Categories > Cartoons > Danny Phantom > The Wielder
The Wielder
Chapter 5: Partners
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Amity Park – Nasty Burger
It had been a day since Sam became a wielder of the Witchblade. After returning from the Ghost Zone, she spent the rest of her day at Danny’s house relaxing and recovering. A full nights rest and some quality down time was just what she needed to get over everything that had happened. At times her eyes drifted down to the bracelet that hid the Witchblade and the more she looked at it, the more she came to accept that this thing was a part of her for now and she might as well get used to it.
And she did have to admit, it came in handy at times. Using the Witchblade, she could form tendrils that she could use to cook up a snack, snag the remote from Tucker, and reach for something without ever having to get up from the couch. While it was hardly the kind of features a weapon meant to enforce balance in the universe was forged for, as long as it was on her body she might as well use it.
Now they were at the Nasty Burger enjoying a good old unhealthy lunch together and the mood amongst them was substantially better.
“So Tucker, how’s your research on the Witchblade going?” asked Danny.
“It’s…progressing,” he said with a slight grin.
“Let me guess…you haven’t even started yet,” groaned Sam as she set down her veggie burger.
“How could I?” he exclaimed, “I’ve been working on putting together all the footage from yesterday! You should see it. I’ve added music, voice-over, and even a few sound effects.”
“I’m sure it’s a work of art,” said Danny, rolling his eyes, “Just don’t go posting it on youtube again. We don’t need anybody recognizing Sam.”
“Yeah, I don’t need the extra attention.”
“Well you’re gonna get it anyways if you plan on using use the Witchblade to fight ghosts and what not. Might as well get a head start.”
It didn’t seem totally illogical. They did talk about how she was going to use the Witchblade at some point. And given how many ghost threats they faced on average there was no shortage of opportunities.
“He’s got a point you know,” said Danny, “If you’re seen fighting ghosts with the Ghost Boy, people are going to take notice.”
“That’s not what worries me,” she said, looking down at the bracelet, “Frostbite said there was a chance this thing could still have some nasty surprises. Plus, there’s still that trench coat guy.”
“Yeah, I wonder what his deal was anyways?” wondered Tucker.
“We’ll worry about him later. For now, it’s probably best if you keep the Witchblade use to a minimum, Sam.”
“I’ll try,” she sighed, “Let’s just hope we don’t get another big ghost attack and…”
Suddenly, Dash and Kwan burst through the front door of in a panic.
“Everybody run!” exclaimed Kwan, “Big…nasty…dragon!”
“What’s he talking about?” wondered Tucker.
Then the whole building rumbled as thundering footsteps drew closer. The windows cracked and half-eaten meals fell to the floor. Then a loud, monstrous roar echoed from the streets outside, blowing out the glass and revealing what the commotion was.
“Survey says…a big nasty dragon,” said Sam.
“That’s not all. Look who’s on his back,” said Danny.
Outside, Prince Aragon roared with a vengeance as panicked masses fled the scene. On his back was Walker, armed with a pair of binoculars and a few tools of law enforcement he brought along to apprehend the Ghost Boy. He had no qualms about making a scene. All that mattered was bringing Danny Phantom into his custody.
“Come on out, Danny Phantom!” bellowed Walker over a bull horn, “I know you can hear me! You’re under arrest for crimes against the Ghost Zone! Are you gonna come quietly or is this gonna get messy?”
“Do you really expect him to fall for that?!” exclaimed Prince Aragon.
“Hell no,” grinned Walker, “All part of the procedure. Now let’s show him we mean business!”
Aragon gladly abided, belching forth a wall of flame that melted the top half of the Nasty Burger roof display. This sent everybody inside into a panic. Screaming and yelling broke out as everybody in the restaurant fled in terror. But that was just fine with Walker. He wasn’t playing around this time. If Danny Phantom didn’t come forward, his whole town would suffer and they knew he wasn’t going to let that happen. But while the chaos spread, Sam realized something from the exchange.
“Hey, isn’t that the same dragon who kidnapped me?!” she exclaimed.
“You mean the dragon who’s also a prince you helped de-throne?” said Tucker, “That can’t be good.”
“You think?” said Danny as he eyed Walker, “You guys find some cover. I’ll take care of the newest Odd Couple.”
Not waiting for an answer, Danny jumped behind the Nasty Burger counter where he transformed into Danny Phantom. He quickly took to the air, flying out of the now decimated building and grazing Walker in the process. This further infuriated the prince while Walker grinned in anticipation.
“Glad you decided to show your face, punk,” taunted Walker, “So how’s this gonna go down?”
“The only thing going down is you two!” shot Danny, “Did you have to destroy the Nasty Burger? Now where am I going to eat fatty foods?”
“Eat this, peasant!” bellowed Prince Aragon.
The angry dragon spewed a new round of fire towards his adversary. Danny narrowly avoided it, but got a little singed on the next few rounds.
“Whoa! Go easy on the jalapeños!” he said as he began evasive maneuvers.
While the fight escalated outside, Sam and Tucker made it out through the debris. Everybody had long since fled and Tucker was urging Sam to do the same. But as she watched Danny dodge the fiery onslaught from the dragon prince, she stopped before going too far.
“Come on, Sam! We have to go!” urged Tucker.
“No…I’ve gotta help him,” said Sam, shaking off his grip.
“I thought you said you were going to keep the Witchblade use to a minimum until we could learn more about it?”
“I did, but things change,” she said intently.
Tucker watched as Sam summoned the power of the Witchblade, holding her hand up high as the gauntlet formed over her arm and the life-like armor covered her body. Only this time, she used the power to alter her appearance so nobody would recognize her. Her hair shifted from black to red and sprung out from the ponytail she usually kept it in. It also altered her eye color so that now they were all black with red irises. It wasn’t exactly what Sam had in mind, but it was good enough for now. Now in full form, she prepared to join the chaos. It was a daunting first test against Walker and Prince Aragon. But if she was going to get into this superhero game she had to start somewhere.
“Here goes nothing…” she said, setting aside lingering reservations.
As she rushed to the scene, Danny was still dodging the fiery assault. At times he returned the attack with a barrage of ghost rays, but Aragon swatted them away with his tail. He then tried to swipe him with his oversized claws, forcing Danny to fly higher. But that only opened him up to more fire attacks. He tried to keep dodging them, but eventually one landed and he got burned on the arm.
“Yeow! Talk about extra crispy,” groaned Danny.
“Ha!” taunted Walker, “You’re gonna have to do better than that! Fry him!”
“With pleasure,” said Aragon.
Spreading his wings, the former prince created a large gust that knocked Danny off balance. Then he spewed another round of fire. Danny had no other choice than to make a ghost shield, but it was so hot it broke and he was sent tumbling to the ground. His head was ringing, not to mention overheated. He looked up to see the massive beast hovering over him, roaring in a rage. Walker was ready to bring him in. He wasn’t about to let him slip away this time.
“You’re going down, Phantom!” he proclaimed.
“You first!” said an unexpected voice.
Before Walker could turn around, a concentrated yellow energy beam knocked him off the dragon’s. If he had been quick enough he would have seen Sam standing on the sidewalk next to the dragon, grinning to herself at her first successful hit
“Arrrrrggghhhh!” he yelled as he slammed against a nearby van.
“Ooh, that’s gotta hurt,” commented Sam.
Prince Aragon turned around to see what had just happened. To his surprise he saw an armor clad Sam Manson, her arm still simmering from the blast. She looked different in that mysterious armor, but he still recognized her and went into a rage.
“You!” he bellowed, “I remember you, girl! You cost me my kingdom!”
“Is that anyway to treat your ex-fiancé?” she grinned.
“Rrrrrraaaaahhhhhhhhhh!”
The former prince erupted in a fury of fiery blasts. As much as he hated Danny Phantom, he hated this girl just as much. He dared to reject his hand and poisoned his subjects with modern ideas. For this she had to pay. No suit of armor would protect her from his wrath.
Sam formed a shield on her left arm and used it to divert some of the incoming flames. But the power was so intense she had to back away and start maneuvering. Aragon slammed his fists onto the street, knocking her off balance. He then tried to crush her, but she was able to roll away and duck behind another cars. But because of his size, the dragon prince made quick work of them, crushing them as if they were tin cans.
“Oh boy…this hero stuff is tougher than I thought,” she groaned.
While she avoided the dragon, Danny came to and saw what was going on. He had been out of it for a moment, unsure of what caused Walker to back off when he was on a roll. Then he saw Sam in full Witchblade form, taking on Prince Aragon by herself.
“Oh no…Sam,” he dreaded, “Hold on!”
“Oh no you don’t!” shouted Walker, grabbing him from behind before he could get away, “You and I aren’t finished yet!”
“Errrrrr! Let me go, Walker! I’ve gotta help Sam!”
“I’d worry less about her and more about you,” he said menacingly, “You’re the one who brought an illegal energy into the Ghost Zone and you’re gonna pay…you and your girlfriend!”
“She’s not my…ahhhhhhhhh!”
Walker didn’t give him a chance to make a comeback. Using his officially sanctioned ecto-tasers, he shocked Danny Phantom into submission. He fell to the ground, groaning in pain. Walker was about to slap some restrains on him, but he refused to go quietly and countered with a solid punch to the face. Walker fell back, but he knew he had Danny Phantom on the ropes. He didn’t need some oversized dragon to keep him from bringing in his suspect.
“You wanna play rough, kid? I’m game,” said Walker, cracking his knuckles.
“Bring it on, rent-a-cop!” said Danny.
Walker lunged forth, attempting to tase him again. This time Danny was ready, knocking the device out of his hand and delivering a solid kick to the gut followed by a couple of punches to the face. This knocked Walker back, but he didn’t slow down and stepped up his attack. Danny went on the defensive, backing away towards the street again. All the while Sam was still fighting the dragon by herself and Tucker was taking cover in the Nasty Burger, using his PDA to snap pictures of the whole scene.
“Man, this is intense!” he said.
Over with Sam, Prince Aragon was running out of cars to smash and Sam was running out of room to work with. Her shields could protect her from the flame, but not the whipping tail of the dragon. She tried to counter with energy blasts of her own, aiming for the head and eyes. She didn’t land as many blows as she liked. Her aim was still off. But the blows she did land left their mark, except it wasn’t enough to stop him.
“You can’t keep running girl! I shall have my revenge!” bellowed the former prince.
He delivered another tail whip. This time Sam wasn’t fast enough to dodge it and it sent her flying back towards the Nasty Burger where she landed on a table still covered with food.
“Ooh, that’s gotta hurt,” cringed Tucker.
“Ugh…you think?!” groaned Sam as he helped her up, “This hero stuff is harder than I thought. I can’t get a clear shot at him.”
“Too bad you can’t fly. That always seemed to help Danny out.”
“I know, but I don’t think flight is part of the Witchblade’s…”
But before she could finish, the ancient relic came to life. It was as if it had heard Tuckers comments because on her back, a series of tendrils shot out and were linked together by a thin, ruby-colored shell that resembled the main jewel on the gauntlet. They formed a pair of Witchblade style wings. It wasn’t a skill she worked on in her training, but they would have to do.
“Okay, I stand corrected,” said Sam, grinning at this new development.
“But do they work?” asked Tucker.
“Only one way to find out!”
Taking firm control of the Witchblade, Sam took to the air and shot out the window of the Nasty Burger. Adrenaline surged through her system as the power of the gauntlet fueled her determination. Her sudden transformation caught Aragon off guard and Sam was able to deliver a solid punch to the jaw.
“That’s for getting ketchup stains on my armor!” she said.
“You little…”
“Whelp? Punk? Snob? Honestly, can’t you come up with anything else?” taunted Sam as she swooped in for another attack.
Now the prince was really getting annoyed. He attempted to swat her out of the sky, but now that she was air-born that was much more difficult. Sam got a quick grasp of the Witcblade’s flight mechanics. After seeing Danny fly so many times it was almost second nature to her. Once she got going, she began firing a barrage of energy blasts. The damage began to pile up and Prince Aragon was running out of steam. But it still wasn’t enough.
“Time to put a stop to this thing,” she said, “Okay think…the Witchblade can form any weapon. So which weapon is best at slaying a giant fire-breathing dragon?”
She didn’t have a lot of time to think about it. Prince Aragon began spewing more rounds of fire, which she narrowly avoided. She looked over at Danny, who was still fighting off Walker. She had to help him. Then she caught a glimpse of the dragon’s neck and remembered something from the last time she fought this dragon.
“That’s it! The necklace gives him his power!” she exclaimed, “Somehow I probably should have remembered that.”
Swooping down towards the dragon, Sam formed a new weapon to fight this beast. The gauntlet on her arms shifted into a couple of hook-shaped blades that were attached to chains that were firmly linked to her wrists. With a confident grin, she flew around the face of the enraged beast, who was growing increasingly annoyed.
“Hold still so I can burn you to your mortal bones!” he roared.
“Burn this you overgrown lizard!”
She dodged another fire blast and flew around she was hovering right behind his head. She then spun her hooked-shaped blades and flung them at his neck where they latched onto the necklace. Upon feeling this, Aragon began bucking his head and back. He knew what she was trying to do and he wasn’t going to let her get away with it.
“Errrrrrrr! Get off my neck!”
“Whoa there! Take it easy, Bronco!”
But the dragon prince didn’t let up. He took to the air and kept thrashing his neck, trying to get Sam off. But she held on tight, pulling hard on the chains and going along for the bumpy ride. From the Nasty Burger, Tucker jumped out onto the streets so he could get a better look. He continued taking pictures on his PDA. These were some images. They were sure to make a killer addition to the footage he was working on.
“That’s it, Sam! Ride ‘em, Cowgirl!” he yelled in encouragement.
Sam held on with all her might, grasping the Witchblade chains and using her wings to stabilize herself from the mid-air thrashing motions of the dragon. He carried her through the air, flying high up into the clouds and pulling off steep dives that would put roller coasters to shame. It was times like this Sam was glad she was a vegetarian because the contents in her stomach were doing back-flips at this point. For the sake of her stomach and the rest of Amity Park for that matter, she had to end this. And she saw her opportunity when the former prince went into another dive.
“I’ll squash you like a bug!” he warned.
“Oh no! Not that!” said Sam in a mocking tone, “You’ll ruin my pretty new armor!”
“I’ll ruin more than that!”
Grinning to herself, Sam waited for the right moment as Prince Aragon was at a near vertical angle, prepared to ram himself into the street if he had to in order to get this girl off his back. She had to time this perfectly. Once he got below the building skyline, she would make her move. Too slow and she would be street pizza and too quick and he might pick up on it. All of her training thus far had to kick in here. She and the Witchblade hadn’t been together for long, but they would really have to come together here.
“Wait for it…just a little bit further,” said Sam intently.
When she was finally in reach, she made her move. She released one of the hooked blades from the net and flung it onto the nearest object on top of a building, which just so happened to be a billboard advertising Vlad’s Mayor campaign. Once secures, she grasped both chains firmly and tugged just as the former prince prepared to pull up. And with a deafening ‘snap’ the necklace that gave him his power broke.
“Oh poo…” he dreaded.
Still going at breakneck speed from his dive, Prince Aragon shifted back into his human form and impacted the street below with a painful thud. He hit the street so hard he left a mini-crater in his wake. Even for a ghost, it was a painful landing.
“Ooh, talk about your fall from grace,” cringed Tucker.
Groaning in defeat, the former prince looked up at the sunny sky with blurred vision. He was so out of it he could barely move. He then saw a figure loom over him. It was Sam and she had his necklace in one hand and a Fenton Thermos in the other.
“You’re new kingdom awaits,” she said triumphantly.
“I hate you,” groaned Aragon.
He didn’t put up a struggle as he was sucked into the Fenton Thermos. Upon slapping the lid on, Sam smiled in triumph. Her first test as a super-powered teenager had been a tough one. A giant fire-breathing dragon wasn’t exactly good training ground, but she pulled through and the Witchblade had proven its worth.
“Not bad,” she said, staring down at the gauntlet, “You and I might just get along after all.”
While Sam finished off the dragon, Danny was gaining the upper hand against Walker. Having lost the last of his ghost weapons, he took quite a beating. The punches and kicks mounted, leaving him weakened. Looking for an edge, he saw his discarded ecto-taser that had been lost earlier in the fight and flew swiftly towards it.
“You’re testing my patience, Ghost Boy!” yelled Walker.
“You know what your problem is, Walker? You need to chill,” quipped Danny.
His eyes flashed blue and just as Walker picked up the weapon, his hand was hit by an ice ray. It froze his hand and the weapon. And when Walker tried to activate it, the ecto-taser short circuited and shocked him instead.
“Ahhhhhhhhhh!” he yelled, grasping his hand and falling to the ground.
“I could make a ‘don’t tase me bro’ comment here. But that’s been overplayed. So…”
Danny delivered one last ghost ray that sent Walker flying back towards the Nasty Burger. As he struggled to pick himself up, he was suddenly sucked into a Fenton Thermos by Tucker, who by now had filled up his hard drive with more than enough pictures for their archives.
“So much for Walker,” he said, “He didn’t even swear revenge in typical bad-guy form.”
Then a booming voice echoed from the thermos.
“You little punk! Let me out! I swear I’ll lock you in a cell so dark you’ll never find your way out! You hear me, Ghost Boy?! You haven’t seen the last of me!”
“Never mind,” groaned Tucker as he put the thermos away.
With the fight over Danny flew over to Sam, who was still in her Witchblade form. At the same time she called back her wings and lowered the mask she used to conceal her face. For Danny, she was quite a sight. The bikini-like ensemble coupled with the armor that covered her arms and legs looked attractive to say the least. He had been worried about her since she had never fought in a super-powered battle before. But she held her own, taking down the Dragon Prince and helping to save the day.
“Are…you okay, Sam?” he asked instinctively.
“Are you kidding?!” she exclaimed “I just fought a giant dragon and won! I’m better than okay! Is this how you feel every time after you beat the bad guys and save the day?”
“I know. It’s really something,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck, “But you get used to it.”
“I’ll bet,” she grinned, still on an adrenaline high.
A brief silence came over them as they shifted back into their human forms. While fighting crazy ghosts and saving Amity Park was a normal triumph for them, it felt different with Sam using the Witchblade and fighting by his side. Not that he minded the help, but fighting ghosts alone was hard and this felt like it could be the beginning of something more.
“So uh…does this make you my sidekick or something?” said Danny.
“I was thinking something more along the lines of partner. Sidekick sounds so demeaning,” she replied.
“Partner it is, then,” smiled Danny, “You handled yourself pretty good for a first time superhero, Sam. Oh I mean…Witchblade.”
“Thanks,” she said, blushing at his words, “I had a good role model.”
Now it was Danny’s turn to blush. But the idea of him and Sam being partners definitely had its appeal. It felt right. They both had superpowers. They both wanted to help people. Why couldn’t they be partners? They were a good team even before the Witchblade. Now they had even more in their ghost fighting arsenal and given how much tougher they were becoming, they would need it. The only problem was that Tucker might start feeling left out.
Their spirits were high as they made off before the authorities arrived. But unknown to Danny and his friends, they were being watched every step of the way by, Ian Nottingham. Even when everybody fled at the sight of a giant dragon, he stayed behind and watched the fight unfold from beginning to end. What he observed was both intriguing and disturbing. Not only did the girl have a better handle over the Witchblade, but with the ghost boy by her side they were a formidable foe. Even with his skill, subduing them wouldn’t be easy.
Taking out his phone, Ian called his master to report what he saw.
“Ian? What’s your status?”
“Master, the girl is learning to wield the Witchblade faster than we expected. She’s already using it to slay ghosts and with that Danny Phantom watching over her bringing her in may be a challenge.”
“I see…I was afraid of this. I’ll step up our efforts on our end. If we’re to have any luck of separating her from the Witchblade we must do it soon.”
“But how will you capture her? She’s a stubborn little brat who isn’t just going to hand over her new power!”
“Let me worry about that, Ian. I already have a plan to bring her here. You just have to keep an eye on her.”
“Whatever,” groaned Ian, “Let’s just get this over with. Hanging around teenagers all day wears on your nerves after a while.”
“Suck it up, Ian. It’ll all be over soon enough.”
The line went dead and Ian was left to continue his mission. Looking back towards Danny, Tucker, and Sam he let out a frustrated sigh. All this spying had better be worth it. Something about these kids just didn’t sit right. But he trusted his master. Whatever he had planned, he was certain it would work out for the best. He only hoped he would get a chance at revenge for what these punks did to him earlier. Teenagers or not, he didn’t take kindly to humiliation. Once the Witchblade was in Kenneth’s possession, no ghostly powers would protect them from his wrath.
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Up next: Irons makes his move and Sam faces a difficult decision.
Chapter 5: Partners
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Amity Park – Nasty Burger
It had been a day since Sam became a wielder of the Witchblade. After returning from the Ghost Zone, she spent the rest of her day at Danny’s house relaxing and recovering. A full nights rest and some quality down time was just what she needed to get over everything that had happened. At times her eyes drifted down to the bracelet that hid the Witchblade and the more she looked at it, the more she came to accept that this thing was a part of her for now and she might as well get used to it.
And she did have to admit, it came in handy at times. Using the Witchblade, she could form tendrils that she could use to cook up a snack, snag the remote from Tucker, and reach for something without ever having to get up from the couch. While it was hardly the kind of features a weapon meant to enforce balance in the universe was forged for, as long as it was on her body she might as well use it.
Now they were at the Nasty Burger enjoying a good old unhealthy lunch together and the mood amongst them was substantially better.
“So Tucker, how’s your research on the Witchblade going?” asked Danny.
“It’s…progressing,” he said with a slight grin.
“Let me guess…you haven’t even started yet,” groaned Sam as she set down her veggie burger.
“How could I?” he exclaimed, “I’ve been working on putting together all the footage from yesterday! You should see it. I’ve added music, voice-over, and even a few sound effects.”
“I’m sure it’s a work of art,” said Danny, rolling his eyes, “Just don’t go posting it on youtube again. We don’t need anybody recognizing Sam.”
“Yeah, I don’t need the extra attention.”
“Well you’re gonna get it anyways if you plan on using use the Witchblade to fight ghosts and what not. Might as well get a head start.”
It didn’t seem totally illogical. They did talk about how she was going to use the Witchblade at some point. And given how many ghost threats they faced on average there was no shortage of opportunities.
“He’s got a point you know,” said Danny, “If you’re seen fighting ghosts with the Ghost Boy, people are going to take notice.”
“That’s not what worries me,” she said, looking down at the bracelet, “Frostbite said there was a chance this thing could still have some nasty surprises. Plus, there’s still that trench coat guy.”
“Yeah, I wonder what his deal was anyways?” wondered Tucker.
“We’ll worry about him later. For now, it’s probably best if you keep the Witchblade use to a minimum, Sam.”
“I’ll try,” she sighed, “Let’s just hope we don’t get another big ghost attack and…”
Suddenly, Dash and Kwan burst through the front door of in a panic.
“Everybody run!” exclaimed Kwan, “Big…nasty…dragon!”
“What’s he talking about?” wondered Tucker.
Then the whole building rumbled as thundering footsteps drew closer. The windows cracked and half-eaten meals fell to the floor. Then a loud, monstrous roar echoed from the streets outside, blowing out the glass and revealing what the commotion was.
“Survey says…a big nasty dragon,” said Sam.
“That’s not all. Look who’s on his back,” said Danny.
Outside, Prince Aragon roared with a vengeance as panicked masses fled the scene. On his back was Walker, armed with a pair of binoculars and a few tools of law enforcement he brought along to apprehend the Ghost Boy. He had no qualms about making a scene. All that mattered was bringing Danny Phantom into his custody.
“Come on out, Danny Phantom!” bellowed Walker over a bull horn, “I know you can hear me! You’re under arrest for crimes against the Ghost Zone! Are you gonna come quietly or is this gonna get messy?”
“Do you really expect him to fall for that?!” exclaimed Prince Aragon.
“Hell no,” grinned Walker, “All part of the procedure. Now let’s show him we mean business!”
Aragon gladly abided, belching forth a wall of flame that melted the top half of the Nasty Burger roof display. This sent everybody inside into a panic. Screaming and yelling broke out as everybody in the restaurant fled in terror. But that was just fine with Walker. He wasn’t playing around this time. If Danny Phantom didn’t come forward, his whole town would suffer and they knew he wasn’t going to let that happen. But while the chaos spread, Sam realized something from the exchange.
“Hey, isn’t that the same dragon who kidnapped me?!” she exclaimed.
“You mean the dragon who’s also a prince you helped de-throne?” said Tucker, “That can’t be good.”
“You think?” said Danny as he eyed Walker, “You guys find some cover. I’ll take care of the newest Odd Couple.”
Not waiting for an answer, Danny jumped behind the Nasty Burger counter where he transformed into Danny Phantom. He quickly took to the air, flying out of the now decimated building and grazing Walker in the process. This further infuriated the prince while Walker grinned in anticipation.
“Glad you decided to show your face, punk,” taunted Walker, “So how’s this gonna go down?”
“The only thing going down is you two!” shot Danny, “Did you have to destroy the Nasty Burger? Now where am I going to eat fatty foods?”
“Eat this, peasant!” bellowed Prince Aragon.
The angry dragon spewed a new round of fire towards his adversary. Danny narrowly avoided it, but got a little singed on the next few rounds.
“Whoa! Go easy on the jalapeños!” he said as he began evasive maneuvers.
While the fight escalated outside, Sam and Tucker made it out through the debris. Everybody had long since fled and Tucker was urging Sam to do the same. But as she watched Danny dodge the fiery onslaught from the dragon prince, she stopped before going too far.
“Come on, Sam! We have to go!” urged Tucker.
“No…I’ve gotta help him,” said Sam, shaking off his grip.
“I thought you said you were going to keep the Witchblade use to a minimum until we could learn more about it?”
“I did, but things change,” she said intently.
Tucker watched as Sam summoned the power of the Witchblade, holding her hand up high as the gauntlet formed over her arm and the life-like armor covered her body. Only this time, she used the power to alter her appearance so nobody would recognize her. Her hair shifted from black to red and sprung out from the ponytail she usually kept it in. It also altered her eye color so that now they were all black with red irises. It wasn’t exactly what Sam had in mind, but it was good enough for now. Now in full form, she prepared to join the chaos. It was a daunting first test against Walker and Prince Aragon. But if she was going to get into this superhero game she had to start somewhere.
“Here goes nothing…” she said, setting aside lingering reservations.
As she rushed to the scene, Danny was still dodging the fiery assault. At times he returned the attack with a barrage of ghost rays, but Aragon swatted them away with his tail. He then tried to swipe him with his oversized claws, forcing Danny to fly higher. But that only opened him up to more fire attacks. He tried to keep dodging them, but eventually one landed and he got burned on the arm.
“Yeow! Talk about extra crispy,” groaned Danny.
“Ha!” taunted Walker, “You’re gonna have to do better than that! Fry him!”
“With pleasure,” said Aragon.
Spreading his wings, the former prince created a large gust that knocked Danny off balance. Then he spewed another round of fire. Danny had no other choice than to make a ghost shield, but it was so hot it broke and he was sent tumbling to the ground. His head was ringing, not to mention overheated. He looked up to see the massive beast hovering over him, roaring in a rage. Walker was ready to bring him in. He wasn’t about to let him slip away this time.
“You’re going down, Phantom!” he proclaimed.
“You first!” said an unexpected voice.
Before Walker could turn around, a concentrated yellow energy beam knocked him off the dragon’s. If he had been quick enough he would have seen Sam standing on the sidewalk next to the dragon, grinning to herself at her first successful hit
“Arrrrrggghhhh!” he yelled as he slammed against a nearby van.
“Ooh, that’s gotta hurt,” commented Sam.
Prince Aragon turned around to see what had just happened. To his surprise he saw an armor clad Sam Manson, her arm still simmering from the blast. She looked different in that mysterious armor, but he still recognized her and went into a rage.
“You!” he bellowed, “I remember you, girl! You cost me my kingdom!”
“Is that anyway to treat your ex-fiancé?” she grinned.
“Rrrrrraaaaahhhhhhhhhh!”
The former prince erupted in a fury of fiery blasts. As much as he hated Danny Phantom, he hated this girl just as much. He dared to reject his hand and poisoned his subjects with modern ideas. For this she had to pay. No suit of armor would protect her from his wrath.
Sam formed a shield on her left arm and used it to divert some of the incoming flames. But the power was so intense she had to back away and start maneuvering. Aragon slammed his fists onto the street, knocking her off balance. He then tried to crush her, but she was able to roll away and duck behind another cars. But because of his size, the dragon prince made quick work of them, crushing them as if they were tin cans.
“Oh boy…this hero stuff is tougher than I thought,” she groaned.
While she avoided the dragon, Danny came to and saw what was going on. He had been out of it for a moment, unsure of what caused Walker to back off when he was on a roll. Then he saw Sam in full Witchblade form, taking on Prince Aragon by herself.
“Oh no…Sam,” he dreaded, “Hold on!”
“Oh no you don’t!” shouted Walker, grabbing him from behind before he could get away, “You and I aren’t finished yet!”
“Errrrrr! Let me go, Walker! I’ve gotta help Sam!”
“I’d worry less about her and more about you,” he said menacingly, “You’re the one who brought an illegal energy into the Ghost Zone and you’re gonna pay…you and your girlfriend!”
“She’s not my…ahhhhhhhhh!”
Walker didn’t give him a chance to make a comeback. Using his officially sanctioned ecto-tasers, he shocked Danny Phantom into submission. He fell to the ground, groaning in pain. Walker was about to slap some restrains on him, but he refused to go quietly and countered with a solid punch to the face. Walker fell back, but he knew he had Danny Phantom on the ropes. He didn’t need some oversized dragon to keep him from bringing in his suspect.
“You wanna play rough, kid? I’m game,” said Walker, cracking his knuckles.
“Bring it on, rent-a-cop!” said Danny.
Walker lunged forth, attempting to tase him again. This time Danny was ready, knocking the device out of his hand and delivering a solid kick to the gut followed by a couple of punches to the face. This knocked Walker back, but he didn’t slow down and stepped up his attack. Danny went on the defensive, backing away towards the street again. All the while Sam was still fighting the dragon by herself and Tucker was taking cover in the Nasty Burger, using his PDA to snap pictures of the whole scene.
“Man, this is intense!” he said.
Over with Sam, Prince Aragon was running out of cars to smash and Sam was running out of room to work with. Her shields could protect her from the flame, but not the whipping tail of the dragon. She tried to counter with energy blasts of her own, aiming for the head and eyes. She didn’t land as many blows as she liked. Her aim was still off. But the blows she did land left their mark, except it wasn’t enough to stop him.
“You can’t keep running girl! I shall have my revenge!” bellowed the former prince.
He delivered another tail whip. This time Sam wasn’t fast enough to dodge it and it sent her flying back towards the Nasty Burger where she landed on a table still covered with food.
“Ooh, that’s gotta hurt,” cringed Tucker.
“Ugh…you think?!” groaned Sam as he helped her up, “This hero stuff is harder than I thought. I can’t get a clear shot at him.”
“Too bad you can’t fly. That always seemed to help Danny out.”
“I know, but I don’t think flight is part of the Witchblade’s…”
But before she could finish, the ancient relic came to life. It was as if it had heard Tuckers comments because on her back, a series of tendrils shot out and were linked together by a thin, ruby-colored shell that resembled the main jewel on the gauntlet. They formed a pair of Witchblade style wings. It wasn’t a skill she worked on in her training, but they would have to do.
“Okay, I stand corrected,” said Sam, grinning at this new development.
“But do they work?” asked Tucker.
“Only one way to find out!”
Taking firm control of the Witchblade, Sam took to the air and shot out the window of the Nasty Burger. Adrenaline surged through her system as the power of the gauntlet fueled her determination. Her sudden transformation caught Aragon off guard and Sam was able to deliver a solid punch to the jaw.
“That’s for getting ketchup stains on my armor!” she said.
“You little…”
“Whelp? Punk? Snob? Honestly, can’t you come up with anything else?” taunted Sam as she swooped in for another attack.
Now the prince was really getting annoyed. He attempted to swat her out of the sky, but now that she was air-born that was much more difficult. Sam got a quick grasp of the Witcblade’s flight mechanics. After seeing Danny fly so many times it was almost second nature to her. Once she got going, she began firing a barrage of energy blasts. The damage began to pile up and Prince Aragon was running out of steam. But it still wasn’t enough.
“Time to put a stop to this thing,” she said, “Okay think…the Witchblade can form any weapon. So which weapon is best at slaying a giant fire-breathing dragon?”
She didn’t have a lot of time to think about it. Prince Aragon began spewing more rounds of fire, which she narrowly avoided. She looked over at Danny, who was still fighting off Walker. She had to help him. Then she caught a glimpse of the dragon’s neck and remembered something from the last time she fought this dragon.
“That’s it! The necklace gives him his power!” she exclaimed, “Somehow I probably should have remembered that.”
Swooping down towards the dragon, Sam formed a new weapon to fight this beast. The gauntlet on her arms shifted into a couple of hook-shaped blades that were attached to chains that were firmly linked to her wrists. With a confident grin, she flew around the face of the enraged beast, who was growing increasingly annoyed.
“Hold still so I can burn you to your mortal bones!” he roared.
“Burn this you overgrown lizard!”
She dodged another fire blast and flew around she was hovering right behind his head. She then spun her hooked-shaped blades and flung them at his neck where they latched onto the necklace. Upon feeling this, Aragon began bucking his head and back. He knew what she was trying to do and he wasn’t going to let her get away with it.
“Errrrrrrr! Get off my neck!”
“Whoa there! Take it easy, Bronco!”
But the dragon prince didn’t let up. He took to the air and kept thrashing his neck, trying to get Sam off. But she held on tight, pulling hard on the chains and going along for the bumpy ride. From the Nasty Burger, Tucker jumped out onto the streets so he could get a better look. He continued taking pictures on his PDA. These were some images. They were sure to make a killer addition to the footage he was working on.
“That’s it, Sam! Ride ‘em, Cowgirl!” he yelled in encouragement.
Sam held on with all her might, grasping the Witchblade chains and using her wings to stabilize herself from the mid-air thrashing motions of the dragon. He carried her through the air, flying high up into the clouds and pulling off steep dives that would put roller coasters to shame. It was times like this Sam was glad she was a vegetarian because the contents in her stomach were doing back-flips at this point. For the sake of her stomach and the rest of Amity Park for that matter, she had to end this. And she saw her opportunity when the former prince went into another dive.
“I’ll squash you like a bug!” he warned.
“Oh no! Not that!” said Sam in a mocking tone, “You’ll ruin my pretty new armor!”
“I’ll ruin more than that!”
Grinning to herself, Sam waited for the right moment as Prince Aragon was at a near vertical angle, prepared to ram himself into the street if he had to in order to get this girl off his back. She had to time this perfectly. Once he got below the building skyline, she would make her move. Too slow and she would be street pizza and too quick and he might pick up on it. All of her training thus far had to kick in here. She and the Witchblade hadn’t been together for long, but they would really have to come together here.
“Wait for it…just a little bit further,” said Sam intently.
When she was finally in reach, she made her move. She released one of the hooked blades from the net and flung it onto the nearest object on top of a building, which just so happened to be a billboard advertising Vlad’s Mayor campaign. Once secures, she grasped both chains firmly and tugged just as the former prince prepared to pull up. And with a deafening ‘snap’ the necklace that gave him his power broke.
“Oh poo…” he dreaded.
Still going at breakneck speed from his dive, Prince Aragon shifted back into his human form and impacted the street below with a painful thud. He hit the street so hard he left a mini-crater in his wake. Even for a ghost, it was a painful landing.
“Ooh, talk about your fall from grace,” cringed Tucker.
Groaning in defeat, the former prince looked up at the sunny sky with blurred vision. He was so out of it he could barely move. He then saw a figure loom over him. It was Sam and she had his necklace in one hand and a Fenton Thermos in the other.
“You’re new kingdom awaits,” she said triumphantly.
“I hate you,” groaned Aragon.
He didn’t put up a struggle as he was sucked into the Fenton Thermos. Upon slapping the lid on, Sam smiled in triumph. Her first test as a super-powered teenager had been a tough one. A giant fire-breathing dragon wasn’t exactly good training ground, but she pulled through and the Witchblade had proven its worth.
“Not bad,” she said, staring down at the gauntlet, “You and I might just get along after all.”
While Sam finished off the dragon, Danny was gaining the upper hand against Walker. Having lost the last of his ghost weapons, he took quite a beating. The punches and kicks mounted, leaving him weakened. Looking for an edge, he saw his discarded ecto-taser that had been lost earlier in the fight and flew swiftly towards it.
“You’re testing my patience, Ghost Boy!” yelled Walker.
“You know what your problem is, Walker? You need to chill,” quipped Danny.
His eyes flashed blue and just as Walker picked up the weapon, his hand was hit by an ice ray. It froze his hand and the weapon. And when Walker tried to activate it, the ecto-taser short circuited and shocked him instead.
“Ahhhhhhhhhh!” he yelled, grasping his hand and falling to the ground.
“I could make a ‘don’t tase me bro’ comment here. But that’s been overplayed. So…”
Danny delivered one last ghost ray that sent Walker flying back towards the Nasty Burger. As he struggled to pick himself up, he was suddenly sucked into a Fenton Thermos by Tucker, who by now had filled up his hard drive with more than enough pictures for their archives.
“So much for Walker,” he said, “He didn’t even swear revenge in typical bad-guy form.”
Then a booming voice echoed from the thermos.
“You little punk! Let me out! I swear I’ll lock you in a cell so dark you’ll never find your way out! You hear me, Ghost Boy?! You haven’t seen the last of me!”
“Never mind,” groaned Tucker as he put the thermos away.
With the fight over Danny flew over to Sam, who was still in her Witchblade form. At the same time she called back her wings and lowered the mask she used to conceal her face. For Danny, she was quite a sight. The bikini-like ensemble coupled with the armor that covered her arms and legs looked attractive to say the least. He had been worried about her since she had never fought in a super-powered battle before. But she held her own, taking down the Dragon Prince and helping to save the day.
“Are…you okay, Sam?” he asked instinctively.
“Are you kidding?!” she exclaimed “I just fought a giant dragon and won! I’m better than okay! Is this how you feel every time after you beat the bad guys and save the day?”
“I know. It’s really something,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck, “But you get used to it.”
“I’ll bet,” she grinned, still on an adrenaline high.
A brief silence came over them as they shifted back into their human forms. While fighting crazy ghosts and saving Amity Park was a normal triumph for them, it felt different with Sam using the Witchblade and fighting by his side. Not that he minded the help, but fighting ghosts alone was hard and this felt like it could be the beginning of something more.
“So uh…does this make you my sidekick or something?” said Danny.
“I was thinking something more along the lines of partner. Sidekick sounds so demeaning,” she replied.
“Partner it is, then,” smiled Danny, “You handled yourself pretty good for a first time superhero, Sam. Oh I mean…Witchblade.”
“Thanks,” she said, blushing at his words, “I had a good role model.”
Now it was Danny’s turn to blush. But the idea of him and Sam being partners definitely had its appeal. It felt right. They both had superpowers. They both wanted to help people. Why couldn’t they be partners? They were a good team even before the Witchblade. Now they had even more in their ghost fighting arsenal and given how much tougher they were becoming, they would need it. The only problem was that Tucker might start feeling left out.
Their spirits were high as they made off before the authorities arrived. But unknown to Danny and his friends, they were being watched every step of the way by, Ian Nottingham. Even when everybody fled at the sight of a giant dragon, he stayed behind and watched the fight unfold from beginning to end. What he observed was both intriguing and disturbing. Not only did the girl have a better handle over the Witchblade, but with the ghost boy by her side they were a formidable foe. Even with his skill, subduing them wouldn’t be easy.
Taking out his phone, Ian called his master to report what he saw.
“Ian? What’s your status?”
“Master, the girl is learning to wield the Witchblade faster than we expected. She’s already using it to slay ghosts and with that Danny Phantom watching over her bringing her in may be a challenge.”
“I see…I was afraid of this. I’ll step up our efforts on our end. If we’re to have any luck of separating her from the Witchblade we must do it soon.”
“But how will you capture her? She’s a stubborn little brat who isn’t just going to hand over her new power!”
“Let me worry about that, Ian. I already have a plan to bring her here. You just have to keep an eye on her.”
“Whatever,” groaned Ian, “Let’s just get this over with. Hanging around teenagers all day wears on your nerves after a while.”
“Suck it up, Ian. It’ll all be over soon enough.”
The line went dead and Ian was left to continue his mission. Looking back towards Danny, Tucker, and Sam he let out a frustrated sigh. All this spying had better be worth it. Something about these kids just didn’t sit right. But he trusted his master. Whatever he had planned, he was certain it would work out for the best. He only hoped he would get a chance at revenge for what these punks did to him earlier. Teenagers or not, he didn’t take kindly to humiliation. Once the Witchblade was in Kenneth’s possession, no ghostly powers would protect them from his wrath.
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Up next: Irons makes his move and Sam faces a difficult decision.
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