Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, The Fairly Odd Parents or any of the characters used here. Danny Phantom and the Fairly Odd Parents are the sole property of Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon and Viacom International. I also do not own any of the characters utilized in this crossover, they all belong to their respective owners.
Phantom vs Aliens: Hot Ectoplasma!
Chapter 38: New Strategies
The Next Day
At Casper High
It was lunch time and everyone in Casper High was enjoying the brief break from test and books, eating either lunches they brought from home or slop that comes from the cafeteria.
However, not everyone was in a good mood today.
Dash was in a bad mood but can't do much due to his wrist still being sore (it's not broken but he had to be careful with it for a few days), but he outright REFUSED to admit to anyone that it happened due to getting beat up by a girl...even though the rumors had already spread and there had been witnesses when that happen, much to his humiliation.
However, we are not focusing on him right now. No, we are focusing on Team Phantom right now.
Danny and his friends were seated at a table outside, mostly to avoid Dash due to the foul mood he was in. Danny knew the reason for his foul mood and could only grin whenever he thought of it.
"Mandie really did a number on him...especially his ego..."He thought, chuckling when he remembered it.
His friends noticed.
"Dude, what's so funny?..."Tucker asked.
"Oh, I just remembered something funny, that's all..."Danny said, still grinning a bit.
Sam frowned at that, having an idea what he could be laughing about.
"Sooo..."Sam started.
"So?..."Danny asked, wondering what she wants to talk about.
He noticed a sour, almost accusing look on her face as she stared at him.
"What's with her?..."Danny thought as his female friend began to speak.
"So...uh, do anything fun last night?..."Sam asked, trying to sound normal but she's clearly in a mood.
"Uh, yeah. I just hung out at the mall..."Danny said.
"With Mandie?!..."Sam said, her spork nearly snapping.
"Sam...no..."Tucker said but it was too late.
Danny heard this and narrowed his eyes, not liking that tone in her voice.
"Uh, yeah. I told you guys that I was gonna hang out with her..."Danny said, not liking this attitude.
Sam frowned before slamming her spork down and scowled. She then scooted closer to Danny, as if she was examining him and not in a good way.
"Uh, Sam...what are you doing?..."Danny asked, not liking this.
"Oh, I dunno...Just checking for, uh, bruises...scratches... ice cream stains?..."Sam said, with more attitude.
"And...she just stepped on a landmine..."Tucker thought while Danny stared at the goth in perplexity.
"Ice cream stains?..."Danny questioned, looking lost at her choice of words.
However, while he is known as "Clueless one", he's not stupid and it suddenly came to him when he recalled the last time he had ice cream and with whom.
"Wait...did you spy on me and Mandie?!..."Danny asked, looking upset.
"No, I was just passing by and just saw you two by chance..."Sam said sarcastically with an eye-roll. "Of course I spied on you and Mandie!..."She said, like he asked a stupid question or something.
Danny got upset and even mad right now.
"Sam, what the heck? You spied on us?! Are you crazy?!..."Danny said, upset by that.
"ME?! You're the one dating a crazed, intergalactic, war-mongering tyrant and You're calling ME crazy?!..."Sam said, mad.
"I'm not dating Mandie. We're just hanging out..."Danny said but Sam clearly didn't believe him.
"Riiight, and I'm sure that kiss meant nothing too..."Sam said sarcastically, too mad to even try and see reason now.
Danny's eyes widened and felt mortified.
"You spied on us there too?!..."He accused.
"Wait...you and Mandie kissed?..."Tucker asked, stunned and even jealous.
"It was just a kiss on the cheek, I just did it to thank her for helping me out and being cool all day..."Danny said but his friends, or rather Sam, didn't believe him.
"Sure...it's not like didn't try putting putting up a fight or denying her..."Sam said sarcastically, arms crossed.
Danny hated this and got in her face, hating how she was disregarding what he had to say. They had been friends for years, the goth would certainly know if the ghost boy was interested. Yet, right now she's interrogating him like he did something wrong when SHE'S the one who violated his privacy and is refusing to listen to him.
"Sam, you're being totally unfair and I can't believe you spied on us!..."Danny said. "You blew a gasket and refused to even speak to me when I spied on you with that Gregor guy that one time!..."He pointed out.
"That's completely different!..."Sam insisted.
"No, it isn't..."Tucker muttered, receiving a glare from the goth girl. "Hey, I'm just stating facts.."He said.
The goth girl frowned at him and noticed the glare that Danny was sending her, but she still believed that she was in the right.
"Look, Gregor or Elliot or whatever his name is might have been a creep and a poser but Mandie is ACTUALLY dangerous. She already kidnapped you once and tried to do it again and again..."Sam reminded. "She made it clear that she just wants you to father super soldiers and help her take over the world. How could I NOT make sure that what she's doing isn't some elaborate ploy that she cooked up just so she could try throwing you into an alien shotgun wedding, like she already tried to do before?!..."She hissed.
"Sam, shush!..."Danny said, since they were still at school and she's being loud right now.
Good news is that most of the students were inside and there weren't that many people nearby here, much less focusing on them. Danny sighed in relief, before sending her a scolding look.
"Are you TRYING to expose our secret right now?..."He asked, scolding her.
"I'm still right. You can't deny that she did do all that awful stuff to you!..."Sam said, being stubborn.
Danny sighed.
He could understand what she was feeling to an extent but this is getting ridiculous, even for her. Still, he tried to be the bigger person by calming down and trying to get her to listen to reason.
"Sam, look...Mandie might have started out as an enemy and yes, she did those things but she's trying to change..."Danny said.
"You can't seriously be buying that load of garbage about her changing..."Sam said, hands on her hips.
Danny frowned.
"Sam, enough! You might not like Mandie, but I don't see her as an enemy anymore. Everyone needs a second chance and she's been showing me she deserves it..."He said. "Why can't you just trust my judgement and leave it at that?..."He asked, losing his patience.
"You mean the same kind of judgement that wanted you to ask Paulina out on a date or the same kind of judgement that nearly made you go steady with Valerie the ghost slayer?..."Sam snarked.
"Sam, enough! Sure, maybe both those instances were decided by hormones but I've learned from them. Besides, Mandie might have been bad but I think she is capable of changing for the better. Heck, she got me an awesome model as a present and she even beat up Dash when he tried using me as a punching bag yesterday..."Danny said.
"Wait...that rumor is true...Dash got beat up by a girl...and it was Mandie?..."Tucker asked, looking interested.
"Yep, Dash saw us and was bugging us then Mandie, uh, decided to teach him a lesson..."Danny said, unable to stop grinning as he recalled it.
"Danny, that's proof enough that she's still dangerous. I know that Dash is a jerk, but she can't just beat him up all of a sudden!..."Sam said.
"I already talked to Mandie about this and she promised to let me handle things with Dash. Besides, she only did it because she was worried about me and she thought Dash trying to hit me is wrong..."Danny said. "And the worst she did was punch him and twist his wrist, it was nothing serious. The most damage was done to his ego and we all know how big that is..."He said, laughing.
Sam didn't think this was funny at all as the ghost boy could barely hold in his own laughter of his bully's misfortune.
"And you let her?!..."Sam said, leaning into the ghost boy. "For all we know, she could've accidentally sent Dash to the hospital or do some permanent damage on purpose!..."She said, slamming a fist.
Her face contorted for a moment as she realized how inadvertently she defended Dash of all people...one of the few guys that she didn't want to defend.
"Uh, again, I don't like him and defending him leaves a really bad taste in my mouth but my point is that Mandie is too dangerous to be left to her own..."Sam said, arms crossed.
Danny rolled his eyes, thinking it was another one of Sam's protest with a point. Well, he had a point too.
"Look, I know that maybe she might have went a little far but there's more to it. She acted that way mostly because of her own culture, she says that she thinks people should defend themselves if someone tries to mess with them. Sure, she said it in a harsh and alien-princess-warrior way, but I understood her meaning..."He said, while Sam sent him an incredulous look.
"You're unbelievable! She's already corrupting you and you're LETTING her!..."Sam accused.
"She's NOT corrupting me, I'm not saying hurting Dash is okay...even if it was awesome, hilarious and he hasn't exactly done anything to prove he doesn't deserve it... but I'm just saying she had a point. Either way, I talked to her about what she did and she promised to hold back more if there is a next time..."Danny said.
Sam backed away with an incredulous on her face. She was stunned at the ghost boy's words before giving him a frown. As Danny stood his ground, Tucker ducked a bit, not wanting anything to do with the argument.
"I can't believe you're doing something so stupid!..."Sam said, waving her arms.
"It's not stupid! I'm giving someone a second chance to prove that they deserve it!..."Danny defended himself while the goth girl growled.
"Giving a stalker another chance is stupid. But giving an alien invader a chance to come back to our planet and possibly abduct you again is down right insane!..."Sam grumbled as she marched away in anger.
Danny sighed and dragged a hand down his face, already feeling a headache forming.
"Why do I get the feeling it's gonna be a LONG time before we're gonna be on the same page here, if ever?..."He thought, hating this.
He knows Sam, in her own way, was trying to look out for him but he can't stand the fact that she didn't trust his judgement and spied on him without permission. The ghost boy left the area, wanting to be alone right now and Tucker sighed, knowing that it will be a while before his friends simmer down.
He noticed a bag of chips that had been left here and got ideas.
"Well, hate for these to go to waste..."He thought as he took the chips and began eating.
He knew that his friends needed time to cool down and neither wanted to be bothered right now. So, he figured he'd wait and until then, he snacked on these chips while lunch period continued.
With Danny
The ghost boy stepped away and was now by himself by a tree, away from his friends, especially a certain goth girl who is too stubborn for her own good.
"I can't believe her. Can't she at least TRY to be understanding? Not everyone stays the same! Even Valerie became nicer after we got to know her..."He thought, still upset with Sam and her grudge against Mandie.
Before Danny could sulk for long, he suddenly felt a phone ringing...and not his regular cell phone. No, it's the special one that Mandie had gifted him and even upgraded yesterday in order to have better chances at communicating with each other.
"Mandie..."Danny thought as he answered.
"Hey...Mandie..."Danny said.
"Hello, Darling. How are you?..."She asked.
"Fine...just...uh...having lunch..."Danny semi-lied.
"I see...I certainly hope that you're not eating that delightful ice cream without me..."Mandie teased.
"I wish. If only the cafeteria food was that good..."Danny laughed, since the meatloaf that the lunch ladies make leaves something to be desired.
"I see...well, anyway, I just finished my early morning training and I thought about you..."Mandie said, flirting again.
"I see...good to know..."Danny said, not sure what else to say.
He wasn't sure if he should mention to her about Sam and her spying. He decided against it. He and Mandie were getting along and he really rather not give her a reason to cause any more tension between them.
"Anyway...umm..."Mandie paused a bit, as if trying to find the right words. "So, are you free to talk right now?..."She asked.
"Well...I have about 20 minutes until class starts, so yeah, I'm free..."Danny said, not having a reason to deny her.
"Splendid. I have so many things that I didn't get the chance to ask you about last time. Where should I start?..."Mandie said, sounding cheerful.
"Well, like I said, I have 20 minutes of free time, so ask away..."Danny said with a chuckle.
He soon sat under a tree, where he spent the rest of his lunch break talking with Mandie on the phone, his mind already distracted from his issues with Sam.
Later
With Mandie
Almost 20 minutes had passed and the ghost boy and alien princess were engaged in casual conversation over the phone, talking a little bit about everything.
"Are you serious? That blonde fool is still with these football players?..."Mandie asked, laughing.
"Yeah, he's gonna need a break from practice for a few days since he can't make a pass because of what you did to his wrist..."He said.
"Funny, I didn't think an injury would keep him from trying to make passes at girls..."Mandie said, since that moron seemed too stubborn to stop.
"Uh, no...pass is a football term...don't ask me more about it since I don't know much..."He admitted, never being in those circles.
"Well, I don't care much for earth sports anyway. So, tell me more about you and your duties..."Mandie said, changing the subject.
Talking about a lesser Brutis was the last thing on her mind right now. She just wanted to talk with her beloved.
"There's not much to talk about really. For me, it's go to school, get through life, and stay alive as every ghost comes out for fun or revenge…"Danny said, used to that sort of routine but the alien girl is as fascinated as she has ever been.
"Then, tell me more of your conquests…"Mandie cooed, drawing circles in the air with her finger on her end.
Danny chuckled, holding his head before speaking.
"They're not conquests, more like battles. But to me it makes no difference as school can be like a battle field too, expect I'm averagely passing…"He said, a little frustrated on the last part.
Mandie could feel the boy's cringe as he groaned. She knew the idea of passing an exam felt better when you were near perfection, not further away.
"There's not much in terms of school, but I mostly blame the ghosts for getting in the way of my studies…"He said, letting out a bit of his inner frustrations.
"Maybe if you…had a partner, the battles would be over quicker…"Mandie said with a blush, not that he could see right now.
"Tucker and Sam help me out and they refuse to be called sidekicks..."Danny said and Mandie frowned.
"I see but...I mean...someone who has more...battle experience and who is more up to your speed..."Mandie said, obviously referring to herself.
Danny knew that but he decided neither to deny or approve of what she is suggesting.
"Maybe, but the fights are endless…"Danny groaned.
While the idea of help, especially as competent as Mandie, was well received, everyone had a limit.
"Endless, you say?…"Mandie said as she leaned into her phone with intrigue.
"Sometimes it's weak ghosts, sometimes it's giant ghosts, and sometimes it's a trap. It always hard to tell. I mean, one time I thought the Box Ghost was being annoying, but it turned out to be Skulker ready with a cage…"Danny rubbed his head, aggravated at the memory.
"Sounds…fun…"Mandie giggled on the other end.
"If your definition of fun means having to take another shower after Skulker makes a mess of you before you beat him, then sure. Why not?…"Danny quipped.
Though Danny's voice was neutral, Mandie's went higher for a moment as she found all of this to be quite enticing.
"You'll always be up to face your enemies, even when you deem it inconvenient to fight? Is there no end to your battlefields?..."She thought, smitten and very excited.
"I-I see. That must be…v-very difficult…"Mandie stuttered.
"Yeah, but not much I can do about that. If not me, then who's gonna protect Amity Park from the ghosts?..."Danny asked.
"True...your town is fortunate to have you as their protector..."Mandie said.
"Thanks..."Danny said, actually feeling happy to hear her say that.
He would have talked more but the warning bell was heard and he knew that it was time to end things for now.
"Anyway, I gotta go now Mandie. Class is gonna start in a bit..."Danny said.
Mandie frowned but complied, knowing it's not right to be pushy with him.
"Very well, I suppose we can continue this conversation at a later time. Say...later tonight?..."She said, in a hinting tone.
"Sure. Anyway, see ya Mandie..."Danny said.
"See you, Danny..."Mandie said, sounding pleased for the chance of talking again later.
Soon, the phone hung up and the ghost boy went to class, trying to focus on the lesson and not the disapproving looks he was getting from a certain female goth who, as always, is too stubborn for her own good.
With Mandie
"Sure. Anyway, see ya Mandie..."Danny said.
"See you, Danny..."Mandie said before hanging up, a smitten look on her face after having that conversation with her beloved.
Mandie sighed dreamily, feeling her heart fluttering as she danced to its rhythm.
"He's so spectacular!~..."She thought, giddy as she recalled their outing yesterday and the kiss he planted on her cheek.
She touched it again and sighed, feeling so much like a smitten teenage girl rather than a fierce warrior princess.
She didn't care, she was just too happy right now.
"We are already spending time together, I have given him gifts, he even seems to have come to respect to my Boudacian way of things (even if I still have to follow his planet's rules), we have gone shopping together and had so much fun together yesterday and yet he doesn't even consider this courtship...but I just know that I'm weighing him down~..."Mandie thought, overjoyed and optimistic.
Fufu then came to her and wanted her attention. Mandie smiled fondly at her pet and petted her, happy.
"Oh, Fufu. I'm so happy. Things with Danny are going so well..."She said as she even hugged her pet, feeling blissful.
However, the alien princess then sported a challenging look on her face as she pondered.
"But this is only the beginning. I must make more preparations..."She thought as she knew that while this long term plan is working, she can't just stop here.
She has to continue to make an effort to show Danny that she's worthy of his love and that being with her is not a bad thing. She knew that and she was still working on everything. From following their rules to making visits, but she was confident that it is possible.
She thought about the boy she loves again and the alien girl squealed in delight. Even twirling a bit with her pet Fufu as her dance partner before she finally regained control of herself. It still didn't stop her from being so giddy though.
"This is fun, but I need to think of some new way to advance our relationship a little further..."She thought since she knew that she'll have to come up with new strategies soon to get them to become much closer, but for now, she's happy with how things have been progressing.
Especially after that kiss he had bestowed on her cheek, one that she is still over the moon about.
"Oh, Danny!~..."Mandie sighed as she touched that cheek once more, still acting like a smitten teenager.
The alien princess felt like she was on space cloud 9, giggling again and nuzzling her pets nose before putting Fufu down. Her heart filled with joy and her mind eager to come up with more plans to win the heart of her beloved.
As Boudacians say: love is a battlefield where all is fair.
-To be continued-
Next time on Phantom vs Aliens: Hot Ectoplasma!
New Strategies II
A/N: Special thanks to BeConfuzzled Writer, Jay The Average Fanboy and NeoMark for his help. You guys rock! ;)
REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewer:
Pokemon fan 1991: Thank you :)
Danifan3000:
1) Yeah.
2) Hmmm...never considered that possibility.
Menatron the Angel of Ideas: Thank you :)
RonaldM40196867:
1) No spoilers.
2) Yeah, that would be awesome.
3) That will be revealed later on. No spoilers.
4) I think it would add some interesting elements to the series.
5) I haven't decided yet.
Invader Johnny: We shall see.
Hmilles02: Thank you :)
Here are the responses to your questions:
1) Yeah.
2) That would have been awesome. It was such a waste that they never bothered to do so.
3) They have already appeared earlier in the fic.
Jebest4781: Thank you :)
Twilightnite13:Thank you:)
ChrisZilla18: Is that so?
:) I hope you enjoyed this! Remember to read and review :)