Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any of the characters. Danny Phantom is the sole property of Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon and Paramount global.
Growing Pains
Chapter 19: Operation: Singles Night.
In the Ghost Zone
At a certain Clock Tower, a certain time master returned to his home but only for a minute.
He smiled, as he picked up a spare time medallion.
"I am so glad that I "forgot" this. I really needed a break away from those annoying Observants..."He muttered, just happy to be away from them for the moment.
As he gathered his item, he looked at his time window and could see what was happening to his friend.
He looked amused.
"I see that Danny is still dealing with the "after effects" of making an enemy out of Helena. And he's as popular now as he will be when he truly reaches that age..."He chuckled, finding this amusing.
He didn't lie in his letter, he was busy and he also knew that Danny needs to solve his problems on his own, lest this becomes another "Maddie Masters" incident.
He knew that his young friend is going through quite a lot of trouble, but he also knew that he could get through it and come out of it wiser than he did before.
That, and its more entertaining watching him solve problems on his own too.
"It was meant to happen. It may turn and affect his future differently. However, this was already meant to happen and cannot be turned back or undone. He'll have to learn how to move forward after this..."Clockwork said, knowing that he can't clean up his friend's mess this time.
The Dark Danny incident was an extreme case that needed his help, but he can't interfere with mild inconveniences like this.
Meanwhile, within a certain thermos in Clockwork's domain, a certain evil ghost from an alternate future heard everything.
It was Dark Danny, who was still trapped. However, he heard what was happening and frowned.
"It's not supposed to happen. His future was already set in stone and it was my present that was robed from me..."Dark Danny said, still upset his younger self wouldn't become him.
"We both know he'd never want that. The only reason you still exist, proves that you are a variant of your former self and not his true path towards his future..." Clockwork said.
"It didn't matter what he wanted, it would have been perfect!..."Dark Danny said, as deranged as ever.
However, he overheard that part of being popular with woman and despite being a sadistic, murdering sociopath from the future, he couldn't help but get curious.
"Impossible. He's only able to talk with girls if they were a ghost trying to kill him..."He muttered, as he never was that popular in his own timeline...for obvious reasons.
"You'd be surprised how many timelines he meets girls who would be , in your words, out of his league..." Clockwork informed him, with a small yet greatly knowing small.
Dark Danny shook his head, deciding that it must have been a fluke.
"He must think he's so lucky. Clearly, you had a hand in this..."He muttered, not wanting to admit jealousy.
Clockwork heard this and smirked.
"Interesting, but I wouldn't do that. Although, that also doesn't mean that I would stop it this time around..."He said, amused.
He soon left his realm, leaving his prisoner alone.
Clockwork went to return to his work, knowing Danny would do the right thing in the end.
He left, all thewhile leaving the time window on for the trapped evil variant of Danny to continue watching his younger self...who is still in an adult form.
And who is still being adored by countless women.
"Oh, Dante!~..."One of the admirers was heard swooning.
Dark Danny, still trapped in the thermos, grumbled.
"This is so stupid..."He muttered, hating thiis even more now.
Back in the human world
Danny and the others were at his house.
He was in the middle of getting dressed, working on his disguise.
"Okay, how do I look?..."Danny said, as he presented his disguise.
He wore a fake beard, sunglasses, hat and sweater that managed to hide his muscles, which managed to disguise him quite a bit.
"Like a big dork with terrible fashion sense..."Sam snarked, preferring how he looked earlier.
Danny smiled.
"Perfect. Which means no one will be able to tell how I REALLY look right now and I might be able to get some peace, while we do this stakeout..."He said, as he adjusted his fake beard.
"Okay, time to go..."Danny said.
"Just give me 5 more minutes and I'll be ready for the mission..."Jazz said, as she fixed her hair.
Danny sent her a look. His sister saw it and frowned.
"What? Stakeout or not, this place is suppose to be high end and I don't wanna stick out by not dressing properly..."Jazz said, like it was obvious.
Danny rolled his eyes at that, while Tucker seemed excited by something.
"Thanks to that prize you won at the convenient store, our meal will be free. Score!..."Tucker said.
"Just remember that we're there to wait for Helena...and don't blow through the gift certificate like you did at that "All you can eat" place last year. We can't afford to miss this chance...and I can't afford to get kick out before finally catching Helena and get her to fix what she did to me..."Danny warned.
Tucker pouted, while Danny went back to get ready.
Jazz finally got herself ready with 2 minutes to spare, while Sam stubbornly refused to dress up for the occasion.
"Okay, we got the weapons, outfits...and hopefully I will be able to go a while without getting mobbed..."He said, hoping that his disguise would work.
The heroes soon left in Jazz's car, and "Operation: Singles Night" was about to begin.
Later
Danny and the others soon arrived to "Casa Di Alta Classe".
They were in line, and Sam, Jazz and Tucker stood by Danny.
"Is anyone looking at me strangely?..."Danny whispered.
"No, other than the fact that they probably think your beard is too shaggy..."Tucker commented.
"Good..."Danny said, as it was soon their turn.
The bouncer looked at Danny, and could tell that he was old enough.
"Go ahead..."He said, but frowned at the teens.
"I thought I told you kids that you can't come in here without an adult..."He said.
"They're with me..."Danny answered.
"Oh, really?..."The guy asked.
"Really..."Sam said, frowning at the bouncer.
The guy said nothing as he removed the velvet rope and soon let them all inside.
Danny and the others walked in, amazed by their surroundings. Glad that part one of their plan had work out so flawlessly.
"We did it, we're in. Now we just wait until that wanna be bridezilla shows up and we catch her..."Danny whispered.
"And we finally get to see what this place is like and have our meals paid for. Awesome..."Tucker cheered.
The others rolled their eyes.
Most of Team Phantom were now laser focused on main reason for entering this fancy restaurant.
To get Danny back to normal...or rather, their version of normal.
Inside
Danny and his friends were now inside.
They looked around and the place is just as how the flyer had described. It was fancy, sleek, brightly colored and had a sort of mature fun side to it.
They also heard music and saw a giant chandelier that sparkled like a disco ball. It was also packed with lots of adults who were clearly here for a fun time.
"So, this is the place?..."Danny said, amazed but remembering what they're there for.
"Huh? I don't know why, but I was hoping for something with less colorful and more sophisticated. This is too...modern and not in the cool way..."Sam snarked.
"Focus. We've got a ghost to ambush here..."Danny said, as they were lead to the table.
A waiter appeared to serve them. More specifically, the adult that was with them and whom the waiter assumed would be footing the bill.
"Oh, I'll be using this gift certificate..."Danny said immediately, not wanting to risk having to pay out of his limit.
The waiter raised a brow and read the certificate. He nodded.
"Very well, this is good for up to 5 people. So it'll be just the four of you tonight? Très bien..."The waiter said, as he served them water and bread sticks first, he handed them the menus and left.
Danny and the others checked the menu.
Everything on the menu sounded exclusive and something he could never afford on his own. But food isn't exactly on Danny's mind right now, as he wanted to focus on finding Helena.
"Where are you?..."Danny asked, really wanting her to showup so that he can return to his true age.
"Calm down, little-...I mean...big...oh, whatever. Just calm down, Danny..."Jazz said, not sure how to feel about her brother.
"I'm calm, Jazz. I'm just a bit impatient. Besides, Helena has a lot to make up for what she did to me..."Danny said, while Sam frowned.
"Since our meal is gonna be covered, I'm going with a juicy T-bone steak..."Tucker said, water coming from his mouth as he thought about eating that steak.
"Gross!..."Sam said, as she decided to go for a simple salad.
Danny sighed, not focused on his meal.
"Remember what you're here for, Danny. It won't be too long now until you can stop seeing him in the mirror..."He muttered, trying to focus on his mission.
The half ghost hero had been missed seeing his normal face and felt rather complex whenever he saw his reflection.
Remembering a certain evil version of himself from the future whenever he saw his reflection now and wanted it to stop as soon as possible. Sure "Dante" looks different from that monster but there is still a slight resemblence that he is not used to seeing yet.
He just wanted things to go back to normal, and he hoped that he will be able to return to his old face soon.
"It will all work out. Helena is bound to show up and then everything will be back to normal..."He hoped, as they kept waiting.
A little later
The waiter soon returned to take their orders.
Tucker ordered his steak, Sam got a salad, Jazz ordered some lasagna and Danny ordered a simple burger, since his mind wasn't on the food right now.
However, the waiter turned to Danny and got curious, thinking that he hadn't decided on a beverage to go with his meal yet.
"We also have a very popular drink menu..."He said, as he tried to offer to Danny.
"That's alright, I'll just have some diet cola..."Danny said, not wanting to drink alcohol.
The waiter raised a brow, but said nothing and wrote down the orders.
He soon left.
"You do realize that he meant alcoholic drinks, right?..."Jazz asked, wondering if Danny understood the waiter or not.
"I know. I also know that Mom would kill me if she ever found out I touched that stuff, even if I physically am old enough. And I like diet cola..."Danny said, not wanting to take chances.
Soon, the food arrived and they all began to eat. However, Danny made a face.
"What's wrong?..."Jazz asked.
"I don't know. I mean...the food's not bad...but from all the hype...I was expecting something a little more worth the price. Honestly, the mighty meaty cheesy melt at the Nasty Burger tastes better than this, and it costs less..."He commented, disappointed.
"I guess you still retain your teenage palate..."Jazz quipped, the psychologist in her trying to analyze Danny.
However, they kept hearing the music get louder as more adults began dancing together and having fun. With quite a few making their way to the dance floor under the sparkling chandelier.
"So, this is what Singles Night is like around here..."Danny commented.
Seeing for himself that adults certainly do have fun similar to that of teenagers with his on eyes. He saw some guy trying to hit on a lady, who rejected him and he saw how bummed he looked.
"I guess dating is still tough even if you're an adult..."He thought before taking another bite of his burger.
"Good to know I'm not the only one who feels like they're not fully developed on the inside..."He said.
One woman, a rather average one noticed him and smiled at him.
"Hi, you wanna dance? And maybe get a drink together?..."She offered, with an expression that creeped him out.
Danny flinched.
"Oh man, not again..."He thought.
"Uh...thanks...but I don't think I should on an empty stomach..and I can't dance. So..sorry..."He said, turning her down.
The woman seemed offended, but just walked away.
Danny sighed.
"Geez, I thought this disguise was suppose to make them NOT approach me..."He muttered.
"Well, to be fair...it helps hide how you really look, but it doesn't make you look hideous either. Still handsome, but not as much since the disguise itself has its limits..."Sam pointed out.
Danny sighed.
"Let's just focus on finding Helena. The sooner she shows up, the sooner I can go back to dealing with puberty..."Danny said.
"You guys go on ahead, I'll stand on guard and keep my eyes peeled. While we order seconds and thirds..."Tucker said as he scarfed down the last of his t-bone steak.
The rest of the team rolled their eyes at this, but figured that he'd cause less trouble if he stayed at the table and stuffed himself.
Elsewhere
Unknown to Danny, Vlad Masters soon arrived to the restaurant and saw that his arch enemy was there.
He knew tonight was singles night...and he also saw the disguise his arch enemy was wearing.
He shook his head in amusement and disappointment, thinking that the in an adult body didn't put much effort into his disguise as he stood out more with it on than without it.
"Oh please, he's making this too easy..."He said with a chuckle, knowing that he was going to have fun with this.
He soon saw several cars appeared and smirked.
"I knew sending those coupons for free drinks to Daniel's "girlfriends" would work. Now to watch the show and see him squirm..."Vlad said, as the petty fruitloop enjoyed Danny's misery.
As the older halfa sent his Vlad-bots to record everything and task some to get rid of his ridiculous disguise.
Inside
Danny was fuming, as he felt a little itchy under his fake beard
"This stupid thing is giving me a rash. I sure hope that Helena shows up soon. I'm getting really tired wearing this stuffy disguise..."He muttered, wanting to end this as soon as possible.
The ghost man remained scanning the area with his eyes, however more people entered the restaurant and cause him to wide eyed in surprise and shock.
The adult Danny soon saw group of familiar women entering the fancy restaurant.
"So, you got a coupon for free drinks too?..."Tesslaff asked, seeing her boss here.
"So it seems. I found it sticking out of my mailbox..."Ishiyama said, glad to at least be someplace where she didn't have to worried about her students.
They were not the only ones who entered that the ghost man recognized either.
"Well, a drink is a drink. I need about 10 after today..."Tiffany said only here for the free drinks.
"At least the wine here is top notch..."Rita said, also there for the drinks.
"I guess I do need an excuse to cut loose a little tonight after a hard day's work..."Harriet Chin said, straightening her back.
Several more women appeared, all here for the same reason due to receiving a free coupon in the mail.
Danny flinched as he saw just how many women were here.
Women who hit on him previously.
"Oh man, they are here too?! Okay, don't panic. As long as I keep my disguise and act normal...they won't look twice at me..."He thought, trying to remain calm.
However, a certain arch enemy of his had other plans.
"Oh no you don't..."Vlad said as he did something really sneaky right now.
He activated another Vlad bot to mess with him. Since his tiny robots wouldn't make Danny's ghost sense go off and caught him completely off guard.
"Gotcha!..."He said, as he used the bot's artificial intangibility to make his disguise fall off.
"What?!..." Danny asked in shock.
He turned around, thinking that someone took his disguise, but saw no one there.
Vlad saw his young rival lose his disguise and laugh.
"This is gonna make my hostile takeover of this place all the more worth it..."He thought, as he watched Danny suffer.
Danny's beard, hat and sunglasses were soon gone and he didn't understand what was happening here. He was a bit baffled at what just happened to me, and worried too.
"Oh man, my face is exposed. Not good..."He said in dread as he tried to reach for his stuff, but they just vanished.
Adult Danny immediately tried to find cover and hide before he was noticed.
However, it was too late.
They saw him.
"Oh my gosh, is that Dante?!..."
"Oh my gosh, look at that hunk?!..."
"Where did he come from? He's gorgeous!..."
"Dante!..."Was heard, as more women noticed him and tried to get his attention, all of them clearly lovestruck.
"Oh no!..."Danny said, as he wanted to flee.
His friends saw this and didn't know what to think, as their plan was now falling apart.
All the while, Vlad saw this from the "exclusive" part of the restaurant and smirked.
"And, the show has begun..."He said, as he pulled out some canapes and began to watch the drama unfold.
He watched as the ghost man was now a helpless mouse surrounded in building filled by hungry cats.
"Oh crud!..."Danny mentally cursed, knowing that things have become even more complicated for him right now.
-To be continued-
Next time on Growing Pains
Operation: Singles Night II
A/N: Special thanks to Luiz4200, Jay The Average Fanboy, and NeoMark for helping with this chapter. You guys rock :)
REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewer:
Luiz4200: Yes, those scenes were inspired by those episodes.
Pokemon fan 1991: Yeah.
RonaldM40196867:
1) I'll think about it. Thanks for the suggestion.
2) I'll think about it. Thanks for the suggestion.
Danifan3000:
1) Yeah.
2.I prefer Ember to be honest.
Jet Engine: Yeah.
Invader Johnny: Yeah.
Jebest4781: They would most likely react the same way Spectra did.
Yahir Alexander Farfan Cuellar: Vlad would see him as an opportunity to get what he wants, thinking he can control him..not knowing that Dark Danny cannot be controlled.
Guest:
1) Yeah, they most likely would.
2) I'll think about it. Thanks for the suggestion.
3) I think she would look similar to the other versions of Plasmius. I also think that she would still be with Jack.
4) Not sure.
JDF Legacier Morphicon: Thank you :)
Here are my responses to your questions:
1) They would probably be grossed out first, before they would make fun of him for it.
2) Sorry, but that's my little secret.
3) Katie's.
4) Hard to say.
5) Amorpho.
Daniel6: Thank you :)
NiteOwl18: Thank you :)
:) I hope you enjoyed this! Remember to read and review :)
