The fluorescent tubes in the garage hummed softly as Morty used a custom - made vacuum cleaner to clean up the alien worms left over from Rick's experiments. These completely transparent creatures carried sterility genes, and if they ever entered Earth's food chain, it would trigger a catastrophe. Suddenly, the "Guardians' Signal Beacon" on the wall emitted a dazzling blue light, and a spiral beam projected the alliance emblem onto the ceiling. The 14 - year - old boy immediately dropped his tools, his eyes lighting up like star - studded skies. "It's the Guardians! They need us!"
Morty was no stranger to his grandfather's sharp tongue, but he clutched the crumpled "Adventure Agreement" in his pocket and refused to back down. According to their deal, for every ten adventures led by Rick, Morty got to choose one mission. "This is my right to pick the adventure, Rick," the boy said with unprecedented firmness. "They're cosmic heroes, not the frauds you make them out to be." Rick stared at his grandson's earnest face, and finally, under the influence of alcohol, waved his hand impatiently. A portal opened on the floor, glowing with an ethereal blue aura.
The interior of the Guardians' flagship, the Justice One, was more magnificent than Morty had imagined. A holographic projection transformed the meeting room into a starry sky backdrop, and Supernova, the purple - haired heroine, was explaining the battle plan. "Lord Worldbreaker, the evil overlord on the planet Zelos, has built a doomsday weapon. We need Rick's technology to breach the defense system." Morty took notes intently, his fingers trembling slightly with excitement. Just then, the cabin door slid open, and Vance Maximus, the red - haired hero, stumbled in reeking of alcohol. Even though he was forty minutes late, he was greeted with cheers from everyone present—he was the "face" of the alliance, with fans spanning three hundred galaxies.
Rick rolled his eyes in the corner and casually tossed his empty liquor bottle into the recycling bin. After the meeting, Morty couldn't help but voice his confusion. "Why didn't you call us for the second mission? Some people said we didn't get along." Rick slouched on a floating couch in the lounge, his tone laced with an unnoticeable hint of sincerity. "They like you because you clap and cheer, because you look at them with adoring eyes while they put on their little show." His words doused Morty's enthusiasm like cold water. The boy's face turned red as he retorted, "I'm not a pawn! I can be a hero too!" Rick suddenly sat up, his eyes sharp as a knife. Their argument fizzled into silence, and in the end, Rick walked off to the bar car alone.
The next morning, a battle alarm jolted everyone awake. Rick was passed out on the lobby floor, clutching half a bottle of whiskey in his arms. Crocubot, the crocodile - humanoid, picked him up helplessly, while Vance rallied the troops nearby. "Everyone can be their own hero!" When the ship arrived on Zelos, the Guardians immediately struck cool poses and launched their attack, but they were quickly routed by the enemy's energy cannons. In the nick of time, Crocubot kicked Rick awake. The groggy old scientist fumbled in his pocket, pulled out a device the size of a piece of chewing gum, and tossed it casually at the cannons—two loud booms later, the impenetrable fortifications turned to ashes in an instant.
The group charged into the core base, only to find Lord Worldbreaker lying in a pool of blood. Suddenly, all the exits sealed shut, and a huge projection lit up on the wall, showing Rick's drunken face. "Good morning, heroes. Game on—complete my tasks, or this will be your grave." This absurd scene was straight out of the classic horror movie Saw, and the Guardians' facade crumbled away in panic. Vance was the first to lose his cool. He shouted obscenities as he pushed past Morty, who tried to stop him. "You're just a sidekick here to make us look good!" He then darted toward a narrow air vent, only to be met with a hail of laser fire.
The riddle for the first level was "Reveal the alliance's hidden secret." Crocubot stepped forward confidently and haughtily spoke of "Operation Kandor"—to eliminate the demons hiding among the population, the Guardians had destroyed an entire planet's civilization without a trial. "We could have asked Rick to build a detection device," his voice trailed off, "but they hated him." As soon as he finished speaking, the ground split open into a chasm, and Crocubot screamed as he plummeted down. Watching this, Morty suddenly realized his grandfather's words the night before weren't just prejudice.
The second level required scoring three energy orbs into the target within five minutes. Supernova paired up with Million Ants to work together, but her ex - boyfriend Alan Rails launched an attack out of jealousy. Amid the chaos, Morty dodged energy blasts while snapping at Rick. "Can't you just act normal? Just once!" Rick leaned against the wall, his eyes softening for a rare moment. "Popular people are all idiots, because people only believe who they want to believe. I don't care what they think—I only care about you." Morty froze. For the first time, he saw the concern hidden beneath his grandfather's sharp words.
The clue for the final level was "Offer your most valuable possession." Morty took a deep breath and stepped forward, thinking he was the most important person to his grandfather. But when the platform descended, instead of a medal of honor, it revealed Nub Nub, the janitor of the Guardians' Alliance—the only person who had laughed at Rick's jokes during the meeting. Rick's grinning face appeared on the projection. "Only he gets my humor, way better than all you phonies."
Supernova completely lost her composure. She killed Million Ants, who tried to comfort her, then grabbed an energy sword and charged at Rick and Morty. Just then, the ceiling suddenly opened up, and colorful confetti fluttered down. Among the crowd were Rick's old friends—Birdperson, Squanchy—and even Beth and Summer, carrying a cake. It turned out this whole thing had been Rick's prank. He had seen through the Guardians' true colors all along and set up this elaborate trap to make Morty see the truth. Supernova fled in embarrassment amid the celebrating crowd, her "justice" seeming utterly ridiculous amid the laughter.
