Chapter 8: Back to School

Danny and his friends were back again at Casper High. Being there made him miss Monster High. "Fenturd, since you like hanging out with monsters, how about you go live with them?" Dash teasingly asked.

"Well, their jocks are nicer than you so yes, it does seem like a good idea." Danny replied, not caring about how Dash would react.

"Repeat it, Fenton!" Dash ordered while glaring at Danny.

"Watch your behavior, Dash." Danny teased Dash. "My friend Deuce might take another look at you."

"Nice try, Fentonio, but I figured out that the Medusa boy didn't do it on purpose." Dash triumphantly replied.

"Of all the times he could use his brain..." Tucker whispered but wasn't low enough.

"I heard that, pigeon brain." Dash replied, showing that he was indeed aware of Tucker's plan.

"I don't care if I have to tell my parents about the monsters, I'm transferring to Monster High!" Tucker commented.

"Waste of time, Foley." Paulina said. "The girls there might be monsters but that doesn't mean they're desperate."

"Says the girl who loves a ghost." Valerie muttered.

"Don't talk to me like you're still an A-Lister, Gray." Paulina demanded.

"Whatever." Valerie replied and walked away.

"Danny, do you have any hints on monster girls who might be interested on me?" Tucker asked.

"No, Tucker." Danny answered, annoyed at Tucker's desperation.

"What about Ghoulia?" Tucker asked. "She's into games and tech so all I'll have to do is to learn zombie speak."

"She already has a boyfriend, Tucker." Danny replied.

"Well, I can only hope there's at least one available ghoul." Tucker said.

Danny then felt his ghost sense. "I, Technus, master of all things electronic and beeping, will use this school's technology to get rid of Danny Phantom and take over the world. Hahahahahahahahaha!" He then stopped laughing. "I did it again, right?"

During Technus' boring speech, practically everyone ran away. Once Danny was out of everyone's sight, he went ghost and returned to fight Technus. "Give up, Technus." Danny said.

"Danny Phantom, I thought you were at Monster High." Technus commented, unaware that Paulina was overhearing the fight. "The Box Ghost told me about it."

"I was just visiting the place, Technus." Danny explained. "Maybe I transfer there, maybe I don't. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that I must protect the people from you." The fight then resumed.

"If my ghost boy is going to Monster High, I will go there as well." Paulina decided.

"Give up, Phantom." Technus ordered.

"Over my dead body, Technus." Danny replied.

"Isn't he already a ghost?" Paulina asked in confusion.

"No matter what you say, Phantom, nobody can stop meeeeeeeeeee..." Technus started saying until Sam returned and sucked him into a Fenton Thermos.

"Thank you, guys." Danny told Sam and Tucker.

"I need a thermos of my own." Paulina commented.

Danny Phantom left and eventually all students returned. Danny Fenton included. Paulina approached him. "Fenton, if my ghost boy goes to Monster High, please tell me so I can transfer as well." She said like it was a command.

"Paulina, I doubt your parents would send you to a monster school but I'll tell you if I see him there." Danny replied, thinking it'd be funny seeing Paulina try to persuade her parents.

"One more thing, I want one of those thermoses your family catches ghost with." Paulina said. "I need to show my ghost boy I'm better at this than your goth friend."

"Is she Uncle Chan?" Tucker asked Sam.

"I'll talk to my parents." Danny replied.

"Okay, Fenton." Paulina said and left.

"Danny, are you really going to let her have a Fenton Thermos?" Sam asked, not liking the idea.

"You never know." Danny replied. "And besides, Paulina's aim can't be worse than Jazz's at the beginning."

"True." Tucker agreed.

"Anyway, I'm talking to my parents." Danny stated.

"And I'm going with you." Sam added.

"Me too." Tucker said.

After classes ended, the three of them went to Fentonworks and told them about Paulina's request. "Sorry, son, but I don't think her parents have changed their minds after the last time I let her handle anti-ghost weaponry." Jack said.

"Last time?" Danny asked in confusion.

"Do you remember that time when that ghost you call Walker led an attack that made Amity Park aware that ghosts exist and several of your classmates came here to learn ghost hunting?" Maddie asked.

"Yes, Mom." Danny replied.

"Unfortunately." Sam muttered.

"The girls looked cute in those orange jumpsuits." Tucker commented.

"Thank you, Tucker." Jack replied.

"Excuse me, I have to call Paulina." Danny said and phoned the shallow cheerleader. "Paulina."

"Fenton, what do you want?" Paulina rudely asked.

"I'm calling you to inform you about the thermos you asked about." Danny answered.

Paulina suddenly became nicer. "What did your parents say?" She asked.

"Paulina, they said they doubt your parents changed their minds after last time." Danny replied, secretly glad Paulina wouldn't get a Fenton Thermos.

"I assure you they changed their minds." Paulina told Danny.

"No, we didn't!" An angry voice exclaimed from Paulina's side of the call.

"Dad, you're embarrassing me in front of a loser." Paulina complained.

"No, you're embarrassing yourself." Mr. Sanchez replied. "Mr. Fenton, I'm ending this call."

"Danny, how did you get Paulina's phone number?" Tucker asked out of jealousy.

"Practically every girl at Casper High gave me their numbers during that pageant, Tucker." Danny answered. "Didn't you get some numbers as well?"

"Yes but all of them blocked me." Tucker moaned.

"You wouldn't stop phoning them asking for dates." Sam reminded her friend.

Danny's phone then rang. "Clawdeen?"

"Danny, would you like to watch the Deadfast movie with me this Saturday afternoon?" Clawdeen asked. "Now that your parents know the truth, it'll be easier, won't it?"

"Which time?" Danny asked. After he and Clawdeen discussed the details, he talked to his parents. "Mom, Dad, can I go to New Salem for a movie date with Clawdeen?"

"Just keep up with your studies, Danny." Jack replied.

"They said it's okay, Clawdeen." Danny told his girlfriend and then thought of something. "Won't it be hard for me to understand the movie? I don't know zombie speak."

"That's something for later but don't worry, Danny." Clawdeen reassured him. "These movies usually make it easy to figure things out from the context. It's like they were made with normies as the target audience."

"Maybe the monsters who made the movie do believe a peaceful coexistence between humans and monsters is possible." Danny suggested.

"I hope so, Danny." Clawdeen replied.

"See you next Saturday." Danny said. "Bye."

"Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, don't you mind Danny hanging out with a monster?" Sam asked.

"We don't mind him hanging out with you." Jack muttered.

"Danny, the movie is focused on zombies, right?" Tucker asked.

"Yes, Tucker." Danny answered.

"How many brains do you think they'll eat?" Tucker asked.

"Tucker, if I really believed zombies ate brains, I wouldn't feel comfortable near Ghoulia and Slo Mo." Danny argued.

"Who?" Tucker asked in confusion.

"Ghoulia's boyfriend Sloman Mortavitch." Danny explained.

"Wow, some monsters do fit their name." Tucker commented while giggling. "What's next? A zombie whose name is a pun on "dawn of the dead"?"

"We can't rule out the possibility." Danny answered. "After all, there's an invisible boy who goes by Invisi Billy."

"True." Tucker conceded. "About you not having to worry about zombies eating your brain, maybe they think a C-student's brain isn't enough of a meal."

"You were dying for a chance to tell that joke, weren't you?" Sam accused Tucker.

"Can you blame me?" Tucker asked Sam. "I've been waiting for a chance ever since I found out zombies exist! I just avoided mentioning the idea in front of the monsters because they could take offense or the zombies might like the idea; and I'm not sure which result would be the worst."

"For as long as you don't suggest you'll have to walk for your life if a zombie tries to eat your brain..." Sam said.

Tucker laughed a lot. "Good one, Sam!"

"Did you need to encourage him?" Jazz asked Sam.

"It wasn't my intention." Sam muttered.

Saturday came, and Danny (as Phantom) met Clawdeen at the entrance to the Monster World and she guided him to a movie theater. Looking around, he realized most viewers were zombies. 'Well, the main character is one of them after all.' Danny thought. "It's a long line." He commented. "Will we get tickets?"

"I already did, Danny." Clawdeen replied while showing two tickets. "Ghoulia helped me buy them online."

'If she didn't already have a boyfriend, I'd say Tucker would be even more interested on her.' Danny thought. "Are Ghoulia and Slo Mo going to watch the movie as well?" He asked.

"Yes." Clawdeen answered. "There they are."

"Hi, Ghoulia. Hi, Slo Mo." Danny greeted.

"Moan." The two zombies replied and, by context, Danny figured out they greeted him in return.

Danny and the three monsters took their seats and watched the movie. "You were right, Clawdeen." Danny said. "I didn't need to understand the zombies to keep up with the movie." He then noticed most zombies staring at him. "What?"

"They're not used to monsters who don't understand them, Danny." Clawdeen explained and then directed her attention to the zombies. "This is Danny Phantom, the normie who recently became half-ghost." She said and the zombies made understanding gestures.

"Thank you, Clawdeen." Danny said. He'd deny being a monster but realized they could take it the wrong way.

After they exchanged goodbyes, Danny went back home. "Welcome home, Danny." Maddie said.

"Did anybody try to eat your brain?" Jack asked.

"No, Dad." Danny answered.

"And in the movie?" Maddie asked. "How many brains were eaten there?"

"None, Mom." Danny replied. "In fact, there were no humans in the movie."

"No?" Maddie was surprised.

"It makes sense." Jazz commented. "After all, those monsters live in isolation from humans so it's not hard for them to make a movie that doesn't feature any."

"Tell whoever makes those movies that, if they ever make one that takes place during John Fenton Nightingale's time and need an actor to portray him, they can count on me!" Jack proudly said.

"I don't know any of them, Dad." Danny replied, trying not to think at how he learned how similar Jack and John were.

Suddenly, they heard the door bell. "Who's there?" Jack asked.

"It's us, Mr. Fenton." Sam replied. "Sam and Tucker."

The Fentons welcomed Danny's friends. "Sam, Tucker, what brings you here?" Danny asked.

"Danny, we were worried because you returned to Monster World." Sam answered.

"And I wanted to know if a monster girl asked about me." Tucker said. "Clawdeen has a sister, doesn't she?"

"Nobody mentioned you, Tucker." Danny replied. He then felt his ghost sense. As a yeti-like ghost revealed himself, Jack and Maddie drew weapons on him. "Wait!" Danny exclaimed. "He's a friend!"

"Great One!" The ghost said. "I have terrible news!"

End chapter

Answer to Leonardo (Chapter 2 Guest): Thank you.