Well now, fellow readers. This is the 51st chapter of this story!
Now, we're almost close to the climax of Chapter 5, and I'm glad that we're entering the good part of the chapter.
In this chapter, Andrew and his six friends find Cortez's ship; the Black Skull, and Four Eyes manages to catch up with them and wait outside the ship near the dock, waiting for Andrew to claim the Sapphire Star before he can put his plan into action.
Additionally, the seven travelers engage in a battle with the Chapter 5 boss, who is only protecting his treasure in this rather awesome and engaging fight.
Other things that'll occur include Andrew being rational with Cortez upon seeing the fight wasn't doing them any good, claiming the Sapphire Star, getting Bobbery to blow up a cracked wall so they can get out of the grotto, and a few other things will occur.
How will this go for them? Read and find out now!
AT THE SITE OF THE BLACK SKULL - IN PIRATE'S GROTTO:
The seven travelers didn't take long to make it to the deepest part of Pirate's Grotto, which mainly consisted of a wooden bridge roped to two pegs, serving as a resting dock for the Black Skull.
Aside from that, and a little bit of the rocky path, there was nothing ocean water that seemed to have flown thrown from the ocean outside.
'Needless to say', Andrew was taking everything in, as he stared in amusement.
"Whoa," Andrew rubbed his chin. "This looks like a place where ships get docked right after being shipwrecked."
"No doubt about that. This is the deepest part of Pirate's Grotto," Goombella proclaimed as she saw some fog covering a bit of the area. "One part of this area's covered in fog."
"I see," Andrew saw the fog for himself. "I don't think it would make a difference if Flurrie blew it away. There are no secrets beyond that fog."
"I daresay, I'm having to concur with you there, hon," Flurrie nodded. "Even if I were to blow away that fog with my Gale Force move, it wouldn't make much of a difference. There shan't be any secrets there!"
"Uh huh," Andrew nodded as he continued observing the room.
"Seems like maybe all of the ships that capsized near here ended up in this cavern," Goombella had exclaimed curiously. "I wonder if Cortez's ship was the first to end up down in these caverns..."
"I think it has, since he's the pirate king who rules the island," Andrew then saw the ship for himself. "'In fact', take a look over there. I think that might be his ship!"
All six of them looked at the ship that Andrew was pointing at, which was the Black Skull. It looked like a typical pirate ship. Except that it looked old, worn out, spooky, and the appearance of it gave it a ghastly feel to it. Seemed appropriate, since it belonged to Cortez himself. The topsail flag was black and had a skull and crossbones on it, pretty typical for those found on pirate ships.
"Yikes! That's one spooky ship," Koops yelped as he looked at it. "Ummm... Y-You don't think that Cortez is in there, don't you, Andrew?"
"You know something?" Andrew then had to deduce. "I'm pretty certain that he is."
"Well, what are we waiting for? Who cares how spooky it looks!?" Yoshiam then had to declare. "C'mon! Let's go check it out!"
"That's probably our best course of action," Andrew remarked as he stepped onto the wooden bridge dock. "Let's go check this ship out."
His six friends were willing to follow right behind him. Before they could get any closer to the Black Skull, they heard a voice coming from behind them, and they also heard some footsteps approaching.
"Buh-WHOA!" That voice got Andrew and his six friends to jump and turn around toward the source of the voice.
"Hmm? What the...?" Andrew then wondered who that stranger was supposed to be.
Turns out it was only Four Eyes. And based on his tired expression, he 'apparently' had been following Andrew and his group this whole time. He was determined to make sure that Andrew had obtained the Crystal Star before he put his plan into action.
"Whoa, did I surprise you?" Four Eyes had to ask him.
"Oh, look. It's Four Eyes," Andrew gave him a suspicious look, almost calling him Lord Crump before he bit his tongue. "What a surprise seeing you here, following us and nearly freaking us out."
"Yeah, sorry about that..." Four Eyes then tried to explain. "See, I 'actually' followed you in here, but I got lost along the way, and, uh..."
"Yes?" Andrew crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at him.
"Well, anyway, I followed this path, and I finally caught up with you, and then..." Four Eyes decided to drop it since Andrew was giving him that suspicious look. "Listen, just forget it, OK?"
"Suuuuuuure," Andrew had quite a sarcastic tone in his voice as he said that.
"I'm sure the Crystal Star is inside that pirate ship!" Four Eyes pointed towards the Black Skull in front of them. "And the pirate king Cortez is in there, too, I'm pretty sure..."
"Uh-huh. I think we already knew that." Andrew rolled his eyes before snarking. "I mean, who else would be in this ghastly-looking ship, right?"
"Yeah, probably," Four Eyes shrugged off Andrew's wry tone. "No big deal, though, right? You can take him, big guy!"
"Of course," Andrew rolled his eyes at this. "It's not like you've ever been in fights before in your life. Particularly against me. Hmmm?"
"Uhhhh, yeah," Four Eyes tugged on his scarf. "Anyway, we're counting on you! Boy, I know I sure am..."
"Sure you are," Andrew sighed once again before Four Eyes added.
"And so is Grodus..." Four Eyes uttered as he then stood to the side, patiently.
And I bet Grodus must be the leader of the X-Nauts... I'm sure of it... Andrew thought to himself as Vivian flinched upon the name Grodus being mentioned by him.
"By Blabberton's beards," Bobbery then had to ask Andrew. "Isn't he that Four Eyes chap that accompanied up on the S.S. Flavion? Whatever may the reason be for him following us into this treacherous place?"
"Yes, Bobbery. That is Four Eyes," Andrew then rubbed his chin as they approached the Black Skull. "And I have this strange feeling that he's been stalking after us to make sure we get that Crystal Star."
And I know the reason for it too... Andrew thought to himself, not willing to share it with Bobbery until the time was right.
It was then Vivian seemed like she had just read Andrew's mind, as she then whispered into his ears.
"I know why he's been following us too, Andrew," she whispered soft enough so only Andrew could hear him.
"I know you do," Andrew whispered back to her. "But anyway, we'll worry about Four Eyes later. Let's go and check this ship out, and see if we can find that Crystal Star."
All six of them nodded as the seven travelers jumped onto the ship and headed for the door which led straight to the captain's room. They didn't give Four Eyes another look before Andrew opened the door and set foot into the room that led straight to where Cortez's lair was located.
By the time they had entered the ship, they were now in a small hallway that led to the lair that Cortez was hiding out at. Andrew closed the door as the seven of them looked straight at the door that was ahead of them. It was then that spooky voice was heard again, coming from the room beyond the door.
"...OoOoOoOoOooOooOoOoOoOoOoOo... ...You ignored my warning..." That spooky voice moaned ominously. "...OoOoOoOoOooOooOoOoOoOoOoOo... Come inside the doooooor... And be lost in the darkness..."
"That must be Cortez, speaking to us from the other room," Andrew then turned to look at his six friends. "You guys ready for this?"
"Totally!" Goombella got her spirits up. "Let's teach that Cortez a thing or two for shipwrecking us!"
"Ummm...OK. I can do this," Koops gulped. "Let's make this quick. Sure hope that I don't get struck by a pirate curse while facing him..."
"Why, of course, dearie," Flurrie remarked calmly. "We shall face this Cortez fellow for ourselves, and then claim that Crystal Star from his possession."
"Right on, Presto," Yoshiam was more than eager to battle. "Let's whip his hinny real good before we take the Crystal Star that he has!"
"I'm ready too, Andrew," Vivian declared shyly. "Let's make this quick and show Cortez what we're capable of."
"Aye! I happen to be ready too, dear boy," Bobbery proclaimed. "We can give Cortez the old one-two and then be on our way with the Crystal Star that we're seeking."
"Excellent," Andrew walked over to the door. "Now come on. Let's get this over with."
With that, Andrew opened the door, as he walked right through it. Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Yoshiam, Vivian, and Bobbery followed right behind him as they entered Cortez's domain to settle things with him, and to claim the Sapphire Star that he has possession of...
IN CORTEZ'S LAIR:
As soon as they entered the captain's room, the seven travelers were astounded by how much treasure was in there, including brown chests filled with gold doubloons, necklaces, jewelry, and the works.
There was even a gold-colored globe that was on the desk in front of them. There were some cobwebs too, but that didn't overlook the amount of treasure that was in there.
It was then that Bobbery took notice of something within the pile of doubloons, and he decided to get Andrew's attention regarding it.
"A thousand pardons, old boy, for just a second," Bobbery then pointed out. "But would that happen to be the Crystal Star that you happen to be seeking?"
Andrew then looked and saw it for himself. It was the Sapphire Star, all right. And he could see the blue glitters that were accompanying it, and it looked beautiful.
"Yes. That's the Crystal Star we're looking for," Andrew nodded as he admired its sheer beauty.
Just like the first four Crystal Stars he's collected, it looked more beautiful up close than it did on the map. It was apparently that Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Yoshiam, and Vivian were admiring it too, recognizing it from seeing one before, while Bobbery couldn't help but seem quite intrigued by seeing one up close.
Before the seven travelers could do anything else, that spooky voice was heard again in the corner of the room, right above the desk and in front of where the window was.
"...OoOoOoOoOooOooOoOoOoOoOoOoOo... Come intooooooooo my..." That voice then started coughing. "HACKPTH! HORK! AHEM! ...OoOoOoOoOooOooOoOoOoOoOoOo..."
In a matter of seconds, a whirlwind took place in the center of the room, which got their attention. And in the blink of an eye, something appeared right in front of them.
It was none other than Cortez, who was simply a floating skull with black eyes and blue pupils, and he wore a pirate captain's hat on his head. Despite his rather frightening appearance and how he came out of nowhere, the seven travelers remained on guards, as if to show that no fear was present in any of them.
"Enough! I grow tired of this spooky 'OoOoO' business! I am a pirate, blast it!" Cortez had bellowed right on the spot. "Pirates do not MOAN! I am a cold-blooded villain who robs innocents of life and loot, not a crying ghost!"
"Sure didn't convince me back there," Andrew uttered under his breath as he sighed.
"And...you...are...after... My TREASURE!" Cortez then declared, accusing Andrew right on the spot.
"Wait," Andrew decided to speak up and defend himself. "We're 'actually' not..."
"And this! This is my ship!" Cortez cut him off, demanding an answer from him. "What are you doing here? Speak!"
"Well, we're only here for the..." Andrew started to say before Cortez cut him off yet again.
"I'll turn your muscles into a bone-polisher, amigo!" Cortez declared, preparing to battle him and his friends. "Yohohohohohohohohoho!"
Andrew then frowned, furrowed his eyebrows, and got out his bat as a result.
"Very well," Andrew sneered. "You want a battle, you got it."
All six of his friends got prepared to battle with the pirate king too, as Cortez then transformed. A pile of spiky-looking bones emerged on the floor, in which he gained a skeletal spine and four arms, each bearing a sharp weapon in each hand.
The weapons include a bronze sword, a cutlass, a rapier, and a rusty hook. He was also wearing a red handkerchief around where his neck supposedly was.
Seeing Cortez with a skeletal body and four arms with four sharp weapons on him was enough to send the seven of them on alert. Before they could officially battle, Andrew had to turn to face his Goomba friend.
"Uh, Goombella?" Andrew asked her. "Do you have any information on this pirate skeleton?"
"Hold on, Andrew! I'm already on it!" Goombella got out her Tattle Log and proceeded to look through the book to find the right page. Eventually, she found the right page and then remarked. "Ah-HA! I found it! You ready to hear what it says, Andrew?"
"I'm more than ready," Andrew looked at her curiously. "What does it say?"
"Ahem! That's Cortez!" Goombella read to him. "He's the dreaded pirate spirit who haunts the island!"
"I think we already knew that, given the Embers who were roaming the island," Andrew tugged on his yellow-orange handkerchief.
"Yeah. Anyway, he may not look like he's got a lot of stamina, but he's a spirit," Goombella had to warn him. "So even when it looks like he's gonna turn into a pile of bones, he'll come back."
"That's pretty much expected for any undead ghoul who haunts the island," Andrew said.
"Plus, he has tons of different attacks. He's as tough and scary as he looks," Goombella continued reading. "I'd say just keep damaging him, and sooner or later he'll go down for good!"
"Sounds like a good plan to me!" Yoshiam declared.
"I guess so," Andrew then saw that Cortez was gonna use his Slash attack on Goombella with his rapier. "Goombella! Look out!"
Andrew then went and dove for Goombella and got her out of the way in time. The worst thing Andrew suffered from was a slight tear in the back of his shirt. But of course, it could be stitched up with proper threading.
"Jeepers Andrew, I should've expected that from you," Goombella told him thankfully. "But I 'totally' am grateful that you keep doing that for me. One of these days, I'm gonna have to do the same for you."
"I know," Andrew patted her on the helmet and stroked her ponytail. "Anything else that's in that book?"
"Not much else," Goombella did a shrug. "The only other thing I should say is we should give this tormented spirit some eternal rest!"
"Right," Andrew nodded as Goombella put away her Tattle Log. "Let's get this show on the road!"
With that, Andrew charged over and slammed his bat into the pile of bones with his Power Swing attack. From there, he then jumped up and unleashed his Power Jump attack on the head. Cortez could feel the blow as he then moaned.
"OoOoOo... You are tougher than you look, amigo," Cortez said rather calmly. "But can you handle an attack such as this!?"
With that, Cortez then tried to use his Stab attack on Andrew with his Sabre. Andrew was able to jump out of the way in time, suffering from only a minor poke.
"That's not enough to stop us," Andrew shook his head before looking towards his friends. "Let's have at it with this guy!"
Goombella nodded before she walked over and then unleashed her Multibonk attack onto Cortez's skull, landing a total of 8 hits in a row. Koops then went into his shell and rammed into the bone pile with his Shell Toss attack, performing a breakdance afterwards to dodge Cortez's Slash attack with his hook.
Flurrie then floated up and then soared through the air and landed on Cortez's head with her Body Slam attack. Cortez shook this off before attempting to slam his sword into Yoshiam with a Stab attack.
Yoshiam, of course, flutter-jumped out of the way before landing on his arm. In one swift movement, Yoshian ran across the skeletal spine before he nearly reached the top. From there, he flutter-jumped again before delivering a Ground Pound attack on him, striking him five times in a row.
Because Andrew was wearing the Attack Plus P badge, Yoshiam was able to deal some damage to the pirate king himself. Yoshiam then did a backflip onto the ground near Andrew, leaving the muscular man a little impressed by this.
"Good job there, Yoshiam," Andrew praised him. "That Attack Plus P badge I'm wearing is doing some wonders for you."
"You said it, Presto," Yoshiam gave him a thumbs up. "We'll beat this chump in no time!"
"Hork! All 'righty' then! No more playing around, you scallywags!" Cortez shook his head. "Let's see how you fools enjoy being hit by this!"
With that, Cortez then decided to do a Multi-Stab attack on all six of them.
"Guys! We better get out of the way!" Andrew warned them as he dove down and took cover.
Vivian hid in the shadows while the rest of them also ran off to take cover to avoid his rather fearless slaughtering with all four of his weapons. All of them were panting for breath, seeing that they had just dodged a bullet there and that none of them were killed on the spot.
Once Cortez was all set, Vivian emerged from the shadows to land a rather painful Shade Fist on Cortez's face. He then felt a massive burn on his face. Even though part of his hat was on fire, he disregarded that as he wasn't through yet.
Bobbery decided to give it a go with dealing with Cortez as he lit his fuse and then approached the bone pile that his skeletal spine was connected to. Once he was in front of it, he then flashed red and unleashed his Bomb attack on him. It did some damage as Cortez felt that one while Bobbery regenerated and landed right over toward Andrew.
"Well done, Bobbery," Andrew had to say to him.
"Aye!" Bobbery nodded. "I do say that he should be changing forms soon, as Goombella advised us. Keep on your toes old boy for anything suspicious that this Cortez ruffian tries to pull on us!"
"You got it," Andrew then decided to charge for Cortez as he delivered a Spin Jump on his head.
After landing on his head bottom first, Cortez felt his arms fall off and turn to dust. As a result, his weapons fell onto the ground, discarded for the time being. He then changed forms.
Andrew then saw that he was now in a serpentine state with the skeletal spine remaining and his arms completely gone. He could've also sworn that his spine was growing longer on them. One other thing that he noticed was the enlarged rib cage that concealed a green gem right where his stomach would be.
"OK, guys! He changed forms," Andrew informed them. "Don't hold back!"
Andrew then went and pulled off his Bat Throw when he held out his bat and tossed it right into Cortez's skull. Goombella then walked up and delivered a painful Headbonk attack afterwards.
Cortez shook it off as he then leaned over and delivered a painful Headbutt onto Andrew. Andrew felt the power that came from it, but otherwise, he was able to shake it off.
"Man... He sure is powerful..." Koops had to admit. "Ummm... You OK, Andrew?"
"Yeah, Koops. I'll be fine," Andrew insisted. "Just give it all you got!"
Koops nodded as he went into his shell and proceeded to unleash his Power Shell on the bone pile. He plowed right through it before he skidded right towards where the others were. He then did that breakdance move before coming out of his shell.
Flurrie then floated up to his head and then pulled off her Lip Lock on him, by smooching him and draining him of his energy, which she added to her own.
"Yohohohohohohohohoho! FOOLISH AMIGOS!" Cortez then told them sharply. "You have no idea what other powers that I'm capable of! I shall demonstrate to you why you should never turn your back on your enemies!"
"Uh, Andrew?" Vivian had to ask Andrew in concern. "What is he talking about?"
"Who cares!?" Yoshiam bellowed before laying three Mini-Eggs to throw at Cortez. "I'm gonna give this punk the triple whammy with my Mini-Eggs!"
With that, Yoshiam then went ahead and tossed his three Mini-Eggs at Cortez's head. It did some damage to him, but that was all it did.
It was then Cortez decided to unleash a powerful move on them so they'd get the message. He then performed his Bone Throw by shaking himself and scattering bones in all directions, to strike all seven of them.
Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Yoshiam, and Bobbery were able to get out of the way and duck for cover. Vivian, meanwhile, performed her Veil move by grabbing Andrew and dragging him into the shadows, just in time before his face got pelted by a bone. He felt the impact of the move, but otherwise, he suffered no damage from it, thanks to Vivian.
After he was done, Vivian surfaced back up with Andrew, as the muscular man was thankful for the save.
"Thanks for the save, Vivian," Andrew smiled. "That was a close one!"
"It was my pleasure, Andrew," Vivian beamed with a smile before she lifted her right hand.
Raising the index finger of her right hand, she then twirled her finger into the air, causing a magic sparkle to appear as a result. She then performed her Fiery Jinx attack on Cortez, who was then engulfed in flames as his entire body was covered in soot.
Cortez shook the soot off, as his hat was on fire again, and he paid zero attention to it.
"Ahem! I believe I shall do the honor this time. Leave it to me, old boy!" Bobbery then stepped and pulled off what was 'supposedly' called his Bomb Squad attack.
To do this, he looked up towards Cortez and squinted before he managed to throw three small time bombs that landed right in front of Cortez.
The time bombs themselves shared Bobbery's yellow eyes and mustache as they were flashing red and brown when they were in front of the pirate king. 'Needless to say', Andrew seemed to be intrigued by what Bobbery just did.
"Whoa. That was cool," Andrew blinked before asking. "Are those time bombs?"
"That's precisely what they are, dear boy," Bobbery then revealed to them. "Though I 'personally' refer to them as my Bomb Squad."
"Bomb Squad? That's pretty neat," Andrew mused. "So do they go off on their own?"
"Aye," Bobbery nodded. "They should go off in about five minutes or so. Then this Cortez cad here will be welcomed to a blast from each one."
"That's nice to know," Andrew admitted.
Cortez, by contrast, was less than pleased. He'd find a way to beat these mortals that trespassed into his ship long before the time bombs would go off. With that, he inhaled the air around him, and then he started flashing pretty colors throughout his entire body.
Andrew had to raise an eyebrow in confusion while Goombella suddenly gained a panicked expression on her face.
"Uh, I don't get it," Andrew scratched his head. "What's going on?"
"Omigosh! Andrew!" Goombella had to warn him. "Cortez had just increased his power with Charge! Now he's even stronger! His next Bone Throw attack might be our last!"
"What!?" Andrew yelped at that, as he needed to find a good source of defense, and quickly.
Turning to his Koopa friend, he had to make one request from him. "Koops? I'm gonna need a Shell Shield, right away!"
"Um, right!" Koops nodded as he summoned a giant Koopa Shell from nowhere which was the Shell Shield.
He then motioned it to land right in front of Andrew, where it dropped with a thud. Andrew ended up grabbing it by the handlebar that was on the inside of it.
"Thanks, Koops!" Andrew thanked him before seeing Cortez about to unleash another Bone Throw, and it looked much stronger than before. "Guys! You better TAKE COVER!"
Goombella, Flurrie, Yoshiam, and Bobbery all duck behind the chests of treasure for protection. Koops joined them by going into his shell and launching himself in their direction. Vivian opted to hide in the shadows, which she did.
As for Andrew, he crouched down and placed the Shell Shield over his entire body. It looked as if he was a giant Koopa hiding in his shell.
At that moment, Cortez unleashed a charged-up version of Bone Throw. The Shell Shield endured quite a bit of damage from it, considering all of the scratch marks that were covering the surface.
As soon as Cortez was done, Andrew stood back up with the Shell Shield in his left hand. Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Yoshiam, and Bobbery got out of hiding and rejoined Andrew. And Vivian emerged from the shadows right next to Andrew.
It was then that Bobbery lit his fuse and charged over to Cortez's bone pile to unleash a Bomb attack on him. Once he was in front of it, he was flashing red before he exploded and landed a perfect Bomb on the pile. Cortez endured quite a bit of damage as Bobbery regenerated and landed right next to Andrew.
"All right," Andrew held his bat in his right hand. "I'll take over."
With one swift movement, Andrew pulled a Bat Toss by throwing his bat at the rib cage with that green gem, doing some significant damage. After grabbing his bat, Andrew went ahead and performed a Power Jump on Cortez's head.
This dealt enough damage for Cortez to react. His skeletal spine and rib cage all turned into dust on the floor, with his handkerchief falling onto the dust causing the skull to fall right on top of the dust and his handkerchief, with his eyes closed.
"Yohohohohohohohohohohohohohoho! Don't think it's over yet, amigo!" Cortez spoke. "I still got one trick up my sleeve!"
With that, his four sharp weapons came to life and floated back up into the air. Cortez then shot his eyes open, showing off those flashing blue pupils as he floated into the air to join his four weapons.
"OK, guys! He's changed forms again," Andrew warned them. "He has something planned, so watch out!"
With that, Cortez decided to allow his weapons to attack him. All four of them decided to go after Andrew. Andrew took notice of this as he then shielded himself with the Shell Shield.
The Sword slashed through the Shell Shield twice, the Hook poked the Shell Shield and scraped down to leave a nasty mark on it, the Sabre slashed right into the Shell Shield, and the Rapier stabbed into the Shell Shield, plowing right into it while almost skewering Andrew.
The Shell Shield had taken more damage than it could handle, so it started crumbling until it was nothing more but debris. Andrew then stood straight up afterwards.
By now, the five-minute deadline was up, as the three Bomb Squad time bombs went off. Each of them exploded into Cortez's skull before damaging his four weapons. Despite the damage they endured, the four weapons were still raring to fight.
"Jeepers! I don't think there's anything we can do about his weapons," Goombella had to warn. "We could also have Vivian pull off her Fiery Jinx on them, but they'll only be out for a couple of minutes until they come back."
"Gee whiz. That wouldn't be good," Vivian frowned.
"It isn't," Andrew shook his head. "Is there any way we can get rid of them permanently?"
"Well Andrew, the way I see it, it would take a strong gust of wind to get rid of them permanently," Goombella advised him.
"Hey! That's it! That's exactly what we'll do," Andrew declared. "We can use a strong gust of wind to dispose of them!"
Andrew then turned to his Wind Spirit friend before saying. "Flurrie? Do you think you can blow those weapons away for good?"
"Why, I am certainly willing to give it a try, darling," Flurrie floated up. "I do believe that I shall give it my best!"
With that, Flurrie took a deep breath and unleashed her powerful Gale Force attack in an attempt to blow away the Sword, Hook, Sabre, and Rapier for good.
In a matter of minutes, all four of them were successfully blown out of the ship permanently. It didn't work on Cortez's skull, but that's not what they were going for. The important thing was that his weapons were gone for good.
"All right! You did it, Flurrie!" Andrew beamed while giving her a thumbs-up. "Now we should be able to take care of Cortez!"
Cortez wasn't pleased that they had blown away his weaponry for good. But he didn't say anything as he endured a Power Bounce from Andrew, who struck him at least 9 times.
Cortez then floated over to Andrew, where he was proceeding to use his Bite on him. Andrew managed to smack him away with his bat, which he used to strike him like a baseball.
Goombella then stepped up and performed her Multibonk attack again, striking him at least 7 times. Flurrie then went and soared through the air to land a Body Slam on him.
Because Yoshiam couldn't use Gulp on Cortez, he settled on giving him another Ground Pound attack, striking him 5 times in a row. Vivian then followed by decking Cortez with her Shade Fist, which once again, left a nasty burn on him, and his hat was on fire.
He could care less about that. He couldn't believe that these seven travelers were beating him. He wasn't going to go down without a fight. He had the perfect plan to make sure he wouldn't go down so quickly.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh! I can't take much more of this... This calls for something special..." Cortez headed outside of his ship and saw three Bulky Bob-omb, two Parabuzzies, and a single Buzzy Beetle; they were perfect.
Andrew and his six friends poked outside to see what he was about to do before he declared. "Now you will see the true might of my spirit form!"
It was then Cortez proceeded to suck out their souls and inhaled them. All six of them turned into 'lifeless' corpses as Cortez felt his energy coming back to him. Andrew and his six friends were all horrified by what they had witnessed.
Cortez floated back into the ship as he was gonna proceed to fight the seven travelers.
"Did... Did he just...?" Andrew was too shocked to finish his sentence.
"As gnarly as it looked, he did," Goombella gulped. "He 'totally' sucked the souls out of those guys outside and restored his energy!"
"In that case, we better finish him off fast!" Andrew had looked determined. "Before he tries it again!"
"Ummm... I'd love to help," Koops got his attention. "But I can't reach him from here..."
"I have to concur. I can't attack him from the height that he's at either," Bobbery agreed. "Do you happen to have any suggestions on hand, dear boy?"
"I think I do," Andrew then came up with something. "I can get you up to where Cortez is by using my bat. Koops, you'll have to get into your shell before I can launch you towards him. And Bobbery, you can light your fuse right before I launch you over to Cortez."
"Gosh, that's a good idea," Koops nodded. "I'll be sure to do that."
"Capital thinking, old boy," Bobbery agreed. "Very well. I shall ready my fuse for whenever you're ready!"
"Great!" Andrew then sprinted for another attack. "But for now, I can deal the next blow!"
Andrew then performed a Spin Jump on Cortez, which landed a good amount of damage to him. Goombella walked up and landed a Headbonk afterwards, striking him twice before backflipping and landing right near Andrew.
"OK, Koops! Get into your shell and I'll send you up there!" Andrew advised him.
Koops nodded as he got into his shell where Andrew picked him up and tossed him into the air. Koops spun around in his shell as he fell back down.
Andrew readied his bat, and once he was within range, Andrew swung and sent Koops skyward toward Cortez. Koops then managed to plow into him with his airborne Shell Toss attack before flipping back and landing on his feet.
Flurrie then floated up and performed her Lip Lock again, proceeding to kiss Cortez and drained him of his energy, which she added to her own.
Yoshiam then followed by laying three Mini-Eggs, which he proceeded to toss all three of them at Cortez. They left behind significant damage as a result.
Vivian then floated up and held up her right hand. With her index finger pointing out, she then swirled her index finger in the air, with a magic sparkle appearing as a result.
She then unleashed her Fiery Jinx attack on Cortez, who was engulfed in flames once more, before he shook off the soot that was covering him. His hat was on fire once again, but he disregarded it.
"All right, Bobbery," Andrew then stepped up. "Light that fuse of yours, and I'll be able to launch you up to him for you to use your Bomb on him!"
Bobbery nodded before he lit his fuse. With quick movement, Andrew picked him up and tossed him into the air. Moments later, Bobbery came back down as Andrew had his bat readied. Once he was within his range, Andrew swung the bat and sent Bobbery upward towards Cortez.
Once he collided with him, Bobbery exploded and unleashed his Bomb attack on Cortez. Bobbery regenerated and landed right next to Andrew. Andrew decided to finish it off by using his Bat Throw while Cortez was in a daze. It hit him square in the face as Andrew picked up his bat.
He then saw that Cortez's eyes were completely black as his jaw was dangling from the skull. This meant that Andrew had beat him.
"All right, guys," Andrew informed his six friends. "Looks like his days are numbered!"
All six of them cheered as they rushed over to Andrew's side.
Cortez then shot his eyes open as the entire grotto started shaking with a massive earthquake causing it. All the while Cortez was heard screaming in terror.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! MY TREASURE!" Cortez howled in pain as the place was shaking.
As soon as the earthquake stopped, Cortez shrank down to size, looking like he had been defeated by them. Cortez was heard uttering to himself.
"I am done for..." Cortez whispered rather weakly, looking like he was about to perish.
Then in an unexpected plot twist, Cortez grows back to normal size, acting as if he was never defeated in the first place. Andrew and his friends were all flabbergasted by this as their mouths were wide open.
"Yohohohohohohohohoho! You are foolish, amigo!" Cortez cackled before revealing. "For I am not dead!"
Cortez then backed himself up before adding. "Well, technically, I was already dead...but my spirit endures, tied to my treasure! So you cannot do anything to me! I do not live, amigo!"
It was then Cortez had to frown before admitting boredly. "Still, guarding this treasure for hundreds of years is almost as boring as death!"
Andrew then closed his mouth as he pinched the bridge of his nose. 'Clearly' fighting this guy was getting them nowhere. It would seem that he and his friends have reached an impasse.
Therefore, he decided to go with a more rational approach and explain the situation to Cortez.
"OK. Listen? I think we need to clear the air here," Andrew then came out with it to the floating skull. "Mr. Cortez, we aren't here for your treasure. We aren't even interested in it."
"What? You're not?" Cortez was confused by this. "Not even a little bit?"
"No!" Andrew told him sharply.
"Then why are you here?" Cortez had to ask him.
"The only thing that we're after is the Crystal Star," Andrew then saw the Sapphire Star still within the pile of his treasure and pointed directly toward it. "It's that blue glittering star-shaped stone right there!"
Cortez then floated over to the Crystal Star that he was pointing to, as he then asked him. "Huh?! You want this, amigo!"
"That's right," Andrew nodded.
"This little rock over here? Are you serious?" Cortez was baffled that he only wanted that star-shaped stone.
"That's all that we need," Andrew informed him.
Cortez then floated back over towards his desk and was floating in front of Andrew again. He had made his decision. It would appear that he didn't seem bothered to have to part with it.
"Well, that's no big deal..." Cortez then said. "Here, take it."
"Really," Andrew had to blink at this.
"What do I need one or two extra gems for?" Cortez exclaimed. "I did not really like that one, anyway."
"Oh," Andrew said simply with a blank look before he shook it off. "Well, thanks. We appreciate it."
Cortez said nothing else as he allowed the Sapphire Star to be lifted into mid-air. It then floated right into Andrew's possession.
"All right, Goombella," Andrew grabbed the Sapphire Star and held it over his head. "You know what this means, don't you?"
"Yeah!" Goombella couldn't help but beam. "You got a Crystal Star! And now you've learned a new special move thanks to the Sapphire Star! It's called Sweet Feast!"
"Sweet Feast?" Andrew wondered. "Sounds nice. I bet it's a stronger version of Sweet Treat."
"That's because it is," Goombella told him.
"Oh. Awesome," Andrew smiled. "I can hardly wait to try it out!"
And with that, Andrew held the Sapphire Star over his head. Goombella was smiling and beaming about how Andrew got the Sapphire Star. Koops was giving him a thumbs up on a job well done. Flurrie was gushing about how Andrew had obtained another precious Crystal Star.
Yoshiam was jumping up and down while throwing the goat with both hands. Vivian was watching Andrew in admiration as she was glad that he obtained it. As for Bobbery, he held his face up high, looking as if he would've given Andrew a salute if he had hands.
As for Andrew, despite still being stuck on the island and another problem that was going to occur, he felt stoked to have gotten the fifth Crystal Star, and that he had finished the fifth chapter of his adventure.
"Cortez, scourge of the seas... Andrew soundly defeated this fearful spirit and claimed the Crystal Star. Perhaps the peaceful citizens of the world no longer need to fear Cortez and his fallen ship... The only problem remaining is how Andrew will escape this isolated island... And could there be another problem still, hiding beneath our newly formed hero's nose?"
As soon as that was said, Andrew placed the Sapphire Star into his backpack. Once he had done that, Cortez opened the window behind him, meaning that was where Andrew and his friends would depart from his ship.
"Well, that should do it!" Cortez then motioned towards the window. "If you don't need anything else, away with you, amigo!"
"Right. Good idea," Andrew jumped over to the window. "Pleasure doing business with you."
Cortez only nodded as Andrew jumped out the window and landed on a round rocky platform surrounded by water. Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Yoshiam, Vivian, and Bobbery soon joined him as they had managed to regroup.
They then had to go from platform to platform to make it back to the way they came. As they did so, Bobbery couldn't help but comment on how easy it was to get the Crystal Star from Cortez.
"Well, old boy," Bobbery exclaimed. "I shall say, that Cortez is a rather jolly good fellow for giving us the Crystal Star easily, eh wot?"
"Yeah," Andrew agreed. "And it goes to show that sometimes, going with a rational approach such as negotiating works better than fighting."
"Especially when the fight is pointless," Goombella had to make a 'pffft' sound before rolling her eyes.
"Yeah. It was pointless," Andrew had to admit. "But it was still great to fight like that since it's been a while."
"And it was awesome too," Yoshiam cheered. "But yeah. It's a good thing we convinced Cortez to hand over the Crystal Star. I thought that was pretty cool!"
"Ummm... Andrew?" Koops noticed something was missing which he pointed out. "Look."
Andrew looked at the direction he was pointing at along with his other friends, and he knew what he meant. Four Eyes was gone. He must've heard the earthquake and assumed that Andrew was successful in getting the Crystal Star.
"MERCY ME! That Four Eyes fellow is gone!" Flurrie had to yell dramatically. "Why, wherever did that fellow run off to? I wonder..."
Her last words were said rather sharply, as they were a sign that she knew where he went and knew who he was behind that crummy disguise.
There was no need to deny it anymore. They had the Crystal Star. So the next time they saw him, they wouldn't pretend any longer and would know who they were dealing with.
"Yeah... I wonder too..." Andrew murmured. "I think I already know where he ran off to..."
"Same here, Andrew," Vivian agreed with him. "Especially since we have the Crystal Star."
"Hmmm... I must say, I have to wonder where that Four Eyes chap ran off to," Bobbery then had to ask. "Andrew, old boy? Do you perhaps have any idea as to his whereabouts?"
"We'll tell you about it later, Bobbery," Andrew informed him. "For now, we need to find a way out of here and get back to the others."
Bobbery didn't argue with him as he followed Andrew along with the others as they went back into the room where those stranded Toads were, as were Francesca and Frankie. They must've felt that earthquake, so they're probably wondering what that was all about...
As soon as they walked back over to them, the stranded Toads gave Andrew a rather concerned look, since they felt the earthquake and were wondering if Andrew was shaken up by it too.
"Whoa! That was like an earthquake in there!" One of the stranded Toads then had to ask the muscular man. "Are you all right?"
"Oh yeah! We're fine! Never felt better!" Andrew said before revealing. "Listen, we went into Cortez's ship, and we technically beat him, and we claimed what we came here for."
"YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOO! WOW! You're 'really' something!" That one Toad cheered.
"Well, not really," Andrew said modestly. "It was just some good negotiations that helped us."
"YESSSSS!" Another stranded Toad then decided to beg. "Now that you've got some free time, why don't you get us out of here?"
"Why sure. I guess we can find a way for all of us to get out of this Grotto," Andrew then had to scratch his temple. "But how?"
"Umm..." Yet another stranded Toad got their attention about the wall that had a crack on it. " All that shaking caused this wall here to crack a bit... I feel a breeze... If we could break down this wall, I think we could escape... I guess that's not much help..."
"What?! A breeze?!" The stranded Toad that pleaded to Andrew had to ask him. "How are we gonna bust that solid rock, though?"
"Wait, did you say that you can feel a breeze through that wall," Andrew wondered as he approached it with his six friends. "As in there's now a crack on the wall that could be blown up?"
"Yes! That's what I said!" The stranded Toad who was standing next to the cracked wall confirmed.
"Well I think I can handle that issue, no problem," Andrew then turned to face his Bob-omb friend. "Bobbery, if you wouldn't mind doing the honor?"
"Why, certainly, dear boy," Bobbery lit his fuse and approached the cracked wall. "I will gladly blast this wall apart!"
With that, Bobbery then flashed red before he exploded, using his Bomb move to blast away the cracked wall. In its wake was a hole that served as the new exit from the Pirate's Grotto. The Toads were ecstatic about this, as were Francesca and Frankie.
"Ha, it worked just like I said!" The stranded Toad standing in front of the wall had to beam. "...Well, me first!"
He then stormed through the hole and headed outside. The Toad that pleaded to Andrew to find a way out of the grotto jumped up through the crowd of Toads and then approached the hole in the wall.
"C'mon, everybody!" He declared. "Let's get out of here!"
With that, he then went through the hole next. Francesca and Frankie then jumped up as they approached the hole in the wall.
"This damp cave air is just not good for my skin!" Francesca admitted before looking towards Frankie. "Let's go, Frankie!"
Frankie simply nodded as the two Piantas exited through the hole and went outside. Following them were the other stranded Toads, who left in a crowd-like fashion.
Slowly but surely, they had all exited the Pirate's Grotto through the hole. Shortly afterwards, there was one Toad left in the grotto, who jumped up and approached the hole in the wall, and he then faced Andrew.
"You saved our lives, man! I'll never forget you!" That stranded Toad proclaimed. "But...I need to leave NOW!"
Once he finished, he left the grotto too, as Andrew was seen smiling at this. Perhaps it was time for him and his friends to leave the grotto through the hole as well.
"Well, looks like we're heading back outside through this hole," Andrew then motioned to his friends. "Let's get going, guys."
"Gotcha, Andrew!" Goombella beamed. "Let's head back outside to regroup with the others!"
"Sure, Andrew. I'm all for that..." Koops agreed. "Man, I could use some fresh air outside anyway..."
"By the stars, yes! I would be delighted, Andrew!" Flurrie gleamed joyously. "I've grown quite tired of this cave air anyhow. Let's depart, shall we?"
"Way to go, Presto!" Yoshiam cheered. "Let's head outside."
"Good idea, Andrew," Vivian smiled. "We should head outside and regroup with the others at the shantytown."
"Some capital thinking there, Andrew," Bobbery remarked. "I'd say it'd be smashing to regroup with the other folks we came here with. Let's shove off!"
"All right," Andrew approached the hole. "Let's head out!"
And with that, Andrew walked through the hole that led back outside. Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Yoshiam, Vivian, and Bobbery followed right behind him as they planned on regrouping with Flavio, Pa-Patch, and the others about the progress that they made.
They could only wonder if they would find a way off of Keelhaul Key that would get them back to Rogueport. And they would be in for a treat when Four Eyes revealed his true identity to them on a ship that would bomb the island with cannonballs.
But they would find that out for themselves. No doubt about that...
END OF CHAPTER 51...
Yeah, that's it for this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it, and I hope you look forward to Chapter 5 wrapping things up.
We've just about reached the climax of Chapter 5. Andrew may have gotten the Sapphire Star in his possession, but he still needs to get off the island. And then there's Four Eyes who he has to deal with, once he revealed his true disguise. He'll have to fight the X-Nauts too on the X-Ship along with Crump, before the chapter can come to an end.
Anyway, with that said, the next chapter will be the final part of Chapter 5. In that chapter, Andrew and his six friends regroup with Flavio, and he and Pa-Patch find out from Andrew that they found Cortez, they technically beat him and claimed the Crystal Star.
Additionally, the island gets attacked by a ship controlled by the X-Nauts, which is controlled by Four Eyes, who reveals his true identity to them. Flavio negotiates with Cortez to get his ship up and moving again, and he has to part with the Skull Gem to do so.
Some other stuff that'll happen is that everyone else tags along on the Black Skull with Andrew, his six friends, and Flavio as they decide to take care of the X-Ship once and for all.
Oh, and Andrew gets to fight Lord Crump in fist-to-fist combat once again, with Lord Crump aided by his fellow X-Nauts, and Andrew being aided by his six friends. How will things go from here? Find out next time, readers!
In the meantime, only if you feel up to it, you can leave a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter overall.
Aside from all that, I have nothing else to say. So until next time, I hope you look forward to Chapter 5 coming to a proper close. And on that note, thanks again for reading, everyone!