By the time he reached Pewter City, the sun was rising outside. But the in-game sky was a perpetual, blood-red dusk. He saved his game at the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy’s dialogue box flickered. "Your Pokémon are exhausted from infinite becoming. Would you like to RESTORE them to a single, simple form?" He selected "NO."

Elias stumbled backward, knocking over his chair. The cart slot on the GBA SP popped open. The flash cart, smoking, lay on the carpet. The screen was black.

It was humming along with his own heartbeat.

Elias stared at the screen. His phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number.

The creature’s mouth, a jagged slit in the screen, moved. The speakers crackled. "YOU PATCHED REALITY. I AM THE MISSINGNO. OF YOUR INTENTION. I AM THE BUG IN THE CODE OF CAUSE AND EFFECT. THANK YOU FOR SETTING ME FREE." The Game Boy Advance SP grew hot in his hands. The screen bled light into the dim room. The creature on the screen raised a single, clawed hand, and reached out .

CALL EVOLVE. JUMP TO VOID.

He was the ROM.