*We return to Jay's Workspace to find everyone decked out in cosplay for San Diego Comic-Con. TFS Nappa is Walter White, DAU Kermit's Sprig Plantar, Rex has on bunny ears, Omni has an Attack Titan costume, Ed's wearing his Monster Costume from that one episode, Slick Goku is Sun Wukong, SpongeBob Narrator is a zombie diver, GIR is himself, and Janna is Yor Forger. Then, RJ "Jay" Writing Ink comes in dressed as Darth Vader.*

Janna: So that's the costume you're wearing for Comic-Con? Not very original, is it, Jay?

Kermit: Yeah, not gonna lie, I figured you'd do something more anime than this.

Jay: What? Costume? Guys, this isn't a costume. I'm wearing this so I can go out in public. I got COVID-19.

Slick Goku: I'm sorry, what?

Jay: yep. Two years of hiding from it, and it got me earlier this week. Also, we can't go to SDCC because tickets are impossible to get. Silver lining, we can still watch everything online!

DAU Kermit: Umm, I'm sorry, but should we be worried? You just said you had Covid!

Jay: that's what the suit and mask are for! Now can we please start the next chapter? We've got panels to watch, and I'm already behind as it is!

As the Humans, Merpeople, and Pokémon hurried through the forest, they began to see the devastation the fighting had wrought. Trees were left as smoldering embers; something blasted entire rocks with what looked like high-pressure plumes of water. Vines and razor-sharp leaves sticking out of the ground. To top it all off, much of the environment broke down into binary data because something blasted them out of existence!

"Whoa," Karla remarked as the group ran by. "You guys, this is nasty."

"I know. How awesome is this shit?" Jonah couldn't help but add his two cents, though the glares he got from everyone (including the Pokémon) meant this was the wrong thing to say. They would probably awkwardly apologize and keep their mouths shut if it were anyone else. Jonah shrugged and told them, "Hey, I won't judge you for what you think is cool, and you don't do the same for me."

"Just shut up and run, Jonah," Marcia deadpanned, clearly not in the mood to deal with Jonah.

It was for the best, anyway. At that moment, a large, human-sized object came plummeting out of the sky in the group's direction.

"Oh, crud. Scatter!" Marcia cried out, prompting the group to hit the deck. Marcia grabbed Coryn in her arms and tried to shield him from the impact, while Aqua did the same with Misty.

Fortunately for everyone, though, the massive impact they expected never came. Eventually, the two girls heard Jonah say, "Hey, Moms. You can open your eyes now. We're all fine." Hesitantly, the two opened their eyes…and then felt a little embarrassed when they saw that Mewtwo used their psychic powers to catch the falling rock. In the heat of the moment, Marcia forgot Mewtwo was, canonically, one of the strongest Pokémon in existence.

Also, what fell towards them wasn't a rock or something. It was another Pokémon. One that looked almost as banged up as MewTwo had been, but one that could be recognized by anyone who played Pokémon or Smash Bros: Lucario.

"Do not worry. I have saved us from danger," Mewtwo said. "All of us."

"Holy-It's Piccolo!"

"Piccolo?" Karla asked aloud, only for everyone else to look as clueless as the others.

"Let him down. Just let him down gently, Mewtwo," Alfonso hurriedly told the psychic Pokémon.

"Don't bother," a new voice said. Like Mewtwo, this voice could be heard in everyone's minds. And for some reason, it sounded like the voice actor Chris Sabat when he did his voice for Zoro or Piccolo-

"Ohhh," Ferguson said as he put two and two together. "That makes sense."

"Yeah, we gave all of the Guardians the ability to communicate via telepathy," Alfonso admitted. "Plus, they all sound like popular voice actors."

"Okay, but why, though?" Marcia asked.

"Well, why not? Part of the success of an animated show is choosing the right people to voice the cast. The right voice actor can endear a character to the audience," Alfonso said as he explained his rationale, to which Ferguson nodded in approval.

"And if said person's already well-known for many other prominent roles, there's the chance that their fans from other works will give the show a chance," Ferguson pointed out.

"And that means more cash in the pockets of big business," Jonah remarked. "This is why we haven't come up with anything better than capitalism, people."

"Easy, Jonah. Save the cynicism for later," Karla told the beanie-clad boy. Though, yes, she knew he was right.

"Mewtwo," Piccolo said, bringing attention back to the Lucario. "I was beginning to think that that last attack did you in," he said to his fellow Guardian. "Seems my worries were unnecessary." It was impossible to tell, but it sounded like he was smirking.

"I am the most powerful of the Guardians for a reason, Piccolo. It would take far more than what that creature hit me to kill me," Mewtwo said.

"Good," Piccolo told his colleague. "We're the strongest in the Park for a reason: to protect the beings that call it home. If you fell from a hit like that, you don't have the right to call yourself a Guardian."

"Wow. He even acts like Piccolo," Ferguson noted. "Was that you're doing, Al?"

"More like Comet's. When we created them, he wanted to base their characters around what he thought would make good protectors," Alfonso humbly said before turning to Piccolo. "It's good to see you, Piccolo. These are-"

"Your friends. I already know, Alfonso," Piccolo told the Human. "I sensed their Aura's the moment you set foot in the Park. It took me a while to realize who they were, though. Hard to use my powers when you're fighting for your life."

"Powers? What sort of powers?" Aqua asked Jonah, to which he gave an indifferent shrug.

"Beats me, Princess. My knowledge of Pokémon's not as good as the gamer trio," he told her, referring to Marcia, Alfonso, and Ferguson. "I was always more of a Yu-Gi-Oh! kind of guy," he admitted, not ashamed of that.

"It's kind of like energy manipulation, Jonah," Ferguson told the two, much to Jonah's annoyance. "It's the life energy found in all life. TL:DR, Lucario's have the innate ability to sense and manipulate it."

"And one of the things it lets me do is read minds, Human," Piccolo said directly to Jonah. "And I know what you want to do to this place if you had Comet's permission. And like my friend here, I do not approve," the Lucario sternly told the boy. As before, Jonah remained unfazed. "And the same goes for you, girl," he next said to Marcia, who turned her face away. "As things stand right now, though, beggars can't be choosers," Piccolo admitted before turning to Mewtwo. "I assume that you brought them here because you think they can help us?"

"Yes. Despite their appearances and shortcomings," this made many in the group scowl a little, save for Aqua, "Our creator trusts them, and we must do the same if we are to deal with this threat." Another explosion went off a few miles from their location to reinforce this point. If they wanted to help Comet, they needed to hurry. Except…

"How are we supposed to help Comet, anyway?" Marcia asked the million-dollar question. "There's not much that we can do in here."

"She's right," Jackson concurred. "Marcia has her Karate, and Jonah's got his alchemy. But what can the rest of us hope to do to help?"

Suddenly, the realization hit everyone that none of them had thought about their decision to follow Alfonso through. If Brittney and Sabrina were with them, the two girls would've started panicking. Thankfully, most of them had enough self-control not to freak out, and they had an ace up their sleeves and didn't even know about it.

"Don't worry. While your presence may not have been planned for, there is a way for it to work to our advantage," Piccolo told them. "I'm willing to bet that Mewtwo has already thought about this, though."

Mewtwo nodded. "Indeed. The time has come for us to unlock that."

"What?" Marcia asked aloud.

"Are you sure that it will work, Piccolo? We haven't tested it before, and it may not even work," Alfonso asked, his face etched with concern.

"We don't have much of a choice, Alfonso. If it works, it will give us the power to defeat the MissingNo."

"Am I the only one who doesn't know what they're talking about?" Jonah asked, ignorant of what was going on and not liking that.

"You will understand when the time comes, Human. For now, we must hurry. The others are throwing everything they have at the MissingNo, and we can barely keep it contained." Another explosion went off, making everyone realize that standing around talking wasn't the best idea while a fight was going on.

"Comet! We have to go right now! Why are we still standing around here?" Marcia shouted, on the verge of panicking.

"The Human is correct, and we must make haste." Mewtwo declared. Then before anyone could say anything or protest, they used their psychic powers to telekinetically lift them all into the air!

"What is happening right now? I do not like this!" Marcia complained.

"Are we floating? How exciting!" Aqua proclaimed, with Misty happily squeaking in response.

"Now, this is more like it!" Jonah grinned.

"Honestly, not much different from my board," Jackson admitted. Karla agreed, having flown on Kevin's back many times now.

"We must go now. The future of the Park will be decided now." Piccolo told the others.

"Wait, wait, I do not consent to this!"

Marcia found her protests drowned out by the rush of air into her lungs as the group launched into the air, courtesy of Mewtwo.

Why did I think that this was a good idea? Marcia asked as she cursed her nosiness.


Comet Dragonfly was not having a good day.

His day had started much like any other day. He'd gotten up bright and early, dressed, and prepared for a full day of fun. Who cared if he still had homework to do? In the grand scheme of things, that didn't matter when compared to forming happy memories, right? While Marcia would say otherwise, Comet knew he was right. And with Marcia out of the house with the others, he had a chance to work on his and Alfonso's secret project: Pokémon Park. Yeah, he had to go behind Marcia and his Dad's back to make it, but he had good reasons for it. What he and Alfonso we're doing would revolutionize gaming for the entire Universe! When he debuted the Park at the Amethyst Arcade, Earth would get its deserved recognition. Comet would get his dream of seeing every Pokémon in one setting. It felt like a win-win for everyone.

That was the theory, at least. Then, everything started falling apart as he and Coryn walked around the world they helped create.

Comet wasn't sure how it happened. Maybe Alfonso mistakenly included it when transferring the data for all the Pokémon. Perhaps it was a naturally forming glitch. It didn't really matter, though—the MissingNo. Pokémon was in the Park. And, just like in the games, its presence corrupted everything present. The land, the plants, and even the clouds; either turned into blocks of black and white pixels or blipped out of existence. It was terrifying! So far, it had been a miracle that none of the Pokémon died! So, Comet, being Comet, did what he thought was right. Soon as he saw what happened, he jumped inside the Park to handle the threat head-on.

One would think that Comet had learned from the storming of Castle Avarius that charging headlong into danger wasn't always the best idea. Just because it worked for Shonen heroes, a bunch of times didn't mean it would work for him. The truth is, though, Comet did learn part of a lesson from the Toffee thing: if you're going to do something reckless, make sure you have a backup. In this case, the Guardians of Pokémon Park.

There was Natsu, the Charizard. A hotheaded and fiery terror of the skies. Like Comet, he was a bit reckless, but he liked fighting strong opponents. More importantly, he was loyal to his comrades and would burn anyone who'd hurt them.

Panzer, a Blastoise. Steadfast and stalwart, Panzer could take a hit and return it in kind. He was one of the more cool-headed Guardians and a voice of reason.

Bladedge, the Sceptile. A loner by nature, he preferred to spend time in solitude with nature, protecting the forests and the Pokémon that called it home. His leaf blades were incredibly sharp, though, and he was a skilled hunter.

Satoshi, the Greninja. Named in honor of the creator of Pokémon and the Trainer that shared their name, Greninja was a fierce warrior. A master of stealth and weaponry, Satoshi would protect the weak and helpless. He frequently clashed with Natsu, but they worked incredibly well in battle.

Joker, a Gengar. A born troublemaker like Comet and Jonah, Joker reveled in causing mischief and annoying people. Unlike most of his kind, though, there was no malice in it; he just liked making life interesting for others.

Piccolo, a Lucario. A proud and fierce warrior, Comet named him because he reminded him of the character from the Dragon Ball franchise. He was one of the smartest Guardians and often devised plans and strategies.

Finally, Mewtwo. The sole Legendary/Mythical Pokémon in the Park and a master of the psychic arts. And unlike in the games and movies, Mewtwo at least tolerated humans…as long as they didn't hurt Pokémon. All bets were off after that.

It felt like they could handle any threat between the six of them, Comet and Coryn. Clearly, they thought wrong—the MissingNo. started kicking their butts like crazy. Despite being an amalgamation of corrupted data, the Pokémon-thing could counter everything they threw at it. The blocks could corrupt their attacks out of existence in large enough quantities. Just delete them into thin air! It was nuts!

Hitting the abomination didn't do much good, either. Actually, it did the opposite of good; it hurt. As Comet found out, touching the thing seemed to cause immense physical pain. He tried rushing it, but the second he hit it, it felt like Comet's fist got set on fire! Mewtwo got yeeted away not long afterward. Everything went downhill from there, and since Comet had to leave his Wand behind as the power source (why did he do that?!), his usefulness was limited. When he got out of this, he had to practice Wandless magic.

It felt like even that was a maybe. As everyone kept ducking and dodging, it became apparent that they couldn't do this alone. So, with everyone distracting the virus, Comet had Glossarcyk force an emergency extraction for Coryn with a message for Alfonso for help. Alfonso had the key to stopping all of this!

That had been at least an hour ago, though. Since then, the group had done their best to hold their own, but it wasn't looking good. The other Pokémon held up pretty well, but Comet, for all his Mewman physiology, was starting to take a beating. He felt his vision turning red from a cut above his right eye. His right hand looked burned, and he felt sore all over. Point is, if Alfonso didn't get here soon, things would be bad.

Then again, Comet thought, maybe it's better if Al and the others don't show up. At this rate, they'd get themselves killed.

"So, how does it look, you guys? Think we can keep going?" Comet asked, really hoping that everyone would say yes. But the tired and aching groans he got from the Pokémon pretty much dashed any hopes he had.

"I fear that my shell shall soon be damaged beyond repair should this battle continue," Panzer said as he struggled onto his legs.

"My blades have yet to pierce this unholy abomination's body," Bladedge said solemnly.

Satoshi didn't say anything as he kept quiet and tried to get back up.

"Joker, you're still up for this, right?" Comet said as he turned to look at the Gengar…only to see him try and leave.

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry. I was just…going to look for berries. Right, Natsu?"

"Fight me!" Natsu said in a voice that sounded like the Heavy from Team Fortress 2.

It was pretty clear that they weren't going to last much longer. And it seemed that the concept of "dialogue-pass" did not compute with the virus, as it kept destroying everything around it.

"Hey, Universe," Comet called out as he looked up at the rapidly de-pixelating sky. "If there are moments to throw me a bone, then this might be one of them." Comet normally did not like asking for help, and he prided himself on getting things done by himself, after all. However, certain life experiences had taught him that getting a little help wasn't so bad.

Thankfully, the Universe decided to answer his pleas.

"-hhhhhhhh,"

"Does anyone else hear that?" Bladedge asked, prompting everyone to look in the direction of the noise: the sky. They looked in just enough time to see-

"Is that a bird?"

"Nah, man. No bird Pokémon can fly that fast," Joker told them. "No, it looks like-oh man."

"What is it, Joker?" Panzer questioned his fellow Guardian, only to receive one of the Gengar's trademark slasher smiles.

"Heh heh, you'll see." Joker cryptically told them all. Before the others could berate him for this response, the fast-moving object came hurtling towards the ground, right in the center of where they all lay strewn about the grass. Acting on instinct, everyone shit their eyes and braced for the inevitable impact, only for it to never come. The worst they got was a giant cloud of dirt being kicked up.

"Be not afraid, my companions," a familiar voice echoed in their heads. "All is well, for you have nothing to fear from us."

"You will, though, if I find out the reason you're all laying on the ground like a bunch of babies is that you're giving up, then that freak over there will be the least of your concerns," another voice called out.

"Hoo!" "Sea!" Came the sound of two very familiar Pokémon. Which could only mean-

"Coryn? Is that you?" Comet called out. In response, the small, spherical form of the little owl Pokémon came darting out from the dust cloud and barreled straight towards Comet. The little Pokémon practically buried itself into the Mewman's chest, cheerfully hooting and nuzzling itself against him, happy to see his friend again.

"Coryn! My buddy!" Comet was more than happy to reciprocate the gesture as he gave Coryn one of his signature hugs. "I knew you'd come back!"

"Yeah, we all knew that he would make it back in time," Joker said in a very nonchalant tone, only to be met with stares from the other Guardians. "What? Why are you guys all looking at me like that?"

Comet didn't pay attention to any of this, though, as the realization that Coryn's return could only mean one thing: he brought help.

"Hiya, Comet!" the familiar voice of Alfonso called out as he ran towards his friend. "Looks like we got here just in time!"

"Alfonso!" Comet ran to embrace Alfonso. "Oh my Corn, am I glad to see you! You have no idea how hard it's been for us to fight this thing!" He exclaimed as he gestured to the MissingNo., which, for the moment, had turned its attention to merely destroying the nearby surroundings.

"You look like you've been through Hell, dude," Alfonso remarked as he saw how battered Comet was. "Please don't tell me you tried to fight that thing yourself."

"Don't be ridiculous. We all fought it," Comet said as a matter of factly. "But yeah, I see your point," he conceded. "But hey, now that you're here, we can fix this before anything else can go wrong."

"Why do you have to say stuff like that, Comet?" another familiar voice told him, prompting Comet to look in the direction of dust cloud and realize that Alfonso and Coryn weren't alone. Much to the other Guardian's joy, they saw that Mewtwo and Piccolo had returned to the battlefield. A little banged up, to be sure, but otherwise, ready to continue the fight. And they weren't alone. Much to Comet's surprise, most of his other friends were there.

Which also included Marcia.

….

If it weren't for the fact that they were all still in trouble, now would be the moment that Comet would freak out over Marcia being present. For now, though, Comet was glad to see the rest of his friends had come.

"Hey, guys!"

"Hey, Comet!" Everyone called out to Comet as he ran over to them.

"So, did Alfonso tell you guys about this place or-"

"-We tortured the information out of him," Jonah bluntly told him. "Marcia threatened to tear his balls off if he didn't sing."

"Wha-no, I didn't!" Marcia said, desperate to hide the streak of red on her face as she did so. Why did Jonah have to say shit like that?! "Look, what matters is that we're here now, and according to Mewtwo, Alfonso holds the key to stopping all…this," the girl dramatically waved her arms in the direction of the MissingNo. Pokémon.

"He does?" Comet dumbly asked the fatigue from fighting a losing battle for the last hour hindering his thought process before things finally clicked. "Oh yeah, he does!" Comet then turned to Alfonso. "Does this mean it's time to use 'that'?"

"Well, I had wanted to test it out a little more first, but I guess there's no greater test than the real world," Alfonso admitted. "Or something like that."

"The one called Alfonso speaks true, young one," Mewtwo nodded. "If we are to have a chance of containing this threat, we must unlock that power."

"Tch, it's about time we did it, too. What's the point of being Guardians if we can't use our full power?" Piccolo pointed out.

"Alright, I'm convinced. We'll use the stones, Al. But I'm worried about whether the containment device will hold up."

"That, Comet, I can assure you, will work. And if not, we can take it somewhere where it won't cause as much damage-"

"Hey!" Marcia yelled, catching everyone's attention. "Are you guys going to keep talking to yourselves, or will you let us know what you plan on doing? Because between their refusal to say anything," she pointed at Mewtwo, "and whatever it is you two going on about, the rest of us are hopelessly lost! How are we supposed to deal with any of this?!" It took a lot of effort on Marcia's part to remain patient with her two friends, which wasn't lost on either of them.

"Oh, right," Comet said. "Alfonso, I think it's better if we just show them. Would you care to do the honors?"

"I thought you'd never ask, my friend," Alfonso told the Prince, giving an uncharacteristically smug smirk. "Besides, I'm the only one who knows how to- "

"JUST DO IT ALREADY!" Most of the non-Pokémon beings (except Jonah) yelled at him.

"Okay, okay!" Alfonso hastily said as his face returned to its usual meekness. Taking a moment to clear his throat, Alfonso spoke again, and this time, it was in a louder, more authoritative tone that no one else had ever heard come out of his mouth.

"Command, interface online, Administrator access."

"Command online. Please confirm identity."

Out of nowhere, a new voice could be heard echoing throughout the Park. This one was feminine and nurturing, with a hint of sass.

"Identity input: Alfonso Do'Little," Alfonso replied.

"Access granted. Welcome back, Alfonso."

"Command, upload the following programs to my location: and ."

" and are restricted to admins only."

"Override. Commence upload."

"Acknowledged. Commencing upload," the voice said. As soon as those words came out, a bunch of small, light blue cubes appeared in the air surrounding everyone. For a moment, Marcia and the others recoiled in fear, as they thought it came from the MissingNo., which was still not paying attention to them. It didn't take them long to realize that such fears were unfounded.

It also helped that most floating cube things floated toward both people and Pokémon before attaching themselves directly to their bodies. When the light from the cubes finally dissipated, everyone saw that they had taken the form of various accessories—bracelets, rings, gloves, necklaces, etc. At the center of each lay was a large, rainbow-colored stone that looked like a Catseye marble, with a strange symbol running right through it.

"Whoa."

"Sweet."

"What are these things?"

Being unfamiliar with the larger game mechanics of Pokémon, most visitors remained ignorant of their newfound jewelry's purpose. To the likes of Ferguson, though, their sight was enough to make him start hyperventilating.

"No. Way! Are these what I think they are?" Ferguson asked, barely able to contain his excitement.

"They are, Ferguson," Alfonso told him as he pushed up the rim of his glasses. It took a moment for Marcia to also figure out what they were.

"These are-"

"Key Stones, Marcia. They're Key Stones," Comet finished. "And the ones on the Guardians, minus Satoshi, are Mega Stones."

"I'm confused. What do these do?" Karla asked.

"They unlock the power of Mega Evolution! Duh!" Ferguson rudely told the guitar girl it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yeah, I don't really play Pokémon, so I don't know what any of that means," Jackson pointed out.

"It was a mechanic added in Gen VI. Basically, it lets Trainers give certain Pokémon super-powered forms during battle. Kind of like Super Saiyan, but with Pokémon," Alfonso explained. "It was pretty awesome."

"Yeah! And the fact that Nintendo pulled it in Gen VIII is BULLSHIT!" Fergurson passionately argued, prompting Marcia to place a hand on his shoulders and tell him to take a deep breath.

"He's not wrong. It was pretty awesome," Comet admitted. "And that's why we gave the Guardians the ability to use it, making them way stronger than they already are."

"Okay, but why do we have to wear this stuff, anyway?" Jonah couldn't help but ask. Jewelry wasn't exactly something that he was interested in wearing.

"Well, duh, Jonah!" Ferguson spoke again. "It's because Mega Evolution only works when a Pokémon and Trainer or partner are working together. I mean, how do you not know that?"

Jonah didn't like how Ferguson was acting but figured he could let him have this one.

"So, basically, the plan is for all of us to team up with these guys," Jonah said, referring to the Guardians, "and we beat the shit out of that freak until it passes out or dies."

"Sort of," Alfonso clarified. "The MissingNo. is too powerful for us to kill in here. The best thing we can do is isolate from the rest of the Park's server and contain it there; it can't cause any trouble."

"But how can we hope to do that, though?" Aqua questioned.

"With this." Alfonso then held up a small, ball-shaped object with a purple top and the letter "M" etched on it. "This is a Master Data Ball. In the games, the Master Ball can catch any Pokémon with no chance of failure. Only one was found in every game, so they were extremely rare and valuable."

"But since we made this place, we can make as much as we want," Comet grinned. "This is just the prototype, though. We've never had any reason to use it until now."

"Then how do you know it works, Comet?" Marcia couldn't help but ask.

"Oh, it will work, Marcy. Alfonso made sure it would. He programmed and designed it. All we need to do is throw it at the MissingNo., and it will take care of the rest."

"But how are we going to get close enough to use it? From what we've seen, it attacks anything near it!"

"Divide and conquer, Miss Diaz," Alfonso plainly stated. "We, as in the Guardians and us, will distract it. While we do that, one of us will sneak up and get in close enough to throw it at the thing, trapping it until it can be properly disposed of."

"So, what you're saying is that you two," Jonah referred to Comet and Alfonso, "want us to team up with these guys," he then pointed to the Guardians, "and fight that giant cube thing before it can destroy this place and possibly kill us all?"

"That about sums it up, yes," Comet admitted.

"Alright. Dibs on the Gengar," Jonah declared as he pointed to Joker, who just stood there and grinned at them.

"I thought you might say that," Comet told his macabre-inclined cohort. "You're each paired with the Guardian that best matches your personality. Marcia, you'll be working with Piccolo,"

"Fine, if it will help us get this mess cleaned up quicker," Marcia said, still reluctant to trust this whole Park idea.

"Ferguson, you're with Panzer-"

"Sweet."

"Karla, you've got Natsu-"

"Awesome." "Da."

"Alfonso's got Mewtwo-"

"As you wish," Mewtwo said.

"Jackson, you've got Bladedge,"

"My blades will not fail you, human,"

"and Aqua, you've got Misty and Satoshi."

"But Comet, who will be your partner?" Aqua couldn't help but ask. He had no Wand to use magic and barely had a grasp on using magic without it. Without a Guardian, he wouldn't be much help.

"I've already got my partner right here," he said as Coryn came and perched on his shoulder. "He may not be able to undergo Mega-Evolution, but I wouldn't have anyone else."

"Hoo!" Coryn enthusiastically chirped in response.

"Now, to access Mega-Evolution, I need you all to sync with your partners," Alfonso told everyone. "Close your eyes, and let your feelings for them guide you."

"Dude, we just met them today," Jonah couldn't help but point out.

"Then think of something else. Think of how you all felt when we first set foot there. The sense of wonder you all felt," Alfonso reminded them all. As everyone shut their eyes, they tried to capture the raw emotion they felt when they arrived in this virtual world. The awe at seeing countless Pokémon in front of them, living together. As they did so, their keystones began to glow.

"Good, stay with it," Alfonso instructed. "Now, focus on the keystones. Use them as the focal point through which you channel everything you're feeling." The others nodded and continued to focus. As they did so, the Mega Stones around each Guardian began to glow, as did Satoshi. "Now, use them to reach out to your partners. Let that be the basis of your bond as Pokémon and Trainer."

"This. Is. So. Cool!" Ferguson couldn't help but squee under his breath as the Mega Stones began to glow brighter and brighter, with the light from them now enveloping the Guardians.

"Now, let all of that emotion out. Let it explode, unite the two of you as one!"

At this, the light from the Mega Stones had completely overtaken the Guardians, and they began to transform. The light from them was so bright that the others could see it even with their eyes shut. They didn't open them, though, not wanting to break their concentration. When the light finally subsided, everyone opened their eyes and looked at the Guardians.

They were different now. Natsu's skin was jet black, with blue flames pouring out of his mouth. Panzer sported dual water cannon's on either wrist, with one the size of an artillery piece on his back. Joker had a third eye and wicked-looking arms. Mewtwo's tail had shrunken, while their body now looked like they were wearing battle armor. Piccolo took on a rougher, wilder-looking appearance, with dread-locks flowing from the back of his head. Bladedge had blade-like spikes jutting from his elbows, and an entire tree was growing from his tail. As for Satoshi, his eyes had taken a red and black appearance like that of a hat, and a massive, watery shuriken rested on his back.

"Whoa," Karla couldn't help but let out as she and the others saw what had happened. Likewise, the others looked impressed at what they saw. Even if not all of them were into Pokémon, they had to admit, this was pretty cool to look at.

"This might be one of the coolest things ever to us," Jackson commented, and no one disagreed.

"Now!" Natsu proclaimed as he looked at the rampaging MissingNo. "We fight like men."

"Well, three of us are girls," Marcia couldn't help but point out, "but I get what you're trying to say.

"GET 'EM!" Comet shouted as he and the others charged into battle.

*Back in Jay's Workspace, Jay's surfing the Internet on a giant screen while everyone watches and keeps 6 feet away from him.*

Jay: So you're telling me that now that Comic-Con's being held in person again, they're not live streaming any of the panels?!

Eddy: I know! What a ripoff! How are the rest of us supposed to stay up to date with all the cool trailers and new movies they drop?

Omni: You guys do remember that there's social media. Everyone doing stuff will probably be posting all online.

Jay: That's not the point, Omni! Some of us don't want to wait on that shit. We want to experience it for ourselves. And since it's almost impossible to get tickets to Comic-Con, live streaming is the next best thing. If they were so worried about losing money, they could've just had people pay a few bucks to watch the panels as they're streaming.

Eddy: Paid! Streaming! JAY, THAT'S GENIUS!

DAU Kermit: It is?

Eddy: You bet your little ping-pong ball-shaped eyes it is, Frogger! People would pay anything to see what's happening at the biggest convention in the entertainment world! They could make millions off of them all!

Jay: Okay, okay, so clearly, that's something that they should consider in the future. But what are we going to do now? I had to take an extra day to write this chapter, and now it's behind!

Janna: Fair point.

Jay: Now, while the rest of you guys decide on what we should do next-

Ed: Ooh, let's play Multiversus!

Jay: That will be considered. But if you'll excuse me, I need to respond to

READERS REVIEWS...and also apologize for not posting yesterday.

First off, guys, I'm sorry that I didn't publish on Friday like I normally do. I was not joking in the intro, though. I have, in fact, caught a mild case of COVID. But don't worry. The worst I got was chills and a sore throat. They've both passed. Besides feeling a little more tired than usual, I'm fine.

Truthfully, even with COVID, I had hoped I could use the time off from work to finish this arc in this chapter, but it sapped my motivation...and I had Multiversus and that new game Stray to play. But I still couldn't finish it, and I didn't want to rush to the ending without any more character development for a few characters. That would be a disservice to this story.

So, that's basically everything. Sorry for the delay. I will hopefully get the finale to this up by Friday on time.

LockAndKey989: It's called the MissingNo. Pokémon. And it's not that Aflonso did the coding for it. It's more like it's a carry-over from the data from all the past games that he and Comet used as the basis.

NightAroma: Yes, Mew is a Mythical type, but Mewtwo is officially a Legendary. Also, you were right on the money with Mega-Evolution. Cookie for you!

Julayla: I miss Kazuki Takahashi already.

The Wandering Hippie: Of course I've seen the "Walking With..." docuseries. "Walking With Dinosaurs" was one of my favorite things to watch as a kid. No, I didn't plan on making Natsu a dragon type. That never crossed my mind. And yes, you are reading too much into the MissingNo.

Guest: Nope, no Blitzo or I.M.P.; I love Helluva Boss, but I already have a lot of the story planned out, and I don't know how to incorporate them into it. Also, it wouldn't fit with the presence of the Underworld and the Demons that call it home.

You know what to do: fave and follow this story, and follow me on Twitter (JZ-Gaming), Insta (RJ Writing Ink), and YouTube (Jungoguy)

See you on Friday! And I wasn't lying when I said that a Pokémon would evolve. Also, feel free to help me think of some other VA's for the other Guardians besides Natsu, Mewtwo, and Piccolo. I'd appreciate it.