Disclaimer: All rights go to the respective owners of DC Comics and Nickelodeon/Butch Hartman. The author of this story owns nothing. This story is for fun, not for money of profit of any kind.
Chapter 10: Urban Jungle
At the old JSA headquarters in Civic City, currently serving as the JLA's temporary headquarters, the team was currently cleaning up the old mansion. After the events in Gotham a few days ago, everyone was more determined than ever to function as a unit. Silly as it may seem, J'onn suggested that they begin to learn to work together by not fighting crime, but cleaning the old mansion. By beginning with something so simple, they would begin to learn more about one another. "Sometimes, simplicity is the greatest teacher," he reasoned.
Flash argued that he could clean the entire place in under a minute, but Batman shot his argument down. Relying on one person's abilities alone in a given situation instead of utilizing everyone's strengths was a waste. And so, here they were. Members of the mighty Justice League of America; cleaning, dusting, installing modern electronics, painting, and scrubbing the years of dust away.
Danny Phantom, Superman, and Power Girl were in a large common room. On the walls hung rows of covered pictures and portraits. As the old tarps and sheets covering the pictures were removed, the room began to resemble a museum. It was an old gallery. Danny pointed to one of the pictures, floating up to it. "Oh, hey! I'm in that picture," he said cheerfully. "Well, I was invisible when it was taken, but still. I'm in it!" The picture in question was a large picture of the Wright brothers taken on the day of their first successful flight.
Superman and Power Girl looked up at the same time shocked and confused at Danny's statement. "You're kidding, right?" Power Girl snorted skeptically. "That picture was from 1903! How could you be in that picture?" Superman crossed his arms, also not believing Danny.
Phantom frowned at their skepticism. "It's true," he said. "I was there! I was trying to catch a ghost that was trying to keep them from ever flying! I stopped him, and made sure they didn't crash!"
Power Girl smirked at Danny's frustration. It was fun to tease him, she had found, because he would usually give a comical reaction if he was pushed far enough. The funny part was that Danny seemed utterly oblivious to his own antics. Still, she had to give him credit; the ghost didn't back down when he thought he was right. "You really expect us to believe that?" she asked him.
Danny threw his arms in the air, gesturing to some of the other paintings in frustration. "Yes!" he shouted. "I was also there." he pointed to an old Chinese monk temple painting. "And there!" he pointed to a painting of Salem, Massachusetts from the witch trials.
Superman chuckled softly and rubbed his jaw. "You saved the Wright brothers, and you were in ancient China and in Salem during the witch trials?" he asked.
Danny nodded furiously, as if it were the most plain truth in the universe. Suddenly, Martian Manhunter phased through the floor carrying a chair and broom. "For what it's worth, I can sense he isn't lying," he droned as he phased through the ceiling to the floor above. No one said a word for a moment, and stared humorously at the spot where the martian had floated through.
"See?" Phantom asked. "He knows I'm telling the truth!" Shaking his head in frustration once more, Danny stalked off. "Forget it," he muttered before turning invisible.
Superman frowned as Danny left. "Do you think we were a little hard on him?" the Man of Steel asked.
Power Girl looked thoughtful. "Maybe. Then again," she said. "He could have just been joking; trying to distract us from how boring it is to be cleaning this mansion." The two Kryptonians shrugged and continued their work.
Phantom floated down the hallway fuming, no longer feeling like being part of the "team building". He passed Flash, who was moving a large computer for Batman. The Dark Knight had taken over one of the old storage rooms and was attempting to convert it into a lab. "Where are you going?" Flash asked. Danny shrugged.
"I'm going back to Amity Park," Danny huffed in reply. "Something came up. Just radio me if you guys need me." Flash nodded and Danny took off.
He wanted to spend some time with Sam, Tucker, and even Jazz. Even though his secret identity was out in the open with his family, it was still awkward. They were thankfully cool with him being part of the Justice League, but they still treated him like a son. They still made him take out the garbage, clean his room, and do his homework. Actually, spending some time at home sounded great. He couldn't be more pleased being part of a super hero team, but he was still a regular kid. Well, as regular a kid could be with ghost powers.
Superman walked into the lab where Batman was sitting in front of the computer he had set up with Flash's help. On the screen were the pictures of Scarecrow, Killer Croc, Deathstroke and Deadshot; the criminals that escaped during the Gotham break-outs. Batman stroked his chin, his dark bluish-black cowl locked in a perpetual scowl.
"You know, staring at a screen for so long can be bad for your eyes," Superman quipped. When Batman didn't answer, Superman rolled his eyes. "So, what do you think of the team?" the Man of Steel asked.
Batman thought about the question for a moment before answering. "Too early to tell," he said. "They still need work."
"Maybe so," Superman shrugged. "But we're all new to this, except for Hawkman and Hawkgirl. After all, I doubt the Justice Society got off the ground on the right foot right away. These things take time."
After several moments of silence, Batman went back to work on his computer. "Flash told me that Phantom headed home already," Batman commented.
Superman nodded. "That's right," he said. Crossing his arms, he asked Batman, "What do you think of him? Phantom, I mean."
"You mean aside from the fact that his footsteps make absolutely zero sound when he walks?" Batman asked.
Superman chuckled at that. "So, you noticed that, too?" And here, Clark only thought Kryptonians could hear that well.
"He seems competent when he's focused," Batman said, answering the original question. "He has several unusual abilities that science can't explain. He has decent deductive reasoning. Why do you ask?"
Superman shrugged. "Well, Danny, Power Girl, and myself were cleaning the old gallery," he said. "And Danny commented that he was in an old picture of the Wright brothers. It just got me thinking, how old is he, really?"
That got Batman's attention, and he turned around in his chair. "The Wright brothers?" Batman repeated, surprised. "That was well over a century ago. Then again, if he really is a ghost, who knows how old he could be."
Superman raised an eyebrow at the Caped Crusader. "I wasn't aware you were superstitious, Bruce," he commented.
"I'm not," Batman clarified. "But given the fact that I'm working on a team with several people with unique abilities, and I'm the only one here without any special powers, I refuse to discount anything off hand. Assuming that he is dead, and he really is that old, that would mean he must have died as a kid. After all, what use would a ghost have to age? It makes logical sense that he would remain young and fit, instead of old and withered."
"That almost sounds like trust, Bruce," Superman said slyly.
Batman's glare hardened. "Only as far as I've worked with him before, just like I've worked with you," he growled. "In any case, I don't know enough about him. None of us do." Superman couldn't deny that. Phantom may be open and fun loving, as well as wear his emotions on his sleeve, but by the same token, he kept a lot of things secret. He rarely talked about himself. Who knows what else Danny Phantom was?
The next day, Danny Fenton awoke with a chill. He shivered and rubbed his arms before glancing at the clock. He was gonna be late for school! He jumped out of bed and ran to the shower. He turned it on as hot as it would go, but it still felt like ice water.
Gasping, he shut it off and turned intangible to dry himself off. He put on his clothes and grabbed his heavy winter jacket. He grabbed his backpack and ran down the stairs past the kitchen yelling goodbye to his family as he flew out the door. He ran into Tucker down the block. "Hey, dude," Tucker said. "Almost thought you were out with the League, or something."
"N-No," Danny explained, his teeth chattering. "W-We only get together once a week." It was true, the JLA only got together when there was something going on except for their weekly meeting; usually on the weekends. It was Danny who made that suggestion. He managed to reason that almost everyone in the League had a secret identity, so naturally they had lives outside the mask and cape. Batman and Superman concurred, and the decision was made.
After meeting Sam at her house, the trio passed a large urban development construction site on their way to school. Several city workers were working hard to remove trees and flowering bushes with either bulldozers or chainsaws. The early stages of what would be a large building was slowly being erected, jackhammers loudly banging away at the ground and large earth movers were busy moving around from one place to another. "Ugh, urban blight," Sam huffed in disgust. "So thrilled to live in the 21st century."
"Me, too," Tucker replied cheerfully. "That new arcade in the new strip mall, next to the new hot dog place looks awesome! And new."
Danny chuckled in agreement, though he was still rubbing his arms. "I know," Danny concurred. "Besides, Sam, there's nothing wrong with a little... p-p-p-progress."
"Yeah," Tucker said. "Vlad's new beautification campaign is very progressive." They looked up to see a massive billboard with a picture of Vlad, the new mayor of Amity Park, driving a bulldozer and knocking over a tree. The slogan read, 'Mayor Vlad Says: Who Cares About Nature? The Future is Concrete!' It definitely screamed Vlad Masters. Arrogant, pompous, egotistical. Nonetheless, Vlad's new program had created dozens of new jobs, and that was enough to make people support it.
"No, just progressively worse," Sam argued. "Seriously, messing with nature can be a dangerous thing." As a bulldozer knocked over yet another tree, the ground began to quake violently. Danny gasped as his ghost sense went off, and looked down at his feet. Giant cracks began cutting through the pavement, and grass and weeds pushed their way to the surface. As the cracks continued to grow, a gigantic purple venus flytrap covered in nasty thorns rose several stories above the ground.
The mouth of the plant opened and revealed a large, black brain with two bloodshot eyes hanging from it. The thing dripped green slime as vines began to protrude from the brain, quickly covering the plant thing all the way to the ground. This was instantly followed by leaves and bushes rising up to cover the vines. Danny, Sam and Tucker stared in wide-eyed disbelief as the plant structure glowed bright green for a moment before lurching around.
The leaves exploded, revealing a vaguely humanoid entity, which bellowed and clenched it's fist. The thing appeared to be made up entirely of vines, and had a masculine shape. It had large black spines protruding out it's head and neck like a mohawk. Large green mushroom caps covered the thing's shoulders like armor, and two massive thorny vines covered it's chest in a "v" pattern. It's long, dangling green eyebrows came down in a perpetual frown over red eyes. The things mouth was a beak-like structure with thorny teeth. A large mossy cloak completed the terrifying look. The being towered over everything as it addressed the onlookers.
"Flesh-dwellers," the thing seethed, it's voice growled and echoed. "You have caused pain to my children once too often!" It's arm extended to pick up the fallen tree, sending the workers fleeing in terror. It held the fallen tree close to it's chest, and announced, "Now, you, too, shall feel pain! The pain of Undergrowth!" The ghostly being called Undergrowth launched thorn covered vines out of it's chest and crushed the nearby bulldozers and dump trucks.
"Anybody got a weed whacker?" Tucker asked fearfully.
"Pitiful human race," Undergrowth bellowed. "Your progress has destroyed acres of my children. Now, I shall destroy you, to make room for my new offspring!"
"I completely dig where your coming from," Sam said. "But there are better ways to go about this. Start a non-profit, organize a petition-" Sam was interrupted by Undergrowth snarling and heaving a crushed bulldozer at the building under construction behind them, leveling it to the ground. "Or, you could destroy things," Sam said, weakly. Undergrowth bellowed and turned his attention to the other buildings nearby.
Danny had seen enough. "Going g-g-g-g-ghost!" he shivered. Twin rings of light ran across his body revealing Danny Phantom in his place. Danny flew up to Undergrowth, his fist glowing green. "Sorry," he called. "I don't have much of a green thumb!" He blasted a ghost ray out of his hand, severing Undergrowth's arm. "And now, neither do you!"
As the arm clutching the bulldozer fell, several vines wrapped around Sam and Tucker, threatening to crush them. "Danny!" they yelled. Phantom flew in, barely saving his friends from being crushed. Setting them down, they turned to Undergrowth, who had grown a new arm. "Undergrowth, huh?" Danny commented, flying past the behemoth plant ghost and blasting the newly grown arm off once more. As a new arm took it's place, Phantom blasted clean through Undergrowth's chest leaving a large hole. "Looks to me like your overgrown!"
Danny tried to end the fight by blasting Undergrowth's head clean off his shoulders, but several vines pulled the head back into place and stitched himself back together! "You can't destroy a being who can regenerate himself," Undergrowth announced. The plant ghost then summoned numerous and deadly venus flytraps, causing Danny to fly hard to get away. The massive wall of thorns and teeth followed Phantom everywhere, including straight up the side of a building.
The ghost boy doubled back, and formed a large glowing green ball of ecto-energy in his hands. "He can't regenerate if he's a pile of ashes," he said with determination. As he was about to launch the energy, he was suddenly over-whelmed by the intense chill within him. "C-c-cold," he shivered in shock. The vines chasing him caught him quickly, wrapping him up.
Sam and Tucker were also captured. The three were lifted by the vines to Undergrowth's level, who scrutinized them for a moment. "Such limited lifeforms," Undergrowth growled. "Although instant destruction is an option, I feel that re-plantingwould be more... productive."
Undergrowth's head then split open, and countless spores floated out of the ghost's head and wafted towards the three. "Sleep spores," Danny exclaimed.
Sam yawned, suddenly drowsy. "At least their full of ginkgo biloba," she said sleepily. Despite his vision blurring and darkness closing in and being tied up, Danny had the presence of mind to press the emergency call button on his Justice League communicator located on his belt. Thankfully, Undergrowth tied him up with his arms at his sides... this was too big a challenge... even... for... him...
Undergrowth chuckled quietly as Danny's eyes fell shut. "Rejoice," he said softly. "For a new era is taking root..."
Danny awoke with a start and realized he was still tied up with vines to a massive tree. Next to him, Tucker was tied up as well. "Holy hibiscus," Danny exclaimed, seeing the entire city of Amity Park covered in plant life. "The whole city is a giant, over-grown backyard!"
Two large blue toothed plants were eyeing Tucker hungrily. "I never eat my vegetables," Tucker said. "Why is it fair they get to eat me?"
Danny struggled in vain to free himself, but to no avail. "Ugh, no good," he said. "These vines are like steel cables! With sap!"
Undergrowth suddenly rose in front of his captives, forming from the plants below. "Yes," Undergrowth chuckled. "The growth is far stronger than any meat creature. No matter how powerful they think they are."
Danny was about to shoot ghost rays at his enemy when two large flowers covered his hands. "These ghost plants are blocking my ghost energy," Danny gasped. "Can't go intangible, either!"
"Perhaps one day you will see that this is what nature intended all along," Undergrowth said, lovingly scratching the chins of several giant ghostly venus fly traps. "Mankind is merely a temporary weed in the garden of life. A weed... that can be removed."
The more Undergrowth spoke, the more he reminded Danny of Poison Ivy. Only far, far less attractive "Danny Phantom bows to no plant," Danny shouted in defiance.
Tucker raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Bow? We can't even wriggle our fingers!"
"Your pessimistic but accurate friend is right. Observe," Undergrowth commented., gesturing grandly to the plant covered Amity Park. "You once proud, progressive metropolis." A massive, black, slimy plant brain sprouted from the center of town, it's vines trapping people left and right. "The Mind Vine enables me to control the inhabitants every movement." People like Dash and Kwan had vines coming out the backs of their heads; their eyes glowing green in a form of overshadowing. The people of Amity Park were busy tearing down buildings. Even Danny's parents and Jazz!
"No! Not them! Let them go!" Danny yelled.
"Why should I burden myself with the destruction of your city when it's own citizens can do it for me?" Undergrowth continued. "Once the way is cleared, my children will be planted, and grow anew!" Down below, other drones were planting seeds which almost instantaneously sprouted into fully grown trees. "My consciousness, my will, shall spread throughout the globe. And the concrete jungles shall become real jungles." Undergrowth cackled victoriously.
Tucker looked around in shock. "He's controlling everyone! After us, there's nobody left," he exclaimed.
Danny suddenly realized that someone was missing. Sam! "Wait a minute, where's Sam?" he asked.
"Ah, yes, the female," Undergrowth grinned. "Every garden needs a caretaker." A large purple rose opened up, and Sam floated from the petals! Her clothes were missing; replaced by a dress made of leaves. She wore no trousers or shoes, and wore gloves made of moss that went past her forearms. Her hair was no longer neat, and was in a jagged messy style. Her eyes were pure green. Vines held her aloft.
"Sam," Danny exclaimed in shock.
"Green's a good color on you," Tucker commented.
"Her love of vegetation makes her the perfect choice to work along side me," Undergrowth said. "I can show her the ropes, or vines, so to speak." Clearly, Undergrowth had not met Poison Ivy. That... was definitely a good thing. The two of them together would have been unstoppable!
"Flesh-walkers," Plant Sam said, her voice low and seductive; just like Poison Ivy's. "Your bodies are needed for work." A vine latched on to the back of Tucker's head, rendering him another drone. "And nourishment," Plant Sam continued. She raised her arms above her head, summoning a ferocious plant creature unlike anything Danny had ever seen. Oh, yeah. Ivy would definitely be proud.
"You can't win," Danny shouted to Undergrowth. "If I can't stop you, someone w-w-will!"
"Really? Such as?" Undergrowth asked. Two blasts of heat vision struck Undergrowth from behind, causing Plant Sam to gasp.
"Such as us," Superman announced. Several members of the Justice League had arrived! Just in time! "We've already taken down one plant controlling criminal this week. I guess you'll have to be the second." That statement got Undergrowth's attention.
Flash looked around at all the plants. "Ugh, plants again?" he complained. The League jumped into action, warding off plants summoned by Undergrowth.
As the menacing plant that Sam had summoned drew closer to Danny, he shivered even harder. He began glowing an icy blue, and ice began coating the plants that held him down. "B-b-back... off!" he shouted. He pulled with all his might and shattered the vines holding him! He took off to join his team, flying past Plant Sam.
"Stop him!" bellowed Undergrowth.
Plant Sam moved with inhuman speed, blocking Danny's path. She grinned darkly. "Join us, Danny," she said. "The growth is family."
"Already got one, thanks," Danny retorted. "And I'm still working the bugs out of it!" Several vines grasped Danny's arms, and as he struggled, he began to glow blue, once more and froze the plants until they shattered. He launched himself up to where Superman was floating. He and Power Girl were floating high above the City, attempting to burn the plants below with their heat vision. "Thanks for g-g-g-getting here so fast, guys," Danny said.
"Don't mention it," Superman said.
Power Girl looked over at Danny, concerned. He looked terrible. "You okay?" she asked.
"I d-d-don't know," Danny admitted. "I c-c-can't warm up. At least he can't get to us up here. No such thing as flying plants!"
As if in answer, Undergrowth rose straight up to face them, more massive than before! "I AM EVERYWHERE!" he bellowed. The plants were too huge, and Danny, Power Girl and Superman were forced to retreat.
"He might be everywhere out here," Danny said to the others. "B-b-but I know one place he's not!" They continued to fly over head, still being chased by the supernatural plants.
Batman was throwing ice grenades and explosive Batarangs at the attacking vines. This was far beyond anything Poison Ivy could create. Some of the plants even turned intangible! "Your weapons might not work on Undergrowth," Danny said over the comlink to Batman. "Undergrowth is a ghost; m-m-meaning he has all the ghost-based powers I d-d-do."
"I gathered that," Batman responded. He dodged a vine that slammed down behind him.
Undergrowth appeared before Batman in human size. "Pitiful human," he said, smirking. "I must admit, I'm impressed with your skill. You've clearly dealt with plants similar to mine before." The plant ghost's voice set Batman on edge. It sounded vaguely like Joker's. Someone he did not want to think about right now.
"I've dealt with a woman who can control plants on more than one occasion," Batman said.
Undergrowth raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he asked. "What's she like? Is she single?"
"Don't you already have a garden mother?" Batman asked. He knew he was taking a risk, but he had to try and distract Undergrowth for the others.
Undergrowth shrugged. "Indeed," he said. "But even a gardener as skilled as her could use a mother, herself. We could be one big happy family, the three of us!" Batman dodged another vine, before realizing he was surrounded. As he was about to call for help, several vines lashed onto him. Another pierced the back of his cowl! His eyes turned green, and his expression went blank. Undergrowth chuckled, and withdrew back into the growth.
Flash noticed, and sped over, easily dodging the deadly plants all around him. After he reached Batman, he noticed the Dark Knight's face was utterly blank. "Hey, guys," Flash said. "There's a weird vine coming out of Batman's head! I'm going to try to pull it out!"
"No!" came the shout from over the com from both Danny and Martian Manhunter, causing Flash to flinch. "D-d-don't touch that," Phantom said, his teeth chattering.
"Indeed," came J'onn's voice. "I can sense it, too. Flash, if you remove that vine, it may cause permanent damage to Batman. It is fused to his skull, and it's energy is deeply rooted inside his brain and could cause severe brain damage; even death; if it is removed."
"So, what do I do?" Flash asked.
"N-n-nothing," Phantom replied. "We c-c-can only defeat Undergrowth! It's the only thing we can do!"
In the air, Martian Manhunter had joined Phantom, Superman, and Power Girl. Together, they had beaten back Undergrowth's vines, when Danny felt another violent chill inside. "T-too... c-cold," he muttered. "Can't stay airborne!" No longer able to fly, he fell and collided with Power Girl who was flying below him. She grunted as he struck her in the back, and she in turn had clipped J'onn. The three tumbled somewhat comically in a ball to the ground. They crashed through the street and into the sewers. Superman called out to them as they fell.
"Flash, go help them," Superman called. "I'll hold off Undergrowth!"
Superman blasted his heat vision at Undergrowth, who grunted but regenerated. "Just how long are you going to keep that up?" Undergrowth asked. "You can't stop me with your heat rays!" Grunting in response, Superman took in a large breath and blew freezing icy breath at the plant. Undergrowth yelled out in pain.
"So, ice is your weakness," Superman commented. As he drew in another breath, and duplicate of Undergrowth grew behind him and launched a mind vine at the Man of Steel. The vine bounced off his head, and Undergrowth sneered.
"Thick skinned, hmm? Easily remedied!" The vine turned intangible and went through his skull! Superman yelled out in pain before all he saw was green...
"What the heck was that for?!" Power Girl shouted in disgust as she wiped the sewer water off her face.
"I'm s-s-sorry," Danny said, shivering and wrapping his arms around his chest. "I d-d-didn't mean it! I'm just so c-c-cold..."
Power Girl's expression softened into one of concern. He really did look terrible. Worse than before, even. Ice and frost were now starting to coat his hair, and his glowing eyes betrayed his exhaustion. "We are not alone down here," J'onn interrupted as he stood.
Suddenly, Plant Sam appeared from down the tunnel, surrounded by thorns and vines. "Become, Danny," she said. "Become part of the growth!" Danny told everyone to run, and they retreated down the sewers away from Plant Sam. It was too narrow to for them to fly, so they had to move the old fashioned way. On foot!
The Flash then blurred past and ran beside them. As they sped down the sewer tunnel, Flash asked, "What do we do?"
"W-we n-need to get to the FentonWorks building," Danny replied. "And fast!" Flash grinned and took the cue. He had past the absurd building earlier. He grabbed everyone and sped through the sewers at lightning speed. As they exited the sewers, they stood in front of the FentonWorks building. "G-got to get... inside," Danny whispered. Power Girl looked on in shock as Danny's skin turned an unnatural shade of ice-blue and ice now fully covered his hair.
Before she could do anything, every sewer grate along the street exploded with vines. The plants came together to form numerous heads of Undergrowth, which howled and growled. They ran to the building as Undergrowth launched numerous giant thorns at them, which pierced the street and houses nearby. Danny led them through the kitchen into the basement as the plants burst through the doors and windows upstairs; consuming the house.
They stood before a hole in the wall, which glowed and swirled in the same shade of green as Phantom's eyes. "The Ghost Zone," Danny muttered. "Our only chance!" They quickly made their way to the portal when the plants flowed through the basement door.
Plant Sam blocked the way to the Ghost Zone, and said, "Stay, Danny. Stay and rule with me."
"I always thought you ruled, Sam," Phantom replied. "Just not like this. I'll b-be back. And I'll save you... And everyone! I promise!" This enraged Plant Sam, who growled and bared her teeth. She launched several vines at them, and Phantom quickly grabbed Power Girl and J'onn and turned them intangible, while Flash merely dodged them. They all jumped into the Ghost Zone entrance. Behind them, the doorway was covered by vines...
Inside the Ghost Zone, everyone but Danny looked around in surprise. All around them was a swirling green... everything. Purple doors and the occasional island of rock floated everywhere. "Where are we?" Flash asked.
"The G-g-g-g-ghost Zone," Danny replied weakly, shivering. He wrapped his arms around himself tightly. He took off, with Power Girl and J'onn behind him. Manhunter was carrying Flash, as there was no land for him to run on. "Only one person... who c-c-can help us. I just hope I manage to steer us in the r-r-right direction."
"Who is it that can help us?" J'onn asked. This place was utterly fascinating to him. He had never seen anything like it before, even on Mars. It wasn't often that he could be filled with such awe.
"A g-ghost named F-f-f-frostbite," Danny answered. "He's a ghost that lives in a cold and snowy area of the Ghost Z-z-zone."
Power Girl flew up beside Danny with worry, as the ghost's eyes closed. He was still awake, but he was fading. She put an arm around him and carried him in the same direction he had led them. She shared an uncertain glance with Manhunter and Flash, but they realized they had no other option but to continue ahead.
After what seemed like an hour, they group finally found an area covered in ice, and the temperature was frigid. Even Power Girl and J'onn noticed the extreme temperature. "There," Danny said before passing out. They landed in the snow, and Power Girl held the unconscious Phantom in her arms. Flash gasped at the cold and began vibrating his molecules to keep warm. Within moments of landing, a hover craft roared above them. Two yeti-looking beings rode in the vehicle.
"Intruders located, sir," one of the hairy creatures growled. "Shall we blast them to bits to prove our superiority?"
The other being, who looked older and had one arm covered in ice with it's bones visible through the ice. He also wore a blue cape and a golden band around one arm. It was clear he was the leader. "These are no mere intruders," he said, noticing the unconscious Danny Phantom, and jumped from the hover craft. He stood larger than any of the JLA members. They braced themselves for a battle. "It is a friend in need."
He looked at the other members of team. "Tell me, who are you?" he asked. "And why do you carry the Great One?" Power Girl and J'onn glanced at one another. Great One?
"We are friends of Danny Phantom, and we seek your assistance," J'onn answered. "Phantom believed you would be able to help us."
"I see," Frostbite said. "Any friend of the Great One's is a friend to us! Now, let me see him." He walked over to Power Girl and took Phantom from her arms. "Hmm," he said. "We must hurry! He will not last much longer in this condition! We shall return to the city at once!" They quickly followed Frostbite's craft across the icy terrain. Soon, they passed a large snow drift, and came to a bustling city-sized village filled with other yeti-like ghosts. The village was made up of a contradiction of basic huts and advanced technological buildings.
"Huh, quaint," Flash commented.
"Quickly, this way," Frostbite said, jumping off his hover craft and carrying Danny. He led them into a cave that, inside, was incredibly advanced. He spoke to several other yet ghosts, who quickly went to work on removing Danny's jumpsuit, leaving him with only his underwear.
"What are you doing?" Power Girl asked, a little taken back.
Frostbite regarded her as the other ghosts worked on Phantom. "We are going to place the Great One in a de-icing chamber," Frostbite answered. "It will work best if he is not wearing his clothing. As for why, I shall explain everything once he regains consciousness. In the mean time, would you like something warmer to wear? Or perhaps some hot chocolate?" The three heroes glanced at each other, uncertain. This was... not quite what they expected.
"Why do you call him 'Great One'?" J'onn asked.
"Ah, yes," Frostbite said as the other ghost fitted a helmet with a clear mask over Danny's head. "My people call him that because he is the savior of the Ghost Zone, of course!"
"Savior?" Flash repeated, not certain he heard the large ghost correctly.
Frostbite nodded grandly. "Yes," he said. "He is the legendary warrior who defeated the tyrant known as Pariah Dark! So his moniker of 'Great One' is aptly so."
Frostbite suddenly slapped his forehead, as if remembering something. "Silly me," he said. "In my rush to help the Great One, I had completely forgotten my manners! My name is Frostbite, and I am the leader of my people here in the Realm of the Far Frozen. Please forgive my forgetfulness!"
"Please, no apologies are needed," J'onn said, holding up his hand. "My name is J'onn, and these are my comrades, Power Girl and the Flash. Together, along with Phantom, we are members of the Justice League. The League serves to protect the innocent people of Earth. I must say, your facilities here are very impressive; for I have never seen such a unique and perfect blending of technology and tradition."
"Why, thank you, my green friend!" Frostbite grinned. He turned his attention to Danny, who had been submerged in a vertical tank of fluid that was too thick to be water alone. The sight made Flash and Power Girl think of Star Wars.
"How long will he have to be in there?" Power Girl asked. She wanted Danny to be okay, but time was of the essence. Who knows what was happening back home?
"Not long," Frostbite confirmed, looking over Danny's vitals on a wall screen. "The fluid in the de-icing chamber warms the patient from the inside out for a short time. This will allow him to regain consciousness very quickly." As if on cue, Danny began to twitch and move around slightly inside the chamber. Frostbite stood in front of the chamber, grinning widely.
"Ha ha, good morning, sleeping beauty!" Frostbite said kindly as Danny's eyes opened and he looked around surprised.
"Frostbite," Danny exclaimed. "Hey, where am I?" He looked down at himself and realized he was only wearing underwear. "And where are my clothes?!" He looked around and blushed furiously when he saw Power Girl standing nearby. He quickly and awkwardly tried to cover himself in vain.
"This is a medical facility in the Realm of the Far Frozen," Frostbite explained. "And you are floating in a de-icing chamber. Your clothes are in the wash; there were a lot of burs in your shirt. As for what happened, I'm afraid you're going to have to tell me, Great One."
"Well, what I can tell you isn't good," Danny said. "Amity Park; my home; completely over-run by Undergrowth; a psycho, freaky plant ghost."
Frostbite nodded and turned to a computer. After a moment, a hologram of Undergrowth appeared before them. "I have head tell of this Undergrowth," Frostbite said. "A powerful ghost, he is. Capable of regenerating himself, and generating numerous killer offspring. Nearly impossible to defeat."
"Oh, tell me about it," Flash said, glumly. "Most of the rest of the League are under his control. Even Superman."
"Yeah, we tried to stop him," Danny added. "But I don't remember much once the cold sensation started taking me over."
"Ah, yes, the 'cold sensation'," Frostbite said, walking over to a large wall monitor. On the screen was an outline of Danny, as well as several large pages of text. "Your central core reading indicates extreme cold, as if your body is self-generating it. I sensed it within you the last time we met."
"How is that possible?" Danny asked. None of the JLA members had an answer for that.
Frostbite laughed at the statement and replied, "You become invisible, pass through solid objects, and emit beams of energy from your hands, and you ask, 'how is this possible'?"
"You mean, this is a new ghost power?" Danny asked, surprised.
"Precisely," Frostbite confirmed. "Though new to you, it may be, rest assured it is an ability very familiar to my people! We are quite well trained in it's use." Frostbite held out his hand and formed an ice crystal and with his other hand, he formed a small ice statue of Danny. The ice crystal in his hand then changed into a wicked ice blade. "Of course, there are more practical uses for it, as well. GGAHHH!" He swung the blade forcefully, and cleaved the ice statue in two, causing the JLA members to wince.
"Teach me," Danny said. He then glanced down at himself. "Uh, when my clothes are ready."
Within a matter of moments, word had spread throughout the Far Frozen that the Great One was in the village, and that Frostbite was to teach him in their ways. Shortly, everyone had gathered at a large training range, surrounded by seemingly the entire city. Frostbite stood with Danny in the center of the icy field, while the rest of the JLA sat with the crowd. They had been given heavy winter garb to wear, because even Martians and Kryptonians felt the intense and brutal cold there.
"Wh-why are there so many of your p-p-eople watching us?" Danny asked. Once out of the de-icing chamber, Danny felt the intense cold begin to consume him, once more. But it wasn't nearly as bad as before.
Frostbite replied to his young friend, "Ha! It is not every moon that my people get an opportunity to see their leader train one as legendary as you, O' Great One!"
"You mean their hoping I'll mess up, huh?" Danny deadpanned.
"Indeed," Frostbite explained, placing a large hand on Danny's shoulder. "These people live in a frozen wasteland. They take their comedy where they can get it. Now then, lesson one: Stop shivering."
"I- I c-can't!" Danny said.
"This is because the cold is contained within you," Frostbite said. "And ever since you acquired your ghost abilities, you have only been letting it out in small amounts."
"Like when?" Phantom asked.
"Every time you sense a ghost is near by," Frostbite replied.
"My ghost sense? That's been a part of this freeze power all along?" Danny wondered. Now that he thought about it, it explained a lot. Whenever his ghost sense went off in the past, he had felt a cold chill running up his spine.
"But now you must learn to let it out all at once," Frostbite said. "Now then, concentrate. Let the energy build until it has nowhere to go, but out!"
"Okay, here goes" Danny said. He closed his eyes and focused. For a moment, nothing happened, but then he began to glow in an intense blue light. The glowing began to pulse faster and faster, until it exploded outward! Danny gasped and fell on his backside. "Hey! Wow! It worked! I feel normal, again! No more cold feeling! Wait to go, Frostbi-, oh."
Danny looked over to see Frostbite frozen in a block of ice in a comical pose, giving Danny two thumbs up, and a large toothy grin on his face. In the stands, Power Girl face-palmed. "Um, can I get some hot chocolate over here?" Danny asked, embarrassed.
Flash stood up, and said, "I got him." In a blur of red and lightning, he circled Frostbite, and quickly thawed out the yeti ghost.
"Why, thank you, Red One!" Frostbite said to Flash.
Now that Phantom had his cold feeling under control, the real work began. Set up were several large targets. Frostbite's arms glowed blue, and he shot several large ice spikes at the targets, causing the crowd to cheer. Frostbite nodded to Danny. "Surely he can't miss," Power Girl said to the others. "Those targets are huge!"
They watched as Phantom launched his own ice spikes. However, Power Girl was forced to eat her words as the ice spikes missed their targets by a mile and flew into the panicked crowd, causing everyone watching to wince. "Oh, for God's sake!" Power Girl muttered, once more face-palming, this time joined by Flash. J'onn simply observed calmly.
"Ooh," Frostbite said, concerned. "That must have hurt."
Up next was a form of skeet shooting, and Frostbite demonstrated by shooting ice beams from his eyes at the flying discs. Much like Superman and Power Girl's heat vision, only the opposite temperature. When Danny, tried, however, he ended up freezing a large portion of the crowd. "Great," huffed Frostbite. "We're not going to sell any snacks, now."
Flash rolled his eyes and sped over to the frozen audience members. "I'm on it..."
Despite having a rocky start, Phantom eventually began to get the hang of his new powers under Frostbite's teachings. Quickly, he had mastered the basics, and soon, everyone was gathered at the edge of the city. The JLA members were getting anxious to get back to Amity Park and stop Undergrowth. "I guess this is goodbye, for now," Phantom said to Frostbite. "I don't know how I could ever thank you and your people enough."
"You can thank us by using your new abilities to rid your world of the evil ghost vermin that infests it," Frostbite said, grinning.
"Yeah," Danny said, sadly. "I-I just... What if we can't beat him? What if we don't have a home to go back to? What if the others are really gone for good?"
"Hey, chin up, Danny," Power Girl said, putting a reassuring hand on Danny's shoulder. "We got your back. We'll save your city, and the others. You ain't in this alone, you know!" Flash and Manhunter nodded in agreement.
"Indeed," Frostbite said. "Fear is natural, Danny Phantom. Charging into battle despite the fear is what makes someone a hero. A hero must always believe that he or she will win. And your new abilities just may help. Be mindful. You control the power; it does not control you."
Frostbite held out his hand to Danny, which Phantom shook. Unfortunately, he also froze Frostbite's hand in the process. "Uh, sorry," Danny said, sheepishly. Frostbite nodded, understanding.
J'onn stepped foreward. "There is a great deal I wish to learn about your people," he said to the Far Frozen leader. "Perhaps, once the crisis is averted, I could return to learn more from you?"
Frostbite smiled at the Martian. "We would be honored," he said. "Perhaps the rest of your 'Justice League' could accompany you! As I said when we first met, any friends of the Great One's are friends to us!"
Bidding farewell, the four JLA member headed back to the Fenton Portal. "Now, let's go kick some plant ass!" Power Girl said.
"Should we call in the others?" Flash asked. "We could really use some help!"
"No," J'onn replied. "If we fail, they will be Earth's only hope. It would do no good if they, too, fall under Undergrowth's control like Batman and Superman, or worse. Before we arrived in Amity Park, Batman had me send a mental signal to the others, alerting them of the situation. If we fail, they will take up the battle and stop the spread of the plants. Wonder Woman is assembling her forces on her her home island of Themyscira, and Green Lantern has alerted other members of the Green Lantern Corps in this area of space to lend assistance if needed," J'onn explained. Hawkman and Hawkgirl were taking a short time off, so that Hawkgirl could recover from her encounter with Deathstroke.
They slipped back in through the Portal, and noticed everything had gone pitch black inside the basement. "If the lab looks like this, I can't imagine the rest of the town," Danny said. They joined hands and Danny turned them intangible as they went outside. As they left, the vines covering the lab twitched and moved...
"Whoa," Flash muttered as they gazed upon the plant covered city. Everything was dead silent and nothing was moving. No signs of the people, either. "I've got a bad feeling about this."
"Danny", came Sam's voice through the silence.
Danny turned in the direction of the voice and flew towards it, with the others in tow. "This place is deserted," Phantom said. "No signs of human life anywhere. We better find-"
"Danny," came Sam's voice once more, this time coming from the gargantuan tree in the middle of the former construction sight. As they approached, they noticed the tree had an unnatural look to it. The leaves were giving off a pinkish glow. "Welcome back," Sam's voice echoed. The bark separated, and Plant Sam floated out, carried by vines. She was now wearing a frightening outfit. A horned headdress framed her face, and a long flowing cape with a tall collar hung on her shoulders. She wore a dark green plant themed jumpsuit, and long thorn covered gloves. "I thought you'd gone for good."
"Sam, we have to get you out of here," Danny said.
"No, I like it here," Plant Sam replied, as more vines lovingly surrounded her, almost as if they were cuddling with her. "Undergrowth has made all things new. They... need me. I'm their new mother."
"What?" Danny said. "You won't even babysit your cousins! We have to get out of here, now. Where's everybody else?"
Plant Sam snapped her fingers, and large roses arose from the growth, and opened to reveal the captured and unconscious people, including the members of the Justice League! Phantom, Flash and Martian Manhunter gasped at the sight. "Kal!" shouted Power Girl as she saw her cousin in such a helpless state.
"What are you doing with them?" Phantom demanded.
"They will be as nutrients for the children," Plant Sam announced. "All that matters now are the children."
"RRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGH!" Undergrowth rose behind them, larger and more frightening than before! "And you all will make a fine meal for them, too," he growled, his voice echoing loudly. Faster than before, he backhanded the four heroes away and into a patch of cactus.
"Look out," Flash said, as they quickly escaped the prickly plants. Several spikes shot toward them.
Plant Sam snapped her fingers once more, and the zombified Superman, still with a vine attached to the back of his skull, flew to attack them. "I'll handle Undergrowth, you guys handle Superman," Danny shouted. He flew up to attack Undergrowth, and severed the plant ghost's arm with a large ball of ghost energy. Undergrowth flinched, but simply regrew his arm like before.
The controlled Superman wasn't pulling any punches. He was acting like he was fighting Darkseid. All out power. He callously swatted Manhunter away like a paper doll. Fortunately, Undergrowth didn't know all of Superman's powers. Power Girl used her speed to grab her cousin in a full nelson and trapped his arms. "Kal," she said. "Listen to me! Stop fighting! It's me! Kara!"
The zombified Superman struggled, but he and Power Girl were nearly at equal strength. Flash was throwing punches at lightning speed at the trapped Superman, trying to wear him down. But it only succeeded in making his fists hurt. "Wow, they aren't kidding when they call him the 'Man of Steel'," Flash said rubbing his knuckles. "It's like punching a solid metal wall! Nothing is fazing him!"
Superman lashed out with a kick, and nailed Flash in the side, sending him flying. He managed to get free of Power Girl's grasp and punched her full on in the jaw. Power Girl looked shocked as she got to her feet. Rubbing her jaw, she smirked slightly. "Alright, then," she said, popping her neck. "You wanna go down that road, Cuz? Fine! Bring it on!" The two Kryptonians collided head on, causing a large shockwave.
Phantom, meanwhile was dealing with three large cactus ghosts. Have you ever been punched by a giant evil cactus? Not fun! The onslaught was too much for the young ghost fighter, and he was quickly captured by the vines. Plant Sam floated in front of him, and said, "You must take root! Become one with us!"
"Stop, please," Danny practically begged. "Sam, you can't let him win! No! Wait!" Phantom was dragged below the surface by the vines.
"You have done well, daughter," cackled Undergrowth. "You shall have the honor of feeding him to the children when he is ripe!"
Plant Sam smiled darkly at the thought. "Yes, father."
Martian Manhunter had rejoined the effort to subdue the Man of Steel, and with his strength, he and Power Girl had succeeded in holding Superman down. Flash was currently running in a vortex around him, slowly depriving him of air. Slowly, but surely, Superman began to loose consciousness and passed out.
Under ground, Phantom was struggling to free himself, when Frostbite's words of wisdom ran through his mind. "Let.. me... GO!" Danny's eyes glowed and icy blue, and an eruption of icy energy blasted from the hole. Everyone looked up in shock as Danny Phantom floated above them, his body glowing an intense bright blue. "Bundle up," he said. "It's gonna get chilly!" he threw a shockwave of ice that froze Undergrowth in a block of ice. Undergrowth shattered his icy prison with a snarl and flung his massive form at the young hero.
Phantom managed to dodge the plant villain's strikes, and let loose a ghost ray of ice cold energy from his hands. Undergrowth recoiled in pain. He tried to catch Danny in with a vine snare, but Danny simply froze the plants and shattered them, causing Undergrowth to flinch and begin to shrink in size! It was working! "Watch out," Phantom shouted. "The weather man predicted a cold snap!"
"Phantom," came J'onn's mental voice in Danny's head. "The roots of almost any plant are susceptible to extreme temperature. Undergrowth's main weakness seems to be cold. Destroy his roots under ground with ice, and we may be able to stop him!" Danny grinned as he sent his thanks to the Martian.
"Hey, cabbage-face," he shouted to Undergrowth. "Haven't you heard that cold air is bad for the plants?" He turned intangible and flew below the surface, and began to freeze the roots to all the plants!
"No!" Undergrowth cried in pain. "My roots!" He shrank even further, as the roots below froze to death. "No! You cannot do this to my children! No! This is my domain! My offspring will inherit the Earth!"
Phantom burst through the ground and confronted the much smaller Undergrowth. "Dude, I don't know if you realize this," Danny said. "But you're a terrible father!"
The now much weaker Undergrowth offered little defense against the onslaught of Danny's attacks. Undergrowth fell back onto the frosty ground, and panted. Danny floated above him. "As the duly deputized protector of Amity Park, it's my sincere hope that you have enjoyed your butt-kicking experience!" Phantom created a large snowball mixed with ecto-energy, and hurled it at Undergrowth's chest, leaving a gaping hole!
Undergrowth tried to repair the wound, but ice took hold of his insides. "No," the ghost spat. "No! NOOOO!" Plant Sam gasped as Undergrowth exploded! As the ice surrounding the city melted, the plants died off and withered away. At the same time, the vines attached to people's heads fell off, and everyone looked around, confused at all the dead plants.
Superman slowly sat up, and rubbed the back of his head. "Ugh, my head," he muttered. "Wha- What happened?"
Power Girl hugged her cousin as she and Flash helped him to his feet. "I'll tell you later," she said. Nearby, J'onn was helping Batman to his feet.
"Oh," Batman sighed. "I had the most terrible dream..."
"I assure you, it was no dream," J'onn said, matter-of-factly.
Sam stood up, her clothes returned to normal. "What happened?" she asked angrily. "Yuck! My mouth tastes like I just had nine thousand shots of wheat grass; without the wheat!"
Tucker shook his head. "And I had a dream that I was trapped in a giant salad bar! Oof, garbonzo beans," he said. The two friends looked over to see Danny walking up to them, only he was glowing blue!
"Danny," Sam said. "What happened to you?"
"Let's just say I have a whole new respect for nature," Danny said. He held up his hand and formed a small, beautiful ice crystal and handed it to Sam.
"What's this for?" she asked, uncertain.
"I'm... glad you're okay," Danny said. And indeed, he was! He had no idea what he would do if he ever lost her. Or Tucker, for that matter. Speaking of, Tucker rode up on a riding lawnmower, with a hastily made up sign that read, 'Lawns Mowed, $5,000'.
"Tuck, what are you doing?" Danny asked. "Five thousand dollars to cut someone's lawn?"
"All I need is one lawn, and we'll be rolling in green stuff," he said triumphantly.
"Why do I get the feeling I've just done that," Sam frowned. The three friends laughed, and Danny remembered the other JLA members. He quickly flew over to where the others had congregated on a nearby rooftop.
"Power Girl, Flash, J'onn, I'm so sorry," Superman said. "I don't remember going after you guys at all."
"That's what happens when a ghost over-shadow's you," Danny explained. "The victim's mind is shut away, and the ghost has full control over your body. Like a puppet, sort of."
Batman frowned, and turned to Manhunter. "Have you updated Wonder Woman and the others?" he asked. J'onn's eyes glowed orange for a moment.
"It's done," the Martian confirmed. "Wonder Woman and her Amazon's are standing down, and Green Lantern has alerted the other Corp members that the crisis has been averted."
"Good," Batman said. "Everyone, go home and rest. I'd say you've earned it. Phantom, I assume you can handle it from here in Amity Park?"
Danny gave a mock salute in confirmation.
Flash turned to Batman. "What about you? More work to do in Gotham?" he asked.
"Something like that," the Dark Knight confirmed. He looked up to the sky, noticing the sun was rising. "It's getting late."
Phantom and Superman shared a confused look. "Um, dude, you do realize it's the early morning, right?" Phantom asked.
The sun gleamed off of Batman's bluish-black cape. "It's late, to me," he said. He called in the Batwing, and was soon heading back to Gotham.
"Sometimes, I just don't understand him," Superman sighed.
"I don't think anyone does," Power Girl shrugged.
Later, Batman was stalking through the halls of Arkham Asylum. To say the guards were both shocked and frightened to see the Dark Knight wanting to see a patient in the middle of the day was a massive understatement.
As he strode through the hallways to the cell in mind, his thoughts remained focused on one thing. Ghosts. He needed a way to fight them. He did not want to be possessed by another one. He had read on numerous folk tales about natural remedies once used by people to ward off evil spirits, but what they really were had been lost over the ages or confused with other things.
He stood in front of the containment cell. The lighting inside was red, and steam covered the interior, signifying a higher temperature and humidity inside. The occupant was laying on her bunk relaxing, and merely turned her head toward her visitor. "What do you want, so early in the day?" Poison Ivy asked, boredom and disgust evident in her voice. "Haven't you harassed me enough, recently?"
"What do you know about ghosts?" Batman asked, cutting straight to the point.
Ivy laid back on her bunk once more and snorted in disbelief. "Excuse me? Ghosts? Since when are you superstitious?"
"I've read that there were numerous repellents found in nature that were once used," Batman said. "But I need your help, as much as that sickens me. If anyone knows about these natural repellents, it would be you. No one knows nature quite like you."
"And why would I ever help you?" Ivy sneered from her bunk.
"Because I can put in a good word for you, and maybe get your sentence reduced," he growled.
Ivy snorted in amusement at the offer. "Ooh, how appealing," she said in mock excitement. "How much of a reduction? From three life sentences to only two? Don't make me laugh."
Batman continued to glare at her. Eventually, she sighed. "Fine, I'll help you, if only to make you leave. I did sense an unnatural rumble through nature, early yesterday. Even so removed from nature in here, it felt... other-worldly. Do you think that ghosts were behind it? You know that sounds crazy, right? Maybe you should be in here, instead."
When the Dark Knight said nothing in reply, she rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said. "Blood Blossoms. There were other so-called remedies, but every one of those stories were about the same thing: Blood Blossoms. That's what people in olden times used. Much like cloves of garlic used to ward off vampires in Europe, Blood Blossoms were used to keep away spirits of the dead. I also understand that it was edible, and safe for people to eat. Barbarians.
"Unfortunately for you," she continued. "It's is a genus of plant that is virtually extinct in modern times. People used it so much that it's nearly impossible to find. Too bad, no way for you to keep away the spooks in the night."
"You said nearly impossible to find," Batman said. "Does it still grow anywhere?"
"It can sometimes be found growing in the northeastern states," Ivy said. "Sometimes near places like Salem, Massachusetts."
Without another word, Batman turned around and headed to the door. In the swirl of his long cape, neither of them noticed the small bit of plant material fall off of him. "A simple thank you would have been nice," Ivy called, irritated.
A brief while later, a guard wearing a gas mask and carrying a plate opened the slit on her door. "Lunch time, Ivy," he grunted. As he slid the plate through the slot, the piece of vegetation that had fallen off Batman slid through with the plate. After the guard left, Ivy sighed and looked at the plate. On it was a bland sandwich and an apple.
"Barbarians," she muttered. She rarely needed to eat anymore. Sure, she enjoyed the taste of decent, good food, and she needed to drink water, yes, but food was rarely something she needed anymore.
"Finally, alone at last," came a small voice she had never heard before. She quickly sat up and looked around, a frown creasing her red eyebrows. That almost sounded like one of her babies, but she wasn't allowed to have any plants in her cell. Not to mention that her plants never spoke in human languages.
"Down here, under the plate." She cautiously lifted the plate to see a very tiny shred of a... plant?! One with a face? "So, you must be the woman who can control plants that the flesh-dweller mentioned," it spoke to her in a tiny voice.
"What... are you?" she asked, kneeling down to get a better look at the small entity. It was tiny, green, and had a vaguely humanoid shape to it.
"I am Undergrowth!" it replied. "And I intend to rid this world of the infestation of meat sacks that try to harm my children!"
"And what are your 'children'?" Ivy asked, slightly intrigued.
"The vegetation and plant life of this world, of course!" Undergrowth replied. "I recently tried to make this world a true jungle, when I was thwarted by a group of irritating vermin in capes! That was when I heard about you, my dear. I may have lost my garden's caretaker; my daughter, of sorts; but I survived! I am regenerating, but I need someone with your... mother's touch to heal and regain my full strength. And with you at my side, my vision of a world with only plant life will finally take root!"
Poison Ivy smiled at this explanation, a new sense of purpose; of hope for her future world; blooming in her breast. She gently picked up her new friend, looking at him as if he were the most beautiful being on the planet. "Now that's a vision of change I can get behind. Please, tell me more," she said softly, a genuine smile crossing her red lips. As she walked back over to her bunk, she placed him on her shoulder, hidden underneath her long red hair and the collar of her Arkham shirt.
"I'd be honored, my dear," Undergrowth said. "After all, it's not often I get to commune so freely with Mother Nature, herself!"