Chapter Text
Ah, Bikini Bottom. A nice city dwelling on the ocean floor, that is home to many undersea creatures that live their lives out in any way they can. There are plenty of places in Bikini Bottom that could occupy time, like Goo Lagoon, the residential beach, Jellyfish Fields, home to all types of jellyfish, and other interesting sights to behold.
But our story takes place inside the Krusty Krab, a restaurant down in Bottom Feeder Lane, created by Eugene Krabs, and home to the most popular food item in all of Bikini Bottom, the Krabby Patty. However, as of the moment, the lunch rush hour has ended for these creatures, and as there were only a few eating, the employees were on their way, cleaning up for the next batch of customers…
Correction. ONE person was working hard on everything in the main dining area while another was sitting at his usual place, getting comfortable and looking at a magazine, not caring about his surroundings, with his mind currently on when closing hours were. As of the moment, the person cleaning was getting creative as he was dancing with a mop and happily humming to himself as he was wearing washcloths on his shoes like ice skates. Of course, said person is a blue-eyed yellow sponge wearing a white shirt, a red tie, and brown square pants with a black belt. He also had a white hat with an anchor imprinted on it. This is Spongebob Squarepants, the model employee and fry cook of the Krusty Krab.
“La dee dahhhh, dah dah dum!” Spongebob hummed to himself as he skated around and wiped the floors as he was using his mop to wax the floor afterwards, with the other person sitting near the register looking up in annoyance, before giving a small grunt.
This person in question is a sea foam green squid with purple suction cups on his tentacles, with two of them used for arms and the other six used for legs. He also had on a brown shirt and a hat similar to Spongebob’s. This character is Squidward Tentacles, cashier at the Krusty Krab, and Spongebob’s next door neighbor.
“Spongebob, pipe down over there! How am I supposed to focus on my activities with your incessant droning?” Squidward said in annoyance, glaring at the yellow sponge in front of him.
“Oh, I’m not droning, I’m humming, Squidward. And I only hum because the world needs a good little music in their lives.” Spongebob said as he stopped working and touched his heart, before giving a grin. “You of all people should know, eh?”
Squidward frowned as he rolled his eyes. “I’m not dignifying you with a response… ugh, forget it…”
Squidward decided to ignore the smiling sponge as he decided to look up at the television that Mr. Krabs had hung up on the side of the wall. At the moment, it was currently on a channel showing an assortment of band members playing instruments, as if in a classy way. Squidward couldn’t help but give a slight smile and a sigh.
“The Bikini Bottom Symphony Band… what I wouldn’t give to actually attend one of their concerts… alone… enjoying the nice music as I watch incessantly and let the melody take me away…” Squidward sighed happily as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, only for Spongebob’s humming to interrupt his train of thought. “I could afford to turn up the volume louder, though…”
With that, Squidward reached over for the remote, only for a red claw to swat it away, causing Squidward to yelp and retract his arm to rub it. He glared over at a frowning crab wearing a blue shirt and purple pants with a black belt. This was Spongebob and Squidward’s boss, manager and owner of the Krusty Krab, Eugene Krabs.
“Mr. Squidward! How many times must I emphasize that NOBODY touches me remote!” Mr. Krabs reprimanded Squidward with a glare.
“But Mr. Krabs, I can’t stand Spongebob’s humming. Can’t I turn up the volume at least a little bit?” Squidward asked.
“You know it costs money!” Mr. Krabs frowned as he crossed his arms. “Besides, this is the HOURLY programming I’m allowed each day. You KNOW that.”
“How would it cost money to pick up a remote AND turn the volume up?” Squidward asked.
“All I know is that having everything run around at once costs money, and we’ve got to save on production! So, an hour of the TV on is a reasonable price to factor in!” Mr. Krabs said as he pointed to the timeclock next to the TV. “And it looks like time is about up, so I’ll be turning it off soon.”
Squidward groaned in annoyance as he glared at his boss. “What are you so concerned with in our costs anyways? This humdrum restaurant is already driving business up, as it were. We get our usual amount of customers, don’t we?”
“Aye, and that be the problem!” Mr. Krabs said as he gave a cough. “Spongebob!”
Upon hearing his name, Spongebob immediately stopped what he was doing and zoomed over to his boss (the washcloths and the mop being put back in their proper position before zipping over), “Yes, sir, Mr. Krabs, sir!”
“Look sharp, boy-o! Your cleaning is great, but if we’re going to get more customers, I want this place all spic and span!” Mr. Krabs said as he picked up the remote before turning the volume up a bit. “Here’s some music to help motivate you, if need be. But remember, it’s all coming out of your paycheck!”
“Aye aye, sir!” Spongebob saluted, making Squidward give a slight groan.
“Before you do that, Squidward, Spongebob, a little discussion with the two of ye-s.” Mr. Krabs said as he turned to the two. “As i was saying to Mr. Squidward earlier, we are doing quite well in getting business up. Good… but not great enough!”
“Oh! Do you need a new menu item to spice up the place?” Spongebob asked. “I was thinking maybe… the Bacon Double Krabby Patty, with sizzling bacon in every patty!”
With that, Spongebob pulled out what looked like a Krabby Patty, with bits of bacon sticking out. Mr. Krabs paused as he examined the patty thoroughly, before shaking his head. “Just stick with the formuler, boy. No, what I want is to drum up business for the Krusty Krab. We’ve gotten our usual flow of customers, but while the undersea world of Bikini Bottom is great in providing customers, I want people from other parts of the world to come to me restaurant, and… you know… pay a lot of money to enjoy the commodities of our fine establishment.”
“You mean, like… other worldly folk?” Spongebob asked in surprise. “Hmmm… I suppose I could ask my friends back in their worlds if they want to come over to the Krusty Krab… I haven’t heard from Danny, Jimmy and Timmy in quite a while…”
“Hmmm… other worldly folk, huh?” Mr. Krabs paused. “I think that’s not a bad start, Spongebob, but what I’m thinking about is how we can promote the Krusty Krab.”
“I’d suggest another talent show, but we all know how THAT turned out.” Squidward frowned as he crossed his arms in annoyance. “Personally, I say we close down…”
“Oh no, Mr. Squidward, we’re all in this together!” Mr. Krabs frowned as he turned to Squidward in annoyance. “At least take this seriously if you’re willing to pitch in!”
Squidward rolled his eyes. “Well, I suppose we could go on TV, but the times we tried doing that just blew up in our faces!”
“Hmmm… that’s true… but maybe we can take this TV idea AND try a different direction…” Mr. Krabs said. “But how?”
At that moment, the program that was on the Bikini Bottom Symphony Band went into static, causing all three to turn to the TV in confusion, before switching on to something else.
On the screen was a strange creature not like any seen in the ocean, with black hair and wearing an orange shirt and blue shorts as he gave a wave. “Hey, folks! Have you ever wanted to have a chance to compete in something, or if you want to promote anything for your troubles… like, say, a restaurant from your world to other worlds?”
“Hey, Mr. Krabs, I think that ugly looking fish is talking about our situation!” Spongebob smiled as he pointed to the screen, before squinting his eyes. “I think Sandy called these… humans.”
“Shush!” Mr. Krabs shushed his employee before looking up.
“Well, you’re in luck, my friends, because sign-ups for our brand new reality TV show called ‘Reality Gauntlet’ is about to start. Sign a team of two up and watch them compete in various gauntlet like tasks. And throughout the ten episode adventure, teams must survive through every obstacle and gauntlet we throw at them! And the winning team will not only win a ticket for one to the music concert of their choice-” This caught Squidward’s attention as he looked curious. “-not only will the winning team win a million dollars for their sponsor-” Mr. Krabs’s eyes turned into dollar signs upon hearing that. “-but also, the winning team will get a special wish.”
“Oooooooo…” Spongebob said in interest.
“Sign your team up through the e-mail address listed below, and we’ll sign you up as a sponsor!” The human said with a grin as an e-mail address quickly flashed onscreen, Spongebob quickly writing it down. “Sign up today, and don’t dilly dally about it! This could be a once in a lifetime opportunity to not only explore other worlds, but to meet other teams of different realities and compete against them!”
With that, the static came back on the TV before it changed back to the Bikini Bottom Symphony Band, but at that point, the three were sitting and staring with speechless thoughts as Squidward gave a smile.
“A ticket to the music concert of my choice…” Squidward sighed happily. “Oh, that’ll be a dream!”
“A million dollars… and a chance to promote me restaurant…” Mr. Krabs sighed.
“A wish…” Spongebob said as his eyes brightened up. “Oh, Mr. Krabs, we gotta sign up for this show!”
“I agree, boy-o! You and Squidward are going to be the team!” Mr. Krabs said.
Hearing that caused Squidward to snap back to reality as his eyes widened. “Wait, what? Working… with SPONGEBOB?! Mr. Krabs, I can’t possibly… I don’t want-”
“Oh, but you CAN! And you WILL!” Mr. Krabs said as he narrowed his eyes at the cephalopod. “Because if we’re going to promote the Krusty Krab to other worlds, ESPECIALLY to these teams from other worlds, we need to do some PR, show off how the Krusty Krab fares in comparison to other businesses that may be getting promoted!”
“Okay, fair, but I have to be on a team… WITH SPONGEBOB?!” Squidward said as he turned to Spongebob, who just gave Squidward a big smile. Squidward shuddered as he turned back to Mr. Krabs. “Surely, we can hire someone else… like, can’t Patrick go with him? Or how about Sandy?”
“Nope, it has to be the two of ye-s. And you better work with Spongebob and promote the Krusty Krab, because if you don’t, you’re fired!” Mr. Krabs narrowed his eyes.
“But… what about the obstacles, Mr. Krabs? I mean… I want that concer- I mean, that win more than you do, but I don’t think I can do them all!” Squidward explained. “I”m a relaxer, not a go-getter!”
“Oh, pish posh, Squidward, I’ve seen you endure a lot of obstacles before… like the time you got pummeled by that large guy when you insulted his hat… oh boy, did you run and jump just to get away from him!” Spongebob chuckled a bit.
Squidward glared at his neighbor. “I did NOT need a reminder of that day, thank you.”
“Nevertheless, you two are going to be a team, and that’s that!” Mr. Krabs said as he crossed his arms. “Now, I won’t be hearing any more arguing from ye, Mr. Squidward. Spongebob, hand me that e-mail address! I’m gonna make sure you and Squidward are entering as a team!”
“Aye aye, Mr. Krabs!” Spongebob said before handing the note to the red crustacean. Mr. Krabs nodded as he waddled back to his office before sitting down in front of a cheap computer that he had got for free and started typing down an application…
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Little did he know was that over at the restaurant across the street, inside the lab, the ‘human’ with the orange shirt and blue shorts had just broken down and started to spark.
“Ugh, at least it didn’t malfunction during the commercial, otherwise, it would have ruined everything!” A small voice muttered as a small, green planktonic copepod with stubby appendages, two antennae, and one yellow eye with red iris was seen hopping down from the robot. This character, known as Sheldon J. Plankton, or Plankton for short, shrugged. “Oh well, at least the message got to Krabs. Any minute now, he’ll be sending in that application and…”
“E-mail received from Eugene Krabs.” A robotic voice sounded out as a large monitor on a wheeled stand came out as Plankton looked up and noted the e-mail.
“To the Reality Gauntlet show, the Krusty Krab is to promote Spongebob Squarepants and Squidward Tentacles on your show…” Plankton read as he gave a chuckle. “Excellent! Now to give them directions that’ll get them lost and-”
“E-mail received from wifishark.” The monitor said as Plankton stopped for a moment.
“Eh? What is-”
“E-mail received from Tinyhammer… from WindyCityPuma… from Indigo81…” The monitor said as she started listing names.
“This can’t be right, I shouldn’t be receiving more e-mails…” Plankton said in confusion before opening one of them up. “I would like to sponsor… what the-? Karen, what’s going on?”
As soon as Karen (the computer monitor on wheels) stopped listing names, she gave a sigh. “I think when you pushed the button to hijack the Krusty Krab’s TV signal, you accidentally pushed a button to hijack ALL TVs in other worlds, and they played the same signal. Now it seems you have a VERY interested audience in terms of this ‘Reality Gauntlet’.”
“I do?” Plankton asked in shock, before pausing. “Hmmm… you know, the original plan WAS to make sure Krabs and his crew would be too lost in following nonsensical directions so that I can swipe the Krabby Patty secret formula…”
Plankton looked over to the robot human he made as it sparked. “But now that I think about it… this could be a big chance to host not only the biggest show of all time, BUT also trap them all while I get the formula! I may have an idea to play the long game here, Karen!”
Karen’s face appeared on the monitor as she lowered her eyelids. “Plankton, I’ve heard some ridiculous things, but… of all the ridiculous plans you come up with on the fly, this has got to be the most ludicrous! Do you really think you can manage a show, ALONG with trying to get the formula?!”
“And why not?” Plankton smirked. “It’ll be a simple process! Have them play the game a little, and when the time is right… they get trapped in something they can’t avoid, and it leaves me easy pickings to get the formula in no time!”
“Another problem, genius, is that we’re UNDERWATER. How do you accommodate for that?” Karen asked.
Plankton chuckled a bit as he noted a device not too far from here. “You forget, my darling computer wife, I used to be part of the Syndicate. I think with a few adjustments, I may have a perfect arena for our contestants and a good, sizable crowd…”
The small green creature laughed as he held up his arms. “So be it, from this day on, Sheldon J. Plankton will welcome you to-”
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“THE REALITY GAUNTLET!”
It was about a week or so after as Squidward, Spongebob and Mr. Krabs arrived via portal, as were told by instructions as they looked around the area. It looked to be some sort of arena like structure as they heard the distinct sound of a crowd cheering, and some announcers explaining instructions to the people about the show. As of now, the three of them were standing near the room with a door that led out to an arena. Spongebob pulled out some spray and started to spray around the three as all three sea creatures were starting to breathe in the air.
“Thank goodness Jimmy Neutron lent me some of his Neutronic Moisture Sealer for emergencies such as this.” Spongebob said before putting the spray can away.
“Okay, boy-os, I need you two to succeed in every obstacle possible. Do this for Team Krusty Krab!” Mr. Krabs called out.
“TEAM KRUSTY KRAB!” Spongebob shouted out in joy.
“Team Krusty Krab.” Squidward said as he held out his arm in a ‘couldn’t care less’ fashion.
“That’s the spirit! Go out there and give it your all!” Mr. Krabs grinned.
“First team… SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS AND SQUIDWARD TENTACLES!” The voice from the Announcer’s Booth.
“That’s it, boy-os! Knock ‘em down!” Mr. Krabs shouted as Spongebob gave a salute, with Squidward giving a sigh.
As the two entered into the arena, little did they realize was that this little trap, courtesy of Plankton, was about to commence…
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END OF PROLOGUE
COMING UP… THE REALITY GAUNTLET’S TEAMS!