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 14: An Even Playing Field II
"Anyway, after Star's dad asked them questions and they admitted that all the bad things I did were because Freakshow used me as a puppet, his former minions went to sit with the other ghosts..."Danny recapped.
"And Walker wasn't happy, to say the least..."Star said.
"No kidding. But unfortunately for him, we still had a few people willing to stick up for Danny on our side..."Sam said with pride.
Misty and Valerie both blinked, not believing it.
"You guys really asked quite a few of your ghostly friends or...non-enemies, I guess..."Misty said, frowning.
"What's your point?..."Star asked, raising a brow.
"Why wasn't I called to testify?..." Misty asked. "Even if we might not have been friends at the time, I would have totally helped Danny out if I could..." She said since she did have a huge crush on him at the time, she knew she wouldn't hesitate to help if he was in trouble.
"Well...it was after you lost your spell book and...well...we weren't completely sure if we could trust you at the time, since...you know...secret identity and all that..." Danny answered, and Misty blinked.
She sighed.
"Well...I guess that I didn't really do much to convince you guys to trust me during that time..." Misty muttered before she stayed quiet.
"Well, what about me? Why wasn't I asked to testify?..."Valerie asked, and Team Phantom blinked as they looked at each other.
"Uh, we didn't really think about it at the time..."Tucker said, and the red huntress looked incredulous upon hearing that.
"Seriously? I've been on a lot of adventures with you guys...and you guys ended up asking some faceless ghost who pulls pranks on everybody, and another ghost who has power over cheese instead of me?..."Val asked, almost sounding offended.
"Val, it wasn't that we didn't trust you. It's just that you were at your aunt's during that time and it just didn't cross our mind at the time..." Star said.
"Plus, I was afraid you'd shoot the ghosts and make things worse..."Sam replied.
Val glared at that.
"And in case you forgot, VLAD was there too. And we kind of still need him to think that you're still on his side. Kind of hard to do if you speak on my behalf in court..." Danny reminded.
Val gave in, realizing she couldn't argue against what he just said.
"Okay, fair point..."Val muttered, realizing his point.
"Okay, now where were we?..."Star asked.
"It was just after Freakshow's old lackeys spoke up. We were trying to brainstorm some more people to help..."Tucker reminded.
"Oh right, well...thankfully, we managed to get some more ghosts who didn't have insane grudges against my Boo..." Star said as she continued with the tale.
Story
Team Phantom still needed to buy some time and convince the Observants of Danny's good character, and they knew that they needed more people to speak on behalf of Danny and recall that he is a good guy.
"Okay, now who do we ask?..."Danny asked, still a little stressed out by that situation.
"We already mentioned quite a few allies. And I highly doubt Misty would be willing to help after what happened last time..."Sam muttered.
Star scoffed.
"Knowing her, she'd probably only help if she got a date with Boo. Not that I would let her in a million years. And I so do NOT want to deal with that witch and her drama again..." Star grumbled, still not having a very good opinion of Misty due to her past actions.
Present Time
"Hey, that's not fair! And for the hundredth time, I'm a sorceress, not a witch! Plus, I could have helped if you guys asked, ya know!..."Misty whined, hating that they really didn't trust her back then, even if she understood.
"Look, things might be okay now...but let's be real, would you really NOT have tried that? Especially with your ex-buddy/ex-mentor or whatever he was giving you bad advice the whole time?..."Star asked bluntly.
Misty knew she had no room to comment, knowing that at the time, she didn't do anything to earn their trust during those days.
"Fair point. But I still would have helped out, for Danny's sake at least and I wouldn't need to be promised anything to do so..."Misty said, sounding sincere.
"We know that now, but we didn't know about the evil ancestor...and in hindsight, it's not like we couldn't expect that he'd tried influencing your brain with his bad ideas..." Danny said to his sorceress friend, who conceded, knowing he had a point.
"The worst part is that I can't exactly argue against that..." Misty muttered under her breath.
"Anyway, we were still trying to figure out what to do. When yours truly got an idea..."Tucker continued the story.
Back to the story
"Hey...what about that one guy? Z something?..."Tucker began.
"Huh?..." Danny went.
"You know...that ghost with the fox tail. From when you guys first tried babysitting Pierre? Didn't he have some beef with Walker or something?..."Tucker asked.
"Zoren. You're right. He could do it..." Star said, feeling hopeful again.
"Who?..."Johnathan asked.
"A friend of ours. Sort of. We met him a while back and let's just say he and Walker don't get along...which makes him perfect for testifying to..." Star explained to her father, who nodded and then proceeded to request Zoren.
A few moments later
After listening to his daughter and her boyfriend and friends, Johnathan had made his request, and the Observants granted it.
Now, a certain ghostly trickster appeared in the courtroom and was soon informed about what had happened. Needless to say, this ghost appeared on the stand in a puff of smoke with a bored expression on his face.
"Hello... everyone..." Zoren said, sitting back.
"You!..." Walker grumbled angrily.
"Long time no see, Walker. And it wasn't long enough..."Zoren muttered, while the warden glared at him.
Most ghosts were nervous since they knew of Zoren's reputation, and some were wise to not to interfere with his bickering with the evil warden.
"You have a lot of nerve showing up here..."Walker glared at him.
"The Observants here already told me what's going on and I figured...I may as well help Danny and his lady out. Especially if it means making you look even more like an idiot in front of everyone..."Zoren said, while the evil warden's face turned red in anger.
Zoren ignored that, before his eyes rolled towards Desiree, adopting a flirty smile.
"Milady..." He went, not bothered when Desiree turned her head and scoffed.
"So...um...Zoren, was it?..." Johnathan questioned.
"Yes, indeed-ee..." Zoren snapped his finger and pointed at the defense attorney.
Johnathan tried to focus on the importance of the trial and not mind his antics. He continued asking questions.
"So, how do you know my client?..." Johnathan asked.
"Walker made a deal with me to capture your client despite his allies' objections to dealing with me. Walker even plotted to abduct Danny Phantom's girlfriend's little half brother too, but I left unaware of that fact at the time..."Zoren answered.
"What? And Daniel says I am crazy..."Vlad exclaimed as even he seemed shocked.
"Like you wouldn't do something like that..." Danny grumbled.
"Little badger, if I were that ruthless, I'd have done that already..."Vlad stated, offended Danny would think he'd do that.
Danny thinks about it before nodding.
"I hate to admit but you're right. I guess even there are sometimes when Fruitloops won't sink that low. Even when they had done OTHER horrible things at other times without a second thought..."He muttered while Vlad sent him an annoyed look for that remark.
Johnathan was horrified by what he just witnessed, especially since it happened when his daughter was supposed to be babysitting her little half-brother.
"YOU ACTUALLY TRIED TO KIDNAP PIERRE?!..."Johnathan asked in shock and outrage.
"I have no idea what you're talking about..."Walker denied, but no one was fooled.
"The orb doesn't lie! We saw it all. You abducted a literal infant and used him to bait a teenager into lockdown. And over some insane grudge like that..."Johnathan said, trying to control himself as the orb showed those events again.
The orb showed how Star and Danny had tried babysitting Pierre and how Walker sent lots of ghosts after Danny and eventually sent Zoren to cross his path. They all also saw how Walker's minions took Pierre and tried to use him as bait to lure Danny back to Walker's prison and how Danny, Star and even Zoren tried to rescue him. Team Phantom and the previous witnesses watched the events and were disgusted.
Needless to say, the ghostly jury wasn't happy with this either.
"Unbelievable, Walker! What were you thinking doing that to a little baby?! Shame on you!..."The lunch lady said, in angry mode now.
"You're unbelievable, Walker! I already knew what you did back then but seeing it like this is just awful!..." Ember said, glaring at him and feeling disgusted.
"Yeah! That was just too cruel, even by our standards! Even Johnny and I wouldn't do something like that How awful can one person be?!..."Kitty said, glaring at him.
"How despicable! Even I'd never wish such harm on a baby!..." Desiree said with disapproval.
"Me neither! What the heck is wrong with you?!..."Box Ghost said, also looking disgusted.
"Oh, like you all are one to talk! You all hate the punk too!..."Walker said.
"So, what?! Even if Phantom is the enemy, I wouldn't cross that line! There's a big difference between acting like the villain and actually being a total monster! Maybe you could be despicable like that, but we're not!..."Box Ghost said, surprising the other ghosts without how serious he just sounded.
"I guess that there are some lines even my enemies won't cross. Noted..." Danny thought, as Walker kept trying to make excuses for himself.
"I did what was necessary to capture the child and guaranteed that he would return to his jail cell without fighting back. He's a threat and anything else that happened during that time would have been collateral damage..."Walker said, trying to act innocent.
"My client didn't warrant THAT! What you committed goes far beyond what warrants recapturing a hypothetical criminal! Not to mention that you could have seriously hurt Pierre!..."Johnathan said, barely hiding his anger which didn't go unnoticed by others.
"My oh my, councilor. If I didn't know better, it seems like you actually care about the child your ex-wife had with that idiot she left you for?..."Vlad couldn't help but add, thinking he was rubbing salt in his wounds. "After all he's the son of your worst enemy, the living reminder of what he did to you and how your former wife betrayed you..."He added.
Johnathan wasn't going to fall for Vlad's garbage and was just frank with him.
"I have nothing against Pierre! While I despise his father, Pierre is just an innocent child and my daughter's little half-brother who is literally a BABY! I would never want anything bad to happen to him! I'm not a monster, unlike some people here whose names I won't mention right now!..."Johnathan said, looking offended that he'd suggest that he'd EVER do such a thing.
"Yeah. Plus, that was really low of you Walker to try and actually kidnap a baby. Even I thought that was horrible and I want world domination..." Ember said, sounding genuinely disgusted.
"That baby wouldn't have been in trouble if not for the fox-tailed backstabbing lunatic not following orders!..."Walker argued while Zoren was busy giving himself a manicure with a duplication of himself.
"Well, I may be a trickster but I'd never risk hurting a kid. It was Walker..."Zoren said as he kept glaring at the warden.
"You were the one who betrayed the deal we made that day and even before then, you sunk so low as to involve that kid in your insane scheme. But as always, from your point of view, it's never your fault..."Zoren snarked, while Johanthan was flabbergasted by Walker's lack of remorse.
"How exactly is HE not behind bars?..."Johnathan asked the Observants, looking truly disgusted and lost by this.
"Trust us. We do not approve of what Walker did and he is still being punished for it. But this and that are separate matters. Though, again, we do not approve of his choices during that incident..."The judge said.
"Yeah. And for the record, I only promised to apprehend the half-ghost kid, but I never specified when I'd do so. But once the warden went behind my back, all previous deals between us were null and void. So, I went all out..."Zoren said, glaring at the warden.
Walker glared back.
"Objection! It was in the pursuit of justice. He was the one not honoring the deal we made, I assure you. Besides, Zoren was imprisoned for breaking the rules..."Walker went.
"OBJECTION! I'm not the one being tried here. Besides, I'm not the guy who kidnapped a baby. It was this so-called warden..."Zoren stood up.
"Sustained..."The Head Observant said, while Walker looked angry.
"Not again..."The evil warden thought in anger before glaring at Zoren.
"Where the heck was this backstabber hiding? I've over dozens of my men searching for him across the Earth, only to return empty-handed with no news of his whereabouts and when he finally shows up, it's during the one time I don't want him around at all..."He thought, glaring at him.
Zoren then spotted Walker glaring at him again and made a funny face at him in response, angering the warden even more.
"Will you stop acting so childish! You despicable fox?! Show some dignity in front of the Observants..."Walker said.
"You first, Mr. Control Freak..."Zoren answered, smirking as the warden's face briefly turned red in anger.
Present Time
"SERIOUSLY?! That no-good spook actually kidnapped Pierre and tried to lock him up in jail. Seriously?!..."Val said, looking enraged.
"Val, chill. Star already got payback on that creep and then some..." Danny said.
"And I still wish that I could have decked him even more for what he did!..." Star said with anger, clenching her fists.
Misty and Val were both furious upon hearing this. They both had already met Star's baby half-brother, and he was the sweetest thing in the world. The thought that ANYONE would dare to try and do something like that to such an adorable infant was enough to make them both furious.
"If I ever meet that Walker jerk, remind me to put a spell on him. A painful one..." Misty said since she thought Pierre was adorable and couldn't stand that someone could try such a terrible thing.
"AFTER I get to test out ALL my anti-ghost weapons on him first!..."Val said, just as angry as she was.
"I will. After I use him as a practice dummy for my ecto-saber..." Star said, still holding a grudge against Walker for that.
"Anyway, after Zoren gave a more detailed explanation of what happened when he met us, he was then asked to join the rest of the jury, my ghost friends and enemies. Then we had to try and summon someone else to testify and let's just say neither Walker nor Vlad were happy with who showed up next..." Danny said.
"Yeah, especially Vlad after me and Danny-Boo recalled a certain friend we made...during one particular dinner at the country club..." Star said with a smirk, as she continued with the story.
Back to the story
After Zoren took his seat, Danny and Star mentioned the next witness to Johnathan, who then proceeded to request them to the Observants, who thankfully approved.
All the while Vlad was getting impatient.
"I wonder which of Daniel's idiotic ghostly buddies is next. This is starting to get boring..."Vlad thought in annoyance, as he waited impatiently for the trial to end.
Vlad checked his watch and was thankful that he remembered to program the DVR to record his favorite soap opera tonight. He would hate to miss it.
"Next witness, please...Virgato..."Johnathan declared.
Vlad's body stiffened.
"...What...?"He asks under his breath.
The four-armed tiger appeared, with both pairs of arms crossed.
"This better be good..."He said before noticing Vlad.
A snarl from Virgato caused Vlad to lower his head and hide between his shoulders.
"Not him. Not him..."Vlad pleaded.
"So, Mr. Virgato. Please explain how you know my client..." Johnathan asked.
"This fruitloop as your client calls him..."Virgato said as he pointed at Vlad. "Used a device to enslave me so I'd attack a country club where your client was meeting acquaintances, and I believe you are one of them..."He explained.
"I knew that he looked familiar..." Johnathan thought as he recalled where he knew that ghost from. "And, like Freakshow's ghosts, he was innocent on grounds of coercion..."He mentally added.
"And what's your impression of my client?..."Johnathan asked.
"Phantom is an honorable warrior and, after he freed me from the fruitloop's control, he made me realize the fruitloop wouldn't care if I destroyed his town in retaliation. So, I went after the fruitloop himself..."Virgato answered. "I'm proud he remains scared..."He added with a smirk.
The orb showed everyone all the events that eventually led to Virgato making his appearance known to all in the country club. However, what was also shown to everyone in the courtroom was a pre-recorded image of Vlad cowering within his mansion, while Virgato continued to circle his property like a hungry lion stocking its prey.
This caused all the ghosts in the jury to laugh at Vlad's cowardly position.
"Pathetic..."Spectra muttered, not impressed at all.
"So pathetic..." Ember agreed.
"Note to self. Prerecord Virgato's roars for future dealings..."Skulker thought, mentally planning to use those pre-recorded roars as bargaining chips the next time Vlad "forgets" to pay him.
"My sides are starting to hurt, I need to catch my breath..."Box Ghost laughed, getting on Vlad's nerves.
"You of all people don't get to laugh, you idiotic box-obsessed nitwit..."The fruitloop grumbled, but he was ignored while most of the ghostly jury was still busy laughing and giggling at Vlad's expense.
Johnathan thankfully managed to get things back on track.
"So. Do you believe that my client should be locked up or freed?..."Johnathan asked.
"As I said before, Danny Phantom is an honorable warrior. One of great strength and nobility, showing respect even to an enemy. Not to mention a worthy opponent to test my might against is something I respect. He's much more honorable than some scoundrel who promises someone tons of meat and then goes back on said deal..."Virgato said, glaring at Vlad.
Danny smirked.
"Glad to see that Virgato is on our side..." Danny thought, glad to have him as an ally.
"No further questions..."Johnathan said while Virgato went to join the other ghosts.
However, as he walked passed Vlad, he let out a terrifying growl, and the Fruitloop gulped but tried to act cool.
"Don't lose your composure, Vlad. Don't lose it..."Vlad thought.
The older half-ghost did his best not to look scared, even though all he wanted to do was gain some more distance from the four-armed tiger ghost.
One who obviously STILL had a grudge against him.
Present Time
"HAHAHAA! I wish that I could have seen the look on that Fruitloop's face when that giant cat ghost growled at him!..."Val said, finding it amusing.
"Trust me, it was even funnier seeing it in person..." Danny chuckled.
"That's putting it lightly, Boo..." Star said with a giggle.
"I'm glad. That Vlad jerk really sounds like an insufferable, crazed-up fruitloop from the way you described him..." Misty commented.
"Believe us, you don't know the half of it..."Sam commented, and Tucker nodded.
"Okay...moving on. We kept asking a few other ghosts that we only recently met but otherwise had no issues with Danny..." Star said as she continued telling the story.
Back to the story
Walker and Vlad were both losing their patience as Phantom's lawyer spoke to the observants again to call another witness.
"Geez...who now?..."Walker grumbled under his breath.
"I just hope that whatever fool makes the Buffoon look stupid and not me..."Vlad thought, upset at being humiliated by Virgato again.
Namely, by constantly trying (and succeeding) to intimate him.
The only thing that would make this worse for him is if Alicia suddenly appeared, causing the villain to shudder since such a thought was too horrifying to him.
"There is no way the little badger would reveal his secret to her. He wouldn't reveal his secret to his family, supposing he even cares about that idiotic beast, even if they are SOMEHOW related..."He thought bitterly and in disgust.
Thankfully that didn't happen, but what did still left the older evil half ghost rather speechless. Suddenly, as the doors opened. Loud music could be heard throughout the court room by some sort of chorus band with an announcer introducing the next witness.
"Spike Bison, reigning boxing champion of the Ghost Zone!..."The Announcer said in a hyped manner.
Stomping his way was the titular champion, with his two assistants at his side.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Here he is, the champ, the legend, The-... "Antello went.
"You don't have to do that this is a court case, not a match..."Goatsly bemoaned as he interrupted his co-worker.
"Fine, already..."Antello said, toning things down reluctantly but things didn't end there as there was still hype music playing with a spotlight on Spike, courtesy of one ghostly trickster.
"Zoren! Cease your attempts at showboating with all these unnecessary special effects disrupting the order of this court room!..."The Head observant ordered.
"Of come on, that introduction was just begging to have a grand entrance. All I did was add a bit of proper presentation to the mix..."Zoren explained, but the judge simply frowned at him in response.
"Oh fine, be a party-pooper..."He grumbled as he snapped his fingers, and all of his stage props vanished.
"Hey! How come his powers are still working?!..."Youngblood asked.
"That's because I learned how to work around this courthouse's little trick in suppressing ghost powers. When you get as old as I am, you learn a lot of tricks over the years and centuries. Plus, I'm probably the most fun and arguably the powerful ghost in this courthouse right now..."Zoren explains much to most of the ghosts dismay, especially the Observants who kept a close watch on the fox-tailed ghost.
"That's so unfair!..."Youngblood said, being extra childish about this.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to this. Oh well, let's just continue and try and get out of this mess..." Johanthan ignored the development he just witnessed and decided to get to the point.
"Mr. Bison, please explain your relationship with my client..." Johnathan asked.
"He was a contender for my championship title and only entered so that belt wouldn't go to anybody who'd misuse its powers..."Spike Bison answered.
The events played out for everyone to see: Spike announced the tournament, and many ghosts were recruited to fight in it, including Danny. This included how the entire town was basically held hostage to watch it.
Johnathan was stunned when he saw this, about how the matches went and how Spike basically "wiped the floor with him" during their final match. Johnathan had already seen this match when it happened but seeing it now with a different perspective made it all the more shocking and terrifying.
"THAT'S WHERE STAR AND DANNY WERE ON MY BIRTHDAY?! How did I not notice?!..."Johnathan thought but tried to control himself.
He was concerned about what the kids had gone through, but he needed to remain professional right now. It was their only chance to get out of this mess.
"So...anything else we should know about what happened that day and your overall opinion of my client?..."Johnathan asked.
"The kid's a decent fighter, but he ain't a boxer like me. He better fix that next time I'm looking for a sparring partner..."Spike answered with indifference.
"I can't deny it. He didn't even need the belt's power to take me down..." Danny said, recalling that fight and how it was one he wasn't in any hurry to relive anytime soon.
Even so, Spike Bison kept talking about the match and surprisingly didn't have any bad things to say about Danny, aside from thinking his boxing skills could use some work.
Walker tried to remedy the situation.
"Isn't it true that he sent his friends to steal the belt?!..."Walker shouted suddenly, getting everyone's attention.
"Objection! We were acting without his knowledge! Danny didn't even know what we did until after Spike caught us!..."Sam shouted.
"She's lying, isn't she?..."Walker asked Spike Bison.
"I'm not a first-hand witness to that. You can ask if I believe her or not, but it'd require me to speculate..."The champion answered.
Walker was a bit surprised that Spike even knew what speculate meant.
"Darn it. Isn't he supposed to be a muscle head idiot?..."The warden thought in anger as this so-called trial continued.
"Mr. Bison...do you believe that my client deserves to be locked up or do you believe he deserves to go free? Or do you feel he's guilty?..."Johnathan asked, before the ghostly bison answered.
"I got nothing against that Phantom kid. He seems like a decent kid and I don't think that he deserves to be locked up..."Spike said, surprising the ghosts.
"WHAT?!..."Walker yelled, bit was ignored as Spike continued to explain.
"Look here, as a boxer, you learn what a whole person is like in the ring. Danny Phantom is a good kid and I don't see any reason why he should be sent to this ghost prison that's run by the one person who shouldn't be in charge..."Spike said, much to Team Phantom's relief.
"Glad to see he thinks of me as a good person..." Danny thought, but his enemies were not happy.
Walker shook his head, face briefly turning red in anger at that.
"Lousy, overgrown beast. This is getting ridiculous..."The evil warden thought, fists shaking.
"Grow up, Walker. The universe has got a way of settling the score with people who do wrong..."Spike warned the warden.
Walker glared at him but said nothing, knowing from previous experiences that he won't be able to take on Spike Bison in a fist fight.
Present Time
"You mean you actually asked that awful ghost who wiped the floor with you during that boxing match to DEFEND you?!..." Misty asked in shock, since she and her family had watched that match on TV when it happened.
Danny frowned.
"He didn't wipe the floor with me...he just...got in some good hits..." Danny said weakly.
"Like the one where he had simply swung his arm with enough force to create a hurricane that knocked you out?..."Sam pointed out.
Danny glared at her for pointing out that the gap in power between them was massive before resuming.
"Anyway, he might have been an enemy at one point, but I trust him way more than I trust that Fruitloop or that control freak of a warden..."He said before he continued to talk about that insane trial.
Back to the story
As Danny and the others kept strategizing, the ghosts in the jury and nearby were getting impatient, to say the least.
"How much longer is this trial going to be? I do have better places to be..."Desiree complained.
"Like where? A date? I doubt it. Are you going to polish your lamp, little wish granter?..."Technus snarked, and Desiree glared at him.
"Oh, go find a computer, you no-good megalomaniac technology-obsessed nerd!..."Desiree snapped at him.
"People who live in lamps should not throw stones at Technus, MASTER OF ALL THINGS TECHNOLOGICAL AND BEEPING! Especially not some so-called genie waving their hands just to magically grant whatever people's most desires but have no clue how hard it is for hard-working technologists!..."Technus snapped at her.
"And dweebs who speak in the third person should especially be seen and not heard. Especially when they yell their own name every five minutes! Also, you don't know how much patience it takes to have to constantly deal with idiotic people wishing for the most mundane and predictable things!..."Desiree snapped at her.
"Shut up, you two! I'm getting a headache!..."The Lunch Lady nagged at them, annoyed.
"Yeah, shut up. We're all supposed to be responsible members of the jury..."Nocturn said, irritated.
Ember rolled her eyes at that.
"Now I remember why, with the exception of Kitty and Spectra, I don't hang out with these dorks outside the Christmas party..." Ember thought as the observants warned them not to cause any more outbursts.
"Look likes Walker's jury is getting agitated..."Tucker said.
"Let's just hope that they hate Walker more than us. Or at least turn on each other, cause a super distracting fight is something we can use to get out. Still, if that happens, who knows what kind of damage that could cause..."Sam whispered at him.
"That'd be good if I was at least free and could fight back. These stupid cuffs aren't exactly comfortable..." Danny muttered.
This got Star thinking of somehow using the unbalanced unity between the ghosts in the jury to their advantage. All the while, said ghostly jury was already getting bored and antsy.
"I hope that this doesn't take too long. I still need to convince that hunk to go out with me..."Spectra muttered, still thinking she somehow had a chance with Johnathan.
Unfortunately for her, Amorpho heard this and couldn't resist making fun of her right now.
"No one has that much time, Miss WAY-Older-Than-She-Looks..."Amorpho joked, getting on Spectra's nerves.
"Shut up, you clown! I don't want to hear any of that from someone who probably hasn't gone on a date in his afterlife!..."Spectra snapped at him.
"I'd rather be a clown than a fake doctor like you or your not-so-loyal lackey. And FYI, I do have a girlfriend, she's currently in Florida right now, more than you or your little minion have got!..."Amorpho said in a hostile way, and Spectra was insulted by what Amorpho said about her.
"One, who the heck would settle for a guy who doesn't even have his own face? And two, I am a real doctor, you moron! All my PHDs are real!..."Spectra said, as her eyes glowed bright red in anger.
"As real as that twenty-something disguise you pretend is how you really look..."Amorpho snarked, enraging her even more.
"One more word out of you, and I'm going to vaporize you as soon as this trial is over, you lousy little copy cat!..."Spectra shouted at him.
"At least I can walk in broad daylight without needing to spread misery to stay young and I don't make little kids cry if they see what I actually look like..."Amorpho quipped, and Team Phantom and even Johnathan couldn't resist snickering at that, though the latter tried to hide it.
"And soon you will be walking in broad daylight without a head too..."Spectra shouted as she tried to attack him but both she and Amorpho were restrained by the guards for the chaos they just caused.
"Order. Enough. One more disruption like this and I will send you both to where Aragon is right now. Indefinitely!..."The judge warned.
Not wanting to be stuck with that idiotic ghost prince, the two ghosts remained quiet for now. After this, who knows what will happen once they start fighting again?
Team Phantom saw all this and Danny watched this, mildly amused to say the least.
"Okay, as fun as it is to watch Amorpho take Spectra down a peg, we really need to move this along..."Sam reminded.
"Is anyone actually buying Amorpho's girlfriend in Florida excuse?..."Tucker whispered to the team, which they all ignored since there were more important things to deal with.
"Whether or not he's got a girlfriend isn't our business. We got more important things to think about..." Danny said.
"Yeah, like Danny out of the big house and figuring out how to get out of here..."Sam said seriously, still worried about being the outcome of this court case.
"Okay, anyone else who can put in a good word for you, Danny-Boo?..." Star asked, while her boyfriend tried to think
"I'm trying to think, but most ghosts that don't want to waste me don't want to talk to me either. So, I'm having trouble of thinking of anyone else right now..." Danny said, but Star suddenly got an idea.
"Wait...what about Shelley?..." Star asked.
"Shelley?..." Danny questioned.
"Who's Shelley?..."Johanthan asked, wondering who that is.
His daughter didn't seem to hear him as she kept talking to her boyfriend.
"Yeah...remember, Shelley...from last Valentine's Day..." Star said, and Danny's eyes widened.
"Her...you think she would help?..." Danny asked.
"Well, she was nice to us and we ended things on good terms. She might help..." Star said, as her boyfriend considered it.
"Well...I guess this is another long shot, but it wouldn't hurt to ask..." Danny said.
Later
The next person brought to the stand was a surprise. It was someone Team Phantom had met recently compared to the other ghosts but otherwise was happy to help.
"So...Madame...Valentine?..."Johanthan asked, confused by her title.
"You can call me, Shelley. Everyone does..."Madame Valentine, or Shelley said.
"Right..."Johanthan said.
"So, how exactly did you meet my client?..."He asked.
"Well, it was Valentine's Day and my ex had decided that since he lost what he loved on Christmas Eve, then Danny should lose who he loved on Valentine's Day. After that, he decided to destroy all the love in Amity Park..."Shelley said as the orb showed the events from last Valentine's Day as she spoke.
Johnathan and the others all watched the events, about how the Ghost Writer had attacked Amity Park and turned everyone against each other, turning what should have been a very romantic and heartfelt day into a hate filled slugfest, sometimes literally.
"So that's why everyone seemed so grouchy last Valentine's Day. This explains so much..." Johnathan thought, as the female ghost kept explaining what had happened that day.
"As you can see, my idiotic ex-boyfriend, The Ghost Writer, had a grudge against the ghost kid for getting him arrested for what happened during the Christmas truce and he got the bright idea of trying to destroy Valentine's Day. Even though he knew that it was my favorite holiday, he had the nerve to claim that it was because I dumped him after he got locked up. Such nerve..."Shelley said, frowning.
"Christmas truce?..."Johnathan asked, confused.
"We ghosts won't go out of our way to harm one another or humans during Christmas. It's one of the Ghost Zone's most important rules..."One observant explained.
"I see...Thank you for letting me know..."Johnathan said before turning to Shelley again.
"And explain again, how exactly you know my client?..."Johnathan asked.
"As you can see from the orb, my ex wasn't satisfied with just ruining Valentines Day. He took things too far when he cursed Miss Star over there..."Shelley said and Johnathan flinched but tried to hide it.
"Cursed?! Explain!..."He asked though he was getting worried from all the insane things he has seen today.
"See for yourself..."Shelley said as the orb continued.
Everyone saw the Ghost Writer turning Star into a SWAN of all things, and Danny's desperation to change her back. To say that Mr. Strong was flabbergasted would be an understatement.
"MY LITTLE PRINCESS WAS TURNED INTO A SWAN?! WHAT THE HECK?!..."He thought but barely kept his composure.
The ghosts in the jury saw this and blinked in confusion. Even they were surprised by what they had just seen.
"I don't know what to say here..." Ember commented, after seeing Star turned into a bird of all things.
"Me neither..."Skulker said, not sure what to say.
"Suddenly, I'm glad that we decided not to go to Amity Park for Valentine's Day..."The Lunch Lady whispered to Box Ghost, who nodded.
"Poor Star..." Kitty said to her boyfriend who nodded, while Team Phantom noticed Star looking away.
"Oh, this is so embarrassing!..." Star said as her dad, the ghosts and the Observants seeing her as a swan and how she was basically cursed all day into being a mindless animal.
Although she did enjoy seeing herself as a swan attacking Colette, as well as how attentive Danny took care of her during that time.
"At least I managed to scare that spoiled brat a bit. I do kind of regret not getting the chance to chase her around a little more..." Star thought, finding it was a plus side of being a bird temporarily.
"I can't tell if it's more or less graceful than when you first flew as Starlight Spirit..."Sam commented.
"Boo makes it look so easy. Flying is so much easier when Danny does it, or when I actually had powers..." Star muttered, especially if there wasn't something in the way or lost focus.
"Flying is the first power he got down...with some trial and error..."Sam said.
"Yeah, after crashing the ceiling and the wall and the floor about five times before he got the hang of it..."Tucker said since Danny had been clumsy during those days.
"I can hear you guys, ya know..." Danny said, moderately embarrassed that they were saying this stuff in front of their enemies and his girlfriend.
Thankfully Star manages to soothe his nerves once she learns that her boyfriend didn't master his powers right off the bat either.
"It's alright, Boo. I won't make fun of you for it..."She said, while her boyfriend sighed.
Everyone continued to watch the events of last Valentine's Day on the orb. They saw the ghost writer's rampage, Danny's desperation to change Star back, and how he protected and took care of her while she had been cursed. Johnathan was speechless as he watched how Danny got Star turned into a human again.
"My princess got cursed...and saved by Danny? Oh geez, this is giving me a headache!..."The lawyer thought before Madame Valentine spoke again.
"As you can see from the events of the orb, that are entirely accurate, Steffen, or the Ghost Writer as you call him, was the one who started that entire fiasco. He used his powers of storytelling to place a curse on Star, which is why Danny fought to stop in my realm by going through the trial of true love..."Shelley said.
"The what?..."Johnathan asked, confused.
"The trial of true love. It's what ghosts do in order to determine one's true love. Danny made a deal with my ex that if he passed the test, he would not only break Star's curse but turn all of Amity Park back to normal. As you can see, Danny won..."Shelley said, as the orb showed Danny winning the tests and saving his girlfriend.
They all witnessed how Danny won the Trial of True Love and broke Star's curse and how the two reunited, being deemed each other's true love and their almost fairytale-like Valentine's Day romance that day. Especially with how Star and Danny suddenly got so much more attached after their little adventure.
Needless to say, this made quite the impact on the ghostly jury as most of them reacted differently.
"Aw, how sweet..."Lunch Lady said, as she even wiped a tear due to finding it romantic.
"I know. It was like a fairy tale..." Kitty said in a gushing way, before glaring at Johnny with glowing red eyes. "And yet SOMEONE apparently can't take the trial of true love due to being BUSY!..." She hissed at Johanthan, who gulped.
"U-Um...I had a dentist appointment that day..."Johnny stammered while the other ghosts ignored it.
"Bah!...So mushy. Can we move past this? My show is starting at five..."Skulker complained.
"Emotions...so pointless..."Technus said, due to hating emotions.
Team Phantom was watching this recap of their adventure and had their own opinions about that misadventure of theirs.
"I almost forgot how mushy that adventure actually was..."Sam said in distaste.
"It was pretty romantic, if you look at it in a certain way..."Jazz said.
"I'd rather have been on a normal date with my girlfriend than go through that insane Valentine's Day again..." Danny said tiredly but couldn't help but smile at the scene where he broke the curse and Star was back to normal.
"Still, at least it wasn't all bad. At least, Star and I managed to have an unforgettable first Valentine's Day as a couple..." He said.
"I'm not really surprised since I already knew how much you love me from the start, Boo. I didn't need a test for you to show me that, but seeing you go through all that is very sweet of you to do. Remind me to properly thank you again later..." Star said, before she laughed. "Still, it was pretty funny when swan me got to attack Colette..." She added, before she noticed her dad was silent for a moment.
"I wonder what's going through Dad's mind right now..."She thought, knowing that discovering she was once turned into a bird might have been a bit much for him.
Her father, on the other hand, was processing what he just witnessed.
"Danny broke Star's curse...true love?..."He thought, not sure how he felt about that.
Shelley, seeing the look on Johnathan's face, waved him over.
"Off the record, the test was always going to end in Danny's favor..."She whispered to him, and only the Observants could hear her.
"What do you mean?..." Johnathan asked.
"They're almost sixteen. Teenagers always think their love is true..."Shelley explained. "Though, odds are high Danny's going to end up your son-in-law one day..."She added.
"I see. Thank you for telling me..." Johnathan replied.
"Off the record..."He added.
"No problem. Also, off the record..."Shelley added.
Somehow the idea of true love existing was a bit too much. At least to a father who had just seen his own child getting turned into a bird by a ghost, and how her boyfriend took part in some insane trials just to turn her back to normal.
"Star..."Johnathan thought, concerned for his daughter's safety and what she has been doing without his knowledge. "How did I not know?..."He thought, wondering if he was a bad father for not knowing this sooner.
He and Star would have a lot to talk about after the case was closed.
He did see how protective and devoted Danny was to his daughter during that whole ordeal, going above and beyond to protect Star and save every couple in Amity Park. All while completing complex trials to prove his love for Star. He watched as Shelley spoke again.
"As you all just witnessed, Danny proved himself in the trial of true love. He overcame great trials to rescue his girlfriend Star and teach the Ghost Writer a lesson. Anyone who would go that far to save the one he loves has to be a good person..."Madame Valentine stated.
Johanthan was surprised as he witnessed what happened during last Valentine's Day.
"This explains a lot..."He thought.
Valentine's Day this year had been interesting, and not just because it was his first one with Solene.
It was a good date, though it had an out of nowhere argument that they thankfully resolved. And now he knew what caused it and that it wasn't because of some random mood swings from random couples.
"This also explains why all those arguments that suddenly broke out somehow resolved themselves, as if they had never happened..."He thought, before he started asking questions again.
"And do you believe my client should be free or not?..."Johanthan asked.
"He seems like a nice young man and he clearly loves this young woman, enough to go to any lengths to protect her. Anyone that devoted to the one they love is truly a good person. I don't think that he deserves to be trapped here...my ex on the other hand...well, you all saw how he behaves..."Shelley muttered the last part under her breath.
Johnathan was silent for a moment, looking satisfied with that answer.
"No further questions..."Johanthan said, while Madame Valentine went to join the rest of Danny's allies.
All the while, Walker and Vlad were fuming. Both of them couldn't stand how this was turning out and the overly sweet "love story" they had seen on the orb.
"Bah! How sickening!..."Vlad said in bitterness, after seeing such a mushy memory from the orb.
"Don't get your cape in a knot Plasmius. This will still end with that punk getting what he deserves. Count on it..."Walker said.
"We'll see, Walker. We'll see..."Vlad said as he decided to try and pull a certain trick in order to make things better for them.
Or at least him.
The evil half-ghost continued to brainstorm, while the Observants called for a brief recess.
"I guess that it's time to strategize again..."Johnathan muttered as he went to join his daughter and client.
However, a certain evil half-ghost stood before him with a fang smirk.
"Councilor? A word?..."Vlad began.
Johnathan frowned.
"I'm afraid that I can't think of any legal reason I can refuse to, sadly..."He said.
"Now, now. I do believe that I have something that may be of some interest to you in this trial..."Vlad said.
"What is this menace up to?..."Johnathan thought as the evil ghost continued to speak to him.
"Councilor Strong, you've proven yourself quite the talented attorney. I'd like you to work for me, if you drop this case not only will I pay you ten times your yearly salary, but I will find your ex-wife and her idiot of a husband a nice little home as far away from you as possible. What do you say?..."Vlad offered.
Johnathan frowned at the blatant attempt at bribery.
"I didn't accept a $500,000 when my ex-wife's mother tried to bribe me into calling off the wedding and I also refused the million dollars she repeatedly offered me to divorce her. What makes you think I'll accept your pathetic attempts at bribery, Masters?..."Johnathan asked, glaring at him.
Vlad frowned.
"And here I thought that you were an intelligent man. But it seems you're just some self-righteous fool who uses his so-called talents for GOOD. How quaint..."The villain said in a snarky way.
"You should try it for once. Doing something for the greater good, instead of justifying people's negative opinion of you..."Johnathan said, as he continued to glare at him.
Vlad ignored that remark.
"Just know that this trial won't end the way you think it will, no matter how hard you try. It's a losing battle but if you side with me...I might be able to get Walker to let you and your daughter go at least...or at the very least reduce whatever sentence they may have for you for daring to aid Daniel..."The evil half-ghost offered.
"So, this is what he is up to?..."Johnathan thought in disgust at this man.
"Just remember what I said, Councilor. You are a smart, if too sentimental, kind of man. Remember to make the SMART decision and you and your daughter might actually get to go home after this..."Vlad said, thinking he said something that got to him.
Johnathan was silent for a moment, and Vlad thought he had gotten to him before the lawyer finally spoke up.
"I will only do what is necessary..."Johnathan said, and Vlad smirked.
"Glad to see you see things my way..."Vlad said, misunderstanding him.
Johnathan then went back to his daughter and client and spoke to them. Once recess ended, Star's father turned to the Observants for his next request.
"I'd like to call...Vlad Plasmius...or Vlad Masters to the stand..."Johnathan announced, surprising the entire courtroom
Including Team Phantom.
"What is Dad doing?..." Star asked, surprised.
"I wish that I knew..." Danny said, just as shocked.
None more than Vlad right now.
"What could he possibly want?..."The Fruitloop thought, wondering where this is going.
He wasn't the only one either.
Present Time
"Wow. Your Dad called Vlad to the stand..." Misty said, sounding curious.
"What happened next?..."Valerie asked, wanting to hear more
"Well, you see-..." Star stopped cut off by her phone ringing.
"Oh, one second. It's my mom..." Star said, before answering.
"Hi, Mom..." Star greeted.
"Hi Star. How is my beautiful daughter doing?..."Stella greeted, though her tone wasn't as cheery as it usually is.
"I'm fine. Just hanging out with Danny and our friends..." Star answered.
"That's nice. Anyway, your little brother wants to see you again. He kept calling for you and I couldn't say no to his sweet little face..."Stella said over the phone, though she sounded like she was trying hard to SOUND cheerful right now, which her daughter noticed.
Star could hear Pierre giggling in the background and soon heard his voice call out "Star" before hearing laughs.
"Aw..." Star cooed, before speaking to her Mom again.
"Anyway, there was something I wanted to ask. I'm not interrupting you, am I?..."Stella said, getting her daughter's attention.
"No, it's fine, Mom. I got a second..." Star said, before getting pulled into a conversation with her mother.
Team Phantom blinked as Star was now in a conversation with her mom over the phone.
"I guess this will take a while..." Danny said, as he decided to wait until she's back to continue the story.
Team Phantom and their friends decided to take a break for now.
"I'm going to get a soda with some ice. Does anyone else wants one?..."Tucker said as he went to go get some.
"I could go for a soda..."Val said.
"Same..."Sam said and the others nodded.
"Same here. And maybe grab some potatoes chips too..." Danny said, and the others nodded in agreement.
The others decided to do the same and got up to head over to a vending machine, both to get some snacks and to stretch their legs.
Even so, they still knew that this story wasn't over yet.
-To be continued-
Next time on Court
Strong vs Plasmius
A/N(1): I dedicate this chapter to my family, my friends and my love for God :)
A/N(2): Special thanks to 61394, Jay The Average Fanboy, NeoMark and Luiz4200 for all their help. You guys rock :)
REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewer:
RonaldM40196867:
1) Danny mentioned the Dairy King to them at one point.
2) I just don't feel that it's time for Clockwork to show up yet.
3) You are right about Paulina not having a chance with Danny.
4) Sorry, no spoilers. I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
5) Sorry, no spoilers. I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
6) Sorry, no spoilers. I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
Invader Johnny: Yeah.
Luffy is king: How is this?
Jebest4781: Thank you :)
Nicolas Belasco: Thank you :)
Danifan3000: I guess the ancient ghosts thought the Sarcophagus was enough and that no one would be stupid enough to free Pariah Dark in the first place.
Guestl03: I believe that it was chapter 11 of Blackmailed.
Luiz4200: Sorry, no spoilers. I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
JDF Legacier Morphicon: Thank you :)
Here are my responses to your questions:
1) I am not sure.
2) No.
3) I think Sam is a bit of both, as she values being unique but also wants to be herself.
Guest: Thank you :)
PINK-samiam: How is this?
Scooter2: Sorry, no spoilers. I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
:) I hope you enjoyed this! Remember to read and review :)