Chapter 31: Frederich Returns
In New York, a pale man broke into a museum. A ghost was floating next to him. The two intruders had a set goal in mind. A skull made of crystal. "Remember, Lydia." The pale man said. "I'm the only one of us who can touch the skull so you'll remove the glass."
Without saying a word, Lydia did as he ordered while the pale man removed the skull, triggering the alarm. The pale man wasn't slightly worried about it. "Time for our disappearing act, Lydia." He said and the ghost made the both of them invisible and intangible.
The next day, in Amity Park, Danny was fighting Technus. "Give up, ghost boy." The master of long-winded speeches said. "Nothing will stop me from using you to access the Justice League's computers and use them to TAKE OVER THE WORLD!" He realized what he's just exclaimed. "Did I say it out loud?"
"Yes, you did." Danny answered in a deadpan manner.
"No matter! Soon I'll…" Whatever Technus would say was interrupted by someone hitting him with a mace. "Aaaaaauuuuuugggghhhhhhhhh! It hurts!"
"Thank you, Hawkgirl." Danny said as he sucked the weakened Technus into a Thermos.
"You're welcome, Danny Phantom." Hawkgirl replied. "Expect Hawkman and/or me to show up occasionally now that college life will keep you busier than usual."
"Speaking of that, my first day is about to begin." Danny quickly said. "Bye."
Upon arriving at the local university, he was approached by a familiar face. "Yoohoo! My ghost boy!"
"Paulina, I am NOT your ghost boy!" Danny replied with a frown.
"Anyway, would you please tell the Dean to reconsider and allow Dash and Dale to enter?" Paulina asked. "He rejected their applications because of their criminal records but, if you, their victim, tells him to let them in…"
"No way, Paulina!" Danny firmly said. "They can go to Backupsmore for all I care and, doesn't Dash have a rich Uncle who can buy his way into another university?"
"His Uncle Charlie won't help him enter anywhere other than Gotham University and Dash's more afraid of the criminals there than of the ghosts here." Paulina explained. "Please, at least tell the Dean that, if he fears you'll leave if they enter, that won't be the case."
"After how those bullies picked on me, I hope they end up like Biff Tannen did at the end of the first Back to the Future film." Danny replied. "I'd even buy cars just to make them give two wax coatings."
"You no longer have to worry about them now that you're a popular superhero, Danny." Paulina tried to reassure him with a smile. "They could even make you head of the A-List."
"I don't care." Danny replied and walked away.
"You have a lot to learn about popularity, my ghost boy." Paulina sighed, hoping Danny would change.
During the entrance ceremony, several other students were wondering what Danny Phantom was doing there instead of going to a better university. 'Didn't they watch the interview where I explained I'm staying here to protect Amity Park?' He thought.
Being a celebrity, Danny escaped the pranks aimed at freshmen. Unbeknownst to him, Hawkgirl was visiting his parents. "Hawkgirl, what do we owe this visit to?" Jack eagerly asked. "Do you want us to improve your mace?"
"Actually, I'm here to warn your son about one of his enemies." She answered. "Frederich Isak Showenhower."
"Who?" Jack asked in confusion.
"You might know him as 'Freakshow'." Hawkgirl explained and Danny's parents recognized the name.
"That horrible circus ringleader who mind-controlled ghosts into stealing for him?" Maddie asked with a frown.
"Precisely, Mrs. Fenton." Hawkgirl answered. "Last night, he and Lydia, the only ghost who willingly follows his commands, stole an ancient crystal skull from a museum in New York. A similar item was stolen from a museum in Central City two days before but we had no clue to who was behind it until now. The League, 'Batman but the Fentons don't need to know that detail', investigated and found out there's a third skull and it belongs, or belonged, to Vlad Masters."
"Plasmius." Jack angrily muttered.
"Unfortunately, we don't have a clue to the location of his skull." Hawkgirl commented.
"Have you tried to beat the information out of him with that?" Jack asked while pointing at her mace.
"The more the idea pleases me, some of my fellow Leaguers are too soft to approve it." Hawkgirl frowned and then looked at Maddie. "Mrs. Fenton, whoever manages to get all three skulls will be able to control every ghost, or half-ghost, they find. Do you think you could talk Plasmius into revealing the location of his skull?"
"As much as talking to that creep disgusts me, my son's welfare is my priority." Maddie stated.
After college was done for the day, Danny phoned his girlfriend. "Hi, Barbara."
"Hi, Danny." Barbara replied.
"How was your first college day?" Danny asked her.
"Well, my wheelchair saved me from the traditional pranks, I met girls who asked if you have a brother, the elevators are working, thank God, and I'm about to do homework." She answered.
"Homework?" Danny asked in shock. "On the first day? That's tough."
"What about you?" Barbara asked her boyfriend. "Worried about Freakshow stealing the skulls?"
Now Danny was confused. "Freakshow? Skulls?"
"Haven't you met anyone from the League after last night?" Barbara asked. I thought they'd have already warned you.
"I had a brief run in with Hawkgirl but I was in a hurry to college so we didn't have time to talk." Danny explained.
"Long story short, one crystal skull was stolen from a museum in Central City and, last night, another one was stolen from a museum in New York." Barbara told her boyfriend. "Security cameras at the second crime's scene caught Freakshow and one of his circus ghosts phasing themselves out of the place."
"Lydia." Danny muttered.
"What?"
"She's the only ghost I've seen working with Freakshow after he lost the power to brainwash us." Danny explained. "So, should I expect the League to ask for my help since we're talking about villains I have experience with?"
"More likely expect the League to caution you, Danny." Barbara answered. "According to a news report I've watched, there's a third skull and, if Freakshow reunites all three, he'll be able to control your mind again."
"Thank you, Barbara. I'll keep an eye on him." Danny said. "See you in Gotham when I go there for the Joker's hearing."
"Ok, bye." Barbara replied and the call ended.
Danny then returned to Fentonworks (he still lived with his parents because they had ghost weapons that wouldn't be allowed in campus and he didn't want to live so close to Paulina) and his father gave another explanation of the latest events.
Normally, I'd call you lazy but this time I understand people might hate something being repeated so often.
Thank you, Wade.
By the way, Danny not wanting to be near Paulina? He did grow up.
"So, is Mom going to talk to that fruitloop?" Danny asked in disgust.
Meanwhile, at the G.I.W. headquarters, Maddie's request was being denied. "Mrs. Fenton, there's no need to worry." A Guy in White said. "Our best operatives are questioning him with special interrogation techniques."
Inside Vlad's cell, the seriously crazed up fruitloop was resisting. "I won't tell and you can't force me."
"Think again, Masters." Operative O replied. "Since we don't need your testimony, we can hypnotize the location out of you."
"But we'd rather not do it since the procedure isn't painful and it takes long to find a trained hypnotist." Operative K added. "You'd better cooperate since we're the Government. We can get away with hitting criminals like you."
"Picturing Daniel as somebody's slave makes up for that." Vlad commented. "But I might reconsider if my beloved Maddie gives me a kiss in the mouth."
"You disgust me." Operative O stated and punched Vlad's face.
"No fair!" Operative K protested. "I also want a go at him."
"Be my guest, Operative K." Operative O replied.
While the Guys in White were "persuading" a seriously crazed up fruitloop into spilling the beans, Freakshow and Lydia arrived at the fruitloop's Wisconsin manor. "Wait!" freakshow told Lydia. "Is that Winston Deavor? What's he doing here? Is he looking for anti-ghost technology?"
"As you and you lawyer may attest, Mr. Deavor, this mansion has all the basic comforts a rich man needs." A guy wearing a white suit commented.
"Yeah, but I'm still concerned about it once being a supervillain's lair, Agent Alpha." Winston commented with a smile. "What do you think, Mr. Parr?"
"Some other villain might come here looking for something Vlad Masters left behind, Mr. Deavor." Bob Parr stated. "Sure, the Government searched the whole place but one never knows."
"Mr. Deavor, everybody knows you like to buy places that used to belong to supervillains." Agent Alpha said. "If not for Rick Dicker's reassurances you don't mean any harm, I'd be reluctant to sell this mansion to you."
"That and the fact few people buy places resided by supervillains." Winston pointed out. "Nobody tried to outbid me when I bought places like Syndrome's mansion."
"And that wasn't haunted, Agent Alpha." Bob Parr added.
"And you think this place is?" Agent Alpha scoffed. "Mr. Deavor, if you see a ghost in here, you may buy this place for just one million dollars."
Freakshow and Lydia then revealed themselves. "Go away!" Freakshow demanded.
"Deal!" Winston said before he and Bob ran away.
"You ruined a good deal, freak!" Agent Alpha said as he drew a weapon at Lydia. Her bats quickly took it from him. Agent Alpha then called for reinforcements.
Meanwhile, Freakshow was searching the mansion for the third skull. "With Lydia keeping them out of the way, nothing will stop me from finding the skull."
"I disagree." Freakshow heard somebody saying.
"Mr. Incredible?" The villain asked in horror. "Time to put a villain exit! Stage left!"
"Not so fast." Another superhero said as he zipped in.
"Flash?" Freakshow was terrified.
"So, what's gonna be?" The fastest man on Earth (assuming Superman had nothing to say about it) asked. "Easy or hard?"
"Easy." Freakshow replied as he raised his hands in surrender.
"And don't expect Lydia to rescue you this time, Freakshow." Danny said as he phased himself in. "I've already sucked her into a Fenton Thermos and handed it to Agent Alpha."
"Phantom, if you're looking for the skull, the League's already found it in Colorado." Flash said. "You're welcome."
"Thank you, Flash." Danny replied. "And nice to meet you, Mr. Incredible."
"The same thing to you, Danny Phantom." Mr. Incredible replied while remembering Danny didn't know Invisigirl was among the girls he dated through the dating service.
Afterwards, Danny told his family and friends about it. The friends were contacted via teleconference. "You met Flash and Mr. Incredible?" Tucker asked with excitement. "Did you get their autographs?"
"No, Tucker." Danny answered.
"Sorry I couldn't be there to help you, Danny." Sam said.
"Danny, I get that the League would be involved since the first skull was stolen from the Flash's turf but what brought Mr. Incredible into this?" Jazz asked.
"Isn't that obvious?" Tucker asked with a smug smile. "Winston Deavor was there. Where a screenslaver goes, a Super will be there to keep an eye at him."
"Well, either that or the Government values him." Danny replied.
The next day
Jack and Maddie Fenton were at the Guys in White's headquarters. Maddie was allowed inside Vlad's cell, where he was chained. "Maddie?" The fruitloop was pleased. "I see the Guys in White told you about my proposition."
"The skull's already been found, you creep." Maddie said, frowned, and slapped Vlad.
"Other creeps might take offense at having this individual compared to him, Mads." Jack told his wife and then punched Vlad. He later turned his attention to the two Operatives watching them. "May I hit them in the…"
"I don't wanna see it." Operative O stated while turning around.
"Me neither." Operative K added as he also turned around.
One big scream of pain later, Jack and Maddie walked away and a guy in a red spandex suit showed up. "Remember our deal." Operative O said.
"I know, I know." The guy in red said. "Don't unalive him. Nobody wants him to return as a full ghost. As if Luiz wouldn't be too lazy to write a story with him as a full ghost."
"Who's Luiz?" Operative K asked Operative O.
"Probably just one of his delusions." Operative O guessed.
Ten minutes later
"Please, make it stop!" Vlad begged.
"Best padding ever, Luiz." The guy in red commented.
End chapter.
Author's Note: The plot with the skulls came from an episode of "Extreme Ghostbusters".
Answer to Leonardo (Guest): Um dia desses, quem sabe?