Chapter 22: What's That Smell?

It was lunch time at Casper High and the students were feeling something unusual. "What's that smell?" Danny asked.

"Maybe the meat expired." Sam suggested. "You guys should eat only vegetables."

"Bite your tongue, Sam." Tucker retorted. "And it's not meat. I can feel it. It's probably Dash Baxter with another dirty underwear trying to make some nerd eat it."

"No way, Foley." Dash replied and pulled some underwear from his pocket. "My underwear doesn't smell like that. You can feel it."

"Dash Baxter, this environment is already foul enough as it is." The lunch lady complained. "Put that underwear back or I'll force you to wash it."

"NOOOOOO!" Dash screamed in horror. "I need it to win games!"

"That sounds like a silly superstition." She replied. "Then again, I used to think it was silly to believe ghosts exist."

Dash's fellow jock Dale approached him. "Honestly, Dash. That seems more like smelly socks like those I lost earlier."

Danny then felt his ghost sense. "Uh-oh."

The Box Ghost then showed up. "Beware." He said. "I am the Box Ghost. Master of all things cardboard and square."

"Who cares?" Danny, Tucker and Sam asked.

"You will." The Box Ghost replied while pointing a finger at Danny. "Beware." He said and then left.

Mr. Lancer then approached Danny. "Mr. Fenton, could it be the work of a ghost?" He asked.

"Mr. Lancer, if it's the work of a ghost I know, it's more likely to be Youngblood." Danny commented. "I can't think of anyone else childish enough for this."

"Alright, Mr. Fenton." Mr. Lancer replied, put a hand on his nose and left.

"You shouldn't be so sure, Danny." Sam suggested. "It could be Penelope Spectra as part of another plan to make students miserable."

"Attention, students." Principal Ishiyama announced. "Because of this horrible stench, Casper High is closed until second order. Pick your stuff and go to your homes."

"If that was Spectra's plan, it backfired." Danny commented as he got up. As he approached his locker, Dash Baxter stopped him. "What now, Dash?" Danny asked.

"Fenton, if there are ghosts behind this stink, please give them my thanks." Dash said.

"Whatever." Danny replied and kept going on.

His friends eventually caught up with him outside. "So, Nasty Burger?" Tucker asked.

"Actually, I'm going home and having a bath." Danny replied.

"Sounds like a good idea, Danny." Sam agreed.

"That smell wasn't so bad, guys." Tucker pleaded but then sniffed his armpit. "I stand corrected."

With that debate settled, Danny flew towards home. "Son, why're you home so soon?" Jack asked. "And why do you smell like an expired emergency ham?"

"School closed early because of some mysterious odor so I'm having a bath, Dad." Danny answered.

"And I'm gonna eat the emergency ham before it expires for real, Danny." Jack replied.

One bath later, Danny was about to phone call his friends when his cell phone rang. "Natasha?"

"Danny, I've heard about your school." Natasha said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah but, how did you know?" Danny asked.

"You underestimate how fast news fly when it's about a school attended by a superhero, Danny." Natasha commented. "Even you can't fly that fast, I believe."

"What about you, Natasha?" Danny asked. "Are you in school or whatever special education Princesses receive?"

"Time zone difference, Danny." Natasha explained. "I thought you'd be used to it by now."

'How come I've managed to get a higher than C average, I wonder.' Danny thought. "Anyway, how're things in Zoravia?" He asked.

"Oh, the usual." Natasha answered. "What about you?"

"I'm about to call my friends for an afternoon together." Danny answered.

"Ghost patrol?" Natasha asked. "Study group?"

"Just hanging out but I might do some patrolling afterwards." Danny answered.

Later on, at the Nasty Burger, Danny was telling his friends about the conversation. "So, are you saying having you as a student makes Casper High so famous an Eastern European Kingdom already heard of the smell?" Sam asked.

"Basically yes, Sam." Danny answered.

"In that case, have the Zoravian girls already heard of Danny Phantom's good-looking best friend?" Tucker suggested with a smile that creeped Danny and Sam.

"Tucker, Natasha and I didn't discuss that." Danny replied in annoyance.

Their conversation was then interrupted by an emergency broadcast from TV. "The Casper High cleanup crew has found a ghost in overalls saying "Beware"!"

Said ghost then showed up. "Beware! I am the Box Ghost! I've added boxes with smelly socks all over the place so people would know how threatening I am." The Box Ghost said.

"Ha! I knew it!" Dale, who also was at the Nasty Burger, exclaimed in triumph. "Smelly socks! Thank you, Box Ghost!"

"Now the school will stink and nobody alive can stop me." The Box Ghost said and started laughing until a new voice interrupted "Boxy!"

"Was that the Lunch Lady Ghost?" Danny asked.

"Darling." The Box Ghost fearfully asked.

"Don't 'darling' me, Boxy!" She demanded. "You should be helping me with our yet to be born child." She said while pointing at her belly. "Not spoiling school food like that."

"Ewww." Danny, Sam and Tucker said in realization she could be talking about Box Lunch.

"It's school food, dear." The Box Ghost added. "Nothing other than the changes imposed by that goth who was expected to become Danny Phantom's girlfriend can make it worse."

"Yeah!" Several students watching it on TV said, much to Sam's frustration.

"It might be true but that's no excuse." The Lunch Lady Ghost replied. "Now get back home!"

"Even ghosts know about the goth." Dash commented.

Principal Ishiyama then showed up in front of the cameras. "As we cannot open before a health inspector approves it, there will be no class tomorrow."

All students cheered at that news. "I'll watch several movies tomorrow!" Sam declared.

Danny's cell phone then rang. "Natasha?"

"Danny, I've just watched the news about the Box and the Lunch Lady Ghosts." Natasha commented. "Any plans for tomorrow?"

"Not yet." Danny answered, still surprised at how quickly news made it to Zoravia.

"In that case, Danny, would you like to come to the Kingdom of Zoravia to watch the preview of "The 40 Sheep"?" Natasha asked.

"I see you do want someone to sleep next to you." Danny commented.

"Yes, Danny." Natasha answered. "The Royal Family is expected to promote national movies so we got tickets. I think it'll be more bearable if you're there and nobody will bat an eye since you're already known as my boyfriend."

"I'll be there, Natasha." Danny replied and Natasha informed the schedule in both time zones. After the call ended, Danny told the news to his friends. "The 40 Sheep?" Tucker asked. "You should've asked if you had to take your own pillow."

Meanwhile, at the Turquoise Palace, Natasha was telling her parents. "He said yes!" She exclaimed. "He agreed to watch the movie with me!"

"We're happy for you, Natasha." King Carl replied and Queen Lena nodded.

"That is no surprise." Oleg commented, revealing his presence to the Crown Princess. "Who in their right mind would turn down a chance to watch The 40 Sheep?"

"Oleg? What're you doing here?" Natasha asked, partly because she was interested and partly to dodge Oleg's question.

"His Majesty, King Carl, has ordered me to bring a report of my latest search for Lubek's remaining allies." Oleg answered and then turned his attention to the King. "Here's my report, Your Majesty." He said and bowed to King Carl.

"Thank you, Oleg." King Carl replied. "You're dismissed." Oleg then left.

"Dad, shouldn't I have been on that assignment as well?" Natasha asked.

"Natasha, as capable as you've proven yourself to be while stationed in the United States, you were only sent there because there was no other choice." King Carl sternly replied.

"That's right." Queen Lena agreed.

End chapter.