Now this is where the arc really starts to get interesting. Flame finally figures a way to get out of the Green's power, all hidden inside a small brown bag that Fervo's partner picks up. Nothing too exciting, just a lot of foreshadowing.
Episode 118: Hope and Dispair
Well, I managed to control myself and not kill Fervo so we continued dragging the sleds along the tunnel. Me having to use only one hand but still managing the task thanks to my grit stubborness. There was no way in hell that I was giving the Greens any pleasure in seeing me falter.
I had the joyfull honour of hauling the sled, solo, up a small hill so it could get refilled. Tate had been called over by one of the Greens, although Fervo did help out by pushing the sled from behind along with his own load.
"We Blues have to look out for each other," he explained as I finally reached level ground and Tate came back over, with one extra red mark across his stomach.
"What was that about?" I asked, glancing at the Green as we hauled our load past. It was another weed.
"It got bored," Tate muttered, "nothing serious. Now, we'd better hurry or we won't finish this load in time for lunch."
"Lunch? They actually feed us?" I asked, shocked, "now that's a suprise."
"It's not much, but it keeps us alive a little longer. So they can get more work out of us," Fervo muttered as he pulled his sled up alongside ours, "ain't that right, Roco?"
"Yep," the racoon Pokémon answered in a squeaky voice, its zigzag markings on its fur matching its strange walk.
While I was working with only one arm, Fervo had to struggle to keep his sled going fowards thanks to Roco's staggering about. But we made the work slightly more interesting by racing each other down the tunnels, me and Tate gaining an early lead while Fervo and Roco caught up on the return trip.
My arm was really getting tired but I blanked it out and focused on the hill that was the finish line, too stubborn to let Fervo win. Untill I heard Fervo tell Roco to hop aboard his sled and he shot past me and Tate, finishing just ahead of us.
"You bastard," I muttered as we dumped our sleds and were herded out of the giant cavern, "you did that on purpose."
"Well it is not my fault that I could get rid of my handicap during the final stretch," Fervo smirked as we entered another cavern and got our lunch.
"Okay, this crap makes Pokéfood taste nice," I muttered at the stone bowl that held what Tate called 'soup'
"After around a week of living of this, you don't notice the taste as much," he said as he picked up the bowl and poured its contents down his throat in one.
"I don't intend to be here for more than a week," I replied, drinking a little and almost gagging on the taste. Fervo wasn't doing any better on his stone table. He was forced to sit with his group, Blue Nine.
My shoulder was still a little sore but the bleeding had stopped after I had fried the wound shut. Cray, the blue Nidoran from before and who had been stuck digging so was even more dirty than ealier, had been asking about the rumoured battle that had occured in the tunnels but Tate told her that that was just a rumour and nothing had happened. When Tate moved to talk to another of the group members, I whispered to her that Tate was being secetive because he had gotten his arse kicked and that I would tell everyone the whole thing later.
I managed to finish the last of the dark green soup just as we were all told to get up and get back to work, so we did. Another few hours of hauling that damn sled around, one handed, and several races against Fervo. We were finally able to start beating him and when it was time to stop working, the score was four to both sides. My and Tate's stamina finally prevailing against his and Roco's speed.
As we were hearded back towards the tiny carverns used as sleeping quaters, I noticed that Roco had picked up a small brown bag and was carrying it in his jaws. Tate noticed my stare and followed it, sighing as he plucked the bag away from Roco.
"He's always finding these, I don't have a clue where from," he explained, "all thats in them are a few berries. But we can't eat them because they are so spicy."
"Wait!" I muttered as I swiped the bag, "gimme those."
As we entered our cave, I ripped open the top of the bag and peered inside. Three small red berries. Boom berries. I started laughing, I couldn't help myself. The rest of Blue Seven was staring as I managed to stop chuckling long enough to breathe.
"What was that about?" Tate asked, butting in before I could start laughing again.
"These berries are the reason I escaped the last prison I was in," I said, "they give my firebreath a little extra punch."
"So, you're saying that these things make you stronger?" Cray asked, "so we can fight our way out!"
"Whoa," I interrupted before she could go crazy, "there are only three berries, thats three blasts. I wouldn't be able to take them all down. But if Roco can find more of these, then we're as good as free. I'd like to see Bayleef try and survive me after I've had a few of these."
Tate was smiling again, the chance of escape had gotten much bigger with mine and Roco's little find.
"Roco usually picks up a few of those every day, so give it a few days and we'll be out of here."
"Well, Cray. Bury these in the corner or something, we don't want them to get found," I said, chucking her the bag, "and lets get some sleep. I don't know about you but I'm knackered."
The next day, nothing special happened except the Greens seemed to avoid me. It was back to sled pulling and, thanks to my regaining the use of my injured arm, me and Tate flattened Fervo during the tunnel races. I was actually enjoying myself, which was odd considering the circumstances.
I had also figured a way to get Roco's finds back to our little cavern. A member of Fervo's team was a young Kangaskahn and agreed to store the small bags in its pouch, which were then passed onto us on the way back to our sleeping cave.
"So we've got twenty Boom Berries," Tate said as he passed the last bag over to Cray, "and a few very bitter blue berries."
"Keep those too," I told him, "we might be able to slip some into the Green's food. They won't be able to fight if they are too busy choking on their tounge."
But, the next day, something did happen. When me and Tate got our sleds, we noticed that Fervo was on his own.
"Where's Roco?" Tate asked, to which Fervo pointed towards the center of the massive cavern. I could just make out a small form laying in the center, tied to some sort of anchor.
"They came and grabbed him last night, I tried to stop them but they knocked me out," Fervo muttered quietly, a small tear running down his cheek, "they're going to leave him to starve."
Tate looked at the floor, realising that we were not going to get enough Boom Berries for me to take down all the Greens. Fervo was close to tears while I clenched my fists and dropped the sled. Both of them looked up at me as I turned away from the tunnel and started walking towards Roco.
"They've gone too far now," I growled, "now they are going to see what I can really do."
"They'll kill you," Tate tried, although we all knew that I wouldn't listen.
"They wouldn't dare," I called back over my shoulder as I ran towards the caverns center, fully aware of everyone staring at me.
Suprisingly, none of the many Greens that ordered the Blues around made to stop me. That made alarms ring in the back of my head but I ignored them and skidded to a stop beside Roco. They hadn't just chained him to a boulder, he was covered in small wounds and bruises and one of his eyes was swollen shut.
"It's a trap," he spluttered, blood coming out of the side of his mouth, "Bayleef knows."
"I know," I replied as I brought my claws down on the chains again and again untill the links shattered and Roco was free, "just try not to get in the way when the fireballs start flying. I'll get you out of this, I promise."