Chapter 10: Power Mastery: Part 2
Danielle huffed tiredly as she hunched over while trying to catch her breath, which seemed weird since she was in her Ranger form and subconsciously, she knew she didn't need to breath in the moment. Her hands were on her knees as sweat dropped from her pale face, and it was in that moment that she regretted that fourth bowl of cereal.
This had been one of the hardest training sessions they'd had, and Danielle was cursing Tucker to the deepest pits of the Ghost Zone for it. While she understood he was still mad at Sam, that didn't mean they had to be the ones to pay for it.
"You ready to go again, Ellie?" Danny called out from across the room, he too being in his Ranger form as well as spinning his scythe in his hands. Taking a few more breathes, Danielle looked up and nodded her head. Wiping away the sweat from her forehead, she straightened up and got into position.
Danny nodded back to her, gripping his scythe in his hands, and facing off against her. Taking a deep breath of his own, Danny called up his energy, igniting his blade. The white blade was soon engulfed in the black energy as the power radiated from it.
"Spirit of the Armadillo!" Danielle called out, her voice echoing off the walls as she jumped into the air and flipped forward. Tucking herself in, Danielle began to spin rapidly, her body glowing in white ecto-energy, and her features blurring as she turned into a ball. Dropping to the ground, she instantly shot forward, charging toward her brother like a speeding tire down a road.
Shifting into a stance, Danny waited, watching as she drew closer to him by the second. As Danielle was just about to reach him, Danny swung, the edge of his blade making contact with the edge of the barrier around her and setting off an explosion of color as the two energies collided.
Danny grunted as he struggled against the force of her attack and began to add more of his own strength to help him stay in place. Tightening his grip, Danny pushed his strength forward, sliding Danielle back and gaining the upper hand. Planting his feet, Danny gave one mighty push forward, his scythe making a complete swing while his little sister was sent flying backwards.
Danielle cried out as she lost control of her spin and uncurled as she headed straight for the wall. Jake, who had been watching the entire exchange, was standing next to Tucker, also in his Ranger form and playing with his Power Putty. Seeing his friend flung through the air, he quickly charged the Putty before pulling his arm back like a major league pitcher.
"Power Putty, Safety Net!" Jake yelled out, voice echoing, before pitching the putty forward. The green goo flew at a high speed, zipping right past Danielle. The putty soon exploded out as it changed, creating a spiral netting that attached to the walls, floor, and ceiling. Danielle could feel her back hitting the net and her momentum slowing, though as she felt the force about to send her back forward, she was saved as the putty stuck to her, preventing her from moving.
"Huh. Ok, maybe that was more of a Spider Web," Jake said as he and Danny crossed the room to her. Touching the putty, Jake slowly changed it back to normal, lowering Danielle to the ground. Her body flashed as her form changed back to normal, the energy flooding back into her ring and leaving her in her pajamas.
"Regardless, that was a nice catch, Jake," Danny complimented as they too both changed back to normal, the energy flooding back to their rings in the same manner. Kneeling, Danny lightly shook his little sister. "You ok, Ellie?"
"Ugh…" she groaned as she slowly opened her eyes and watched the room spin. "I think I'm gonna puke."
"Yeah, you look like it. We should probably a take a break."
"Jeez," Tucker said as he walked over to them with his PDA in hand which he had been using to jot down notes. "Ellie, I told you, you gotta learn to rely on your other senses to guide you if you'd gonna do that, because if you don't, you're gonna end up like this. And that's not gonna help if you're in the middle of a fight."
"Bite…me…" Danielle groaned out as Jake helped her sit up.
"It's alright, Tuck, she'll get. It's just gonna take more practice. No point in Ellie making herself sick trying to get it down," Danny said as he stood up and gave his body a stretch before checking his watch. "We've been at this all morning, so why don't we all get showered and changed up. I figure by the time we get done with all that, we can head out into town and find something to do."
"I say we hit the Nasty Burger and try that new Southeast Asian burger they put on the menu," Jake said.
"I'm down if you guys are?" Danny asked. Tucker just shrugged his shoulders in indifference, though that had been on his list of things to try this weekend, while Danielle simply gave a thumbs up in agreeance. Danny nodded, pulling his phone out and scrolling through his contacts. "Cool. Then, I'll just give Sam a call and let her know in case she wants to meet up."
"Why bother? She's just gonna blow us off and be stubborn anyway. Probably just rag on us for eating meat. She already blew us off for practice," Tucker complained, still looking at his PDA.
"Tuck, I get that you guys aren't exactly seeing eye to eye today, but Sam's still our friend and a part of the team. She should know where we are just in case an emergency comes up. I get that you're kinda bent out of shape- "
"Hey, I'm not bent out of shape! She's the one bent out of shape!" Tucker said as he started pacing in his rant. "She's the one being stubborn and avoiding us all morning, when training was HER idea, all because she's mad that I'm right that she needs to get over herself so she can actually use her powers. She's just mad that I spoke the truth, which she can't handle, so she just calls me a know-it-all!"
"But you are a – "Jake started but was quickly elbowed by Danielle who knew Tucker would just turn on them too if they engaged. Shaking her head, she silently asked him to help her up, which he thankfully did.
"Look, Tuck, I get it. I know it's frustrating, but you gotta cut Sam some slack," Danny said cautiously so as not to set him off again. "She's trying and still getting used to all of this. We all are, and it's just something that's gonna take some time. I'm sure Sam is off training on her own and just needs some time to cool off. I mean, come on; have you ever known Sam to slack off?"
Sam smiled in content as she walked down the street, placing another strawberry in her mouth. It had been weeks since she had been able to head to her favorite fruit stand because of ranger training, and no matter how hard she tried, she could never get out of it in time to get to the stand for a fruit salad before they closed at noon.
"Man, did I miss this. This is way better than spending my morning getting yelled at by a know it all," Sam said to herself, music playing through her Phantom Phones. Though she was still pissed at him, she had to give Tucker credit for making them because they were not only handy, but they also didn't need to be charged and were easily summonable so they could never lose them.
If it weren't for his ego, Same would complement him more often, but she was definitely not gonna feed his or Paulina's egos any more than they already had been like everyone else seemed to do. At that thought, Sam wondered if the others were still training, though if she were being honest, she assumed that they had decided to slack off given that she wasn't there to take charge.
"Tucker's probably pouting like a giant baby and pissed them off too. Any minute now, Danny's gonna call, and ask me to make up with him-"Sam started ranting, only for her music to cut short before being replaced by the custom ringtone she had set to Danny's number. With a roll of her eyes and coming to a stop, she mumbled, "speak of the devil," before clicking one of the headphones. "Hello, you've reached the phone of Sam Manson. If this is a phone call that has anything to do with a certain know it all geek by the name of Tucker Foley, then you can just hang up right now because she's not interested."
"Wow. That was an oddly elaborate and ultra-specific voicemail," Danny said with a sarcastic smirk that Sam could just hear in his voice, and it did not amuse her.
"What do you want, Danny?" She asked, not in the mood to get into it with him too. The sooner this conversation was over, the sooner she could go about the rest of her day.
"Nothing, really. You never came back for training, so I wanted to check up on you. After all, you are my teammate and one of my best friends."
"Yeah, well, your other best friend made it pretty clear that I didn't need to be there, so I figured that I'd try enjoying my first Saturday off in weeks where I didn't have to do anything ghost related. The added bonus of not having to get yelled at by that techno geek really made it an easy choice."
"That sounds…nice?" Danny replied, unsure of what to really say to her about that without making it seem like he was picking sides. "Listen, Sam- "
"Nope, nun uh," said immediately said, cutting him of and shaking her head even though he couldn't see her. "You are not about to apologize for Tucker's actions, Danny. I'm not letting that happen and forgiving him just because you ask me to. Not this time."
"I…was totally gonna do that," Danny admitted. "But I'm sure that he-"
"Stop right there. He made his feelings very clear. Clearly, in his most humble opinion, I'm not worthy to be on this team, all because I won't bend over backwards to his will, just like I won't for my stuck-up tramp of a cousin!" Sam said, her voice rising the more she ranted before shouting out the end. She could feel herself shaking as she tried to calm down, not even caring that she had mentioned Paulina.
"Your cousin? I didn't know you had family in town," Danny said in surprise. "Have they noticed anything different about you?"
"Something like that," she said, covering up for her slip. "She always thought I was a freak, so I doubt she's noticed anything. Regardless, getting back on topic, by Tucker's standards, I'm not worthy of being a superhero. I mean, if that's the case, why does he care? Why should I even bother? Clearly, I'm not as invested in the entertainment side of this as he is."
Danny could only sigh at that comment. He wanted to tell her but swore he wouldn't.
Unbeknownst to Sam, Danny and Tucker had been talking about her and her feelings about the whole situation. Danny had known from the start how Sam felt about having to doing this. He knew that she was frustrated and stressed out, causing her to struggle with learning control over her powers. He understood why Sam felt that Tucker was always being a critical know it all, but what Sam didn't know was it came from a place of concern, not superiority.
They had only been Rangers for about a week when Tucker came to him in distress. Tucker had explained that ever since they encountered their spirits, he had been unable to stop thinking about how he was supposed to be the backbone of the team; the strategist.
"That means everyone's lives are in my hands. That means if something goes wrong, it's my fault, Danny," Tucker said in a sad tone, though his face showed nothing but panic. "If someone gets hurt, or…worse, then it's because of me. I mean, look at what happened to Ellie when we fought that ghost at the Stadium."
"Tuck, calm down, it's alright. That wasn't your fault," Danny reassured, adding on, "As the leader, if anything like that happens, then it's my fault."
Danny was right in that their team was his responsibility, and deep down, a part of Tucker knew and understood that his friend would no doubt equally share any blame if something happened. But no matter what, he just couldn't shake the need to help his friends be prepared for anything. Though he had been a natural, he knew for a fact everyone was still struggling to understand their powers. Thankfully, his spirit's knack for information seemed to provide him with just the information he needed to properly train them all.
The only problem was that he was overdoing it.
Danielle and Jake had also complained about Tucker to Danny, and though he wanted to explain to them the reasoning, Tucker had asked him not to as he didn't want the others to feel as though he was being overbearing or overworking themselves to make him feel better about it. Danny was skeptical about it but agreed.
However, after having mentioned the others' frustrations, and seeing that this was now affecting the team, Danny knew he had to do something or else. And starting here with Sam was going to be the first step.
"I promise, Sam, that it's not just about entertainment for him," Danny said. "I can't fully explain it here, but he does it because he cares. He wants to help, but I do get it why it bothers you guys. So how about a compromise?"
"What kind of compromise?" Sam asked suspiciously. Why was everyone asking HER to be the rational one to try and compromise with people who are in the wrong?
"We're on our way to the Nasty Burger and I'd really like my whole team, especially my best friends, to get along again. So, how about you meet us there, and let me be a leader and practice a little conflict resolution?"
Sam bit her lip. It was Tucker she was mad at, not the others. She knew they put Danny in a tight spot with this, and as much as the little twerps drove her crazy, Sam did enjoy being around Ellie and Jake. As much as she wanted to just let it go so they could move on, the thought of Tucker being in her general vicinity nearly made her want to start ranting again.
Bringing her right hand up, she gazed at the purple ring once more before letting out a sigh. As much as she hated him at the moment, she did vow to help when she accepted the ring. That meant she was gonna be stuck with all the ups and downs, good or bad.
Looking to her left, Sam saw she was, coincidentally, already near the Nasty Burger, the giant sign showing she was no more than 500 feet away.
Well, I'm already here. The least I can do is hear Danny out. Sam thought to herself. After a brief pause, Sam accepted. "Fine, I'll do it. I'm already near there anyway, so let's just get this over with. I'll hear you out for 5 minutes. I can't promise much more then that given how Tucker is because I might punch him in the face."
Danny laughed at that and grinned. "Deal. We'll be there soon."
"See you soon," she replied, hanging up the call and beginning to make her way to the restaurant. As she looked around, she was glad to see that the restaurant seemed to be fairly empty. Sam quickly finished her fruit salad, throwing the container away before making her way to their usual outside table. Grabbing a seat, Sam put her feet up, closing her eyes and letting her music play as she began to wait.
It couldn't have been more than two minutes before her peace and solitude was interrupted.
"Oh great, of course you're here."
Sam could only groan in exasperation before opening her eyes to look at the person who continued to make her day a living hell. She would swear until the day she died, that out there, somewhere, was an entity that was watching her and just looking for a reason to ruin her day.
"What, in the name of hell, do you want, you stupid harpy?" Sam sneered as her glared at her cousin who looked just as displeased to see her as she stood with a hand on her hip.
"Well, I wanted to get a cheeseburger, but now that I've seen your skanky ass here, I've lost my appetite," Paulina replied. "What are you doing here, anyway? Aren't you some weird anti-meat, eco freak or something? I figured this was the last place I'd see your ugly face and could get some peace."
"It's called Ultra-Recyclo Vegetarian, you dumb bimbo. And not that it's any of your business, but I'm just meeting my friends here to talk. Once I do that, I plan to be on my way, especially because the only thing I hate more than thinking about the animals slaughtered to make those burgers, is having you anywhere in my presence."
Paulina's face grew redder as Sam disrespected her. "You know what!? Screw you. I was gonna try to be civil and talk to you about your stupid little offer-"
"You? Be Civil?" Sam said incredulously, angering Paulina even more, sending her into a rant that she would never hear as she felt herself gasp. A blue wisp of smoke shot from her mouth, and Sam could feel body begin to tingle with the familiar sensation of a ghost's presence. Damn it! Of all the times this had to happen, did it have to be with Paulina right here!? Sam thought angrily.
Her eyes darted around as she looked to see if she could get a better read on the ghost, but so far, she wasn't seeing it, which was both a good and bad thing. On the one hand, Sam would gladly fight a ghost over being around her cousin any day. Other the other hand, if she didn't think quick on how to get away from Paulina, that ghost would show up and there was no way Sam could or would Morph in front of her.
Sam jolted, dropping her legs to the ground as Paulina slammed her hands on the table and leaned in to yell at Sam more.
"Are you even listening to me!?" she yelled. Sam stared at her, an idea coming to mind, though she didn't like it. But the sensation was getting stronger, and Sam knew it was now or never. Standing to her feet, Sam glared into Paulina's eyes before giving her a rough shove backwards, causing the now stunned girl to stumble back a few feet before she composed herself and shrieked, "SAMANTHA! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR FUCKING MIND!?"
"WILL YOU PLEASE JUST SHUT YOUR MOUTH, FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE, PAULINA!?" Sam screamed back at her. Please let this work, she thought desperately. "FOR ONCE, CAN YOU JUST SHUT THE HELL UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE AND GET OUT OF MY FACE INSTEAD OF JUST BEING A SPITEFUL PAIN IN THE ASS!?"
Sam had to catch her breath, feeling her throat still buzzing from screaming and the adrenaline pumping through her with each beat of her heart. As she looked to her cousin, Sam could honestly admit for the first time in her life that she was actually scared of the other girl who appeared to be changing various darker shades of red. Paulina's balled up fists were shaking furiously, as was the rest of her, and Sam was very certain that she was about to get into an actual physical fight with her.
That thought, for whatever reason, amused Sam. The last time the two of them had actually gotten physical with each other, Sam had gotten the upper had before their parents stopped them, and though it was still a topic of debate on who won, Sam knew she would do the same even easier now with her powers. But the objective was to get Paulina to leave, not fight her, and though the plan of pissing her off had gone well, Sam was starting to think her honesty was having the opposite effect.
As Paulina opened her mouth, preparing to attempt to scream her cousin into the deepest pits of Hell, the ground gave a mighty shake, knocking the two over. Both girls held on to the table in an attempt to stabilize themselves. Paulina could feel her pulse jumping as her heart beat furiously, her eyes darting around in fear, while Sam could only bury her face into the table, her senses pumping like crazy at the presence of the ghost as her ring gave off a burning desire to be used by the faint glow, though Sam could feel it growing stronger.
Why is it so intense? Sam thought to herself. She had been around and sensed Ghosts plenty of times before, but it had never shaken her like this before. Was it the sun? The warm rays were beaming down on her at the moment. Perhaps it was energizing her and making her senses more intense?
"What's going on!?" Paulina shouted as the shaking began to pass and head straight toward the restaurant. The sounds of screaming could be heard from inside before the doors were flung open and people poured out of it. Paulina looked on in fright while Sam, starting to recover from the intense shock, turned to the doors and stared into the glowing eyes of something as it let out a roar.
"Damn," Sam said, knowing there was no way she could let that thing run wild around here. She was gonna have to do something, but with Paulina here, the best she could do was hold it off until the others got there.
Grabbing her wrist, Sam pulled Paulina up to her feet, righting her as she stumbled from the sudden jolt before Sam began to push her away.
"You need to get out of here, now!"
"Yeah, no kidding! Let's go!" Paulina shouted back, turning to leave, however, she instantly noticed Sam facing the Nasty Burger. "What the hell are you waiting for!? We need to get out of here!"
"Just go. I need to help those people in there," Sam said as she began to march her way toward it but stopped as she felt a jerk of her arm.
"Absolutely not! You are NOT about to go in there with that thing!" Paulina declared.
Same didn't reply, only jerking her arm free before breaking out into a run and pushing past the doors into the restaurant.
To be continued…