Chapter Eighty-Seven: Challenge
"Well, here goes nothing." Dan sighed, looking at the challenge letter he was meant to send out.
"The shield is in place and stable." Dani said through an earpiece on his ear. He nodded and then flew into the Ghost Zone, heading for the lair of those new ghosts.
It was close to the Shadow Realm, where the Shadow Ghosts resided, and he could feel eyes on him the closer he got. Hungry Shadow Ghosts, eager to find a ghost to latch onto. But he already had Danny – he didn't need another one.
"Phantom!" One of the ghosts greeted, coming out of their lair. "What brings you all the way in here?"
He held out the letter. "I'm here to officially challenge you. We've set up a location in the Real World where we can fight without involving the humans."
"So, you don't want to fight in the Ghost Zone." The ghost smirked, taking the letter. "I'll take this to our leader, and if we agree to it you'll see us soon."
Dan smirked. "We'll be waiting." He then flew off, zipping through the ghost zone effortlessly.
"They coming?" Dark asked when he returned.
"How could they resist?" Dan stretched. "They'll be out soon."
"Sam and Daniel are secure with Lucretius." Dani said, entering the room. "A problem arose while you were out, though."
"Uh oh." Dan frowned. "You mean…"
"Vlad is talking to her right now, it was unexpected." Danny sighed as he entered in his human form. "She wants new equipment that can withstand the Wail."
"Great, right after we sent the challenge." Dan groaned.
"Good thing we'll be invisible for it." Dark shrugged. "Vlad will keep her busy inside, while we deal with the trouble outside."
Danny nodded, taking the bracelet off. Then the ghosts flew out, invisible and intangible, to await the arrival of the thugs.
They didn't have to wait long, with the shield already back up and in place. The thugs appeared from their portal and the leader moved forward.
"Well, let's boogie." The ghost grinned.
"Bring it." Dan beckoned to them.
Danny glanced at the house to make sure Vlad had closed and locked all the windows and doors before he became visible, punching his fists into his palm before taking an offensive stance. "Let's make this quick, we have an unexpected visitor over."
"We'll make sure they see you fall." The leader taunted, and then shots were fired. Danny and Dan moved together, Danny forming a shield as he moved in front of Dan and Dan firing through the shield to attack the thugs. Dark watched from near Dani, in case she needed someone to take over, and blocked a blast with a shield, firing at the thugs in retaliation.
"Thank you." Dani smiled at him.
"Just keep focusing, Danielle." Dark said, forming a shield in front of himself and Dani, watching the brothers battle the thugs.
"Why won't you let me look outside?" Valerie asked, going to the window again.
Sam sighed. "We already told you. There's a grudge-match between ghosts going on outside, and one of them told us they would protect the house on the condition that we don't watch the battle."
"That wasn't a joke?" Valerie looked at the other humans in the room. It unnerved her how much 'Daniel' looked like Danny Fenton, but after being told that he was a cousin she had accepted it.
"I don't joke." Daniel said flatly as he played with the baby in his arms. "I lost my sense of humor long ago."
Valerie sighed. "For all I know, that's a joke. Is it bad to just look out?" She reached for the window.
"If we look out, then they won't be able to focus on the battle or their shield and it will drop and the attacking ghosts will kill us." Vlad said calmly. "Please, come back to the game. It's your move, Miss Gray."
"I hope James and Dan are safe in town…" Valerie sighed as she sat down across from Vlad. "I guess it was bad timing that I arrived just in time for them to be heading out."
"They're fine." Vlad smiled. "You'd be surprised what they can do if in trouble."
"Careful!" Plasmius hissed, putting up a shield between the two teens and the thugs. "They DO aim to kill you, you know. It's not like training, why would you BOTH use your big-hitters at once?"
"Sorry." They said sheepishly.
"Seemed like a good idea at the time." Dan added.
"You do many stupid things because they 'seemed like a good idea', Phantom." Plasmius said with an exasperated tone.
"Well, you didn't think—"
"Mind. On. The. Battle." Danny said firmly, forming an energy ball.
"Yes, dear." Dan said cheekily.
"I am so hitting you for that." Danny took in the orb of energy and flew around the shield, blasting at the thugs.
"Boys, get along." Dark called. "Teamwork, remember?"
"Right." Dan flew around the shield, his power rejuvenated by his own energy orb.
They fired at the ghosts, and when one of them got too close Danny let out a low hiss before charging forward. To their surprise, he didn't blast them but latched onto the neck of the attacking thug ghost, his fangs digging in.
"Oh, geez." Dan cringed. "Danny, don't!"
"Get off my partner!" Danny heard one of the Shadow Ghosts yell, and then the thug was stumbling back as Danny released in, locked in battle with ectoplasm on his lips.
"Whoa." Dark whistled. "He's never done that before."
"It's usually only a thing he does if he needs to. He doesn't normally attack that way!" Dan replied, firing at the ghosts.
It did the trick of making the thugs less likely to get close to Danny, though. Danny fired at the Shadow Ghost, driving him back, and licked his lips as he moved in front of the thugs, DARING them to fight him hand-to-hand.
'Is this because Lucretius and Sam are in danger if they win?' Dan thought.
'I'm just using all my skills to my advantage, Phantom.' Danny mentally replied.
'Well, don't be doing this to anyone else.' Dan thought firmly.
Vlad glanced up as his clone-brother mentally told him the battle was over. He stood up and went to the window, pausing when he heard a knock, then opened it. "…Is the trouble over, then?"
Plasmius nodded. "Thank you allowing us to use your home for a battleground, it's secluded enough and not too far from the city they normally haunt."
Vlad nodded. "It wasn't easy to keep Miss Gray from looking out. She's with the others in the dining hall right now; I told them I had some more work to do and would join them after."
Plasmius nodded. "Good plan. We'll drop the shield and then I'll conceal Dani while Shade, James, and Dan return home."
"'Shade'?" Vlad raised an eyebrow.
"He needed a human name; I picked one on the spot." Plasmius shrugged. "Not like Daniel and I are known for being original."
"Oh, yes." Vlad sighed. "'Plasmius' and 'Phantom aren't that original, are they?"
"Nope." Plasmius nodded. "Anyways, they'll be at the door soon." He flew off to pick up Dani.
Vlad sighed, closing the window, then went to inform the others that he'd been told it was alright to look outside now. When Valerie dashed out to open the front door, she saw Dan, James, and a stranger coming up the walk.
"Valerie!" Dan ran over to her. "I'm sorry that I was gone so long when you visited!" He hugged her close.
"It's okay." She smiled. "I came by so suddenly; I can't expect you to drop everything just because I'm visiting."
"This must be the lovely Valerie Gray." The stranger remarked. "He wouldn't stop talking about you, you know. Every time we passed a jewelry shop, he would—"
"Shade!" Dan blushed and went to cover his mouth. "Don't you have to go see Daniel?"
"This is Shade, a family friend." James introduced.
"Hi." Valerie smiled, holding out a hand.
He took it, bringing it up to kiss the back of her hand. "You're as lovely as he described, Miss Gray."
"Stop flirting!" Dan swatted at him, fuming. Shade laughed, walking inside.
"I better go to Sam." James smiled. "See you later, you two!" He ran past them.
Valerie watched him go, then looked at Dan. "Why does he still wear bandages around his arms?"
"He got so used to them he just puts them on as a fashion-statement now." Dan chuckled, shrugging. "He's got a lot of weird quirks I'll never get."
Valerie smiled, taking his hands. "Well, before we go in, can we walk around the gardens? I've been cooped up inside because of some ghost fight out here."
"Ghost fight? And you didn't get involved?" Dan asked.
"Apparently Mr. Masters made a deal with one of the ghosts that the house would be protected if the ghosts could settle their grudge-matches once and for all over his private property, instead of over the city." Valerie shrugged. "I wasn't even allowed to look outside."
"Bummer; bet it was quite a show." Dan smiled, lacing his fingers with hers as they walked off to the gardens.
"I was just worried about you guys." Valerie admitted.
N'garrrrr, Danny uses Shadow Bite! It's Super Effective! Enemy Thug Ghost is weakened!
Daaaark, don't flirt with Valerie! She's not the momma of your baby here! ~ Zone