ZAFT: New chapter time~ :3
Takuya: I'm kinda liking this new version so far. :)
Andy: How could you like this? Are you getting brainwashed?
Takuya: Hey, at least it's not crazy yet. It's a nice change of pace. :)
DarkFoxKit: How long do you think that will last?
Takuya: Um… Oh… ^^'
ZAFT: XD Oh, it won't last for long~ :3
DarkFoxKit: Yeah, so let's get into it.
Andy: Enjoy this peaceful moment while it lasts, Takuya.
Takuya: Me and my big mouth…
(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 3: A Big Meaty Showdown
Phantom had been flying for a little while. Thanks to his training with Andy, he was able to hold out longer than he probably normally would've. But still… he was getting tired.
"Jeez Phantom, fighting meat monsters, flying 4 people through walls, you must be exhausted," Sam commented in concern.
"Can ghosts get tired?" Takuya questioned.
"H-hey… I'm not that tired…" Phantom said as he began to fall. Crap! I can't keep flying or I'm going to faint for sure! "Just… maybe it's better to land."
Phantom quickly flew down, landing the ground a good bit away from Casper High. He fell on his butt, feeling too tired to stay standing.
"Ugh…" Phantom groaned, making Takuya look at him in concern, oddly enough for the older boy considering he had been freaking out at ghosts existing earlier that day.
Tucker and Sam both knew they had to run interference here, and had to come up with a plan, and fast.
"H-hey!" Sam and Tucker spoke up, blocking Phantom from Andy and Takuya's views.
"So how about we go get Danny and head on home?" Tucker suggested. "I think school is out now!"
"And with all that battle going on under the school, the staff is going to check on it for sure, so we need to hurry," Sam agreed.
"What about Phantom?" Andy asked. "Won't he be too tired to get somewhere safe to rest?"
Before Tucker or Sam could answer, there was a bright flash of light behind them.
"W-what the heck was that?" Andy questioned, alarmed at the sudden flash of light.
"T-that was me! My… PDA's having some weird camera flash glitches lately!" Tucker quickly said.
Andy blinked, noticing Tucker and Sam were acting skittish again. "What's with you two?"
Takuya frowned at seeing this. "Yeah, it's just Phantom. It's not like we're going to do anything to him."
"Ah, don't worry, we'll take Phantom somewhere safe while we get Danny," Sam spoke up. "You guys go on home, let the Fentons know that everything is okay!"
"Yeah, we can't have them running towards the school, can we?" Tucker agreed.
Andy frowned. With that Fenton Finder they had, that could put Phantom in danger if his parents were to come running here now. He and Takuya certainly couldn't take Phantom home either to rest up for obvious reasons.
"Alright fine, take Phantom somewhere safe for him to recover," Andy finally relented.
"Just… find Danny and bring him back, okay?" Takuya added, also sighing.
Tucker and Sam were relieved, until Andy spoke up. "No."
"What?" They blinked.
"You guys take care of Phantom. I'm going to look for my brother," Andy said.
Takuya looked at Andy. "What? Andy, Sam and Tucker said they would find Danny." He reminded Andy. "We should let them handle that." His hand felt the figurine in his pocket, a reminder it was there. And I want to talk to you about something I found, anyway…
"Y-yeah, we'll totally take care of Danny, you need to get home," Tucker agreed.
"You guys have your hands full with Phantom, I need to find my own brother. What if he got caught up in all of that?" Andy frowned. "I'm not leaving without him, and that's final."
Sam and Tucker looked nervously at each other, before Sam decided to try something risky, but hopefully it would work.
"O-oh look! There's Danny!" Sam said as she stepped away, showing an unconscious human Danny.
"Wah!?" Andy and Takuya looked at Danny in shock and confusion.
Tucker looked at Sam, unsure of where she was going with this.
"While you guys were… talking, Phantom gained enough energy to fly away, bring Danny over here, and said he got knocked on the head by that meat monster, so that's why he's unconscious," Sam explained.
"Y-yeah! So, no need to worry about looking for Danny, because Phantom brought him here!" Tucker added.
Andy looked at Danny, then at Tucker and Sam, then at Takuya, who was looking just as confused as Andy. Andy rubbed his forehead, feeling like he was starting to get a headache with how his brother had just disappeared and reappeared several times today. If he didn't know any better, he'd say Danny was a ghost as well.
"Do we need to take him to a hospital?" Andy asked.
"N-no! Danny was just knocked out! He does not need to go to the hospital at all!" Tucker said quickly.
Andy knew Tucker and Sam were hiding something. He had been on the receiving end of their nervous attitudes enough to know when they're trying to hide something. However, Andy needed to get Danny home, so he decided to save the interrogation for another time.
"Alright. Takuya, help me carry Danny home, we can't leave him out here," Andy said to his cousin. "Tucker, Sam, you two head home. And if you see Phantom, let him know I'll see him later."
Takuya nodded as he looked at Andy.
"Great… we'll see you tomorrow then." Sam said, trying to keep her nervousness down to a reasonable level.
"Yeah, and the menu will be changed back by then." Tucker grumbled. "No more soil and grass for lunch. I want meat back…"
"You're not changing that menu back!" Sam huffed. "I'll see if I can get the school to bring in actual edible vegetables, but we're not going back to that meat crap!"
The two of them continued to argue while Andy and Takuya carefully picked up Danny. Takuya had Danny's arms, while Andy was carrying his brother's legs. Both of them started to make their way to Fenton Works.
"Geez… Sam and Tucker sure love their food." Takuya remarked. "But really? Fighting over meat and veggies? Isn't that a bit… much?"
"I wouldn't worry about it right now," Andy said. "We'll deal with that tomorrow."
Takuya frowned as they continued to walk in silence.
"Go ahead and ask. I know it's on your mind," Andy spoke up.
"You mean how you got the courage to stand up to Dash and Mr. Lancer like that? Yeah, I was wondering that." Takuya admitted. "I will admit, I wasn't expecting you to pull what you did, so I'm a bit impressed actually."
"... Yeah, I guess that was pretty shocking. I just got tired of getting into trouble for a popular kid's mess," Andy sighed. I wonder if it was because I had been working with Phantom for a few weeks… I guess training with a ghost can make an angry teacher seem like a mundane thing. "Besides, we had a friend in trouble, that was mostly on my mind rather than how standing up to Mr. Lancer and Dash could land me in more trouble."
"Well, I'm glad you did." Takuya said with a small smile. "It sure saved our bacon back there. And it got us out of trouble so we could find Sam."
"Did you make that meat pun on purpose?" Andy raised an eyebrow.
Takuya blushed at that question. "No… No I didn't."
"Well, regardless, I'm glad it worked out. But… I'm sure you have other questions besides how I acted to Mr. Lancer and Dash," Andy said.
Takuya nodded. "Yeah. Like… the ghosts… I mean, this is the first time I saw a real ghost, never mind two of them." He admitted. "I mean… I heard all ghosts are evil beings that are mindless, but… Phantom and that Lunch Lady ghost certainly didn't seem mindless."
Andy frowned. "They're definitely not mindless, but I can't say yet on the evil thing. That ghost boy, Phantom, was the first real ghost I met, and it was only a few weeks ago. He's a new ghost… a kid who died recently… he won't talk about his past much, which I can understand. I don't know if he'll eventually become evil once he's been a ghost long enough. But for now, I can safely say he's on our side. As for the Lunch Lady, she seemed pretty nice when I first saw her. I thought maybe I could talk to her and find out more about ghosts, to see if they really are all evil. But… well… now she doesn't really strike me as a nice ghost."
"Yeah… I can see why. She tried to make lunch meat out of us." Takuya grumbled. "Not exactly a good first impression for proving not all ghosts are evil." He then looked down in thought. "But… didn't she react badly when it was revealed Sam changed the menu?"
"Yeah…" Andy agreed. "She did. It… might have to do with this 'Obsession' thing Mom and Dad talked about. Ghosts need to have Obsessions to exist after all. Supposedly a ghost would do anything to make sure their Obsession is fulfilled. Seeing how the Lunch Lady reacted when it was revealed Sam changed the menu, I'm starting to see why ghosts are so dangerous when it comes to their Obsessions."
"Then… if a ghost has their Obsession threatened, they could turn hostile." Takuya noted. "If not outright attacking the person, the human, who threatened their Obsession."
"Well… she didn't hurt Sam from what I can see, she just wanted Sam to enjoy meat," Andy remarked. "But I don't know what the Lunch Lady would've done if Sam kept defying her."
"It would've probably been bad." Takuya shivered. "I'm just glad we rescued Sam, even if we had to have Phantom helping us. Speaking of… Phantom… he doesn't seem like a bad ghost, more like a teenager than anything."
"I agree. Phantom seems almost human," Andy replied. "But I think it's because he's a fresh newly dead ghost, of course he'll still remember his humanity and his time of being alive. But that might change once he gets used to being a ghost. What happens when a ghost forgets their humanity? That might be more like that Lunch Lady…"
"Great… we may have another potentially hostile ghost on our hands, despite appearing friendly." Takuya grumbled before he felt that figurine shift in his pocket again. He reached into his pocket with one hand and adjusted the statue before it fell out before returning his hand to holding Danny again.
"I'm hoping he'll still be friendly even after years of being a ghost. I'm only theorizing from what I know, from what my parents taught me about ghosts," Andy shrugged. "We already proved the ghosts aren't mindless, so maybe they're not all evil either."
"Well, until we meet a truly friendly ghost, I'm going to be cautious around each ghost we meet." Takuya muttered. "I hope it's not much further to Fenton Works. My arms are getting tired."
"Normally it's not that long of a walk, but we're carrying someone, so it seems longer than usual," Andy chuckled. "Oh, Takuya, one more thing about Phantom, and this is important. Don't tell my parents or sister about him, alright? I promised to keep him a secret."
Takuya blinked, but nodded. "I guess I can see why he would want to be kept a secret. Newly dead ghost and all that."
Andy and Takuya finally made it home. Andy used his house key to unlock the door, putting Danny's feet down for a moment. Once the door was unlocked, he picked up Danny's feet again and pushed open the door. He and Takuya froze when they saw Maddie and Jack standing there, blinking.
"Andy? Takuya? Why is Danny unconscious?" Maddie asked.
"Uh… long day at school." Takuya replied, which in a sense, was true. "Danny was too tired to walk home and fell asleep, so we decided to take him back."
"Yeah, we figured we should just let him sleep and carry him home," Andy added as he and Takuya were walking to the stairs, still carrying Danny. "Don't worry, we'll just have him sleep in his bed! … But can you get dinner started soon? Lunch didn't go well, Okay, thanks, bye!"
Maddie and Jack blinked.
"Well, that was odd," Jack remarked.
"Did he say lunch didn't go well?" Maddie blinked. "I wonder what happened?"
"I don't know, but whatever happened, it must've been bad if the boys didn't eat." Jack noted.
"Hmm… I hope the boys aren't getting bullied again, they had such a hard time in middle school with all of that bullying." Maddie frowned. "Maybe we should start homeschooling them if they're just going to get bullied and those teachers don't do anything about it!"
"We will talk more about it once the boys come down for dinner." Jack said. "It would probably be best if we homeschooled the boys, but they deserve a say in something that big."
"I guess you're right… let's hope they're doing okay…" Maddie frowned. "Maybe our work has been getting in the way of us being good parents?"
"Relax, Maddie. It was only their first day, first days can be the hardest," Jack reminded. "Let's give it some time and see what happens, alright?"
"Okay, Jack. But if things don't get better, we will talk to the boys." Maddie said with a smile.
Meanwhile, in Danny and Andy's room, Danny slowly opened his eyes, finally coming to. He gasped when he remembered fighting with a giant meat monster and getting his friends to safety. "W-what's going on?"
Andy and Takuya were standing over Danny's bed, both looking concerned.
"You got knocked out by that meat monster, bro. Takuya and I took you home. You've been asleep for almost a week!" Andy said in a worried tone. "I almost thought we had to call the hospital."
Danny panicked. "A week?!" He sat up abruptly, looking quite freaked out.
Takuya tried to keep a straight face at Andy's little claim, but it wasn't so easy. He ended up laughing, which broke the tension.
"Huh? W-what's so funny?" Danny asked.
"Andy's just joking with you, it's only been a couple of hours," Takuya answered.
"Way to crack, Takuya," Andy grumbled.
"Aw, c'mon, Andy! I couldn't help it!" Takuya grinned. "Danny's reaction was too funny!"
"Andy! That wasn't funny!" Danny whined to his twin brother.
"Aw, come on, I haven't been able to talk with you, let alone pull a prank on you, for a month now. I deserved that one," Andy pouted. "Besides, you had me worried! What if that monster captured you? Or killed you?"
Danny looked at Andy. "Andy, I'm fine." He reassured his brother. "It will take a lot more than a meat monster to take me out."
"I was worried… I thought I lost you once in that accident… I don't want to lose you again," Andy said softly. "I'm glad Phantom was able to bring you to us before he left… but you were unconscious, I had half a mind to take you straight to the hospital."
"Andy… I'm fine. I promise." Danny said reassuringly. "It will be fine. I am fine. I'm still here."
Danny tried to sit up, but he was still pretty tired.
"You should stay in bed for now… Mom and Dad will call us for dinner," Andy said. "But I'll bring up your food if you still feel… unstable."
"I promise I'll be fine by dinner, bro," Danny reassured, not wanting Andy to worry too much.
Takuya smiled. "Well, at least that's good to hear." He said, grinning. "But don't be too late, or Aunt Maddie may have to drag you downstairs herself."
"I promise I won't," Danny said.
Andy sighed, glad to see Danny was awake and seemed to be doing well despite getting hit on the head by a giant meat monster.
"So… bro, does this mean you'll talk to me again?" Danny asked.
"Huh?" Andy blinked. "Why are you asking me that? You were the one pushing me away."
"Well… yeah, but… after a while, I stopped doing that, because I realized I was hurting you by doing so. But, you were the one avoiding me after that." Danny admitted.
"Because I thought you still wanted me to not talk to you, or look at you," Andy pointed out. "You never said that I could talk to you again."
"I think you two had some trouble communicating," Takuya pointed out.
Danny and Andy looked at Takuya.
"Don't go Jazz on us!" Both of them said at the same time.
Takuya gave a sheepish grin. "Um… sorry…"
Danny and Andy looked at each other, and both of them gave a sheepish chuckle.
"But you do have a point, we probably should've communicated better with each other," Andy said.
Takuya grinned. "Glad I could help in some way."
"But did you really have to go all Jazz on us?" Danny grumbled.
"What? It's not like I wanted to go Jazz, but it's advice that could help," Takuya grumbled.
Takuya was glad to see Danny and Andy were starting to get along again, and he hoped that meant Andy wouldn't start to avoid them anymore.
Dinner with the Fentons started out well enough. They were having a chicken dinner, at least the Lunch Lady didn't appear to be nearby to contaminate this chicken. Each of them had a plate of chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, and corn. Jack had extra helpings.
"So how was your first day at school?" Maddie asked the kids.
"It was alright, though I had to leave campus to buy some food outside for lunch," Jazz said. "And there were some weird construction noises going on under the school. It made it difficult to concentrate."
"It wasn't bad." Takuya said as he took a bite of his mashed potatoes. "Aside from the lunch menu being grass and soil, literally." And the ghost attacks, but they don't need to know that…
"What?" Jack blinked. "Grass and soil? Surely you're exaggerating, right? What kind of school only serves grass and soil for lunch?"
"Our school apparently," Danny said as he was eating quite quickly, like he had been starving for days.
"Yeah. Sam tried to get them to try a new menu, a vegan menu. But the school apparently took it to mean literal grass and soil." Takuya grumbled. Takuya did notice Danny's rate of eating and raised an eyebrow. Why is Danny eating like he is starving?
Andy took notice of it too, but he chose not to say anything. Considering how Danny had been acting since the accident, he figured this was probably another side effect from the ghost portal that shocked him.
"The school doesn't know what a vegan is apparently, and took it as meaning 'feed cows'," Andy grumbled.
"Actually, vegan food is mostly comprised of organic matter, which is expensive, which means the school decided to cut corners and only give everyone the bare minimum," Jazz stated and frowned. "It makes me wonder who greenlit that."
"I can't believe they did that!" Maddie growled. "They do know they're meant to make sure their students, their charges, are taken care of during school hours, don't they!? That means they need actual, nutritional food during lunch!"
"If the school put the money they saved to good uses, maybe we can forgive that, but even I have trouble trying to see the advantage of what they did. That was scummy." Jack frowned.
Andy was very tempted to tell them what the school did with all that extra money, but he promised Mr. Lancer he wouldn't tell his parents. If it weren't for the fact Jazz brought up the menu change, he wouldn't have told them about the soil and grass thing either.
"Yeah, it was." Takuya agreed. "But other than that, I think I had a very good first day."
"Yeah." Danny agreed. "It helps Andy and I are in the same class as Sam and Tucker too."
"Well, I'm glad your first day wasn't so bad… but try not to overwork yourself, Danny. You really had us worried when Andy and Takuya came in carrying you like that," Maddie said.
"Yeah… I'll try not to overwork myself again, Mom… I guess I just wanted to study harder so I can be more like… my sister," Danny said, playing up the excuse Andy and Takuya gave.
"Really?" Jazz asked, surprised to hear that. "You know, Danny, if you wanted to pull up your grades like me, you could just ask. I'd be happy to tutor you."
Danny blinked, but blushed, trying to cover his tracks. "N-no… It's fine. I just need to find a… good study rhythm so I don't overwork myself again." He said.
"Are you sure? I'm sure your studying would be more effective if I tutored you," Jazz asked, seeming disappointed that Danny didn't want her to tutor him.
While the family was talking, Takuya reached into his pocket, still feeling that figurine in there. He wasn't sure if he should tell anyone about it yet. It seemed like a toy of some kind, but it also didn't really seem normal either.
I wonder what this thing is. I mean… it feels odd, looking like a toy, but it… doesn't feel like a toy… Takuya thought to himself. Maybe I can talk to Andy about it after dinner or something. I can't keep this to myself, not if I want to find out what it is.
Later, that evening, Takuya asked Andy to meet him in his room. So Andy walked into Takuya's room, wondering what his cousin wanted.
"What did you want to talk to me about?" Andy asked.
"This." Takuya said as he took out the figurine from his pocket. "I found it when I was hiding in the meat storage locker under some boxes."
"Huh?" Andy blinked, looking at the figurine. "It looks like some kind of… toy?"
"That's what I thought, but look… it glows sometimes," Takuya pointed out. "And there's something… mysterious about it. I just don't think it's a toy."
"I'm… not really sure what to tell you. I've never seen this kind of thing before," Andy said. "Do you think it might be some kind of… ghostly artifact?"
"I… I don't know…" Takuya admitted. "But… it… feels like I shouldn't let it out of my sight. Like I am… I don't know, like it… should be with me or something."
"Hmm… May I hold on to it for a minute?" Andy asked.
"Yeah, but be careful," Takuya said as he handed the figurine to Andy.
"Hmmm…" Andy checked the figurine from top to bottom. "It definitely feels warm, and not because you had it in your pocket all day. It's like it has a built-in warmer or something. If it is a ghostly artifact, I'd say it has something to do with heat. Like maybe electricity or fire. It looks like the figure is some kind of armor, so… if it is meant to be an artifact, maybe the armor is meant to be worn by someone."
"Yeah? You think so?" Takuya said as he observed the figurine as well. "That would explain why it looks like that then. But there is something engraved on the base too. I can't read what it is though."
Andy looked at the base himself. "Could be ghost language. I've never heard it, nor seen it written down anywhere, so that could be the case for all we know."
Andy handed Takuya back the figurine. "I'd say keep it close to you for now. Who knows, maybe you might find some way to use it. It could be useful, and maybe you might be able to help Phantom if it does give you some kind of magical armor."
Takuya took the figurine back. "Thanks, Andy. I don't know how I would be able to use this thing, or if I am meant to use it at all. But if I am, who knows?"
"Well, you're talking to someone who watches a lot of anime. Considering you were the one who found it, and you say you feel it belongs to you, then maybe only you'll be able to activate it 'when it's time', or 'when you're in danger' or something like that," Andy chuckled. "Call it a nerd's intuition."
"Great, I'm probably going to be some kind of anime superhero if that is the case." Takuya chuckled.
"Well I am friends with a ghost boy who's practically a superhero. I see nothing wrong with having a cousin who becomes a superhero as well." Andy grinned. "Just don't let all that power go to your head, or I'm gonna have to prank you ruthlessly to bring you back down to Earth."
Takuya grimaced, but he knew Andy wouldn't do any real harm with his pranks. "Yeah… I'll keep that in mind." He said with a nervous grin.
"Do you think you'll tell the others about this?" Andy asked.
"I… I don't know." Takuya admitted. "I mean… I'd… I'd rather try and figure out what this thing is first before I tell anyone."
"I mean… you told me," Andy pointed out. "While I appreciate that you told me, why me? Why not Mom, or Dad? They might've had a better idea than I would. Or Jazz? She's pretty smart. Or heck, why not both me and Danny?"
"First off, Aunt Maddie and Uncle Jack would want to try and take this thing apart to see if it is ghostly. Second, Jazz would just claim it is all in my head, and Danny… He… has enough on his plate as it is." Takuya admitted. "I know it doesn't seem fair, but… I felt you were the best one to talk to about this."
"I see…" Andy noted. "I guess that's fair. Well, when you're able to figure out what this… figurine does, let me know. I'm the best person to confide in for this stuff apparently, well at least according to Phantom, and you."
"Thanks, Andy." Takuya said with a grateful smile. "And I will, don't worry. Hopefully tomorrow that Lunch Lady ghost will have left, and everything will go back to normal by tomorrow."
The next day…
Danny, Andy, and Takuya decided to walk to school today. They didn't see Tucker or Sam along the way, however, and wondered if they were already at school. However, when they walked up to Casper High's campus, they were shocked by what they saw.
On one side of the school was a protest for meat, with people dressed up as steaks for a few, there were meat-shaped balloons, and lots of places to grill meat. There was even a cow-shaped balloon. A large stage was in front with four girls dressed as hotdogs before dancing away to reveal Tucker on the stage.
The other side had people dressed as hippies, even a tie-dye van. They were serving up veggies and fruit instead of meat, and a school bus from Casper High was decked out with banners reading 'ULTRA-RECYCLO-VEGETARIANS' on them. Sam was on top of the bus, chanting in protest to Tucker's meat protest.
"So much for things going back to normal…" Takuya groaned.
"Okay… I have so many questions," Andy said when he saw this. "First of all, how the heck did two teenagers get enough people to create two protests in ONE night? Second, why do all these people even care what lunch one school serves!? Third, how the heck is the school okay with this!? I'm pretty sure this isn't even legal! Fourth… this isn't a question, but a point. Yeah, Casper High is so getting sued."
Danny groaned as he put a hand in front of his eyes and shook his head. "Leave it to Sam and Tucker to go overboard with their protests…"
Tucker and Sam took notice of their friends, and got down from their respective stages to go up to them.
Andy was still looking at the veggie heads. Seriously, are all vegetarians hippies and goths? Talk about stereotypes…
"There you 3 are, we've been waiting for you," Tucker said.
"Yes, yes we have," Sam agreed.
"What are you two doing?" Danny asked. "Don't you think you're going overboard with the whole menu thing?"
"Meat eaters are always ready to fight, and our high protein diets let us do it quickly." Tucker said.
"Ultra-Recyclo-Vegetarians are always ready to protest, and because we don't have to cook our food, we can do it even faster." Sam retorted.
Takuya held up his hands. "I am not taking any side in this, thank you!"
"Guys, please, this has gotten way out of hand!" Danny said.
"Come on, Danny, Andy, you both know the menu sucks as it is now! You've gotta be on my side for this!" Tucker spoke up, ignoring what Danny said.
"I promise you that me and my protesters will provide the school everything they'll need for a more proper Ultra-Recyclo-Vegetarian menu this time, and you'll be much happier to eat healthier than all of those animal caracasses!" Sam argued.
Andy held up a hand. "Could I say something?"
"What?!" Sam and Tucker both said as they turned to Andy.
Andy really hoped that Sam and Tucker wouldn't decide to eat him alive for what he was about to suggest. "We could… I don't know… have meat and vegetables come together… and make something good to eat for both sides?"
Sam and Tucker actually paused at Andy's words, giving Danny and Takuya some hope they could come to a resolution to this whole food menu fight.
"I mean, Sam, not everyone is going to want to eat nothing but fruits and vegetables. And Tucker, while meat is tasty, and good in some ways, it's very unhealthy to just eat meat all the time," Andy explained. "At least if you put them together, you'd get to eat something tasty, and healthy. Just saying, people would be more open to options rather than being forced to eat one or the other. So… Can we call a truce between meat and vegetables?"
Sam and Tucker looked at each other and back at Andy before looking back at each other again.
Finally, Sam broke the silence. "Wow… I guess… I didn't think about how others might feel about a new menu." She admitted at last. "I just… pushed for the change to the menu without asking everyone else what they want."
"And I guess I didn't help by standing firm in just wanting to eat meat and only meat," Tucker sheepishly admitted. "We have lettuce on our burgers for crying out loud. I guess it wouldn't be as good without some vegetables on it…"
Andy gave a sigh of relief to see his words got through to them, and that he wouldn't have to join the ghost kid in his ghostliness any time soon.
"Since we're apparently capable of changing the menu, and creating protests, maybe we should make a menu where everyone is happy about it," Sam suggested. "I'll add in an Ultra-Recyclo-Vegetarian menu for those who prefer the vegetarian option. And give others a chance to add more vegetables to their regular meals."
"That sounds like a good idea. Maybe I'll try to get the school to add more variety with their meats too," Tucker said before he and Sam began to shake on it.
Takuya looked at Andy with an impressed look. "Wow, Andy. You make a mean negotiator." He joked.
Danny nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I was sure that Sam and Tucker wouldn't be able to come to an agreement." He added, also impressed.
"Well the solution is pretty obvious when you think about it, but I guess it gets easy to get caught up in your own thing that you can't help but want to fight for it," Andy chuckled. I guess the Lunch Lady isn't that different from them. Wanting to fight for her own Obsession.
Speaking of the Lunch Lady, not long after Tucker and Sam decided to work together to make the menu a lot better for Casper High, a strong wind suddenly began blasting the place, blowing away balloons, carts, papers, and a loud laughter filled the area. At the same time, a blue mist came out of Danny's mouth.
"Oh no… Not now…" Danny groaned as he knew what that mist meant. Thankfully, Andy and Takuya had been distracted by the flying stuff and looking around for the laughter, so they didn't see the blue mist escape from Danny's mouth.
Everyone in the area were looking in horror as meat from the meat's side of the protest began to fly around, gathering up, creating something huge. Everyone could only stare in transfix horror as the meat grew and grew, until it created a meat monster bigger than Casper High's building. The monster had glowing green eyes, arms, and a mouth.
The giant meat monster grinned before it shouted at the people down below. "IT'S LUNCH TIME!"
This caused the crowd of people to scream and run in panic, trying to get away from the school and the meat monster as fast as they could.
Takuya felt his body freeze as he saw the giant meat monster. "Eep…" He squeaked out.
Danny saw Takuya freeze up and looked to Andy. "Andy, get Takuya out of here! I will see if I can lead Sam and Tucker to safety!" I just need you and Takuya out of danger so I can turn into Phantom.
It was a little hard to hear Danny over the screaming of people, but Andy got the gist of it. "We'll see if we can find Phantom! Hopefully he can sense this giant freaking meat monster in the middle of town!"
Andy grabbed onto Takuya's arm and began to drag the boy away with the rest of the screaming people. Danny looked at Tucker and Sam, and nodded to them.
Tucker and Sam didn't hesitate, they covered Danny with their bodies, acting like they were hugging each other. The flash of Danny's transformation was nearly blinding, but they covered most of it to keep people from seeing it. Once the transformation was complete, Tucker and Sam broke out of the hug, allowing Danny Phantom to do his thing.
Phantom flew up to the meat monster and was prepared to take down the meaty ghost, but as he got closer, he began to realize just how big the meat monster ghost was, and he felt a bit nervous. Oh… crap… This may be a bit difficult, if that is even possible…
Andy and Takuya ran behind the school to get out of the stampede of people. They stopped when they saw Jazz talking to a rather tall goth kid, who had very spiky hair, his skin was pale, and he had piercings in some… places.
"Spike, you need to open up to your parents. You've got to be true to yourselves and them," Jazz encouraged. "Your parents may not react the way you want them to, but it'll help bring them a step closer to accepting you for you, not what they want you to be. It's not like they'll attack you, they seem to be good parents from what I've seen."
"Jazz?" Andy spoke up, surprised. "Are you seriously doing a therapy session with someone?"
"Andy? Takuya?" Jazz asked as she looked back, seeing Andy and Takuya there. "What are you two doing back here?"
"Uh… do you not see the stampede of people running away, screaming?" Takuya deadpanned.
"What? What's going on?" Jazz asked.
"Looks like trouble… I like trouble," Spike, the kid Jazz was talking to, remarked.
"Whoa… I've never heard you speak before," Andy said, surprised.
"Never had anything worth saying," Spike replied.
Suddenly, the Fenton RV arrived at school. Maddie and Jack Fenton hurried out of the vehicle.
"We saw the news! A giant meat monster is rampaging around here, so we came as fast as we could!" Maddie said. "Jazz, Andy, Takuya! Thank goodness you kids are safe! Where's Danny?"
Takuya realized Danny had not come back. "Um… he was last with Sam and Tucker." Takuya replied, remembering that was the last time he had seen Danny. "I don't know what happened to him after that."
"Jack, we need to do something! Danny could be hurt, along with Tucker and Sam!" Maddie quickly said.
"On it, baby! You kids get in the Fenton Assault Vehicle, you'll be safe there! We'll go see if this meat monster is a ghost, we might be able to catch it with this Fenton Thermos!" Jack said, looking determined, and excited, to finally get to fight and catch a ghost, and he held up the Fenton Thermos.
Andy frowned as he saw the monster from behind the school, and a black and white blur flying around her. He knew that was Phantom, if his parents got involved, Phantom was going to be caught in the crossfire.
"A-actually, Mom, Dad, the meat monster is just a myth! Something the news people made for more views! It wouldn't be the first time we got fake news after all," Andy quickly said before he turned to Takuya and whispered. "Find Danny! Or at least warn Phantom about my parents!"
Takuya blinked, but nodded. "I… I will try." He said before turning and running off. Granted, he wanted to run from the fight, but he was running towards it instead. Albeit, it was at Andy's request to warn Phantom, but he was still running towards a ghost fight. Aw man… I'd better not leave and have Andy get into trouble, or even my own family… Takuya thought.
As he ran, the figurine that was in his pocket began to let out a dim glow. As Takuya was running towards the battle, his courage began to build up. He needed to do this, he needed to make sure his cousin and friends were safe, he needed to make sure their only ghost ally wouldn't get caught by two ghost hunters who believed all ghosts were evil.
Meanwhile, Phantom was trying to figure out how he was going to handle this giant meat monster. The giant monster appeared to be slower due to the massive amount of meat she had to move around, so that made it easier for Phantom to dodge her attacks. I'm not sure how effective my attacks will be, but I have to try something!
Phantom flew towards the back of her head and swung his foot into the most powerful kick he could manage. Surprisingly, his foot didn't get caught up in all of that meat, instead, he actually hit her really good. He hit her so hard that the meat monster shook before she began falling down.
Tucker and Sam, who were still nearby and watching, grinned at seeing Phantom managed to kick the huge meat monster down.
"Wow, he really is getting better at this," Tucker complimented.
Danny heard Tucker's compliment, and wanted to respond to that, but he remembered Andy's training. Andy warned him to not get distracted, because in a real battle, that could cost him big time. Danny was glad he didn't choose that time to respond to Tucker, because the meat monster got back up quickly and was trying to punch him. Danny quickly zipped around, avoiding what would've been a really painful punch to the face.
Wow, that was close! Danny thought as he flew around another punch that came his way. I have to figure out how to defeat this meat monster before someone gets hurt, literally!
"Andy, why won't you let us check for that meat monster? Those people had to have been running away from something," Maddie pointed out as Andy kept them from moving to the front of the school where the fight was going on.
"Because it's not necessary! Come on, Mom, if you and Dad show up to school, you'll bring down our reputation, and the bullying will increase! I'm sure you don't want that, right? And you know, teenagers can be all dramatic, they like running away from school while screaming," Andy spoke up, trying to use every excuse he could to try to discourage them. He didn't want to lie to his parents like this, but he had to make sure Phantom was safe. He was sure Phantom could handle the Lunch Lady, at least… he hoped.
Jazz scoffed. "And besides, ghosts don't exist. You should know that." She said as a matter of factly.
Jack frowned. "We get what you're saying, Andy, but the sensors at Fenton Works picked up a ghost nearby, and we had to come investigate it."
Andy wasn't sure how long he could keep his parents from checking the other side of the school. "Well maybe you shouldn't worry about it. I mean… have you ever seen a ghost? What if Jazz is right? There may not be any ghosts at all."
"Andy… you're saying you don't believe in ghosts anymore either?" Jack frowned, almost looking heartbroken to hear that. First his daughter, and now one of his sons?
Andy frowned, feeling guilty that he was saying that. He didn't want to, since he knew his parents had been rather hurt that Jazz kept insisting that she didn't believe in ghosts, and therefore the work they did was entirely pointless. But he couldn't think of any other way to keep his parents from getting into the battle. "I'm… just saying that… it might be a possibility that… ghosts don't exist…"
At the same time, Phantom flew up really high and then dived bomb on the meat monster. He remembered Andy telling him about physics, and how 'the bigger they are, the harder they fall'. Putting in force to his punch when he flew up and flew down did a number on the meat monster. It caused it to explode into pieces, of course, Phantom got caught up in the explosion as well.
Andy was lucky his parents were so caught up in what he said that the literal explosion may seem like a world explosion to them. Guys, please hurry!
Takuya found himself buried in piles of meat, along with Tucker and Sam after that explosion.
Takuya forced himself out of the meat pile he had been buried in. Ugh… It's official… I hate meat monsters… Takuya grumbled in his thoughts as he began to run towards where Phantom was again.
At the battle site, Phantom was pulling himself out of the crater he had made. "Ugh… that was probably not one of my better ideas…" He admitted to himself as he got to his feet.
"Oh, dear. Look at this mess. Are you okay?" The Lunch Lady asked Phantom in a grandmotherly tone.
"Yeah… I think so." Phantom said as he rubbed one of his shoulders.
The Lunch Lady had actually been concerned for this ghost child, she didn't want to actually hurt him, at least not seriously hurt him. But she did want to teach him a lesson for trying to keep her from fulfilling her Obsession. Seeing that Phantom wasn't really that hurt, the Lunch Lady decided to continue with the punishment for this child.
"TOUGH! BECAUSE YOU BEING OKAY IS NOT PART OF MY BALANCE DIET OF DOOM!" The Lunch Lady shouted, though that last attack, and controlling all of that meat really wiped her out. Her core was too weak to use that meat form again.
So, the Lunch Lady decided to summon some of the meat in the area and turn them into little meat minions to continue fighting the ghost boy instead.
Phantom found himself surrounded by smaller meat monsters.
"Great… small fry now, huh?" Phantom joked before he jumped into the air, the meat minis following him. Phantom drew his right leg back and then kicked out, slicing through three of the meat minis before finishing off the last two. He dragged his foot on the ground as he came to a stop from his attack, grinning. Wow, that plan worked great!
But Phantom heard some noises around him. He frowned when he saw the Lunch Lady was creating even more meat monsters. There was still an endless supply of meat for the Lunch Lady to use after all, even if she wasn't using it on herself this time.
"Dang… this might be harder than I-" Phantom began to mutter before a sudden ring of light went through his body, changing him back to his human form. "-thought… well crud…"
Takuya finally made it onto the battlefield, after getting buried with meat after meat. He panted, kind of exhausted, and he was shocked to see Danny standing there, with all those little meat monsters coming towards him.
"Danny!" Takuya cried. "Get out of there!" Please no! No, no, no! Don't take him, don't take Danny!
"Takuya? I-" Danny began to say when the meat monsters grabbed onto him.
Danny struggled for a bit before the meat monsters took off into the sky, taking Danny with them. Danny let out a yell as most of the meat monsters let go of his body, and only two of them were holding his feet, dangling the boy upside down, going over the school.
"NO!" Takuya cried out. "DANNY!" He ran after the meat minis, but he was too slow because he was just a mere human. "DANNY!"
I can't… I can't lose him! I have to protect my family! Please! Takuya mentally shouted.
The figurine in his pocket suddenly glowed brightly, and it came out of his pocket. Takuya froze, seeing the figurine floating in front of him, and he saw an image of an armored man standing in front of him.
H-huh? W-wha… Takuya was in awe, and in shock, at what he was seeing. He saw an image of himself merging with the image of the armored man in his mind's eye, and he felt like he knew what he had to do. This… it was calling to him, to use its power, to save his family. Takuya's face became set in determination as he began to walk towards the armored man's image.
Takuya felt his phone vibrating violently in his other pocket. He dug into his pocket and took out his phone, and saw his phone had changed.
The phone was now a black device that had a red grip on the right side, two gray buttons below the screen, which was surrounded by a silver hexagonal shape and a red background. There was a scanner on the top right of the new device, and a gray button on the left side as well. "W-wha…?" Takuya breathed as he looked at the device before looking back at the image of the armored man.
The image seemed to nod at Takuya, which didn't tell Takuya much, but he had more images enter his head, telling him what to do. They showed him pointing the device at the figurine and then an image of him transforming.
Takuya took a deep breath before he aimed the device at the figurine and it was sucked in as a beam of light emitted from the scanner, drawing in the figurine. A symbol appeared on the screen, showing what looked like the kanji for Fire.
Going off of the images in his head, 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 as Agunimon, he let out a roar as he felt power coursing through his body. Everything suddenly felt different. He could feel the ghosts around him, or rather, the Lunch Lady ghost and the power she was using on the meat around her. But what was strange was that he remembered seeing Phantom here, fighting with the Lunch Lady, but he didn't seem to be anywhere nearby now, he couldn't even sense Phantom.
Shaking his head, Agunimon knew he had to find and save Danny. He didn't hesitate to start running after the meat minis again, and to his pleasant surprise, Agunimon found he was actually gaining on the meat minis, who were still carrying Danny away. It seemed his physical abilities were enhanced when in this form, Agunimon realized.
Andy heard something coming their way, and turned to see this tall armored man running in their direction. Jack, Maddie, Jazz, and Spike were looking shocked at this being coming at them.
"What the?" Jack began before the armored man jumped onto the table and jumped high up into the sky.
Everyone looked up to see Danny was dangling in the sky by these meat monsters.
"IS THAT DANNY UP THERE!?" Maddie shrieked, horrified to see one of her sons in such a dangerous situation.
The meat monster minis dropped Danny, having him fall from a terminal height. Danny let out a scream as he fell, but he saw this armored man jumping up towards him.
Agunimon reached out and grabbed Danny, pulling him close to his armored chest before they fell to the ground. They impacted the ground, Agunimon's armor taking the brunt of the impact. "Ugh… Note to self… never do that again…" Agunimon muttered, feeling his back aching.
Everyone wasn't quite sure how to react to this strange armored man suddenly appearing out of nowhere, and saving Danny at the last second. Maddie, however, didn't waste time rushing over to them, and grabbing Danny, picking him up.
"Danny! Are you okay? Did you break anything? Do you need a doctor? Do you feel dizzy?" Maddie fussed.
"M-Mom, Mom, I'm okay! I'm fine! This… uh… guy saved me," Danny quickly said.
Agunimon managed to sit up, but he winced at a twinge of pain from his body. "Ow… I didn't think a fall from that high would hurt so bad…" At least my armor seems to have taken the brunt of the fall.
"Uh… thanks, for saving Danny," Andy said to Agunimon.
"But why was Danny up in the sky in the first place?" Jazz questioned. "What's going on? Who even is this armored guy?"
"Uh… now's probably not the time for questions," Andy said, looking up to see the meat monster minis coming down towards them. "Look out!"
Andy only had time to run away before the meat fell on top of everyone. Danny used that time to turn intangible and sink underground while nobody could see him. Agunimon was able to climb out of the meat he was covered in easily enough.
Now that Danny was safe with everyone else, Agunimon knew he had to finish this somehow, he had power, he could do this. Andy walked back over, seeing that everyone else got buried in meat, though he saw Jack's hand sticking out with the Fenton Thermos.
"You, kid," Agunimon pointed at Andy. "Help these guys out. I'm going to finish this."
Andy blinked. "You are? Who even are you?"
"That… will be for later. For now, just know I am going to finish this fight." Agunimon said, dancing around the question for now. He turned and ran to where the meat minis were coming from. As Agunimon was making his way to the meat minis, he tried to figure out how he would be able to take them out. Okay, I know my strength and speed are greater in this form, but I don't know if that will be enough. He thought.
The meat minis, seeing Agunimon reach them, seemed to screech at his presence, like they didn't like the fact he was there. While Agunimon found this a bit strange, he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he ran at the meat minis and, with a shout, threw his weight into a round-house kick with his left foot. He managed to cause two of the meat minis to turn back into piles of meat, but they just regenerated.
"Damn… These things just regenerate…" Agunimon hissed under his breath. I need something, anything, that can allow me to get rid of these meat minis, even if it's just a weak attack… like… like… ! Suddenly, new knowledge hit Agunimon from somewhere deep inside his mind.
Using this new knowledge, Agunimon held up one of his hands and fire flared out from his left silver wrist brace. "Pyro Darts!"
The fiery darts that hit the meat monsters cooked them into a crisp. They fell into piles of burnt meat. Agunimon grinned, seeing his fire attacks were effective.
The Lunch Lady, seeing this newcomer, was infuriated. "WHAT!? WHAT'S A BEING LIKE YOU DOING HERE!?"
Agunimon turned to face the Lunch Lady, seeing her rage at his presence. "I don't know what you're talking about, but I won't let you hurt anyone else here." He growled out, showing his sharp canines to the Lunch Lady.
The Lunch Lady let out a roar as she summoned more meat monster minis to try to overwhelm Agunimon with numbers. Agunimon knew he had his work cut out for him, but he couldn't give up now, not when he had to protect his people.
Meanwhile, Andy could hear the fight that was going on. Until that Lunch Lady ghost stops, this battle will never end… there has to be a way to finally put an end to all of this… but can we even kill a ghost? Would we want to?
Andy looked back at the pile of meat, and looked at the Fenton Thermos that was sticking out. The Fenton Thermos… didn't Mom and Dad say it was meant to capture ghosts? But… they're not sure if it really works yet.
But seeing how it was their best shot at ending this battle before more people got hurt, Andy went over to the Thermos and grabbed onto it. "I'm borrowing this, Dad! Thanks!"
Andy began running towards the battlefield, knowing he had to use this thing on the Lunch Lady while that mysterious armored man was distracting her.
Suddenly, a familiar ghost boy came up from the ground in front of Andy. "Whoa! What are you doing running towards that fight, Andy?!" Phantom exclaimed in worry.
"This battle can't keep going on! Danny almost died, and who knows what kind of damage that Lunch Lady will do if we don't end the battle now," Andy said to Phantom.
Phantom blinked before he nodded. "I know, but you… are you sure you want to help me in this fight? I mean… you could get hurt or… or worse!"
Andy looked at Phantom, then at the Fenton Thermos in his hand. "I may not have to… Phantom, remember this? I showed it to you a while back."
Phantom looked at the Fenton Thermos Andy was holding.
"I do." Phantom confirmed before he caught on to Andy's idea. "Wait, you want to use that to catch the Lunch Lady?"
"That's the plan, but that's assuming the Fenton Thermos works, it's still a prototype," Andy answered. "But… since you're here, you'd have a better chance at using it on her than me. Here, when you take the cap off, make sure to point the entrance of the thermos at the Lunch Lady. If it works, in theory, it should shoot out a beam of energy of some kind that will trap the ghost in its suction before it sucks it up. Once it succeeds, put the cap on the Thermos right away."
Phantom nodded. "I can do that. Thanks for the advice." He said as he took the thermos from Andy. "Is there anyone else at the battlefield, just so I can be aware if they need help?"
"I haven't been on the battlefield myself, so I don't really know. I just know there's an armored man with superhuman abilities who's fighting the Lunch Lady right now," Andy answered. "I don't know if he's a ghost too or not, so just be careful of him."
Phantom frowned, but nodded. "Okay, thanks for that. Now, I'd better get to the Lunch Lady to stop her." With that said, Phantom flew off.
"Good luck!" Andy called out as Phantom flew back to the battlefield.
The Lunch Lady was exhausted, but she was still throwing everything she could at Agunimon. She wasn't going to let this thing get the better of her. However, the ghost kid came back, and he appeared to be holding a thermos.
The Lunch Lady's Obsession came back when she saw the thermos. "NO! SOUP'S NOT ON TODAY'S MENU!"
"I'm changing the menu, permanently!" Phantom quipped back before he aimed, took off the lid of the thermos and pointed the open end at the Lunch Lady. Then, just as Andy had said, the thermos began to glow with power.
Not a second later, the thermos shot out a blue beam of energy at the Lunch Lady. Phantom watched in awe as he saw the energy caught the Lunch Lady, and it began to suck her towards the thermos.
"NO! THIS CAN'T BE! NOOOOOOO!" The Lunch Lady screamed as she struggled to get out of the thermos's suction, but she couldn't.
Agunimon saw the meat monster minis suddenly fall, turning back into piles of meat. He looked at where he heard screaming, and was surprised to see Phantom was back, and was sucking the Lunch Lady into a thermos.
Finally, the Lunch Lady had disappeared into the Fenton Thermos. As soon as she was inside, Danny put the cap back on, making sure to keep her in there.
"Yes! It worked!" Phantom smiled.
Agunimon blinked before he smiled back. "Nice work!" He said, giving Phantom a thumbs up.
Phantom looked at Agunimon, a little surprised, but Andy did inform him that he would be here. "Hey… uh… so thanks for helping… with the uh, battle, I mean."
Agunimon chuckled. "No problem. I wasn't going to sit back and let that ghost get away with hurting people." He explained.
"Well, that's good." Phantom smiled. "I'm glad we were able to stop her… So… uh… who are you?"
Before Agunimon could answer, he felt the power inside him start to leave. He could revert back at any second.
"Uh… don't worry about who I am. Just know I am an ally." Agunimon said quickly. Aw crap! I don't even know my own name in this form, if it even has a name! But before he could leave, new knowledge flooded his mind once more, and he knew he had to say it. "But… if you have to call me something, just call me Agunimon." He said at last before he gave one last wave before turning and running off.
Seeing how after Agunimon left, there was nobody else out there, so Phantom quickly transformed back to his human form, relieved since he wasn't sure how much longer he could've held onto his ghost form.
"What happened?" Sam asked, coming out from under piles of meat.
"Yeah, where'd the ghost go?" Tucker questioned, helping Sam out from under the piles of meat.
"Oh, no need to worry." Danny chuckled as he held up the Fenton Thermos. "She's right in here."
Sam looked at the thermos in Danny's hand. "You… She's in there? The Fenton Thermos?"
"So it actually worked?" Tucker blinked.
"It would appear so, yeah," Danny answered.
"Ghost directly ahead." A robotic voice said that caught Danny's attention.
Danny quickly hid the Fenton Thermos behind him as his parents, covered in meat, were using the Fenton Finder to find the ghost, only to be led to him.
"You would have to be some sort of moron to not notice the ghost directly ahead." The Fenton Finder standed.
"Did we program this to have sass, Mads?" Jack frowned.
Maddie frowned as well as she looked at Danny. "Is there something you want to tell us, Danny?"
"No, no, not at all." Danny said with a grin on his face. "Just that you missed an awesome fight! Seriously, that armored guy did some real damage to a ghost that was controlling the meat. But she got away, too bad you missed it."
Andy and Jazz caught up with their parents, Andy had to help them get out of that pile of meat while Danny was capturing the Lunch Lady.
"Huh?" Andy blinked, looking at the Fenton Finder, seeing that it was pointing at Danny.
Danny gave Andy a sheepish look, wondering if Andy would figure it out. If he did, he definitely needed to talk to his brother later.
Andy did look like he realized something, but Danny couldn't tell exactly what it was. "Mom, Dad, I think you might want to tweak the Fenton Finder, it's likely picking up on the ectoplasm that Danny no doubt picked up from the accident."
Jack and Maddie looked at Andy before looking back at the Fenton Finder and Danny. "Huh… That would make sense." Jack noted. "Danny did get a pretty good shock from the portal. Maybe it did infuse him with ectoplasm to a degree."
Maddie frowned. "But ectoplasm is dangerous to humans. Danny, are you sure you're alright?"
"I'm fine, Mom, really. If I was in danger, you'd know," Danny promised.
Maddie sighed. "Fine, but you let us know if you start to feel strange, young man."
Danny sighed. "Yes, Mom…" He agreed, albeit reluctantly. Heh… Andy may not know I'm Phantom, but he did help me with that Fenton Finder this time.
"What happened here? It looks like a meaty warzone!" Jazz shouted. "Why is nobody concerned about this!?"
"We are, and we're leaving, before the cops get here," Andy spoke up. "I would rather not stick around and be forced to clean all this up. We can ask questions later."
"Wait! Where is Takuya?" Danny asked, remembering his cousin.
"Ow…" Takuya's voice said as he emerged from the brush. "Getting buried under meat is not fun…"
"Well, other than getting covered in meat, it looks like everyone's okay," Tucker commented.
"Speak for yourself…" Sam gagged.
Danny chuckled. "Well, now that everyone is here, let's scram before the cops come. I'd rather not be here and get questioned."
They could already hear the sirens in the distance. Jack and Maddie quickly ushered everyone to get to their Fenton RV so they could drive home quickly. They made sure to drop Tucker and Sam off at home before they went back to Fenton Works.
Sam hoped she could make it to the showers before her parents saw her though. The last thing she needed was-
"Sam!?" A woman's voice shouted in shock. "What are you covered in!?"
Sam froze. Oh great… just in time too… She thought with dismay.
"Mom… I had a really long day at school. There was a backlash to the menu change at school, so I really need a bath," Sam sighed.
"Was that the tank death trap you were in a minute ago?" A man's voice asked.
Sam frowned, seeing her dad was there too.
"So, those Fenton people were responsible for this, I should've known," Sam's mother hissed venomously. "Why do you still hang out with those boys, Sam? They're bad influences."
Pamela and Jeremy Mansion, they were Sam's parents. Pamela was an elegant woman with ginger hair, and she mostly liked wearing pink dresses. Pamela liked having her hair in a bit of a poofy style, with two curls on each side of her head.
Jeremy was a slim man, who had blond hair. He usually liked to wear a stitched up vest around his clothes, Though he enjoyed wearing fancy suits when going on family outings.
They were both overbearing parents on Sam, which was why Sam had been rebelling against them since she turned 12.
"No, Mom, Dad, the Fentons were not responsible for what happened." Sam groaned. "They just took me home, nothing more." I really don't like you two claiming Andy and Danny are bad influences anyway…
"We need to hear about what happened at school more before we decide that," Pamela stated. "Now you march into the bathroom and clean yourself up at once, young lady."
"I was going to do that anyway," Sam hissed. "Meat is disgusting."
Sam stormed away from her parents. Pamela and Jeremy both sighed.
"Where did we go wrong with her?" Pamela asked.
"I have no idea…" Jeremy sighed. "Do you think maybe we're being too hard on her?"
"I don't think we're being hard enough. Look at how she's dressed and acting lately. It's those bad influences, I just know it," Pamela stated. "At this rate, we'll need a restraining order to keep those boys away from our daughter."
"Let's try having her smile more, maybe dress up in something not so black. She's got to come around eventually, right?" Jeremy said.
"I like the way you think, dear." Pamela smiled. "The prom for Casper High starts in about a few weeks, right? Perhaps I can take her to do some clothes shopping for a nice dress, and try to nudge her to get the right kind of dress that will attract the right kind of boys."
"We start with baby steps, no outright bright pink dresses." Jeremy pointed out. "The last time we tried that, Sam turned that dress blacker than night."
"Very well, but if that doesn't work, I'll have to find a different method to get her to try on other dresses," Pamela remarked.
The first day of school was quite the first day. School had to be shut down for a few days while the school staff were cleaning up the meaty mess. They were definitely putting all that money they saved by trying to feed students soil and grass to good use now. Not that the school staff were happy about it.
Takuya got up early. Other than Jazz, he was probably the first one awake in the house. He decided to get ready for the day. He needed some time to think and clear his head anyway. He was too tired to think about it much yesterday, but after having a good night's sleep, all he could focus on now was what the heck happened to him.
Yesterday was… weird… Takuya noted as he entered his bathroom and began to brush his teeth. I don't know what the heck happened to me, just that I suddenly had all of this power flowing through me, and I could keep up with that Lunch Lady ghost. Was it that figurine I found? It… has to have been. But… What did I turn into?
Takuya remembered how his phone seemed to have transformed when the figurine was glowing all brightly and mysteriously. Takuya put that device on his night stand to look at it in the morning. He quickly looked at the night stand, and… he was surprised to see it was just his phone, not that weird device that it was before.
H-huh? Wh-wha… Where is that device?! I swore I saw my phone turn into that device yesterday! Takuya thought in alarm. Was it just a one time thing? However, something in Takuya's mind told him it was not just a one time deal, and the boy had a feeling that it was indeed real, what had happened yesterday. But… if it was indeed not a one-time thing, then where is that device?
Takuya studied his phone for a moment, he could still see that Kanji symbol on there. Out of curiosity, Takuya tapped on that symbol, and the phone transformed again into that device.
O-okay… that would explain where the device went… My phone does turn into that device! Takuya thought with some relief, and amazement. But… What is this thing? I've never seen anything like it before.
Takuya wasn't sure where to start with this thing. He could push the two buttons on the device, but he learned quickly one of the buttons turns the device back to a regular looking phone. So at least he knew how to change it by will.
Well, at least I can hide it as my phone… Takuya thought as he turned his phone back into that device. I guess that could be considered a good thing… right? Aw man… Who am I kidding? I have no idea what is going on with my life now! I have this odd device, and I can somehow become a being that can keep up with ghosts! … Oh yeah, there are GHOSTS! We had two of them fighting each other at school just yesterday!
Takuya was now curious, how would the news people handle this?
Takuya headed into the living room and turned on the TV, since the meat monster attack was still fresh, the news should talk about it right now.
The TV showed the outside of Casper High, showing teachers cleaning up the meaty mess.
There was a somewhat chiseled man with blond hair standing in front of the camera with a mic. "This is Lance Thunder with the latest report on this high school called 'Casper High'. There have been reports of a giant meat monster, an armored demon, and a black and white boy with superhuman and flying abilities battling each other here. But the story was deemed to be too rooted in fantasy to be real. The school staff claims it was likely just an event the protesters were doing to change the menu, and the protesters went overboard."
H-huh? But… Oh wait… yeah, everyone else fled save for Sam, Tucker, Andy, Danny, Jazz and myself. But… this… Oh man… I can't believe no one actually saw that giant meat monster though! That thing was at least towering over the school! Takuya thought. How could something like that be deemed an event!?
Takuya sighed, wondering how people could be so stupid. Then again, he lived in the real world, where things like giant monsters, ghosts, and people turning into 'demons' just didn't happen. Of course people would try to come up with a 'rational explanation' to make it believable, and fit their viewpoint of how the real world worked, despite it not being the truth at all.
Well, I guess I'll just have to try to come up with cover stories on where I go if I need to turn into that 'demon' form I appear to have now. Takuya thought with some dismay. Or am I some kind of ghostly being now?
Takuya didn't know how long he stayed there, watching TV. He wished he could talk to someone about this whole thing, but he wasn't sure who or how he could tell someone about this insanity. He had trouble believing it himself, and he was the one who pulled it off. But surely he couldn't keep this all to himself, could he?
Aw man… I guess I will need to tell Andy about this again. I mean… I don't even know what I can do in that new form of mine. Takuya sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. I can't just run off and try to train on my own… I don't want to worry Aunt Maddie and Uncle Jack… Hmm…
Another thought crossed Takuya's mind. Andy was friends with that Phantom kid, so… maybe… he wouldn't mind making friends with 'Agunimon' as well? I could just show up as Agunimon and talk to him. He doesn't have to know it's me, right?
A plan began to formulate in the boy's head. Okay, so when I see Andy, I tell him that there was this guy who wanted to see him at central park, and then he-
"Hey, morning Tak-"
"I'm Agunimon!" Takuya suddenly shouted at Andy, who was greeting him.
Andy blinked, staring at Takuya. "W-what?"
Takuya shut his mouth with his hands, mentally berating himself for suddenly shouting that to the boy who was just saying good morning to him.
"Uh…, forget what you heard!" Takuya said quickly. "I was just daydreaming out loud!"
Andy frowned before he crossed his arms. "I'm not an idiot, Takuya. Is there something you want to tell me?"
Takuya was swearing in his mind at his sudden shouting. Of all the things that could go wrong, it was my own mouth that ran off on me! "Um… well… Kinda…" Takuya admitted. "But… can it wait until after breakfast…?" Crap… There went my brilliant plan…
"No," Andy said firmly.
"W-wha?" Takuya blinked, taken back by the answer.
"I know how this goes. I'm a teenager with a secret too, you know. You delay it by saying 'after something', then you delay more, claiming 'now's not a good time' or 'I forgot, maybe later?' Those are the oldest excuses in the book," Andy stated. "You need to tell me now. Delaying it will only make it harder."
"Okay, fine…" Takuya sighed. "Do you remember that armor-wearing guy from yesterday?"
Andy blinked and nodded. "How could I forget? He saved Danny. But… How did you know about him? You weren't there… or were you?"
"That's… what I wanted to tell you." Takuya admitted. "Remember that figurine I showed you? The one that almost looked like armor?"
Andy nodded, he was starting to have his own conclusions, but he wanted to hear it from Takuya's mouth.
"Well… it activated, and… Somehow, I became that armor-wearing guy." Takuya admitted at last. "It was so…weird. I mean, one moment I was chasing after Danny, who was being carried off by those mini meat minions, and then… that figurine glowed and then… this power filled me and the next thing I know, I am something else, able to chase after those meat minis and I was able to save Danny."
"You… became that armored guy? It didn't just come alive and decided to help us?" Andy blinked.
"That's right." Takuya confirmed. "The figurine was calling to me to use it. It didn't come alive at all, at least… in the sense you might be thinking."
Andy looked at Takuya before deciding something. "Show me."
"H-huh?" Takuya blinked. "Wait… you mean… like right now?"
"No…" Andy looked around. "In the lab. Mom and Dad won't be getting up for another half an hour. Danny is still conked out, I guess yesterday's events wiped him out pretty good. The lab will be a good place to see this form of yours in case someone comes downstairs."
"Okay…" Takuya answered, feeling nervous about this.
The two of them went into the lab. Andy closed the door, hoping the soundproof walls would keep anyone from hearing this transformation just in case it was loud. Though Andy himself didn't like coming down here due to the creepy swirling of the Ghost Zone just on the other side of the wall, not to mention a reminder of how he almost lost his brother to it.
Takuya took out his phone, and pressed the kanji for Fire that was showing on the screen. It turned into that black and red device again.
"Whoa, so it changed your phone?" Andy blinked, surprised.
"Yeah, apparently it does," Takuya answered before looking at the device again.
Okay… how do I do this again? "Aw crap… How did I do that transformation?" Takuya groaned.
"You don't know?" Andy frowned.
"I-it was my first time!" Takuya quickly said.
"Do you… remember how you did it the first time?" Andy asked.
"I do… I think…" Takuya admitted. "But I was under stress at the time, so it's kinda fuzzy. I think I called forth some kind of ring around my hand? I don't really remember, it was all just a blur."
Andy began thinking. "Well, something had to have triggered the figurine to get you to transform. Was it because you were in danger? Or was it something else?"
"Danny was in trouble, and I wanted to save him." Takuya replied. "It… That was when the transformation happened."
"I see, so you wanted to save Danny… maybe it's those strong feelings to help someone that triggers it," Andy guessed. "Think you could bring it up again? Or does it have to happen in the moment?"
"I… I could try." Takuya said as he held up his left hand again. C'mon… Please show up! I know I wanted to save Danny… I want to be able to protect him, Andy and everyone else… Please… Show up!
Takuya could hear static on his device. The figurine, or whatever it was, wasn't reacting.
"Aw, c'mon! Really?!" Takuya groaned. "Work will ya!?" He exclaimed to the device. "C'mon! Turn me into that form again! Power up! Power on! Whatever!"
Andy sweatdropped as he watched Takuya struggling to get the device to work. "Takuya! Hey, calm down! I don't think you'll get any results trying to force it."
Takuya groaned. "Of all the things… Ugh… And I just wanted to show you what happened to me…"
"Let's take it one step at a time. Until we figure out how to get it to work, we'll just keep trying until we figure out how to trigger it," Andy said.
"So… you believe me then?" Takuya asked.
"I have no reason not to believe you," Andy answered. "I just wanted to see the form myself, since I only got a glimpse of it when you saved Danny."
"Well, I think you'll be seeing it soon. I just don't know when." Takuya sighed. "Wow… If I knew using it would be this difficult, I wouldn't have said anything."
"No, it's good you did. I can't imagine you being able to keep this a secret for very long," Andy remarked. "You did kinda blurt it out to me."
"Yeah, I did…" Takuya grumbled. "Why does my mouth tend to run when I come up with a good plan?"
"I think you were thinking too hard. Your mouth was put under a lot of pressure," Andy laughed. "Also, did you say you're 'Agunimon'? What's an 'Agunimon'?"
"That's… the name of my other form." Takuya admitted. "Kinda weird, I know, but that's the name that came into my head. I didn't even know what I was called in that form, and then I got this information coming into my head telling me that was my name."
"It sounds like the figurine is giving you… inherited knowledge?" Andy guessed. "Wait… does that mean it might have a mind of its own?"
Takuya paled. "Oh crap… I didn't think of that! What if I'm some kind of host now?!"
"Calm down, please," Andy sighed, seeing Takuya was freaking out. "I… um… don't think it's going to harm you. If it was, it probably would've taken over your body the minute you transformed. Maybe it's transferring its powers and knowledge to you, but it doesn't do anything else."
"Maybe…" Takuya admitted, but he was still a bit freaked out. "I… I guess I just have to get used to this thing being with me now… as disturbing as it seems…"
"And until we figure out how to trigger the transformation, we'll just have to leave it be," Andy agreed. "But do let me know if you do feel off or weird. We're still in unknown territory with this thing after all."
"I plan to, don't worry." Takuya agreed. "I just… this thing… it seems to be… weird. It seems to have a mind of its own, but it needs me to use it."
"Do you plan on telling anyone else about this?" Andy asked.
"No way! What if Uncle Jack and Aunt Maddie hear of this? They may try to 'cure' me of this thing, destroy it, whatever! I just feel telling them would be a bad idea, and… I think this thing agrees with me." He added, feeling a bit… uneasy. "As for Jazz, if I can't show her, she won't believe me. Danny… has too much to deal with right now. And… I just want to figure out what the heck this thing is before I tell anyone else."
Andy gave it some thought. "What about Phantom?"
Takuya froze. "Um… what about him?" He asked, unsure of where Andy was going with this.
"Maybe you can tell Phantom?" Andy suggested. "He's not gonna tell anyone, I doubt he could. And he has powers like you do, if anyone could understand your plight it would be him."
Takuya looked down in thought. "Actually… that may not be a bad idea…" He admitted at last. Takuya then realized he would be getting training from a ghost of all beings. "Aw man… heh… I guess I will be getting trained by a ghost of all things. Not exactly what I expected, but it's better than just stumbling around, trying to figure out what to do on our own."
"Yeah. We don't even know if Agunimon is a ghost himself either," Andy admitted. "So what better way to train a super powered being than with another super powered being? The only problem is I'm not sure if we'll be seeing Phantom at the usual meeting spot today. He might be tired from dealing with the Lunch Lady."
"Well, we won't know until we get there." Takuya sighed. "But if he isn't, then we have to try to figure this out on our own."
"Yeah… but until then, we have a few days off from school, might as well make the most of it," Andy said.
"What do you mean by that?" Takuya asked, getting worried what Andy could be thinking.
"Video games!" Andy smiled.
Takuya blinked, he had been expecting a mischievous prank from the boy.
Andy raised an eyebrow at Takuya's expression. "What?"
"I… thought you would prank me instead." Takuya admitted.
Andy rolled his eyes. "I'm not a little prankster kid anymore, Takuya. Sheesh, give me some credit."
Takuya grinned at that point. "Well, how can I say no to playing video games?" He said with a big smile.
Titanic X: DarkFoxKit: Yes, I guess he did
andrealimon2380: DarkFoxKit: Yeah, Danny (as Phantom) felt sorry for Andy, and wanted to try to bond with him as his ghost half. I also thought it would be interesting to have a different start this time. And no, Takuya wasn't the Warrior of Fire, this is his first time.
ZAFT: You will like how this goes down here. :3
CT7567Rules: ZAFT: This is what we want to see from you in terms of reviews. XD Now, as for the points, yes, Sam did go a bit too far. But it does get better here. :3
Dash being the bully is to be expected as usual. XD But you will see how we handle Dash here. :3 And yeah, Mr. Lancer being called out was kinda fun. XD
As for Andy knowing Danny's secret, he doesn't know it yet, as Danny has been appearing to Andy as Phantom, a ghost boy. As for Takuya, you will see here~ :3
DarkFoxKit: I do hope we made it clear that Andy doesn't know that Danny and Phantom are the same person. ^^' He doesn't know Danny's secret right now, he's just interacting with Phantom.