A/N: WOW: the number of hits doubled overnight!! I'm just gushing!!! Thanks!! Feel free to review, too!! And, I promise that I do not own any characters. Now without any more rambling, here is Chapter 4. Enjoy!
His Own Worst Enemy—Chapter 4—Decisions
The three friends are momentarily stunned by what they just witnessed. Then, Tucker, who fretfully searches both of his friends' faces, moans, "How did he get out?"
"And how did he make those ghosts obey him? What was that stuff?" Sam adds, also looking at each of her friends.
After also returning each of his friends' worried looks, Danny muses, "And how was he able to outsmart Clockwork?" Then his heart leaps with his next thought. "Oh, no! Clockwork! He wasn't there this morning, remember? So he must have done something to Clockwork!"
Sam then announces, "Then, we're just going to have to find out!"
"We?" Danny asks, quickly scanning each of their faces again.
"Yes, we!" Tucker emphasizes. "You know that we're in this together and will need each other if we're going to have deal with your evil putrid other self!"
Danny smiles slightly at their blind loyalty. "But it's going to be dangerous, guys," He objects, really trying to talk Sam out of going.
"Did you say 'dangerous'?" Another familiar voice chimes in.
"Jazz! What are you doing here?" Danny says, feigning irritation.
She folds her arms and leans against the wall. Closing her eyes and being quite proud of herself, she announces, "Snooping, as usual. But I snooped too late and only got the "going-to-be-dangerous" part. So, what's up?"
They proceed to fill her in. Her smirk dissipates to a worried frown and she gasps as she reviews the holographic projection. Finally, she utters, "You can't be serious that you're going to try to look for that creep?"
"I don't think I have a choice," Danny sighs.
"No, you don't have a choice," Sam echoes. "But we're going with you, no matter what!"
Danny looks at each of them as they all nod in agreement. "OK. But you have to promise that if it gets really dangerous, you'll hi-tail it home!"
"'Hi-tail it?'" Tucker, Sam and Jazz say in unison, teasing him on his choice of words.
"Cut it out!" He objects. "You know what I mean! But, anyhow, we can't make any plans until after school. We've been missing too many days as it is!"
"Don't sweat about that, dude! I do have some pull at the Mayor's office, you know!" Tucker smugly offers.
"And you know that they'll understand that you're just doing your 'hero' job!" Jazz adds.
"And we can still get tutoring," Sam reminds him.
"Yeah, well, I kinda don't want to miss any more school," Danny admits, with an embarrassed smile.
The other three blink at him in disbelief.
"Well, I don't!" He says firmly, making the decision to say what's on his mind. "I have to admit that sometimes the stuff we learn in school has come in handy when we were in some pretty scary situations before, so the more we learn, the more chances we might have to outwit the bad guys."
His friends and sister pause a moment, look at each other and then at Danny and burst out laughing, thinking he is kidding.
"I'm serious, guys!" Danny protests.
Jazz is the first to recover. "I think I've rubbed too much off of you, little brother. But I'm sure that by putting all of our heads together, we'll figure out some way to beat the jerky you!"
"The jerky NOT me!" Danny firmly corrects her.
"OK. The kinda you that you would have been if you were evil!" She replies.
He sardonically quips, "Geez, thanks, Jazz. That's a real confidence booster. I really appreciate all that faith you have in me."
Her voice echoing an unconcerned casualness to his comment, Jazz retorts, "Oh, you knew what I meant, Danny!"
"No, I don't!" He objects, getting more irritated after she touched that nerve. "I am nothing like him!"
"I didn't say you were like him!" She insists, now a little bothered.
"Yes, you did! You said, 'kinda'…" He argues.
"But…" She begins.
"But how is this putting our heads together?" Sam strongly interrupts.
"Yeah! Looks more like butting heads to me!" Tucker adds.
Jazz and Danny look at Sam and Tucker, and then looking at each other, smile weakly.
"Sorry, Danny," Jazz gently offers. "I'm just kinda freaked out about this whole thing!"
"You're freaked out? So am I! I was barely able to defeat him the last time and even then, Clockwork….Clockwork! I can't believe that I forgot that this is what our getting together was all about! We got to help him!"
"You're right, Danny, we do, but we still have to have time to think of a plan and we can start…right after school!" Jazz insists.
"Right!" Danny agrees, much to the chagrin of Sam and Tucker.
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Danny regretted his decision to stay in school that day. He had forgotten Mr. Lancer's class was on a split schedule, and was—as usual—totally boring; and all he could think about was Clockwork.
But, of course, having his thoughts drift to anything but what Mr. Lancer was talking about was dangerous in itself. Though grateful to Danny for having saved the world, Mr. Lancer quickly became unimpressed with Danny's performance at school. Now that the young hero needed his education now more than ever, Mr. Lancer was even harder on the boy.
"Mr. Fenton!" he yells, snapping Danny back to reality.
"Yes, Mr. Lancer?" Danny automatically responds, dreading the fact that he has no clue what subject or information Mr. Lancer has just been elaborating on.
"Please sum up for the class just how vaccines work."
"Well, uh," He begins, but thankfully, doesn't have to finish, because the wall of the classroom implodes, revealing both the blue mist from Danny's mouth and the futuristic Box Ghost with glaring red eyes.
"Where is he?" The Box Ghost from the future demands. "He's history!"
"Actually, this is biology!" Mr. Lancer dryly quips. And in response to that, the Box Ghost zaps the teacher, sending him into the opposite wall and knocking him out cold.
The rest of the class, screaming in response, clamor out of the classroom, leaving Danny, Sam and Tucker—and, of course, the unconscious Mr. Lancer--with the Box Ghost.
"He looks sick, too!" Tucker observes.
"There's his medallion!" Sam shrieks, pointing to the Box Ghost's chest.
"Time for you to go!" Danny yells, charging at the Box Ghost while instantaneously changing into Danny Phantom.
But the Box Ghost is ready for him and zaps Danny first, sending the teen reeling into some school desks.
"Ouch!" Danny utters, holding his head. But he instinctively jumps up and counterattacks.
But the Box Ghost blocks Danny's rays with his own energized, well, box shield, and again retaliates, hitting his mark, and this time sending Danny into some shelves.
Slightly dazed, Danny is able to just avoid the future ghost's next attack, and soars upward.
Meanwhile, Tucker, frantically searching a way to help his friend, grabs a nearby empty box and calls to the Box Ghost. "Hey, Box Ghost Dude! Don't you want my box?"
"Yes, I must have you're square container!" The older ghost slowly mutters, his head tingling in confusion.
Danny takes advantage of the moment and dives at the ghost, snatching the medallion off before the Box Ghost can attack a very nervous Tucker.
As the Box Ghost vaporizes back to the future, Danny moans, "That's another one! What is the jerk really up to? He must have known that I can easily send them right back."
Sam sarcastically replies, "Well, shouldn't we find out now,…" She looks up at the clock. "…or do you want to be in school for the last fifteen minutes of the day?"
"OK, let's get Jazz and get going!" Danny agrees.
"Finally!" Sam and Tucker say in unison.