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Daniel sat on top of his parents' roof, having long deactivated the surrounding weaponry. He knew the passwords, after all. Remaining in ghost form, he crossed his legs and stared up at the sky, biting back the harsh emotions his friends had managed to raise. It wasn't their fault, really- they were only looking after him.

But they'd taken Vlad's side.

Of course, they were no doubt still his friends in terms of fighting the enemy, but they still found it necessary to infringe upon his freedom. So what if he wanted to fly up to the horizons? The sights were stunning, the air was cold, and hardly a ghost wandered near there. Perhaps he could even grab his earbuds and listen to music while soaring the clouds, dissipating his stress into the atmosphere.

But the ghost detector machines had already been set up.

Before Danny could form a plot to destroy them, a wisp of blue air escaped his lips, making him gasp. Launching himself to his feet, he whipped around to find Plasmius at the edge of the roof, staring at him. The older ghost's cape fluttered in the light breeze as he flew slowly towards the teen, inch by inch.

"Leave me alone," the boy hissed, forming green energy in his gloved hands. "What are you here for? You got what you wanted."

Vlad tilted his head. "Don't presume to know what I want. Secondly, I find it ironic. Remember what you told me, Daniel?"

The younger halfa shook his head. "What are you talking about?"

"You told me I couldn't place any rules in the sky. Well, here we are, and I've done just that."

The man's words triggered a neon green blast from his enemy, though he easily caught it and forced it to dissipate. Danny tried again, only to achieve the same results. After a few more blasts, he gave up, not having been in the mood to fight in the first place.

"Congratulations, Plasmius," the teen scoffed. "You beat someone one tenth your age. Do you want a gold sticker?"

Vlad's eyes widened at the comment, then narrowed. "I'm not that old. Secondly, no, I'm already aware I've won. I just want to have a talk with you."

"Over my dead body."

"Exactly. Now, listen to me. Why are you so fixated on going all the way up there? Are you stressed? If so, you should take a break from ghost fighting."

"I will not," Danny retorted. "Nice try, though. I'll give it up when you give up chasing after my mom."

"Daniel, please, you're... not in the right state of mind right now," Plasmius informed him. "You're overloading yourself with work, and instead of having a safe outlet, you've picked a dangerous one. Look-"

The older ghost pulled out the Plasmius Maximus from underneath his cape, making Danny shudder.

"If you don't heed my warnings, this is only going to end one way, and you know it. Listen to reason."

The boy stared wide eyed at the parasitic machine, holding an arm in front of himself subconsciously. "You're- no-you can't-"

"Shock you?" the mayor finished his sentence. "Not unless you disobey me. You brought this upon yourself, Daniel, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let you kill yourself."

"I'm not going to kill myself!" the younger halfa shot back. "And why are you still acting like you care? You make me miserable on purpose, then act all surprised when it affects me? You couldn't care less if the Guys in White captured me, let alone if I died! So stop faking it!"

Vlad sighed. "You're wrong, Daniel, and I wish you knew that. But for now, I'm going to use any action I see fit to keep you from hurting yourself. I may be your enemy, but I'm not entirely ruthless. I'm not Skulker, after all."

"It doesn't matter! He works for y- OW!"

Plasmius used a giant ray of plasma to slam the boy to the ground, then shot out ropes of the pink energy to tie him down. The teen struggled to escape, but his powers were absorbed by his enemy just as fast as he let them out.

"What are you doing?" Danny shouted, kicking against the roof. "Let me go!"

"Just hold still for a moment," his enemy commanded him, switching on the Plasmius Maximus. "It's going to sting, as I'm sure you know. But you'll be fine afterwards."

Danny let out a yelp when he realized what the man's plan was. "I didn't even fly up again! STOP!"

"I'm aware, but from the way you're acting, it doesn't seem like you'd resist the urge. This is a matter of prevention."

The teen screamed at the jolt of electricity, and felt his ghost form melt away like corrosive acid sliding off his body. All the thrashing in the world couldn't stop the assault by then, so all he could do was take it. A few moments later, he was reduced to a painless, yet vulnerable human form in the older ghost's clutches.

"You'll thank me later, Daniel," Vlad informed the boy, using his solidified energy to place him safely onto the floor below. "I'll do this until you promise me you'll listen to my orders. Until then, get used to being human."

"NO!" Danny cried out, staring at his human hands. "You're endangering EVERYONE!"

Plasmius scoffed. "If you're referring to the supposed lack of ghost fighters, there isn't any. The town will be fine. It's time you got that work off your shoulders."

"YOU'RE INSANE! THEY CAN'T DO IT LIKE I CAN!"

"So will you promise me to only use your powers with limits on them?"

Danny stared at his enemy in disbelief. "Why do you have to ruin EVERYTHING just to get people to do what you want? Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"If you read between the lines, Daniel, you'd understand," the man explained. "But if you insist on living in your bubble, this is what you're going to deal with."

"VLAD!"

"No. You're a danger to yourself, and if I have to deactivate you for the time being, I will."

The boy swore and spun around to open his front door and run inside the house, slamming the door behind him and making his way towards his basement. For the moment, any weapon would do, and luckily, his parents were out for a shopping trip.

But his sister wasn't.

Danny stumbled into Jazz and toppled over, tripping the redhead in the process. Materials in her arms scattered all over the floor, prompting a groan from her.

"Danny, what are you doing?" she asked, pushing him off to pick up the tools. "Why are you down here? Are you going to the ghost zone?"

"N-no," the teen informed her, clearly frazzled. "Vlad's outside, and he shot me. I can't turn ghost, and I need to find something to attack him back. You gotta help me-"

"Daniel!" Plasmius's voice called out as the older halfa phased through the ceiling. "Y- why hello, Jasmine. I haven't seen you in a while. But I'll have to ask you not to assist your brother in anything he asks you to."

"And why not?" Jazz snapped, reaching for nearby EctoBlade. "I'd trust him over you any day!"

But by the time the mayor revealed the entire situation, the girl's eyes were wide with worry and irritation- much like Vlad's had been before.

"Oh, seriously?" the younger halfa exclaimed, exasperated. "You're just going to tell everyone? Just go away!"

Jazz pulled away the ecto guns that her brother had managed to snatch during the man's explanation and locked them up, making Danny even more frustrated.

"Why- why would you fly that high?" she asked. "I could have lost you, Danny! What if you lost track of home? What if something forced you to turn human? You could have-"

"I wouldn't have, Jazz!" the younger teen cut her off before turning to his floating enemy. "Look what you've done! You've ruined everything!"

"You need time away from those responsibilities that were never yours, Daniel," Vlad insisted. "Ruining your own life and grades, and now, nearly ensuring your death."

"Maybe you should stop stressing me with your stupid new rules! I can't even eat my favorite burgers anymore! Don't tell me that's for my safety too!"

Vlad paused.

Perhaps he was part of the problem.