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 11: Cross Examination II
Danny had gone to deal with the ghost sharks and Star went to join him. Valerie also did the same since she didn't want to be left out, while the others waited for them.
After about ten minutes, Danny and the others soon returned.
"How'd it go?..."Sam asked.
"Well, good news. Those ghost sharks are taken care of..." Danny said, as Star held the thermos in her hand.
"And what about your parents?..." Misty asked.
Danny sighed, while Valerie rolled her eyes.
"Let's just say that there was some bad news, but they got lucky..." Val said in annoyance for some reason.
"What does that even mean?..."Tucker asked, since luck is highly subjective.
"Don't ask. I'm just glad that Chief Boyle didn't have to show up again..." Danny said, as he, Star and Val returned to their respective seats.
"Well...come on. What else happened?..." Misty asked, wanting to know more.
"Oh, right...well, after Star's dad interrogated Ember, my enemies still refused to back down..." Danny said, as he continued with the story.
Back to the story
"The most honest witness I ever questioned is a supervillainess...irony..."Johnathan thought, sighing.
He tried to remain calm and focus on this insane trial as it continued. The next person on trial was none other than Skulker.
"This ought to be good..." Danny said sarcastically, knowing full well that Skulker had no possible way to justify hunting him down like some kind of animal.
"So, Mr. Skulker... Is that even your real name?..."Johnathan began.
"I don't believe that is relevant here. We're here to discuss the whelp, not my denomination..." Skulker replied dismissively.
"Right..."Johnathan said, before he continued with his interrogation.
"I'm surprised he even knows what denomination means..." Tucker muttered to Sam, who simply nodded in agreement.
"So, care to explain exactly what happened between you and my client?..."Johnathan began.
"Phantom has been nothing more than a thorn in my side. From interrupting my hunts to escaping my attempts in capturing and relocating him towards my preferred hunting grounds. And I would not have let things get as dangerous had his friend with the handheld device got in the way instead of letting me catch him..." Skulker said, eventually leading onto a long monologue on how Danny has been getting on his way of his favorite pastime.
Hunting.
Everyone was of course unimpressed by what they were hearing.
"I see, and you're blaming my client for distracting you and my client's friend for his PDA, which you stole, that took control of your armor?..." Johnathan asked.
"That is right. It took me months to reprogram my armor and get rid of that stupid PDA'S software from my system..."Skulker answered, still angry about that.
"You do know that bounty hunting is illegal in the United States unless you're a bail bonds person tracking down a person who escaped bail..."Johnathan said.
"That's what I was trying to do, bring the whelp to justice..."Skulker lied.
"He's lying..."The Observants and Team Phantom all said at the same time, causing the evil hunter to flinch.
"Do you have a bail bondsman license? Because if you don't then your testimony will be rendered false..." Johnathan asked, while Skulker flinched.
"Uh...I have a hunting license, does that count?..."Skulker asked nervously, while Walker dragged his hand down his face in exasperation.
"No..."Johnathan and The Observants all said in flat tones.
"And it was a lie that you tried to bring Daniel to justice. Given that you encountered him before he ever visited the ghost zone, and it is no secret what you truly planned to do..."The head observant said as the orb started to glow again.
It then showed the events from Danny's first encounter with Skulker. Once it was done, Johnathan was briefly speechless.
"Dad?..." Star asked out loud, but her father seemed to snap out of it before he went back to asking questions.
"Let me see if I understand this...You literally tried to HUNT my client like he was some animal...and then tried to make a TROPHY out of him?..." Johnathan asked, trying to keep his cool but on the inside, he was beyond horrified.
"I am the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter. I hunt all things rare and unique, and the ghost child happens to be both. Unfortunately, he is also the most elusive prey I have encountered but that just makes it all the more interesting and valuable..."Skulker said with a dark smirk.
"Again...you outright tried to kill a teenager to turn him into a hunting trophy? And you're acting as it's not that big of a deal? Did I get it right?..."Johnathan questioned, already seeing this ghost as insane.
"Yes, I tried to do that and hang his pelt on the foot of my bed, so what?..."Skulker said in anger and apathy, like he truly didn't see anything wrong with that.
"Again. Gross..." Star said, but her father reacted differently.
Johnathan looked truly disturbed by what Skulker said. Like he was sick to his stomach but used his skills to hide it and act professional.
"You tried to literally hunt a high school student like he was an animal...planned to capture him, kill him and decorate your own home with his corpse?..."Johnathan repeated again.
Hearing Skulker's hunting attempts like that made Team Phantom feel uneasy and cringed a bit.
"Huh...Never really thought about it like that before. It's still gross...but even creepier now that it's said out loud..."Sam said, looking unnerved now.
"And it was already really creepy and messed up to start with..."Tucker said with a shudder.
Danny and Star shuddered as well.
"I don't see why you are repeating the same thing over and over again..."Skulker said, annoyed.
"I am repeating it because what you planned to do is sick and wrong! You just admitted to doing what is basically murder with extra steps!..."Johnathan said, trying to control his anger.
For now.
"I don't think that's the case, any prey is good prey in the will of the hunt!..." Skulker said, still not seeing his problem.
Johnathan then turned to the head observant, frowning hard.
"In light of this evidence and confession, I would like to know exactly WHY Mr. Skulker hasn't already been arrested and behind bars yet?..."Johnathan asked, wondering just how a guy like this was not only walking free but serving jury duty.
The head observant was about to say something, but Walker spoke up first.
"I will have you know that Skulker had already been behind bars before Phantom and his punk friends helped him and a bunch of my other inmates break free from my prison. He was already charged for hunting other ghosts without a license..."Walker said.
Johnathan glared at him.
"And what about all the horrific things he tried to do to Danny?..."The lawyer demanded.
"What of it?..."Walker asked, looking dismissive of such a thing.
"Is he serious?!..."Johnathan thought, trying to hide his anger and continued to act like a professional for now.
"One of the jury members had just admitted that he tried to kill my client, whom I remind you is still half human, not to mention still a child!..."Johnathan said, trying to hide his anger and act professional, though there was a serious edge to his tone of voice.
"Age is no excuse for breaking the law. Those who follow the rules won't be punished. And as far as the law of the Ghost Zone is concerned, after Skulker official licensing to hunt, no law has been broken..."Walker brushed off, uncaringly and finding it irrelevant.
"He's not even hiding it from The Observants anymore..." Danny thought, glaring at him.
Johnathan tried not to lose his temper, but was having some difficulty.
"Remember your training. Keep your cool...don't let them throw you off like that..."Johnathan thought, as he did some mental exercises to calm himself down before he continued.
He then turned to the ghost who was at the stand right now.
"Mr. Skulker. I do hope you are aware of the fact that this is a very serious offense. And the fact that what you tried to do is EXTREMELY ILLEGAL!..." Johnathan said, glaring at the so-called hunter.
"For your information, I had only gone to Amity Park in the first place to...let's say...deal with a certain target that an anonymous client offered to pay me handsomely for and the whelp got my attention. You'd find it surprising the creatures I find when I am on the clock..."Skulker said.
The others couldn't believe it. Star's father tried to maintain his patience as he kept speaking to the ghost.
"Let me see if I understand this... you... an admitted hit man was in Amity Park to kill someone on behalf of your employer whom you refuse to reveal..."Johnathan began.
"It was Vlad..."Danny revealed. "He tried to use Skulker to get rid of my dad because he can't stand the fact that my Mom chose my dad over him..."He added as he glared at his arch enemy, who continued to watch the court case like it was some kind of show.
"A mistake, that I shall correct one way or another, Daniel..." Vlad said, revealing it was true.
Johnathan heard this, feeling sick to his stomach.
"So, not only is he a crook...he also tried to get his hands on a married woman and wants Jack dead...What's next? He has a secret villain lair where he creates clones and all sorts of deranged experiments...though to be honest...at the rate things are going, that might not be too surprising..."Johnathan thought, as he tried not to lose it and continued with his interrogation.
"No further questions..."Johnathan said, while Skulker went back to the jury.
He had planned to deal with Vlad later, but for now, he needed to buy some time. Meanwhile, Walker's fists were clenched, and smoke seemed to be coming out of his ears now at Skulker's failure just now.
"Remind me to lock that idiot up in that cell in the east wing if he messes up again...the one with the ghost rats..."Walker whispered to Bullet, who nodded, while Skulker was ignoring glares from his fellow ghosts on jury duty.
"Seriously? Not only are you a lousy hunter, but you can't even tell a halfway convincing alibi? Even if The Observants can tell if you're going to lie, if you can't tell a half decent one, you may as well just be upfront like I was..." Ember criticized her ex.
"Shut up. I'm not a lousy hunter and I can fabricate any kind of story just fine!..."He yelled at her.
"Idiot! I can't believe I ever dated a loser like you!..." Ember shouted back, her fiery hair raising in anger.
"I'M NOT A LOSER!..."Skulker yelled, ready to fight her.
Their argument was cut short when one of The Observants glared at them.
"Another outburst like that and I am afraid we will have to remove you both from the jury. Is that understood?..."He said sternly.
"Got it..." Ember and Skulker both said, while the eyeball ghost glared at them before returning to the trial.
A little later
After The Observants dealt with Skulker and Ember's bickering, Johnathan was about to call someone else.
"Okay, who's next?..."He thought as he checked the jury.
Just then, he noticed a strange projectile heading his way and dodged it. He then saw that it was a spitball...one that was on fire.
"What?..."Johnathan went.
"Dad? Are you okay?!..." Star asked in concern.
Her father nodded and wondered who sent it. He then heard snickering and turned to see Youngblood holding a straw and laughing.
"Oh man, you should have seen your face!..."Youngblood laughed.
"Youngblood, behave yourself!..."Walker scolded.
"Come on, things were getting boring and these losers only managed to make themselves look stupid...which frankly stopped being funny forever ago..."Youngblood said, ignoring the glares from his fellow jury.
"Brat..."Nocturn muttered.
"Thanks for reminding me why I chose to never have kids..."Spectra muttered as the bratty ghost sent her a raspberry.
"I'd feel sorry for any poor unfortunate soul who had you for a mother..." Youngblood's minion muttered loudly, ignoring the glare the ghoul sent him.
"I can't actually believe that I actually agree with the bag of bones..." Danny chimed in.
"Ditto..." Danny's friends joined in, while the ghoul glared at them.
"Pests!..."She thought as Johnathan continued with the trial.
"Um...could you come to the stand...uh...kid?..."Johnathan asked as Youngblood seemed surprised.
"Wait...you can see me? I thought I managed to get back my ability to be unseen by human adults..."Youngblood said in surprise.
"We had that removed for the trial. It would be pointless if you testified if the ghost boy's attorney couldn't see you..."The head observant said.
"You could have let me know, you one-eyed geezers!..."Youngblood said disrespectfully.
"Youngblood, shush!..." Kitty said, since yelling at The Observants wasn't a good idea for them.
If they felt like it, they could lock them up in a place far worse than Walker's prison, or worse, convince Clockwork to wipe out their existence all together. No one wanted to go through either of that and the ghosts that had at least a tiny amount of common sense tried not to antagonize them.
Though no one would ever say Youngblood had much common sense to begin with. As such, all of them shushed him harshly as they pushed him to speak up. Unfortunately for all of them, the most childish amongst them didn't seem to understand or care about the consequences of his actions due to the massive boredom he was experiencing in the courtroom.
"Lame..."The brat said as he was now on the stand, but Johnathan was speechless and even he had a disturbed look on his face.
"He's just a child...even younger than my Star..."Johnathan thought, disturbed by the implications.
The Observants could tell what he was thinking and decided to clarify.
"Just to be clear...Youngblood was never once a human..."The head observant said, surprising Johnathan and Team Phantom.
"Wait, really?..."Danny asked, shocked.
"Duh, losers. I'm not one of those lame ghosts who had a lame human life they can't get over. I was actually born a ghost..."Youngblood explained.
"Born a ghost?..."Johnathan repeated out of confusion. "Wait, ghosts can have children?..."He asked out loud and the other ghosts looked at him like he said something stupid.
"Like Box Ghost and the Lunch Lady Ghost's child from the future. Eww!..."Danny thought with a shudder, while the ghostly jury began to mock Star's father.
"Duh..."Ember said.
"What, you think all we do is haunt and terrorize pathetic humans. Please, some of us do have afterlives outside of that..."Desiree said.
"Yeah, some of us actually do try to have relationships and start families if we want to..."Lunch Lady said.
Johnathan cleared his throat.
"Right...Anyway...I'm sorry but isn't he too young to even be serving jury duty?..."The lawyer asked, wondering how a child as young as this is even qualified.
"There's no minimum age for jury duty in the Ghost Zone, especially since ghosts are basically around forever and rarely change their appearances unless they want to..." Walker said.
Johnathan looked to The Observants.
"We allow jurors to be witnesses. Especially since he has a history with Danny Phantom. Most ghosts do at this point..."The head observant said with a shrug.
"Also, the rules of the zone are different from the ever-changing rules of man. So, they may take the stand. Provided that they behave themselves..."Another observant added.
Johnathan groaned as he massaged the sides of his head.
"Alright. Well, Mr. Youngblood. Take a seat..."Johnathan said as the orb glowed to see some of Youngblood's past crimes.
After watching them, the blonde lawyer frowned. Especially after seeing the part how he used all of the adults in town, himself included, as an energy source. They also witnessed what REALLY happened during the Fenton Family camping trip months ago. This was the first thing Johnathan thought after witnessing those events.
"I am REALLY glad he's not my kid..."He thought before turning to the ghostly child.
"Now, Mr. Youngblood. Please describe your interactions with my client. Based on my notes, you worked with Ember to kidnap all the adults in Amity Park to use them to power your ship with exercise equipment, along with harassing and provoking my client while trying to make it look as if he had lost his mind and have others question his sanity..."Johnathan said.
"...so?" Youngblood asks without a hint of regret, while Johnathan frowned.
Danny's lawyer just continued.
"During those events, my client had tried to prevent you from kidnapping all the adults in Amity Park and only tried to stop you framing him for delusional behavior during his vacation with his family, where you even went as far as trying to make himself look like he had become an unstable danger around his parents..."Johnathan said, looking truly mad but tried to control himself.
"It was just a joke. I don't see why everyone is making a big deal out of that..."Youngblood said.
"You kidnapped and brainwashed every adult in town...myself included...to power your ship and nearly killed my daughters and her classmates when they tried to save us!..."Johnathan said, trying to hold back his anger.
"I was just playing a game, and I needed Ember's help, and a power source to help power up my favorite pirate ship and keep it up. You got any idea how to make that thing lift up without all that exercising equipment? Not my fault that lame-o Phantom there had to ruin our fun and what's worse, left me trapped in my own sinking ship to be trapped there forever until his stupid parents accidentally set me free..."Youngblood said.
"Why did you even NEED humans to power your ship in the first place? I thought ghosts could fly..."Johnathan asked, pointing out the logic as he did not see the point of going through all that effort just to play pirate.
"I was just having some fun. I really wanted the whole ship to fly too! Just because we can fly, doesn't mean we want to stay in the air all time on our own power. Plus, that ship takes A LOT of power just to lift it off the ground and it's way cheaper and more fun and pirate-y than to be a wash buckle and not have a ship. And we got to raise a village too...and with no lame adults to tell me not too..."Youngblood said.
"It's swashbuckler. And to raze and pillage..."His minion corrected.
"Shut up!..."Youngblood said in annoyance.
"Whoever this kid's parents are, I bet they and Jean-Luc have stories to tell..."Johnathan thought, almost feeling sorry for them but also thinking they definitely need to be lectured about the proper need to raise their own child.
"You are aware of the fact that abduction is against the law, right?..."Johnathan said, frowning at the ghost child.
"Hey, I was just doing my job in the spirit of youth and fun, as I've been doing for years! Not my fault someone wasn't having fun. You guys are just a bunch of spoilsports!..."Youngblood argued before he glared at Danny.
"Hard to have fun when you steal my house's ghost shield before kidnapping every adult in town… and my sister, who thought was an adult…" Danny said, though the last part he muttered under his breath.
"It was this big bully who ruined all my fun and sank my pirate ship! Of course, I had to get payback on him and get him in trouble with his parents! If he didn't try to bully me, I wouldn't have had to get payback!..."Youngblood said as he pointed at the ghost boy.
Danny glared at him.
"Bully? Payback?! Your idea of fun almost got a lot of innocent people HURT! OR WORSE! Of course I had to stop you, you little monster!..."Danny argued at him.
"Of course I had to stop you, you little monster!..."Youngblood repeated in a mocking way, as he stuck his tongue out at the ghost boy.
"Real mature..." Danny sarcastically muttered, while the childlike ghost kept mocking him.
"Let's see you cause trouble now!..."Youngblood taunted again.
"Order! Order!..."The head observant shouted.
Once everything was called down, Johnathan tried to continue with the case.
"Fun and games are one thing, but kidnapping and manipulation are against the rules..."Johnathan frowned at him.
Youngblood frowned back.
"You're all being super unfun!..."Youngblood said, refusing to admit that he did anything wrong.
"How old are you? Physically, I mean…" Johnathan wondered if his age could be used to their advantage.
"10. So what?..." Youngblood said, sounding annoyed.
"Hmm…" Johnathan scratched his chin in thought before an idea sprung. "Is there not an age limit to… well… owning a pirate ship? Or… any vehicle here?..."He questioned.
"Why yes…" The head observant said. "Ghosts must be at the physical age of 16 to own something like a motorcycle. At his age, Youngblood should not be allowed to own such a thing, much less a pirate ship..."He explained.
"W-What?..." Youngblood said while he felt all eyes on him.
"How did you get your hands on such a thing in the first place?..." The judge questioned.
"Uh… borrowed it?..." Youngblood went as his minion started rolling his eyes.
"He stole it..." His skull minion said, since he knew it's pointless to lie to The Observants.
"BORROWED!..." Youngblood insisted.
"Borrowed implies you planned to return it… which you cannot..." Johnathan said.
"So… not only did you kidnap humans under the false belief of a cruise… you stole the means to do it…" The judge slammed his gavel. "Youngblood! You are dismissed!..."He declared, making it clear that the bratty ghost is in big trouble.
"Aww man…" Youngblood hovered away.
Team Phantom all smirked after seeing that.
"Serves that brat right..."Sam said, while the bratty ghost began to throw a tantrum.
"I really hope Pierre never acts like that when he is older..."Star said.
"I highly doubt that will happen. Pierre is way too sweet to ever be bratty like that..."Jazz said.
Danny nodded in agreement, while the court case continued.
Afterwards
After Youngblood, more ghosts were here to testify against Danny.
Next was Undergrowth.
The evil plant monster ghost was now being interrogated and, after the orb showed the events of his first encounter with Danny, also tried to make the ghost child look like the villain over the actual villains.
"He ruined my plans to ensure mankind pays for their destruction of my children!..."Undergrowth shouted.
Johnathan , after watching those events, only thought this.
"So, that's why my mouth tasted like mulch for a whole day. Yuck! And here I thought it was that diet I was on...."Johnathan thought with a shudder before the case continued.
"Then to add insult to injury, they ran over me with a mower!..."Undergrowth added.
"You turned everyone in town into plant-obsessed zombies and planned to do it again, of course we had to do that..."Tucker added, while the plant ghost snarled at him.
Johnathan tried to remain calm as he continued to interrogate the plant ghost.
"What exactly is your issue with my client?..." Johnathan asked.
"He and the rest of your kind and your "progress" destroyed many of my children! I was trying to avenge them and make the world better for my precious plants!..." Undergrowth's voice causes a rumbling.
"Objection! This Undergrowth clearly has no case against my client. It was clear that he attacked without provocation and my client was merely defending himself and everyone else in Amity Park, myself included, from an act of violence..."Johnathan said.
"Provocation?! This flesh walker and the rest of his kind have destroyed Mother Nature for centuries and he will be punished with the rest of them. I had to do something. At first I just planned to turn them into my minions to help tend to my beloved garden but after what that whelp did, I realized that I needed to take more drastic measures to protect my children and ensure that the meat creatures pay!..."Undergrowth said dramatically.
"Objection! My client cannot be held guilty by account of his species. While I do agree to an extent that things need to change for the environment and that pollution is a serious problem, blaming who was at the time a fourteen year old for a mass of urban expansion plans and deforestation is not something my client can be held against..." Johnathan began.
"That's right!..." Sam called out. "It's the corporations wh-..."Star slammed her hand on Sam's mouth, trying to shut her up.
"Not the time, Manson..." She whispered angrily into her ear, since they still had a situation to deal with right now.
As that went on, Johnathan went back to talking to Undergrowth.
"Also, you just admitted that you wanted to take "drastic measures". Can you explain further? As that sounded like a threat..."Johnathan pointed out.
"YOU HAVE A BRAIN, MEAT-THING, USE IT! THAT WHELP AND THE REST OF YOU PATHETIC HUMANS DESERVE IT AFTER TRYING TO DESTROY MY PRECIOUS GARDEN!..."Undergrowth snarled at him.
"Mr. Undergrowth, your actions of trying to turn humans into plant food go beyond any retribution you think you deserve. Also, exterminating humanity and animals won't be helpful for plants without predators, the population will expand beyond the planet's ability to provide nutrition, and your "garden" will be as barren as planet Mercury..."Johnathan pointed out, mentally being thankful for the science classes he took growing up for teaching him that.
"Excuse me?!..." Undergrowth shouted in fury.
"Also, turning all of mankind into your plant zombie minions and brainwashing them into following your every command is hardly innocent or even a real solution either..."He added.
"SILENCE! I will reduce you to fertilizer for daring to say my actions are not beneficial!..."Undergrowth shouted but was stopped by The Observants.
"Undergrowth, enough! This is a court of law. Try and harm anyone and we'll reduce you to a vegetable smoothie!..."One observant threatened.
The evil plant ghost snarled, before he went back to the jury.
"Sheesh. That was worse than the time I had to defend that group who tried to stop Mayor Masters' attempts to turn that old park into a new factory..."Johnathan thought, sighing.
His eyes soon landed on the one who was next to Undergrowth, Nocturn he believes one of the ghosts called him. So, he decided to interrogate him next.
They all used the orb to see what happened during the first encounter between him and Danny. Johnathan witnessed this and was shocked.
"Wait...I think that was when I had that dream about Stella finally dumping that jerk Jean-Puke. And then me, Star and Solene all went to Hawaii for a long vacation...one that felt like it was going on forever. I admit that I kind of enjoyed it..."Johnathan thought.
Once done, Johnathan began to interrogate the evil ghost of dreams.
"So, Mr. Nocturn, is it?..."Johnathan began.
"Yes, I am Nocturn. The ghost of sleep and dreaming..."The dream ghost said in a smug sounding tone of voice.
"Right..."Johnathan began.
"Now, after witnessing the events of your first encounter with my client, I believe that I can say that you have no case..."Johnathan began.
"Excuse me?!..."Nocturn said, glaring at him.
"You and your minions literally broke into people's houses and trapped them in their own dreams and planned to keep them like that forever. Just so you could feed off their dreams. That's hardly innocent in any way..."Johnathan said.
"I beg to differ. I made sure that they had the kind of dreams they didn't WANT to wake up from. I could have easily left everyone in that pathetic town to be trapped in an endless cycle of nightmares, but instead I had them experience the most pleasant of dreams..."Nocturn said as if that made up for it.
"While I admit that the dream I experienced was pleasant for the most part, this doesn't change the fact that humans cannot sleep forever, since we need to do other things in order to survive and function properly, like for example eating... which we can't do if we aren't awake. You do realize that if we didn't eventually wake up, everyone would have eventually starved? Which means you basically tried to condemn everyone in Amity Park to a quiet death..."Johnathan said, furious at this ghost's lack of empathy.
"Oh, you are exaggerating. I would have turned the helmets off once I had enough, after a couple of months..."Nocturn said, but The Observants frowned at him.
"What's worse is that he tried to do the same thing TWICE!..."Star said, as the orb showed what happened a few months ago when he repeated his plot.
"It wasn't the same plan!..."Nocturn shouted.
"You still tried to trap everyone in their dreams again. Doing a few alterations doesn't change the fact that it's still the same plan basically..."Jazz pointed out.
"Well, I managed to keep that bratty Phantom out of the way, and everything would have been perfect had that blonde girl not interfered..."Nocturn said.
"Seriously? I hate to side with those brats, but it was basically the same plan. What? You couldn't come up with something more creative..."Desiree mocked the dream spirit.
"I'll say. It was like watching a rerun, with only a few different changes made. Not so cool, Nocturn..."Ember added in a mocking tone.
Nocturn growled at them.
"Whose side are you both on?..."He yelled at her.
"Order! Order! The two of you are not to interfere!..."The head observant shouted.
The two shrunk back, knowing they shouldn't anger The Observants any further.
"Nocturn… you are found guilty of kidnapping and near annihilation of an entire town. You and your case are hereby dismissed..." The judge declared as the angry dream ghost left in a huff back to the jury.
"Well, that last witness took less time to disprove than I thought, but we managed to get through it somehow..." Johnathan thought, glad that they all managed to disprove the legitimacy of Nocturn's testimony.
"Alright, who's next?..."He wondered.
He was about to pick another ghost to interrogate and soon noticed Spectra looking at him. He decided to call her name since there weren't that many left to choose from.
Spectra's eyes lit up in excitement, though the ghoul tried to hide it.
"Oh my! He's looking at me so intently. Thank goodness I got my hair done today..." Spectra thought, trying to hide her excitement and act cool.
She went to the stand and the blonde male lawyer began to interrogate her. Spectra grinned and planned to use her charm on him.
"Oh, this is going to be fun..." Spectra thought, as she eyed Johnathan with intrigue.
They watched some of the events of Spectra's previous encounters with Danny, and it didn't take long for Star's father to start asking questions.
"So, Miss Spectra?..."Johnathan began.
"Oh...call me...Penelope..."Spectra said in a flirty manner.
"Miss Spectra..."Johnathan repeated, not amused.
"Now, from what the Orb of The Observants showed us...you had infiltrated Casper High as a guidance council and began to quote un-quote...feed on the students' misery..."Johnathan said, checking if he's got the facts right.
"Oh, that's all a misunderstanding..."Spectra said, trying to look cute as she said this.
"Care to explain how?..."Johnathan demanded, looking disgusted while the ghoul sent him flirty eyes.
"Oh, I simply needed to keep up my good looks and I also did try to help the students of Casper High with their problems. Unfortunately, as I said...there were some...misunderstandings..."Spectra said, trying to downplay things but Star's father refused to let her.
"You feed off the misery of others, including my own daughter, to satisfy your vanity?!..." Johnathan said as he did his best to hold back his temper upon hearing this.
"Sure do..." Spectra said.
"I see that she still has no shame…" Star muttered under her breath.
After Spectra gave her answer to Johnathan 's questions, she decided to ask one of her own to him.
"So, what are you doing after this, Pretty boy?..." Spectra asked flirtatiously, while Star's father flinched but tried to hide it.
"Um...should we win the case, taking my daughter and her friend's home to hopefully have a serious talk with them when we get there and later call my girlfriend...who's not you..." Johnathan answered, looking uneasy now.
Hearing that he had a girlfriend annoyed Spectra, who started to complain about it.
"Oh, come on. What does she have that I don't?..."Spectra said, looking angry.
Johnathan frowned, already annoyed by this woman.
"Well for one thing... she did not induce clinical depression into an entire school of teenagers, including my own DAUGHTER...and did not purposely infect dozens of children with a virus that would have killed said children, which would be another count of mass murder in the first degree..."Johnathan said, anger and rage barely suppressed after seeing those events and how Star and the others suffered during those events.
"I kind of didn't think about it that way at the time..." Danny quietly admitted to himself with a grimace, not realizing that some of the people he knew could have died that day.
"Didn't the Lunch Lady try to kill you when you wouldn't eat meat?..."Tucker asked Sam, who nodded and had a shudder.
"I never realized how desensitized we'd become to Danny's enemies trying to waste us..."Sam answered as the rest of the original trio nodded.
"I almost feel sort of relieved I didn't join you guys earlier, since most of the adventures I went on with you guys are a lot tamer or have Colette being a pest..." Star commented.
"Colette's a different kind of crazy though..."Tucker replied.
"No kidding..." Danny said and Star nodded.
Johnathan continued to glare down at Spectra, who kept sending him a flirty look as she spoke.
"Oh, I admit that some of my actions in the past year might have been a bit overzealous. But I wouldn't necessarily classify myself as evil or soulless by any means. Maybe after this trial, you and I can go somewhere private and I can show you what I mean..."Spectra said, fluttering her eyes at him.
The blonde man internally cringed at that, but tried not to show it.
"Either she's trying to psyche me out...or she's actually interested in me. Please, PLEASE let it be the first one!..."Johnathan thought, trying to suppress his disgust and focus on the face.
"Thank you, but I'll respectfully decline that offer of yours..." Johnathan said, trying to stay professional as possible though it was obvious he didn't like her.
However, the ghoul refused to accept that. It seems that the more Johnathan resists her advances, the more Spectra's interest in him grew but she was patient enough to wear him down with time.
"Hmmm, a capable and competent man with a strong backbone? Well, that's certainly not a deal breaker..." Spectra thought, not even bothered by the fact that Johnathan has a daughter either.
She continued with her antics while Johnathan just kept trying to interrogate her.
"Even so... I'm open to a cup of coffee after this whole court case drama. I know this lovely little spot we can visit..." Spectra said, still refusing to give up.
"Miss Spectra, I do believe that this is off the record, and you are acting quite improper right now..."Johnathan said.
"That depends on who you're asking..."Spectra said in a flirty manner, still thinking she had a chance with him.
Johnathan visibly cringed after Spectra flirted with him, and Vlad noticed his discomfort.
"Ha, pathetic. Serves you right for not planning on voting for me..."Vlad thought in amusement.
"This is way worse than the time I went on that blind date with that crazy lady that tried to ask me to marry her after the second date. Way, WAY worse!..." He thought, shuddering at the memory replaying in his mind.
"So gross!..." Star said, gagging in her seat.
"You said it!..." Danny said, just as grossed out.
"Especially when we all know that she's just a shadowy hag underneath a human disguise..." Jazz mentioned, equally revolted by this.
Spectra, meanwhile, refused to see herself at fault and tried to make herself look innocent...mostly to get back at Danny and to look good in front of Star's father.
"Look, all of that is clearly a misunderstanding...instigated by Phantom and his little entourage. I wouldn't have had to let things go the way they did had he not interfere..."Spectra denied.
"The orb shows differently..." Johnathan says showing Danny's first encounter, but Spectra refuses to admit fault.
"Some people, especially when they're deeply disturbed, react violently to the healing process. This is most common within teenagers when they're in an environment that they view as unfair or don't treat each other equally. Casper High is an excellent example of such an environment at the time I worked there..."She said while Team Phantom sent her dirty looks at her blatant lies.
"That kind of psychiatric analysis is baseless and far too biased, coming from you of all people..." Jazz called out, disgusted with this display of disregard for others.
"Especially when you were the one sapping the positive energy out of the students back then..." Danny said, glaring at her.
"And having me be fried by the sparklers was just a fun little gag, right?..." Jazz sarcastically questioned.
"...She what?..." Johnathan , after realizing that this woman intended to murder someone, felt his anger rise.
"Not only did you try to purposely drive an entire school into depression and inflicted them with a deadly virus, but you also actually tried to outright murder one of the students too?!..."Johnathan said, trying to control himself.
"Oh, I wouldn't say "murder", I just wanted to get her out of the way..."Spectra said in a callous, dismissive sort of way that was devoid of any sort of empathy.
It took everything that Johnathan had not to assault her for endangering the students of Casper High, especially his daughter and her friends. The fact that she was a ghost with powers that could crush him didn't cross his mind, only that this was still a trial, and he had to do this the right way.
All the while, Spectra sat cross-legged and not showing any remorse for her actions.
"I still wanted on the record that I was never fired from school for my actions and that much is true enough. Meaning, I'm still owed a paycheck for my work there..."Spectra said, still acting like she did nothing wrong.
"She was disguised the whole time, so of course no one suspected her of actually being a ghost! As far as anyone was concerned, she was just the worst guidance counselor Casper High ever had!..."Danny shouted.
"That's an understatement! She makes real psychologists look bad. It's why I want to disprove the idea that they're anything like her..."Jazz added, glaring at the ghoul who made a mockery of psychology in general.
"And she even flat out told me to my face that your and mom's divorce was all MY FAULT when she was pretending to be a guidance counselor and that my only positive trait was that I was pretty and should hold on to my looks before I get tossed away once they fade!..." Star said, still holding a grudge from that event.
"WHAT?!..."Johnathan briefly shouted, losing his composure while Spectra glared at Star.
"Lousy little brat..."She thought before she then tried to save face.
"Oh, she's just exaggerating. I only tried to explain how others might see her as just another pretty face, but to not let comments like that get to her. You know how teenagers tend to exaggerate and blame others for problems and insecurities that they deal with. She's just remembering our council session differently from what really happened. Probably because she doesn't have a good maternal figure in her life to offer any better example for her to draw inspiration from..." Spectra said.
Johnathan glared at her with his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. She didn't seem to notice as she just continued talking trash about others.
"I mean...I can't really blame Star for acting in such a desperate way given her circumstances. I mean...considering the kind of mother she has and how the woman you're currently dating must be a gold-digger. I mean that little girl spent her whole time so desperate for the opinions of others, she orbited around the most influential person she could find, just like her mama. Careful, that new lady in your life might be doing the same thing. I hear she's a lot younger than you, so...you know how younger women prefer men with more money in their pockets..." Spectra said, thinking she was creating doubt and insecurities she could take advantage of later.
Johnathan was enraged but Spectra continued to talk trash about the important women in his life.
"Also, I'm not saying you did anything wrong...it must be hard raising a teen all on your lonesome, ever since that stupid blonde woman left to go cheat on you with that overdressed moron who can't be bothered to pay any attention to his own child's upbringing and that new woman is probably just trying to get closer to you for your money. These are all situations that I've seen happen to so many people before, good people that if I had the chance to help then I could've made their lives better than what they were. I could offer that kindness to you, Johnathan ..." Spectra said, and Star got angry.
"Hey, don't talk about my mom or Solene like that. My Mom may have her flaws, but she's really working hard and doing better and Solene is a way better woman than a heartless witch like you!..." Star yelled at her but was restrained.
"I am only speaking the truth, the overseer can notice any lies I've told, and I haven't spoken a single one..." Spectra said as she turned to Johnathan , only to be surprised to see she was receiving a death glare from him now.
"You do realize you just insulted my daughter, my ex-wife and my current girlfriend at the same time, right?..."Johnathan said, glaring at her.
"Well...have you ever thought that maybe you deserve better than what you have? For example-..." Spectra said and was about to suggest herself as a candidate but Johnathan stopped her and sent her a very angry but serious look.
"My daughter is a great girl, who's only crime was listening to some bad influences that she thankfully cut ties with. It was my own fault for not speaking up about those bad influences earlier and keeping a closer eye on her, it's a regret that I still carry today. But I am proud that she chose to distance herself from them on her own and managed to find better friends to keep her on a better path..."He said seriously, while his daughter smiled upon hearing that.
Her father wasn't done yet, he continued.
"And she is NOT responsible in any way for my divorce with her mother. The only thing that happened was that Stella and I stopped loving each other a long time ago and had a lot of issues, but none of them were her fault. I can honestly say that our daughter was the best thing that came from that marriage. Insult her again and you and I are going to have a problem!..."Johnathan said in defense of his daughter, while Star and Team Phantom smiled on that.
While Star didn't believe that garbage Spectra told her during their therapy session, it still hurt to hear such things. Hearing her father say this made her feel better.
"Glad to see this hasn't made him change his opinion on us...at least not completely..." Danny thought, as Mr. Strong continued to berate Spectra.
"Also, my ex-wife made bad choices, and there are still a lot of things I am angry at her for, but she has proven time and time again that she loves our daughter and is making an effort to improve herself as a mother. Do not insult her like that again..."Johnathan said, glaring at her and Spectra was even surprised by what he just said.
"Also, while it's too early to consider her as a maternal figure, my girlfriend is a wonderful woman. She is not a gold digger, she's a smart, beautiful, independent and kindhearted person who does care for Star's well-being and I know she'll make a good role model to my daughter and do her best to be there for her if and when she'll ever need her help. Though that has nothing to do with this case now. I'm simply speaking the truth, just like you..."Johnathan said.
Spectra frowned in jealousy.
"She may act sweet, but don't be fooled. That's how all gold diggers act so they sink their claws into a smart, successful guy like you..."The ghoul tried, but the male lawyer refused to listen to her lies.
"Again, Solene isn't a gold digger. She makes almost as much as I do and that's taking into the fact that she's younger than me..."Johnathan said.
"Seriously?..."Spectra said, raising a brow.
"Dead Serious. And she's expected to get a raise once she makes partner at her law firm, which means there is a chance she might make more money than me once she gets there. Also, if Solene ACTUALLY cared about being with the richest guy out there, she probably would have gone after Jean-Puke but she didn't..."Johnathan said, knowing that his girlfriend is loyal to him.
"Jean- who?..."Technus asked, while Box Ghost shrugged.
"Also, Solene is NOT shallow or greedy to be with someone for their money and is more than capable enough to earn her own money. She also works harder than anyone I ever met. Not only does she work a full-time job, but she is on her track of making partner and does charity and volunteer work. Now that's a woman..."Johnathan said with an almost lovestruck smile as he said this, while Spectra seethed in jealousy.
"Again, what does she have that I don't?!..." Spectra complained, arms crossed in jealousy.
"Let's see..." Danny started from his spot. "She's a good person for starters..." He added.
"And even after I had major suspicions about her when we first met, she didn't hold a grudge for my awful behavior and even forgave me when she had every right not too, making me respect her all the more for it..." Star added, still feeling bad for how she initially treated her.
"She's super-hot but doesn't act conceited about that, which only makes her even hotter..."Tucker said, only to see a look from Mr. Strong. "Uh...sorry...slipped out..."He added.
"Don't worry. I actually agree with that statement..." Johnathan said, as everyone kept talking about Solene's good points.
"She's highly intelligent and educated. She uses her talents as a lawyer to help people and even does volunteer work in some of her spare time, which is way more than we can say about you..." Jazz said.
"She's even got a legit career she's actually successful at..."Sam added, smirking as she watched Spectra turn red in anger.
"Also, her good looks aren't fake either..." Danny added and Spectra growled.
"My beauty is real, you little brat!..." Spectra shouted.
"As real as your counseling sessions..."Team Phantom called, and the observants showed more of what happened during that old battle, including Jazz blasting her with the Fenton peeler showing her real age.
"ARRRGGGHHH! Turn that off right now!..." Spectra demanded in anger and humiliation.
It was too late and everyone saw it and reacted in their own unique ways.
"Hah...so the rumors are true. She should've gone with cybernetic enhancements instead of magical life draining tactics..."Skulker said, laughing at her humiliation.
"I always knew that she altered her looks, I just assumed it was plastic surgery..." Desiree said with a smirk, enjoying Spectra's humiliation since they never got along with each other.
"Ha! She looks more wrinkled than a sun-dried raisin!..."Johnny 13 laughed rudely, with Shadow laughing alongside him.
"You can say that again..." Ember said in amusement, while Kitty seemed to pity her friend.
"I knew it. I never believed you when you said you were only 29. Though I just assumed you were probably middle aged at most, but I was WAY off..."Technus said, adding salt to her wounds.
"She looks even older than I do..."The Lunch Lady couldn't help but say with a smirk, mostly since she and Spectra never got along either.
Spectra just felt more humiliation when she noticed that Johnathan had seen her true face again.
"How...unsightly..."He said, making it worse for the ghoul.
"No, don't look at me! No one look at me!..."Spectra shouted with tears in her eyes, feeling humiliated.
And Team Phantom couldn't help but make things worse for her.
"Believe me, nobody wants to..." Danny taunted, getting on her last nerve.
"UGH! You meddlesome kids have tested the last of my nerves!..."Spectra yelled, as she tried to attack Team Phantom only to be restrained and tried to keep her chained to her seat at the jury sitting.
"The defense rests..."Johnathan said, while a humiliated Spectra went to rejoin the jury, while she hung her head down in defeat.
"Don't let him see you cry. Don't let him see you cry. Don't let him see you cry..." Spectra quietly told herself, while not giving up her desires but decided to try again another time.
And right now, Walker was losing his patience again. The wicked warden was almost about to rip his own hair that he keeps under his hat out of frustration from his perfect plan coming undone before his eyes.
"Darn it. This is taking forever. At this rate, that punk might actually win..."Walker thought.
"Oh prosecutor. Perhaps I can offer assistance now..."Vlad walked over and whispered, catching the white suited ghost at a low point.
The ghost warden listened carefully to the older half ghost's words, hoping that the older halfa might suggest something he could use to turn the court back in his favor.
Walker smirked after hearing and grinned, liking the idea.
"Your honor, I'd like to revisit some information about the one trial. Specifically, his motives for allowing ghosts to venture in and out of his Man-made ghost portal..."Walker said.
"Oh geez...what's he up to now?..." Danny wondered, not having a good feeling about this.
-To be continued-
Next time on Court
Meanwhile
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, Luiz4200 and NeoMark for all their help. You guys rock :)
REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewers:
RonaldM40196867:
1) Sorry, no spoilers. I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
2) He probably told her a while ago.
3) I suppose The Fright Knight.
4) I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
5) I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
6) Yes, but Stella is still allowed to go to the country club.
7) They mostly wondered why she ever dated Kwan to be honest.
8) That and because she can't stand the A-listers in general anymore.
9) I'm not sure.
10) Not sure. Though I assume that Vlad used his connections to get custody of Danny in that timeline.
11) I'm not sure Puck would tell her though.
12) Puck prefers to keep messing with her to be honest.
13) Thanks for the suggestion, I will see what I can do.
14) Not sure.
15) I'm not sure.
16) I'm not sure if Tucker Phantom will return or not.
17) I don't think Sam would join the dating service to be honest.
Jebest4781: Thank you :)
CMR Rosa: How is this so far?
Rock1030: How is this so far?
Luiz4200: Yeah.
Invader Johnny: I see your point.
PINK-samiam: Thanks for the suggestion. I will consider it.
JDF Legacier Morphicon: Thank you :)
Here are my responses to your questions:
1) I think Sam would like basketball.
2)I believe that if Johnathan had dyslexia (or any disabilities), he still would be capable of becoming the hardworking person he is today.
3). Stella likely attended a few court cases in the beginning before their marriage fell apart.
Merry Belated Christmas and Happy New Year.
:) I hope you enjoyed this! Remember to read and review :)