The Retro Nicktoons Talent Show Chapter 12

It has been a week since the Retro Nicktoons Talent Show played in New York. After going on a date with Kimi at the Estela Restaurant in New York City, Tommy started planning the Retro Nicktoons Talent Show Cross-Country Tour, which was scheduled to start in another week. Suddenly, Tommy heard faint knocking on his door. When he opened the door, he saw SpongeBob SquarePants on the welcome mat.
"Can I be in your talent show?" He asked. "I promise to not be as annoying as on my show."
"Sorry, kid." Replied Tommy. "We're not accepting acts from sea creatures."
"But you returned sea monkeys to the sea!" Said SpongeBob. "Please? It's gonna be a tribute to Stephen Hillenburg."
"You can put on your own talent show." Said Tommy.
"But didn't someone who worked on the Rugrats die a couple years ago?" Asked SpongeBob. Tommy then remembered that veteran Rugrats director, Jim Duffy, died in 2012. He also attended Duffy's funeral along with characters from Aaahh!!! Real Monsters and Rocket Power. After his flashback, Tommy decided to allow SpongeBob in the talent show.
"Alright." Said Tommy. "You can sing one song in the show."
"Yay!" Said SpongeBob, and he took off on his unicycle.
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A week later, Tommy and his team of misfit Toons were loading onto a large orange van. Squidward wasn't there because he went back to the New York Aquarium in Brooklyn. Instead, the conductor would be toon composer Drew Neuman. Gerald also didn't return as host, and Tommy would instead hire a live-action celebrity. As well as the show having returning acts, such as CatDog's song, Sokka's jokes, and Helga's poems, there would also be new acts, such as Gir singing the Do Song, Arnold showing off his karate skills, and Gordon Quid (from Catscratch) playing the bagpipes. After Heffer got into the van, they were about to leave, but Tommy told them to wait.
"Don't start the van, yet!" Said Tommy. "We have one more talent on our show."
"Is it Aang?" Asked Sokka.
"Is it Doug Funnie?" Asked Dog.
"Maybe it's Rocko!" Said Heffer.
"Nope." Said Tommy. "He's smaller, but much more popular and successful. He's someone who we originally had a grudge against." As Tommy finished talking, a certain anthropomorphic sea sponge could be seen riding a unicycle.
"I'm ready!" He cheered, though the other characters were disgusted.
"Who invited the piece of cheese who killed off every Nicktoon in the last 20 years?" Asked Helga.
"I did, but he wants to sing a song as a tribute to Stephen Hillenburg." Explained Tommy. "His creator Stephen Hillenburg died back in November from ALS, and it only feels right for him to perform his song in person. Remember when Jim Duffy died?"
"Yeah." Said Dog. "It made me want to howl when Jim died, even though he didn't work on CatDog."
"So, are you willing to let SpongeBob perform on the show?" Asked Tommy.
"Alright." Said the crew in unison.
"He better not annoy the heck out of us." Said Helga.
"I won't." Said SpongeBob, as Jenny extended her arm so SpongeBob could get on, and the door closed. Suddenly, SpongeBob started dehydrating.
"Water!" Screamed SpongeBob. Soon, Arnold ran over and poured water on him.
"Thanks." Said SpongeBob.
"You're welcome." Replied Arnold. "But don't you have to rehearse for your act?"
"Me and my friends have been practicing for three months, now." Said SpongeBob. "They're on another truck to wherever we're going. Anyway, where is our first stop?"
"Manhattan, New York." Said Jimmy, and the van started moving. "We're going to perform in 300 cities within four months, and perform for three nights in each city."
"Four months?!" Said Heffer. "But I'm going to miss the premiere of Static Cling!"
"It's okay, Heffer." Said Tommy. "When the time comes, Tucker Foley could be my gofer."
"WHAT?!" Said Tucker. "But I'm technically older than you."
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The next day, the Nicktoons Cross-Country Tour had its premiere in Manhattan. After everyone else did their acts, it was SpongeBob's turn, and guest host Jimmy Kimmel was introducing him.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" He said. "He's one of the most popular cartoon characters in the last 20 years, SpongeBob SquarePants! Tonight, he will sing his hit song 'Best Day Ever', available on The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Original Soundtrack! Accompanying him will be the Bikini Bottom Dancers!" The curtain rose, and it revealed a 30-foot-long fish tank full of cartoon fish. Upbeat music started playing, and the energetic sea sponge started singing.
SpongeBob: Mr. Sun came up and he smiled at me!
Patrick Star (dressed as the Sun): Said 'It's gonna be a good one, just wait and see!'
SpongeBob: (Running out of a fake pineapple) Jumped out of bed, and I ran outside, feeling so extra-exactified!
It's the best day ever!
Fish ensemble: The best day ever!

SpongeBob: It's the best day ever!

Fish ensemble: The best day ever!

SpongeBob: I'm so busy, got nothing to do!
Spent the last two hours just tying my shoe! (looks at his shoes, and they were tied together by accident, then throws them off)
Every flower, every grain of sand, is reaching out to shake my hand!

It's the best day ever!

Sea lilies: The best day ever!

SpongeBob: It's the best day ever!

Rock Bottom soil: The best day ever!

SpongeBob: Sometimes, the little things start closing in on me. (Rocks crush him, but SpongeBob pops out from between the cracks)
When I'm feeling down, I want to lose that frown!
I stick my head out the window, and I look around!
Oh, the clouds don't scare me, they can't disguise! (looks at the clouds that look like flowers)
There's magic that's happening right before my eyes! (Patrick buries himself in the sand while a fish dressed up as the Moon starts rising on a fishhook)
Soon, Mr. Moon will be shining bright, so the best day ever can last all night!
SpongeBob and fish ensemble: Yeah, the best day ever's gonna last all night now!
SpongeBob: It's the best day ever!

Fish ensemble: The best day ever!

SpongeBob: It's the best day ever!

Patrick (popping out of the sand): The best day ever!

SpongeBob: It's the best day ever!

Mr. Krabs (counting money from the concert): The best day ever! (laughs)

SpongeBob: It's the best day ever!
Fish ensemble: The best day ever!

When SpongeBob finished his song, everyone cheered, despite the fact that his face was everywhere.
"I am so glad that you enjoyed my singing." Said SpongeBob. "This is what Mr. Hillenburg would've wanted." Soon, Tommy walked onto the stage.
"And that's our show!" Said Tommy. "Thank you so much for attending our show, and we'll be here again tomorrow night and the night after that before we continue our tour in Brooklyn! Good night, Manhattan!"
"But didn't you want to pursue your career in filmmaking?" Asked SpongeBob.
"It can wait a little longer." Said Tommy. "I think it's more fun doing a roadshow!"
THE END

Author's Notes: In early episodes of SpongeBob, since the titular character didn't have a driver's license, SpongeBob would get around on his unicycle.

Jim Duffy (1937-2012) was a producer and director on the cartoons Captain Planet and the Planeteers, The Rugrats, Aaahhh!!!! Real Monsters, Rocket Power, and As Told By Ginger. He directed beloved Rugrats episodes such as 'Party Animals', 'Angelica Breaks a Leg', 'Stu Gets a Job', 'Sour Pickles', 'Passover', and 'The Turkey Who Came To Dinner'. He died in 2012 from cancer, though I don't know what kind.

The song SpongeBob sings in this chapter was a song that played in not the SpongeBob episode 'Best Day Ever', but during the end credits of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. Here's a link to the song below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZE1Fh1AgWQ
Sea lilies, or crinoids, are relatives of the starfish found in the Caribbean Sea, South Pacific Oceans, and even Antarctic waters. Crinoids have been around for over 450 million years, and are a favorite food of sea urchins. The Pokémon Lileep and Cradily are inspired by these strange animals.

Tommy attending Jim Duffy's funeral is inspired by a deleted scene in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (presented through storyboards) in which Eddie Valiant notices several toons attending Marvin Acme's funeral. Toons that would've appeared in this scene included Tom and Jerry, Popeye the Sailor, Foghorn Leghorn, Felix the Cat, and Casper the Friendly Ghost.

Drew Neuman is a composer who worked on the cartoons Aaahhh!!!! Real Monsters, The Wild Thornberrys, and The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy.

The soil that appears in this chapter is a reference to the SpongeBob episode 'Rock Bottom'. In that episode, after a trip to Glove World, SpongeBob and Patrick get on the wrong bus and end up in Rock Bottom, inspired by the scary deep-sea abyss. SpongeBob said that it looked so different compared to Bikini Bottom, even the soil, which could somehow talk.

Well, that concludes my fanfic 'The Retro Nicktoons Talent Show'! As for what I'll do next, I will review The Jungle Book 1994, Mulan 2020, The Water Horse, and Jim Henson's The Witches within the next three months, so stay tuned!