South Down: Since I only had one chapter left (which is now completed), I decided I would go ahead and start my next story early.

Warknight216: I haven't played any of the games, so I don't really have a New Kid character.

The first thing Stan, Kyle and Cartman did was stop by the Broflovski residence to pick up Ike; Kyle didn't want to start the game without him. Then, they had headed to the nearest store.

Once they got there, they were dismayed to find a line-up of people already there, many of which were their schoolmates. They were even more horrified to find that nearly all of them were at the store buying the very thing they themselves were after.

"No!" Cartman shouted as he saw DogPoo head out of the store, a pair of Ubisoft headphones in his hands. "These assholes can't enter their phone before us! They can't get the prize before us!"

They rushed in, grabbing the first headphones they could find, and headed to the counter to pay for them. "Come on, come on," Stan said as they all placed their dollars on the counter. The cashier took the money, loaned them their change, and handed them back the headphones. Once they had them, they rushed out the store.

"Alright, we gotta get to my house before we put on the headphones," Kyle told them. "We can't put them on outside, otherwise we'll just collapse out in the open. Anyone could just come in and rob us blind."

"Wait, isn't there somebody else we're forgetting?" Stan asked.

Before any of the other boys could answer, Kenny strode over to them, a confused expression on his face. "(Hey, what's going on?)" He asked. "(Why is everybody buying these headphones?)"

"Of course you're the last to find out," Cartman scoffed, earning him a scowl from both Kyle and Kenny. "A new version of Phone Destroyer just got released. It allows the player to go into their phone and enter a digital reality. You just need these headphones to do it."

"(Really?)" Kenny asked, excited. "(That sounds kickass!)"

"That's not even the best part," Stan added. "There's a key hidden in the game. Whoever finds it will be able to make any wish they want and have it come true."

Hearing that caused Kenny's eyes to glisten. "(Anything they wish for?)" He asked, as if he hadn't heard correctly.

"Uh-huh," Kyle said. "We were gonna enter the game at the same time. You gonna join?"

"(Sure,)" Kenny said. "(I'll just get my iPhone and. . .)" Suddenly, he trailed off.

"Kenny, what is it?" Stan asked. Then, realization sunk in for him and the others.

"Oh, right," Kyle said, dismayed. "You can't afford the headphones."

Kenny exchanged glances with them, a desperate look in his eyes. "(Can you buy another pair for me?)" He suggested.

"We kind of spent all our money just to get these ones," Stan explained, holding up his headphones. "We'd go and ask our parents for more, but time isn't really on our side. Every second, more people are entering the games, and we can't be the last ones or. . ."

"(Oh,)" Kenny replied, disappointed. His shoulders slumped and he placed his hands in his pockets. "(I understand,)"

"It's nothing personal, Kenny," Kyle tried to reassure him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "When we get the key, I'm sure our wish will benefit you, in some way."

Kenny humphed. With a sorrowful glance, he turned and headed off.

The other boys watched him leave. "Dammit," Stan whispered, truly disappointed. "Not again."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it now," Cartman said, shrugging casually. "Come on, let's get to Kyle's house. I got a wish to make." He began to head off, but stopped and turned around to see Stan, Kyle and Ike staring at him suspiciously.

"What?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Cartman," Kyle said, a stony tone in his voice. "Before we go any further. . . our wishes are going to be compatible, right? Because it says only one person can get the key and make the wish."

Cartman scoffed. "Come on, you guys, you really think I'd make a bad wish?" He asked. "Don't you know me at all?"

That just caused all three boys' glares to darken even more.

Cartman furrowed his eyebrows. "Alright, fine, if that's how you're gonna be!" He snapped. "You think I need you assholes to win the game? I'll just get more trustworthy teammates!" With that, he headed off in the opposite direction.

As he left, Stan turned to Kyle. "Hey, Kyle, are our wishes gonna be compatible?" He asked. "Like, if one of us got the key, whatever wish you or I make would be something we'd both agree upon?"

"Whatever wish either of us make, it'll definitely be more compatible than anything Cartman would wish for," Kyle replied. "In fact, making sure he stays as far away from the key as possible should be our #1 priority!"

"Eh, I think my #1 priority is us not being the last people to enter the game," Stan said. "Let's get to my house now!"

"Right," Kyle said. "Come on, Ike." Taking his younger brother by the hand, the three of them headed off for Stan's house.

If there was one thing Kenny cursed more than his inability to die, it was his poverty.

In fact, it was part of what made his immortality so unbearable; if he lived in a half-decent home, dying wouldn't have been so bad, since he got to return to a happy life. Instead, every time he was given a brief escape from his miserable life, he would be brought right back to it. There truly was no end to his suffering.

He wasn't even all that broken up about not being able to play the game; it wouldn't have been the first time his lack of money had gotten in the way of his fun. It was that that game had actually given him hope that there would be a chance to reverse his living conditions.

Stan's words echoed in his mind. Whoever finds it will be able to make any wish they want and have it come true.

Was that true? If it were, that meant that if he could succeed in getting it, he'd be able to make a wish. And there was nothing he wished for more than for his family to not be poor. He didn't even care about being as rich as Token; simply living in an average income home would be enough.

He could only imagine what it was like living in a house like Clyde or Craig's. There, they could shower every day instead of once a week; they had enough toothpaste to brush their teeth twice a day; they had more than a couple pairs of clothes that quickly ran out. He'd imagined what that would be like more times than he could count; if what Stan had said was true, getting that key meant he could live it.

And not just him, but his brother and sister, too. Karen in particular did not deserve to live the kind of lifestyle she did. She deserved a hopeful future. He'd do anything to give her one.

As he entered his house, passing his parents, who were passed out drunk on the couch, and headed towards his siblings' room, that was all he could think of. As he creaked open the door and caught sight of Karen, sleeping soundlessly in bed, it overtook his thoughts.

Karen deserved a better life than this. And his poverty be damned, he would make sure she did.

It didn't matter how; he had to get into the game and get the key.

No matter what.

"Alright," Cartman said, pacing back and forth, his arms folded behind his back as he eyed his allies. "You have been chosen because you are the best, the elite, the most accomplished gamers in town. With me as your leader, we shall enter our phones and conquer the game. We shall no doubt face many enemies, but no matter what, we will crush them! And then, the key will be mine! Any questions?"

Scott Malkinson raised his hand. "Did you really choose us because we're the best, or because we're the only ones who'll follow you?" He asked. Butters and Dougie sat by his side on Cartman's bed.

"I don't recall asking for your opinion!" Cartman snapped at him. "Come on, you guys aren't gonna last a minute in this game by yourselves! You need each other, and more importantly, me, if you want a chance of getting the key!"

"Well, I'm not that interested in getting the key," Butters said. "I just want to have a fun time playing with my friends."

"Look, we're wasting time," Dougie said. "The other kids are probably already in their phones right now."

"The ginger's right," Cartman said. "We can't spare another second! Now, all of you, plug the headphones into your phone, and then when I give the word, we'll put them on."

The other boys complied, plugging the headphones into their iPhones. "Now, get ready," Cartman said, hovering the headphones over his heads. The other boys copied his movement.

"Set. . ."

The boys had an anxious look on their faces as they steeled themselves to put the phones on.

"Go!" Cartman shouted.

As soon as he spoke, Butters snapped the headphones over his ears. Once he did, his pupils shrank and he collapsed onto the bed, paralyzed.

". . . Hey, you didn't put on your headphones!" Dougie accused Cartman, who indeed was still holding them above his head.

"Neither did you assholes!" Cartman retorted. "I needed to see what would happen before I tried it."

The boys hovered over Butters' body, examining him closely. His eyes were closed and his mouth was hanging open. "What happened to him?" Scott asked.

"I think his consciousness has been transported into the phone," Dougie suggested. "His physical body is still here, but his mind is in the game."

The other boys exchanged glances, as if silently considering his words. "Well, I guess there's only one way to find out," Cartman said, sighing deeply. Sitting down, he took the headphones and placed them over his head, Scott and Dougie doing the same.

Closing his eyes, Cartman inhaled and closed his eyes.

Then, he put the headphones on.

"You boys be safe in your phone, okay," Sheila told Kyle, Stan and Ike as the boys sat on Kyle's bed, their headphones plugged into their phones.

"We will, mom," Kyle reassured her. "Don't worry."

"Look after your brother while you're in there, alright, bubba?" Sheila said. Kyle nodded, and she closed the door, leaving them alone.

Kyle turned to look at Stan, who had a conflicted expression on his face. "What's wrong?" He asked.

Stan shrugged. "I dunno," He said, his shoulders slumped. "It's just. . . it sucks Kenny won't be joining us. The game's just not the same without him by our side."

Kyle nodded understandably. "Yeah, I know," He said. "But we don't really have a choice. When we're done, maybe we could fill Kenny in all the things we did."

Stan couldn't help but feel that would only make Kenny feel worse. Nevertheless, he said, "Well, what are we waiting for? We gotta enter the game before Cartman does."

"Yeah," Kyle said. He, Stan and Ike raised the headphones and hovered them over their heads. They all took a deep breath as they prepared themselves for what came next.

They put the headphones on.

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