Fred watched as the various contestants gathered on stage. Though a bit jealous of the rest getting to compete, he had never been one for scarfing food unless he had too. But he had nothing against a friendly competition, as it was good for the spirit. But there was more to the competition then just who can eat watermelon the best. If he knew one thing, Daphne and Velma were up to something.

Acting on instinct, he had a hard time suppressing his urge to uncover the secret passed between the two ladies. Something was going on enough, that Daphne had to cheat to win... Something. But what could it be?

Pushing through the crowd that was collecting by the stage, he made his way by the judges and information table. As the people were distracted with the setup, he just slipped himself close enough to peek at the prizes.

"Ah, so that is her game." He said with a smile. It brought back nice memories. But he didn't have any time to get to memory lane as the speakers crackled to life.

"Good Evening Ladies and Gentleman. Hurry up and gather round for our annual Water Mellon Eating contest! These fine folks have put their pride on the line and are ready to take part in our glorious event! But we have a twist this year!"

Like a true entertainer, the man added flair to keep the audience hanging on his every word. And even this got Fred's attention. Perking his head up towards the stage, Fred noticed a group of ladies pulling off cloth that covered the 'twist' that this year was apparently introducing. But Fred wasn't sure what a bunch of buckets could do with the competition.

"...Besides just who can eat the watermelons the fastest! We are having an accuracy contest as well. Since the last few years the competition was too close to tell, we added this little twist. Not only must you finish the melon, but each bucket is placed at a amazing four feet in front of each contestant! The person who has the most seeds in their bucket might just beat out to get second place! Competitors! Get ready... set... GO!"

With a bang of the gun, the contest was on. They had placed Daphne, Shaggy and Velma close together, so Fred didn't have to stress to watch each of them on the large stage. There were probably twenty people competing, but already it was leaning in his gang's favor. While Daphne started off rather fast, Shaggy seemed to be pacing himself due to the prior meal he had already had. But going the slowest was Velma, who seemed to be testing the wind and making some mental calculations. Fred smiled as he figured she was probably going to use some type of math formula to figure the perfect arch to get the seed into the bucket. A few of the contestants had tried to hit the bucket, but none had gotten to many in. With a nod, Velma aimed and spit her seed. The first missed, but it would be the last as the second little seed made a small ting as it hit the bottom of the metal bucket. The crowd went wild!

Though among the crowd, there came a slight whining noise. Looking down, Scooby had come up next to him and was sulking.

"Oh come on Scoob. It's not like this will be the last eating contest. Plus, they have a plan."

Confused, the Dane looked up at Fred. Raising an eyebrow, he glanced over at the girls and then back to Fred.

"R'an? Rhat r'an?"

"Do you remember back when we were kids? When you were just a pup? Shaggy had something he wanted from a competition and he ended up getting himself sick?" Placing a paw to his chin, Scooby thought about it. It was a long time ago though, making it hard for Scooby to remember. Bringing his paw down, he shook his head.

"R'ope!"

"Man, I remember like it was yesterday..."

"Resterray? R'it ras r'ike resterray? Resterray r'I ras rungry..." Thinking about it, the Dane recalled being hungry the day before. And since they had just eaten, he wasn't too hungry. So it couldn't have been like yesterday.

"It's a saying Scoob. I mean I can recall it clearly as if it was yesterday."

"R'oh, r'ok!..." The Dane nodded, though Fred wasn't sure if he fully understood. But that was ok. He might recall the story as he told it.

"It was like yesterday... But not yesterday." Fred corrected himself, just in case. "Ever since Shaggy was little, he loved Commander Cool and collected just about ever comic book that had come out. But his collection wasn't complete yet."

Thinking back, Fred had to smile. Those were simpler days, and it was nice to recall being so young. Though Shaggy hadn't changed much over the years, mainly just got taller. He was still the same old Shaggy he knew back then.

"... The mall was holding a competition. We knew way ahead of time that there was going to be this cookie eating contest, and the prize had caught Shaggy's eye since it was a Commander Cool comic he didn't own yet. The sponsor was the local comic shop, and the eating contest was also super hero themed. It had all the kids in an uproar."

it was amazing what well placed advertising and marketing could do. The mall must have made a killing that day, with all the kids coming to the mall to compete.

Looking up, Fred tried to see how well things were going. Daphne had slowed considerably, but she was holding a consistent lead. Velma was still pacing her, but her speed for the seeds was incomparable to the other contestants. The sounds of the seeds hitting the bucket had caught the other competitors eyes, but none could match her accuracy. Not that some didn't try. Shaggy looked like he was struggling, showing clear signs that it wasn't the best plan to eat before a contest, but that had been the plan all along though...

"Shaggy begged for days, for Daphne to help him make a Commander Cool outfit for him. He had owned one before, but a certain little puppy had buried it one rainy afternoon and it had been ruined." Looking down, he gave a look to Scooby. The Dane quickly looked away, whistling his innocence away. Fred rolled his eyes and continued.

"Finally, Daphne agreed. With the costume in the process, and time coming close to the contest, Shagy begun his cookie training. Cookie box after cookie box was bought by begging various parents, and we had gotten a decent amount to practice with. Probably TOO much to practice with, as even Shaggy's mighty stomach had caved under the intense training. And right before the day of the contest. Shaggy was devastated..."

Looking up, he noticed that same sickly green color starting to form on Shaggy's face up at the table. Closing his eyes, Shaggy sighed as he placed down his last watermelon, not wanting to press his luck. He knew he was beaten... The girls plan had won. Though he was not the only one to have quit, several people down the line had given up long before Shaggy, and not nearly having as many plates littered around him. Even if most still continued to the end, it was clear that he had a clear shot for second or third, depending on how much Velma ate. She was behind him on plates, but her seeds in the bucket were definitely something to fear. Shaggy had been ok with spitting, but he had been too busy eating to really think about spitting out the seeds sometimes. Fred smiled, seeing the plan fall into place.

"...She was so mysterious... The little girl in purple who won the contest that day. I got Velma to help me drag Shaggy to the contest. Even if he wasn't competing, it was still such a big event that there was bound to have some free stuff for those there. It was good that we had gone, or I would not have believed it with my own eyes. She called herself 'Super D', and had a purple super hero outfit. It wasn't modeled after any super hero I knew, but that didn't matter. With a mask covering her identity, she sat down and blew away the competition, earning her the comic."

There was a roar from the crowd as the contest came to a close. Scooby jumped to his back paws to be able to see who won. It was clear from where the announcer was standing, that it was one of the gang at the end of the table.

"In third place! Shaggy Rodgers! Better luck next time... Second place goes to the lovely lady to his left, Velma! Her seed spitting skills will be talked about for years to come! And the winner is!... " With the announcer drawing out the winner, Fred laughed. He would have to pick on Velma later for earning that title. Looking over at Scooby, he gave the Dane an affectionate scratch on his head.

"But a funny thing happened... With comic in hand, the purple masked girl gave it to Shaggy before disappearing into the crowd... Red hair trailing behind her as she vanished among the people. Shaggy never knew who she was..."

"Daphne! With an amazing amount of eight pounds of watermelon! Congratulations to our winners, and everyone who came out today to compete! And now the Prizes! To the first place winner, you will receive a plaque that bears your name as this years Watermelon champion, and a brand new Camera! So you can take pictures next time!" Grinning from ear to ear, though stained with pink all over her mouth, Daphne was thrilled. Not only to have beaten Shaggy, but to have a brand new camera in her collection. Which to her, was never a bad thing.

"Second place earns a brand new Encyclopedia Britannica! Perfect way to look up Watermelons and their historical journey to the Americas in the 1500's."

The cheers weren't as loud as they announced that prize. There seemed to be murmurs among the people near Fred, all feeling like that was a pretty stupid second place prize. But little did they know, it went to the one person who would want it over any other prize on the board. That and since it was a CD version, it was a lot easier to bring on road trips. Breaking and books were never a good combination... And the back of Fred's head knew better then anyone.

"And finally, Third place prize is a all you can eat pass to any of the sponsored restaurants and shops for the next half year! To help you train for next year! Thanks everyone for coming, and we hope to see you next year! Have a good one!"

The speaker died down and slowly the crowd dispersed into the rest of the carnival. One by one, the other contests gave the winners a pat on the back or a handshake before leaving. Soon, it was only the three left on the stage.

"Oh... I'm full." Groaned Daphne, placing her head upon the table in a spot that wasn't covered in watermelon. Fred made his way over and hopped up to give them all his congratulations.

"Looks like your plan worked." He said smug, seeing the price she paid for her brilliant idea. Shaggy was still in shock, he was absolutely tickled for his prize.

"... You planned to have me get third, so... I could get that?"

Tears were forming at the edges of his eyes. Never had Shaggy been so happy to not win, at least when it came to food. Pride was one thing, but friends were so much better. Adjusting her jaw, Velma massaged where her mouth connected to her skull.

"Ugh. Ow. Yeah... Daphne heard the announcer telling someone about the prizes. She got the crazy idea to beat Shaggy by filling him up first, before the contest would be announced. And once she told me the second place prize, I was more then willing to help. Though I think I over did it with the seeds."

Fred laughed, coming over to peer into the bucket. It was quite a sight... Probably the most amount of seeds he had ever seen in one place since the last Jones family picnic.

"That is worth talking about for years!" Fred jeered, earning a groan from Velma. A brilliant mind, Several masters degrees under her belt... And now Queen of the Carnival Spitting Seeds. Just what her resume needed.

"Ugh... I don't want to move. How about we sit around for the next few... Hours..." Daphne lamented into the table, sounding funny as she spoke into the wood. Fred came over and helped pick up her head. He gave her a kind smile and offered a hand as he leaned in close.

"Come on Super D, I know the perfect place to rest."

Her eyes widened with the recollection of that name, before she blushed a bit. She had been caught, but she figured Fred would have figured it out. She already knew that Velma knew, as the woman had walked in on her testing out the outfit as she was a kid. Helping Daphne to her feet, Fred made sure to whisper just to her.

"Don't worry, I won't tell."

"Tell, tell what?" Shaggy wondered, on his feet and already feeling better. Since he had stopped early, he had enough time to let his body digest enough to make it easy to walk around. He was a master level eater after all. Fred looked back and waved his hand at the other man.

"Nothing, I was just saying how I know of a perfect place to rest. How about a few rounds on the train that circles the Carnival? We still have some time to kill before night falls. Come on Gang."