Chapter 7: Achilles' Heels

The comic villains surrounded Team Phantom, all of them ready to attack.

As this went on, Sam and Star sent glares at Tucker.

"Nice one, Techno Flop!" Sam went in anger.

Tucker glared back.

Misery Vex approached them, holding her hand out.

"Return my pen if you wish to live!" She demanded.

Star took the pen and held it in her hands.

"Say goodbye to existing!" She proclaimed as she tried snapping it in half. "Ha!" She tried, but found doing the deed difficult. "Huh!" She kept trying, finding it not bending the slightest as her serious look quickly melted into a more sheepish and embarrassed look "Wait… I got it… I think." She kept at it.

As this went on, the villains went from serious to mildly annoyed. Rebreather's helmet turned to Misery Vex, who shook her head at this before shrugging at her male warrior.

"No way that's his girlfriend…" Shade remarked.

"Oh for the love of Pete, here!" Sam took the pen and tried breaking it by slamming it into her knee, only for the opposite to happen. "Oww!" She lowered her leg and hissed in pain. "What the heck is this thing made of?!"

"I got it." Danny said as he took the pen but his attempt to break it was met with failure. "Come on!"

Tucker took a closer look at the pen in Danny's hand and studied it with a hand at his chin.

"Hmm… it looks almost like some kind of steel, probably from the Ghost Zone. Maybe melting it?" He suggested.

Before Danny could even try that, a web was shot at the pen, pulling it out of Danny's hand. Once Misery caught it, she glared at the heroes.

"Do what you will, but I don't want to see the three powerless humans alive any further! But be sure to keep Phantom alive, I need him still breathing! For now…" She ordered.

Her minions all charged at the four.

"Get back!" Danny said as he sent blasts in their direction, even if it did little good.

The attacks caused some minor damage, with limbs gone and holes on their body that were "bleeding" ink. While it did stop them for a moment, they simply regenerated and went back to attacking.

"Okay… we got what we need." Sam said, reaching for something.

"Yeah..."Tucker said, nodding to her.

"What are you talking about?" Danny asked.

Before either of them could respond, Star just charged forward and used her cheer skills to somersault out of Rebreather's reach.

"Remember, like I showed you!" Star said as she landed behind the armored villain..

"Got it!" Sam and Tucker went.

Plaything came running at Sam.

"Danny, keep this one busy?" She asked.

"Will do!" He said as he flew in and grabbed the axe, carrying the evil doll with it. "Little creeps shouldn't be playing with those!"

As this happened, Funhouse came charging at Sam.

"Make you hurt!"

Sam pulled out her weapon.

"First, take a good look!" She shouted.

She held out a handheld makeup mirror she took from her house on the way. Funhouse looked at that mirror.

"Huh… who dat?" He asked before frowning. "He ugly…"

"That's you, genius." She said.

"Huh…?" Funhouse said as he kept staring at it. "Uhhh…."

Danny, seeing this as he swung Plaything away, just blinked.

"What just happened?"

"Funhouse is super dense and freezes up when he sees his reflection because he's not used to seeing it." Star explained.

"Huh…" He said before a sudden tornado of insects surrounded him. "Hey!"

"Phantom finished!" The insects went.

"Danny! Freeze the bugs!" Star called out. "Making them mostly unable to form leaves Swarm in a weakened state!"

Nodding, Danny fired ice beams out of his eyes.

As this went on, the rest of the villains stared at this while gasping.

"Ice beams?! He can do that here?!" Shade questioned.

"And yet you're not destroying them here… do something!" Misery ordered as she stomped to the hypnotized artist. "Here! I need you to provide your only use, you stupid man-thing!" She shouted.

Shade came running at Sam with shadow hands forming from around the girl holding the mirror.

"Uh… little help here!" Sam called out.

"On it!" Star went as she jumped in and swung her saber, which went right through Shade's midsection like going through mist.

"Again?!" Shade scoffed.

"Humor me…" Star said.

With that, Shade snapped her finger to make the arms go away from Sam and start coming at Star.

Meanwhile, Danny froze more than 90% of Swarm's insects, causing the mantis-like creature to reform into a smaller body, one that reached halfway up to Danny's shin as it landed.

Upon taking on her current situation, Swarm looked up in horror.

"Uh oh…" She went as she tried to get away, but bumped into Tucker, who was staring her down. "Heh… I was kidding earlier about the whole eating you thing… honest…" Swarm lied in a vain attempt to get away.

Tucker pulled out what he carried in his back, a plastic jar and trapped Swam in it.

As Danny smiled, he quickly became aware of what looked like an anchor coming at him. He managed to bob out of the way before it could hit him before seeing where it came from.

From the arm of someone he hasn't met yet.

"Uh… who's the guy who looks like he should be thwarted by some other meddling kids?" Danny asked.

"Rebreather! He's new… at least on this side of the comics!" Star called out as she used her saber.

As Rebreather retracted the anchor, Danny landed.

"Anything you got I can use against him, like an allergy?" He asked.

"Sorry!" Star said as she jumped over a shadow arm. "He's too recent, didn't bring something for him! You'll have to handle him on your own!"

With a nod, Danny braced himself as he saw Rebreather coming at him, using his anchor for a blunt weapon. Fortunately, Danny caught it in time before it crushed him.

"I failed to destroy the comic you! Real you will be my redemption for my master!" Rebreather went.

"If Misery's your boss, I'd say dust off that résumé… assuming you'll be around to send it out!" Danny said as he strained to keep the anchor from hurting anyone.

As Tucker now sat on the jar to keep Swam trapped, he saw Plaything running at with the axe raised. Fortunately, Tucker was prepared this time.

"I got something just for you…" He said with a smile.

He then pulled out the item he brought. It was a bowling ball, which he threw.

Due to his weaker physique compared to the rest, the ball hit not far from Plaything, rolling harmlessly towards him.

"Ooh… fun!" Plaything then chopped it, deflating it.

"Ah, dang…" Tucker groaned.

"Tucker!" Danny called out as he then phased into the floor, the anchor being lodged into the concrete as he phased up and uppercut the evil doll. "Back off, Chucky!"

As Plaything went flying away, Tucker chose now to inform Danny.

"He's lightweight, hit him with something he can't lift!"

"Can't lift… got it." Danny said.

As Plaything was about to get up, Danny used his ice powers to create a large block that weighed the evil doll down.

"HEY!"

"Sorry, but you're on time out!" Danny said before resuming his fight with Rebreather.

Plaything attempted to get out, but the ice was too heavy.

"No fair! No fair!" He whined like a child.

While that happened, Danny swung a kick at Rebreather, freeing the anchor but also sending him into a wall, breaking it down.

Meanwhile, Star used her saber to knock the shadow arms away, trying to get close to Shade. In response, Shade would casually step back to avoid each blow.

"Even if you hit me, you can't hurt me!" She pointed out.

Star smirked.

"That's why I needed to buy time to plan for you." She claims.

"Oh, how so?" Shade challenged.

Star saw the room the Rebreather was knocked into and her mind formed the plan.

"That'll work… Danny-boo! Be a dear and knock this hussy in there!" Star called out sweetly.

"Hey!" Shade snapped.

"On it!" Danny said as he flew in and kicked Shade into the same hole Rebreather went into.

Shade went crashing into Rebreather, not affecting him as he stood still.

"Oof!" She went, sliding down his armor.

"Okay… now what?" He asked.

"Keep her in there, freeze her feet if you have to!" Star said.

As Rebreather was getting out of the way, Danny flew past him and did as Star suggested, freezing Shade by the feet.

Shade, shaking her head, aimed her arm in an attempt to fight, but found nothing happened.

"What?!" She looked around and realized the room she was in, formerly the garage, was pitch black. "Oh no…" She muttered in horror.

As Danny looked curious, Star filled him in.

"Her powers are useless unless she's anywhere close to light. Can't use shadows if you're somewhere where they are no shadows!" Star said.

Danny nodded as he then tackled Rebreather into the room they previously were fighting in.

"Guess that's just leaving you, huh big guy?" Danny asked.

"For my master!" Rebreather shouted as he ran towards Danny, intent to fight.

"Bring it on, Seaweed breath!" Danny said as he charged at him.

Danny fired a few ghost rays, which Rebreather responded by raising the anchor like a shield, blocking each blow.

"If you think I have an Achilles' Heel to exploit, you have another thing coming!" Rebreather said.

"Star! His weakness?!" Danny asked.

"Yeah… we got no means of rusting his armor, so it can't be helped." Star said.

"Which means… you have no means to stop me!" Rebreather claimed.

Despite knowing it would have little effect, Danny kept firing at his foe, while Rebreather kept deflecting with his anchor.

"Come on!" Danny shouted.

"I may have been bested by the comic you but I will not be bested here!" Rebreather shouted.

"We'll see about that..."Danny said as their fight continued.


Meanwhile

Misery was back in the room with the puddle of ink.

"Any moment now…" She said impatiently.

That's when four humanoid shapes started to rise. She grinned evilly at their presence.


Back to the fight

A swing of his leg was blocked as Danny avoided a harpoon from Rebreather.

"You're about to be hooked and lined, stinker!" Rebreather shouted.

"Nautical puns… totally saw that coming." Danny muttered as he used his ghost stinger on his opponent.

This barely seemed to bother Rebreather, who backhanded him.

"Fool! You cannot defeat me!" He claimed.

As this went on, the rest of Team Phantom watched while keeping tabs on the other villains being incapacitated.

"While this is going on… where's the pen?" Sam asked.

"Over there!" Tucker pointed to the artist.

Hurrying over since she was the only one who didn't have to remain in one place, Star decided to grab the pen, taking it from the artist once more.

"I got it!" She said as she placed it on the table and tried to break it with her saber, but nothing happened, much to her irritation. "Seriously?! How did the Ghost Writer think his half-brother was gonna destroy this thing?!"

As she kept trying, someone shot a web at her, causing her to hit the wall and be stuck to it.

Seeing this, Danny stopped the fight, pushing Rebreather out of the way.

"Hey!" Rebreather complained.

"NO!" Danny shouted as he went to Star.

As he tried his best to pry her free, Misery Vex, the one who fired, stepped into the room.

"You're too late, foolish man-thing! The Faceless have arrived!" She said before cackling fiendishly.

That's when four figures entered the room with her.


New chapter with thanks to Flower princess11.

3 more to go.

Invader Johnny: Exactly.

RonaldM40196867: I have indeed, still want to. Depends. Ask FP11. I like to think so.

Luiz4200: And his bruised ego.

pokemon fan 1991: Thanks, glad you liked it.

Leonardo: I do, and I intend to finish the ones I got... Christmas Tales may have to wait until July.

Jebest4781: Thanks.

hmilles02: Afraid not, instead it's more a running gag.