"EXCUSE ME!"
That ear-splitting yell from Xander Harris was delivered at just the exact moment before things would've erupted into major violence. Halting in their tracks, a newly-transformed Olvikan demon, an army of graduating students, none other than the Slayer herself, and even Principal Snyder skidding to a stop in the middle of his frantic escape turned to disbelievingly stare at this young man who'd just arisen from his folding chair and was currently waving to get Mayor Wilkins' attention.
"What is it now?" the Mayor asked rather acerbly from where he was curled up in his enormous reptile body on the outdoor stage, looking down from about twenty feet higher than that same rude pupil.
Taking a deep breath, Xander then declared, "I'm invoking tradition!"
Assorted jaws dropped throughout the listening audience. Even the Mayor appeared a tad confused that the moment. Peering towards Xander, this fiend in scales wanted to know, "Would you kindly be more specific, please?"
"Sure," Xander nodded. "A couple of plucky lads here would like your permission for attempting a last-minute zany scheme in order to foil your evil plan!"
The Mayor thought that over for several seconds. Eventually, this serpent shrugged in cautious acceptance despite the evident lack of shoulders.
Fixing Xander with a piercing gaze, Wilkins warned him, "It's true that something like what you're proposing is indeed an ageless custom between the heroes and a villain, but we're on a tight schedule, young man. I've got the entire day already blocked out – devour every one of you, despoil the town, open the Hellmouth, cancel my dental appointment – so you'd better keep it quick, that's all."
Xander promptly agreed, "Oh, don't worry. Me and Oz just need five minutes, tops, if that's okay with you."
"Carry on, then," the Mayor granted. He was actually becoming rather intrigued about the entire madcap situation. It had the potential for a quite good chuckle which was not to be missed for Richard Wilkins anytime these days, what with having spent a whole century scheming to turn into an Old One and ravage the world. Why, only reading the cheery Family Circle comic strip for decades had alleviated the massive tedium of numerous human sacrifices, dealing with vampires, and attending City Council meetings.
Mayor Wilkins watched with growing amusement while Mr. Harris was confronted by the Slayer and several of his friends, which soon degenerated into a whispered argument along with wary glances shot his way. A slinking motion caught from out from the corner of the snake's eye had the Mayor turn his attention there.
Principal Snyder again trying to sneak away promptly froze while under the Mayor's intimidating gaze sent his way. Satisfied that little bald pest wouldn't dare to budge once more, Wilkins returned his notice at where Mr. Harris had just been joined by another young man with blue hair while the others had backed off, leaving this pair alone at the forefront of the crowd.
Clearing his throat, Xander nodded at…right…the werewolf, who then brought out from under his graduating robes one of those noisy electrical devices for broadcasting music. Tilting his head in puzzlement at observing this odd action, Wilkins then witnessed along with the crowd of humans and the menacing mob of demons led by Spike the vampire how Xander produced from his own robe pocket a single sheet of paper.
Holding in his hands what appeared to be some sort of legal document, Xander then stared directly at the Mayor to loudly proclaim, "I've got here your birth certificate of Richard Wilkins the first, born in Salem, Massachusetts on April 12, 1861! Most important of all, it shows your mother's maiden name, which was…"
Trailing off to take the deepest breath of all, Xander released this in a thunderous shout of "BRODY!"
As if this was his cue, Oz pressed the proper button on the boom box to produce from there a repetitive tune: "Duunnn dunnn…duuuunnnn duun…duuunnnnnnnn dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnn dunnnn."
A mere moment afterwards, a faint rumbling noise was heard coming from the west of the school. The crowd's heads one and all turned into that direction, particularly since the noise started growing both louder and closer by the second. Even the Mayor stretched his head higher past the stage roof to look out at where Sunnydale High's football field beyond was still in the shadow of today's magical eclipse.
Even in the darkness there, Mayor Wilkins soon saw how the bare ground was being abruptly lifted and hurled apart by something traveling at a tremendous rate of speed underground and approaching right towards the graduation ceremony. The sudden panicky scattering of the entire audience indicating they'd all become aware of this, too.
Despite the headlong immediate flight of his lunch meal, Richard Wilkins continued to stay where he was, gawking all the while at the onrushing threat. At this exact point, he was beginning to be really sorry that decades ago this heinous politician had ordered Sunnydale's sewer system to be extremely overbuilt by anyone's measure with the drains well over ten feet tall and the same in width. It'd all been done to provide safe subterranean passage for vampires and other demons who might be far bigger than ordinary humans.
Except, this time, whatever was now in that sewer line leading from the Pacific Ocean could still barely squeeze in there with the huge top fin it possessed ripping easily through the overhead concrete and soil into the Mayor's direction—
Bursting out of the sewer in a vast spray of salt water and other debris right before the stage, a sixty-foot long Carcharocles megalodon shark launched itself from there in a stunning leap which sent it sailing through the air towards an Olvikan demon frozen in utter terror.
The very last thing a no-longer invulnerable Richard Wilkins saw was a colossal set of jaws in which a full-grown man could comfortably stand inside and studded with razor-sharp teeth opening wide…
Five very gory minutes later, Buffy and the rest standing at a hopefully safe distance watched a now-extremely stuffed shark squirm along its bulging stomach towards the enormous hole in the ground. When this prehistoric sea creature eventually plunged back into the broken sewer and vanished from sight (except for the exposed fin now slowly making it way back to the Pacific, of course), Buffy turned to where a very smug Xander and Oz were standing with the other Scoobies.
"Okay," the Slayer growled at those two idiots, "why's anybody gonna believe the Mayor got eaten by a shark even if they saw it with their own eyes? We're a couple miles from the ocean, so how could it possibly get here in the first place?!"
The culprits glanced at each other, and then chorused with similar wicked smirks on their faces towards Buffy, "Freak tidal wave!"
Buffy threw up her hands in exasperation, still glaring at the pair. "Just why did you think it'd work? Even Oz's stupid hummus plan had a much bigger chance of success, not like something so completely ridiculous such as re-enacting the Jaws sequel which had that fish's shark relative mysteriously hunting down the Brody family!"
Xander only shrugged. "Fine, you got us. Neither of us really expected it to happen, but if it hadn't, it still would've been a pretty good distraction for you and the other students in fighting back. But, hey, for once the Hellmouth's total weirdness worked on our side, right?"
Buffy rolled her eyes. "I still can't see how even Sunnydale Syndrome's going to keep people from remembering this!"
Oz then contributed his own argument, "People soon forgave Michael Caine for starring in Jaws: The Revenge, giving him the Oscar for best Supporting Actor a decade later. It'll work, Buffy, you'll see."