Danny
Danny had a test coming up, but he didn't have time to study. That night, several low-level ghosts showed up. He spent a few hours tracking them all down to capture in the Fenton Thermos. At least they waited until dark to come out. Danny got home so late (or early?) that he flopped on his bed without returning the ghosts to the Ghost Zone. The same thing happened the next night, though there were less ghosts.
On Wednesday night, Danny called in reinforcements. Tucker and Sam were happy to hop on their scooters and help with patrol. Sam quizzed Danny, and Tucker handled the Fenton Thermos.
They wound up at the docks on the river. A ghost wearing overalls was in a warehouse filled with boxes.
"Beware!" the ghost shouted. "I am the Box Ghost! I have power over all containers cardboard and square."
"Okay," Danny said with exasperation, "can we get this over with? I've got a test to study for."
"Study?" the Box Ghost asked loudly. "There will be no time to study when you find yourself crushed beneath the forgotten possessions of…" He paused to read the label on the box he held with telekinesis. "Elliot Kravitz of Arlington Heights, Illinois!"
The Box Ghost's eyes glowed green, matching the ghostly energy surrounding the various boxes that flew toward Danny. Danny simply turned intangible, and the boxes hit the wall behind him.
Danny sighed. "I don't have time for this! Hey, Tucker, let's go!"
Tucker and Sam burst through a door into the warehouse. Sam carried a biology textbook while Tucker activated the thermos.
"Good night, everybody!" Tucker said.
Danny snatched the Box Ghost and hurtled him in front of the thermos' beam. The Box Ghost screamed as he was sucked in. Tucker capped the thermos with a smug look.
"Perimeter secure," he said.
"Perimeter secure?" What are you, a Navy Seal?" Sam asked.
Danny hovered next to Tucker. "Seals: aquatic mammals that bark. They're canines, right?"
Sam checked the textbook. "Wrong." She closed the book with a snap. "That's zero for twenty-one."
Tucker spun the thermos on his fingertip. "I'm no teacher, but I'm guessing that's an 'F.'"
Danny flew between his friends and complained, "Come on, you guys. If you're gonna be superhero sidekicks, you're gonna have to be a little more focused." To Sam, he said, "You're supposed to be helping me study for the test tomorrow." To Tucker, he said, "And you're supposed to be helping me catch these ghosts so I have time to study!"
"What?" Tucker said, still spinning the thermos. "They're all right here."
That's when he dropped the thermos, and it landed on the release button. All of the ghosts from the last three days flew out, including the Box Ghost.
"Ha ha!" the Box Ghost said. "I am the Box Ghost! You cannot contain me within the confines of a cylindrical container." And he phased through the wall out of the warehouse.
"That's weird," Tucker said, consulting his PDA. "According to my schedule, we should be done catching ghosts by now."
Danny glared at him.
The Armored Ghost
Looking through specialized binoculars, a ghost in angular, hulking armor watched Danny. "Half human, half ghost," he mused to himself. He lowered the binoculars. "One of a kind. He'll make a fine addition to my collection."
Beside the ghost, a great cage held ghosts. It was so full that the ghosts on the edge had limbs and tails sticking out between the bars.
The Box Ghost floated up behind the armored ghost, arms raised and ready to spook.
"Ha ha!" the Box Ghost said.
The armored ghost didn't even turn around, but said, "Touch the box, and your pelt will adorn my fireplace."
The Box Ghost paused, and then shouted, "Beware!" before flying away.
The armored ghost raised his binoculars again.
Danny
Re-catching all of those ghosts was a pain and a half, but Danny got it done with Tucker's help. Studying, on the other hand, wasn't so easy. Danny was so caught up in fighting ghosts that he missed every question Sam threw at him.
All three of them were exhausted the next day, but at least Danny managed to stay awake through school. He answered every question on the test, even though he knew his answers must be wrong. He didn't have high hopes for his grade.
After school, he finally released the ghosts into the Ghost Zone. Most of them scattered when released, but the Box Ghost lingered.
"I am the Box Ghost! Where have you taken me?" he boomed.
"Somewhere far form my home," Danny muttered.
The Box Ghost eyed him. "Beware!" he shouted and flew away.
Sighing, Danny went back through the portal.
Danny — Friday Morning
Danny trudged into the kitchen the next morning. Jazz was there, waving around a magazine with excitement in her eyes. Mom had her goggles on, working on an invention. Dad was eating cereal at the kitchen table.
"Oh my gosh," Jazz said enthusiastically, "they said yes!"
Danny feigned delight and interest. "Who said yes? The person you asked if you were a conceited snob?"
Jazz wasn't even phased. "No, Genius Magazine said yes! They got my letter and want to put Mom on the cover!" She squealed, hugging the magazine to her chest.
Danny slapped his hands over his ears until she was done. He went to the cabinet to get a bowl for cereal.
"Genius Magazine?" Mom asked.
Dad stole the magazine from Jazz. "Genius Magazine?! Is it the swimsuit issue?"
"Uh, Dad," Jazz said, "Genius Magazine is for women geniuses, by women geniuses, and about women geniuses."
"So it is the swimsuit issue," Danny quipped, then frowned. "Oh, gross! Mom's gonna be in the swimsuit issue?!" He sat down at the table and poured cereal and milk into his bowl.
Jazz took the magazine from Dad. "It's not the swimsuit issue! But it is the perfect magazine to show that I have normal parents instead of a couple of ghost-hunting freaks."
Danny prickled. "They're not ghost-hunting freaks."
Dad proved him wrong by saying, "Hey, Danny, speaking of ghost hunting," he grabbed the invention Mom was working on, "check out the latest in ghost-hunting technology: the Ghost Gabber. Genius Magazine has to be interested in this. It takes the mysterious sounds a ghost makes and translates them into words you and I use every day. Here, try it." He thrust the invention in Danny's face.
What was Danny supposed to do? He just wanted to eat cereal and not be late to school. Sighing, he decided to play along. "Uh… boo?"
The Ghost Gabber, in a robotic female voice, said, "I am a ghost. Fear me."
Danny looked at his family nervously. "I'd better get to school." He left his cereal uneaten.
"I'd better get to school. Fear me," the Gabber said.
Danny managed a smile, but knew it was suspicious. Dad, however, looked at the Ghost Gabber in confusion.
Mom, who now had the magazine, said, "That's great about the magazine, sweetie, but your father and I are a team. I think that beside every genius woman, there's a genius man."
Dad wrapped an arm around Mom. "Who should be standing beside her on the cover of Genius Magazine! The world needs to know that the Fentons are a family of geniuses," he boomed.
Danny slipped out of the kitchen, stomach grumbling. He would have to hold out until lunch.
Danny — at school
"I got a 'D'?!" Danny despaired. He, Tucker, and Sam were in the library. Sam sat away from them at a computer. "All this ghost hunting is taking away from my study time."
"So much for the Fentons being a family of geniuses," Tucker said unhelpfully.
"I can't get a 'D' in biology," Danny said, sagging on the table. "My parents will kill me."
"Not if you pull your grade up by doing an extra credit biology assignment," Sam said, reading a webpage titled, "Extremely Rare: Sampson." "On this magnificent creature.
Danny walked up to the computer. "A purple-back gorilla?"
"Yep," Sam said. "Extremely rare. Only two left, both male. After this, they're gone forever. Which is why you are going to prove he deserves to be set free."
Danny said, "I don't have time for extra credit… or your stupid agendas."
Tucker checked his PDA. "Actually, you do. You just have to learn how to manage it better. I decided to become your time manager. It's the least I can do after Sam made me let all those ghosts out."
Sam glared at him.
Danny sighed. "I don't know."
"It'll be my job to keep track of your schedule, so you can catch all those ghosts that Sam let loose," Tucker said, ignoring Sam's glare.
"Remember what happened when I let you manage the thermos?" Danny asked.
Tucker tapped his PDA. "And I've already scheduled 'Remember: not to let Tucker handle the thermos.'" He showed the screen to Danny.
"I suppose we could have a trial period," Danny said.
"See?" Tucker said. "I've also scheduled some zoo time, so we can check out that gorilla. Let's go."
They walked out of the library, leaving the website on the computer screen.
The Armored Ghost
The armored ghost phased into the library and looked at the computer screen. "Hmm, so this is your prey, eh, Ghost Boy?"
A red-headed boy walked up to the ghost. "Uh, excuse me, sir? Are you finished with the computer?"
The armored ghost shot several ecto-blasts at the boy, trapping him upside-down against the wall, a ghostly green web securing him in place. His eyes were covered, too. The boy cried out in fear.
"You thought you could sneak up on me, Skulker? Ghost world's greatest predator?" The boy continued to wail. "Quiet, you're in a library." He shot more ectoplasm over the boy's mouth before leaving the library. The ectoplasm webbing disappeared shortly after.