Jack Storm stood in front of the portal… and smiled.
"This is it."
The machine hummed faintly, inactive—but not for long. He could feel it in the air. The pressure. The instability.
Everything was lining up exactly how he remembered.
Behind him, Maddie Fenton and Jack Fenton were still talking—arguing, really—about calibration settings and energy output.
They weren't ready.
Not yet.
Which meant—
The accident would still happen.
Footsteps echoed from the stairs.
Right on cue.
Danny Fenton entered the lab.
"Mom? Dad? I thought I heard—"
He stopped when he saw Jack Storm.
"…Uh, who's that?"
Jack Storm turned, calm and relaxed.
"Name's Jack," he said. "New in town."
Danny blinked.
"Another Jack?"
"Yeah," Jack Storm smirked slightly. "Try not to get confused."
Maddie stepped in quickly. "He's just visiting. Stay out of the lab for now, Danny."
That line.
Jack Storm remembered it clearly.
This was the setup.
The moment before everything changed.
Danny hesitated… then nodded slowly.
"Yeah… okay."
But he didn't leave.
Of course he didn't.
Curiosity always won.
Jack Storm's eyes flicked back to the portal.
"…Any second now."
[System Alert]
Critical Event Detected: Ghost Portal Activation
His heartbeat slowed.
Focused.
Controlled.
This was where most people would hesitate.
Where they'd think:
Should I interfere? Should I stop it?
Jack Storm already had his answer.
"No."
Danny becoming half-ghost was essential.
But—
That didn't mean he couldn't benefit too.
Jack Fenton suddenly slammed a button.
"Let's fire it up!"
"Jack—wait—!" Maddie snapped—
Too late.
The machine roared to life.
Green energy exploded outward as the portal activated for the first time, tearing open a gateway to the Ghost Zone.
The entire lab shook.
Danny stumbled back slightly, eyes wide.
"Whoa—!"
Jack Storm didn't move.
Didn't flinch.
He stepped forward instead.
Right toward the energy.
[Warning: Extreme Energy Exposure]
[High Risk – High Reward]
"Exactly what I wanted."
Behind him—
"GET BACK!" Maddie shouted.
Danny froze.
Jack Storm moved.
Straight into the edge of the portal's energy field—
Just as Danny was pulled forward by curiosity… and a bit of bad luck.
For a split second—
Both of them were caught in it.
Green light swallowed everything.
—
Pain.
Not normal pain.
This was deeper.
Like his very existence was being torn apart and rewritten.
Jack Storm gritted his teeth.
"System—now."
[Emergency Adaptation Triggered]
[Absorbing External Energy…]
"Yes… take it."
The energy surged harder.
Danny screamed.
Jack Storm didn't.
He endured.
Forced it.
Controlled it.
[New Constitution Detected]
[Human → Hybrid (Unstable)]
His vision flickered—
Then snapped back.
The light faded.
The portal powered down.
Silence crashed into the lab.
—
Danny collapsed to the floor.
Unconscious.
Breathing—but changed.
Jack Storm staggered back slightly… but stayed standing.
"…Heh."
He looked down at his hand.
It flickered.
Just for a second—
Transparent.
Ghostly.
Then solid again.
[System Update Complete]
New Race: Partial Phantom (Prototype)
Skill Unlocked: Phase Shift (Lv.1)
Skill Unlocked: Spectral Energy Control (Lv.1)
"…Prototype?"
His grin widened.
"So I'm ahead of the curve."
Maddie rushed forward. "Danny!"
Jack followed, panicked.
"Is he okay?! What happened?!"
Jack Storm stayed quiet.
Watching.
Thinking.
Calculating.
Because now—
Everything had changed.
Not just for Danny.
But for him.
Danny Fenton slowly began to wake up.
Confused.
Unaware of what he'd become.
Jack Storm turned slightly, already planning his next move.
"From here on out…"
His eyes gleamed faint green.
"…I'm not just part of the story."
[New Objective Generated]
Outgrow the Original Protagonist
"…I'm the main threat."