Hi, everyone. I have some bad news for you. My computer is going to be taken away, because my parents said I've been spending too much time on it. So I won't be able to put in any real updates for quite some time.

APRIL FOOLS! lol How many of you fell for that? Sorry, I just couldn't resist. Anyway, this is a real update. I got a lot of reviews since yesterday, and I've had time to write this for you.

Chapter 12 is here! Check it out!

Plotting for a Transformation

Chapter Twelve: Much Mulling and Maneuvering

The next week passed by, bringing Danny's fifteenth birthday as well as the end of the school year, with Danny, Tucker, and Sam passing each subject. Danny cut it quite close with his lack of much ability to concentrate.

And despite the fact that summer had at last dawned upon them and that Danny was one year older, he was in no mood to celebrate. Ever since he had been able to rescue his friends from Slade's clutches, he had first gotten medical treatment from his parents (in one of their truly bizarre ways; he had also convinced them he had been attacked by a ghost), and then shut himself in his room the rest of the time.

Try as he might, he just couldn't stop thinking about the stuff Slade had said to him.

Danny knew that his parents were always after his ghost half. He knew that Jazz occasionally bugged him because she was worried about him sometimes. He knew that a lot of people in Amity Park thought he was evil. But that had never swayed him from standing by his duties as a hero.

In some ways, Danny knew that Slade had made sense. But what he said about Tucker and Sam not appreciating, just sitting back while he did the hard work…ridiculous.

Danny had known his two best friends for a very long time, and he knew that they cared about him. Nothing ever made him not think that.

Slade's lying, Danny thought to himself while lying on his bed the Sunday afternoon after school let out, He's trying to mess around with my mind and trying to make me think that nobody cares about me and that there's no point in being a hero.

But what also troubled him very much was another thing that Slade said.

"It's because of your so called 'heroic exploits' that your friends are in such danger. In danger now, just as they have been before, and will continue to be…all because of you."

"You can't protect them forever, dear boy. One day or another, they are going to fall, and when that day finally comes, it will be all your fault."

This bugged Danny more than the others. A number of times, his friends had been put in danger because of him. Tucker was given evil ghost powers because Danny had acted like a show-off. Both of them had nearly died in the Nasty Burger explosion because he had chosen to cheat on the CAT. Sam was nearly married to a Ghost Zone prince because Danny had let the perks of being the beauty pageant judge got to his head.

And why is he always pointing out that there may be evil inside of me? Danny thought, What is he trying to do with me?

It doesn't matter what he wants with me. Danny sat up and walked towards his door. Because he won't ever get it. Tonight, I'm going after him, and I'm going to end this. Danny was tired of waiting around for Slade to pull his next criminal-minded move. This time, he was going to find him and end his antagonistic relationship with the masked madman.

Luckily, he had gotten help. On the last day of school that previous Thursday, which was also the last day he had seen Tucker and Sam, Tucker had pointed out something interesting from when Slade had struck Danny in the gut with his staff.

After analyzing it with his PDA, he had shown Danny that the substance that the staff was made of was an experimental chemical compound, and there was recently an abandoned warehouse downtown that used to ship it to various companies around the country.

It was there that Danny had decided that this would end. It wasn't definite that Slade would be there, but it was his best lead. And taking what Slade said about putting his friends in danger to heart, he wasn't saying a word to Sam and Tucker. He felt sick at the thought that something bad would happen to him and they didn't know a thing about it, but as long as he knew they were safe, he didn't care.

Danny stepped out of Fenton Works and said out loud, "Hope I can finally end this tonight."

He transformed into Danny Phantom. He took off downtown at a not too fast, but not too slow flight.

Danny had been flying for only about thirty seconds when the blue mist escaped from his mouth.

Danny said, "Well, this is a change of pace."

From on top of a roof stood one of Danny's more challenging foes, a teenager wearing a leather jacket, a motorcycle next to him, and sporting greasy blonde hair.

Danny raised an eyebrow, "Johnny 13?"

Johnny responded, "That's right, punk. And it's time for payback on you."

Danny sighed and yelled, "I really don't have time for this!"

"Too bad, because I have all the time in the world. Shadow, get him!"

Johnny's bad luck shadow flew out from under him and flew at the ghost boy in an attempt to grab him. Danny dodged the attack and fired a ghost ray at it. It hit and left a gaping hole in the shadow, but then it sewed itself back together.

Danny sighed, "I forgot it could do that."

"Are you sure this is gonna work?" a teenage girl ghost with bright hair that stuck out everywhere asked to an earpiece in her ear.

"Quite sure," responded a cold and emotionless voice from the earpiece, "He's on his way right now."

Another pale-skinned ghost with a trench coat spoke to an earpiece of his own, "If it means making that ghost kid miserable, I'll take it."

"If you fail," the voice replied, "I will personally make sure it is you who will be miserable."

Both ghosts flew in the same direction, although coming from different ones. As they flew, the voice in their earpieces spoke to them.

"Do not believe I have a certain likeness for either of you. I chose you both only because I have heard of you to be two of the best at your kinds'…unique ability."

"You might say that," said the girl, "and we chose to comply only because we both hold grudges against him."

"You do know I didn't leave you much of a choice."

The trench-coat ghost replied, "We'll do our job; just make sure we get rewarded for it."

Both ghosts phased into their location while invisible. The Nasty Burger. Sitting at one of the booths were Tucker and Sam.

Tucker noticed that Sam didn't seem to bother to drink her diet Cola. He asked her, "Sam, is something wrong?"

"Huh?" Sam responded, "Oh, no. I'm just thinking about Danny. I've been worried about him."

Tucker sighed, "I know what you mean. I've been worried about him too. He hasn't even been happy about his birthday or the end of the school year."

Sam asked him, "Do you think maybe what Slade said to him at the Power Plant last week got to him?"

"It's about to get to him a whole lot more," said a voice that was neither of theirs.

Tucker's and Sam's eyes bugged out as they saw the two ghosts turn visible in front of them. Everyone else around them screamed and hid.

Tucker called out, "Walker?"

Sam cried, "Kitty?"

Before they could say anything else, the two ghosts flew straight at them, and inside them!

Once inside, the two of them blinked their hosts' eyes and smiled.

In Tucker's voice, Walker said to the earpiece, "Phase one is complete."

In Sam's body, Kitty picked up two items: a tape recorder and some other high-tech device. They had set down both of them on the ground before overshadowing Tucker and Sam. Using Sam's voice, Kitty said to the earpiece, "Phase two is ready to commence."

"Excellent," said the voice in the earpiece, "Activate the recorder…and the polygraph machine."

Using all his strength, Danny swung Shadow around and gave him a mighty throw. He flew straight towards a building but phased right through it.

Shadow flew back towards the ghost boy moments later and tried to punch him. Danny ducked it and gave Shadow a kick. Again it hit, but it simply sewed itself back up.

Wondering what he could try next, Danny's eyes hovered over to Johnny, still watching the battle unfolding on top of the building. He saw his motorcycle's reflector, which looked new and shiny. He then looked up and saw that it was cloudy, but the sun appeared to be struggling to peek through.

And idea clicked in Danny's head. He flew away from Shadow and went straight for Johnny.

Johnny saw him coming and flew up out of the way. To make sure Johnny was off him for a minute, Danny fired a ghost ray at him. It hit and Johnny was knocked farther away.

Danny then grabbed hold of the reflector and moved it around, trying to aim it the right way. By this time, the sun had finally peeked through the clouds.

As Shadow flew back towards him, Danny held the reflector a little bit lower, and was then nearly blinded as one of the sun's rays finally hit the reflector and bounced straight to Shadow!

Bright light being its weakness, Shadow screamed as it completely engulfed him…until it vanished.

Johnny looked dismayed at seeing this, but he scowled and tried to land a kick to Danny. Danny quickly saw Johnny coming and pulled out the Fenton Thermos. As a result, Johnny flew straight into the white beam that was shot out, and was sucked inside, screaming. The motorcycle disappeared as well.

Danny closed the thermos with a self-satisfied smile on his face. But it faded quickly as he said to himself, "Now for the big guy."

With that, Danny continued his flight downtown towards the warehouse where he suspected Slade to be…unaware of another sinister plot that was already going down.

Chapter 12 shall end here! Right now, three questions come to mind: Why did Johnny 13 attack out of nowhere? What do Kitty and Walker want with Tucker and Sam? And what will happen if Danny encounters Slade yet again? Find out in Chapter 13! Just so you all know, for this fic, there will be only one more chapter.