Ben Tennyson, and the others, are owned by Man of Action and Cartoon Network.
American Dragon - Jake Long, and the others, are owned by Disney.
Danny Phantom, and the others, are owned by Nickelodeon.
Ghoul School, and the others, are owned by Hannah-Barbara and Cartoon Network.
Story Aided by - u/2319472/Vanessa-Masters
Chapter 9:
Booby-trapped Bog
As the group has gone to the Bog for some exercise their headmistress was going to prepare some food for them when they returned, and knew that Matches would be willing to help. "Is my cauldron bubbling yet, Matches?" The woman in pink questioned as she made her way to the item in question. She put her hand to pick up the ladle, which was already inside, but the female knew something was off as soon as she tasted a bit of it. "Why, my Scorpion Stew is ice cold." She said in shock while throwing the ladle into the pot. "Matches. Here, boy. Light the fire." She ordered to the fire starter in her organization. "Now, where has that dragon gotten to?" She questioned since she often at least got a rumble of disapproval from the creature in question. As she went to ask the other personnel where he may be Matches was busy with his own plan.
'Good thing I'm a dragon with good timing.' The small beast thought since he hitched a ride on the bumper of the Rustbucket, and was now walking in the Bog with his nose to the ground. 'I know my brother is around here, somewhere.' He thought since he could now smell the stench of his red scaled chum. He stayed on target until he heard a voice, 'What was that?' He grumbled in his own tongue before heading off in the direction of the noise. The closer the guardian got the more and more he was certain that they were people; people that he knew.
"Well, guess that answers my question: there is a bottom in a quicksand pit." The white haired wonder said as he and his companion came out of one of the various pits throughout the Bog.
"And wasn't it fun?" The ghoul beside him questioned ending with her laugh, but as soon as her small laugh was over she added another comment, "We should do this again sometime, Darling." He heard her offer and he actually liked the idea since she was one of the most easy going ghosts he has met ever since he first became Danny Phantom.
"Yeah, maybe sometime soon." He said with a smile and a nod. The Phantom's daughter smiled because he agreed with her offer, but it was his smile that gave her the confidence to ask him something that has been on her mind.
"Maybe say…when it's dark out and the moon is full?" She questioned after floating right next to him with her eyelids half open, and ended with, "Very romantic, don't you think, Darling?" The Amity Apparition starts to blush and tug on his collar, and as he loosened it he laughed nervously over what she asked.
"Guh…uh…Sure…Phanty. I mean…maybe-." He said with a nearly petrified voice since this was one thing he was not banking on when they came here. Due to his fear the hero began to look away from the giggling ghoul; he went so far as to whistle to distract him from her eyes.
'He is so cute.' The spectacular specter thought as she gazed at him; not knowing how uncomfortable she was making him, but that emotion took a back seat when the hazmat hero remembered one game these girls loved to play.
"You know…I heard from Ben that they were planning on playing Hide and Shriek, and Ben's it. Better tell the others." Fenton said to her in hopes that she would believe him.
"Hide and Shriek - oh I love that game." She squealed before flying back to the ground, and then ran off to find her friends. As she left the warrior, that was still floating, could not argue that her laugh was strangely comforting to him. As he went back to the ground to go for a walk Ben and Jake were about to take a breather of sorts.
"Come on, Jake. Try to keep up." The hero of heroes commented as he was outrunning the dragon of their team. The duo had been running for a while, and it was only through luck that he gain the lead of a New Yorker.
"Don't worry, Morpholomew 2, I still have plenty of game." The red warrior said back. The problem was that they were not watching where they were heading. As the duo began hopping on a segmented stone path in the middle of a muddy lake one of the rocks that Ben moved causing him to jump out of the way.
"This is a set-back." Tennyson said as the two of them stayed on the last piece of the path with alligators all around them. Out of instinct Both of them got ready to battle.
"Dragon up!" Jake commanded causing him to transform into his dragon form. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Ben was sifting through the watch for the right guy. The concern was as soon as the mystical negotiator was ready to strike he could not. "As much as I don't want to be an alligator appetizer I don't know if I can wail on them." He said to the other.
"I know what you mean, but if these guys want to fight then this heroes is going to swinging with four big arms." The green jacket hero said and turned the dial to the hinted on hero. It was at that time the duo had an audience.
"Try swinging with me." The bat girl said, still in bat form, before bypassing the leather skinned one, and grabbed Ben by one of his fingers. Jake saw that they were flying away, so he did the same causing the gators to pile on top of one another. She placed Ben on the ground and changed back by the time the other fliers landed.
"That had to have been one of my closest calls yet." Ben said with a sigh of relief before talking to his savior. "Thanks for the help, Sibella." He said with a smile and a hand on her shoulder.
"I need some help, myself. Winnie must be playing hide-and-shriek. I can't find her anywhere." The daughter of darkness said to them while trying not to like how good Ben's hand on her shoulder felt.
"Winnie." The dragon whispered to himself before changing back to his civilian form. Reason behind that was that he wanted to be less noticeable if there was someone other than the ghouls around.
"Jake and I will stay here, on the ground to see if we find anything." Ben said to the other two, sort of making a plan after finding out one of his students was MIA.
"Ears and eyes of the dragon." Long commanded before walking on ahead - determined to find the canine at all costs. The two saw this and decided to move too even though neither of them liked this plan.
"And I'll search by air." Sibella said after feeling Tennyson released her shoulder. He watched her change and fly off; there was only one thing the single hero could say as she flew.
"Good luck." As he and then unknown to him five familiar faces spotted the purple bat in question.
"Hey, what's that up there?" The heavy-set cadet said to the others while pointing to the gloomy sky. The remaining three looked up and that was when they saw what he was speaking of. "This bog's got bats." He added when the thing that he heard came into view; not realizing that it was the bat that help beat them.
"Better look down here. We're back in the mud again." Miguel said after feeling an earth based substance on his ankles. Their speed factor, who had taken the rear of their little group, knew something was stranger than that.
"Negative. I think this is…" Jamal stalled as he and the others feel the mud begin to ride up on them. In that second they realize that it wasn't riding, but they were sinking.
"Quicksand!" The field leader said in alarm as the 'mud' has made it to his waist. Grunt was also worried, and regretted of taking point, but he knew that their best friend had a plan.
"What do we do now, Tug?" He questioned and prayed that it was something useful. He looked at them and decided to sort of be honest with the rest of his team.
"We use our basic survival skills, like yelling for help." He told them even though he knew that his relation would have come up with something more inventive, but that was one other thing that he lacked in comparison to TJ.
"Affirmative. Help!" Jamal said and shouted as loud as he could.
"HELP!" The others joined him this time, and as they were doing that some wished that the stayed with the Colonel instead of venturing on their own. As they shouted two creatures heard their plea.
"Sounds like those smart aleck Calloway cadets." The young Frankenteen informed after recognizing the sound of the voices just before them.
"Maybe their playing in the bog, too." The daughter of the Mummy, who was still with the strong woman, said to them and they both headed off in that direction. The bow wearer honestly thought that her idea held water since it was a male that came up with this same spot for them.
"Someone's coming." Tug informed them even though he knew that the others also heard the sound of crunching twigs, and rustling plants.
"Affirmative!" The skilled one shouted in praise while thinking, 'Please don't let it be the Colonel.' When the sound stopped the five saw who it was, and wondered if this was good or bad news. "It's those Grimwood girls." He said as they saw the green dressed one, and the bandaged one before them.
"Quick. Help us out!" The brainiac of the team shouted in a rush tone since the contents of the pit had seeped into his underwear.
"But why? Swimming in quicksand is fun." The bandaged beauty informed them with a smile since it really was relaxing to her and the rest of the ghouls. This new found piece of information concerned the men before them greatly.
"Fun? That's a negative!" Jamal shouted back, trying to make it clear that he: Miguel, Tug, and Grunt did not like being in there. Hearing their athtlete member use their lingo two more decided to stress their concern the same way.
"On the double." Miguel said while trying to sound nice to them.
"If not sooner." Grunt told them with his voice completely petrified over what was happening to them. The duo looked to them, and then had a one on one conversation.
"Since they have been mean to us all this time I say leave them." Elsa said to the youngster before walking off, but she stopped when the other spoke.
"That's not how our teachers would handle this." Tannis said with crossed arms. The strength stood there for a moment and then glanced over her face and saw that the mummy was sporting a serious face.
"All right. All right." She said back as she walked to the edge of the pit and saw a log resting beside it. "Well, if you babies insist." The thunder based girl said before picking up the log and placing it in the quicksand; near the three. The young lady watched as they all got onto their side of the log and then flung them out. Grunt landed first and acted as a landing pillow for the others.
"Oh, thanks for getting us out, girls." Miguel said to the two of them, after he and the others got to their feet, with true appreciation in his tone.
"Affirmative." Jamal added to his friend comment while he and the others tried in vain to clean their suits with their hands. The two accepted that as a token for what they did, and then headed off in their own way.
"I know you didn't want to, but it was a good thing that you did do that even if they are big spoilsports for shooing away the quicksand." Tannis said as she and her friend were going deeper into the bog.
'Personally I would have saved them regardless, but I just wanted to make sure you were on board.' Elsa thought after hearing her friend's comment. She knew that they may have been jerks, but even they didn't deserve that kind of torture.
"Oh, thanks for getting us out, girls." The brains of the bunch said while patting away the mud-like substance.
"Affirmative." The speed added while doing the same. Once the four were a little more presentable their field leader went over to a gap between the trees, and gave them an order.
"Now, I say we better find a way out of his bog. Forward, Cadets." The statement was made, but the others watched as he suddenly looked at the clump of grass closest to his foot. 'What is that?' He thought as he saw something come toward him but due to similar color he could not make it out until a head came out of the grass.
'Hmm. That's not any of the guys' footwear and it isn't the girls, so that mean…cadets.' Matches thought with a satisfied smile as he saw a brown shoe before him.
"RETREAT!" Tug shouted back out of fear and then ran as far as he could.
"Affirmative. Advance to the rear." Jamal added once he saw the full image of the beast his friend was running from. Without another word the others followed them, and in a different part of the bog another student was running, but out of joy, not of fear.
"Bogs never bug me. Of course my phantom feet never get wet." Phantasma said in joy as she ran through a few trees. As she did the girl ghoul passed by a wooden shack; a shack that her canine companion stood just outside of.
"Oh, Phanty." The wolf said in a monotone voice. The listener heard her friend, not noticing the change in voice, and went toward her.
"Watcha doin in there, Winnie?" The spirit questioned as she headed back to the shack. For a moment the wolf tried to fight back for control but the web-muffs reappeared and took back control.
"Hiding. Come see." The hypno-hound said back and then walked backward into the small building.
"Ooh, darling was right - it is hide-and-shriek, but some one else must be it." The specter sweetie as she merrily skipped into the small building with her friend. The sad part is as soon as she did so her 'friend' bound her arms to her side as best as she could. "Winnie, what are you doing?" She questioned with a little fear in her voice since she knew that this was not her friend's way. Before she knew it strange bat creature flew around her head, and a voice spoke.
"It is okay, my pet. You may release her." Revolta said which the dog did so. Once she did the phantom walked outside sporting the same ear-wear as her friend.
"Yes, Revolta. I will obey." She spoke as images of a white haired boy faded from her mind along with images of a man in an overcoat. As her memory faded the source of her most recent memories were searching for her.
'Where are they?' Ben thought after climbing to the top of a leafless tree, and took a look around. Once looking around from right shoulder to left he found himself thinking out loud, "If we don't find those girls then we can only hope that our health insurance is paid up." The one on the ground: Danny heard him, and didn't like it, or at the least just didn't like something.
'Why do I have a feeling that I have been messed with again.' Fenton thought as he recalled Ember's spell the first time he fought her. His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar screeching.
"So, does that mean you found Winnie?" Ben questioned as a purple bat landed on his arm. The instant the wolfett's name was called Jake, who was sitting at the base of the tree trying not to think of her worst case scenario suddenly jumped to his feet. She screeched again and then took flight at a fast pace.
"I think she wants us to follow." Danny said and the three headed off to follow her as best as they could while staying in civlian form since they didn't trust the bog itself. When they lost sight of her the three of them went in different paths. "Good luck." The spectacular spirit said before heading down his own way.
"To you too." The other two said as one, and as Ben found himself in a nastier part of the bog Jake spotted a familiar friend.
'It's Matches. He may prove useful.' The human dragon thought, and noticed that the smaller one saw the red jacketed hero.
"Huh. Jake. What do you want?" The green dragon mumbled in his native tongue up to the New Yorker. He simply tossed out smoke signals which simply said - follow me, but stay hidden. The mystical negotiator then walked off with the other dragon trotting close behind. As he was rallying the last of their ground troops their bat kept looking around.
'They have to be around here somewhere.' She thought while gliding through the air. After a few moments the young woman spotted an opening near the center of the swamp along with the sight of two of her friends. "Guys!" She screeched in her native tongue.
"Yes, Sibella, we're here. Come down." Winnie said while moving her left arm in a puppet fashion. Phantasma, who was beside her did the same motion as well.
"We want to show you something." The spirit said while not putting in any of her usual spirit into her sentence.
'Since they are fellow hero crushes maybe they have a way to impress those three.' Dracula's daughter thought with a smile before going down to nearly eye level. The second she did the bat didn't feel right about this, and what the wolf said next confirmed it.
"Get her." The orange haired one said to the creatures inside. The violet vampiress saw two winged creatures coming at her, so she did the only thing she could do - fly away. As she did another being in the shack with her friends walked out to see it for himself.
"Don't let her escape." The Grim Creeper informed them as they went after her. The prey swung back around to see that she was still being tailed causing her to shout out in her natural voice.
"BENJI!" The shout caused the man in question to look up and see what was going on. He saw what was going on that she was being chased, and at that instant he knew that this was no game.
"Hey! No one's going to pick on my girl! Especially when I haven't told her how I feel yet!" The brown haired youth shouted in anger before going for the Omnitrix. Once it was activated he used the first form that it was on:
"Echo Echo!" He shouted before using the creature's sonic screech up at them. He saw that two attackers had been hit, but he also saw that he had hit his friend, and as soon as he saw her fall he transformed again:
"Ditto!" The black and white creature then began to duplicate himself several times over. When he reached the right amount the twelve of them formed a ladder to catch her before she slammed into the ground.
'What was that noise?' The bat thought before feeling flesh underneath her. She looked down and saw that it was a pair of white hands holding her.
"Okay. I got her. Start collecting." The main savior said which caused them all to pull themselves together, but since they all knew that the bat creatures were still out there five of them stayed - one caring for her while four positioned themselves around the two.
'Oh man, what was that noise.' The dragon thought since he heard a sharp screech, but did not know what to make of it. 'Still I got to find the others.' He thought before starting to run, but as soon as he passed a still in shape shack he tripped on his own feet and landed on his side through the open door.
'I know this creature.' One of the people in the small building thought as she watched him stand back up.
"Wonder Wolf! Here you are, I've been worried sick." The red dragon shouted in happiness before wrapping her arms around him this caused her to gain some control over herself. The gym teacher pulled back, with his hands on her shoulders, and saw her face go from almost watery eyed to simplified.
"Revolta doesn't want you. Get out!" The wolf said to the man before her in a robotic tone. This caused him to release her shoulders out of shock since he knew that this wasn't the Winnie he knew since she didn't even use his nickname.
"The Grim Creeper will take care of him." Another robotic female voice said aloud causing the latest arrival to look at her.
"Phanty?" He asked in confusion before continuing with, "All right you girls are acting weird. I think you should come back to Ghoul School and then maybe…URKKK!" He was forced to stop since a green vine found it's way around the American Dragon's neck.
"Revolta does not like meddlers." The owner of the vine said after he pulled his captive from the shack.
"Yeah?" He questioned with a frown as he stared at the psychotic grin. "Well, Jake Long, doesn't like being manhandled by some…some…Man Plant! Mouth of the Dragon." He shouted out of rage. He saw the look of surprise in the one of the plant, but that surprised look was replaced with pain as the flames hit him right in the face.
"Aaah!" He screamed in sheer pain before back peddling to get away from the flames. 'What are you?' He questioned in alarm as he saw Jake rise to his feet with his mouth still that of a dragon.
'That should be a good enough signal.' Long thought before watching his foe run as fast as his vines could carry him to a pond of sorts, and it was then he saw the second dragon storming out of the brush.
"Better back off, buddy! That's my friend your messing with." He said to the soaking stranger. After that display of power he saw the other dragon walking over to him.
"Good job, mini man." He said to his fellow guardian before patting him on the head. As he did that the green beast saw two of his friends by a shack.
'Girls.' He thought and was about to head over, but was stopped by the US's dragon's hand.
"Something's come up. We have to go - now." He said as soon as he saw the other having an angered face. Matches glared at him for a moment, but after a few moments agreed to his statement, and the two ran off.
"Forget them. It is capturing the others that's important." Revolta said to the two since they were about to pursue. Instead they looked up and saw the spider-bats were back in the fight.
"They're coming back." The Ditto to the North said to his fellow Splixson before getting ready to knock them away with his hands. Since the two of them were built for recon, at least that's what they believed, so they weren't supposed to be strong. Before he had a chance a purple blur went past his head knocked them for another loop.
"Don't worry about these guys Benjis I can take care of them all by myself." She said before flying higher away from them.
"But your not alone. Not anymore." The fifth Ditto said solemnly before adding, buckle up guys, cause it's time for…He stalled as all five pressed the symbol on their forheads to become one:
"Jetray!" He shouted but after a quick feel and look around he saw that he was not his Aerophibian, but something completely new. "What are you?" He questioned before looking up. "On second thought - ask later attack now." He said before flying up. Just as they had their prey trapped a wing appeared to either side of her, and swatted them away.
"Benji?" Sibella questioned as she stared at a bat creature, but as soon as she saw the hourglass she knew that it was him.
"Hang back and let me show you how I rock." He said to her while thinking, 'Of course this is trial and error mostly, but let's hope she can't tell.' To his sides the spider-bats were having the same thought:
'We've got to get rid of this guy before we get to her.' It was then that the creature to the hero's left dove down into the thick bog.
"I've got him. Stay here." Tennyson said before flapping after his prey. As soon as he was over the thick bog something strange happened to the bog - he was able to see the bottom without squinting or angling his head. 'Cool. This must be x-ray vision he thought with glee, and after a while he saw his prey. 'Wonder what else I could do?' He thought before finding himself being pulled apart, but was relieved that he had simply turned into several tiny bats.
'Now's my chance.' The second spider-bat thought after seeing the tiny bats go into the bog. With the bigger bat he flew after his target, but sadly she saw him coming, and took shelter in a dark, but not lethal, cloud for protection.
"Where did she go?" The pursuier questioned while looking this way and that. The first spider-bat saw that his friend was having difficulty, so he went skyward the moment the tiny bats reformed back into one.
'That was pretty cool.' Tennyson thought after he became whole, but after a quick look, with standard eyesight, he did not see his target. "Now where did he go." He said, and just as the hero of heroes began testing out his powers his overall problems worsened.
"Well, it's about time." Tannis said as she and Elsa arrived before two of their friends since they too decided to go looking for them after helping their enemy.
"Where have you Grimwood girls been?" The strength of the team said as she stood behind the young one. She felt something amiss, but she could not put her finger on it.
"Waiting for you." The blue skinned one said while emphasizing 'you'.
"Come inside." Winnie, who was in the doorway, said to the two new comers. The flier, who saw everything through the cloud did not like where this is going.
'I'm sorry Benji, but I have to try and save them.' Sibella thought before flying out of the cloud and over to them as fast as she could in her present form.
"It's Sibella." The young Frankenteen said after hearing sharp squawking above them, and saw who it was.
"Something's wrong." The mummy's daughter said since she knew her friend hardly, if ever, used that tone to them. Just when she was about to ask her friend what was up the bandaged beauty felt a pair of clawed hands on her shoulders just as Elsa barely felt a pair of hands on her shoulders.
"But it's too late for you." Winnie said and the two of them pulled the two new recruits into the shack. Revolta saw this, on the monitor, with a smile since she could tell that her plan was about to come true.
"Much too late." The woman behind all of this said with an evil cackle. She then used her wand to activate the hidden broomsticks on the back of the shack, and thanks to the high speed spell she placed on the brooms the item in question will get to her in no time. "Come to me my little Grimwood Girls." The villainess said as she watched as the building took off.
'Maybe if I fly fast enough I can get to the door, and grab the girls.' Sibella thought and was going to put this plan into action while down below Ben had just finished working with the rest of his detecting powers.
'Oh, no! Sibella's going to get sneak attacked.' The keeper of the Omnitrix thought as he saw the spider-bats go after his friend since he smelled the blood from the creatures through their own skin. "Better cut them off." He said and activated his mini bat power.
'Benji - not good timing.' Sibella thought and stopped in midair since he was about to reform before her. Unknown to either of them was how fast the shack was, and before he could fully form the high speed hovel knocked the bats in several different directions.
'Now's our chance.' The two thought and rushed her while she was distracted. They each took one of her wings with their spider legs, and as they did that the spider-bat to her left summoned and placed a pair of web-muffs on to her own ears.
'No! No, not these!' She squawked in alarm before thinking as best as she could, 'Benji, Benji please help me.' Sadly the bat based hero was still trying to collect himself.