I was planning on having this story updated this weekend, but got sick… luckily my illness served as inspiration, ironically. Here it is, the next episode!

d~b

*Knock, knock, knock!*

"Get ready!" Pugsy whispered to Shaggy, both of them hiding in their positions- while Flanigan only fidgeted nervously- as Alexandra stormed in, kicking the doors open and shoving Flip aside.

"Alright, Mammoth, what's this I hear about a live-action movie about Josie, and my character not getting any of the spotlight?!" she demanded. "I want a remake of that film, only make ME the star!"

"No can-do, Alexandra," Pugsy said out of the corner of his mouth, waving Mr. Mammoth's hands. "We've already had too many cartoon-based live-action movies flop, we can't risk another…( especially if it turned out to be a box-office failure with you in the lead)."

"You're the producer! You make the calls… and I say you do it! AND WIPE THAT SMILE OFF YOUR FACE, IT'S CREEPING PEOPLE OUT!"

"Your face is creepifying people out," Pugsy said a little too loud.

Alexandra paused. "I know that vocabulary…" she looked behind the desk, seeing Pugsy. "You! What are you doing with Mr. Mammoth-" she looked over, seeing Shaggy's sneakers sticking out from underneath the curtain, and ripped it back. "What's going on here?!"

"Um, well, you see…" Shaggy began, then gasped. "OH MY GOSH, LOOK! ALAN'S BREAKING UP WITH JOSIE!"

Alexandra turned. "He is?"

*WHACK!*

Shaggy had grabbed the waste-bucket and knocked out Alexandra. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU MEATHEAD?!" Pugsy screamed.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to- I-I just panicked! She… and then you… I…" Shaggy stammered, dropping the waste-bucket, and fell into a chair. "I think I'm going to be sick…"

"Well, you have to admit, she had it coming for a while now." Flip quipped.

"Enough with the jokes, Flip," Pugsy said, kneeling beside Alexandra. "She's out cold… c'mon, we'd better take care of this,"

"How?"

Pugsy rubbed his chin…

Seconds later, they were trying to shove Alexandra into a metal cabinet in the office. "If she asks, the girls from Bratz did it," Shaggy grunted as they tried to make her fit, but with the cabinet being full of small boxes, documents, plaques and whatever else movie directors throw in there, it wasn't an easy task.

Flanigan only had his face on the desk. "What did I ever do to deserve this?" he groaned.

"Hey, either give us a hand, or-" Pugsy began.

Flanigan grabbed a script. "Yeah, yeah, 'read a script', I've got the pattern down… but why don't you boys just take Alexandra down to the infirmary?"

*Click*

"Too late, we've already got the doors shut." Flip said, then looked over at Mr. Mammoth. "Though, we could take Mr. Mammoth down there…"

"Like, why didn't we think of that before?!" Shaggy questioned, smacking his head.

"C'mon, we'll load him up," Pugsy sighed, and they picked up Mr. Mammoth, heading towards the door-

*Bonk!*

Accidentally hitting his head on the door-frame. "Whoops, sorry," Flip said, and they continued on.

"…I wonder if Dreamworks ever has days like this," Flanigan sighed, then decided- since there was nothing else to do but pray for a miracle- to read another script.

d~b

Episode 8

The One With The Hotdogs

It was the biggest event in Toon-History, the one day every cartoon near and far, old and new, all waited for. A day where anything could happen, involving a competition of such extreme measures that only the toons with the most guts could participate. It was an event full of glory, pride, and determination. And what was this event that had every animated character at the edge of their seats, you may ask?

It was the Annual Hot-Dog Eating Contest!

Every competitor, whether Anime, Hand-Drawn, or CGI, was bracing themselves. So far those competing were Goku, Chowder, Peter Griffin, Patrick Star, Naruto, Beezy J. Heinus, Monkey D. Luffy, Wakko Warner, Tucker Foley…

And, of course, our very own Shaggy Rogers, who sat in the dining room of his house wearing a napkin around his neck, a pile of hotdogs sitting in front of him, and at his side- looking like a pair of coaches- were Pugsy and Flip, who had agreed to help train Shaggy for the competition. "Man, too bad Scooby isn't here to help train you, Shag." Flip said, dumping another plate of hotdogs onto the pile. "How come he isn't competing, by the way?"

Shaggy sighed. "He got banned from the competition last year- he and Garfield reached for the same hotdog, and before anyone knew it, they were calling in Animal Control, the SWAT Team, and a pet psychiatrist." he answered. "…Plus, he promised Scooby Dee he'd take her on a romantic getaway cruise this weekend- she forced him to keep his word."

"That would explain why he was tied up when they got on the ship," Pugsy commented.

"At least you've got us to help train you," Flip said, then took out a stop-watch. "Alright, Shag, last night you ate 248 hotdogs in under 25 minutes, lets try to take it up a notch! The competition is tomorrow afternoon, so we've got only 38 hours to work with!"

"Right. Keep in mind, there's a $1000 check in it when you win it."

"As well as a trophy to put on the shelf next to your 'Smoothie-Slurking' plaque."

Shaggy nodded, holding up his hand so that it was ready to grab the closest hotdog, his tongue sticking upward out of his mouth.

"Ready… set… EAT!"

*chomp gobble scarf munch nom*

Shaggy was chowing down on the hotdogs, two at a time.

"C'mon, Shaggy, pick up the pace, you're slacking!" Pugsy said in a warning tone.

*GOBBLE SNARK OM NOM CHOMP MUNCH SCARF SLURP GULP*

Shaggy was grabbing handfuls of hotdogs, stuffing several into his mouth, devouring each and every one he could grab. "Go, Shaggy, go!/Keep it up, you're doing good/You're three hotdogs behind on your last record!/Almost there!" Pugsy and Flip coached.

15 minutes later…

Shaggy sat slumped in the chair, his stomach bulging through his shirt, traces of hotdog around his mouth, and had a glazed look in his eye as his head spun in dizziness. "C'mon, Shaggy, just one more hotdog left!" Flip exclaimed. "You've almost got your time beat!"

"I dunno, guys… I don't feel so good…" Shaggy moaned.

"You've already eaten 357, one more can't hurt," Pugsy said.

The [former] lanky teen grabbed the last hotdog, holding it up, looking at it, thinking about how his stomach was already full of them, and how the taste of them was practically tattooed on his tongue and refused to go away…

*Hurk!*

At the speed of light, Shaggy made a bee-line for the bathroom, hurling into the toilet. "…I think it hurt." Flip said, clicking off the stop-watch and looking at it. "Still not bad, though."

"We may have pushed him to his limit. C'mon," Pugsy said, and they walked over to the bathroom… and gasped at the sight they saw.

In order to keep the rest of you from losing your lunches, we'll just skip the description of upchucked hotdogs spewed onto the floor, being splurged all over the walls and curtains, and how Shaggy had to resort to using the bathtub as the toilet had already been filled and was overflowing, and just cut to how Shaggy was now skinny again, and looking very, very sick. "I think I ate too much…" he groaned.

"This from the guy who cleaned out the buffet at Valentino's last week, and was still eager to hit Dairy Queen for dessert," Pugsy scoffed.

"C'mon, Shaggy, you'd better lie down." Flip said, guiding his friend to the couch. "I'll go get you some clean clothes, while Pugsy cleans up this mess."

"Thanks," Shaggy muttered, sickly.

"Yeah, you'd better rest while- I do WHAT?!" Pugsy questioned. Flip handed him a mop and bucket and took off, leaving the teen sneering.

d~b

Later, once the mess was cleaned and Shaggy got a nap in, the threesome sat at the kitchen table. "Okay, Shag, we're going to take it easy now." Flip said. "Lets see how you do with only 100 hotdogs,"

"Sounds easy enough…" Shaggy said, though once he looked at the pile of hotdogs, he turned green and ran back to the bathroom, coming back five minutes later.

"Um, okay… we'll start off with only 50,"

Shaggy gave a *hurk*, his cheeks puffing out.

"25?"

He moaned, holding his mouth.

"10?"

He began to turn green.

"…how about just the bun?"

*ZIP!*

Shaggy shot to the bathroom once again, and from the sounds of it, didn't quite make it into the toilet. Flip gave Pugsy a concerned look, and he sighed heavily. "I'll get the mop…" the teen muttered, walking off.

Shaggy walked out, still looking queasy. "You know, Shag, maybe you should compete next year, you're pretty sick," Flip suggested.

"Ah, I can't do that, Flip. I already signed up, and if they don't see me participating, I'll get disqualified and let Scooby down." Shaggy replied, sighing. "Sick or not, I still have to be there…"

The nine-year-old scratched his head, thinking. "You get some rest, Shag. We'll figure something out." he then walked off, letting Shaggy lie down for a little longer, and walked by the bathroom, seeing Pugsy had cleaned up half the mess already. "What are we going to do, Pugs? Shaggy's too sick to compete,"

"Well we're not going to let him give up, first of all," Pugsy said.

"Oh, he's not, he's determined to show up… problem is, once he shows up, he might throw up."

"Then we'll just have to make sure he shows up, won't we? Now why don't you give me a hand here, so we can get back to business."

Flip nodded, grabbing a spare mop. As he cleaned, a plan began to form in his mind. Shaggy's so sick, he won't be able to take a single bite out of a hotdog without tossing his cookies, but he still needs to go to the event. he thought. If only there was a way for Shaggy to stay home and get better, and still go to the competition… he grinned when the idea popped into his head. And I think I know how!

"Pugs, you stay with Shaggy, and make sure he doesn't eat a thing! I'll be right back!" Flip exclaimed, running out of the bathroom.

"Oh, sure. Leave ME with all the work!" Pugsy called, finishing up with the cleaning, when he got an idea of his own. "Make sure Shaggy doesn't eat a single thing… that may just work!"

d~b

By that afternoon, Shaggy was feeling well… and hungry, as if he hadn't eaten anything that morning. He got up and walked over to the fridge, looking inside. "Lets see… what should I have for dinner?" he asked himself.

*Slam!*

Pugsy had shoved the fridge door shut, giving him a stern glance. "Nothing." he said firmly.

"Pugs! Like, what's the deal, man?!"

"Here's the deal- you're officially on a food-free diet until the competition tomorrow!"

Shaggy stared at him, as if he just told him to step in front of a train. "WHAT?! Are you crazy?! I can't go that long without food! I'll starve!"

"Tough! We're not going to risk you hurling during the competition, and I'm going to stick around to make sure you don't put anything in your stomach. If you don't like it, you'll just have to dealify with it!"

Shaggy let out a whine. This was worse than being sick!

d~b

Flip, in the meantime, had set up an office in his garage, with a sign outside reading: 'Shaggy-Doubles Needed- Hourly Wages Above Average'. He sat at a table, wearing a clip-on tie, looking professional. Within a minute, he had his first interview- Alexander.

"Alright, Alexander, what makes you think you're qualified to impersonate Shaggy?" Flip asked.

"Like, what more do you need? I have the shaggy-hairstyle, the 60's get-up, the cowardly personality, and I even sound like him!" Alexander replied. "I'm already a professional!"

"I see…" Flip then took out a large, 20-gallon jug of root-beer. "How good is your chugging?"

Alexander's sunglasses popped off in surprise. "What does that have to do with acting like Shaggy?"

"There's more to being a Shaggy-knockoff than just being a coward and looking like someone who just came back from Woodstock. You've got to have the appetite for it, too! So tell me, how do you feel about peanut-butter-and-tuna sandwiches?"

Alexander turned green. "Suddenly, I lost my appetite…" he then ran out.

Flip shook his head. "Next!"

d~b

Shaggy thought that Pugsy would just keep him from eating- he didn't think he'd go as far as to make him exercise, too! He was jogging down the block in a green sweat-suit, ready to pass out. "Can I stop now?" he begged/wheezed.

"Not until we reach 4th and Maple, and stop complaining- you're a professional when it comes to running, ain't ya?" Pugsy called from behind him.

"Yeah… but I never had to pull a guy in a wagon!"

Pugsy- who we should add was in a wagon, being pulled by a rope tied to Shaggy's waist- only rolled his eyes. "It'll be worth it, trust me. Now keep moving!"

"I caaaan't! I've lost the motivation…" Shaggy began to slow down.

Pugsy shook his head then took out a fishing-pole, with a hero-sandwich on the line, and dangled it in front of Shaggy. "Get the sandwich, boy! Get it!"

Shaggy's eyes widened and his tongue rolled out, and he ran after the sandwich down the block. Once they got to 4th and Maple, he caught it. "YES!"

Pugsy swiped it. "Ah, ah, ah… you can't eat anything, remember?" he then ate the sandwich.

Shaggy gaped, then rolled up his sleeves. "Why you…"

Pugsy jumped out of the wagon and started running, Shaggy in pursuit. "…If there was a better way to drive this guy to exercise, I'd like to see it!" he said to the reader.

d~b

Back with Flip, he was with his next client: Clamhead. "Well, Clamhead, you've got the looks, the lingo, and I noticed your appetite after taking a bite out of the wax-fruit on the table," Flip said, looking at a wax-apple with a huge bite out of it.

"Yeah, you could have warned me about that, " Clamhead said, wiping off his tongue.

"Well, I think you'll be a good stand-in for Shaggy. You can start tomorrow afternoon,"

"Tomorrow afternoon? Oh, I can't…"

Flip arched an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"I'm going to the Hotdog Competition! See you around," With that, Clamhead left.

Flip rubbed his head. This was going to be harder than he thought.

d~b

Shaggy- disguised as a bush- snuck over to a drive-thru window. "Psst! Can I get a double-triple extra large bacon-burger with two orders of curly fries and a jumbo shake?" he asked the man in the window.

"Sure thing, here you go." the man answered, handing him a large paper-bag and a shake.

Shaggy licked his lips, then opened the sack-

"What do you think you're doing?!" Pugsy snapped, popping out of the sack… take note of the little hamburger-bun on his head.

"ZOINKS!" Shaggy screamed, then abandoned the drive-thru.

Pugsy only caught the shake, slurping it as he shook his head. "Uh, that'll be 7.50," the man in the window said, awkwardly.

d~b

Flip sighed, scratching out another name on his list, then rubbed his temples. "Next…" he called, tiredly.

In walked Stanley… wearing a poor 'Shaggy' get-up. "Like, zoinks, I'm here for the groovy interview, man!" he said, trying to do Shaggy's voice.

Flip only stared, his eye twitching. "Um… Stanley? What are you doing?"

"Well, I saw you needed someone who looked like Shaggy- and I happen to be the master of disguises!"

"No offense, Stanley, but I don't think you're really cut out for it- though I admire your effort."

"Oh c'mon! You know how long it took me to get my hair the right style?! Just give me a shot!"

"Thank you, Stanley, that will be all…"

Stanley walked out, grumbling. "Wait till I tell Dad about this…"

d~b

It was late at night, and Shaggy snuck across the kitchen, towards his cabinets. Pugsy was asleep in the living room, so he was sure to get a snack now! He opened the cupboard…

*creeeaaaaak…*

"Step. Away. From the cupboard." Pugsy called from the other room.

Shaggy slammed it shut, walking off grumbling.

d~b

Flip sat with his next knock-off: Fangs. "I am impressed, Fangs- you not only look like Shaggy, but you also have a strong stomach like is, are cowardly beyond reason, and you both have similar tastes in outfits…" he said, tapping his chin. "You might be just what we're looking for!"

"Ooh, ooh, really? That's great! I've been needing a summer-job, but I keep getting fired from so many of them." Fangs answered.

"Really? How come?"

"I don't know, but it always happens when I look at the moon…" Fangs looked out the window, seeing the moon, and *poof!* changed into Fangface. "Arrroooo! *grr* Hi, Flip. What's up?"

Flip scratched his head. "I think I see the reason…"

d~b

Shaggy lie in bed, his stomach growling, and he moaned… then remembered he had a stash of junkfood hidden under his bed! "Like, I almost forgot!" he whispered, then reached under the bed, grabbing hold of something…

…which turned out to be the top of Pugsy's head. "Let go," he growled.

"Gah!" Shaggy released him, then glared. "Just how far are you going to go with this?!"

*click*

He looked down, seeing that Pugsy had attached a pair of handcuffs to their wrists. "Goodnight, Shaggy." Pugsy said, then went back to sleep.

Shaggy only whimpered.

d~b

Flip sighed, now on the phone. "Alright, Skip, I understand…" he said, then pushed a button. "Thanks for holding, D.D- oh, a case just came up? That's okay, thanks anyway," he then hung up, but the phone rang again. "Hello? …For the last time, Stanley, you're not qualified!" he slammed the phone onto the receiver, resting his head on the table. "This is hopeless… I'm never going to find the right candidate!"

"Uh, excuse me, but is the position still open?" came a voice, and he looked over to see Tinker standing there.

Flip looked him over- he had messy hair, a lanky figure, a long face… save for the southern-drawl, he was the closest to Shaggy he's ever seen all day! There was just one thing… "Please, tell me… do you love to eat?" he asked/pleaded.

"Do I? Well, I just drove from Applebee's, had seven orders of their specials… and I'm still hungry."

Flip's eyes widened and he smiled, practically hearing a choir of angels singing. "YOU'RE HIRED!"

d~b

The next day, everyone gathered at the competition that was being held on a beach, all the competitors fierce and determined… save for Shaggy, who was pale, shaking, had blood-shot eyes, and was on a verge of an emotional breakdown. "Must… eat… something!" he said, flinching.

"Easy, boy, save it for the competition," Pugsy said, patting him on the shoulder, and looked around. "Where the heck is Flip?!"

"Pugs! Shag! Over here!" Flip called, running over with Tinker… who was wearing an outfit just like Shaggy's. "I came up with a great… whoa, Shaggy, you look terrible! Is he still sick?"

"Nah, he just hasn't eaten all day," Shaggy let out a groan, but Pugsy ignored it. "What's with Tinker?"

"Oh, I hired him to stand in for Shaggy! He's got a strong stomach, and looks a lot like him, so I figured Shaggy could stay home until he got better, and Tinker could compete in his place!"

"Whoa, hold it there, little buddy… you just said you needed someone to look and act like Shaggy- you said nothing about a competition," Tinker replied. "That ain't an honest deal."

"He's right, Flip- that would be a form of cheating, and Shaggy would get disqualified," Pugsy said.

Flip hung his head low. "Aw man… so I went through all those interviews for nothing?" he griped.

"If it makes you feel better, it made for great filler." Tinker said. "Plus, I think Shaggy is more than better- he looks like a hungry animal!"

Shaggy was eyeing someone's nachos, drooling, and Pugsy had to keep a grip on him. "Stay…" he said firmly.

"All competitors to your mark! The competition is about to begin!" The announcer said.

Goku, Wakko, Tucker, Patrick, Luffy, Beezy, Peter, Chowder, and Shaggy all stepped up to the table, looking at the piles of hot-dogs. "On your mark… get set… CHOW DOWN!" the referee shouted.

The following sight was disgusting, as all the characters savagely devoured every hot-dog in their wake, Wakko going as far as eating a chunk of the table, accidentally eating Peter's shirt next; Patrick and Beezy lunged for the same hotdog and their heads collided, knocking each other out; Luffy and Goku got into a fight over a hotdog and were disqualified; and soon only Chowder and Shaggy were left…

"GO SHAGGY! YOU CAN DO IT!" Flip called.

"You made it this far, just one more and you win!" Puggsy added.

Shaggy and Chowder held up the last two hotdogs. "This was easy!" Chowder said.

"Yeah… but I think I might…" Shaggy began, then covered his mouth, hurking. "Oh no… *hurk*… here it comes… I'm gonna… *hurk*-"

"Oh no…" Pugsy and Flip said in unison, both of them covering their eyes.

Shaggy's cheeks puffed up, and Chowder stared at him… and suddenly felt queasy himself. "Ugh, I don't feel so good either… *HURK!*" he then ducked under the table and spewed.

"Chowder has been disqualified on counts on barfing," The announcer said. "If Shaggy can take just one bite from his hotdog without vomiting, he'll be the winner!"

Everyone looked at Shaggy, who stared at the hotdog, feeling a little nauseas from eating so much, and felt like he might hurl at any moment…

…then remembered he hadn't eaten in hours, and scarfed it down.

The crowd cheered, and Pugsy and Flip leaped into the air with joy. "YES!/He did it!" they both shouted.

Shaggy was given a large trophy and a check for $1000. "Congratulations, Mr. Rogers! What are you going to do with all that money?" A random reporter asked.

"I'm going out for dinner!" Shaggy replied, then took off. "And I know just who to share it with…"

Pugsy and Flip grinned.

d~b

They stared through a restaurant window, seeing Shaggy and Scooby sharing a large pizza that was the size of the table, with everything on it. "Congratulations ron winning, Raggy!" Scooby said.

"Like thanks, Scoob." Shaggy said, grabbing a slice. "So, like, how was the cruise?"

"As soon as he steps out of there, I'm putting him on another diet… for a year!" Pugsy groused.

"Well it'll teach you not to starve him like you did," Flip scoffed.

"Oh yeah? He wasn't too happy hearing about you trying to get a whole bunch of doubles to take his place. You'd better not try anything like that with me!"

Flip paused. "Uh, Pugs?" he pointed over.

Pugsy looked… seeing Stanley dressed like him! "What? I figured I could give it a shot," Stanley said.

Both of them could only put their faces in their palms.

d~b

A/N: And there you go! Now if you'll excuse me… To the kitchen! *takes off, hungry*