Follow the Bouncing Ball

Summary
Alberto's beloved soccer ball - signed by his favorite Ecuadorian soccer star, El Boomerang - is lost! Is it the same soccer ball bounding all over town, eluding potential captors?

Plot
Arthur, Brain, Francine, Buster, and Muffy walk around and look at dinosaurs, when Muffy takes a picture of one. Brain warns her that they can't interact with the dinosaurs and must stay within a certain path to avoid changing the future. A box of raisins falls out of Buster's pocket, and when they return to the present through a locker at school, they are half-lizard and are called in to take a fly-catching class. Arthur points out that a small action can change a lot, and eats a fly, commenting "Tasty!"

Follow the Bouncing Ball

George sets up dominoes to break a record, with Buster videotaping it, but Francine kicks a soccer ball and accidentally sets them off. Muffy explains that whenever Francine gets a new soccer ball, she likes to score a goal right away.

At the soccer field, Muffy accidentally blocks the ball that Francine kicks. It rolls into some tall grass, and when Francine goes to search for it, she finds a ball that's dirty. Alberto runs into the grass as well, and takes Francine's soccer ball without realizing it.

Arthur watches Alberto doing tricks with his soccer ball. Alberto looks for the writing on his ball, El Boomerang, but is unable to find it. He decides to go back to the park to look for it.

It turns out that Francine is looking for her brand new soccer ball as well. She is unable to find it and wonders if El Boomerang belongs to whoever took her ball. Vicita runs back with Alberto, telling him that she saw Muffy with El Boomerang.

At the Ice Cream Shop, Brain helps Francine figure out who the ball belonged to. Buster walks in, still angry about her wrecking George's dominoes, but Francine responds that he didn't look upset. Buster plays the video for her and shows that George was upset, and Francine notices Alberto and his dad. She runs out to ask them, and Buster throws El Boomerang to Francine. She misses, and the soccer ball bounces through the town, ending up in the back of a truck.

Alberto explains the history of El Boomerang, and Francine starts feeling bad about losing it. She offers her new ball to Alberto, but he declines, saying that it should go to someone who really needs it. Francine gives the ball to George, who is setting up more dominoes, as an apology. George puts the soccer ball on a shelf, but it rolls off and knocks over his dominoes. As George screams, Francine and Muffy wonder about where El Boomerang is. The ball is still in the back of the truck, and it falls off and bounces down the street.

Major

 * Buster Baxter
 * Francine Frensky
 * Muffy Crosswire
 * George Lundgren
 * Alberto Molina

Minor

 * Ramon Molina
 * Vicita Molina
 * Arthur Read
 * Brain
 * Killer
 * El Boomerang
 * Treenie

Cameo

 * D.W. Read (title card)
 * Thora Read
 * Leah MacGrady
 * Molly MacDonald

Trivia

 * D.W. is absent from the episode, apart from reading and appearing in the title card.

Cultural references

 * The opening scene is based on  by Ray Bradbury.

Episode connections

 * Alberto's soccer ball, El Boomerang, appears in each episode following this one until the conclusion of Season 14.

Errors

 * When George moans in present time, there is no sign of Alberto or his father, but on Buster's video, both of them are there.

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