A Life Yet Lived - Chapter 3
#5 of A Life Yet Lived
--Chapter 3: A Sudden Interference--
The strange observer was watching the entire scene closely, hardly able to contain its excitement. It couldn't believe how well things were moving according to plan; almost like clockwork.
Well, not quite clockwork, per se. There were still a few kinks here and there that needed smoothing out, but it was close enough.
"This just isn't our day, is it Jane?" the girl trainer said from the ground, just below the observer's viewing place in the trees. From there, it had watched intently as she moved through one grass clearing after another, searching around trees and over bushes in vain for the Turtwig that she'd been chasing for the past 10 minutes.
"Yeah..." the Typhlosion muttered, sulking as she trudged after her trainer, "I can't believe we got conned so easily by that Turtwig. I should've seen it coming."
The observer giggled as it spied on them from an overhanging tree branch.
'Ha!' it thought, sporting a wide grin, 'They'll never find that Turtwig now!' It slapped a paw over its mouth to muffle its laughter when the girl trainer walked right under its branch, pouting and scratching her head.
"I think we're too late," the trainer said with a sigh, "that Turtwig is probably long gone by now."
'Yep, that's true...but don't you worry, Sara,' the observer added, leaning low on the branch._ 'If my changes to the plan work out, you'll be getting a much better prize very soon!'_
There had been several unexpected events that made it necessary to adjust the plan on the fly. One in particular was Tomas panicking on the dirt path and dashing away with Houndoom on his tail. When that Umbreon started running towards the town, he had been on a direct collision course with the girl trainer, who was on her way to the lake. In order for the plan to succeed, it couldn't risk them meeting...well, at least not at that moment. The diversion had worked perfectly, and now, judging from their grumbling, the trainer and her Typhlosion should finally be getting tired of their pointless search and return to the path.
The girl trainer passed under the observer's branch again, looking dejected. "Come on, Jane. Let's head back to the path. I want to hit the lake before it starts getting dark."
The observer smiled to itself. 'Looks like things are progressing nicely on this end. I might as well check up on that irritable little Umbreon!'
It focused on Tomas' mental signature and then vanished with a small POP. In the blink of an eye, it reemerged in an entirely different part of the forest, an area comprised mostly of tall grass, fallen trees, and thick prickly bushes. Several tall oaks hung overhead, barren of leaves, frail branches pointing upwards towards the sky like the claws of some long-dormant beast. The observer floated in midair, watching as those brittle trees flailed and reached in the wind towards it, and feeling a slight shiver run down its spine.
Without a sound, it drifted through the air past a fallen, rotten tree and glanced around.
'Now, where is the little cynic?' _ The sharp buzz of electricity, followed by a pained yelp, answered that question rather quickly. The observer levitated into the air and sat on the elevated, jagged branch of a withered oak tree, which stretched high enough above the forest to provide an excellent view of the action. _'Ah-ha! There he is!' Tomas was in the clearing just below, jumping around and attempting, unsuccessfully, to avoid the electrical shocks from a small Pichu as it darted in front of him. He cursed loudly when another violent shock sent him tumbling to the ground, making his fur stand on end as he struggled to get back up.
Was that little thing really giving him trouble? Apparently, the assumption that he'd adapt quickly to his new form had been a gross overestimation. Yet another kink in the plan, it seemed...
As the strange observer looked on, it noticed two more human trainers and a Chimchar approaching the clearing from the left, slowly forcing their way through a field of prickly bushes and tall grass. From the looks of it, Tomas wouldn't escape in time to avoid them.
"Oh, good grief," the observer muttered, shaking its head, "I can't leave that Tomas alone for one minute without him getting into some kind of trouble." As amusing as it was to watch him roll around on the ground, sparking like a waterlogged Jolteon, it would completely ruin the plan if Tomas were captured by one of these losers.
"Yep, looks like I'll have to step in and lend him a paw," it said with a mischievous giggle, "This should be fun."
Cyndaquil trotted down the dirt trail, feeling uncharacteristically bitter.
This was definitely not her day. She'd finally found a new friend to talk to, and just when everything was going great...he showed up.
Cyndaquil huffed and kicked a pebble away with a paw. "Great, just perfect. What am I supposed to tell Todd now? 'Oh hey, master! Yeah, I met this nice Umbreon that I wanted you to meet, but then Houndoom jumped out of a bush and ate him. I'm so sorry.'"
'I actually kinda' liked him, too,' she added in thought, still unwilling to admit it aloud.
"Hey, Cyndaquil! Over here!"
'Oh! Here comes Houndoom again!' she thought with a cold shiver. The vivid image of him drenched in Tomas' warm blood flashed into her mind, almost making her retch. 'I can't look! I don't want to look at him!'
"Cyndaquil! Over here!"
She jolted on reflex, and then reluctantly turned in the direction of the voice. Houndoom was walking back down the dirt path towards her, pausing to glare at each bush he passed before moving on to the next, grumbling as he did. "Not there, either..."
Cyndaquil trotted to Houndoom's side, gave him a quick once-over...and hid a smile. "Well, you don't look like you've just eaten an Umbreon..."
Houndoom shrugged, looking more indignant than usual. "What do you want from me? I lost the little runt during the chase. But it's not over yet. I'm not going to let this go."
"You...lost him?" As much as she wanted to, Cyndaquil just couldn't hide the relieved tone in her voice. 'He's still alive!'
"Yeah, but only for the moment," the Houndoom growled, "Did he come this way?"
Cyndaquil paused, and then stared down at her paws sheepishly. "Nope, I haven't seen him. Neither hide, nor hair. Not a single thing."
"Hey, don't give me that! He came this way, didn't he?"
"No, of course not!"
In reality, she was telling the truth. She hadn't seen any sign of Tomas since watching him dash away in a fear-drenched frenzy. Of course, Houndoom didn't need to know that._ 'Please, Tomas,'_ Cyndaquil thought with an uneasy determination, 'Use this time to escape. I'm distracting him, just like I said I would! I just hope that Houndoom doesn't eat me instead!'
"You're lying, obviously," Houndoom said flatly. He leaned in closer, and sniffed her fur. "And his scent is all over your paws! What, did you give him a back rub, too?"
Cyndaquil felt her cheeks burning at the thought. "N...no! Why would you even say that! I just found him in the woods, and I tried to wake him up! That's all!"
"Really? Cross your heart, and rope to lie?"
"Yeah, I--" Cyndaquil froze mid-sentence, and turned to stare at him questioningly. The Houndoom stared right back, his face suddenly awash with uncertainty.
"That...that is how the humans say it, right?"
Cyndaquil flinched under his harsh gaze, and put on a hollow smile. There wasn't much point in pushing her own luck with the brute. "Uh, yeah! Exactly!"
"Ha! I knew it!," Houndoom said, grinning ferociously. "And that Umbreon thought I didn't know my human phrases! What an idiot! In fact, if I had the chance, I'd tell him to--"
"--shut the hell up and get away from me!" Tomas cried out as Pichu bounded in front of him again, giggling like a schoolgirl. He was trapped; stuck in place by the small Pichu, who was fast enough to literally run circles around the Umbreon. Every time Tomas tried to run in one direction, the tiny Pokemon would dart around him and block his escape. It didn't help at all that the little monster had already caught him with several Thundershock attacks at near point-blank range as well. His whole body was starting to go numb from the electrical shocks, slowing his reaction time and making it harder to move his limbs. For all his efforts, he just couldn't lose the little yellow creature!
"Come on!" Pichu shouted between giggles, "Let's play some more!"
"Leave...me...alone!" Tomas screamed at the Pichu, who circled around and cut off his retreat again.
"Not 'til you give up!"
"This isn't some kind of game! LET ME GO!"
"Nuh-uh! Let's wait until my master catches up!"
"No!"
By now, Tomas had begun to feel a strange sort of detachment from reality. It may have been because of the adrenaline pumping through his veins, or possibly the numbness from Pichu's electrical attacks. Or maybe, it was because of the muddled, conflicting thoughts that he couldn't rid himself of, the ones that told him that everything he'd experienced since this dream started...was real. Those thoughts were stuck in the back of his head like a old, rusty nail, tearing mercilessly at his psyche, making clarity impossible.
And yet, as unrelenting as these feelings were, there was still one thing left that Tomas could care about at that moment. The single, defining thought that pushed through the hazy doubts of his mind, was escape.
And this yellow ball of fuzz was the only obstacle in his way.
"Pichu..." he growled between clenched teeth, "...don't make me hurt you."
Pichu canted his head to one side, and laughed again. "How can you hurt me if you can't even outrun me? Do you even know any special moves?"
Tomas could already hear the soft crunch of approaching footsteps coming from beyond the tall grass and thick bushes behind him. It would only be moments before he'd be completely surrounded, trapped between the trainers and this accursed Pichu.
"Hey, I think I can hear my Pichu over here!"
"Remember what I said, man! That Umbreon is all mine!"
Tomas' heart was pounding in his chest, and his legs began to feel weak. 'Damn it! I don't want to be caught!' he thought, panicked, 'No! I have to get away!' _ The Pichu was busy dancing around, grinning like an idiot while he watched the Umbreon crumble into pieces. _'If only I knew a special attack or something! I'd wipe that smug grin off that yellow moron's face, if I ever got the chance! Damn!'
"I think they're in this field! Hurry it up, man!"
"I'm coming, dude! I'm coming!"
The panic, the fear of capture, the frustration of feeling powerless--it was all too much for the small Umbreon to handle, and he finally gave in to anger and hysteria. "NO!" Tomas screamed at the Pichu, "LET ME GO YOU--"
"Good Morning!"
Upon hearing those words, both Pokemon froze, surprised by the unexpected interruption.
Despite being only two words, the greeting seemed to echo in Tomas' ears with the consistency of a bell chiming in the distance, sending shivers down his spine. In moments, the sound of that calm, cheerful voice had taken away all the tension in the area, leaving the Umbreon feeling exhausted, and emotionally drained.
Pichu shuddered visibly, apparently having experienced a similar effect. He began looking around, anxiously scanning the entire area for the source of that strange voice. After several seconds of searching, the Pichu did a double-take, and then stared at something to his left. Tomas, who was tired, sluggish, and sore, slowly turned and followed his gaze.
Both of them watched while a Turtwig emerged from a behind a fallen tree. It gave them both a broad smile and a courteous bow, to which Pichu replied with a bow of his own.
"It's a Turtwig!" Pichu stated, smiling again, "But, it's not still morning, is it?"
Tomas struggled to move his heavy limbs, groggily at first. He shook his head several times in an attempt to clear the fog that sapped his concentration. What just happened?
'Wake up, Tomas! Get moving!'
He shook his head again, this time in confusion. "...Eh, what?"
"Oops, sorry," the Turtwig said with nervous laugh, "I guess I took a wrong turn. Don't mind me."
"It's okay! See ya!" Pichu replied, waving goodbye to the grass Pokemon. He watched with curious fascination as the Turtwig scurried away, returning to the fallen tree. It winked at the Pichu and chuckled before vanishing behind the rotting wood.
"What a nice Turtwig! Hey, Mister Umbreon! Wasn't that a nice--" Pichu froze when he realized that his new playmate was long gone. "--uh, hello? Umbreon?"
Pichu skimmed the area quickly, but it was already too late. Just a few seconds later, the trainers managed to stumble through the prickly bushes, with Chimchar close behind. The young trainer glared down at the yellow Pokemon, arms crossed in disappointment. "Pichu? Where did the Umbreon go? Did you lose it?"
Pichu looked up at his trainer, pointed ears laid back, and giggled nervously.
'Well...that was oddly convenient,' Tomas thought as he sped away, shaking his head to clear away any lingering dizziness, 'Was that the same Turtwig that I saw earlier today? Did it just save me?'
He leapt through bushes and around trees as fast as his exhausted body could carry him, sheer instinct forcing him onward without care for direction or destination, just as long as he put as much distance between himself and that Pichu as possible. It was just fortunate for him that Pichu had all the concentration of a bowl of fruit, or he might not have made it.
Tomas blinked at that realization, but then shook it from his mind. It was best to focus on escape and nothing else...
...still, it was lucky that he had managed to escape Pichu...and the same could be said for his escape from Houndoom...
It may have even been a bit too lucky, in fact. Tomas never had this kind of luck, not even in his wildest dreams...what was happening to him?
'You're right,' a voice echoed in his head, 'you aren't that lucky.'
Tomas slid to an abrupt stop next to a weathered old oak tree, mouth hanging open. What that hell was happening now? Was he going crazy?
'Well, not quite crazy,' the voice answered, 'but you are hopeless! Do you know how close you are to messing up my plans? I put so much work into setting this up, and you panic at the first sign of trouble! By Arceus, you really haven't changed!'
"Who the hell are you?" Tomas demanded, looking around the forest uneasily, "And why are you in my head?"
'How's about we use our inside voice, 'kay? It makes you look like some kind of weirdo when you talk aloud like that!'
"Shut up!"
'You know, you're not being very constructive here. You could at least thank me for helping you out back there!'
"But, you're just a voice in my head!"
'All the more reason to listen to me, right? Now get moving! Make a left turn by that large oak tree with the broken branches!'
"But why should I listen to some voice in my head?"
'Trust me! It's the only way.'
Tomas let loose a pained sigh before speeding off again through the forest. Beyond the indicated tree, he could see a curved row of neatly trimmed bushes standing several feet apart, which gave the Umbreon a slightly obscured view of the dirt path. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief at having finally made it back to a familiar area, and made a mental vow to never, ever leave that trail again to wander these dangerous woods.
'Just keep straight from here. Also, don't look now, but the walking battery pack has returned.'
"What?"
'Don't just say "what!" You have to dodge--'
"Pichu, use Thundershock!"
A blinding light flashed before Tomas' eyes, and he heard a distant scream as his body was lifted off the ground.