Episode 55: Phantom Menace
Episode 55: Phantom Menace
DISCLAIMER: I do not own ANY characters from American Dragon: Jake Long NOR Danny Phantom. Doesn't mean I can't dream, though.
Jake: Finally, you let me get a word in.
Hera Ledro: Well, you've never really talked before…But what did you want to say?
Jake: I just think you went way too far last episode, man. Rose slapped me!
Rose: Well, it did sate my old hunts-instinct
Hera Ledro: And let's face it, Jake, you deserved it. You've gotta let your girl in, man! When will we guys learn?
Spud: …You're a guy?
Hera Ledro: YES!
Spud: But…your name has "Hera" in it…
Hera Ledro: That's because it's my name in an Allsie tongue! If you want a translation, it means "Leader of the Heroes."
Jake: What? Yo, that's seriously whacked up.
Hera Ledro: Alright, enough with this randomness…ON TO THE EPISODE!
A gleaming silver vehicle shot through the air, white strips and lights glowing on it. In the front of the vehicle, sitting behind a darkened windshield, were three kids: Danny Fenton and Sam Manson in the pilot's seats, and Tucker Foley leaning against a wall, inspecting his PDA.
"So," Sam said idly, putting her feet on the dashboard, "why are we going to New York again? I'm still having a little issue believing that there's such a thing as Dragons, so run it by me."
"Dragons don't exist," Tucker scoffed from the back, not even looking up from his gadget. "Magic's not real; it's all a load of hooey."
Danny didn't take his eyes off the sky as he replied. "Yeah, that's what you said about ghosts last year, Tucker, and you're best friend is a half ghost. What's so hard to believe about magic?"
"Ghosts are science," Tucker said, slightly offended. He walked up between Sam and Danny and leaned against the dash, pushing Sam's boots off. "Everything there is science. Magic just…isn't."
Danny cocked an eyebrow. "Maybe it is, Tucker. Ghosts aren't exactly logical, but they're real."
Tucker shrugged. "I won't believe it till I see it."
"Anyways!" Sam interjected, glaring hotly at Tucker. "Getting back on-topic, why are we going there?"
"Because a Dragon there has reported sightings of ghosts," Danny said simply. "And something about them seems familiar, but I can't finger it."
"Maybe the fire-breathing snakes will give us a hint."
Tucker cringed at his friends' outburst. "Shut up, Tucker!
Jake sat down hard on his sofa at home. "Man, Pandarus has bee getting real nasty lately." He rubbed a bruised shoulder reflectively, staring at the ceiling. "What is he up to?"
"Ah, Jake." Jake turned to see his grandfather walk in from the dining room.
"What's up, Gramps?" Jake asked.
"You've noticed strange things lately, haven't you." It wasn't a question.
"Yeah, so?" Jake said. "Pandarus is just working harder than usual. Well, I guess I should say that he's working, since he never actually works, but—"
Lao Shi silenced him with a raised hand. "Enough, Jake. I have suspicions that Pandarus is working with a ghost to a greater goal."
"Ok," Jake said, shrugging, "so we just kick the ghost's butt."
"It is not that simple, young Dragon. We cannot harm ghosts. They can turn intangible, and many have unique powers that cannot be combated by magical means." He sighed. "I have sent for help in this matter. I have spoken with the Dragon Council, and they agree that it was the best thing to do. Daniel Fenton will be staying here for a little while, and going to school with you."
"Say what?" Jake spluttered, shooting up. "Yo, do you mean that ghost-kid? The one who saved the world a few months ago?"
Lao Shi nodded. "The very same. We are to meet him at my shop, and he should be there within the hour."
The two left the door, with Lao Shi tempted to stuff tissue in his ears, to keep Jake from blathering on about Danny Phantom.
"He's awesome, gramps!" Spud said as they walked into the shop. "Yo Jake, you should've called us earlier!"
"Hey yo gramps," Trixie said, looking like she was about to jump out of her skin. "Are you serious? The Ghost-boy is coming HERE?" She made an uncharacteristic hop-skip, earning raised eyebrows all around. "What? He's cute!"
Jake shook his head. "I still can't believe it, Danny Phantom is coming here!"
"Aiyah!" Lao Shi exploded, "Would you be quiet with the 'Danny Phantom!'" He began yelling in Chinese, ignoring the knock at the door.
Jake shook his head and walked out of the back to get it. As he opened the door, he began the usual Lao Shi Electronics greeting. "Hey, welcome to Lao Shi's Electronics. Never had a customer, never had a—" His jaw dropped mid-greeting as he stared at the three kids at the door.
It was Danny Fenton! Jake thought he was going to faint, but gripped the door handle just in time. "Hey," Danny waved. "Is this where I'm supposed to meet Lao Shi?"
"Uh, yeah," Jake said. In reality, Danny was a lot plainer than Jake thought he'd be. He had a white t-shirt and jeans, with red tennis shoes. His hair was a little messy, no discernable style to it at all, and he was of medium build.
Jake cast a quick look to the other two before going inside to get Lao Shi. The girl was obviously Goth, with black hair and dark lipstick, even down to the heavy black boots. The other boy was, without question, a techno-geek. He even had a PDA in his hand, staring at it like it was his brain-child or something.
"Yeah," Jake said as he turned, "Come on in. I don't know if you can hear him, but he's just back here, yelling at us."
"Yeah," the girl said, "We heard."
The four of them walked into the back to hear Lao Shi still screaming at the top of his lungs. "Okay," Danny yelled, plugging his ears. "Awkward time to come in!"
"Nah, he does this whenever he's mad," Jake yelled back. "You'll get used to it."
It was a few more seconds before Lao Shi turned around and stopped, mid-yell, to look at Danny. Then, to everybody's surprise, he leapt forth and started shaking Danny's hand so hard that it was a blur. "Oh! Danny Phantom! What an honour to meet you! I have followed all of your adventures, and have dreamed of meeting you."
Jake leaned over and whispered to Sam and Tucker. "Okay you two, get this: he was yelling at US for being excited to see Danny, and now he's shaking him like a jackhammer!"
By the time Danny managed to pull his hand away, it was numb, and he was a little woozy from the shaking. Stopping the old man from going any farther, he yelled, "Whoa, whoa, hold on sir! Ow, my head is throbbing like a drum!"
Jake led Danny to a seat and set him down. "Don't worry about it, that's about as bad as it gets." He looked at his grandfather amusedly. "And you were yelling at US because WE were excited? You almost drilled a hole in the floor with him."
Lao Shi was about to retort, but bit it back as he saw the other two. He cocked his head. "Can I help you?"
Sam stepped forward, mentally berating herself for not introducing them before. "Sorry sir, my name is Sam, Sam Manson. Mister Beret over here is Tucker Foley. Danny asked us to come along."
Trixie walked up and cast a weather eye over Sam. "Mmhmm, I like you girl. Alright, so your style could use some work, but you a good one!"
Sam shifted uncomfortably. She wasn't sure if she should be flattered or insulted by Trixie's comment, so she just shrugged it off.
"And where will you two be staying?" Lao Shi asked, ignoring Trixie's interruption.
Sam and Tucker looked at each other. They hadn't thought of that.
Before either of them could open their mouths, Trixie walked up and put an arm around Sam. "Girl, you staying with me. Goths are SO interesting!" Almost invisibly, she shot Jake a look that said, I'll keep this one off your hands.
Spud, on the other hand, took a minute to click in. "Yeah…but…" Before he could make any unwanted remarks, Trixie punched him in the shoulder. "Ow! What was that for!?"
"Hey," Tucker said, looking at Spud. "What if I stay at your place? Not to impose, but I think Jake will have his hands full with Danny." Spud blinked hard a few times, as if trying to process what Tucker had said, and then let out an exclamation, followed by a vigorous nodding of the head and shaking of the hand.
"I think he likes the idea," Tucker said, giving Danny the same look Trixie gave to Jake. Both leaders understood, and sent discrete winks to their friends.
Not long after, Danny and Jake were setting up Danny's stuff in the guest room.
"Hey, sorry you've gotta stay in the shoe room," Jake apologised, carrying a pile of shoe-boxes out. "I'd give you my room, but you look a little big for my bed." Danny laughed audibly, and decided not to make a comment on how short Jake was.
"Hey, I don't mind. If I need to, I'll just turn my nose intangible." Both of them chuckled at that. This Jake kid doesn't seem too bad, Danny thought, eyeing the Dragon-child up and down. Heck, if he really is a Dragon, he would have no trouble taking out Plasmius or someone. He went through a mental fight between the two, shuddering. Okay, scratch that. He's never had experience with ghosts, so Skulker and the others would probably kick his butt.
Jake set the boxes down and turned to Danny. "Hey, after this, Gramps and I are going to take you to Magus Bazaar."
"Magus Bazaar?" Danny asked inquisitively. "What's that?"
Jake shrugged. "It's the big shopping spot for the magical community. I don't know about you, but a leprechaun in the mall doesn't exactly seem 'normal' to me." Danny found himself having to bite back another comment about the boy's shortness, as well as green-tinted hair.
Instead he smiled. "Well, I have an idea. What's say after we finish this, you fly with me? I know you fly most of the time, but you've never turned intangible before. It'll be a cool experience. And we won't have to hide from a lot of the people like you probably have to, dodging in between buildings and going over rooftops. It'll be fun!"
"Yeah! I always wondered what it would be like to go invisible and stuff!"
"But first," Danny sighed, "The room."
Danny was amazed at the magical marketplace. There were leprechauns, trolls, goblins, arachnae, and myriad other magical creatures. Everywhere he looked, there was a stand selling eye of newt, phoenix tails, dragon scales, and innumerable other magical ingredients. There were even some giants looking to buy bed dressing for fish!
"This is Magus Bazaar," Lao Shi announced. "It is a hotspot of magical shopping, a place where all magical creatures can meet." Danny, Sam, and Tucker were gazing around, stunned by the magical bazaar.
"And find a girlfriend, agagagoo!" Fu joked.
Lao Shi gave Fu a scathing look before returning to his explanation. "As you can see, all manner of magical creatures come here. They cannot usually go to the normal world; if they were ever seen by humans, such as Hans Rotwood, they run too much of a risk of getting captured."
"Yeah," Danny agreed, "I know some people who would die to get their hands on a unicorn or elf."
"Yes," Lao Shi said, "Which is why you must understand the trust which we are putting in you. You must never reveal the location of Magus Bazaar to ANYONE, do you understand?"
"Gramps, chill," Jake said, "Danny's cool. He won't tell nobody about this place, right?"
"Wouldn't dream of it," Danny replied, shaking hi head. "I know what it's like to have to hide a secret…The first while that people found out I was a ghost, they wouldn't stop attacking me! Oh, no weapons," he said hastily, seeing the appalled looks on Jake and Lao Shi's faces, "They would just go at me with questions, and usually they would get mad because I'm half-ghost."
"Man," Jake mumbled, "I'd never want to reveal my identity." He remembered the press conference on television a few months back, and how Danny had fled from the cameras within half an hour. The young Dragon shook his head when he thought of how nasty some of the people's comments had been. "They'd try to pick me apart."
"The Guys in White tried to do just that," Danny brooded. "They still haven't given up on catching me, even though I beat them every time. Hmph, for feds, you'd think they'd learn their lesson."
"Right," Jake scoffed, "When anybody in authority actually learns from this stuff, I'll let you know. Oh, hey! We're at the ice cream place, The Scoop! I'm starved, what do you say we get some ice cream?" Jake walked in through a door and disappeared.
"The what?" Danny looked up at a building they were walking by. It was a big ice cream parlour, and even bigger on the inside. The place was littered with magical creatures of every shape and size, from giants and trolls, to elves, pixies, and unicorns!
"Whoa!" Danny gasped. "This is an ice cream parlour? It's huge!"
Lao Shi and Fu walked up behind him. "It is the most popular place in Magus Bazaar, young ghost. Everybody likes the scoop, especially the leprechauns and elves. It's a place where people like to—how do you kids say it?—hang out."
Danny saw Jake fishing in his pockets at the counter, and gave some money to the clerk behind the desk. Danny's view was momentarily impeded by a troll walking past, and when it was clear again, he saw Jake come back with a tray of cones topped with vanilla ice cream. He set it down at an empty table, and all six of them set down to eating ice cream.
"Wow!" Sam exclaimed. "This ice cream is awesome, what do they make it with?"
"Oh, you know, milk from magical cows, sugar from magical sugar canes, and a sweetening spell or two to top it off," Fu replied, his mouth almost foaming with all the ice cream on it. "It's the best ice cream in town, and—" Fu's reflection was interrupted by a loud crash behind their booth. Smoke filled The Scoop as a gang of biker goblins busted in, riding up and down the walls and ceiling.
The entire place was pandemonium. People were screaming to get out, desperately wanting to get away from the spinning tires and vicious clubs. It didn't take Jake two seconds before he transformed into a Dragon.
He flew up, and grabbed what seemed to be the gang leader by the collar. Removing the club from the thrashing goblin's grasp, Jake turned him around and stared his straight in the eyes. "Alright, what's your deal? Why you coming in and wrecking up the pla—ugh!" A club connected with his back from behind, sending him flying out the door. Danny and the others rushed out to see if he was alright, but the red Dragon was already up and hovering. "Yo! Come out here and face me like the cowards you are!" Jake taunted.
"Maybe we shouldn't aggravate them," Tucker said, standing slightly behind Danny and giving his PDA a death grip.
Danny immediately changed to his ghost form. He floated alongside Jake, frowning at the goblins rushing out of the ice cram parlour. "Take 'em down?" Danny growled.
"Oh yeah…" Jake shot forward and blasted a fireball at a goblin coming out of The Scoop's busted doorway, sending the creature flying backwards. Danny quickly dodged away from the motorcycle's path and sent a neat ecto-blast towards another goblin, sending him and his bike crashing into a wall. He didn't see the club swinging from behind.
"Yo Danny, watch it!" Jake soared backwards and caught the club in his claws. Glaring hotly at the offending goblin, he said, "You know, hitting people from behind isn't very nice." He whacked the goblin into a garbage can with his tail, turning his attention to the lead goblin.
He was a little bigger than the rest, with a black leather jacket vice the brown ones of his underlings. He had spiked knee- and elbow-pads and a helmet that was not unlike that of the Red Baron in World War I.
"You trying to start a new fashion line with that get-up?" Jake mocked. "Because if you are, I think you're in the wrong century."
"Laugh while you can, Dragon," the goblin sneered, "You won't have a tongue to laugh with much longer." He turned his attention to Danny, who had just floated beside Jake. "And what's this, a ghost-child? How entertaining…do you think that a pre-pubescent child will do anything to me?"
"Pre-pubescent!?" Danny exclaimed, his pride hurt. "I have TOTALLY hit puberty!" He reached into his shirt and yanked out a hair. "See? I've got CHEST HAIR!"
Jake covered his face with his hand. Oh boy, he sighed. "Let's get this over with," Jake grumbled. "Either you leave, or Phantom and I will have to kick you and your gang's butts."
The goblin surveyed them carefully. He had more of his gang behind him, but a Dragon on its own would be difficult to beat, much less a Dragon and a ghost-child. "You haven't sent the last of us," the leader hissed, swinging his bike around. "We'll be back, and you won't be so lucky next time." The leader signalled to his crew and shot off down the streets, with the gang following closely.
In a burst of blue chi, Jake reverted to his human form. Danny did likewise, landing beside an upturned bike. "What was that all about?"
"They're goblins," Jake sighed, "They just destroy for fun." He looked up into the sky, and then down to his watch. "We'd better get back; it's almost nine o'clock, and we've got school tomorrow."
Danny made an audible groan. "School; how wonderful. Well, at least I won't be seeing Lancer anytime soon."
The entire class cringed at the sound of nails on the chalkboard. Professor Rotwood turned around and surveyed the sufferings of his class. He was about to roll off the instructions when the door flew open, and two boys came running in.
"Jake Long!" Rotwood yelled. Jake cringed at the evil look his teacher was throwing him and Danny. "How kind of you and your new friend to join us. You!" He suddenly whirled on Danny, pointing his finger at the unfortunate boy. "Who are you?"
"Er, Danny, sir," Danny said, sitting down in the front-centre desk with Jake.
Rotwood grabbed his attendance sheet and fingered down the names. "I don't see you on here, 'Danny.'"
"That's just because I'm in town for a little while, sir. I was told to go to the same classes as Jake."
"Well then, Danny, welcome to high school English! We will be studying mythological poetry for this part of the curriculum."
Jake leaned back and whispered to Trixie and Sam. "See, I told you he was out to get me! How did he get to stay here?" Trixie shrugged and Jake sat back, watching Rotwood give him another evil glare.
"Well, mister Long. Since you and Danny came late, you will have the distinct privilege of showing him and our new classmates around."
Jake's eyebrows shot up and he smiled. "You got it, sir."
"ENOUGH WITH YOUR AGREEING!" Rotwood screeched. "Turn to page two-hundred and sixty-three of your textbooks." Jake and the class let out an audible sigh as Rotwood started drilling them in mythological poetry.
The next week was an eventful one for both Team Phantom and Team Dragon (as Sam so christened Trixie, Spud, and Jake).
It took some practice, but it wasn't long before Danny was almost as skilled as Jake when fighting magical creatures. He'd even made progress with Lao Shi; the old man didn't leap on him and praise his feats whenever they were within a mile of each other.
The six had also made progress as friends. Spud was absolutely thrilled to have somebody else who he could be smart around, but even more thrilled when he found out Tucker could understand most of the things he would say when it came to technology. On the other hand, Tucker was amazed that Spud was as smart as he was, yet still as relaxed and off beat as a normal kid. No matter what he tried, he just couldn't get down the skater boy attitude (even if he had, Spud secretly promised himself to mention that it would never work).
Trixie and Sam had also become tighter. The two found out one thing they definitely had in common: caring for their friends above all else. Sam found herself talking about ways that her friends had idiotically risked their necks when there was a smarter choice, and Trixie found herself talking about how she had to talk Jake into taking a more moral path, rather than an easy one which presented itself. Pretty soon, their talks changed to how important it was to be an individual, and why each of them chose to be who they were.
Jake and Danny were a bit closer than their friends. Throughout the week, the two had been fighting as a team to keep the magical community under wraps. They learned to take advantage of each other's strengths: whereas Danny was far more oriented in his ghostly abilities, which often required little physical contact, Jake was more oriented in the physical areas. More often than not, the two would work to these advantages, with Jake throwing an opponent right into one of Danny's ecto-beams, or Danny blasting the enemies straight into Jake's melee range, a position nobody was too fond of being in.
The two found themselves patrolling the city, taking a turn near Pandarus towers, when a glowing blue beam cam out of nowhere and hit Jake hard on the chest, sending him flying into the building.
"A direct hit!"
Danny whirled around in mid-air, only to find none other than Vlad Masters, alias Plasmius. "Plasmius!?" Danny exclaimed, his mouth agape. "How did you get off that meteor?"
"Ah, Daniel, a pleasure as always. Forgive me, but you are not the reason I'm here. I'm here for that overgrown excuse for a lizard they call the American Dragon, though I'll be happy to…what do the kids say these days…'put a beat-down' on you, as well!" Plasmius grinned evilly and shot another ghost beam at Danny, who dodged it easily.
"Hey, yo!" Plasmius turned around to see a jet of flame erupt from the maw of Jake. He narrowly dodged it, and flew to the rear of Jake, who had just set himself beside Danny. "It's not cool to hit people without warning, you know; someone could get hurt."
Plasmius found himself laughing at the sight before him: a teenage halfa and a kid Dragon. The American Dragon would be easy, but he would have to be careful with Daniel; the ghost boy had beaten him harshly on more than one occasion.
"Well, it looks like I have my work cut out for me. What's say we get this over with, Dragon? I have an appointment with my beneficiary to go to, and I simply cannot be late."
"Yo, I'm all for that, let's do it!" Jake shot forward, ignoring Danny's vehement protest. Jake went to punch Plasmius, only to find the ghost turn intangible. The force Jake put behind the punch caused him to whirl uncontrollably through the air, and he had to work his wings hard to get himself upright. He turned around only to see Plasmius deal him a fierce blow to the gut, followed by a ghost beam that sent him flying onto the roof.
"Jake!" Danny cried. He flew after Jake, who had landed on the roof spread-eagled. Danny landed in front of his friend, and faced Plasmius, who had been about to deal a final blow with another ghost beam.
"Why Daniel," Vlad mocked, "This is touching! You mean to tell me you care for this young salamander?"
"That's my friend you're talking about," Danny gritted. Without any warning, he reared his head back and thrust it forward, emitting a ghostly wail that caught Vlad unawares. The blast sent Plasmius flying away, and he skidded to a stop on the top of Pandarus Towers. He looked up and received a stinging right hook, followed by a rapid jab to the gut and a ghost beam to the chest. Danny stood on the edge of the roof, his eyes set. "Had enough yet?"
Vlad pushed himself up from the wall he'd flown into. "Oh, don't you worry Daniel, I'll get you yet. But not today, no…I'll make your demise long and painful."
"Cut the clichés and get going, before I change my mind," Danny growled.
Plasmius cursed and flew away, heading back to wherever he came from. Danny turned around and flew back to the roof Jake had landed on, only to find his friend holding his head and massaging his gut.
"Oh man, what happened there," Jake grumbled.
"You tried to take on Vlad Plasmius and got your butt handed to you," Danny replied. He offered a hand and helped the heavy Dragon upright. "Let's head back; I've got something you may need."
Danny and company were loading their stuff back into their odd flying vehicle. Jake, Spud, Trixie, Lao Shi, and Fu were all there to help, carrying bags and helping to clean up a bit.
"Well," Danny said, casting a weather eye over the bags they had stored in the back (the majority of which were filled with magical objects from Magus Bazaar), "Looks like it's time to head back."
"We'll meet up again," Jake said, giving Danny a soft punch on the arm. "Just come back and visit every now and then, and maybe we'll head up there."
Danny laughed. "Yeah, you guys should come by the Fenton Works sometime, we'll show you a REAL good time in the Ghost Zone."
"Hey yo, don't be strangers!" Trixie called. "We'll see y'again soon, ya hear?"
"Word," Tucker said, winking at Trixie. Everybody stopped what they were doing and stared at Tucker. "What? I just thought I'd try it out…"
"Yeah, buddy, never again," Spud said, shaking his head. "You and gangster…they just don't mix."
Jake and Danny punched fists, and Jake walked out of the vehicle. When he touched ground, he turned around and watched the flying vehicle rise into the air. Jake found himself waving, and was even happier to see Danny wave back.
"That was awesome," Jake said, grinning.
Jake: Yo, that Danny kid is awesome!
Hera Ledro: I know; that's why I brought him in. Ah, speak of the devil.
Danny: Hey guys, how's it going?
Hera Ledro: Shouldn't you be heading to Amity Park now?
Danny: Yeah, but Sam and Tucker wanted to see the Empire State Building first, and I thought I'd drop by and hang out a bit.
Jake: Yo, we kicked that Plasmius guy's butt!
Hera Ledro: Well…more like Danny kicked his butt, and Plasmius kicked your butt. I laughed when you just flew at him; it was so stupidly hilarious.
Jake: …Shut it, Jon.
Hera Ledro: Now, now, let's not get too upset. Come on Jake, did you honestly think that you'd be able to fight a ghost one on one? You're a troll- and Huntsclan-fighter, not a ghost-exterminator
Danny: You mean ghosterminator?
Hera Ledro: …Not funny, Danny. Bad, BAD pun.
Danny: What? If we ever make a movie for my show, what do you say we have Arnold Schwarzenegger play Plasmius?
Jake: Danny…just…stop…
Hera Ledro: Well…to put an end to this randomness, be on the lookout for the next chapter. Also, in the future, count on a highly-anticipated ADJL/KP crossover!
Rose: Hey, where was I in this chapter?
Hera Ledro: You were in Boston…with your parents…visiting your REAL uncle…like I said…
Rose: Oh…
Hera Ledro: See you next time readers! Oh! And despite what it may have seemed at first, NO Trixie did NOT 'like' Sam that way!
Author's Note
I want to put forth that this season will be mixed with a fair number of crossovers. The next crossover, though not necessarily the next episode, will be a crossover between American Dragon: Jake Long and Biker Mice From Mars.
Author's Note II
I want to apologise for the ungodly delay in this update. Life has been, to say the least, hell lately, and I have not had a lot of time to work on this. But, here it is. It's shorter than I originally intended, but I think it's not bad (except that battle at the end; I really think I could have improved on that bit).
AND PLEASE PEOPLE, REVIEW ME! I'm VERY disappointed in the lack of reviews! Even if you don't like it, I don't care, just phrase your disliking appropriately and tell me WHY you don't like it. I can't change it and make things you like without knowing what it is you want!