Max couldn't hear what Cy-Croc heard, but he didn't say anything to her for two reasons. The first reason was because she was the one who was trained and experienced in this business with those flaming monsters who were after them. Before she came to rescue and protect him from them, the closest he ever came to experience anything like this was the video games he used to play, wherever by himself or with his best pals PJ and Bobby, so he knew he really had no room to say anything in this matter. The second reason was because she had a metal ear for her right one and, though she never said anything about it, he didn't want to interfere with the advanced hearing, if that was that ear's purpose, but speaking or making any noise more than he had to.
"I can't see or hear anything," Cy-Croc said. "Sorry about that, Max, but as you know, you can't be too careful or sure about these things."
"Yeah, I understand. You're just doing your job." Then Max started to sniff. "Well, I can smell something and it smells like burning."
Cy-Croc sniffed too. "Yeah, you're right. And it smells close too. Though I can't see any smoke, even with my scanning eye."
Max looked for smoke too, but he couldn't find any more than Cy-Croc could. However, the burning smell was getting stronger, which it meant it was getting closer and yet neither Max nor Cy-Croc could see anything burning. Then he was grabbed by his friend and they both ran. He soon learned why she did that. The giant tree behind them was lit in flames and falling down. They had just missed it when it crashed-landed to the ground.
"Let me guess," Max said. "Our flaming buddies?"
"You guessed correctly, mate," Cy-Croc said, as they both saw a squad of flaming monsters jump from the burning tree and gathered around them.
"Hey, you guys," the flaming leader said.
"Hey, Hothead," Cy-Croc said.
The Fire Army laughed at that.
"Hothead?" one cried with laughter. "That's a good one."
"Shut up!" the leader yelled at his army.
"You know, if you need Max alive, how did you intend to do that by burning the biggest tree in the forest and then making it fall?" Cy-Croc asked her enemies sarcastically. "You nearly burned and squashed him and me to death!"
"Well, it's hard for a flame to hide behind something without setting it ablaze," one flaming monster said.
"As for the tree falling down, well, we couldn't help that either," another one said.
"Enough!" the Flaming Leader snapped at them. Then he started to turn back to face Max and Cr-Croc. "You know, if you let us to arrest you, you could still be your humorous self and entertain the other prisoners, including your friend over there." When he finished turning, he saw that neither Cy-Croc nor Max was there.
"Uh, they're not there, sir," one of the flame soldiers said.
He growled as he faced the army. "I know they're not there! What I want to know is where did they go!"
"We don't know, sir," said one flame.
"Did any of your morons even spot them when they were running away?"
The flames shook their head.
"See what happens when you don't focus on your job?" the Flaming Leader shouted. "If you did instead of laughing all the time, we would have been able to –"
"To capture us?"
"Yes, that's right. To capture –" Then he stopped. He and the entire Fire Army turned and finally saw Cy-Croc and Max… on the other side of the big river. They teasingly waved to them.
"But how?"
"They're not flames like us, sir," one flame said. "They swim across the river easily."
"I know that!" the Flaming Leader snapped. "When I said, 'But how?', I meant how they get across without us knowing.
"You weren't looking at us when we did, genius," Max teased.
"What were you saying about focusing on the mission, Hothead?" Then Cy-Croc gasped mockingly. "Not listening to your own advice?"
"What kind of leader doesn't listen to his or her own advice?" Max teased.
"Ohh," the flames teased.
"SHUT UP!" the Flaming Leader roared at them. "Now, we know where they are, let's get after them! We'll burn the whole forest down if we need to! Now, follow me!"
Then the flames followed him.
Though the Fire Army was still on the other side of the river, Max and Cy-Croc were still running as if their lives depended on it because they did, especially with the fireballs the Fire Army still being able to throw at them on their side.
"Cy-Croc, bridge ahead!" Max pointed out.
Cy-Croc saw the wooden bridge ahead and she knew he was pointing it out because he was warning her that the Fire Amy could cross over it (and burn it) to get to them and they did.
"Max, in here! Quick!" Cy-Croc grabbed Max and they went into a few bushes. They went into a dark, deep part of the forest and they didn't stop until they came to a giant pond. Before Max could complain about how mucky and slimy the pond was, he was forced to join Cy-Croc in it.
"How is this pond going to help us?" Max asked.
"Just trust me, Max," Cy-Croc said.
They went into the middle.
"Now, stay here."
Max stayed where he was as he confusingly watched Cy-Croc pushing lily pads to the edge where they entered the pond and putting some sticks on them.
Then the Fire Army arrived. They jumped onto the lily pads and grabbed the sticks, both lit up with flames, to row to Cy-Croc and Max.
"Can you please tell me your plan?" Max whispered to Cy-Croc.
"No," she said.
"But you've just helped them get to us! Why would you do that?"
"Just trust me, Max. It's part of the plan, I promise."
Max got more worried the closer the flames got to him and Cy-Croc, but so far she did a good job protecting him so he was going to trust her with this.
"We got you now," the Flaming Leader chuckled, as he and the Fire Army surrounded them.
"Oh, yeah, you sure have," Cy-Croc said. "Okay, we surrender. Our hands are up, see?" She lifted hers up. She nudged Max to do the same with his and he did. "And also we get on our knees to surrender." Then both of knelt and underwater with even their heads being covered up.
"Good!" The Flaming Leader cheered. "They've surrendered! Now, arrest them up!"
The Fire Army were about to arrest them until they realised that both Max and Cy-Croc had surrendered to them… underwater!
"Lost your two prisoners?"
The Fire Army turned to see Max and Cy-Croc out of the pond. Then they noticed that they had used up all the lily pads and there weren't any spare ones for them to hop to and back to the land like frogs.
"Nice try, guys," Max said.
"See you," Cy-Croc said.
Then all the Fire Army could do was watch their enemies walk away while remaining trapped in their pond prison.
"What do we do, boss?" one of them asked. "What do we do?"
"I don't know!" the Flaming Leader snapped at the other flames. "Just shut up and let me think!"
"We've been shutting up and letting you think for hours," said a flame soldier.
"Well, shut up and let me think some more!"
Then they saw the water in the pond drying up. They were delighted that they were no longer threatened by the dangerous thing called water. Even the bottom of the pond was dry as a bone.
"How could the pond dry up so fast?" one flame asked, as the entire Fire Army started to move.
There was a loud throat clearing.
The Fire Army looked up to see a hooded figure approaching them. It was their mistress.
"Lady Penny, we are so sorry," the Flaming Leader said. "We didn't mean to fail you again."
"It's no matter," the hooded figure said.
"We tried our hardest and –" The Flaming Leader got confused. "Did you say it's no matter, Ma'am?"
"Yes, I did. And it is really no matter because I have a plan."
"Great, Lady Penny. What do we do?"
"Nothing."
"Okay, then. You heard her, men. We are going to do –" Then the Flaming Leader realised what the sorceress said. "Did you say nothing, Ma'am?"
"Again, yes, I did, Flaming Leader," the sorceress said. "We'll let Cy-Croc think that she's succeeding in protecting Max Goof and then the next time we show ourselves to get Max we'll make her fail so much that it will scare her so much for the rest of her life. And if we succeed, that will be the best thing that can – and will – ever happen in my life."
Then she and the Fire Army all evilly laughed their heads.