A few days after their first case as the unofficial Mystery Inc. Mk. II, the four best friends decided to keep a low profile. As much as they (even Duff to some extent) enjoyed the thrill of catching bad guys like their parents used to, they knew it wouldn't be wise to stay out late after school too frequently, as that would raise too much suspicion. They were lucky that hardly anyone caught them in the act, but little did they know that one of the witnesses was someone they knew extremely well.
Another Sunday, and thus another weekend, came to a close in Crystal Cove as the sun began to set, prompting everyone to wrap up whatever their remaining plans were before another five days of school or work would follow. In Shaggy's case, his one day off from work was capped off with five extra-large pizzas delivered to his condo, acting as his supper. Shaggy made more than enough at his own job to cover his other expenses, but following his divorce from Daphne, he was granted some very generous alimony checks, allowing him to satisfy his voracious appetite as much as he needed to. Thankfully, Daphne didn't mind, as the money she sent him was mere pocket change compared to what she regularly made through her own career.
After eating his fill, Shaggy finished the meal off with almost a whole cheesecake, washing it all down with three two-liters of citrus soda. Curiously, a couple slices of pizza, the remaining slice of cheesecake, and half a gallon of water were left behind, which he proceeded to pack up and carry outside. His stroll carried him into the more business-centric part of town, where he ducked into one of the alleyways. There, snoozing behind one of the dumpsters, was a brown Great Dane with black spots. Barring his disheveled appearance, most notably the long, frizzy patch of fur between his ears, he could've passed for a perfect replica of the late Scooby-Doo.
It didn't take long for the dog to start sniffing the air, jolting awake and letting out a melodramatic gasp upon noticing Shaggy standing over him with his weekly rations.
"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! You brought my food! Lemme at it! Lemme at it!" he cheered, now on all fours as he wagged his tail. Now that he was an adult, his increased size had made him too heavy to walk on twos very often, although he still lacked his uncle's speech impediment.
"Like, you know I will, Scrappy," Shaggy chuckled, setting the food down. The portions seemed very modest compared to what Scooby would've eaten, but Scrappy didn't share his uncle's appetite, only his tolerance for human food. "Good to see you again."
"Likewise, old pal!" Scrappy opened the box, scowling at the unusually small helping before him. "Er, Shags? I appreciate the lack of pineapple on this, but why so skimpy all of a sudden? What, did she cut you off or something?"
"Like, nope, there's plenty more food where that came from. I just thought I'd expand my generosity further and let you move in with me."
"Whoa, for real?! Well, what took ya' so long?!"
"Well like, for the longest time, none of the places I've lived would allow me to keep two Great Danes since that'd go over the weight limit. Even after Scooby died, I was hesitant about letting you stay since there's also an ordinance on how noisy pets can be," Shaggy explained, rubbing the back of his head. "But this time, I'd say it's worth the risk."
"Better late than never, I guess!" Scrappy licked his fingers after finishing his whole meal. "But what's the occasion? Are you thinking about solving more mysteries with just us? Sure, it won't be the same without Uncle Scooby, but still-"
"Like, not quite. You know I've left that stuff behind me… but there is a new group of mystery solvers in town, and they need a talking dog to help them sniff out clues."
"Not a bad deal at all. I might be a little rusty, but I'm down."
"Glad to hear." Shaggy smiled down at the eager dog beside him as they walked home, and if he had to be honest, he felt very good about this decision. After losing Scooby-Doo, he could never work up the nerve to own another dog, knowing none could replace him even if they could talk. But becoming Scrappy's owner once again did bring about a new pang of happiness that almost rivaled the one he felt after he first took in his uncle. "Only condition is that you're gonna have to take a bath as soon as we arrive."
"Fair deal," Scrappy replied. "And maybe you can register me at the vet too. Just to make sure I don't have fleas… even though I haven't really itched that much in all these years."
Eventually, the duo made it back to Shaggy's condo. While Shaggy headed off to draw his new dog's bath, Scrappy took the time to sniff around and explore the place. It was modest and humble, but still had all the essentials and came with more than enough space for a dog of his size. Then again, anything was better than spending his days living in an alley, even with non-expired food to eat.
Wrapping up his exploration session, he stopped at a small table next to the sofa. Right next to the lamp was a sky-blue urn decorated with orange and green flowers. Engraved on the side were the words, "Scoobert 'Scooby' Doo. Dog. Sleuth. Uncle. Best Friend." Scooby's old collar was wrapped around the base, and a framed picture of him in his prime rested nearby. Just the sight of what remained of his late uncle caused Scrappy's face to fall as he whimpered a bit.
"Like, I miss him too, little guy," Shaggy commented. "The others might not think very highly of you, but I always saw you as an asset to the team."
Scrappy's jaw dropped as he saw his new owner take his uncle's collar off the urn, about to place it onto his neck.
"And I'm confident you can be an asset to a new team." Shaggy then paused, just short of attaching the buckle. "But first, you're getting your bath."
"Aww, phooey."
A little while later, Shaggy invited the kids over to his place after school for what he referred to as a surprise. The reactions to this appeared mixed, with Frida unsurprisingly being the most excited, always happy to visit her father.
"Alright, Dad, what's this surprise you've got for us?" she asked with an eager grin.
"It'd better not be because you need our help with housework or something." Shane scowled.
"Like nope, but funny enough, that was the excuse I told your parents in case they got curious," Shaggy explained as he sat on the couch, craning his head toward his bedroom and letting out a dog whistle for some reason. "You can come out now, boy!"
Right on cue, Scrappy hurried into the room, panting and wagging his tail at the sight of some new playmates. He looked a lot cleaner and somewhat healthier, and while he kept the extra hair on his head, he now proudly wore his late uncle's collar.
"So… you just called us over to meet your new dog?" Duff scratched his partially shaved head.
"Yeah, it's not like we're five." Vivian sneered.
"Ah, who cares? I can't say no to an adorable puppy like this one!" Frida was already smothering her new friend with affection.
"Hahaha, well I'm not exactly a puppy anymore, but I can definitely bring some puppy power to your dynamic!" Scrappy quipped, savoring the mortified screams of everyone except Vivian, who looked as poker-faced as ever.
"This is my surprised face," she remarked.
"Zoinks, Dad! You didn't tell us he could talk!" Frida exclaimed.
"Yeah, if you'd said that ahead of time, we might've been a little more interested," Shane replied.
"Say, now that I think about it… Uncle Shaggy, this looks almost exactly like the talking dog from your stories!" Duff suddenly had an epiphany. "But… didn't he…?"
"Sure did, but I'm his nephew, Scrappy-Doo!" Scrappy replied, licking his face.
"Charmed, but Uncle Shaggy, why are you trying to set up a new Mystery Inc.?" Vivian inquired.
"Why yes, it's not like we have anywhere near the same amount of interest in sleuthing as you and your friends did," Duff added.
"Yeah, I mean, you guys would have our hides if you knew we were doing that," Shane said.
"Like, nice try, but I know what you kids did the other day," Shaggy chuckled. "I saw you outside the Polanski's house during my drive home from work."
"Oh crud…" all the color drained from Frida's face.
"Like, not to worry, though. Your secret's safe with me. I know it might be hard to believe, seeing how I was always the cowardly one, but the truth is, Crystal Cove needs a Mystery Inc., and you've got the original members' blood running through your veins," Shaggy explained. "All you're missing is an anthropomorphic canine companion, and who better to fill that role than a Mystery Inc. veteran?"
"That's true, I was on that team for a while. Unfortunately, everyone else found me annoying and gave me the boot, but Shaggy here was the only one who voted in favor of keeping me and has been taking care of me in secret for the longest time," Scrappy added.
"And then you turned evil and got revenge, right?" Duff snapped his fingers in realization.
"Nah, that's just a creative decision that was made when the others gave Hollywood permission to make a movie about them."
"And to this day, it's probably the biggest regret we share," Shaggy laughed some more. "But now that you have everything, you're all free to keep on mystery-solving whenever you can. I won't tell a soul, and so long as Scrappy's living with me, no one will suspect he's helping you."
"Alright! Thanks, Dad!" Frida jumped for joy. "Quick, let's go find another case somewhere!"
"I hacked Uncle Fred's police scanner the other day, so I'll be sure to find something," Duff replied with a smug grin, checking his phone.
"See you around, Uncle Shaggy." Shane lazily waved, leading the others outside the condo with Scrappy in tow.
"Yeah, like, good luck to you all." Shaggy smiled proudly as the kids left.
The second generation of Mystery Inc. set out for their next crime scene, and their journey led them to one of the fancier local restaurants, distinguished by the massive "Going Out Of Business" sign above its double front doors.
"I Carboidrati. Pizza. Pasta. Gnocchi," Duff read off the front window.
"Hey, I know this place! Mom and I come here sometimes, though she always just orders the salads," Frida remarked. "I can't believe it might not exist anymore…"
"So Aunt Daphne doesn't believe in fun? Tch, is it any wonder she and others wouldn't approve of us doing this?" Shane sneered.
"At any rate, this restaurant's business has been threatened recently due to reports of a slimy monster haunting the place," Vivian explained with her eyes on her phone.
"Well gang, looks like we've got a mystery on our hands!" Scrappy declared, throwing out his chest.
"Hey now, I'm the leader this time around! …but I won't bother repeating it, since you killed the mood." Shane rolled his eyes, leading his friends inside.
The interior of the restaurant looked rather pristine, given its upper-crust status, and despite the lunch shift going on, hardly anyone was inside, barring a couple of staff members and customers quietly enjoying their food.
"Tienilo proprio qui! You kids do not appear to be dressed business-casually! And without parents, no less!" an Italian maitre'd rushed over to the group.
"Cool it, dude. We're Mystery Incorporated!" Shane boasted with a thumb to his chest. "And we're just here to save your business by stopping this monster we've heard about."
"Yes, and I am Batman. …qualunque cosa, you kids can knock yourselves out, but do not disturb our workers and certainly do not break anything."
"Can't promise nothing." Shane smirked, watching the maitre'd walk away.
"Oy vey." Duff nervously fiddled with his collar.
"Say, I don't suppose that host with the unfriendly attitude could be a suspect," Scrappy suggested.
"Eh, we don't really focus much on the suspects," Frida replied.
"Yeah, we just look around for clues to figure out how the monster came to be," Vivian added.
"And then when it shows up, we go for the jugular!"
"Oh, so you rascals just attack first and ask questions later? Well, why didn't ya' say so?! You guys are way cooler than your parents! …don't tell 'em I said that."
"Whatever you say. Now first things first, if I were a food-based monster, then obviously I'd be hiding out in the kitchen. After all, that's where the materials for the costume would be," Shane said.
"My money's on the dumpster out back. The description was that the monster is slimy, and some foods tend to get like that when they're spoiled," Duff explained.
"In that case… gang, let's-"
"Split up and look for clues," the others answered in unison.
"Hey, cut it out with the line-stealing!"
Without further ado, everyone went their separate ways to stake the restaurant out. Frida waited by the front door on lookout duty, while Shane and Vivian scouted around the high-end kitchen. Meanwhile, Duff and Scrappy went out behind the place, effectively filling in the "Shaggy and Scooby" role.
"Well I'll be. There's hardly any food left in this dumpster, and the day's half over!" Scrappy remarked, peering into the dumpster. "Either the trash truck just came, or the restaurant really is bleeding customers."
"I wouldn't be so sure. The trash trucks usually come early in the morning, and restaurants often throw out food just before it's expired, so there's always gonna be stuff in here," Duff replied. "More than likely, the monster's been doing some serious dumpster-diving in order to make its costume."
"Heh, story of my life." Scrappy then felt something gooey drip onto the back of his neck. "Ey, personal space, bub! Blow your nose or something, will ya?"
"Er… th-that's not a guy with a cold…" Duff started trembling, pointing at the source of the large shadow behind his partner.
Scrappy jumped at the sight of what stood before them. It was indeed a food monster, its body covered in cooked linguine and dripping with the white and yolks of cracked eggs as it towered over the two. Two large meatballs made up its eyes, while its wide mouth contained rows of teeth that resembled serrano chili peppers. It let out a furious roar, spraying them both in Alfredo sauce.
"Aaahhh, run for it!" Duff began to scramble in place for a bit, before Scrappy grabbed his waist and put him back on the ground.
"Relax, kid. Time to take out the trash," Scrappy let out a vicious growl. "Da-da-da-daaaa! Puppy Power! And yes, I'm still using that phrase!"
With that, he leaped onto the monster's chest, climbing up a little and growling as he began to tear away at its costume with his teeth and paws, making sure to go for the eyes. As a result, the disoriented monster resorted to walking around aimlessly until Duff tripped it onto its stomach, with Scrappy thankfully leaping off before he could get crushed. He then latched onto its ankle when it tried to escape, unraveling even more of the pasta covering his body. The monster ended up tripping through the back door and tumbling into the middle of the dining area, terrorizing the customers and scaring them into leaving.
Now with the room clear, the rest of the new Mystery Inc. arrived to finish the job. Just as the monster got back to its feet, Frida came in with a jumping high-kick to down it again, before straddling its neck and decking away at its face. The twins came in to restrain its arms, yanking off the linguine that covered them and using it to tie its legs together. The monster was about to grab Frida, but the twins accounted for this and stomped on its hands. Scrappy rushed in and yanked off the pasta mask with his teeth, revealing the bruised face of a nerdy, lanky man with large, cracked glasses. Frida then pulled off the finishing move: using the peppers that came with the costume and crushing them in her hands, spraying the juice into the culprit's eyes as he wailed in agony.
"Well now we know who this creep really is, so…" Vivian began, ready to record the confession with her phone.
"Oh, come on!" Shane shouted as his voice cracked, eliciting chuckles out of Duff, Frida, and Scrappy.
"…what is the meaning behind you trying to shut down this restaurant?"
"And why the raw eggs? Thanks to you, I probably won't be eating carbonara for a long time." Frida huffed.
"I-I was just furious with I Carboidrati for removing the gluten-free alternatives from its menu!" the culprit sobbed in a nasally voice. "I fell in love with Italian food when I first went there at around your age, but a couple of years after I got back, I developed a gluten allergy. I was able to find solace in this place since they allowed me to still enjoy my pizzas and pastas in some form, but then they stopped serving them as a cost-cutting measure, and I've been incensed about it ever since! Do you have any idea how many restaurants in this town have gluten-free options?! None! None, I say!"
"Cool story, but save it for the cops." Shane knocked the man out with one last jab to the face, before everyone worked together to bring him out front.
With another case under their belt, the gang was treated to some free cannolis before heading out. A text from Daphne prompted everyone to head back to their homes and act natural once more, and that meant Scrappy had to return to Shaggy's condo after saying his goodbyes. The mood between the group seemed to be cheerful overall, with even Vivian showing a small smile.
But out of everyone, Scrappy-Doo seemed the most ecstatic. After years of near-complete neglect from his old gang, he'd quickly managed to get back in the game with a new set of friends. And the fact that they abided by the very ruleset that he'd tried and failed to use in his youth was just the icing on the cake. Not to mention getting aggressive with the bad guys felt way easier and more fun to do now that he wasn't a tiny puppy anymore and actually had some weight to throw around.
And to think the fun had only just begun for the new Mystery Inc.