One day, Kurt's childish behavior clashes with Scott's dead seriousness once too often. Later, Kurt (in his true form) accidentally activates a device which transfers him to a parallel dimension. There, he meets Forge, who had been trapped there since the late seventies, and together, they devise a plan to break out and return to their normal dimension. Things get complicated when the other X-Men discover the device and the Brotherhood then tries to steal it from them.
Tropes included:
- Butt-Monkey: "What is this, Abuse the Toad Day?"
- Conveniently Interrupted Statement: Forge creates a device which will allow Kurt to teleport back for a few seconds. Kurt tries to tell them not to destroy the machine. Some almost get the wrong impression, but luckily Scott figures out what he really meant.
- Disco Dan: Forge.
- Hypocritical Humor: Nightcrawler's response to Forge's Disco Dan? "That homie's lingo is so whack."
- Serious Business: Pulling Kurt's tail, apparently.
- No Ontological Inertia: The X-Men initially think that destroying the machine will bring Kurt back. Forge is horrified as it will actually trap them both in the Middleverse forever.
- Shout-Out: Upon entering the Middleverse for the first time, Kurt wonders if he was transported into The Twilight Zone.
- Stuff Blowing Up: According to Kitty, boys like this. "What is it with guys and explosions anyway?"
- Take a Third Option: As the X-Men and Brotherhood get ready to fight, Avalanche asks Rogue which side she's on. Rogue walks on out on both of them.
- Totally Radical: Forge. Justified because he's been trapped in this alternate dimension and hasn't had the opportunity for interaction with new slang.
- Unfinished, Untested, Used Anyway: Forge's machine.
- Yank the Dog's Chain: Seeing a couple pretty girls heading to change, Nightcrawler asks how far this Middleverse extends. Forge says right at the doorway to the girls' locker room and no further, which he admits is something of a cosmic burn on them.
