Drain Damage

Drain Damage (ピョンピョン はねろ lit. Hopping and Leaping in Japanese) is the 2nd boss level in Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex. After Crash has collected all of the Crystals from the water hub of Coco's VR Hub System, he will face Crunch as well as the Water Elemental, Wa-Wa. The fight takes place nearby a drainage system of sorts, along with stone pillars and platforms that will sink if Crash stays on them for too long, and the background being an Asiatic forest. If Crash defeats Crunch and Wa-Wa, then the reward for his victory will be the Double Jump ability, allowing him to jump more than once. This battle is slightly easier with the Double Jump.

First Phase
The battle starts after Crunch and Wa-Wa leap over to the second platform. However, Crash cannot just simply leap across the stones and spin onto Crunch, he has to have perfect timing or he will be vaporized by the greenish-blue wave. Regardless of Aku-Aku being acquired by Crash, Crash will vaporize instantly if the waves hit him. Also, the second thing that is lethal to Crash is the water, as there isn't any solid ground besides the platforms to land on. Crash cannot stay on one platform forever, as they will sink if stays on one for too long. All Crash has to do is to wait for the right timing, jumping over the wave across the platforms and spin onto Crunch.

Second Phase
In addition to the ground-sweeping waves, Crunch can now launch waves in the air, meaning that Crash must not jump too soon or he will be vaporized by the airborne waves. To dodge them, all Crash has to do is crouch down. The pattern in this phase is low wave first, then high wave second. Along with dodging these attacks, all Crash has to do is merely jump across the platforms and spin onto Crunch again at the end.

Third Phase
Now Crunch has a new ability in this round; he can now pound his fists on the ground, sending shock waves onto the three platforms. If Crash moves a muscle at the wrong time, he will vaporize as per usual. The attack pattern of the waves is the same with the addition to the shock waves at the end, therefore Crash must jump at the right time, dodge, and stand still, then he can again spin onto Crunch again.

Fourth Phase
This is the last phase of the battle. Fortunately for Crash, Crunch does not gain any new attacks in this part, but now Crunch changes his tactics around. First, he will launch the low-proximity wave and hit the ground and then fire the high-proximity wave and hit the ground. So Crash has to jump over, stand still, crouch down, and stand still in that order. After Crash spins onto Crunch for the final time, Crunch will vanish into bubbles and Wa-Wa will be imprisoned again, and the duo leave nothing else besides the Double Jump. Crash then grabs it and leaves the area. On a side note, if Crash does not immediately collect the Double Jump, he is free to explore the area before he vanishes, as there is nothing else dangerous during this time except the water surrounding the platforms.

Trivia

 * This is the only battle in the game that the boss has no health bar (except Crunch Time on the PS2 version).
 * The level's name is based off the term "brain damage".
 * Ironically, in the official strategy guide, the level is misspelt as "Brain" Damage.
 * The drainage system in this level near Crash, Crunch, and Wa-Wa is perhaps the reason why the level's name is such. Ironically, this fight has nothing to do with drains at all other than visual effects. which could explain the fact and typo above.
 * It seems that Crunch's third attack, the shock waves, sounds very similar to when Crash breaks a box.
 * This battle, Crashes to Ashes, Rumble in the Roks and Crunch Time seem to be the four boss levels where Crash can move before getting the Double Jump, Death Tornado, Tip Toe, and Crash Dash respectively, as opposed to Atmospheric Pressure.
 * This boss is often considered to be the hardest in Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex on the PS2 as the platforms sink considerably quicker than on other versions.
 * Coincidentally, the level Drain Bash from Crash Bash was originally called Drain Damage before the name was changed.
 * In the beta version, this level used to be an all-platforming level, until it was altered to a boss level in the finished version.
 * The strategy that Crunch employs to defeat Crash is remarkably similar to the way Dr. Nefarious Tropy was fought in his own arena back in Crash Bandicoot: Warped.