Chapter 6: Star Nightingale?
"I'm telling you!" Paulina Sanchez screamed as she was being escorted out of the cheerleading championship's field. "Three of the Bay City's cheerleaders are the Groove Squad."
"Congratulations." Bay City's Star said. "Out of the excuses made by previous spies who have been caught, that takes the cake."
"I'm serious!" Paulina shouted. "The way the Groove Squad moves and chants suggests they're cheerleaders, and the most likely candidates are the local cheerleaders."
"You're crazy." Bay City's Star commented.
Later on, Danny and his friends were watching the cheerleading championship finals and they saw something that shocked them. "Ouch." Danny winced once he saw Star spraining a leg.
"Game over for the Wildcats." Sam muttered. "We came over here for nothing."
"Unless the Groove Squad appears and it makes you the winner of the bet." Tucker commented.
"Oh, there's that." Sam replied.
"Look!" Danny said. "Zeke's replacing Star."
"Can a mascot do that?" Sam asked.
"Mascots are technically part of the cheer squad, Sam." Tucker answered. "The surprise is a boy doing that. It's an unwritten rule in cheerleading that all cheerleaders must be beautiful girls."
"Tucker, 'unwritten' means there are no penalties for breaking it." Danny said as he watched the girls and Zeke perform.
In the end, the Bay City Wildcats won the championship title. While the twins left to help the injured Star, the other girls went to their respective boyfriends. "Congratulations, Mac." Danny said.
"Thank you, Danny." Mac replied. "Did you and your friends enjoy the show?"
"Yes." Danny and Tucker answered at the same time albeit Tucker sounded more enthusiastic.
"No." Sam said. "It was just some girls making dumb moves. What's the big deal about that?"
"Do you know what happened the last time a cheer squad tried the triple flip?" Mac asked with a frown.
"No." Sam bluntly answered.
"Half that squadron was sent to the hospital on stretchers." Mac answered, hoping it'd make Sam have more respect for cheerleaders.
"The upper half or the lower half?" Tucker asked, earning glares from everyone who heard the question.
"You knew than and even then tried the flip?" Sam asked in shock. "Stupid girl."
"You sound like Star." Mac commented. "Out of us, she was the one most opposed to the idea of using the triple flip for that very reason."
"As much as I hate to be compared to a cheerleader, I'm glad the one I'm being compared to has enough brains to decide a stupid cheerleading trophy isn't worth that risk." Sam said.
"Mac, how about we go somewhere else for our celebratory date?" Danny asked, wanting to avoid Sam.
"Good idea, Danny." Mac replied and then turned her attention back to Sam. "If you think like that, you shouldn't even have come to watch the championship."
"I only came to this town to look for the Groove Squad anyway." Sam replied and she dragged Tucker away.
"So, where do we go?" Mac asked Danny. The two of them went to a fast-food restaurant and ordered milkshakes. (Mac's wasn't fruit-flavored because she was afraid it'd trigger her transformation)
"Mac, I'm sorry about my friend." Danny uneasily said.
"Don't be, Danny." Mac replied. "That was on her, not on you." Her cell phone then rang. "Excuse me, Danny. What's up, Ping?"
"Adrienne's calling us for an emergency meeting!" Ping answered. "If Danny's with you, ask him to come as well."
Danny and Mac did as asked and met at Adrienne's. "Girls, remember how you mentioned Nathaniel Nightingale having some sort of connection to Star?" Adrienne asked the Groove Squad.
"Yes." Chrissy answered. Danny was surprised at that development but decided to stay quiet.
"Well, Danny, I might take upon your offer for stealth." Adrienne said. "Your ability to become invisible and intangible, which I doubt Nightingale and his allies ever accounted for, can bypass all defenses at the mansion. I need you to find and photograph evidence of connections between Star's father and Nathaniel Nightingale." Adrienne then handed Danny a camera and two photographs. "This is Nathaniel Nightingale and this is his main assistant."
"Ugh." Danny said upon seeing the assistant's photograph. "Did Dr. Frankenstein perform experiments on Igor?"
"I won't dignify that with an answer, Danny." Adrienne answered.
"Wait." Danny asked. "May I look at a picture of Star's father?"
"Danny's he's such a recluse nobody knows what he looks like." Mac explained.
"Remember, Danny." Adrienne cautioned the halfa. "This is a secret mission. If you're captured, we'll deny any knowledge of your activities."
"Really?" Danny asked.
"That's spy talk, Danny." Adrienne explained.
Danny accepted the mission. After getting directions from the girls, he went to Star's mansion. 'Does this Nightingale guy lives here or something like that?' Danny thought as he saw several paintings of Nathaniel Nightingale. Danny then entered an office and saw a picture of Star with Nightingale. 'Star is Nightingale's daughter?' Danny was shocked. 'No wonder she's more of a spoiled brat than Paulina. I am suddenly so glad Vlad didn't have any children the normal way. I shudder from thinking how Dani could've turned out if he really loved her.' After recovering from the shock, Danny went to the basement and found 'Igor' and other Frankenstein rejects tending to a catatonic Nightingale and took a picture. They heard the flash but, not seeing anything or anybody, they kept on what they were doing.
Danny then took the evidence back to Adrienne, Zeke and the girls. "Good job, Danny." Adrienne congratulated the halfa. "I'm calling the CIA!"
After everything was done, the students decided to ready themselves for the High School dance. "Can you believe Star Nightingale had the nerve to show her face in public after her father was exposed to be a lunatic?" A student asked another one.
"I bet she's probably faking her injury to get sympathy." The other student replied.
"I can't believe this." Mac said while dancing with Danny. "Why can't they understand Star isn't responsible for her father's actions?"
"After all the teasing I suffered over my parents believing in ghosts before they were revealed to be real, I can believe some teenagers can be that cruel, Mac." Danny replied.
Their conversation was interrupted by a giant worm crashing in. "Not again." Mac sighed, surprising Danny. He already had met a few ghosts who managed to get that bored reaction from him but never that soon into his halfa career, and one of his regular enemies was the Box Ghost. After everyone who didn't already know the girls' secrets ran away, (a boy carried Star) the girls ran to the punch bowl and drank some to transform.
"I thought only fruit smoothies triggered their transformations." Danny commented.
"Fruit punch has the same effect." Zeke explained.
With her super strength, Captain a.k.a. Chrissy grabbed the giant worm and tossed it away. "And you'd better stay away this time." The Groove Squad's leader demanded.
"This time?" Danny asked.
"You should come to Bay City more often, Danny." Streak a.k.a. Mac commented.
"And somebody here should think of a place to keep the worm locked away next time it returns." Danny suggested.
"Danny, I know your objections to being Danny Phantom here but you could've made an exception this time." Dove a.k.a. Ping said. "Who'd have seen?"
"I would." Someone answered, revealing his presence.
"Fernando?" They asked.
Flashback begins
"Are you okay, Chrissy?" Fernando asked, only to realize his girlfriend wasn't with him. "Chrissy!" Worried about her, he ran back inside, only to see his girlfriend and her friends drinking punch. He barely started to wonder why they'd stop to drink punch at a time like that when he saw them transforming.
Flashback ends
Fernando explained his reason to return. "Sorry I didn't tell you, Fernando." Captain pleaded. "Please don't be mad." The transformation wore off right after she said that.
"I understand superheroes need secret identities and that Mac's boyfriend was trusted with it because he's Danny Phantom but what about Zeke?" Fernando asked.
"Zeke was with us when the accident granted us our powers so it wasn't a matter of choice." Ping replied.
"Okay." Fernando commented. "Should we get out and inform everyone it's safe to return?"
Before anyone had a chance to answer Fernando's question, somebody opened the door. It was a teacher. "Well, it seems the Groove Squad saved us from the monster but, unfortunately, the dance must be called off because of the giant hole." The teacher said.
Because of that, everyone returned home sooner. Danny could've flown but he took a bus since he didn't want to clue his parents. "Back so soon, son?" Maddie asked. "What happened?"
"That giant worm that appeared on the news invaded Bay City High, Mom." Danny answered and then noticed the worried look on her face. "The Groove Squad saved everyone but the dance ended sooner because of the attack."
"I'm glad to hear it son." Maddie commented. "There's some fudge on the fridge, if you want it."
"Does he have to?" Jack asked, wanting that fudge for himself.
"Jack." Maddie glared at her husband.
"Fine." Jack relented.
"Danny, how big was that worm?" Maddie asked in spite of dreading the answer.
Instead of speaking, Danny made a gesture with his hand to show how big it was. "Oh, my poor baby!" Maddie said and started to hug Danny while crying.
'I'm so glad Mac and her friends aren't here to see it.' Danny thought. 'I'd rather be a full ghost than live through that humiliation.'
The next day, Danny was telling his friends and his sister about what happened. "So now a jock knows your secret?" Sam asked.
"Better that Fernando guy than Dash." Tucker commented.
"Dash actually helped us during that time he knew." Jazz replied.
"That was when everyone knew, Jazz." Tucker argued. "With it still being a secret, who can tell he wouldn't blackmail Danny?"
"True, I still believe Dash would be that much of a jerk." Danny commented.
"And how do you know Fernando is any better?" Sam asked with a frown.
"Thanks to that triple date." Danny replied. "Fernando's so nice he didn't mock Ping or Mac for dating people like a mascot or me."
"It could've been an act since Ping and Mac are his girlfriend's friends." Sam argued.
"No, it didn't sound forced at all, Sam." Danny replied. "Fernando, and I'm surprised I'm saying it about a jock, is really that nice."
"Nice jocks, cheerleaders who have no qualms about dating social losers… how do I transfer?" Tucker asked.
"Tucker's there's no time for jokes." Sam said. "So, have you seen the Groove Squad and the Bay City cheerleaders together?"
"No, Sam." Danny replied. "And don't you think that bet is going too far?"
"Don't worry, Danny." Sam answered. "Paulina and I reached an agreement: if the bet isn't resolved in a month, it'll be called off."
"Good." Danny commented.
"So, now that the Groove Squad's version of Vlad is gone, do you think they can help against our fruit loop?" Tucker asked.
"I don't think so, Tucker." Danny replied.
"And, do you think the Bay City cheerleaders will need a judge with good looks, charm, and modesty to evaluate the girls applying for Star Nightingale's spot at their squad?" Tucker asked with a suggestive smile.
"If they do, I'm sure Fernando will do the job, Tucker." Danny teased his friend.
"Jocks always get the girls." Tucker muttered and then understood what Danny meant. "Hey!"
End chapter.
Author's Note: While some fans refer to Star (Groove Squad) as 'Star Nightingale', she's never called that in the story itself. I believe Nathaniel Nightingale uses another name to hide from his enemies (Adrienne was surprised that he's alive). Otherwise, the Groove Squad would've already figured out.
Answer to Leonardo (Guest): E dessa vez não tem mais manopla da realidade para fazer o mundo esquecer.