[The climactic excursion of Kuro and Candice through the Boiler Room of Doom! For some bizarre reason I'm listening to Spyro music this time...Oh well. No flaming or any of that garbage! Enjoy! -Darth Omix]

Kuro and the Invasion of the Bandicoot Snatchers

Episode 7: The Boiler Room of Doom...And...Well...Things!


Kuro and Candice wandered around the tunnels for what felt like hours (it was only 45 minutes though...) until they finally found a door bigger than all the rest.

"I don't like the look of this Kuro..." Candice said, looking around her, she had enough to deal with..with the 'giant' bugs and all that...

"Don't worry so much Candice, I mean...Seriously. I have plenty of skills, not to mention the fact that you (conveniently) have Magic Powers! If you can't handle a few more bugs, how could you possibly become the most EVIL student here?" Kuro shook his head and stepped towards the door. Light jets of steam released the pressure holding some of the locks on the door shut. There were still two large blue valves to turn, one on either side of the pathway.

"Looks like we each have to turn one simultaneously to open the door...You ready?" Candice nodded, "Anything to get away from these blasted bugs!"

[Author's Note: Went back to Crash music here...]

As the duo began to turn the valves, more steam came out of the unseen jets around the door. Once they were finished (or so they presumed, as the valves eventually popped off and released more steam), the large metal door slid roughly open...

Inside was a large complex of twisting pipes and passageways all stemming from one central nexus. Various terminals were scattered around the center, one of which was being operated by a pair of individuals who were clad in Academy uniforms. As the duo attempted to sneak past, a small spider made Candice yelp, giving them away.

The twins, Brodwen and Blodwen, murmured something under their breath and threw some sort of energy ball at Kuro and Candice. It knocked the pair back into the wall.

Thanks to plot development, while Candice smacked into a cluster of pipes, Kuro flew into a portal gizmo. Unfortunately - also due to plot development - the portal gizmo was improperly calibrated, therefore having no set destination. Kuro could have been sent anywhere!

[AN: Fortunately for the people reading this...I know exactly where he's ended up...]

Skidding through the exit vortex, Kuro found himself in an unfamiliar, yet bizarrely familiar place...The sky was a strange hue, as was the water and seemingly dead grass. The place resembled N Sanity Island, but different. Broken. Reversed, even. NAH! Just kidding...He's not on Twinsanity Island!

(Seriously now...) Kuro lied unconscious in an alleyway surrounded by boxes and various junk. As he stirred awake, he found himself to be in a rather familiar alley. In the Future City created by Cortex's abuse of the Power Crystals (future levels in Crash Warped)...(GOTCHA AGAIN!...These were two rejected ideas coming from me free-writing this...)

[FINALLY!]

Kuro was thrown from the vortex into the Midway of VonClutch's MotorWorld, right in front of Crash, Crunch, Coco, and Aku-Aku (the group was actually heading out to try and break him out of the Academy at that exact instant). Staggering up from the rough warp, Kuro looked around at the stunned faces surrounding him.

"Well...Of all the places that crummy portal gizmo could've sent me, I guess this has to be..." he looked at Coco, "the second best." Aku-Aku let out a faint "Oooh (that was bad)." But Kuro defended it as he stepped behind Coco. As he embraced her from behind he said, "This would've been the best..."

To that, Aku let out a little "Aww..." Which was followed up by a heaping healthy dose of Crunch-isms, "Should've stayed in school! A day without breakfast will break you...Fast! Evil is not the way! (Crunch's voice fades out as focus drifts from him)

As Coco hugged Kuro back, Blake Opossum walked up to the group, only pointed out by Crash who fervently poked Kuro (eventually smacking him in the back of his head) until he noticed Blake.

"(Ow! Crash why'd you...) Oh...What do you want Blake?" Kuro said, shifting his focus to the opossum.

"I was going to try and get Coco to come hang out with me, instead of busting you out of the Academy of...whatever. It doesn't matter now I guess. Glad you're back dude." Blake said, the last remark leaving Kuro somewhat shocked.

"You...Glad to see me? But we're rivals, I thought?" Kuro inquired, but Blake replied, "Coco wouldn't let me play any of your games with you gone. I was kinda bored. You being back means I can finally beat you in every game you own." Kuro shook his head.

"Blake, Blake, Blake...I've got a much better idea. How about a brawl? I caught a glimpse of the news while I was in the Academy, there was an interesting story about a bunch of people totaling the local Wal-Mart. I caught a peek of you in the fray...Letting the old man win...And I thought they said chivalry was dead..."

Blake smirked for a second (he had no clue what 'chivalry' meant, but he knew it was a good thing to have), "you do know I'm kidding right? I got a text that you'd been beaten in the 'second round of Brawlmart' by an old fart. Before you ask...It was little Leo. I knew it was you because it said..."

Kuro flipped open his black and red cell, "'Thought you might need something uplifting in that Evil School, the butt lost the second round of Brawlmart to some old fart and lost all that money'...Seriously Blake...An old man? Seriously?"

Kuro cracked up a little bit, then stopped when Coco gave him a look. Then she happened to glance down at his one wrist. The 'C' bracelet was still there, even with Kuro clad in an Academy getup. "You wore it! Even in the Academy?" Kuro nodded, "Of course I did, I couldn't have taken it off...It wouldn't be right.

"Anyway...what do you think Blake? A brawl to see just who's the top dog...er...furry animal...(anyway)...To see who's on top around here! Me...or you?"


[Ooooh...Kuro vs. Blake to come in the future! Muahahaha...Some of my best work is listening to Crash music...(the Spyro stuff was a bit too mellow for me in terms of what I ended up writing...Look forward to the next Episode in the near future! (Hopefully around the time of FalcoFad13's one with me so they can coincide with each other) -Darth Omix]