Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped

Chapter 6: The Nitro Squad

Crash and company were at a loss for words. According to a sealed letter Natalie had discovered in Cortex Castle, her fears had been proven correct. The letter stated that the Master of Time was planning on taking over the various timelines for his own personal gain. In other words, he would soon betray Dr. Cortex. Not only that, but Uka Uka was in on it as well; the evil mask had never intended on keeping Cortex alive.

Although the letter had not been signed, Natalie recognized the handwriting all too well. However, she was not willing to share that detail with the others just yet. For now, they had a much more important task at hand. With five crystals in his possession, Crash was about to head to the next area. Before he could do so, however, the sound of footsteps could be heard from nearby, prompting him and the others to turn around. Their eyes fell on an anthropomorphic feline with white fur and dark red hair. Said feline wore clothing associated with a pirate.

"Ah, Raven," said Aku Aku. "What brings you here?"

"I followed you here so that I may assist you," explained Raven. "After everything that has transpired thus far, you need all the help you can get."

"So," Brio began, "you really were reformed."

"It is a long and rather complicated story. Let us focus on what is truly important. Luckily, I know a group of marsupials who will be able to assist you further."

Coco raised an eyebrow in confusion, and so did her brother. There were more mutated marsupials than just themselves and Tawna? At the snap of Raven's fingers, a portal appeared and four female bandicoots stepped into view. The first had short and wavy bright green hair, and she wore a yellow and green minidress and sneakers. The second black hair and a black tail, blue eye shadow, and purple eyes and wore a light green cropped tankini, a short purple skirt, and purple sneakers. The third had blonde hair and tail and blue eyes, and she wore a blue and white jumpsuit and 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 bandicoots to be Ami, Liz, Isabella, and Megumi, respectively. They were part of a group known as the Nitro Squad, with their leader being none other than Tawna.

"Speaking of whom, where is she?" asked Liz.

"She's back at home," Coco replied. "She didn't want to come with us. I just hope she's safe."

"It is quite a pleasure to meet you," said Aku Aku to the Nitro Squad. "My name is Aku Aku, and my duty is to protect this world, as well as my friends."

Megumi quickly noticed the polar bear and tiger cubs standing near Crash and, squealing, said, "Aw, how cute! What are their names?"

"The tiger is Pura, and the polar bear is Pura," replied Crash, hoping that the newcomers could understand him. He still wasn't sure why, but not everyone could understand his constant gibberish. That made him miss his voice even more, but fortunately, the Nitro Squad knew what he said just fine.

With that, Natalie finally opened the portal to the next area. Just as Crash was about to take his leave, Megumi approached him. "I'm coming with you."

Crash gave the blue-haired marsupial a thumbs up before they both jumped into the portal, soon finding themselves in an area that was eerily similar to Toad Village. Crash should have been bewildered, but his confidence increased instead. If this was anything like the other village, finding the Power Crystal would not be too difficult.

Megumi was caught off guard when the male bandicoot suddenly began to sprint down the path before them. She ran after him, but she eventually became exhausted and had to stop to take a breather. She was used to racing, but running? That was an entirely different story.

The grin on Crash's face widened, as he defeated every enemy he came across with ease. He looked to the side in order to express his excitement to Megumi, but she was nowhere in sight. He began to panic, frantically looking left and right for his partner. He sighed heavily and was about to continue down the trail, until he heard a familiar voice call his name from afar.

Megumi was seen jogging toward him. Once she was directly in front of him, she halted and began to pant from exhaustion, sweating profusely. She tried to speak, but the words would not come out. For once, all she wanted to do was relax, but she was brought back to reality when Crash asked her how she was doing.

"I'm...fine," Megumi panted. "As much as I'd like to rest, there is no time. We need to find the crystals before Cortex does."

"You don't look like you're in the best shape," Crash said, concern etched on his face.

"Like I said, I'm fine. Don't you worry about a thing. Now let's go find that crystal."

Crash was hesitant, but he continued down the path, walking this time to ensure that Megumi could keep up with him. Deep down, he did not think that he needed the assistance. He was quickly proven wrong, however, when an enemy he had never seen the likes of arrived. It appeared to be a Lab Assistant, but it was dressed as a wizard and immediately began to cast various spells upon spotting the two marsupials.

Crash was in a state of shock when he saw just how agile Megumi was, as she disposed of the wizard with ease. The duo continued their search, soon reaching a dead end. What may have been a coincidence, the crystal was seen floating in the air. Crash instantly grabbed it, and he and Megumi returned to the Warp Room.

"Where to next?" Crash immediately asked, but Natalie gave him a look of confusion.

"He asked what our next destination is," Coco translated.

"Oh, right," Natalie said nervously. "It appears to be...Saudi Arabia."

"I'll go with you this time," Isabella said to Crash. "After all, I've been to similar locations."

Crash smiled once again as he and the fellow bandicoot disappeared through the portal. Perhaps Raven was right when she said he needed all the help he could get. He had just met the Nitro Squad, but he already felt as though he could do anything with them by his side.