Chapter 3: The Escape

This was it... the final battle between Crash Bandicoot and Doctor Neo Cortex. Clutching his hand into an iron fist, Cortex prepared to strike with his special ray gun that shoots out balls of energy. "Prepare to die, bandicoot!"

Crash did the best he could to send the energy spheres flying with his own tornado spinning technique. He swiftly avoided the purple and blue spheres while knowing when to strike whenever Cortex shoots out the green ones. If there's anything the crate trials taught him, it's to be on your guard and attack back only when it's possible to do so.

Tawna did the best she could to steer the blimp around the burning castle to give Crash a chance to fight back against the mad doctor. The battle was intense... but in the end, Crash was given a chance to defeat Cortex, preparing his trademark spin attack while the scientist shot out one final green sphere.

The male bandicoot twirled his entire body aboard the blimp, sending the sphere flying into Cortex's hovercraft, which caused it to malfunction and sent the crazed, bearded human falling to his demise. The battle was over...

Tawna opened up the hatchet door and approached her short saviour in glee. "I just knew you could do it, Crash! I always believed you would come and save me. I think you deserve a special reward." She picked up Crash right up to her face and gave him a big smooch. Crash had never felt so happy from receiving a kiss from his former cellmate.

He exclaimed "Yeee-haw!" in triumph, being put down by Tawna and watched the sunset together. The blimp was set to autopilot, soaring across the ocean floor. This may be the best day of Crash's whole life after being evolved by his recently defeated creator.

...

An hour has passed ever since the escaped bandicoots watched the glistening giant ball of fire slowly descend down into the clear, reflective ocean. Both have sat down on the blimp's edge and didn't say a word. Crash unknowingly placed his brown gloved hand over Tawna's non-gloved hand, and she got struck with a sense of shock.

Her spine was tingling and her body aches. Tawna slowly peered down to her rescuer and noticed her hand being placed under his own. She was speechless, never saying a word and feeling uneasy by the sudden movement her partner gave. But she didn't want to make him upset...

Tawna sighed and gathered up the courage to swiftly move her hand away from Crash's. "Look... how about we stay inside for the night? We'll find a new home in the morning." she suggested getting into the blimp's interior for some well-deserved sleep, to which Crash happily agrees by nodding his head hastily in excitment.

Together, the bandicoots climbed down the ladder and looked around for something comfy to sleep on. Tawna caught her eyes on a worn out blanket that was big enough for the two and instructs Crash to follow her to the blanket.

They snuggled together on one of the blimp's corners, lifted up the blanket and lulled her lover to sleep by rubbing his body and soothing him by gently moving her hand around his spiky red mohawk. "Sleep tight, Crash... I will always be here for you." The male bandicoot slowly closed his heavy, drowsy eyes and fell fast asleep.

Tawna didn't feel like sleeping, especially thinking about that incident that happened while she was locked away right after Crash's sudden escape. A handsome potoroo named Pinstripe was temporarily assigned to look after her, but Tawna's persuasion managed to get him to release her from her jail cell.

There's just something about Pinstripe that she finds to be much more interesting than Crash himself. Tawna looked back at her slumbering boyfriend and moved a little away from him for privacy. "Maybe... maybe Crash isn't the right guy for me. He seems to be obsessed with my curvy figure, and I don't think he'll repay me..."

In her mind, Tawna is torn between both Crash Bandicoot and Pinstripe Potoroo. She only has to choose one to stay with for the rest of her life, and the day will come when it is time to make her final decision. Sure, she was rescued by Crash and even declared him her "boyfriend", but something about Pinstripe just struck her heart in a metaphorical sense.

There was no time to think about it too much. Tawna attempts to forget about her worries and rested her head over the steel wall. She slowly drifted off to slumber, a few feet away from Crash who just stuck his tongue out while snoring so loud. A shining full moon covers the entire sky, and the blimp was no exception to the glimmering moon shine.

...

Morning had just arrived. Tawna opened up her eyes to a bright sunlight and got out of the blanket, leaving Crash to rest. Walking out to one of the blimp's windows, the female bandicoot looked down and saw a quaint little house in the heart of N. Sanity Island. Nobody seems to be living there as far as Tawna concerned.

"It's perfect... our new place to call home! I'd better find a safe place for us to land." She ran over to the steering wheel and took control of the blimp. While the blimp was moving, Crash was sleeping through the movement of the flying vessel. No doubt that he is a heavy sleeper.

Eventually, Tawna found an open space to stop the blimp from being drifted off by the wind. She brought out a rope which was long enough to touch the ground, and looked back to see Crash still snoozing while pushed away from the blanket. "Crash, wake up! I've got great news!"

There was no response; he's still sleeping like a log. Tawna went over to her partner and shouted out: "CRAAASSSH!" He suddenly jolted up out of surprise, and his eardrums were ringing so badly. Tawna facepalmed in disbelief. "You are such a pile of lazybones... but I have managed to find a new home for us to live in. Come along now!"

Both the tall, blonde-haired bandicoot and short, red-haired bandicoot slid down the rope and into the open patch of grass. They ran off into the jungle to locate the house, and when they finally made it... they never felt so happier.

The house itself was white and red, dome-shaped with a chimney, wooden doors and windows as well as a garden across the picket fence. Crash and Tawna's eyes grew bigger in awe. This house was made for the two. All Crash can do now is relax with his girlfriend and live a content life together in their new home.

The inside was fully furnished, but filled with dust and cobwebs all over. The two partners looked at each other's eyes and did their best to tidy up the entire house and clean the mess left by the previous unknown owners. Crash used a feather duster to sweep up the dust, while Tawna sprayed the windows' dirty glass clean and pristine.

After all that hard work... they were finished. Now they have a place to call home. "Couldn't have done it without you, Crash. Unfortunately, there's no beds for us to sleep on at the moment, so we'll settle for the round carpet." Crash gave a thumbsup in agreement to Tawna's words.

The blonde-haired beauty smiled back. Crash felt tired from cleaning up the whole house, so he plumped his entire body onto the carpet and lazily fell fast asleep, much to Tawna's chagrin. "Oy vey... can't a guy like you be more active for once? No matter... he can do whatever he wants to. I'm not complaining."

For the time being, Crash Bandicoot and his rescued girlfriend Tawna lived a content life together. He thought about drinking wumpa juice together, cuddling with each other, and even planning to make love when they do get a bed. Crash is fully satisfied with his life. He doesn't want to become the hero and save the world from destruction. All he has is a beautiful lady and a humble house. Nothing can go wrong for the two of them now.

...However, their peace wouldn't last for very long.

...

Night time had arrived, and both Crash and Tawna snuggled together on the carpet, resting up for a new life tomorrow. A sudden vibration stems from Tawna's left pocket on her short jeans. She slowly woke up to find her green smartphone ringing upon closer inspection.

"Wait a minute... when did I even get a smartphone?" Cartoon logic aside, Tawna covered up the smartphone to avoid waking Crash up and ran from the living room into the hallway. She answered the phone and hung it up to one of her ears. "Yeah, who is this?"

"So, dollface... ya remember that promise ya'd made a while back?" Tawna recognizes that voice... it was Pinstripe, who had fully recovered from his battle with Crash while he was going to rescue her. "Yeah... what about it?"

Pinstripe chuckled at Tawna's naivety and gladly answers her question. "I had my goons fully refurnish the whole factory to 'yer likin'. 'Dat's why I'm invitin' you over for a lil' get-toge'ddar, future wife." The female bandicoot felt a little surprised... why did she even consider saying "future wife" to her former bodyguard?

No time for questions. Tawna swiftly accepted Pinstripe's invitation without even refusing to go. "Good. Get yerself a ride over to Cortex Island and ah'll show ya 'round. See ya, sweetheart." He hung up immediately after. Tawna had no other backup plan, but wouldn't want to see Crash be ditched by her like that.

"I'll need to write down a personal note before I make my way over to Pinstripe's place..." And that is exactly what Tawna did. Using a special red ink, she wrote down her note, left it on the table side right next to the front door and slowly sneaking her way out of the house without Crash knowing she left for another man...

Crickets chirped across the quiet island, and Tawna makes her way to N. Sanity Beach to fetch a boat to ride on, since the blimp would take forever to make it back to Cortex Island. A stranded boat with a tribal face on the front catches her eye, as Tawna pushes it back to shore with all her might and rode on it above the wavy ocean floor.

The blonde-haired bandicoot felt guilty about leaving her lover behind, looking out to see the island getting smaller by the boat riding the waves. Though Tawna stayed strong and prepared to head on over to her destination. "Don't worry, Crash... I will be back for you. But for now, I have to visit a certain someone who also freed me from captivity."