"We're just cleaning up!" Jazz called back, quickly kicking portal debris under a workbench. "The boys were showing me their... science project!"
Jack and Maddie appeared at the bottom of the stairs, their faces lighting up at the sight of their children showing interest in the lab. Sam and Tucker hovered anxiously behind them.
"That's wonderful!" Maddie beamed, though her smile faltered at the sight of the crushed lab table. "But what happened here?"
"Uh..." Danny started.
"My fault," Samael cut in smoothly, his voice surprisingly steady despite his racing heart. "I was trying to move some equipment and... miscalculated the weight distribution."
"Speaking of weight," Jack boomed cheerfully, "you've been working out more, son? That shirt looks a bit tight."
"Yeah, just... trying some new exercises," Samael managed, acutely aware of how the emergency kit shirt strained across his shoulders.
"Oh!" Maddie suddenly gasped, her attention drawn to the portal. The green swirling vortex cast an eerie glow across her hazmat suit. "The portal... it's... it's working!"
"GREAT GHOST OF GALILEO, IT IS!" Jack rushed forward, pulling out various devices from his jumpsuit pockets. "But how?"
"Maybe it just needed time to warm up?" Jazz suggested quickly. "You know, like those old tube TVs?"
"Fascinating!" Jack was already taking readings. "Kids, you should probably head upstairs while we run some preliminary tests. This could be dangerous!"
"Right," Danny said, a bit too enthusiastically. "Wouldn't want to get in the way of science! Come on, guys!"
The teenagers didn't need to be told twice. They hurried upstairs, leaving Jack and Maddie absorbed in their readings and theories.
Once in the living room, all five collapsed onto various pieces of furniture, the weight of what had happened finally settling in.
"So," Tucker broke the silence, "ghost powers and rage monsters. Just another Tuesday at the Fentons', right?"
"This isn't funny, Tucker," Sam snapped, though her voice lacked its usual edge. "We need a plan."
"First," Jazz said, pulling out her notebook, "we need to understand exactly what we're dealing with. Danny, Samael, how do you feel?"
Danny, who had been staring at his now-normal hands, looked up. "Like I'm going to phase through this couch any second."
"Like I might break it," Samael added quietly.
Jazz nodded, making notes. "Okay, then that's where we start. We need to-"
A loud crash from the lab interrupted her, followed by their father's excited shout: "GHOST DETECTED!"
Five pairs of eyes widened in alarm.
"Ghost detected?" Danny's voice cracked as he suddenly turned invisible again. "Are they picking us up on their sensors?"
"The readings must be from the portal," Tucker said quickly, consulting his PDA. "The ectoplasmic energy it's releasing is probably masking your signatures... for now."
Heavy footsteps thundered up the stairs as Jack burst into the living room, wielding what looked like a high-tech vacuum cleaner. "Kids! The Fenton Finder is indicating spectral activity! This is not a drill!"
Maddie followed, more composed but equally excited, holding a beeping device. "The readings are fluctuating, but they're definitely fresh. Something came through that portal!"
Samael felt his muscles tensing, a familiar warmth beginning to build under his skin. Jazz noticed immediately and placed a calming hand on his arm.
"Mom, Dad," she said in her most reasonable voice, "maybe we should take a step back and approach this scientifically. The portal just activated – shouldn't we establish baseline readings first?"
"Baseline readings?" Jack's face lit up. "Jazz-princess, you're absolutely right! We need to document everything! To the lab!"
"But the ghost-" Maddie started.
"Will still be there after we've properly calibrated our equipment," Jazz finished smoothly. "Right, Mom?"
Maddie hesitated, looking between her ghost-hunting equipment and her children. "Well... I suppose proper scientific procedure is important..."
"That's the spirit!" Jack bounded back toward the stairs. "Come on, Maddie! We need to document this historic moment!"
Once their parents' footsteps faded, everyone let out a collective breath. Danny flickered back into visibility.
"That was too close," Sam muttered.
"We need somewhere safe to practice," Samael said, the warmth in his muscles finally subsiding. "Somewhere away from ghost detectors and... breakable things."
Tucker perked up. "I might know a place. The old warehouse district is pretty much abandoned since the new shipping center opened."
"Perfect," Jazz said, scribbling in her notebook. "We can start tomorrow after school. But first..." She fixed Sam and Tucker with a stern look. "We need to establish some ground rules about safety and responsibility."
"And maybe find me some clothes that stretch," Samael added, tugging at the tight shirt.
A distant explosion from the lab, followed by Jack's enthusiastic "I meant to do that!" made them all wince.
Danny sighed, accidentally phasing his arm through the couch cushion. "Why couldn't we just be a normal family that sells vacuum cleaners or something?"
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The abandoned warehouse loomed against the afternoon sky, its broken windows and rusted walls making it the perfect place for clandestine ghost-power practice.
Sam had already set up a makeshift training area with obstacles and targets, while Tucker monitored the perimeter with his modified ghost-detection equipment.
"Coast is clear," Tucker announced, eyes glued to his PDA. "No ghost signatures except our two test subjects."
Jazz sat cross-legged on a crate, her psychology textbooks spread around her. "Okay, Sammy, you're up first. Let's try accessing your transformation without anger."
"Don't call me Sammy," Samael grumbled, though a tiny part of him warmed at the childhood nickname. Only Jazz still used it, usually when she was being particularly sisterly.
"Whatever you say, Sammy," Jazz replied with a knowing smile. "Now focus on the breathing exercises we discussed."
Samael stood in the cleared area, wearing the stretchy workout clothes Sam had procured. The energy hummed beneath his skin, familiar but less volatile than before.
"That's it," Jazz encouraged, watching his concentration. "Find your center, just like we practiced."
The transformation came smoother this time. When Samael opened his eyes, he was green and massive, but his mind remained clear.
"Fascinating readings," Tucker muttered, tapping his PDA, having been around the fentons and their tech so much, he got a knack for it. "Much more stable than the rage-induced transformations."
"See?" Jazz beamed. "I knew you could do it, Sammy!"
Even in his transformed state, Samael managed to look exasperated. "Jazz..."
"Danny's turn!" she chirped, ignoring her giant brother's protest. "Show us that battle cry of yours."
"I'm going ghost!" Danny declared, the white rings transforming him. He immediately started floating, wobbling like a newborn fawn learning to walk.
"Maybe we should work on basic control first," Sam suggested, watching Danny drift sideways into a wall.
"Agreed," Jazz said, making notes. "Danny, practice hovering. Sammy, dear brother of mine, try walking without leaving craters in the floor."
Samael sighed, the sound rumbling through the warehouse. But as he began his practice, carefully measuring each step, he couldn't quite suppress the fondness he felt for his occasionally annoying, always supportive big sister.
As the training session continued, Jazz noticed a subtle change in Samael's demeanor. His initially measured movements became more aggressive, his breathing heavier.
"Sammy?" Jazz's voice carried a note of concern. "Maybe we should take a break."
"I'M FINE," Samael growled, the words coming out rougher than before. His footsteps were leaving deeper impressions in the concrete now, despite his earlier control.
Tucker's PDA started beeping rapidly. "Uh, guys? His ectoplasmic levels are spiking. And not in a good way."
Danny, who had finally managed to maintain a stable hover, floated closer to his brother. "Dude, you're getting that look again. The one from the lab." he stated, as he remembered the video Samantha showed him.
"I SAID I'M FINE!" Samael's fist crashed through a nearby pillar, sending concrete chunks flying. Sam and Tucker dove for cover as Jazz jumped off her crate.
"No, you're not," Jazz said firmly, standing her ground despite her brother now towering over her, his green form seeming to grow even larger. "The transformation is affecting your emotional state. Fight it, Sammy."
"DON'T... don't call me..." Samael struggled with the words, his massive hands clenching and unclenching. The rage was building, a tide of green fury that threatened to overwhelm his reason.
"Focus on my voice," Jazz continued, her tone steady despite her racing heart. "Remember when we were kids? How you used to help me organize my psychology books by color because you knew it made me happy?"
Something flickered in those glowing green eyes – a battle between anger and memory.
"And remember how you'd always save the last cookie for Danny, even though Mom made them specially for you?"
"Danny..." Samael's voice wavered between a roar and a whisper. "Need to... protect..."
"Then protect him by staying in control," Jazz pressed. "Come back to us, Sammy."
The warehouse fell silent except for Samael's heavy breathing. Finally, slowly, his size began to decrease.
"Well," Tucker said, breaking the tension as Samael returned to normal, "I guess we've learned that extended transformation equals major anger management issues."
"We'll work on it," Jazz said, helping a exhausted Samael sit down. "Maybe shorter practice sessions next time?"
"Yeah," Samael managed, his voice hoarse. "Before I bring the whole building down."
"Hey, look on the bright side," Danny called from where he was now stuck halfway through a wall, "at least you're not the one who has to explain to Mom why your pants keep falling through things at dinner."
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The walk home from the warehouse was quiet, each lost in their own thoughts. Sam and Tucker had split off earlier, promising to research more about their new abilities.
Jazz led the way, her psychology books clutched to her chest, occasionally glancing back at her brothers.
Danny kept flickering between visibility and invisibility, the strain of the training session affecting his control.
Samael walked beside him, ready to catch him each time he started to sink through the sidewalk, his own muscles still aching from the transformation.
"So," Danny broke the silence, his voice wavering in and out like bad radio reception, "are we going to talk about how you nearly turned the warehouse into a pile of rubble?"
"Danny," Jazz warned, but Samael shook his head.
"He's right," Samael said, flexing his hands. "The longer I stay transformed, the harder it is to control. It's like... like the anger becomes its own entity." It reminded him scarily of the Hulk. His green rage form a immense similarity.
Did he somehow have the same accident as Bruce Banner from Marvel Comics, but the freaking ghost version of it?
"Then we'll work on it," Jazz declared with characteristic determination. "I've already ordered some books on anger management and meditation techniques. And maybe-"
She stopped abruptly, causing both brothers to nearly run into her. Through the living room window of Fenton Works, they could see their parents excitedly setting up what looked like a massive satellite dish.
"Please tell me that's for cable TV," Danny groaned.
"THE FENTON GHOST DETECTOR IS READY!" Jack's voice boomed from inside. "NOW WE'LL BE ABLE TO TRACK ANY SPECTRAL ENTITY WITHIN A FIVE-MILE RADIUS!"
The three siblings shared a look of panic.
"Well," Jazz said weakly, "I guess we know what tomorrow's training session will focus on."
"Yeah," Samael muttered, feeling the familiar warmth of anger stirring at their parents' terrible timing. "Staying off the radar."
Danny finally managed to become fully visible again. "You know, I'm starting to think the portal accident might not have been the hardest part of all this."
As if to prove his point, he promptly phased through the front steps.
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(Author note: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!
Though just so you all know, Samael doesn't remember much besides the highlights of the original show.
Like he remembers the ghosts, and some episodes vividly, like the Ultimate Enemy for example, but the rest, not so much.
So yeah, just wanted to state that,
Do comment how you found the chapter,
And I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)