Two teenagers, Dylan, and Brenda, were setting up the nets at night. Brenda was leaning against a pole.
Brenda: That's the last net, can we go home now Dylan?
Dylan: Come on, Brenda. I promised the Trickell's Trickquid people we'd do a good job setting up for the tournament.
Brenda: Ugh, I'm bored and sweaty, I hate manual labor. I can't wait for a time when robots do everything for us.
Dylan: Here, I brought some water.
Brenda: Ew! I don't want any of that fatty fat water. I want Trickell's Trickquid!
Dylan: Trickell's Trickquid is water.
Brenda: Ugh, no. It's 100% diet moisture. You want me to look good in my bathing suit, don't you?
Dylan: Man, you are in a crabby mood...
Brenda: Please, you wanna see crabby? I'll show you a crabby mood-
She's cut off by a giant man crab jumping out of the sand. She's screaming, and grabbed by the crab as it sinks back into the sand. She's left above the sand with the claw holding her upside down.
Brenda: Man Crab!
Dylan: Brend, where'd you get that, The Giant Fake Crab Parts Emporium?
Brenda is dragged across the beach.
Brenda: It's real! Help me!
She is then dragged into a hole.
Dylan: Haha, nice try, what'd you do? Dig a big hole under the sand?
Brenda: Dylan!
With that she's gone, dragged under the sand while Dylan thinks it was all an act.
Dylan: Bravo. I'll bite. You got an air tank under there? ...Brenda? C'mon, stop joking... Brend?
The Man Crab appears out of the sand again, scaring Dylan.
It was daytime at the beach during the Crystal Cove girls' volleyball tournament.
Angel: This is K-Ghoul's Angel Dynamite, live from the Crystal Cove girls' volleyball tournament. Sponsored by Trickell's Trickquid. What Mother Nature drinks when she doesn't wanna look fat.
Shaggy: Oh boy, like what a crowd! I hope they saved us some food, Scoob!
Scooby: Yeah!
Man in Costume: Trickell's Trickquid here. The nonfat liquid diet, no-calorie, gluten-free moisturizer supplement, now in wet and extra wet.
Shaggy: Well, we want some real food, right Scooby-Doo? Scooby: U-huh! Like that!
Scooby points to the Clam Cabin.
Velma: Ugh, not that place! That guy's a freak!
Y/N: I don't know. He seems nice.
Shaggy: Exactly, like he's totally cool! Just don't mention his nose.
Shaggy, Scooby, Y/N, and Velma went over.
Velma: Hey there cappie. What happened to the old sniffer.
Y/N: Oh no.
Shaggy facepalms as Skipper speaks.
Skipper: What happened? I'll tell ye', boyo! It 'twas a clam that took it. Fierce and mighty was he and reduced me to wearing facial underwear he did, but I'll find him. And I won't stop shuckling till I do! Understand?
Velma: Yes sir, captain admiral sir.
Skipper: It's Skipper!! Skipper Shelton! Clam hunter and waffle griddler. So, what'll it be, skinny shanks?
Shaggy: Oh, I'll take an extra-large, please!
Velma clears her throat and Shaggy looks at her.
Velma: Didn't we agree that you would cut out the junk food?
Shaggy: I should, like, totally eat something healthier.
Scooby looked at Shaggy confused.
Scooby: But- but- but- huh?
Skipper: What about you, wolfie. Is it a cone stuffed with the fruits of the sea? Or are ye afraid?
Scooby: Aye, aye, Skipper! No fear! Two cones here!
Fred and Daphne then joined the four.
Fred: Fred: Mm, those look good. A big salty clam would sure go good with this heat, you want one, Daph?
Daphne: No! Fred, you know what happens when I get near sea food. You remember my sister's wedding.
Y/N: Oh, yeah...
Daphne: I was so swollen I couldn't even fit in the bridal airlock!
Fred: Hey, don't worry, Daph. Those clams aren't close enough to cause you any trouble. Hey, Skipper! Didn't your cabin used to be over where the volleyball courts are?
Skipper: Ay! Every time the town has an event on the beach, they move me business! Blast the City Council!!
Y/N: Sorry, to hear that.
Skipper: Ugh, I need a clammin' break. Watch me cabin.
Shaggy looks at the ice cream longingly, but gets a hard glare back from Velma as Fred takes the cones.
Fred: Come on. Let's get our seats for the first match.
Shaggy: Like, come on Velma can't I even look?
Scooby: Wait for me!
Behind Scooby is two pairs of crab eyes looks at the gang until it went back under the sand. A seagull lands and the crab takes it underneath. The gang are sitting in the bleachers. Velma tries to slide closer to Shaggy but is denied with Scooby appearing between them.
Scooby: Great game, huh?
Velma: Yeah, great.
Daphne: You know we're still close to the water. All kinds of fish in there...
Fred: Yup, they're so beautiful...
Daphne: The girls?!
Fred: No! The nets.
Daphne: Nets?
Fred: I wonder what their tensile strength is. They're nylon! Just absolutely perfect for traps!
Y/N facepalms himself as Daphne looks at Y/N and Velma.
Daphne: Feel like going for a walk?
Y/N: Sure. It might save what left of my braincells.
Velma: No one here is gonna miss us...
The ground starts to shake as everyone gets confused.
Shaggy: Scooby Doo, is that your stomach?
Scooby: Uh-uh. Not my stomach.
The Man-Crab's claw appears out of the sand, the volleyball in its pincers before screaming. The girls on the court went running off in fear.
Y/N: What the what is that?!
Daphne: Is that a crab? Or is it a man?
Shaggy: Like, it's a- a mab. Um, a-a cran.
Scooby: It's a man crab!!
The Man-Crab came up the bleaches, chasing after the gang and three kids. It hit the floor of the bleachers, launching everyone into the air. Four of the girls from the volleyball court held out a net, catching the gang and kids in a cheerleading like stance. As the Man-Crab moved to attack them again, Angel threw a microphone at him to catch its attention, followed by throwing music discs at it. But all three were deflected, hitting the wood post beside Angel before it jumped and tried to grab her. The Man-Crab jumped again through the bleachers underground, tunneling around before closing in on a girl and taking her.
Fred: We can't let that thing get away!
Shaggy: Sure, we can, Fred! All we have to do is stand right here!
Scooby: Yeah, stand right here.
Y/N looks at them and sighs. He grabs Shaggy by the shirt and Scooby by the collar. The Man-Crab stands at the top of a tent before cutting a hole into it and disappearing inside. The gang enters but the Man-Crab is nowhere to be found.
Fred: Huh? What? They're gone?
There are news reporters interviewing people while Sheriff Bronson Stone listens to Shaggy badly explain what happened.
Shaggy: And then, like dude it had huge claws.
Scooby: And weird eyes, like this.
Daphne: Sheriff Stone, you have to close the beach!
Peter: The beach stays open.
They look and see Peter Trickell.
Peter: Hi, Peter Trickell. President of Trickell's Trickquid.
Velma: You can't just ignore the giant crustacean attacking your tournament.
Peter: Ha! Clearly you never went to business school. Young lady, no one's sure what they saw. Could've been a man crab. Could've been a man lobster. Could've also been a really ugly, out of shape person who should be drinking Trickell's Trickquid.
Sheriff Stone: Well, it's pretty clear to me something did happen here and uh... There's nothin' I can do about it.
Y/N: Sheriff!
Sheriff Stone: Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. We're not set up for this. Our motto is 'to serve and protect.' Not 'to serve and protect from man crabs.'
He and Peter then walk away.
Fred: Well, you know what this means, don't you?
Shaggy: We respect authority, go back home and forget this ever happened.
Fred: It means we investigate.
Shaggy: I was afraid you'd say that.
Velma: I think our investigation is off to a good start
They look and see a locker spilling out sand.
Daphne: A locker spilling sand?
Y/N: Well, that's not suspicious at all.
Velma: And look whose it is.
On the locker it shows the name Skipper Shelton.
Daphne: Skipper Shelton.
Velma: And who wasn't around when the man crab took that girl?
Fred: He's so angry at the city for moving his cabin, he has a perfect motive for ruining the tournament.
Daphne: What we need is a trap for the man crab! Right, Fred?
Fred: Actually, what I was thinking is... we need a trap for the man crab!
Daphne: Great plan.
Fred: Thanks! Daphne, you used to play a little volleyball back in the day, didn't you?
Daphne: Well... I wouldn't exactly say play.
Daphne remembers one time in a gym where she was getting hit in the gut with a volleyball, barely dodging a volleyball and getting hit in the face.
Fred: You'll be perfect bait! I mean, what man crab wouldn't want to drag you beneath the sand.
Daphne: Aw, Freddie, that's so sweet. Sort of.
Scooby and Shaggy are hiding behind rocks, watching the Clam Cabin.
Shaggy: Y'know, Scoob before all this started, I really loved crab. Crab brulee.
Scooby: Crabaroni and cheese.
Shaggy: Crabcicles. I can't talk about this. I promised Velma. I mean You know, I promised myself that I would eat more healthy.
Fred: Look out times over guys. Come see what I made.
They both follow Fred to his trap.
Fred: Here's the plan, Daphne will run across the sand to here, where the man crab will step on this plunger. And when he does, a big lid will spring up under him and dump him into that pot.
Shaggy: Like, where is Daphne anyways, the match is about to start and Scoob and I have to get back to keeping an eye on the Clam cones.
Velma looks at Shaggy.
Y/N: She's changing.
Shaggy: I mean, Skipper!
Velma walks over to the parking lot and to the Mystery Machine. Daphne's getting changed in the back of the Mystery Machine.
Velma: Wow, who are you trying to impress?
Daphne: What, this old thing? I've had it forever. I just want to do a good job. Would you rub oil on my back? Fred likes shiny things and I'm tired of him looking at nets.
Velma rubbed oil on her back.
Velma: Hey, Daphne, let me ask you something. If you liked a boy-
Daphne: Who told you? Was it one of my sisters? Dawn! Hah, she thinks she's so perfect. Well, what no one knows is she has a sixth toe on her-
Velma: Uh, what are you talking about?
Daphne: I - Clearly not what you were talking about.
Velma: Well, I mean I'm just wondering. Do boys like it when you tell them what to do?
Daphne: Of course, they do, without my mom around I don't even think my dad could feed himself. I remember she went away once, and when she came back, we found my dad half naked and sucking on an unopened can of soup. Why?
Velma: Well... I'm just working on a science paper that's all.
She's picked up by the Man Crab.
Daphne: Did you say something? Make sure you get me behind the shoulder blades, okay? When I burn there it makes me look like a hunchback-
The Man Crab put too much oil on Daphne's back.
Daphne: Hey. That's a little much don't you-
She sees the Man Crab.
Daphne: Help!
Scooby and Shaggy are hiding behind rocks, watching the Clam Cabin.
Shaggy: No Skipper Shelton, but man do those clams smell good!
Scooby: Go for it, I won't tell Velma!
Shaggy: Oh, well I guess one delicious, chewy, briny doughy treat can't hurt that much.
He accidentally sets off the trap, getting stuck in the giant pot while Daphne is chased by the man crab.
Daphne: The trap- where's the trap?
Shaggy (Inside the pot): Like, help!
She's grabbed by the Man-Crab and dragged under the sand.
Fred: Daphne?
Y/N: Daphne!
Daphne: Fred! Y/N!
Fred tries to dig in the spot she was dragged into while Velma arrives.
Velma: What happened? Something that smelt like drawn butter threw me in the van!
Fred: It was the Man Crab!! He took Daphne!
Velma: Fred, just calm down. We'll get her back!
Fred: We have to, Velma. I don't know what to do. And she was so shiny.
Night came and the gang went to K-Ghoul while Fred was still digging.
Velma: He's been digging like that since he lost Daphne. There's nothing but torn carpet in the back of the Mystery Machine.
Shaggy: Like, this is all my fault. If I never tried to be healthy, Daphne would be alright! Scooby Doo, more.
Scooby comes into the room, carrying a plate of food. He slides the food into Shaggy's mouth. Velma shakes her head. Y/N was sitting down quietly. He could not think straight.
Fred: Someone needs to make a plan, why isn't anyone making a plan?
Velma: That's usually you, Fred.
Fred: You're right. What's wrong with me?
Fred continues to dig as the doorbell rings.
Y/N: I'll get it.
Y/N goes to answer. He finds nothing but an envelope.
Y/N: Mr. E?
Y/N comes in and gives Velma the envelope and sees an old newspaper.
Velma: Jinkies! Get a load of this! This article is from years ago, it says six kids disappeared exploring the Crystal Cove cavern!
Angel: Lemme see that.
Velma: Is something wrong, Angel? Do you know them?
Angel: No. Sorry, it's nothing.
An 8-Track falls out of the envelope.
Shaggy: Zoinks! Like, it looks like the article came with a soundtrack.
Fred takes the 8-Track and puts it on the record player.
Fred: It's not working.
Angel: It's an 8-Track, Freddie. Old school, baby.
She put the track into the 8-Track player.
Mr. E (Recording): Hello, children. If you've read the article, you know this volleyball tournament isn't the first-time kids have disappeared from Crystal Cove. It's worth researching, don't you think?
The tape was shot out of the player leaving everyone in wonder. Inside of a library, the gang are inside wandering about.
Velma: Welcome to where Crystal Cove keeps all its old newspaper articles. They call it the Morgue.
Shaggy: The Morgue? Like, why do they have to call it that?
Scooby: Yeah, they're old articles. Not dead!
They wander through the library, stopping at a computer which Velma turns on.
Fred: There's a book over here, Daphne used to read books... And this chair, Daphne liked to sit in chairs. That card catalog over there-
Y/N: We're getting off topic, Fred.
Fred: I know! What's the matter with me?
Velma: Hmm. Here's a piece on the founding of Trickell's Trickquid. And here's one on the city moving the Clam Cabin the year those kids vanished. Listen to this, Skipper threatened the whole town. He swore he'd take drastic action.
Fred: Daphne was drastically taken...
Shaggy: Hey, is this the rest of that article that Mr. E sent us?
Velma: Yeah, and check this out.
Behind them a shadow of the Man-Crab is seen but retreats.
Velma: It says the Crystal Cove Caverns run under the beach where the volleyball tournament is being played!
Fred's leading the way inside of a cave. As they walk in, a large shadow of a crab appears along the cavern walls, causing Shaggy to whimper in fear until Velma shines her light away from a small crab. Shaggy goes up to it and the crab pinches its nose and Shaggy tosses the crab away.
Shaggy: Like, guys, I think I found something.
There's a dangerous looking set of stairs up to the surface.
Y/N: Are those stairs?
Velma: What kind of crab monster would need stairs to climb up into the volleyball tournament?
Shaggy: One that's very industrious and has a degree in engineering?
Velma: The answer is 'no crab monster.'
Fred: I don't care who did it. I just want Daphne back.
Daphne: Fred, is that you?
Fred: Now I hear her voice everywhere. And her voice sounds as sweet and as perfect as a trap snapping shut on a criminal. Did I say that out loud?
Velma: Come on!
The gang run to find Daphne, two other girls and a boy in a cage hung up in the cave.
Daphne: Help!
Fred: Daphne!
Daphne: Fred! Oh, Fred! Thank goodness!
Fred: I'm so glad you're- hey, this is a nice cage.
Y/N: Really, Fred?
Scooby picks the lock to the cage with his claw. The girls fell out of the cage.
Velma: Let's get back to the surface before-
The Man-Crab appears behind her, it screeches and everyone runs off. It chases after Daphne, who rolls out of the way of its claw. Y/N helps her up and they keep running. Shaggy, Scooby and Velma are hiding behind a thin wall of stone before the Man-Crab sticks its legs through it, causing them to scream and run again. It continues to chase them, eventually splitting the gang up and chasing after Shaggy and Scooby. The rest of the gang throw rocks at it, getting it to go after them until Shaggy and Scooby run into the Man-Crab and knock it over.
Scooby: Where is everybody?
Shaggy: Like, maybe they got eaten by a Man crab.
The Man-Crab sits up and chases after them again.
Shaggy: Scooby-Doo, do you smell what I smell?
Scooby: Skipper Shelton's Clam Cones.
Shaggy: Like, follow the scent of that syrupy goodness. That's the way out of here, Scooby-Doo.
They go running up the wooden stairs with the Man-Crab just behind them, breaking it as it scurried up the stairs. They climbed up a ladder with the Man-Crab following, the stairs behind them completely destroyed.
Shaggy: Run, Scoob!
The rest of the gang and the other teens are stuck watching the stairs fall.
Velma: We'll go out the way we came in.
Shaggy and Scooby are still trying to push the hatch open to get away.
Shaggy: Come on, push! Give it all your paw.
They came out of the caverns to the volleyball court. The people around go running as the Man Crab crawls out of the hole. It's hit in the face by a volleyball.
Shaggy: I told you that would just make him angrier.
And they're running off again to Skipper Shelton's Clam Cabin. They get it to chase them towards the trap, setting it off. The man crab gets pushed into the air and into a giant pot, the limbs and claw getting cut off. The gang and the police arrive.
Shaggy: Like, we got him.
Y/N: Nice.
Velma: Yeah. But how did you find your way out?
Scooby: Clam cones.
Velma: You were saved by junk food?
Shaggy: Like, what can I say? Junk food and me have a very special relationship.
Velma: Maybe I should ask it for advice.
Fred: Speaking of clam cones, Skipper Shelton isn't around again. Or are you, Skipper.
He takes the head of the crab off.
Skipper: Ah, back from the laundromat, I am, and once more does me nose hammock smell fresh as the mornin' tide.
Daphne: Wait, if you're not the Man-Crab, then who--
Velma: Everyone, meet Bud Shelton!
The gang: Who?
Velma: The Trickell's Trickquid mascot!
Bud Shelton: And the inventor, not that dirtball Trickell.
Shaggy: Like, how did you know, Velma?
Velma: I knew it wasn't a real crab because Daphne never got allergic when she was around it, plus when I saw the mole pattern on the cheek of the man next to Trickell in the newspaper, I remembered the same pattern on the mascot.
Bud Shelton: He took the credit for my creation; it was supposed to be called Bud's Bloosh- I was still working on the name. I spent countless hours making the Man-Crab costume, and even more time building my system of trapdoors and stairs under the beach. And in case anyone came snooping in between kidnappings, I hid my costume in a locker big enough to hold it, putting a label with Skipper's name on it over the real label.
Daphne: All that work just to get back at Mr. Trickell? Wouldn't it have been easier and more legal to sue him?
Bud Shelton: Are you kidding? Lawyers take forever. I would have succeeded, too, if it weren't for you meddling brats probing into my crustacean-themed revenge scheme.
Skipper Shelton: Well, almost doesn't shuck the clam, does it wolfie?
Scooby: I have no idea what you're talking about.
At K-Ghoul Shaggy and Scooby are chowing down on waffles while Velma looks annoyed. Fred's looking through the fridge as Daphne walks over to him.
Daphne: So, Fred, Velma said you were kind of out of sorts when I got kidnapped.
Fred: Yeah, that. Well...
Daphne: I think it's sweet!
Fred: Really? Oh, that's so great. I was afraid it might mess up our friendship. Don't worry, I will never have feelings again.
Daphne: Hmm, we'll see. So, Velma, did I miss anything else while I was gone?
Velma: Actually, yeah.
She gives Daphne the old newspaper clipping and Daphne gasps.
Shaggy: What-like, what is it, Daph?
Daphne: The locket I found, the picture of the boy and girl inside. It's them!
Velma: Jinkies. I guess we've got a new mystery on our hands!
Y/N looks closer Daphne looks at him.
Daphne: What's wrong, Y/N?
Y/N: Those two.
Y/N points to the teenage boy and girl who are next to the other missing boy and girl that are in the locket Daphne found.
Y/N: They look awfully familiar.
Angel Dynamite listens in from the recording booth, looking away with a glare.