Chapter 6: After the Game
Danny and Liv were eating burgers. "Those are even better than those from Nasty Burger." Danny commented.
"Nasty?" Liv asked.
"Don't let the name mislead you, Liv." Danny replied. "Their burgers are quite good."
"I should try one the next time I visit Amity Park." Liv said.
"Fenton!" Dash shouted. "You'll pay for making us lose the game."
"Are you for real?" Liv asked in indignation. "How can you blame your loss on a spectator?"
"He jinxed us by dating someone from your school." Dash argued.
"You tried to date cheerleaders from our school." Liv pointed out.
"Only after the game ended." Dash stated as that made a difference. "Prepare to suffer, Fentonowsky."
"Not so fast." A vertically-challenged individual said.
"Professor Pascal, I'm glad you're here." Liv commented. "This guy is bothering us."
"I see." Professor Pascal commented. "First that too fine character flirting with every cheerleader from our school and now this? Leave them alone before I report you to your teachers."
"Yes, Sir." Dash fearfully said. "Right away, Sir."
"Thank you, Professor Pascal." Liv said.
"Don't mention it, Ms. Baker." Professor Pascal replied and then heard his cell phone ringing. "Hello, any news about Asta?" "I can pick him up anytime and he's okay? Wonderful!" He then turned his attention back to Danny and Liv. "Well, keep enjoying your date. Bye."
"Who's Asta?" Danny asked Liv.
"Professor Pascal's pet dog, Danny." Liv answered.
"Hello, Daniel." They suddenly heard someone say. A someone Danny quickly recognized. "Vlad." The younger halfa replied with a frown.
"The Mayor of Amity Park?" Liv asked in shock. "Nice to meet you."
"You must be Liv Baker." Vlad commented and Liv nodded. "Nice to meet you as well. Jack and Maddie already told me about the little badger's girlfriend. How's Samantha dealing with it?"
'Even the Mayor knows about Sam's crush on Danny?' Liv thought and tried to decide what it meant for Danny's cluelessness.
"Sam and I are just friends, Vlad." Danny answered Vlad's question and unknowingly answered Liv's. "Why don't you get a love life of your own instead of meddling with somebody else's? Someone might think you have some weird obsession with me."
"Well played, little badger." Vlad commented and left.
"Good way to get rid of him, Danny." Liv said.
"Sorry you had to face one of my enemies." Danny said and he actually meant it. Unlike his other enemies, Vlad wasn't someone Myst could simply beat up.
Sam and Tucker showed up. "We just saw Vlad." Sam said. "Did he cause any trouble?"
"Don't worry about that." Danny reassured them.
"Anyway, we came here to tell you we must be back on time to take the bus back to Amity Park." Tucker said. "And it's me, not Sam, who's telling so the both of you know she's not just saying that to separate you."
"I'm getting tired of this joke." Danny muttered.
"Maybe it's not a joke." Liv suggested. "I cannot be the first girl to ever like you."
"Well, there's Valerie..." Tucker started saying until Sam interrupted him.
"WE! HAVE! TO! GO! BACK!" Sam firmly stated and the boys knew it was final.
Later on, Danny and Tucker were at their hotel room packing their stuff. "Tucker, why did you have to mention Valerie?" Danny asked in exasperation. "How can I take Liv to the Nasty Burger now?"
"Just don't introduce Liv and Valerie, Danny." Tucker suggested and Danny wasn't amused.
"I'd rather ask my parents for advice, Tucker." Danny replied, not liking Tucker's idea.
After an uneventful bus trip back to Amity Park, Danny did talk to his parents about it. "Son, you already mentioned Nasty Burger to Liv so, if she does bring it back into conversation, tactfully explain that the Valerie Tucker mentioned works there so Liv won't get caught by surprise." Jack said. "I mean, would Valerie make a scene over you bringing a date to her workplace?"
"I don't think so, Dad." Danny answered.
Maddie then decided to give her opinion. "Then there's no need to worry."
Two days later, Danny and Liv were having a video call. "Good news, Danny!" Liv exclaimed. "I can visit you in Amity Park next Saturday."
"Awesome!" Danny exclaimed in triumph.
"And I could try one of those "nasty" burgers you speak of." Liv suggested and then noticed something on Danny's face. "Danny, what's wrong?"
"Not necessarily wrong, Liv, but do you remember Tucker mentioning a Valerie Gray as a girl who liked me?" Danny asked and she nodded. "Well, she works at the Nasty Burger."
"Yeah, things could be awkward." Liv commented. "How close have you ever been?"
"We've been to a few dates but it all ended way before I even first saw you." Danny answered, with everything from "but" being said quicker than the rest of the answer.
"Okay, then." Liv replied. "So, do you think Valerie keeps hard feelings over that?"
"No, Liv." Danny answered.
"Good! We'll meet at the Nasty Burger!" Liv decided.
Andy then intervened. "But you'd better not harm my sister's feelings." He threatened Danny.
"Don't worry, Andy." Danny replied. "And, Liv? I believe we'd better meet at the airport and then go to Nasty Burger."
After the conversation ended, Danny decided to do some homework. "I must end this before a ghost interrupts me." Danny said and then felt his ghost sense. "I had to say it."
"Beware, I am the Box Ghost, master of all things cardboard and square." The Box Ghost said.
"And I am Danny Fenton, master of this Fenton Thermos." Danny replied, sucking the Box Ghost into the thermos.
"It's so easy it's not fun anymore." Danny commented.
A few moments later, Andy, Liv and Mike were at Ms. Jones' headquarters. "Ms. Jones, are we going to practice against some captured ghosts?" Liv eagerly asked.
"Actually, Liv, I'm doing a web search on Danny Phantom's arch enemy." Ms. Jones answered without even looking away from her computer.
"Vlad Masters?" Andy asked.
"That's right, Andy." Ms. Jones answered. "When he came to our town, I decided to know more about him and it looks like he suddenly became rich after a series of mysterious bank robberies in Wisconsin took place. In spite of people there not knowing or even believing ghosts existed at the time, some theorized it had to be done by a ghost since there were no signs of forced entry."
"Was Vlad Masters ever deemed a suspect?" Mike asked.
"He was investigated, of course, but nobody could prove any falsehoods on how he claimed to have earned his first millions; or how he could phase through solids or control ghosts or other beings who could." Ms. Jones explained.
"Is there a way to control ghosts?" Andy eagerly asked, welcoming the idea of using some sort of remote control on them to make the ghost-hunting job easier.
"Well, Freakshow, a former circus ringleader had a scepter that allowed him to control ghosts until it was destroyed when he was caught using these ghosts to rob valuables for him." Ms. Jones answered. "He's currently doing time in a penitentiary in Amity Park and I have no clue to the whereabouts of any other objects that could be used for that purpose."
"We could call Danny to see what he knows about Plasmius." Liv suggested.
"Can't wait for your boyfriend, huh?" Andy teased his sister.
"Maybe." Liv replied, deciding not to let her brother get under her skin.
"There's no need to rush things, Liv." Ms. Jones said. "You can bring it up during your next date or at least tell him I want to know more about his enemy."
"Yes, Ms. Jones." Liv complied.
As the day of the date arrived, the Fentons were surprised that Liv's brother Andy came with her. "Andy, what brings you here?" Jack asked.
"I wanted to know more about ghost hunting." Andy answered. "Especially about how to stop Danny Phantom."
"Andy." Liv hissed at her brother.
"Boy, you came to the right place!" Jack eagerly said. "When it comes to hunting that putrid piece of ectoplasm, nobody knows more about it than Jack Fenton!"
"Ahem." Maddie intervened.
"Except perhaps for Maddie Fenton!" Jack added.
"Excuse me, Liv and I are leaving." Danny said and Liv nodded.
"Danny, you and Liv don't know what you're missing but okay." Jack replied. "Have a nice date."
"Aren't you worried about what Andy might learn from your parents?" Liv asked Danny after the two of them left Fentonworks.
"No, Liv." Danny answered. "Are you worried Andy might tell my parents that you and he are part of the Ghost Force?" Danny asked back.
"No, Danny." Liv answered.
"In that case, let's go to the Nasty Burger." Danny replied.
On their way to the Nasty Burger, Liv told Danny about Ms. Jones' concerns regarding Vlad Masters. "Well, first of all, Vlad and I know each other's identities and we hold it as leverage against each other." Danny said.
"I believe we already discussed that, Danny." Liv replied.
"Just making sure, Liv." Danny explained. "Anyway, during one of the times he kept me captive, he bragged about phasing walls to rob banks and overshadowing people into signing over their businesses to him." He said without mentioning the fact Vlad created a clone of Danny.
"Oh, that's why Microsoft became Mastersoft." Liv commented. "Ms. Jones mentioned how she found it odd when that company's founder decided to sell it."
"Exactly." Danny replied.
They finally arrived at their destination, where each one had a burger and a soda. "Wow, this is good." Liv commented after taking a bite. "I wonder why they call it "Nasty Burger"."
"It's said the owners originally wanted to name it "Tasty Burger" but somebody changed the sign." Danny replied.
Liv giggled until she realized Danny wasn't doing the same. "Wait, are you serious?" She asked.
"No, he's Harry Potter's godfather." Danny answered. "I'm Danny."
"You're dead meat, Fenton." Dash said as he showed up and looked at Liv. "Do you have a type, Fenturd? That girl's taste for clothes is too similar to the goth's."
"Don't you have anything better to do than being a bully?" Danny asked with a frown.
Dash ignored Danny and turned his attention to Liv. "You're not as beautiful as those twins back in New York but you can do better than Fenton." The bully commented. "I'm Dash Baxter, star quarterback and King of Casper High."
"And I'm Danny's girlfriend." Liv replied.
"I meant it when I said you could do better than Fenton." Dash said.
"Like who, for example?" Liv defiantly asked.
"Me, for example." Dash proudly answered. Liv wasn't impressed.
"I don't consider bullies better than Danny." Liv firmly replied. 'That guy can make Drake Miller seem nice by comparison.' Liv thought.
"You're lucky I don't fight girls." Dash commented.
"Afraid of losing?" Liv teased Dash.
"Fenton, on the other hand, is not a girl." Dash replied and Danny gulped at the implication.
"What did Danny do to you?" Liv asked Dash, oblivious to the wisp coming out of Danny's mouth.
Suddenly, some ghost wolves showed up and everyone ran away. Once well hidden, Danny went ghost and Liv turned into Myst.
End chapter