A/N: Hey, guys! Welcome to my first fanfic on cartoons! I'm going to start with some sort of rewrite of an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants. The episode in question is "What Ever Happened to SpongeBob?" a Season 5 special. It's not horrible for me, but not great either, it's quite mediocre, especially as a special. The premise is great and the plot has interesting ideas, but there are some things that are forced or make no sense due to a fairly poor script and other characters could have played a more important role. I will not change the main plot, but I will remove some nonsensical plot points and change some things. This story was originally supposed to come out for the third anniversary of the death of the series' creator, Stephen Hillenburg, but my family's old computer had various problems, and at one point I could no longer turn it on, leaving my work suspended halfway through the story because doing it on the mobile is incredibly uncomfortable, more for the keyboard than anything else. Luckily, I got a new PC for Christmas. Anyway, let's get started!
(''Aloha Oe- SpongeBob SquarePants OST'')
It was a beautiful day in the underwater town of Bikini Bottom. And the most excited for the new day was a cheerful but childish sea sponge, SpongeBob Squarepants, who woke up early as usual. ''Good morning world and to who inhabit it!'' he said, excited. He greeted the postman and fed Gary, his sea snail, as he hummed a tune. ''The most important meal of the day, serving it up, Gary's way!''
''Oh, Gary, what a wonderful day. Isn't this life fantastic? Fantastic friends, a fantastic job, and of course, a fantastic pet.'' said SpongeBob. He was happy with his life in Bikini Bottom, and enjoyed it with all his heart, spending time with his best friend Patrick, a starfish, doing karate with his friend Sandy, a squirrel originally from Texas who was a scientist and inventor, doing his job at the Krusty Krab, and involving in his daily activities his neighbor, the octopus Squidward, although Squidward hated dealing with him. He hugged Gary, but in his enthusiasm, he squeezed him so tightly that he accidentally broke his shell, with the result that the snail growled at him menacingly.
(''Aloha Oe- SpongeBob SquarePants OST-s'')
''Gary? What is it? Did I do something wrong?'' asked SpongeBob. Gary growled at him again, as if he wanted him to leave. ''Okay, okay, I'm leaving!'' he shouted, leaving his pineapple house in a hurry.
(''Comic Walk- SpongeBob SquarePants OST'')
Gary's behavior left SpongeBob quite uncomfortable, but he quickly shook it off and decided to go to Squidward. ''Hey, Squidward!'' he said, knocking on his door.
Squidward opened the door of the moai he called home, enraged as usual. He detested the antics of his neighbor, and he detested him as much, or so it seemed. ''SpongeBob! How many times do I have to tell you not to wake me up?!'' he shouted.
''Sorry, Squidward, I just wanted to say hi.'' said SpongeBob.
''I was getting a beauty sleep, and when I'm doing it, I don't want to be woken up! GO AWAY, IDIOT BOY!'' Squidward screamed, slamming the door in his face.
(''Comic Walk- SpongeBob SquarePants OST-s'')
SpongeBob was usually unaware of what Squidward thought of him because he thought he was his friend, so he didn't pay much attention to the insult. Looking at the clock, he saw that it was 8:20 AM. The Krusty Krab opened at 9 AM(1), so he still had some time before going to work. ''Of course, I'll go to Sandy!''
(''Jellyfish Fields- SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated OST'')
SpongeBob decided to go to the Treedome, where Sandy lived, and visit her. Arriving at his destination, he saw a sign attached to the door of the dome: ''Please wear a water helmet when you want to enter my house: danger of dehydration.- Sandy''
The sponge put the helmet of water on his head, remembering that the first time he and Patrick had met her, they had not understood that in the dome where the Treedome was located you breathe was air, not water, with the result that they almost died of dehydration, but Sandy saved their lives with water helmets. As he entered, he heard mechanical sounds and Sandy's voice. ''That's it! My greatest invention ever!'' she rejoiced, happy with what she had created. She had just invented a dancing robot.
''Hi, Sandy!'' said SpongeBob, greeting her.
''Oh, howdy, SpongeBob!'' said Sandy. ''You came at just the right time! I just finished my new invention! This robot is capable of dancing.''
''Wow, what a cool robot! Can I see it more closely?'' asked SpongeBob.
''Of course, but be careful, it's delicate.'' replied the squirrel.
SpongeBob approached the robot to see it better, being impressed by what it could do. It mimicked Sandy's moves, and the sponge decided to do the same thing. But if he had predicted what would happen, he wouldn't have done it. While he was doing that, in fact, he tripped on a log and the water spilled from his helmet through a hole... straight on the robot!
(''Jellyfish Fields- SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated OST-s'')
(''Dramatic Cue (b)- SpongeBob SquarePants OST'')
Sandy watched in horror as her invention short-circuited and exploded. ''My robot!'' she shouted.
SpongeBob got up and saw the remains of the robot scattered around the dome. ''Sorry, Sandy!'' he exclaimed, shocked. ''I should have been more careful!''
''You bet you had to! Look what you've done! Do you have the slightest idea how long it took me to complete this robot?'' shouted Sandy angrily, showing him the robot's head. After that, she kicked him out of her house. ''Get out of here! Barnacle-head!''
SpongeBob took off his water helmet. He still tried to hide his sadness, but it was not easy, especially given that he screwed up in front of his friend. ''Aw, tartar sauce...'' he murmured. He looked at the clock and saw that there were ten minutes left before the Krusty Krab opened. ''Gotta go to work! Mr. Krabs is waiting for me, and he'll scold me too if I'm late!'' he exclaimed. He wasted no time running home to get his work hat, and despite the day starting badly, he was still moderately confident about his job at the Krusty Krab, a short distance from his home. He didn't want to disappoint his boss, Eugene Krabs, it was the last thing he wanted to do.
(''The Tip Top Polka/The Cliff Polka- SpongeBob SquarePants OST'')
When SpongeBob arrived at the Krusty Krab, his boss was waiting for him, on the verge of opening the restaurant. ''SpongeBob, me boy! You arrived just in time!'' said Mr. Krabs.
''Hello, Mr. Krabs!'' SpongeBob greeted him.
''You know, I was just wondering where Squidward is. Have you seen him?'' asked Mr. Krabs.
"Last time I saw him, he was at his house and he said he had to rest or something. But he should come in a few minutes anyway.'' replied SpongeBob.
''I understand. Now get to work!'' the crab ordered.
''Aye aye, Captain!''
SpongeBob had been working as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab for years, and preparing the restaurant's signature dish, the Krabby Patty, was natural to him. It was also his dream job, and although the pay was as inconsistent as it not that high, nothing could push him to give up his job, unlike Squidward, who detested his job as a cashier and worked lazily, often even sleeping on the job and almost always arriving late, which had happened again, with twenty minutes late. Another difference between him and his neighbor was also the relationship with Mr. Krabs: while SpongeBob was always loyal to him and had a relationship with him that went beyond the simple relationship of boss and employee, Squidward could not stand him, and Mr. Krabs in return did not tolerate his behavior during work.
Over the rest of the morning, everything went smoothly, with SpongeBob cleaning the restaurant, making the patties, and putting them in sesame seed buns with ingredients that included lettuce, cheese, onions, tomatoes, ketchup, mustard, and pickles, and then serving them to customers. So far so normal, except for a tiny problem. That day, there were pools of ketchup, mustard and water due to the fact that no maintenance had been done, and he did not notice that.
It was past noon when another disastrous accident happened. Mr. Krabs had come to the kitchen satisfied, enjoying his earned money, while SpongeBob was getting ready to flip more patties on the grill, but unfortunately, when he was about to put more of them, he slipped on a water puddle and crashed into Mr. Krabs, and the two both fell into the fryer, from which they splashed out.
(''The Tip Top Polka/The Cliff Polka- SpongeBob SquarePants OST-s'')
SpongeBob began to cough heavily. ''Mr. Krabs, are you okay?'' he asked.
''I think so, boyo... as long as my money is fine.'' replied Mr. Krabs.
(''Dramatic Cue (a)- SpongeBob SquarePants OST'')
A sound was heard from the fryer, which kept splashing oil, forcing them to look up, and what they saw made them scream in horror. Some of Mr. Krabs' banknotes had ended up in the fryer!
''Holy Krabby Patties!'' exclaimed SpongeBob. He tried to recover the money, but some banknotes dissolved, and his attempts to recover the remaining money only resulted in burning in oil and being lost.
After this other accidental mess, the sponge heard Mr. Krabs mumble angrily and turned around, finding himself in front of his glare. ''Oh, no...'' he murmured, frightened, and gave an awkward smile. ''I'm sorry, Mr. Krabs. It was an accident.'' He knew from experience that Mr. Krabs had a certain relationship with his money, and that losing even a few pennies could trigger a reaction. Mr. Krabs had once taken SpongeBob and Squidward clam fishing to celebrate the millionth dollar he had obtained at the Krusty Krab when a clam ate that dollar, and on that occasion he went insane altogether for three days. In short, doing something to his money was like disturbing Sandy when she was hibernating.
''SPONGEBOB!'' screamed Mr. Krabs, furious. ''Did you realize what you did?! If I were you, I'd go as far as away as possible! Now get out of here, barnacle-head!''
''But...'' murmured SpongeBob.
''GET OUT!'' Mr. Krabs ordered. SpongeBob knew that not following his orders when he was in a bad mood could cost him something from his salary, or worse, his job. So, although frightened, he obeyed and sadly left the kitchen.
''This is music to my ears.'' commented Squidward, satisfied.
''Not helping, Squidward!'' Mr. Krabs snapped.
(''Seaweed- SpongeBob SquarePants OST'')
At this point, SpongeBob was very sad, and even cried a little. Even at work, he had screwed up everything, and this was beginning to make him lose hope in the early afternoon, while trying to hide it. "Now Mr. Krabs is mad at me too. What do I do?'' he wondered. He realized that he still had a chance: Patrick. ''Right! Patrick! Maybe if I spend the afternoon with him I could feel better!'' he exclaimed, and went to his best friend's house. Patrick's house was a rock, and it was a short walk from his home and Squidward's. As he headed there, however, he did not notice that the laces of on of his shoes had untied.
''Hi, Spongebob!'' Patrick greeted him.
''Hello, Patrick.'' said the sponge-boy. He noticed that Patrick was trying to make a dough. ''What are you doing?'' he asked.
''Today is my mother's birthday, I want to make her a cake.'' replied Patrick.
''Oh, I didn't know! Do you want me to give you a hand?''
''Sure, we'll finish it faster.''
Sponge and starfish together prepared the cake for Patrick's mother, but when everything was almost ready, another accident ruined everything. Since SpongeBob had not noticed that his shoelaces had untied, he stumbled on the lace, falling on the table... right the one in which there was the cake!
(''Seaweed- SpongeBob SquarePants OST-s'')
(''Suspense Sound Effect'')
''The cake! It's all smashed!'' exclaimed SpongeBob, after getting up.
After a first moment of shock, Patrick turned around, and seemed really irritated. ''Do you have any idea how much time I spent kneading this cake decently?'' he asked.
''I'm sorry, Patrick, I didn't do it on purpose.'' said the sponge.
''It took me two hours to make this dough! Now I have to do it all over again!'' shouted Patrick, pushing him out of his rock.
''Then let's try again.'' said SpongeBob.
''I'll do it myself! Now if you don't mind, I'll stay here to fix this mess and make another cake! And go away, barnacle-head!'' Patrick replied angrily, and closed his rock.
This was officially the breaking point for SpongeBob. Now even his best friend was angry with him. He didn't know how it had happened, but he had managed to anger all his friends in a matter of hours. He had accidentally done these things: he broke Gary's shell, disturbed Squidward's beauty sleep, caused the destruction of Sandy's robot, caused Mr. Krabs' money to get fried, and ruined the cake Patrick was making for his mother. ''I guess that's it. If Patrick also called me that, then it's true.'' he said. He burst into tears and returned to his home, leaving behind a trail of tears.
Back home, SpongeBob was still crying, hurt by the words of his friends. ''Why are they all mad at me? I know why, it's because they hate me!'' he whined, falling to the ground and absorbing his tears into his spongy body. He thought there could be no other explanation, even in his childish naivety, and the proof was that Gary was hissing menacingly, still upset with him for breaking his shell. So, he wrote a farewell letter, took his clothes, some money and other important items and put everything in a bundle. ''Here is a year-long supply of snail food for you.'' he said, leaving his snail an amount of food as big as a pile, and the bowl in comparison was like a ball. He then left his pineapple house, addressed a series of farewells to his friends, his home, his town and everything he believed in and ran away, mumbling ''barnacle-head'' in a low voice.
Leaving Bikini Bottom behind, SpongeBob headed to the town's borders. He did not hitchhike, but went on foot without knowing where to go. He didn't even feel like staying to try to get his driver license, a goal not achieved for both him and his driving teacher, Mrs. Puff, a pufferfish who for this reason could barely stand him. Although he knew what to do when driving the boatmobile and was very good at oral exams, he could never pass the practical exam, necessary to get the license, because when he drove the boatmobile he got too caught up in anxiety, yet he could drive other vehicles like the Patty Wagon just fine. He had failed the exam so many times that by now both he and his teacher had lost count. During his solo journey, he continued into the unknown, not wanting to stay in a place where his friends hated him for accidental mistakes he had made, for how clumsy he may be. He had a number of misadventures due to sea urchins and clams, but despite this, SpongeBob dared not go back.
The hours passed, and Bikini Bottom moved further and further away. In the middle of the night, the sponge saw a sign indicating a city, New Kelp City, not far from Bikini Bottom. SpongeBob saw several lights on, and noticed that it was a pretty big city, much bigger than Bikini Bottom.(2) ''Maybe I'll start a new life here, it's so spacious.'' he murmured, and took that path.
Meanwhile, at Bikini Bottom...
(''Gator- SpongeBob SquarePants OST'')
No one knew where SpongeBob was, but the weight of his absence was obvious. Mr. Krabs had spent the rest of the day at the Krusty Krab scolding Squidward for burning food for the umpteenth time, also damaging the grill, and thinking of his faithful fry cook, he regretted being so harsh on him. He slept badly, as if he had spent the night on that old and uncomfortable mattress that caused him back ache. Sandy had fixed her robot, but she thought she had made a big mistake in getting angry with SpongeBob and didn't sleep a wink. Patrick had spent the evening making another cake for his mother and had asked the courier to give it to him, but after doing so, he thought he should not give precedence to a stupid cake. He could not sleep, no matter how lazy he was, and wanting to apologize to his best friend, he stood in front of the pineapple house for hours.
The next morning, Patrick was still scrambling in front of the door when Sandy arrived. ''Patrick, have you seen SpongeBob?'' she asked him.
''I don't know. I've been knocking on the door for some time, but he isn't responding. I wanted to borrow his hot sauce for my milkshake.'' replied Patrick.
''There's no time for this, we have to find him.'' said Sandy.
''About SpongeBob... I argued with him yesterday.'' Patrick said sadly.
''What happened?'' asked Sandy.
"Yesterday was my mother's birthday, and I was making her a cake. SpongeBob wanted to help me, but then he tripped and the cake got smashed. Last night I started again and called the courier to bring the cake, but the damage was done.'' replied the starfish, looking down in shame.
''Feel sorry for ya. I also got angry with SpongeBob. He tripped upon a log and the water from his helmet had destroyed the robot I had created.''
''What friend would you be, Sandy? A robot before a friendship?'' asked Patrick with a look of disapproval.
Sandy sighed, knowing that what Patrick said was true. ''You're right, it was really stupid of me. Well, better to go to SpongeBob and see how he is, we have to apologize to him. I just hope I didn't hurt his feelings.'' She tried to open the door, but it was locked. So she broke through the door with a karate move and the two friends were able to get inside.
''SpongeBob? Where are you, buddy?'' asked Patrick. He checked the bathroom, but he was not there.
''SpongeBob?'' called Sandy. They went upstairs to SpongeBob's room and saw something shocking.
(''Gator- SpongeBob SquarePants OST-s'')
(''Dramatic Impact 3- SpongeBob SquarePants OST'')
SpongeBob wasn't there. There was only Gary, who was terribly obese, and looked desperate for something. In his bowl there was also a piece of paper. ''Gary! Gary, what happened to you?'' exclaimed Sandy, shocked.
Gary began to meow as if he had a stomach-ache. ''Do you understand what he's saying?'' asked Patrick.
"SpongeBob knows him better than we do, so he can understand his meows better than anyone. Anyway, you are his cousin, you should know that.(3)'' Sandy replied.
''I can't even understand how it's possible that Gary and I are related.'' said Patrick.
The squirrel then tried to understand the snail. ''Gary, did something happen with SpongeBob?'' she asked. Gary's meows became desperate, and his gaze passed from his bowl to the dozens of bags of Snail-Po, his favorite snail food brand, scattered on the ground, and from his back, where his shell had grown back, to the window. ''You mean you got angry with SpongeBob because he accidentally destroyed your shell? And that you regretted it so much that you ate a whole annual ration of snail food out of despair?'' The snail nodded and beckoned to his empty bowl, which had only one letter.
''You really let yourself go, Gary.'' commented Patrick.
''Look, Patrick! A letter!'' exclaimed Sandy, taking the letter. It was written quite hastily, and the paper was damp with tears, so it was not easy to read it. They read it silently, and the contents left them shocked. Has SpongeBob run away from home? ''Oh, no! Patrick, we have to go to the Krusty Krab right now!''
(''The Rake Hornpipe- SpongeBob SquarePants OST'')
Sandy and Patrick, who were carrying the obese Gary on their way to the Krusty Krab, heard screams coming from inside, but the sign read ''Closed''. ''I just hope Bikini Bottom didn't panic.'' murmured Patrick.
''I don't know if that's the case, Patrick, but without the Krabby Patties he prepares, everyone tends to become a bit crazy.'' Sandy said. They entered the Krusty Krab, where Squidward was arguing with Mr. Krabs over something. Was it because of his very low salary again? Or was it because of his bad cooking? She didn't care, there was something more important.
''Squidward, Mr. Krabs! Have you seen SpongeBob?'' asked Patrick.
''Unfortunately no, we didn't. Not since yesterday, and I had to close the Krusty Krab because there is no one to make Krabby Patties. I've lost my touch since I left the navy, and Squidward only ends up burning everything.'' replied Mr. Krabs.
''Why should we care?'' asked Squidward with disinterest, and the crab glared at him.
"Apparently, he's left Bikini Bottom and ain't coming back. Patrick and I went to his house, but he wasn't there, and we found this letter in Gary's bowl. And Gary ate so much that he became obese. Look.'' Sandy replied, showing the letter and the fattened Gary.
(''The Rake Hornpipe- SpongeBob SquarePants OST-s'')
Mr. Krabs was caught off guard seeing Gary so fat, but he took the letter and began to read it.
''To whom it may concern:
if you found this letter, that means Gary's food bowl is empty and that it needs to be refilled. It also means it's been approximately one year since I've split town, and no one's noticed 'til now. No one has to worry, I will no longer bother anyone. I've caused too much trouble for everyone, and I think my friends hate me for the mess I've caused. Don't come looking for me, it will be better this way.
Sincerely, SpongeBob, aka Barnacle-head''
(''Fates- SpongeBob SquarePants OST'')
When he finished reading, he was quite confused, but as soon as he saw the inscription ''aka Barnacle-head'', he understood. It was the offensive word that he, Patrick and Sandy had given him after the messes he had caused, while Squidward had addressed an even worse insult to him, ''idiot boy'', and when he realized it, he was shocked. He knew that SpongeBob was sensitive, but he didn't think he would take it so badly that he would run away from his town. ''Barnacle-head?! It is SpongeBob! What am I gonna do without me fry cook?'' he exclaimed, squeezing his eyes between his claws in despair.
''What am I gonna do without my best friend? I should never have been mean to you!'' exclaimed Patrick, bursting into tears and covering his face with his hands.
''I shouldn't have never kicked you out of my house!'' cried Sandy. Her tears entered her helmet, and to hear Gary's sad meows, also crying, she interpreted them as something like ''I shouldn't have treated you like that for a stupid shell!''
''And I shouldn't have kicked you out of the Krusty Krab!'' exclaimed Mr. Krabs, who also burst into tears. His eyes swelled and squirted tears like the water pipes used by firefighters. ''Oh, Neptune, what have we done?'' At this point he didn't even care about the lost money anymore. Sure, he had an unhealthy relationship with money, but it wasn't the first time this weakness cost him SpongeBob, and more than once, he was like a kind of second father to him. While he was thinking about this, Sandy was draining her tears with a plunger.
The idea that SpongeBob was gone forever was too much for Patrick, Sandy, and Mr. Krabs to bear. Although he was irritating, he was cheerful and a hard worker and did not let himself be stopped by anything when it came to achieving his goals. Sometimes he was too good and naïve for his own good, but he was a great lad, and they knew that Bikini Bottom wasn't the same without him. ''We're bad friends!'' they exclaimed in tears, as Mr. Krabs held Patrick and Sandy in his arms.
Several inhabitants outside were beginning to wreak havoc in the city in their state caused by SpongeBob's absence, as too much time without Krabby Patties has negative consequences. Previously, an angry mob had also come to his friends' homes to ask for explanations, resulting Mr. Krabs getting a crack in his shell, a black eye for Patrick, a hammer in the head for Squidward, and a kick in the stomach for Sandy.
Squidward seemed in tears too, but... ''If I knew this would have happened I would have slammed the door in his face even harder!'' It was pathetic and completely false, and he even dared to laugh while the others were crying, regretting everything.
(''Fates- SpongeBob SquarePants OST-s'')
(''Record Scratch Sound Effect'')
Squidward's laughter was so unpleasant about the situation that the others stopped crying and gave him an angry look. ''I'd love to make a song about it, but your laughing is really killing the mood.'' commented Patrick.
''How about doing something to find my favorite employee?'' asked Mr. Krabs, and everyone except Squidward nodded.
"We will find a solution. To get started, we'll need some help. Then we'll meet at my house and plan things.'' Sandy replied.
Suddenly, the phone rang, and Mr. Krabs recognized the number. It was his daughter Pearl, a sperm whale. ''Hello?''
''Daddy, can you hear me?'' Pearl asked.
''Pearl, i don't hear you very well.'' said Mr. Krabs.
''I'm at the mall, I had to get some new clothes because I became too big for my old ones. Soon I will take home what I bought.'' said Pearl.
''Good. Look, I need to tell you something, it's about SpongeBob.''
''Yes?'' asked the whale.
''SpongeBob left Bikini Bottom yesterday and doesn't want to come back.'' explained Mr. Krabs.
Pearl was shocked. ''You're kidding, aren't you?'' she asked.
''No, I wish I could say it was a joke. Patrick and Sandy told me that just a little while ago, and I think we might need your help to find him. Join us at Sandy's house when you're done.'' her father said.
''Alright, I'll come and help out. Just wait a few minutes and I'll catch up to you.''
''Ok, see you later.''
''Do we need to inform anyone else again?'' asked Squidward as the call ended.
''The police will keep an eye on the situation here, but we need someone to search beyond the confines of Bikini Bottom.'' Sandy replied. Soon after, a loud sound was heard from the bathrooms. "It's Gary, he went to vomit. SpongeBob left him an annual dose of food before leaving, and Gary ate it all at once. It must be stress.'' he explained later, and Gary came out of the bathrooms. He was no longer obese, but had a contracted and suffering face.
Patrick came up with an idea. Sandy Shoals retirement home also housed his favorite superheroes and SpongeBob's, Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, two elderly former superheroes. ''I have to go to my favorite superheroes, maybe they can help.'' he said.
''Sounds like a good idea, Patrick. I'm going to look for Larry. After that, we will meet at the Treedome.'' said Sandy.
Mr. Krabs decided to call Mrs. Puff as well, and typed in her phone number. Mrs. Puff was his girlfriend, and he had won her over with the help of SpongeBob, although it was not easy with his relationship with money. When they went out together, they could enjoy some time away from life's crises, whether it was Mrs. Puff's stress of continuing to teach SpongeBob until he can get his driver's license, or Mr. Krabs' thoughts mainly on money. Sure, he took care of Pearl, but she was still a high school student, so she had her identity card but not a credit card of her own, and in addition she was a girl who wanted to be popular, which was not easy given her size, not to mention the fact that she always frequented a different circle of friends who always turned out to be toxic and did not accept her for what she was, and her father always told her not to overdo it in spending her money because he hated when she drained his credit card. This was the reason why SpongeBob had recently begun to act more cautiously about his boss's wallet when he trusted him to buy things with his money.
''Let's go, Patrick, let's seek help.'' said Sandy, leaving the Krusty Krab with Patrick.
''Hello? Eugene, is that you?'' Mrs. Puff's voice was heard on the phone.
''Yes, it's me. Listen, I have something to tell you. SpongeBob left Bikini Bottom yesterday, and I don't think he wants to come back.'' said the crab.
''Did something happen?'' asked Mrs. Puff.
''I was a bit hard on him yesterday, and I'm not alone. He thinks that his friends, including me, don't like him anymore, so he ran away from Bikini Bottom to start a new life, and I'm going to look for him with the rest of his friends.'' replied Mr. Krabs.
''SpongeBob is not there? The day after tomorrow there is the final exam, and I cannot start it without him, I want him to be present, although it will cause me more stress, so I will postpone the exam for at least a couple of weeks. Anyway, we have an appointment tonight.'' said Mrs. Puff, surprised.
''I know, sweetie, but it's important. I don't know how long the search will last, but I'll have to postpone the appointment because I won't be there.'' said Mr. Krabs.
Mrs. Puff sighed, understanding her boyfriend's reasons. ''I understand, Eugene. Although SpongeBob drives me crazy, I'm used to his presence, and I wish he could get his driver's license as soon as possible. I'll look at the border of Bikini Bottom.'' she declared.
''Okay, thanks. See you on my return.'' said Mr. Krabs, hanging up.
Arriving at the Shady Shoals retirement home, not far from his home, Patrick knocked on the door of the superheroes Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy, who allowed him to enter. ''Oh, here is one of our biggest fans again.'' said Mermaid Man.
''Is it important this time?'' asked Barnacle Boy.
Patrick told them about the events of the day before and SpongeBob's escape from Bikini Bottom, and Mermaid Man was shocked. ''You're kidding, aren't you? Have I gone deaf or have I heard it right?'' he asked.
''No, you heard it right, both of you. I need your help.'' Patrick replied sadly.
''I'm sorry to say, but there's not much we can do. We are too old.'' said Barnacle Boy with a sigh.
''But we can't just stand there, something could happen to SpongeBob!'' the starfish explained.
''I guess you're right. Given our age, there is not much we can do, but we will do what we can. We'll use the invisible boatmobile to search for him along the borders.'' Mermaid Man replied.
''But we don't know where SpongeBob is.'' Patrick noted. "We don't even know if he wants to come back, maybe he believes that I and others hate him for what happened yesterday."
"Take an example from me, I argued with Mermaid Man more than once because he treated me like a child, but then everything was resolved. Anyway, it's a stupid reason to end a friendship, and if you want to find SpongeBob, I advise you not to give up on him.'' Barnacle Boy advised.
''Thanks for your help! I have to go!'' exclaimed Patrick, leaving the room immediately.
''Come on, Tim. We have to look for that sponge.'' said Mermaid Man.
''Certainly, Ernie. To the invisible boatmobile!'' declared Barnacle Boy.
Meanwhile, Sandy...
Sandy knew Larry was a bodybuilder, so it wasn't hard to find him. Larry was a muscular lobster, and he showed up in the gym or in the lagoon, where she found him sunbathing on the shore. ''Hey, Larry!'' she called him.
Larry looked up. ''Sandy! Do you need anything?'' he asked, surprised.
''Larry, you have to help us. SpongeBob has left Bikini Bottom and will not return. He thinks we hate him.'' Sandy explained sadly.
The lobster looked at her in shock, knowing SpongeBob personally. ''Did something happen between the two of you?'' he asked.
''Yes, we were too hard on him for his accidental disasters yesterday. We want to go and look for him to apologize, and I would appreciate you helping us.'' said Sandy.
''Of course I'll give you a hand.'' said Larry. ''Where should we go?''
''Let's go to my house, I have a plan.''
Ten minutes later...
Sandy and Larry reached the Treedome. Everyone, including Patrick, Pearl and Squidward, was waiting for them in Sandy's lab. ''So, Sandy, was Daddy serious when you said SpongeBob is gone?'' asked Pearl.
''It's all true, Pearl. We're going to look for him, apologize for getting angry with him, and take him home. And to do that we'll use this!'' replied Sandy, holding a gadget in her right hand. ''With this gadget we will be able to track down any sea sponge, and we will find SpongeBob in no time!''
''Sandy, you're as brilliant as ever! How are we going to do without you?'' said Patrick happily.
''With this we can find him in a heartbeat!'' declared Mr. Krabs.
Suddenly, a loud noise of destroyed components and metal was heard. Squidward had snatched the sea sponge detector from Sandy's hands and destroyed it with a hammer. ''Oops. I dropped it.'' he said.
('Wa Wah Wah Sound Effect'')
No one believed this obvious lie. Sandy and Pearl glared at him, Larry brought a claw to his face in exasperation, wondering if it was really necessary to involve him in all this, Patrick facefaulted and Gary had a look mixed between disapproval and irritation. But Mr. Krabs was the most exasperated, more angry, and the girls immediately noticed it. Steam came out of his eyes, he growled with clenched teeth and trembled with anger. According to Sandy, he looked like a volcano ready to erupt, and she nodded to warn everyone.
Just two seconds later, in fact, Mr. Krabs exploded in all his anger. His nose swelled so much that it burst like a balloon and his eyes released jets of water. ''SQUIDWARD!'' he roared. ''This was our only chance to find him, and since you destroyed it, you will come with us, whether you like it or not!''
''Why should I look for that sponge that always spoils my day?'' asked Squidward, sulking.
''Because you were among those who yelled at him! And it's only because he woke you up!'' replied Sandy, irritated.
''Does any of you know how much SpongeBob is a plague? I don't want to have him close or at work anymore!''
''Why do we have to take him with us?'' asked Larry. He didn't like that attitude.
''Because he also hurt SpongeBob's feelings, we have to look for him.'' Sandy told him.
''In the middle of nowhere?'' asked Pearl, insecure. ''He could be anywhere, and now we have no means to find him.''
''We'll find a solution.'' replied Sandy. ''He has to be somewhere in this ocean.''
''And you have to help us too, Squidward. Either you help us find SpongeBob or you're fired.'' said Mr. Krabs in a serious tone.
''Is that a threat?'' asked Squidward, provoked.
''It's a threat. You're already a lazy bum on the job, but you're spoiled too.'' said his boss.
''No one forces me.'' replied the grumpy octopus. Patrick gave him a begging look, but it didn't work.
''I have no other choice then. If you don't want this egg...'' said Mr. Krabs, holding a jeweled egg in one hand.
''The last one in my collection! Of course I want it!'' exclaimed Squidward, lighting up like a star.
''No, no, no. You can only have it if you help us find SpongeBob.'' said Mr. Krabs, holding him with his other claw.
''Fine! But don't take me into the middle of nowhere or you don't know what I'm going to do to you!'' shouted Squidward.
''That's rich coming out of you! You destroyed Sandy's invention!'' replied Pearl.
''Guys, there's no time to argue. We have to go and look for SpongeBob at any cost.'' Sandy cut short.
(''Big Ed's March-SpongeBob SquarePants OST'')
So everyone organized, taking some notes indicating the missing person, SpongeBob, and leaving the Treedome with supplies, food for Gary, a rope and components for a tent. Reaching the border of Bikini Bottom, they saw Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy handing out the slips of paper from above, while the police and Mrs. Puff were searching for the surrounding area. They began calling for SpongeBob, with no answer.
''If I were a sea sponge, where would I be?'' murmured Squidward.
''We will look everywhere outside town. He must be somewhere.'' said Sandy.
''I hope SpongeBob is alright...'' Patrick said sadly.
''I'm sure he's fine, Patrick.'' Larry told him.
(''Big Ed's March-SpongeBob SquarePants OST-s'')
Not knowing that his friends were looking for him, SpongeBob had arrived in New Kelp. The city was definitely bigger than Bikini Bottom, noisier and busier, but also more polluted. It also seemed to him that it was colder, even though he was dressed. Had he come to a cold ocean current? ''Whoa, this place looks like a dump.'' he commented, as he searched for a home. He looked into his pockets and realized that he had little money. He only had the money he used weekly, and had already spent half of it to buy Snail-Po for Gary, knowing he loved it. He probably hadn't prepared well for all this, but he ignored that feeling, not wanting to think about Gary. He decided to move in, and the owner of the hotel where he spent the night with the little money left warned him to be careful, as New Kelp had a bad reputation.
The next morning, he noticed that there was something strange. He had decided to blow some bubbles to deal with the stress, but the surrounding passers-by ran away screaming, leaving him very confused. What was wrong with a harmless pastime like blowing bubbles? Wherever he went, however, people would run away from him or snap at him, giving him the nickname ''Cheese-Head''. As if that were not enough, he did not have much food left and had run out of money, which pushed him to live on spare changes. ''Why is everyone against blowing bubbles?'' he asked a passerby.
''The city is having a bad time because of the Bubble Poppin' Boys.'' said the fish.
''What do you mean, sir? Is something wrong?'' asked SpongeBob, confused.
"The Bubble Poppin' Boys are a gang of thugs who have been terrorizing the city for several months, and neither the mayor nor the police have managed to counter them effectively, so a law was enacted prohibiting bubble blowing as a last resort.'' explained the passerby.
The sponge was even more confused. ''But why?''
"Because every time someone blows bubbles, they always end up in the hospital because of these criminals. They attack the population because bubbles cause them eye irritation when they burst.''
"Never been a problem for me, there is worse. Anyway, I wish I could do something to help.''
''We can't do much, neither can you, but thanks anyway.''
The passerby left in a hurry, leaving SpongeBob perplexed. This explained the situation, but he could not understand how bubble blowing could harm. A montage began as he went looking for work in various industries, but this hobby caused him to be rejected. When he applied for a job as a salesman, the owner drove him out, shouting that he was ruining her products, and not even the request to be a construction worker was accepted, since he had almost caused the fall of a construction worker who was working. When he later tried to cross the road, he found himself dealing with heavy traffic, with people having to cross the road at the last second or face tight turns. He tried to cling to a traffic light by stretching his arm, resulting in getting bumped in the back by a truck and getting slingshotted in the opposite direction, leading to him accidentally crashing into a building window, breaking the glass and some objects, and a woman mistook him for a vandal or robber, having him arrested. SpongeBob managed to escape from jail, but the first doubts began to form in his head. ''This will be a problem...'' he thought.
A week later...
SpongeBob began to feel down, his clothes were crumpled, and the lack of money and food began to be problematic. At one point, he was so stressed that he couldn't help but blowing bubbles.
(''Bubble Poppin' Boys- SpongeBob SquarePants OST'')
But the passerby's warning was true. Five intimidating-looking fish approached him, beginning to snap their fingers. One was orange, one was yellow, one was green, one was purple and the last one was red. Passers-by ran away terrified, knowing what it meant. SpongeBob retreated in fear. ''Do you have any idea who we are?'' asked the leader, who was orange.
''Don't tell me that...'' murmured SpongeBob, locked at a corner in the alley.
''We are the Bubble Poppin' Boys. Our only rule is ''No soap bubbles in our territory'', you know.'' said the leader of the thugs. He burst a bubble made by SpongeBob, and ran out of water in his eyes. ''Now do you see why bubbles are not allowed with us?!'' he blurted out. "Fortunately, we have a way to punish offenders. Take it, guys!''
The Bubble Poppin' Boys began beating up SpongeBob, but since he was a sponge, his body was absorbent, so one of the thugs ended up beating himself in an attempt to punch him. He escaped from the alley, blowing bubbles to be used as platforms or others with various shapes to get away, but after a minute, he was closed to the corner, and the criminals were especially close to him. Several passers-by witnessed the scene, frightened by them, until SpongeBob reacted, blowing a bubble so large that it trapped the thugs, and the police, arrived on the spot, burst it and arrested the Bubble Poppin' Boys.
(''Bubble Poppin' Boys- SpongeBob SquarePants OST-s'')
(''Champions March [#7]- SpongeBob SquarePants OST'')
After an initial silence, the crowd rejoiced, finally feeling free from those thugs. A man pointed to SpongeBob and the crowd lifted him into the air, hailing him as a hero, to his delight. But the thing that surprised him was that they took him to the town hall, and the mayor declared him his successor. The sponge, however, surprised everyone by refusing the offer. "I'm sorry, but I don't think politics is for me. It's not my cup of tea.'' he explained, while the ban on soap bubbles was lifted. Leaving the town hall, he took a mirror and looked at himself. His spongy body seemed to slowly shrivel from the lack of nourishment, and seeing this, he began to think more and more that leaving Bikini Bottom had been a mistake.
Meanwhile, Patrick and the others had gone to look for SpongeBob. Finding it was easier said than done, especially if the ocean is this huge. There were a series of misfortunes in which Pearl had sea urchins attached to her face and her father had to take them off of her with his claws, Larry tripped on a stone and fell on Patrick and everyone ended up getting lost in a cave in the abyss. For once, Gary didn't seem at all interested in food, either because of the abnormal dose of food he had eaten in a short time, or because of SpongeBob's absence, and neither Sandy nor Patrick could convince him, so after a few attempts, they gave up. As if that wasn't enough, they had to coexist a week of research with Squidward's constant complaints that they had taken him into the middle of nowhere, which began to make the atmosphere tense. Although Larry wasn't the type to get angry, he seemed on the verge of slapping him with his claws. ''Did we really have to take this moron with us?'' he asked one night, while they were eating at the campsite.
''Oh, shut up!'' Squidward snapped.
''You brought this upon yourself, Squidward.'' said Mr. Krabs, irritated.
''Oh, yeah? Well, I'm not the only one who yelled at SpongeBob!'' shouted Squidward.
''Well, we didn't call him ''idiot boy'' like you! And we didn't even want him to leave Bikini Bottom either!'' replied Sandy, also fed up.
''Well, maybe I just don't want him at Bikini Bottom!'' said Squidward dismissively.
''SHUT UP!'' Mr. Krabs screamed, with his eyes just a couple of inches from his cashier's face. ''Just shut up! SpongeBob has done nothing but give to you, and all you do is take.''
''But...'' the octopus stuttered.
''SHUT UP! STOP MAKING EXCUSES FOR FIVE ACCURSED SECONDS!'' the crab roared, spitting saliva on him in the process. The others seemed uncomfortable, even Larry, as they had never seen him so furious. He seemed dangerously close to clobbering his employee, but he didn't. Pearl took a strange object that emitted dolphins, seagulls and seals sounds, ship sirens and even the sound of SpongeBob's alarm clock in an attempt to cover up the insults her father addressed to Squidward.
''He said Number 11!(4)'' gasped Patrick.
''You really addressed this topic?'' asked Larry, and Patrick nodded.
Mr. Krabs stopped screaming, but there was still disgust in his voice. ''I don't remember a single nice thing you did to SpongeBob. He gave you a wooden clarinet for Christmas when you didn't believe in that holiday, he replaced the reed of your clarinet with one of his teeth at your concert this year, and last month, he bought you tickets to the fair, where I didn't want to go but SpongeBob convinced us.'' he said.
''But you liked the fair, Mr. Krabs.'' said Squidward.
''Yes, but this was totally before you threw such a tantrum before the end of the fair. You embarrassed me, SpongeBob and Patrick.'' replied Mr. Krabs.
''What on earth have I done wrong to SpongeBob, may I ask?'' asked the cephalopod.
''Let's start with that time you tried to ruin the friendship between me and SpongeBob by sabotaging our bubbles.'' said Patrick frowning.
''You were bothering me!'' replied Squidward, equally irritated.
''And that time you read his diary in front of everyone at the Krusty Krab? This is a low blow, even for you.'' said Mr. Krabs.
''And you created extreme sports to kill both SpongeBob and Patrick!'' added Sandy. Gary hissed menacingly at the octopus, he was showing anger towards him too.
''Both of them are real troublemakers! All they do is ruin my day!'' Squidward said.
''Just because they irritate you doesn't mean you can react like that.'' said Pearl. ''SpongeBob told me there was a snail race, and Patrick won the race, but he then gave you the trophy because he felt bad for you when you lost.''
''Not to mention that horrible prank you made to SpongeBob on April Fool's Day! Don't you remember? We were all here!'' added Mr. Krabs.
(Expanded flashback from the episode Fools in April)
At the Krusty Krab, on April 1st, SpongeBob had been playing tricks on customers and his friends, but they were harmless, and they found them funny. He had even played a phone prank on Squidward with Mr. Krabs, who had fun with this. ''Ah, you're such a lovable lad, SpongeBob.'' he said.
''SpongeBob, you're so likable, you know that?'' Larry said.
''You're so funny!'' said Pearl between laughter, and Sandy couldn't help but laugh herself.
''The kid sure has a sense of humor, huh?'' said Mermaid Man.
''I guess so.'' replied Barnacle Boy.
Squidward, annoyed as usual by his neighbor, decided to play a prank on him himself while he was busy cleaning the floor and pulled the rope that triggered the trap. SpongeBob, grabbed by the leg by the rope, screamed as he was tossed through a sack of flour, then against the wall.
Everyone present, apart from Squidward, who was laughing hysterically, cringed. ''This is gonna hurt!'' exclaimed Pearl.
''Ow! That's painful!'' commented Larry, not wanting to look.
''SpongeBob!'' shouted Patrick, covering his eyes.
SpongeBob was then tossed against a customer's butt and on Fred, hitting him in the leg, and then slammed his head against the ceiling. ''MY LEG!(5)'' Fred screamed.
The fish were disgusted by the cruelty of the joke, and Mr. Krabs looked up in horror as Squidward kept laughing and cheering. The octopus then ran under SpongeBob with a garbage can and let him out from below. The sponge was all dirty. ''What kind of prank is this?'' Barnacle Boy commented, frowning. Everyone approached SpongeBob in concern.
''SpongeBob, are you feeling alright?'' asked Sandy, worried.
''You okay, son?'' asked Mr. Krabs.
''April Fools, little sausage!'' sneered Squidward. Everyone looked at each other and commented bewildered, as SpongeBob got up all filthy, burst into tears, and ran away from the Krusty Krab. ''SpongeBob, I was joking!'' he said. Everyone gave him a really angry look.
(''Tomfoolery- SpongeBob SquarePants OST'')
''This is a prank?'' commented Barnacle Boy with a frown.
''That's no prank! You humiliated him, Squidward!'' yelled Mr. Krabs angrily.
''Yeah, and that physically hurt him!'' Pearl added.
''Anyone would get tired of his jokes. Tell me what prank you wanted me to play.'' said Squidward.
"At least he doesn't play jokes that are so distasteful or that physically hurt others. You're bad!'' replied Patrick angrily.
''You suck, you know that? This time, you went too far!'' Pearl snapped.
''You are terrible! And you're supposed to be his neighbor and colleague!'' shouted Sandy.
''Do you have any idea of the consequences of this ''prank'', you dirt bag? You could have made him end up in the hospital!'' Larry snapped.
''Shame on you, Squidward! Either apologize to SpongeBob for what you did or I'll fire you! That's evil!'' yelled Mr. Krabs.
''EVIL!'' Mermaid Man screamed. It was no secret that he was senile, and if he heard someone talking about evil, he would freak out, but this time, there was disgust in his tone of voice, and he also seemed angry, which was unusual, even in his old-age grumpiness, Barnacle Boy was noticeably more irritable than him.
Along with Barnacle Boy and SpongeBob's friends, the elderly former superhero left the restaurant in a foul mood, while the other fish remained to insult Squidward for his insensitivity. ''April Fools... JERK!'' a fish yelled at him.
The other customers also left, leaving the cephalopod all alone.
(End flashback)
''So what?'' asked Squidward.
''You shouldn't have done that, OK?'' replied Patrick.
''If you have to ruin my life every day, I might as well go to Rock Bottom!'' shouted Squidward.
Mr. Krabs was holding a plate at the time, and he held it so tightly that he broke it. ''DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT CONSEQUENCES SPONGEBOB'S ABSENCE HAS?!'' he yelled.
''A simple sponge can cause more trouble than any other person I know, and it involves everyone!'' replied the octopus. ''If you only care about the Krusty Krab, then go home!''
''IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE KRUSTY KRAB! WHEN WILL YOU EVER LEARN, YOU MISERABLE CEPHALOPOD?!'' Mr. Krabs roared. Everyone shuddered, and even Sandy seemed scared. Hearing his deep voice, she immediately compared it to that of a dragon or a tiki mask.(6)
(''Tomfoolery- SpongeBob SquarePants OST-s'')
After a few seconds of silence, Squidward turned around and put himself under his sleeping bag. ''I'm going to bed!'' he said. Apart from him, however, no one could sleep. The crab was still in a terrible mood, and the others didn't feel so much better either.
Patrick's lips suddenly began to shake. ''Patrick, everything will be fine.'' Sandy told him. ''Patrick?'' But Patrick burst into tears, and everyone looked at him sadly.
''Patrick? Why all the waterworks?'' asked Larry.
''SpongeBob! I miss him!'' whimpered the starfish.
''We miss him too. We looked everywhere, but we couldn't find him.'' said Mr. Krabs sadly, as he took his blue shirt of.
''Daddy, is it all true what you said?'' asked Pearl.
The red crab sighed and sat down. ''It's all true. SpongeBob is not just my employee. He's like a son to me, and a personal friend. He's important not just for the Krusty Krab. At Bikini Bottom, nothing is the same without him. Yes, sometimes he can be a bit annoying, but he's a great lad, he's a hard worker, he's loyal and selfless and he never stops until he reaches his goal. If I had a son, I hope he's like him.'' he admitted. The look on his face was full of fatherly concern.
''Yeah. Patrick seems broken without him.'' Sandy added sadly.
Patrick seemed literally broken, but then stood up all trembling. Together with Gary, everyone sat and watched the dark sky. Sometimes they heard SpongeBob's laughter, only to realize it was their imagination, and a couple of times they saw a cloud in the shape of SpongeBob blowing soap bubbles on a jellyfish, and Gary began to whine for his master. Sandy picked up a guitar and started playing it, which prompted everyone to sing a song.
(''Wherever You Are- Barry Coffing and Vonda Shepard'')
Sandy and Pearl ''Come out, moon''
''Come out, wishing star''
Larry ''Come out, come out...''
''Wherever you are''
Mr. Krabs ''I'm out here in the dark''
''All alone and wide awake''
''Come and find me...''
Patrick ''I'm empty and I'm cold''
''And my heart's about to break''
''Come and find me...''
Patrick and Mr. Krabs ''I need you to come here and find me''
'''Cause without you I am totally lost...''
Pearl and Larry ''I've hung a wish on every star''
''It hasn't done much good so far...''
Sandy ''I can only dream of you...''
''Wherever you are''
Patrick and Larry ''But when the morning comes''
''And the sun begins to rise''
''I will lose you...''
Mr. Krabs ''Because it's just a dream''
''When I open up my eyes''
''I will lose you...''
Mr. Krabs and Pearl ''I used to believe in forever''
''But forever's too good to be true.''
Patrick ''I've hung a wish on every star''
''It hasn't done much good so far''
Patrick and Mr. Krabs ''I can only dream of you...''
''Wherever you are''
Everyone ''I'll hear you laugh''
''l'll see you smile''
''I'll be with you''
Sandy and Pearl ''Just for a while''
Mr. Krabs ''But when the morning comes''
''And the sun begins to rise''
''I will lose you...''
Patrick and Sandy ''Because it's just a dream''
''When I open up my eyes''
''I will lose you...''
Everyone ''I used to believe in forever''
''But forever's too good to be true.''
Sandy and Mr. Krabs ''I've hung a wish on every star''
''It hasn't done much good so far''
Patrick, Sandy and Mr. Krabs ''I don't know what else to do''
''Except to try to dream of you...''
Pearl ''I wonder if you're dreaming too''
Everyone ''Wherever you are...''
''Wherever you are...''
(''Wherever You Are- Barry Coffing and Vonda Shepard-s'')
Heartbroken by the possibility that perhaps SpongeBob might have been gone forever, the five got up. They were about to go to bed when a newspaper flew next to them. ''What is it?'' asked Patrick, looking at the article.
Sandy approached and saw the image of SpongeBob. The newspaper also talked about New Kelp City. ''Got it! New Kelp City! SpongeBob must have been here! It says that he saved the city from a gang of thugs!'' he exclaimed.
Mr. Krabs' eyes widened as he put on his shirt again. ''New Kelp?! Mrs. Puff told me she has been here in the past, but the place has a bad reputation.''
Patrick approached Squidward. ''Squidward. Squidward? Squidward, wake up.'' he said.
Squidward woke up, irritated. ''What is it now?'' he asked.
''We found out where SpongeBob is, he's in New Kelp City.'' replied Pearl.
''And where is it? In the middle of nowhere?'' muttered Squidward.
Mr. Krabs took a spyglass and spotted the sign indicating New Kelp City. ''No, it's actually pretty close by. We will find him in no time at all. Now let's go, crew!'' he declared, and everyone went on with new confidence.
''Yes! Find SpongeBob, and bring him home! We need him!'' said a voice from the surface, Patchy the pirate.
Meanwhile, in New Kelp City, SpongeBob wasn't doing well, despite being acclaimed as the city's hero. He no longer had spare clothes and his body was slowly starting to dehydrate as the days went by due to a lack of nutrients. ''I knew I should have taken with me the monthly paycheck that Mr. Krabs gave me three weeks ago!'' he complained, but realizing what he had said, he put himself in his cardboard box, trembling from the cold. ''No. They won't have come looking for me, they don't like me anymore.'' But he heard voices and stayed there. They were the voices of his friends, but he ignored them.
''SpongeBob, where are you?'' asked Patrick.
''Let's go to that alley.'' said Larry. They saw the cardboard box, but it was so dark that they couldn't see who was there.
''I think he's homeless.'' said Squidward.
SpongeBob slipped an empty money jar, and Mr. Krabs didn't know what to do. ''Should I do it?'' he asked.
''It's the right thing. It will be worth it.'' replied Pearl. Although hesitant, Mr. Krabs agreed to do so and put a $10 bill in the jar. After that, he walked away, followed by Patrick, Sandy, Pearl, Larry, and Squidward. But none of them knew that the one they had met was SpongeBob, who did not believe that his friends were looking for him.
The sponge avoided them all the time, but it was a strategy that instead of improving the situation, worsened it. He often found himself attacked by the Bubble poppin' Boys, who were intent on getting revenge on him, and blowing bubbles was the only way to get them away, but he still couldn't get enough food. More and more often and for longer and longer he found himself thinking about his friends from Bikini Bottom and realized that he was homesick, that he missed jellyfishing with Patrick, doing karate with Sandy, witnessing her inventions, working at the Krusty Krab and following Mr. Krabs' orders. ''Oh, who am I kidding? I just made everyone worry. I'd better go and apologize.'' he murmured sadly, ten days after his departure from Bikini Bottom.
(''Dangerous (a)- SpongeBob SquarePants OST'')
So SpongeBob headed to the exit of the city, but when he was near a crevasse, he began to feel suffocated and fell below. He managed to grab on with his arms, but he felt that he would not be able to hold his grip for much longer and called for help. Sandy stopped, hearing his high-pitched voice. ''It's SpongeBob! He needs help!'' she exclaimed.
''SpongeBob's in danger? Come on, let's go!'' declared Larry.
They began to follow SpongeBob's cries for help and ran until they reached the ravine. ''There he is! Down there!'' exclaimed Pearl.
''He won't hold up much longer! We must save him! Larry, you lift us and lower us down. Patrick, hold Mr. Krabs and lower him down so he can grab SpongeBob's hand with his claw, then Larry can pull us up.'' said Sandy, planning everything.
Squidward did not want to take part in all this, saying that he was not sure that all six were enough. Larry lifted Pearl by the legs, and Sandy, Patrick, and Mr. Krabs stood on above her. ''SpongeBob! We are here!'' shouted Patrick, grabbing Mr. Krabs' feet.
''Patrick? Sandy? You all come to get me?'' asked SpongeBob, in a weaker voice than usual.
''Of course we came looking for you! Come on, reach out to Mr. Krabs, we'll take you to safety!'' said Sandy.
Mr. Krabs stretched out his claw, and SpongeBob stretched out his hand. They could not reach each other, their hands stopped a short distance away. ''Just... out of... reach...'' he said, as he struggle to stretch his claw even more, but he was beginning to sweat. ''Hold on, lad!'' he cried.
''Patrick, lower him down more! Mr. Krabs can't reach!'' said Sandy.
''I'm trying! Mr. Krabs' feet are all sweaty!'' replied Patrick, beginning to get tired because of the effort.
''Squidward, we need your help! Only then we'll be able to save him!'' Mr. Krabs cried out. He could feel SpongeBob's fingers brushing against his claw, but then the sponge almost fell into the crevasse and slipped slightly down, still clinging to the ledge and with his eyes beginning to close. Meanwhile, he saw a band playing the orchestra. ''Oh, no! Not that music again! The 4/4 string ostinato in D minor! It means death!''
Squidward approached, and Sandy signaled him to hurry. He positioned himself between her and Pearl, and this allowed Mr. Krabs to descend even further. ''Almost... almost...'' he said, as his claw approached SpongeBob's hand. After further efforts, he managed to grab his hand. ''Gotcha! Now pull me up!''
Larry stepped back and pulled everyone up, bringing them to safety. At this point, they were all breathing heavily for the effort.
(''Dangerous (a)- SpongeBob SquarePants OST-s'')
(''Dramatic Cue (d) SpongeBob SquarePants OST'')
''That was too close. I feel I could faint...'' Pearl panted.
''Look! It's SpongeBob!'' exclaimed Sandy.
Patrick, Mr. Krabs, Larry, and Pearl looked at SpongeBob, and realized why Sandy had warned them. They looked down and screamed, including Gary. SpongeBob was unconscious, his body was wrinkled and getting dehydrated, on the verge of becoming like a real sponge. ''SpongeBob! What in Davy Jones' locker happened to you?!'' exclaimed Mr. Krabs in horror.
''SpongeBob is dehydrated!'' replied Sandy, shocked.
''And now what do we do? We can help him, can't we, Sandy?'' asked Patrick.
''Unfortunately I didn't bring the water helmets with me from my house. I didn't think this would happen.'' said Sandy.
''We did what we had to do, didn't we? Let's take him home.'' said Squidward.
''And that's what we're going to do. To Bikini Bottom, and quickly!'' declared Mr. Krabs.
''Are we sure we'll make it in time?'' asked Pearl, worried.
''I don't know, but we have to hurry.'' replied Larry.
''Hold on, son. We'll take you home.'' Mr. Krabs said to SpongeBob, carrying him on his shoulders. He began to run like he had never done before, and everyone followed him. They didn't even know how fast they were running, but they were in such a hurry that they didn't even care. They ran as fast as a sailfish dashing to catch its prey, paying no attention to anything else until they reached the sign indicating Bikini Bottom, also releasing a trail of smoke in the process, and stopped only after arriving at the pineapple where SpongeBob lived. When they got there, they were incredibly tired, but it was worth it.
''We did it... We came back...'' said Patrick, collapsing to the ground.
''Not the time to relax just yet! We need to rehydrate SpongeBob!'' Sandy noted.
Patrick got up, ignoring his tiredness, took a glass, filled it and gave water to SpongeBob, but nothing happened. ''This shouldn't happen!'' he exclaimed. In a panic, everyone took more water, but nothing changed.
''It's not working!'' exclaimed Larry.
Mermaid Man, Barnacle Boy and Mrs. Puff arrived in the scene. ''Did you find him?'' asked Barnacle Boy.
''Yes, SpongeBob is with us, but he doesn't wake up!'' replied Mr. Krabs, looking for something in the pockets of his pants.
Despite attempts to revive him, SpongeBob dehydrated even more. ''No! No! SpongeBob! Don't leave us!'' shouted Patrick in a panic. But it was too late. SpongeBob had completely dehydrated, looking like a real sponge.
''Oh, no...'' murmured Sandy.
(''Daytime Drama- SpongeBob SquarePants OST'')
''He... he's gone!'' shouted Patrick, and he, Gary and Mr. Krabs burst into tears immediately. Sandy and Pearl didn't last long before it happened to them too, with Pearl in her father's arms. With tears in his eyes, Mermaid Man clung to Barnacle Boy, who, not knowing what to do, put a hand on his shoulder. He turned his gaze to SpongeBob with an air of sadness. At times he could be such a nuisance, but he did not cause trouble on purpose. Larry cried silently, not wanting to believe what had happened.
''Why is this a thing? Just... why?!'' whined Pearl.
''Was it supposed end like this?'' asked Squidward.
''I guess not.'' replied Mrs. Puff. She approached Mr. Krabs and stayed close to him, observing the scene and thinking that it was better if everything had not gone that way.
Patrick, Sandy and Mr. Krabs stayed there, regretting how they acted towards SpongeBob the day he decided to leave Bikini Bottom. ''It's all our fault! We shouldn't have gotten mad at you, SpongeBob, we're sorry! All this for a stupid robot...'' Sandy said through tears.
''Or for a stupid cake...'' Patrick added. ''What kind of lousy friends are we?!''
''SpongeBob... I'm so sorry... if only I hadn't been so angry a you, none of this would have happened!'' sobbed Mr. Krabs, punching the ground with a claw
''At least you've all brought him home.'' said Mrs. Puff.
Mr. Krabs looked at his girlfriend and his expression did not change. ''What matters? How can I be happy when my boy is gone?! All for this stupid money!'' he replied in tears, aware of what he was saying. From what he knew, it was all over for that boy to whom he had grown close over time, developing with him a relationship similar to that between a father and a son.
''Eugene, you did all you could.'' Mrs. Puff told him.
Squidward could no longer remain impassive. After a few seconds, however, he noticed something. ''Would you stop making so much of a drama? Look!'' he said.
(''Daytime Drama- SpongeBob SquarePants OST-s'')
(''Hawaiian Happiness- SpongeBob SquarePants OST'')
Everyone looked at SpongeBob and saw that he was back to normal. Somehow, their tears had rehydrated him. The sponge gasped. ''Woah, hydrated again!'' he said.
''SPONGEBOB!'' his friends yelled, overjoyed.
''It's a miracle!'' Mermaid Man cheered.
Patrick and Sandy immediately went to hug the sponge, followed by Pearl, Mr. Krabs and Larry, and Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy also took part, with Larry lifting them all off the ground in the process. However, the crab was holding SpongeBob in his arms too tightly, to the point that the sponge felt almost crushed. ''Oops... Don't know my strength...'' he murmured with a chuckle. Squidward and Mrs. Puff looked with a small smile as SpongeBob hugged back his friends.
''SpongeBob! We thought we had lost you!'' said Pearl.
SpongeBob looked at the ground. ''I'm sorry, guys.'' he murmured.
''For what?'' asked Larry.
''I'm sorry for the trouble I have caused you. I'm sorry I ruined your cake, Patrick, and destroyed your robot, Sandy, and broke your shell, Gary, and fried your money, Mr. Krabs. I just wanted to spend the day with you guys. And I'm sorry I left. I thought you didn't like me anymore.'' replied SpongeBob.
''No, we are the ones that should be apologizing. We shouldn't have been so harsh on you. Of course, it took me a lot of time to build my robot, and that's why I didn't want to visit before everything was over, but that's an excuse. Patrick and I solved our problems, but that's when we regretted getting angry with you, we know they were just accidents, you didn't do it on purpose. We were very bad friends.'' said Sandy.
''Yes, we're so sorry!'' added Patrick.
''Yeah. Look, I'm sorry too.'' said Squidward, a little embarrassed.
''Listen, son, when someone gets angry, they sometimes say things they don't want to say or that are interpreted differently from their meaning. We didn't want you to leave, we like you. I'm sorry if I yelled at you, I promise that I will never raise my voice with you again.'' said Mr. Krabs.
''I'm still sorry for what happened.'' said the sponge.
''Oh, it's OK. But try not to make these accidents happen again, okay? If you had slipped on that puddle in the main area instead of in the kitchen, some customers would have been hurt. And please, don't you run away from home again, we were scared and worried sick about you, not to mention that this almost cost you your life.'' the crab said.
"Everyone has something they don't love about themselves or others, but who cares about your shortcomings? We love you, we like you for who you really are, regardless of your mistakes, or your shortcomings. We forgive you.'' added Patrick, and Gary leapt into his master's arms.
''Welcome back among us, SpongeBob.'' said Larry, as the people of Bikini Bottom welcomed SpongeBob with open arms, rejoicing at his return. From the surface, Patchy had freaked out to see SpongeBob dehydrate, only to rejoice when it turned out he was alive and well.
''Haven't we forgotten something?'' asked Squidward.
''Ah, yes! Squidward, you did your part of the deal, so now I do mine. Here is your reward.'' said Mr. Krabs, giving him the egg that Squidward so desired.
(''Hawaiian Happiness- SpongeBob SquarePants OST-s'')
(''Celebrations- SpongeBob SquarePants OST'')
With SpongeBob's return home, there was a festive atmosphere at Bikini Bottom. Mr. Krabs and Mrs. Puff went on a night date in the fancy restaurant on the other side of town from the Krusty Krab, eating spaghetti. SpongeBob was there to create a pleasant atmosphere for them, but then something surprising happened. During their dinner, Mr. Krabs and Mrs. Puff had the same spaghetti in their mouths, and as they approached to eat it, they ended up kissing each other on the lips, to their surprise. Mrs. Puff blushed over the unexpected thing, and all three laughed.
The next morning was a day when SpongeBob could finally enjoy a pleasant day with all his friends. At the Krusty Krab, he served his delicious Krabby Patties, and their good mood, even in Squidward's case, did not change for the rest of the day, both when the sponge led them to Sandy and someone was a little battered (Squidward got his karma from Sandy and Larry, as Larry had lifted him by the tentacles, leaving him upside down, and Sandy had scared him with a hockey mask, causing him to ink), an when he took them to Jellyfish Fields.
''Well, what can we say? We can't live with him...'' commented Squidward.
''but we can't live without him.'' Patrick concluded.
''Meow.'' added Gary.
''So, what had happened while we were looking for you, SpongeBob?'' asked Sandy.
So SpongeBob began to explain his misadventures in New Kelp, from finding a job to his lack of resources, from dealing with the Bubble Poppin' Boys to the scarcity of food and money, how as time passed he kept thinking about them, his past life and homesickness and how he went looking for them and then how he had fainted dehydrated.
"There's a reason why New Kelp has a bad reputation. There's a lot of crime here, the police said.'' said Mrs. Puff.
''Well, good thing your body is spongy and absorbent, SpongeBob.'' said Sandy. ''After all, sponges are among the life forms with regenerative capacity, and so are starfish.''
(''Celebrations- SpongeBob SquarePants OST-s'')
Suddenly, SpongeBob's expression changed dramatically, and he let out a scream.
''What is it, SpongeBob?'' asked Larry.
''They're coming...'' Spongebob said in a whisper.
''What in the ocean...'' murmured Sandy, shocked.
The reason why the sponge was afraid became clear: he had seen the Bubble Poppin' Boys. ''Look who's there, the bubble burster. He will pay for having us arrested.'' said the leader, approaching to beat him.
(''Chum Bucket Lab- SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated OST-s'')
''Don't touch my friend!'' shouted Patrick, standing in front of his best friend. The others did the same.
''Don't you think about blowing bubbles too!'' the leader of the thugs threatened him. ''Take them!'' he then ordered his followers.
The yellow fish, the most muscular, attacked SpongeBob, with the result that Patrick jumped on him spinning his entire body and Sandy gave him a karate chop to the head. The green one punched Mrs. Puff, and Mr. Krabs was about to beat them up in retaliation for hitting his girlfriend, but being a pufferfish, she puffed, with a painful impact.
''Are these the Bubble Poppin' Boys you were talking about, SpongeBob?'' asked Sandy, and SpongeBob nodded.
Mermaid Man hit the yellow fish with a punch and then a kick, but for the effort, he hurt his knuckles and nearly threw his back out, leaving him exposed to a kick in the face that left a nasty bruise in between his eyes. Barnacle Boy fared slightly better, but was overwhelmed by the purple fish. The other two tried to attack Squidward, but Squidward released ink, blinding them, and Larry threw them against a rock. Mr. Krabs was hit in the back by the leader and two of his subordinates, the yellow and the red ones, but he did not fall to the ground and punched them before stretching his claws and then closing them in their backs, resulting in screams of pain.
''No! Leave me alone!'' shouted Squidward, surrounded by the Bubble Poppin' Boys, and was beaten up, but SpongeBob and Sandy saved him with a series of karate chops, and Larry stunned the orange fish with an uppercut.
SpongeBob was attacked and handled it for a while, but suffered strong blows that he could not absorb, and the green fish also detached his arm, which regenerated soon after. ''Hey! Get away from me boy!'' yelled Mr. Krabs, hitting the leader with strong punches, then slammed him on his companions. He then turned his gaze to SpongeBob, smiled at him and winked at him.
Patrick was not as resilient as SpongeBob or Mr. Krabs, and when he tried to blow bubbles, he suffered a beating, but turned the situation around by spinning. ''How do we finish them off?'' he asked.
''Patrick, we have to blow bubbles! They hate them!'' replied SpongeBob.
''Not this! Everything but not this!'' shouted the leader of the thugs menacingly, but Patrick made a soap bubble that burst in his face. He made several others that affected the whole group. Mermaid Man was then attacked from behind by the green fish, but he reacted quickly and punched him on the chin without moving from his spot.
''Fins off our friend, ya rascals! We don't mess around, and you should know it!'' shouted Sandy, wrapping the Bubble Poppin' Boys in a lasso and tossing them around the environment, leaving them groggy. SpongeBob and Patrick exchanged a nod and blew a huge soap bubble, trapping them all, then, with a karate blow and a punch, respectively, they burst it. Pearl was directly under the bubble, expelling a powerful jet of water from her blowhole. The five screamed as the force of the water expelled from Pearl threw them away from the surface of the water and into the distance.
(''Chum Bucket Lab- SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated OST-s'')
(''Industrial Fields Oil Rig- SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge OST'')
SpongeBob and his friends burst out laughing at what had happened. ''We showed them!'' Sandy said in laughter.
''This would be a nice warm-up!'' commented Larry.
''I may be old, but I still hurt.'' Mermaid Man said.
''Guess we are not yet ready for total retirement yet.'' Barnacle Boy told him.
Mr. Krabs was amazed at how Pearl had finished the Bubble Poppin' Boys. ''Remind me not to make you cry anymore, me daughter.'' he told her, remembering all the times her daughter burst into tears, as her tears literally became rivers.
''None of you expected it, didn't you?'' asked Pearl.
''We didn't expect that, Pearl.'' replied Patrick. ''But it was so cool!''
''With everything that has happened, I will stay here at Bikini Bottom forever!'' SpongeBob said out loud.
Squidward heard this last part as an echo and sighed. ''I expected that.'' he commented.
''This is a nice thing though. SpongeBob SquarePants, we all need you.'' said Sandy.
''Let's enjoy this wonderful day, my friends!'' shouted SpongeBob, and everyone spent time with him, aware of his importance.
Starring
Tom Kenny as SpongeBob
Bill Fagerbakke as Patrick
Roger Bumpass as Squidward
Clancy Brown as Mr. Krabs
Carolyn Lawrence as Sandy Cheeks
Mr. Lawrence as Larry the Lobster
Mary Jo Catlett as Mrs. Puff
Lori Alan as Pearl
Tom Kenny as Gary
Tom Kenny as Patchy the Pirate
Ernest Borgnine as Mermaid Man
Tim Conway as Barnacle Boy
Towards sunset, everyone was in a great mood, and none more than SpongeBob. ''I had almost completely forgotten how beautiful Bikini Bottom was in these two weeks. I have a great town, the best job ever, the best pet, and of course, lots of amazing friends.'' he said happily.
''That's me boy.'' Mr. Krabs commented.
''Everybody strike a pose!'' exclaimed Sandy, preparing a camera that she placed directly on the back of the Krusty Krab and setting the timer of the photo shot to 10 seconds, and everyone posed.
''And now let's say, ''Fuzzy pickles!'' said SpongeBob.
''Fuzzy pickles!'' everyone said, and the camera took the souvenir photo.
(''Industrial Fields Oil Rig- SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge OST-s'')
A/N: And it's over! I really hope you enjoyed this remade version of the episode! In the future I could do something similar with some other episode, but we'll see. Let me know your opinion on my work and I'll see you soon!
(1): In the episode ''New Digs'' it is shown that the Krusty Krab opens at 9 AM.
(2): New Kelp City is a parody of New York City. Also, the location is not original from this episode, as the plot points where SpongeBob suffers from amnesia and goes to New Kelp City come from a book in the series in which SpongeBob loses his memory while chasing a bubble in the shape of Krabby a Patty. The book came out in 2006, while this episode came out in October 2008, two years later.
(3): In the episode ''Rule of Dumb'', as seen in a family tree, Patrick and Gary are related as cousins.
(4): It is a reference to the Season 2 episode ''Sailor Mouth'', where swear words, such as ''Number 11'', are censored with these sounds.
(5): One of the most well-known running gags of the series is the one in which Fred hurts his leg and shouts this phrase. The gag also received an episode dedicated to it in Season 11.
(6): Some voice actors from the SpongeBob cast also voiced some characters in Crash Bandicoot and Spyro. For example, Tom Kenny, the voice actor of SpongeBob, voiced Spyro from Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage to Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly before reprising his role in Spyro Reignited Trilogy. Clancy Brown, who voiced Mr. Krabs, is very well known in dubbing for his deep voice, which is why he is in great demand as a voice actor, and among the several characters he voiced are Hank Anderson from Detroid: Become Human, Hades from God of War III, most of the dragons in Spyro the Dragon, and, in the Crash Bandicoot series, the main antagonists, Dr. Cortex and Uka Uka, up to Crash Nitro Kart.