Chapter 10 – Go Team Arrow

AN: Hey all, thanks so much for your continually incredibly responses, you're amazing! Rennie thanks for yet another fast turnaround allowing me to update so fast again :-D

I mention Oliver's fighting styles in this & have taken the info is from Arrow wiki so sorry if it's wrong guys :)

Disclaimer: I know, I know, I don't own Arrow.

They couldn't protect Oliver from his memories, his own mind, but they would protect him from having to talk any further this night. Roy came and joined them too, completing the wider Team Arrow, and all four of them together gave off such a forbidding air that nobody had the nerve to try to argue or question further.

Team Arrow had Oliver's back.

Felicity's POV

Felicity woke early and looking around saw that everyone else was still asleep, save Diggle who was sitting where Oliver had been, keeping watch. He looked over to her and half smiled before answering her unspoken question.

"Oliver's outside training."

Felicity came and sat down on the rock next to Diggle and saw Oliver outside as Diggle had said. Oliver was training parkour style, treating every part of the landscape around him as a tool to be used. Felicity was taken aback at the way Oliver was going, the speed he was going. She had seen him parkour before of course – many, many times – but always in the lair or the city, never out here on the Island like this. It was so impressive, but at the same time it was strange to see him working out with his shirt on. Oliver stopped at the base of a tree before going at it as if it was the training dummy. Felicity realized this is how and where he had learnt most of what he knew in the first place.

Oliver was obviously very tense and seemed angry too and Felicity knew it was because of his nightmare waking everybody up. It had taken a lot out of him having to explain it everyone, especially after just having to relive it. She wanted to help him but wasn't sure how. As the others woke up the mood was very subdued and on edge throughout the camp. Felicity looked at Diggle knowing he was worried about it too. They needed to do something to improve the morale, she just needed to think of what.

Felicity looked around for inspiration before perceiving that the answer was right in front of her. Oliver. He needed to work off tension and they needed to get the images and sounds of last night out of their minds. They needed to be able to trust in him in his abilities, in the abilities of the whole Team to keep them safe. What better way to do that than by seeing him spar?! She thought smiling.

Diggle's POV

"What you planning in that genius brain of yours?" Diggle asked seeing her look.

"Oh nothing, just how to improve Oliver's mood and restore morale in one go." Felicity answered smugly.

"And how are you going to do that then?" Diggle asked slightly warily. He knew that when Felicity got that look there was no arguing with her so whatever it was she had planned this time it was going to happen, he just hoped he was going to like it.

"I'm not, you are." Felicity grinned even wider at the look on Diggle's face. "Or more precisely you, Oliver, and Sara are going to. Look, he needs to work off some of that energy and regain his focus on now instead of on last night and they need to get last night out of their heads too and need to trust we can protect them but how can they do that when they don't even really know that we're a Team let alone what it is you guys are capable of so the best way for them to know that is to see. So you show them, you spar with Oliver first and then both of you with Sara just as you do in the lair."

Diggle nodded slowly, agreeing. Felicity was right as always. He was going to end up with a load more bruises, of course, but that was nothing new when he sparred with them. We need to train anyway, so why not take the chance to encourage them all at the same time?

"Okay yeah, it's a good plan Felicity. I'll talk to Sara and the rest while you talk to Oliver." Diggle was happy to do it, but as it was her idea she could be the one to tell Oliver, just in case he didn't agree. There's no way Oliver will be able to win an argument with Felicity anyway.

He went over to Sara who had come outside and was just finishing a breakfast of leftovers from last night's dinner. Diggle explained Felicity's plan to her and although Sara was unsure to start with, she agreed it was a good idea and worth a try. They needed to train anyway and Diggle had yet to train out here, he knew he needed to familiarize himself far more with the landscape.

From the sounds of it Oliver wasn't agreeing with Felicity so easily though. Diggle just smiled and left them to it as he entered the cave to speak to the rest who were now start to stir and get up too. There's no way he's going to have any choice about this so they might as well be ready.

"Morning all." Diggle paused waiting for their full attention before continuing. "We know that you're all still a little shaken up from last night and everything else that's happened in the last couple of days. We understand that and know that you don't know enough to trust us to protect you yet. So, we've agreed it would be a good idea for you to actually see what Oliver can do, what we all can do."

Diggle looked around gauging the various expressions. Thea looked curiously interested, as did Laurel. Moira looked concerned but seemed willing to listen. Lance and Walked both shared a small smile, they had seen the Arrow up close after all and, of course, Lance had seen Sara too. Roy was clearly worried and Diggle understood he wasn't ready to reveal about the Mirakuru yet. Diggle shook his head very slightly at Roy to indicate that they weren't going to say anything about that until Roy was ready. Roy sighed slightly in relief and mouthed a silent thank you, he was standing at the back and Diggle was the only one who could see his face.

Diggle turned and walked back outside knowing they would follow. Sara was already there standing off to one side. She had agreed it would be best for Oliver and him to spar first, impress with what they could do. Then Sara would join in to prove that size and strength was definitely not everything – they needed to know that just because Slade was stronger didn't mean he would win and Sara was the best way to make that point.

Oliver was standing there ready too, glaring at Felicity, but still ready - except for one thing. Diggle noticed that Oliver still had his shirt on and he never trained with it on. If they were to trust Team Arrow then they had to get to know them as they were, as they really were – no more hiding. Diggle walked over to the clearing where Oliver was waiting before stopping just short and removing his own shirt.

Oliver's POV

Diggle looked at Oliver pointedly who hesitated before giving a single nod to show he was going to remove his own shirt, understanding the point Diggle was making. But not quite yet. Oliver understood Felicity's plan even if he wasn't completely sure about it. When it came to the emotional stuff her instincts were far better than his own however so he was willing to trust her and follow her lead. Oliver wanted to be sure that everybody recognized Diggle's skills and training before they started sparing. Time for a little introduction.

"Okay you all know John Diggle and have become used to him being my shadow as my faithful bodyguard..."

"Black driver." Diggle said with a grin, making Oliver laugh briefly before he continued.

"...but you don't all know his background. As some of you know Digg is Special Forces out of Kandahar, so he is very highly trained and very skilled." Oliver paused to let them absorb that, he knew that everybody present had a very high regard for the military and had a lot of respect for the men and women who put their lives on the line for their country, as did he. "As well as that, Digg has also been working as my partner since a few months after my return. Many of the lives that have been saved have been down to him."

"Thanks man." Diggle said very quietly, so that only Oliver and Sara could hear.

Third Party POV

Oliver and Diggle put their combat knives and the bamboo rods Oliver had also grabbed from the fuselage to one side, meaning to show them hand-to-hand combat first.

"Ermm, Ollie, are you sure about this? I know you're the Arrow and everything, but Diggle is well..." Thea's voice faltered tailing off, not quite knowing how to finish that sentence without offending either man.

"It's fine Speedy, I know he has arms the size of bowling balls but you don't need to worry." Oliver reassured her, trying and failing to hide a smirk.

"Okayyy." Thea said, still unsure. "But he's not actually going to hurt you or anything?"

Roy laughed at that. "Thea, these guys don't hold back when they spar, everything is all-out, no holds barred, but your brother won't be the one getting hurt, trust me!"

Diggle glared at Roy, trying but failing to be offended, he knew that Roy was all too right – after all that size was not important was the very point they were going to illustrate when Sara joined in. Besides, the only time I manage to hurt Oliver is when he's distracted, which is so not going to be now.

Oliver took his shirt off deliberately facing them all, as if daring them to say anything this time. Diggle was right, this was about trust and if they were to trust him then they had to know him. That meant being himself and not one of the masks he normally wore – therefore Oliver needed to train as he always did. Besides, as Felicity had pointed out, it would be a good way to stop them focussing on the scars and let him see what he had become in spite of them.

Diggle saw Oliver give the slightest hint of a nod, the closest he'd ever get to a warning and then they were fighting all out and going at it as fast as they could. Diggle's style was mostly the Eskrima that the Special Forces taught, with a mix of things he'd picked up from Oliver and Sara along the way. Oliver's style by comparison was far more of a mix, reflecting something of each of the mentors he had had including various types of martial arts from Eskrima to Wing Chun, from Hapkido to Jujitsu, not to mention the things he had learnt from the Bratva.

The non-Team members watching were amazed at the speed of what they were watching. Hands and legs were flying everywhere, blocks, kicks, hits, flips. They could hardly keep up with what they were seeing. Despite the speed of the fight it was very clear almost instantly that Oliver was the better fighter, Roy had been right, there was no way Oliver would be the one getting hurt.

After a few minutes of hand-to-hand Oliver said "Weapons."

Both Oliver and Diggle grabbed the knives without pausing and adding them in to the fight. Diggle did manage to catch Oliver, once, but Oliver caught Diggle far more times and Diggle wondered if Oliver had allowed him that one hit. He didn't have time to think about it though as the sparring required his full attention.

Soon after that Oliver flipped out of yet another failed hold, grabbing both the bamboo batons and threw one straight to Diggle. Thea, Moira, and Laurel couldn't believe what they were seeing, they would never have believed Oliver capable of this, this level of skill – to be going up against a Special Forces guy Diggle's size and to clearly have the upper hand against him, it stunned them. Walter and Lance were less surprised, both having seen the Arrow in action up close (and, of course, Lance had seen Sara too), but even so it was still fantastic to watch.

Felicity looked around at the faces happily, knowing that she had called it right, morale was already improving and she could see the trust and confidence in their protectors building – and it would only get better when Sara joined in.

A few minutes later Oliver called a break, it was time for Sara to join in. But before she joined in he needed to make a point, needed them to understand.

"So now you've seen what we can do hopefully you are starting to understand that being the biggest or the strongest guy around does not mean you will automatically have the upper hand. Diggle is a very skilled fighter and can take out most people that he goes up against. But unlike Slade and his guys, Diggle accepts that his strength won't necessarily win him the fight. Thinking you are the best and that nobody can beat you is a sure way to lose and that's why Slade will lose this. He does not believe that anyone can stand against him, he's wrong. His mind has been warped and he's forgotten how deadly it is to underestimate people."

"Many of the criminals that we have gone up against we have been able to find, to take down because they have made that same mistake. Yes, Diggle and I are the fighters, but without Felicity we wouldn't be able to do half of what we do. She's the one who talked Detective Lance through deactivating the first earthquake machine, she's the one who found Roy when he was being held hostage, who found Walter too. Felicity is one of our secret weapons and everybody always underestimates her, big mistake." Olive grinned at Felicity seeing her blushing and opening her mouth before clamping both hands over it. Evidently she wasn't willing to trust her brain-to-mouth filter.

"Go Team Arrow!" Felicity finally said before re-clamping her hands over her mouth.

Oliver just smiled, having now given up on telling her not to call them that. It's not like I'm going to win that argument anyway. He continued speaking to them all.

"Slade has made a second big mistake too. Laurel, you asked last night why Sara had to take a watch shift. I told you the truth but not all of it, it wasn't mine to tell without her agreement. Sara is the other person Slade continues to underestimate and she is going to prove to you all now that numbers, size, and strength simply do not matter when going up against somebody more skilled than you."

Oliver paused, looking at the expression of pride on Lance's face. He saw Walter glance at them briefly and it was clear his mind was going back to their comments in the fuselage yesterday about Sara being the better fighter.

"You might want to move back a little." Oliver advised as the non-Team Members had closed in a little. They backed away fast but Oliver's attention was already on Sara.

Sara suddenly flipped into the clearing, knife out in full on attack mode without giving any warning – not that either Oliver or Diggle had expected one. If the others had been amazed by Oliver's fight with Diggle, they were stunned by the sight of Sara going up against the both of them – and having the upper hand! This fight was even faster and Sara was a weapon down on the guys as there had only been two bamboo batons, but it made little difference. She was simply too fast, too skilled.

After a few more minutes Diggle backed out leaving Oliver and Sara to continue. Their fight took in every aspect of landscape around them. Trees, rocks, ditches, the parkour was like nothing the others had ever seen and all the time the knives were flashing as they fought. Neither was able to pin the other for more than a millisecond, both pulling moves that only Diggle and Felicity had ever seen before. Even Roy was stunned by some of it. Most of his time in the lair he had been training so he hadn't seen Oliver and Sara go at it like this for more than a minute or two ever.

After sparing a little longer both suddenly stopped at a signal none of the others, including Diggle, were able to distinguish. Oliver and Sara were breathing hard, but yet not out of breath. They had a few cuts, Oliver more than Sara Diggle saw with a smirk. Now he knows how I feel.

"Size means nothing, strength means nothing. Speed and skill, your training and focus, are far more important. As is having a Team around you to have your back. Slade does not have that, we do – and that's why we will win." Oliver finished triumphantly.

"Go Team Arrow!" Thea said happily, echoing Felicity's earlier words.