The Inklings quickly activated their weapons to take on the mechanical monster. "Can't wait to stomp through you twits!" Lord Crump laughed, as Magnus Von Grapple dashed forward, jumped and stomped on Paul and Robbie.
"Eeeeeeeeh, Ma'an! That hurt!" Robbie groaned, as he and Paul lay there, dizzied.
"Buh huh!" Lord Crump laughed. "That too much? Well, you ain't seen nothin' yet!"
"FRED!" Erick called. "Come grab me!"
"Yeah, I'm coming!" Red dove down, picking up Erick.
"Wanna try the Hooktail tactic again?" Erick asked.
"Sure, it's worth a try!" Red dropped Erick overtop of Magnus Von Grapple. Erick began to leak his ice-ink all over Crump's only view of the battle.
"HEY!" Crump yelled as Erick returned to the ground. "That ain't nice!" One of Magnus' rocket fists came off to melt the ice.
"Aw, CRAP!" Erick groaned in disappointment. "Red! Let's give it another whirl!"
"Sure!" Red flew down to grab Erick.
"OH NO!" Crump noticed. "Not this time!" He launched two missile punches at Erick and Red, knocking them down. Erick was knocked out once again.
"Bah!" Red shook it off as he prepared to fly again. He flew as high as he could, and dive-bombed straight down before adjusting his course to hit Magnus Von Grapple, which triggered a large explosion. Red flew backwards; dazed from the blow he forgot to make with his hammer. "Shouldn't have used my head." He stretched his wings to return to the air. "Aw, dammit! My wings are too damaged from the impact!"
"Warning. Power depleted to 66%," Magnus' onboard computer analyzed.
"Whatever!" Crump dismissed. "I'm not gonna need much to finish off these jokers!" He slammed his foot hard into the ground, triggering a small earthquake. He dropped debris on Paul, Robbie, Gyanna and Flurrie, knocking them out.
"Great." Red glanced up to see a large piece of debris coming for him. Suddenly, a trail of ink landed near him.
"Come on!" Aimee motioned, "Squid it outta there!" Red quickly shifted into a squid and moved out of the way.
"Thanks!" Red thanked as he transformed back into human.
"No prob." Aimee responded, "But we gotta do something about Von Grapple here!"
"My wings are toast." Red informed, checking to see if they were usable yet. "I could try a shell toss, maybe that would do some damage."
"Do it!" Aimee agreed. Red curled up and sped forward into Magnus Von Grapple. He rebounded a few times between its legs, before ricocheting off of a wall into his backside.
"Warning. Power depleted to 56%," Magnus' onboard computer analyzed.
"Right." Crump actually agreed. "These little rejects are actually putting up a fight! Well, let's change that!" He fired two missile fists into the air. "And let's send these ones into the girl!" He targeted Aimee.
"Aimee!" Red pointed as he climbed out of his shell. "Look out!"
"I see them!" Aimee gracefully leapt up through the air to avoid the first. She landed on the ground, and was hit by the second, driving her into the wall.
Red rushed over. "You okay?"
"Yeah, lemme get up." Aimee crawled up.
"Your leg!" Red pointed. "It's bleeding pretty bad."
"I'll be-" Another missile hit Aimee again, this one knocking her unconscious.
Red angrily glanced towards Lord Crump. "Like what I did there?" Crump taunted. "Now it's just you and me… Grodus will be bowing down to ME after I rid the world of you!"
Abbie stood over by the Punies. "Don't worry, guys! I won't let that big brute stomp all over you guys!"
Punio spoke up. "Look! Only Red's left now!" All the Punies gasped in shock.
"Abbie!" Puniper cried. "You've got to help him! That technological twit is gonna destroy Red!"
"I can't! What if he attacks you guys?" Abbie worried.
"If he's going to attack us, he would have done it already!" Punio explained. "Come on! Red helped us, so now you have to help him!"
Abbie looked torn between what to do. She looked at all of the Punies watching the battle, hoping Red could do the impossible and pull it off. Then she glanced at the battlefield, and saw the exhausted Red attempting to dodge missiles. He was then hit, which caused him to drop his hammer and caused the Punies to let out another big gasp.
"GO!" Punio yelled. "HELP HIM!"
Abbie grabbed her sword. "RED! I'm coming!"
"Wait!" Petuni yelled. "Give him this ancient Puni weapon. It fires a beam that emits an extra sensory sound wave, sure to cause a bit of impact. Also, it scrambles circuits and anything electrical." She tossed it to Abbie. Abbie nodded, then ran out to the battlefield.
"Come on now, Red!" Crump taunted. "Make it easy for both of us and give up!"
"Never!" Red yelled. "I didn't give up in Rogueport, and I sure as hell won't give up here!"
"Whatever!" Crump yelled. "Prepare for annihilation!" He activated a third arm from the X on Von Grapple's chest. They all fired the missile fists, aimed to take out Red. Suddenly, three swift cuts dismantled all three missiles.
"Abbie!" Red realized who had just saved him.
"No problem." She fastened the Puni weapon to Red's forearm. "This weapon can take out Von Grapple. It will scramble its electronics and circuits."
"Cool!" Red moved his arm a bit to get a feel for it. He then picked up his hammer. "I'll have to get used to it."
"No time!" Abbie positioned Red's arm. "It will adapt to your voice command. Go!'
"Okay!" Red then yelled, "FIRE!" The beam fired a small burst of energy. It made its mark on Magnus Von Grapple.
"Warning. Power depleted to 20 – 15 – 10 per-asnrknsdlnsktjlslifghdirohxxx_," Magnus' onboard computer analyzed before it shorted out.
"WHAT?" Crump began pressing random buttons. "This can't be happening! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, RED?"
"Now's our chance!" Abbie ran up to the missile. "Come and get me!" Red gasped and was about to run up, but Abbie motioned for him to stop. Von Grapple let out an uncontrolled missile, aimed for Abbie. She bolted it back to Red, grabbing onto him. "Jump when the missile gets close!" The missile closed in, and they jumped, landing on top of the missile. Abbie head hung in front of it, which caused it to keep flying.
"Oh, I get it now!" Red turned Abbie so the missile was flying straight towards Magnus Von Grapple!
"No! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Crump shrieked as the missile closed in. Red pulled Abbie off the instant before the missile hit Manus Von Grapple, triggering a large explosion. Red shielded Abbie from all of the flying debris.
Crump emerged from the dust. "NO! How could we lose, Magnus?" He turned to Red and Abbie, exhausted. "I'll remember this, you creeps! And with that...POW! I'm gone!" He darted out the front door. This Punies let out a cry of joy.
"YES! The Tree is still ours!" Punio declared as the Punies celebrated.
"All right, Dead Yoshi!" the Elder managed to say. "You have proved you are worthy of the Emerald Star… Go on!" the Elder grew to large size. "Take it!"
"Okay, okay!" Red grabbed the Emerald Star, second of the Crystal Stars. The Punies let out another cry of joy.
"You have our eternal gratitude." the Elder thanked Red. "And thank your team once they regain consciousness."
"Actually, Flurrie told me she was gonna stay here after they got the Emerald Star." Punio piped up.
"Yeah, and don't worry about the team." Red assured. "Their squid forms will take them safely to the pipe."
"You Inklings are so full of surprises!" the Elder laughed. "But seriously, I'm kind of sad to see you and your friends go, Dead."
"Yeah! Come visit sometime!" Petuni piped up.
"The tree's always open to you and your friends, Red!" Punio assured.
"Thanks!" Red thanked the Punies and waved. He turned to leave, but Abbie blocked him.
"Let me come with you guys." Abbie convinced. "I can help out the team a lot!"
"I don't know." Red pondered for a bit. "You did save my life, so yeah! Sure! Join the team!"
"Yay! " Abbie cheered. "Oh, that's right! I have to thank you for saving the tree!" He embraced Red, and gave him a big, long kiss in the face.
Red was speechless. He didn't know what to do or say, being the dumb city Inkling he was. 'What the hell!' he though as he embraced her. 'Might as well go with the flow.' Then Red remembered. He pulled away from Abbie. "Is Aimee nearby?"
"She went to the pipe." Abbie answered.
"Oh." Red answered. "Okay, continue with the thanking!" They re-embraced.
"Now ain't that sweet!" the Elder commented. "This reminds of when I met Punderton years ago. Yeah, he was quite a looker. I remember-"
"Elder, you're killing the mood!" Punio laughed with the rest of the Punies.
Red pulled himself away from Abbie. "Omigosh, I have to get the Thousand-Year Door! The next Crystal Star is waiting!" He squidded through the ink trail they had made to transport the others to the pipe. "Abbie, c'mon!"
"I'm coming!" Abbie waved to the Punies as she departed with her new team. "To The Thousand–Year Door!"
Red and his friends bested the X-Nauts once again, earning the Emerald Star for assisting the Punies in reclaiming the Great Tree. Joined by Abbie, Red and the team return to The Thousand-Year Door, in search of the location of the third Crystal Star...