If Plyn City were to be compared to any earthly cities, they would be Tokyo, for sheer size and technological focus; Paris, for the history and obsession with food; and New York city, for the financial and commercial hubs it contained.
For the reader who hasn't been to those cities: It was big, crowded, sprinkled with more restaurants than the entirety of North America, and very bright. Lights and signs illuminated the chasm from it's upper rim to it's swamp-like base, and aliens of myriad species swarmed in it's streets. All in all, over 846 million beings called Plyn City's 496 floors home.
Of course, it really isn't fair to talk about the atmosphere of the city without talking about what the actual atmosphere was like: Very hot, very humid, and very windy. When Dib had first gotten off the elevator, he had immediately began to sweat, and didn't know if he could tolerate Introa for any period of time. When he had stepped out of the sheltered area around the elevator, he discovered the winds, whose cooling effects made the chasm almost comfortable.
Scly was simply ecstatic, proudly showing off the wonders of his hometown to Dib, who was simply following his unofficial travel guide from restaurant to restaurant. After a three course dinner that had been partially imported from the planet Lemaxa (where, apparently, a heavily salted soup of nutrients qualified as a delicacy), Scly took Dib to some of the city's other attractions: A genetic engineering fair that Scly himself had made a healthy contribution to; The city zoo, where you could see enormous one-legged spiders and octopi whose tentacles forked every four feet, and the Corono stadium (Corono was a sport like hockey and lacrosse, except it was played on water).
As far as Dib was concerned, this planet was a paradise.
As far as Zim was concerned, this was planet was a nightmare.
He had landed the Voot Cruiser on one of the Nyor Mountains' many volcanoes, and had at first rather liked the planet's dry, hot atmosphere, which reminded him of planet Irk's deserts. But as he descended into the thick forests, and eventually jungles that separated the mountain slope from the valley, the humidity increased. Though it wasn't concentrated enough to make him start burning immediately, by the time he stepped out of the jungle and gazed at the vast, river strewn Nyor valley, the cradle of Introi civilization, he had a horrible rash.
GIR was having a great time, riding Minimoose through the trees, birds nests, and salivating predatory mouths, screaming "I'm a cowboy! Look at mah potaters! LOOK AT 'EM!"
Zim, cursing the security officer that had stopped him from landing anywhere near the city, extended his PAK legs, and dashed madly for the far-off glimmers of air-conditioned civilization.
Dib spent the next week learning about the culture, history, and snack bar based economies (apparently the Ultrabar was used instead of the gold standard in a few obscure civilizations) of the galaxy, while Zim spent it by being irritated and rubbing salt on his skin. By the time Zim had finally caught up with Dib, the HAIR awards were beginning.
The ceremony was held in a private building, in one of the smaller chasms that branched away from the main city. It was a smaller building, filled with tables, nominees, and strange, inverted-raindrop shaped whitish objects on the walls that no one could identify. After a quick dinner (which, according to the Introi, called for at least two appetizers, three main courses, and five desserts), the lights dimmed, and a Introi walked up on stage.
"Two hundred and twenty four years ago," The Introi, who had identified herself as the same Naida Entorro that had written the letter, said, "Tallest Vio of the Irken Empire used the Control Brains and his citizens' PAKs to seize control of the Irken Empire, through brainwashing and propaganda. Using this undivided, fanatical loyalty, he began a war of conquest against every other species in the galaxy, and eventually, every species in the universe they encountered. Immediately after this, people began to oppose his efforts: A few Irkens broke free of his control and began to fight against the corrupted Empire. Through the terrors of war, heroes were made, but there was no way to honor them Partly to do this, partly to raise morale, and partly just to spite their oppressors, they created the Heroes of the Anti-Irken Resistance awards ceremony… Ladies, gentlemen, and gender-neutral aliens, I welcome you to the two hundred and twenty fourth HAIR awards! Sponsored by the Ultrabar corporation."
At this point, the attendees began to clap and cheer furiously, even for the Ultrabar corporation, which had been sponsoring the event since it's inception. As the complimentary candy bars were distributed, the first winners were called up to the stage:
"First we have the HAIR who has done the most damage to the Irken Empire. The hero who has given our enemies the most split ends," Here she paused for the laughter, "Captain Lard Nar of the Resisty!"
Amidst clapping (and cheers of "RESISTY ROCKS!"), a Vortian walked up to the stage, shook hands with Naida, accepted the award, and answered the crowds question of "Why call it the 'Resisty'?"
As the award was presented to this year's oldest anti-Irken fighter (the grey HAIR), Zim was quietly breaking into the building. His complete lack of skill, as well as GIR's antics, got him noticed by security quite a few times, but they allowed him to believe he had gone unnoticed.
He found the air vent directly above the stage, pushed through, and fell in front of the surprised crowd.