When Perry heard the scream, he raced back to his house.

...and he found Gypsy writhing in pain in the front yard.

"GYPSY!" Perry gasped, rushing over to her.

"Perry!" Gypsy screamed. "PERRY!"

Perry held her tightly and rocked her.

"It hurts!" Gypsy cried.

"Sh..."

Gypsy continued to breathe heavily. "It's g-g-getting worse..."

"I got Kiki to help. She'll figure this out."

Gypsy's chest was heaving. "I don't know if I can bear this much longer, Perry..."

"Just hang on," Perry whispered. "Please, Gyp."

Gypsy clutched Perry tightly. "I'll...try..."

Perry rocked her. He couldn't leave her now. Please, Kiki… Hurry up…

Luckily, Kiki burst into view at that very moment. "It's Rodrigo!" she gasped. "He's cutting down trees in the forest. I don't know why he is, but I saw him!"

"That explains the pain," Perry said worriedly, glancing down at his shuddering girlfriend. He bit his lip. "I can't leave her alone. Can you stop him by yourself?"

Kiki shook her head. "The machine he has is immense. AND it's got, like, four axes on it."

"Then get others to help!"

"Just let me talk to Gypsy," Kiki said firmly.

"I don't think she's-."

Gypsy suddenly coughed. "K-Kiki...?"

Kiki bent down. "Hey."

Perry hesitated. "I'll be over there," he said quietly, getting up and walking to the house, where he leaned against the wall.

Gypsy smiled weakly. "H-Hi."

"Perry told me the problem with your powers..."

Gypsy let out a weak sigh. "Yeah...it's a real pain in the butt."

Kiki chuckled softly. "I just wanted to say... I'm…sorry for how I acted this morning."

"I-It's okay. It was understandable."

Kiki sighed heavily. "I just... I think... When we met, I was jealous of you... It built up over the last couple of days, and... I had my chance to let it out earlier."

Gypsy blinked. "J-Jealous? O-O-Of me?"

The fox glanced at the ground. "You... You're so close to Perry..."

Understanding dawned on Gypsy, and her eyes widened. "Oh...so...so THAT'S why you bullied Perry..."

Kiki bit her lip. "If we make it out of this alive, I promise I'll fully explain why to you. Perry, too. He... He deserves to know."

Gypsy nodded. "I-I get it. So Perry told you about...us?"

"Yeah." Kiki smiled weakly. "Congrats."

"How… How do you feel about that?"

Kiki exhaled. "I had a feeling he wouldn't fall for me... It... It's still disappointing, though."

Gypsy nodded slowly. "Kiki...I'm sorry."

Kiki chuckled. "Just... Work on controlling your powers under stress."

"I meant about the Perry situation." Gypsy grinned weakly. "But I am also sorry about the thorns."

Kiki hugged her. "It's okay. I can't control his feelings."

Gypsy stiffened briefly. "You're...hugging me..."

Kiki laughed. "Do you not want me to?"

"I just..." Gypsy let out a giggle. "I always thought you were the kind of person who never touches someone unless you're hitting them."

"It's just hard for me to make friends."

"No offense, but I can see why."

Kiki chuckled. "Yeah..."

Gypsy grinned weakly, before suddenly letting out a sharp gasp of pain.

Kiki inhaled just as sharply. "Don't worry, Gypsy," she said, backing away. "I'm going to get help and stop this, okay?"

Gypsy staggered to her feet. "I'm coming with you."

"Absolutely not," Kiki hissed. "You need to stay here."

"I know you don't want it, but I can protect you. If this machine is as deadly as you say, two heads will be better than one, especially when one of those heads can control nature."

"You're too weak right now," Kiki insisted.

"Then I'll help from the sidelines." Gypsy looked determined. "I won't let you face that thing alone."

Perry, who had started walking back over, heard this. "Gypsy…"

"You can't talk me out of this, Perry," Gypsy said, stumbling a little as she turned to face him. "I have to do this."

Perry bit the inside of his beak. "Then I'm coming, too."

"I'm fine with that, of course, but..." Gypsy trailed off as she glanced at Kiki.

Kiki sighed. "I'm gonna need all the help I can get," she said reluctantly.

Gypsy beamed. "Great!"

She suddenly stumbled, and both Perry and Kiki reached out to catch her at the same time.

"If you're sure about this..." Perry hesitated.

"Look, we need to succeed at this," insisted Gypsy. "Not just because I will probably die if Rodrigo succeeds, but because cutting down so many trees will damage the ecosystem, especially animals who live in there, some whom are retired O.W.C.A. agents."

Perry exhaled. "Okay... Let's go."

The three animals began to run, Gypsy more slowly than the others. Finally, they reached the forest.

Gypsy inhaled sharply and fell behind a little. Perry slowed down to walk next to her. "You okay?"

"I just feel a bit weaker. Plants must be dying at an extraordinary rate, because usually the forest gives me strength."

"We'll stop this," Perry said quietly. "I promise."

Gypsy smiled weakly. "Thank you." She gripped Perry's paw.

"This way," Kiki said, continuing to run.

The cat and platypus followed Kiki into a large clearing.

"Holy...!" Gypsy gasped.

It was the machine Kiki had seen before. Two more trees were missing, stumps in their place. And the machine was gearing up to chop another down.

"NO!" Gypsy screamed, racing towards the machine.

"Gypsy!" Perry yelled, running after her.

But Gypsy was too late to prevent the machine from slicing through another tree. She immediately fell like a puppet with her strings cut, right in the path of the falling tree.

Perry grabbed her and dragged her off to the side, just as the falling tree slammed into the ground.

"Stupid agents!" he heard Rodrigo yell.

"Stupid evil scientist!" Kiki yelled back.

Rodrigo growled. "Kiki the Fox."

Perry was trying desperately to wake Gypsy. "Come on, Gyp! Please!"

Kiki rushed over to them. "Is she okay?!"

"I don't know," Perry admitted anxiously.

Kiki knelt down beside Gypsy and felt for a pulse. "She's breathing."

"Oh, thank goodness"

"Let's get Rodrigo," the fox said, getting up.

"I need to stay with Gypsy," Perry said.

Kiki bit her lip. "Fine."

"I'm fine," Gypsy murmured, half-conscious. "Go."

Perry kissed her forehead. "I'm not leaving you."

"Kiki needs your help more than me."

"I want to be here for you, Gyp."

"Then make sure that thing doesn't kill any more trees." Gypsy smiled weakly and her eyes fluttered. "That's how you can help me."

"Well..." Perry sighed. "Fine. Stay safe."

Gypsy feebly squeezed his paw. "I will."

Perry smiled briefly and raced over to Kiki. "What's the plan?" he asked.

Kiki blinked in surprise. "Y-You're asking me?"

"Rodrigo's YOUR nemesis, so I figured you'd know him better," Perry replied.

Kiki exhaled. "Alright. Let's focus on getting those axes."

"How?"

"I'm not sure," Kiki admitted. "I'll sneak into the machine and try to find a way in there; maybe take down Rodrigo."

"I'll distract him, then."

Kiki nodded. "Alright."

Perry leapt away and onto one of the axes, waving his arms at the cockpit. "OVER HERE, YOU MINDLESS SLOTH!"

It wasn't the best insult ever, but Perry was under pressure. Another axe swung at him, and Perry ducked, avoiding the swing. He started singing in the hopes of distracting the evil scientist: "I KNOW A SONG THAT'LL GET ON YOUR NERVES, GET ON YOUR NERVES, GET ON YOUR NERVES. I KNOW A SONG THAT'LL GET ON YOUR NERVES, AND THIS IS HOW IT GOES." He paused briefly, then sang it again. And again. And again.

Kiki had to bite her lip to prevent herself from laughing as she crept into the machine. When Perry put his mind to something, he'd rarely fail. That was one of the things that made him O.W.C.A's top agent.

And...one of the things that caused Kiki to...

Thinking about it will only make it hurt more, she scolded herself. Focus on the task at hand.