3 Chapter 3: Encounter with the "Monster" of the Lake

Stan Pines' POV

Since the twins arrived, the atmosphere within the Mystery Shack has radically changed for the better.

"These two remind me strikingly of my brother and me," I sighed, taking a beer in front of the TV.

"Uncle Stan, I'm bored," said Mabel, appearing in front of me and my TV.

"Sorry Mabel, but it's almost time for one of my favorite shows, so you'd better go play with your brother Dipper," I said, leaning from left to right trying to watch the TV.

"Dipper is locked up in the garage all the time, and the only time he looked for me was to give me a list of things to do for Soos," Mabel declared with a puppy dog face.

Surprisingly, seeing her make that face managed to touch the little kindness I had left, which frankly surprised me.

"Okay, we're going to spend this weekend as a family."

I left my favorite armchair, which surprisingly seemed bigger than usual. Maybe my imagination was playing tricks on me. Anyway, it wasn't the first time inexplicable phenomena occurred in this place.

...

Dipper's POV

"There, I've finished making a few useful objects," I said, looking at my masterpieces with satisfaction without paying attention to the mess around me.

"Although it needs to be recharged every night with nuclear waste, I have my own lightsaber," I declared, looking at the blue light.

I was able to do it thanks to Dr. Vegapunk's knowledge related to Kizaru's fruit.

Although obtaining nuclear waste is difficult, I can get a large amount thanks to my magic flashlight that can enlarge or shrink anything at my convenience.

I even have a jetpack to flee in case of trouble, bombs containing extremely toxic gases, but also a blinding bomb that should shine bright enough to permanently blind my opponent.

"Dipper, we need to talk," declared a familiar voice behind me.

"Uncle Stan, what are you doing here?" I asked, putting my stuff away.

"You're in my house, you little brat, and clean all that up. We're going to have fun as a family this weekend," he said, leaving.

"Damn, I knew I couldn't stay here long, but it seems adventure is calling," I said, walking with a bag containing my tools and inventions.

Of course, my lightsaber was tucked into my belt, which had been modified to carry my lightsaber, but also my magic flashlight.

After some preparations, I ended up leaving with Mabel and Uncle Stan, who seemed strangely in a good mood.

"Where are we going?" I asked from the back of the vehicle during the journey.

"We're going fishing," he said cheerfully.

"What do you mean going fishing? You said we'd have fun," Mabel immediately replied.

"Yes, exactly, and there's nothing like fishing to strengthen family bonds," Stan replied, looking at the traffic.

"Can't we do something else?" Mabel proposed.

"Like, uh...horseback riding?" she insisted, trying to get old Stan to change his mind.

Unfortunately, the old man was already in his own little world, idealizing our fishing session.

After a long discussion on the way, we finally arrived at our destination.

We boarded a raft, precisely the cheapest one to rent.

"Uncle Stan, I'm bored," I declared after having spent a few minutes trying to fish unsuccessfully.

"Be patient Dipper, your complaints will scare the fish away," he simply replied.

"Oh, friends, what are you doing here?" said Soos on another boat, which I admit was better equipped than our current wreck.

"We're fishing, and you?" Mabel asked.

"At first I was doing the same thing, but I heard from an old man that there's a monster here so I'm hunting it," Soos replied simply.

"A monster!!" Mabel declared excitedly.

"Did you hear that?" Mabel asked me, sending me a look that, according to my memory, meant "are you thinking the same thing as me?"

"Soos, we're coming with you," I said, motioning for him to help me on board.

"Wait a minute, have you forgotten why I brought you here?" Stan said, squinting his eyes at Mabel and me.

"I thought the purpose of our coming here was to spend some quality time together."

I knew it would hurt Stan for me to tell him so bluntly that Mabel and I were bored, but I really needed old McGucket if I wanted my projects to evolve properly.

"Oh! Is that so? Then you can leave, but don't come begging me to let you back on my boat," Stan declared, crossing his arms while looking the other way.

"What did you say? We're not waiting for you," Mabel yelled beside me on Soos's boat as we moved away from Stan's spot.

"Hahaha," I couldn't help but laugh after witnessing such a scene, and it seemed Mabel couldn't help but laugh at her joke either.

"So, any idea where we might have a chance of catching this monster?" Soos asked us.

"We should check out the islands around," I proposed.

I knew old McGucket had his base on one of the islands around, so I'd be able to meet him quickly thanks to that.

"Are you sure about this Dipper?" Soos questioned.

"Indeed, nothing proves that the monster is a purely aquatic creature," I argued confidently.

"Fair point, and if we manage to get a picture of it, we can get a reward," Mabel declared enthusiastically, taking out a guide to lake events.

"I just wanted to see it for fun, but now I have a real reason," said Soos, looking at the announcement in the guide Mabel had.

After agreeing on the first island to visit on the lake, we all headed to the one called "Scuttlebutt Island."

The reason for this exact island is simple. First, it was the closest, and second, I had insisted on it.

I liked spending time with Soos and Mabel, but I preferred to take this world seriously.

" we arrived at Scuttlebutt Island," I declared to Soos so we could disembark.

"It's a bit creepy here Dipper, isn't it?" Mabel said to me, glancing around her.

There was indeed an unsettling fog around us that managed to weaken the sun's rays despite it being the middle of the afternoon.

"Don't be afraid Mabel, I'm here."

I reassured her by showing the modified flashlight on my belt. That seemed to reassure her, so we could continue our exploration without any worries.

"Over there!" Soos yelled after he stopped making strange gestures with mabel.

"It's just woods, Soos."

I couldn't help but have a slightly annoyed tone, even though I knew in advance that there was a piece of wood on this island that resembled a monster by its silhouette.

"And where does this wooden spear come from?" I asked after seeing that Soos and Mabel had a spear in their hands.

"Uh..." Mabel and Soos stammered unintelligibly, slowly backing away.

"Let me guess, there's a gigantic creature behind me, is that it?" I asked, frowning.

Unfortunately, or fortunately for me, Mabel and Soos slowly nodded their heads.

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Author's Note: Yes, the chronology is slowly changing because of Dipper.