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.
Empowered
Chapter 19: Tying Up Loose Ends
The next day
It has been a day since Colette or Empress Whatever was defeated.
Team Phantom was relieved that one of the biggest thorns in their sides no longer has powers or any memory of the event.
Even better, Colette was absent at school today due to her injuries. An event which was an added bonus for the heroes, especially our favorite couple.
"Man, not counting the attack from Skulker and Johnny and Kitty's latest spat, this was a great day at school. Not to mention that there was no Colette in sight. Now that was the cherry on top..."Danny said, smiling.
His girlfriend nodded.
"Yeah, getting to pound her to a pulp and enjoy a Colette-free day at school is a blessing...which only makes me marginally less angry at Misty, but not by much..."Star said, rolling her eyes upward.
The couple had been on their way to leave the school, ignoring the A-Listers and Paulina who has been whining about "Starlight Spirit" again.
"I can't believe that boyfriend stealer is back!..."Paulina whined for the millionth time, much to the annoyance of her popular friends.
Danny saw this and shook his head at her rather pathetic display from his former crush.
"How can she even call you or...Starlight you a "boyfriend stealer", if she and my ghost half were never even going out in the first place?..."Danny asked.
"She's delusional. Almost as much as Colette..."Star said as she rolled her eyes again, making a face in Paulina's direction.
She was not impressed by her former friend's action, and she then turned to face her boyfriend.
"Let's ignore her like we usually do..."Star suggested.
"Can do..."Danny said, holding her hand as they continued walking.
Outside
The couple had left the school and were on their way to meet with the others.
As they kept walking, Danny was distracted by a thought. He got curious about something, and needed to be sure.
"How are you feeling Starlight? Hungry? You need anything? You won't pass out?..."Danny asked, still worried about her.
Star sighed, knowing why he is like this.
"Calm down, Danny. I ate my breakfast and lunch, which you saw me do and it was a decent sized one. I haven't skipped any more meals. Promise. Plus, I even had a banana and an apple as snacks. Which, I repeat, you saw me do..."Star said, knowing that he is still worried about her not eating enough.
Danny just sent her a stern look, still being protective of her.
"Just because you don't have powers doesn't mean that skipping meals is any less unhealthy and dangerous. You know that..."Danny nagged. "Not having powers just mean that you won't pass out again so soon. But even then, it's still a bad idea..."He added.
Star sighed, knowing that he might be like this for a while.
"You're gonna be in overprotective mode for a while, aren't you?..."She asked, already knowing the answer.
"Seeing as I love you, yes. Very much..."Danny answered, like it was obvious.
Star sighed, but smiled slightly. She knew why he did this, and she did understand.
Enough, that she had to say the following.
"You can be pretty stubborn when you get overprotective like this..."She said, while her boyfriend frowned at that before she continued.
"But you do it because you actually care about me and want what's best for me. Kwan and my other exes probably wouldn't even have noticed if I was starving. Or worse, they might have even ENCOURAGED me to lose even more weight and get thinner, not knowing or caring if I was starving myself..."Star said, gesturing to her stomach and looking away in shame for her poor past choices.
Danny heard this and frowned.
"No offense to you, Starlight...but those guys are idiots who didn't know what they were doing or see the harm in trying to perfect someone that is already perfect to begin with..."Danny said, meaning every word.
Star giggled, and smiled more at that.
"No offense taken, Danny-Boo..."Star said, wrapping her arm around him.
The ghost boy smiled at this.
"Good. You're so lucky I enjoy your company too much..." Danny said as he held her with an arm around her.
The blonde girl smiled serenely at this, feeling so warm and happy right now. It was times like this that reminded her about how lucky she was to have him in her life.
She smiled once more, knowing what she had to say to him right now.
"Danny-Boo..."Star said, almost hugging him.
"Yeah?..."Danny asked while she smiled more lovingly at him.
"I love you!..."Star said, making him blush at that.
Danny smiled at that and held her tightly, he then kissed the side of her head and sent her a loving look.
"I love you too, Starlight..."He said, stopping to hold her close.
The young lovebirds shared a kiss, taking their time to enjoy it. They stayed that way a moment longer before resuming their walk.
A little later
Danny and Star soon met up with the rest of Team Phantom, as well as Valerie.
"Hey..."Val said.
"Hey..."Sam said.
"Hey..."Jazz said, glad to see that her brother and his girlfriend had arrived.
"We're all here, almost..."Star said while Danny saw the absence of a certain member of their group.
"Where's Tucker?..."He said, while the goth of the group rolled her eyes and sighed.
"For his sake and his health, he'd better not be stuffing himself with burgers again..."Sam said, crossing her arms.
Just then, Tucker arrived and looked ticked about something.
"I only wish I was..."He muttered under his breath, since he overheard what Sam said.
"Where have you been? We got a teenage sorceress to handle and you're scarfing processed beef?..."Star asked, while the tech geek scoffed.
"I wish that I was, but thanks to someone banning me from the Nasty Burger and tattling to my parents about it, I gotta eat brusel sprouts for dinner tonight, along with a ton of other vegetables my mom has cooked up for me. For a whole month!..."Tucker said, glaring at Sam.
The goth girl was rolling her eyes as hard as she could, not impressed by his over-dramatic behavior.
"You'll thank me when you're NOT in the hospital for a heart attack..."Sam said as she was not remorseful for what she did, believing that she was in the right.
"And she thinks that I'm a puppet of the man..."Tucker grumbled, earning an eyeroll from her yet again.
Danny and the others groaned at his stubbornness.
"I see this subplot is continuing..."He muttered, shaking his head.
"And it's about to get a happy resolution..." Sam answered.
"At least that's what your review says..." Tucker complained, still sulking.
Star rolled her eyes, wanting to stay on track with what they have to do.
"Come on, we've got a sorceress to deal with. Let's just get this over with..."Star reminded.
"Got it, Starlight..."Danny said, as he held her hand.
Team Phantom began walking, ready to head to their destination. All the while, Tucker kept sulking.
"I really need to have a session with him about his sudden, bizarre obsession..."Jazz thought.
"I never realized how stubbon he can be. He's even more stubborn than me sometimes..."Val thought, shaking her head.
"As soon as Misty is dealt with, we're having a serious talk..."Danny thought, as he glanced at his sulking friend.
Later
As the teens kept walking towards their location, they passed a nearby hospital and Tucker shuddered the moment he saw the building.
"Ugh! I hate hospitals..."He said, still upset by them.
His friends heard this, and some were even baffled by his attitude.
"And yet, you're doing practically everything to spend your life in one..."Sam said, rolling her eyes.
"I already told you, there is NOTHING wrong with my life and my dietary choices..."Tucker said, crossing his arms.
"Okay, he's delusional. I can make a book about his poor choices..."Danny thought, genuinely worried about him right now.
Before he could say anything to his meat-loving best friend, they were alerted by the voice of someone.
"No!..."An annoying, familiar voice screeched out, nearly deafening everyone in a 10 foot radius.
Danny and the others turned their heads, recognizing that voice.
"Oh no, don't tell me..."He said, irritated as he knew who that was.
It was at the hospital's entrance, where they saw Colette with Stella, along with Jean-Luc and Doctor Sampson. They were currently arguing with the doctor, no doubt who had been looking over Colette's injuries.
Colette had received the news from the doctor and was NOT happy to say the least. So much, that she tried to leave the hospital in a fit of rage...but didn't get very far due to her injuries.
Still, the spoiled brat refused to comply.
"I refuse to dress like a mummy!..."Colette shouted, trying but failing to pull the bandages off.
"I am sorry, Ms. Bevier, but you'll have to wear those bandages for the next few weeks. If you want to vent, do so with the people who attacked you, but your amnesia is of no help in identifying them and neither is the lack of evidence they likely made sure of..."Dr. Sampson explained, but the spoiled brat just snarled at her.
"You QUACK! I should sue you for incompetence!..."Colette shouted, but hissed in pain, which her parents noticed.
"Colette, behave! Dr. Sampson is a professional and highly recommended. Now get back inside before you stress yourself and need more bandages!..."Stella ordered, Colette reluctantly obeying.
"Unbelievable..."She muttered, hating this.
"This is absurd. I have already tried to speak to the police, but they have no idea how she ended up in that garbage dump with all those bruises!..."Jean Luc said, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation.
The doctor sighed, while the Bevier family brought their angry daughter back into the doctor's office.
Team Phantom saw this and turned to each other, not impressed by the spoiled brat's attitudes.
"Geez, and I thought Tucker hated hospitals..."Danny said.
"I STILL do..."Tucker said, still getting nervous around here.
Sam rolled her eyes.
"Again, you have done the exact opposite of what you need to do to avoid a trip to the hospital this week..."She muttered, while her tech obsessed friend sent her a glare.
Meanwhile
Inside
The Bevier family was once again inside the doctor's office, and Jean Luc stood in front of the door to keep his daughter from escaping again.
Colette pouted, hating every moment of this while her stepmother kept asking questions.
"What do you suggest, doctor?..." Stella asked, worried for her stepdaughter's well-being.
The female doctor sighed, and tried to be frank with them.
"Well...to be honest...I can't understand why she can't seem to recall the past 24 hours before ending up there, since the test shows that while bruised, she hasn't received any kind of injury that would result in memory loss. Even so, all we can do is treat her wounds..."Dr. Sampson explained, observing her chart.
"Is there no alternative method to this?!..." Colette complained, only to complain due to still feeling pain.
"We've been over this. If alternative medicine actually worked, it'd be called medicine..." Dr. Sampson said flatly.
Colette was angry, and sulked.
"Such insolence..."She muttered, wanting to complain.
Before she did, she noticed something outside from the window in the doctor's office. She noticed Danny outside and her mood lifted.
"Danny! Mon Amo-AHH!..."Colette tried, but hissed in pain as she was still sore from the neck down.
"Careful, Colette. You'll hurt yourself..."Stella said, worried about her.
"Sit down before you break something, likely your limbs..."Jean Luc said, pointing to the seats.
"UGH!..." Colette went as she used crutches to go in that direction as her father continued speaking with her.
"And stay away from PEASANTS. I do not need you to get an infection from sitting with them!..."Jean Luc said, practically yelling right now while his wife sighed.
Doctor Sampson heard this and frowned.
"Now I know where she gets it from..."She thought, before she went back to treating her EXTREMELY high-maintenance patient.
Outside
Due to how loud Jean-Luc was being, Team Phantom heard what he said and frowned.
"I see he's still as "charming" as ever..."Danny said sarcastically.
"Too bad her wish didn't include him getting powers, just so I could finally vent my issues with him..."Star muttered as she turned her face away.
Thankfully, Jean Luc was keeping his daughter close to him as to make sure she doesn't break anything else and have to pay even more money for her medical bills. This causes Stella to take a break and step aside to wipe her forehead clean.
As they were ready to leave and continue walking, Star briefly glanced at Jean-Luc, fantasizing her foot pressing hard into his face before her knee aimed for his gut
Her fantasy of assaulting the man who ruined her family was cut off when her mother saw her and respond with enjoyment in seeing her and the others.
"Star!..." Stella went, opening the window and waving at her, as well as gesturing them to come inside.
The blonde girl realized that they were caught and sighed, regretting not leaving sooner. However, she knew that it wouldn't be nice to ignore her mother right now.
"We better say "hi" now that she's seen us..." Star said, sighing.
"Do we have to? I have no problem with your mother but...those two..."Danny said, and the others nodded.
"I know...but look on the bright side, we might get to see our handiwork on Colette again..."Star said, looking on the bright side.
"True..."Danny admitted.
"You guys go inside, I'll wait out here..."Tucker said, but Sam grabbed him by the arm and yanked him inside, in spite of his protests.
Inside
Team Phantom was now inside the hospital.
Tucker was sulking, not wanting to be inside a hospital or be near "the quack who was against the Nasty Burger". However, he just settled for sulking, as the team met up with Stella, who was still with the doctor.
All the while, Jean Luc went to complain with Colette to the hospital's staff, this left Stella and Dr. Sampson alone with Team Phantom.
"Hi, Star Darling, Danny, Sam, Tucker, Jasmine, Valerie. Did you all come to check on Colette?..."Stella asked, misunderstanding their intentions here.
"Yeah right..."They all thought sarcastically, not wanting to say that out loud.
"Actually, we're just passing by..."Star explained, being vague about their reasons
"What...uh...happened?..."Danny asked, playing dumb.
Dr. Sampson was about to say something about confidentiality, but Stella spoke up.
"No worries, Star is my other daughter and Danny is her boyfriend. The rest are their friends. We can trust them with the info..."Stella said, giving permission.
Since Stella allowed it, Dr. Sampson let them know what was going on here with Colette.
"Mr. Bevier is suffering an unexplainable amnesia, along with a bruised side, a black eye, bruised lip, a sprained arm, sprained ankle, some cuts, chipped teeth and minor head trauma. Though miraculously, nothing is broken..." She explained.
"Darn it! I should have taken my sweet time in getting payback against that witch with a bad dye job..."Star thought, but continued to act innocent as her mother explained what happened from her point of view.
"Anyway, it was simply awful. Colette came home last night, beaten and covered in garbage. We tried to ask her what had happened, but she had no memory, just that she woke up at the dump and she was aching all over. It was a nightmare to see her like that..."Stella said, her voice filled with motherly concern.
"Really? Weird. Any idea on how it happened?..."Star asked, still acting all innocent.
"No idea. No evidence was found at the dump. I think it might have been a ghost or something, since that'd explain it..."Stella said, still baffled by the whole thing.
"Well, she's half right...I was a ghost powered girl...but not when I beat her up..."Star thought, hiding how much she wanted to smile right now.
Before Star could make an excuse to leave, her mother recalled something and spoke up.
"Speaking of my daughters and their health...Your father tells me you were trying a crash diet, Star. Is this true?..." Stella asked, sounding upset and even stern right now.
Star made a face, having not expected to hear this from her mother.
"Since when does Dad tell you things?..." Star asked, surprised that they even share some personal parenting info with each other.
"Since Solene was taking a case and we happen to have all met for coffee when he brought it up. Besides, I am your MOTHER. I have a right to know if anything happens to you..." Stella said, arms crossed.
"Oh darn..."Star silently muttered to herself as her mother still looked crossed with her.
"Don't tell me you're doing the very thing you got upset with me making you do on purpose? Skipping meals and barely eating..." Stella scolded, while the doctor seemed alarmed to hear this.
"So, you did a crash diet? And skipped eating to lose weight? Do you have any idea how dangerous that can be?..."Dr. Sampson asked, adjusting her glasses.
Star groaned, feeling tired of fearing this lecture over and over again.
"I know, it was stupid. Danny reminded me of that constantly, but I stopped and ate both breakfast and lunch today. I swear that I did..."She said, gesturing to her stomach.
"Your boyfriend is clearly very wise..."The doctor said, making Danny smile upon hearing that.
Before he could say anything, the kindly doctor spoke up once more.
"I have some free time, so I would like to see how you're doing, Miss Strong..."Dr. Sampson said, speaking in very professional yet stern tone, as she was jotting down on her clipboard.
"Uh... I'm kind of in a hurry..." Star went, not wanting to deal with another lecture right now.
"We're actually 20 minutes ahead of schedule..." Tucker said, earning an angered look from Star.
"Well... he's not wrong..." Sam said, shrugging while earning an angry look from Star too.
The blonde girl didn't want to do this, but the serious look from the doctor and even her mother showed that they would not take "no" for an answer here.
With that, Star sighed and gave in.
"Fine. Lead the way, Doc..." She said in defeat, wanting to get this over with.
A few minutes later
In Dr. Sampson's office.
Dr. Sampson checked Star's pulse and did the other routine checkup stuff. After that, she gestured to the scale.
"Let's check your weight on the scale, Star..."Dr. Samson said, more like an order.
Star reluctantly did so and took her first step.
"Here we go..." She thought, a little nervous about what it might say now.
The weight showed up, and the number made the blonde teen groan once she saw the dial of the scale move quickly.
"You weight... is 115 lbs..." Dr. Sampson said.
Seeing that she GAINED an pound, the blonde felt frustrated and upset that her past efforts seemed to have been for nothing.
"Ugh! I knew all that extra eating slowed me down..." She muttered, feeling frustrated.
Danny saw this and frowned.
"Oh no. She's not gonna relapse, is she?..."He thought, worried.
Thankfully, before he had to step in, the doctor beat him to it.
"Actually, it's a good thing that you were eating all that food..."Dr. Samson said, surprising both the blonde mother and daughter in the process.
"Wait...what?..."Star and Stella both asked, looking confused.
The kindly doctor began to explain everything to them.
"Star, you are about 5"5 and you have a very lean build. A girl your age and height shouldn't be that lean. From what I have been told about your past dietary habits and an exercise regimen, you were dangerously close to becoming underweight and malnourished. That can have a VERY negative effect on your body and it's development..."Dr. Sampson said, as she presented a chart that showed a person's ideal weight range.
"Really?..." Star asked, and the doctor nodded.
Star checked the weight scale and compared amounts. She was in the very range that read "normal" for her.
"It seems that you're finally at the minimum weight a girl your age SHOULD be at and the extra food you had eaten is what kept you from becoming ill. In fact, the MINIMUM weight a girl you're age should be from 114 to 149 lbs..."Doctor Sampson said, as she pointed to her chart.
"So...it's a GOOD thing that my daughter was eating all of that food?..."Stella asked, since such a thing was practically alien to her.
The kindly doctor nodded.
"Yes, it was. Eating disorders and dietary alterations are no laughing matter. It's a rarity when introduction of high calories and fats is a good thing, but this is one such good thing..."Dr. Sampson said, gesturing to Star's weight.
Hearing this nearly made Star's head spin.
To learn that she was actually on the verge of becoming underweight was something she did not expect, and the fact that a doctor is telling her that her sudden weight gain was a good thing was just...had for her to process.
"So... it's good that I got fatter? I don't look or feel fatter..." Star commented, looking down at her stomach.
"That's not fat, Star. Most of your extra weight is the muscle you've developed in your arms and legs..."Dr. Sampson explained, surprising the blonde girl.
"Muscle?..."Star repeated as she realized all that fighting she's done since joining Team Phantom has had an effect on her that she hadn't realized until right now.
"Indeed. You're not overweight, Star, you just developed muscle mass..."The kindly doctor said, smiling.
Star looked at both her arms and legs and finally noticed that they were a lot more toned than before she joined the team.
"Wow..."She said, as she even flexed a bit, while her mother seemed relieved and even pleased right now.
"Oh my! I don't know what kind of exercise you've been doing, Star, but it seems to be helping you..." Stella said proudly.
"Thanks, Mom..." Star said with a weight on her shoulders finally feeling lifted.
Danny saw this and smiled.
"Thank goodness..."He whispered, and Val smiled.
"Hopefully, this will convince to stop being weight conscious..."She thought, while her best friend asked the doctor a few more questions.
"So...let me get this straight...I can still eat stuff like pizza and burger and keep jogging, and it's no issue?..."The blonde girl asked.
"Yes, as long as you don't do anything extreme and maintain a sensible diet, you are free to enjoy treats like that every now and again..."The doctor said, while Star smiled.
"Alright!..."Star said, practically cheering right now.
"You can go now..." Dr. Sampson said, as she wrote something down on her clipboard.
"Thanks!..." Star went as she ran out, practically dragging Danny out with her.
Team Phantom followed them, while Stella smiled.
"Well, glad to see that she's alright..."The blonde mother said, relieved.
Stella was about to go before Dr. Sampson cleared her throat to get her attention.
"Mrs. Bevier, while I have you here...it is shown in your other daughter's files that she is actually rather underweight for a girl her age. She's running the risk of passing out during the day and even lacking required proteins..."The doctor said, being serious.
"Oh dear. Well, Colette is quiet diet prone and limits herself..."Stella said, knowing how much of a picky eater she can be.
"She is exactly 7 pounds under her ideal weight range for a girl her age. That can have serious consequences for her health in the future..."The doctor said seriously, pointing to her clipboard.
"She is?..."Stella asked in concern, and the doctor nodded.
"Yes, in addition to the medicine and painkillers she will have to take. I highly recommend that she needs to increase her caloric intake..."Dr. Sampson said.
"Meaning?..." Stella asked, while the doctor spelled it out for her.
"Ordinarily, saying this would run the risk of making me lose my license, but this is the one time I can say without a hint of sarcasm "she needs to eat a whole pizza for dinner tonight". Increase the level of fat for her diet for at least this week..."The doctor said, completely serious here.
"Pizza? Like... the vegan kind?..."Stella asked, but the doctor shook her head.
"Like what you order from any place with mozzarella and pepperoni kind..."Dr. Sampson explained, with an unamused look.
"Really?..."The blonde mother asked, and the kindly doctor nodded.
"Yes, I am not kidding here. Colette needs the extra calories in order to reach the bare minimum weight a girl her height and age SHOULD be at. Whatever she's eating is not enough for her, it seems. I'm not even joking about the pizza..."The doctor explained, showing Stella Colette's results on her clipboard.
"Oh... well... let me talk to her..." Stella said, knowing that this won't be an easy conversation.
Once she stepped out, she saw her husband and stepdaughter speaking and decided to break the news to them.
Outside
As Team Phantom left the building, they were surprised by a sound.
A very audible sound that reached their ears even after they were a few blocks away from the hospital.
"VHAAAAATTTT?!..." A piercing yell was heard, making the nearby windows crack.
"What the heck was that?..." Danny asked, while his girlfriend frowned.
"Trust me, Boo. Sometimes, it's better NOT to know..."Star said, having a hunch that she knows what caused that sound.
After a moment, they chose to ignore it and move on. They'd learn what it was about much later.
For now, they have somewhere else to be... and someone else to meet with at their agreed meeting location.
Later
Team Phantom soon left the hospital and arrived to the swap meet, which was closed today.
Star had sent her a message after finding her on social media to arrive here. This was where they first properly met her, so it was fitting to end it here.
They began to wait for their most unusual adversary.
"Do you think she'll show up?..."Danny asked.
Star frowned, pounding a fist in her hand.
"She'd better. If she doesn't, we'll just get that spell book away from her the HARD way!..."She said, knowing what will happen if she doesn't show up.
"Man, you are really miffed with her..."Tucker commented.
"Duh. I've almost been killed thanks to her. Twice..."Star said, crossing her arms.
"Fair point..." Tucker said, as they continued to wait for the sorceress.
5 minutes later
Misty soon arrived, carrying a heavy looking bag and gasping for air from carrying it.
"So, you actually showed up..."Star said, arms crossed.
"I said that I would..."Misty said, holding up her phone.
"Well, you also said that you lost your memory last time and that you'd back off from Danny, and yet here we are..."Star said, sending her a dirty look.
Misty cringed.
"She's never gonna let me forget that, is she?..."Misty thought, taking a deep breath.
"So, you have everything?..."Danny asked as he pointed at her bag, clearly wanting to move this conversation along.
Misty sighed as she reached for her bag and pulled out her spell book and several of her scrolls. She sighed, as she presented them to the other teenagers.
"Here they are. All the power and ancient texts of the Yang clan. As promised..."Misty said, looking unhappy to give it all up.
"Perfect..."Sam said, while the magic user held her phone up.
"Okay, I've held up my end, now you do yours. Remove the chip..." She insisted, not liking it being chipped
"Alright..."Danny said, as he took her phone, gesturing for Tucker to follow him.
They went around the corner to remove it without her seeing, since Danny was using his powers to do so. Once done, they returned.
"Here it is. Chip free and everything..."Danny said, as he handed the phone back to Misty.
"Thanks..."Misty said, avoiding eye contact with her crush.
Star saw this and frowned.
Jazz and the others saw this and sighed.
"My little brother is way more popular with girls than he realizes...and it's time like these when it's not a good thing..."The red haired girl thought, shaking her head a bit.
As that went on, Star stepped forward towards her rival. All the while, both girls were exceptionally cautious around each other. Still, Star had something to say.
There was something she had to get off her chest.
"Before we get rid of this thing, there is still something I don't get..."Star said, getting the other girl's attention.
"What is it?..."Misty asked, not looking forward to this but Star sent her a glaring look.
"The last time that we had to deal with your magic, you had your creepy undead uncle or whatever his relation to you is, doing your bidding until he turned on you and almost turned me into the bride of the same guy who didn't get it through to his head the person who he wanted didn't love him and his attempts to win her made things worse..."Star said before frowning as she recalled that incident.
"Even after learning all of that and seeing for yourself that combining magic and envy is a BAD idea, you still decided to fake amnesia and tricked us to scheme some more...cause us even more trouble, even after you saw what true jealousy and envy looked like in all of it's ugliest form..."Star said in a disappointed sounding voice.
"I...uh..."Misty stammered, not sure what to say.
The blonde girl continued before she could say anything else.
"I just have to know...Why? Why did you do it, Misty? Why did you pretty much ignore a big life changing lesson, and against your better judgement, you placed your own desires above everything and continued to try and steal Danny from me? I admit it, my Danny-boo is the best guy ever, but he's MINE! Why couldn't you just leave us be and find another guy to hover over? And why did you go as far as to fake your amnesia and secretly plan antagonize us and mess with my life even more when you could have just left us alone?..."She asked with fists at hips, genuinely curious about asking Misty these questions.
Misty groaned in defeat.
"I...I don't know, okay! Maybe I still felt...a little envious and didn't want to lose the first nice guy I met..."Misty said, as she rubbed her arm a bit, while Danny felt awkward to hear this.
"And maybe I felt a little spiteful from comparing your life to my own..."She said, knowing how weak that sounded.
"At the time...maybe I didn't take your life's story seriously and thought you didn't have it so bad, I thought maybe you were exaggerating things...until now..."Misty said, regretting all of her actions up to now.
"Part of what I had to deal with lately was your doing, in case you forgot..."Star said, glaring at her.
Misty cringed, feeling more guilt gnaw at her. Her head sank between her shoulders as she avoided eye contact.
"I'm sorry. I...I know that you probably don't believe me, but I never meant to hurt you..."She said while Star sent her a disbelieving look.
"Honestly, the worst I ever planned was just...scaring you into leaving town. I wasn't actually trying to hurt you at all..."Misty said.
"Trying to scare me out of town to steal my boyfriend is hardly any better, in cause you didn't know..."Star said, hands on her hips.
Misty cringed, being reminded that was something Shi once said to her and the latest disaster.
"She's not wrong..."Sam stated, and Jazz nodded.
"And trying to take another girl's boyfriend is inexcusable, no matter what context you use..."Valerie said, not impressed with the magical girl's motives.
"I know...but...I didn't want any actual, physical harm..."Misty said, once again knowing how weak her defense was.
Star sighed.
"Just...just hand over the spell book and let's get this over with..."She said, holding her hand out as she wanted this silly little rivalry to end.
Misty sighed in defeat.
She took one more look at her spell book as she slowly handed it to the blonde teen. However, before she could hand over her valuable spell book, someone spotted them.
"ESTELLE!..."An angry voice was heard, shouting in a very high pitch way.
Team Phantom, Valerie and Misty turned and frowned when they saw who it was.
"Oh, you have GOT to be kidding, me?..."Danny muttered, when they saw that it was a bandaged, almost mummified Colette walking along on crutches.
The curtains now matched the drapes, as her "inner beauty" paralleled her outer looks...and it was NOT a pretty sight, to say the least.
Colette walked away from her family's limo, while her parents were buying pizza, under the doctor's orders, much to her dismay. Colette wanted to complain and she spotted the group of teens and made her way to them, while her parents were busy.
"Out of my way, peasant, you are blocking my path!…"The bandaged redhead swatted at Misty with her crutches, taking steps to lean in more to land a hit but she missed.
The dark haired girl glared at her for this.
"I SO should have sent her to Timbuktu or something..."Misty muttered under her breath.
"Yeah, you should have..."Star whispered to her, still glaring at her step sister.
Fuming with rage, Colette struggled over. Now that she was actually in reach, her thoughts were flung at the group, like infected mud.
"What do you want this time, Colette?…"Star groaned, not wanting anything to do with her step sibling.
"I do not know how, but I know you are responsible for my beautiful body being bruised and battered, as well as me waking up at that horrible garbage dump that could work as your bed!..."Colette accused.
"Who me?..."Star lied, pointing at herself in faux innocence.
"Do not lie, such atrocities are not above you!..."Colette said, looking at her like she's some kind of criminal.
"Colette, as much as I'd love to send you to the dump, I can honestly say that I wasn't the one to send you there..."Star said, before sending a glance at Misty.
"Though whoever did, they have my gratitude…"Star added.
Even at the cost of incriminating herself, Misty couldn't help smiling smugly. The sight of the red head was almost worth seeing her in person.
Almost.
Colette glared at that, feeling her temper rise more and more.
"Not only did you assault me without my knowing how, but you are responsible for Mama and Papa going crazy and demanding that I alter my body by filling it with disgusting and greasy peasant food that you tainted your own body with!..."Colette yelled, blaming the blonde girl.
Star rolled her eyes.
"I LITERALLY had nothing to do with that! Maybe I'll get lucky and all that cheese will damage your vocal chords too!..."Star said, wanting to not have to hear her anymore.
"I second that..."Misty muttered, sharing her opinion on Colette.
Colette turned to Misty. The one good eye she had glared daggers, or at least tried to, and the snobby girl held her head high.
"I thought that I told you not to speak to Mon Amore, you peasant..."Colette said.
Misty frowned, and so did Danny.
"One, he's not your boyfriend and two, you don't get to tell me what to do..."She said.
"And you have no say in who I talk to..."Danny said, while Colette glared at Misty in a dismissive manner.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Little Miss Rice Breath! My father can still buy your house and home from your family and have you paying us to let you live in whatever dingy little hovel you call home..."She said, making Misty glare at her for that remark.
"I didn't think it was possible, but she's made me like her even less..."She thought in rage as Colette turned away.
"Don't speak to me either. You're lucky that I don't want to waste my still manicured nails on you..."She said, being haughty despite the pain she is still in.
Star smirked at that.
"Along with risking internal bleeding..."She thought, pleased at the pitiful state her hateful stepsister is in.
Before Colette could whine and complain again, Stella came back and spotted her.
"Colette, come along now. You need your bed-rest and you still need to eat that meat lover's pizza we ordered specifically for you. Doctors orders..."Stella called from her limo and motioned for her to come.
Colette huffed and didn't want to budge, but her stepmother ordered the driver to honk the limo's horn loud enough that even the spoiled brat couldn't pretend not to notice it.
She gave the group one last dirty look and started to leave with her crutches back to the limousine.
"Zhis is not over, you peasants will all eventually learn your rightful places and learn to kneel before a divine being such as myself soon enough. And you will see just how precious I am, Mon Amore..."Colette said as she still displayed her god complex.
"Not bloody likely...'Danny muttered, while Misty and the others glared at her.
Colette ignored their glares, as she used her crutches to turn herself around and walks away back to the Bevier family limo.
"What a witch..."Misty muttered, hating her more and more.
"You don't know the half of it..."Star said, rolling her eyes.
Before she could say anything, someone else had an idea. Misty opened her spell book and couldn't resist casting one last spell.
"Oh clouds above, so mighty and true. Won't you help me teach a lesson to this awful shrew? Let she who speaks such blasphemy, have her misery be for all to see!..."Misty said as her hands and eyes glowed, while Team Phantom watched this unfold.
"What are you doing?..."Star asked, defensive.
"Oh, just making my last spell count..."Misty said as she pointed ahead.
Suddenly some storm clouds appeared and they heard the sound of thunder cracking, as well as a terrified, ear piecing scream.
"ARGGGHHHHHAHHHHHGGHHH!..."Colette let out a loud shriek and tried to get away as fast as possible with her crutches.
"Colette!..."Stella shouted in worry while Jean Luc gasped in horror.
"MA FILLE!..."He yelled as he and his wife went to her.
"What happened?!..."Stella said in worry as she hugged her.
Colette was now singed, her fake red hair was straightened, burnt and sticking up in a very comedic and even cartoonish way and her left eye was twitching and looking bloodshot, and even smoke coming from her bandages.
Misty's spell made it so that she was struck by lightning and gave her more humiliation. The spoiled brat just stood there, still reeling from what just happened to her.
"I can't believe that I am saying this...but I'm missing the tiger monster..."The electrified Colette let out in a stammer, a small puff of smoke escaped her mouth that showed her teeth had been smudge too.
Her parents were at a loss while Colette was feeling more damage mentally than physically.
"We're taking you back to the doctor. Right now!..."Stella said in worry as she and her husband carried her into the limo.
"Why does this whole town hate me so?! I am completely innocent!..."Colette whimpered out as she believed that she didn't do anything to deserve this punishment.
The sound of thunder in the air made her gasp in horror as she buried her head in her hands, as she ran to her limo for safety, ignoring the pain in her body as she just wanted to get away from here.
Once they were gone, Team Phantom turned to Misty in agape.
The dark haired girl saw this and shrugged, not looking like she regrets her most recent actions.
"What? It's not like I shocked her THAT bad...not enough to kill her or anything. Just make her day worse but she can still walk away from this...mostly..."She said, wondering if she went to far.
To her relief, Team Phantom seemed to enjoy her last magical performance on the insufferable fake redhead.
"Okay, I'm like 30% less angry at you right now. But I can't say I hate you right now..."Star said as everyone else nodded.
"Really?..."Misty asked, sounding surprised while the blonde girl nodded.
"Yeah, but not enough to let you keep that thing and let you off the hook ..."Star reminded, still wanting to keep an eye on her just to be on the safe side.
Misty sighed.
"I figured..."She said in defeat.
"So...what are you guys gonna to me now? Are you gonna call the cops on me and have them get rid of my spell book?..."Misty asked.
"Danny Phantom will handle getting rid of that book of yours. He's nearby. I'll go get him..."Danny said as he ran the corner and secretly went ghost.
As soon as he was out of sight, Danny Phantom appeared.
"Hey, I heard you guys could use a helping hand from a superhero, so here I am..."Danny said, while the teen sorceress blinked in surprise.
"You actually came..."Misty said, not too surprised that Star's fake/pretend boyfriend that was around.
"I was in the neighborhood..."Danny said as Misty failed to see everyone roll their eyes at her gullibility.
After a moment, Misty noticed the looks she was getting from Star and her friends. The soon to be former sorceress knew it was time and sighed.
"Best get this over with..."She thought, holding the items they wanted.
"So, the spell book?..."Danny asked.
Misty sighed and nodded.
"Here it is, along with my scrolls..."She said as she handed them over in defeat.
Danny smiled.
"Thanks for your cooperation..."He said, as he took them.
"Not like I had much of a choice..."Misty thought as she took one last look.
Danny soon flew high in the air, about 100 feet. He threw the book and scrolls higher into the air before pulling both arms back, charging up, and firing a large and powerful stream, one which destroyed them in an instant.
"And that... is that..."He said, watching the shredded pieces of old paper falling like snow.
Once done, he returned to the ground and informed everyone that the deed was done.
"It's done..."He said.
"Finally..."Star said, but soon noticed that Misty was silent and looked a little sad at seeing some of her family's history get vaporized in an instant.
Star was momentarily feeling conflicted before shaking her head, recalling it had to be done.
"It's better this way, BEFORE she ends up summoning some undead army by mistake or something..."She thought.
"I guess that's it..."Misty said, looking away.
"It is... time for you to leave..." Star ordered.
Misty was about to leave, but soon turned to face Team Phantom one last time.
"Look, I don't know if what I'm about to say next will mean anything to any of you, specially after everything I've done to you, but I really do regret what I did..."She said, looking to the ground.
"I know that I caused you both so much unnecessary trouble, all because I felt envious of what I didn't have...which I now see was very petty of me to try and find someone else's boyfriend and make him to be mine in the first place. I should never have done it...and again, I'm sorry. I never meant to cause all of you any trouble. I just hope that one day some of you guys might be willing to give me another chance to make up for what I did..."Misty apologized, speaking with the up most sincerity.
There was a silence for several seconds before one spoke up.
"Well, you did help us defeat Colette and gave her a major dose of karma, and you did surrender your book without a fight. So, maybe giving you a chance to redeem yourself can't be out of the question someday..."Danny said while Star seemed unsure.
She did her best to avoid looking for a moment.
"What does that mean?..."Misty asked.
"Misty, I admit that what you did was crazy, reckless, dangerous, borderline criminal and careless, but...Danny paused. "Uh, where was I going with this?..."He asked.
"You were saying that I might have a chance to redeem myself..."Misty said, sounding irritated.
"Oh, right..."Danny said.
"Well, it was all of that...but you did apologize and tried to make things right. And you did something to Colette that we all always wanted to do so...maybe that could be a good start..."He said.
"R-Really?..." Misty asked in a hopeful tone, while the ghost boy nodded.
"Yeah...So...bygones?..."Danny said as he turned to his friends.
Star seemed apprehensive with this new arrangement. She turned away from Misty. She turned to face Sam, Val and the others. They still had mixed feelings, but they also knew that Misty was willing to make up for her misdeeds and that without her spell book, she is no longer a threat.
"As long as she doesn't try something, fine..."Sam said.
"Keep away from my brother and then we'll talk..." Jazz said.
"As long as my best friend is okay with it..." Valerie said.
"Sure... since your not much trouble without magic, and you're at least not as crazy as Colette..." Tucker said.
"Thanks...I think..."Misty said, unsure how to respond to that, before they moved on.
Everyone was looking at Star right now, waiting for her response. The blonde girl decided she didn't want to be the odd one out, choosing to be the bigger person.
"Bygones..."Star said, as she offered a hand to shake, but made a mental note to be extra cautious around Misty.
Hearing this made the former sorceress smile and relax, almost touched from this act of civility.
"I don't know what you say..."She said, taking her hand.
"Just don't try using any more magic and we'll be fine..."Star said, not hiding her bluntness at all.
"Got it..."Misty said, nodding.
Misty soon left, sad at the short lived career choice of being a sorceress. There was nothing to be done, not after the disaster that was Colette.
Perhaps this would be for the best, but only time could tell.
"I just really hope that neither Mom and Laolao ask me about that stuff..." Misty thought to herself as she headed to the bus stop to head for home.
Danny and Star soon sighed, finally relaxing after the horrors of another magical mishap.
"Finally..."Danny said.
"Glad that's over..."Star said.
"You can say that again..."Valerie said, and the others nodded.
"So...Colette's been dealt with, Misty's book is destroyed and things are finally resembling a sense of normalcy...and hopefully my beautiful Starlight is no longer doubting how beautiful and healthy she is, both body and mind…"He said.
Star smiled.
"Yeah, next time I'll look before I fast unconditionally..."She said, rubbing her stomach.
"Could be worse..." Sam said, gesturing to Tucker.
"In retrospect, we should've asked Misty to cast a spell to make him eat something healthier..." Jazz joked.
"Hey!..." Tucker went.
"Actually... I forgot to say... thanks..." Star went.
"For what?..." Tucker asked, confused.
"For that food yesterday. I was literally starving and you, of all people saved me. So... thanks..."Star said, meaning it.
Tucker smiled at that.
"No problem..."He said, happy to help.
"Y'know... I was starving myself and it had a bad effect on me. So, maybe, you should consider what you're doing isn't healthy either..." Star suggested, knowing that Tucker is being as extreme as she was, but in the opposite way.
"Nah... I'm good..." Tucker went proudly as he gestured to his stomach, which had grown significantly.
There were also gross sounds that clearly were not of hunger coming from it.
"Oh barf..."Sam said.
"You can say that again..."Val said, shuddering at the unhealthy side effects.
"It's nothing..."Tucker said, still acting like it's no big deal.
His friends sighed at his continued efforts to remain stubborn.
"If you guys don't need me anymore, I'm gonna go home right now before Dad thinks I'm hunting ghosts again..."Val said before leaving.
"Bye Val..."Star said, waving goodbye.
"I'm leaving too. I gotta try and see if there is any way to get Sam to lift the ban from the Nasty Burger and get my parents off my back..."Tucker said.
Danny frowned.
"Tucker, enough! We get it, you love hamburgers and hate vegetables, but you are going seriously overboard all because Dr. Sampson said there are problems with an unhealthy diet...which you totally have right now. Just let it go and maybe consider eating things besides just meat and cheese products smothered in grease and salt..."Danny said.
"Never!..."Tucker said, standing tall for meat lovers everywhere.
However, the techno-geek then walked into someone. Two someones that he wasn't expecting to see so soon.
"Tucker, there you are!..."Mrs. Foley's voice was heard.
Tucker flinched as he realized it was his parents that just appeared.
"Young man, we need to have a word with you..."Mr. Foley said.
"Come with us, you got a huge tab at the Nasty Burger and we are going to take you to the doctor to see if you need some medication or a surgery from all that meat that may end up clogging your arteries..."Angela said, sounding angry.
"And you might need to get a booster shot for something too…"The father added.
"No way, you guys know I can't stand hospitals! Plus, I'm fine!..."Tucker said, trying to talk his way out of this but his parents remained firm.
"No excuses, mister. Now march!..."Angela said as she grabbed her son by his arm and dragged him to the nearest medical center.
As Tucker left, the rest of Team Phantom shook their heads, knowing that the techno geek dragged himself into this situation.
"I warned him..."Sam said in sing song before leaving.
"Where are you going?..."Danny asked.
"Anyplace where I don't have to see you two suck face. I think that after gagging at Tucker gorging himself, I don't need to see anything else for the day..."Sam said, waving her arms as she walked back home.
"Yeah, I'm leaving too. I need to study..."Jazz said, giving the two a wink.
She left, leaving the couple alone.
Danny's fingers reached out and intertwined themselves with Star's, making the girl blush as their gazes met and couldn't look away from each other.
"So...wanna go get a pizza to celebrate, even a small one, if you want?..."Danny asked, hoping that she's not going to go diet crazy again like before.
To his relief, she smiled and nodded, squeezing tighter.
"Lead the way, Danny boo..."Star said, wrapping herself around the ghost boy.
The couple soon left for their date, happy to live another day with each other. Once everyone left, they didn't see something on the ground.
One piece of paper, from the destroyed book. It started to glow green as a another piece of paper attached itself like a puzzle piece.
In seconds, more pieces of paper started to reattach to the paper, forming a page, as it was recreated from the ashes.
-To be continued-
Next time on Empowered
Not So Powerless
A/N(1): I dedicate this chapter to my family, my friends and my love for God :)
A/N(2): Special thanks to NeoMark, BeConfuzzled Writer, CMR Rosa and Jay The Average Fanboy for all their help in this chapter. You guys rock :)
REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewer:
Danifan3000: Well, looks like Tucker won't be making that device.
Jebest4781, Pokemon fan 1991 and CZS4: Thank you :)
RonaldM40196867:
1) For now, they are willing to let bygones be bygones here.
2) Right.
3) I can see the resemblance.
4) Sorry, no spoilers. We will have to wait and see what happens.
5) I say that they are both equally bad, but in different ways.
6) Sorry, no spoilers. We will have to wait and see what happens.
7) Their families have associated with one another, and Donovan was the closest "gentleman" that is around Star's age.
8) Right.
Mult1verseTravl3r: I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
Invader Johnny: Yeah.
Guest:
1) Sorry, no spoilers. That question will be answered later on in the fic series.
2) They would probably stunned, feel angry and then fascinated by the power.
3) I am guessing a very smart girl that can handle his love for tech.
4) Interesting idea.
5) It would be interesting.
6) I think Vlad should remain half ghost, but I do think it would be cool for Danny to meet other supernatural beings.
Leonardo: I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
Luiz4200: Yeah.
JDF Legacier Morphicon: Thank you :)
Here are my responses to your questions:
1) Sometimes.
2) I think that he became much happier after he escaped Walker.
3) I guess that I am tied between Pandora and Ember.
4) I say that she would give her kids the freedom to make their own choices, which her parents seemed to have denied her growning up.
5) Hard to say, I think that Pariah Dark would have an edge if he had his ring and crown.
:) I hope you enjoyed this! Remember to read and review :)