Form the humid swamp to the frozen mountain, our heroes press on. Let's see how they'll handle Kupuna-Wa'a power.
The 11th Dimension (1954)
In a snowy area, a rift opens, with our heroes popping out.
Dragnarok and Coco land on their feet while Bandicoot slips and lands on his face.
Looking up, the orange hero sees a green hologram of Cortex's head staring down at him.
"Bandicoot! You banished me to the past, but all it did was give more time to plan your doom." Cortex stated. "Don't freeze on the way!"
The hologram disappears, and its projector flies off.
"Wow, you know I'm sensing a real fraught history here. How many have you beaten this clown anyway?" Lani-Loli asked.
"Three." Coco answered.
"Really, only three?" Lani-Loli asked in surprise.
"Uh-huh." Bandicoot said with a nod.
"Funny, seemed like more..." Lani-Loni said.
"Kind of had that feeling as well." Dragnarok said. "Anyway, let's get going."
"Allow me!" Kupuna-Wa said as she attaches herself to Bandicoot's back, giving him armor. "With my power, you can temporally slow time down around ya!"
"Kind of like my Dragon Time..." Dragnarok muttered to himself.
Moving on, our heroes entered a village of some sort, where it was full of fishermen who were not all that welcoming.
Some where zombies who risen form the cold depths while others were shot grapples at them, only for the grapples to use swordfish instead of hooks.
Using Kupuna-Wa's power to slow time down around them, our heroes were able to manuever around the hazards.
As this was happening, Dragnarok noticed something. When Kupuna-Wa uses her power, Dragnarok is also slow down. Yet, when he uses Dragon Time, everyone but Kupuna-Wa was effect, showing the the mask's temporal powers were superior to Dragnarok's.
Anyway, the group that approaches the remains of a boat hang over a chasm.
Getting close to it, the group hears Cortex's laugh as the ship explodes.
?!
The explosions caused some chucks of ice to falling. Using both Dragon Time and Kupuna-Wa, our heroes uses the chucks to cross the chasm and reach the rest of the village.
They soon found a river flowing through the village. (And a VHS tape on a nearby barrel.)
Using pieces of ice that float by, they crossed the river with ease.
Fighting their way through more fishermen, this time using undersea mines as flails, and using their temporal powers to jump across ice chucks falling from waterfalls, the group reaches another river, where Kupuna-Wa detaches herself from Bandicoot,
"Oh, that took a lot out of me. Time for some rest." She said.
Once again using pieces of ice to cross the river, our heroes climbed the waterfall, where they found a cave entrance at the top.
"This way!" Dragnarok shouted as the group enters the cave.
Once inside, had to to deal with more fishermen, was well as sharks and slippery floors.
They soon found an area full of machinery.
"Looks like Cortex has been busy." Dragnarok said as he looks around. "I wonder where this place's version of Ladybug and Cat Noir are? We usually meet them by now."
"I don't know. But I have a feeling we don't want to find out." Coco said in a grim tone.
Pressing on, our heroes fought their way passed electrified droids, lab assistants who were controlling the drones, falling icicles, and more slippery floors with the help of Dragon Time and Kupuna-Wa. (As well as finding yet another VHS tape.)
Soon enough, they reached the cave's exit.
They saw some pipes with glowing green liquid in them heading to some sort of tower.
"Well, at least we now know our next stop." Dragnarok muttered.
Heading towards the tower, our heroes fought through more drone controlling lab assistants, as well as a few who skied right at them.
They quickly found more machinery.
Maneuvering around the equipment, they soon reached a gap. Suddenly, a platform with Nitro Crates was placed over the gap.
?!
Using Kupuna-Wa and Dragon Time, our heroes crossed their new bridge.
However, the explosion of the Nitro Crates caused a chain reaction, as various pieces of machinery started to explode as well.
Running to safety, they saw Dr. Cortex waiting for them with a pair of skies at the top of a hill.
"Oh how I've missed this!" The evil scientist shouted as he starts skiing down the hill.
Heading to where he was, the gang saw that someone else was waiting for them.
"Polar!" Coco shouted in surprise as the polar bear cub ran to her and Bandicoot. "How did you get here?"
"A rift must've stranded him here." Aku Aku guessed.
"We'll figure that out later. Now, we need to chase after Cortex!" Dragnarok said as he pointed own the hill.
Once the bandicoot siblings got onto Polar's back, and Dragnarok made himself a snowboard made of ice, they chased after the scientist, quickly catching up to him.
As chase was on, Cortex used his ray gun to either blast rocks that were in his way, or to shoot down icicles and trees to block his pursuers.
"Haha, how 'bout that?!" He taunted as lab assistants tried to ski into them. "I'm having fun! Can you tell?"
Avoiding the hazards, (As well as getting another VHS tape) our heroes soon reached a cliff, where Cortex's airship was parked next to.
Seeing Cortex broad the airship, our heroes, after having the Quantum Masks send Polar home, followed suit.
Once they were on, however, the airship takes to the skies.
Quickly heading to the deck, they found Cortex sitting in a large command center, levers in hand.
"BANDICOOT. It's about time. This is going to be just like the old days... except this time everything will go according to my plan! Hahahahahahahaha!" The evil scientist declared as Kupuna-Wa attaches herself to Coco's back. "I've made a few upgrades to my blimp. Muahahahaha!" He then pressed a button. "Rain of... giant deadly missiles!"
Missiles then started raining down onto the airship's deck, forcing our heroes to dodge.
"Punchbot Mark 2, deploy!" Cortex shouted as a robot with boxing gloves was released. "Fun fact: Punchbot Mark 2 is 1 better at punching than Punchbot Mark 1." However, Bandicoot quickly span into it, sending it flying into Cortex's command center. "Ow! Punchbot Mark 2 is for punching YOU, not ME! Raaa!" He then presses another button. "Let's try... this one!"
Some tesla coils then light up before shooting bolts of energy at the heroes. Some in the form of green disks, others in the form of small, purple tornados.
During the chaos, another Punchbot Mark 2 was deployed.
Using Kupuna-Wa's power, Cco manuevared around the energy before sending the Punchbot into Cortex.
"Ugh, stop!" Cortex demanded before pressing two buttons. "Alright, have it your way!" This time, both missiles and energy were fired at the heroes. "The Anti-Marsupial Missile is my own design. Do you like it?" Soon enough, another Punchbot was deployed. "Punch that bandicoot, Punchbot!"
Using Dragon Time, Dragnarok sends the Punchbot into Cortex.
"Nyah! Well if you won't play fair then neither will I!" Cortex shouted as he presses a different button, causing some of the deck's floor to falling inward, revealing electrical currents underneath. "Whoops, did I do that?" Suddenly, more missiles began to rain down as more of the deck's floor began to disappear. "Kill the bandicoot, crush the bandicoot, smash in its head!"
Soon, the missiles stop as the deck's floor raises back up.
"Hmm... I wonder what happens if I hit all the buttons at once?" Cortex asked as he did just that, causing a barrage of energy and missiles were fired at the heroes while the floor constantly rises and falls. "Feel the wrath of Cortex!"
Soon, another Punchbot was deployed during the chaos, which Dragnarok once again sends flying into Cortex.
The command center begins to shake and spark.
"Not again!" Cortex shouted before the command center explodes, sending Cortex flying to the ground below. He shakily picks himself up to his knees, only to slam his fists into the ground below in pure, agonized frustration. "Blasted bandicoots!... And dragon!"
Cortex whimpers and begins shuffling towards Bandicoot on his knees.
"Must we keep going around and around like this?" He asked as he grabs Bandicoot and shakes him lightly. "Tell me, Chris and Crash, is this all there is, forever?" Bandicoot just shrugs awkwardly. Cortex lets go and drops to the floor. "Ughhh..."
Suddenly, a hologram of N. Tropy appears between Cortex and the heroes, sending all four jumping backwards in shock.
"I knew you would be unable to handle this simplest of tasks." N. Tropy said.
"Gloat all you want, I quit. If you need me, I'll be on a tropical island somewhere. Alone." Cortex said before turning around and storming off.
"How fortunate. You see, I no longer have need for our alliance. I've found a new partner... and a new plan." N. Trpoy said, causing Cortex to freeze before facing him.
"You were scheming behind my back?!" Cortex asked with an outraged look.
"Of course! The Rift Generator has capabilities beyond your meager imagination." N. Tropy taunted. "You were content to simply rule over space and time, but I'd rather start from scratch. Erase it all. Wipe the slate clean. I'm going to reset the timeline and rebuild it to my liking. I will become a god. Which means YOU won't exist, and neither will those featherbrained masks, those worthless Miraculouses, or those meddling marsupials and their lizard friend! Hahahahahaha!"
The hologram then vanishes into the projector.
"Wiped from existence by that pompous peacock?!" Cortex asked himself in a incredulous tone. "I'd like to see him try after I shove that tuning fork up his—"
"BUT, not if we get him first." Coco interrupted as she, Bandicoot, and Dragnarok grin and put their hands on their hips confidently.
"It appears we have a common enemy. Perhaps there's a way out of our endless cycle after all." Cortex said with a smirk.
Coco and Dragnarok giving a look while Bandicoot, mostly likely influenced by Crash, runs up and scoops up Cortex into a tight hug, nuzzling his cheek.
"Huh? Okay... umm... hmmm... hm." Cortex said, trying to get out of the orange hero's grip.
Coco sighs while Dragnarok gives an uneasy look about this new alliance.
And that's that!
Our heroes have gained a new ally. A very unlikely one at that.
Will this truce last?