They landed in a heap at the Krusty Krab. The customers were back. The grill was hot. And SpongeBob, flipping a patty, winked at Plankton.

The gang was hopeless. Sandy’s lasso snapped. Squidward’s clarinet solo was so bad it actually healed the seagull’s jetpack. Patrick tried to distract Burger Beard by showing him his belly button.

“Burger Beard,” SpongeBob whispered, recognizing the face from the storybook Mr. Krabs kept in the safe.

The battle was absurd. The Invincibubble bounced a cannonball back into the grease-ship’s engine. Mr. Super Awesomeness sat on the jetpack seagull. Sour Note played a tuba solo that turned Burger Beard’s candy-cane peg leg into a weeping licorice whip.