Chapter 16: Storms

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"Anyone who says they're not afraid at the time of a hurricane is either a fool or a liar, or a little bit of both."

Anderson Cooper

Chapter 16: "Storms"

(Monday-April 26, 2010)

"…and this Danny Phantom. He acts like he's the one protecting people from ghosts, but why is it that this ghost problem only started because of him!? Phantom arrives in Amity Park and then reports of ghost attacks begin to happen!

"Is this merely coincidence? I think not. Phantom is the cause of all this controversy. This little ghost boy lets these disasters happen to gain attention and to be called a hero. And folks, that doesn't sound like a hero to me.

"Thus when the UN passes the Anti-Ectoterrorist Act, I suggest that Phantom be the first ghost apprehended. He's caused more damage than any other ghost, and, from the reports, was a factor in the Nasty Burger incident and the Nocturne Crisis. In my opinion-" Danny turned off the television in the living room.

Grumbling into his Fenton Phones, he noted. "Harriet…your boss is an ass."

Harriet sighed. "I know…"

G. Gordon Godfrey had been ranting about the ghost subject for days now. He spoke passionately how the ghosts were a danger to humans. Danny had to admire his conviction…if he didn't come off as a jerk. The reporter seriously didn't like Danny Phantom.

Not to say that he didn't make good points. Ghosts had come closer to taking over the world than most super criminals ever had. Each ghost had terrifying powers that no normal human could naturally fight against. In all, ghosts actually could be a threat. Thus the reason for the Anti-Ectoterrorist Act.

In actuality, the Anti-Ectoterrorist Act was dozens of propositions and bills. Many of them had similar meanings and complicated wording, but Danny understood one thing. If the Anti-Ectoterrorist Act was passed, then it would be illegal for a ghost to leave the Ghost Zone and stay in the human world.

Vlad had known about the propositions for a while, but knew that it was originally kept secret and would likely would not be passed. Danny had been confused as to why Vlad didn't tell Danny, but Vlad merely stated that he had enough to worry about.

Well…that was true, but Danny wasn't worried about the Anti-Ectoterrorist Act, however.

For one, Batman didn't seemed concerned by it either, and that is how it should be. The consequences of breaking the act were minimal at worst. The ghosts would be captured and sent back to the Ghost Zone. The Dark Knight even stated that the Justice League would make sure that this act would be properly withheld.

In addition, the actuality of the bill being passed was almost none. While everyone was afraid of ghosts, no one wanted to waste time or money to capture ghosts that mostly staid out of the way. That was what the heroes were for, of course.

Finally, if the Anti-Ectoterrorist Act was passed…then Danny would be relieved. The whole reason he became Danny Phantom was to stop the ghost attacks. If there was no ghost attacks…then there was no use of Danny Phantom.

He could happily retire from ghost hunting and finally work on his own personal problems. He could live a normal life. He could put everything relating ghosts in the past for good.

Now that was a pleasing thought.

"Are you mad that I work for him?" Harriet questioned.

"Naw," Danny admitted as he fazed down into the lab. "I understand your reasons, and the guy has the right to say whatever he wants. Not like he's talking about me." 'At least my human half.'

"He knows that he would lose his best source on ghosts if he talked about you." Harriet chuckled.

Danny had to wonder, would that because she would quit, or because Danny would stop giving Harriet information. Personally, he didn't care if someone in New York slandered his ghost identity. He's had worse publicity moments for sure. And if it was to help a friend…it was worth it. Danny just questioned how good of a friend Harriet was.

"So, what have you been up to kiddo?" Harriet asked kindly. They hadn't talked in a while.

"Oh, not much. Same old, same old…" That was a lie. Things had not been the same lately.

Taking in Technus was more difficult than he thought it would be. The tech ghost was seriously disturbed. Luckily, the nice room he was in and the comforting atmosphere appeared to be helping him. The surrounding technology seemed to be helping as well. Every day, he calmed down more.

They even managed to get an ectoplasm sample from him. After analyzing, the sample the halfas found out something very disturbing. There was an abnormality that could be compared to…Scarecrow's fear toxin. One that could, at least temporarily, work on ghosts.

This left Danny in a complicated situation. He should tell Batman, but that would cause him to explain a lot of details that he didn't want to explain. It was difficult to leave details out while talking to the Dark Knight. Danny was worried that he would spill the beans about the council of the elite, and that was something Danny wanted to avoid.

Imagine what the Batman would do if he learned that the entire Ghost Zone was secretly preparing for war. He would prepare for that scenario himself. He'd try to do everything in his power to avoid a war, of course, but if the Ghost Zone knew that the Justice League was ready to go to war…Everyone would rally behind Vision and attack the human world.

No, that wasn't an option. Plus, he didn't have any real proof that Scarecrow had anything to do with it. From Technus' mumblings about white blobs, Danny assumed that the Guys in White were behind this. They could have modified the fear toxin, so why should Danny create a catalyst to duel world conflict if he wasn't completely certain.

…He'd just have to wait until Technus was completely better to get the complete truth…

"Sounds boring." Harriet noted.

"Well, you know my life…" Danny fazed into the secret vault. "Completely boring…"

The vault could be divided into four sections. The first section was the shelves of guns. Nothing too out of the ordinary for Danny. Ecto-pistols, bazookas, a few Fenton Thermoses, and the Fenton Peeler 2.0 were some basic examples. There were some notable things like the Fenton Gatling Gun (Danny made sure to mount that on a pedestal.) But nothing too extreme.

The next section were more ghostly in origin. There was a large container that held a few objects. From left to right, the objects were a giant axe, an amulet, a broken scythe, a curved purple horn, a large spear, and a simple key that Vlad gave him. To most people these items might appear like gothic items, but Danny knew their real powers and origins.

The third section was the most dangerous of the sections. There were only two items there, the Fenton Exoskeleton and the Fenton Combat Suit. Danny had figured out how to use the suit to boost his combat skills, but there were far more bugs to work out.

Finally, the last section was a simple computer. This computer had Danny's secret files. Ghost profiles, weapon designs, and combat strategies were all in there.

This last section was what Danny cared about right now. The computer also had his parents encrypted files on them. These files held information on them about the weapons that even the Fenton's thought were too extreme. Weapons like the Exoskeleton and the Anti-Ectoplasm missile they sold to the GIW, and these files most likely were copied and taken during the Destruction of Fenton Works.

Both Danny and Vlad tried to crack them, but Maddie Fenton was an excellent programmer. It took some time, but they managed to get everything but one weapon. Everything else was either too unstable or harmful to make and use, but that last thing worried them.

The Necromancer. They had no idea what it was or what it did. All they knew was that is an extremely dangerous weapon for an enemy to have.

Slumping into the chair, Danny once again tried to crack the file…unfortunately he sucked with computers. "And what about you Harri? What's up with your life?"

"I thought….me that….brat." Danny could barely make out Harriet's voice.

"What was that?" Danny questioned. He was in the vault, but the dish on the mansion made it possible to talk in the secluded place. Usually, this didn't happen.

"I said…think that….static….eaking up…snow storms…" Harriet's voice barely made it through the Fenton Phones.

"Snow?" Danny questioned. "It's April."

"…." Danny lost the signal.

"Well, that was weird." Danny mumbled as he canceled the call.

Boom! Rumble!

The room shook as terrifying thunder sound rumbled through. Danny fell to the ground in his surprise. He was technically in an underground bunker. What could possibly shake this place?

Boom! Rumble!

Dani looked up from her text book. She frowned as looked out the window. The storm outside was truly a sight to see. The darkened sky, flashes of lightning, and powerful gusts of wind startled even Dani.

The unusual part was that the weather was supposed to be nice today. Then, out of nowhere, a terrible storm hits. That's what she gets for trusting the weatherman. She really wanted to enjoy the nice spring weather.

"This storm is rather unexpected." Rachel noted from the desk beside Dani. "It seemed to form out of nothing."

Dani nodded in agreement. She was not meteorologist, but this seemed weird.

"Alright children." Mrs. Crabb announced from the front of the class. "Back to work. It's just a little storm."

Dani disagreed with that. The storm seemed pretty bad. Each lightning bolt seemed to get closer to the school. All the trees looked ready to topple over due to the force of the wind. In fact, that thing off to the side almost looked like a…

Beep! Ring! Woo! Beep! Ring! Woo!

The tornado alarm blared in the room. Many of the students covered their ears from the noise. Dani and Rachel merely shared a look. They were right.

"You know the drill!" Mrs. Crabb yelled over the alarm. "Out in the hall, and head towards the lower levels! Keep your heads tucked in!"

They had several tornado drills over the year, but the drills were nothing like real life. There was no single file line. People tried to pore out the door. Both Dani and Rachael stayed near the back to avoid being trampled.

Dani felt conflicted about what to do. Usually, if there were emergencies, she could sneak off. Mrs. Crabb wasn't the most attentive teacher, especially in this swirling mess, but now…she looked over to her friend. Rachael would notice if she left.

That meant that she couldn't go and help keep people safe from the tornado. No Spirit to the rescue today. If only she could used duplicates…

Oh, well. Things like this happened all the time. The people would take shelter and survive. Most likely, there would only be property damage.

Just then, the windows shattered as the students were heading towards the down stairs. Everyone dropped to the ground and screamed as wind streamed through the room. Some people were actually lifted a little off the ground by the force of the wind.

"Well, crap." Dani mumbled. She just had to be wrong.

After realizing that the rumble was because of the storm, Phantom had immediately went out to help get people safe. Mostly, he had been getting people from the cars inside via crowd control. There were a few disasters he prevented such as falling trees and car crashes, but in all, it was going well.

It was rather awkward flying in the wind, but turning intangible helped with that. Intangiblity also prevented the lighting from striking him in midair. Whet really worried Phantom, though, was what seemed to be a tornado. He had to get people safe from that.

"Go get inside!" Phantom yelled as he directed the people. Several duplicates were assisting in the task. After he was done with this area, he'd head to the schools. With any luck, Dani had already made sure everyone was safe.

"Alright." Phantom reabsorbed the energy from the duplicates. "Time to-AAHHH!"

The wind seemed to almost form a hand as he was pulled high into the sky. Phantom struggled to escape the wind, but failed to break the hold. He was just about to turn intangible, when the wind finally stopped pulling.

Phantom now floated high above the city. He could see the all the destruction caused by the storms. Crushed cars, high floods, broken windows…how did all this happen so quickly?

"SO YOU'RE THE ONE THEY CALL…huff…DANNY PHANTOM!" Phantom noticed that the tornado stopped and revealed a large green ghost.

The ghost was wearing a black vest with a lightning symbol like the Flash, except that it larger, backwards and more pronounced. His huge arms and forearms were covered by black gloves. Instead of legs, the ghost had a twister tail that was constantly spinning. Phantom noted the ghost also had red eyes, sharp teeth, and lighting bold ears.

"It depends who's asking!" Phantom roared over the wind.

"DON'T YOU KNOW?!…huff…YOU'RE SPEAKING TO VORTEX!…huff…THE PERFECT STORM PERSONIFIED!" Vortex grinned at his introduction.

"What's with the heavy breaking?" Phantom mocked. "Darth Vader fan?"

"OH HARDY…huff…HAR!" Vortex formed a layer of clouds below him. He laid down sideways on the clouds and propped his head up with his arm. "I HEARD THE OLD GEEZERS' NEW FAVORITE WAS A JOKSTER!"

"Old geezers? That doesn't narrow anything down!" Phantom noted.

"THE ANCIENT SIX…huff…CLOCKWORK…huff…THE OBSERVANTS…huff…THEY ALL SEEMED CONCERNED WITH YOU….huff…IT'S SOMETHING WE HAVE IN COMMON!" Vortex grinned.

"That's probably where the similarities end!" Phantom exclaimed.

"HEHEHEHEHE!" Vortex bellowed as he sat up. "YOU'D…huff… BE SURPRISED BY OUR SIMILARITES!"

"Doesn't matter to me!" Phantom shouted. He had to squint to keep seeing through the wind. "Why are you here, Vortex!?"

"THIS IS JUST…huff… A STOP IN MY TORRENT…huff…OFF DESTRUCTION." Lighting blasted all around Vortex. "I DECIDED TO SAVE YOUR TOWN FOR LAST ON THIS SIDE OF THE GLOBE!"

"What?…" Phantom mumbled to himself. He remembered that Harriet said something about snow storms, but… Well, now that he thought about it, the G. Gordon Godfrey show he was watching was tapped…Man, he needed to pay attention to weather. "You've been doing this all across the western hemisphere?!"

"OF COURSE!" Vortex cheered. "…huff…AND THE EASTERN SIDE IS NEXT!"

"Do you have some reason for this?!" Danny glared.

"YES…huff…IT'S FUN!" Vortex turned into a cloud and separated into four. "JUST LIKE THIS IS GONNA BE!"

The whole school seemed to be screaming. Not that anyone could hear it over the wind. Dani struggled to keep her eyes open as wind burst into her eyes. She also tried to move, but if she stood up, the wind would push her

The halfa girl didn't know what to do. She would be able to move around as a ghost, but there were too many people around her. If she changed, everyone would know her secret…

"Azaroth Metrion Zinthos…" After hearing those words, all Dani could see was a swirl of black and white. Then, next thing she knew, she was in the girl's bathroom. The condition wasn't all that much better in there, though.

Suddenly, black and white energy appeared at the windows and blocked the wind from entering. Now able to move properly, Dani finally looked around. The only person close to her was Rachel…

"There, now no one will see you change." Rachel noted.

"What…just happened?" Dani questioned her friend.

"I teleported us to somewhere private so that you could change into Spirit." Rachel explained as she lowered her hood.

"Spirit?! Psh! As if! I mean, look at her! And that hair!? And…" Dani chuckled lamely.

"Please, I know." Rachel stated as if it was obvious.

"…How?…" Dani whispered.

"I have the ability to sense energy. Magic, ectoplasm, demonic, I can sense them all." Rachel explained. "You have a light ectoplasmic signal. Nothing that would pop up on a large scale radar, but I can tell. You're Spirit and your brother is Phantom."

"I…" Dani was in shock. "Wait! How can you sense that anyway!?"

"It's complicated and we don't have time." Rachel explained. "You need to save the others."

Dani glared at her friend. "Fine…but I expect an explanation later."

"I will try." Rachel bowed her head in shame. Her mother would not be happy with her…

"I'm going ghost!"

Phantom learned something very quickly while fighting Vortex. It was a fact that he never thought about until now. He learned that you should never fight someone who can control the weather while flying hundreds of feet in the air.

The wind blew at terrible speeds. Lightning rained from the sky. Hail and sleet impaired Phantom's vision.

Yeah, fighting Vortex while that high up was not a good idea.

'I have to get him lower…' Phantom thought as he dodged another lighting bolt. Deciding that now was the time, Phantom rocketed to a lower elevation as fast as he could.

"AND WHERE…huff…DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING!?" Vortex bellowed as he chased after Phantom, while at the same time, throwing balls of energy at the halfa.

"To the home field!" Phantom dodged the balls of energy and stopped right above the city. He didn't want to get too low and get the civilians involved.

"FOOL! THIS ENTIRE PLANET…huff…IS MY HOMEFIELD!" Vortex sent a cyclone at the halfa.

Phantom tried to dodge the cyclone, but the force of the wind began pulling him in into the cyclone. The halfa managed to stop himself from fully getting sucked into cyclone. Unfortunatley, this left Phantom open to an attack.

"AH!" Phantom as electricity ran through his body. The pain caused him to lose his concentration, and the halfa was sucked into the cyclone.

Forming a shield around himself, Phantom managed to protect himself from the force of the wind. He then tried to force himself out of the cyclone. Using every bit of control he had, Phantom managed to fly out of the cyclone in the direction of Vortex.

"WHAT?!" Was Vortex's reaction as Phantom zoomed towards him. The halfa's speeds were drastically increased by the force of the cyclone.

"Spear!" Phantom tried to finish Vortex off quickly like he did with Nocturne.

The blow did hit. Phantom's should rammed into Vortex's midsection. The force caused the Vortex to be sent backwards and to spit out green blood. Unfortunately, Vortex managed to keep hold of Phantom and pulled him after the weather ghost as they flew back.

"YOU DARE…hufff…HIT VORTEX!" Vortex screamed. Grabbing onto Phantom with one arm, Vortex sent a wild haymaker at the halfa.

Braking the hold, Phantom easily dodged the wild punch. He then countered with an upercut to the weather ghost's ribs. Grutting in pain, Vortex swiped at Phantom again, but Phantom once again dodged.

Realizing that fighting in close combat was futile, Vortex tried to gain some distance. Phantom wouldn't let him get away, though. He stayed close and kept striking at the weather ghost.

"I get it now!" Phantom blasted Vortex in the head. "With all that power, you never learned how to fight up close and personal! You use your powers as a crutch!"

"SILENCE!" Vortex shrieked. He grabbed onto Phantom with both arms. "WITH MY POWERS…huff…I DON'T NEED TO FIGHT LIKE A BRUTE!"

Phantom yelled in pain as electricity ran through his body. He spammed and shook as he tried to overcome the pain, but the electricity made it impossible to control his body properly. "Ah!"

"LITTLE PUNK…huff…I'LL FRY YOU!" Vortex bellowed.

Phantom felt a familiar anger pulse through his body. His Haunting Aura surged out. Unfortunately, Vortex merely countered the Haunting Aura with his own. Not deterred, Phantom fought through the pain. He slammed his forehead into Vortex's face.

The result was immediate. Vortex let go of Phantom in pain. Phantom then followed up with an uppercut to Vortex's midsection. The force of the blow caused Vortex to be sent back several feet.

Phantom groaned in pain. The electricity did a number on him. He'd need to be careful from here on out. It wouldn't be good to pass out from pain in the middle of a fight.

"HAHAHAH!" Vortex laughed. Unfortunately, the laugh seemed to hurt him however, as he held his midsection. "I…huff… FINALLY GET IT NOW!"

"Get what?!" Phantom tried to stall as he gained his barrings.

"THE REASON…huff… EVERYONE IS SO INTERESTED IN YOU!" Vortex smiled. "THAT BURST OF POWER…huff… IS SO MUCH LIKE MINE…huff…WHEN I WAS YOUNGER!"

"What are you talking about?!" Phantom glared as the wind began to pick up again.

"YOUR POWER…huff… COMES FROM ANGER…huff… AND HATRED!" Vortex bellowed.

"I COULD…huff… FEEL IT JUST THEN! YOU HATED ME…huff… SO YOU GOT STRONGER!"

"You're spouting nonsense…" Phantom growled. He wouldn't be distracted by this.

"AM I?" Vortex grinned as he created a ball of concentrated storm. "OR ARE YOU…huff…IN DENIAL!"

"The first one!" Phantom rushed forward in order to stop Vortex from attacking. If he was fighting in close combat, Phantom could win.

"Ah!" The wind stopped Phantom in his tracks. He had to fight not to be thrown back.

"UNFORTUNATELY…huff…YOU HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO…huff…TO COMPETE WITH MY HATRED!" Lighting struck Phantom several times. He yelled in pain as the electricity tore through his coat and burned his skin.

"THE ORIGINAL…huff… IS ALWAYS THE BEST MODEL!" Vortex screamed as he sent the giant ball of condensed storm at the halfa.

This was the last sight Phantom had before the darkness consumed him.

Spirit had long since finished saving the children in the school. She had, in addition, searched the surrounding area for anyone who might need her help. Fortunately, the storm stopped abruptly and Spirit was cleared to head back to her school.

It was time to get some answers.

"I figured you'd come back…" Rachel noted. By the time the storm ended, school was over. The two girls were currently in the bathroom where Rachel originally teleported them.

"Of course." Spirit frowned. "I have a lot of questions."

"And unfortunately, I can't answer all of them." Rachel noted. "However, it's rather obvious that I am a meta-human."

"Yeah, I got that, and I understand why you didn't tell me…" Spirit stated with a frown. "I hid my secret too, but… I don't like the fact that you learned my secret so easily."

"Don't worry," Rachel explained. "I am the only person that can feel your ecto signature. It has to do with the nature of my powers. I…use demonic energy."

"Oh…" Spirit blinked. "Ok."

"You're…not scared." Rachel questioned.

"Hey, I'm a half dead girl that goes out and saves people during her spare time. Finding out that my friend is a demon isn't actually that big of a deal." Spirit chuckled.

Rachel sighed. "Only you…"

"Yup!"

"You…do realized that you can't tell anyone." Rachel stated. "Not even you're family."

"I do…" Spirit nodded. It was only fair. "Um…you didn't tell you're mom who I am?"

"No, but the situation is complicated." Rachel noted.

"It always is." Spirit sighed. "Oh, well…My situation is complicated too. We'll just leave it be for now."

Rachel cracked a small smile. "Thank you…um, you do know about the fight right? It doesn't seem like you to be away from conflict."

"Fight?! What fight!?" Spirit's jaw dropped. There is no way there was a fight! There had been no ghost attacks for weeks!

"Yeah…" Rachel held up her phone. It had a video showing. "See?"

A man with blond hair spoke. "This is Lance Thunder. The sudden storm has quickly vanished as the local hero Danny Phantom was defeated by an unnamed opponent. It appears that the ghost Phantom was fighting has left the city and has taken the bad weather with him.

"Before he left, however, the ghost blasted Phantom into a building. The entire structure crumbled around him. Luckily, the building was abandoned, however, Phantom has yet to rise out of the rumble. With the destruction caused by the storm, emergency response teams are unable to arrive on the scene, so it is unlikely that help will arrive for the hero until his sidekick Spirit…"

"I'm not his sidekick!"

"Focus, please…"

"…waiting patiently for…Hey, you kids! Stay away from there! It's dangerous! What?…I can't stop them! I'm weatherman for Pete's sake!"

"I can't believe that I missed a fight!" Spirit growled.

"And your brother is hurt…" Rachel added.

"That too!" Spirit raced out of the room.

Rachel stood there for a moment, then a small smile formed. "Thanks again…"

"Is he okay?"

"No! Does it look like he's okay?"

"Just asking."

"Look at him! He looks like hell!"

"He's not breathing."

"He's a ghost."

"Do ghost's breath?"

"I don't know, but they obviously bleed. Look at that cut on his forehead."

"Put preasure on it!"

"How can he bleed if he's a ghost?"

"I don't know, why don't you go ask Fenturd!"

That was the noise to which Phantom woke up. He groaned as he felt his body ache. What happened?

"He's awake!" Starr's voice caught Danny's attention.

"Oh…so I don't get to give him CPR?" Danny heard Paulina ask.

Confusion ran through Danny's mind. Why was he hearing girls' voices? He wasn't having one of those dreams was he?

"Holly crap!" Dash's voice yelled. "Where did the fog come from?"

"Is the ghost back?" Kwan's voice asked.

Ghost? What ghost…Vortex!

Phantom instantly sat up. He looked around in panic. A large gust of wind came by and blew the fog away.

Phantom stood and prepared him self for Vortex's attack. The wind kept blowing, but Vortex never attacked. Slowly, Phantom began to calm down. Vortex wasn't the type of being to hide instead of openly mocking.

As the wind died down, Paulina asked. "Mi amor? Are you okay?"

"Yeah…Vortex is gone…" Phantom sighed as his body pulsed in pain. His body felt heavy. Yet somehow, he was still in ghost form. Usually when he passed out, he transformed back into a human. Maybe he was just getting tougher.

"But you're bleeding man!" Kwan pointed to the cut on his forehead.

"And look at those burns…" Dash looked at the halfa's back and chest. They were covered in third and second degree burns.

"Tch…" Phantom forced ectoplasm into is wounds. Slowly, they began to knit back together.

"Woah…" Star noted.

Phantom looked at the group before him. It wasn't just the A-listers. Several of the students from Casper High were watching him in concern and awe. Behind them, were a large group of people…almost half the city it seemed like.

"Hey, spook!" Phantom heard Red Huntress' voice call above him. "I heard you were in some trouble."

"That was earlier." Phantom noted in annoyance. He never noted as the clouds above began to stir. "I could have used your help."

"I was busy evacuating people." Red Huntress landed beside him. "Though I would have preferred to fight the ghost."

Phantom just grunted.

"Why did the ghost just leave?" Phantom heard Jenifer ask. He had to fight not to acknowledge her like he usually did as Fenton.

"He beat me. That's what he wanted here." Phantom glared down at the ruble where he used to be. "Did you dig me out?"

"Yeah, we couldn't leave you there man!" Kwan exclaimed.

"Thanks…" Phantom nodded to them. "I owe you one."

"We owe you like a hundred." Dash noted.

With that, Phantom and Red Huntress began to fly off. After they were out of hearing range, Phantom noted. "I really didn't believe that they were actually acting nicer."

"It's no where near perfect now, but they're trying." Red Huntress explained. "But more importantly, what happened with that ghost?"

"It…" Gasp! A blue wisp came out of his mouth.

"Danny!" Spirit flew up to him. "How could you have a fight on the other side of the city and not tell me! You jerk."

"I was a little busy…." Phantom mumbled in slight anger. "And now I have to find Vortex for some payback…"

Boom! Rumble!

All three heroes prepared themselves for an attack. Was Vortex back?

"What was that?" Red Huntress asked.

"It was Phantom losing control over his emotions." An echoing voice sounded around the heroes. Suddenly two ghosts appeared. They looked like giant green eyeballs wearing white robes.

"Who are you?" Phantom asked defensively. He was too tired to fight these unknown ghosts. He needed to rest first.

"We are Observants." The now identified Observants stated.

"Who?" Red Huntress questioned while readying herself for a fight.

"The eyes of the Ghost Zone…" Phantom frowned. "What do you want?"

"For you to recapture Vortex." The Observant on the right noted.

"And that's what were going to do…" Spirit mumbled in an annoyed voice. She didn't need someone telling to do something she already planned to do.

"You will try, but you will fail." The Observant on the left stated.

"Says who?" Red Huntress questioned.

"Fate…" Observant one turned to look at Phantom. "With your uncontrolled power, you'll just kill yourself."

"Uncontrolled power? My ice powers and Haunting Aura are fine." Phantom felt insulted. Rain gently began to fall from the sky.

"Not those…" Observant two motioned to the sky. "The power you absorbed from Vortex."

"Absorbed? How is that possible?" Phantom questioned.

"Because you are similar. Because you are both touched by death." Observant two explained.

"Touched by death? Ghosts can absorb each others powers?" Red Huntress questioned.

"No, only ghosts that are meant to die." Observant one mentioned.

"Is that a threat?" Spirit grinned. After missing such a big fight, she was itching for combat.

"No, it is a fact. Vortex's execution was scheduled for today." Observant two explained.

"I heard about that. I figured you just messed it up, and he escaped." Phantom chuckled lightly.

"It was not our fault!" Observant one exclaimed.

"It was the Witch Boy!" Observant two growled.

"Klarion?" Now that got Phantom's attention.

"Yes, he freed Vortex. Pandora is furious that he came into the Ghost Zone again…" Observant one shivered.

"But he is still meant to die. He cannot escape it. We may have been wrong before, but people who are meant to die will die." Observant two placed a hand on his companion's shoulder.

"And so am I?" Phantom frowned.

"No." Observant one shook his head…eye. "You were already meant to die, but lived. A miracle that only has happened enough times to be counted on one hand."

"Hmm…" Phantom eyed the other ghosts. There were plenty of moments where he was close to death. They didn't have time to go over them all. They probably meant his transformation into a halfa anyway. "Whatever, I really don't care about that. So I have Vortex's powers?"

"A small portion, yes." Observant two nodded. "It is enough to be a handicap, though."

"What does that mean?" Spirit asked. "More power is good."

"Not when it can't be controlled." Observant one squinted its giant eye. "Vortex's abilities are controlled by his emotions. His hatred."

"He mention…yelled that." Phantom frowned at the memory. Vortex said that he was the same. The wind began to pick up again.

"You see. Everything you feel will influence the fight. And your ability to control your hatred in battle is nonexistent." Observant two noted. "You will destroy yourself in moments."

"Hatred?" Red Huntress looked over at Phantom.

"It was the same reason that Vortex has always been watched by us…by Clockwork…by the Ancient Six." Observant one explained. "He was a risk to begin with, but originally he was fine. His hatred eventually consumed him, however, and he fell into madness."

"You will either need to wait for you power to fade in a few hours or control it long enough to defeat Vortex." Observant two looked down to the earth. "The first option is not a real option. Thousands…millions will die. So you will have to control your emotions like how you use your ice powers."

Phantom felt his friends eyes on him. While he didn't want them to know about his emotional problems, he had bigger fish to fry. "That's why you're here. You are going to tell me how to use my temporary powers to defeat Vortex."

"We rarely directly interfere, but this is our matter to begin with. The Ghost Zone has spoken." Observant two sighed. "And to ask you nonetheless…how humiliating."

"But Clockwork was right. You are necessary. If you're gone then both the human world and the Ghost Zone are doomed. We did the math. You're influence is needed." Observant one closed its eye. "So we will tell you this…remember why the sky cries."

"What?" Phantom raised an eyebrow.

Observant two continued on. "And in the trials to come after today…remember that people are watching…remember that fear is not evil…remember your responsibilities…and remember to forgive."

"Wait!"

"Don't forget." And with that, they were gone

"So this Vortex is the one responsible for this." Batman's voice sounded over the intercom. "Good to know that my ectoplasmic radar works."

"Yeah, it'd be hard to miss." Phantom noted. He was currently driving the Specter Speeder over the Atlantic Ocean. He, Spirit, and Red Huntress were all chasing after Vortex. The Specter Speeder was one of the few inventions that Phantom took from Fenton Works before it was destroyed. "I mean, he's controlling the weather."

"That much was obvious. These weather patterns are unnatural." Batman grunted. "Unfortuantaly, most of the League is busy saving people from the storms."

"So you're going to let me and my friends handle this?" Phantom questioned.

"No. This is too important for the League not to stay involved. We could only spare one person, though."

"Figured as much…" Phantom sighed. "Oh, well, we could use the help. Who's heading to Vortex?"

"Superman." Batman stated.

"…That'll do…" Phantom mumbled. "As long as I get my crack at Vortex. I owe that hyperventilating freak a few punches to the face."

Boom! Rumble!

"Danny! Keep it under control!" Red Huntress yelled.

"What was that?" Batman questioned.

"…Storm surge?" Phantom more asked than told.

"…Fine." Batman sighed. "Superman is already there, but he has no experience fighting ghosts. He's probably having a harder time with Vortex."

"Okay, if you can get in contact with him, tell him that our ETA is ten minutes." Phantom told the Dark Knight.

"Understood. Batman out." And with that the line was cut.

"This might be easier than we thought." Spirit commented.

"Knock on wood…" Phantom sighed. "Even the Man of Steel might have a hard time fighting the weather itself…"

"That's why we're here." Red Huntress sounded smug.

"I don't like leaving Amity Park unguarded, though." Phantom grunted out. His foul emotion caused the wind to shake the Spectre Speeder.

"Well, we're probably going to need the three of us, and with everyone else in the Ghost Zone…we're all out of luck." Spirit noted.

"Why are Klemper, Wulf, and Mr. Masters all in the Ghost Zone anyway?" Red Huntress questioned.

"Who knows." Phantom shrugged. "Klemper's probably visting Frostbite and his people. Wulf likes to wander, and Vlad has a date."

"A date?" Red Huntress was shocked.

"No! He's…um…discussing strategies." Spirit mumbled at the end.

Phantom glared at Spirit. She knew better than to bring that up. They never told Valerie about the meeting or its purpose. "She's just in denial…"

"Oh…" Red Huntress. "Are you sure, because a lot of weird things have been happening lately."

"Weird things happen every week to us." Phantom noted.

Red Huntress stood up from her seat angrily. "I don't like being lied to!"

"…" Danny sighed. "Fine what do you mean?"

"Well, first… who were those Observant guys and what were they talking about." Red Huntress glared.

Phantom gave the girl a side-glance. "Who are the Observants? Psh…I don't think anyone really knows. They are, in fact, older than the Ghost Zone itself. Always watching, rarely acting. They make Clockwork seem liberal."

"Weren't they the guys that ordered Clockwork to kill you?" Spirit questioned.

"To save the world, yes, so I don't really hold a grudge. They did what they thought was right, but what surprised me was that they were actually going to kill Vortex. He must have done some pretty bad stuff." Phantom sighed.

"They'll execute him, but they wouldn't kill you? Seems weird." Red Huntress was obviously still miffed.

"They have taken an oath to never act before a crime has been committed. They're ability to see through time is good in order to prove what has been done, but useless to prove what will happen. They can't absolutely predict what will happen. My crimes hadn't been done yet, and the future me would have been too powerful for them to capture." Phantom explained. "Clockwork was their only option."

"But they said something about you and Vortex both using hatred to fight. And you use you're ice powers to control that hatred." Spirit accused. "What does that mean?"

"They're obviously bias." Phantom lied. "They're mixing the me now for the other me."

No, deep down, he knew what they meant…what Vortex said….Phantom couldn't really deny it.

He was truly at his strongest when he was anger. It wasn't a controlled anger either. He just flipped and fought on instinct alone.

Defeating Red Huntress easily when he couldn't eve land a hit before, hurting Colossus, beating Torch, being able to keep up with an overpowered Nocturne, and so much more…it all happened when he was angry. It all happened when he lost his cool and let an uncontrollable hatred out.

Hatred…was that the source of his power?

"Alright, but what about why Mr. Masters and Klemper are in-"

Clang! Crash! Boom!

Alarms sounded. Lights blared. The Specter Speeder began to plumit to the earth.

"What happened?!" Spirit yelled.

"We found Vortex!" Phantom struggled to keep the machine air born. "We got hit by something! Damn, the wind's too strong!"

"Ah!…You do realize that we're still going to talk about what's been going on!?" Red Huntress yelled at my friend.

"Is now really the time!?" Phantom shouted.

"Just establishing what will happen when our lives aren't in danger!" Red Huntress exclaimed.

"There are moments when our lives aren't in danger?!" Spirit yelled.

And with that, the Specter Speeder crashed into the ground.

Spirit groaned as she woke back into the world of the living. She felt a splitting headache pulse through her brain. "Ugh…What happened."

"We crashed." Red Huntress voice said next to her.

Spirit opened her eyes. She was surrounded by a green dome. Red Huntress was sitting right behind her.

"Where's Danny?" Spirit questioned as she sat up. She looked around.

"He went ahead." Red Huntress sighed. "I agreed to watch over you until you woke up."

"Alright…" Spirit looked at the crashed Specter Speeder. It wasn't that damaged…wouldn't exactly be a smooth ride later, but it would work. "Let's turn of the human ghost shield."

"Is that what the dome is?" Red Huntress questioned.

"Yeah, Danny and Dad made it." Spirit explained as she entered the Specter Speeder. "Apparently, it can stop almost anything."

"It's almost the perfect shield…" Red Huntress commented.

"Not really, I think it has it's weaknesses, but it did protect us from the storm. " Spirit shouted out as she turned off the human/ghost shield.

"Yeah, it sure-"

Boom! Rumble! Vroom! Swoosh! Crack!

"Ah!" Red Huntress and Sprit were unprepared for the power of the storm.

"How can the storm be this bad!?" Spirit was completely soaked within seconds of being in the storm.

"I don't know!?" Red Huntress struggled against the storm. "No wonder we crashed. Flying will be impossible!"

"Not for someone intagible!" Sprit grabbed Red Huntress and dragged her into the speeder. "There's no way for you to fly in this storm. Stay here and guard the Specter Speeder."

Red Huntress frowned. She may not like it, but Spirit was right. The ghost hunter couldn't even walk. Trying to fly would be a suicide attempt without Phantom or Spirit constantly holding on to her. "Okay, go help Danny!"

"You got it!" Spirit smiled at Red Huntress. "Put the shield up when I leave. I'm coming, Danny."

(Play: Fury of the Storm by Dragonforce)

Phantom flew towards Vortex as quickly as possible. He had to turn intangible not to be thrown away by the wind. Unfortunately, he couldn't hit Vortex while intangible, so he quickly turned intangible in order to strike. That didn't work so well…

"NICE…huff…TRY!" Vortex bellowed as he blasted Phantom with electricity.

"Gah!" Phantom cried in pain. He kept healing his injuries, but at this rate, he would exhaust himself.

"GAHAHAHAHAH-Guh!" Vortex grunted when Superman punched him in a gut. The Man of Steel continued his assault on the weather ghost by following up with two punches to Vortex's face. Then, to finish it up, Superman blasted Vortex with his heat vision.

Imagine the kryptonian's surprise when Vortex merely grunted in pain as he blocked the blast with his arm. The ghost's arm was burned, but the ghost didn't seem to care. "GAHAHAH!…huff…FOOLISH MORTAL. SUCH PATHETIC HEAT …huff…CAN'T HURT ME!"

Like with he did with Phantom, Vortex grabbed Superman and sent electricity to shock Superman. The man of steel grunted in pain as he tried to get away from Vortex. Unlike Phantom, Superman's raw strength managed to fight back against Vortex. The weather ghost seemed surprised by this, so he opened his mouth wide. The wind that came out of his mouth was faster than two hundred kilometers per hour.

Most other beings would be torn apart by this, but Superman managed to fight back. He continued to struggle, until Phantom punched Vortex in the hard as hard as he could. This made Vortex let go of Superman, but before Phantom could react, Superman grabbed him and dragged him backwards.

Phantom was instantly grateful as ectoplasm blasted off of Vortex in a giant wave. The blast would have really hurt the halfa. "Thanks for the assist…"

"Only fair, you helped me first." Superman smiled at the younger hero.

"You would have gotten out eventually." Phantom commented as he tried to calm down. He rising temper was making the storm worse. For once, his emotions weren't helping him in a fight. They were becoming a hindrance.

Superman chose to ignore that. "The storm keeps fluctuating. He increases it as we attack. Is he trying to preserve energy?"

"…Maybe…" …Or not…

"GAHAHAHAHA!" Vortex laughed. "DON'T BLAME THAT…huff…ON ME. IT'S THAT LITTLE THIEF…huff…THAT FLUCTUATES THE WEATHER!"

Superman didn't listen to the weather ghost. To him, it was an insane rambling of the ghost to distract him. Phantom was grateful for that.

"AND-ack!" A green ball hit Vortex and exploded.

"Phantom…and Superman!" Spirit looked in awe at the Man of Steel.

"You're awake." Phantom grunted.

"Yeah!" Spirit smirked. "Ready to fight!"

"Are you sure she should be here?" Superman looked concerned. "She seems… a little young."

"Physical appearance doesn't mean much to ghosts." Phantom noted. "We can be a lot older than we look." That wasn't exactly a lie. Many ghost's didn't really appear their age, but wasn't exactly true for Phantom and Spirit.

"Okay…fair enough." Superman didn't look totally convinced, but agreed nevertheless. It was hard to tell if Phantom was lying. He had no heartbeat for Superman to hear. 'Guess he really is a ghost…'

"LITTLE BRAT!" Vortex held his hand to the sky. Lighting rained down towards the heroes.

Phantom and Superman were hit by the lighting before they could react. They tried to save Spirit, but couldn't reach her in time. That was because…Spirit dodged the lightning.

"HUH!?" Vortex seemed outraged that his attack didn't work. In a burst of rage, he sent a cyclone at them. The heroes separated and went different ways. The cyclone separated into three. Each cyclone chased a hero. Phantom and Superman managed to outrun the cyclones.

Spirit, however… twisted and turned to avoid the wind. It was an unbelievable sight. It was a show of grace and skill as Spirit moved just enough to avoid damage.

Vortex gawked. "WHAT?! HOW-AAGH!"

Superman used the distraction and punched Vortex in the jaw. The force caused Vortex to lose control of his cyclones and to fly towards Phantom. Phantom just used his regular ectoplasm and axe kicked Vortex down.

The weather ghost didn't get too far. Spirit was there to strike. Unfortunately, Vortex was ready this time. His arm turned bright red and black smoke came off the arm. Spirit didn't seem intimidated, though. She continued in her attack.

"NO!" Phantom yelled. Anger burst through him as he realized that the attack would hit his sister. The attack would leave her incredibly injured at the very least.

"GAH!" Vortex stopped his attack as lighting struck him in the back.

This was all the time Spirit needed. She followed through with her attack and did a massive uppercut to Vortex. The female halfa obviously used all her power to strike the weather ghost, because the explosion caused the weather ghost to be scorched and bruised as he was sent backwards.

Vortex was obviously hurt, because the storm immediately began to calm down. Now, it was only cloudy. This allowed the heroes to see the destruction bellow. Luckily, they were fighting in an abandoned country side. No one was hurt.

"Why didn't you try to dodge!?" Phantom yelled as he flew up to her.

"I knew your temper tantrum would save me." Spirit smirked.

"Tantrum? Didn't we go over this?! What's my one rule above all other rules?" Phantom glared at his sister.

"Don't embarrass you in front of the super villains…" Spirit mumbled/sighed.

"Exactly!" Phantom frowned.

Superman raised an eyebrow at the two ghosts. 'What strange young people…'

"Why don't you just capture Vortex?" Spirit asked.

"Fine…" Phantom pulled out the Fenton Thermos. "Couldn't get a good shot off before…"

"FOOLS…huff…heave…huff…" Vortex was trembling as he tried to keep himself from falling to the ground. He was on his last legs. "I…huff huff…CAN'T…huff…BE DEFea…te…d…"

"Kukukukuku! Sounds good to me!"

"Huh-ack!" Phantom was shocked when the thermos was destroyed by a ball of red energy.

"Nice to see you, Phantom!" Klarion appeared beside Vortex.

"Klarion!" Phantom yelled.

"What is he doing here?" Superman readied himself for a fight.

"Me? I'm just watching all the fun you're having. Kukukukuku!" Klarion laughed as he petted his cat.

"WH…at do you want…WITCH B..oy…" Vortex couldn't even yell anymore. He was too exhausted.

"Psh! Ungrateful jerk! I should have just let you get killed!" Klarion whined.

"Meow!" Teekl glared at Klarion.

"Fine. Fine." Klarion sighed. "I'm here to help, you oversized vacuum cleaner."

"I…don't…need help…." Vortex glared.

"Oh, I beg to differ." Klarion held up his hand. "And you'll be getting a lot of it."

"AHHHHHH!"

"Kukukukuku!" Klarion chuckled. "Little know fact, magic can actually help ghosts instead of hurt them, if the user wishes it, that is. And in the rare occasions that it happens…all hell breaks loose."

And so it did…

The results of Klarion's interference were devastating. All around the world, the weather instantly became twice as bad, but the worst was the area directly around Vortex. Multiple tornadoes formed around them. Hail the size of softballs fell from the sky. Lighting bolts rained down from the sky like they were being pored from a bucket.

All that could be ignored, though. What really concerned them, was Vortex. The weather ghost had grown to the size of a skyscraper. All his injuries were healed by the magic. He was surrounded by a dark red cloak of magical energy. Red veins pulsed throughout his body. The heroes could practically feel the power coming off him in waves.

"GAHAHAHAHAH!" Vortex laughed in his haze of power lust.

Superman was the first to react. The second he flew towards Vortex, he created a sonic boom. Vortex was unprepared by Superman's attack. He reeled back as Superman stuck him in the head. The Man of Steel followed up by several punches to Vortex's humongous body.

Unfortunately, Vortex was not effected by this barrage. "WAS THAT…huff… SUPPOSED TO HURT?" Vortex yelled at Superman.

The force of the wind caused Superman to be blown back as if he were a fly. Vortex continued his barrage. He punched Superman into the ground and continued to beat him like a drum.

"GAH!" Vortex screamed in pain.

Using the distraction, Phantom had flown up to Vortex's head. He had to work in order to avoid the wind, lighting, and raw energy surrounding Vortex. When he finally reached Vortex's head, Phantom used an ectoplasmic energy blast to try and distract the giant weather ghost. The result, however, was surprising.

The blast hit the red magic aura surrounding Vortex and…caused a giant explosion. Phantom was surprised by the damage caused by his attack. Vortex's head was covered in scrapes. He didn't put enough energy for that…then that must mean… "He's weak to ectoplasmic attacks! The magic's a double edge sword!"

"Alright!" Spirit smirked as she flew around the giant ghost's body. She absentmindedly dodged all the wind and lighting that was attacking her. The female halfa then sent multiple ectoplasmic attacks at the weather ghost. Each one caused a large explosion as hit the magic cloak.

"ARG!…huff… STOP THAT!" Giant balls of concentrated storms formed at Vortex's hands. He was about to throw them at the halfa's when Superman stopped him. This time, Superman used his heat vision to heat the magic energy around Vortex. This had a slightly better affect than the punches. Vortex was hurt enough to lose focus on his attacks.

"Keep attacking!" Superman yelled.

So they did. All three heroes flew around the giant ghost. Superman used his heat vision and ice breath to hurt the weather ghost, while the halfas used their ectoplasm to attack. Soon, the weather ghost was covered in scratches and burns.

The heroes weren't doing so well, though. Phantom was injured worse than Vortex. Spirit was running out of energy because her rapid dodging. Even Superman was wearing down. The magic powered ectoplasm hurt even the Man of Steel.

"ENOUGH!" Vortex finally screamed. A giant electric cyclone formed around him. The attack caused all the heroes to be thrown to the ground below.

"YOU…huff…PATHETIC MORTAL…huff…" Vortex yelled. He reached down and grabbed Superman. Electricity blasted from Vortex's hand. Superman shouted in pain as he was consumed in the light of the electricity. "THEY ARE ONLY ALIVE…huff…BECAUSE OF YOU…huff…BE GONE!"

Vortex's fist turned into the wind itself. It stretched out and began to carry Superman away. In an instant, the wind had carried Superman out of the halfa's sights. The wind didn't look it was stopping any time soon, though. If one thing was for sure, Superman wouldn't be able to help them anymore.

"I WILL DESTROY YOU!" Vortex bellowed.

Phantom braced himself as the lighting came down to hit him. Several bolts were aimed at him, and he wasn't ready to dodge or stop them. Luckily, Spirit was. She grabbed onto Phantom and pulled him just enough to not be damaged by the lighting.

"How do you keep doing that?!" Phantom yelled as Spirit dragged him.

"I don't know!? I just…feel it! Like a gut feeling!" Spirit looked exhausted. She shouldn't be that tired, though. None of her attacks had been that big, and she hadn't taken too many hits. The only way she would be this tired would be…

If she had a new power…Premonition…an internal feeling about what would happen in the future…

Phantom grabbed his sister and pulled her onto his back. She may have the knowledge of what to do, but she couldn't move enough to use it. "A woman's intuition is a powerful thing! Tell me how to dodge, and I'll do it!"

"Okay!" Spirit got over the embarrassment of being piggybacked through a fight. She had more pressing matters on which she had to focus.

"FRY LITTLE ANTS!" Vortex screamed.

Turning intangible, Phantom managed to dodge the fist wave of wind that came his way. To win, though, he had to get close. Trying to fight Vortex like before would be impossible. He needed to get close and take an all or nothing shot.

It was time for the Ghostly Wail. And in order to get close enough, Phantom would have to listen to Spirit's every instruction.

"Move left!"

"Duck!"

"Up!"

"Right!"

That was their continued pattern. Spirit yelled out instructions. Phantom would follow those instructions. Vortex would send lighting, wind, updrafts, downdrafts, cyclones, and many other weaponized weather to attack the halfas.

Slowly, the halfas managed to get closer to Vortex. The plan was to get directly above Vortex. Hit him down hard and don't let him get a chance to get away.

"Almost there! Straight ahead!" Spirit yelled.

Phantom obeyed the instruction. He flew forward as fast as he could. Soon, he would be directly above Vortex.

"DO YOU THINK…huff…THAT I'LL LET YOU…huff…DO THAT?!" Vortex yelled. The storm itself seamed to gather at his hands. All of the energy around him, magic and ectoplasmic, transferred to his hands. It was an attack to end all attacks.

"What do I do?!" Phantom asked.

"I-I…you can't do anything…." Spirit trembled. "It can't be dodged, and it can't be blocked."

"What?!" Phantom shouted.

"Die!" Vortex yelled.

After that, Phantom was hit by the blast.

The pain was terrible. Electricity ran through his body. The wind crashed into him with bone crushing force. Hale bombarded his body.

Nevertheless, Phantom fought to stay awake. His body was currently protecting Spirit. If he stopped…she would die.

Phantom tried to fight back, but he couldn't move. He couldn't do anything to block the concentrated storm. All his struggling and fighting proved for nothing. The only thing he could do was take the damage and feel.

A torrent of emotions ran through him. Usually, this would strengthen him, but in this case, they made it worse. His own emotions gave power to the storm. The angrier he became, the worse the concentrated storm was.

Was this really it? Is this how he would die? Phantom had come close to dying several times, but now…now was different. Spirit, his sister, was going to die with him. Thought made him angry. The anger made the storm worse. The storm hurt him more. It was a terrible cycle

Try as he might, Phantom couldn't get his emotions under control. Not like this, he couldn't focus like this…

It was over…

"Danny, do you know why the sky cries?"

…What?…

Memory sequence begin

"Mommy, why are you sad?" A seven year old Danny looked up to his mom. She was looking out the window to see the rain. Her expression was always sad when it rained.

Maddie quickly changed the mood on her face. "What do you mean, Sweety?"

"You always look like you're about to cry when it rains like this." Danny frowned cutely. "I don't want you to be sad."

Maddie smiled at her child. She brought him onto her lap and told him, "I'm sorry, Danny. The rain just makes me think of hard times."

"Like what?"

"Well…" Maddie looked conflicted. "There was a time long ago where someone I loved very much was…sick."

"Why?" Danny questioned.

"Because he wasn't ready for life yet." Maddie answered.

"Oh…"

"During that time, it rained all the time because it was spring." Maddie explained. "And I suppose whenever it rains like this, I remember the feelings I had. I was sad, mad, and desperate. For a while, there, I thought that this person I cared about would leave me."

"So the rain makes you sad? It just makes me tired." Danny commented.

Maddie laughed. "Danny, do you know why the sky cries?"

"You mean rain?" Danny tilted his head in confusion. "Well, Jazz says its because of the water bicycle."

Once again, Maddie chuckled at her son's cuteness. "Well, that, and because there are troubling times, the heavens weep to get rid of all the bad thoughts they have. So they won't be sad and angry anymore."

"Oh…so the clouds feel?" Danny questioned.

"I…like to think it's the people sitting on the clouds that feel." Maddie sighed. "Even though, I have no proof, I do believe that."

"Why?" Danny asked.

"Because I saw an unexplainable miracle happen before my eyes." Maddie smiled. "The person I cared about got better instantly. The doctors were sure that he wouldn't, and yet he did. He's my little miracle…"

"Oh…then why do you feel bad about the rain." Danny questioned. "The guy lived right?"

"Yes, but the time that he was sick was very excrutia…hard for me." Maddie noted. "I feel sad because of it…but I also felt something else."

"What?"

"Hope. Hope that the rain would stop and the sun would come out. Hope that the person I cared about would get better. And you know what? My hope worked. The person got better and the rain stopped." Maddie smiled brightly.

"Oh…so hope stops the rain?" Danny questioned.

"I like to think it does." Maddie hugged her son.

"Okay, then I hope it stops raining by my birthday…"

"I'm sure it will, Sweety."

Memory sequence end

Hope…

The pain stopped.

Hope stops the rain…

Phantom extended his arms forward.

Hope could overcome the anger of the storm…

Phantom's eyes flashed white.

The storm seemed to bend around him and Spirit. While Vortex completely overpowered something, there was something that the magic didn't enhance. Vortex's control over the storm was by far weaker now. He was relying on raw power. In other words…

Phantom's control was better than Vortex's control right now. Which, in a contest of manipulating the weather, Phantom could control Vortex's power and use it against him.

The storm around Phantom seemed to stop. The wind, lighting, and hail all stopped their movement and turned around.

"WHAT!?" Vortex shouted in surprise. The concentrated storm came back down and hit him. Vortex managed to block with his arms, but that didn't stop all the damage. He was now completely covered in injuries. "DO YOU THINK…huff…THAT WILL BE E-"

OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Like he planned earlier, Phantom unleashed his Ghostly Wail. The shout of death hit the giant ghost. Vortex writhed in pain as the magic around him increased the Ghostly Wail's effect. In seconds, Vortex collapsed to the ground. The magic faded and he shrunk back to normal size.

Vortex was defeated.

Phantom would have celebrated, if he wasn't plummeting to the earth. He tried to pull up, but he didn't have any energy left. Feeling Spirit let go, Phantom realized that she was in a similar state. Pulling Spirit close to him, Phantom let gravity overtake him.

To protect Spirit, Phantom held her close and landed on his back. The impact would usually break the human spine beyond repair, but Phantom would merely be sore for a while. Looking at Spirit, Phantom realized that his sister had passed out. Gently, he placed her down. "You did good, Dani…"

"BU-but…huff…YOU DI..dn't…" Vortex's voice caught Phantom's attention.

The weather ghost looked terrible. He looked beaten and broken. His trembling form had a difficult time staying standing. Phantom was surprised that he was still even conscious.

"You should stay down." Phantom noted. "If you keep moving while in that state, you'll die."

"Don't y-you dare…huff…say something like that…" Vortex's attempt at a glare was pathetic. "I am the perfect storm…huff…You're hatred can't overcome mine…huff…You will not surpass me…"

"Hatred didn't overcome you." Phantom shakily stood up. "Hope did."

"Hope?…" Vortex became enraged. "You say…huff… HOPE BEAT ME?!…huff…NO!…All I can sense from you is hate…huff…There is no hope!"

"What makes you say-"

Bang! Crack!

Phantom froze at the familiar sound of an ecto-gun firing. He felt no pain. Spirit was undisturbed. That meant…

"Gah!" Vortex spit out green blood and collapsed forward.

Reaching out, Phantom grabbed Vortex and gently brought him to the ground.

"I…I don't understand…" Phantom mumbled. The gun shot had blasted a hole in Vortex's chest. Green blood was everywhere.

"What's…so hard to understand." Vortex gasped out. "Someone…hated me…so they killed me…"

"You're not dead yet…" Phantom tried to put pressure on the wound, but there was no use.

"I am…" Vortex grinned at the thought. "I was right…the true nature of everything is…hatred."

"What?" Phantom questioned.

"Back then…back when I was the favorite…I told everyone that hatred was the core of everything…human hates human…ghost hates ghosts…human and ghosts hate each other. No one believed me…they said I was insane…they were in denial…

"The Ancient Six…The Observants… Clockwork…they all knew the truth, but they refused to admit it…they banished me…said I was too dangerous…my hate was too strong…" Vortex gurgled out.

"That's why…" Phantom frowned.

"Yes…" Vortex nodded. "And they will do the same to you…when they realize that you're hate…is stronger than mine… they will find a new favorite…"

"I may be filled with this hate, despair, and terrible anger, but that's not what I used to beat you…" Phantom's eyes stung. "Hope overcomes the storm."

"Gaha-Cough! Cough!" Vortex failed to laugh as he coughed up blood. "Is that it? Then you're going to need a lot of it to overcome you're hatred."

Vortex's form began to dissolve.

"What?" Phantom began to panic.

"So many regrets…So much more I wanted to destroy…" Vortex mumbled weakly. "I…have to confess something…In the beginning, I was like you…I tried to be the hero…but using hate for justice doesn't work…be careful, or you might…end up…like…me…"

Phantom didn't know if that was a warning or a smug remark. Either way, those were the last words Vortex ever spoke.

Phantom knelled over the puddle of ectoplasm that used to be Vortex. He was frozen in shock. He didn't even move as two figures approached him and pointed guns at his head.

"Why did you do that?" Phantom mumbled weakly.

"He was a threat that needed to be eliminated." Agent K noted.

"But he was already defeated…" Phantom growled.

"Do you know the damage he caused? The people he hurt? The lives he ended?" Agent O sneered. "He deserved to die."

"Then kill him like a warrior, not like a dog!" Phantom yelled as he finally looked up at the Guys in White.

Agent K laughed. "He's a ghost. He was lower than a dog. The only thing he deserved was the bullet to the back."

Phantom merely glared at them.

"And the same can be said for you…" Agent O said as he pulled the trigger.

A blue and red blur appeared between the Guys in White and Phantom. It stopped the ecto-blast. "No he doesn't…"

Phantom realized that Superman had returned. He must have traveled hundreds of miles to get here. The Man of Steel didn't look all that great. He was weak to magic, and he got hit a lot in the fight. Nevertheless, Superman didn't shake or stumble. He stood tall.

"Lower than a dog…Is that how you view this young man…how you viewed Vortex?" Superman frowned. In an instant, Phantom realized that Superman was upset.

"Don't act like they're human." Agent K didn't lower his gun. "Now move, we're under the authority of the UN to stop the threat of the storms."

"You do realize that I and some of my best friends aren't human." Superman growled. Correction…He was mad. "And don't you forget that I was authorized by the UN as well, and I say that you should lower you're guns and turn yourself in for murder."

"Murder? This was an authorized kill. We were ordered to eliminate the threat and Phantom-"

"Is not a threat at all…" In an instant, Superman crushed the ecto-guns in his hands. No…he wasn't mad…Superman was pissed… "I don't know what's going on, but I will get to the bottom of this, and justice will be served. Now leave…NOW!"

The Guys in White scurried away with their tails between their legs. Phantom noted that their vehicle seemed to be a drill. They came from underground to avoid the storm. It was a safe strategy, slow, but safe…

"Are you okay, Phantom." Superman knelt down by the halfa. He too looked down sadly at the puddle of ectoplasm.

"No…I'm not…" Phantom mumbled. "This…this is wrong…"

"It is." Superman agreed. "But there's nothing we can do now but respect his memory."

"Yeah…" Phantom looked over at Spirit.

"Will you two need help getting home?" Superman asked.

"No." Phantom looked up. The Specter Speeder was here. "A friend will take us home…"

(Tuesday-April 27, 2010)

"Daniel." Vlad walked up to his ward. "I heard what happened. I'm so sorry I wasn't here."

"It's okay. You were busy preparing for the possibility of war..." Danny mumbled. He was in the back yard of the mansion and was staring at a simple piece of wood that was coming out of the ground.

He had placed the board there earlier. The board merely said, "In memory of the perfect storm."

"There was nothing left..." Danny noted. "Nothing to bury. Even the energy that I got from him faded. All that's left is a memory..."

"It may be wrong of me to say, but…" Vlad sighed. "He probably doesn't deserve the respect you're giving him."

"He doesn't." Danny nodded sadly. "He was cruel, evil, destructive, and hateful…but he was my enemy and that's what matters."

"I suppose it is…" Vlad noted.

"…Vlad?" Danny didn't look up from Vortex's grave.

"Hmm?" Vlad acknowledged.

"Is this what the world really is?" Danny questioned. "Is the world really so cruel that it's people not only support killing a defenseless being, but celebrate it? The news gives the impression that everyone wanted Vortex killed. They're calling the Guys in White heroes…"

"I…" Vlad sighed. "I suppose it is."

"…I hate it…" Danny admitted. "There's this ball in my chest consumed with this hateful anger at it all. They shouldn't be acting like this. Someone died."

Vlad said nothing.

"They…don't care about ghosts…" Danny realized.

"No, they don't." Vlad nodded.

"…" Danny closed his eyes and gained a look of conviction. "Then…I suppose that we should prepare for war…"

Omake: Yes, you would

(Monday-April 19, 2010)

"Why the hell do I have to learn how to drive?" Danny mumbled as he stirred the Lamborghini along the roads.

"Because you're fifteen." Vlad noted. "You need to know how to drive."

"Says who?" Danny questioned.

"Society." Vlad smirked.

"Then why are you teaching me?" Danny asked. "You're the worst driver I've ever seen."

"I'm insulted, Daniel." Vlad gained a hurt look. "I am in excellent driver."

"The last time you drove, you almost ran over two cats, three squirrels, and me." Danny stated. "And that was before you even got out of the driveway."

"For your information," Vlad huffed. "My driving record is spotless."

"Because you bribe and blackmail the cops to never pull you over." Danny mentioned.

"No one is perfect, Daniel." Vlad said smugly.

"Whatever…" Daniel gave his mentor a side glance. "Are you sure that you're not doing to distract me from a surprise party?"

"I already said no, Daniel." Vlad smiled. "Would I lie to you?"

(One hour later…)

"Surprise!"

"…" Danny turned to Vlad. "Yes, yes you would…"

Omake: The One Rule

(Wednesday-April 21, 2010)

"Okaaaaay…" Phantom eyed the weirdo in front of him. "Who are you?"

"I'm Ragdoll!" The masked man said. He was wearing a pale body suit and a mask that appeared to belong on a doll's face with it's stiched mouth, huge nose, and curly red hair. "And you're the first person to ever catch me!"

"…Really?" Phantom questioned. "Because it wasn't that hard."

"Well, not everyone can turn intangible, invisible and freeze people…" Ragdoll notes as he was hanging upside down on the wall while being held up by a layer of ice. He tried to use his special triple jointedness to enter the jewelry store through the vents. Unfortunately, Phantom and Spirit had taken notice and stopped him.

"Please! I was the one that said we should check this place out!" Spirit yelled. "This is my victory."

"Whatever…" Phantom sighed. "This is the first time a human super villain came to Amity Park…I guess we should get the cops."

"No, we should just let the thief go free." Spirit sarcastically commented.

"Must you mock me?" Phantom groaned.

"Stop acting like an idiot and I will." Spirit noted. "Here's your sign…"

"Okay, really, stop it." Phantom glared.

"Stop what?" Spirit snorted. "I don't know what you're talking about at aallllllllll…lllll…"

"Okay!" Phantom growled. "New rule, if fact the one rule above all other rules!"

"Phantom…"

"Under no circumstances are you to ever embarrass me in front of the super villains."

"Phantom…"

"I'm serious! Do not embarrass me in front of the super villians!"

"Okay…but Phantom?"

"Yes?"

"The Ragdoll guy already escaped…"

"…Doh!"

"Here's your sign."