3. Dark Sides: Tournament of Elements

Chapter 26 - Feast of Fortune

Cole was having a really bad day. Like a really, really, really bad day. Try worst-day-in-his-entire-life bad day.

He'd already lost one member of his team, had just lost his own fight, and now his scythe and his elemental powers had been stolen from him. As it turned out, Master Chen really was a traitor. Cole would have been proud that he was right under different circumstances. But now Clouse was trying to tell him that he was going to be put to work in Chen's factory. No way that was going to happen.

Cole had tried to fight when they came to get him out of his cell, but it only took a couple of guards to drag him off. Without his super strength, he was as helpless as any regular captive. It was humiliating. However, things started to brighten up a bit once he saw the factory itself.

The place was swarming with guards, and he could pick out most of the workers as the fighters who had already been defeated in the tournament. But he could see the large steam-powered machines and conveyor belts, all producing mass amounts of food. Noodles, fortune cookies, dumplings . . . all of Cole's favorite foods, and then some.

Cole gasped at the sight of it. "A noodle factory! Why didn't you say so?" He was finally released and was able to get a closer look at the machinery. "This is my kind of place. Look, that's how they make the noodles! Oh, and that's a dumpling machine! And is that – " He broke off when he saw a familiar face. "Zane!"

His friend glanced up and looked equally happy to see him. "Cole!"

Cole ran over and clapped him on the back. "Where ya been, buddy?"

"Um, here. Looking for a way to escape. Without much luck, sadly."

Cole lowered his voice and whispered, "Well now that I'm here, we can find a way out together. Things are looking up!"

But Zane shook his head. "It's not as easy as you think. This place is nearly impossible to escape from. There are too many guards, and only one way out. Even if we did manage to break out of the factory, there's an entire underground labyrinth that, as I hear, is guarded by a large creature."

"Oh come on, I'm sure we can figure something out. Hey, is that Pixal?" Cole could see the android girl working away on the opposite side of the room. "Maybe we could get her to help us. I'm sure she wants to get out of here as much as we do. That girl's a walking computer, she'd be able to solve any obstacles we come across." Cole nudged Zane. "Whaddya say? Think you can turn on the charm and get her to help us out?" Where Zane's fascination with the girl had proven to be a distraction before, it looked like it might actually help them now.

But Zane wasn't as enthusiastic about the idea as Cole would have thought. "I don't think she would be much help. She's not very honest for an android."

"Oh . . . well, we'll think of something." As Cole said this, the fortune cookies rolling by on the conveyor belt caught his eye. "And I think I already have an idea."

. . .

Due to the midnight skating round, the Elemental Masters were allowed to sleep in the next day before another fight took place in the afternoon wherein the Master of Shadow defeated the Master of Poison. That evening, the remaining fighters were all invited to a feast in the palace arena, compliments of Master Chen.

Kai was too distracted to notice any of it, though. He'd spent every waking moment wondering about Cole and Zane, wondering about Chen, wondering about all the secrets that were being kept from them. To his surprise, they hadn't met with Master Chen or Master Wu since Cole lost his round. Kai had thought that he and Jay were gonna get it for losing another fighter, but so far nothing had happened. Somehow Master Wu's silence was even more concerning.