Chapter 9: The first chase sequence
Everyone stared at the blank space with shock, unsure what to do.
"Someone must have took the plaque during that phantom's appearance." Fred remarked.
"Yeah." Principal Spears nodded. "It's too bad, though, that the Mysteries Five aren't here. They usually are the ones that deal with a situation like this."
"Should we call the police, then, Principal Spears?" Augie asked.
Before the school principal could answer, Shaggy saw Scooby sniffing around the area where the plaque was hung at and below where the phantom was floating in the air.
"Like, hang on." Shaggy says as he put up his hand just as Scooby discovered something on the floor. "I think Scoob's found something."
"Reah, reah!" Scooby nodded as he motioned to the floor.
Fred, Shaggy and Daphne walked over and leaned in to look. It appeared to be of some powder.
"Why, it's just some powder." Fred says.
"Powder, yes." Shaggy nodded after a close examination of the substance. "But I think the real effect comes when the lights are out."
Tom was standing near the light switch, and when he saw Shaggy's hand signal, he nodded and switched off the light.
There was a gasp from the crowd as the powder on the floor started glowing in the dark.
"Holy moly! You're right, Shag!" Fred nodded.
"I think Scooby and you may be onto something, Shag." Daphne agreed as Shaggy told Tom to turn the lights back on.
Once the lights were back on, Shaggy turned to the principal and said, "Like, if the Mysteries Five were here, I'm pretty sure that the first thing they'll do when they discover that powder is to take it to the school lab to examine it."
"Say, now that you mentioned it, Shag, why don't we try to figure this out?" Fred asked.
"Works with me." Daphne smiled. "I've always wanted to get my hands on a mystery."
"Like, same here, Fred." Shaggy nodded. "But before we go on, Principal Spears, can you tell us about Paul Wilkins?"
"Certainly." Principal Spears nodded. "He was a star football player for Central, and he was responsible for helping the school to win the state finals in the 1927 season. However, after securing victory for the football team in the 1930 state finals, he disappeared in the locker room after getting into an argument with his teammates and was never seen again."
"Jeepers." Daphne remarked. "What was the occasion for the argument with his teammates, Principal Spears?"
"He felt that the credit for scoring the game-winning touchdown rightfully belonged to him and was cross when the team captain claimed credit for scoring the game-winning touchdown." Spears replied.
"I see." Fred nodded.
"Like, in the meantime, perhaps we should go over to the chem lab and examine that power Scoob found on the floor, Fred." Shaggy suggested.
"Great idea, Shag." Fred agreed. "Perhaps you and Scooby can go over to one of the chemistry labs to examine that powder while Daphne and I search around here for more clues."
Moments later, Shaggy and Scooby were in one of the chemistry labs. Both were donning lab coats, gloves and goggles, with Shaggy now dressed as a mad scientist with Scooby his assistant.
Looking around, the duo went to a table, with Shaggy walking over to the cabinets to get the glassware.
As he looked through the cabinets, he noticed one of them was empty.
Raising an eyebrow, he remembered that it was supposed to store some chemicals.
Shrugging, he got the equipment they needed for the test and got down to work.
"Like, alright Scoob." Shaggy says to Scooby as they stood by the tables with the lab equipment. "Let's take a look and see what this powder is made of."
"Rokay, Raggy." Scooby nodded before taking a sample of the powder and placed it into a test tube.
As the duo made some tests in the lab, neither of them were aware that a dark-looking figure was watching them from the doorway.
Moments later, the duo finished the testing.
"Like, I think we know what the powder really is, Scoob." Shaggy said. "We'd better let Fred know."
"Reah, reah!" Scooby nodded, but their conversation was interrupted by some growling.
"Like, I hope you had enough to eat, Scoob, because I can hear your stomach growling." Shaggy said.
"Romach?" Scooby asked. "Rhat wasn't me!"
"Eh? It wasn't me either!" Shaggy said. "If it wasn't either of us, then who could it be?"
The duo suddenly came to a realization before turning their heads to the back.
It was the Ghost of Paul Wilkins, who growled at them and had his arms up in a menacing fashion.
Shaggy and Scooby swallowed when they came face to face with the ghost, but Shaggy suddenly had an idea.
"Like, take this." He said as he handed a flask containing two chemicals mixed together in it to the ghost.
The flask was shaking as Shaggy handed it to the ghost, due to an unstable chemical reaction going on inside it with the two chemicals mixed together, and it seemed like it was ready to go off in any minute.
"Huh?" The ghost inquired as it held the shaking flask, unaware that Shaggy and Scooby had slipped away.
The duo made it to the door and shut it, in time for an explosion to go off inside the lab.
"Like, that was a close one, Scoob!" Shaggy said as he and Scooby opened the door.
Inside the lab, the Ghost of Paul Wilkins was covered in blue powder and it was still holding the now-broken flask.
"Like, that ghost sure looks blue, eh Scoob?" Shaggy said to Scooby.
"Reah! Blue rindeed!" Scooby agreed and laughed, but that laughter was cut short when the ghost growled at them as it walks towards them.
Seeing the angry ghost, Shaggy laughed nervously. "Like, cheer up soon, eh?"
The ghost responded by growling fiercely at them.
"Like, I don't think he's happy, Scoob." Shaggy said. "Gangway!"
Immediately, the duo took off before the ghost could grab them. The ghost then took off, returning only to shake the blue powder off itself and doing a quick cleanup inside the chemistry lab before giving chase to Shaggy and Scooby.
(Note: The idea of an explosion leading to someone getting covered by blue powder is inspired by Back to School, Mr. Bean, in which Bean created an unstable chemical reaction that led to an explosion inside the chemistry lab and covering a student with blue powder.)
The duo raced down the hallway with the ghost in close pursuit, and they eventually reached a stretch of the hallway with five doors on both sides.
Immediately, the duo took the first door to the left, followed immediately by the ghost.
Then, they exited the second door and raced across the hallway to the second door on the right, while the ghost exits the fourth door on the left and enters the fourth door on the right.
Then, Shaggy and Scooby separated as they each exited a door on the right and entered the door across the hallway, while the ghost ends up exiting the fifth door on the right and enters the door across the hallway.
The whole scene eventually becomes mixed up, as the trio simultaneously exits a door and raced across the hallway and enters the door across it.
Eventually, Shaggy and Scooby entered a door on the left and slammed it shut. The ghost then reaches the door and tries to open it, only to find it sealed shut.
Pulling with all its might, the ghost finally pulled the door open, but when it peek into the room, a baby can be heard crying.
Inside, Shaggy, who's now dressed as a nurse, comforts Scooby, who's dressed as a baby and is crying.
Seeing the ghost on the doorway, Shaggy glared at it and placed a finger by his mouth as he said, "Shhh!"
The ghost quickly backed away and closed the classroom door gently as if it was saying, "Sorry for the disturbance."
A minute went by before it realized that the nurse and baby looked familiar, and after realizing that they were Shaggy and Scooby, he slammed the door open, only to find the room empty.
As the ghost looked into the room, wondering where did Shaggy and Scooby went, the duo managed to make their getaway down the hallway.
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