Sing me a Song Chapter 5: Symphony Accelerando
Description: Thomas has a problem to solve. Well, a few problems actually.
Notes: Sorry for the wait! Took a while to figure out how I wanted the chapter to end. Let me know if you want to be tagged or want to be removed from the tag list! If you were tagged before and want to be tagged again, let me know!
Thomas watched the Igglybuff approach terminal velocity. He felt his feet move faster as he attempted to move to position.
His adrenaline was helping him ignore the scratches that the Fearow left on him when he woke up. He somehow managed to move through branches and over roots with ease. He was vaguely aware that he was shouting at Foster to Pizza to follow.
Thomas was not aware of where he was, and that he was potentially going off trail. His mind was blank, outside of the thought, “CATCH HIM CATCH HIM CATCH HIM.”
His heart was pounding, and he could feel it drop as the Igglybuff fell lower and lower, despite his best effort to close the distance.
He saw Prince, almost in slow motion, fall between two trees, and hit the ground.
BOING
Prince flew back upwards into the sky, back down, and then bounced again, somehow higher into in the sky. Thomas's brain took a second to buffer before he could fully comprehend what was happening. The entry on Igglybuffs in the Pokemon encyclopedia seemed to play automatically in his mind.
Igglybuff's have extremely elastic bodies. When they start bouncing they become impossible to stop.
Thomas had to keep himself from laughing when that thought suddenly entered his mind. However, this did lessen Thomas's worries a bit.
“Prince! Don't worry! I'll catch you!” Thomas shouted, as he ran forward to catch Prince during his next fall. However, Thomas just missed, causing Prince to hit a nearby rock below Thomas's arms. The small Pokemon then ricochet off, and slam multiple times into surrounding trees.
Before Thomas could try to predict the Pokemon's trajectory, Prince ended up hitting a tree at an angle that caused him to launch towards a body of water that Thomas had not noticed yet.
“Oh god! Pizza! Foster! Help!”
Before Prince could hit the water, Foster quickly jumped up and headbutted him hard back toward Thomas, who quickly opened his arms and caught the Igglybuff. He held on as tight as he could as he was knocked backwards onto his butt and slid along the forest floor until his back hit a tree trunk.
Thomas let out a pained noise through gritted teeth as he held his arms together in a vice-like grip to keep prince from bouncing out. He eventually felt the inertia in Prince's body fade away until the small Pokemon was still, allowing Thomas to breathe.
Thomas felt a wet nose prod him. He looked down to see Foster, who was soaking wet and miserable, and Pizza, who was also wet, but seemed less cranky about it.
“Oh Foster! You got knocked in! I'll get towel to dry you off immediately; the water probably not good for you. I'm going to assume that you got her out, Pizza? Both of you are getting treats later.”
Pizza only responded by yawning and curling up by Thomas's side, seemingly content to rest after the stressful experience that they all recently just shared. Foster, however, seemed less ready to relax, and walked forward and poked her wet nose into the small ball of Pokemon in Thomas's hands. Prince, up to that point, had been extremely still and quiet. He had also been caught at an odd angle, with his face toward Thomas's body. Upon being poked, Prince shivered slightly.
Thomas frowned and turned the Igglybuff to face him. Even after everything that had just occured, Prince did not seem any worse for wear. However, Prince seemed to refuse to look at him, only looking down.
“Hey...”
The young Pokemon shivered slighted.
“Are you okay?”
Another shiver.
Thomas's frown deepened. “Hey, no one's gonna hurt you, okay? You're safe!”
Prince shivered a bit more. He glanced down at Foster (who had sat down next to Thomas and was staring up at Prince), up at Thomas's face quickly, then at Thomas's hands, then back down.
Both were extremely still for a moment, until Thomas took his hands off of prince slowly. Prince still did not move, but looked up at Thomas. Thomas smiled a tiny bit before grimacing at the pain that shot through his back.
Thomas put his head against the tree his back was against and closed his eyes.
How often has Prince been at the mercy of creatures bigger then him? I know he used to have his family, but they're not around. He only has himself. And now we're here in his space. How do I let him know that he's safe?
Thomas felt something small press his chest.
He looked back down to see that Prince had positioned his paws against Thomas's chest. Prince was looking at said chest with a concentrated expression. He started moving around pressing on various parts of Thomas's chest, stomach, and sides lightly, with Thomas occasionally hissing in pain.
Eventually, Prince gave a curt nod before looking around and hopping off of Thomas's lap. Thomas watched as Prince ran to a nearby tree and dug around the base, before producing a pile of Oran and Sitrus berries from underneath the tree.
Jigglypuff gathered a bunch of the berries in his arms, before walking back and laying down the bunch by Thomas. Prince rolled one of the berries toward foster (who happily took it, tail wagging), and threw one over Thomas toward pizza (who lazily started taking bites), before grabbing a few more and hopping back onto Thomas's lap and holding two Sitrus berries out to him.
When Thomas just maintained a blank expression and blinked a few times, Prince pouted and puffed up before punching Thomas (lightly) in the chest, and then thrusting the berries toward Thomas's face once more.
Thomas blinked a few times more, before chuckling and taking the berries from the small Pokemon. He popped one into his mouth and patted Princes head. Prince gave a curt nod before sitting down and snacking on his own berries.
Thomas smiled wider and ate the other berry. He wasn't sure if it somehow the effects of the berries, or the company of the Pokemon around him, but he was starting to feel better already.
However, there was something of a downside to this, as he was now more aware of what was going on around him. Specifically, that he was not only really damn cold, even in his jacket, but that there was a lingering scent of rot in the air, like a mix of compost and sewage. This scent traveled on the chilling breeze, blowing from the direction of the lake he was facing.
Thomas frowned and moved to get up, subconsciously picking up Prince in the process. He made is was to the edge of the lake and looked around.
He became vaguely aware of Prince shivering again.
He looked down to see the wide eyes of Princes staring up at him in... fear?
“Do you remember what I said earlier? You're safe! I promise we'll protect you”
Foster and Pizza appeared along side, looking up at Prince. Foster began barking a bit and Pizza yawning.
Prince's eyes darted between Thomas and the other Pokemon before he shook his head. Before Thomas could respond to that gesture, Prince turned his body in Thomas's arms and hopped out onto the ground. He looked up at Thomas, before pointed towards a spot across the lake.
“...is that where the smell is coming from? Do you know?”
Prince nodded and started walking along the lakes edge. After walking a few feet, he stopped to look back.
Thomas nodded and signaled for Foster and Pizza to follow.