Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped

Chapter 8: Gee Wiz!

With five Crystals in hand, it was time to move on to the next Warp Room. Crash was just about to jump through the portal, when he, his sister, and Aku Aku heard someone clearing their throat from nearby. The trio turned around and were rather surprised, as well as bewildered, to see that Raven was present.

"Raven?" questioned Aku Aku. "What are you doing here?"

"I've come to assist you," the feline replied.

"Really?" Coco asked, astonished. "I'm sure we can do this on our--"

"I am certain, mortal. You need all the help you can get, especially with that blasted organization getting in the way. I will not help you directly, of course, but I can fetch a few other marsupials who will be able to."

Crash raised an eyebrow. Other marsupials? There were more than just him, his sister, and his girlfriend?

At the snap of Raven's fingers, four female bandicoots appeared. The first had short, wavy bright green hair and tail and green eyes, and she wore a yellow and green minidress and sneakers. The second had black hair and a black tail, blue eye shadow, and purple eyes, and she wore a light green cropped tankini, a short purple skirt, and purple sneakers. The third had blond hair and tail and blue eyes, and she wore a blue and white jumpsuit and black sneakers. Finally, the fourth bandicoot had light cyan hair that was tied in two buns with white ribbons at the back and a short cyan tail, and she wore a sleeveless white coat with pointed shoulder pads. Raven introduced the group of bandicoots to be Ami, Liz, Isabella, and Megumi respectively.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you ladies," said Aku Aku. "My name is Aku Aku, and my duty is to protect Crash and Coco here throughout their adventures, as well as guard the Wumpa Islands."

"Charmed," Liz said.

"Raven told us about everything that you've been put through," Megumi said, "so we're here to help!"

"Great!" said Crash. "I was just about to head to the next--"

"He...doesn't speak proper English," Isabella observed.

"That was due to a failed experiment, courtesy of Cortex," explained Coco.

"THAT buffoon?" Ami grumbled, rolling her eyes. "Don't even mention him."

"You know him?"

"Yeah, we've met him. Let's just say he...did some things to us, or at least he tried to. Of course, we kicked his ass, but still."

"This is all besides the point," Aku Aku interrupted.

"Yeah," Crash agreed. "If you don't mind, I'd really like to get those Crystals before it's too late."

"Of course," Raven said, nodding. "You have a bigger journey ahead of you than you have come to realize. Go, brave hero."

"I'm coming with you," said Megumi as she stepped forward.

Crash didn't complain and instead gave the other bandicoot a thumbs up before stepping through the portal, Megumi not far behind. The two found themselves in an area that looked eerily similar to the area in which the first Crystal had been located. Crash should have been confused, but instead his confidence increased. If this was anything like Toad Village, finding the Crystal would be a breeze.

Megumi was caught off guard when the young male bandicoot began to sprint forward. She ran after him, but soon found that she was exhausted. She was used to racing, but running? That was an entirely different story.

Crash grinned as he easily defeated every enemy he came across. After a while, he finally looked back to make sure his partner was still with him.

But she was not there.

Crash began to panic. He looked left and right and all around, but Megumi was nowhere to be found. He turned around and was about to continue down the trail when he heard a familiar voice shout, "Gee wiz! I thought I'd never catch up to you!"

Megumi was seen jogging toward him. Once she stopped, she panted from exhaustion. She tried to speak further, but she had trouble getting another word out. All she wanted to do for once was relax, but she knew there wasn't any time for that.

"Where have you been?" Crash wondered.

"I was...trying to...catch up to...you," Megumi panted, "but you were...running so...fast."

Crash chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry about that."

"No...worries. I'm...I'm fine."

"You sure?"

After a few seconds, Megumi was finally able to stand up straight again as her breathing slowed. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine. Now let's go find that Crystal!"

Crash nodded as he continued down the path, albeit more slowly to ensure that Megumi was alongside him at all times. He didn't think he needed the assistance, but he soon discovered that he was mistaken, for a new type of enemy soon arrived. Said enemy appeared to be a Lab Assistant dressed as a wizard, who was casting all sorts of spells at the two marsupials.

Crash was surprised by just how agile Megumi seemed to be, as she disposed of the wizard with ease. The duo continued their search for the Power Crystal. Soon enough, they reached a dead end, where the Crystal was seen miraculously floating in the air. It was so high up that neither bandicoot was quite sure how they would reach it.

An idea sparked in Megumi's mind. Crash was confused when he saw her sprint forward. She did a wall jump off a building that was just up ahead, and she successfully caught the Crystal, landing on the ground soon after. An astonished Crash clapped after seeing the display, causing Megumi to laugh excitedly and bow.

"Let's go," she said afterward. "The others are waiting for us, I'm sure."

***

"Well?" Cortex asked as he tapped his foot and crossed his arms impatiently. "Did you find anything?"

"Only this letter," Natalie replied as she handed the evil scientist a slip of paper. "I think you should read it. It is rather...concerning."

Cortex's eyes darted from left to right across the page. The rage that had been boiling up inside of him was increasing significantly. He tore the letter into shreds before tossing it onto the stone floor.

He looked back up at Natalie as he said, "Get Uka Uka."

"B-But--"

"Get him NOW!"

Natalie ran out of the room, on her way to a different part of the castle. Cortex sighed heavily as he sat down. The one who was supposed to be his most trusted colleague, N. Tropy, was proving to be an even bigger nuisance than he would have liked. Was it because he had abandoned the Master of Time in a different dimension a couple years back? Possibly. The thing was, Cortex was a villain; he felt sympathy for no one.

He just wished N. Tropy would act in the same manner.

Cortex stood up and made his way to the door. He was about to exit the room, when his hand suddenly began to shake rather violently. That wasn't of his own accord. No, something was causing this. The only question was, what exactly was happening?

He shook his head. None of that mattered. He had to find N. Tropy so that he could deliver him to Uka Uka. Hopefully the Master of Time would be willing to explain himself. If not, there would be hell to pay.

Cortex ignored the pain in his hand as he turned the doorknob and exited the room. Along the way, he thought, Why? Why would he betray me? I mean, I guess I did the same to him at one point, but...it doesn't make sense. And what reason would he have for going to the 5th Dimension?