Nicktoons: Battle for Volcano Island
Chapter 5: Saving the Florians
Sometime later in the medical hut, Sam started to wake up. She yawned and stretched in the cot, feeling much better after what had happened yesterday. Outside the tent, the goth heard voices.
Sounds like the rest of the team is up, Sam thought as she stood up and walked out of the hut and into daylight.
Timmy, Jimmy, Spongebob, Patrick and Sandy were sitting on a fallen log around the fire pit, eating an unusual sandwich.
The goth strolled over to them and greeted, "Morning, everyone!"
"Howdy, Sam!" replied Sandy, "Ya'll feelin' better?"
The teen responded, "Yep, and I'm ready to head out." She then looked around, noticing something was missing.
"Where's Danny?"
The atmosphere of the group suddenly changed; Spongebob grew teary eyed, Timmy rolled his eyes and Jimmy looked away.
Sam became concerned, "Is he okay?"
"Oh, he's fine," said Sandy, "Danny's just upset cuz Timmy ticked him off."
The bucktooth kid protested, "Well, I can't help it if he has a big-"
Jimmy gave Timmy a hard jab on the side, silencing him. "What Timmy is trying to say is that Danny is just...stressed about the whole 'save the worlds or perish' thing."
Sam raised an eyebrow, "That doesn't sound like him; Danny usually keeps his cool during rough times."
"And he does," continued the genius, "Timmy just happened to, as they say, push his buttons one too many times."
The goth wasn't buying it, but didn't press him. She then turned her attention to Spongebob, who was looking down on a smushed Krabby Patty.
"Spongebob? Can you tell me what happened?"
The sponge lifted his square head at Sam. He then looked over to where Danny had disappeared and returned his gaze to the teen.
"Danny just got mad and smushed a perfectly good tropical KB," sniffed Spongebob.
Sam sighed, knowing she wasn't going to get more information from the troubled sponge. She then glared at Timmy, who was ignoring the leer. "For your sake, he'd better come back."
The bucktooth boy said, "Oh, he'll be back. Danny can't be that upset."
Unfortunately, Timmy was wrong.
Danny was striding through the rain forest, not caring where he was going. The teen's hands were stuffed in his pockets and was looking down.
"Who do they think they are?" Danny grumbled under his breath, "I'm not in love with Sam."
The teen suddenly felt his feet give way and he fell forward. Standing up and brushing the dirt from his shirt, Danny saw a large seed pod and realized he had tripped over it.
The teen's blood boiled and he snarled, "Stupid seed!" and gave it a hard kick, sending it into the bushes. Moments later, a deep growl echoed through the bushes and a human-like plant creature appeared. He carried a spear and had the seed stuck in his grassy forehead.
Danny's eyes widen and he started to back up, saying, "Oops, sorry. I didn't notice you, dude."
The teen stopped when his back bumped into another plant man. He turned around and noticed two more plant men coming from the forest. They gathered around Danny, pointing their weapons at the teen.
"Wait!" he pleaded, "I'm one of the Chosen Ones. I'm here to help the island."
The plant men stopped advancing and the bigger one, the leader, sneered, "Oh, really? Then you're the guy we've been lookin' for."
Another monster added, "Yes, the Mawgu was sayin' that the Chosen Ones must be destroyed..."
"...And we just happened to be in the neighborhood hunting for them," finished the other plant man.
The fourth one directed his spear to Danny's neck. "So, do ya wanna go the short, painless way? Or the long, very painful way?"
The teen's heart was pounding in his chest and sweat poured from his head. Danny knew he could handle one of these plant monsters on his own but four was another matter. Without another hesitation, the teen dashed into the forest, barely dodging a thrown spear.
"After him, you nincompoops!" the leader yelled at his comrades.
The four plant monsters began chasing Danny through the rain forest.
At the Mermec's camp, the team was still waiting for Danny's return. They didn't have to wait any longer; the teen burst from the bushes and skittered to a stop in front of the group.
"Danny!" cheered Spongebob, "You're back! We were starting to think you got into some hot ocean water."
Suddenly, the bushed cleared again and the plant monsters appeared.
Danny turned to the uninvited guests and transformed into Danny Phantom. "And you thought right."
The team quickly prepared to fight, taking out their weapons, when Eirk came over and stood between the two.
"Wait, Chosen Ones, wait!" pleaded the Mermec, "These are the Florians, our friends."
Danny crossed his arms and replied, "Well, your 'friends' are hunting us down, the Chosen Ones."
"What?!" exclaimed Eirk and the team. The Mermec turned to the Florians.
"Is this true?"
The leader laughed and snarled, "Of course it's true! The Mawgu has promised us great rewards if we destroy the Chosen Ones."
"That doesn't sound like the Florians I know," said Eirk, "They'll never pledge an alliance to that monster, no matter the rewards."
The Florian leader growled, "Quiet! We're here to do our job, not chitchat!" He pointed towards the Chosen Ones and roared, "ATTACK!"
The plant men lunged forward at the group with their spears. The leader brazenly shoved Eirk to the side and stabbed a spear at Sam. The goth lept out of the way just in time and Danny delivered a powerful punch to the monster's face.
Meanwhile, the others were handling the Florian grunts; Jimmy blasted tornado winds, Timmy launched several star flingers and Spongebob blew bubble bombs. Nearby, Sandy was karate-chopping one Florian while Patrick was spinning his arms around at another. The team outnumbered the plant people and soon had them defeated.
The Florians lay in a heap, sore and stunned. Eirk and Guil, who had arrived earlier, tried them up with a strong rope.
Suddenly, Queen Anorra came running to the group. "What has happened?"
"Your majesty," replied Guil, "these Florians attacked the Chosen Ones, saying that the Mawgu will reward them if they destroyed them."
Anorra gazed down at the plant men. She noticed a trickle of purple ooze from one of the members' mouth.
"No," she muttered, gathering the ooze with a leaf, "not the Florians."
Jimmy asked, "What is it, Anorra?"
"These Florians have been in contact with the purple ooze from the Mawgu."
Spongebob gasped, "Oh no! Shelly said that goo was bad."
"And there's more," continued the queen and she studied the goo some more. "It looks like this ooze came from the river the Florians drink. It appears that they have been brainwashed by this ooze to serve the Mawgu."
Sam exclaimed, "It's an environmental apocalypse! We hafta stop them!"
Queen Anorra nodded, "If we could stop the flow of purple ooze from entering the river, the Florians would be free. But first we must find the source."
"Ya'll want our help, queenie?" asked Sandy, "You got it!"
Anorra smiled, "Thank you. You should then start looking at the beginning of the river." She turned to the two Mermec tribesmen. "Eirk and Guil, you are going with them. Show the Chosen Ones the way and protect them."
The Mermecs bowed and said, "Yes, your majesty."
Danny returned his gaze at the tied up Florians. "What's gonna happen to them?"
"I have some special healing potions that will destroy the ooze," she said. "They'll recover from their brainwashing in no time."
Jimmy asked, an idea forming in his mind, "Do you mind if we borrow some of those healing potions so we can destroy the ooze?"
The queen smiled, "Actually, you wouldn't need them; the Amber Stone will purify the river."
"Huh?!" the ganged exclaimed.
Eirk said, "That's right; the stone has the power will reverse the purple ooze's effect, according to legend."
"Cool! That'll work!" said Timmy.
Guil commented, "We better head off, then. The way to the river's beginning is not far. Follow us."
The group and two Mermecs headed off into the forest. Behind them, Queen Anorra shouted, "Good luck, Chosen Ones!"
After a few minutes of trekking through the steamy jungle, Jimmy gave Timmy a hard nudge.
"What?" snapped the bucktooth boy. The genius rolled his eyes to Danny. Timmy was confused for a second but then got the hint.
Grumbling, he got the teen's attention, "Uh, Danny?"
"Yeah, what's up, Timmy?" asked the ghost boy.
The bucktooth boy swallowed his pride and said, "I'm sorry that I teased you about...you know."
Danny raised his eyebrows in confusion but then realized what the kid was talking about. "Oh...it's okay. Apology accepted."
"Really?" asked Timmy.
The teen nodded and smiled, "Yeah, we're best friends, aren't we?"
Suddenly, Danny playfully grabbed the bucktooth kid in a headlock with one arm and noogied his brown hair with another. "Just don't do it again, squirt."
Timmy snarled as he struggled in the teen's grip, "Dude! Leggo!" Behind them, Jimmy covered his mouth to keep from laughing.
Sam turned around and saw the scene. At first she thought Timmy had upset Danny again, but noticed that the teen was smiling and chuckling.
The goth couldn't help but grin. Seeing Danny playing around made her really happy. For a while now, Sam was beginning to develop a crush on Danny but was still unsure if the teen felt the same way.
She sighed and said to the boys, "Alright, break it up you guys."
The sound of Sam's voice made the ghost teen's spine tingle. He dumped Timmy to the ground and stood straight up.
"We're just kiddin' around, Sam," replied Danny as he helped the bucktooth boy up.
Timmy agreed, saying, "Yeah, that's what guys do; mess with each other."
"But we really should get going, though," commented Jimmy. As the two boys headed to the front, Sam and Danny trailed in the back.
The goth asked, "So, are you feeling better?"
"Better?" replied the teen, confused, "About what?"
Sam shrugged, "Well, the guys told me Timmy ticked you off somehow and Jimmy said it was because you were stressed about saving our worlds. My question is; is that true?"
Danny's eyes widen in realization. He shyly turned his head away from the goth, unsure how to answer. "Uh..."
"C'mon, now," pressed Sam, scooting closer, "you can tell me. What really happened?"
The ghost teen tugged at his collar and gulped. That funny feeling was welling up inside again...
"Heh, I'm just playin' with you!" revealed the goth and gave him a gentle push. "You don't hafta tell me if you don't feel like it."
As she wandered up to the front of the group, Danny let out a big sigh. Oh, thank goodness, thought the teen; he really didn't want to tell her then. Another thought came into his mind, But maybe I could...no, she won't take it seriously...or I can try...nah...
These thoughts mingled in Danny's mind as he and the team trekked through the forest. Lost in thought, the teen bumped into Eirk who had stopped.
"Here is it!" stated the Mermec. He was standing near a cave where the river came bubbling through. They could see a purple tint in the water.
Patrick was about to stick his hand in the river when Guil held him back. "Although the purple ooze won't make the Chosen Ones evil and corrupt, it burns like fire if touched."
"I don't want my hands to burn like fire," replied the sea star, jerking his stubby hand away.
Jimmy looked back at the cave. "That ooze must be coming from inside the cave. Let's go in."
The group followed a dry path into the cavern that led deeper inside. Light beamed down from several holes in the tunnel. Soon, the team had reached the river's start; a large but shallow pool of water that was slowly being filled by a small waterfall from above.
Eirk grew concerned, "This isn't right; that waterfall should be much bigger."
"Yes," added Guil, "something must be blocking it."
Timmy pointed up at the waterfall's crest. "Could that be it?"
The group followed the bucktooth boy's gaze and noticed a wooden dam that had blocked the river.
Eirk nodded. "Looks like it," said the Mermec, "We have to destroy it before-"
"BEFORE, WHAT?"
A deep bellow from inside the cave startled the team. From a corner of the cavern, a large, shadowy shape appeared. After coming into the light, the creature took the form of a giant, leafy cabbage with a round head in the middle. It glowed an eerie purple.
Guil gasped as he recognized the voice. "It can't be..."
"But it is," finished Eirk, just as shocked, "that's King Gorge!"
Spongebob exclaimed, "King Gorge?! The same King Gorge that rules the Florians?"
The monster roared, "THE ONE AND ONLY!"
"Perhaps when he was kidnapped by the Mawgu's minions," concluded Jimmy, "they transformed him into a monster using the purple ooze."
Danny turned to the Mermecs. "Guys, we'll distract him while you go and destroy that dam."
"Understood, Chosen Ones!" replied the two and they rushed up the trail to the top. King Gorge saw what they were doing and raised a enormous leaf to smack them down. But he was stopped by Sam's Peeler suit, which sliced the leaf in half.
"King Gorge, stop this madness!" pleaded the goth, her ray gun smoking. "Release the waters and free your people!"
The monster sneered as the torn leaf grew back, "HAH! YOU SO-CALLED CHOSEN ONES!" He then lowered his head to the team's height. "MY MASTER, THE MAWGU, WHO RULES FROM THE VOLCANO, SAYS THAT ALL SHOULD BECOME ONE WITH THE OOZE!"
King Gorge roared then in their faces, "SUBMIT!"
Danny stood firm, as did the others. "No way!" he shouted back, "We're ending this now!"
A smile, similar to a pumpkin carving, showed the purple glow from within King Gorge. "NOT IF I END YOU FIRST!"
With that said, he stabbed his leaves into the ground below. They traveled underground to the team and burst out from under them. The leaves grabbed the stunned group and held each one aloft in a tight grip.
"AAH! I can't break free!" Timmy screamed, struggling.
Danny tried to move his arms, but they were pinned against his sides. "Me neither, but we can't give up now!"
The ghost hero turned to face the monster and took a deep breath. Realizing what he was going to do, King Gorge squeezed Danny tighter. Exhaling, the teen felt as though his chest was going to cave in; even worse, he couldn't take a breath.
"Oh no, Danny!" shouted Jimmy, seeing what was happening. Reaching into his pocket (his arms were free), the genius took out a laser and sliced the root holding the ghost teen. Danny dropped to the ground, landing on his feet. Once again, the root grew back and was about to strike the weakened teen.
Danny saw it coming and let loose a powerful blast of ice. The cold froze the plant's tendrils in place.
"It's time for you to chill out, your highness!" shouted the teen.
King Gorge roared as the others freed themselves from his grip; Timmy chewed through the leaf using his bucktooth, Spongebob and Sandy karate chopped the roots into pieces and Jimmy cut the tendrils holding Sam and Patrick with his laser.
Once the whole team was on the cave floor again, the monster roared, "IT'S GOING TO TAKE A LOT MORE THAN THAT TO DEFEAT ME!"
"Then, what about this?"
The grouped lifted their heads up and saw the two Mermec on top of the dam. With their spears, they stabbed the dam and it began to crumble. At the last second, Eirk and Guil lept from the collapsing structure and onto the cave floor with the others.
A sudden surge of water broke over the falls, drenching the entire floor. The team braced themselves over the surge and clung to one another. After the water had died down, the group was left dripping but unharmed.
"Whoa," mused Danny as he held Sam, "that was more intense then Wet World."
The goth nodded, "Yeah, sure was."
The two teens then realized what they were doing and broke apart. Danny sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck while Sam shyly stroked her arm.
"Hey," asked Spongebob, looking around, "where's King Gorge?"
Eirk craned his neck to the entrance of the cave. "He must have been swept out to the river. Let's go find him."
The group raced back to the river. They saw that the king was lying in a heap in the river, noticeably unconscious.
Danny took out the Amber Stone. "You said that the Amber Stone will purify the river, right, Eirk?"
"That's right," answered the Mermec.
The teen dipped the stone into the river. "Well, let's see if the legend is true."
Water flowed under and over the Amber stone, but nothing happened.
Danny was confused, "Huh? Why isn't it working?"
"Lemme try," said Sam and she rushed to his side.
When the goth placed her hands on the stone, it began to glow a warm light from within.
As the team watched in awe, the light extended throughout the river and removed the purple tint. When it reached the fallen king, it bathed him in a golden light. Slowly, King Gorge transformed back to his original size and shape; a pickle-like body with leaves for arms and legs.
Eirk and Guil gasped and helped the king to his feet. "King Gorge, are you alright?"
The king opened his eyes and stared at the lads with his bearded face. "Ah, what happened?" he said with a stately voice.
The team gathered around the confused king. Looking up at them, Gorge gasped, "Are you the Chosen Ones?"
"That's what everyone tells us," answered Danny. "C'mon, we'll bring you back to the Mermec's tribe."
As the group headed back to the camp, Spongebob asked out loud, "I wonder why the Amber Stone glowed when Danny and Sam both touched it?"
"Maybe that's how it reacts to being in contact with two living beings," suggested Jimmy, "but I'm not sure myself."
Timmy said, "Well, whatever it is, at least the stone works, and that's what's important, right?"
"Yeah," replied Danny, although he was just as curious as they were. Shrugging it off, though, the heroes started through the jungle back to the tribe.