One evening at Stephenson Field, baseball player Walter Blackwell was doing some last-minute practices with the pitching machine before he got ready to leave for the night.

Suddenly, he heard some commotion inside of the locker room.

Shutting off the pitching machine, Walter made his way towards the locker room.

As he got closer, he heard more noises. "What's going on?" he asked.

As he peeked in, he saw what looked like a baseball player, coated in a raggedy, tattered team uniform.

"Hey, who are you?" Walter asked. "And what are you doing here!?"

Emerging from the shadows came the individual, but from what Walter could see, his face was a pale grey, his eyes were blank and lifeless, and his uniform was utterly ancient, coated with a thick layer of dust.

"What the?" Walter asked in slight fear. "What's going on here?"

With a snarl and a roar, the baseball player lurched at him, its arms outreached, in a grabbing gesture.

"Wah!" Walter cried out as he started running.

But even as he ran, the cap-clad spectre continued his pursuit, unrelenting in his efforts. Walter tried his best as he thought about getting to home base, like he was in a game so he could run faster. And for a bright, shining moment, it seemed as though he would actually manage to outrun his pursuant. Maybe...he would actually escape!

But suddenly, he tripped and fell on the ground.

As he tried to pull himself up, he turned back and saw the shambling baseball-clad zombie approaching him, causing him to scream in terror.

[END COLD OPEN.]

TITLE CARD:

Scooby stands at home base, clutching a baseball bat as a baseball comes right towards him.

Scooby-Doo! Tales of Crystal Cove in:
SCOOBY AT THE BAT!/BATTER UP, SCOOBY-DOO!/FRANKEN-STRIKE-OUT!

We had three titles, and I couldn't let any of them go to waste!

It was a splendid day out, and so the gang was enjoying the weather by—how else?—a picnic at the park.

"I like mysteries as much as the next detective," said Velma. "But sometimes it's just nice to relax and take it easy."

"Like, I hear that!" Shaggy beamed.

Fred was manning the grill that day. "Alright, gang, gird your loins and prep your taste buds!" he declared.

Scooby was nearby, taking a stroll around the park while trying to make passes at some of the other dogs who were also there. Of course, none of them were very successful passes, mind you.

While she was seated nearby, Velma pulled out a newspaper and saw what was on the front page. "Oh, my..." she commented. "Hey, gang, come look at this!"

"Please, not another mystery." Shaggy quietly begged as they went to take a look. "Like, maybe it's an ad for some kinda sale?"

But alas, it just wasn't to be.

"Apparently, someone was attacked last night by a zombie baseball player," Fred read over Velma's shoulder. Of course, he had shut off the grill beforehand.

"And there it is." Shaggy said with a sigh. "At least it's a mystery that we can stand a chance at."

So, for the time being, they'd have to put their hangout/barbecue on hold.

"Scooby! Scooby-Doo, where are you!?" Shaggy called out.

"Rover here," Scooby said as he came back over to the group, having acquired no female companionship.

"Got a mystery at a baseball field," Shaggy told him. "We'd better go."

"Aw, rokay," shrugged Scooby as he followed the others back to the Mystery Machine. He looked a bit discouraged, but tried not to show it as the van pulled away from the park.

"Like, cheer up, Scoob," encouraged Shaggy. "It's only your first time."

Soon, the Mystery Machine arrived at the stadium; as they did, there was a practice game going on.

They headed into the stadium and looked around, even going to ask the people that were practicing there for information.

"Excuse us, we're Mystery Incorporated," introduced Fred. "And we'd like to ask you some questions about last night's incident."

"It's a strange one, that's for sure," The coach replied. "This field is a practice field for all baseball teams and not one team has any real claim to it, not since the accident."

"Strange," commented Fred, rubbing his chin. "Mind if we look around for some clues?"

"Sure." The coach agreed.

And so, the gang headed off to look around the stadium for clues.

As they did, they ended up finding an old tattered uniform shirt that belonged to the Crystal Cove Conquistadors.

"...wow," commented Daphne. "Wonder how old THIS thing is!"

"Hmm, about fifty years old." Velma replied. "The Crystal Cove Conquistadors was the team that this field use to belong to, but fifty years ago there was a horrible accident that claimed the lives of the whole team and after then they leave the field as an open field for everyone to use."

"Noted," commented Daphne. "Then whoever did this must've been a fan."

"Maybe, but if it IS a fan then they'll have to have been big on old stuff." Shaggy mentioned.

"No doubt a collector might have some more information about this." Velma advised.

"So we'll have to find one of these collectors," responded Velma.

"Daphne, a baseball shirt that belonged to the Crystal Cove Conquistadors would be bought by who in the local area?" Fred asked.

"Oh you'll definitely want to check with Samuel G. Applegate." Daphne advised. "He's been known to collect a large amount of baseball memorabilia and has been looking for anything related to the Crystal Cove Conquistadors for a while."

"Then that's where we go," nodded Fred.

After agreeing to their next move they headed out. However, they were being watched by the zombie. It snarled quietly as it withdrew into the shadows.

And so, the gang drove to Samuel's place. When they arrived, they noticed that it looked like a baseball dome.

"Wow..." commented Shaggy. "Like, you weren't kidding about how much of a fanatic he is!"

"He made his fortune selling baseball goods and memorabilia so he could afford his collection of antique baseball memorabilia." Daphne explained. "He's been trying to afford his own team for a while."

"Rheesh..." commented Scooby. "Rhat, no franks?"

"Let's see what he's up to." Velma suggested as they were to the door.

Once they saw, Daphne went to the door and knocked on it a few times.

"Hello," Samuel said through a speaker. "Who's there?"

"Hi, we're Mystery Incorporated, and we brought something we'd like you to inspect," said Velma. "A baseball shirt for the Crystal Cove Conquistadors."

Suddenly the door opened immediately and they were met by a well-fit young man with a bald head and fairly tanned skin dressed in a custom baseball uniform.

"The Crystal Cove Conquistadors?" he asked. "Let me see."

Shaggy handed over the shirt and let the guy look it over.

"Come on inside while I inspect this," Samuel offered. "Oh and please be careful about what you touch and/or bump into."

"Sure thing, man," responded Shaggy, before his stomach growled. "Also...like, you got anything to eat around here? We came from the park, but didn't get to eat."

"Concession stands to your left," Samuel replied. "All food you'd find at just about all ballparks."

Shaggy and Scooby high-fived at that.

"Thank you," Shaggy responded as he and Scooby went off to tuck in.

"No problem, I've got plenty." Samuel said as he pulled out a microscope to check the uniform.

And so, Shaggy and Scooby ate while the others waited as Samuel checked the uniform.

"It's authentic." Samuel declared. "Where did you get it?"

"We found it at the Crystal Cove Stadium, while we were investigating," explained Fred as he held out a newspaper that showed what they were investigating.

"Hmm, interesting." Samuel said with a thoughtful look. "This must mean that they've found the lost lockers of the Crystal Cove Conquistadors."

"Lost lockers?" Fred asked.

"50 years ago, a sinkhole opened up and the old locker room for the Crystal Cove Conquistadors fell in and some of the team members fell in with it." Samuel explained. "After that incident the team was disbanded and the field got a new locker room and has been used for practice ever since."

"...whoa..." gasped the others.

"If this shirt is here then someone has somehow found the old lockers and have either struck a metaphorical gold mine or has unleashed a restless spirit." Samuel explained.

"And either way, neither one is good," Fred declared. "...mostly the latter."

"Do you mind if I keep this shirt?" Samuel asked. "I could get the right people out here to help excavate the lost lockers."

"By all means," replied Daphne.

"Thanks." Samuel replied as he took the shirt.

"Considering that there's a zombie, I guess the part about the restless spirit is what we're dealing with." Velma mentioned after checking out some stuff on her laptop. "Because no Crystal Cove Conquistadors memorabilia has appeared on the market yet."

"Whoa..." shuddered Shaggy, his arms and backpack stuffed with ballpark franks, fried pickles, onion rings, nachos, and chicken fingers.

"We've got something, a couple of players were just kidnapped." Daphne said after getting an alert on her phone.

"Jinkies!" remarked Velma. "This mystery is already starting to heat up!"

"No doubt." Fred agreed. "We'd better get back there and look for more clues."

"Then let's get moving!" Daphne agreed, and with that, the gang thanked Samuel and went on their way back to the Mystery Machine.

As Samuel waved, he was suddenly grabbed and pulled away. "Mmmph—!" he exclaimed as his shout was muffled.

The gang made it back and went to where the kidnapping took place, in the locker room that was made as a replacement for the one that was destroyed.

"Alright, let's split up and look for clues," instructed Fred.

"Sure thing..." Shaggy reluctantly agreed.

And so, after partnering up, the group each started looking around the locker room for clues.

"Like, man, these guys keep some rank stuff in their lockers." Shaggy said as he browsed through one.

"Reah, ro ridding." Scooby agreed while taking a jockstrap off his nose. "Ree-yuck!"

Shaggy made a face as they kept searching through the other lockers.

Velma eventually found something in one of the lockers. "Hey, look at this!" She called out as she pulled out a uniform shirt that belonged to the Crystal Cove Conquistadors, but it was brand new.

"A Crystal Cove Conquistadors uniform shirt?" asked Daphne.

"But it looks brand-new!" Fred added.

"That's, like, a big clue for ya." Shaggy said as he opened another locker and a zombie was in it.

"And there's ANOTHER!" Fred exclaimed.

With a shriek, Shaggy and Scooby fell backwards before they started scrambling backwards.

"Gangway!" Shaggy called out as they were being chased. "We're bein' chased by Brain-Eater Barnes!"

Then a few more lockers busted open and more zombies came out.

"Like, don't look now, Scoob, but we're smack in the middle of a field of screams!" Shaggy exclaimed. "And being chased by the starting lineup of the Undead Sluggers!"

"Run!" Fred said as they all started running.

And so they ran, with the zombies hot on their heels—which is surprising, since zombies are usually pretty slow.

After a while, they finally found a way out.

"Man, am I glad we found the exit!" Shaggy panted.

"They didn't follow us, so we're good here." Fred pointed out.

"Reah...rut for row long?" Scooby queried.

"Not sure, but for now we can at least do some research into who would order new uniforms for a long gone team." Velma said as she still had the new uniform shirt.

"Probably someone who's preparing for a big comeback," responded Fred.

"Let's check to be sure." Daphne suggested. "It could also be someone trying to counterfeit memorabilia."

"...good point," said Fred.

AND SO...

They went to the local sporting goods store and were surprised to find Scooter working there. [You know, from the Skeleton Men episode!]

"Mr. Scooter?" asked Velma, surprised. "I didn't know that you worked here..."

"The lake is temporarily closed due to one too many boating accidents, so I swapped over to here as a backup for a while," Scooter explained. "So, what can I do ya for?"

"We were wondering if you could inspect this," replied Daphne as she handed over the shirt. "We found it during an investigation at the baseball stadium."

"Hmm, Crystal Cove Conquistadors." Scooter said as he checked it out. "Brand new and definitely a custom order." He mentioned while examining it. "I'll have to check a few logs about custom orders to see what we get."

"Alright, thanks," responded Velma.

"You're welcome," Scooter said as he checked on the computer. "Hmm...I see...yes...yes, there we go!" He said as he got the info. "Apparently, someone with the initials M and M signed for enough shirts for a whole team."

Velma took those notes down. "Hmm...whoever has those initials is planning to put together an entire team," she observed.

"No doubts there, because along with those shirts they included a full supply of equipment." Scooter mentioned.

"But then that leaves the question of who ordered all that equipment and whatnot?" Fred responded, rubbing his chin.

"Maybe we could ask Samuel for a tip?" Daphne suggested as she pulled out her phone and tried to call him. But she didn't receive any answer. Just an answering machine. "Guys? I think something might've happened to Samuel!" Daphne replied.

"Like, what kinda something?" Shaggy asked.

"I don't know, but I don't think it was anything good." Daphne replied before showing a post on her phone about Samuel's disappearance.

"Like, that's my least favorite kind of 'something'!" Shaggy gulped, his knees knocking.

"Ever thought about switching to decaf?" Scooter asked.

"I don't drink coffee, this fear is all-natural!" Shaggy gulped.

"I see," Scooter said with interest.

"Anyways, this is getting twice as hectic," said Fred. "We have to take action!"

"Well, now would be a good time to plan out a trap," Velma advised. "I need to check something while on the way."

"Works for me," nodded Fred. "Then let's go!"

They left, got back into the Mystery Machine and headed back to the field.

"Okay, let's get what we need and start setting up," decided Fred as they arrived.

"Jinkies! I think I know who's responsible." Velma said as she got out to help.

"Yeah?" Daphne asked. "Who is it?"

"I'll explain after we catch the zombies." Velma explained as Shaggy and Scooby pulled out some ball launchers, tomatoes, some slingshots, and a couple of nets.

"Okay, let's get to it," said Shaggy.

"Reah!" agreed Scooby.

They spent an hour setting up the traps before focusing on how to get the zombies out of the locker room.

"Alright, how are we gonna get them out here?" asked Daphne.

"We actually have a plan for that." Shaggy said as he was helping Scooby pump up a baseball-colored zorb sphere. "We're a little less scared of being bait in this."

"Well...okay then!" Daphne responded, impressed.

Once the baseball zorb was filled both Shaggy and Scooby got inside and started rolling it around.

"I feel like a hamster on a wheel!" Shaggy commented.

"Reah, me too!" Scooby agreed as they rolled down to the locker room to get the attention of the zombies.

Two by two, the zombies all turned their heads and looked at the rolling zorb, before they all began to pursue the ball.

Shaggy and Scooby rolled away from the zombies as they gave chase.

"Like, it's a good thing we're in here," said Shaggy. "And they're out there!"

"Reah!" Scooby agreed as they led the entire team through the ball launchers that were filled with tomatoes and then through the slingshots that had softballs as ammo and they further slowed down the zombies before they were caught by the nets.

Once the zombies were caught, the rest of the gang came out to check it out for themselves.

"And if what I found out is right then the pitcher and leader is none other than the famous actor..." Velma said as she pulled off the mask.

"Milo Melvin!?" The rest of the gang said in shock.

"Rait...rho's this guy?" Scooby asked, confused. [AUTHOR'S NOTE: Scoob, you're not the only one asking that. The co-author kinda popped this on me as a bit of a surprise when we wrote this!]

"He's an actor that has a bit of a mean streak because of how he really wanted to become a baseball player." Samuel explained as he managed to hop out of the locker room while still tied up. "Mind helping me here and these others?"

"Sure," nodded Fred as he and Daphne went to untie Samuel.

"Yes, it's true," Milo Melvin admitted. "I always wanted to be a baseball player, but I could never throw a ball right no matter how much I tried. So, I always came here to reflect and by luck I found a soft spot in the foundation, where I discovered the lost lockers. That was where I came up with the idea of forming my own team and either becoming a success, or ruining the sport forever."

"...all that just for your own team?" Shaggy asked.

"You'd be surprised just how desperate people can be for something," Samuel mentioned as he untied Milo and gave him a ball. "Throw that with your left arm."

Milo picked it up, wound his arm, and did his best to throw it. Surprisingly, it went pretty far.

"...well, whaddya know!" Milo commented. "I was a southpaw all along!"

"Exactly." Samuel replied. "I could spot it from a mile away, but you decided to do things the wrong way and now you're paying for it."

Within seconds, Milo was handcuffed. "Guess that's on me," he shrugged. "...ah, well!"

Then he was taken away along with his stunt crew, and the players that were kidnapped were found and released. They even discovered the entrance to the lost lockers while doing so.

"Well, here it is," said Fred as he presented the entrance.

"The lost lockers...found at last," Samuel said as he looked around before finding locker #47 and opened it to find not only a uniform, but a family photo as well. "There you are."

"Rhat's that?" asked Scooby.

"My uncle was one of the Crystal Cove Conquistadors when the sinkhole opened." Samuel revealed. "He was a few years older than my dad, and was lost to the sinkhole; this was a family photo they took before that day." He explained. "It's been my dream to find this place and give my uncle a proper sendoff."

"...wow," commented the gang, genuinely touched.

"Kids, I wanna thank you for solving this mystery and helping me find this," Samuel said. "Let me know if you need or want anything that's within my power to give you."

"Thanks," replied Fred. "We'll definitely keep it in mind!"

"Sure thing." Samuel agreed.

AND SO, SOME TIME LATER...

A sports museum was opened up and a wing dedicated to the lost Crystal Cove Conquistadors was the star attraction.

"It's nice that they could honor the team like this," said Velma, impressed.

"It's a great display," Fred agreed.

"Hey guys, like, look what we got here!" Shaggy said as their baseball zorb was on display along with the details of the zombie chase. "Just this once...it was kinda fun bein' bait!"

Scooby shrugged. "...raybe," he replied.

"I think it was cool," Daphne admitted.

Shaggy blushed happily at that.

Another mystery was solved and a bit of history was saved and it was all thanks to a group of mystery solvers and a dog named...

"Scooby-Dooby-Dooooooo!" Scooby said with a wink.

CASE CLOSED!

Before we continue, here's a look at the Writer's Notes so you have an idea of how the Gang is meant to be in this version. Also just in case someone wants to use these versions in a story. Not you, angryluigi. You're banned from having anything to do with me.

The characterizations of the gang will be more in-line with how they were portrayed in Where Are You, long before they essentially became caricatures of themselves.

- Shaggy is actually kind of clever and seems to like mystery-solving at times (he just doesn't like monsters—but who would, really?). He's even a great athlete. Many times he can be Freddy's right hand man and navigator.

- Scooby is still a dog who acts dog-like...he just happens to be able to talk some, though his vocabulary is gradually growing. Unlike in more modern stories, where it seems like Scooby and Shaggy share the same dumb brain cell, they actually get on each other's nerves at times in Where Are You, like real best friends. And Scooby is pretty smart and heroic at times too. [i.e. Never Ape an Ape-Man]

- Velma isn't a complete know-it-all and scientific genius, nor is she an obnoxious skeptic. She is reasonably smarter than the others, but she gets things wrong sometimes, and she is willing to consider the possibility of real ghosts and monsters.

- Freddy isn't some himbo dudebro who is in love with the Mystery Machine or with traps, he's a natural leader and a nosy meddler who seems to have a knack for engineering projects that he can turn into traps.

- Daphne is a curious, helpful, lovable klutz, who can cook (i.e. the Shaggy Snack), loves animals, and is almost as scared-y as Scooby and Shaggy.

That's all for this chapter. Stay tuned, we'll include some character profiles later on down the road, and next chapter, the gang helps out some old friends with a new problem!