Chapter One: Discovery

"Whoa, slow down! What did you smell, girl?" Tucker Foley said, gripping the leash of his excited Corgi as she ran down the sidewalk. "Regina, slow down!"

The dog tugged him into an alleyway, moving over to a white figure. "What is this?" Tucker walked and knelt next to the figure. "A ghost?" He murmured, pursing his lips as he noted the faint white glow around them. The long, white hair looked familiar, and the tattered bodysuit… "It can't be…" He breathed, turning them over. "No…no way." He said, quickly getting out and pulling an ectogun from his bag. "Dan Phantom?!"

He aimed the gun, waiting for him to get up, to snap his eyes open…but nothing happened. His skin was so pale, not the usual blue color, but the bodysuit was unmistakably that of the 24-year-old world conqueror from the future that was sealed away 5 years ago. Actually, he looked like he hadn't aged a day since he was sealed into that thermos. Well, maybe a day.

Regina pawed at the prone figure and Tucker put his gun into the bag, moving closer. "Hey…you okay?" He asked, nudging him with his foot. "Hello?"

He knelt down and examined him closer. Where the suit was tattered, he could see ectoplasm slipping out. And he looked so weak, he must be close to fading out. Tucker attempted to force him into standing, but when that didn't work he went to his back and pulled out the Fenton Thermos. "Okay…let's get you some help." He fired it, sucking up the unconscious ghost.

He put the lid on and sighed, putting it in his bag. "…Why were you so…human-looking?" He murmured, picking up his bag and leading Regina out of there. He had to get him to where he'd be able to properly help him, but first he needed to drop by the Fentons to pick up a few things.

.

"And there is so much history here at—whose phone is ringing?" The tour guide frowned, turning to the prospective students. "I said to turn it off."

"Sorry, I'm on-call." Danny Fenton held up his phone and stepped away from the group, letting them go on without him as he held it to his ear. "Tucker, what's up?"

"You need to get back here now. There's something that's come up, I can't handle it alone." Tucker said on the other end. He could hear some machinery in the background, but couldn't place what it was.

"Alright, how soon?" Danny asked. "I can go after this—"

"Danny, I said 'now'." Tucker said. "I don't know how much I can do for him."

"Who?" Danny asked.

"You'll see, just get here."

Danny sighed, hanging up and pocketing his phone. He'd have to apologize to the guide; an emergency had come up back home. Knowing his "job", she gave a disgruntled nod and watched him change and fly off.

.

"Tucker…this is…" Danny breathed, dropping his backpack on the floor and approaching the bed. Tucker had set up an IV and was running ectoplasm through it, but it didn't seem to be doing much good for the ghost's healing. "Why is…HE here?"

"I found him in an alleyway." Tucker said, pursing his lips. "It's been hard keeping people out of this room, especially since I normally can't stand hospital stuff and they saw me carting it in."

Danny sighed, nodding. "You should…get back to work, Tuck. I'll handle this. I'm sure the city needs their mayor to do his work."

"I have a secretary, y'know." Tucker shrugged. "You're right, though. I'll come check on you guys later, alright?" He walked out of the room, shutting the door.

Danny pursed his lips, looking at the ghost. Aside from the lack of blue skin, he looked the same as he did when he fought him before. Well, the wounds were new, of course. He sighed and slipped off his gloves, approaching the bed. He gingerly touched the long, white strands of hair that rested on the ghost's pillow and then reached up to the bodysuit's zipper, tugging it down to expose the man's chest.

He hadn't done this in a while, not since Dani got into that scuffle two years ago. He rolled up his sleeves and placed his hand on the ghost's bare chest, focusing his ghost energy into the touch. They both began to glow white, Danny's eyes closed as he concentrated. He had to make him strong enough to wake up and tell them what happened, but not strong enough to attack them. That would come when he knew he could trust him.

.

"Look at you. You were once a world conqueror in your time?" Pariah Dark laughed as he kicked Dan in the side, forcing him back a few feet. "You're little more than a boy!" He walked over and knelt down, forcing him onto his back. "In fact…you're the very same boy that sent me into that eternal sleep last time." He scowled, looking at the symbol on his chest. "Such a hypocrite. I still haven't paid you back for that, have I?" He smirked, the skeletons around the throne room laughing.

Dan didn't reply, having been gagged and bound before being brought out of his cell. The Ghost King went on and on, talking about revenge and victory and Dan just let it be tuned out until a sharp kick brought him back to reality.

"Without Plasmius you are NOTHING against me!" Pariah Dark spat. "You couldn't beat me without a power-up before, and now you can't beat me without Plasmius! He's MINE now, and you are left without any power against me!" He picked him up and threw him into a guard, who proceeded to kick him back into the center of the circle.

Dan rolled on his side and then lay still, listening to Pariah Dark continue on and on about how he was useless without the older ghost's power added to his. Then he felt Pariah grab his cape and he was swung around like a rag-doll without any way to stop it before he was thrown into a wall, where he crumpled to the floor. The skeletons cheered, but Pariah Dark wasn't done yet.

He walked over and roughly gripped the younger ghost's hair, gripping at the point where his hair turned into flames. "I'm going to make you suffer, boy. You dared to defy me and seal me away before, and I'll make you pay for it." He gave a cruel smile and lifted him into the air by his hair, staring into those defiant, green eyes. "I'll make you bleed."

Then he was thrown into the center of the crowd and Pariah Dark drew his sword, walking over to the younger ghost menacingly. Above the crowd, Dan saw red eyes gazing down at him in amusement.

He could help…but he wouldn't. His great pleasure was seeing Phantom in pain, suffering, wallowing in failure. He watched as the Ghost King struck Dan again and again, green ectoplasm flying into the air and staining the walls and floor as he could do nothing to fight back.

"S-Stop…" Dan pleaded weakly, his eyelids tightening with each strike. Danny glanced at his face as he worked, but continued to use his energy to heal the older ghost.

This was kinda-sorta inspired by Lightning Streak's "Deliverance" series, the Karma chapters, and I advise you to go and check them out because GOD their stuff is good. I am so hooked and waiting on more from them.
'Cept in that story, it's all based on in his future, and in mine, well, Tucker is the one taking for the wounded Phantom. And it's in younger Danny's time.
Anyways, eek, Pariah Dark is back! How will the others take to these news?
Assume that Pariah Dark was told that stuff by Plasmius, 'cause that's what happened. Off-screen. ~ Zone