At the Money Bin, it has been around 3 months since Scrooge and Glomgold started their richest duck competition, and Scrooge was insistent on working... even when he is sick.
"Uncle Scrooge, you're sick. You shouldn't be on your feet." Huey protests as he, Webby, and Rebecca follow Scrooge into the Bin.
"Ae have ta make my morning meeting. A stuffy nose and clogged ears won't kill me." Scrooge argues.
"Yeah! He's vanquished mythical beasts, demonic armies, robot uprisings!" Webby adds as Scrooge presses the elevator up button with his cane.
"Which would probably wear out someone half his," Huey then whispers to the girls, "advanced age."
"Advanced age!?" Scrooge protests.
"He's not wrong about that. You aren't exactly in your prime anymore, Uncle Scrooge." Rebecca says, worried about her uncle.
"Hogwash! Ae'm fine!" Scrooge sniffs as the elevator door opens, Manny coming out with a cart of old inventions.
"[Where should I put this science waste from the lab?]" Manny clops out.
"Fer the last time, ae'm not sick!" Scrooge says, not understanding as he hits the cart with his cane and walks into the elevator with Webby.
"[That's not what I...]" Manny clops before shrugging to Huey and Rebecca, who enter the elevator as well.
Eventually, they reach the top floor and Scrooge's office, where Huey is still talking to Scrooge, who looks annoyed.
"According to the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook, your sickness could be-" Huey is cut off by Scrooge closing the vault door.
"Huey, sometimes you need to shut off that big brain of yours." Rebecca remarks.
"But Uncle Scrooge-" Huey is then cut off.
"Doesn't want to have someone constantly pestering him when he is sick. He clearly wants things quiet and some alone time. I know I do."
"Yeah. Besides, this is Scrooge McDuck we are talking about! Things will be fine in no time." Webby assures.
Then, Rebecca gives an off look. "Wait, something feels off." She comments, as all of the sudden Scrooge exits the vault, throwing open the door.
"Glomgold!" Scrooge yells.
"Knew it." She remarks as Scrooge storms to the meeting room to confront Glomgold, following him with the other 2.
As it would turn out, Scrooge had discovered some money had been stolen from his bin, and thus has Gyro and Ian increase the security measures, using Donald to test them. All the while, Huey is still fretting over Scrooge's health.
"Chicken soup? Restorative nutrients." Huey offers a spoonful to Scrooge, who pushes it away.
"Again, Huey, stop pushing it. I know Scrooge. The more you push, the harder he'll push back." Rebecca says.
"Get me Gizmoduck." Scrooge orders.
A bit later outside, Scrooge is discussing potential culprits with Gizmoduck.
"Glomgold was with Zan Owlson, Mark Beaks was live posting at Coachella, and the Beagles were at the Con-con convicts convention." Gizmoduck explains, showing the holographic map.
"What about Magica?" Scrooge asks.
"Still no sign of her."
"Hmm..."
Back in Scrooge's office, Scrooge is pacing, as Huey talks to Webby, Rebecca, and Dewey.
"I get that this is a big deal, but Scrooge is in no condition to take on the stress, right now. His nasal passages are dangerously clogged." Huey says.
"You'd be concerned, too if your impenetrable fortress was robbed. You know, I'm surprised we haven't heard from-" Webby says right before Louie bursts in, having heard from Rebecca of the situation.
"WE'VE BEEN ROBBED?! Oh the humanity. Give it to me straight, Uncle Scrooge. How much did I- uh, we- uh, you lose?"
"Look, I get Uncle Scrooge is in a bad state, but clearly he is freaking out because someone stole a large portion of his weal-" Rebecca tries to justify, when Scrooge answers.
"Eighty-seven cents." Scrooge says, leaving Louie confused.
At this, Ian and Rebecca smack their foreheads at the absolutely minuscule, especially comparatively, amount.
"THAT is what this is about?!" Ian asks, dumbfounded.
"Sorry, did I miss a part of that, like two million dollars and eighty-seven cents or-" Dewey asks, confused.
"The amount doesnae matter. What matters is the bin has been compromised." Scrooge asserts.
"If it's only a couple of coins, how could you possibly know they're actually missing?" Huey questions.
"Because Uncle Scrooge knows every coin in there like the feathers in his tail." Webby answers
"Exactly Webbigail. That's how ae stay smarter than the smarties. Once that goes, it's a slippery slope to being as smart as the smarties, and then," Scrooge gasps as he starts scratching himself, "slightly less than the smarties."
"Uh, did you check your pockets?" Dewey asks.
"Did ae check my pockets? Of course ae checked my pockets." Scrooge starts checking his pockets. "They're not in my pockets."
"How can you be sure they're even gone? You'd have to count every coin in the bin to prove it, and that would be crazy."
...
After the kids are forced to start counting the coins in the bin, because of Huey's suggestion, Huey finds a page in his JWG that points to a disease called 'gold fever', which fits all the symptoms Scrooge is showing, prompting Huey to put on a face mask.
"Last week, He bought a country to save on foreign postage. That's just Scrooge. Nothing is weird." Webby dismisses.
"This is Scrooge McDuck. The bin is on total lock-down. All non-security personal are hereby banished from the premises. Good day." Scrooge says over intercom as the bin is placed on lockdown.
"Okay, this might be a little out of the ordinary." Webby admits.
"You think?" Rebecca quips, concerned.
After Scrooge sends out a ridiculous public broadcast announcing the loss of his money, and a bounty of two million dollars to whoever finds the perpetrator, Louie has also donned a mask.
As the kids follow Scrooge, who is checking security measures, Rebecca's worry has grown. "You know, Clan McDuck was rather wealthy through the years. And this gold fever sounds more like a sort of curse than a proper disease. So, maybe it is best I..." She gets out a mask as well. "Just to be safe."
At this, Dewey and Webby hurry up to Scrooge.
"So, what's the plan for capturing the intruder?" Webby asks.
"Rope slings? Tripwires?" Dewey asks.
"Oh, no no no. None of that will be necessary, because ae have a full arsenal at the ready." Scrooge says as, outside, he is looking even worse. "Ae'd like to see yew try to get in now, Chester!"
"Hey Uncle Scrooge. This is all great, looks like everything's taken care of, so you can go home and get some rest, huh?" Huey suggests, trying to pull Scrooge home.
"You look worse than I did when I lost a couple days sleep, and it has only been one." Rebecca adds.
"What part of 'Ae shall not rest' do yew not understand? Hah!" Scrooge summons a battleaxe from his cane. "Yew can't be too careful. The faceless fiend struck again. He stole my spats, but ae made new ones out of those tissue boxes yew left me, lad. Ha ha ha, who's the sick one now, Chester?"
"Ch-chester?" Rebecca asks, faith gone.
"Ha ha ha, who is Chester, was it?" Webby asks.
"He's the unknown. He's the question. There he is!" Scrooge points at nothing.
"I'll get him." Dewey volunteers.
"Dewey wait!" Rebecca warns.
"Gizmoduck, fire!" Scrooge orders.
"I don't see anything." Gizmoduck says as he scans the area.
"Hurry. Attack before he gets away. That's an order!"
"Um, engage midriff missiles?"
"No. He is not of sound mind. Don't fire!" Huey says.
"My mind is perfectly sound. Load out the missiles!" Scrooge demands as he jumps on Gizmoduck, hitting him.
"Ah!" Gizmoduck looses control as Scrooge is thrown off, three missiles firing, all tracking and shooting down the Sunchaser. "I'll handle this. I'll handle this. My helmet copter is stuck. Someone else handle this." He says as the plane approaches Dewey.
"Dewey!" The kids cry out in panic.
"Blathering blatherskite!" Gizmoduck rushes and grabs Dewey, getting off the bridge just in time as they float to the surface, the two gasping for air.
After the incident on the bridge, and Scrooge's increasingly chaotic behavior, investors began to pull out of McDuck Enterprises, instead putting it into Glomgold industries.
"He must be there somewhere, the swindling swine." Scrooge says to himself as he looks at the security cameras.
"Mr McDuck, please, you and your family's health and wellbeing are not worth 87 cents!" Ian argues, staying with his boss.
"Hogwash! Everything is going to be fine!"
"You nearly got Dewey killed! You are driving yourself insane! People see Glomgold Industries is a better investment than McDuck Enterprises. Things are going awry! Please! Let us handle this!"
"Lad, ae suggest yew-" Scrooge starts, but is cut off by Gizmoduck arriving.
"Mr. McDuck, there's been a break-in." Gizmoduck says.
Scrooge gasps and rides on Gizmoduck to his office. "Now ae have yew, Chester, yew thieving-" However, he only finds everyone else there, Huey, Dewey, and Louie looking annoyed at Scrooge as he hops off the hero.
"Uncle Scrooge, we need to talk." Huey says.
"Ugh." Scrooge groans.
"I'll start. Dear Mr. McD. They say it's not the years in your life but the life in your years. Happy birthday." Launchpad reads, a tad confused.
"Give me that. What Launchpad means to say is we're all really worried about you." Huey says.
"Some of us are just here to see you triumphantly capture the thief." Webby says optimistically.
"You have to face the truth. No one stole 87 cents from you. You have gold fever and you're very, very sick. Any more exposure to gold could kill you."
"Don't worry Scrooge. Rebecca, Dewey and I believe in you." Webby goes over and takes Scrooge's hand.
Dewey then puts on a mask himself. "There's something about your uncle firing missiles and a plane at you that sort of changes you mind." He snaps.
"Dewey." Webby looks at Dewey disappointed. "Well, Rebecca and I support you! Right Rebec-ca?" She looks at Rebecca, who is finishing putting on a mask.
"I'm sorry Uncle Scrooge, but I don't wanna lose you." Rebecca says.
"This is about saving Scrooge's life, not choosing sides." Huey assures.
Manny then joins the group, putting on a mask himself. "[I pick the red kid's side.]" He clops out.
"Et tu, headless man horse? Well, forget all of yew. If yew don't want to help me find the intruder, then ae don't need yew, yew bunch of traitors."
The quadruplets gasp.
"Uncle Scrooge..." Rebecca says, hurt especially.
"There's a perfectly simple explanation for all of this." Scrooge leads them into the vault, where he reveals a massive conspiracy board. "It's all Chester the inter-dimensional imp. He prances in and out of reality attacking me bit by bit." He explains as he grabs a rope and swings about the board as he explains further. "First, the sneaky scoundrel licked everything in my office and stole my spats. Then he nabbed my 87 cents. Oh, yew think you have everyone fooled, but oh no, not me, Ae'm onto yew. Ah hah hah hah!" He laughs, completely unhinged as Rebecca tears up with worry.
"I don't get sick much, but..." Ian then puts on a mask at this. "Not taking chances. He's gone. Want me to call you-know-who?" He asks as Rebecca realizes they forgot one key figure.
"Look at all the weight you've lost. Your clothes don't even fit." Huey argues.
"That's Chester. He dances in my clothes while ae sleep, and stretches them all out." Scrooge says.
At this, Webby finally puts on a face mask as well, relenting that something may be wrong with Scrooge. "Maybe you're right. Maybe it is all Chester, but maybe you should listen to Huey. Step away from the gold, and get some rest just in case you're wrong?"
"No. Ae'll prove it to yew. Ae'll count the money myself." Scrooge says as he prepares to dive in.
"Please, Uncle Scrooge. If you jump into that gold, you could die!" Huey rushes up in front of Scrooge, soon joined by Rebecca and Webby.
"Stop this. Maybe you're both right." Webby says.
"No, because ae know ae'm not crazy. Out of my way." Scrooge demands as he pushes past the kids, to which Webby grabs onto his ankle, getting pushed off as everyone starts to join in trying to stop him.
"No, Mr. McD. Not on your birthday." Launchpad pleads.
"Not his birthday!" Rebecca corrects as she tries to pin Scrooge's arms.
"Nobody keeps me from my gold!" Scrooge says as he gets free, gets to the edge, and prepares to dive in.
Later, at Scrooge's funeral after his apparent death...
Donald is crying on Scrooge's casket. "No! He was too young! Oh no!" He runs out of the building, too torn up as everyone else mourns.
Ian has his head bowed as he sits in the same pew as the other Science Team members, as Gizmoduck plays the bagpipes and Lil' Bulb dims, all while Rebecca sobs profusely.
Suddenly, Glomgold busts in, smugly, wearing a white suit, and starts dancing to the casket. At Glomgold dancing at Scrooge's death, Ian snarls as everyone glares at the faux-Scotsman, Rebecca preparing to draw her dagger and end the fat faux-Scotsman, but is stopped by Huey who gives a look of 'he's not worth the effort'.
As Glomgold gloats and tries to climb on Scrooge's casket, Zan comes in absolutely horrified by her employer's actions, apologizing as she goes to rein him in, making him take a seat and shut up as Huey goes forward to make a eulogy.
"Uncle Scrooge taught us all so much, but perhaps the most important thing was the importance of listening to your family. After he passed, we decided that it would only be fair to his memory to at least consider his theory. If this hypothetical thief were real, he would have to have been a master genius. It would have to have been a scheme so elaborate, and so complex, some might even call it the perfect scheme. Was this indeed a master criminal genius? In the end, the sad truth is there could never be any master villain capable of pulling off such a genius scheme. Scrooge died of gold fever." Huey reads off, at which Glomgold snaps.
"Grr! No! it was me! I did it! I'm the evil genius! It was me, and my time teaser. Greatest scheme ever. In your face, Owlson!" Glomgold gloats as he runs up to the front as he thoroughly explains his plan and, apparently, justifying Scrooge's paranoia as it explains everything. However, as he laughs, 'Scrooge' sits up in his casket, actually being Manny. "What? Yer alive? And a horse?" Glomgold asks before Manny punches him to the floor.
"Yes, of course ae'm alive, yew idiot." Scrooge removes his disguise and reveals himself to Glomgold. "Ae took my own advice, and listened to my family."
...
Flashback to just before Scrooge dives in, and he has a major sneezing fit. "Okay, maybe ae am a wee bit sick." He finally admits.
"But maybe you're not crazy." Huey admits as the page on gold fever simply comes out, never having been part of the book as thought.
"So, there is no gold fever, eh? Then how do yew explain everything?"
"We can discuss that later. Do you want me to get Mrs. Beakley?" Rebecca threatens, having wisened up and finally fed up as she takes the page to examine better.
This breaks Scrooge's last remaining stubbornness, seeming terrified of the prospect. "N-no dear."
"Then go home!"
"O-of course."
...
At the manor, as Scrooge is being helped inside...
"Excuse me, children, but why was I not informed of your uncle going crazy? And being sick?" Beakley asks,
"We were trying to get him to go home and rest, but he wouldn't listen!" Huey argues.
"And you are saying he would ignore me?"
"I figured it out when Ian mentioned it because HUEY insisted on taking charge on a matter beyond his understanding." Rebecca scowls at her brother, who cowers behind his JWG.
"I see... Now, Mr. McDuck, do I need to make you get some rest?" Beakley looks at her employer with a look that would terrify the gods.
"No Beakley, that won't be necessary." Scrooge says quickly before he is helped to his room by Rebecca and Webby.
"Hmm..."
...
"Ae rested fer the day, then we put our heads together, and realized this was obviously all yer idiotic scheme to win the bet." Scrooge admits.
"You were Chester." Webby says.
"So we staged the funeral to get you to admit that you committed fraud." Huey says.
"Legally making me the richest duck in the world again. Thank yew." Scrooge says as Glomgold's plan, once again, falls apart.
Then, Donald returns. "You're alive? You're alive!" He then faints.
"You forgot to tell Donald?" Dewey and Rebecca look at Louie incredulously.
"Whoops!" Louie says.
"So yew can never beat me, Flinty, because ae have my family to keep me grounded. Also, ae'm Scrooge McDuck, and ae'm even better at being crazy than yew." Scrooge says as his family stands behind him.
"Can we not make that last bit a thing, please?" Rebecca calls out.
Then, Glomgold tackles Scrooge and wrestles him for the time teaser as they both crash out the window, to the gasp of all, the kids going to check as they find Scrooge and Glomgold frozen mid-air.
"They must have reversed the time teaser." Huey deduces.
...
Beakley is placing a ladder to get Scrooge down, before turning to the kids as she climbs it. "What do you do the next time your uncle goes mad with suspicion?"
"Call Mrs. Beakley..." Webby, Rebecca, Dewey, and Huey say, all but Rebecca a tad guilty as she was the one who figured it out first.
"Fake Scrooge's Death." Louie says smugly.
Beakley undoes the time teaser, catching Scrooge and letting Glomgold fall to the ground.
"Thank yew, Beakley." Scrooge says as he is put down.
"Don't mention it. Really." Beakley responds as Scrooge takes back the 87 cents and licks Glomgold's glasses.
"See yew tomorrow, Flinty."
"Ugh..." Glomgold groans.