After meeting AndrAIa, there was a brand new threat. Nullzilla came to be 'cause of the Web Creature that came out of a busted mirror, thanks to Mike, in Hex's lair. It merged with Hex and in distress, so did the Nulls. When Ekans and Arbok, Jessie, helped the Mainframers, the Creature left and assimilated Megabyte.
Alarmed at the new Gigabyte's capabilities, Mewtwo commanded the Pokémon to not use Special Attacks, as the virus would absorb them and become stronger. He blocked out their powers, and when the System was shutting down, the Stadium was evacuated. Pokémon and sundries were taken to the Principal Office, and they've stayed there since. As Gigabyte was split in three, the Creature was let loose again.
Third time was the charm as it sucked energy from victims. Houndoom, Umbreon, and Arcanine were on the case; the dogs made good trackers, Umbreon helped in dark places, and some were injured against Gigabyte. They made a last ditch effort to gather supplies, and the Creature soon saw and headed for the Tear. It opened the Portal...and that's when the war began.
This was a war involving Pokémon since the theorized Great Pokémon War. Akari was a kid, and she didn't know about it. Yet she has experienced one in Mainframe against the Web!
The sky of Mainframe was completely dark, though it kept lighting up as Akari saw it flash. It was as if it was damaged from that last explosion as it kept on sparking. The atmosphere was very heavy, and the colossal Portal was hovering overhead the entire city. It even made everything change color, from purple, to pink, to yellow, and vice versa. Akari and her Pokémon haven't seen anything like it.
A lot of her allies were in separate groups. The unevolved Pokémon were escorting some Binomes into the Principal Office, along with tanks. Some were keeping the scared inhabitants company at the underground shelters. The ones in the middle stage were standing by next to the cannons, Enzo, and AndrAIa; some were even located in the War Room watching what happens. And the strongest Pokémon were at the Armory with the CPUs.
Suddenly, an alarm started and everybody took their cars. "Scramble! Scramble!" it kept saying. As the officers took off, the Flying-types went inside as well. However, they were planning a formation and not attacking. Akari and her comrades were all waiting for Bob's signal. She wished he would hurry, as everyone became upset as they saw drones looking over them. They almost looked like squid.
The leader said, "The first line of defense is in position, Bob. Waiting for your instructions." He mentioned another Web probe has returned to the portal.
On Glitch, Bob wanted to know how the troops are holding up. The Binome said they're getting very nervous. The Guardian said to by themselves some time, not to fire at anything. And when the attack force comes, everyone will have plenty to shoot at. Then the channel switched to Megabyte, he was desperate for the Hardware to be ready, but there's a problem at the Silicon Tor and the virus needs him.
This didn't seem to bode well. Akari ordered Magnemiester to keep a look out. By the time, it came back, Bob was out, and it gave her the scoop: Apparently, Phong was reluctant working with Megabyte. They can't blame him, still it was very abhorrent to let him and Hex help save Mainframe, and perhaps Johto as well. The plan was this, Megabyte's sis is to charge the massive cannon attached to an advanced ABC craft and use it to seal the portal. And they need Phong's help to download the software from the Archives to run it.
It put everyone at unease; they all thought this could be some kind of trick.
Mewtwo was having a pep talk with Akari. He hasn't seen a war for so long. There was one in Kanto by the time she was born. Lt. Surge, Dr. Fuji, Giovanni, and other humans were involved. Apparently, they were veterans and he wasn't sure who were fighting against whom, or who won, since he had amnesia after Fuji's daughter died and wound up in the lab of New Island. He did hear some rumors of the Great Pokémon War involving various regions. And this one brought up some memories of those rumors. He believed it actually existed, which is similar to this one. He then took off warning of what's yet to come. Akari was about to tell the young Sprites first, until Bob showed up. Thank goodness Mewtwo is a telepath, she thought, so he could warn the other Pokémon.
She wishes everything could be simple as AndrAIa said, if you see an enemy you destroy him. Then she heard Bob talk to Enzo on converting him into a Guardian. Emergency code 9510 he called it.
Enzo gave him his icon and did something Akari couldn't understand. "Command Line, Icon. Download Guardian protocol, Diversion 1.0" Bob's icon kinda gave a code away to his as it glowed for a few nanoseconds, and Enzo seemed thrilled of it. Was he going to be a real Guardian?
"Enzo Matrix, there's a huge responsibility to carry the Guardian badge of office. Do you accept it?" Bob handed Enzo the icon after he said, "Yes, sir!"
"By the power vested in me, I hereby give you a field commission as Guardian, First Level." Enzo tapped the icon on his red cap, and he transformed. This was definitely more amazing than an evolution, Akari thought aloud. Enzo looked fabulous without his hat, and he wore a dark blue uniform with golden shoulders and pants with a dark yellow belt. His icon also changed from white and black, to yellow and black, and it was at the left upper side of his uniform. "Thanks, Bob!"
"No Enzo, you've truly earned this. You'll be transferred to the Super Computer to attend the Academy, and become a full-fledged Guardian like me. I know you'll make me proud." he smiled. Then he got a call from Dot.
She said that they're all at the Tor and are ready to go. She couldn't believe she said that. It even made her uneasy.
"Guardian Enzo, this is it. Should anything happen to me, I am charging you of defense of this System." He looked to AndrAIa and Akari. "And look after him, will ya?" Before she said anything, he took off on his Zipboard. She was pretty scared about all this, while AndrAIa admired Enzo's outfit.
She made a long-distance distress call to Samus for aid; little to her she had her hands full already, fighting off the Web Creatures which were like Space Pirates to her. She was using her plasma turrets and cannon to shake them off. Samus just found out that not only would Mouse get the codes to shut down the Portal, but also hack into the Web to erase Mainframe's address. In other words, it'd be impossible to locate Johto, and everyone will be stranded and trapped here in Mainframe, until she gets the access codes back.
Akari was getting very stressed about it. What could she possibly do without the support from her homeland? Mewtwo, as if reading her mind, responded telepathically that she must worry about the invasion before focusing on anything else. She nodded reluctantly, and she ordered her Pokémon to standby.
Unfortunately someone at the Giedi Prime Sector cracked under the pressure as a Creature loomed toward him. He fired, and Bob commanded that the several Creatures will summon the attack drones. They must stop them before they exit through the Portal.
Everyone was at wit's end, and the ABCs' volley went all over the place. Akari's Pokémon finally got the chance, as everyone used all their long and short-range moves. The flyers were ejected and they joined the fray. Status ailments, like Stun Spore and Sleep Powder, seemed to have no affect on the probes' unusual exterior.
The forces were too late, as the two remaining Creatures headed to the Portal. They combined their bodies, and Bob said it was a piggyback function; when one was destroyed, it tossed the single Creature into the portal summoning the attack drones. There was no way to stop them now.. Then an endless army approached Mainframe below! The monsters almost looked like they had a long snout with giant maws and fangs.
"Ok, people, it's a whole new ball game. We've got to close that portal!"
This was it! Akari and Mewtwo commanded their friends to use "all your power, all your strength, everything you got! Mainframe and Johto depends on you!" It was an all-out war as projectiles flew every which way! Some attacks were negated as they connected, from a Fire Blast and a Hydro Pump, to a Thunderbolt and a Sand-Attack.
A lot of the army had either been shot down by friendly fire or a Web Creature, or have crashed into an obstacle. Apparently, they're not as flexible as the Creatures and the Pokémon are. Two lines even crashed into each other just near the Principal Office, raining debris on the unsuspecting team below. They eventually retaliated and kept on it. Just then the general receiving Bob's orders ejected from his doomed craft, which actually destroyed Dot's Diner. Only the D was remaining. Then Bob called Megabyte for reinforcements, his ABC units. Even Hack and Slash joined in as they grabbed a Creature's tail and tossed it into the melee.
Akari's Pokémon were taking a beating as well. Those that were wounded or caught in a Creature's grasp were automatically sent inside their Balls. From inside the Principal Office they were transferred into Samus' healing chamber and recovered in her ship, since the System shut down, the Stadium was abandoned, and the way to Johto was blocked. The rogue soldier hoped they would eventually return, but...
Soon the Web Creatures were attacking the most vital weapon, the Hardware. Everyone was valiantly repelling them while Mouse was hacking into the Web. Even Dot, with her massive firearm attached to her chest, was getting in on it. "There's too many of them! Megabyte, we can't hold them off much longer!" Which clearly showed he was doing nothing but admiring the chaos.
It took long enough but Bob managed to get to the Hardware. Everything was proceeding as planned: Hex charged the cannon fully, Mouse encrypted the codes, and Megabyte's plan was...attacking Dot which separated her from the gun, and capturing Bob by covering his mouth in mid-command, removing his Keytool and locking him in a missile! "Megabyte, you won't get away with this!" The virus ordered Herr Doctor to launch it. Mouse intervened, though Hexadecimal swatted her like an annoying Venemoth. The Pokémon saw the commotion, but they were overwhelmed by various Web Creatures. Even Mewtwo was nearly overmatched.
Everyone except in the underground and by the Principal Office, watched in horror as Bob went inside the Portal. Mewtwo was the most crushed; out of all the humans, he was the one person he truly admired for his courage and heroism. How would Enzo, Akari, and the others could possibly fair without him? Not only that, but he recognized from their life forces, that most of his allies were in the Web at Samus' Gunship! Then, the massive cannon aimed toward the Portal, and it was too late to stop it!
Mouse disabled Mainframe's access codes from the Web, and they were stranded, both in and out.
Meanwhile Freya, Akari's Meganium, was the first that recovered fully. She marched over to Samus at the cockpit and alerted her as she saw and pointed to a missile floating in the void with her feelers. In the deep reaches of space, it had ominous colors mixed in, and upon a closer look, Samus knew it was Bob! She never met him personally, but she has read on his profile during her first assignment in Mainframe after she captured the Crimson Binome. Using the tractor beam, he brought him in. The missile and the worn-out prisoner emerged in the chamber room. Freya and Samus ran to it, and later so did a few lucky Pokémon.
"What is this?" Samus wondered as she examined the object. Even the Guardian looked odd: he seemed weakened, and his skin had some irritation to it. Most notably was his face. Then it occurred to her. Samus recalled that exposure to the Web could be deadly, as it has little to no air and the environment is harsh, causing skin to deteriorate. It's almost liked being dumped in acid, though it happens very gradually.
She finally found a small button located at the lower body. It glowed green after pressing it, which opened the hatch. The glass lowered slowly and smoke emitted from it. The Pokémon backed away as they smelt the toxic fumes. Samus didn't notice thanks to her protective visor on her cyber suit. Bob's body slumped over, and Freya caught him with her vines as he collapsed. She raised him and he let out a groan. Luckily there was a nearby stretcher being pulled by Chansey. Freya lowered him on it.
"Bring him to the recovery chamber. The same place you were in. I'll look after him when we're-"
The Portal was destroyed in a fantastic burst of light. Then Mainframe seemed to have vanished along with it. She communicated over her motherboard, but there was nothing but static.
"System has disappeared. I cannot access, I must leave. Sorry, Akari." the bounty hunter said sadly. It was pointless since Akari never picked up. The Gunship left to a destination unknown.
The soldiers and the Pokémon were cheering as they saw the Portal get sealed up. The remaining forces took down the Creatures that were left; unfortunately, the victory was short-lived as they were being gunned down by Megabyte's ABCs. They even heard one of the pilots curse at them, calling them "Treacherous dogs!"
One of the fighters, Jean-Luc, alerted the Principal Office, "Matey, matey, we're under attack! Repeat, the ABCs are attacking us!"
As the strong Pokémon faced them and assisted in the new dogfight, they noticed that Bob wasn't around, and there was the Hardware aiming toward the Principal Office! With nowhere else to go, they had no choice but to proceed.
As Mewtwo soared to the building, he broke the news to Akari of Bob's and her Pokémon's fate. Dot did the same as she came in and gave it to Enzo and her army. He was sadly holding his damaged Keytool as an accursed memo. Everyone receiving the news felt so glum and hopeless. Then they saw a VidWindow pop up with Megabyte and Hexadecimal.
"Thank you all for your valiant efforts on fighting the Web. Unfortunately..."
"It was all for nothing!"
They just couldn't believe their ears!
"As we speak, your precious CPUs are being shot out of the sky! Phong, drop all your defenses to the Principal Office. And welcome to Megaframe."
"I love it every time he says that." Hex commented.
With a clenched fist, he retorted, "We will fight you to the last, Megabyte!" Akari and her Pokémon retaliated.
"You have no defenses you fools. Your Guardian is lost! Nothing can save you now, Mainframe is ours for the taking!"
"Wrong!"
They all looked at AndrAIa's determined demeanor as she did say there is a Guardian after all. "Guardian, your Keytool. Remember what Bob said." Her admiration in Enzo was building as it did become official.
He put Glitch on his left arm and it locked there. Akari wondered if it could still work with a new handler, and 'cause it was damaged when Megabyte crushed it.
Enzo declared to himself, "I am Guardian Matrix. Charged with defending the System." Then his voice rose as he stood proudly. "Two viruses take over my home?! I don't think so!"
With a weak smile, Akari shook her head and hummed no, "Mm, mm, mm, mmm."
Mewtwo stood by his side with Dot, Mouse, and Frisket, and everyone was once again ready for action!
A/N: I've always dreaded this episode, especially since Bob was no more. When I was a kid, I remembered being so desperate, wondering what happened to him. I'd always feared that he could've been deleted, even though part of me refused to believe that. I wanted to make this similar to the theory of the Great Kanto Pokémon War. Since Akari is young and from Johto she never experienced it; however, things have changed as she and her Pokémon fought bravely against the Web. I figured this would be the most appropriate.
At that time, when I first saw the episode on Toonami, I was playing a little of Super Metroid. I didn't get very far on it, as I was like a rat trapped in a maze. And it wasn't long 'til I got Smash Bros. for Christmas back in '99. Since then, I was really fond of Samus, though the former game still gave me some frustration. I'm not a huge fan of the Metroid series, but I figured Samus would give Bob and the Pokémon a surviving chance. The franchise does have some quirks though.
Also, this was originally supposed to be the final episode of the series, since ABC shut it down. Thankfully it was picked up by Cartoon Network's Toonami block a couple years later. Unfortunately, it remained unfinished for sixteen years. If only another particular series would eventually have a renewal and make a stunning conclusion...Fortunately I heard it commenced filming back in February of this year, so it could happen! Don't disappoint me again, Rainmaker!
I'll see you all next time, hope you enjoyed this!