The Boat Show Picnic Surprise

It was a beautiful Saturday morning when SpongeBob knocked on Squidward's door, holding a picnic basket and bouncing with excitement.

"Squidward! Squidward! Are you ready for the Bikini Bottom Boat Show at the Maritime Museum?"

Squidward opened the door, already looking annoyed. "I only agreed to go because they're displaying a rare 1952 coral-carved speedboat. This better be worth it."

"It will be! And I packed us a special picnic lunch!" SpongeBob said cheerfully.

"Please tell me you didn't pack Krabby Patties," Squidward said suspiciously.

"Of course not! I know you prefer more sophisticated food. I packed you a fresh kelp salad and some fancy fromage de mer - that's French sea cheese!"

Squidward's expression softened slightly. "Well, that's... surprisingly thoughtful of you, SpongeBob."

At the Maritime Museum, they walked through rows of beautiful boats - sleek racing boats, antique submarines, and fancy yachts. Squidward was particularly impressed by the classic boat collection.

"Now this is culture!" Squidward sighed happily, admiring a polished wooden sailboat.

After a few hours of looking at boats, they found a nice spot on the museum lawn for their picnic. SpongeBob spread out a checkered blanket and opened the basket.

"Lunch time!" SpongeBob announced, reaching into the basket.

He pulled out two perfectly wrapped Krabby Patties.

"Ta-da! Krabby Patties for—"

"KRABBY PATTIES?!" Squidward's voice echoed across the entire museum lawn. "SPONGEBOB! I eat those disgusting things every single day at work! I told you I HATE KRABBY PATTIES!"

Everyone at the boat show turned to stare.

"But Squidward, I made them special—" SpongeBob tried to explain.

"I DON'T CARE HOW SPECIAL THEY ARE!" Squidward shouted even louder. "KRABBY PATTIES ARE GREASY, DISGUSTING, AND I'M SICK OF THEM! THEY'RE THE WORST FOOD IN THE ENTIRE OCEAN!"

A crowd was gathering now, all watching the scene.

"But wait!" SpongeBob said, looking confused as he dug through the basket. "I know I packed your kelp salad and fromage de mer! Where did it go?"

Suddenly, a tiny evil laugh came from inside the picnic basket.

"MWAHAHAHA!"

Plankton popped out from under a napkin, holding a tiny fork.

"That's right, SpongeBob! I snuck into your basket this morning and ate all of Squidward's fancy food! Then I replaced it with extra Krabby Patties!"

"PLANKTON!" SpongeBob gasped. "Why would you do that?"

"Because!" Plankton said, pulling out a tiny megaphone, "Everyone heard Squidward screaming about how much he HATES Krabby Patties! This is the best advertising the Chum Bucket has ever had!"

Sure enough, fish in the crowd were whispering to each other.

"Did you hear that? Even the Krusty Krab employees hate Krabby Patties!"

"Maybe we should try the Chum Bucket instead!"

"I've been wondering about that place..."

Plankton laughed triumphantly. "My plan worked perfectly! Squidward's tantrum is going to bring customers to MY restaurant!"

Squidward's face turned purple. "You mean I helped PLANKTON?!"

"I'm sorry, Squidward," SpongeBob said sadly. "I really did pack you kelp salad and fromage de mer. Plankton ruined our picnic."

Squidward took a deep breath and looked at the crowd of fish who were all pulling out their phones to look up the Chum Bucket's address.

"You know what?" Squidward said, suddenly calm. "Everyone! Can I have your attention?"

The crowd turned to look at him.

"I may have gotten a bit carried away. The truth is, I DO eat Krabby Patties every day at work, and sometimes I get tired of them. But that's only because SpongeBob makes them SO well that they're literally the only food my boss will serve! They're actually delicious - I'm just overexposed to them!"

The crowd murmured with interest.

"And the Chum Bucket?" Squidward continued. "I've seen what Plankton puts in his food. Trust me, you don't want to eat there."

Plankton's smile faded. "Hey! That's not fair!"

"What IS fair," Squidward said, "is that SpongeBob tried to do something nice for me, and I yelled at him when it wasn't even his fault."

SpongeBob's eyes got watery. "Really, Squidward?"

"Yes, really. Now, does anyone here have extra food they'd be willing to share? I promise I'm much better company when I'm not hungry."

A kind elderly fish offered them some seaweed sandwiches, and they finished their picnic peacefully while Plankton stomped back to the Chum Bucket, his plan completely backfired.

"Thanks for standing up for me, Squidward," SpongeBob said.

"Well," Squidward said, taking a bite of sandwich, "even I have to admit your Krabby Patties are pretty good. I just prefer to eat them at work, not on my day off."

"That's fair!" SpongeBob smiled. "Next time I'll definitely pack something different. And I'll check the basket for tiny villains first!"

And they spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the boat show together, while Plankton sat in his empty restaurant wondering why his brilliant plans never seemed to work.

The End.