squashed in like sardines

Amun

You'll be faced with problems of all shapes and sizes
You're going to have to make a few compromises

Amun continued to use the buckets as bludgeons. Absolutely splattered with seeds and sticky fluids, he let out a cry now and then as he took out a particularly large specimen. His gauntlets were rapidly diminishing in size as he shot spikes out of them to lock down squash that slipped past him or Maea.

Even so, the damned creatures kept coming. Worse yet, it wasn't her imagination: they were both more numerous and larger. Risking a glance at her, he nodded. "Teleport out. At least a short distance. Trust me, please, I can escape them."

With that, he sucked in a breath. "Come and get me you future casseroles!" he bellowed at the horde of gourds. As if they understood him (and for all he knew, they did) the bulk of them launched themselves in his direction. Hoping she would heed his advice for one he broke into a sprint towards the nearest tree. Throwing the buckets ahead of him to knock the vegetables from his path, he activated his phasing upgrade at the last second and passed through the trunk, leaving his pursuers to splatter helplessly against the bark.

For now we're happy if not overjoyed
And we'll accept the things we cannot avoid