Jackie was riding Abby when she came across Cody and the four main bots.
"Hey, guys," she said. "Stargazing?"
"No, astronomy homework," Cody said.
"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Chase asked.
"Can't sleep," Jackie dismounted. "Too much cola at Anime Night."
"Hey, there's the Mertonian star cluster!" Blades pointed.
"Check your optics," Heatwave said. "Everyone knows the Mertonian's way over there." He gestured the opposite way.
"Maybe you call it the Big Dumper," Boulder said to Cody.
"It's Dipper. And the Mertonian won't be visible until September," Jackie corrected.
"What is the proper term for that?" Chase pointed at something moving in the brush.
Cody looked through the telescope. "Whoa! No way!" He snapped the camera. "Guys, we just got the Maine Ridge Monster on camera!"
"I don't think that will satisfy your teacher."
"What's the Maine Ridge Monster?" Blades asked.
"Another name for Bigfoot," Jackie said.
"We have to warn the island!" Cody said.
"Why?" Boulder asked. "It isn't doing anything."
"Because it's a monster and-and they do bad things!" Cody said.
"That's all I need!" Heatwave got up and went to attack.
"No, Heatwave! That's a-" Jackie started.
"Ha! Gottcha! -AAAHH! Chemical attack! Chemical attack! I'm blind!"
"...skunk," Jackie face palmed before getting a spray bottle. "Let's help the big baby."
"Phew! How can such a small creature make such a big stink?" Boulder asked as he held his nose.
"I'll explain later," Jackie sprayed the eyewash in Heatwave's optics.
"Ow!" Heatwave yelped. "That stings!"
"That's the skunk spray."
"According to the 'Lad Pioneer Handbook', which I never leave without, the skunk smell cure recipe is a tomato juice bath," Chase said.
"Can we do that back at the firehouse and away from the monster?" Blades asked.
"Yeah, I need to show my family the picture," Cody said.
xxx
"Eh, I don't believe it," Dani said.
"But look at the photo!" Cody said.
"I am. Sorry, Cody, it looks like a hoax."
"Yeah, the Maine Ridge Monster is just sci-fi conspiracy theories," Graham said.
"Wait, wait, wait, guys, guys. I know what this is. It's a photo of Mr. Tallbot- the lifeguard!" Kade joked.
"He shouldn't hike without some neon orange," Ally joked with him before helping Cody. "But, look, aliens were thought to be nonexistent."
"I know what I saw!" Cody took the picture from Kade. "You believe me, right, Dad?"
"I believe you believe. But I don't think this photo will convince anyone it's more than a good campfire story," Chief said. "Now, everyone get some rest for the lunch fund-raiser tomorrow. At least I can promise you a monster of a sandwich."
"Right," Cody sadly said.
"At least you won't be fasting for religious reasons," Ally said.
"Um, why?" Kade asked.
"Ramadan's tomorrow and I can't eat while it's light out."
xxx
Jackie got a beef quesadilla from the sandwich blimp and sat on Blades' landing gear as the bot and his human observed the fund-raiser.
"Dad, since when is a sandwich sale a reason for us to be here?" Dani asked.
"Since the mayor decided it would bring in more people," Chief said.
Ally walked from the mayor's Magic Meat stand with a free sample.
"Aren't you fasting?" Cody asked.
"First Aid said if I didn't get something to eat he'd put an I.V. in my arm. I don't really like needles," she looked at the piece of 'meat'. "Does this look pork based to you guys?"
Cody saw Mr. Prescott's news camera. "Be right back, Dad!" Cody ran to Huxley. "Hey, Mr. Prescott!"
"Can't you see I'm doing a story right now?" Huxley asked.
"I know, that's why I wanted to show you this," Cody handed him the picture.
"A blurry photo of Mr. Talbott?"
"No. The Maine Ridge Monster."
"I have real stories to- I'll save it for a rainy day," he turned on his camera. "This is Huxley Prescott here at the sandwich sale with Doc Greene's new Magnetic Insta-Grill."
"It revolutionizes the backyard barbecue!" Doc said. "Frankie, fire her up!"
"One burger coming up!" She loaded the cannon like machine with a burger.
Doc explained how the machine worked and caught the cooked burger with a bun and took a bite. "Science is delicious!"
"Ready for another?" Frankie asked.
"Why settle for a boring burger when you can have a Magic Meat burger?" The mayor loaded a whole can of meat into the machine.
"That's too big a serving!"
"Nonsense! You can never have too much Magic Meat!" The mayor turned on the machine and it started to make an odd noise. "Or, maybe you can."
xxx
Raychel was recording Ally arguing robot First Aid while T.J. chewed the free sample before losing his lunch.
"Ugh! Dude!" She said.
"That isn't meat! I don't think it's even food!" T.J. said between heaves.
"Go get a soda!"
First Aid pulled out the I.V. kit and Ally passed out.
Something hit the sandwich blimp, causing it to catch fire.
"Ground team, evacuate the area!" Chief said.
"First Aid, give me the first aid kit and get Ally out of here!" Raychel said before she turned off her phone and grabbing the kit and ran to the others.
xxx
Mr. Talbott saw Ally on a bus bench with an I.V. in her arm hanging from the schedule.
He walked over to her and tried to wake her up. "Deputy Ally? Are you okay?"
Ally groaned as she rolled off the bench, accidentally ripping out the I.V. "Oh, shi..." She fainted again when she saw the needle.
"Hey! We need a doctor over here!" Mr. Talbott called to the fundraiser. He ripped off his shirt to stop the bleeding from the needle.
Dani and Raychel ran to the bench.
"What happened?" Dani asked.
"Oh, I think I know a bot to ask," Raychel said.
xxx
"Tonight, we're catching evidence that the Maine Ridge Monster is real," Cody said as he packed a satchel.
"Perhaps we will discover if it poses imminent threat," Chase said.
"I got a score to settle!" Heatwave punched his fists.
"No, you're not," First Aid grabbed his arm. "You need another tomato juice bath."
Heatwave was protesting as First Aid dragged him to the Sigma.
"Jackie and Emerald are coming to join us to see if Jackie can communicate with it," Boulder said.
"Those teeth and claws don't look friendly," Cody said.
"Well, Jackie's are scarier," Blades said.
"Yeah, she tried to eat me once," Chroma said as she loaded her blaster.
xxx
"Graham, can I ask a question?" Boulder asked the college student.
"Sure," Graham bookmarked his page.
"If something looks scary, does it mean it is?"
"It is until you understand it more. I'm a bit scared of my quantum mechanics homework right now. Think you can help?"
"Sure, but I have some research to do."
xxx
"Where are you, ya cryptid?" Emerald called out.
"Come out, cryptid!" Jackie called.
"Or not if you don't want to, Ridgey!" Boulder called.
"'Ridgey'?"
"I thought if I gave him a name, he'd seem less scary."
"Have you not seen creature features?" Blades said. "That only gives a name to call out before the monster rips you to shreds!"
"Can you tell us more about the Maine Ridge Monster, Cody?"
"According to the internet, the Maine Ridge Monster was first seen on the mainland in the 1800's and is eight feet tall- or 18 feet, and has a white patch on his chest- or no white patch," Cody read the online article.
"Oh, the internet," Jackie said.
"Tsk, tsk. These eyewitness accounts are so unreliable," Chase said. "Is that why Chief Burns is skeptical?"
"Well, that, and there's never been physical proof of Ridgey's existence," Cody said.
"Until THAT!" Blades pointed at knocked down trees and they all heard an odd roar.
"Let's catch a cryptid!" Emerald said.
xxx
"Is that a wig?" Jackie ate a couple of gummies.
"This is so cool!" Cody took pictures with an old camera.
"I don't get it. Why is he attacking the old cannery?" Boulder asked.
"Because monsters are... bad," Blades hid behind his hands.
"Food?" Jackie suggested.
The cryptid entered the building.
"He's going inside!" Cody said.
The gang entered the cannery and saw the plausible Giagantopithagus trashing the place.
Breaking, entering, vandalism," Chase listed the offenses.
"I don't think you can charge Ridgey," Emerald said. "He ain't a human. He's some sort of 'scwatch."
They heard an alarm breaking.
"And complete violation of safety codes. I'm sorry, Boulder, I have to agree with Blades on this. Ridgey is bad," Chase said.
"Smells like Luskey," Jackie said.
A can rolled to them.
Boulder picked up the can. "Maybe he's looking for something?"
Ridgey jumped in front of them and roared.
"Emerald, pigment," Jackie held out her arm and Emerald injected her with a phenotype changer.
Ridgey charged Cody, who used his old camera's flash to blind him. Ridgey blindly stumbled and broke a support beam, causing the building to collapse.
"Don't hurt Ridgey!" Boulder said as he held up the building.
Jackie went dragon, but instead of blue, she looked like a skunk. She got in front of Ridgey and stamped her front feet.
Ridgey whimpered and ran, some hair falling off as he escaped through the ceiling.
"Jackie, help us keep this place from falling!" Emerald said.
Jackie used her wings and body to support the ceiling with a little help from a Predaqueen shot from Emerald and the bots fixed the support.
"Can't wait to show Dad the- oh, no! My camera!" Cody picked up the now broken camera.
"Let me see that," Emerald picked up the camera and looked at the remains. "Film roll's intact. Let's get them developed tomorrow."
"Hey, the fur!" Blades picked up the hair. "Chase, do you have an evidence bag?"
Chase held open a bag and Blades put the hair in.
"We should get it tested," Emerald said.
They all heard a gurgle.
"Was that Jackie's tummy?" Blades asked.
"Yep."
"Did you use..." Boulder trailed.
"Skunticon CNA? Yep."
"She isn't going to..." Chase put Cody in his cab.
Jackie nodded.
"Hold it in!" Everyone yelled.
"Why did Ridgey come here?" Boulder asked.
Jackie opened her mouth and put a claw into it... And accidentally ripped one.
"Ugh! Primus' sake!" Emerald held her nose and waved the air.
"I can't see!" Blades screamed.
"At least we can still hear!" Boulder said.
"What did she eat?!" Chase exclaimed.
"About 20 things of beef and broccoli!" Emerald said.
xxx
"Graham, we'll have to check out the cannery to see how the structure is doing," Chief said before turning to Cody. "Please don't do that again. You can get hurt or worse."
"Do you think it was the cryptid?" Cody asked.
"I'm not sure. It could have been a bear or someone in a costume."
"And we haven't heard back from the lab or the photo shop yet," K-9 added before looking at Graham eating the canned meat. "Really?"
"Boulder, you think it was Ridgey, right?"
Boulder looked at the others.
"Rascal was aggressive, but was ain't no bear. More like a hominid or great ape," Emerald said.
"Many monsters have been proven fake: Nessie, yeti, Prince Charming," Chase listed.
"Prince Charming is supposed to be human, Chase," Chroma said.
"Monsters are real. I've seen them in movies," Blades said.
First Aid groaned loudly and face palmed.
"Those are special effects, Blades," Dani said. "CGI."
"But it is him? Right?" Cody asked.
"We don't have enough data," Boulder said. "Right, Graham?"
Graham noisily ate the Magic Meat.
"Ugh! Bro! How can you- mrff! - eat that?!" Kade covered his mouth.
"Let me guess, up late and nothing to eat?" K-9 put a dog gas mask on.
"Yeah, the taste and the aftertaste grow on you!" Graham licked his finger.
Emerald's pager beeped. "Looks like the fur was faux, but it had human cells on it. Razor can't get a good DNA sample from it."
Then the Burnses got a Skype call. Chief answered it.
"Chief, I've been robbed!" It was Luskey. "Someone broke into my storage cellar and stole all of my Magic Meat! By the way, is Ally OK?"
The team looked at Graham.
"She's fine," Chief said.
"Graham, I hope you have an alibi," Kade said.
"Zombies wouldn't eat that shit," K-9 quietly said.
Graham burped. "'Scuse me!"
xxx
"Wow, there aren't even dust bunnies," Dani said as the three oldest Burns siblings looked through the cellar.
"I want that thief put in stocks!" Luskey exclaimed.
"We don't really use stocks anymore," Chief said.
Cody saw an empty can on the lawn and picked it up. He dusted it off and saw a logo the cans in the cannery had. "Dad, look!"
"My Magic Meat! Aw, it's empty!" The mayor threw the can and they saw a trail of cans.
"Looks like the thief had to eat and run," Chief pressed his comm. "Team, get into your bots. We have a lead."
"The stocks, Chief! The stocks!" Luskey reminded as the left.
xxx
It was night when the team reached the end of the trail... At the firehouse.
"Oh, hey, you're home," K-9 said in his robot mode.
"K-9, did the thief run out of Magic Meat here?" Chief asked.
"Hey, I didn't notice anything weird. Did you check the cameras?"
Cody turned on the comtab and they saw a cryptid break the camera.
"What was that?" Kade asked.
"Graham started to groan before turning into the cryptid.
"What the frag?!" First Aid and Chroma said in unison.
"I'll call Jackie!" K-9 slammed the door.
"Get him his pajamas, too!" First Aid said.
"I think we have blankets in the bunker," Chroma said.
Graham ran off.
"If that was CGI, it was very well done," Blades whimpered.
"How could this happen?" Chief said.
"If someone else finds him..." Cody trailed.
"Let's go, team. Blades, Dani, get an air view."
"Don't worry, Chief, we'll catch that thing before it hurts someone," Heatwave said.
"'It'? This is Graham we're talking about," Boulder said.
"It- he- isn't... Him right now. Let's go."
The bots transformed and let they're humans in.
"Where are we going, Dad?" Cody asked.
"Obviously, to get-"
"Go to Doc's!" First Aid said as he and Chroma exited the firehouse and followed the others.
"Read my mind," Chief said as he looked at the can.
xxx
Chief, Cody, Frankie, and Doc looked at the news on the monster hunt.
"This is bad," Cody said.
"Frightened people do dangerous things. Doc, have you seen this logo before? Graham was eating from it before he... Changed," Chief handed Doc the can.
"Fo-Foo! Where did he get it?" Doc asked.
"What's that, Dad?" Frankie asked.
"Forever Food. It had no expiration date, but failed when I was a Junior Scientist."
"Cold War era, right?" K-9 asked.
"Correct. Research was canceled when they realized a lack of UV rays caused odd behavior."
"That's science code for 'we have no idea what just happened, but it's pretty bad'," Frankie said.
"Like 'Fo-Foo turned my brother into a monster' bad?" Cody asked.
"That sounds about right."
"There was some stored in Bunker 16, by the mayor's house and in the old agricultural bunker, under Jackie and Lindsy's barn, but they burned it. It is highly addictive."
"That's why Ridgey robbed it," Cody said.
"The only place left to find them-" Doc began.
"Don't say it," Chief said.
"Is on the 'Best Left Forgotten' shelves."
"Ugh, couldn't something in BLF stay forgotten?"
"I'm afraid Griffin Rock is quite thorough in cataloging its scientific failures."
xxx
K-9 had activated his transmetal mode when Boulder arrived back at the firehouse.
"Shouldn't you be helping?" He asked.
"I need to get something," Boulder said.
xxx
Lindsy ran into the BLF and loaded her tranquilizer gun. She searched the area and found the cryptids near flammable material. She got ready to shoot.
Boulder got between Heatwave and the cryptids.
"Out of the way, Boulder," Heatwave said. "We gotta restrain those two."
"Let me see if I can get through to Graham," Boulder turned to the college kid. "Graham! Graham! Remember when you asked me to help you with your homework? You didn't understand it and you don't understand what's going on now."
"Jackie had the same problem when she first transformed, too," K-9 added. "Almost burned down the base."
Graham seemed to calm down.
"You're scared, and I need help with that, too," Boulder said. "Come here, you have to get away from the crate of explosives."
Graham turned around and saw the mayor eating the food and we came aggressive again.
The two began to fight and Lindsy fired a tranquilizer into the mayor's shoulder and he lunged at Boulder.
Boulder dodged and fell against the nitroglycerin cases, causing one to fall.
Graham caught it and gently put it down.
"Good, I didn't have to tranquilize you," Lindsy said.
"Here, you might need this," Chroma handed him a towel.
Graham was confused, then realizes undies are gone.
xxx
"The mayor is doing fine," Ally said over the comm. "His shoulder is sore but he is good."
"I guess I'm glad I don't really remember being a monster," Graham said.
"Cryptid," Lindsy corrected. "It's the scientific term."
"I got a text from Razor," Chief said. "She says you need to eat- how the hell do you pronounce that?!"
"I have a way to make sure he doesn't transform at night while the Fo-Foo is still in his system," Doc opened his picnic basket. "Raw greens: raw broccoli, spinach, and Kale."
"Why didn't Razor just say that?"
"S-sorry I nearly trounced you Graham," Heatwave said.
Graham chuckled. "It's okay, I looked like a 'squatch."
"And I still smell like a skunk. Doesn't mean I am one."
"I hope we have no more creepazoids because if we have a zombie mutant potato-"
Lindsy cut Blades off. "Dani, parental lock."
Cody looked to the forest. "I know you're out there, Ridgey."
xxx
Dragon Jackie landed and let the cryptid roam free on the mainland.