When going to his main computer, Ford found his computer detecting irregular spikes of supernatural activity in the city from both spectral and magical origins. Of course, Ford's suspicion of the spectral activity came as no surprise once he accessed the city cameras to find the source of the situation.

But much to the older's shock, the feed captured Danny Phantom getting thrown around by the daughter of Spellbinder, the supposed heroic champion of the Ledgerdomain. When he thought about her role as a dutiful exorcist, and then the incident that occurred at the museum, Ford came to a horrifying conclusion.

"What is that girl doing!?" Ford hissed, wiping him with his left hand while holding his glasses with his right hand. "At this rate, if she succeeds, she'll doom us all!"

While the older man picked up his cellular phone, Ford grumbled, "I'm not gonna let some petty adolescence squabble cause the end of the world! Not on my watch!"

After a few rings, Max Tennyson picked up the call.

"Hello?"

"Legion, it's Paradox," Stanford said, now assuming the calm, serious, yet stoically professional tone that was comparable to the Dark Knight himself.

"Ah, Professor," Max Tennyson, also known as Agent Legion, addressed familiarly. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm going to need to use that favor you owe me, Agent. We have a dire problem on our hands,"

"...What's going on, Paradox?" Legion spoke, replacing his kinder tone with the tone of an experienced soldier.

"I'm calling for an urgent meeting," Paradox explained. "And it is of the utmost that you bring Hex with you. The situation is related to his family, so I need the both of you here as soon as possible."

"Last time I checked, Hex was holding a conference as a representative of Friedkin University in Echo Creek, California. But he should be back in a couple of days." Max explained, much to Stanford's annoyance. "For now, I will send him an email and voice message, but we will be there no later than a few days."

"I will hold you to that, Soldier." Said Stanford.

"Alright. I'll keep in touch," Max said before hanging up.

As Ford did the same and placed his cellular phone in his coat pocket, he walked over to the wall and found one of his older inventions.

It had the appearance of a gun, but it seemed to have been composed of salvaged parts that many engineers would have thought to have come from the scrapyard. Each piece of metal was rusted or pillaged from a machine foreign to the main device.

This was one of Stanford's most prized possessions, his makeshift Null Void Projector.

While the man inspected it, he thought, '...I've spent thirty years in the Null Void, uncovering the mysteries of dimensional and time travel. I figured out how to uncouple myself from space-time in each branch and world through equations, just as I did when with the Law of Weirdness Magnetism. So many memories...all to put each piece together and get home. If only I found a way and reversed the coordinates... I could have guaranteed my own way home. Of course, my brother and dumb luck had other plans for me...'

Ford sighed as he glanced at footage of Danny flying back to his house, and said, "You better get Hex and come here soon, Maxwell. If that boy dies, then the world ends."

---

Fenton Works, Amity Park

Last night, Danny came home around nine forty-four at night. He didn't eat dinner or speak to his parents about his day too much. He told them abruptly that he was tired and that he wished to turn in for the night.

This sent a wave of worry and distress over the Fenton couple, especially with Maddie. After the "mugging" incident, Jack had sat down with Maddie and brought up their lack of involvement in their children's lives as of late. At first, Maddie looked at her husband as if she was smacked across the face by his hand, then demanded to know where his line of thinking came from.

When Jack pointed out his lack of recollection of trips or family functions within the past five to seven years, Maddie attempted to contest this...and failed miserably. Maddie, on the verge of an emotional breakdown, questioned what was happening with them as the realization that one child was about to graduate and move out of their lives, and the other one had been so distant that she hadn't even noticed his ever-growing odd behavior until now.

Jack weakly implied that their work might have been a factor but quickly reinforced that nothing was ever too late. They could correct their mistakes and be actively involved in their kids' lives properly, make new memories, and mend their connections appropriately. Jack then told his wife that a Fenton never quits, and he wasn't planning on throwing in the towel anytime soon.

Once Maddie's resolve was restored and strengthened by her husband, the couple discussed their plan to handle the matter with their wayward son.

...And this led to an early confrontation with their eldest, Jazz, at five in the morning. After a series of discussions, a heated argument, and a long exchange of heartfelt apologies, the Fenton family took one step closer to mend their relationship.

Before they knew it, Danny unexpectedly left his room, fully dressed while wearing his trademark red and white planet hoodie, blue jeans, and black sneakers. Of course, he kept his hood on to cover his growing mullet/comb over raven hair. He also wore his backpack, ready to head to school. When they heard Danny begin to move downstairs, Jack called him down.

"Son, come over to the kitchen! We're having an important Fenton family meeting, and all Fentons must be present." Jack instructed in a serious yet calm tone.

"...Okay?" Danny responded, feeling a bit uneasy at the tone his father spoke to him. "On my way."

When Danny entered the room, he found Jazz flashing a sympathetic and apologetic smile at her younger brother while their mother and father gave him reserved expressions.

Maddie pulled a seat for her youngest son, gesturing for Danny to sit down next to her and Jazz. Danny awkwardly trudged to his seat at the dinner table, trying to figure out what exactly was going on. He took a moment to look at his sister again, then noticed that there was a slight red coloration and the recent dry streaks that sat under her eyes.

'...Was Jazz crying?' Danny questioned in his mind, starting to grow concerned about the situation.

"Uh, is everything alright?" Danny inquired outwardly, looking at his parents.

"Danny, sweetie, I think it's time that we talk," Maddie said, talking in a gentle and maternal tone to soothe the tension that remained from the situation.

"Your mother's right, kiddo." Jack nodded, taking a similar but paternal approach. "We had one with your sister, so now it's your turn to know."

Sweat began to excrete from the youngest Fenton's face as his heart sank out of fear.

"...Y-You guys aren't splitting up or planning on divorcing, are you?" Danny asked, hoping that one of his biggest fears wasn't being realized.

Jack and Maddie gasped, then immediately denied, with Jack stating, "What are you talking about? Your mother and I are not doing anything of the sort!"

Maddie gave her child a reassuring smile as she had done to Jazz two hours prior, adding, "You and your sister are so alike, you know that? We're not going anywhere anytime soon."

When the secret Alpha Human turned to his sister and received a nod as confirmation, Danny felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"...Oh, I guess I had nothing to worry about," Danny sighed in relief, giving them a weary yet hopeful smile. "So, what's going on?"

"Well, Son, I'd like to start by saying that I-no, we owe you an apology," Jack said, beginning to make amends for his past mistakes.

"..What?" Danny uttered.

"Danny, we know that we haven't been...close with you and your sister. And it's been exceptionally challenging for you after our careers took off and your situation with Tucker...and Sam-" Maddie stated.

Danny flinched at the name of his friend. ...Well, Danny called her his friend, but he wasn't sure if Sam hated him or if she was using a harbored grudge to get him to humiliate himself until she felt satisfied.

"-But none of our negligence is inexcusable, kiddo. Our work may have become frantic, and many people depend on us now more than ever, but what's above accolades, the hefty pay increase and all the slimy specters to research is you and Jazz." Jack stated genuinely.

"We've lost sight of what matters over the years, and both of you suffered in silence because of that." Maddie expressed, showing her regret. "I can never forgive myself for hurting both of you, intentionally or not. All we can do from here on out is to make things right. You're our world, Danny, and we wish to prove that still holds true."

"If you let us," Jack added.

Danny heard what his parents were expressing and felt empathy toward their plight. Now, they were in the same boat, to not complicate the matter and to give them a chance, Danny decided to throw them a bone.

"...Let you? Come on, guys, not even the world's strongest magnets could keep you from trying." Danny quipped, brightening the mood. "You'd never give up."

"Ha! Atta boy, Danno!" Jack grinned with Maddie and Jazz taking their turns in sighing in relief.

Moving on to a different topic, Maddie said, "...On a semi-related note, Danny, something has come to our attention."

Danny noticed that his mother had dropped her previous smile in exchange for a frown of concern. Jack did the same, further creating a wave of uneasiness as his father resumed speaking.

"Son, we must give credit where it's due. From the latter half of your first year in Casper High, you've improved your grades and took this year seriously with a strong start. You've met and have been socializing with new people and have honored your responsibilities in your chores. For that, we're very proud of you-"

This made Danny smile a bit, but that quickly faded as the patriarch of the family continued speaking.

"-But you staying out 'till sundown has gotten your mother and I worried," Jack explained.

"You're not making your curfew on time lately. What if you were attacked again like before and nobody could help you?" Maddie questioned. "Couldn't you take the bus or ask one of your friends to drive you back?"

Danny was about to give a weak answer, and before Jazz could persuade her brother not to, Jack interjected.

"There's no excuse for this." Jack firmly stated. "We had an agreement, Danny. Your curfew is nine forty-five and you're expected to be in bed by ten, and you've been cutting it close. And what do I say about holding promises? A man is only as good-"

"-As his word," Danny answered quietly before averting his eyes toward the table. "...I'm sorry. I guess I'm losing track of time lately."

"Well, there's going to be some changes in this house," Maddie announced. "First off, every second Friday is family day. From now on, unless there's a planned event ahead of time, we will be spending a day together as a family."

"Secondly, Danny, you have one warning," Jack stated. "I hate to do this, but for your safety, I cannot continue for you to jeopardize your well-being for whatever nightly activities you kids do these days. Mess that up and you'll be grounded. That means no hanging out with your little friends or any extracurricular activities."

"That means you go to school, and then you come straight home," Maddie added.

Then the couple asked, "Are we clear?"

Danny sighed, then said, "Crystal."

-Fifteen Minutes Later, In Jazz's Car-

After cleaning her face and eating breakfast, Jazz took her brother in her car to drive him to school. During the drive, Jazz initiated the conversion through an apology.

"...Sorry, Little Brother." The older Fenton said, looking at her younger brother from the rearview mirror. "I tried to vouch for you but they weren't having none of it, this time."

"Great. Just when I get a rhythm going on, Mom and Dad get their heads out of the clouds and act like parents." Danny scoffs, annoyed at his situation as he crosses his arms and glances out of his window. "I mean, why start caring now of all times?"

Jazz frowned, then said, "Danny, they're flawed. We both know that, and we're used to fending for ourselves. But at the end of the day, Mom and Dad love us, and they are only looking out for you."

"While the belated love is appreciated, it doesn't change the fact that the crazed-up Fruitloop is just using them and their good nature against me." Danny bitterly pointed out.

"Look, I know that your last encounter with Vlad the Cheesehead has stressed you out. But we'll find a way to beat him."

"It's not just about Plasmius, though," Danny said as he began to vent. "The constant ghost attacks, protecting the town, the drama at school. No matter what I do, there always seems to be something out to get me or make things difficult for me! And no matter what I do, I always screw things up!"

Jazz remained quiet, wanting to listen to her brother's thoughts. She hadn't seen him like this since his Freshman year during his second month as "Inviso-Bill".

"Living with our parents and their antics all this time was bearable. I had you, Sam, and Tucker who watched over me through it all. Then 8/4 happened, and life went from bad to worse." Danny complained. "I've accepted these powers and I need to make do with them, but what they come with takes a lot to tow."

Danny lowered his head while his hoodie obscured his face and said, "...Don't get me wrong, Jazz, I'm grateful for what you and the others do to help. I really am. It's just that I don't think you understand what it's like to hold this power along with the secret that comes with it at the same time. It makes me feel like I'm still alone, and-"

"-Everything is getting to you, right?" Jazz spoke in a soft manner that Danny managed to catch.

"...Yeah." Danny nodded awkwardly.

"Danny," Jazz spoke in an uncertain yet gentle voice. "...Maybe she should tell them the-"

The fifteen-year-old boy nearly jumped out of his seat as he screamed, "NO!"

The commotion caused Jazz to swerve her car and nearly hit someone, but Danny turned the car intangible, preventing an accident before Jazz quickly took off to the Nasty Burger parking lot.

Danny's body shook in fear as he stated, "Oh God, Jazz, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"-Danny, it's alright... You saved us." Jazz comforted, turning her gaze to him in the backseat behind her.

"I-I can't tell them, Jazz." Danny stuttered in fear as he placed his hands on his face. "I just can't."

"You're not ready." Jazz stated with a nod. "I understand. But you know that we can't hide this forever."

"I know that," Danny said with a sigh, taking his hands off of his face. "I'll do it at some point, but not now... What if they see me as a ghost and not their son? What if they think something's wrong with me and they try to "fix" me? Either way, I might end up as their next experiment!"

"I'm sorry, Danny." Jazz apologized, understanding how much the accident had affected her family. "This is so messed up."

"...This isn't fair to you. You're gonna graduate this year," Danny muttered, hating how selfish he was. "You should be focusing on college, not my ghost problems."

"Danny, you're my brother. I'm here to help you, regardless if you have ghost powers or not." Jazz retorted in a soft tone. "Besides, the moment Mom and Dad finished the portal, their ghost problems became our problems."

Danny's frown furrowed as he quietly repeated, "It's not fair."

"...I know it isn't. But I'm glad you're opening up about this." Jazz said turning a negative into a positive. "Whenever you need it, I'll be there to support you. Always."

"...You promise?" Danny questioned, mirroring his seven-year-old self which Jazz envisioned beside her teenage brother.

Jazz smiled and embraced her brother in a loving sibling manner, whispering, "I promise."

---

Homeroom, Casper High, Amity Park

The Sophomore homeroom class had detected that something was up the moment they entered the classroom as the first bell rang, giving students ten minutes to head into class before late arrivals were considered "tardy".

Hell, even Danny and Valerie came on time, and yet there seemed to be no signs of Mr. Lancer anywhere.

The class' suspicions only increased when instead of the balding middle-aged Vice Principal, they were met with their actual Principal.

This figure of authority took the form of a middle-aged Japanese American woman roughly taller than Paulina but shorter than Dash with a plump body type wearing a blue business suit over a white collared shirt, black heels, and a red tie. Her eyes were mocha brown, had neck-length ebony hair, lavender round earrings, and violet lipstick.

This was Principal June Ishiyama of Casper High.

"Good morning, class! Please excuse the absence of Mr. Lancer. He will be away for a week due to a family emergency, but there will be a substitute instructor in his place who should be arriving any moment now..."

This caused the class to murmur amongst themselves, skeptical about the upcoming new arrival that was the substitute.

Danny and Valerie shared a curious glance as did Mason of Pacifica. The former knew how callous Casper High students and teachers alike were and rarely reached out for outside help. In fact, the last time that they did this, the school board allocated the resources for a guidance counselor which led to the hiring (and swift firing) of Penelope Spectra.

Since then, the corrupted school board and its financial backers have continued their shady practices by sweeping events and complaints under the rug, inadvertently advocating horrid work ethics from the faculty's side and bullying children with less financial background or status for the sake of preserving their image. They masked what many would consider blemishes to a school's reputation through a consistent (possibly fixed) winning streak from sports and other contests, setting the boundaries between the fortunate and the unfortunate, the talented, and the talentless. Thus, a caste system was established, continuing from the late nineteenth century onto the present.

And every class from the Freshmen to the Seniors immediately figured this out and adapted to it.

So, hearing about an outsider, in spite of it being temporary, perplexed the kids.

Suddenly, a slender woman with fair skin, blue eyes, and neck-length wavy blond hair entered the room. She seemed to appear to be in the late twenties/early thirties age range. The woman wore a red collared shirt, a white skirt, and red heels.

While not Spectra, a lot of the boys minus Danny, Mason, and some nerds ogled at the blonde, causing girls such as Sam, Valerie, and Paulina to either scoff or roll their eyes. After a quiet exchange between the women, the blonde-haired woman addressed the class.

"Good Morning, everybody! My name is Ms. Caroline, and I'll be your substitute teacher for the week." Ms. Caroline greeted, clasping her hands together like a sweetheart with a radiant smile that reflected that.

This seemingly won the hearts of most of the class, captivating the majority of the class. Though, Danny couldn't help but shake this...weird feeling he had with this woman.

As if he had met her from somewhere.

With that, Ishiyama told the Sophomores, "It seems that everything is under control. I will leave you kids to it. Please, represent Casper High well."

As Ishiyama left, Ms. Caroline said, "We will begin class by reviewing yesterday's assignment as instructed by your teacher. After that, we will be participating in an introduction activity to get more...acquainted with each other. So, let us get along, shall we?"

For some reason, the youngest Fenton felt the woman's gaze peering into his soul.

'...I-Is she staring at me?' Danny questioned, having the urge to shrink under his substitute's stares.

---

B.O.R.D HQ, Amity Park

The three scientific minds tasked with bringing down the ghost boy had taken a day to take a bit of a business trip from New York to Illinois.

Particularly, Amity Park.

This served to be a nice change of pace, especially for Dr. Drakken, who found being around Agent Alpha to be annoying most of the time, and on rare occasions, unnerving.

At times, he wondered if the guy was always crazy or if his agency's job had driven him mad.

It only took the group a minute to reach the basement via an elevator. Walking through a long corridor, the three men spoke amongst themselves.

"A trip away from the Big Apple is just what I needed." Dr. Drakken beamed. "What's with that Alpha guy, anyway? He's more off his rocker than that monkey-obsessed yahoo from Britain."

Dr. Animo snorted at the comparison, thinking, 'Compared to that aristocratic simian-loving fanatic, Fiske, Alpha is a loon.'

"Agent Alpha has grown obsessed with his own machinations, consumed with the thought of grandeur and power," Clef explained with a tone of indifference. "He believes that ghosts were the key to ultimate and potentially, limitless power. This possibility had driven him until it ironically became his obsession."

"Limitless power, you say?" Animo questioned, with curiosity piqued. "If only spirits had a genetic makeup..."

'...If only you knew...' Clef mused in his mind while he walked.

"This obsession was the foundation that established the Bureau of Occult Research and Development. Of course, there is one obstacle that hinders the progress of all agents and most personnel." Clef stated.

Both Dr. Drakken and Dr. Animo respectively responded, "The Ghost Boy/Child."

"Precisely. Alpha wants the utter destruction of the child's spirit, no matter how impossible the task may seem." Clef answered with a small grin as he stopped in front of a metallic door with a scanner. "Which is why he's so adamant on the pursuit of results. Especially in regards to this project's progression."

"What a fool. Shouldn't he focus on the effort of finding a solution for the ghost infestation instead of indulging in personal matters?" Dr. Animo scoffed.

"Yeah! How could you kill something already dead!?" Dr. Drakken rhetorically snorted.

"His motives nor the questionable nature of the order matters not," Clef stated, scanning his eyes and hand to grant himself and his colleagues access to a small laboratory. "Our priority is to continue or work on the Sotoragg Project. But first, we need fresh combat data, and I have just the thing that can assist us with our shared project."

"Underneath the Amity Park branch building?" Dr. Drakken questioned.

"Why are you surprised, Lipsky? Doesn't the W.E.E. supply you with grants to fund your various lairs?" Dr. Animo jeered.

"Well, actually-, I mean, shut up!" Drakken stammered. "And its Drakken!"

Clef ignored the two while he guided them inside of the lab. Once Clef clapped his hands twice, the lights came on. The three were eventually met with a large black pyramid like machine with traces of yellow circuits on it behind a window of a small containment room. The device almost seemed alien to the other younger scientists, intriguing Animo and Drakken.

"What a fine piece of hardware!" Dr. Drakken swooned while studying the marvel that was be Dr. Clef's latest invention. "I haven't seen anything like it!"

"I knew you'd appreciate it. I reversed engineered it myself," Clef casually stated.

"Incredible!" Drakken gawked, having the giddiness of a child looking at their new toy.

Dr. Animo gazed at the patterns and the surface of the machine, vaguely familiar with its surface. That's when it came to the mad scientist.

"...This is alien technology!" Animo exclaimed, catching Drakken off guard.

"What!? You're crazy!" Drakken mocked with his arms crossed. "Aliens aren't real! That's just a conspiracy!"

"On the contrary, Drakken, Animo speaks the truth." Dr. Alto Clef revealed, shocking the blue skinned man. "Specifically, this is a Helix, originally created by a diminutive but highly intelligent race of extraterrestrials known as the Galvan."

"...Galvan?" Drakken vocally pondered.

"Intuitive anthropomorphic amphibians," Dr. Animo briefly clarified.

'Frog people made this!?' Drakken thought, flabbergasted.

"How on Earth did you manage to get your hands on this?" Animo inquired.

"I've been alive for a very long time. Age comes with a lifetime of experience and connections. I just happen to have both in spades." Clef ominously smirked.

"What does this contraption do, exactly?" Asked Dr. Drakken.

Clef explained, "This device was created to terraform a planet, but it unintentionally begat artificial life made out of nanites. I've taken the initial design, downsized it, and purposely programmed this Galvan Helix to produce my very own human-made Galvanic Mechamorph."

"...Genius!" Drakken marveled.

"Yes, but does it work?" Animo asked, skeptical of its functionality.

Clef smirked, went over to the control panel then pressed a series of buttons that prompted the black and yellow device to glow and generate energy from four large pillar-like nodes.

When a pool of techno-organic fluid spilled from the bottom of the machine, Clef turned the machine off. From there, the liquid tech organic material compiled itself into an amorphous yet solid form, taking the form of a black wyrm with yellow circuit patterns matching that of premature bone structure resembling an infantile organism. Its face was that of a circular marking with one line segment going up on its head and two jagged segments going down on its lower neck.

"Beep!" The man-made Galvanic Mechamorph uttered using a synthesized voice modulator that resembled a cross between that of a young male child and a machine.

"Gentlemen, I introduce you to the fifth installment of the Sotoragg prototype," Clef announced. "STP Version 5.5 (Five-Five), codename; Malware."

"...The first man-made alien..." Dr. Animo uttered, astounded as to how far humans progressed in the field of science. "Who would have thought we would come this far."

Thinking back to his previous battles with a certain transforming super soldier, Animo thought, '...But why doesn't it look like a traditional Galvanic Mechamorph?'

"Oh don't be too surprised, Aloysius, mankind has been reverse engineering alien technology since the sixteenth century," Clef explained. "But admittingly, Galvan technology took a bit longer to cultivate, but what you see before you are the results of my research."

"I see..." The pale green-skinned man accepted.

"Does this...blob look like a baby? How can we use this thing to fight the ghost kid if it can't even talk properly?" Dr. Drakken questioned.

"Think, Lipsky," Said Clef, mockingly pointing to his temple. "Use that thick brain of yours and answer me this: How do you think the AI within the Mechamorph assimilates technology and coding?"

"Through learned behavior and simulated trials-Oh! Oooh!"

Dr. Animo facepalmed, muttering, "What a buffoon...even I knew that, and computer science isn't my field of expertise."

"As I previously stated, we cannot rely on the Bureau's previous battle data because it would be deemed as insufficient and outdated. Our subject, here, will serve as a camera to monitor Phantom while we feed our specimen all the anti-spectral weapons it could handle. And once it grows enough through simulated combat, we will administer the final trial."

"It's going to battle the ghost child, isn't it." Dr. Animo asked with a smirk.

Clef responded positively, saying, "Now you're catching on."

"And I suppose if this Malware fails, we'll still have the Helix to make more and the data needed to move on to the sixth installation." Dr. Drakken presumed.

"Oh, that's the best part, doctor. It's going to fail." Clef confidently stated. "And when it does, well, let's say that we have volunteers ready for a more...hands-on approach."

"Volunteers?" Dr. Drakken parroted in confusion with a sudden shiver running down his spine.

"How can you be so sure of Malware's failure?" Asked Dr. Animo.

The Osmosian chuckled ominously and said, "Call it a fellow doctor's intuition."

---

School Yard, Casper High, Amity Park

It was the period before lunch and the Casper High Sophomores had the unfortunate luck of sharing the football field with the Juniors of the school. While the Juniors were busy stretching and preparing to either play football (boys) or practice gymnastics for fun or cheerleading (girls), the Sophomores had to perform their mile run, required to run four laps on the race track around the football field.

"Keep those legs moving, people!" A shrill yet somewhat feminine voice shouted from the green turf. "I want progression, not the travesty of pathetic whelps from last year!"

Standing on the fake green grass was a large, stocky, and pale-skinned gym woman with a brown-haired mullet, red lips, and blue eyes. She wore a white t-shirt, a necklace with a whistle tied to it, red gym shorts, and white tennis shoes.

This was Lorraine Tetslaff, Casper High's gym teacher.

"FOLEY! PINES! You're lagging! Move it!" Ms. Tetslaff shouted as she watched techno geek and the so-called conspiracy theorist lag with only a few other nerds, like Nathan, Angie (orange-haired girl with braces), Blake (nerdy ginger-haired girl with glasses), and Mikey.

Opposite them, Tetslaff noticed that Valerie seemed to be leading the mile run with Sam and Pacifica closely following behind. She could tell that the Manson girl was trying to overtake Pacifica and vice versa, to reach Gray. And once again, she had Sam initiating the competition, given her track record for her being the fastest girl in the class last year before Valerie's brutal regimen began.

Since then, Sam had developed a major rivalry with the former A-Lister, but that was quickly turned on its head by the arrival of Pacifica, who seemed to be academically gifted and physically talented. With her mindset, Pacifica's subtle provocative behavior, and their supposed shared history, Sam projected her competitive aggression toward the youngest Northwest.

Tetslaff shook her head at this, thinking, 'Typical Manson behavior... But that Northwest brat is a perfectionist by nature. She's got her work cut out for her.'

Ms. Tetslaff then set her sights on one of her odd students. Namely, Daniel Fenton.

Currently, the boy had been jogging at a pace that was average compared to most students. Of course, this was a drastic improvement compared to last year. As a Freshman, he couldn't even perform a single pull-up in a pull-up bar test. Now, bare minimum, he can lift himself up from the bar at least twenty times, and has become more proactive during stretching activities, and has participated in events such as the Fitness Grade Pacer Test, vaulting, the various sports games (football, soccer, basketball), and has even been shown to successfully lift a dumbbell with weights equating to one hundred and thirty pounds.

Again, nothing out of the ordinary.

Except, Tetslaff could tell that something was off about him. For one, Danny was the only person in his class who wore a long-sleeved lightweight hoodie over his gym shirt while meeting the rest of his gym clothes criteria. It didn't matter if the weather was blazing hot, he would be covering up. And she knew that the teen was building up muscle, she could see it in his face, frame, and calves alongside the start of his growth spurt. Finally, she heard from rumors within the locker rooms that Danny would always be seen dressed first before PE started and the last person to leave the locker room. Many speculated that Danny was taking drugs, but even Tetslaff knew that was a load of crap.

Coinciding with everything she observed, Tetslaff concluded that Danny had been holding himself back. And that was something that the coach would not allow in her class. So, she mentally decided to confront the youngest Fenton after class to discuss her suspicions for the sake of maintaining her work ethic of pure hard work and bringing out the best in her student's physical best.

Meanwhile, on the track, most kids were down to their third lap. As to some of the below-average kids such as Tucker and Mason, they were halfway done with their second lap around the track.

Surprising to Mason, Tucker was faster at running than him while both of them were trailing behind Danny, who could be seen behind most of the average PE students. Recalling his association with a mutual friend they shared, the younger Pines twin decided to extend an olive branch to Tucker and hoped that he could strike a pleasant conversation with at least one of Danny's good friends.

"M-Man! S-Since when...did Danny get so...fast!?" Tucker panted as he jogged at his pace.

"HEY!" Mason suddenly called to him, prompting the techno-geek to notice him catching up to him.

"Huh? H-Hey, there! Mason, right?" Tucker greeted while trying to steady his breaths.

"Yeah! That's me!" Mason commented. "S-Say...I have...a question!"

"W-What's up?" Tucker responded, starting to jog a little slower for both of their benefits.

"Y-you won't happen to be a DOOMED player, would you?" Mason inquired.

"Well, yeah, it's one of the hottest online games around!" Tucker said, forming a smile. "My user handle is FryerTuck!"

"Oh crap, no wonder...you're familiar!" Mason exclaimed, jogging at the same pace as Tucker. "We made it to Level Five together with Danny in two years!"

"Wait, you play DOOMED? Do we know each other there?" Tucker questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Bro... I'm KYDMYSTERY." Mason revealed, which sent a wave of astonishment to the techno-geek.

"OH SHIT! That's you!?" Tucker gasped in excitement. "What are the odds!"

"That's what Danny said." Mason chuckled.

"Man, no wonder you sounded familiar!" Tucker recounted, while still jogging slowly. "Dude, you've carried us for, like, two years!"

"Hey, you helped me find three of the keys, you know...Ready for Level Thirteen?"

"Level Thirteen, baby!" Tucker cheered, pumping his right in the air.

From there, Mason and Tucker instantly began small talk, nearly forgetting the mile they were running.

Suddenly, mile times began to be made. Valerie and Pacifica tied for the fastest mile time for girls at six minutes and forty-five seconds. Unfortunately for Sam, she made a time of six minutes and fifty seconds.

Sam stopped, utterly frustrated and disappointed. She turned to see Valerie and Pacifica getting praised by Ms. Tetslaff.

"Northwest, Gray! You both broke last year's record! Great work!" The burly woman stated with a proud smirk. "Take a breather! You earned it!"

Seeing that she was bested, Sam let out a vexed snarl. And to add insult to injury, Pacifica's old mean streak flared as she and Valerie passed by the goth. This occurred, by the bleach blonde whispered to Sam, "Better luck next time, Manson."

'That bitch!' Sam thought, utterly seething in jealousy and angered.

Danny made his mile time, meticulously making sure that his time was roughly around seven minutes and fifty seconds to avoid suspicion amongst his peers given his improvement from Freshman year.

Once he was done, he looked under one of his armpits and saw the dark stain, then took a whiff of himself. Danny wretched, but suppressed the urge to puke successfully.

'Ugh, gross! I reek!' Danny thought to himself as he walked in the direction of Ms. Tetslaff. 'I'm gonna be the first to hit the showers, for sure.'

"Fenton! Your time was decent, but you can do better," Ms. Tetslaff said in a huff. "Make it happen."

Danny lamely nodded, saying, "I will. Can I go to the drinking fountain, Ma'am?"

"Fine. Just make it back quickly! It's indoor basketball for the boys today, and there's a jersey in there with your name on it." Tetslaff ordered.

"Yes, ma'am." Danny lazily saluted before jogging to the fountain.

While moving, Danny spotted Sam brooding by a tree near the track. They immediately made eye contact, but Sam scoffed at the boy, prompting Danny to look away in sadness. However, his spirits were brought up when he spotted Pacifica and Valerie with each other. Much to his surprise, Tucker and Mason were making their way to the finish line together to run their final lap around the track while seemingly getting along.

This made Danny smile to himself as he said, '...Things may not be the same, but that doesn't mean that it's all bad.'

The hoodie-wearing Alpha Human had reached the fountain adjacent to the track with relative ease. Allowing his thirst to consume him, Danny went to take a sip from the water fountain, numbing his sense of awareness to relieve his urge for hydration.

Unbeknownst to him, some of the A-Listers boys from Grade 11 had just gotten out of the bathroom near the fountain and had spotted Danny. If that wasn't a coincidence, some of the cheerleaders, led by Paulina, walked over to the girl's bathroom with the intent to "powder their nose".

Paulina, still angry at Danny from their last encounter, was about to give him a hard time when she spotted her on-again/off-again boyfriend, Dash, with his posse of jocks. She noticed that they had water balloons filled with water and a super soaker. Dash gave her the "zip it" gesture with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Paulina, Star, and the other popular girls in the clique (barring Pacifica) held out stifled giggles while complying with Dash's will.

Once Danny raised his head, signifying that he was done drinking from the fountain. From there, a finger tapped on his left shoulder.

Before Danny could anticipate anything, he was immediately pelted by at least seven water balloons, soaking his face, hood, and upper body. Danny spat and coughed, groaning as he heard the obnoxious laughter of a group that he was all too familiar with.

The Alpha Human spared an annoyed glance through his soaked black bangs and saw Dash Baxter at the front of the group, smirking at his favorite punching bag.

"Hope you were thirsty, Fentoad." The blond jock heckled while his posse chuckled.

"Ha! You got him good, Dash." Dale said, giving his fellow football star a fist bump.

"Ugh! ...Are you serious, Dash?" Danny groaned, wiping his face off with one of the dry parts of his hoodie.

"What, you want more?" Dash challenged, prompting Kwan and two other jocks to spray him down with the super soakers.

"Argh! Hey, quit it!" Danny shouted, inwardly wishing he could just turn intangible but held back.

He knew that Jazz wouldn't want him to for obvious reasons, and he didn't want to frivolously use them to solve such trivial issues.

So, he settled to try and walk towards his class' area but was bombarded with more squirts from the super soakers.

"Not so hot are you, Fenton?" Star chided with the memory of her best friend crying in the bathroom playing in her mind.

"I bet that felt good, right?" Paulina snarked. "That's probably the best shower you had in your life,"

This riled the popular crowd up again, beginning another round of laughter for the sake of Danny's humiliation.

Danny didn't show it, but the irritation that had festered inside him began to boil over. Not just with the A-Listers, but the drama with Sam as well. He was tired of being treated like trash. He doesn't know if it was because his new friends were helping him build his confidence and self-esteem, or because the ghost in him had already harbored his sense of pride.

Ultimately, he took a deep breath and brushed it off once more, as Danny had always done.

The laughter was cut short when Ms. Tetslaff came in, holding a basketball in her head.

"Okay, that's enough! Break it up!" Tetslaff barked before turning to the A-Listers. "Juniors, return to your area before I report you for harassment!"

Most of the group was made of Juniors, so it took no time for the bullying circle to disappear. It was here where some of the kids from Danny's class gathered toward Tetslaff, Paulina, Star, and the soaked Danny. Of course, Dash (and Kwan) hung around the area, wanting to see the fruits of his labor.

The brawny woman then turned to Fenton and said, "You'll be fine, Fenton. A little water doesn't hurt anybody."

'...At least it was water THIS time.' Danny dryly thought to himself, recalling his time being harassed by Dash at Floody Waters.

"Let's get moving on. Now, off with the hood and shirt!" Ms. Tetslaff ordered, taking Danny aback.

"Take off my what?" Danny uttered.

"Do you have cotton in your ears? I said take your hood and top off!" Tetslaff repeated. "We have a schedule to go through and we can't have you getting sick!"

This prompted more onlookers to gaze at him, making Danny mentally and physically uncomfortable.

'Not good, if people saw how I look underneath my clothes...'

"...D-Do I have to, Ma'am?" Danny asked, almost whining like a child.

"Quit your whining and do what I say, or I'm taking points off for lack of participation," Tetslaff stated.

Dash, Paulina, and Star were elated at this, happy that the PE teacher was inadvertently helping them in their (mostly Paulina and Dash's) personal vendetta against the school's biggest loser. They hoped that the suffering that they brought Danny would remind him and the rest of the school's population of their places in the school's social hierarchy.

Danny peered at Valerie, Pacifica, and Mason for confirmation. The three nodded, knowing that there were no alternatives in the matter.

Sighing, Danny did what he was told and took off both his gym hoodie and gym shirt. The class, Dash, and Kwan were met with a baffling surprise. The boy revealed his well-toned, slim, yet muscular build along with his grown-out hair. He still kept his come-over, but it seemed that he was growing a tail that began to reach down his neck.

Kwan said, breaking the silence. "...Is that really Fenton?"

"N-No way!" Dash whispered.

Murmurs of mesmerization filled the air, with most of the boys staring at Danny's figure in disbelief. Many of the girls, save for Pacifica and Valerie, were either ogling him, sparing blushing glances, or flat-out drooling over his body.

'Since when did that geek get so...so hot!?' Star wondered, absolutely baffled while her face began to heat up.

Paulina felt her brain split in half over the conflicting waves of emotions swirling inside her heart while they battled against the racing thoughts in her mind. Of course, being a teenage girl with rampant hormones, she had a light blush on her face.

Sam, in particular, felt her eyes widen with her mouth left agape at what she was staring at. From looking at Danny, she could tell that not only were his muscles real, but that his physique appeared to be similar to that of a swimmer's build.

'When did he grow out his hair so much? ...IS THAT AN EIGHT PACK!?' Sam screeched in her mind, feeling her beginning to bleed from the heat her face was emanating.

If she hadn't been too busy wrestling with her own conflicting thoughts, Sam would have spotted several cuts across his abs, chest, and arms.

This was something that Ms. Tetslaff saw, but given how light they appeared to be, reckoned that they were old wounds and not worth bringing up. However, she had a satisfying smirk across her face when finally receiving the truth behind her suspicions.

Danny tried to move his soaked bangs from his eyes when he noticed all of the stares.

'...AAAnd everybody's staring. So much for keeping a low profile.' Danny mumbled in his mind.

His thoughts were interrupted when Tetslaff gave the boy a smack on the back, prompting him to flinch.

"Ha! I knew you were holding out on everyone!" Tetslaff exclaimed. "I'll be expecting you to give it your all for the foreseeable future, Fenton!"

"...Wait, wha-" Danny uttered before a t-shirt and a jersey was thrown on his face.

The coach blew her whistle and said, "SOPHOMORES, TO THE INDOOR COURT! IT'S PICK-UP BASKETBALL DAY!"

While everybody snapped back into reality, Danny looked at his temporary t-shirt and jersey and uttered, "...I should have played sick and stayed at home today."

---

Cafeteria, Casper High, Amity Park

Danny, with his normal clothes and hood on, rested his head on the lunch table, grumpy at the situation while the others kept on laughing their butts off regarding the previous period

"D-Did you see the look on their faces!?" Mason said, barely containing his laughter.

"Mhm!" Valerie said as she turned her attention towards Danny. "Boy, those girls looked like they haven't had a piece of meat in months from the way they were staring at you."

"For real." Pacifica agreed. "It made it so much easier in the game. Sanchez and Lynn couldn't help themselves but take a few peaks."

"W-Wait, and then there's Manson," Mason added, stifling between laughs. "Good Lord, I could feel the thirst coming off of her, and D's the oasis!"

Danny groaned at this while the others found themselves laughing harder.

"Oh, come on, guys." Danny moaned, still sour about last period. "Can we quit with the jokes about PE?"

"Lighten up, DJ, you know it's all out of love," Valerie reassured.

Mason added, "Besides, it was those idiots' fault for trying to start crap. The catharsis has to be worth something."

"And hey, now people know that you're a beefcake underneath the hoodie." The heiress to the Northwest fortunate stated.

"PACIFICA!" Danny shouted, embarrassed at the compliment while blushing a little.

"What? I'm straight, and I know what girls like me fancy." Pacifica casually pointed out before turning to Mason. "That's why I have Troll Boy, here, exercise with me."

Mason then raised his shirt showed off his six-pack and said, "And it paid off."

"...Woah!" Valerie and Danny uttered in amazement.

"Yup, the grind is real. My cardio just sucks right now." Mason explained before turning in Danny's direction. "But seriously, you have a bode other out-of-shape guys our age dream of. That's not something to be ashamed about."

"I don't care about that, Mase. But I don't want to have any reason for other people to get suspicious of me and start making connections." Danny corrected. "It's bad enough that you told me Sam's starting to get nosy."

"She is?" Pacifica and Valerie questioned, glancing at Mason.

"That's a valid point. But here's my rebuttal. Who cares?" Mason countered. "So you got in shape, big whoop. That has nothing to do with Phantom. As far as the common person is concerned, you're alive and he's a spirit. As far as Manson is concerned, she thinks that someone who has Fenton tech is helping out. The worst case scenario is that she concludes that you're helping Phantom."

"But I don't want her involved in any form, Mase," Danny stressed. "I don't want any attention drawn to me. As much as I miss Sam, I miss her a lot, the last thing that I want is for her or Tucker to be caught up with my mess."

"Our mess, Danny," Valerie said. "We're in this as much as you are. Look, your secret is safe. If Sam gets too close, I'll help you throw her off."

"I'm pretty sure his abs did the trick enough," Mason quipped, causing Danny to sputter in embarrassment.

"Hell, Baxter looked so lost that they probably looked like he was thinking about playing for the other team," Valerie added.

"I thought he already knew how Kwan and Dale kept riding him," Danny commented after quickly regaining control, prompting the entire table to laugh out loud.

Soon enough, Danny excused himself and stood up, saying, "I'll be right back. I need to go to the restroom."

"Don't take too long, Casper," Pacifica stated. "We still have to talk about plans for next week."

"Sure thing, Pacifica." Danny agreed before jogging out of the cafeteria.

Mason saw this as an opportunity to change gears in topics.

"Speaking of ghosts," Mason said, taking three copies of spiral notebooks out of his bag. "There's some briefing that I'd like to do with you two."

Mason then gave a notebook to each girl, who raised a brow at the boy as they asked, "...What's this?"

"Paz, remember the journals that I would carry around during my first summer in Gravity Falls?" Mason asked, prompting the blonde to nod.

"Yeah, you towed that thing around like it was the Holy Bible." Pacifica playfully quipped, reminiscing on the Summer when they met.

"Jokes on you, my family is Jewish." Mason retorted before taking his notebook and flipping to the third page. "Ever since I learned about 8/4 and began chronicling the exploits of Phantom, I was inspired to start my own series of journals. What I'm giving you two is the rough draft of the first one."

Valerie looked at the cover and read, "Spirit Files: Beginner's Guide to the Supernatural."

"The book name's still a work-in-progress," Mason mentioned.

"Geez, Troll Boy, you might as well use the title "Ghost Guide For Dummies" and get it trademarked," Said Pacifica, glancing at her boyfriend with a deadpan expression and a dry smile.

"I tried, actually. Somebody already has that copyrighted," Mason responded just the same. "Turn to this page,"

Valerie and Pacifica did so, then found the heading of the page that read "Spirits and Classes".

"...You're giving us homework!?" Valerie asked incredulously.

"No, no, no! That's lame! I figured since you guys aren't caught up with some of the jargon that D, Jazz, and I use, I'd give you a short breakdown." Mason stated. "And this notebook is a guide to help you understand our thought process."

Before Valerie could say anything, Pacifica placed a hand on her shoulder and gestured to hear her boyfriend out, prompting the cocoa-skinned girl to sigh and relent.

"Okay, Valerie, what is a ghost to you?" Mason inquired.

Out of reflex, Valerie's hidden bitterness manifested as she stated, "No good monsters that wreck anything that's in their way."

Mason gave the girl a deadpan stare and said, "You do know that by that logic, Phantom would fall under that category, right?"

"T-That's different!" Valerie blurted out, cursing in her mind before whispering. "He's human..."

"And this is why I'm giving this briefing now and it's mainly projected towards you." Mason iterated with an indifferent but calm tone. "While I empathize with your plight for what you've lost due to the Cujo Incident, and I'm glad that you gave Danny and Phantom a chance, your perception of all Spirits is flawed."

"Excuse me, but you can't expect me to suddenly change my view on the en-" Valerie defensively retorted before pausing. "-Wait, you said spirits."

"Why, yes. Yes, I did, Ms. Gray." Mason said, taking a mocking British accent. "And I am charmed that you made such a brilliant deduction."

"...I will hurt you," Valerie threatened.

"Just tell us what you need to tell us, Pines." Pacifica groaned, not wanting to deal with any more of their antics.

"Fine! Spoil my fun, why don't you..." Mason pouted as if he was twelve-years-old again. "Look, Danny and I, well, with some help from Jazz, had decided earlier on to throw away everything we thought we knew about ghosts and re-approach the field with an open mind."

While Valerie crossed her arms and listened attentively, Pacifica asked, "I don't that, but isn't that, like, reinventing the wheel?"

"To an extent, we are, but that doesn't mean that we don't borrow certain research, theories, and/or terms from our predecessors, there's a clear bias against the subject that makes up the study. We can't have a skewed perspective in a field of study that demands objectivity." Mason explained. "Hence, this journal."

"...Alright, Professor Piedmont, humor me. What, from your point of view, is a ghost?" Valerie questioned, awaiting answers.

"Let's back up for a minute, Gray. I'll answer your burning question." Mason stated. "The term Ghost Zone was coined by Jack and Maddie Fenton, which was later adopted by government suits like the Guys in White. But it's referred to as the Spirit World by its residents, and as you know, its home to Spirits-"

"-You mean ghosts?" Valerie corrected.

"No, Spirits." Mason clarified. "It's the general term for all spectral beings that Danny, Jazz, and I agreed upon. As you'll come to learn, there are different types of Spirits, and we're not categorizing them based on preexisting myths, but rather the nature of their behavior."

"What kinds of Spirits are there?" Pacifica inquired.

"To keep things simple for now, let's use the terms that we've heard starting with what term Amity Park likes to throw around. Ghosts," Mason said before taking a deep breath. "From what we could make out, Ghosts are the souls of beings that have lived such as humans, animals, and whatever that can be born and pass on."

"Okay," Valerie nodded. "Why do Ghosts try to stay here if they are dead? And why attack us?"

"Well, that's the thing, Gray. The Spirits that you fight are not Ghosts, but Poltergeists."

"What?" Valerie uttered, totally confused. "That's the same thing!"

"No, it's not. The key difference is its behavior and nature." Mason shot back with furrowed brows. "Ghosts are neutral, or as Danny would consider, pure. They spawn in the Spirit World, either unwilling to move on or trapped/bound superficially to locations and/or people. How they existed, died, and emerged within the limbo that is the Spirit World is reflected in their obsession. However, most Ghosts are reasonable, harmless, and only seek to move on from the limbo that we know as the Spirit World."

"Oh yeah, well what about the evil ghosts that do attack? What about their behavior!?" Valerie challenged again.

"Again, those are Poltergeists," Mason said, massaging the bridge of his nose. "They can occur either one of two ways; a Poltergeist can be born within the Spirit World as a result of accumulation of ectoplasm taking form and sentience while being overly stimulated with negativity. These Spirits are malicious and belligerent to the core, with most of them being mindless while very few of them retain rationality to meticulously scheme and execute their goals to temporarily relieve their obsession. I've theorized that Ghost X is one of these kinds of Poltergeist-"

"-His name is Skulker." Valerie flatly states.

"And I'm calling him Ghost X."

"...That stupid." Valerie retorted.

"You're stupid!" Mason fired back.

"FIVE minutes!" Pacifica interjected, irritated at the squabble in front of her. "Could you both not act like children for FIVE minutes!?"

While staring each other down, Valerie and Mason nonverbally established a "truce" before Mason was told by his girlfriend to continue.

"-Right, so there's another way for a Poltergeist to exist." Mason continued. "From what I've gathered from Danny, Penelope Spectra has dubbed negative spectral energy and the release of it as Madness. If this energy were to successfully infect a Ghost, they would be consumed by Madness and become aggressive and irrational through Poltergeization. And if they maintain and choose to act on their newly found rage and begin to accept it, well, there's your new Ghost-born Poltergeist."

Valerie frowned, and said, "So, what you're telling me is that ghosts, no Spirits are both dead people and not people?"

"It's not too surprising. As I said, Skulker doesn't seem to have been human, but I know for a fact that Ember McLain was human, and their natures and behavior are as clear as night and day." Mason stated. "Her obsession to be remembered, hence why she gains power through idol worship and doesn't harm anybody when trying to obtain her fix. Meanwhile, Skulker goes to great lengths to prove himself as the Spirit World's greatest hunter, even if it means taking the lives of anybody that stands in his way."

"...Wow, compared to Skulker, Ember's practically a Ghost," Pacifica commented.

"No kidding. And that's not considering the worst-case scenario." Mason pointed out.

"Worst case scenario? What's worse than a Poltergeist?" Asked Valerie.

"Let me answer your question with another one, and really think about this," Mason said before turning to his girlfriend. "Why are there Spirits that travel to our world and are bound to our world?"

"I don't know, maybe they feel like they left something behind?" Valerie grumbled, still not used to this "new" way of thinking.

Pacifica's mind raced back to the ghostly lumberjack that haunted her old family mansion.

The bleach blonde shivered at the memory before ominously answering, "...Or they might have unfinished business with a place or a person."

"You're both right," Mason said with a small grin. "Either way, their reasons are tied down by regret or grudges. Now, imagine that whatever the object of persisting after death was removed by an unknown element. How do you think these Spirits would react."

Valerie answered, "...I'd be pissed,"

"I suppose that would be an apt initial reaction for those with grudges." Mason understood with a half-shrug.

"...I guess I'd be sad, then empty." Pacifica empathized, thinking about her boyfriend's words. "I'd be thinking what to do next? Like, what's the point of it all when my drive is gone?"

Mason clapped his hand one time, and said, "Now you're getting it! For humans, we're more decisive due to our limited time alive. We can easily move on from one interest to another compared to a Spirit. But for them, to lose the drive that keeps them going in limbo would cause them to go insane. This could cause the most rational of Spirits to experience a rapid Poltergeization."

"I'm sorry, rapid?" Valerie exclaimed, feeling her stomach churn.

"Yes, Valerie. Spirits that succumb to the highest degree of Madness and who do not regain their rationality could become what we describe as a Wraith." Mason revealed. "If you don't believe what I'm saying, go ask Pacifica. Or better yet, find out where Spectra's little butler friend is."

"...So Poltergeists and Wraiths are the evil ghosts?" Valerie questioned trying to understand what she was learning.

"Again, from a purely scientific view, we do not determine a Spirit based on its moral alignment, but what behavior it exhibits." Mason reiterated calmly. "If a Spirit is rational enough, then we, and by that, I mean mostly Danny, try to make an effort to help that Spirit either pass on or take a step to adjust to their existence post-mortem positively."

As if gears were turning in her head, Valerie said, "That's why McLain had been quiet lately. You guys were trying a different approach at handling Spirits."

"Well, yeah. It's been rough, and we're still working out the kinks of our study but-"

"-Quit being modest, Pines. What's important is that you've made results." Pacifica said, beaming at her man with pride.

Mason blushed while Valerie let out a mocking gag and said, "Ew, I'm right here you know!"

Pacifica stuck out her tongue playfully before the boy cleared his throat.

"Anyway, Piedmont, most spooks we've come across aren't keen on sitting down and talking." Valerie was brought up. "Don't you think this passive method is dangerous?"

"I wouldn't consider understanding a being that possesses post-human consciousness to be passive, but I get your concern." Mason acknowledged. "If you're asking if it's alright to battle and stop malicious Spirits, then yes."

Valerie sighed in relief, inwardly happy that she could continue her career with a sense of enlightenment.

Pacifica looked at her notebook, then asked, "What's this stuff about Delta Class and junk?"

"Oh, yeah, that's the Classification System," Mason answered, pointing at the diagram accompanied by the paragraphs on the page of his notebook. "I pitched the idea to accurately gauge entries on each Spirit that have been encountered by Danny and Jazz and determine their threat level. That way, she could properly create strategies and contingencies for use in case of future encounters."

"...Why are there seven levels? Shouldn't there be ten or twelve?" Pacifica inquired.

"...Seven's a prime number, and prime numbers hold power." Mason mysteriously replied. "Plus, they're awesome."

"What a nerd." Valerie and Pacifica said while giggling.

"Whatever," Mason said, rolling his eyes. "Since I don't want to poor you guys with the finer details, I'll break the system as simply and as quickly as possible-"

"-Thank you!" Valerie said with an exasperated sigh.

Smacking his lips, Mason continued, "An Eta Class Spirit is a Level 1 Threat, and no, the Box Ghost is not considered an Eta Class because he's stronger than that. All you need to know about Eta Class Spirits is that they are typically non-lethal and are mostly bound to specific locations as their haunt."

"Okay. What about Zeta Class Spirits?" Pacifica inquired.

"Level 2 Threats are mostly the same as the Eta Class but can get peeved when provoked or approached recklessly. Usually, Zeta Class Spirits retaliate through harmless antics or tricks." Mason brought up.

"Epsilon?" Valerie questioned.

"Ah, the Level 3 Threats. Think of these guys like the grunts of the bunch. They aren't strong enough to contend with the likes of Skulker or Technus, but they work well in numbers."

"So, Ecto-pusses?" Valerie asked, seeking clarification.

"Basically," Mason confirmed. "Then there's the Delta Class Spirits. This is where you get your Betrands and your Walkers; Spirits with enough spectral energy and finesse to do some of the fancier stuff like shapeshift or amass an army of Zeta, Epsilon, and/or Eta Class Spirits through subjugation. Not your typical run-of-the-mill Spirit."

"Okay, what of the Gamma Class Spirits?" Asked Pacifica.

"Now, this is where things get interesting. Fun fact, Danny is now considered a Level 5 Threat and that's not something to take lightly." Mason said with a proud smirk before a darker expression took hold of the boy's face. "Gammas basically can do nearly everything that the first classes can do and have a greater handle with their basic powers coupled with experience. But, for the Gammas don't have a great foundation on their traditional spectral powers, they compensate with special abilities unique to them."

"Damn..." Valerie cursed under her breath while Pacifica seemed to have a split second of PTSD when recalling a particular Poltergeist from her past.

When she snapped out of her daze when Mason called her name, Pacifica asked, "O-Oh, right! What's a Beta Class Spirit?"

"...Desiree." Mason plainly stated.

"...That's it?" Valerie and Pacifica asked, not satisfied with his answer.

"Look, what do you want me to say? We jumped from Blair Witch to freaking Aladdin!" Mason stated, throwing his arms up in the air. "Remember when Jafar wished to be an all-powerful Djinn? Well, apparently, Spirits can achieve that kind of power if they are fed enough or grow old enough, and that's what Beta Class Spirits can do! I mean, who's bright idea was it to grant them reality warping to any extent!?"

"...Mason?" Pacifica asked all of a sudden.

"What's up, Paz?" The brunette questioned.

"What's an Alpha Class Spirit?" The bleach blonde questioned.

Mason froze at the question, and then carefully chose his next words.

"...Theoretically, it's the apex of all Spirits." Mason explained in a grave tone. "It would possess no weakness and wouldn't need to feed off of anything. Virtually, that Spirit would be unstoppable."

Just thinking about the boy's words sent a shiver down the trio's spine.

"I hope I'm not alive long enough to see one," Valerie muttered.

"Amen to that," Both Mason and Pacifica agreed.

"Speaking of Casper," The Oregan native girl stated, "How did you and your dad figure out about...you know?"

"Oh yeah, Danny's never given details about that," Mason added.

Valerie blushed a little, nervously chuckling at the day she discovered Danny's secret.

"Right, well, it went something like this..."

-Flashback, Elmerton, May of 2005-

If one were to ask Danny in the present, the boy would say that he could have handled the situation a tad bit better. But, in his defense, he was excited. His sister brought up a wonderful discovery that had the possibility of turning his situation with Valerie around.

Spirits weren't officially acknowledged by the United States government at the time Casper High was confronted by the Lunch Lady Poltergeist, so Axion Labs did not anticipate a haunt as a possibility to design an anti-spectral based defense system. Therefore the ghost puppy, Cujo, happen to be the soul of one of the guard dogs that had been but down by the executives who hired Damon Gray for the job, and if Spirits weren't a part of the job description, then that meant that the man had grounds for a legal case due to wrongful termination.

This would mean that either Damon had the chance to either get his job back, or, at the very least, Danny could help the Grays gain compensation as a means to start repenting for failing them.

Jazz told him that they had to acquire evidence of this, which meant that both of them would have to approach Damon Gray...

...And that meant an encounter with the Ghost Huntress herself, Valerie.

Needless to say, Jazz had been driving around Elmerton like crazy, stressed over just how gung-ho Danny's "unofficial/ex-girlfriend" was about making him pay.

Thirty feet above the streets of the ghettos of Elmerton, Danny Phantom, mostly called "Ghost Boy", or in rarer cases "Inviso-Bill", was flying away with the Ghost Huntress hot on his ghostly tail.

Phantom here was still wearing his classic HAZMAT suit which was mostly black with white gloves and boots while distinctively lacking the DP emblem. Meanwhile, the Ghost Huntress had just started using her newly upgraded black and red nanotech jumpsuit.

"VALERIE, LISTEN!" Phantom shouted, dodging a laser from a bazooka fired by the Ghost Huntress. "I DIDN'T COME TO PICK A FIGHT!"

"TOO BAD!" Ghost Huntress spat back, having her hoverboard fire a barrage of small missiles at the half-ghost. "YOUR ASS SHOULD HAVE STAYED IN AMITY PARK!"

Seeing the potential danger the missiles could pose, Danny ascended directly into the air while the seeking missiles pursued him. Conjuring ecto energy in his eyes, Phantom strategically blasted each missile with impeccable accuracy.

But before he knew it, Phantom was knocked back down by his opponent, who spun her hoverboard at him and smacked him across the face.

From within her car, Jazz watched her brother get launched a few yards, prompting her to continue her pursuit, hoping that she could get to him in time before things could escalate.

The half-ghost hero sprawled towards the empty concrete streets but managed to swing on the street lamp, then landed on top of it and perched like he was Marvel's friendly neighborhood webhead.

Just then, he spotted the Ghost Huntress descending upon him on her hoverboard with a bazooka aimed at the snow-white-haired Spirit's head. She fired at Phantom, but Danny's growing skill and experience prompted him to form a flat rectangular reflective barrier, sending the blast right back and destroying the arm the Ghost Huntress had.

As the Huntress gasped, Phantom said, "This is getting old pretty fast, Val."

"Don't go talking to me like you know me, Freak!" The masked teenager hissed.

"...But I do know you." Danny Phantom said with a softer yet guilt-ridden tone. "You're a great girl who knows how to have fun, and you're a hard worker when you have a goal in mind. And..."

Danny's words began to cause the huntress to pause for a moment.

"...I never meant to hurt you." Phantom lamented. "Look, I know how I can start making this right. Between the both of us. But I need you to trust me on this. We can sort things out you and your da-"

With the girl's anger resurfacing in a near instant at the mention of her father, "-Not a chance, ghost!"

Without warning, the Ghost Huntress raised her right arm with a wrist-mounted laser gun construct and struck Phantom's chest, sending back again while he screamed in pain.

Phantom hurdled off the light post and was slammed into a building that was right next to the apartment where Valerie Gray lived. The sound was so great that within the house next to the building, Damon Gray stopped working in his office and dashed towards the window towards the front of the apartment to see Phantom laying on the street around the corner.

'...What in the world is going o-?' The man thought to himself before spotting the Ghost Huntress on her hoverboard, floating above the ghost boy before she jumped to the ground.

When he heard the teenage girl chuckle, his heart immediately sank.

"...Valerie?"

The man wasted no time and immediately got out of his apartment, but unfortunately had to walk down a few flights of stairs first.

Meanwhile, the Ghost Huntress formed a line of anti-ecto cable and tied him to a telephone pole right next to the building they slammed against.

"Think you could pull a fast one on me, huh, Ghost Boy?" The Huntress inquired. "Well, you got another thing coming!"

Phantom could barely keep himself focused as the stinging pain from his chest flared.

Then, he saw the girl cracking her knuckles, instantly concerning him.

"Oh, I've been waiting a long time for this...!" The hunter stated with a menacing tone.

She then took her gloved fists filled with anti-ecto energy and punched him across the face a few times out of pent-up anger. She then kneed her adversary in the gut and ribs three times as hard as she could, damaging his bones while hearing him grunt in pain. This brought the Huntress a twisted sense of pleasure that was profound to her.

When she stopped, Phantom coughed and hacked on the floor with his has hanging low, spitting up what seemed to be a mixture of ectoplasm and...

...Blood?

"W-What the-!?" The huntress said as she inspected both hands.

It had been stained with both ectoplasm and blood.

"P-Please no more..." Danny's hoarse voice spoke as he slowly raised his bruised and blackened face to her. "Y-You don't...know...what you're doing..."

The disturbing display only began to further bother the ruthless huntress when she saw the same substances leak from the cuts on his busted lower lip and above his right brow.

"...Blood and ectoplas-, what is this!?" The Ghost Huntress said, freaking out as she looked at her victim for answers. "What ARE you!?"

"VALERIE!" A male authoritative voice boomed, prompting the Ghost Huntress to freeze in place.

Turning around, the Ghost Huntress (and Danny) saw Damon Gray approaching them at the perfect and worst time for the ghost and the human respectively.

"D-Dad/M-Mr. Gray?" Both the Huntress and the Phantom muttered.

"What do you think you're doing!?" The dark-skinned father demanded. "What is all this!?"

"Dad, I-I can explai-" The Ghost Huntress stuttered, only for her spine to shiver from his reaction to the Ghost Boy's injuries.

"-...The Ghost Boy. Oh Lord," Damon spoke in a low yet terrified manor, gazing upon Danny Phantom. "Valerie Jo...Did you...?"

From underneath her mask, Valerie bit her lip, but recalling what she had lost and what it took to prepare her for the day she got Phantom back, she steeled herself to answer her father.

"...Yes!" The Ghost Huntress said in a low yet cold tone as she revealed her face by retracting her visor. "Daddy, all of the spooky crap in Amity all started with this...thing! It tricked my classmates into thinking it was a hero, attacked our mayor, and caused nothing but trouble! We've lost EVERYTHING because of IT!"

Damon watched as his daughter formed an ecto gun and pointed it directly at the weakened and helpless ghost child's temple.

"And now, I'm ending it here and now!" Valerie announced with her finger ready to pull the trigger, making Danny immediately shut his eyes to prepare for the worst.

Suddenly, Valerie watched her father get in between her and Phantom, preventing her from pulling the trigger.

"Dad, what are you-?"

"Drop the gun." The man spoke, taking control of the situation.

"What? No, Dad, get out of the way!" Valerie argued. "I need to do this! For everybody!"

"And then WHAT!?" Damon challenged with a harsh tone that caused both Valerie and Danny to flinch. "Do you think that'll change anything? Do you think it'll end once one ghost is wasted!? There are countless of their kind that roam around! What's one afterlife where there's BILLIONS worse that can take his place?"

"I-It started this-"

"-FOR GOD'S SAKE, GIRL, THINK!" Damon shouted while tapping his right index finger on his left temple. "Destroying the ghost boy won't give us our old lives back! And I won't allow you to ruin your life over this grudge!"

Out of frustration, Valerie growled and held the ecto gun with a tighter grip, saying, "Y-YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! I CAN'T JUST BACK OFF AFTER ALL THAT IT'S DONE! WHY CAN'T YOU SEE THAT I'M DOING THIS FOR US!? FOR YOU!?"

"Is that how you're coping with this nonsense? Child, we both know that's just another lie." Damon, shutting down his daughter's argument. "Never did I ever expect MY daughter to be lying to me for all this time. That's not how I raised her, nor did I raise her to become a murderer."

His words cut into her like a hot knife through butter. Her gun-holding arm shook just as her conviction to finish the deed was. Her face was stuck in the middle of shame and frustration, glaring at Phantom's fear stricken face the whole time.

The ghost boy saw that a few tears began to fall from Valerie's face as she struggled to make a decision. The man then took the gun from his daughter by peeling each finger off of it until it fell on the ground.

Valerie barely managed to keep herself standing as the emotional burden weighed down on the teenager.

"...It's not fair!" Valerie croaked to her father, mixed with anger and sorrow. "We're living in a hovel because of him! I have no friends because of him! I can barely live my life! W-Why won't you let me have this!?"

"Because I can't have you lose your soul," Damon said, embracing his daughter, who began to cry.

Phantom's heart broke for his former date, recognizing the damage his failure had caused her.

Under his breath with his head down, Phantom murmured, "I'm sorry..."

Shortly after consoling his daughter he walked over toward Phantom, took out a box cutter, then cut the anti-ghost cable that Phantom was bound by, freeing the boy.

Phantom looked up, grateful to the man, but Damon looked impassive.

"This is your only chance," Damon said in a cool tone. "Go back to your haunt and stay there. Leave us alone, and I promise that you'll never hear from or see my daughter again."

"...What?" Phantom questioned.

Valerie shouted, "What!?"

Damon turned to Valerie with a stern face, saying "This feud has gone on long enough, and I'm sure what you've been doing is against the law. So, this little ghost-hunting escapade is done."

"But Da-"

"-NO BUTS, Valerie. You're. Done." Damon said, putting his foot down on the matter before turning to Danny Phantom. "You keep away, and we're even. If I catch you here, expect the B.O.R.D. to be on your tail. You know them as the Guys In White, and I'm sure they'd love to have you around. Get me?"

Phantom could tell that the man had no urge to hear him out, let alone allow him to hold a conversation. The plan had failed miserably, and once again, Danny had nobody else to blame for the screw-up but himself.

Phantom was about to open his mouth when he spotted pieces of brick that fell from the building he slammed into before. Seeing them fall towards the Grays, Danny sprung into action.

Without warning, Phantom screamed, "Look out!", while pushing Valerie and Damon out of the way. Jazz watched in terror as her brother suffered a head injury from the brick that crashed on to the back of his head, rendering him unconscious.

The Grays got up, on the guard as Valerie was prepared to attack her adversary yet again. However, she quickly shifted gears once she spotted Phantom's limb body while smaller bits of masonry were settled on his bleeding head.

It was here where Damon realized, "...He saved us."

Valerie said nothing as the man approached the stiff body of the fallen ghost boy. Looking closer, Damon noticed the boy's bleeding head injury as his hair was starting to turn green and strangely, turn red.

"...Is he bleeding ectoplasm and blood?" Damon said, crouching to the boy's level. "How can that be possible? ...Can ghosts even be able to bleed?"

From there, Damon tried shaking the boy up, much to Valerie's ire.

"Dad, wait! This could be another trick!" Valerie warned as she aimed her newly formed wrist-mounted laser at Phantom. "Let's call the Fentons and have him captured while we still can!"

At this point, Jazz managed to find the street where her brother was at. Unfortunately, things only got worse with the next event. Due to being unconscious, Phantom summoned white rings from his torso that split into two with each one traveling in the opposite direction.
In a flash of light, Valerie and Damon had watched the infamous ghost boy morph back into his true form, an unconscious Danny Fenton, wearing his plain white t-shirt, blue baggy jeans, and red and white sneakers.

This rendered the Gray family speechless and horror engulfed their entire being. But none was more mortified than Valerie, who moments ago was about to kill her classmate.

But before either one of them could react appropriately, a new voice captured their immediate attention.

"STOP!"

Yet another surprise the family of two as Jazz came rushing in front of them, holding her brother closely.

"...Jazz?" Valerie managed to croak, still trying to fathom everything she's seen and been through throughout her day so far.

"Please, don't hurt him!" Jazz implored, with tears welding up as she protectively held her unconscious younger brother close. "Danny didn't mean for this to happen! It was an accident! I-It's always been an accident..."

Damon questioned the ginger-haired girl. "What?"

Turning to Damon, Jazz revealed, "My brother, he has ghost powers."

"G-Ghost powers?" Valerie foreignly parroted, mirroring her father's shock. "How?"

"T-there was an a-accident last August in our basement. I wasn't there...I wasn't watching him like I should have." Jazz said, blaming herself between sobs. "It changed him. Then ghosts started to appear. He decided to use his powers to help the city, but it made life hard for him."

"...That's why he's late all the time." Valerie realized, looking back for the signs she's missed. "Why would he skip class and tank his grades..."

'...All this time, I've been hunting my-' The Ghost Huntress thought, cutting off mid-sentence as her stomach churned in disgust with herself.

Valerie had nearly killed her ex-date, the one person she was trying to protect.

"Danny's made mistakes along the way, and he's still suffering because of the accident, but all he ever wanted was to make things right." Jazz said, giving them a testimony on her brother's behalf.

Hearing this from Danny's older sister, Damon made a decision. He walked over to Jazz and said, "Let's continue this inside. He needs first aid, ASAP."

Worried for her brother's well-being, Jazz obliged. Of course, Valerie followed behind, sick to her very core at her own actions. Once again, a major event had changed her life for the third time.

-Flashback End-

The young couple gazed upon the guilt-ridden African American girl with mixed reactions. Pacifica was disturbed at her new friend and kindred spirit. On one hand, she could empathize with her old life being ruined due to circumstance, but even someone like Pacifica couldn't fathom the need to commit homicide. Perhaps in her situation, she had her ancestors (including her parents) to blame for her misfortune.

Mason, on the other hand, had a stern expression, critically analyzing the Ghost Huntress in her civilian attire. While Pacifica changed his mind about popular kids and the stereotype that they carry, it didn't change the fact that he found Valerie's plight to be petty. Hell, the only thing that he could sympathize with her situation is the fact that her hatred for his superhero was used against her by a crazy Fruitloop with abandonment issues and a superiority complex. But once again, his perspective on Valerie changed.

'...Danny told me that she could be petty, but what the hell!?' The brunette exclaimed.

"...It took a while for Danny to wake up, but by then, Dad and I had gotten the gist of the whole Danny-being-half-ghost thing. Once we all talked about stuff, we took a couple of days to clear our heads. Dad called us back to our house, and we eventually agreed with a ghost-hunting system that worked around our schooling schedule." Valerie explained before averting her eyes elsewhere, ashamed at her previous actions.

"So everything worked out, right?" Mason inquired with a steady and calm tone.

"If you could call it that. Things got awkward whenever I saw Danny, so we didn't talk for the rest of Freshman year." Valerie shrugged. "It took a ghost attack from Walker to get us to talk things out. I still have things to sort through, given that I dated him when he's human, and tried to waste him while he was a ghost, but it's nice to know that he doesn't hold it against me...But...

While her lip quivered, Valerie said, "...I...didn't sleep much while in no contact. Even now, once in a while, I can still see it."

"...It?" Pacifica echoed, asking for clarification.

"...His blood on my hands." Valerie expressed, holding out her hands.

Hearing this, Pacifica recalled her own nightmares. She recalled it as follows; she would be in the bathroom of her old family mansion, desperately rinsing her bloodied hands with water, but failing in the long process in spite of being there in what seemed to be an eternity. Then, suddenly, she would be visited by a Poltergeist that would replace her reflection. It would be the Spirit of the lumberjack that her ancestors screwed over, for he was one of the many people that helped build the mansion. He would then invoke some kind of curse that would cause Pacifica to grow gigantic. As a result, she would freak out and accidentally crush her hometown before waking up.

As it turned out, nobody other than Mason knew that the sins of her family's shady past had still haunted her to this day. To the shock of her boyfriend and her new friend, Pacifica took Valerie Gray's hands onto hers and gave her a supportive gaze.

"...I understand," The bleach blonde said with a soft tone before giving her a reassuring smile. "We can't change the past. All we can do is look forward and do what we can now."

Mason ultimately nodded at Valerie, taking his girlfriend's side out of the agreement and not causing any issues between himself and the huntress.

Valerie smiled, saying, "Thanks, Pacifica."

The moment was then interrupted when someone approached their table. Lo and behold, it is none other than Jazz Fenton herself.

"Hey, guys, have you seen-" The Senior scholar questioned, only to stop when noticing the situation. "-, uh, am I interrupting?"

"Oh, Jazz! No, everything's cool." Mason said, taking hold of the situation. "What's up?"

"I'm looking for Danny." Jazz explained. "He said something about being attacked by a sorceress or something last night. I forgot to talk to him about it."

"I still have to research more about magic users. The subject is not my forte." Mason admitted.

"Oh yeah," Valerie recalled. "He did mention something about that. I wished I was there...would have nailed that bitch."

"...Get in line..." Jazz muttered to herself before clearing her throat. "Have you seen him?"

"Casper went to the restroom. I think the nearest one is by his locker." Pacifica answered.

Satisfied, Jazz thanked the group and left them at their table.

-Meanwhile, in the Halls-

Danny whistled as he walked out of the boys' restroom. So far, he reflected on the somewhat average day he's been having. Sure, Sam was still pissed at him, him and Tucker barely maintained a decently sized conversation, Dash and his goons were still annoying, and people now knew he was jacked, but Danny still felt normal.

Well, as normal as a secret freak of nature could be.

Heck, it was almost the end of the day and there hadn't been a single attack on the school by any one of his spectral enemies. If anything, Danny honestly couldn't complain about much.

He was planning to head back to the lunch hall when a recent yet familiar voice called to him.

"Excuse me, Daniel?" The feminine voice spoke from behind him.

Danny turned around to find his substitute teacher, Ms. Caroline, approaching him.

'...That's odd. Why would he choose a vessel with such a high level of vitality?' The blonde woman wondered in her mind.

"Uh, yes?" The boy uttered, still wearing his red hoodie indoors.

"You seem to be lost in thought," Ms. Caroline said in a sweet and thoughtful tone that would captivate any high school boy. "Is there something on your mind, Daniel?"

Danny, not used to teachers caring about what he thought, shook his head apprehensively, saying, "...It's Danny, and I'm fine, thank you."

"Oh, pardon me." The blonde teacher excused herself. "I didn't mean to offend. The upbringing I had within my home country has taught me to be particularly formal."

"I see..." Danny nodded, still not fully trusting the teacher, but giving her the benefit of the doubt.

'...I swear, I've heard her voice from somewhere.' The ghost boy thought to himself. 'But I don't know where.'

"It's fine, I get it," Danny reassured. "How's your time in Casper High treating you?"

"This is fairly decent, I suppose." Ms. Caroline answered honestly. "But I can see that many of the children here suffer from social stigmas and harassment. I figured I would spend my time getting to know the students better and see if I can get a permanent position here so I can help them."

"...Really? You'd do that?" Danny said, feeling an odd sense of hope arising out of months of drowning in despair and self-isolation during the last year.

"Of course," Ms. Caroline stated. "I've had it rough growing up, so working to make a better place for kids is a lifelong dream for me."

It was here Danny's hope shifted into that of pity, knowing how deep Casper High's corruption ran. Unless she was somewhat compliant with certain protocols, Ms. Caroline wouldn't be able to get the job. And given that her morals seemed sound, it's a near-guaranteed rejection on the school board's part.

"Well, good luck with that. I'm rooting for you." Danny said with a genuine smile.

"Thank you," The blonde substitute said before gently placing her right hand on his right shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

This prompted Danny to spare a glance at the gesture, feeling weird at the way he was being approached.

"If you need anything, Danny, don't hesitate to ask," Ms. Caroline stated in a silk-smooth voice that would make any teenage boy feel explicitly indecent things.

Danny retained his smile but had the strangest bit of uneasiness that he couldn't explain.

"Uh...Okay..."

'...Gotcha!' The teacher thought to herself before a voice interrupted the two of them.

"Danny, there you are!" Jazz spoke, quickly approaching her brother.

"Jazz? What are you doing here?" Danny inquired, quickly gazing upon his sister's worried expression.

"Looking for you," The elder Fenton stated before looking at the woman who was grasping her brother's shoulder. "Excuse me, I haven't seen you around here before. Are you new?"

Ms. Caroline could tell from the accusatory glare that this "Jazz" person didn't trust her, given the somewhat compromising position.

'...No! I was so close! This nosy brat ruined my chance!' The substitute growled in her mind while hiding behind a smile.

"Yes, I am Ms. Caroline, his substitute homeroom teacher for the week." The blonde introduced herself.

Jazz gave her a stiff nod, then pulled her brother aside and away from the substitute while saying, "Well...Don't let us get in your way! We'll get out of your hair! Bye!"

"ARGH! JAZZ?! WAIT!" Danny shouted in a whine. "QUIT IT!

The blonde watched Jazz drag her brother away in a stomping motion.

"...I'm going to have to get him by himself, and away from that girl." Ms. Caroline whispered while her frown slipped off.

'...Her vitality is higher than most as well.' The blonde substitute noticed before walking off.

Jazz had taken Danny to a whole different side of the hall where her locker was until she thought it was safe before finally letting Danny go.

"Geez, Jazz!" Danny whined. "Will it kill ya to cool it, sometimes?"

"Not when you're around her, I won't!" Jazz said in a huff.

"What's wrong with the sub?" Danny inquired.

"Hold up, let's take things one step at a time." Jazz instructed. "Firstly, I heard from some Juniors about Dash's little prank-"

"-You did?" Danny said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, how are you holding up?" Jazz asked.

"Other than people checking me out for the right or wrong reasons, just dandy," Danny said, shivering slightly at the disturbing reality he was currently dealing with.

Jazz giggled, saying with a tease, "Look on the bright side, Little Brother. Now some girls will be willing to give you some attention like you always wanted."

"Lucky me..." Danny groaned, holding back a light blush.

The girl's demeanor changed as she said, "...Danny, don't you find that woman to be off-putting?"

"Other than her being the only wholly genuine teacher and decent person besides Ms. Tetslaff and Principal Ishiyama, I didn't see anything weird or wrong with her." Danny answered honestly.

"She was caressing your shoulder," Jazz flatly stated.

"I mean, Ms. Caroline was only telling me that she would help me out if I needed her..." Danny tried to reason, giving his sub the benefit of the doubt. "On that note, what's your deal with my substitute teacher, anyway?"

"I don't like the way she was acting around you," Jazz said with an expression of disapproval and worry. "...She gives me bad vibes."

"How bad are we talking here?" Asked Danny.

"...Spectra vibes." Jazz hissed out of bitterness.

"What? Jazz, don't you think that you're overreacting a bit?" Danny queried. "Most of our faculty can be pieces of work, sure, but her having intentions opposed to the school's teachers doesn't make her a suspect of being a Spirit. I would have sensed from a mile away."

"Like how it took you days to suspect our former counselor after she turned down the thermostat?" Jazz shot back with her arms crossed, instantly shutting her brother up.

"...I didn't mean it like that," Danny lamely said, ashamed at his rare instance of hubris clouding his judgment.

"Sure." Jazz said, rolling her eyes. "Look, I don't need powers to read a creep from a mile away when I can see one just fine. What did we discuss about your powers before?"

Danny sighed and repeated, "Powers don't make you a hero, so use them when you need to, not when you want to. I know..."

Jazz then patted her brother's back and said, "Just trust me on this, Danny. Something's off about that substitute. If she's not a Poltergeist, she's up to no good as a creep. I'm gonna research magical users in my spare time. Meanwhile, stay with your friends during lunch and after school to avoid her. But when you have to be around her, be on guard. Can you do that for me?"

"...Sure thing, Sis," Danny promised, albeit reluctantly. "Fenton's honor."

Jazz nodded before the two walked back to the lunch room.

---

Market District, Amity Park

Two hours after Casper High students were released from school, the day continued on into the mid afternoon for the citizens of Amity Park.

From in front of the local supermarket, an elderly Caucasian woman with liver spots on her cheeks driving a mobility scooter exited the establishment with a small bag of perishables. Her eyes were violet, had white hair that was tied up in a small ponytail curving upwards with a pink hair tie. The elderly woman wore a pink sweater over a yellow collared shirt, violet plaid skirt, and blue house slippers.

This was Ida Manson, mother of Jeremy Manson, and the paternal grandmother to Samantha Rebecca "Sam" Manson.

The woman managed to get out of the parking lot of the supermarket, and passed the flea market a block away from the supermarket.

'...It's a good thing that Dragon Fruits were on sale. My homemade smoothie should turn Sammy's frown upside down.' The elderly woman thought to herself while driving her scooter.

She then recognized that there were only fifteen seconds left to cross the intersection and decided to increase the speed of the mobility scooter to try and cross the street. However, her focus was cut short by the blur of a giant ectopus flying for its afterlife as the Ghost Huntress pursued it.

"Oh my...!"

Ida's gaps were cut short by the loud sound of a car honking its horn. Turning toward the noise, Ida was met with a skidding red 2003 Toyota Corolla coming up to her. Thankfully, Ida was scooped up and saved from suffering an untimely demise by Danny Phantom at the expense of her mobility scooter and her groceries.

"Phew, that was a close call...," Phantom sighed in relief, holding the elderly woman who was completely taken aback that she had escaped a terrible fate as if it was an act of mercy from God himself.

The ghost boy then duplicated himself, further shocking Ida.

"Oy vey!" Ida gasped, shocked at seeing the ghost boy's power up close, which was different from watching it on television.

"I'll back up Sparky-," The clone stated.

"-And I'll bring her to safety," The original ghost boy said.

Both nodded, and the clone took off in mid-air, leaving the original Danny Phantom carrying Ida Manson in his arms.

The snow white-haired ghost child then glanced at the elderly woman, then asked, "Are you okay? You're not hurt or anything, Bubel-, I mean, Ma'am?"

As Danny mentally cursed himself for acting so familiar toward Sam's grandmother as if he was still in his civilian form as if he was still in kindergarten, something inside Ida's mind clicked, allowing her to fully relax.

With a smile, she said, "Don't worry about this old gal, Danny. Though, I was wondering where you have been up to these days, young man. I miss seeing you around with Sam."

Phantom's lips parted for a split second before he asked, "I...Y-You... How can you tell?"

"Hold off on that sport. We're near my house. I'll give you directions to take me there, and I'll explain the rest when we get to my street." Ida instructed.

Danny agreed, then took a steady pace as he turned invisible, flying off with his best friend's grandmother in her arms. It took him no time at all to get to the Manson Residence. No less than three minutes. And boy, Phantom was flabbergasted at what was in front of him.

It wasn't quite as large as Vlad's estate in Wisconsin, but one of the biggest mansions in Amity Park by far. He could only imagine what kind of house Pacifica's folks lived in.

'...Woah! Paz was right, Sam is loaded!' The boy thought to himself as he turned visible and descended to the street where a bench was located right before approaching the building.

Danny Phantom helped Ida sit down on the bench. The woman patted on the spot next to her, gesturing to him to sit next to the elderly woman. Danny did so, somewhat awkward given his current standing with Ida's granddaughter.

"...It's a big place for you here," Phantom said, breaking the silence. "Tuck and I would have never guessed that Sam lived in a spot like...this."

"Well, I've mostly had my late father, Isaiah to thank for that. But most people that knew him called him Izzy." Ida explained. "He invented a machine that wrapped cellophane around deli toothpicks, and that sired a lucrative business. Of course, I was born into his wealth, which I would pass on to my son. If that wasn't all, Jeremy managed to win Pamela's hand in marriage."

"Wait, what does Sam's mom have to do with you guys being so rich?" Danny questioned.

"Her paternal grandfather was named Brandon Amity, former chairman of our state's Department of Education and a direct descendant of the founder of this town." Ida explained, making the ghostly hero's jaw drop.

"...No way!" Danny uttered. "I-If that's the case, then that practically makes Mrs. Manson and Sam royalty here!"

"Yes...And with such status comes with burdening and insurmountable expectations." Ida eerily stated, bringing a bit of her own history into the forefront.

"What do you mean by that-"

Danny's question was abruptly answered by a loud shout coming from the mansion.

"FOR THE LAST TIME, I'M NOT WEARING THAT DRESS!" A shrill teenage female voice screeched, obviously indicating that Sam was at home.

"YOU WILL NOT TAKE THE TONE WITH ME, SAMANTHA MANSON!" Pamela hissed. "FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE, GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE AND WEAR SOMETHING LOVELY LIKE A NORMAL GIRL!"

"WE'RE NOT IN THE NINETEEN THIRTIES, MOTHER! GIRLS CAN WEAR DIFFERENT CLOTHES!" Sam fired back. "AND I WON'T BE CAUGHT DEAD IN THAT THING JUST TO FIT YOUR PERFECT LITTLE IMAGE OF ME!"

"HOW DARE YOU!? YOU KNOW WHAT, GO UPSTAIRS RIGHT NOW! I'LL HAVE YOUR FATHER DEAL WITH YOU WHEN HE GETS HOME!" Pamela ordered.

"WHATEVER!" Sam shouted before Danny and Ida heard not-so-subtle sounds of stomping.

Danny winced at the interaction, muttering, "Yikes..."

Ida shook her head, saying, "Poor girl. I wouldn't wish such social pressures on any child...Let alone my own granddaughter."

It was here where Danny recalled one of Sam's complaints about her parents.

Parents don't listen. Even worse, they don't understand. Why can't they accept me for who I am!?

'...No wonder why Sam acts the way that she does towards people.' Danny thought to himself.

"...Right." Phantom nodded as he turned to Ida. "How did you figure it out?"

Ida smiled and said, "What, you think a fancy costume change, some hair dye, and a couple of contacts could fool me? I'm old, not senile, and I've watched you grow since you were a youngster in kindergarten. Besides, you're the only lad I know outside of my grandchildren that calls me Bubeleh."

Danny Phantom then face palmed at the last sentence, muttering to himself, "...Very subtle, Fenton."

"I'm surprised nobody else has picked up on it, but it raises quite a bunch of questions." Said Ida.

"...Can you keep it to yourself, please?" The awkward ghost boy inquired.

"Oh, don't worry about all of that. I've seen all the good that you've done for this city, and I'm sure you have your reasons for keeping quiet, so your secret is safe with me." Ida said with a smile. "It does pain me that you and Sam aren't getting along."

"You and me both..." Phantom sighed.

"I can see that you're no mere spirit. ...You're kind of like those X-People from the movies." Ida said, inspecting his new form while adjusting her glasses. "What exactly happened to you?"

"...I was hit by ecto rays-er uh, ghost energy in a lab accident." Danny tried to simplify. "That turned me into this and gave me ghost powers."

"Oh my...! You poor thing!" Ida empathized.

"It's fine... I mean, it sucked at first and I wanted to get rid of my powers in the beginning, but once I was forced to fight off the Spirits at the start of the outbreak, I realized what I can use these powers for." Danny Phantom summarized.

Ida went silent for a moment, then asked, "Sam told me about the night of the dance. Was your secret the reason why you said no to her?"

"...I've made enemies since last year, Bubeleh. Dangerous enemies." Phantom stressed. "I don't do what I do for fun. If I still felt the same way and got together with Sam, I'd put her in harm's way."

"But to her, you preferred someone else who is prettier and popular," Ida said, piecing together what truly occurred.

"It wasn't like that! I was dealing with a Ghost and I had to save her along with my classmates! I was starting out fighting Spirits and I realized what being Phantom costs when the weight of everything came down that night!" Danny explained to the best of his ability. "...I did my best to let her down gently for her sake, but I never meant to hurt Sam at all."

"...Now, everything makes more sense," Ida said, nodding in acceptance. "You always were a good boy. I'm sorry for how she acted... Do you still feel for her?"

"...I'll always care about Sam. She's my best friend." Phantom stated with confidence. "As for my feelings for her... I thought I liked her but after last year, I don't know how to feel."

'Something has changed.' Ida correctly and solemnly deduced.

"I understand," Ida accepted.

"I need a favor, Bubeleh." Danny Phantom said with a serious expression. "For you and your family's sake, don't tell anybody what you learned. I don't want Sam involved, and if she knows what I am, my enemies and the government will start targeting you guys."

'...So young, yet he has to grow up so fast.' The elderly woman thought with a saddened expression.

"It's a promise," Ida said while patting his hands with her own. "Just be safe, and don't hesitate to come to Bubeleh when you need someone to listen. My right ear still works just fine."

Danny Phantom chuckled and nodded before flying off. However, the Phantom's flying figure did not go unnoticed as Sam observed the hero in awe and whimsy.

---

Cafeteria, Casper High, Amity Park

As two days passed by, Danny kept his guard up regarding Ms. Caroline as a human and Charmcaster as a ghost. He made great efforts to avoid any possible interactions with his substitute teacher per Jazz's request. Thankfully, he took his father's teachings and stayed true to his word.

Meanwhile, Jazz took some of the extra study time she'd normally use for future college work and delved into the occult specifically for magic users. This led to the teenage girl finding a book involving a group called Of Mana and Sorcery by Alden Bitteroot. Within its contents, Jazz began to learn that ecto energy wasn't the only supernatural force out there. So, she began to take this information and plotted to counter it in case of any possible encounter her brother may have against the witch.

On an unrelated note, despite the "pranks" he's endured from some of the football stars, Danny had a relatively quiet few days during school. Unfortunately, just when all seemed "normal", the Ghostly Chills returned with a vengeance, forcing the ghost boy to wear double-layered clothing in his room and use more spectral energy to regulate his decreasing body temperature.

With Mason and Pacifica witnessing the light blue cold spectral aura during the morning, he knew that he had to come clean during lunch time.

Thus, the students decided to sit in the corner of the room where nobody could listen to their conversation.

"Guys, there's something you guys should know," Danny said, earning his group's attention.

"What's up, D?" Mason questioned.

"Remember the Ghostly Chills we were talking about lately, Mase?" Danny reminded the brunette. "I think it's starting to get worse."

"Wait, you have a cold." Pacifica fathomed.

Valerie asked, "Can Ghosts get sick?"

"It's a good thing that we're talking about this, I've been revising my halfa theory lately," Mason announced. "Since his body is capable of proper function, including a beating heart, I've concluded that you are merely a mutated human."

"Gee, that's a real shocker." Valerie dryly snarked.

"Hey, it wasn't as obvious as you think, Xena," Mason said, glaring at the dark-skinned girl. "We assumed he was half-dead because of the nature of the event that took place on 8/4. But that wouldn't make sense given that would entail him inhabiting his corpse. Danny's not dead, but has been mutated and augmented by dead energy."

"...What?" Valerie and Pacifica uttered, looking at Mason as if he was crazy.

Mason let out an exasperated sigh, saying, "Damn it. I need help explaining this. Danny, you get what I'm trying to say, right."

"I think so...?" Danny said, unsure how he could help.

"Remember the Fantastic Four?" Mason reminded Danny.

"...Oh. Ohhh!" Danny exclaimed, chuckling a little bit. "Duh!"

"You mean the movie that came out two months ago?" Pacifica questioned. "What about it?"

"He means the hero group from Marvel Comics in general," Danny specified.

"Never heard of them. Nerdy stuff wasn't something I was interested in." Valerie admitted, sounding indifferent while holding out a hand.

"And you wonder why nerds run the world..." Mason quipped.

"So, what does FF have to do with Danny's condition?" Pacifica asked.

"Think about their origin story," Mason said, focusing on his point. "Just 'cause they were hit by cosmic rays while on an experimental space voyage, doesn't mean that they are cosmic beings themselves. They are all human."

"Even that orange rock guy?" Valerie questioned.

"Yes, underneath the rock-hard surface of The Thing is a human, albeit mutated." Mason chuckled.

"What about the hot guy who catches on fire?" Pacifica queried.

"Paz, the guy's hero name is the Human Torch," Danny said with a deadpan expression.

"Point is, you can apply their situation to Danny's." Mason pointed out. "He has survived being lit up by ecto rays. While his DNA is still human, it got spliced with ectoplasm and that allows him to shift into a Spirit-like state and back. Marvel would call him a mutate, like Spider-Man or the Hulk, but Detective Comics has a catch-all term for empowered beings. Metahumans."

"...Isn't there a real-life term for exactly that?" Valerie recalled, being an avid listener for the news.

Pacifica thought aloud, "I think I heard the news talking about it before. What was it again? ...Alphas or something?"

"Homo Sapien Apex; Alpha Humans. The news doesn't cover them that much, but there are people out there in hiding." Mason clarified before turning to Danny. "We don't know everything about the Ghostly Chills, but what I can infer is that you might be undergoing a mutation of sorts... Can you list any symptoms that you've experienced?"

"I've been getting colder and colder," Danny explained. "Sometimes, my temperature drops rapidly, and I emit cold air. And every once in a while, I freeze objects that I touch. It's like projecting a feeling hundreds of times greater than my Ghost Sense, outward."

"Freeze...?" the two girls echoed, shocked at what the ghost boy was saying.

"Oh, man! Dude, you got ice powers!" Mason exclaimed in excitement. "Is that cool or what?"

"I would be excited if my body temp wasn't screwing me over," Danny muttered. "And once again, I have no control over it."

"We can't be having you cause an ice age, or have a popsicle for a hero." Valerie half-joked. "There's gotta be a way to go about fixing this... Maybe one of your folks' inventions could help us."

"...Yeah, maybe that's not the best idea." Mason disagreed. "We don't want another repeat of 8/4."

"Preaching to the choir on that one." Danny agreed, swiftly siding with the aspiring paranormal researcher.

"What about the Ghost Zone?" Pacifica questioned. "Do you know a guy there that could help you out?"

"...I mean, the oldest person I know there is Queen Dorathea. She might know something," Danny contemplated.

"Oh, sweet! Can I meet her? I always wanted to see the GZ!" Mason asked, giddy like his twelve-year-old self.

"Seriously, DJ? You're not considering this, are you?" Valerie frowned, baffled at the thought. "This is the Ghost Zone that we're talking about. The Spirit World. A rarely explored and dangerous place where the dead roam. It's not some tourist attraction for you to go sightseeing."

"Yeah... I wouldn't exactly want to spend a holiday there," Pacifica uttered, apprehensive of the idea.

"Need I remind you that this is my future career path?" Mason pointed out, crossing his arms. "I know what I'm getting into, Gray. And besides, this is a different dimension with its laws of physics. Laws that I've been studying."

"Is that right?" Valerie challenged. "Unlike you, I've been in that nightmare. What could you possibly know that I don't?"

"How about the fact that humans who enter the Ghost Zone end up being the Ghosts themselves?" Mason fired back.

"What?" Pacifica and Valerie gasped.

"Oh, yeah. Since Spirits and humans operate in their separate frequencies, we end up passing through objects within each other's respective planes of existence. So, if you guys were to go there, you'd be like the Ghosts. They wouldn't be able to hurt you through ordinary means outside of projectile attacks, or any weapon from our world." Danny explained. "But guys, you don't have to come along."

"Dude, you're not talking me out of this!" Mason stubbornly stated. "Firstly, I've never come over your house, second, I've got to meet your parents because they're awesome, and third, I need to continue our research-"

Danny corrected, "-You mean your research?"

"Dude, like or not, you're just as much a paranormal researcher as I am. I'm not taking full credit for something that we've worked on together." Mason firmly pushed back before getting back on track. "Anyway, all that I'm saying is that if we properly prepare for a trip and arm ourselves, we should be safe enough to traverse the Ghost Zone."

"Again, you don't have to come if you don't want to. I'm fine going by myself." Danny reminded him.

"I'll pass." Valerie quickly answered. "Someone's gotta be here to keep these spooks in line. And I'm not going back to that creepy ass place!"

Danny nodded at Valerie's answer, saying, "I can respect that. If you need backup, Jazz will be around."

"Good to know,"

Mason then turned to Pacifica and asked, "Would you like to stay?"

Pacifica bit her lip for a moment, then said, "...Like, rather not deal with anymore Spirits or whatever you call them... But it'd be stupid to let you boys head to heck alone."

"Thanks, Paz," Mason said, giving his girlfriend a grateful smile before turning to Danny. "When's a good time to come over?"

"My folks have a date tomorrow and won't come back until the evening," Danny said, mentally noting that it was Thursday. "Come swing by and I'll make sure that Specter Speeder is ready. Jazz will prepare us with gear. Sound good?"

"Yeah!" The other three teens agreed.

---

Hallway, Casper High, Amity Park

Tucker and Sam began their mundane task of walking to the assigned temporary classroom for her Sophomore class' Study Period. Of course, since Sam didn't necessarily care whether she was late, given that this time was allocated to study time. She was an excellent student, and Tucker was leading the class of 2007 in academics.

"-Hold on. Let me get this straight," Tucker said, raising an eyebrow. "You saw Phantom flying away from your place a couple days ago?"

"Yes, Tucker! I told you three times already in the last two days!" Sam said in an exasperated sigh. "I'm not a broken record, you know!"

"Yeah, well, you're not exactly a ghost either." Tucker justified. "I may not have been over your place, but that doubt your neighborhood was plagued by spectral activity. What would Phantom want to do with you?"

"According to Bubeleh, he saved her before a vehicle could hit her, then immediately brought her home," Sam said with a grateful smile.

"Thank God for that. I'd be crushed if something happened to her." Tucker said, sighing in relief.

"...You know, somebody ought to thank him for protecting our town. Like, really thank him." Sam suggested.

"What, and you should be the one to do it?" Tucker teased, poking Sam with a playful elbow shove. "You sly bat."

Sam scoffed, then said, "One, I'm serious. And two, sly bat?"

"If I called you a dog, that would earn me a steel-toed boot to my crotch." Tucker dryly stated, covering his family jewels.

"A wise choice," Sam said, cracking a smile grin. "It's not like I'm one of those ravenous fan girls, Tuck. I want to personally thank the guy who saved the only person in my family who doesn't want to turn me into a future trophy wife bound by silent gen traditions."

"Shit..." Tucker swore, pitying her friend. "What's the deal about your family being rich, anyway?"

'Ugh! I forgot that bleach-blonde skank outed me!'

"That's another story for another time," Sam said before taking out a pen and a piece of paper from her bag.

While Tucker watched her write something on the piece of paper, he asked, "What's that? Planning on giving Phantom your number?"

"Yeah, like ghosts need phone lines." Sam sarcastically snarked. "I'm just writing a note for him."

"And you plan on giving it to Phantom?" Tucker questioned, raising an eyebrow. "So he could, what, meet up with you?

"...You're good at reading me," Sam admitted before sighing. "Guilty as charged."

"And you expect him to make time for a random girl when he has ghosts to catch?" Tucker pressed on.

"He seems like a cool guy! I'm pretty sure he can make time if I ask." Sam said, showing a bit of her selfish nature.

"Sam, that guy could show up literally anywhere and at any time. Unless you purposely throw yourself into a ghost attack, your odds of encountering him are slim." Tucker logically pointed out. "And it's not like you have a third party that could help you reach him."

Sam growled and looked away from Tucker to avoid hitting him when she noticed Jazz Fenton walking toward her locker. This caused Sam to smirk. Tucker saw this, then glared at Sam with an expression of protest.

"Oooh, no!" Tucker uttered in refusal.

"Well, I look like I do now." Sam declared, brimming with confidence before walking towards the ginger-haired girl.

"But she's never even met Phan-" Tucker tried calling out until he gave up mid-way. "-Oh forget it. I got more important things to do...Like picking up the ladies."

With that, Tucker walked away, leaving Sam to encounter the elder Fenton sibling.

Jazz entered the combination of her locker, removed the lock, and opened the locker door to pull out her Mana and Sorcery novel. This did not go unnoticed by Sam, who furrowed her eyebrows in suspicion.

'...Since when did she get interested in witchcraft? Whatever, now I can get some answers and speak to Phantom. Two birds with one stone.' Sam pondered before standing beside the ginger Fenton.

"I didn't know sorcery was a prereq for Psych majors," Sam said, trying to strike up a conversation with Jazz after a year of silence between the two.

Jazz didn't even bother to look at the girl as she asked the goth girl, "Is there a reason why you're talking to me, Sam?"

"Straight to the point...I respect that." Sam admitted with a nod before forming a glare. "How did he get it?"

"What?" Jazz questioned, closing her locker door and finally turning to Sam.

"The Fenton Thermos." Sam clarified. "How did Phantom manage to get a hold of one?"

'...Damn, she's she's catching on. I better play it cool.' Jazz mentally hissed.

"Why are you asking me like I know? I keep my things with me." Jazz smoothly answered, feigning cluelessness.

"Don't give me that crap, you liar!" Sam snapped back. "Your parents would never let a ghost near their place, let alone their equipment! You know something!"

Jazz rolled her eyes as she retorted in a cool snap, "No, I don't. And even if I did know something, I'm not obliged to disclose anything to you."

Sam scowled at Jazz's snippy attitude and said, "Oh yeah? I wouldn't imagine your parents being too happy aiding their enemy. Especially since he's been a public enemy number one for a year."

Jazz gave Sam a dead stare due to her threat. From there, she robotically opened up her locker again, and then showed her something that took Sam off guard.

It was Danny's old Fenton Thermos, but Sam didn't know any better.

'Thanks, Little Brother.' Jazz thought to herself as she presented her Fenton Works technology to the Manson heiress.

'Of course, she keeps her stuff in her locker... Damn it!' Sam groaned mentally. 'If she has her thermos, and if what Pines told me checks out... Then the Fenton Thermos that Phantom uses must be Danny's.'

"Ugh! Of course, you have nothing to do with this. Seriously, why does it always have to be Danny?!" Sam complained out loud, only for the girl to freeze at her own words and silently curse.

"...I knew it." Jazz snarked, using Sam's harbored grudge as misdirection as she put her thermos and book away in her locker. "This isn't about the ghost boy, this is about my brother."

"He's got nothing to do with this!" Sam vehemently denied.

"Hmph! Could have fooled me." Jazz said, rolling her eyes.

"I'm serious!" Sam verbally defended. "I've been talking about Phantom the whole time."

"Yes, your rebound crush." Jazz evenly stated, causing Sam to become rigid but was unable to utter a response.

All Sam could do now was give Jazz the note she'd written. When Jazz was given it, Sam told the older girl since it was for the town's hero, she was to not to let anybody but Phantom read it.

Jazz mentally gawked at the audacity of the goth ultra-recyclo-vegetarian.

"You know, my brother is not perfect. Far from it." Jazz stated, beginning her speech. "He could be forgetful, a tad clumsy, he can act without thinking at times, and is as stubborn as an ox, but that's expected from a human being. Danny is a human being."

"Yeah I know-" Sam responded, only for Jazz to interrupt her.

"-Yet you treat him like he's lower than garbage." Jazz pointed out.

"But he rejected me! Back at-"

"-at the dance last year with everybody watching. I know that, Sam." Jazz uttered, showing a small semblance of pity. "I'm sorry that you're heartbroken. I spoke to Danny about how he handled that situation and I wasn't particularly happy about it. ...Did you know that my mom and I told him to give you space after you threatened him with a restraining order?"

"You did?" Sam asked, surprised at the fact.

"It was for both of your sakes," Jazz explained. "I figured that it was the best course of action to preserve your strained friendship since you don't actually hate him."

Sam scowled and said, "I like I told him before, your brother is dead to me."

"Yeah, I'm not buying that, Manson." Jazz badgered. "If that was true, you wouldn't have been reckless enough to run back into the library to save Danny the moment Tucker talked some sense into you."

'Shit!' Sam cursed, hating the aspiring psychologist.

"I know what you're doing Sam, and it's not good." Jazz said with a tone of disapproval. "Tell me the truth, do you still want to be Danny's friend?"

"What are you talking about? I am his-" Sam began to retort, only to catch herself from revealing her true intentions to Jazz, of all people.

Jazz shook her head, feeling her disappointment with Sam continuing to grow in each passing second of their conversation.

'Poor Danny... This is why I never bothered to make friends in our school district.' Jazz thought to herself, pitying her brother.

"And right there, that's part of your problem!" Jazz pointed out, shoving a finger toward Sam's face. "You're just playing games!"

"And you're getting on my nerves!" Sam spat, swatting Jazz's hand away. "Whatever's going on between me and your precious little brother is our business! So butt out!"

Suddenly, Sam found herself being shoved to the back of the locker by the studious Fenton sibling, shocking the goth as she was met with an intense glare.

"Listen here, you nasty little witch." Jazz whispered with a sharp tone. "I don't like you. I never liked you, and I most likely never will. You are inconsiderate of others when making choices, you're a self-righteous hypocrite who pushes your morals onto others, and you adopted a subculture as a means to rebel, yet claim individuality when it's convenient. The only reason why I tolerated you and Tucker all these years is because Danny loves you both to death."

Sam was dumbfounded at Jazz's newly found aggression, too stunned to speak as the girl continued.

Jazz leaned closer and said, "Danny's been through hell throughout last year, last spring, and all of this summer because of you, and I won't let some stuck-up gothic VEGAN wannabe ruin his already waning self-esteem because of a petty grudge. So I suggest that you figure out what you want from here and tell Danny where you clearly stand with him. He deserves that."

Leaning back a little, Jazz then threatened Sam, saying, "But if you keep leading him on like this over a stupid rebound crush and shatter his heart, I will demolish you."

With that, Jazz casually backed away to give Sam some space, then went back to her locker to reclaim her book and left the speechless girl to stew in her thoughts. And while Sam's initial goal was mostly met, her pride had been severely bruised.

---

Sixer's Repairs and Electronics, Amity Park

Upstairs of Sixer's Repairs and Electronics, three men sat in the living room, with one man, Stanford "Professor Paradox" Filbrick Pines, sitting on his chair while Magister Maxwell "Agent Legion" Tennyson and Professor Hex sitting on the sofa.

"What is the purpose of this meeting you called, Paradox?" Hex inquired, crossing his arms.

Max added, "That's what I would like to know as well,"

"Do any of you know that Charmcaster is here in Amity Park?" Paradox calmly revealed, shocking Max.

"Indeed," Hex confirmed. "She's most likely here because of the dangerous influx of mystical power detected by the Order. I assume that she had left Legerdomain to conduct her own personal investigation regarding the matter."

Ford grimly nodded and said, "...Well that would explain what I saw a couple of nights ago..."

"What are you talking about?" Max inquired.

Ford walked out of the living room silently, then came back after forty five seconds with a laptop. Once he opened it, Ford played footage he recorded of the battle between Charmcaster and Danny Phantom, shocking both Hex and Max.

Max jerked his head toward Hex and shouted, "What is the meaning of this!?"

Hex held out one hand to Max and said, "Easy, soldier. I assure you that I, Spellbinder, nor the Order have not made any such order on the Alpha's life."

"Calm down, Legion. The sorcerer speaks the truth." Ford said, supporting Hex before questioning him. "Does your niece know who or what he is?"

"Hope is a clever girl. She might not fathom the boy's liminal nature, but she could have very well deduced what she perceives as Phantom's supposed host..." Hex pondered aloud before shaking his head. "And if she has battled him, she must have the intention of exorcizing him."

Max paled at the thought before uttering, "...That's a problem."

"Something else is at play here," Ford exclaimed. "A foreign force or entity must be using Charmcaster as leverage against Phantom... And I might have a feeling who."

Before the other men could respond, a loud alarm blared from Ford's laptop as a window showing signs of a large mana signature appeared with a map showing the location of the source.

When Ford and the others spotted this, they all stared at each other with a hardened expression that agreed with one thing in mind.

They had to move and fast.

---

Casper High, Amity Park

Upon the last bell ringing, the students of Casper High left their respective classes. One of the many teenagers was Daniel James Fenton, who had left his Algebra class with Mr. Falluca.

He was planning to meet Jazz at Nasty Burger to be informed about her findings regarding magic users and what could be done to counter the overwhelming power Charmcaster displayed during their previous encounters.

Just when he was walking towards the direction of the school's entrance, Danny was stopped with a familiar voice calling to him.

"Danny, there you are!"

The hoodie-wearing boy turned around to find Ms. Caroline approaching him, much to his apprehension.

"Oh, uh, were you looking for me?" Danny questioned, awkwardly looking at his homeroom substitute.

"Yes, I need you to follow me to the classroom. It's important." Ms. Caroline instructed.

"U-Uh, can this wait until tomorrow?" Danny inquired. "I have to get home. You know, family responsibilities."

"Such a dutiful young man. But I'm sure you can spare five minutes." Ms. Caroline causally insisted. "I'm quite concerned about how you scored on the quiz."

'Ah, crud! I knew I should have studied more on chapter five! I hope this won't take too long. Sorry Jazz...' Danny mentally groaned.

"Okay," Danny reluctantly nodded.

'Hook, line, and sinker!' The blonde substitute thought before clasping her hands.

"Splendid!" Ms. Caroline beamed.

The two walked to Mr. Lancer's classroom. All Danny could think about was his sister's words, and the guilt of not following through with his promise had started to weigh on his conscience. Yet, at the same time, Danny wanted to believe that an adult that wasn't from their hometown had cared about the student body. About him.

Maybe this was what needed to happen. He could confirm whether his sister or his intuition was correct. He just hoped that his trust wasn't misplaced.

Unfortunately, the worst came the moment the door closed. But not by the force of somebody's hand, but by an invisible force. This caused Danny to jerk his head toward the direction of the closed door.

"Finally, I have you all to myself, Ghost Boy," The woman said in a suggestive, yet victorious manner.

"H-Huh?" The raven-haired boy choked, utterly flabbergasted as panic overtook him for a moment. "W-What are you-"

"-You can drop the act, Spirit. I can see right through you." The woman smirked before Ms. Caroline's form shifted into that of Charmcaster as if the blonde was merely an illusion.

From there, Charmcaster channeled her large mana signature to prove her might as the same entity that Phantom had fought before.

"It's you!" Danny gasped in shock before a serious expression formed.

The teen transformed into Phantom and summoned ecto-energy from his fists.

He said, "I don't know how you found me or got into my school, but I suggest you back off and hand in your resignation papers before I fire you myself."

Charmcaster began to genuinely giggle at Danny, then said, "How cute. You think that you're a threat! ...Somnus."

With a flash of her eyes, Danny was caught in a spell that caused him to become drowsy.

"What's...happening...to..." Phantom murmured before collapsing onto the ground, feeling his body going numb.

"Your days playing schoolboy are over, Danny Phantom," Charmcaster declared as she approached the boy slowly.

With that, Danny Phantom's world had gone dark as he slipped into unconsciousness.

---

Basement Level, North Mercy Hospital, Amity Park

Phantom found himself waking up on a chair in the basement of an abandoned hospital he'd never been to before. The place was rundown, dark, and dreary, yet spacious.

"...Where am I? Why do I feel so...drained?" The Alpha Human muttered as he tried to move, only to struggle in his weakened state.

He heard the sound of clanking around him, causing him to notice the magenta ethereal chains that tied his arms and legs. This also made him aware of a large magenta magical circle drawn beneath the chair.

"What the heck...?" Danny Phantom whispered.

"So you're finally awake," Charmcaster announced, sitting on a large warehouse box. "Wonderful. Now the expulsion ritual can be more enjoyable."

"Expulsion? Aren't you overreacting much?" Phantom tried to quip. "If this is about the multiple tardies from last year, it was totally because of the ghost attacks."

"Witty banter won't be enough to save you now from my wrath, you insidious specter." Charmcaster frowned.

"For the last time, I'm not evil!" Phantom shot back.

"Fool, you betray yourself and everybody you come into contact with," Charmcaster hissed as she floated off the crate and towards the magical circle. "Whether it's your previous master, Showenhower or the masses in this town you tricked with your so-called heroism. And now you bend the will of Daniel Fenton, a pure soul, to do your bidding by possessing him. That's reprehensible."

"...Wait, what?" Phantom said, confused at her claims. "But I am...you saw me... Lady, you've got it all wrong. How can I possess my own body?"

"Enough! Prepare to feel the wrath of an exorcist!" Charmcaster shouted before raising her hands.

Opening her magic bag with telekinesis, she took out three Blood Blossoms, then converted it into vapor and used it to pour it along the magic circle before the young woman began to start the incantation using her native tongue. This caused the magic circle to glow.

Danny wondered what she was saying when a searing pain came onto him compared to the accident on 8/4. However, unlike the accident, this pain lasted longer due to the paradoxical nature of Phantom himself.

Charmcaster was met with the ear piercing screams of the Ghost Boy, who thrashed about in the chair violently from the agony every cell in his body was going through. To Danny, it was like his body was being torn apart physically and spiritually, but couldn't make the split for some odd reason.

Even the sorceress was confused, as a usual exorcism she partook in only lasted ten seconds, or at the most, thirty seconds. A full minute had passed, yet Phantom still persisted.

'Why isn't it working!?' Charmcaster wondered.

Before Charmcaster could adjust the spell, she lost concentration when an explosion created a large hole in the room. There wasn't any time for the sorceress to react as she was hit by a green blast of purified ecto energy. The stark white haired mana user was sent hurtling to the nearest wall, causing her to cough in pain while unintentionally stopping the ritual.

Danny's body finally had a chance to relax. He weakly moved his head up to see a figure. Hope immediately appeared on his face as he identified his savior.

Emerging from the smoke, Jazz Fenton arrived, holding an Fenton Bazooka while wearing her custom made skin tight jumpsuit that showed off her petite yet curvy maturing body. She had teal blue color with black accents on the sides which carried over to her outer thighs and arms. For gloves and boots, they were white as Phantom's hair, and had a matching belt with a buckle that had a green buckle. On it was the white flaming "F" for Fenton Works' logo.

"J-Jazz?" The ghost boy murmured.

Charmcaster stood up to find the mystery assailant and gasped.

"...You're that brat from before!" Charmcaster growled, narrowing her eyes into a glare.

"I'm only going to say this once, witch," Jazz evenly spoke with a hardened expression. "Step away from my little brother!"

To Be Continued...