"Boy! What a night!" Red stretched as he woke up. "It was raining the whole freaking night! I didn't get a single wink!"
"Morning, Red." Rob-omb was already awake. "Want some soup?"
"Sure." Red sat down by the fire. "What time is it?"
"Oh, I'd say…" Rob-omb gave his watch a smack. "4:33."
"4:33, and you're up?" Red asked.
"I was working the night watch with Erick and Gyanna. They argued most of the time, which thankfully kept me up. I was cleaning up the wood from the ship and servicing the cannons that we salvaged. I'm a walking encyclopedia, so I know these things."
"Fun." Red agreed, as he ate his mushroom soup. "Well, I'm gonna get to work. Got a shovel on you?"
"There's one in the storehouse." Rob grabbed it quickly. "What're you gonna do?"
"I'm gonna see if I can get some of those trees over here, so we can hang some hammocks between them for the group. I mean, we can't have guys sleeping between two rocks, like Pa-Patch over there."
"He finds it relaxing." Rob explained. "Anyway, good luck. Care to flush that soup down with a tall glass of saltwater?"
"I'm good." Red dismissed. "I'm good."
'Boy, what a fix we've gotten ourselves into!' Red thought as he dug up a tree. 'Our boat's destroyed, we're running low on food and water, and I didn't sleep at all last night!' He shoved his shovel into the ground, severing the tree's roots. 'That's gonna do it.' Red dragged the tree back to camp. "Nine, ten, eleven trees. I need one more to make what we need." Red walked back to the forest to dig out another tree. "Back to work."
"HAALP!" Red heard a cry for help in the distance.
"A desperate cry for help!" Red realized. "Sorry, tree. Your hammock days will have to wait!" Red rushed through the thick jungle, plagued by Putrid Piranhas and Green Fuzzies. He scaled the walls of the island and finally found the voice. "Scare T! Four-Eyes! Bobbery!"
"Red! It is you, old boy!" Bobbery acknowledged. Two Embers surrounded him and the others. "Save these two from their fate!" Bobbery flung them towards Red. "GO!" Red and the others ran for their lives.
"You guys okay?" Red asked. "That was a close one."
"Poor Bobbery!" Scare T. realized. "He's gonna get crushed by those Embers!"
"You guys go back to the camp and tell everyone what happened." Red ordered. "I'm going for Bobbery!"
"You heard him, Scare! We're OUT!" Four-Eyes called.
Red ran across the bridge to find Bobbery. "Where did they chase him?" Red stepped on a weak plank on the bridge, and fell through. He managed to hold on. "I CAN'T SWIM!" Red remembered. "What can I do?" Red thought aloud. "Of course! Shield, extra large!" Red created a large shield below him so he could stand on the water. "Sweet! This is like surfing! Let's see if I actually can now." Red placed on e foot forward on the shield, and he began to surf forward. "AWESOME!" Red took off for the open ocean, surfing through the waters. Wherever Red surfed, the shield stayed glued below his feet. Red spotted an Ice Body badge, and surfed to pick it up. He then returned to land. "That was wild!" Red cheered. "Now to go find the Admiral." Red dashed through the next stretch of jungle.
"Leave me be, you cursed ghosts!"
"Bobbery!" Red looked up into a tree. "How'd you get up there?"
"Don't bother!" He responded. "Just get these things away from me!"
"Sure thing!" Red pulled out his Inkbrush. "Taste ink, you demons!" Red put them out with a few quick brush strokes. "Come on down, Admiral!"
Bobbery fell from the tree. "I guess those blokes got me a bit better than I thought!" Bobbery muttered as he panted heavily. "Red, hear my last request. Thank you for taking me out to sea one last time…I wish to have a drink of my Chuckola Cola, my last memory of Scarlette. Bring it to me, so I can go happy…"
"You're not going anywhere!" Red proclaimed. He picked up the Admiral. "To base camp!" Red spread his wings, and took to the sky, and within an instant, they'd returned o the camp. Everyone was gathered around Flavio. "EMERGENCY!" Red yelled as he descended and landed.
"My goodness!" Flavio took at look at Bobbery. "You look rough, friend! What happened to you?"
"He got busted up saving Scare T. and Four-Eyes from the ghosts!" Red explained. "He last one request before he becomes one with Scarlette. That is that he drink his Chuckola Cola that he brought!"
"Well, Flavio has no choice." Flavio explained. "Flavio found it on the beach this morning. I yield."
"Thanks." Red stuck his hand out for it. "Well?"
"HOWEVER!" Flavio was not finished. "This is part our my- Err, our crew's supplies, which we need to survive."
"The dying man is right here!" Red pointed. "Are you going to deprive him of his last wish?"
"I'm just saying that you must find food to replace it with!" Flavio reiterated.
"Just give him the Cola." Red ordered. "I'll go find something!"
"Not until you return!" Flavio responded. "Flavio expects all to keep their promises."
"Fine!" Red huffed. "Shield, extra large!" Red activated the shield as he entered the water.
"Red!" Aimee yelled. "You can't swim!"
"I'm not going to swim, Aimee!" Red laughed. "I'm gonna surf!" Red hopped onto the shield, and surfed out to sea. "WAAAAAAAAH-HOO!" Red yelled, as he surfed. He disappeared quickly, and returned within a quick second. "Here! Have this!" Red handed Flavio a coconut.
"How scrumptious!" Flavio praised. "Here you go, Admiral." Flavio handed him the bottle.
"Thank you, Flavio!" Bobbery thanked. "Now I can be reunited with my dear Scarlette." Bobbery tumbled over.
"Oh, boy." Red tapped him. "Bobbery, you're still breathing." Bobbery did not respond. Red knelt down beside him and yelled, "BOBBERY!"
"HACK!" Bobbery sputtered as he climbed to his feet. "Red! You have adventures in the afterlife, too, eh?" Bobbery asked.
"You're still alive, bro!" Erick pointed out.
"I am?" Bobbery felt his mustache being dragged along the ground. "Oh, I am. How…silly of me." He turned to Red. "Red! I am going to accompany you into Pirate's Grove to collect that treasure!" Bobbery urged. "Let's shove off, lad!"
"WOAH!" Red yelled. "Easy there, friend. I've still got chores to do here. Maybe tomorrow we can, I've got to finish moving and planting trees, and then installing hammocks!"
"Right you are, Red!" Flavio reminded. "Now, get to it!"
"Yes sir, Flavio!"
"There we are! Twenty hammocks, all safe for use!" Red showed everyone. Voices whispered with awe.
"Impressive, Red!" Flavio applauded. "Very good, but three of you will have to wait to use them. Who's working night shift tonight?"
"NIGHT SHIFT!" Robbie's eyes lit up. "The Bob Marley song, Ma'an?"
"No, not the song, Robbie." Red rolled his eyes. "Some guys have to stand guard tonight."
"Really?" Robbie asked. "…So nothing to do with the song?"
"No, Robbie! I mean, do you see a forklift anywhere?" Red exclaimed.
"No, I don't." Robbie looked around puzzled. "Anyway, Rob, Pa-Patch and I can take night watch tonight, Captain!"
"I'm gonna take night watch, too." Red offered. "I can't seem to get much sleep here."
"It's a deal!" Flavio agreed.
"I'm gonna lie down until it gets dark." Red explained. "I'm gonna try to get a few winks."
"Ack!" Red woke up. "Aimee!"
"Hey, night guard!" Aimee giggled.
"Aw, c'mon Aimee!" Red threw his jacket back on. "It's so hot here I can't even sleep with a shirt on!"
"That's great." Aimee smiled, and stood up.
"Hey! Where'd your clothes go?" Red asked.
"They were all wet, Sal's gonna wash them in the morning." When do the rest of them come in? Aimee explained. "I made myself a swimsuit out of leaves off the trees here."
"Yeah." Red grinned ear to ear, as he looked her over. "Maybe I'll share a hammock with you tonight!" Red joked, making a revolted face to himself.
"Hee hee!" Aimee giggled. "Oh, Red! You're so cute!" She gave him a kiss. "I'll see you in the morning." She walked to her hammock.
"Red?" Rob-omb approached him. "Let's get watching."
"Right." Red joined him. He waved to Aimee. "See you later…pretty?" Red asked himself.
"Leave it at that." Rob poked him. "Let's go."
"Y'know, Rob, I don't know what Aimee's trying to get from me." Red admitted. "The last few days she's been acting...weird. Like more appreciative. And kinda seductive. It's weird." He shuddered. "Am I dying? Did that nail give me some terminal illness?"
"Man, you're asking the wrong Bob-omb about that." Rob laughed. "Stay focused, Red. We gotta get this camp operational if we have any hope of surviving!"
"Right!" Red followed Rob to the watch point. "Gee, you did a good job setting those cannons up."
"Thanks." Rob responded. "Look what else I found today! Night vision binoculars!"
"Sweet!" Red grabbed a pair and looked out at sea. "Say, you can see things a lot better with these!" Red agreed.
"Yeah, that's for sure." Rob agreed. Suddenly, it began to rain. "Great, rain."
"Hey, guys!" Robbie called from a structure. It had a wooden frame and a large tarp with a hole cut out as a window. "Come in here, until it stops!"
"Say, nice place, Pa-Patch." Red agreed. "Look at all the stuff you've got hooked up to that generator there!"
"Aye, it's a good one." Pa-Patch agreed. "I can still get the baseball game! Neo Bowser City Renegades versus Bomb City Bombers." The signal began to get fuzzy. "C'mon, Robbie, Ma'an! Pedal faster!"
"I'm pedaling! I'm pedaling!" Robbie gasped. "Dammit, Ma'an! This is hard work!"
"It's okay, I've got enough charge fro another hour." Pa-Patch informed. "Robbie, you can take a break."
"How come you can't pedal, Ma'an?"
"Well, DUH! My feet can't reach the pedals, scallywag!" Pa-Patch explained.
"C'mon, Robbie. Let's go check out the rain." Red pulled him out. They grabbed a mango each and sat down on the rainy beach.
"Even in the rain, it's peaceful here." Robbie commented. "This must be what Jamaica was like before people discovered it."
"Yeah." Red agreed, lighting a candle and placing it in a wooden shelter so it wouldn't go out.
"Lemme ask you something, Red." Robbie asked.
"Sure, anything bro!" Red answered. "What's up?"
"Do you really like Aimee?" Robbie asked.
Red paused. "Yeah, I guess." He struggled to answer. "I mean, I like her better as a friend, but I'm more focused on saving the world at this point. You get me?"
"Hmm." Robbie thought.
"What?" Red asked.
"No, just glad we got that our there." Robbie responded. "Been on my mind."
"Hey, is that a boat out there?" Red asked, holding up his binoculars to his eyes. "Yeah, that is!"
"What are you going to do?" Robbie asked, as Red handed him his jacket.
"I'm going to get out there!" Red answered. "Shield, extra large!" Red hopped on the shield and surfed out. He returned a few minutes later, with a large box.
"Wow!" Robbie realized. "You cashed in, Ma'an! What you all got there?"
"Well, they let me have a box of some food and some water." Red returned to land. "Let's get into the shelter and check this stuff out!"
"Unbelievable!" Pa-Patch complained. "Bombers lost, 9-8 in extras!"
"Of course they were going to lose, Patch!" Rob explained. "First of all, they're, like, 14-33 on the road, and have been swept by the Renegades once already!"
"I can't believe they called Bill-ill out!" Pa-Patch continued to complain. "That was a ball!"
"You weren't there, flea-head!" Rob retorted. "How can you even assume that was a ball? Koopherson has struck Bill-ill out every time at bat!"
"Whatever." Pa-Patch reclined in a folding chair. "Hey, Red! What's that there?"
"Well, I just surfed out to a passing ship, and they gave me this box of food and water!"
"Thank goodness!" Pa-Patch sprung up from the chair. "Eatin' time!"
"Whoa, guys!" Rob jumped up. "Chill until morning! Everyone else needs to eat, too!"
"Speaking of them, it's starting to pour pretty bad out there." Red realized. "I'm gonna find some leaves cover everyone up with."
"That's everyone." Red recounted. "Just Aimee left." Red walked to nearby tree and grabbed some more leaves for Aimee. 'Maybe I can try to be more appreciative. Brace yourself, Red, this is gonna feel reeeeeeeally uncomfortable.'
"Red?" Aimee woke up.
"Hey, girl!" Red sat down on the hammock. "Thought I'd grab you some leaves so you won't get wet."
"Aww, that's sweet!" Aimee sat up. "Thanks, Red." Red still sat there. "Red, I need to get back to sleep!"
"Move over!" Red pushed his way onto the hammock.
"Ooh, Red!" Aimee giggled. "Who taught you that?" Their happiness was interrupted by a rustling from the forest.
"What was that?" Red asked.
"I don't know, but it doesn't sound friendly." Aimee agreed. "Go check!"
"Me?" Red asked. "But we're…happy!"
"Fine I'll go-"
"FINE!" Red got up. "I'll go check." He grabbed his hammer and walked into the rainforest. 'Phew. That was getting out of hand.' He told himself, as he searched the area. All he heard was crickets and other insects. "Anyone there?" He reached for his binoculars. "Not picking up any movement." Red removed them and headed back to camp.
"What was it?" Aimee asked.
"Just the wind." Red answered. "Now, where were we?"
"RED!" Rob-omb called. "COME HERE, NOW!"
"Uh oh!" Red jumped out of the hammock and dashed to the shelter. "What's wrong?"
"Robbie's legs are wasted!" Pa-Patch explained, motioning to the bicycle-powered radio. "And we're missing the football game! Sky Garden Aces versus Bomb City Detonators!"
"I care why?" Red asked.
"It's a playoff game!" Pa-Patch explained. "I've got 300 coins in Rogueport resting on the Detonators winning!"
Red sighed. "How long do I gotta pedal?"
"Only an hour!" Robbie explained. "Help the cause, Ma'an!"
"Fine." Red hopped on. "You'd better give me half your treasure."
"Deal!" Pa-Patch agreed. "Just pedal!"
