What Have You Done?

Even after half a year of using this portal countless times, every time Morty stepped through that oily green gateway, the world on the other side always seemed to exceed the limits of his imagination.

The world his grandpa had brought him to this time, if he had to rank it, would definitely land in the top three most magical places he had visited in the last six months. It was almost on par with the Chair-People World they had visited the first time.

Beneath a carpet of deep purple grass lay a soil so reddish-brown it was unsettling. Trees shaped like donuts grew everywhere. Looking toward the distant, sci-fi-inspired metropolis constructed almost entirely of metal, there didn't seem to be any roads—not even dirt paths—in this suburban area where they stood.

Looking up at the sky, it was filled with all sorts of flying vessels, proving that the civilization on this planet had abandoned its reliance on roads and fully embraced the era of aerial travel. As a backdrop, other planets hung in the sky, positioned so close to this one that even without a background in astronomy, Morty knew the distance between them was less than that between Earth and the Moon.

So close, aren't they afraid the planets will just crash into each other?

Having seen countless bizarre things across the multiverse, Morty's already numb heart only offered a brief internal complaint before he refocused his attention on the Mega Fruit. However, a quick scan of the surroundings revealed no sign of those strange trees that looked like upside-down jellyfish.

It seemed his grandpa, who had acted on a whim, was busy chugging from his flask and wasn't in any hurry to find the fruit. Morty, possessing super-intelligence and anxious to find the objective, hurriedly asked which way they should go. But the next thing his grandpa did left him completely dumbfounded.

Upon discovering his flask was empty and realizing he had no backup, the old man opened a portal and left to go get more booze. When he returned, the energy fluid in the Portal Gun was completely drained.

A cold wind blew.

The grandfather and grandson stared at the empty canister on top of the Portal Gun. Morty's inner rage was so intense he wanted to pin his grandpa to the ground and grind his face into the dirt. You drink all the time and cause a mountain of trouble—not to mention the massive unpaid bill we owe the President of the United States because of you—but now you didn't even check the remaining energy in the Portal Gun?

However, when Morty combined this blatantly intentional move with the plot progression of the first episode of the show, and then linked it to what his grandpa had said last night, he calmed down. He realized his grandpa's evaluation period for him must be over. Ever since his grandpa had returned, he had felt the whole situation was strange. After all, if he just wanted a Morty, he could have picked one up at the Citadel of Ricks. This approach, which clearly carried the intent of cultivation, was what had kept Morty full of anticipation.

It seemed the real deal was finally here, and the true adventure was about to begin.

So...

Seeing his precious grandson's face shifting between anger and confusion, his grandpa squatted down to comfort him. "Morty, don't worry. Grandpa has seen plenty of big scenes. In this strange world, I'll definitely have your back!"

"If we run into any danger, you just run, and I'll take the heat for you!"

Hearing this, the corner of Morty's mouth twitched violently. His grandpa did have his back at all times, but by the time he actually provided cover, Morty had usually already been subjected to a round of torture. It seemed his grandpa might have been doing that on purpose too.

For instance, the time he was tied to a stake by a twelve-winged bird-headed angel and branded a heretic, leaving half his body charred. Or the time in the deep-sea world when he was hunted by an octopus twenty times the size of twenty blue whales combined.

And another time...

This is what you call cultivation?!

Thinking of that giant octopus, Morty wanted to cry on the spot. During their half-year journey, they had finally found a world he was familiar with—the Cthulhu World. His grandpa had insisted on dragging him along to cut off one of the guy's hands (a squid tentacle) just to see if the meat would taste good grilled with cumin. Naturally, Cthulhu had been furious. His grandpa had found some way to escape, but Morty had been cursed for two whole days. That bastard only lifted the Old One's curse right before Morty was about to kick the bucket.

Just as Morty was about to reply, his grandpa spun around at light speed and bolted forward. This scene, which had become all too familiar over the last six months, told Morty that some dangerous entity had definitely appeared behind them. Or, perhaps, his grandpa was doing it on purpose again.

"Morty! Run! I'm not bluffing this time! I have never seen the big scene you've got behind you!!!"

When his grandpa said that, Morty began to panic. He knew his grandpa never bragged. So...

Damn it! One day I'm going to pin this old man to the ground and grind his face in!

But before he started running, Morty had to see what was behind him. And when he looked...

Good grief!

It was... Squidward... breaking through the planet's atmosphere.

The Cthulhu he had just been thinking about was actually right behind him?!

This is a disaster! Cthulhu learned how to travel to another universe! And for some reason, perhaps due to strange changes in energy and life forms during the inter-dimensional jump, the Cthulhu who was only 300 meters tall—the height of a skyscraper—was now as tall as Mount Everest!

Following behind him were his two children and that cousin of his named Hastur. The whole family of four was out in force!

Without even thinking, Morty knew this was definitely his grandpa's fault! Before his grandpa appeared, these monsters of the Cthulhu World had assumed there was only one world. It wasn't until his grandpa, a guy whose style didn't fit in at all, showed up that they realized other worlds existed!

Exhausted, Morty ran with all his might, but Cthulhu, whose tentacle they had sliced off last time, was clearly coming for them.

So...

Question: How do you race against a monster the height of Mount Everest?

Answer: Curse at your grandpa!

Morty caught up to his grandpa while running at full speed and started yelling, "Rick! Tell me what the hell is going on! Why is that giant squid behind us?"

"How the hell should I know! I just came to this planet to find some Mega Seeds, who the hell knows why he's behind me!!!"

After his grandpa replied, he seemed to realize something and began to accelerate secretly. Noticing this, Morty immediately knew his grandpa had figured out the truth. Otherwise, he wouldn't be running so fast!

"Rick! What is going on! We only cut off one tentacle, he shouldn't have traveled from another universe just to hunt us down!"

"And how did they learn inter-dimensional tracking technology!"

Inter-dimensional travel was, in a sense, simple. But tracking someone from your own universe into another was far more terrifying than the travel itself. Morty felt his grandpa must have done more than just one bad thing behind his back.

Fortunately, Cthulhu... was a kind soul... and answered Morty's confusion directly.

"Rick Sanchez! You piece of shit who knocked up Cthylla! Stop right there!!!"

Hearing this, Morty looked back at Cthulhu's daughter, Cthylla. He gasped on the spot. He had been adventuring through the multiverse with his grandpa, and he had never even scored once, yet this dirty old man had actually pulled off something like this when they were cutting Cthulhu's tentacle last time?!

He truly was the strongest grandpa on the surface! Ruthless enough to go after a giant octopus!