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 17: The Final Verdict
Tucker soon returned with his snacks and handed Valerie her pretzels. Danny and Star were about to continue telling the story, but they suddenly heard a loud noise.
"Oh, now what?!..."Star said, annoyed that they were interrupted again.
They all then saw the cause of the interruption, an explosion coming from the basement lab of Fenton Works. And unsurprisingly some squid-like ghosts appeared, but Danny wasted no time in using the thermos to trap them.
"Seriously? Can a guy have one day without a ghost attack?..."Danny grumbled as he rolled his eyes before turning to the others.
"Okay, let's TRY not to do any more interruptions until the story is over. This is getting annoying..."The ghost boy said.
"Really annoying..."Star said.
"True. Plus, I'm positive that Mr. and Mrs. Fenton have been through enough spooks wrecking their lab by now..."Val said, and Misty nodded since they also wanted to wrap this up.
"Anyway, Walker tried to get his totally rigged jury to label me the bad guy, even after all that proof we had on the contrary..." Danny said.
"But my Dad wouldn't let them..." Star said with a smile, as she continued.
Story
"Your honor? Before the jury makes their decision, I would like to speak to the jury one last time...If I may?..."Johnathan began.
"Yes, Councilor Strong?..."The head observant asked, though he already knew what he wanted to say.
"Given the...unusual circumstances within the last five minutes...which were started by SOMEONE trying to use threats and intimidation to force my client into a very unfair situation. Please, give us a chance to make a testimony to defend both myself and my client, who clearly had been trying to defend not only himself but also my daughter, his sister, his friends, and myself. Please allow my client and me the chance to speak once more and then make your decisions..."Johnathan requested, ignoring the glares Walker and his goons were sending them.
"Very well. Proceed, councilor..."The head observant declared.
Johnathan took a deep breath and then let it out slowly, knowing that it was now or never.
"Here goes everything..."He thought, knowing this is not over yet.
The lawyer stepped forward before he continued.
"Your honor, I have been a lawyer for over twenty years. I have taken part in many court cases but none of them were like this one. In all my years, what I witnessed today was completely unorthodox. I have seen many fixed trials, yet few matched this one..."Johnathan began.
"Objection! What does this have to do with anything?!..."Walker demanded.
"Overruled..."The Observants ignored him. "Proceed, councilor..."He added.
"Thank you, your honor..."Johnathan said before he continued. "As I was saying, I haven't been part of a trial like this before. But from what I have witnessed, I do believe that I have enough to prove the case that Danny Phantom is innocent..."He said as he continued to make his statement.
"Objection! He has no idea what this supposed lawyer is talking about! We have witnesses and proof that Phantom deserves to be locked up!..."Walker said as he tried to continue but the Observants rejected him and allowed Mr. Strong to continue.
"My client Danny Fenton is a brave young man who chooses to help people, not for fame or adulation which for most of his career he was perceived as a villain and a menace, no thanks to a certain warden who framed him..."Johnathan said as he glared at Walker before he continued.
"No. He chose to use his exceptional abilities to help people. My opponent's claims have tried to paint an image that he provokes you into attacking Amity Park to be a hero when quite the opposite. When it was all of you who made him into a hero by attacking Amity Park in the first place..."He said as he continued to make his statement.
The jury was silent as the lawyer continued to point out the many harsh truths about each and every one of them.
"Skulker is a hunter who admitted to knowingly trying to hunt a teenager to use his pelt to decorate his own home...eww!..."Johnathan said with a shudder before he continued.
"Spectra sees teenagers and their misery as food to maintain her fake looks and out of some deranged form of entertainment!..."Johnathan said and the ghoul cringed.
"He...doesn't have to be so harsh about it..."She muttered, sounding down as she said this.
Johnathan ignored her and continued.
"The Lunch Lady would have attacked if anyone changes the menu and clearly has anger issues. Ember's plan to take over the world had nothing to do with Danny and came from an obvious need for attention. Most likely stemming from possible unpleasant events in her past that may or may not have happened..."The lawyer said while the rockstar sent him an annoyed look.
"Well...fine. Can't argue with that. Though he didn't have to put it like that..."Ember muttered as the lawyer continued.
"Both Nocturn and Undergrowth are just narcissistic, overzealous, and obsessed with their respective interests and don't care how many humans they had to hurt for their own goals. Technus stole other people's items to create weapons to take over the world out of an obvious case of megalomania. Johnny 13 and his girlfriend are nothing more than delinquents who just so happen to have ghost powers and see no problem hurting an innocent human for their own goals. Aragon's plan for a human bride was poorly thought out and the Box ghost-..."
The box ghost perked up but the lawyer continued.
"Well... his actions do not affect Danny's life decisions directly..." Johnathan said, trying to find a polite way to say he was not a villain or even a public nuisance.
"Objection! The punk is the one who caused the problems!..."Walker said as he tried to argue but Johnathan refused.
He continued trying to make his statement and prove his point.
"This trial has shown me that Danny Phantom is just a young man who received powers and not long after had to deal with an entire series of ghosts who seem to enjoy acting like supervillains and attacking any innocent humans, just because they can. Sure, maybe if Danny never got involved, some things would have been different. But it doesn't change the fact that they were the ones who started it all by first invading Amity Park in an attempt to either take over the world or endanger innocent lives for their own evil plans..."Johnathan said.
"Sure, maybe if Danny never got involved, those events would have ended differently. Maybe some details might have changed or not, but it doesn't change the fact that the majority of the ghosts here, with the exception of Danny's friends here...are just ghosts who happen to be horrible people who want to do horrible things and would have ended up hurting a lot of innocent people or worse if they hadn't been stopped..."Johnathan said, glaring at the ghostly jury who frowned.
"Threats, attacks, kidnapping, stealing, property damage, blackmail, mass hypnosis, stalking another man's wife and trying to be a homewrecker..."The lawyer said the last part as he glared at Vlad before he continued.
"Framing someone and turning an entire town against them..."He continued, glaring at Walker before he continued.
"Deception, lies, various attempts to take over the world, and many other crimes that we likely aren't even aware of. From what we had all witnessed from the memory orb, Danny Phantom had no choice but to stop these deranged criminals from hurting himself and many other innocent people who were their unwitting targets. None of this so-called jury and this control freak of a warden are innocent or can be described as good people in even the loosest sense of the term. Not even close..."Johnathan said before he looked directly at the ghostly jury now.
"If anything, Danny is the one who proved that time and time again, despite all the madness he had to deal with, he was still willing to protect the town from deranged and dangerous ghosts like you all, despite gaining nothing from it and even being seen as the bad guy at one point. In other words, Danny had no choice but to use his powers to stop threats and menaces like you. Am I right or not?..."Johnathan said, already knowing he was right about them.
The entire jury glared at him before they realized that there wasn't anything untruthful in his statement.
"Eh...he's not really wrong about that..."Ember said with a shrug.
"Yeah. I never really cared if I was a good guy or not to be honest..."Kitty muttered.
"Yeah. And I've honestly been called a lot worse things than a delinquent before..."Johnny admitted as his shadow nodded since there was no point lying.
"Yeah, I guess we can't exactly pretend anymore..."Desiree muttered.
"Indeed, even I, THE BOX GHOST, agree that I am NOT a good guy in any sense of the word..."Box Ghost said, and the other ghosts of the jury admitted to this.
"WHAT ARE YOU IDIOTS DOING?!..."Walker yelled.
"Give it up, Walker. They saw the memories from the orb. It's a waste of time pretending like we are good guys and you know it..."Spectra said, knowing it's pointless to even deny the fact that they were villains any longer.
Even so, Walker refused to give up.
"Objection! Even if these ghosts over here ARE bad guys, that doesn't change the fact that punk is a no-good vigilante who only made things worse!..."Walker argued.
"How so?..."Johnathan asked, wanting to hear what this fool would try now.
"He's a punk vigilante! Delivering cowboy justice without any rules or oversight! The punk already broke the Christmas truce and broke so many other rules too! Who knows what other mistakes he'll make unless he's stopped?!..."Walker yelled, getting everyone's attention.
"The Christmas truce was the Ghost Writer's fault and you know it!..."Danny yelled.
"Shut up! This is what I am talking about! Always backtalking and acting like some victim who thinks he's above the laws of the Ghost Zone! My laws! I've had enough of it!..."Walker yelled, getting everyone's attention.
"WALKER!..." The Lead Observant shouted. "Stand down or we'll have you taken in for contempt in court!..."He ordered.
Though that made him choose to keep his volume lower, it did little to lower his temper. The evil warden continued.
"The Christmas truce? The yard sale? Using his powers against his own classmates and so much more. Can you really trust this punk to fly around and NOT make more mistakes like that?..."Walker asked.
"That is quite valid..."The lead Observant said before his eye drifted towards Danny. "And what say you, Phantom? Can we trust you not to make more mistakes?..."He asked, with some edge in his tone.
"They're asking me? It's not like I can promise to make a mistake. They should ask Walker not to make anym-..." His thoughts paused.
Suddenly, he had a solution that would turn things completely in their direction.
"Your honor?..." Johnathan spoke up. "My client ca-.."
"Actually?..." Danny said, getting his attention. "Lend me an ear, quick?..."He asked.
Johnathan raised an eyebrow before getting close enough to hear what Danny had to say.
"Danny?..." Johnathan whispered. "What're y-..."
"It's like this..." Danny whispered what he had in mind to say.
What he heard got Johnathan's gears in his head to spin. What Danny had in mind might be the secret weapon that would turn the tide and win this case. Johnathan nodded as he pulled back.
"Actually... my client wishes to answer the question..." He said.
"Very well. Phantom? Can we trust you not to make more mistakes?..." The lead Observant asks once more.
Danny thought carefully before answering.
"No..."The ghost boy said.
Surprised gasps came from everyone.
"HA! He admits it!..."Walker said.
"Not done yet! At least let me finish..." Danny said.
"Very well...proceed..." The lead Observant went.
"What is this stupid punk up to now?!..."Walker thought, not understanding what point Danny was trying to make.
"It's true. I make mistakes...constantly. I'll probably make more after this. But that's just because I'm...for lack of a better term here...human. We make mistakes...constantly. And I do mean CONSTANTLY. Like Vlad's mistake in chasing after a woman, who barely tolerated him as a friend and has less love for him than a pile of dirt..." Danny said.
"The last part was just uncalled for, Daniel!..."Vlad snapped viciously.
"Plasmius! SHUT UP!..."The judge shouted. "Continue, Phantom..."He added.
"But here's the thing about mistakes...we can try to bury them and act like they never happened...or we can learn from them..." Danny said, gaining the attention of everyone in the courtroom.
"...I'm listening..."The judge said, wanting to hear more.
Danny looked to see Johnathon nodding, going along with what they discussed.
"Yes...I sold my parents' stuff to get the money to buy new clothes...but I refunded everyone's money after I returned them. I know that's no excuse, but I learned from that experience. Yes, I pranked Dash a lot...I don't deny that he had it coming, but I shouldn't have gone that far. I really shouldn't..." Danny said. "But...I look back at those mistakes that I made in the past and I know that what I did was wrong. And I'm going to make sure never to do it again..."He added.
"A noble sentiment...but your word isn't a guarantee..."The judge said.
"Yeah..." Danny said, as he then gestured to Walker. "But neither is his..."He said suddenly.
Walker's grin dropped.
"What?..."He went.
"Don't forget...Walker had a bunch of ghosts locked up for crimes that...didn't really justify being locked up. He also broke his own rule about traveling to Earth to mess with my life, frame me, and later kidnapped my classmates to lure me to the Ghost Zone and was willing to lock them up for something he did to them..." Danny pointed out.
Walker, seeing the Observants' eyes drift to him, began sweating.
"W-Wait! He's the defendant! He can't ju-..."Walker tried to defend himself but was immediately cut off mid-sentence.
"Shh...he's the one speaking..."The judge shushed him harshly. "Continue..."He told the ghost boy, who nodded.
"As you all saw earlier, Walker went as far as to let his prisoners have a shot at being set free if any of them brought me in...and when that didn't work...he kidnapped Star's half-brother, a baby, mind you, to make me turn myself in..." Danny said.
Walker began to sweat bullets as the Observants drifted their eyes to him once more.
"We recall that event. We really do..."They said, sounding angry.
"And...has Walker learned from this?..." Danny asked.
"We've put him under a more watchful eye...but it's clear that he does this simply to get on our good side, not out of any genuine repentance..."One Observant said.
Walker's audible gulp made it clear now he was neck deep in hot water.
"What the heck is this punk driving at?!..."The warden thought, not understanding what point Danny was trying to make.
"I can't promise you that I won't make any more mistakes...but I can promise you that I will do what I can to fix them...That you can trust. But Walker...he has no problem breaking his own rules, even going as far as to stage this whole trial just to make me look like a danger to both the Ghost Zone and the Human realm out of spite. He's made his own mistakes...but it's clear that he hasn't learned from them. So...if he's so tempted to do all this...breaking his own rules and trying to give me an unfair trial...can he be trusted?..." Danny asked.
The lead Observant nodded.
Walker remained silent, realizing that with these words, Danny Phantom had turned the Observants on him.
"Well? What say you, Walker?..." The Observants questioned him.
"U-Umm..." Walker began sweating before clearing his throat. "Don't listen to this punk! He doesn't know what he's talking about! You all can't seriously be considering this punk's words against me, can you?! Do any of you know how long I've worked hard to keep so many dangerous troublemakers locked up in my prison?! You can trust me!..."He yelled.
"We know exactly how long, Walker. And how many you've imprisoned. Because WE assigned that task to you in the first place..."One of the Observants said as the rest watched Walker's reaction.
"And... we don't..." Another spoke bluntly.
It was hearing that blunt response that made Walker realize he may have lost the trial.
Star's father spoke again, getting straight to the point.
"So, I ask again...from what we had all seen and accepting that this so-called warden and the ghosts on the jury are NOT law-abiding citizens in any way, and after hearing ghosts who are sincere and truly meant no harm speak about his true character, can you honestly say that Danny is a bad kid or not?..."Johnathan asked.
The Observants were silent, as did Danny. He knew that they didn't trust him after that Dark Danny incident but to his surprise, this was their response.
"True. Danny Phantom has done things at certain times that were not acceptable..."One Observant said.
"And still has the potential to do such things in the future..."Another Observant said.
At first, Walker smiled in relief, thinking he was out of hot water. However, what they said shocked him.
"Even so...at this point of time at least...despite past mistakes...at least until now...he has NOT proven to be the troublemaker that Walker insists that he is and has even done things that have indeed benefitted not only the human realm but the Ghost Zone as well..."Another Observant said as the orb showed how Danny had defeated Pariah Dark and even protected the Ghost Zone from the Guys In White.
"True...there is a chance that he might make mistakes in the future...but for now...he hasn't done anything yet to warrant the need to be locked up. In other words, Danny Phantom is declared... innocent..."The head observant said, shocking the evil ghosts.
"WHAT?!..."Walker yelled.
The ghostly jury panicked as the head Observant turned to them.
"Has the jury reached the verdict? And by that, I mean TRUTHFULLY?!..."The head observant said with some edge in his tone.
One that wasn't unnoticed by Danny's enemies, who gulped and turned to each other.
"We hereby find the defendant...Not guilty..." Kitty announced reluctantly due to the glares the observant kept sending them, knowing the kind of fate that would befall them if they got on their bad side.
Walker was speechless, while the Observants' gavel was heard.
"Indeed. By the power vested in me...in the Ghost Zone vs Danny Phantom. This case is dismissed..."The head observant declared, while Danny and his friends looked amazed.
"Ghost child, you are free to go..."The head observant said, using his gavel to make it official.
"YES!..."Star cheered before she grabbed Danny and shared a kiss.
"We actually won! Unbelievable! ..."Sam said in relief.
"Alright!..."Tucker cheered, relieved it was over.
"Thank goodness!..."Jazz said as she and Tucker high-fived.
"Another successful case closed, and my first superhero case in the Ghost Zone too..."Johnathan proudly thought to himself as Danny's ghostly allies went to congratulate the young hero.
"Well done, Great One!..."Frostbite cheered.
"I knew that you would win!..."Pandora said with a smile.
"Congratulations, Sir Phantom! What a truly marvelous victory!..."Queen Dora said happily.
"It sure was. Let's celebrate with some pizza and ice cream cake!..."The Dairy King said as he summoned those items for the heroes.
"SWEET!..."Tucker said as he started to eat some, as the ghosts kept congratulating Danny.
"Congrats, Danny. I knew that idiot Walker didn't have a leg to stand on..."Shelly said, as she started to eat some of the pizza as well.
"Yeah. Not bad, kid. Did you see the look on Walker's face? I thought that he was going to blow a gasket!..."Zoren laughed.
"He did. And it was certainly quite a show..."Amorpho said with a laugh, before turning to Star. "Any chance your dad can represent me the next time one of my pranks accidentally goes too far?..."He whispered to the girl.
Before the blonde girl could answer, they heard complaints. The ghostly jury rolled their eyes while Walker was furious.
"What a lousy waste of time! I missed my favorite reality show for this!..."Technus complained.
"HOW DO YOU THINK I FEEL?! I could have spent this time upgrading my suit instead of being a part of this nonsense!..."Skulker shouted as all the ghosts started to complain and bicker again.
Team Phantom saw this and looked smug.
"Serves them right..."Sam said with a smirk.
At the same time, Star went to her father.
"Dad! You were totally awesome!..."Star said as she hugged her father.
Johnathan hugged her back.
"I was just doing my job, Princess..."He said confidently, though was still amazed that it worked.
He actually won a trial run by ghosts, something that he thought was unlikely in his lifetime.
"Solene is never going to believe this one..."The blonde man said under his breath, relieved that it was over now.
His thoughts were cut off by the sounds of a certain ghostly warden yelling.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS! ALL OF THIS FOR NOTHING?!..." Walker went, kicking the table with enough force to knock it back, barely registering the pain it caused him.
"Uh..." Bullet went, only for his boss to get in his face.
"ZIP IT! BEFORE YOU LOSE YOUR JOB!..." Walker exclaimed with fury in his voice and eyes.
Once that was done, Danny approached Walker.
Because of the trial, Danny is now on his permanent list of ghosts he was never to cross. This left the warden gritting his teeth in rage, grinding them without concern for the damage it would cause.
"Looks like your recent plan to lock me away went south. And now...you can't get me..." Danny said as he pointed at Walker's face. "Watch yourself, Walker. You try something like this again...and I seriously doubt the Observants will let you go with just a slap on the wrist..."He warned.
He turned and made his way out with the rest. Walker was fuming with rage as his eyes darted to Desiree.
"YOU!..."Walker yelled.
"Me?!..." She went.
"This is because you ruined my wish!..."Walker shouted.
"Excuse me?..." She asks defiantly.
"I wished for that thing to talk and you couldn't even get that right!..."He shouted though it was obvious he was just trying to shift the blame to someone else.
"Lemme remind you. You wished for him to talk...you DIDN'T wish for him to talk and have an Oxford vocabulary..." Desiree responded before flying back to where the other ghosts were.
Walker slammed his fist into the desk. If he had hair, he'd be pulling on it right now. Danny Phantom was now a prize that was forever out of his reach.
"This wasn't supposed to happen..."Walker grumbled.
"Darn it! What the heck am supposed to do about that punk's new immunity status now?!..."The warden thought, completely at a loss on how to put the half-ghost hero behind bars now.
"Oh, peanut brittle! I suppose that this means that our little alliance ends now before I even had a chance to use the fool warden for my advantage..."Vlad muttered, upset that he couldn't use any favors from Walker in the future.
The warden didn't notice him as he kept complaining or rather yelling at this point.
"I can't believe it! All of that because the punk repeatedly broke one of my rules even if it wasn't Observant-approved!..."Walker yelled, his face turning red.
He had yet to realize what he'd just said since he was too busy being frustrated from his recent failure to lock up the half-ghost hero.
"Wait...Walker...you made up the rule you initially arrested my client for?!..."Johnathan demanded.
"What do you want, human?!..."Walker snarled.
"Just to confirm. You said that you apprehended Danny for having real-world items and said it was against the rules...or rather, you decided that it was against the rules from then on?..."Johnathan asked, needing to be sure of something.
"Yeah, I did! So, what?!..."Walker said in anger, not seeing yet that he just sealed his own fate.
Johnathan's eyes widened as he recalled a certain rule and knew what he had to do now.
"You do realize that, according to rule 0005 of the Ghost Zone rule book...if any ghost in a position of authority, such as the Ghost Zone's warden decides a rule must be approved, altered, or revoked...they need to request and get approval from the Observants first. Until then, it's just a proposition nobody has to follow..."Johnathan revealed, shocking the entire courtroom in the process.
Now Walker realized that he had just driven himself into a corner without a way out.
"Especially since the Observants never approved any ban on objects from the human realm..."Johnathan added while Danny's jaw dropped upon hearing that.
"Wait a minute! You're saying it's not illegal for human stuff to end up in the Ghost Zone?!..." Danny asked incredulously.
Johnathan nodded, while the Observants confirmed it.
"No. Since the beginning of time, objects from your world have drifted through natural portals. Always finding their way to the Realm of Lost Things before a portal opens, returning the object to a location adjacent though sometimes confusing to the owner..."One observant said.
"Really?..." Danny asked.
"Indeed. For example, have you ever suddenly lost an item? Say, for example, a sock in the wash and can't find it...only for it to appear under the bed? That happens more often than not with small natural portals and it's annoying. There's no point in approving a rule against it..."Another observant confirmed.
"So, that's how my keys ended up next to the cottage cheese in the fridge after that party for Graduation? Now it all makes sense..." Johnathan said in stunned realization that he finally had an answer to something that had driven him crazy since he graduated college.
Until he suddenly realized what he just heard and sighed.
"What has my life become when ghosts explain things and they begin to make sense to me?..." Johnathan muttered, deciding he had a lot to think about.
"And that explains the time that I lost my favorite shoes. I just thought that Colette swiped them at the time and got mad at her..." Star muttered.
Albeit she still wouldn't rule out the possibility of it being Colette, since it wouldn't be out of character for her.
Ultimately, Star decided to continue to be mad at his stepsister, since there were countless other things that she did to Star in their childhood that justify the blonde girl's anger towards the fake redhead.
However, the ghosts heard what Johnathan and the Observants said and realized something.
"Wait a minute! Walker NEVER had the authority to pass rules by himself?! Does that mean that when he first arrested me for owning a canon...IT WASN'T ACTUALLY A RULE?!..."Skulker demanded.
"No. We never approved that at the time..."One observant said, and Walker suddenly gulped.
"And the time I tried to open a clinic near the Box Ghost's home to exploit his needy insecurities, that wasn't a real rule either?!..." Spectra demanded since at the time, she had planned to feed on his obsession with boxes.
"No, we did not prohibit that. However, it's not something we would have approved either. Even if there is technically no rule against it..."The Observants said, and Walker began to look nervous now.
"And the time I vanished the hair of a man who wished he didn't have his current hairstyle? Just because I didn't like the way he constantly kept annoying me. That wasn't breaking any of a Ghost Zone laws?!..." Desiree asked, looking angry.
"No, we did not. Though, that was hardly ethical either..."The Observants said.
More ghosts, particularly former prisoners of Walker, all demanded the charges they had unfairly been enforced by the evil warden and each observant confirmed that they were never official rules, and thus, Walker had no grounds to arrest most of them.
Vlad saw where this was going and decided he overstayed his welcome.
"Oh dear. I'd better leave. Those mayoral duties won't finish themselves..."Vlad said as he tried to sneak away and let Walker fend for himself.
Walker saw this and growled.
"Traitor..."He said but gasped when he saw every ghost in the courthouse looking at him in rage.
"ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT THE SO-CALLED CHARGES AGAINST US AND YOU ARREST US FOR WERE NEVER EVEN LEGAL?!..."Skulker yelled, looking furious.
"No. Walker is the warden and his job is to enforce the rules of the Ghost Zone. Any rules to be added need to go through the proper procedures and be approved by us, as well as several other authorities in the Ghost Zone such as the leaders of realms such as Frostbite, Pandora, and Queen Dora, as well as several others...which Walker NEGLECTED to do during his time as our warden..."The head observant said, and each ghost looked furious now.
Even Bullet was starting to feel like a corner rat right now.
"In other words, my client didn't break any official Ghost Zone rules in the first place. Making some of Walker's evidence against my client in this trial less credible, since none of his rules count..."Johnathan began.
"Objection! My rules count!..."Walker yelled.
"Overruled..."The Observants ignored him. "Proceed, councilor..."He added.
"So, by that logic...Walker never had any grounds to arrest Danny in the first place and my client should have been let go from the start..."Johnathan said.
"Indeed. So, again...This means that the case is dismissed..."The head observant said.
"WHAT?! NO!..."Walker yelled.
"Yes. You know how our proper procedures go, Walker. According to the laws of the Ghost Zone, all rules must be approved by the Observants and other officials first..."He said as he continued to make his statement.
"OBJECTION! MY RULES ARE NECESSARY AS WELL! I CREATED THOSE RULES TO KEEP THINGS IN ORDER! MY ORDER! MINE! THIS ENTIRE DIMENSION IS FULL OF TROUBLEMAKERS AND LOOSECANONS WHO THINK THAT THEY CAN DO WHATEVER THEY WANT WITHOUT ANY CONSEQUENCE! WELL, I WON'T LET THAT HAPPEN! THERE WILL BE ORDER IN THE GHOST ZONE, EVEN IF I HAVE TO LOCK UP EVERYONE HERE TO DO SO!..."Walker yelled, only to gasp once he realized what he accidentally revealed.
"This won't end well for him..."The head observant said, knowing what would happen now.
"Uh...I just remember...I'm taking my vacation days right now, Walker! Bye!..."Bullet said as he fled, as did his guards.
"GET BACK HERE, YOU COWARDS!..."Walker shouted but was soon abandoned by his minions.
And left alone in the courthouse with the Observants, Phantom, and some VERY angry ghosts with grudges.
Said angry ghosts, who were known across certain parts of the Ghost Zone to be considerably strong, were angry now, which Walker noticed and gulped as he realized where this was heading.
"WALKER!..."His former jury all said in rage, while the heroes all smirked.
"I've always wanted to say this when it comes to Walker..." Danny said, pointing at Walker.
"GET HIM..." He, Star, Sam, Tucker, and Johnathan shouted as they pointed at him.
Danny's enemies happily complied, charging at Walker who started to flee.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!..."Walker yelled as he ran out of the courtroom with a small army of angry ghosts after him.
"WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, I'M GONNA THROW THE BOOK AT YOU!..."Skulker yelled.
"Get in line! He's mine and I'm getting payback first!..." An enraged Ember yelled as she went after Walker.
Soon, all but Team Phantom, The Observants, and Johnathan left the courtroom. Some of Danny's ghostly friends stayed behind since most of the ghosts within the jury had personal grudges against Walker.
Seeing Walker being chased by the mob of angry ghosts was something the head Observant and his subordinates found rather cathartic.
"As foretold..."The lead observant said, which got Team Phantom's attention.
"Wait a minute...don't tell me. Did you all know that Walker was up to no good this whole time?..."Star asked
They all nodded.
"Hold on a second. You guys knew what was going to happen, didn't you?..." Danny asked, realizing that the Observants knew about Walker's scheme from the beginning.
"As the young people around you say, "duh"..."The lead observant said like it was obvious.
"We are not as blind to the routes the parade of time may or may not take as a mutual friend believes us to be. We simply know one tends not to change. After all, this outcome was very predictable for Walker. Of course, you are the rare exception..."One observant said.
"If you guys knew that Walker was wrong and were going to punish him anyway, why go through all of this?..." Star asked, thinking that all the trouble she and her friends went through could have been avoided.
"Walker insisted on a trial and trying to pull the wool over our eyes. Which many have tried to do before, which also leads to very obvious results. So... we decided to give him what he wanted. A trial. Just one that was meant for him instead of the young half-ghost...not that he realized it..."The lead observant said, surprising some of the Team Phantom members.
"So, what's going to happen to Walker now? Please tell me that he has to spend the rest of his afterlife locked away in one of his own prisons?..."Sam asked.
"I'm afraid that's confidential. However, we do plan on properly punishing him...once Walker is done with his friends..."Another observant said, sounding a bit vague.
"Hopefully it's a punishment equal to the amount of trouble that we all went through today..."Johnathan muttered, really hoping that justice would be served.
The lead observant turned to Johnathan, noticeably changing the tone of speech as they all spoke to him.
"Still, your legal defenses were impressive to watch in person and managed to last far longer than even we expected. You have my compliments, Johnathan Strong, attorney from Earth..."The head observant said.
"Thank you..."Johnathan said, feeling a bit flattered and unsure what else to say.
Before he could say anything else, Vlad returned and rolled his eyes when he saw this.
"What a waste of time. And here I could have been watching football on TV..."He grumbled, only to see the glares he was receiving.
"Plasmius!..."Danny said with his eyes glowing angrily.
Vlad would have ignored him, but he noticed the Observants looking annoyed as well and he suddenly recalled that's NOT a good thing.
"Heheh...umm...Daniel?..."Vlad went. "I was...umm...forced to help Walker?..."He said weakly.
As expected, no one believed a word he just said and kept glaring at him.
"Shut it, Fruitloop!..." Danny went as he gestured to the guards. "Take'em away..."He ordered.
They approached him.
"Oh! Butter biscuits!..."Vlad said out of frustration before he fled.
They were about to go after him but were halted by the only real authority here.
"Ignore him. He's not worth that much effort now..."One Observant said, shocking Team Phantom.
"Aren't you guys going after him?! After everything he's done?!..."Sam asked, sounding angry.
"No worries. Plasmius will receive what he deserves in due time. But not today..."The observant said vaguely.
Team Phantom didn't like hearing this, but Johanthan's father spoke up.
"What do you mean by that? That criminal will be served justice, right?..."He asked, not wanting someone like Vlad around anymore.
"We cannot tell anything since it will be in the future. But rest assured that Plasmius will get what he deserves in time..."The head observant said.
Johnathan sighed.
"I guess that I don't really have any say right now. Not in Ghost Zone at least..."He muttered, though he wasn't planning on letting "Mayor Masters" get away scot-free either.
He then turned and saw his daughter hugging Danny, looking overjoyed.
"Oh, Danny-Boo..."Star said, hugging him.
"I was so worried, Star..."Danny said as he hugged her back.
"I wasn't. I knew that my Dad would win from the start..."Star said, smiling.
Danny smiled back.
"Yeah..."He said.
Speaking of which...
"Star...Danny..."Was heard.
They turned around to see Star's father, who had an unreadable expression on his face.
"Uh...Dad..."Star said.
"I think...now...we should talk..."Johnathan said and Star cringed as she knew what he might want to talk about right now.
"Oh...right..."Star said, knowing this isn't going to be an easy task, to say the least.
-To be continued-
Next time on Court
Tying Up Loose Ends
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: I guess that Danny didn't think about bringing it up at the time. Also, sorry, no spoilers. I guess that we will have to wait and see what happens.
Invader Johnny and Luiz4200: Yeah.
Nicolas Belasco and Jebest4781: Thank you :)
JDF Legacier Morphicon: Thank you :)
Here are my responses to your questions:
1) I think Maddie would like tennis.
2) I think that the Observants only interfere when it's a truly serious matter and they feel they have no choice, like the situation with Dark Danny.
3) I think that Danny and Jazz eventually got rid of the nano-bots.
:) I hope you enjoyed this! Remember to read and review :)