ZAFT: Monday update today~ :3 We are updating on time again. XD
Takuya: Good. I was worried you would have Wednesday as your update day. XD
Andy: Whatever. Let's just get this out of the way now. The sooner the better.
DarkFoxKit: Don't be such a grump, Andy.
ZAFT: Yeah, what's got you all grumpy lately? It makes the ANs less fun if you're a grump.
Andy: Good, I'm not gonna let you have your fun with me.
ZAFT: Um… let's just get to the chapter then… ^^'
(Two symbols, one red, and one blue, spin before colliding and flaring with light as they do so, showing the title)
Digital Phantom!
(Shows six forms in shadow before they are revealed to be Danny Fenton, Sam Manson, Tucker Foley, Takuya Kanbara, Andy Fenton, and Jazz Fenton)
Falling into destiny
(A swirling green portal is shown, followed by the sky and cities of the living world before a computer monitor is zoomed in on, revealing another world of lush greenery through that)
Reaching across new boundaries
(Andy Fenton appears with Jazz beside him. Takuya Kanbara appears behind him as well, the form of Agunimon appearing behind Takuya himself)
Let our stories come together
(Andy is shown with the form of Phantom beside him, a shadowed form with blue eyes behind the ghost boy)
Growing stronger
(Andy looks on at Phantom fighting before running to help the ghost boy by taking out his Fenton Rod)
Our pasts intertwine
(Six glowing orbs of light are shown, each of a different color (red, teal, lavender, dark purple, white, and yellow) before the red orb speeds towards Takuya)
Showing our future
(Takuya holds up his D-Tector before fractal code surrounds him, dissipating as fire erupts from it, revealing him as Agunimon, lunging out from the fire as Plasmius fires off ecto-rays at him, only for a glowing orange orb to appear around Agunimon and deflect the beams)
As we evolve
(The blasts speed past the screen as Tucker is shown with a Fenton Wrist ray being fired at a ghost)
Let's go… EVOLUTION
(Sam is shown with her Fenton Lipstick, firing it at a different ghost)
As our worlds collide
(Jazz is shown beside Andy, her hand on his shoulder as Andy looked shell-shocked by something)
We stand as one
(Jack and Maddie Fenton are shown, with the Fenton Works logo behind them as it glows green)
Growing strong
(A shadowed form is shown with blue eyes and a glowing white blade erupting from what looks like a giant weapon in the form's hands)
As we move along
(Danny is shown walking down the street with those closest to him appearing one by one; Andy, Tucke, Sam, Takuya, and Jazz.)
CHOU… SHINKA!
(Fractal code is shown before it dissipates to reveal Agunimon lunging out of the dissipating data, fire around his left fist)
Let's go… EVOLUTION!
(The group is shown facing down Plasmius, who looms above them with hands outstretched as a dark form appears behind Plasmius himself.)
Nothing will stand in our way!
(Andy, Danny, Tucker, Sam, Jazz, and Takuya all appear with ribbons of fractal code streaming out from behind them, a swirling green orb behind the ribbons of fractal code.)
Digital Phantom!
Chapter 4: A Gentleman's Attitude
Andy and Takuya were relieved when they went to central park that evening to see a familiar black and white ghost boy was waiting for them.
"Phantom! I'm glad you're here!" Andy smiled as he approached the ghost boy.
"Hey, I'm glad to see you're okay after that ghost attack." Phantom smiled before he noticed Takuya. "You brought… your friend over?"
"This is Takuya, my cousin. I guess you weren't properly introduced during the, uh… crisis," Andy blushed, a little embarrassed.
"Nice to finally meet you." Takuya said as he held out a hand. "Thanks for saving me a few times back there with that Lunch Lady ghost."
Phantom smiled as he reached out to shake Takuya's hand, Takuya shivered when he felt like he was touching a block of ice.
"Ah, sorry about that. I've been told I'm really cold to touch," Phantom sheepishly chuckled. "But, um… I also wanted to say thanks for helping any way you could during all of that. I know not many people are used to dealing with ghosts."
"Hey, I wasn't going to let fear stop me." Takuya said, blushing a bit now. "I mean… yeah, I'm not used to dealing with ghosts, but people were in trouble so…"
"I'm glad you two are getting along," Andy chuckled. "So, Phantom, I did actually have a reason for bringing Takuya here other than to properly meet you."
"Oh? What is it?" Phantom curiously asked.
Andy looked at Takuya. "Go ahead and tell him."
"Okay… Do you remember that armored guy who helped you with the Lunch Lady?" Takuya began, looking a bit nervous now.
"Yeah, I remembered him. He told me his name is Agunimon, and he's an ally," Phantom confirmed. "Do… you know him?"
"Ah… I am him." Takuya admitted. "It's… an odd story, but… to summarize, I found this figurine that somehow activated and gave me a new form, one that allows me to handle ghosts. And now, I can't figure out how to transform again. That's the gist of it."
Phantom blinked, his mind trying to wrap itself around the fact his cousin, who doesn't know he's his cousin, could transform into that… being, whatever it was.
"Wait… really? You can turn into that… um… armored being?" Phantom asked in shock.
"Yeah, but now I don't know how to do it! The first time I did that, it was in the heat of battle and now I can't activate my new form." Takuya grumbled.
"Oh… wow, that's gotta suck," Phantom replied with a frown. Kind of reminded me when I had trouble going ghost for a few days. Yeah, I know the feeling of not being able to access your new form so easily. "Well, I think you'll be capable of transforming by will. You just need to figure out how as step one, from there, you can practice until you're able to transform yourself easily."
"That's what I thought too," Andy remarked. "And I figured you might be a good way to help him out with this."
"R-really? Why's that?" Phantom nervously asked. He didn't actually figure me out, did he?
"Both of you are superpowered beings, I figured you might be able to help Takuya with his powers more than I could," Andy explained. "But don't count me out of helping you two with your training. I may not have special powers, but I do know a thing or two about how to train from video games. Besides, training with you will help increase my stamina and agility, I'll be in better shape if another ghost decides to attack."
Phantom blinked, but then smiled. "Well, you came to the right ghost! I'd be more than happy to help."
"Great, that sounds good." Takuya smiled.
"But we'll have to wait until he learns how to transform," Andy said. "I doubt Takuya would want to train as a human. Though don't knock it until you try it."
Phantom looked a bit disappointed, but he had to concede Andy had a good point. "Yeah, that's a good idea. Although, has he already tried transforming?"
"Yes, I did," Takuya grumbled. "I can't get it to work…"
"I think we need to put him in a situation where he'll trigger the transformation," Andy suggested. "Maybe then he'll know what to do."
"Well… I suppose…" Phantom said. "What if we created a situation like that?"
"Might be too risky, especially if he knows what we're doing, it won't really give him the push he needs to trigger it," Andy sighed.
"Guys, stop talking like I'm not here!" Takuya pouted.
"Sorry!" Phantom apologized. "We're just trying to figure out how to get you to trigger your transformation."
"Well, let's see what happens first, if we can't get the transformation to trigger in about… um… a month from now, we'll figure out how to make it happen," Andy said before grinning. "And I'm sure I can get pretty creative~"
Takuya paled at Andy's grin. Crap… I hate it when he grins like that! It usually means trouble for me!
Phantom chuckled. "I have no doubt you can~"
A couple of weeks passed since then. Andy was still going to see Phantom, giving him the update on Takuya's transformation, or rather lack thereof. They decided to focus on school for now, since school opened back up after the meat incident. To make things better for the students, the school cafeteria made sure to put in a variety of meats and vegetables so there wouldn't be another incident. Tucker and Sam decided this was good enough for their preferences in food.
Andy still trained with Phantom, that battle with the Lunch Lady made Andy realize that ghost threats were still possible, so Andy and Phantom decided to carry their own thing. Phantom with a Fenton Thermos, and Andy with the Fenton Rod that he keeps in his pocket. This way if a ghost were to attack, they would be ready.
The school dance was coming up soon, so Tucker began trying to ask as many girls in school as he could. So far, he had been rejected at every turn.
Danny, Andy, and Takuya were doing their homework for the day when Maddie approached them with a question.
"Could you boys get your father? It's almost time for dinner," Maddie asked.
"Sure, Mom," Danny said, standing up, wanting a break from homework and headed downstairs.
Andy stood up as well. "I'll go with you, might as well see what Dad's been doing all day in the lab."
"Takuya, could you get Jazz and help me set up the table?" Maddie requested the older boy.
"Sure, Aunt Maddie." Takuya said as he got up from his own chair to go and get Jazz. "I'll be back with Jazz and then help you out."
Meanwhile, Danny and Andy saw Jack sitting a bit away from the Ghost Portal. He had two cans of soda strapped to his head, and a straw that let him drink the sodas easily. He had a fishing rod of some kind, and had a glowing white string in the portal.
"Dad? What're you doing?" Andy asked.
"Quiet, son. You'll scare away the ghosts." Jack hushed Andy.
"Are you fishing?" Andy questioned. "Why are you fishing?"
"I'm fishing for ghosts, with the new Fenton Ghost Fisher." Jack stated proudly. "Check out this line. It's coated with a high-test ectoplasmic resin that ghosts can't break."
Danny looked a bit uneasy at hearing the description of the Ghost Fisher. Great… Another new weapon to look out for. Even if it seems stupid at first glance, it's still an anti-ghost weapon.
"Quiet now, boys; you don't want to spook 'em." Jack said as he returned his attention to fishing for ghosts.
With a few more sips of his soda, Jack cast the Fenton Ghost Fisher line back into the Ghost Portal.
Fishing for ghosts… I can see why Jazz would call our parents weird. Andy sweatdropped. I wonder what made Dad think of fishing for ghosts out of the portal… I guess it's less dangerous than trying to go into the portal themselves.
Suddenly, Jack's stomach began to gurgle.
"What was that?" Danny asked. "Are you hungry, Dad? Mom said that-"
"Whoops! That soda goes right through you faster than Sherman through Georgia." Jack said, interrupting Danny. He then shoved the Fenton Ghost Fisher into Danny's hands. "Here. Hold this until I get back from the Fenton Urinal."
Jack then ran upstairs to do just that.
Danny looked at the Fenton Ghost Fisher in his hands. "Um… why did Dad make a fishing rod for hunting ghosts?"
"He probably wanted to catch a real ghost to study on," Andy guessed. "It'd be too dangerous for him to go through the portal himself. And other than the Lunch Lady and Phantom, there haven't really been any ghosts here."
"I guess." Danny sighed before he suddenly perked up, clapping a hand over his mouth to hide that blue mist that wanted to escape so bad. Oh crap… My ghost sense?! While Andy is here?! Crap, crap, crap!
At the same time, the Fenton Ghost Fisher line suddenly went taut, as if it had hooked something on the other end of the line.
"What the? Did you catch something, bro?" Andy asked, surprised.
"U-uh, I guess?" Danny asked nervously.
The line was being pulled. Danny, not wanting to lose the Fenton Ghost Fisher, tried to pull the fishing rod back… only for the line to snap.
Andy stared at the snapped line. "So much for it being unbreakable for ghosts… what could've been strong enough to snap that line?"
As if to answer the boy's question, two very large, scalled, blue, translucent claws came crawling out of the portal. Andy and Danny stared in horror as a large, blue and green dragon ghost came out of the portal, towering over them, breathing out green smoke from its nostrils. It gave a grin as its sharp teeth were holding onto the hook.
"Um… Did I just catch a ghost dragon with a fishing pole?" Danny squeaked out to Andy.
"Danny! What the heck kind of luck do you have!?" Andy squeaked.
"Not a very good one apparently!" Danny yelled as the dragon let go of the rod.
The string ended up smacking Danny in the face a little.
"I WANT TO GO!" The dragon spoke in a deep, intimidating voice.
Andy and Danny ran back as the dragon began crawling the rest of its body out from the portal. The dragon reached out and grabbed onto one of the twins, that being Andy. Andy yelped as the dragon brought him closer to its face.
"I HAVE TO GO!" The dragon bellowed out in Andy's face, blowing his hair with its breath.
"Andy!" Danny cried out, worried for his brother. "Let him go!"
"W-where do you have to g-go?" Andy asked the dragon, hoping he could diffuse the situation by talking.
"THE BALL! I WANT TO GO TO THE BALL!" The dragon roared.
"S-so why don't y-you just g-go?" Andy questioned.
"MY MOM WON'T LET ME!" The dragon roared.
"Um… I'm sorry about that? But… Can you not take it out on me, please?" Andy requested.
The ghost dragon roared again. Danny, watching this, was both a bit impressed at Andy's calm state and ability to reason with the ghost, but at the same time, was worried for Andy's safety.
"Do you need a date, or something?" Andy asked. "Is that why you decided to grab me?"
The dragon stopped roaring and blushed green, it actually blushed.
Danny felt like laughing despite the situation. Andy made a ghost dragon actually blush?! Oh geez! I don't know whether to feel sorry for Andy or for the dragon.
Andy looked back at Danny. "What are you doing? Get out of here, bro!"
Danny paused, realizing he had to 'get to safety'. "Uh, right! I'm going now!" Danny said as he ran for the stairs.
Danny knew what he had to do. As soon as he was on the stairs and out of sight, he didn't head for the kitchen to warn Mom about the dragon ghost, instead, he activated the cold spot in his chest. "I'm going ghost!"
The rings appeared on his waist before splitting in half. The split revealed a black hazmat suit with a white belt, gloves, and boots while his skin turned a tan color, his hair became as white as snow, and his eyes turned an ectoplasmic green color. Danny Fenton was now Danny Phantom.
Now in his ghost form, Phantom quickly flew back into the lab, and was a little surprised to see the dragon crying while Andy was talking to it.
"It's not fair! My brother gets to go, but I can't!" The dragon cried, sounding more feminine now.
"That does sound quite unfair," Andy agreed. "There's no reason you shouldn't get to go."
Phantom blinked at this turn of events. "Uh… is everything okay here?" He asked as he floated down beside Andy.
"Phantom? What are you doing here?" Andy asked, surprised.
"I… sensed a ghost suddenly appearing here," Phantom answered, though it wasn't a lie. "I got worried so I came to check it out."
"Uh, well… Ms. Dragoness here was having some anger issues because her mom wouldn't let her go to the costume ball," Andy informed. "Apparently girls needed dates to go, or she would be an 'embarrassment'."
Phantom blushed. "Oh… Well… That… sounds rough." He said awkwardly, not sure how he could help.
The dragon sighed before she put Andy down, then used her claws to rip off a golden amulet that was around her neck. She tossed the amulet aside before she shrunk down suddenly, turning a green skinned, ghostly maiden. Her hair was blonde and was braided. She wore a fancy looking blue dress. She had red irises.
"I apologize for causing you trouble…" The maiden sighed. "Perhaps I'm not fit to wear the Amulet of Aragon right now. I will see if I can talk things out with my mother."
The ghost maiden went through the Ghost Portal, leaving behind the amulet.
"Wait! Don't you want your amulet back!?" Andy yelled, but the ghost maiden was long gone.
Phantom floated over to the amulet and picked it up. "Huh… If she left it, maybe she doesn't want it." He mused as he turned it over in his hands.
"What should we do with it?" Andy asked. "It's a ghostly artifact. I don't think it's safe here."
"I don't know…" Phantom frowned. "I can't just go into the Ghost Portal after her… I'm scared that I might end up trapped there if I do…"
Andy put an assuring and comforting hand on Phantom's shoulder. "She might come back for it. I doubt she would want to leave it here."
Phantom looked down at the amulet again before he held it up. However, as soon as he did so, it latched onto Phantom's neck, sealing into place with a click. "H-hey! This thing latched onto me!" He cried as he tried to pull it off.
Andy jumped, caught by surprise by the amulet latching onto Phantom's neck like that. "C-can you phase it off?"
"I… I can try." Phantom said, but when he tried, the amulet just seemed to burn his hands instead. "Ow! The darn thing burned me! I can't get it off!"
Andy frowned as he looked at the amulet, seeing the green gem on it glowing slightly. "Well crud… it might've latched onto you since you were the only other ghost here! Now it won't let go. It's possible the amulet needs to be on a ghost to… uh… for the lack of a better word, 'survive'."
"You mean I am stuck with this thing on me?!" Phantom almost shrieked, only stopping himself at the last second.
"I'm sure it won't be forever," Andy spoke up, trying to keep the ghost boy calm. "Like I said, I'm pretty sure that ghost maiden will come back for it. She's sure to be able to remove the amulet from you. Just try to stay calm until then, alright?"
"Stay calm?" Phantom frowned.
"I'm not 100% sure, but the amulet may react to emotional distress. That's what I got when she removed the amulet and she turned into a ghost maiden. She said she wasn't 'fit to wear the Amulet of Aragon'," Andy pointed out. "So it might be best to try to remain calm, because you might… um… you know… become a dragon?"
Phantom frowned again. "You're telling me, a ghost, to remain calm, right? That's like… I don't know… asking a stoic human to show emotion. Ghosts are more emotional due to… uh… Obsessions, so… It's… going to be hard to remain calm…"
Andy frowned as he recalled how the Lunch Lady reacted with her Obsession. "What… is your Obsession?"
"Um… I… That… is not exactly the best thing to ask a ghost…" Phantom said nervously, trying to stay calm because he had felt something react with a twinge at being asked that, like it was not supposed to be asked.
"I'm sorry, but if we don't know what it is, how are we supposed to avoid not triggering it?" Andy pointed out before sighing. "Whatever. I'm probably wrong about the amulet thing. Just… if you feel something's wrong, maybe go somewhere far away from people until you calm down just to be safe?"
"I can't just leave Amity Park!" Phantom exclaimed, suddenly feeling anger rushing through him. His eyes became like slits as a forked tongue stuck out of his mouth.
Okay… starting to see what his Obsession could be… Andy frowned. "Okay, you don't have to leave Amity Park. Just calm down. I just meant go somewhere where there aren't a lot of people around, that's all."
Phantom seemed to calm down at hearing that, as his tongue returned to normal and so did his green eyes. "Right… sorry, Andy. I don't know what came over me…" He said awkwardly.
Andy frowned as he looked down. Ever since he met Phantom, he had been a little bit wary of him, being a ghost and all. But after training with him, and the whole Lunch Lady thing, he felt like he could really trust Phantom with his life. But… seeing how much of a ticking time bomb Phantom was now with the amulet, not to mention the whole Obsession thing, Andy was starting to see him as a dangerous being now, and he didn't like that. He didn't want to see his only ghost friend as too dangerous to be around.
"You… should probably go… Mom and Dad might see you if you stick around," Andy said softly.
Phantom nodded. "Yeah… I'll… try to stay calm, if only so I don't hurt anyone." He looked freaked out still, but it was not as bad as before. "Just… stay safe, Andy. I'll… see you around." With that, Phantom went through the wall, leaving Andy alone in the lab.
Andy looked over at the swirling Ghost Portal as if it was taunting him. "What the heck did you bring out for me now?"
"Are you alright, Andy?" Takuya asked after dinner that evening. "You seemed a little… troubled during dinner."
Danny was looking over at them, watching them.
"I just… I'm a little unsure about some things lately…" Andy admitted. "About how… dangerous ghosts can be…"
"Why? Did something happen?" Takuya pressed. "With Phantom or another ghost?"
"Both," Andy said.
"Is… everything alright?" Danny asked, concerned.
"I'm not sure," Andy sighed.
Andy explained the dragon ghost incident, and how the amulet latched itself onto Phantom, and Andy's theory about the amulet turning the wearer into a dragon if they experience emotional distress. Andy saw a glimpse of it when Phantom thought he was telling him to leave Amity Park.
"I've never had to watch what I say around him, at least nothing to that extent…" Andy sighed. "We're lucky that he doesn't go to school though, otherwise we'll likely have a dragon attack every weekday…"
Danny felt worried, and a bit of shame. He realized he scared Andy earlier.
"Um… Yeah, you could say that." Danny said awkwardly. "But… I'm sure Phantom will be fine. He… probably feels bad he scared you earlier."
Takuya nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I've only seen Phantom a few times, but he seems like a ghost who would feel bad if he scared someone he was close to. Then again, it's probably because he's a young ghost as well."
Danny decided he'll try to make it up to Andy, even though Andy didn't know he was Phantom.
"Hey, bro, how about we try not to worry about Phantom right now?" Danny suggested. "We've got that school dance coming up tomorrow, right? Maybe we could try focusing on finding dates to take? If not that, we could go to the mall tomorrow with Tucker and Sam. It'll be a good way to unwind and just hang out for a bit."
Andy looked at Danny. He knew his brother better than anyone. "Did you mess up something, Danny?"
"W-why would you say that?" Danny asked quickly. "I haven't messed anything up since dropping all those glass beakers in science class."
"You usually don't offer to go to the mall unless there was something there you wanted, or for special occasions, or if you're trying to cheer me up," Andy pointed out. "Or in some cases, soften the blow."
"Soften the blow?" Takuya asked.
"He lost my Gameboy Color when we were in the 4th grade, so he suggested we go to the mall. He accidentally overfed my goldfish, the only pet our parents ever let us have, and it died. So the mall it was. He accidentally recorded over my video tape, and it was mall time," Andy explained.
"Oh, now I see why you think that." Takuya said with a bit of a wince. " Experience is the best teacher."
"I'll admit, I did mess up in those instances," Danny confessed. "But this is just for fun. I mean, when was the last time we really hung out together, bro? And Takuya's here too after being in Japan for 6 years. Wouldn't it be a good time to hang out at the mall tomorrow? Especially before the school dance?"
Andy gave it some thought. Admittedly, he would rather take his mind off of Phantom for now and just bond with his brother again, along with his friends, and his cousin. "Alright, it sounds like it would be a good time."
Danny grinned. "Thanks, bro! You're the best!" He said as he made to hug Andy, but stopped himself for some reason, so he just placed a hand on Andy's shoulder.
Takuya grinned. "I haven't been to a mall before. It sounds like it would be fun."
Danny smiled, though inwardly he was relieved he could hide this blasted amulet under his shirt. But he had to be careful, one false move and someone will notice the amulet. He hoped the amulet wouldn't activate as long as he was human, and not as emotional as his ghost half. He could totally stay calm until that ghost maiden came back… he hoped.
The next day, it was lunch time during school. The students were eating outside today instead of the cafeteria. Tucker was standing by the door, waiting for each girl to come out so he had a chance to ask them out to the face.
"Hey, would you like-" Tucker was cut off by one girl.
"No." She said as she walked past him.
Tucker smiled at the next girl. "Hey, would-"
"No." The second girl said.
The third girl didn't even wait for him to ask as she walked past him. "No."
"But I didn't ask you yet!" Tucker exclaimed before he stalked over to the table where Danny and Sam were sitting with Andy and Takuya.
Maddie had packed the boys some nutritional sandwiches to eat. After the whole menu debate thing, Maddie decided to pack her kids their own food.
Danny had been about to take a bite out of his sandwich when he saw how grumpy Tucker looked. "Strike 3, Tuck?"
"Try more like strike 3000." Tucker moped. "I've asked every girl in school and not one said 'yes' to going to the dance."
Takuya snickered. "Wow, Tucker, you have the worst luck."
"Don't over exaggerate, you haven't asked every girl in this school," Andy chuckled.
"Well I've asked the girls who didn't already have a date," Tucker grumbled.
"Which is about 70% of them," Andy remarked. "The other 25% are the 'nerdy girls' that you didn't ask, and Sam."
Sam huffed as she was chewing on her salad.
"What's the remaining 5%?" Tucker asked.
"Hot girls who haven't gotten a date yet because she's looking for a specific one," Andy answered before he began chewing on his sandwich.
Takuya took a bite of his own sandwich. "I really don't want to go to the dance, but if I have to, I'd rather go with just my friends and family."
"I'm really hoping to land that 5%," Tucker remarked.
"Of course you would," Sam grumbled. "What's so special about being asked to go on this dance? Girls don't need to feel special about that. I think that-"
Sam stopped when she noticed Danny and Tucker staring at something, their eyes wide, their mouths hanging open. Andy and Takuya looked up, noticing their weird stature.
"What are you two doing?" Andy asked.
"Paulina…" Danny and Tucker sighed dreamily.
Andy, Sam, and Takuya looked back to see this hot, hispanic girl walking across the school. She had long black hair, teal colored eyes, and wore quite a bit of make up. She had eyeshadows on her eyes that brought out more of her beauty. She wore a pink top which showed her belly button, and skinny blue pants. Everybody around was drooling over her. One kid in particular that was on a bike ended up crashing into a tree since his attention was on Paulina. Another kid walked right into the fountain with a SPLASH. But they didn't care, they just wanted to stare at the hottest girl in school.
"What's with everyone else?" Takuya asked as he looked at Paulina with a confused look. "That girl may look nice, but really? Is this overreaction warranted?"
"Paulina…" Danny and Tucker repeated, not seeming to hear Takuya.
Andy grinned a little. "Well… you have to admit, she is pretty hot. There's a reason why she's the most popular girl in school."
Takuya looked at Andy. "Really? You're also falling for her?" He asked, surprised. Makes me glad I am not interested in dating right now. I wonder if it's because I see hot girls like that Paulina chick all the time in Japan…
"Paulina? Please! Girls like her a dime a dozen!" Sam scoffed.
As if to go along with what Sam said, Danny and Tucker dug into their pockets, pulling out coins.
"How much change do you have?" Danny asked.
"Please, she wouldn't fall for any of us unless we had billions of coins," Andy chuckled. While he also had a bit of the hots for Paulina himself, he was also realistic, he knew a girl like her would never be interested in any of them.
"Very funny." Sam said to Danny and Tucker. "Just so you know, you can't judge a book by its cover."
"I am," Andy said. "She's pretty, hot, she's gonna be snobby, and she will never want to go out with any of us."
"... Well… I guess maybe I am judging her by her cover," Sam realized. "That's kind of embarrassing."
"Well there's only one way to find out what she's really like," Tucker said. "How about one of you go and check out that book?"
Tucker grinned directly at Danny and Andy.
"One of us?" Danny asked, looking nervous. "I can't! I get weak-kneed and all awkward when I talk to cute girls." And the amulet I'm wearing might trigger.
Sam perked up when she heard that. "Oh, but you have no problem talking to me?" She asked in a snarky tone.
"Ah… Sorry, Sam, but you're…" Danny tried to explain, but Sam cut him off.
"Save it. Go and give your weak knees some exercise." Sam said as she lifted Danny to his feet and gave him a gentle shove towards Paulina.
Danny quickly turned around and went back to the group. "Yeah, no… I really can't. I have someone… else in mind…" Crud, why did I say that!? I just didn't want to risk my amulet turning me into a dragon!
"Someone… else?" Everyone looked at Danny.
"Just… not important! I just don't want to ask Paulina out, alright?" Danny quickly said, his face turning a little red.
"Well, if Danny doesn't want to do it… then Andy? Wanna give it a shot?" Tucker asked, which caused Andy to nearly spit out his food.
"What makes you think I have any chances with Paulina? Why don't you ask her, Mr. 5%?" Andy grumbled, looking at Tucker.
"No way! I'm way too good looking for her!" Tucker retorted before grinning again. "Go on, Andy, go and check out that book!" He shoved Andy towards Paulina gently.
Andy yelped as he wobbled over to Paulina. He frowned as he didn't expect to actually try to ask the hottest girl in school out to the dance. Well… might as well get it over with.
Andy approached Paulina while she was opening up a low fat yogurt cup as she chose to sit under a tree. Okay, let's see, how to approach her?
"Greetings, my lady," Andy greeted, acting like a gentleman he saw on TV. "It's a lovely day, isn't it?"
Paulina looked back at Andy. "I have to give you credit for originality, for being a loser, for starting a conversation with me." She stated.
"Well, I'm more average than a loser. A 'loser' would be someone who didn't even try, right? Though you do have quite the sense of humor, my lady," Andy said, remaining as a gentleman.
Andy's remark intrigued Paulina, most boys would've gotten flustered right away when she brought out the 'loser' part of her comment.
"You seem to be… more interesting than the other boys here." Paulina said, feeling a bit flattered at being treated so well. "You sure know how to talk to a lady."
"But of course, a beautiful young lady like yourself should be treated well after all," Andy stated. "But I'll stop beating around the bushes. What say you going to the school dance with me tomorrow, my lady?"
Paulina looked like she was considering it before she smiled. "If you remain such a gentleman, I would be glad to go with you."
Upon hearing the response, Takuya, Tucker, and Sam were staring with their eyes in shadow as their mouths hung open. Danny's eyes were wide as he felt like his heart wanted to stop, turning all white. Andy himself, however, looked like he was smiling like the gentleman that he was, had actually blacked out.
Paulina, unaware that the boy in front of her had actually blacked out, stood up and grinned. "I'll see you tomorrow at 7~"
She then walked away while everyone else stared in shock, not just Andy's group of friends, but everyone in the area. They couldn't believe Paulina just said yes to this 'loser'.
"Did… Did Paulina just say yes to Andy's dance request?" Takuya muttered as he finally snapped out of his staring trance.
"Aw man! Andy has all the luck!" Tucker whined.
"Uh, guys… I don't think Andy has moved since Paulina left," Sam noted. "Someone want to check on him?"
Takuya volunteered, running over to Andy. "Hey, Andy? Are you okay?" He asked as he reached Andy's side, only to see Andy looked like he was… not seeing anything around him. "Uh… Andy?" Takuya poked Andy on the back of the head.
Andy's body fell to the ground, stiff as a board.
"... I think he blacked out," Takuya said.
Danny blinked. "Andy blacked out? Wow… I didn't think Andy would black out by being accepted as a date by Paulina."
"I would probably black out too if the hottest girl in school just said yes to me!" Tucker admitted. "Andy, you dog! How did you do that!?"
"Wait until he's conscious, then he can tell you," Sam grumbled. "Though I get the feeling even he doesn't know."
"Let's get Andy out of here and to the nurse's office." Danny suggested. "I don't think he would like waking up on the dirt."
The next day…
The students were at their lockers, getting everything ready for the next class. Andy wouldn't say a word about his little unexpected date yesterday.
"Andy, come on, at least talk to me about it," Danny begged.
Tucker was with Danny and Andy since his locker was right next to theirs. "Yeah, dude, you shouldn't keep quiet about this. You should be milking it for all it's worth!"
"I just… refuse to believe it," Andy said as he slammed his locker shut. "Why would the most popular and hottest girl in school just say yes to me? I mean we may not be losers, yet, at this school, but we're definitely not popular. Paulina refused everyone else, why would she say 'yes' to me? She must have an ulterior motive."
"Dude! You were acting like a gentleman!" Tucker exclaimed. "That seemed to work well on her."
"Yeah, bro! You seemed to make her day by acting like an old-time gentleman." Danny agreed.
"I was acting like Cat Noir from a TV show, and his flirting never works!" Andy groaned. "I just thought it'd be a fun way to get rejected. I didn't think it would actually work."
"Are you actually upset about this?" Danny asked.
"Yes! No… I mean, I don't know. Paulina really is hot, and it is nice to not just get downright rejected, but… I mean I really didn't expect it," Andy admitted, feeling confused and flustered. "I kinda thought we'd all be dateless when we go to the dance…"
"Oh brother… Now Tucker and I may have to find dates…" Danny groaned, trying to keep himself calm and not let his jealousy show.
"You know… you could ask Sam." Tucker teased Danny, making Danny turn beet red.
"T-Tucker! I don't like Sam like that!" Danny squeaked out. At least the amulet doesn't react to embarrassment, cause it would've reacted ten times now.
"Couldn't you two go as friends then?" Andy suggested. "I was gonna suggest that anyways before Paulina said yes."
"I mean… maybe? If I really can't find a date…" Danny sheepishly replied.
Andy looked at Danny. "Well… you seem to really like Paulina, so maybe we can-"
"Hey Andy~" Paulina greeted suddenly.
The other boys in the area all sighed as they looked at Paulina in a dreamy way.
"Paulina?" Andy blinked, surprised to see her approaching him.
"Good luck!" Tucker grinned before he took Danny's hand and dashed away.
Darn it, Tucker! Get back here! Andy mentally yelled, but smiled at Paulina. "Can I help you with something, my lady?"
"Oh, Andy~ I just wanted to…" Paulina began, only for Andy to get shoved aside into his locker by Dash.
"Meet me?" Dash grinned, finishing Paulina's line as he shut the locker door he shoved Andy into. "Who doesn't?~"
Paulina blinked as she looked at Dash.
Danny, who had been watching, wasn't too happy at how Dash was treating his brother, especially since his brother was lucky enough to get a date. While Danny would've liked to have a date like Paulina, he wasn't going to let Dash take away something Andy had earned. So Danny turned himself invisible and approached Dash.
As Dash was talking to Paulina about how he was the star quarterback of the football team, Danny put his hands on Dash's back, only to feel a force, or urge, sucking him into Dash's body. Poor Danny couldn't resist it and was pulled into the jock's body.
"I'm also-" Dash started to say before Phantom took over Dash's body, turning his blue eyes to green.
'Dash' was confused, he dropped the football he was holding and looked down at himself. "I'm… Dash?"
"Excuse me? You already told me your name," Paulina said, frowning a bit.
Danny, in Dash's body, had an idea to get revenge for Andy. "I'm also president of the Casper High geek club, and I have every toenail I've ever clipped. Wanna see them?" 'Dash' asked, grossing out Paulina.
"No… I definitely don't," Paulina said, looking quite annoyed now.
"Then you should get to know Andy Fenton, he doesn't scrub his mom's feet every night like I do," 'Dash' said as he grabbed onto Paulina's foot.
What? That doesn't sound like Dash, what's going on out there? Andy blinked, hearing everything that was going on.
Tucker on the other hand, was trying not to laugh at 'Dash's' behavior.
"Ew, get lost loser!" Paulina exclaimed, wanting nothing to do with Dash.
Seeing he had done his work, Danny flew out of Dash's back and away down the hall and back towards Tucker.
"Oh, dude! That was some epic revenge!" Tucker exclaimed quietly, trying to keep from laughing out loud.
Danny chuckled. "I wasn't going to let Dash get in the way of Andy's happiness." He said. And I was able to do so without triggering the amulet.
Dash was holding his head. "Ugh… Why do I suddenly feel like scrubbing my mom's feet?" He asked, confused as heck as he walked off.
That was… weird… Did a ghost do that? Andy blinked. His voice changed when he was talking too, that's definitely not normal.
After Dash walked away, confused, Paulina opened the locker door. Andy smiled, but when he tried to get out, he miscalculated the steps, and fell down to the floor. Ow…
"Are you okay?" Paulina asked.
Andy, deciding to play it off, looked up at Paulina and chuckled. "Yes. I was just blinded by your beauty after being locked away in that dark locker, milady."
Paulina actually blushed a bit. "Why thank you, Andy~" She giggled.
Paulina helped Andy up to his feet. "So, milady, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about before we were rudely interrupted?"
"I wanted to ask you if you'd be okay with picking me up at 7, and to give you directions to my papa's house," Paulina answered before handing Andy a piece of paper. "You shouldn't have too much trouble finding it."
"Thanks, I appreciate the help, milady. And 7 sounds like a reasonable time, though I may arrive fashionably late if that's alright," Andy remarked, keeping up his gentleman act.
"Oh, as long as you get there, fashionably late may be fine." Paulina said with a smile. "I'll see you then, Andy~"
"Yeah, I'll see you then, milady," Andy waved back as Paulina walked down the hallway.
"Look at you, bro, dropping on the charm," Danny complimented as he and Tucker came back over to Andy after Paulina left.
Andy was blushing. "How is this even working? I'm only saying nice things to her, it shouldn't be that easy!"
"Dude, don't look a gift horse in the mouth! Take the chance and make the most of it!" Tucker exclaimed.
Danny chuckled. "Tucker's right, Andy. Enjoy this while it lasts."
"But I…" Andy frowned a little. "Wait, I was going to make a suggestion. I was thinking that we could-"
Danny's pants suddenly fell down.
"Uh… what's wrong with your pants?" Andy asked.
Danny grabbed his pants. "Uh… They're a bit loose." Danny said quickly. "I may need a belt to hold them in place…"
"Weren't you wearing a belt before?" Andy questioned.
"I left it at home…" Danny said, blushing now.
"Why?" Andy questioned.
"Mr. Fenton…" Mr. Lancer spoke up, looking at the boys. "That's the 3rd time this week I've caught you… how do you kids say it?"
Mr. Lancer looked at a book titled 'Hip for the Unhip'. "Dropping trou."
"Third time?" Andy blinked, looking at Danny.
"I… may have had a few… pants dropping incidents earlier…" Danny blushed. Dang ghost powers acting up from the stress of this amulet…
Mr. Lancer smirked. "I suppose I'll have to talk to one of your parents at a parent teacher conference later." He said as he held out the notice to Danny.
"Oh man… Really?" Danny asked, feeling even more stressed out now.
"Really." Mr. Lancer said. "And here." He reached into his pocket, taking out a belt that he gave to Danny. "This will help keep your pants up and…" He consulted his book. "Out of trouble with the man."
Danny wanted to sigh, but he didn't want to get into more trouble with 'the man'.
Andy frowned, he had been hoping to make a suggestion about how to handle Paulina, but Danny had other things to worry about right now.
Danny had been pretty silent as he and Andy made their way back home. Danny was looking at the parent-teacher conference sheet of paper Mr. Lancer gave him, wanting him to give it to his parents, or at least one of them. Danny was thinking about giving it to his dad since his dad was less likely to be angry with him if he explained the situation. Maddie would likely fuss about Danny eating properly or something if he tried to tell her. The amulet around Danny's neck weighed heavily on him, mentally, he had to be careful about how he felt or he would accidentally activate it as well.
Andy had been trying to figure out how to help Danny with this. "Do you want me to talk to our parents?"
Danny froze and looked at Andy. "Uh… no, no… it's… I can do it, normally..." Danny said nervously. Although, maybe Andy doing it would be better since I have this blasted amulet on my neck. "But… I may take you up on that offer, bro."
Danny rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the amulet still locked into place. Damn amulet… It's stressful enough being a half ghost, but now I have this dang thing to watch out for too…
"It's too bad Phantom has to remain calm and out of sight around people, and… I'm not entirely sure he wants to see me right now…" Andy sighed, making Danny feel guilty that he came off that way to Andy as Phantom. "Otherwise I would ask if he was willing to stand in for Mom or Dad for you or something."
"Huh? How would a ghost boy stand in as one of our parents?" Danny blinked.
"He can overshadow people," Andy answered. "He did that to you before. I just thought if he was willing, he could take over Mom or Dad's body to talk to Mr. Lancer about that whole pants incident."
Danny looked down in thought, an idea crossing his mind. Maybe that could work and get me out of trouble.
"Sorry, I shouldn't ask Phantom to do that anyways. It wouldn't be fair to him or our parents," Andy sighed.
Danny looked back at Andy. "N-no! It… it was a good idea, but… it would be unfair to him, since he is… trying to lay low and all."
"Do you think you can still go to the mall today?" Andy asked.
"I'm sure. I just have to explain to Dad that the pants thing isn't my fault," Danny answered. "Why don't you go on ahead with Takuya? I can meet up with you guys there."
"I guess," Andy replied. "I'd rather wait for you though, just in case."
"N-no… No need to wait for me. I will be there as soon as this conference is over." Danny said with a small smile. And it would let me use my powers without you being there.
Andy sighed. "Fine, but if you're not at the mall in about an hour, I'm coming back home."
Danny realized why Andy said that. Andy was worried Danny would end up ditching him again, setting him up to go to the mall, only to never show up.
"I will be there, don't worry." Danny said reassuringly. "I don't plan on missing some hang out time if I can help it." He added with a grin. If all goes well, I should be there in about a half hour or so.
"Okay, bro, I'll hold you to that," Andy said. "But be sure to call me if our parents grounded you or something."
"I will, I promise," Danny replied.
Danny hadn't been sure about overshadowing his parents. His mom might be harder to overshadow than his dad, but should he do that to them? Danny was in the lab with his dad, who was still trying to fish for a ghost. Danny half hoped that the ghost maiden would be caught so she could take off the amulet, but at the same time if she was caught now, his dad would probably trap her, then dissect her.
Danny shook his head, not wanting to think about that right now. He needed to focus. He was only going to do this once. He needed to keep his temper in check, and he needed to make good on his promise to Andy. This was an exceptional situation to overshadow his dad, he was sure. Danny casually walked up to his dad.
"Hey Dad… uh… so caught anything yet?" Danny asked, hoping to keep his dad's guard low so he could strike.
"No. I've been sitting here all day and not a single ghost was caught." Jack muttered, feeling frustrated. "I'm so frustrated at the lack of ghosts biting! I thought for sure this would catch one!"
Danny gulped, he was sure Jack would lash out at him if he told him about the parent-teacher conference right now. Jack was definitely not in a good mood, and as light hearted and goofy Jack was by nature, even he wouldn't react well to 'bad news' while in a frustrating mood. Danny was now more sure than ever this was the right call, not just because he didn't want his dad to get angry with him, but because Danny needed to not activate the amulet that was currently stuck around his neck.
"There's something I want to tell you, Dad," Danny said, trying to get Jack to lean in towards him.
"What? Is it bad news?" Jack asked as he looked back at Danny, a frown crossing his face.
"Oh, it's nothing, it's just that…" Danny grinned as he saw Jack leaning over to him.
Danny turned himself intangible and quickly dived into his father's body, taking over quickly. Jack's eyes turned green, showing Phantom's eyes. Phantom, now in Jack's body, grinned. "Mr. Lancer wants to have a word with us."
Seeing how Danny was on a time limit, he turned Jack's body invisible before flying directly to Casper High. He was pleasantly surprised to see he can use his ghost powers on the body he was currently… occupying. Danny tried not to think about the fact he was currently possessing his father's body. He just needed to do this once to make sure nothing bad happened. It was either this or risk having a dragon ghost go on a rampage in the city, this was the lesser of the two evils.
When 'Jack' reached Casper High, Danny made sure to keep Jack hidden in the bathroom before returning his visibility, then had 'Jack' walk out of the bathroom like a normal person. People passed by Jack, never noticing anything was off about him.
'Jack' walked into the classroom to meet with Mr. Lancer, like a normal father would. Danny couldn't believe he was doing this. It felt so surreal, and yet it was really happening.
"Ah. Mr. Fenton." Mr. Lancer said when he saw 'Jack' entering his classroom. "Please, take a seat."
'Jack' did so as Mr. Lancer also sat down at his desk. "Thank you for coming to discuss your son Daniel's schooling, Mr. Fenton." Mr. Lancer said with a smile.
Danny knew he needed to try to act like his father as much as possible. "Uh, er, yes, of course. I am Danny's parent after all, and I needed to make sure he's doing alright. So… um… What seems to be the problem, Mr. Lancer?"
"There have been a few incidents with Daniel's… pants falling down." Mr. Lancer said.
"Ah, yes, of course," 'Jack' began, smiling sheepishly. "So Danny's pants fell down again, huh? He studies so hard that he forgets to eat. I'll have to make sure he's eating properly, the poor boy. He's trying really hard to measure up to his sister, and to be able to become an astronaut when he gets older."
"Yes, well, it can be hard to measure up to someone like Jasmine. Just make sure Daniel gets some more food in him, and we won't have incidents like this anymore." Mr. Lancer said. "I don't want to punish the boy for not eating enough."
"I'll be sure to let him know," 'Jack' replied before grinning to himself. "Wow, can't believe it worked."
Mr. Lancer looked at 'Jack'. "What worked?"
'Jack', realizing he said that out loud, quickly cleared his throat. "J-just that you being an understanding teacher about Danny's predicament. No wonder Danny likes you!"
"He does?" Mr. Lancer blinked, surprised.
"Y-yeah, of course! We Fentons consider teachers to be underappreciated, and underpaid," 'Jack' added, trying to butter up Mr. Lancer so he would forget about his comment. "After all, you guys help our kids decide their future and everything."
Mr. Lancer blinked before smiling. "Well, that's good to hear. I didn't think Daniel liked me that much. In fact, since you feel that way about it, I'd like to ask you to chaperone the school dance tonight."
"Chaperone?" 'Jack' nervously asked. "Don't you have your own staff for that?"
"Unfortunately, after the meat and vegetable debate incident, we've been a little short on staff," Mr. Lancer answered. "Having someone as responsible as you would help, and I do intend to pay you for it of course, Mr. Fenton."
'Jack' looked surprised. "Uh… I don't… know…" Aw man! How did I get Dad roped into this?! I only wanted to get out of trouble!
"I do hope to see you tonight at 7, when the kids start to show up," Mr. Lancer said before he looked at his 'Hip for the Unhip' book. "I'll catch you later, G."
'Jack' gave Mr. Lancer a sheepish grin, but inwardly he was screaming.
After dropping Jack off back home, he put a piece of paper in regards to Mr. Lancer's request of him being the school dance's chaperone on the table in front of Jack. For good measure, Danny put a bowl of fudge in front of Jack as well, to make it up to him in his own way. Danny flew out of his father's body.
Jack blinked, recovering from the daze of no longer being overshadowed. "What the? … Did I pass out?"
Jack looked down at his bowl of fudge. "Oh boy, fudge! Just what I needed!"
Danny groaned as he flew away while still invisible and intangible. "Of all the stupid… Why did I think that was a good idea? Now my dad has to chaperone the dance, and he doesn't even know it!"
Danny was stressing out about what just happened as he made his way to the Amity Park Mall. He was even more stressed as he realized that it had taken him a little longer than he had liked to talk to Mr. Lancer. He didn't want Andy to think he was ditching him again, especially after he made Andy think Phantom was mad at him.
The amulet around Danny's neck began to glow as Danny was stressing himself out more. The mall started coming into view.
Meanwhile, inside the mall, Tucker and Sam had joined Takuya and Andy in the food court. Andy showed Takuya around the mall when they met up with Tucker and Sam, though they were still waiting for Danny.
Tucker was chewing on his hamburger when one of the hot girls from Casper High started to walk by him. Tucker wanted to try asking her out to the dance, but she knew what he was about to do, and gave him her answer right away. "No."
Tucker pouted. "Aw man! I can never get a date…" He grumbled as he began to sulk while eating his hamburger.
Sam sighed. "And that is one of the reasons I don't like dances."
"What? Not getting a date?" Takuya asked as he was eating his own hamburger. "Who cares about that? Just enjoy the dance."
"You may not care, but a lot of others do," Sam grumbled as she was eating her salad.
"So do you want to go to the dance?" Takuya asked in a teasing grin, making Sam perk up as her fork with some salad on it fell from her hand.
"Was… that a serious question?" Sam asked, trying not to let her shock show.
Andy, who was eating pasta, elbowed Takuya on the side.
"Ow…" Takuya winced as he rubbed his side. "What?" He asked Andy. "I was just teasing!"
Sam frowned when she heard Takuya was only teasing.
"You don't tease girls about asking them to the dance," Andy grumbled. "Besides, if you want to ask a girl to the dance, you have to be charming. Because apparently that works."
"Yeah, you would know." Takuya grinned at Andy. "That's how you got a date with Paulina~!"
"I will stick this pasta in your ear if you mention that again," Andy threatened.
Takuya winced. "I'll shut up now!" He squeaked out. Aw man… Andy's in a bad mood…
"I don't know why you're not in a better mood about this," Tucker said. "You not only have a date, you have the hottest one in school!"
"I guess," Andy said. "It's just… girls like Paulina tend to be… 'high maintenance'. She also thinks I'm a gentleman, I don't know how long I want to keep up that act around her."
"Why not until the end of the dance? It's not like you have to be her boyfriend," Sam pointed out.
"I did want to ask Danny if he would like to go on the date with Paulina instead since he likes her more than I do," Andy remarked.
"Why would Paulina want to go on a date with Danny?" Tucker asked. "She said 'yes' to you."
"You forget, Danny is my twin brother. Paulina doesn't know us that well. She wouldn't notice if we swapped places," Andy pointed out. "I just have to tell Danny to act like a gentleman around her, and she'll fall for him."
Takuya snickered. "The ol' 'switch-a-roo' is on the table then?" He joked.
"Well, I did try to ask Danny that earlier, but I kept getting interrupted," Andy sighed. "I was going to ask him when he joined us today, but he hasn't shown up yet."
"Danny will be here. Just give him a few more minutes." Takuya said reassuringly. "Danny won't ditch us that easily, Maybe he got held up by something."
"Maybe he found his own date to the dance too," Tucker remarked before he checked his PDA. "I've asked just about every girl in school except for… Valerie Gray."
"Isn't she kinda high on the popularity chain?" Andy asked.
"Yeah, but you got the highest you can go on the popularity chain, so if you can get a date with Paulina of all girls, I can try with Valerie Gray." Tucker said with a grin.
"Ugh… whatever. I don't think I'll be going to the dance," Sam huffed. "It saves me the embarrassment of this lame dress my Mom had me buy when she took me clothes shopping with her."
Tucker looked at her before grinning. "So nobody's asked you, huh?"
Sam looked at Tucker. "Why? Are you that desperate you want to ask me?" She asked.
"Just as friends." Tucker said, holding up his hands.
Sam sighed. "I mean I guess that would be better than nothing if things don't work out with Valerie."
"Takuya, do you have a girlfriend back home?" Andy asked his cousin.
Takuya went beet red. "W-why would you ask?" He squeaked out. He wanted to lie and say he did, but his face gave it all away.
"I was just wondering why you seem so disinterested in asking any girl to go to the dance," Andy explained before snickering. "I saw a few girls eyeing you, hoping you'd ask them. Although, looking at your reaction to my question, maybe it's just because you're awkward around girls besides the ones you know like Sam."
Unlike Danny, Andy knew to choose his words carefully when talking about girls around a girl who was a friend.
"I am not that awkward!" Takuya protested before frowning a little. "Um… Am I really?"
"Do you ever talk to girls around your age?" Tucker asked before Sam glared at him. "Y-you know, ones who aren't already your friends?"
"Um… not really…" Takuya admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "Aw man… Andy's right. I am so awkward around girls who aren't my friends already…"
"Maybe you could try asking one to the dance to see what happens?" Andy asked.
People in the area suddenly started running away, some of them were even screaming. Andy, Tucker, Sam, and Takuya frowned when they saw people suddenly panicking and running.
"I didn't think people would start running in a panic about it…" Andy commented.
Suddenly, Takuya tensed up as he felt an odd combination of feelings rush through him. It was like he was feeling hot and cold at the same time for some reason. "Um…" Takuya began, unsure of how to explain what he was feeling. "Did you guys feel anything… weird… like a hot and cold feeling at the same time?"
"No… but I definitely feel like something's coming…" Sam frowned.
"Um… so uh… where's Danny?" Tucker nervously asked.
Suddenly there was a loud roar that caught their attention. Everyone gasped as a huge black ethereal dragon with white accents came stomping into the food court, knocking down tables and chairs in its wake. Andy stared at the dragon in shock and horror, the fry he was holding onto in his fingers falling down onto the table.
"Um… why does that ghost dragon look somewhat familiar?" Sam asked, not sure if what she was seeing was really before her eyes. That dragon's form looks almost like Danny's ghost form. Just more… draconic…
"You're not the only one who is thinking that, Sam." Tucker muttered, also shocked.
"Guys… I-I think… that's Phantom!" Andy quickly warned them, shaking. "S-something must've h-happened that activated the amulet…"
"What? What amulet?" Takuya frowned.
"What do you mean that's Phantom!?" Both Tucker and Sam shouted in shock.
"There's no time to explain! Run!" Andy shouted as the dragon started stomping over to them.
Tucker and Sam scattered through the mall, fearing for the worst as the only possible person who could've fought back against this dragon was the dragon. Andy and Takuya ran to hide under a counter.
"Takuya… can you access Agunimon?" Andy asked. "With Phantom going on a rampage, you're the only one I know who might be able to fight back."
"I… I can try." Takuya said nervously. "But I don't know. The last time I tried, nothing happened." He took out that device anyway and began to mess with it. "C'mon… please activate… I need to protect Andy and calm Phantom down!" Aw man… If I can't access my new form, we're screwed! I… I need to protect Andy! I need to! With Phantom out there on a rampage, Andy could get hurt if he rushes in to try and help his ghostly friend!
Takuya was vigorously pushing the buttons on the device. "Come on, change me! Do something!"
But still, nothing happened.
Andy frowned as he felt the stomps of the dragon getting closer to them. He couldn't leave Phantom like this, the ghost boy would never forgive himself if he hurt anyone, especially if his Obsession was what Andy thought it was. There has to be something I can do… maybe if I could just remove the amulet…
The dragon looked around, as if he was searching for something. He let out another roar before speaking in a deep voice. "WHERE IS ANDY!?"
"Is… is he looking for me?" Andy squeaked. Did I do something to make him angry? It was the Obsession question, wasn't it? It must've festered in his mind until he couldn't take it anymore!
"WHERE IS ANDY!?" The dragon bellowed again before roaring once more.
Frustrated that he couldn't find the person he was looking for, the dragon shot out frost breath from his maw, turning anything the breath touched into ice.
What kind of dragon breathes frost breath instead of fire? Andy blinked. Is it because Phantom is different from that ghost maiden? I mean… he had always been cold, but… I didn't know he could use ice!
The dragon roared again as more frost came from his mouth, trying to freeze the mall's interior solid.
Andy looked at Takuya, who was still trying desperately to get the device to change him. They were out of time. "Takuya… we need to get out of here. Phantom's looking for me, I'll distract him while you get away from here!"
Takuya looked up. "A-Andy?!" He didn't want Andy to just rush out there. "Wait! You can't just rush out there…"
"I'll be fine. I've trained with Phantom before," Andy reassured. "I'll get out as soon as I can. You just focus on getting to the nearest exit."
Andy jumped out of the counter before Takuya could protest any further.
"HEY! PHANTOM! ARE YOU LOOKING FOR ME!?" Andy shouted, waving his arms to catch the dragon's attention.
The dragon looked down and saw Andy. Seeing the boy, the dragon reached down and grabbed him. Andy yelped, not having expected the dragon to just grab him, he thought the dragon would try using its frost breath on him first. The dragon lifted Andy up to his face.
"I'M LATE!" The dragon bellowed.
"Uh…" Andy didn't know how to respond to that.
Takuya, from his hiding spot, saw what was going on and felt fear for Andy's safety rushing through him. He needed to help Andy! He had the ability to, but that dang figurine was just not being helpful!
Please… I need to help Andy! He could be in trouble! Takuya thought, trying to call out the power he knew he had, but was unable to access.
"I'M LATE!" The dragon bellowed again before opening his maw to let out that frost breath on Andy.
"Come on! SPIRIIIIIIIIT!" Takuya cried out loudly.
The device's screen shined brightly as the kanji for fire appeared again. It was then Takuya finally remembered how to access the spirit's form, Agunimon.
Takuya held out his device and the blue digital form of his Human Spirit appeared visible on the screen of his device as he formed a ring of fractal coding on his left hand. He swiped the device over the coding, calling out the familiar phrase he would come to know by heart. "Execute! Spirit Evolution!" His clothes ripped away as his body became digital, and the process began. Coding surrounded him as the power of the Spirit flowed into his body. Red armor formed and latched onto his body as his hair changed to blonde and became long and wild. His height increased, as did his strength and agility. His eyes snapped open, now a brilliant blue instead of brown, and his canine teeth were sharper than a human's as well. He landed, crying out his name. "Agunimon!"
Now evolved, Agunimon moved into action, jumping up before he called on his fire attack. "Pyro Darts!" He threw the fiery darts at the claw holding Andy.
The dragon let out a roar of pain from the sudden fiery darts touching its claw. The dragon let go of Andy, who yelped as he fell down. Agunimon ran to Andy, catching him before he could hit the ground.
"T-thanks," Andy said gratefully. "Looks like you were able to do it, Taku- I mean Agunimon!"
Agunimon gave a small smile. "Yeah, it looks like it." He agreed. "But it was only because you were in danger… err… so I assume anyway."
Agunimon then turned his attention to the rampaging Phantom. "But we need to focus on Phantom right now. He needs to be calmed down at the very least."
"You can try removing the amulet around his neck," Andy pointed at the amulet on the dragon's neck. "It's what made him transform. Problem is, that amulet is stubborn. Do you think you'll be able to remove it?"
Agunimon frowned a little, but knew he had to try. "I can try. I don't know if I'll be able to, but we have no other options right now."
"I'll see if I can help you," Andy said as he took out the Fenton Rod he kept in his pocket.
Agunimon wanted to tell Andy to get out of there, but the dragon was coming in for an attack. He roared as he lashed out his claws at them. Andy was ready for it this time, he and Agunimon quickly jumped out of the way, the claws missing both of them.
The dragon shot out a frost breath at Agunimon, angry that this being shot fire at him earlier.
Agunimon saw the incoming frost breath and gasped, realizing it was ice that was coming his way. Shit! He thought mentally before he jumped away from the freezing breath. What can I do against ice?! I can't fight that! I have only a weak fire attack, and that won't help me against this freezing breath at all!
Andy, seeing this, ran at a flipped over chair before batting it as hard as he could with his Fenton Rod. The chair was sent flying at the dragon, slamming it into his side. The dragon stopped using his frost breath, and turned to see the chair that smacked into him. The dragon stomped on the chair, crushing it.
Agunimon, seeing this as an opening opportunity, tried to get in close to the dragon. He shot out his Pyro Darts in hopes of weakening the dragon.
The dragon let out an angry roar at the fiery darts licking his scales. He covered his body with his wings that seemed to have stretched out to shield his body.
Shit… Agunimon thought as he saw this. The folded wings made it hard to get close to that amulet. He had to find a way to get the wings to open so he could grab that amulet and yank it off of Phantom. He gritted his teeth, revealing his sharp canine teeth.
Feeling that the annoying fiery attack had stopped, the dragon unfolded his wings and lunged forwards, throwing himself at Agunimon. Agunimon gasped as he moved quickly to avoid the dragon's charge. However, the dragon feinted, when Agunimon tried to move to the side to avoid the dragon's charging, the dragon ended up using his tail to whack Agunimon several feet, right into a shop's sign, breaking it.
Agunimon fell to the ground with a grunt, dazed for a few seconds before he regained his senses. "Ow…" He muttered as he sat up, rubbing at the back of his head.
"Are you okay?" Andy asked in concern after he ran over to Agunimon.
"Yeah… it seems my armor took the brunt of that." Agunimon said as he stood up, but he did wince when he took a breath. At least… I think it did… Did I get a couple of fractured ribs?
"Sorry… I guess I kind of taught Phantom to try to think more during battle," Andy sweatdropped. "He probably would've been a lot more predictable if we hadn't trained together. Can you still fight?"
"Yeah, I can." Agunimon confirmed before looking back at Phantom in his dragon form, who wasn't even looking at them right now. "But we're just kinda winging it here while Phantom has more experience."
"As a ghost, yeah maybe, as a dragon?" Andy frowned. "There must be some way we can trip him up. He's still Phantom, I think… He can get emotional at times. Maybe that's what we need to do."
"What do you mean?" Agunimon asked.
"Phantom can't think clearly when he gets too emotional," Andy stated. "Since he can speak, I think he can still understand our language. I can try to throw him off by saying things that'll get him emotional while you go in and try to get to that amulet and yank it off."
"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" Agunimon asked, not wanting to discourage Andy since it was the only plan they had at the moment. "I mean… if we have to do it, I'm not objecting, but I just think we need to be careful about how we go about this."
"Yeah, I know… but unlike you, if I get hit by Phantom, I'll likely die," Andy said seriously, which made Agunimon grow pale. "But if we don't do this, he might kill other people. I know he wouldn't want that."
Andy's hand squeezed the Fenton Rod. "Don't hesitate, Agunimon. I'll do what I can to stay alive and distract him, but you need to go for that amulet, understand?"
Agunimon frowned a little, but nodded. "Okay… Just… be careful." He said softly.
Andy ran forward, stopping the dragon ghost boy from stomping further into the mall. "Okay, Phantom… yes, you're late, so very late that I'm pretty angry at you!"
Andy didn't know why Phantom had been yelling that he was late, but he figured it had something to do with being late to see Andy or something.
The dragon gritted his teeth, but he actually looked a little ashamed.
"You're not much of a protector if you're just going to go on a rampage like any other ghost!" Andy shouted. "You're not convincing me on the whole 'not all ghosts are evil' with what you've been doing!"
The dragon let out a roar at that before trying to grab Andy. Andy ran back, dodging the dragon's claws. He used his Fenton Rod to bat away an incoming tail whip. Whew, that was close! That nearly broke my arms!
Agunimon, seeing this, knew he had to get in there, but he wasn't about to just charge in. No, he needed to wait until Phantom was thoroughly distracted and ignoring him. C'mon… just a bit more… He thought as he got into position to move towards Phantom and that amulet.
Andy had been really glad he trained in the art of dodging Phantom's ghost rays before. Phantom made sure they wouldn't be fatal to humans during dodge practice, but this was no practice. Phantom was intending to turn Andy into a popsicle with his frostbreath. Andy ran around the mall, trying to avoid the frost breath.
"I know you like frozen treats! But I'd rather not be your frozen treat!" Andy yelled. "Are you still mad about the Obsession question?"
"I'M LATE!" The dragon that was Phantom roared, showing it was not the Obsession question.
Why does he keep saying that? As far as I knew, I didn't make any plans to meet up with Phantom today. Andy frowned. If anyone's late, it's Danny!
Andy tripped on a chair and fell near a table. The frost breath was about to hit him. Andy, thinking fast, slammed his Fenton Rod on the table, causing it to flip up in front of him. Andy held onto the table from behind, using it as a shield from the frost breath. Hurry, Takuya! I don't know how much longer I can hold this!
Agunimon knew it was time to act when he saw Phantom was focused on Andy. He sprinted off the ground, pushing himself towards Phantom. When he was within range, Agunimon jumped up and grabbed onto the amulet that was hanging from Phantom's neck. He planted his feet on Phantom's scaly chest and pulled as hard as he could. "C'mon… Come off already…" Agunimon hissed as he pulled, putting all of his enhanced strength into the effort.
Phantom felt something on his neck. He let out a roar as he began to flail around, trying to get it off. Agunimon yelped as he hung onto the amulet for dear life.
Andy looked out from the table, and decided to try one last thing. He ran closer to the dragon and took a deep breath. "PHANTOM! YOU'RE HURTING ME!"
This got the dragon to stop moving, and it started to look down in shock and worry.
Realizing that Phantom had stopped moving, Agunimon managed to swing himself around to land on the back of Phantom's long neck and saw the clasp. He clenched one of his hands into a fist and then drove his fist down on the clasp hard, hoping it would break and come off.
The clasp did come off, but it didn't break. It flung itself off of the dragon. Agunimon blinked, not expecting the amulet to move on its own. The dragon let out a roar as he began to shrink down. Agunimon fell to the floor as the dragon was shrinking. Andy let out a yelp.
Agunimon blinked a few times when he saw the dragon was back to being Phantom, the ghost boy. Phantom groaned, feeling like he just woke up from a daze. "Ugh… what hit me…?"
Agunimon actually smiled when he saw that Phantom was back to normal. "It seems that the amulet you had on you was the cause of you becoming a dragon." He said. "But it's gone now."
"W-wait… I was a dragon!?" Phantom yelped, sitting up quickly in fear, and paled when he saw the mess he made in the mall. "Oh… no… what've I done? Did I hurt anyone?"
"No, no you didn't!" Agunimon said quickly, trying to reassure Phantom so he didn't freak out. "You may have hit me around a few times, but I'm pretty much alright!" Aside from a fractured rib, I'm pretty much fine…
Phantom looked at Agunimon as if noticing what he was for the first time. "... You're… Agunimon? Takuya?"
Agunimon paled for a moment before he realized Phantom knew what he could do and seemed to calm down. "Yeah… That's… me." He admitted at last. "Uh… you going on a rampage as a dragon is what allowed me to… you know…" He gestured at his own form.
"Is everyone alright?" Andy asked, finally coming out from the table, which was covered in frost.
"A-Andy! You're here? Are you alright?" Phantom fussed, worried for his brother who didn't know he was his brother.
"My fingers might be a bit numb, but I'm alright," Andy assured. "I'm more worried about you. What made you turn into a dragon? Did I do something to make you mad?"
Phantom paled before he spoke up. "N-no! I was just under a lot of stress! And with that amulet, it… acted up. You… didn't do anything to make me mad."
"You were… stressed?" Andy blinked, not expecting that. "You kept saying my name, and that you were late. I thought maybe I might've made plans with you or something and didn't remember it somehow, or you thought we made plans…" What could've stressed him out? The amulet? But wouldn't he have been screaming 'AMULET!' or something like that as a dragon?
"Uh… well… I uh…" Phantom hesitated. "I missed seeing you yesterday… so…"
"Wait… where's the amulet?" Agunimon interrupted when he realized that he didn't have the amulet.
"What? Do you not have the amulet? I thought you took it off of me!" Phantom paled, not wanting that amulet to be on the loose.
"I slammed my fist into it and it came off, but then it flung itself away from me." Agunimon explained quickly. "I don't know where it went! I just saw it fly off somewhere!"
"W-well we better find it before it latches onto someone else or on me again!" Phantom frantically said.
"Guys, calm down!" Andy spoke up. "I think I saw that ghost maiden here earlier when Agunimon got that amulet off of you. She likely sensed her amulet's power and came here, and the amulet went back to her."
"I don't know…" Agunimon trailed off with a frown on his face. "I would've sensed her if she came back for that thing."
"It's fine, we should get out of here and meet back up with Tucker and Sam before the cops get here, Phantom, you should leave too… we'll catch up some other time." Andy spoke up. "Can't wait to hear what insane story they'll try to come up with to cover this up."
"Fine… as long as that amulet's back in the Ghost Zone where it belongs," Phantom said, relieved to not have to worry about the stupid amulet anymore.
"I better find a spot to turn human again," Agunimon said.
"Yeah, I'll meet you outside," Andy said to Agunimon.
Agunimon ran off, and Phantom flew up and through the ceiling. Andy, seeing he was alone, frowned to himself as he pulled out the amulet he hid in his shirt.
This is bad… Andy frowned.
Titanic X: ZAFT: Glad you liked the Lunch Lady fight! XD It was fun to write out. :3
CT7567Rules: ZAFT: You will have to see what Digimon partners come into the story. ^^' And as for Andy and Danny's secret, mistakes happen. But that's the fun of readers commenting and guessing. XD
DarkFoxKit: You really like Veemon I see. Unfortunately, Digimon aren't going to show up much for a while. Yes, Sam's parents are very controlling. They judge others very harshly, and really hastily. That was the impression I got from them when I saw them in the show.
ZAFT: As for Locomon or Rail Town, we will see if either comes in or not. :3
Ed: DarkFoxKit: I'm not going to say. You'll just have to find out as the story goes on.
ZAFT: But it is good to see you reviewing this story as well. :3