OK, readers. This is the 52nd chapter of this story!
Now, we've just about reached the climax of Chapter 5, before we can move on to the interludes. For this chapter, Andrew and his six friends regroup with Flavio, Pa-Patch, and George T, George T reunites with his brother who's been stranded on the island, and the X-Nauts attack the island on their X-Ship, with Four Eyes revealing his true identity.
Additionally, Flavio decides to negotiate with Cortez to let them use his Black Skull to deal with the X-Ship, forks over the Skull Gem in return, and a battle takes place between Cortez and the X-Nauts.
And of course, Andrew and his six friends engage in close combat with Lord Crump and his X-Naut soldiers aiding him. And a few other things will occur. How will things go for everyone on Keelhaul Key? Read and find out now!
OUTSIDE - ON KEELHAUL KEY:
By now, Andrew and his six friends made it back outside, where all those Toads were standing on the grass, along with Francesca and Frankie. Andrew decided to cut through the crowd of stranded Toads as he was planning to work his way back to the campsite.
"Well guys, let's go see Flavio and let him know about our progress," Andrew instructed his six friends. "And let him know that we beat Cortez, claimed the Crystal Star, and all that other fun stuff."
"Good idea, Andrew," Goombella agreed with him. "Might as well let him know about the progress we made on this expedition."
Andrew's other friends nodded as they worked their way back to the campsite. Before they could make it back though, it would appear that Flavio headed to the area where all those Toads were, along with Pa-Patch and George T. This saved Andrew the trouble of going back to the camp.
"Oh, Flavio," Andrew proclaimed. "I was just about to head back to camp to look for you."
"Ah, so you have, Andrew! Welcome back to you, my stalwart captain!" Flavio then had to ask him the all-important question. "So... Have you found the treasure? How is our little expedition faring, hm?"
"All right. So here's the scoop," Andrew then explained. "We found the treasure on the ship that belongs to Cortez; the pirate king, who happened to be guarding it. Technically, we beat him in a battle before negotiating with him. Of course, we left all of the treasure on his ship, as we only needed the Crystal Star, which we successfully obtained."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH! What were you THINKIN'?!" Pa-Patch had to express himself. "Were you tryin' to be NICE?!"
"Well you see, Pa-Patch, we weren't interested in his treasure," Andrew exclaimed. "The Sapphire Star was all that I was seeking and that's it. I mean, why do we need any treasure anyway? Isn't the experience that we got from this whole expedition the only thing that's important? Try to think of that."
"Awww, well..." Pa-Patch then sighed. "That's what I like about you, I guess..."
"Ah. So, I think that it is safe to say that this expedition has been a success, no?" Flavio asked, with Andrew nodding. "Well done, Captain Andrew. Surely, we could've used some treasures, but you have made an excellent point. The thing that Flavio has gotten from this expedition was the feeling of romance, thrills, and emotions; which is what I was seeking all along."
"That's good to know," Andrew rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess."
Meanwhile, George T saw all of the stranded Toads that came out of the Pirate's Grotto. One of them was someone he recognized, and it was someone that he never thought that he'd see again.
"...Could it be?" George T. then asked. "B-Brother?"
That one stranded Toad that he was talking to was in fact, his brother. He recognized him from anywhere, as he reacted on the spot.
"You..." George T's brother, known as Frank T, then asked. "What are you doing here, George T?"
"I... I... I came looking for you, Brother, Frank T... 'All the way' to this island, I came looking..." George T. then revealed it to him. "But ghosts attacked us... And our boat sank... But I've found you now!"
It was then another stranded Toad was curious about what he had just heard. "Huh? Your boat sank, too...? ...So you're all stranded here, as well?"
George T could only nod as he was happy to be reunited with his brother. Andrew then had to get them on track as they still had another problem that needed a resolution.
"Well, I was honored to have you two reunited and all, but we still have a bigger problem that we need to solve," Andrew got to the point. "How are we gonna be able to get off this island? Do any of you guys have any suggestions on how to get us off?"
No one said anything. Truth be told, they had no idea how they could get off of Keelhaul Key. It was unlikely that any of them could construct a boat out of the material on the island, not even with coconuts.
This left Andrew a little puzzled as he crossed his arms and started thinking of a solution. Bobbery, meanwhile, was still thinking about Four Eyes, and where he may have disappeared to.
By Chowderton's cheeks. I still have to wonder where that Four Eyes fellow had disappeared to... Bobbery thought to himself. I must say, he did act a tad suspicious for my taste, what with wanting the likes of us to get the Crystal Star. But if only there was some kind of clue that we had as to his whereabouts... Harumph! This is one situation that should be resolved, effective immediately...
Before Bobbery could even bother sharing his thoughts with Andrew and his other friends, everyone heard a loud boom nearly strike the island. This was enough for all of them to get tense up as they were wondering where that was coming from.
"What?! Hold on!" George T yelped. "Huh?! What was that?!"
"Yikes!" Koops had to yelp too. "Andrew... What was that!?"
"Hmmm..." Andrew then looked at the ocean and noticed that cannonballs were being shot into the water. "Ah ha! Cannonballs. Just as I thought. Guys, someone is trying to blast the island with cannonballs! And I think we might be in the crossfire!"
"OH MY, MY! MERCY ME! That sounds 'absolutely' terrible!" Flurrie had to yell in fright. "Why, whoever may it be that could WANT to blast away at us to smithereens and would want to attempt murder by cannonballs!?"
"I dunno," Yoshiam then saw a creepy-looking ship approach the island. "Maybe it might be from that spooky-looking ship over there!"
Pa-Patch had to take notice of the ship too, as he wanted to know what it was. "AAAAACK! What is THAT?!"
Andrew saw it, as it was a black colored ship with spikes on the side, and a spike ball was at the top of where the crow's nest was located. There was a scary cannon in front with narrowing white eyes. On the main sail and the top sail flags that were grey with vertical stripes on both, were the X-Nauts insignia in the center of both, which were colored red. And Andrew recognized it from before.
"I think I know who's attacking us," Andrew said rather confidently. "I think our little Four Eyes buddy is going to drop by right about now."
Then right on cue, they heard the voice of Four Eyes speaking in hiding on the ship.
"Pardon me, guys... Buh huh!" Four Eyes then proceeded to laugh heartily. "I mean... Buh! Buh! Buh huh huh! BUH HUH HUH HUH HUH!"
At that moment, Four Eyes jumped on top of a large cannon, and everyone saw him on that strange and scary ship.
"You were right Andrew," Vivian had to whisper to him. "You think Lord Crump is going to reveal his true identity to us now that we have the Crystal Star?"
"I'm more than certain that he will, Vivian," Andrew whispered back as he waited.
"So sorry to surprise you... No, wait..." Four Eyes then decided to drop the whole polite act altogether. "No need for that fake politeness anymore... Good job getting the Crystal Star! Oh, yeah! Seriously! Good job getting it for ME!"
"We got it for you? Pffft, yeah right!" Goombella retorted while rolling her eyes.
"Yeah!" Andrew agreed. "Who says that we got it for you, Four Eyes?"
Or should I say, Lord Crump? Andrew kept that thought to himself as he waited for him to reveal his true identity on his own.
"Oy, now... Ain't that good ol' Four-Eyes?" Pa-Patch had to wonder.
"By Blubbery's blotches! That is Four Eyes!" Bobbery agreed. "What in blazes are you thinking, standing on that cannon like some kind of rebellious bloke!? You know that you could fall off and drown in the water, eh wot?!"
"Yeah, that IS Four-Eyes? What's he doing over there?" George T asked as he then called out for him. "HEEEEEEEY! FOUR-EYES! IT'S DANGEROUS UP THERE!"
As the cannon on the X-Ship continued to fire away, Andrew was leering at Four Eyes. He could tell that he was almost prepared to reveal himself at any moment since he now has the Crystal Star.
Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Yoshiam, and Vivian were also giving Four Eyes a similar leer that Andrew gave him, while Bobbery remained confused as to what this was all about. Four Eyes could feel the lukewarm reception from across the ocean, so he decided that he had had enough playing games, and decided to clue them in on his true identity.
"Pffffft! What's with this lukewarm reception, huh? Dramatic entrance, here! Oh, whatever!" Four Eyes then decided to reveal his true self right then and there. "I'll spell it out for you idiots! You may have known me as Four-Eyes... But I'm actually..."
At that moment, Four Eyes spun around and took off the disguise that he was wearing, before he faced them as his true self. There was no doubt about it. Four Eyes was 'actually' Lord Crump this whole time, in all his former glory.
"Buh! Buh! Buh huh huh! The great LORD CRUMP! Oh, MAN, did I fool you!" Lord Crump declared haughtily. "I was the mastermind in the shadows, running this voyage! It HURTS to be this good!"
"Eh, not really," Andrew shrugged while rolling his eyes. "I knew it was him all along."
"Us too!" Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Yoshiam, and Vivian all yelled in unison.
"Errr... Dear boy? Perhaps I must be missing something here," Bobbery then asked for an explanation. "Andrew, old boy? Who is this scoundrel that had committed mutiny on the S.S. Flavion? And how is it that you know of him?"
"Well Bobbery, that happens to be Lord Crump. And he's a member of the X-Nauts; an evil organization consisting of bad guys that are always up to no good," Andrew gave him the explanation. "The X-Nauts including Lord Crump have been committing heinous acts of terror just to obtain the Crystal Stars so they could use them for their evil purposes!"
"Andrew is right, Bobbery," Goombella jumped in. "Lord Crump tried to kidnap me once because I was asking around town about the Crystal Stars! And I refused to give that creep any information! Then Andrew here 'totally' saved me, and we've been traveling together ever since!"
"Yeah... Lord Crump also raided the Great Tree in the Boggly Woods with the X-Nauts just to steal the Emerald Star," Koops stepped in. "Man, they were desperate to try to claim it for themselves."
"Yes! I daresay, those terrible scoundrels had some gall to capture and imprison all those adorable little Punies that live in that tree! Just so they could swipe the precious Emerald Star from their home!" Flurrie had to add dramatically. "Fortunately, we were successful in saving those adorable little guys and Mr. Hunky Muscles here trounced that horrible cad and drove him and his awful X-Nauts out of the Great Tree!"
"And now it seems that the Lord Crump chump just admitted to stowing away on our ship disguised as that Four Eyes freak," Yoshiam pounded his fist into his palm. "That was a pretty lowdown trick that those x-freaks such as Crump had pulled on us!"
"Yeah! Now Crump wants to steal the Crystal Star that Andrew just obtained from Cortez," Vivian floated over next to Andrew. "They're going to kill us if we don't hand over the Sapphire Star, which Andrew obtained fair and square."
"Ah, hmmm. I see. So let me get this straight, old boy," Bobbery then had to confirm with him. "This Lord Crump cad has caused nothing but mischief and mayhem for you and your friends, all because they want to swipe the Crystal Stars from you. Is that correct?"
"Yes, Bobbery," Andrew nodded. "All of it is true."
A scowl had appeared on Bobbery's face upon learning of this. He couldn't believe it. How dare this Lord Crump try to stow away on the ship that he was navigating, pulling off a friendly act when he was lost in the jungle with him and George T, and decide to blow up the island with cannonballs to force Andrew to hand over the Crystal Star? To him, this mishap was nothing short of betrayal, not to mention it was considered mutiny, even though he was a bad guy all this time.
"Why, these are some rather unfortunate facts that I've been given. And he seemed rather polite when we were lost in the jungle," Bobbery had to admit.
"I know how you feel. But it was all an act," Andrew informed him. "He waited until this very moment to be able to show his true colors, once I obtained the Sapphire Star."
"Even so, having learned about his true nature is an act that I consider nothing short of mutiny," Bobbery grumbled. "Why I oughta go onto that ship right now and blast that bloke in the face with a good Bomb attack for deceiving the likes of us all along."
"I hope we can pummel his soon, too," Andrew expressed his support for that before Lord Crump cleared his throat and got Andrew's attention.
"Now, Andrew! Enough of this! I'm on a schedule, here!" Lord Crump pointed towards him and waved his finger towards him. "Hand over the Crystal Star! ...Because you know what'll happen if you don't..."
"And I believe that you already know the answer, Crump!" Andrew growled in a deathly manner as he glared at him, taking out his bat and pointing it at him. "Ain't gonna happen..."
With that, Lord Crump fired the cannon that he was standing on, and nearly came close to blasting a chunk of Keelhaul Key off. He then bellowed his command towards his fellow X-Nauts.
"STARBOARD CANNONS! PORT CANNNONS!" Lord Crump bellowed before laughing haughtily. "FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! BUH HUH HUH HUH HUH HUH!"
"Just as I thought," Andrew's frown had deepened. "He's gonna blast the island with us on it using cannonballs."
"OMIGOSH! ANDREW, WE 'TOTALLY' GOTTA DO SOMETHING!" Goombella panicked. "That freak is gonna wipe us out if we don't do something!"
"Calm down, Goombella," Andrew told her. "As long as we stay together, we'll find a way to stop them from destroying the island."
"Ummm... But for how long?" Koops asked as he pointed out towards the cannonball that nearly hit the shore. "Man...looks like he could 'actually' do us in..."
"AIIIIYEEEEEEEEEEEEE! YIKES!" Flavio couldn't help but scream in fear. "Four-Eyes was a pirate all this time?"
"If you'd like to call him that, yes. And he's a bad pirate too named Lord Crump," Andrew informed him. "And as I said, he's gonna blast this island to bits since I refuse to fork over the Crystal Star."
"Madness! Well, what are we all standing around for?" Flavio was speaking in a panicked tone. "Cannons, people! We must flee!"
"I must digress! We shan't be fleeing from this Crump scoundrel!" Flurrie declared. "Plus, we still don't have a boat to sail on to flee from this isolated island! We must deal with that lout, pronto! WE MUST!"
"Look, we're sailors..." Pa-Patch had to exclaim. "We're not much good for anythin' wifout a ship to sail!"
"Bummer. This reeks," Yoshiam frowned before asking. "Any bright ideas on a way out of this mess, Presto?"
"I still don't know," Andrew exclaimed, thinking to himself.
It was then Flavio had a brilliant idea. It might be a life-threatening idea since he'd have to negotiate with a pirate ghost. But it was worth a shot, right?
"Wait! I have it! I am a genius! We have a ship at hand! And a fine one, I must say!" Flavio declared.
"And WHICH ship would that be?" Andrew queried.
"I'll tell you! Andrew! Take me...to Cortez!" Flavio exclaimed. "Yes, my brain remembered what you said! You said that Cortez had a ship! If the legend is true, then we should be unstoppable in that cursed ship!"
Andrew had to wonder if he was thinking too hard. Cortez was a fearless pirate ghost who rules Keelhaul Key. He was just barely able to deal with him in a battle, only to find out that he couldn't truly be beaten.
It was a negotiation that helped convince Cortez to part with the Crystal Star that he had possession of.
"Uhhhh, Flavio? Are you sure about that?" Andrew had to point out. "Remember, Cortez is a fearsome pirate king who is incredibly dangerous. My friends and I have experience, so we were able to deal with him. You are someone who can't even handle your face getting sweaty! What makes you think that you have a chance with Cortez!?"
"Captain Andrew has a point, Flavio! What are you talking about?" George T agreed. "That's crazy! This is Cortez the pirate you're talking about, here! Even if Andrew did beat him... Why would he lend YOU his ship, huh? He'll cream you! Kuh-ree-eem you!"
Flavio had expected that from both of them. Truth be told, he has been a bit of a coward, with how he feared going into the jungle being a prime example. However, under the right circumstances, he was more than willing to put all of his fears and prejudices behind him just for the sake of his crew.
"Hey! I may be a coward and a cad, but I still lead you!" Flavio declared. "I 'have a duty' to protect you! We will be cannon fodder if we sit and wag our tongues! We must at least try Cortez! I want to hear no complaints! I am your leader, and I will negotiate with this Cortez!"
"OK... If that's what you want..." George T frowned, still not comfortable with this plan.
"Now, Andrew!" Flavio turned to face Andrew. "Take me to this pirate scum, this instant!"
"Very well. If that's what you want," Andrew motioned him to the hole he just came out of. "He's right this way. Be sure to follow me and my friends as we escort you to Cortez."
Flavio only nodded as he went ahead and followed the seven travelers into the hole, where they ended up back in the Pirate's Grotto, which was shaking due to the cannonballs that were nearly hitting the island thanks to Lord Crump and the X-Nauts.
They wasted no time in getting onto the Black Skull, as they walked through the door and went through the small hallway before they opened the door leading to Cortez's lair...
As soon as they entered Cortez's Lair, that same whirlwind appeared above the desk. And in a matter of seconds, Cortez appeared in front of them, looking the same as he did before they left.
"...OoOoOoOooOooOoOoOoOoOoOo... ...Oh, what? It is you again?" Cortez moaned before recognizing Andrew on the spot. "Did you forget something?"
"It's not us that want to see you," Andrew then directed. "But we have someone who wants to ask you something."
All seven of them allowed Cortez to see Flavio, who was quivering in fear at the sight of the pirate king himself. Seeing that there was no turning back, Flavio reluctantly came out with it.
"C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-Cortez! I-I-I-I have to speak with you!" Flavio stuttered with so much fear, that he looked like he was horrified. "C-C-C-C-Could you lend me your sh-sh-sh-ship?"
Cortez was in shock. Did this strange man just ask him to lend him his ship? What kind of mortal was he supposed to be to ask him such a risky question?
"WHAAAT? What would possess me to lend you my ship?" Cortez then demanded an answer. "...And who are you, anyway?"
"M-M-M-M-My name is Flavio! We are in big trouble, and we could 'really' use your ship!" Flavio gulped and swallowed his pride so he could explain why he needed it. "We must protect our crew from bad pirates that are blasting us to bits! So we just need to borrow your ship for the teensiest little while..."
"What are you talking about, muchacho?" Cortez scoffed at this. "I do not rent this ship for pleasure cruises!"
Cortez then explained another reason why it was impossible. "And even if I would lend it to you...this ship is magical, and it cannot move now... The key to powering this ship is the mystical Skull Gem..."
The seven travelers and Flavio flinched at that. Did they just hear him correctly? Did Cortez just say that the Skull Gem was needed to power his ship? The very same Skull Gem that Flavio had possession of?
Seeing that Andrew and his six friends were giving him the look, Flavio had to concede and take his Skull Gem out.
"The...Skull Gem?! You... You mean this?" Flavio then showed him the Skull Gem.
Cortez was appalled and displeased by what he was seeing. He couldn't believe it. This yellow-skinned knave that DARED to ask to lend them his ship had his Skull Gem this whole time. There must've been a reason for this, right?
"YOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUU! You have the Skull Gem!" Cortez bellowed, sounding less than impressed by this revelation.
"...Uh, yes, yes, I do, so... All right, what do you say to this proposition, then?" Flavio tried negotiating with him. "Take the gem handed down through generations of my family, and lend us your ship! I think that is a pretty fair deal, do you not think, Cortez, old friend?"
"...Old friend? Your ancestors stole that gem from me, you strutting peacock!" Cortez scoffed before threatening him. "You must be very brave or very, VERY foolish to ask such a thing of me! I should turn you into a pinata and throw a party on the beach!"
"W-W-W-Wait just a moment!" Flavio then retaliated with a threat of his own. "Do not make me have Andrew trounce you again! While he fights you, I will throw this stone into the sea where you will never find it! How would that be?"
Andrew hoped that it wouldn't come to that. Not only was Cortez unable to be truly beaten. They also had Lord Crump and the X-Nauts to deal with still. They didn't have time to fight again while the island was being blasted to bits.
"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGH! You rattle my bones, Senor Peacock!" Cortez groaned before he sighed, as he settled on the agreement. "...Very well. I accept your bargain, amigo! Now, be very careful with that gem!"
"Ah! Check and mate, Flavio! I did not make my fortune by failing in negotiation, no!" Flavio seemed pleased by how he was successful. "You can talk your way through any deal, I say! Now, you take this..."
The Skull Gem then floated into Cortez's possession, as Andrew was rather shocked that Flavio was successful with his negotiation with the pirate king. As soon as Cortez had the Skull Gem, he decided to use it to power up the Black Skull and allow it to set sail again.
"Ahhhh! Now my precious Black Skull will sail the seas again!" Cortez had to declare. "I was getting quite annoyed by the sound of cannons outside, anyway! Now I can 'really' stretch my bones and wreak havoc on the seas like in the old days!"
It was then Andrew had to look at Flavio as he then commented on him. "Well, Flavio? You certainly have left me impressed. You were 'actually' successful with negotiating with Cortez to use his Black Skull just to deal with Lord Crump and the X-Nauts. Great job."
"Yes. Yes. I know, Andrew! Feel free to thank me anytime for saving us all!" Flavio then declared. "But for now...we sail!"
"I can't believe that he managed to convince him," Vivian said. "Now we can deal with the X-Nauts and drive them off, Andrew."
"No kidding there, Vivian," Andrew smiled. "We better get back outside and get ready."
"Andrew, before we do, I'd like to say something about all of this treasure," Goombella felt like sharing with him. "You could live many lives of luxury with this... And I'll tell you, lots of this stuff has archaeological value, as well..."
"I know Goombella. It fascinates you," Andrew smirked in admiration at this. "Especially since the Skull Gem belonged to Cortez all this time, and Flavio's ancestors have stolen it from him."
"Duh! That is just a fascinating discovery," Goombella beamed. "You think maybe we could pocket a little bit without Cortez noticing?"
"Now Goombella," Andrew placed his hands on his hips as he shook his head. "You know we can't do that. We only came here for the Crystal Star. Nothing more."
"Pffft! C'mon! Can'tcha take a joke when you see it? I was just teasing," Goombella rolled her eyes playfully. "Besides, it 'totally' might be better if I ask Cortez himself."
"You can ask him when the time is right," Andrew informed her. "But for now, we have some X-Nauts to deal with, especially Lord Crump."
"Gotcha!" Goombella beamed. "Let's deal with that chump for trying to blast us away!"
"Right," Andrew gave her a thumbs up as they left Cortez's lair, intending to head back outside.
"I must say, dear boy," Bobbery felt like sharing. "Cortez seems to be a rather fair and honest fellow since he is willing to sail off and deal with those X-Naut cads, eh?"
"Yeah. He sure seems to be, Bobbery," Andrew agreed with him. "Now let's go. We got some X-Nauts to take care of."
"Aye," Bobbery nodded as they all headed back outside of the ship that was still docked in the Pirate's Grotto.
As soon as the seven travelers & Flavio stepped outside on the Black Skull, Andrew was surprised to see that all the stranded Toads had boarded the ship, along with Francesca, Frankie, George T, and Pa-Patch. This got him a little confused as he felt like asking them.
"Hey!" Andrew started. "What are you guys doing here?!"
"We're coming, too!" Frank T remarked as the other stranded Toads nodded in agreement.
"Let's take them! C'mon!" Francesca declared. "All for one, guys!"
"Oy! I ain't lettin' ol' Flavio Fancy-Pants hog the glory!" Pa-Patch told him. "Come on, Captain 'Uscles!"
"All right. Fair enough," Andrew nodded as he appreciated their support in dealing with the X-Nauts. "We're just about ready to shove off anyway."
In a matter of seconds, Cortez appeared in front of them through that whirlwind, as he was ready to breathe in the ocean air for the first time in eons.
"It's been a millennium since I gazed out upon the sea!" Cortez then bellowed a loud howl. "Come! To the open waters!"
In a matter of seconds, a bunch of Embers appeared in front of the topsail, and the pirate king was able to get the Black Skull to start moving. Lord Crump was gonna be in for a shocking surprise when he found out about this...
BACK OUTSIDE...
It was apparent that Lord Crump was having quite the sadistic joy of blasting away at the island with cannonballs since Andrew refused to fork over the Crystal Star. He was laughing quite heartily at the terror he was unleashing on Keelhaul Key.
"Buh! Buh! Buh huh huh!" Lord Crump then bellowed proudly. "I got ammo to spare! How's THAT for boom-bassa-boom?"
It was then he heard Cortez's voice speaking from the other side of the rocky wall leading to the grotto.
"You fire cannons here... Without my permission?" Cortez was then heard warning him in a dark tone. "You have nerve, mortal!"
In a matter of seconds, the Black Skull burst through the grotto, leaving behind a massive hole in its wake as it was seen approaching the X-Ship.
"WHAT THE?" Lord Crump was baffled.
He did not expect this turn of events to occur. Still, he'd get the satisfaction of destroying the ship that Andrew and his six friends were riding on, along with several others. Both ships were shown circling in the ocean water, as there were X-Nauts on the mainsail and the topsail of the X-Ship. This took place for several minutes or so.
After the X-Ship careened right into the side of the Black Skull, both ships stopped, facing each other as Crump was no longer on that big cannon. He was in front of the mainsail, as he then declared hotly.
"GRRRRGH!" Lord Crump then barked. "I'm gonna sink this ratty old ghost ship to the bottom of the ocean!"
"Hear my voice, spirits!" Cortez howled in a scary tone. "Take their ship and show them the meaning of fear!"
A bloody battle then took place between the X-Nauts and the Embers as they were shown jumping from ship to ship, topsail to mainsail. Some of the stranded Toads got caught up in the battle as well, as they were also accompanying the Embers from topsail to mainsail. Andrew had to admit, the Embers and stranded Toads were putting up a fight against the X-Nauts.
It was then Flavio had gotten his attention, as he had his next order that he needed to give him.
"Andrew, my captain, it is now your turn again!" Flavio then proclaimed. "Get over there and duel that cad!"
"With pleasure," Andrew nodded as he cracked his knuckles before he motioned his six friends to follow. "Let's go and punch Lord Crump's lights out, guys!"
All six of them nodded eagerly as they went ahead and jumped onto the X-Ship, where Lord Crump was waiting for them. Immediately after they landed on the ship, Lord Crump let out a whistle for six X-Nauts to come forth and form a triangular barricade in front of Crump to protect him.
The six X-Nauts looked ready to fight Andrew and his friends too. Lord Crump noticed the dirty looks that Andrew and his six friends were giving him, but he laughed it off.
"Buh! Buh! Buh huh huh! I'm gonna turn you guys into wee seeds..." Lord Crump then realized his mistake as he corrected himself. "...Wait, that's not right. I'll turn you into SEAWEED! Buh huh! Enjoy!"
"I don't think so," Andrew had his fists readied along with his Super Bat before he retaliated with one of his own. "We're gonna trash you and your X-Nauts to the bottom of the ocean, where you'll become food for the Cheep Cheeps and the Bloopers!"
"You tell him, Presto!" Yoshiam readied his fists. "Let's rock!"
"But first things first, Goombella," Andrew had to ask her. "Do we 'really' need to look up the information on this guy? After all, I already fought him before."
"No. But just to amuse you, I will anyway," Goombella had her Tattle Log out as she began to read it. "Well, that's Lord Crump. Not this guy again... Ugh. He stowed away on the S.S. Flavion as Four Eyes just so he could swipe the Crystal Star that we claimed."
"Yeah. That's no surprise," Andrew sighed.
"Anyway, he just attacks normally, so don't worry much about him..." Goombella then had to inform him of the X-Nauts who were aiding Crump. "But...those X-Nauts all around him are a force to be reckoned with. They're going to attack us with all kinds of weird moves, I can just FEEL it!"
"Yeah. They could lay the hurting on us unless we all work together," Andrew declared.
"If we take out their leader, though, they won't have the focus to attack," Goombella yelled. "Get Crump!"
"Since taking him down will divert them from getting us! Good thinking, Goombella," Andrew snapped his fingers confidently at her.
He then noticed that Lord Crump was fighting dirty by having the X-Naut platoon attack the Goomba girl without her getting ready for it.
"Goombella! Look out!" Andrew then dove and scooped Goombella up, getting her out of the way in the nick of time before the X-Naut platoon landed a Team Body Slam on her.
"Omigosh! That weasel is fighting dirty!" Goombella gasped at this. "Go wreck those creeps for me, will ya Andrew?"
"I sure will," Andrew put her down and readied his fists.
"Grrrr... X-Naut Platoon!" Lord Crump commanded. "Go and take care of that muscular menace, on the double!"
"Yes, Lord Crump!" All six of them obliged as they charged straight for Andrew.
Unfortunately, the X-Naut platoon did not count on Andrew being more than eager to deck every one of them, combined with how wimpy they were. Andrew wasted no time in punching each X-Naut that came his way, one by one, in quite a rhythmic manner.
By the time he was done, the X-Nauts were all lying on the floor, moaning in pain at how strong Andrew was and that he had broken their cranium.
Lord Crump stomped his right foot on the ground at this. He didn't have time to react when Andrew's booted foot collided with his face, as he landed a Power Jump attack. Crump skidded backward a bit before wiping his mouth.
Deciding to retaliate, Lord Crump rushed over and tried to use his Body Slam to crush Andrew. Andrew was more than ready though, as he had his right fist curled up, he pulled his right fist back.
Right when Crump was within range, Andrew shot his right fist forward, which plowed square into Crump's face, who was knocked back and shook his head in pain from the punch Andrew dished out on him.
By the time he had regained himself, he was greeted by a Multibonk attack, courtesy of Goombella herself. She had struck him on the head at least 14 times, all while laughing about how badly she's been wanting to do that for a long time.
Andrew couldn't help but cross his arms confidently at this. Goombella sure has come this far. To think that she was dealing with the same guy who tried to kidnap her, now she was pummeling that same creep who attempted to abduct her.
By the time Goombella was done, she did a backflip and landed right by Andrew's side as Andrew couldn't help but voice himself on this.
"Well Lord Crump, how does it feel?" Andrew smirked rather confidentially. "How does it feel, knowing that you're being trounced by the same Goomba girl that you tried to kidnap when I first came to Rogueport to start this journey, hmm?"
"Bah! I don't need your smart-mouth comments right now!" Lord Crump scowled. "I'll need another X-Naut platoon, on the double!"
It was then six more X-Nauts were summoned, forming that barricade in front of him. Andrew was more than ready to react. Charging for them, he performed his Multibounce attack by jumping onto the X-Naut platoon first before he bounced off of them and landed directly onto Lord Crump.
He then pushed himself off of Lord Crump and did a backflip through the air, where he landed right where his partners were.
He made it back just in time for Koops to step up, as he went into his shell and started spinning in place, preparing to launch his Power Shell on them. In a matter of seconds, Koops unleashed his Power Shell onto the X-Naut Platoon and Lord Crump, plowing straight through them.
Once he was back in the middle, Koops got onto his back and did a breakdance move to avoid any of the attacks that the X-Nauts tried to lash out at him. Andrew had to clap his hands at this.
"All right, Koops! I don't think we'll ever get sick of that," Andrew informed him. "Good job!"
"I must say, that is quite possibly the most intriguing dance I ever did see," Bobbery admitted. "Even though it isn't to my 'personal' taste, or rather, my cup of tea, I still say bravo, Koops old boy."
"Well, thanks Bobbery," Koops said out of flattery. "Ummm... I thought so myself..."
"Likewise, it is marvelous," Flurrie was just about ready to deal with Lord Crump as she floated over. "Now we shall continue having at it with this terrible lout!"
Flurrie then soared through the air and landed on top of Lord Crump, delivering a painful Body Slam attack. As soon as she got off of him, he commanded his X-Naut platoon to attack once again. This time, they all headed for Yoshiam.
This proved to be a mistake on their part, as three of them got swallowed up by Yoshiam, who launched his tongue on them, and they got transformed into Mini-Eggs that he was more than eager to throw.
He threw all three Mini-Eggs at the remaining X-Nauts and Lord Crump, knocking the X-Nauts out cold, while Lord Crump felt the impact of that attack.
Lord Crump then charged for Andrew and was about to use Body Slam on him again. This time, Andrew jumped out of the way with the leap of an acrobatic athlete.
Andrew then landed before charging and dishing out an elbow strike onto the back of Crump's neck, knocking him onto the ground, face first where he started moaning.
"All right! Way to go, Presto!" Yoshiam cheered. "We got this loser on the ropes!"
"Sure seems like it to me," Andrew smiled as Lord Crump got back onto his feet.
As soon as he was standing up, Vivian appeared right in front of him before she decked him in the face with her Shade Fist attack. Lord Crump was skidded back and felt a nasty burn strike him. He then realized that his head was on fire, which got him to react accordingly.
"Buh-WOAH! HOOOOOOOOOOOT!" Lord Crump scrambled as his head was on fire. "Don't just stand there like a couple of idiots, X-Nauts! PUT OUT THE FIRE THAT'S ON MY HEAD!"
The X-Nauts were reluctant to do so, seeing that they were confused by what was going on and they were panicking about how their master had his head on fire.
"Neat," Andrew snickered as Vivian popped up right next to him, giggling at what she did to Crump. "Now that his head's on fire, he's too occupied by it to take notice of our next attack!"
"Allow me, dear boy!" Bobbery stepped up with a determined look. "I shall teach this scoundrel a lesson for pulling a mutinous act with the crew of the S.S. Flavion. Leave it to me, old boy!"
"Go for it, Bobbery," Andrew encouraged as Bobbery lit his fuse before marching up to Lord Crump.
As Lord Crump was just about done putting out the flame, he didn't notice Bobbery was in front of him, flashing red as a sign that he was going to unleash his Bomb attack.
In a matter of seconds, Bobbery exploded, blasting right into Lord Crump's face, as he felt the impact of that attack. Bobbery then regenerated and landed right next to Andrew again.
"Cool," Andrew smiled at how well they were doing. "We'll beat him in no time."
Lord Crump wiped off the soot that was all over his face thanks to a combination of the burn he suffered from Vivian's Shade Fist, and the blast he endured from Bobbery's Bomb attack. He then huffed and then decided to put together the next part of his dirty trick.
"Buh huh huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh! You're not gonna get off that easily, losers!" Lord Crump then declared. "Let's see how you like THIS..."
"Like WHAT?" Andrew raised an eyebrow as Lord Crump let out a whistle while looking upward.
"X-NAUTS!" Lord Crump bellowed for them to pull through with it.
In a matter of seconds, Andrew saw a beam chain connect to the mainmast and the foremast lower down a little, with a bunch of X-Nauts hanging from the chain. He also saw some forks on the yards of the sail that could fall on them if they shook it hard enough.
"Guys, they're gonna shake down some forks that'll skewer us if we stick around," Andrew had to warn his friends. "Let's SCATTER!"
"Good idea, Andrew," Vivian agreed, grabbing a hold of the muscular man. "I'll help you!"
With that, Vivian used her Veil move to drag herself and Andrew into the shadows, while the others all scattered and went for cover, as the X-Nauts shook the chain, unleashing their Sail Fork attack on them. They had gotten out of the way in time that they were impaled by any of them.
As soon as they were done, Vivian resurfaced with Andrew in her arms. She let him go shortly afterwards. The rest of Andrew's friends popped out and rejoined them on the spot.
"Thanks, Vivian," Andrew said. "Looks like we have to deal with them along with Lord Crump."
With that, Crump charged Andrew for another Body Slam attack. Andrew took his bat out and swung it right into his face, hitting him square in the face again as he had to back up from him.
From there, Andrew used his bat to unleash his Bat Quake attack, which hit the ground of the ship, creating a tremor that struck both Crump and the X-Nauts hanging on that chain.
Goombella then stepped up and landed a painful Headbonk on Lord Crump's head while smirking. She then did a flip out of the way when she hit him twice before Koops went into his shell.
Koops then struck Lord Crump with his Shell Toss attack, which knocked him to the side. Once he got back up, Lord Crump issued his X-Nauts to land an Individual Fall attack on him. Sadly, Andrew outsmarted them as he sidestepped out of the way in time, resulting in them landing on no one. They then went back to hanging from the chains moments later.
Flurrie then floated over to Lord Crump and performed her Lip Lock attack, where she started smooching him and drained him of his energy, which she added to her own after she was done.
Yoshiam went ahead and started to flutter-jump into the air as he approached Lord Crump to deliver his Ground Pound attack. Once he was over Crump's head, he spun around in the air before striking him on the head, landing a total of five hits in a row before backflipping out of the way.
Lord Crump was starting to feel tired as he was shown panting. This proved to be the distraction they needed for Vivian to float up and hold her right hand out with her index finger pointing toward him. With a swift movement, Vivian swirled her index finger into the air, creating a magic sparkle from her finger.
In a matter of seconds, her Fiery Jinx attack was unleashed, scorching both Lord Crump and the X-Nauts hanging from that chain. Not only was Lord Crump's head on fire again but so were those X-Nauts. The X-Nauts fell from the chain and started frantically running back and forth, yelling how they were on fire and begging to make it go away. It all came to an end when those X-Nauts collided with each other, resulting in an instant knockout.
Lord Crump was so busy dealing with the burn he was enduring that he didn't notice this. He felt his energy drain with each pain he suffered from the burn.
While he was occupied, Bobbery then unleashed his Bomb Squad move again, by throwing those three mini time bombs right near Lord Crump. It would take at least five minutes for them to go off.
"All right," Andrew then readied his legs. "Now let's finish this."
Andrew then charged and delivered one more Power Jump onto Lord Crump. He successfully put out the flames on his head. But Crump also felt like he was gonna faint.
But there was no way that he was going down without a fight. He had a sneaky plan up his sleeve. He had his Heal move to use on himself.
Before he could fall and become unconscious, he took out several mushrooms from his pocket, all stacked on top of one another.
There were ten regular Mushrooms on the bottom, five Life Shrooms above them, three Super Shrooms atop the Life Shrooms, and on top of them was a single Ultra Shroom. In a swift movement, Lord Crump shoved all of them down his throat in an attempt to recover the damage he suffered, which got Andrew and his six friends shocked by how he was cheating with that dirty trick.
As soon as Lord Crump consumed the mushrooms, he whistled and caused a bunch of X-Nauts to surround him as a source of protection. Lord Crump looked like he was raring to go again.
"Buh-uuuuuuuuuuuuurgh!" Lord Crump moaned before declaring. "Man, this is no good! I thought I was almost aced for a second there! But you haven't finished me off yet, you sea urchins!"
"Hey! You can't do that Crump!" Andrew yelled angrily as he pointed furiously at him. "That's cheating and you know it!"
"Yeah, you weasel!" Goombella agreed in a snarl. "I oughta Headbonk ya big time for that dirty trick, you slimeball!"
"Buh! Buh! Buh huh huh! Haven't you forgotten? I'm Lord Crump," he declared haughtily. "I can do whatever I want. And I can bend the rules however much I please! I'm down, but no WAY I'm out!"
"Well I'll make sure that you are out for the count," Andrew told him coldly as he got out the Magical Map. "And I have just the trick to make it happen..."
"Buh huh?" Lord Crump was now confused by this as Andrew had just summoned the Ruby Star.
"I think it's a good time to try out the special ability that the Ruby Star can do on these creeps," Andrew smirked. "This calls for the move called Art Attack!"
Lord Crump and his X-Nauts were stunned by the appearance of the Ruby Star as it then vanished into red sparkles. In a matter of seconds, the Ruby Star took the form of a magic pen, which was as red as the Ruby Star itself.
The thrust device on top of the magical pen was the Ruby Star having shrunk down to size. Andrew managed to catch the pen as he then wondered how it worked.
"Hmmm... I think I can just use this pen to trace a circle over where Lord Crump and the X-Nauts are," Andrew then used the pen and traced a circle around them. "Let's see here..."
Upon drawing a circle around them, Lord Crump and his X-Nauts felt their skin shatter thanks to the Ruby Star's Art Attack. Andrew then did the same thing again, resulting in their skin feeling like it was shattering.
He did this several times to ensure that he had Lord Crump at the end of his rope. After tracing a circle around them six times in a row, it would appear that the attack finally came to an end.
"Yahoo! All right! That is wicked cool," Andrew smirked, feeling delighted for doing something like that. "I was always somewhat of a good artist in my time. But that was amazing!"
"Yeah! That was so 'totally' AWESOME!" Goombella beamed. "We got him on the ropes now, don'tcha think?!"
"We sure do," Andrew gave her a thumbs up as he put away his Magical Map.
By now, the five-minute time limit was up, as the Bomb Squad time bombs went off. All three of them exploded in Crump's face, and the surrounding X-Nauts felt the impact of the blast as well, feeling shaken up by the damage that they had endured. Despite this, they were still raring to fight.
"We're not done yet," Andrew declared. "Let's give it all we got!"
All six of them nodded in agreement as the battle continued. Goombella scurried through the X-Naut crowd to deliver yet another Multibonk to Lord Crump's head, hitting him at least 9 times in a row.
Koops then followed by going into his shell and plowing right through the X-Nauts and Lord Crump with his Power Shell, performing his breakdance routine immediately afterwards. Lord Crump wiped his mouth before he made his next declaration.
"Buh huh huuuuuuuuuuuh! Oh no! It's not over yet, you losers! Let's see how you like this attack!" Lord Crump then commanded his X-Nauts. "X-NAUTS! Time to plow into these punks with your Combined Roll attack! LET'S ROLL!"
The X-Nauts obliged as they then clumped together to form a giant ball. Crump then jumped on top of it as he then got them to roll straight into the direction of the seven travelers.
Goombella, Koops, Flurrie, Yoshiam, Vivian, and Bobbery were just about to scatter out of the way. But before they could, Andrew jumped in and blocked the attack with both hands. He was strong enough to get the attack to stop. However, he managed to feel the impact of the blow, as his hands were wincing in pain from the strength of it.
"Yowch!" Andrew yelped in pain. "That is one powerful attack!"
"Andrew!" Goombella yelled in concern. "You OK?"
"Oh yeah. Yeah. I should be fine," Andrew shook his hands. "I just didn't think that they could attack in such a powerful manner."
Upon being halted in their attack, the X-Nauts scattered as Lord Crump jumped down in the center of his X-Naut crew. Lord Crump then charged for Andrew, where he was going to do another Body Slam attack on him.
What he didn't count on was the fact that Andrew was more than ready to counter back, as he jumped into the air and performed a roundhouse kick to Lord Crump's face, sending him flying a couple of feet as he made sure that he remained on his feet.
Flurrie, amazed by Andrew's amazing prowess and moves, soared through the air and performed her Body Slam attack on Lord Crump, squishing him and causing more damage to him.
Crump didn't have much time to recover as Yoshiam laid three Mini-Eggs, which he tossed two of them at Crump, and one of them at the X-Nauts surrounding him. He then flutter-jumped into the air and then landed on Lord Crump to deliver a Ground Pound attack on him, hitting him five times in a row.
Vivian then floated up as she lifted her right hand again, pointing her index finger at Lord Crump and the X-Nauts as she swirled it around with a magical spark occurring from doing so. Her Fiery Jinx attack was then unleashed, scorching the X-Nauts and Lord Crump in flames. They shook off the soot that was covering them before they noticed that they were on fire again. The X-Nauts surrounding Crump were no help to him as they rammed into each other, knocking themselves out, while Crump was still on fire.
"All right! We almost got him," Andrew then looked towards Bobbery. "Bobbery, light up that fuse. I'll give you a boost with my throwing arm this time."
"If you insist, old boy," Bobbery lit his fuse as Andrew then grabbed him. "Make it a good one, Andrew."
Andrew nodded as he held him in his right hand. With a strong throwing arm, Andrew spun his right arm quickly before he made a successful throw toward Lord Crump, with Bobbery flashing red upon being thrown.
By the time he made contact with him, he exploded and unleashed his Bomb attack on him. Lord Crump almost had it, and this time he had no mushrooms to use for recovery.
"Nice work, Bobbery," Andrew praised him as Bobbery regenerated and landed right next to him. "Now it's time to finish this fight off!"
Andrew then went and delivered a strong Power Swing to Lord Crump's head, making direct contact with his head. Then for the final blow, Andrew went and did his Power Bounce attack, striking Crump 11 times in a row.
Once he was done, he did a backflip through the air and landed on the ground with perfect balance. His partners all approached him as they saw that Lord Crump was unable to fight any longer. After teetering back and forth, Lord Crump fell over, face first. He was unconscious. He had lost yet again.
His X-Nauts saw that he was knocked out and they then panicked.
"OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! LORD CRUMP'S BEEN KNOCKED OUT!" The X-Nauts screamed bloody murder. "WE SURRENDER! WE GIVE UP!"
Seeing that the other X-Nauts were not willing to fight any longer, Andrew felt that their job was done.
"All right, guys! We did it!" Andrew gave them a thumbs up. "Now that our work here is down, let's head back to the Black Skull to regroup with the others."
All of them nodded collectively as the seven travelers jumped back over onto the Black Skull. All of the stranded Toads have managed to get back onto the ship as well, as they had heard Lord Crump moaning and picking himself up.
As soon as Lord Crump managed to come to, he felt unable to fight any longer, as he saw that Andrew and his six friends were back on the Black Skull. He couldn't help but stomp his foot. It wasn't fair. He had pulled every single dirty trick that he came up with while fighting with them. And he still lost. Now he would never hear the end of it from Sir Grodus himself.
"MAN, THIS IS GETTING OLD! How could I lose...again?!" Lord Crump yelled in fury. "I HATE LOSING!"
Crump was shown stomping his foot as his fellow X-Nauts had accompanied him. Andrew thought that this was embarrassing on Crump's part. But he brought it upon himself when he tried to beat him and steal his Crystal Star. He then heard Lord Crump shout something else.
"Now, I gotta think of another excuse for Grodus! Grrrrrrr!" Lord Crump growled as he had no choice but to retreat with his X-Nauts. "And with that...POW! I'm gone!"
And with that, POW! The X-ship turned around and sailed off in the opposite direction, with Lord Crump on it along with the other X-Nauts. Everyone on the Black Skull had to celebrate their victory over those X-Nauts that tried to bomb Keelhaul Key with them on it.
Andrew, in particular, was especially happy that he and his friends managed to pull through and triumph over Lord Crump, despite his dirty cheating tricks.
"Great job, guys!" Andrew told all six of them. "We sure did drive the X-Nauts off for sure!"
"Yay! We did it, Andrew!" Goombella beamed in a preppy manner. "We won't have to worry about THAT guy for a while!"
"Hey, all right! We did it!" Koops yelled happily as he gave Andrew a thumbs up. "He shouldn't bother us anymore...for a while."
"Why, we've done it, Andrew!" Flurrie boomed rather joyously. "I daresay he won't trouble us for some time, hmm?"
"Yeah! Yeah! We whipped him!" Yoshiam jumped up and down as he cheered. "That loser won't get in our face for a while, for SURE!"
"Hey, we did it, Andrew!" Vivian beamed while clapping her hands happily. "It'll take him a while to recover from that!"
"We've done it, old boy!" Bobbery gave him a stance that looked like he was saluting him. "I should say he won't be too keen on seeing us again, eh?"
"Exactly! Way to go, guys!" Andrew cheered.
"Ah! That was excellent dueling that you did with that knave, Captain Andrew," Flavio told him. "Thanks to you, we got rid of those nasty pirates. Of course, thanks to me as well for allowing us to ride on the Black Skull."
It was then all of the stranded Toads made comments about how the X-Nauts can eat seaweeds while everyone else looked ready to celebrate over trumping Lord Crump and the X-Nauts.
"OK guys, why don't we go back to the island and celebrate," Andrew suggested. "Tomorrow we can come up with a plan to get off of Keelhaul Key and get back to Rogueport."
"I'm totally with you on that one, Andrew!" Goombella agreed. "Let's rest up. We could use it after all of the excitement that we went through today."
"Ummm... You said it," Koops remarked. "Oh, man... That was some fighting that we've done, wasn't it?"
"I daresay that that would be a tremendous idea, darling," Flurrie winked at Andrew before blowing him a kiss. "I feel somewhat exhausted from the brawling that we've done today. Let's rest up, shall we?"
"Good idea, Presto," Yoshiam smiled. "I'm kinda beat anyway. We can rest up and eat as much as we can. Then tomorrow, we can find some way to get off this island."
"I agree with you, Andrew," Vivian nodded shyly. "We should eat and rest up for the night. We can figure out a way for us to get back to Rogueport tomorrow."
"Capital thinking on your part, old boy," Bobbery remarked with a nod. "I should say, tomorrow ought to provide for us the answer on how to flee from this island and get back to the town of Rogueport, eh?"
"Great," Andrew smiled. "So let's get back to the mainland."
Cortez only nodded as he brought the ship back to the dock nearby, allowing them to get off the ship and eat some dinner before turning in for the night. Something told Andrew that Cortez might 'possibly' escort him and the others back to Rogueport on his Black Skull. But he couldn't quite possibly tell why he was feeling that way.
Regardless, he would find out for himself tomorrow, when they need to get off. Aside from that, Andrew knew that he'd have to deal with the X-Nauts again since there were two more Crystal Stars out there.
The same went for the Shadow Sirens, or rather, Beldam and Marilyn, and whoever may've taken Vivian's place in the group, who would probably stop Andrew from getting the next Crystal Star. Wherever it may be.
He would find out where the next Crystal Star was located once he got back to Rogueport and headed for the Thousand-Year Door. Andrew would be interested in knowing where the Magical Map would take him next. That was a guarantee...
END OF CHAPTER 52...
All right! That's it for this chapter! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and that Chapter 5 has been wrapped up here.
Yeah, this chapter was all right to write out, even though it wasn't my favorite compared to how I handled Chapter 4. Still, it's been a ride with this chapter too, and Bobbery does make a good addition to the team here.
Now that that's been settled, the next several chapters will be the interludes after Chapter 5. The next chapter will focus on Peach again, as Grodus is angry with how Crump failed again, and his next plan involves sending the Shadow Sirens after Andrew and his crew.
Additionally, TEC sends Peach on another errand that involves sneaking into Grodus's office while being invisible. She'll make a potion in the laboratory room to do so, and she'll have to take her clothes off while sneaking by the guard undetected. And a few other things will be included. How will things go for Princess Peach? Find out next time, readers.
In the meantime, you can leave a review, if you like, and let me know what you thought of this chapter overall. Nothing else to say.
Aside from that, I have nothing else to say. So until next time, I do hope that you guys take care of yourselves. And on that note, thanks again for reading, everyone!