[Third Person Pov]
After Batman finished examining Danny and his newly manifested cloning ability—and drilling him relentlessly on mental discipline, focus, and maintaining cohesion between copies—Danny finally called it a night. The boy looked like he was running on fumes, his shoulders slumped and his steps sluggish as he headed upstairs toward his room. The door slid shut behind him with a soft click, leaving the Batcave once more cloaked in its usual cavernous silence.
Batman removed his cowl and set it carefully beside the Bat-Computer. The harsh blue glow of the screen illuminated the lines of fatigue etched deep into his face as he lowered himself into the chair. Data scrolled endlessly before him: biometric readings, spectral energy fluctuations, neurological feedback loops—all tagged under a single rapidly expanding file.
Robin remained standing just behind him, arms crossed, weight shifted to one leg as he watched Bruce work.
"Let me guess," Robin said lightly, though his tone carried an undercurrent of knowing. "You're going to update Danny's contingency plans."
Batman didn't look back. He gave a low hum of affirmation as his fingers moved across the keyboard, opening secured subfiles. "I have to," he said evenly. "You already know that."
Robin snorted. "Yeah, figured. Still—" his gaze flicked over the file header, "—don't you think that after everything, it deserves a better name? Being labeled Ghost-Boy really isn't doing him justice."
Batman scoffed quietly, though the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. His fingers moved, typing a single word.
DESIGNATION UPDATED: PHANTOM.
"Name change," Batman said. "Phantom."
Robin nodded approvingly, then frowned as new data populated the screen. His teasing tone faded. "Wait… is threat assessment recalculating already? Just because he's able to create a few clones of himself?"
Batman leaned back slightly. "Because Danny's capabilities have changed."
The screen shifted again. A red marker slid upward.
Robin's eyes widened. "You're raising his threat level that high?"
"Yes."
"Bruce," Robin said slowly, disbelief creeping into his voice, "you're pushing him into that bracket."
Batman finally looked at him. "Say it."
Robin swallowed. "You're putting him near Superman."
"Comparable," Batman corrected.
Robin stared. "You cannot be serious."
Batman turned back to the screen and enlarged a schematic—multiple identical silhouettes of Danny spreading outward like a fractal. "Imagine Superman," he said calmly, "being able to create an indefinite number of fully autonomous clones of himself."
Robin inhaled sharply through his teeth. "—Tch." He physically recoiled from the image. "He would be absolutely broken. Well more broken than what he already is"
"Now imagine," Batman continued, unperturbed, "each clone retaining access to his full power set. No shared stamina pool. No degradation. Independent thought."
Robin's shoulders slowly tensed. "Okay," he muttered. "Yeah. I… see what you mean now."
Batman brought up the contingency framework. "Danny's cloning ability necessitates an expansion. The plan now accounts not only for him, but for force multiplication scenarios."
Files branched outward.
"His family's technology," Batman said. "The Fentons' weapons, traps, and portals. Ecto-based armaments capable of harming or restraining him—or being repurposed by him."
Another branch appeared.
"His friends," Batman continued. "Individuals he holds in close regard. Emotional leverage is not a weakness we exploit—but it is a variable we must acknowledge and use when absolutely necessary."
Robin frowned. "Sam. Tucker. Ember."
Batman nodded. "All included. Their presence alters his behavior. Their endangerment alters his decisions. Believe it or not, you're included."
"I am?" Robin asked, clearly surprised to see his name.
"Yes. You've managed to become an important part in Danny's life. He holds you in very high regards, I wouldn't be surprised if he considers you family at this point." Batman said impassively.
Robin looked down for a moment and smiled faintly, trying not to show any outward reaction to Bruce's words before looking back up when he heard a sharp ding.
The threat meter finalized its new position.
Robin exhaled. "This is insane. He's still a kid."
"Which is the only reason the rating hasn't gone higher," Batman replied.
Robin looked at him sharply. "What?"
Batman folded his hands. "Danny is young. He's still growing. Still unlocking new abilities."
The screen shifted again, listing powers already confirmed.
"Intangibility," Batman began. "Invisibility, Flight, Energy projection, Force-field projection, Energy constructs, Pyrokinesis, Telekinesis, Possession, Regeneration, Reality-affecting wails, Spectral Body Manipulation, Duplication, etc"
The list kept scrolling.
Robin's mouth had gone dry. "That's… that's already more than—"
"Superman," Batman finished. "As Danny currently stands, he possesses more abilities than Clark."
Robin rubbed the back of his neck. "And he's not even done."
"No," Batman agreed. "We don't know how many more abilities will manifest. Or what form they'll take. We don't know the upper limit of his growth."
The cave seemed quieter somehow.
Batman stared at the file, eyes hard but not unkind. "Danny Phantom is not a threat because of who he is," he said. "He's a threat because of who he could become."
Robin swallowed. "You really think he could—"
"Surpass Superman entirely," Batman said, voice steady. "Yes."
He leaned back in the chair, the glow of the Bat-Computer reflecting in his eyes.
"And that," he concluded, "is why we prepare."
Robin looked back at the file, at the boy who had gone to bed upstairs, exhausted and unaware.
"…Guess it's a good thing," Robin murmured, "that he's on our side."
Batman didn't answer.
He just kept updating the contingency plans.
"Let's just hope Danny never sees this," Robin said after a long stretch of silence, his voice quieter than usual. His gaze lingered on the screen, unease evident in the way his shoulders tensed. "If he ever finds out about it, he'll be hurt. No doubt about it. You created this behind his back."
"He won't," Batman replied without hesitation, his tone steady and absolute.
Robin frowned. "You can't be too sure—"
Batman cut him off before he could finish. "I don't mean that he won't find out," he clarified calmly. "I mean that he wouldn't be hurt by it."
Robin paused, surprised enough to stop mid-thought. He turned fully toward Batman, allowing him to continue.
"As childish and immature as Danny may appear at times," Batman said, his eyes never leaving the Bat-Computer, "he isn't stupid. Quite the opposite. Danny has a remarkable sense of foresight, even if he doesn't always realize it himself. He's capable of seeing the larger picture, especially when it comes to protecting others."
Batman finally looked at Robin. "He would understand the value of this. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he already knows it exists."
Robin blinked. "Then doesn't that defeat the purpose—"
"He doesn't know the context," Batman interrupted smoothly, having anticipated the question. "Only that it exists. Nothing more."
Robin studied him for a moment, clearly unconvinced. "And how can you be so sure about that?"
To Robin's surprise—and outright disbelief—Batman turned toward him and allowed himself a faint, almost imperceptible smile.
"Let me show you something," Batman said.
He turned back to the Bat-Computer, exiting his own contingency files with a few precise keystrokes. Another directory opened in their place.
Robin leaned in, narrowing his eyes as he read through the list that appeared on the screen. His expression slowly shifted from suspicion to dawning realization.
Every name was familiar.
Lunch Lady. Skulker. Ember. Vantasma. Phantom Dragon. Klemper.
Ghosts—villains Danny had fought, learned from, and survived.
And at the bottom of the list, the most recent entry glowed faintly on the screen.
Technus.
"Wait…" Robin started, his voice trailing off as understanding finally clicked. His lips curled into a faint, incredulous smile. "Did Danny…?"
"Yes," Batman confirmed, a trace of approval slipping into his usually flat tone. "Danny went out of his way to create his own contingency plans—for every major enemy he's encountered."
Robin let out a short laugh, shaking his head in disbelief as he leaned back. "Of course he did."
For a moment, neither of them spoke—only the quiet hum of the Batcave filling the space between them.
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