Outfoxed

"Hey! They're ruining takesgiving day!"

"Outfoxed" is the 9th episode of the first season of Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart, and the 9th episode overall.

Synopsis
When Rufus and Reg come to swindle the town, Sheriff Mao Mao teaches them a lesson in justice.

Plot
The episode starts Adorabat starts collecting several of the gang's belongings in honor of a "holiday" called Takesgiving. Mao Mao and Badgerclops head to the town to see what's going on, and they meet two scam artists named Reggie and Rufus. Mao Mao tries to arrest them, but Adorabat intervenes, assuring that they're very nice. The sheriff vows to prove that the two are scammers.

The heroes make several attempts to catch the duo in the act, but Adorabat intervenes each time, giving Rufus enough opportunity to make an excuse and avoid arrest. When the scammers try getting the townsfolk to throw their valuables into a "magical" wishing fountain, Adorabat throws in a coin and wishes for a new toy. Rufus tells her that she needs to throw in something more valuable, prompting Mao Mao to jump out and try arresting him again. Adorabat insists that Rufus is an honest person, and demands that Mao Mao wait to see if her wish actually comes true. Reaching into the fountain, Rufus pulls out a pen and gives it to Adorabat, which satisfies her. Mao Mao crushes the pen in anger, causing Adorabat to slap him and wish that he wasn't such a big jerk before flying off home.

After Mao Mao envisions Adorabat's life tragically ending after being scammed so much. Mao Mao and Badgerclops do a Team Planning Hug to come up with a way to show Adorabat that Reggie and Rufus are nothing more than crooks. Back at their home, Adorabat receives a note from Mao Mao telling her to visit a certain location.

Back in town, Reggie and Rufus are busy taking their massive sack of stolen loot back to their lair when Adorabat catches up with them, and asks if she can hang out with them. Although reluctant at first, Rufus lets tag along, planning to use her as leverage against the sheriff. At the scammers' cabin, Adorbat is gawking at the numerous items collected from the Sweetypies when Rufus, along with Reggie display their true colors and tell Adorabat that he considers her as nothing more than a tool to use against Mao Mao. Hearing a knocking at the door, Rufus opens it only to find a tearful Adorabat who overheard his entire villainous confession. Confused, he turns around, only to see the "Adorabat" inside the cabin was actually Mao Mao in disguise. Badgerclops also removes his costume, playing the role of Reggie, and pulls out the real raccoon from within the disguise. The duo reveal that their plan has worked perfectly and taunt a cornered Rufus who begins to have a breakdown wondering if anything is real anymore considering the several disguises used earlier.

Mao Mao and Badgerclops then prepare to arrest the scammers, until Adorabat interrupts and offers to help. She brutally attacks Reggie and Rufus with numerous items they stole and sends them rolling down the hill into the sewers. Adorabat learns that just because people are nice doesn't mean they're good guys, and that she has to be more careful with who she trusts. Despite her worldview becoming less colorful and optimistic than before, she doesn't seem to care, and flies off merrily.

Characters

 * Adorabat
 * Badgerclops
 * Farmer Bun
 * Imaginary Monster (debut; pictured)
 * Ketchup
 * Mao Mao
 * Marion
 * Muffins
 * Pinky
 * Reggie (debut)
 * Rufus (debut)
 * Slim Pigguns

Locations

 * Sheriff Headquarters
 * Pure Heart Valley
 * Rufus and Reggie's Cabben (debut)

Trivia

 * Mao Mao has the Chubbum costume from "Not Impressed" in his closet.

Cultural References

 * The title itself is a play on the word "outfox", which means "to outwit", as well as an allusion to the species to which Rufus belongs.
 * The Nimblimbo Twitch console is a reference to Nintendo's console "Nintendo Switch".

Errors

 * When Rufus is seen stealing the wallet, it appears to go through his wrist, making his hand appear detached from his arm.Rufus hoh.jpg

International premieres

 * March 19, 2020 (Poland)