With guidance from the senior figures of the Cthulhu World,
Morty spent about an hour putting together his little Cthulhu-style plan to "stir up the grass and scare the snake."
Step one...
But plans never kept up with changes.
Morty was feeling pleased with all the new knowledge he'd learned
when Grandpa walked over with a grave expression, pulled out his Portal Gun, and opened a portal. He said he was taking Morty away.
"What the hell? This is my adventure! If you're going to have one of your control freak episodes, go have it with someone else!"
"I'm not going back!"
"I'm going to solve this world's problems!"
But, in a very rare turn of events,
Grandpa admitted that he was a control freak.
"Morty, you're right. I am a control freak. But this situation has already gone beyond what I expected. We have to leave now."
"Cthulhu Rick is back..."
Morty said, "What are you talking about..."
His expression froze for a few seconds.
Then Morty followed Grandpa's reasoning for a while, before working backward through it.
If what Grandpa said was true, then this entire Cthulhu adventure had been a trap he'd deliberately set from the very beginning.
But there were also one... two other possibilities.
Grandpa had already grown impatient with this adventure and wanted to take him away.
Or he was still playing him.
After all, the last time Grandpa had threatened to blow up that world, he'd put on the act of a drunken demon king bent on destroying everything. Morty had been so scared he thought he really would have to say goodbye to that world.
But then Grandpa said he'd only been testing him...
So what was the truth behind what Grandpa was telling him now? Which possibility was real?
Morty didn't get much time to think it over. Grandpa simply resorted to his usual heavy-handed approach.
"Goodbye, you bunch of losers who can't even act!"
"Hope you live to a hundred!"
Grandpa flipped Cthulhu and the others the middle finger.
Then he grabbed Morty and headed through the portal.
The sheer finality of his decision to sever every tie with this world left the Great Old Ones dumbfounded.
This wasn't how the plan was supposed to go!
He'd promised to deal with the Old Gods, the Outer Gods, and Azathoth!
They'd only agreed to play along with this Dragon Quest-style adventure because of that promise!
And now he suddenly said goodbye and just left?
Was that all his word was worth?
Morty tried to fight back, but he was no match for Grandpa's strength. Grandpa dragged him straight back to their doorstep.
In an instant, they'd gone from the main hall of a city sunk beneath the deep sea to a sunny street in a neighborhood fragrant with flowers.
Morty was thoroughly unhappy.
His anger and resentment were plain for anyone to see.
But Grandpa acted as if he hadn't noticed.
He headed straight for the garage.
"Rick! You're really not keeping your word!"
"I'm never going on another adventure with you!"
Grandpa had barely taken a few steps. Hearing that threat, he turned around without changing expression and looked Morty right in the eye, his gaze so cold it sent a chill through him.
But Morty refused to back down. He didn't look away, despite how terrifying Grandpa's stare was.
Instead, he stared right back.
He used his anger as a shield against Grandpa's icy gaze.
After a long while,
Grandpa suddenly smiled.
"You want to go back, don't you?"
Morty nodded.
"Fine! I'll give you the short version!"
"Cthulhu Rick is back in the Cthulhu World, and people from the Galactic Empire are already hiding beneath the sea."
"Your so-called adventure was a setup from the very beginning. I already have a way to deal with the child in Cthylla's belly."
"In other words, Cthulhu Rick's return only makes the problem twice as difficult at most."
"But the Galactic Empire is a problem even I can't handle."
"So, do you still want to go back?"
"Can I ask what you'd even go back for?"
Grandpa's words made Morty's expression stiffen.
Was he supposed to say that he didn't care whether the Cthulhu World was destroyed? That he'd only been looking for other ways to get stronger, so he could run away from Grandpa someday?
Seeing that Morty seemed to have settled down,
Grandpa shook his head and turned back toward the garage.
But just as Morty was trudging toward the living room,
Grandpa suddenly came back out of the garage, carrying a Portal Gun with a small amount of energy fluid in it. He handed it to Morty.
"Look at you, all pitiful. You make me look like some heartless grandpa who snatched a toy from his grandson. Since you like that world and want to deal with its problems..."
"The energy in the gun is enough for two round trips."
"But I won't be there with you this time. You're on your own!"
Morty had dreamed of getting his hands on a Portal Gun, and now he had one while Grandpa wouldn't be by his side.
And he even had enough energy for two round trips.
Morty was instantly thrilled.
To hell with the Cthulhu World!
With two chances to travel to other universes, why would he bother with Magic Potion technology?
He could go to...
Morty noticed the knowing smile at the corner of Grandpa's mouth. The excitement that had just surged through him vanished, and he quickly calmed down.
For the past six months, he'd thought of Grandpa as little more than a character in his life.
But after this adventure, Morty had also noticed how different this Grandpa was from the other Ricks.
This old man was a master schemer!
One trick after another!
He'd taken Morty to find a Mega Fruit, then Cthulhu had crossed universes, kicking off the subsequent adventures in the Cthulhu World.
But in reality, the only point of the Cthulhu World adventure had been to crush Morty's initiative...
As Morty, he was supposed to stay by Grandpa's side and be a useful tool. He wasn't supposed to spend all day thinking about this and that.
Morty knew that sometimes he acted nothing like Morty was supposed to, but he just couldn't keep it all bottled up!
If he gave himself away, so be it!
Grandpa was already working to undermine his confidence and make him understand that Morty couldn't accomplish anything on his own.
"Come on. What are you waiting for?"
Grandpa's impatient voice interrupted Morty's thoughts.
"Waiting? For love to come find me, of course!"
Morty tossed out a reply, adjusted the Portal Gun's digital control panel, found a world he was familiar with, and went straight through.
Before the portal closed, Grandpa caught a glimpse of green hills and clear waters on the other side.
But he didn't stop Morty. He just returned to the garage, looking forward to the show, and took out a little mechanical box. He hooked it up to the television in the living room.
Then he brought over a pile of snacks and some booze.
Showtime for Grandpa!
This Morty doesn't really think I don't know which world he wants to visit first, does he?
Those unreliable cultivation novels on the bookshelf... He really does love making trouble for himself...
But there's no way I'm letting him have his way.
Before you continue