A/N: Alright guys, I don't really have any plans for Halloween this year, so it looks like I'm gonna have to do the pseudo episode, To Mend and Defend, the start of Season 3. Without Bob to defend the System, only the little Sprite, the inexperienced Guardian Enzo, was left under the viral conflict.
This all happened moments after the Web Wars in Mainframe. Somehow, Phong and Mouse got the System back up and running from the large explosion that scarred the sky. Only, not everything was fully functional, as most of the Sectors had the aftereffect of the previous power down; heck, even the sky looked the same as it did before the Web Creature invasion. Yet still, all of the CPU units were being shot down by the viral ABCs. Hex was still charging the Hardware which was aiming toward the Principal Office hidden by an energy shield. While Megabyte was standing by behind her, smiling wryly.
"Fire when ready." he boomed.
"Ready!" His chaotic sis obliged as she shot upon the thin energy layers.
Inside, particularly in the War Room, it almost felt the hapless Sprites were hit by an earthquake. Dot and Phong were overlooking the System on a massive central panel.
The old Sprite surveyed the damage. "The shields are failing!"
"I'm on it." Mouse, at a deck in the upper corner, vigorously typed away on a keyboard, allowing more power to the weak energy shields.
Mewtwo was with Guardian Enzo, AndrAIa, and Akari as he sensed the battle unfold through his telepathy. Dot actually assigned the Genetic Pokémon to monitor the onslaught, but, unfortunately, things weren't turning in their favor. Not only was the army falling by one cruiser at a time, but some of the strong Pokémon were getting injured. Even most of the infantry, the younger ones, were becoming frightened and unwilling to fight back. Mewtwo and Akari couldn't blame them since Bob was gone and over half of their team were lost as they've been transported to Samus' gunship. Now, they were trapped in Mainframe and enduring the viral wars, aside from the aftermath of the Web wars; in addition, they had no ways on returning to Johto, thus they were unable to retrieve more supplies since the canny hacker, Mouse, erased Mainframe's web address! They were still quite scorned about that inevitable fact on never returning home.
On an upper layer from behind the duo, Specky announced the fallout, "Sir, what's left of the CPU attack force is requesting landing clearance. There are only nine ships." Then, he sulked, "The rest...didn't make it."
"Nine? That's all?" Dot took in the defeat, but she almost immediately recovered. "Contact them. I want them to approach from vector 9701, go into file formation. Tell them no matter what happens do not break rank."
"But, Phong, in single file they'll be sitting ducks. And some of Akari's Pokémon have already been wounded."
The Trainer wore an expression of shock and hopelessness at his stinging words. Phong hesitated for a bit as he looked at Dot. He was taken aback by her code-piercing, determined stare. "Better do what she says, I think she has a plan."
A VidWindow appeared like a pop-up just in front of the group. They were startled at the sudden appearance.
Megabyte just sneered, "Your precious city is almost a memory. But there still is a way to save yourselves. Surrender the Principal Office to me. And take your place at my feet."
"We'll NEVER surrender to you, Megabreath!" Enzo retorted. Mewtwo and Akari joined in on the protest.
"Never is a long time, boy. You are rats caught in my trap! I wait your unconditional surrender." The window disappeared.
"He always was a charmer." Phong muttered. Sometimes his words could be so intimidating and also enticing as well.
The power of authority, especially viciousness, can have a way of persuading others to do their bidding, Mewtwo spoke, recalling his own actions from earlier.
There was a chirp from behind, "Yes! Shields back to full power." Mouse declared.
"Have them pass through the shields. Let's get our people back inside." Dot ordered. The Mew clone touched his forehead and with his eyes glowing a neon cerulean, he sent out a telepathic message to his troops to follow suit, while also commanding the reluctant infantry to stand by.
One of the officers decreed, "Well, you heard the little lady; single file. Proceed heading 1138. Stay frosty." His units obeyed as they quickly headed to base with its shields down beside the skyscraper canyons.
"Well Dot you're right." Mouse said.
"They split in two ranks." The military leader added as she saw two rows representing Megabyte's fleet.
"Enzo, how did your sister know they could do that?" AndrAIa wondered.
"Rule 1, know more about your enemy than they know about themselves." she pompously spoke.
"I must admit, that was a very clever plan, Dot." Mewtwo said. His doubts were gradually dwindling.
Outside, the CPUs obeyed the command as they soared in a straight line, with the viral squad's guns aiming right next to them. "They're targeting..?" one of the Binomes started to freak out.
"Let's make this fast. Shields down!" Dot ordered. Mouse paused as she pressed a button. The shields flattened, then the energy retreated within the core at the midsection. "Gunners, single target!" The massive doors opened as the turrets and the remaining inexperienced Pokémon stood ready to use their Special Attacks. Mewtwo sent a signal for the infantry to get ready and shoot the viruses out of the sky. Then, Dot said the magic word, "Fire!"
Just as planned, the Armored Binome Cruisers were shot down singlehandedly while in single file formation. Little did they know that two of the damaged cruisers crashed into the wall of the Principal Office as the aperture was descending.
"Raise the shields! Now!"
Phong answered in sadness, "I am sorry, Dot. The shields are no longer functioning!"
Meanwhile, from the outside, Megabyte turned to his sister, "File down, Hexadecimal. They are defenseless. The city is ours."
"Oh, but dear brother, the Principal Office is...SCREANING OUT TO BE DESTROYED!" she hollered. She then turned around and continued to recharge the fatal massive cannon.
"If you keep using energy from the Core, you will destroy the entire city. And us along with it." Megabyte knew of all Sprites that the System's Core energy is volatile if not handled properly, let alone make the city function and keep it afloat from the Energy Sea.
"Oh dear..." Hex's expressions rapidly changed from self-pity to delirious pride. "But, it'll be glorious." She sneered once more as she aimed then fired the Hardware.
At a nano's notice, there was a small wall made of the shield's energy, absorbing the might of the lethal energy. Another impact shook the Principal Office, startling those inside.
Enzo looked around in awe. "We're still processing."
"Apparently we have been saved." Phong said.
Mouse explained, "I managed to hack in divert Core energy into a temporary wall; I don't know how long it'll hold."
"Now's the time where Bob would say...this is not good." Dot lamented. Akari and Mewtwo felt the same, if only he were here, the Trainer murmured. It was really surprising since she once had a grudge with him sparing viruses and having a bitter rivalry with him and Glitch against her and her teammates.
The hacker broke everyone's reveries, "You gotta face the facts, sugar, Bob's not here. We're down a Guardian and we're on our own."
"But we DO have a Guardian!" The junior hero declared. Everyone faced him in a concerned matter.
Dot was the first to speak up, "Uh uh, Enzo. Delete that thought."
"Dot, Bob made me a Guardian. To mend and defend. That's MY job now."
Phong said, "The young one wears the Guardian protocol. He is compelled to answer his call."
"You treat me like I'm basic." he continued to stand up for himself. "Bob knew I could do it, Bob-"
"I don't want to hear about Bob! He's gone, and..." she stopped in midsentence remembering his demise and having a pang of sorrow.
Enzo eventually felt it, too. "Oh, I'm sorry, sis."
"One more hit and she'll be through. Looks like we're gonna have to face the battlefield there. Now!" Mouse double-tapped on her unusual icon at her waist. Then she faced Dot who was standing idly. Her white tank top transformed into her battle outfit, having more like a tight, golden athletic look, almost revealing. "You've a better idea?"
"No." Dot also did the same procedure as she double-clicked her own icon. Since then, she stayed in her savory, black leather uniform. There was also a ReBoot icon with wings tattooed on her left shoulder. "I'm coming with you." She faced Phong and Specky. "You stay on the shields." Dot never gave a single command to Enzo, leaving him despondent along with Akari and her injured comrades.
The elderly Sprite went to his side, laying a metallic hand on his shoulder. "Patience, child. Your time will come," he assured.
He responded glumly. "Thanks, Phong. But she's right, I'm not a real Guardian like Bob. What good am I in a fight?"
"Well, we can help you out just as long as my Pokémon are ready, willing, and able to-" Akari's assurance was interrupted.
"Phong! Hexadecimal is ready to fire again." Specky shouted.
"Get ready. Are the shields in position?"
He was at a loss for words. "Eh...uh, well, eh...I'm not sure."
"What?!" Everyone chorused.
Not taking another moment of impending doom, Phong shoved the distraught Binome aside. His body fell like a metallic object as Phong punched around the motherboard. "Oh dear, oh dear...oh dear."
"Now for me to make the final curtain call." Hex said in glee. Then she began her usual cackle.
"You will not destroy my city!" Megabyte stormed over toward her, but she seamlessly swatted him away like an intrusive fly using an energy blast.
"Go away! It's my turn to play." she said as she loaded up the Hardware again.
The gigantic tin can was falling toward the bustling city below, though there were two helpers keeping him up.
"Going away?!" Hack said as he and his associate grabbed him.
"Which is any way you are going." Slash added.
Just a nanosecond later, there was a familiar alarm ringing as the sky turned fuchsia overhead. "Warning, Incoming Game. Warning, Incoming Game."
"Have it your way." Megabyte muttered as his bot henchmen carried him toward his psychotic sister.
"Say hello to my liiitle friend." she boasted, then let out another episode of her horrific laughter. Although...
It was the onlookers that should be laughing since her plan was severely being foiled by the downloading Game Cube! Its radical energy caused the Hardware to malfunction as it made contact, causing both it and Hex electrocute themselves. The input was too much that they both exploded in the air as the Game continued its drop without much interference.
Mouse commented while she and Dot were on Zip Boards with some militants behind them, "Whoa, now that's what I call a bug zapper."
"I can't believe it. We've been saved by a Game Cube." Dot added into the awe. Just then, they saw two kids on Zip Boards head toward it; they turned out to be the little Guardian and the Game Sprite. "Enzo! No!" She and her ally immediately dove after them. "It's the Guardian protocol. He can't help himself."
"Well, that's just fine and dandy, and AndrAIa's a Game Sprite. Win or lose where the Game goes..."
"AndrAIa goes with it."
Meanwhile, Frisket was having quite a feast as he was tossing around a wrecked enemy vessel with his maw. He tossed the rubble aside, gazed at the Game, and ran after it following his owner in. Other Pokémon soon began to follow, but without their Trainer.
As soon as AndrAIa approached the Game, she was grabbed from behind losing her Zip Board in the process. "Whoa!"
"That's as far as you go, sugar." Mouse said, holding the heroine back.
It was just Enzo, Frisket, Dot, and a few Pokémon stragglers inside the Game within the distant reaches of the Kits Sector. Inside was a foggy, dark, and sinister background. Thick layers of mist were covering the ground, a brisk breeze was blowing some leaves asunder and stretching some dead, bare trees. Wolves howled in the distance as the Matrices stood what looked to be a horrid, old graveyard.
"Dot. Where's AndrAIa?" Enzo queried.
"Now's not the time. C'mon, let's Reboot, finish the Game and get outta here." Dot said anxiously. "Re-"
"No, wait! Let's see what we could come up with first. Glitch, Game stats." His Keytool chirped as it analyzed the data, Dot admired her little brother already learning on what his idol was capable of; he was almost like the spitting image of him.
They were momentarily surrounded by a few Zombinomes, moaning and walking awkwardly. Dot wasn't the least bit scared. "Guys, over here!" They continued their groaning and shenanigans. "I don't believe this..." she sighed in disbelief and impatience. "Before sunrise!"
That caused the trio to return to the System of the living and join with the duo.
"Eh, sorry, Miss Matrix, I was just getting into character." one Binome said in an Australian accent. He was round, had dead eyes with no irises, and his icon turned into a skull. Two more tall, rectangular Binomes had the same looks.
"Listen guys," Enzo said as he looked at Glitch, "we're in the final level of Malicious Corpses. The User has to find the missing pages from the Manual of Mortality."
"Where is this 'Manual of Mortality'?" he spoke again.
"In the cabin just ahead."
"And where's the User?" A tall Zombinome queried.
"One level below us."
"What's that noise?" another tall Binome asked.
"What noise?"
"Hey! We ask the questions around here!" They spoke in unison. Clearly, this wasn't the time for mind games. They immediately heard a rumble and felt a huge shake.
"How long will it take for Enzo beat the User?" AndrAIa pondered as she and Mouse curiously watched the Game still in its idle, darkened state.
"Uh, I don't rightly know, honey." The hacker couldn't find a straight answer. "All Games are different. We just need to wait, but not here, let's go." The duo headed toward the Principal Office, without knowing of Hexadecimal's torched vessel as well as Bunnyfoot and Herr Doktor taking her in.
Akari appeared next to them as she was being carried by the Mantis Pokémon, Scyther. "Guys, I noticed six Pokémon are missing. They must be in that Game. Who's with them?"
"Just Enzo and Dot." AndrAIa answered.
The Johto dweller sighed, "I sure hope they'll be alright; these guys don't have a lot of experience. They must've been those that were stranded outside. Mewtwo's Nidoqueen, my Nidorino, Murkrow, Crobat, Gastly, and...the infant Cubone." she almost had a panic attack stating the last one.
As the trio headed back to safety, she described each one, including the fact that Cubone was just a baby as he was captivated in Lavender Town. He was separated by his mother Marowak and managed to calm her vengeful spirit at the dangerous Tower as she proved and beat her; she then promised to look after it. She later easily caught three Gastly to make the Gengar line, and Murkrow was a reliable high-flyer back in Johto. She was also relieved that her Golbat she used back inside Enzo's brain was finally able to evolve, as well as catching a Nidorino which was a close companion to Mewtwo's poisonous powerhouse.
Back inside the Game, the four small Sprites stood on a shaking tombstone that read, Here lies the MAINFRAME JOINT VENTURE An Unholy Alliance.
"Jump!" They all did, and a certain dog emerged from the ashes. "Frisket!" He was also joined by the missing group. It was thanks to Nidoqueen's Mega Punch that released them from their subterranean prison.
"And Akari's Pokémon came to!" Dot cried.
Though, the joy was short-lived as Enzo saw someone pretty shady. Enzo was the first to notice the Zombie Slayer, "He's here."
Sure enough, standing at the entrance, there was the User, a zombie hunter complete with sleek, jet black hair; a lantern-shaped face; a large, noisy chainsaw replacing one of his hands; and a shotgun in another. "Groovy," it whispered as he gazed around to hunt for more fresh meat. Most of the newbies were intimidated by his grotesque, fearful appearance along with the haunted atmosphere.
"Let's do it! You too, boy." Enzo reached down to his canine's icon and the Matrices all became assimilated with the Game. "Reboot!"
The large dog turned into a Hellhound with glowing red eyes, a spiked collar, and decaying fur. Enzo turned into a child with dead grey skin and wearing tattered red clothing. He looked at himself in disgust, "I'm a zombie! What good is uh-"
"And what am I supposed to be?!"Dot looked at herself and saw she was a Goth character with a tight, black dress, heavy lipstick and eye liner, and pale blanch skin. "Come on. Let's get outta here." Unfortunately, her attire was designed to not make her move. She wobbled then tripped and fell onto the pavement. And as Enzo looked down, his right eye popped out hanging from its socket like a thread.
"Uh oh..." They really needed to do something with their defects before the Game should end either by the User winning or if dawn should approach as time would run out. To them, it was a first being on a time limit while also racing against the User. From behind a couple tombstones, they saw the User shoot their hiding places.
"We're not doing any good pinned down here." Dot said. She ripped off a piece of her skinny wardrobe and wrapped it around her hair. "How much ammo does the User have left?"
Enzo replied, "Lots. And he'll pick up more on his way to the cabin." He then faced the dastardly Binomes. "You guys run ahead. Find the User's ammo and hide it."
The round Zombinome mocked him, "We ain't listenin' to you. You're a kid!"
One of the rectangular ones added, "Yeah! You're hardly a Guardian."
The third one said, "You're certainly not Bob! Bob was big, Bob was strong, Bob was well...blue."
"Don't be such an instigator!" Dot scolded, causing the inferior Binome to shut his decayed mouth by force. In front of her, a quivering skeletal hand shot up. Then there was a skeleton lifting up the round Binome.
Enzo identified it right away, "Hey, it's the first way to the Game Sprite. Alright. That'll give the User something to shoot at." The inept body of bones tried to grab the Binome on top of its head. "You! Get down before you're shot." As if on cue, the limbs scattered along with the bang from a bullet. "Now! Go and find the ammo!"
They all just looked and admired the pile of bones, until the Cubone named Dry Bones threw in his Boomerang, and Murkrow, aka Raven, squawked at them.
The Binomes startled then murmured amongst themselves as they walked away while more skeletons emerged from the ground. "Eh, why didn't you say so?"
"Yeah, you didn't have to shout."
"Bob's a Guardian. He never shouts."
Much to the child prodigy's disapproval, he saw his loyal companion munch on another fallen bone. "Oh, Frisket, this is no time to be a dog."
"Ok, Guardian. What do we do now?" Dot queried. Enzo looked at her hesitantly. They then saw the User shoot at a large barrage of those mindless amateurs. "He's just standing there shooting at things."
"I know, and in the next level, Sprites are zombies. They got flesh on their bones."
"I don't want to think about that. I mean what kind of sick creature gets enjoyment out of playing this sort of Game?!"
Meanwhile the Pokémon split up to not only find the Slayer's ammo, but also watch over the Zombinomes' every pre-programmed move; they were all having some irritation dealing with them. They split into three groups, two by two. The round Binome was with Nido-Rhino and Ghastly as he found a large red box having a self-explanatory label. Then, they were ambushed by members that could've belonged to the Walking Dead. Both Poison-Types got their hands full, though the gunshots nearby distracted them.
They hardly saw the Matrices skedaddle. "Run! It's the User!" Nidoqueen and the others were on their hides.
They were fortunate they escaped as they left the doomed cemetery, but the abandoned settlement was right in front of them. They all saw a thin piece of paper get snatched and the Zombie Slayer used his chainsaw to decapitate the head and the limbs of a gigantic, deadly tree monster. He was able to retrieve it and head toward his final destination.
Dot alerted the group, "He's got the last page. Now all he needs is the book! What're we going to do?"
Enzo looked over yonder behind him, "The cabin. It's our only hope!" He then faced the basic bots, "You guys have done your work. Get outta here! Hide!"
"You don't have to tell us twice!" The circular one said. They all scampered away quickly than they could say...
"Frisket!"
All of a sudden, the daring dog ravaged toward the User. He bared his teeth and took a leap. "No!" As soon as he was about to claim his victim, he was then shot. Enzo turned away from the impact, and then unshielded his eyes seeing his hurt hound lie lifelessly on the dead terrain. He kept screaming for him, but Dot grabbed and carried him away toward the cabin.
Most of the Pokémon were so terrified that they had no choice but to follow, particularly Dry Bones, Nidoqueen, and Ghastly; it was so ironic that a ghost grew horrified even though it was known to be fearful. While the team retreated, Raven was distracting the User using her Agility and Shadow Balls. While the Crobat, Batly, was doing the same as he attempted to sic his fangs, though he hardly had a chance to use his Screech, Supersonic, nor Mega Drain. Nido-Rhino ran around and kept tackling him as the two flyers kept the enemy occupied.
Enzo was still screaming, "Lemme go! Frisket, I-I gotta help him!"
With the desperate Guardian in her arms, Dot reasoned, "Listen! Listen, we can only save Frisket by winning Game. The help he needs is in Mainframe." She finally lowered him. "What he needs here, is a Guardian."
After a nano of deep panting, he admitted, "You're right. You're right. Let's barricade the door." His placid eyes scanned the room and found the manual with a creepy face on the front. It was in plain sight collecting dust as it sat on a wooden desk beneath a lamp. "And hide that book!"
With very little time, Dot found a piano and pushed it toward the front door; Nidoqueen's massive bulk assisted her well. Nevertheless, the persistent User kept on bashing it while Enzo scurried to look for a hiding spot for the Manual of Mortality. He then shoved it in a bookshelf amongst other old works. Dry Bones was shivering and Ghastly was showing a stressed expression.
"We can push him down here." Enzo found a chute that was locked with a rusty chain attached to the floor. Dry Bones and Ghastly followed. The junior Guardian lifted up the shaft and the Lonely Pokémon wielded his Bone Club.
"Glitch, cutter." He ordered. It responded by rotating its top rapidly like an orbiting saw, but something was wrong. It began to malfunction as it illuminated and shot out some sparks. Everyone was aghast at the display. "Glitch! Stop, stop! It's broken." He looked at his defective Keytool in sadness.
Suddenly, the User broke through the rear wall using his all-powerful chainsaw. Dot shouted, "The User didn't use the door."
"Get the lamp!" Enzo said.
The young Pokémon braced for the worst as the Reaper, or rather the Slayer, appeared before their very eyes. Ghastly and Dry Bones immediately cowered next to Nidoqueen.
The wall shattered in wooden pieces, and the User admired the place. "Groovy."
Dot slammed the lampshade on top of the User's head. "Enzo! Plug it in! Now!" He did just that in a nearby wall socket, and the crazed slaughterer got his face fried. It was shown clearly through it as it flashed and displayed a skull at times, causing him to shoot blindly in the process. He eventually lost his balance and fell, breaking the light, rose up, and angrily shook of his dazedness. He began to shoot volleys of bullets toward the Thriller look-a-like who just spun, twirled, and evaded it all.
"Yeehee hoo! Alright, c'mon! Weehee hoo!" He even danced as he Moonwalked to his own tempo.
"What're you doing..?" Dot asked in an indifferent manner.
"Using up his ammo." He whirled and the User missed him again. "Whoo!"
"By letting him shoot at you?!"
"Yeah!" Enzo snickered. The Pokémon were clearly thrilled and impressed by this stunt.
Dot slammed a whip next to her and challenged, "Over here, big boy." She unleashed it and reared it back, making the User lose his rifle as it stuck to a distant wall. Unfortunately, it just wasn't enough since it was no match for his chainsaw shredding it into ribbons.
"What now?!" Enzo cried out after he ran back to his sis' side.
The Zombie Slayer rammed the piano against the Matrices, and the Pokémon scattered. He kept forcing it onto them, though they slipped and crawled away frantically. He sliced it apart with his chainsaw to which the blades were covered in entangled wires. He seemed to be fascinated by the beauty of it. "Groovy." He discarded the weapon.
Then, there was a flash of violet light and a strong pulse tossing him off his feet. That belonged to Ghastly's Night Shade. Nidoqueen used an elbow, but the User was too quick. Fortunately, he was tripped by her thick, scaly tail.
"Cubone! Cu...Bone!" Dry Bones wound up then threw his Boomerang again and it ricocheted toward the User. He frantically stood on his feet as he scuffled, though someone else made him lose his footing. From a few feet away, he soared and his head got stuck in a blue couch of all things.
Enzo looked over. "Frisket!" He let out a quiet growl, barely lifting his head. The User stood up and looked for his victims who're surrounding him.
"Quick, tie him up!" Dot said. Enzo saw the coppery tape from an adjacent Welman tape player, then yanked and pulled the stringy tape out, wrapping the Zombie Slayer like a mummy.
"Groovy." He muffled.
Dry Bones threw his Boomerang once more, which shattered the chain holding the lid closed.
"Allow me." Dot opened the hatch, leading to what everyone assumed was the vast, opaque abyss.
Nido-Rhino ran over to the User and performed a Body Slam with all his might, driving him backward. His head bashed the User's chest, next it used its Horn Drill disabling his legs. Raven landed on the Poison Pin's head and released it's awesome move known as Beat Up; the Dark-Type move allowed every Pokémon take turns attacking the User, knocking him back even further.
The last thing the chainsaw massacre saw was zombie Enzo standing next to him through his bondages. The kid just yelled, "BOO!" Then, the aperture grabbed on tossed him wildly like a vortex. A vermillion aura was displayed like blood. His helpless body fell to the floor then was dragged into the shaft again.
The lid shut, then unexpectedly opened again. From the pit, the Slayer had been slewed, showing a vessel with hanging skin and little to no muscle. He screeched, "I'm dead before dawn! I'm dead before dawn!" The door shut again and the Game at last ascended.
"Game Over!"
The team reunited and the Pokémon themselves celebrated their first-ever victory in Mainframe! There was also a very dazzling speculation as one of them had his body transform in a bright light. Out of all the pocket monsters, the one that was evolving was actually Dry Bones! He grew in height by a few feet, his club elongated, and his mask grew larger and more pointed than before. In the Cubone's place stood his evolved form, Marowak; he proudly showed off his prowess.
Just then, some medical units, including some ambulances, flew in. Some diagnostic programs emerged and one of them looked at the Guardian cuddling his wounded dog. He asked, "Are you hurt? Here, lie down."
"Not me. It's my dog. Help him, please." the Sprite begged.
"He'll be ok, son. Let's go."
Dot stopped them in their tracks. "Wait! Contact these doctors. I want that dog to have the best treatment. The best! Understand?"
They laid Frisket onto a stretcher, it lifted into the ambulance, and it hovered away with its siren wailing. The good news was that the viral forces weren't around. And the heroes headed back to the Principal Office which miraculously managed to reactivate its shields! They marched in, and Akari immediately shrugged off the worry while she observed her brand new Marowak! She congratulated him as they spun together in ecstasy.
"Enzo!" AndrAIa clobbered him, forcing him against a hard wall.
He was nearly speechless, recalling the exact same stunt he used on Bob. "Uh, hi, AndrAIa."
"I see you've been busy." Dot observed.
"Yeah. Phong managed to get the shields back online." Mouse stated.
Phong was just as impressed. "Well, I couldn't have done it alone, Mouse. Your codes were magnificent! You are a true artist." he commented. He then faced the young savior. "Oh, the young Guardian has returned. I have a message for you." A VidWindow appeared showing Frisket baring his fangs at all the frightened doctors. It was clear that the feral mutt despised needles and tranquilizers. Enzo and the others wore some disgusted looks. The War Room was silenced after the window dissiapated. "The doctor says he'll be up and chasing Nulls in less than a cycle. In fact, he asks you to go pick him up immediately."
"Groovy." Enzo said, mimicking the late avatar's catchphrase.
"Eh, that's great, Phong. Enzo."
"Yeah, Dot?"
"You did a great job in the Game. But..." The hesitated.
"Dot..! You still don't think I can do it?"
"I think you've earned your chance. But you need to train. If you want to be as good as Bob, you..." she sulked in midsentence.
Then, Enzo vowed to her, "Sis, if he's out there, I'll find him. I promise. I'll bring Bob home." his eyes narrowed at that statement. Akari and her team were eager to do the same and get their friends back alive.
"Um, sorry to break up this photoshop moment. But AndrAIa and I have a little surprise for you." Mouse said.
"I don't think I can take another surprise." Dot commented. Everyone couldn't blame her since she was still so wound up over the Game.
"We found him at the diner." AndrAIa said. Instead of Bob's anticipated grand entrance, a big bot with a squared, green face and a white exterior came soaring in. It also had a twirling Zip Board on its head, and a pair of wrench-like arms. He turned out to be the server from Dot's destroyed diner.
"Cecil!" Dot hugged the giant robot tightly, though he never squeezed back. "I thought we lost you too."
Instead he just laid his hands on her arms. "Please madam mazel. Dot! Not in front of the customers!"
Everyone, excepting Akari and her Pokémon, started to laugh. Though they would admit it was quite fortunate they'd have more energizing food in their possession. Better to have foreign Mainframe food than to have nothing at all. They also decided to use Games as a sort of training method, enabling the troops to develop gradually, as much as Enzo, so they could all be ready for the fierce battles yet to come. They, too, would utilize them more strategically instead of brute force after they discussed Frisket's drastic actions. They all knew that they needed to be more conservative and careful in order to spare as many bitmaps as possible. Including Enzo's, Akari's, and especially Bob's.
A/N: Whew, so much for the pseudo-Halloween special. I'm sure the arrangement of my team was kind of unusual. At first I was going to include both Nido-lines when I was a kid, but I decided to change things up for variety; after all, I only like Nidorino and Nidoqueen for some odd reason.
I used to have a keychain of a Nidorino, along with a keychain of Kangaskhan, a Wigglytuff finger puppet, and a small Mew figurine that had a switch causing its eyes to glow. I guess this was how they became my all-time favorites? As did Nidoqueen since she's the first female-only Pokémon ever conceived! The others are also favorites, but they were just there for the ride since the Game had a Halloween theme to it. I'm still not sure how to evolve a Golbat into a Crobat, though; I can never understand how high friendship works...
Plus, I never liked how it ended. We unexpectedly got Cecil from the destroyed diner. I was REALLY expecting Bob to show up! Ergh, I always hated it! Also, I later found out that ABC, the original broadcasting network for ReBoot, left a cliffhanger during the Season 2 finale right when Bob left to the Web; treacherous dogs indeed since they never continued! Good thing I saw it all on Toonami instead, which broke the shackles of censorship as the series got more edgier later on.
As for the nicknames, I just came up with Ghastly for lulz, Raven for Murkrow was a reference to the Edgar Allan Poe poem, Dry Bones for Cubone/Marowak was a reference to the baddie in the Mario series, Nido-Rhino was appropriate considering Nidorino almost looks like a poisonous rhinoceros, and Crobat's nickname Batly was a reference to the character of the same name from Eureka's Castle.
So, another oneshot done. Stay tuned for the next one...whatever it may be.