Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any of the characters. Danny Phantom is the sole property of Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon and Paramount global.
Growing Pains
Chapter 6: The Ghost Man
Danny, now in his ghost form, flew to the sky but was very careful not to go too fast.
He was soon about 20 feet in the air and started to investigate who triggered his ghost sense.
"Okay, it's either that Helena or another idiot ghost wanting to cause trouble. Whatever, at least I can punch something to get some of my stress out..."He thought, as he looked around.
Danny soon saw a familiar missile heading his ways and dodged it. He then realized who must have sent it.
"I should have guessed..."He muttered, already having figured out who this was by their calling card.
"Prepare yourself, ghost child! I-..."Skulker stopped in place, looking at a loss.
"I see that your back for your daily butt kicking, Skulker. Let's make this quick, I have things to do..."Danny said.
It was then he saw that the hunter ghost seemed surprised, and looking at him funny.
"What?..."Danny asked, wondering why the so-called greatest hunter in the Ghost Zone was rendered speechless.
"Don't "what" me? What happened to you?!..."Skulker demanded, gesturing to him.
"Just the other day, you were a mere whelp, but now you're the size of a barge! What's the meaning of this?!..."He complained, while Danny sighed.
"It's a long story...really long that I'll just give you the highlights. I ran into a new crazy ghost lady who desperately wants a husband and went a man-hunt. Literally. I tried to stop her, she got mad and tried to turn me into an old man. Then, she somehow messed up and now I'm old enough to shave and drive a car. There you go..."Danny said, checking off all the notable points.
Skulker raised a brow, as he processed this information.
"Crazy ghost lady after a husband?! Man-hunting?! You're not talking about Helena the man-hunter, are you?!..."Skulker asked, sounding genuinely at a loss as he checked his surroundings.
"You know her?..."Danny asked, curious about how the hunter ghost refereed to the would-be-bride.
Skulker rolled his eyes in irritation.
"Most of the ghost zone's male population knows her and try to stay AWAY from her, and with good reason! She's a real piece of work! The pickiest woman in both our worlds!..."He grumbled, looking irritated.
"I can see why she's so "popular"..."Danny said sarcastically, while his enemy continued.
"That shrew always haunts ghostly mixers and single bars almost every night in her deranged quest to find a man that's insane enough to put with her and actually meets every one of her ridiculous standards! Not only that, but she also throws away anyone who doesn't! She's a complete mad-woman, and EXTREMELY picky to boot!..."Skulker said, making it clear that he doesn't like her.
"Why am I not surprised to hear that?..."Danny asked, while his enemy just readied his weapons
"No matter. Like I once said: big or small, I'll still have your pelt to adorn my home!..."Skulker said, pulling out several weapons and locking on his target.
"In your dreams!..."Danny said, as he fired an ecto-blast at him.
However, to his surprise, his blast came out about 10 times bigger and stronger than usual!
Skulker's alarm systems gave off warning signal to retreat, that only he could hear, but it was too late.
"What in the-..."Skulker was cut off as he was hit square on by the powerful blast.
Danny, on the other hand, was stunned at the sudden display of power.
"What the heck?! How did I do that?!..."He wondered, as he looked at his still glowing, smoldering hand where the blast came from.
The ghost man was astonished with what he just did to one of his ghost enemies, that had been harder to take down normally.
He scratched the side of his head, as he tried to figure out what was going on.
He did come up with his own theory, though.
"I guess...in addition to being taller and probably being able to bench press a truck with one hand...I guess this means my power grew too..."He said before grinning.
"Cool!..."He said, not against this.
"No! Not cool!..." Skulker was heard complaining.
Danny then turned to face Skulker and smashed his fists together, making an audible sound wave in the process. The air pressure from it caused actually moved Danny's hair slightly, but he was too excited to notice right now.
"Alright, Skulker. Get ready to face Danny Phantom, the ghost MAN!..."He said as he felt that he might end this fight faster than usual.
To his surprise, he saw that Skulker was already practically down for the count or at least his suit was.
Apparently, that single ecto-blast was a lot more powerful than either expected, and it incinerated a good chunk of Skulker's high tech armor.
"MY SUIT?! I just had it waxed!..."He complained, as his true tiny green self was left.
"Ya know, I was about to call for a 10 count, but I guess the bell had already rang before I could even start..."Danny quipped, as he went and punched him.
However, as soon as the fist connected, Skulker was sent flying very far, almost going out of sight.
"NNNOOOOOTTTT COOOOOOOLLLLL!..."The hunter ghost yelled as he crashed to the ground, and didn't have time to go intangible due to the sheer speed of the attack.
He crashed to the ground and made a deep Skulker shaped hole. The ghost man was satisfied at this.
"Wow! I really don't know my own new strength but I took down Skulker, before a whole minute passed. That doesn't reek!..."Danny said, grinning as he hovered over his enemy.
Skulker's suit was already in shambles and he went to his discarded head. He opened it and pulled out the tiny green blob that was the true Skulker.
"Let me go, you overgrown, hairy whelp!..."Skulker shouted in his squeaky real voice, flailing around in a vain attempt to get out.
The ghost man chuckled, his new deep voice letting own a deep, hearty one as he decided t keep taunting his foe.
"Hey, don't blame me for this. If anything, this all happened because some lady doesn't know how to compromise..."Danny said with a laugh, trying his best to see the lighter side of his bizarre situation.
"Just wait until I get my hands on that stupid man-hunter! She's gonna pay for indirectly interfering with my hunt!..."Skulker shouted as he tried to thrashing himself out of the ghost man's grasp, but to no avail.
"Blah blah blah! Save it for when you fix your stupid suit to tell me all about it in a less hilarious sounding voice..."Danny said, as he pulled out his thermos and sucked the ghost inside.
He clasp it shut and found himself grinning.
"Wow, that was probably the fastest time that I've ever beat Skulker. And I feel completely unscratched. I guess I'm going to get stronger with age. I guess there is one perk to this whole being older thing..."He said, seeing a silver lining in his predicament.
He thought back to the other discoveries he made, and couldn't help but comment on them.
"I'm taller, stronger, faster, more powerful and I might actually have a chance of becoming less of a dork around girls as an adult. Still not reeking..."He said, seeing some stuff to look forward too when he becomes an official adult.
However, as he tried to land safely, he ended up accidentally breaking a fire hydrant with his foot due to not having control of his new strength.
Danny blinked, and sheepishly hid his head beneath his shoulders.
"Uh...I guess there are some downsides too...namely control..."He said, rubbing the back of his head in a somewhat laughing fashion.
He then tried to fly away, not wanting to cause any more accidental damage. However, he was flying fast again and flew passed the stratosphere again.
"Okay, this is starting to get old fast. No pun intended. Maybe I should continue this on foot, don't wanna overuse a power boost..."He said, flying back down and landing behind a nearby tree.
He made sure no one was around and quickly changed back to his human form. Once done, he figured out his next move.
"Alright, I guess another stroll around town won't be so bad..."He said, as he began walking and continued his search on foot.
He left, keeping both his eyes peeled for any and all signs of Helena's whereabouts. As well as not avoid morphing if possible until then.
He just hoped that no new surprises would happen after this
Meanwhile
Tucker and Sam had just gotten out of class, and headed to their lockers. However, they were missing a special member of their trio and his absence was felt.
"Man, this is the first time we've been at school this long without seeing Danny. Think he's fine?..."Tucker asked, concerned.
However, his gothic friend suddenly sported a smile at the mention of their friend and thoughts of his new appearance came to her mind once again.
"Oh... yes, he is!~..." Sam said with a lustful thought before seeing Tucker raise an eyebrow.
"Uh...I mean...yes, he'll be fine..."She corrected, while Tucker shook his head in minor disapproval.
"What?..."Sam complained, seeing him starting to crack a smile.
"And you think I'M ruled by hormones..."He muttered, offending Sam.
"What's THAT suppose to mean?!..."She asked, hands on her hips.
"Just that the pot's spent too long calling the kettle black..."Tucker snarked, while Sam huffed up.
"Don't make me hurt you..."She said, crossing her arms.
Tucker rolled his eyes with a smile, knowing that she had her "crush on Danny" dial turned to an 11 after seeing what he'll look like as an adult with her own eyes.
"She's barely even hiding it now. When is she just gonna fess up and be done with it?..."He thought, shaking his head as he went to his locker and grabbed his things.
Sam scowled and looked away, though the thought of Danny's adult body reentered her mind and lifted her mood.
"We really should find Helena to change him back...no matter how long it takes..."She thought, barely hiding an infatuated smile as she thought about her best friend and his handsome new looks.
Later
With Danny.
Danny was now by the town square, where a lot of stores and restaurants were.
He slowly walked across a nearby fountain as he thought about where Helena would likely be. He didn't see her, and was starting to get frustrated right now.
"Okay. Think Fenton. Where in Amity Park could that crazed would-be-bridezilla man-hunter find a group of men where one of them could possibly fit her insane criteria?..."He thought as he walked and pondered.
However, he felt more eyes on him. He noticed some more people talking amongst themselves and smiling in his direction.
Before he could even comment about any of this, someone had approached him. It was a red haired woman in a green sundress who walked passed him and liked what she saw.
"Hey Hottie, nice shirt..."She said flirtatiously as she kept walking away, but not before sending him a flirty look.
Danny was taken back by that comment, and felt a little flustered to say the least.
"Uh, thanks..."He said, unsure how else to respond to that comment.
"That was kinda weird. Was she just being sarcastic or was that an actual compliment?..."Danny thought, as he kept walking.
He soon arrived to a nearby café and saw two women, who seemed to be college aged and were hanging out there.
They both seemed to be in their early twenties. One of them had short black hair, olive skin and grown eyes, and a perky kind of look. The other one had shoulder length blonde hair, blue eyes and a bombshell kind of look.
The ladies saw him and giggled, as they tried to convince the other to approach him first. They were both pretty and clearly attracted to him, as they tried to get his attention.
"Hey there, Studly! Are you out here, all on you lonesome?~..."The dark haired one said, waving flirtatious at him.
"Huh? Are you talking to me?..."Danny said nervously, wondering what these two attractive college girls wanted from him.
The two ladies giggled, thinking he was being funny and kept up their flirtatious antics.
"You bet. I see no one close to you. Care to join us, Cutie?..."The blonde woman said before flirtatiously winking at him.
"Are they actually...flirting with me?..."He thought, not sure how to react to all of this attention.
Danny was both flattered and surprised by that.
He knew in his real form, he'd have no chance with girls like these, but he knew that they were too old for him in reality. As such, he had to avoid all sorts of trouble and not make any stupid decisions here.
Sure, he didn't want to be mean to them and needed to chose his next words wisely, but was quickly drawing a blank and said what was on his mind.
"Well...uh...I...don't know if I should..I mean...I...I..."He said, sweating profusely as they kept giggling.
They even got up from their chairs and got closer to him, which only made the boy-turned-man even more nervous.
"Aw, someone is being shy~..."The blonde said in a playful way, as she got closer to him.
"Come on, we were just about to head to a movie. It's a scary one and we can use a pair of strong arms to cling to. What do you say, Muscles?..."The dark haired one said, sending him suggestive looks.
Danny gulped, feeling really on the spot right now as his weak knee reaction began to kick in at the worst time.
"As if I have trouble with girls my own real age!..."He thought, gulping hard.
Danny was avoiding eye contact to try and calm himself down. He tried to think up an excuse, and turned them down politely but he was really on the spot here.
However, he then saw saw a nearby guy glaring at him and slammed his fist into his open palm behind the two cute college girls, making it clear that he saw him as competition and that he was not welcome here.
The newly made man decided not to start a fight, so he quickly excused himself.
"Uh...thanks for the offer but...I'm late for an appointment..."He said as he tried to ran away fast.
He soon headed out, trying to avoid any trouble. The two girls blinked at that, surprised by his hasty retreat.
"Hey, come back!..."The blonde said, but he was already gone.
The two girls noticed the guy nearby sending him dirty looks and became angered. They knew who this guy was, and one of them got REALLY angry now.
"Terry, I told you that we are over! How dare you get between me and that hottie?!..."The blonde yelled at him with enough volume to alert the restaurant.
Terry just frowned.
"As if I'd let you replace me with the first pretty face you see, Andrea!..."He yelled, and the two shouted at each other until the cafe's staff had to break them up.
A few moments later
Danny had left the cafe in a hurry, and was now taking deep breaths. He was trying to process what had just happened.
"I spent all puberty wanting girls to notice me. And now I can't even enjoy it without another Dash knockoff wanting to beat me up because of it. Not to mention, the fact that I'd technically becoming jail bait on top of it. This is so confusing and stressful!..."He thought, finding this ironic and frustrating.
He tried not to think about it and focus on his original task, but also felt the need to unwind a bit too.
With a quick glance and not seeing Helena around, Danny continues to look for any clue on where the crazy ghost lady is.
Checking his watch, he shrugged.
"Well, it's 9:40 and I still have pretty much the entire day ahead of me. So, where else can I can I go?..."He thought, trying to think of all other places that he hadn't checked yet.
However, seeing as how it was still early, he had a lot of time to kill and no one was in any immediate danger...he decided that maybe Tucker had a point.
He was an adult and this was a rare chance for him to do all the things he was never able to do before. Plus after the last encounter he just experienced, the half ghost man could use a break right now.
It was a unique day off he'd probably never get again. At least not for a few more years, that is.
"Well, I guess Helena can wait. If no one is running and screaming, that means she's not close by...so...maybe I can just wait until the guys and Jazz get off school..."He thought, decided to give it a shot.
A shot of enjoying the perks of adulthood, which he didn't realize until now just how tempting it was.
"Hopefully I'll know what to do when this happens for real..."He thought, deciding to go for it while he still can.
A whole day of enjoying the perks of being an adult and no limitations.
What could possibly go wrong with doing that?
Later
After going home to get some extra cash from his house by phasing in without being spotted, Danny decided to indulge in some "adult activities" that he normally wouldn't be able to do as a 14 year old.
"Here's a movie I've been wanting to see without sneaking in. This is gonna be awesome..." Danny said to himself, as he walked to the cashier.
"One please..."He asked, as he asked the theater employee.
"That'll be $20 please, along with proof of age..." The college age girl said with disinterest, as she stares at her cellphone and without bothering to look at him.
Danny reached into his pocket, only to pause when he realizes he can't use his membership card and has no proof of his current age.
"Oh, right..."He thought, trying to come up with an excuse.
"Darn... I... left me license at home..." He lied, hoping to politely get out of this now awkward situation.
The girl finally looked at him, ready to scold him until she got a good look at him. Straightening up and with her face turning red, she cleared her throat and suddenly became more friendly and positive.
"Uh... that's okay. This is...on the house..." She insisted, gesturing him to get in and handing him the ticket, free of charge.
"Uh... okay..." Danny said, surprised by this generosity and act of kindness.
He would have asked about it, but decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth.
"Thank you..."He said awkwardly, as she handed him the ticket and still sent him funny looks.
"Enjoy!..." The girl went, as Danny sent her a confused look at her sudden 180 in behavior.
"Weird...but...hey, who's gonna turn down a free ticket?..."He thought, as he went inside the theater.
As he left, the cashier pressed against the glass and smiled liked a schoolgirl in love.
"Wow, he's as hot as the sun in July!~..."She sighed dreamily, only to hear someone angrily tap the glass.
"HEY! Can I please get some service here or what?!..."One patron in line said as all were complaining and wanting to get in.
With Danny
He was now inside the movie theater, for an R-Rated movie and was excited, as it was his first.
The half ghost man had felt a little bit peckish and decided to purchase a soda and popcorn. Thankfully, he had enough to purchase something good with the amount he had, thanks to that girl at the register giving him an oddly cheerful smile.
"Oh boy, my first R rated film! This is gonna be so cool!..."He said, excited.
He found just the right spot at the middle section of the seats to get the best view of the big screen.
"Alright, here we go. This is gonna be good..." He thought, ready for adult action, violence and possibly adult comedy that will fit everything together.
That's when the movie started and the very fist words spoke made him realize what he was in for.
"Timothy, this is serious. The public has complained that the taxes are affect their income and making it difficult for them to keep up with expenses while property value goes down!..." The actor in a suit said, glaring at another man in some sort of office.
"How dare you, Sanderson?! I'll have you know that you know that I did everything by the books and to the letter! You dare accuse me of trying to bankrupt the entire tri-state area?! That's slander and defamation of the highest caliber! You will hear from me in court and my attorney and I will give you enough litigation that your grandchildren will be in debt!..."The other actor said, before he spoke a lot of jargon and had a pronounced squint as he went on a long, lecturing rant.
Danny's smile dropped, as the film continued to break his expectations, but just not in the fun way that he thought it would.
The scene involved men in suits discussing politics and family drama...and it didn't look like there would be a single explosion, car crash or zombie attack anytime soon.
"Oh darn!..." He thought, as the movie continued and he watched the whole thing...with a less than pleased look on his face.
1 and a half hour later
Danny soon left the theater, feeling pretty disappointed. Since the R-rated film hadn't lived up to his expectations.
It mostly involved politics, romantic drama and occasional hard language, that was overshadowed by boring and confusing topics and jargon that the ghost kid-turned-man didn't understand.
Sure, it had some violence and mature scenes, but it was mostly non-stop socio-political and economical drama, along with a bunch of boring adult relationship issues.
All stuff that a 14 year old boy would have NO interest in.
Not to mention, the overall plot and ending was just... incredibly boring, especially to someone with a lifestyle like his.
"Geez, talk about a let down. Even if the ticket was free..."He thought, throwing the now empty popcorn bag and soda cup in the trash.
He was glad that he at least had a snack, while sitting through that snooze-fest of a movie. He soon left the theater and he wanted something to wash the taste of popcorn out of his mouth.
As he walked, he passed by a nearby coffee house and got an idea.
"Hmmm...I guess maybe I can give that extra strong coffee a try. I always did wonder how those drinks tasted like..."He thought as he decided to give it a shot.
Inside the coffee shop
Karen, a 22 year old blonde barista was at the counter, as she just finished giving a fresh cup of coffee for an elderly customer.
"Come again..."Karen said, after giving a middle aged man an espresso.
Once he was gone, she let out a breath of disappointment.
"Remember Karen, you're doing all this to save up for a car and pay off the your tuition. You're already halfway towards your goal, just keep it and fake all your smiles until then...just one day at a time..."She thought, keeping up the smile as the next customer came in line.
"Welcome to Steve's...What do you want?..."She asked, not looking directly at him yet.
"Uh...hi...uh...what's the manliest coffee you have?..."The guy said.
Karen scoffed at that strange request.
"What kind of question is that?..."She asked as she turned around to face the customer.
Once she did, she gasped as she saw a really buff, hot guy that she had never seen before.
Hearts appeared in her eyes and a blush on her face as Cupid's arrow struck.
This guy had thick black hair, a buff body, a cute smile and the most dreamy set of blue eyes she ever saw on anyone.
It made her lost in thought.
"I...I mean...uh...sure...uh...what was it that you...wanted again?..."She asked, unable to get over how handsome this guy is.
Danny simply repeat his question and decide to ask for her opinion.
"Uh...I did ask for the manliest cup you got...any recommendations?..."He asked.
"Oh...uh...black coffee?..."She asked, her smile being genuine.
"Yeah, give me that..."He said, taking her word for it.
"Coming right up, Sir..."Karen said, as she went to work on the coffeemaker in a much more enthusiastic and cheerful way than before.
In less than a minute, the hot coffee was done and even had foam in the shape of a heart.
"Here it is, freshest cup of coffee we've got!..."Karen said, looking lovesick as she offered to hand over the drink to him.
"Thank you..."Danny said as he pulled out the money to pay for it.
He handed the money to the barista, and their fingers brushed a bit. Karen felt it and nearly felt her heart explode from the contact.
"His hands are so...soft yet firm! Wow!~..."She thought, practically melting as she was currently stuck in her own head.
Danny didn't notice this. He went to a nearby booth with his coffee. He blew on his coffee and shrugged.
"Okay, bottoms up..."Danny said as he drank the coffee.
However, he instantly regretted it once he tasted just how bitter it was.
"Ugh! Maybe that was a little too strong!..."He said, making a disgusted expression on his face right now.
However, to his surprise, some of the female workers and even some patrons went to him and asked if something had bothered him about the drink.
"Is everything alright?..."One female worker asked, wanting to be helpful.
"Is your coffee too hot? I can blow on it if you want?..."Another female worker offered, who had also previously been gawking him.
"Hey, he's my customer. Plus, I saw him first!..."Karen said before pushing them aside and acting sweet with Danny.
"What's wrong? Do you need any cream and sugar?..."She asked, holding packets and cups.
Danny was a bit taken aback at this sudden attention and just accepted her aid.
"Ugh...some cream and sugar would be nice...please..."He said, weirded out by the extent of this coffee shop's customer service.
"On it..."Karen said as she quickly poured one packet of each and mixed it quickly and diligently.
She even did a quick coffee art of a heart within a heart on his drink, which Danny briefly admired as she smiled at him. Once done, she turned to him with a slight bashful expression.
"Here it is, let me know if you need any more..."She said, hearts in her eyes.
Danny nodded and drank the coffee. Thankfully, it tasted better and he drank every last drop.
"Wow, this stuff is actually isn't half bad once you add cream and sugar into the mix..."He thought, now liking the much less bitter tasting coffee.
Once he finished, he smiled and even left a tip for Karen, which made her almost swoon.
He was about to leave but the same barista from earlier called out to him
"Wait..uh...what's your name?..."Karen asked, since she forgot to ask him that before he ordered for his coffee.
"Dante..."Danny said, remembering to not use his real name as he left.
Karen and her co-workers were all swooned after hearing his name. It was a name that made their hearts beat faster.
"Dante...even his name is hot!~..."Karen said, as she remembered how big and strong his fingers felt on her hands.
"What a hunk!~..."One of her co workers said, while the others pressed their respective face on the window glass and watched the half ghost man walk away.
It was clear that nobody in that coffee shop was going to forget that dark haired man anytime soon.
Outside
"Okay, I heard of service with a smile...but they seemed a little TOO friendly..."He thought, weirded out by their overly helpful behavior.
He still thought that the coffee was pretty good, and figured those barista's just wanted an extra tip, which he obliged.
Now, he was by a nearby diner, one that had it's own restrooms too. One that wasn't very clean, but that wasn't his main concern right now. He went inside, washed his hands and face in order to get himself clean and calm himself down from what he went through.
What was his concern is that every woman he met is acting like he was some stud or something.
It was really bizarre and uncomfortable as he was still a minor on the inside. It was also quite confounding that just yesterday, he was a high school student who most girls don't give the time of day.
Now, he was an adult and over 4 adult women hit on him already and it wasn't even noon yet!
It was a serious 180 in treatment and he wasn't used to any of this. He tried to make sense of it all.
"I can't be that good looking. Maybe I am over thinking it and they were just trying to look good for their boss or something..."He thought, drying his face with a paper towel.
He tried to rationalize what had happened to him so far.
"It was probably just a fluke with that sales lady too, and those two girls at the coffee were probably just trying to get a raise or something. Those other ladies at the cafe earlier were probably just teasing me or something too..."He thought, not believing they were truly serious and he just decided not to pay anymore mind to it.
He soon walked out of the bathroom, leaving the diner that had very few people...which were all men but he didn't notice, and there were no women to hit on him right now.
He didn't notice or care, as he tried to figure out what to do next.
"I still have a few hours, and there are still a lot of grown up stuff I wanna try if I can. May as well make the most of a freaky change..."He thought, trying to stay positive.
The new man then continued to go about his business, his search for Helena and to rid himself of his sudden adulthood continued.
Hopefully before he meets women too flirty for their own good, but really...what are the chances of more of that happening again?
-To be continued-
Next time on Growing Pains
More Little Detours
A/N: Special thanks to NeoMark and Jay The Average Fanboy for helping with this chapter. You guys rock :)
REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewer:
Boris Yeltsin and Menatron the Angel of Ideas: Thank you :)
RonaldM40196867:
1) I guess we will have to wait and see.
2) I'll think about it.
3) Danny saw a video game character by that name, and decided to use it.
NiteOwl18: How's this?
Pokemon fan 1991: Thank you :)
Jebest4781: Thank you :)
Danifan3000: Yeah, Dash's future doesn't look bright but Danny's seems to be nothing but bright :)
Luiz4200: Yeah.
Pzombie: How's this?
Invader Johnny: Yeah, but at least Danny got a power boost.
DJTimmer: It was Skulker, but Danny did indeed get a power boost. As for the last question, sorry but no spoilers. We will just have to wait and see what happens.
:) I hope you enjoyed this! Remember to read and review :)