CJMErl: *shoots Yami* Get on with it, dumbass!

Yami: *sigh* Fine...(ruin all my fun, smart guy.)  We take you now to the living room of the HQ, where most of the team is in their usual state: bored out of their MINDS.

----------

Brick: Bored bored bored bored...GAWD, I'm so borrrrrrrrrred...

Draconis: You think WE'RE faring any better?

Jeremy: *aimlessly flipping through TV channels* Yeesh, five hundred channels and everything's either poker, infomercials, or reality contests.

Skull: Yeah...you'd think after a couple centuries, those programmers would come up with something NEW.

Jason: Feh...we'd have WAY more intelligent programming on if ever I got around to conquering this mudball.  By the way, where's our fearless leader, the newbie, and Yami?

*everyone shrugs*

Yami: *calls from upstairs* HEY GUYS!  YOU MIGHT WANNA TAKE A LOOK AT THIS!!!

Draconis: *groans* Oh jeez...pleasepleasePLEASE don't tell me he broke something again...

*they all head up to the hallway where their rooms are*

Yami: Uhm...you know how nobody's heard from Metalboy for a while?

Jeremy: Yeah, why?

Yami: Well... *he creaks the door to Metalboy's room open slowly*

*The rest of the gang peeks in to see what looks like Metalboy, in his Scaravich armor, sleeping on the ground in a sitting position*

Brick: So?  He's sleeping, maybe he's just REALLY tired.

Jason: I don't think it's that simple...

*he cautiously removes the LandSlide Jewel from Metalboy's forhead, causing the Scaravich armor to dissapate, revealing a partially-decayed Reploid husk*

Everyone: Eeeeeeeewwww...

Draconis: *examining the body* Looks like he died from all the paint fumes...who told him his room was complete, anyway?!

*everyone immediately shoots a mean look at Yami*

Yami: I thought it was done!  I swear!

Brick: Don't tell me we have to go find ANOTHER sap to fit the bill...pretty soon, people are gonna think the spot's jinxed or something.

*the doorbell rings*

Everyone: I GOT IT!!!1!

*They all make a mad dash for the front door, falling down the stairs in a heap.  Jeremy pops out, flies to the door, and opens it to reveal Nakori the Lady Hunter standing outside*

Nakori: Heya!  You guys busy?

Jeremy: Unless you count having to kick Yami out of the house until he finds us another sucker--wait a second...

Yami: *from the other room* I'm not going out there again!  There's rabid woodchucks out there!

Draconis: *beans Yami with a nearby frying pan* SHUT UP!

Nakori: Got a problem?  Anything I can do to help?

Jeremy: Well...we've suddenly found ourselves in need of a new Ground Scaravich.  I don't suppose YOU'D like the job, would you?

Nakori: Eeh, why not?  Sounds like fun!

Jeremy: All right!  Jason, I need that gem-thingy.

Jason: *gives the LandSlide Jewel to Jeremy* Here ya go.

Jeremy: OK...this shouldn't hurt a bit, Nakori...

*he places the gem on Makori's forehead area, causing the Scaravich armor to form over her regular body*

Nakori: Nice!  So what do I do now?

Draconis: For now, nothing...all of us are bored out of our minds.

*Suddenly, Blaze Heatnix comes streaking in through the roof entrance*

Shift: GUYS!  GUYS!  YOU GOTTA SEE THIS!!!

Brick: Is it a giant taco?

Skull: Is it a Dr. Pepper factory?

Yami: Is it b00bies?!

Jason: *smacks Yami with his shell* We did that one already.

Shift: Even better!

*He takes a large, silver-colored cardboard box out of a plastic bag.  The letters "PS10" are printed in large black sci-fi letters on the box front."

Shift: It's a PlayStation 10!!!

Everyone except Yami: Ooooooooooooooooooooh...

Yami: Meh.

Shift: MEH?!  How can you say "MEH"?!

Yami: Simple--I'm a Nintendo fanboy.  As such, I hate Sony and all that it stands for.

Skull: Party pooper.  Wait...how'd YOU get a PS10, Shift?

*suddenly, a News Alert pops up on the TV*

Reporter: We just recieved this report that a local Central City GameStop was robbed by what witnesses claim to be a fiery parrot Reploid.

Shift: Dammit, I'm a PHOENIX!!!

Reporter: According to witnesses at the scene, the Reploid came barging in, demanded a "PlayStation 10 entertainment media center video game console supercomputer"--which only just launched about a week ago--and several games and accessories.  It then proceeded to burn down the store's entire stock of Sony games and paraphenalia (the rest of the store remained undamaged), and flew away, cackling madly.  Local area Maverick Hunters say that "while they have no leads at this time, they vow to get to the bottom of this heinous crime".

*everyone casts a wary glance at Shift*

Shift: What?!  You actually expected ME to pay over 10,000 zenny for ANYTHING?!

Draconis: I suppose that's a valid point...

Yami: Count me out.  CJ says he managed to grab himself an advance copy of that "Wii" thing, so I'm going to his place for a while.  Laters!  *he goes up to his room*

Nakori: Poor guy...I bet he feels so left out.

Shift: Eeh, he always was a bit of a loner, and--wait, NAKORI?!  What're YOU doing in the Scaravich armor?  What happened to Metalboy?

Brick: He accidentally got locked into his room and died from the wet paint fumes.  We buried him out in the backyard, next to the dog.

Skull: We buried him?

Jeremy: We had a DOG?

Jason: Never mind that, let's hook the game up!

SECRET NARRATOR WHO IS TOTALLY NOT YAMI: And so, the Reploid Rebellion, sans Yami and bolstered once again with the addition of Nakori on their team, finally installed the state-of-the-art system...after a week of failed attempts to decipher the instruction booklet and trying to find the right connector ports on the TV.  Despite the occasional beratings by Yami, they managed to complete the installation, and were immediately playing raucous rounds of GTA15: Streets of Buffalo, Jak 17 1/2, and Metal Gear Solid 9: Great-Grandson of Snake.

*ONE WEEK LATER...*

*the whole gang, sans Yami, is STILL huddled around the TV*

Shift: Can't sleep, must keep playing...cant sleep, must keep playing...

Jason: How long has it been?  I can't even remember what YEAR it is anymore.

Draconis: I think it's been...a day?  Two days?  Who cares, let's keep going!

*Yami walks down the stairs in his pajamas, having just woke up*

Yami: *YAAAAAAAAAAAAWN*  Morning, guys.  I'm-a just go and get myself some lunch.

*ONE LUNCH LATER*

Yami: Well, that was yummy.  Shells and cheddar ALWAYS fills me up! *looks in the living room* Sigh...I've heard of losing track of time, but this is ridiculous.  Might as well take a walk around the town and strech my legs.

*after about an hour of walking around the city*

Yami: Bleh...bored bored bored.  I wish this burg had some n00bs for me to snipe...eh?

*He looks up to see a startling sight: High Max and the Nightmare Force swooping down to attack the city*

Yami: Finally, something for me to beat the crap out of!  METAL ANCHOR!!! *he forms large anchors in both hands, and flings them at the incoming Mavericks, knocking out both Helium Hound and Smash Beetle who crash to the ground, followed by the rest of the group landing before Yami*

Slice Gecko: Well well, if it isn't the big bad Metal Shark Player.  Out on a stroll?

Beam Squid: Where are the rest of your friends?  Busy playing video games?

Yami: As a matter of fact, ye--wait, how'd YOU losers know about that?!

High Max: Impudent whelp, I am the great High Max!  Did you not think I wouldn't..."anticipate" the popularity of such a piece of technology?  Who do you think convinced such an ailing company to release a tenth iteration of their near-dead console line?

Yami: Uhhhhhhhhh...a legion of idiotic fanboys?

*insert anime-style fall pose here*

High Max: NO, you idiot!  'Twas I, the new Emperor of Evil!  With my special programming inside the CPU of each console, I will make the masses my own mindless slaves, including your precious Reploid Rebellion!  FWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Yami: Not if I have anything to say about it!  JUNKYARD SUMMONS!!!

*Yami raises his hands, and they glow with a dark light, followed by lightning leaping from hands to the ground.  Moments later, several copies of Sting Chameleon, in various states of deterioration, erupt from the ground around Yami.

Yami: Chameleon Zombie-bots, keep them busy!  I have some teammates to rescue!

*Yami leaps up and burrows into the ground, leaving only his large back fin sticking out as the Sting Chameleon zombies bum-rush Migh Max and his minions.*

*BACK AT THE RR HQ...*

Yami: Gotta call CJ...he'll know how to stop whatever signals are hypnotizing the gang.

*activates the communications console in his room, and a static-y image of CJMErl shows up on screen*

CJMErl: Dammit, Yami...this had BETTER be good, I was in the middle of a commune with my Spirit Guide!

Yami: Trust me on this one, duder--it IS important.  You know that PS10 thing that Shift got?

CJMErl: Yeah...what about it?

Yami: Well, it turns out that High Max was behind part of the construction, and anyone that plays the game slowly becomes one of his mindless slaves!

CJMErl: Hmm...and I suppose you need me to figure out what's causing it, and how to stop it?

Yami: ...yeah, pretty much.

CJMErl: OK, I'm on my way! *he hangs up*

*Five seconds later, a large green pipe srouts out of the floor, and CJ hops out*

CJMErl: Alright, I'm here.  Now where's the console in question?

*Back in the living room, the rest of the gang is STILL playing.  However, each one also has a strangely blank look on their face, drooling slightly.*

CJMErl: Wow, this really IS bad.  Now, let's see... *he carefully opens the lid of the console, revealing the inside processors, and transfomrs his hand into a magnifying analyzer* Hmmmmmmmm...interesting... *without deviating from his studies, a small welding instrument extends out of his other hand, and sparks slightly against one of the microchip connections*

*Suddenly, the gang pops out of their trance*

Brick: Huhwhat?  What happened?

Jeremy: Why do I have these sudden urges to eat and go to the bathroom at the same time?

Nakori: And who's the robot messing with our game system?

CJMErl: *stands up and takes a solemn bow* I am CJMErl, Yami's Light alternate.  I have brought you out of an artificial hypnosis caused by the very same console you enjoyed so much.

Draconis: Well, that would explain the sudden amnesia...but why would we be hypnotized?

Yami: It was High Max!  He wants to try and use that game to turn the masses into his zombie slaves!

Skull: That guy sure is persistent, isn't he?

Draconis: Sounds like it's time to give him a beating again!

Jason: But what about the rest of the people who are being hypnotized by him?

CJMErl: I believe I can take care of that.  After analyzing the hypnosis protocols, I have created a special jamming frequency that should permanently nullify the malicious signal code.

Shift: Alright!  REPLOID REBELLION...LET'S MOVE OUT!!!

*Meanwhile, the Nightmare Force has begun gathering the mind-controlled humans for High Max in the City Square*

Turbo Kitsune: *dropping off several more entranced people* This is the last of them from the Apartment Complex area, Lord High Max.

High Max: Excellent...soon, I will have an army of controlled slaves at my bidding.  Then, I can use them to either forcibly subjugate the remainder of the city's populace or hold them for ransom!

???: I'm afraid your plans are about to be shut down, High Max!

*High Max turns around to see the Reploid Rebellion (plus CJMErl) standing on the rooftops above him*

High Max: WHAT?!  Impossible!  You should all be hypnotized!

Yami: Yeah, about that...hit it, CJ!

CJMErl: Got it. *He presses a button on one arm, and a small antenna pops out.  Several seconds later, all the people around them snap out of their hypnosis*

High Max: Wha-NO!  My mind-slaves!  What did you do?!

CJMErl: I've broadcasted a special radio wave signal that has, by now, permanently nullified any hypnotic transmissions caused by the PS10's.  Silly High Max--you really should know better than to try and match minds OR technology with me.

High Max: Grrr...I'm not beaten yet!  Nightmare Force, ATTACK!!!

Shift: Reploid Rebellion, CHARGE!!!

*the two sides meet and get into a big fight, while CJ confronts High Max*

CJMErl: High Max!  Prepare for a humiliating defeat!

High Max: You?  Defeat ME?!  HA!  You're not even a proper Reploid...what can YOU possibly do?

*Suddenly, a loud CLANG! sounds throughout the city.  High Max--in a state of shock--keels over, a giant anchor lodged in the back of his head.*

Yami: He can stall for time, that's what.

CJMErl: *shoots Yami* Spotlight-hogger.

----------

EPILOGUE: After the Nightmare Force's latest defeat, the news about Sony's collaboration with the archfiend High Max was made public.  Sony was almost immediately slapped with multiple lawsuits and felony charges, ranging from misadvertisement to price gouging to willfully cooperating with a known criminal mastermind.  In time (and thanks to a bit of "leverage" from the CJ-Byte Corporation's Legal Division, which appointed complimentary lawyers for the plantiffs), Sony lost so much money that the company was brought down for good.  What remained of the once-proud company was divided up amongst it's competitors, from Panasonix to Microsoft to Nintendo.

And as for the system owned by the Rebellion?  Well...

----------

Shift: *lights the PS10 on fire and sends it flying into the desert with a well-aimed punt kick* AND DON'T COME BACK!!!

~END~