Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any of the characters. Danny Phantom is the sole property of Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon and Paramount global.
Court
Chapter 6: I'll See You In Court
About 10 minutes have passed and soon Team Phantom finished recapping the events of the story to the young sorceress.
"And that's what happened so far before you showed up..."Danny explained.
Misty was surprised, while River was now sleeping. The young sorceress was still processing everything she just heard.
"Okay, let me see if I have this straight...this Walker guy...some power crazed ghost warden of a jail is one of your arch enemies..."Misty began as she pointed to Danny.
"Yep..."The ghost boy nodded.
"He tried to arrest you...all because you tried to get your parents' anniversary present back from the Ghost Zone?..."Misty asked, raising a brow.
"Believe me, the way Walker sees it, he doesn't need a reason to arrest someone. He just makes up the rules as he goes along to justify being a control freak..."Danny muttered bitterly.
Misty nodded along, having had experiences with control freaks, from her mother to her demented ancestors.
"Okay, that happened but you managed to escape, and he's been after you since...and after a bunch of crazy stuff, including him being low enough to try and threaten Star's baby brother Pierre...he got in trouble with his own bosses and wasn't allowed to bug you anymore?..."Misty continued, looking angry at the part about Pierre.
"Right..."Star said, still angry about what happened with Pierre.
"And a while back, he tried to convince his bosses to put you in some trial to get you off the list they had you on so he can arrest you and tried to rig the trial by making all your ghost enemies the jury?..."Misty asked.
"Uh-huh..."The whole team nodded, and the young sorceress frowned.
"Wow, what a jerk. I never even met him, and I already hate him..."Misty said, making a mental note of turning him into a toad if they ever cross paths...once she finds a spell for that.
"Let's hope you NEVER meet him..."Sam said while frowning.
"You guys also mentioned something about Star's dad going through some kind of mid-life crises around that time, right?..."Misty questioned.
"I wouldn't exactly call it that, but yeah..."Star said with a sigh.
"And, also, your moms were all in some big tennis tournament around the same time?..."Misty added.
"Yeah...and believe me...I rather talk about the thing with Walker than that..."Sam muttered, not liking how her mom acted during that time.
"Right...sorry..."Misty said, understanding what's it like having a tough relationship with a mom.
"Okay, so Misty's in the loop now...what happened next in the story?..."Valerie asked, really wanting to know what else happened.
"Okay. Okay. Well...it was like this..."Danny went back to telling the story.
Story
Danny and Star were still on their date.
Since they still had some time before the water park, they went to the Nasty Burger and were currently getting some burgers and milkshakes to enjoy.
"For you, Milady..."Danny said as he offered her a fry.
"Oh, Danny-Boo. You're so gallant..."Star said with a giggle as she took one.
The two began to playfully feed each other their fries and talk some more in a flirty manner as they enjoyed their rare Colette-free time.
Both unaware what was happening both in the Ghost Zone right now...and across town too to be honest.
Present Time
"Anyway...while Star and I were grabbing a bite at the Nasty Burger, things were getting crazier for our moms at the tennis court..."Danny said.
"Even crazier than a ghost warden wanting to lock you up just because you tried to get your parents' anniversary present back?..."Val questioned as she and Misty sent questioning looks.
"Believe me...if you have seen what my mom is like when she's in "coach mode", then you'll see how it's ALMOST just as crazy. Heck, I only got off lucky with the beauty pageant thing because I'm her daughter and she still owes me a lot...but let's just say that Mrs. Fenton didn't get that kind of slack..."Star said, as she continued with the story now.
Back to the story
Maddie and Stella were still on the tennis court.
They were still training and practicing for the tournament. Even though it was a charity tournament meant to help the local hospital, Stella is determined to win, and she was determined to make sure Maddie was a master at the sport by Monday.
"Alright! Knees bent, legs apart!..."Stella said in a surprisingly strict way and then did a demonstration, doing the exact same thing.
Maddie imitated her and managed to do just that.
"Good. Now follow my movements..."Stella ordered, as she repeated the same technique.
"Like this?..."Maddie said as she did just that as well.
"Good, now let's try our backhand..."Stella said as she did exactly that tennis move with precise and ease.
Now it was Maddie's turn.
"Your turn..."Stella said, and Maddie did the same move Stella just did.
The Fenton matriarch smiled.
"Got it! Ha!..."Maddie cheered, but Stella sent her a critical look.
"Not bad but not good either. You need to keep your wrist looser and work on your aim..."Stella advised.
Maddie blinked and loosened her wrist a bit, while the blonde woman kept giving instructions and pretty much bossing her around.
She then showed her some more tennis moves and techniques. First by demonstration and then ordering Maddie to do the same.
"Be ready to move from left to right..."Stella said, being surprisingly strict.
"Uh..."Maddie started.
"Let's see your swing!..."Stella ordered.
"Like this!..."Maddie tried but the blonde woman began to criticize her again.
"Don't hold the racket in a tilt! Do it like this..."Stella said in a stern tone and showed her the "correct" way to do it.
"Like this?..." Maddie asked as she did just as she did.
"Better..."Stella admitted, as Maddie continued practicing.
She practiced several times due to Stella's insistence and the blonde woman nodded in approval.
"Wonderful Maddie. You're catching on quick..."Stella said, smiling.
Maddie smiled.
"Well... I'm glad to-..."
"Now let's take it up a notch and tighten your grip..."Stella said, exposing the strict coach side within her again.
Maddie wondered what that meant, but soon found out when Star's mother began to show how competitive she was and outright bossy she can be.
After several more minutes of this training, Maddie was scared and she fought ghosts. Anyway, the tennis lesson continued, and Stella kept showing her techniques and being very strict with the lesson. Too strict for her, if she were honest.
Maddie now understood what Star felt regarding pageants.
"Poor Star. She must have had a lot to deal with from her Stella's drill sergeant coach side instead of her motherly side. It almost reminds me of my own mother..."Maddie thought, while Stella remained oblivious to what the Fenton matriarch was feeling as she continued with the lesson.
"Alright, so far so good. Now let's see how well you do against an old pro in a real game?..."Stella said, as she gestured to her racket.
"You want me to play against you?..."Maddie questioned.
Stella nodded.
"Of course. I mean...the best way to practice is by testing your skills against someone with experience..."Stella said, wanting to see what she can do.
Maddie sighed with an eyeroll.
"Alright, if it'll get things done quicker..."The Fenton matriarch said, as she mentally reminded it's for charity.
Soon, the two women went to their respective sides of the court, holding their tennis rackets and Stella had the first move. The blonde woman even smirked a bit.
"Ready Maddie ..."Stella said as she served and Maddie narrowed her eyes in determination, while some of the club's workers looked nervous and ducked for cover.
Present Time
"I heard this from Eleanor...who heard it from her employees who complained about that day but apparently the practice was kind of nuts. Very nuts to be honest..."Star explained, a little embarrassed as she said this.
"What's with your Mom and tennis? I mean...I know it's for charity, but she seems kind of intense..."Misty questioned, not understanding.
"My mom means well...and she really did want to help the hospital get the donation it needs...but she tends to get carried away with contests...whether they are beauty pageants, dog shows, tennis tournaments, figure skating or just showing off to her even snobbier rich friends. No matter what it is, my mom always tries to win..."Star said with a sigh.
"Figure skating?..."Misty questioned.
"That's a story for another day. Right now, I think we need to get back to this story..."Danny reminded.
"Oh, right..."Star said. "Well...apparently the little practice match between my mom and Danny's mom was something else...putting it mildly..."She said as she continued with the tale.
Back to the story
Maddie Fenton was out of breath now.
She actually felt a really winded now and she still couldn't believe what just happened.
"I'm a ninth-degree black belt, I can bench press more than my husband's weight and I fight putrid, destructive ghosts on a near daily basis. How the heck did someone who always worries about her manicure beat me?!..."She thought, still flabbergasted.
The little practice match between her and Stella had ended with the score being 7-2, and Stella being the winner.
To say that Maddie was speechless was an understatement.
Stella ordered a servant to bring them some lemonade and they did so. As they drank their refreshments, Stella seemed to be in a good mood about something.
It was clear that she really did enjoy the "game".
"You did really well, Maddie. Much better than I expected for a beginner..."Stella complimented, before she took a sip of her lemonade.
"You beat me by 5 points and completely annihilated me..."Maddie said flatly.
Stella giggled.
"I guess I did a bit. Just be glad it wasn't Eleanor you were up against. She's the only one who ever actually beat me in a tennis match before...though I did have some victories myself..."Stella said in a semi-bragging way.
"If that's the case, then I guess I can see how they manage to stay champs for 7 years in a row..."Maddie thought.
She can admit when someone was better at her at something and when it came to tennis, Stella was clearly out of her league.
"No offense but I don't know what I'm doing here. Honestly, I feel like I'm only here because this is a doubles tournament ..."Maddie said.
"Well, that is part of it, but I do enjoy having a tennis partner. It's nice to have a friend to practice against and win the competition and helping restore the North Mercy hospital's children wing will be a nice story to tell our grandchildren one day after Danny marries my Star..."Stella said with a smile.
"You said after, not if..."Maddie pointed out and the blonde woman giggled again.
"Oh, come now, Maddie. You know those two are meant for each other..."Stella said happily.
Maddie smiled slightly at that.
"Yes, they are..."The female ghost hunter said, truly believing that.
Star's mother then began to speak again about the young couple with fondness in her tone.
"And besides, Maddie. We're practically family as it is given how much my darling Star loves your son. They're very adorable together..."Stella said with a smiling face.
Maddie smiled nodding in agreement.
"Yes, they are..."She repeated, as she thought about how well Stela's daughter and her son have been getting along with each other.
Her son hasn't dated much, with the exception of his brief romance with that nice girl Valerie and that other girl...what was her name? Paula? Prisilla? Pauline? No, wait...Paulina, though it was only for about a week. But from what she saw, Danny's relationship with Star was very different and more meaningful.
Not even Valerie lasted very long with her son, but they were friends now and her son is in a happy relationship with a nice girl like Star. She was happy as long as her son was happy and with someone who truly loves him.
"They really are so sweet..."Maddie admitted.
Stella felt the same way about her daughter and smiled as she kept talking.
"Yes they are. And I think this is a good chance to bond for us since I'm sure we'll become family one day. Not to mention, it'll be a nice picture to take after we win and hang it on the golden guild's wall...and help with the hospital mind you, but that goes without saying..."Stella said in a chipper way.
"Yeah right..."Maddie snarked as she saw an overcompetitive side in this woman, while Stella didn't seem to notice that and kept smiling and prattling on.
"Anyway, we should get back to practice. But before that, I recommend that you should practice your drop shot some more, Maddie. Remember, this is a more delicate tennis move and you need to lightly tap the ball and give it some spin and to curve it at just the right angle for your to make it land closer to the net if you can..."Stella advised and even did that exact move to show her how.
Maddie nodded and did the same thing that Stella did.
"Good. Now let's work on the volley next..."Stella said, before she noticed a spill from her own lemonade on the table.
"Oh, I'll be right back. I need to get some more another towel. I'll call one of the servants to bring us one..."Stella said, as she stepped away from a moment to do just that, while Maddie drank the rest of her lemonade.
"This might be tiring...and Stella is getting on my nerves with her acting like some overbearing drill sergeant, but this is for a good cause, and at least she's not as bad as Alicia when we used to compete in the Spittoon hunting contest..."The female ghost hunter thought, as she recalled how bossy and overcompetitive her older sister could get at times during their childhood and even as an adult.
The Fenton matriarch tried to practice her serve some more, but that is when someone decided to interrupt her in the most annoying way possible.
"Well, well, well...what do we have here?..."A snotty voice was heard.
"Oh, I'd know that voice anywhere..."Maddie said with annoyance and dread as she turned around to see Pamela Manson here, dressed in a pink and flashy looking tennis outfit that didn't look very practical to be honest.
She was even wearing flashy jewelry and too much makeup to boot. She also had a haughty expression on her face as she spoke to the mother of Danny Fenton.
"Pamela. How are you?..."Maddie said in a forced cordial tone, while the rich woman glared at her.
"Oh, just peachy. I'm here to get some practice done for the tennis tournament..."Pamela said with a false smile.
"Really? You're competing too?..."Maddie asked with a scoff, finding it hard to believe.
Pamela sneered at her, before she sent her a haughty look.
"Well, it's for a good cause and even though Eleanor and Stella chose someone like YOU...over me..."Pamela said, her fist clenching slightly, but tried to act calm like it didn't bother her.
"Well...I still wanted to do my part and help and not just show how Stella and Eleanor made a mistake in overlooking someone like me. Plus, I see nothing wrong with everyone to see the Manson family on top..."Pamela said in an arrogant way.
Maddie rolled her eyes at how obvious she was being.
"And so begins another "riveting" installment of Pamela Manson being jealous my family is more welcome in high society than her and that self-absorbed jerk she's married too..."Maddie thought, preparing herself for the coming woman who was somehow Sam's mother.
"Honestly, had it not been for Ida confirming it, I never would have believed these two rude snobs were actually Sam's parents..."She thought, still angry about all those snide comments they made about Danny and Tucker during the Circus Gothica incident.
Pamela kept getting on Maddie's nerves but that is when Stella returned and spotted her.
"Pamela? You're here too?..."Stella asked surprised to see her and not in a good way.
Pamela's tune changed as soon as she spotted the socialite who had higher status than her and immediately became a kiss-up.
"Oh, Stella. How lovely to see you again. It's such a lovely day for tennis, isn't it? Oh, by the way, I just love what you have done with your hair. And is that a new tennis outfit? Very chic..."Pamela said in a brown-nosing way.
Stella frowned, not swayed by the fake flattery that she was used to from her peers. Stella knew a brown noser when she saw one and Pamela has always been a huge one to anyone who was the same status as her or higher.
"What are you doing here? You're no longer a member of this country club. Eleanor made sure of that..."Stella said, getting straight to the point and non-verbally sending the message that she might call security soon if she didn't leave.
Pamela's smile shrunk a bit, but she added a new one.
"True, but I am here as the guest of one of the club's board members and they convinced Eleanor to allow me to enter the tournament and to practice here..."Pamela said with a chipper tone.
"Who?..."Stella asked, wondering who she managed to convince to partner up with and who would be nuts enough to agree to team up with Pamela of all people.
"Nice to see you again, Stella..."A fancy, aristocratic voice was heard.
One that made Stella's eye narrow, and she felt the urge to scream but managed to avoid doing so.
"You're kidding me?!..."She mentally thought as she turned to see who it was.
It was a middle aged and wealthy woman around her age. One who had brown hair in a short and expensive looking perm with blonde highlights, green eyes and a lot of expensive looking make up on her face to hide her real age and hide some possible plastic surgery. She was also dressed in an expensive looking tennis outfit too and held a racket that had initials with gold, along with some flashy embroidery on her uniform too.
"Virginia..."Stella greeted with a forced smile.
"Stella, it's been some time..."The woman, Virginia greeted with an equally fake smile.
"Yes, it has..."Stella said with her fake smile. "Not long enough!..."She thought as the two gave each other air kisses.
The two old "friends" then continued to chat and catch up.
"So, you're back in the United States, huh? How was the world cruise?..."Stella asked, since Virginia had been on one for months.
"Oh, it was fabulous. Just what I needed to relax and unwind..."Virginia said in a grandiose way as she kept chatting with her fellow socialite.
"And you look simply lovely Stella, and you barely look the same since the last I saw you. The hair dye clearly must be working wonders for you..."Virginia said, and Stella's false smile lessened a bit at hearing that.
"And it begins..."The blonde woman thought, before smiling in a fake way before she continued to talk to her "friend".
"Well, I must say that you look fabulous as well, Virginia. I see that cruise did wonders for you...almost as if your new tan came from an actual tanning booth instead of a cheap looking spray-on can. It barely looks fake at all..."Stella said in a phony polite way and Virginia's eyes flashed with rage for a moment, but she hid it with a fake smile.
"Uh-huh...like I said, the cruise really did wonders for me and my complexion... much better than getting certain cosmetic changes like how some women get when they stay in a town as small as Amity Park...you should try it sometimes..."Virginia said, showing off her pearly, million dollar smile as tried to act like the blonde woman didn't strike a nerve.
"Well... you know what they say... you don't need to spend so much money to look as beautiful as I do... meaning my beauty is all natural..." Stella said in a veiled jab at Virginia's spending money to look good.
Maddie heard their quips to each other and mentally cringed.
"Ouch..."She thought as she continued to watch the quips between the two rich country club members that was barely disguised as casual chatting and catching up.
"So...how's that husband of yours, Virginia? Garret, was it?..."Stella asked and Virginia's eye twitched at the mention of that name.
"Oh...Stella...I think you are confused...Garret was my second husband...my third husband was Steven..."Virginia said snobbishly, barely trying to hide her annoyance.
"Was?..."Stella asked, pretending to be clueless since she already knew due to the grapevine.
"Yes, we decided to call it quits about a month ago. It happens...you'd know about that, what with the TRAGIC way YOUR first marriage went..."Virginia said, striking a nerve in the blonde woman.
"Well...sometimes things go south. It happens..."Stella said in a fake friendly way, also wishing that she could have Virginia sent to that Ghost Zone place the Fentons told her about.
"So, anyway...as you can see, I am now back in Amity Park and ready to have fun..."Virginia said with a smile.
"Uh-Huh..."Stella said, already tired of this conversation.
Maddie watched the bitter/false friendly exchange between the two women before Stella spoke again.
"So, you and Pamela are competing with each other?..."Stella asked, wanting to get to the point.
"Oh yes. Anything for charity..." Virginia said with a nod.
"Not to mention Pammy darling was kind enough to offer to be my partner for the tournament...and was even KIND enough to let me borrow her private jet for the weekend when I asked. How could I say no? For such a good cause I mean?..."Virginia said, while Pamela looked smug now.
"So, she's stooping to bribery now..."Maddie thought, unimpressed as Pamela tried to act like she was proud about something.
"And whom might your friend here be?..."Viginia asked., after she finally noticed Maddie.
"Oh, this is Maddie Fenton. She's going to be my partner since Eleanor is still recovering from her little golfing accent..."Stella said, and Maddie decided to greet politely.
"Hello, I'm Maddie Fenton. Nice to meet you..."Maddie said as she extended her hand to her for a handshake to be polite.
"Charmed..."Virginia said, as she shook her hand to be polite.
"Hmmm...are you new? I don't recall seeing you around the country club before? And also Fenton? I don't recall anyone around here with that name..."Virginia said, mostly referring to high society.
"That's because Maddie's family isn't part of high society. Their middle class...and weird ghost hunters to boot..."Pamela said, sneering with her arms crossed.
Maddie sent her an annoyed look and Stella rolled her eyes at the Manson woman's attitude.
"Yes, we are. And pretty darn good ones to boot..."Maddie said, while Stella spoke up again.
"Maddie happens to be very dear friend of mine here and yes, she and her husband are professional ghost hunters and even Eleanor bought an anti-ghost security system from them. Also, Maddie here very graciously agreed to be my partner for this tournament after Eleanor had an accident on the golf course. But what else can you expect from such a good friend..."Stella said cheerfully.
"More like an acquaintance..."Maddie whispered under her breath while Stella continued to talk and apparently didn't notice her words.
She got along well with Stella, despite their rocky start, but wouldn't say they were that close, but Stella kept talking like they were best friends or something.
"Also, I am happy to say that my darling daughter Star is dating Maddie's son Danny. He's a nice young man who really loves my precious daughter..."Stella said in an amicable way.
"More like he really loves her money and the status that comes with dating the daughter of a Golden Guild member...like he almost tried to do with my Sammy..."Pamela muttered under her breath, only to feel a swift kick to the shin that made her hiss.
"Ow!..."Pamela hissed, as she felt pain now all of a sudden.
She looked around and saw Maddie having an innocent look as she pretended not to have done it...while also sending a very harsh glare to the red-haired woman.
While Pamela thought she was being quiet, Maddie heard her words and got angry.
"My son is not a gold digger. Also, Star and Sam are both intelligent enough not to fall for one, you phony!..."Maddie thought, angry at how Pamela described her son.
Pamela wanted to complain, but Stella and Virginia both spoke up and their own conversation. Virginia looked to Maddie and back to Stella, she had a condescending look on her face as she turned her attention back to her "friend".
"Well...good luck, Stella. You're going to need it..."Virginia said condescendingly, ignoring the glare from Maddie.
Stella's her fake smile nearly dropped and her anger becoming more obvious, but she tried to keep up a calm, collected facade as she spoke.
"More like you're going to need it, Virginia. Especially with your partner..."Stella said, faux polite and ignoring the offended look from Pamela.
"Hmph! Why I never!..."Pamela said, annoyed.
"Oh yes you have..."Maddie muttered, just glad that she's finally leaving.
Once the two women left, Stella dropped her fake smile and expressed her real feelings.
"Ugh! I can't stand that woman!..."Stella said, fists clenched and a harsh tone, surprising even Maddie with her mood change.
"Who was that, anyway?..."Maddie asked.
"That's one of the reasons why I wanted to leave New York in the first place and start anew, not that it worked. Her name is Virginia Coleson-Snow. I'm sure you heard of her. Her family has been well-known in high society for over ten generations. And her family was one of the first few to settle in Amity Park after it was founded. She and her family spent some time in New York for business reasons, but she tends to travel all over the country and even the world to, either for business or vacations..."Stella said, frowning.
"And yes, her family is related to that reporter Tiffany Snow...distantly that is...Apparently, their mothers were second cousins twice removed or something like that..."She added.
"I see..."Maddie said, while the blonde woman continued.
"She's also been my "friend" since I was still in finishing school..."Stella said with air quotes.
"Do I even want to know why you used air quotes?..."Maddie asked, already knowing that the two women aren't actually friends.
Stella sighed and decided to be frank with her.
"Do you know those friends that your parents' pick out for you and tell you to hang out for the good of the family's reputation? Even if you don't actually like them and find them annoying?..."The blonde woman asked.
"No..."Maddie said flatly and Stella blinked.
"Oh right. I keep forgetting you weren't raised by someone like my mother..."Stella said, before shaking her head.
"Anyway. Virginia was basically that to me when I was growing up and she's always been trying to one up me at everything. From the latest fashion trends to winning the talent show. Ugh, it was always so annoying how overcompetitive she is. It's like she's obsessed..."Stella said, irritated as she recalled the past.
"What's worse is that she is back in town now of all things. She's back and she clearly wants to win the tournament just to beat me..."Stella said, frowning.
Maddie blinked.
"Wow...I don't think I have ever seen Stella this agitated since her horrid mother showed up and caused such a mess..."She thought while Stella sent her a serious, even desperate look at her.
"We're just gonna have to double down on our training!..."Stella said, surprising Maddie.
"Uh..."Maddie tried to say something but Stella snapped and began to rant now.
"I am serious! We can't let that witch win! 110% won't be enough, we need to double our progress into 220%! DO YOU HEAR ME?!..."Stella yelled, but soon realize her outburst and became apologetic once she saw Maddie's shocked expression.
"I know you're not a scientist or mathematician, but it's impossible for anyone to give more than 100%. By definition, it's the most anyone can give..." Maddie pointed out, annoyed by her yelling and Stella began to apologize.
"I'm sorry, Maddie. It's just...Virginia tends to be a REALLY sore winner...not exactly a good example to set to the kids if someone like her wins. Plus, I doubt she'd use the donation for the hospital on anything that's actually useful..."Stella said, trying to sound calm and not like this is about some petty rivalry between them.
Maddie wanted to say something, but the blonde woman started pleading again, clearly wanting her help and needing someone athletic enough to complete against her rival.
"Maddie...look, yes...this is for charity and that's the most important thing...no argument there...but it's also important that we don't lose to her. Believe me, Virginia might be a popular socialite, well-known in the community and does a lot for charity...but she's also the rudest, most snobbish, self-absorbed, narcissistic, overcomplete and obnoxious person I have ever known and a HUGE braggart who thinks she is the center of the universe!..."Stella said, expressing how much she disliked that other woman.
"Kinda reminds me of your stepdaughter..."Maddie thought but kept quiet as Stella kept pleading for her to train harder.
"So, come on. We need to win the tournament, for the donation and to make sure that it's spend the right way and those idiots don't mess things up..."Stella said, not wanting to lose to her rival and also to win the competition for their cause.
Maddie recalled what Pamela said about her son and was still angry. She also knew that if Pamela ended up, somehow, winning, then the donation would be wasted on something useless instead of properly being managed to help the hospital and the community in general.
She couldn't, in good conscious, allow that to happen.
"Alright, I'm in. Time to show that obnoxious Pamela just why Eleanor and you chose me over her...and why she can't insult my son and get away with!..."Maddie said, holding her racket with a clenched fist.
Stella grinned, glad to see that they were on the same page here.
"Now we're talking..."The blonde woman said, before she ordered some servants to prepare the area again.
The two women then began to practice again, their training getting more intense than before...if that was even possible.
Present Time
"Wow...I don't know how to respond to that..."Val said.
"Me neither. I mean...my mom can be kind of overcompetitive too but your moms?..."Misty said, and Danny, Star and Sam all cringed.
"At least Danny and Star's mom actually did want to help raise money for the hospital. Even if they got carried away, no thanks to my mom and her friend, as well as her stupid grudge. Sorry again about my mom and her inability to just let things go..."Sam said, while River woken up from rest on the goth girl's lap and asked for more crackers, which Sam gave.
"You don't need to apologize for what your mom says or does. No more than we can do for our moms..." Danny said, since he knew Sam's parents didn't like him from that time he first met them when he brought Sam that CD she had been looking for.
"Sheesh and I thought Paulina was overcompetitive. Now she just seems like an overconfident amateur compared to your moms..." Val said, and given how competitive Paulina is, that's saying a lot.
"I don't know this Paulina so I can't say if I agree but I agree that your moms sound intense..."Misty commented.
"Moving on. So, back to the story. Danny and I had been enjoying our date and about to go to the water park, but we decided to stop and get some snacks...and somehow, that's where things got REALLY crazy..."Star said, as it was her turn to continue the story.
Back to the story
Danny and Star had been enjoying their date but soon one of the young lovebirds got curious about the time.
"What time is it?..."Danny asked.
Star checked her watch.
"It's 15 to 10. How long do you think it would take to get to the waterpark from here?..."She asked.
"If we go by Air Phantom, we should be there in ten minutes..." Danny said.
"So, I guess this means we have some time. Speaking of which, do you mind if I get a snack before we go?..."Star asked.
"Sure, we're in no rush..."Danny said, as they soon spotted a nearby convenience store.
They went inside but once there, they ran into some familiar faces.
"Guys?..."Danny went, as he saw his friends here.
"Hey Danny...Star..."Tucker waved, while Sam also waved but was still eyeing some of the convenient store's snacks with a mixture of curiosity and a little critical too to the non-vegan ones.
"Hey..."Sam greeted.
"Hey, guys. What are you doing here?..."Star asked.
"No reason other than it's passed by 9:45 feeding and I'm in the mood to try something new here, like these new spicy potato chips. Plus, I heard this place had good sandwiches, and I wanted to try them..."Tucker said, while Sam rolled her eyes.
"I just came since I was in the mood for a salad and pick up some tofu chips if this place has any..."Sam said, having purchased one to go while Tucker was busy trying to buy junk food.
"You guys?..."The goth girl asked
"Oh, just wanted to get a snack before we headed to the water park..."Star said, as she grabbed some potato chips and went to pay for it.
As she made her purchase, someone stepped into the convenience store and spotted her.
"Star?..." A familiar voice was heard and Star turned around and soon saw that it was her father.
"Hey Dad..."Star said, surprised to see him here, and around this time.
"Hello, Mr. Strong..."Danny said politely.
"Hey..."Sam and Tucker waved.
"Hey, Star...Danny...Sam...Tucker..."Johnathan greeted.
"Dad, don't take this the wrong way but what are you doing here?..."Star asked.
"Well, my meeting with a client got cancelled and I took a break...I was feeling a little peckish, so I thought I'd get something here..."Johnatha explained himself.
"Don't worry. I'll let you lovebirds get back to your date. I'm just getting takeout and heading back to the office..."He said.
At that moment Sam and Tucker were caught literally in the middle of a conversation between one of their friends and their parents. Making the both of them feel like a wheel at the moment.
"Uh, how awkward is this?..." Tucker asked.
"Depends on if we getting involved. I'm just here getting some take out..." Sam answered, pointing to her salad and wanting to mind her own business.
"And I'm just here try out some new flavors of chips that I've never tried before. I hope they taste like chicken..." Tucker said, as Star kept talking with her dad.
"Anyway, like I said, I just came to get my pick up an early lunch to go. Gotta get back to the office soon anyway..."Johnathan said as he went to make his purchase and would soon head back to his office that was near here.
Unknown to him, someone was spying on them, and he had some subordinates tagging along when him under orders from their boss.
Outside
Several miles away, far enough not to trigger Danny's ghost sense, Bullet grinned as he spotted the enemy with his binoculars and his two subordinates had to make due with the lens on their respective long-range blasters to spy on the enemy at the isolated location.
"I told you that we'd eventually find that half ghost punk by staking out his friends..."Bullet said to one of his minions.
"Get ready to call the others to quickly relocate to our position as reinforcements, while we launch our ambush on the half ghost punk!..."He ordered.
"What do we do about the adult?..."A ghost guard with a bazooka device asked.
"Collateral damage. If he becomes a ghost, we deal with it later..."Bullet said dismissively, as he gave the hand signal to his subordinates to follow him towards their target.
The guard nodded, before following his orders.
He began to aim and tried to get a clear shot, the half ghost boy kept moving in the convenience store and making the ghost holding the bazooka device miss his line of sight and a bit of his focus.
"Can our blasters even reach our target from this far away?..."One of the other ghost guards asked vice-captain Bullet.
"Not sure. Make sure to get closer and aim directly at the punk's face if you can..."Bullet ordered, wanting to make sure they didn't mess this up or Walker would be livid.
"Right, Sir..."The ghost guard targeting with the bazooka device said, as he tried to aim at only the ghost kid and not the snacks or the other humans.
"Is this really going to end well for any of us in ghost guard gear, that surprisingly does little to protect us from damage?..."The other ghost guard thought to himself as he tried to fire but couldn't get a clear shot of the ghost kid.
He tried to fire but ended up hitting a gargoyle that was on a nearby roof and then a nearby pigeon that had been carrying a discarded pretzel, but he only hit the food, and the bird was unharmed and just flew away startled.
The ghost guard when he tried again, getting frustrated.
"Ugh...I can't get a good shot from here. We might have to get closer..."The guard said.
Bullet frowned.
"Fine. Men relocate to confirm a clearer shot at our target..."Bullet said, as he quickly told them a new strategy and ordered them to do it.
With Danny
Danny and Star were about to say goodbye to her dad and leave for the water park.
However, that is when Danny's ghost sense went off.
"Uh oh..."He thought as Danny tries to quickly come up with an excuse to leaving the room without arousing suspicious from Star's father.
"Uh...I'll be right back. I think that I dropped my watch behind the convenience store. I got to go get it, be right back!..."Danny lied quickly before he ran out.
Realizing what had happened, Star and the others knew this must be ghost related.
"Oh, I'll help you, Boo. Bye, Dad..."Star said as she left the snacks before and left the store.
"We'll help too. Bye, Mr. Strong..."Sam and Tucker both said, as the former took the lunch she already paid for and the later left the snacks before and ran out of the convenience store to help out.
Star's dad blinked, looking concerned and confused about Danny's abrupt departure. As well as Star and the others.
"Strange, I didn't know that Danny started wearing watches. Did Star pick one out for him?..."Johanthan wondered, as the store worker to him his order was ready.
Johnathan then pulled out his wallet and began paying with exact change, since there was no one else waiting in line behind him. Still, he was still curious and wondered why his daughter and her friends just left like that.
"What's going on?..."He wondered, thinking he should check on them.
Outside
Danny, Star and the others ran to an alley that was right next to the convenience store.
"I'm guessing it's ghost time..."Star said.
"You guessed right, but I can't tell where they are just yet..."Danny said, looking around and not seeing anyone anywhere, but he knows that some ghost is there.
"I'm going ghost!..."Danny called out, morphing as he flew into the air.
"We should all suit up too..."Star said, as the others nodded and got their gear ready.
Before they could, they were all interrupted by a voice that they all knew very well.
"What's going on here?!..."A loud, stern voice that Star knew all too well was heard.
"No!..."Star and the others turned around.
The teens cringed once they saw Johnathan, who had followed them and was even carrying his lunch he brought.
"Star? What's going on here? Why are you kids outside? And where is Danny?..."Johnathan asked, not seeing his daughter's boyfriend around here.
"Dad...uh...I...we can explain..."Star said nervously, while her father eyes her and her friend suspiciously for hanging around an ally by themselves.
Before they could even try to come up with something that even resembled a decent excuse, a ghost ray grabbed them.
"What the?!..."Johanthan said as he instinctively tried to protect Star but was confused, since there was no ghost to be seen where the ghost ray was shot from.
"Star! Kids, stay behind me!..."Jonathan loudly said, as he tried to analyze the situation they were in right. He was even about reach his cellphone to Jack and Maddie for help, but unfortunately didn't get the chance too.
A ghost guard phased out of a dumpster with a strange device, immediately knocked the blonde man's cellphone out of his hands and fired the device at all the humans.
Johnathan couldn't help but notice he was more shocked than the teenagers, while the ghostly guard smirked and pulled out a communication device to speak into it.
"I caught them all, plus one civilian..."The guard said, while the humans were ensnared by ghostly ectoplasmic chains that restrained them.
"Hey, let us go!..."Star demanded, trying her best to break free from the green glowing cuffs but couldn't move as much or at all from the ghostly restraints
"Ahh! What's going on?! Who are you ghouls?! What do you want with us?!..."Johnathan said, trying to reach his ecto-blaster he got from Jack for emergencies like this, but the ghostly restraints wrapped around him made it quite difficult to do just that.
"Is our leverage over the target is secure? Over..."Bullet's voice on the walkie talkie said.
"Yes..."The guard said.
"Then bring them. Now..."Bullet ordered.
The guard shrugged.
The adult was just collateral after all and not important to Walker's overall plan. It honestly didn't matter to the vice Warden, if he becomes a ghost or not. They'd deal with that later.
"Wait...this breaks the rules even Walker has to abide by? Doesn't it?..."The guard said, but decided it wasn't his problem.
He was about to leave with his prisoners, only to be hit by a blast from the back and sent crashing into a wall, and the device from his hands and landed inside the dumpster.
"Got him!..."Johnathan said, glad he managed to get his blaster while the ghost guards had their backs towards him.
The teens saw how Star's dad managed to help them escape and even hit that ghost guard too.
"Nice shot..."Sam said, as she and the others were almost impressed.
"Thank you. Now run!..."Johnathan said as he grabbed Star's hand and tried to leave the kids to safety, unaware that a certain boyfriend of his daughter's was somewhere else deep in conflict with the commander of these subordinate ghosts.
However, little did our heroes know that this brief escape from his was not enough to make Walker's alter his plan.
Johnathan, all the while, tried to protect his daughter while Star and the others tried to find some way to get away from him to help Danny. The ghosts, however, found them again and glared at the human male for interfering with their job.
"Interfering with the ghostly law system trying to seek out a guilty party. If Walker was here, he'd say that's against the rules..."A ghost guard said as he was busying helping the other ghost guard that was shot.
Johnathan responded by blasting the ghosts and trying to get the kids to safety.
"Dad!..." Star tried to say something, but her father looked desperate and a maybe a little bit panicked from missing one teen from their group.
"Star, Kids. Look at me and answer me clearly. Where is Danny?..." Jonathan asked with a worried and stern tone in his voice, while the teens didn't know how to answer his burning question.
Star wanted to think of something, but it was too late now.
Danny crashed onto the ground painfully...and unintentionally changed back to his human form.
The ghost boy got up, glared and was about ready to "Go Ghost" again and continue his fight. He also didn't realize he was dangerously close to someone he knew and didn't notice it yet.
"Okay. Time for the next round! I'm Going Ghost!..."Danny said, as he was about to change back into his ghost form.
The glowing white ring around his torso appeared and slowly began morphed Danny's into his ghostly superhero Alter-ego when he suddenly heard a gasp.
"DANNY?!..."A shocked voice was heard and completely interrupted Danny's transformation.
Danny stopped his morph and gasped and turned around to see Star's dad, Star and the others who had been captured by Walker's goons.
And Star's dad saw everything!
Danny panicked and realized he was caught but tried to think of something fast.
"Mr. Strong...I...uh...you didn't see anything, right?..."Danny asked nervously, hoping that he didn't see him transform and basically waiting for a miracle at this point.
Unfortunately, he had been distracted and Bullet took advantage of that by quickly delivering a kick from above the air and completely knocking out the half ghost punk in his weaker human form to the ground headfirst. The wicked vice warden smirked, knowing the ghost boy out cold.
Star gasped when she saw this and the other teens panicked.
"DANNY?!..."They all yelled, but the ghostly policemen were still keeping all of them restricted from getting any closer to half ghost boy.
Star, in particular, was worried about her boyfriend who was currently knocked out and morphed back to his human form.
"Danny! Danny! Wake up! Can you hear me?! DANNY?!..."Star screamed out of worry and fear of her unconscious boyfriend.
She tried her hardest to break from her restraints, but to no avail. Walker's goons just smiled and restrained their new prisoner.
"We got the ghost kid. Now round them all up and be quick about. Walker wants us back ASAP!..."Bullet said, while nursing some of his wounds from his first with the half ghost boy earlier.
His men took the unconscious ghost kid and his allies, shoving all of them in the back of their ghostly prisoner vehicle.
The unconscious ghost boy and the captured humans were soon hauled into the ghostly paddy wagon, while Star's dad was speechless and more than a little shocked at the discovery that his daughter's boyfriend Danny, the nice kid his family has gotten to know quite well these past few months...was apparently...THE GHOST KID?!
Present Time
Valerie and Misty, who both had been drinking soda at the time, both did spit takes at what Danny just said and it all landed on the table and even on Danny's shirt too.
"Thanks..."Danny said sarcastically as he used intangibility and the soda fell off, leaving both his shirt and the table clean again.
However, it did little to help the shocked girls. Valerie coughed and Misty looked at him like he had just grown a second head.
"WHAT?!..."They both yelled.
"Are you serious?! Star's dad saw you morph?!..."Val yelped, only for Danny to shush her.
"Val, don't yell it! Not all of Amity Park needs to know that!..."Danny whispered harshly.
Thankfully, there weren't that many people around and Val sent him a sheepish look at her outburst.
However, both she and Misty had A LOT of questions now.
"But...I'm confused. Star's dad knows your secret?! What? How? I thought he was totally clueless like your folks. If that's the case, then why didn't you tell him when Colette was blackmailing you? What's going on?..."Misty questioned, not understanding.
"I know you have a lot of questions...look...what happened is-..."Star wanted to continue but was cut off when a balled-up paper hit Danny behind the head.
"Danny?!..."Star and the others all went.
"What the heck?!..."Danny grumbled as he soon saw it was an empty Nasty Burger bag that was rolled into a ball, and they then heard an obnoxious laugh.
"Take that, Fentoni! HAHA!..."Dash laughed mockingly at him.
Danny glared at him, while Misty and the others glared at the blonde jock.
"Ugh! Who is that loser?..."The teen sorceress asked, glaring at him.
"Dash Baxter. Biggest jerk at school and a living example of peaking in high school..."Danny said, only to be hit with another discarded bag... this time a balled-up chip bag.
The blonde bully looked smug now for some reason, like he did something he should be proud of or something like that
"We aren't on school grounds now and no adults in sight. So it's payback time, Loser!..."Dash said, as he walked away laughing.
The other teens glared at him, especially Danny while a certain goth sighed.
"Let it go, Danny. You know that he's not worth it..."Sam said, not wanting Danny to be tempted to get ghostly payback again.
"I know and it didn't hurt. The bag was empty. I guess he didn't want to risk getting in big trouble by actually hurting someone and just wanted to get on my nerves. I'm not going to stoop to his level again...even if he makes it tempting..."Danny said, sounding irritated.
Star wanted to do something to help and was about to say something, but a certain sorceress spoke up first.
"Well, I don't know what Danny promised you...but it doesn't apply to me. I hate jerks like that. And as a former enemy, I can stoop down to that level a little bit for a good cause..."Misty said as her eyes and hands glowed.
Danny blinked while Star smirked.
"Do you take requests?..."The blonde girl asked, also wanting payback.
"What do you have in mind?..."Misty asked in an intrigued tone as Star gave her some ideas.
--To be continued-
Next time on Court
A Ghostly Court Summons
A/N(1): I dedicate this chapter to my family, my friends and my love for God :)
A/N(2): Special thanks to 61394, NeoMark, Jay The Average Fanboy and Luiz4200 for all their help. You guys rock :)
REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewer:
RonaldM40196867:
1) A friend suggested giving Misty's family a parrot.
2) Technically, Val and Tucker are getting closer now.
3) Technically, this takes place before Traveled, so yeah.
4) It's more that Colette just doesn't like them all that much.
5) I will try and work on Phantom vs Aliens again soon but I still have some other stories to work on first.
Also, thanks for the suggestions. I will consider them.
Invader Johnny: How is this so far?
Luiz4200: Not really.
Luffy is king: Thanks for the suggestion. I will think about it.
Jebest4781: Thank you :)
JDF Legacier Morphicon: Thank you :)
Here are my responses to your questions:
1) I think Danielle would like soccer.
2) I did like that scene where Star used her cheer leading moves against the ghost pirates in the cartoon.
3) She did like having ghost powers and sometimes misses them.
4) I think Danny would be upset.
5) I think it could have been an interesting idea.
:) I hope you enjoyed this! Remember to read and review :)