Gary was not sure what he had been expecting, but this was not it. He had shown up with a family-sized bag of Nidoritos and quickly had been whisked inside to a room that looked like a professional studio stage, with cameras, computers, and equipment that he could only guess at. “I don’t think I gave Ashy-boy and his friends enough credit,” he said to himself.

Gary hugged the substantial bag of chips close to his chest unconsciously, and made his way over to Brock. “Hey!” he said brusquely. “What’s with all of the books and paper and stuff? I thought we were playing a game, not doing homework!” After a lightning-quick glance at the cameras, Gary asked in a low voice unlike his usual tone, “And what d’ya mean by ‘costume’?”