It was a rowdy day at the Loud house. Lincoln and his sisters were off doing their own things, just as they always did, and their parents were working at cleaning up after them. As they were, a sound came in from the computer in the living room. Rita went over to it and turned it on, and there was her father Albert, whom the kids called "Pop-Pop". He was a retired war veteran who lived in Sunset Canyon, a retirement home in Royal Woods.
"Kids, come on downstairs!" Rita called. "Pop-Pop is on video chat!"
Almost immediately, the kids came down with excitement and gathered around the screen. They all started talking at once, which made Pop-Pop laugh.
"Alright, kids," he chuckled, "one at a time. Now, why don't you let me tell you all about—" But at that moment, the computer screen went static.
"Pop-Pop?" asked Lincoln. "What's going on?"
At that moment, the screen came back online. Only this time, it showed Lynn Sr.'s father, Leonard Loud—the kids called him "Gramps". He was at one point a fisherman, but recently he retired from fishing and took over as the headmaster of Lynn's childhood summer camp, Camp Mastodon. It was difficult for him to adjust, but he was getting used to it.
"Pop-Pop?" Leni asked in confusion. "What happened to you? How come you look like Gramps?"
"No, Leni," Lisa sighed, "that is Gramps."
"Ahoy, my little minnows!" Gramps called out. "How are things over there?"
"Well, actually Gramps," Rita explained, "the kids were talking to Pop-Pop."
"Huh?" Gramps asked in confusion, and then he remembered. "Oh, Albert! Sorry, I didn't mean to butt in."
"Here, let me set it up so we can see both of you," Lincoln replied, and he clicked on something with the computer mouse. Right away, the windows of both Pop-Pop and Gramps were set up next to each other on the screen.
"Ding-dang-darn it, I don't understand how these computer gizmos work," sighed Gramps. "I'm not as good with this technology stuff as you minnows are."
Pop-Pop frowned. "Shouldn't you be having bad service on that boat of yours, Leonard?" he asked.
"Nah, I'm not into the fishing business anymore," explained Gramps. "I'm in charge of me and my son's old camp now."
"Yeah," Luan joked, "it's 'boatloads' of fun! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, get it?" But nobody else laughed.
"It seems quite fitting," sighed Pop-Pop, "that the old run-down camp is being run by the old run-down you, Leonard."
That made Gramps angry. "Old and run-down?!" he declared. "Mastodon may be old, but she's still a beauty! And I for one happen to still be full of energy at my age!"
"What's that supposed to mean? That I'm old and lazy?!" Pop-Pop scowled. "I served as a fighter pilot in the military for this country! All you ever did was sail up north! You weren't even around for most of the kids' lives!"
"Well, at least I know about the last frontier!" Gramps retorted. "Being a seafaring person at my age is an accomplishment just the same!"
While their grandfathers were arguing, the whole family didn't get a chance to say anything. Pop-Pop and Gramps didn't even notice as the kids and the parents went off to the couch.
"Loud family, we have a problem," Lincoln declared. "Obviously, Pop-Pop and Gramps each believe they're the better grandfather for us."
"Pop-Pop and Gramps no like," sighed Lily, "bad for family." Everyone agreed with her.
"What are we going to do?" asked Lana.
"That's why I have a plan," Lincoln replied.
"As do I," Lisa lisped, and she went into the kitchen. When she came back, she and Todd showed her family a rolling chalkboard with a bunch of complicated science stuff written on it. "If we do a memory transplant between our respective grandfathers, I can convince them to see the benefits within each other and get them to stop arguing. Ergo, they will both respect each other."
"That actually was my plan, Lisa," Lincoln began.
"Excellent! I knew science would come in handy soon!" She began to walk toward the stairs. "I must admit, Lincoln, I am impressed you devised such a convoluted plan before I did!"
"Actually," Lincoln interrupted, "I was just going to suggest that we tell them about each other ourselves."
Lisa stopped. "Yes, that may work," she agreed, "but my plan is foolproof! Small disclaimer, it may result in Pop-Pop and Gramps forgetting who they are and putting them both into a rehab facility."
"Yeah, honey," Rita said, "we're going with Lincoln's plan."
Lisa frowned stoically, then she spoke to Todd. "Todd, dispose of the old plan."
Todd opened the front door and pushed the chalkboard out of the house. "Curse you, science, you have lost again…" he sighed, ending on a long droning sound.
Later that day, Rita and the kids had gone to visit her father at Sunset Canyon. Lynn stayed behind to talk to his father over video chat since he currently stayed on the opposite side of the state.
As Rita and the kids settled down in Pop-Pop's room, his girlfriend Myrtle made them refreshments as a caring grandmother would. Even though Myrtle was only an honorary grandmother to the kids, they were beginning to warm up to her.
"So," Pop-Pop began, "you're saying I may have misjudged Leonard?"
"Yes, Dad," Rita answered. "It's true that he's not around for me and the kids as much as you are, but he's got a heart of gold."
Leni was puzzled. "Gramps has a heart of gold?" she asked. "Did he find it inside a treasure chest somewhere?"
"Leni, sweetie, it doesn't mean he has an actual heart of gold," Lola explained to her sister. "It means he's caring and loving to all of us." But then she smiled and her eyes lit up. "Although, now I kinda wish he was made of gold. Then I'd display him in a trophy case and he'd be immortalized forever."
"That's nice, sweetie," Rita continued, and then she turned her attention back to Pop-Pop. "But anyway, he may seem rough and ragged on the outside, but he's a wonderful person on the inside."
"Oh, Al," Myrtle smiled, "I don't know why you seem so against Leonard. He sounds like a sweet man. I for one would love to meet him in person."
"Yeah, Pop-Pop," agreed Luna, "why don't you meet Gramps yourself? I bet you dudes would really hit it off if you just gave it a chance, and it'd make Pops happy too."
Pop-Pop thought about it for a moment. "Well, I suppose I could do it for you kids," he agreed. "But only if Myrtle gets to meet him too." The kids all began speaking at once in agreement.
"Oh, I think that's settled then," Myrtle smiled at the kids. "Your Pop-Pop and I will meet your Gramps. If you just give us the day and time, we'll try to be there."
The family smiled, but they knew they still had to get Gramps to agree to meet Pop-Pop. But they didn't want to just blow off visiting Pop-Pop, so Lincoln slipped quietly towards the front door.
"Where are you going, kiddo?" asked Pop-Pop.
Lincoln had to think of an excuse, so he tried to smile nonchalantly. "Uh, I have to…use the bathroom," he smiled. "I think I drank one too many Flippees before we came!"
"But you didn't have any—" Rita began, but then she realized what Lincoln was doing. "Oh, right," she corrected herself. "Yeah, you go on and do that, honey," she said.
Lincoln smiled and stepped outside the door, closing it behind him. And once he was outside, he called his dad on his phone, and Lynn Sr. answered almost immediately.
"Dad, how's it going with convincing Gramps?" he asked.
"Not very good, kiddo," answered Lynn, "Gramps says he's quite busy with his current batch of campers. The only time he's got to himself this week is Saturday night, and he needs that night to do his routine work around Mastodon."
Lincoln frowned, but then he smiled with a plan. "Then we'll just have to bring Pop-Pop to Gramps," he said, "and I've got just the plan to do it!"
After a few minutes, Lincoln came back into Pop-Pop's room. "Hey, Pop-Pop," he said, "how does this Saturday night sound to you?" he asked. "We can bring you to our Gramps' campground."
"Eh, well I was going to take Myrtle to that new automobile show downtown," Pop-Pop began, but he was stopped by Myrtle.
"But we can go there anytime, Al," Myrtle convinced him. "This invitation is something we might not get again for quite some time."
"Well, I suppose," Pop-Pop agreed.
"Great!" Lincoln smiled. "We can drive you there personally!"
"Well, only as long as I don't have to ride in that old clunker you call a family van," Pop-Pop said. "It makes me have digestive issues riding in that thing."
"Not a predicament," explained Lisa, and she revealed a plastic bottle filled with clear liquid. "I have a new abdominal settlement contraction that will deteriorate your digestive issues while riding in Vanzilla. But as a safety precaution, you must not eat for forty-eight hours before and after consuming it, as the rising levels of proteins found within your stomach acids may cause the lining to wear out."
"Or maybe Mom could just drive them in another car and Leni can drive us in Vanzilla," Lincoln butted in, and everyone agreed to his plan.
Lisa frowned stoically. "Science has been outperformed once again," she muttered, and she threw the bottle backward. The bottle broke and the liquid melted part of the floor in the room!
Pop-Pop stared in shock, and then he frowned. "Dang it."
Saturday came, and the family was all busy preparing to bring Pop-Pop and Gramps together. Early that morning, as the kids were busy hogging the bathroom—like always—Lynn Sr. had gone next door to Mr. Grouse's house. When he came back, he had a set of keys.
"Well, honey?" Rita asked. "How did it go?"
"Well, it took five Lynn-sagnas," Lynn explained, "but we got Grouse to lend us his car for tonight. Pop-Pop and Myrtle are gonna love it!"
As the kids and Todd came downstairs, they all were energetic about what they were going to do. "Okay," said Lincoln, "here's the plan: Dad and the rest of us will head to Camp Mastodon and help Gramps for the rest of the afternoon. At precisely noon, Mom and Todd will drive to Sunset Canyon to pick up Pop-Pop and Myrtle, then she will bring them to Gramps. We will have to do everything to make sure their night goes according to plan. So long as we keep our heads together, nothing can go wrong!"
Everyone agreed.
"Okay, time to put Operation Bring Pop-Pop and Gramps Together So They'll Begin to Appreciate Each Other and We Can Talk with Them in Peace and Also Think of a Shorter Name for This Operation into action!"
Everyone set out immediately. Lynn Sr. and the kids got into Vanzilla, and Leni hit the gas. Vanzilla started up and sped off for Camp Mastodon, but Lynn was slightly uneasy from Leni's manner of driving.
In a few hours, the crew arrived at Camp Mastodon. The campers and counselors were all faring okay, so Leni parked Vanzilla and everyone climbed out. But as they looked around, they couldn't see Gramps anywhere.
"Dad?" Lynn Sr. called. "Where are you?" At his reply, a boat horn sounded.
Lana looked towards the lake and saw Gramps's fishing boat on the water. "Hmm, Gramps says, 'Over here, my little minnows'."
Sure enough, Gramps was just beside his boat. As the family came over to see him, he became excited. "Well, I'll be a ding-dang diver!" he declared. "I wasn't expecting you kids to come around!"
"We just thought you might like some help, dude," said Luna. "After all, a camp master's gotta have his fam by his side!"
"Well, if you kids really want to help," Gramps replied, "you can start with trash collecting." He gave each of them a garbage bag and a litter picker. "This camp's gotta stay clean and neat, just as it should be. Then at night, I bring the trash to the local dump on my boat, just as I did as a fisherman. That's on my agenda tonight." He turned and began to head back onto the boat.
Lynn realized that he had to stop his father from going out, so he quickly stopped him. "Uh, wait a minute, Dad," he suggested, "maybe you could show me how to drive the boat? Then maybe I can do the trash delivery for you."
Gramps was puzzled, but he smiled. "Oh, sure thing, son," he agreed. "Come on, let me show you the ropes of this baby."
As Lynn walked onto the boat, he turned and winked at Lincoln. Lincoln responded with a thumbs-up, which meant his plan was going well so far.
But Lola couldn't help growling. "This job is too disgusting for a beauty such as myself," she muttered, "but…it's for a good cause."
Luan stepped up. "We'd better 'pick up' the pace, or else this will have been a 'wasted' effort!" she laughed. "Get it?"
Lola just rolled her eyes.
Meanwhile, back in Royal Woods, Rita and Todd had gone to Sunset Canyon to pick up Pop-Pop and Myrtle. They had packed a few suitcases and were loading them inside Mr. Grouse's car.
"Why do you need these bags?" Rita asked. "We're only going for one night."
"Oh, Al hasn't gotten to see a campground in a long time," Myrtle told her. "He said going to one would make him feel younger again."
"Come on, family," Pop-Pop smiled, "let's get this show on the road!"
Because Pop-Pop and Myrtle were older, Rita agreed to let them sit in the front while she and Todd took the back seat. They got inside and buckled up, but as Pop-Pop turned the key in the ignition, there was a clanking noise coming from the engine, and some smoke as well.
"Uh-oh, that doesn't sound good," Rita replied.
Todd unbuckled and opened the door. "I'll take a look," he said, and he rolled to the front of the car. As he opened the hood and looked inside, he sounded concerned. "Dang it, the crankshaft has loosened," Todd droned. "I have not been designed with automotive repair modes."
Pop-Pop came out of the car and peered inside. "Eh, let me take a gander at it," he told Todd. He did some fiddling around with the engine, and a few minutes later he came out. "There we go," he smiled, "good as new."
Rita was surprised. "Wow, Dad," she said, "I didn't know you knew a thing or two about cars."
"Well, those automobile shows I've been taking Myrtle aren't just for show," Pop-Pop chuckled. "Come on, let's get going!"
As Pop-Pop and Todd got back in the car, the engine started up again. They pulled easily out of the parking lot and headed for the road.
By the time the kids had finished their litter pickup, it was getting late in the afternoon. They were loading the full trash bags onto Gramps' boat. As they did, Lincoln got a text message on his phone. He read it, and then he spoke to his sisters.
"Okay, Mom and Pop-Pop are almost here now. We've only got a few minutes before they get here, so we have to keep Gramps from leaving," he told them.
"But how are we going to do that?" asked Lucy. "He does most of his work around the camp on his boat, so he's going to want to take it out."
"Yeah," Luan frowned, "and that'll put the plan in 'deep water'." She followed it up with a laugh.
"Don't worry," Lincoln told his sisters. "Dad's got it under control."
"Male sibling," Lisa stoically replied, "I hate to be the proverbial rain on your parade, but look at the lake."
Lincoln looked down, and they saw Gramps' boat was leaving! "Gramps! No!" he called, and he and his sisters ran down to the lake. But by the time they got to the shore, the boat was out of sight.
Lily looked on in despair. "Gramps no meet Pop-Pop?" she asked miserably.
"I guess this was all for nothing," sighed Lynn. "There's no point in Pop-Pop coming if Gramps isn't here."
"Who says I'm not here?" a voice called. The kids looked behind them, and there was Gramps! He smiled at the kids as they noticed him.
"Gramps?" asked Leni. "But how are you here and on your boat at the same time?" Then she gasped. "Wait, are there two of you?"
"No," Gramps chuckled, "your father is on the boat. He spent all afternoon learning how to operate it from me just so I'd be able to meet your Pop-Pop."
"He told you about that?" asked Luan. "But it was supposed to be a 'sea-cret'." She laughed, and then she frowned. "But seriously, you weren't supposed to know until later."
"Oh, I knew the whole time," smiled Gramps. "I know your Pop-Pop and I aren't always the best at getting along, but if my little minnows really want me to give it a try, I'll do it for you."
Everyone smiled, but then Lincoln's phone rang. He answered it and put it on speaker. "Hello?"
"Lincoln, honey," Rita said, "I hope this doesn't make things harder, but we've got a flat tire and no spare."
"Don't worry, Mom," Lincoln replied, "we'll just bring Gramps to you." As he hung up, he and the kids began to walk back up to the parking lot. But as they arrived, Vanzilla was gone!
"Dudes, where's Vanzilla?" asked Luna.
"It couldn't have just taken off on its own," Lisa theorized. "So, my most logical conclusion is that we must have forgotten to set the emergency hydraulic momentum system. Street name: parking brake."
Gramps was most shocked. "Ding-dang-darn it! You kids lost the van?!"
"Don't worry, Gramps," Lincoln tried to tell him. "We'll find it!" They all ran off down the road to try to find it.
Just down the road from Camp Mastodon, Rita and Todd were standing outside Mr. Grouse's car, which had broken down by a river. The tire had popped, so they were stuck in place.
"Oh, what a time not to have a spare, Grouse," Rita muttered.
Pop-Pop and Myrtle were looking in the trunk, but they had no luck finding anything. "Why would Mr. Grouse take the spare tire out of the car?" he asked in confusion.
Myrtle tried to keep smiling. "Oh, don't worry too much, Albert," she told him. "Rita did call the kids, so I'm sure they'll be here soon."
Just then, the kids came running through the trees with Gramps. As soon as they saw their mom, they hurried over to her.
"Mom!" Lincoln called. "We're here!"
Rita saw her kids and was surprised. "You kids?" she asked. "Where's your father? And where's Vanzilla?"
"We…kinda lost it," Lana answered sheepishly.
"What?!" Rita gasped. "What do you mean?"
"The kids forgot to set the ding-dang parking brake," Gramps answered, "so the van could be anywhere by now."
Everyone looked around, and then Pop-Pop gasped. "Look!" he called, and he pointed downriver. "Over there!"
The family looked, and there was Vanzilla! It was wedged against some rocks.
"That river leads to the falls!" gasped Gramps. "What are we going to do?!" Then he sighed. "If only I had my fishing boat."
The kids felt awful. "We're sorry, everyone," Lincoln sighed. "We just wanted Pop-Pop and Gramps to get together so they could know each other better. Then they wouldn't have to feel the need to keep competing for our attention. But now we're stuck here with no car and no boat."
Rita looked angry. "You're all grounded for a month once we get out of here!" she scolded them, but she was stopped by her father.
"Whoa, whoa, Rita," he said gently. "Don't be so hard on the kids. They meant well, after all."
"Yeah, and so what if the van goes under?" added Gramps. "At least we're all here, and we're all together. And that's more important to me than any ding-dang van."
"Me too," chuckled Pop-Pop.
Rita smiled slightly. "Well, I'm glad to know that," she began, "but that still doesn't explain where my husband has gone!"
Just then, there was a boat horn. The family looked upriver, and Lynn Sr. was coming down with Gramps' boat! He came to a stop near the shore and climbed out.
"Hey family," he told them, "this may sound crazy, but I could've sworn I saw something like Vanzilla stuck down there."
Gramps jumped into the boat. "Move aside, son," he told him, "I've got a van to save!"
Suddenly, Pop-Pop climbed into the boat with him. "I'm going too!" he declared.
"What?" gasped Lynn. "But you two don't like each other!"
"We may have our differences, Lynn," said Pop-Pop, "but now we're putting them aside to save Vanzilla!" Then he looked at Gramps. "Let's go, Leonard!"
"On it, Albert!" Gramps declared. He punched the gas, and the boat sped down the river.
At last, the boat arrived at the spot just before where Vanzilla was stuck. But the current was beginning to get stronger, and the rocks where it was wedged were gradually weakening. If Vanzilla broke free, it would plunge forward and straight off the waterfall!
"Okay, what's the plan, Leonard?" asked Pop-Pop.
"Take the wheel, Albert!" Gramps told him. "I'll use my fishing line to secure the van!" Gramps ran to the back of the boat and grabbed the fishing line, then he dove into the river and swam to the front of the van. Once he reached it, he tied the fishing line around the front bumper, and then he resurfaced and climbed onto the roof. "Okay, now pull!" he called over the roaring water.
Pop-Pop turned the boat around and went full throttle against the current. Slowly but surely, the boat began to tug Vanzilla up the current! Working together, they managed to rescue the van and bring it safely back to shore!
Once they safely docked the boat, Gramps, Pop-Pop, and the kids worked together to pull Vanzilla back onto dry ground. Everyone cheered once they were done, and Pop-Pop and Gramps were especially pleased.
Lana opened the trunk of Vanzilla and smiled. "Well, the good news is, I can use Vanzilla's spare tire to fix the one on Mr. Grouse's car," she told everyone.
But when Lynn Sr. looked under the hood, he frowned. "Dang it, this thing is busted! How are we going to get it repaired out here?"
"Don't sweat it, son," smiled Gramps. "I know this van inside and out. I can fix this thing."
"Say, Leonard," replied Pop-Pop, "maybe I could give you a hand?"
Gramps was surprised. "You really would be willing to help me? Even after all that we've been through?"
"Well, the kids do need both of us in their lives," smiled Pop-Pop. "And besides, I did help you save it."
"Oh, okay," Gramps agreed, and they shared a laugh.
A few days later, everything was back to normal. Vanzilla was repaired, the kids were back home, and Pop-Pop and Gramps had gone back to their usual lives. As they were having a rowdy time, a call came in on the computer.
"Kids, it's Pop-Pop!" Rita called, and the kids came in to see him.
"Hi, Pop-Pop!" they all called together, and they began talking all at once.
"Kids, kids, settle down," Pop-Pop chuckled. "Now listen, I have the most incredible—" But then he was interrupted by Gramps calling in.
"I still can't figure out this ding-dang thing!" he called. "Oh, hi my little minnows!"
"Hi, Gramps!" the kids declared, and they moved the two windows next to each other.
This time, Pop-Pop and Gramps smiled when they saw each other. "You know, Leonard," said Pop-Pop, "I was going to tell the kids a story, but since you're here, why don't you go first?"
"Oh, no I insist you go first, Albert," said Gramps. "You were here first, after all."
"No, I get to see them all the time," Pop-Pop insisted, "you should go."
As they began to argue, Lincoln just smiled. "Well, at least they haven't changed a bit," he said to nobody. "But at least they've accepted each other more."
Pop-Pop and Gramps stared at the kids, and they smiled. "Well, how about the kids go first instead, Al?" suggested Gramps. "After all, they're the highlight of both our lives!"
"That they are, Leonard," agreed Pop-Pop.
"Whatever you say, 'Gramp-Pop'!" called Luan, and she laughed. "Get it?" And this time, everyone laughed with her.