Patch & Thunderbolt

Chapter Seven: Thunderbolt Sings Try Again

Back in the farm that afternoon, Patch's siblings were discussing his success on saving Thunderbolt and catching the bank robbers.

"That was fantastic, Patch!" said Penny excitedly. "You've got those bank robbers really good!"

"We're happy that you've got back your confidence in being a hero," said Pepper. "And we're happy that you were able to work things out with Thunderbolt."

"Yeah," said Lucky. "It's a good thing you changed your mind about quitting your job with Thunderbolt. And to make sure you don't make that decision again, we all wanted to say that we're sorry for not supporting you on improving your voice to do Thunderbolt's bark. I mean, it means a lot to you, and as your family, we should've respected that. We didn't mean to make you angry. We thought we were doing the right thing when we made you promise not to do that bark anywhere but at work when you're with Thunderbolt; we thought that would help you be safe from being laughed at, but we were wrong."

Patch was surprised at what he just heard his siblings say to him.

"Really?" said Patch.

"Yes, really," Rolly answered. "You really wanted to be just like Thunderbolt, and there's nothing wrong with that. We're sorry we made you make that promise. And we're sorry we didn't show you support; we didn't know that it would make you think about quitting your job with Thunderbolt."

"Please, forgive us, Patch," pleaded Freckles. "We didn't mean for that to happen."

At first, Patch did not seem to believe what his siblings just said to him, but he took some time to think it over. In the end, Patch was thinking about forgiving his siblings. After all, they did give him a sincere and heartfelt apology for what they have done to make Patch hurt Thunderbolt's feelings.

"Do you promise that you will support me and not laugh at me when I work on improving my voice for Thunderbolt's bark?" said Patch sternly, scowling harder than he ever did. "I don't see what's the point of keeping my job if my own family is not going to show me any support."

All of Patch's siblings looked scared and very sorry when they saw the angry look on his face.

"Yes, Patch, we promise," Lucky begged. "Please, don't be mad at us anymore. We'll support you, and we will never laugh at you for doing Thunderbolt's bark again."

He turned to face the rest of the pups.

"Right, guys?" he asked.

All the other pups agreed, then apologized to Patch and promised that they will never laugh at him again when he works on improving his voice for Thunderbolt's heroic bark. The look on Patch's face went from mad to sad when he heard his siblings made their promise to him.

"Oh, all right," Patch sighed. "I forgive you. Just don't any of you break the promise you all just made."

"Don't worry, Patch," said Lucky. "We won't break our promise like you broke yours. We were wrong to make you promise us something that caused you to choose to quit your job with Thunderbolt, we'll admit."

"Thank you, guys. That's all I wanted from you."

"So, you're not mad at us anymore?"

"Well, you guys did admit that you were wrong, so it's okay for me to say that I'm not mad at you anymore."

All the other pups sighed in relief.

"Oh, good," said Lucky. "Listen, Patch. We were thinking over what you said to us last night, and we have to say that you were wrong, too."

"About what?" said Patch.

"About us not caring about you, that's what," Rolly responded. "Just because we said we couldn't support you on improving your voice to do Thunderbolt's bark doesn't mean we don't care about you. But we just promised you that we will show you support on that, so we'll stick to it. And to show you that we really care about you, we're gonna help you learn how to defend yourself. That can come in handy in case those dogs back in London laugh at you for doing Thunderbolt's bark again."

Patch blinked and looked at his siblings in surprise.

"You'll do that?" said Patch.

"Yes, we will," said Rolly. "Now, do you remember the night before the move here when we laughed at you for the way you did Thunderbolt's bark, and stopped when you ignored us?"

"Yes, of course."

"Well, we're going to do that again."

Patch blinked in shock.

"What?!" said Patch angrily. "But you promised--"

"I know, I know," said Rolly, holding up a paw to calm Patch down. "But listen. We're not gonna laugh at you to make fun of you again. This is just to help you learn how to defend yourself in case you get laughed at again by those dogs in London, okay?"

"Okay, I understand."

"Good. Now, what you have to do first is do Thunderbolt's bark. That's when we start laughing at you, but don't try to ignore us, because that's not gonna make us stop, this time. You have to do something about it. Attack us if you must, but do whatever it takes to defend yourself. Can you do that?"

"Sure, I can."

"Excellent."

Rolly faced the other pups.

"Are you guys ready?" Rolly asked the other pups.

"Yeah," the other pups responded in unison.

Rolly gently patted Patch on the back.

"Okay, Patch, whenever you're ready," said Rolly. "And imagine us as those dogs in London. Good luck."

Patch closed his eyes, imagining his siblings as the dogs who have ridiculed him in London. He then took a deep breath and did Thunderbolt's heroic bark as best as he could, causing his siblings to erupt with laughter. While his siblings are laughing at him, Patch thought very hard about all the previous times he got laughed at for doing Thunderbolt's heroic bark and did nothing about the situation. There was no turning back, now; Patch needed to concentrate on his siblings to learn to defend himself. He tried his best not to ignore them.

Patch now opened is eyes, looking angrier than ever when he heard his siblings laugh even harder. He charged at his siblings and attacked them the same way Thunderbolt attacked the dogs in London after the rescue at Tower Bridge the other day; he took huge bites on them, pulled on their ears and tails very hard to make them look as if he was about to rip them off, and grabbed one of them by the tail so that he swung them around and let go to make that pup fly at the rest of them, causing it to knock them all down to the ground. All of Patch's siblings were in a lot of pain, but were very amazed at the way he attacked them.

"Ouch!" Lucky yelled painfully as he and the rest of the pups got back up. "Wow, Patch! That was some attack!"

"Yeah!" Penny agreed. "The way you attacked us was very powerful! Now, that's what we wanted to see from you when you try doing something heroic!"

"And you did that attack with full power and confidence!" said Pepper. "How did that feel?"

"That felt very good!" Patch said with full of pride.

"And it should!" said Rolly cheerfully. "You did very good for a start on learning how to defend yourself. Keep up the good work, and keep working on improving your voice to do Thunderbolt's bark. You'll definitely become a big, strong, and heroic dog with an excellent heroic bark, just like Thunderbolt, and no one will laugh at you ever again!"

"You'll make a fine hero and become as famous as Thunderbolt if you just keep believing in yourself," said Lucky. "Now, what are you gonna do when you find yourself in danger and facing a villain?"

"I'm gonna tear his gizzard out!" Patch shouted with full confidence, and all of his siblings cheered wildly.

The music for the song "Try Again" starts playing in the background as Patch continues working with Thunderbolt at the studio in Kent the next day. While rehearsing for the next episode of The Thunderbolt And Patch Adventure Hour, Patch still had trouble concentrating on what he had to do, because he had been worrying about how the dogs in London will react if he keeps up with his career as Thunderbolt's sidekick on the show, and his dream as a hero in real life.

"Come on, little buddy, focus," Thunderbolt said to Patch. "I'm here to help you every step of the way, and I know you're gonna make it. Listen."

Thunderbolt now began singing to give Patch some encouragement:

"There may be days when things don't go right,
And your shoes refuse to dance.
To make the winds of fortune blow right,
You might need a second chance.
So, if you get one try, and that don't fly,
Stop and count to ten,
And if at first you don't succeed,
Try again."

Days have passed as those lines were sung. During those days, Patch had focused really hard on rehearsing for the next episode of The Thunderbolt And Patch Adventure Hour. He now started to remember the script well, but he did not yet manage to memorize the whole thing. Also, just like Patch's siblings, Thunderbolt is supporting Patch on learning how to defend himself; not only did it help Patch learn to stand up for himself with his siblings supporting him, but it also helped him concentrate on working on making more episodes for his show with Thunderbolt supporting him.

"You almost have it, Patch," said Thunderbolt. "Watch me, now, and do what I do."

As Patch keeps working on learning to defend himself at work and at home, Thunderbolt continues singing in the background:

"Beginner's luck is overrated.
Once you blink, it's come and gone.
The only way to cultivate it
Is to keep on keeping on.
So, before you brag it's in the bag,
Double check and then
If at first you don't succeed,
Try Again."

A few more days have passed as those lines were sung. At that time, he successfully managed to improve his defenses and memorize the entire script for the next episode of his show. His family and Thunderbolt were all very proud of him.

"Very good, Patch!" said Thunderbolt. "Now you have it!"

As the song continues, Patch had finished a few more episodes for his show, and they were all successful. Everything went all right for Patch after all those episodes he had done for his show were done, especially when he played with his siblings to keep up his ability to defend himself. The only problem he has now is trying to improve his voice to do Thunderbolt's heroic bark. One day at work, he tried his best to bark like Thunderbolt, but became very upset when he found that his voice still results in a squeak. Thunderbolt cheered Patch up and encouraged him to keep on working on improving his voice to do that bark by singing the next lines in the background with pride:

"Now, if you find your bat at zero,
And a legend you are not,
You can still wind up a hero
If you give it one more shot!"

At the end of those lines, Patch tried doing Thunderbolt's bark again one day. After doing that bark, he felt very surprisedwhen he found that his voice became a little deeper. As of then, Patch no longer had any trouble with his voice and his career as Thunderbolt sings the last lines of the song:

"If you don't give in, you're gonna win!
The only question's when?
So, if at first you don't succeed,
Try again!"

As the song comes closer to the end, Patch gained a lot of fame and success after making more episodes of The Thunderbolt And Patch Adventure Hour. On top of that, he and Thunderbolt did more heroic deeds together every weekendwhen they and Patch's family were taken out for walks in London. Patch had become the most famous pup in all of England when everyone were amazed athow he did his performance as a real hero. He would never forget the comforting advice that Thunderbolt had given him: everyone, including heroes, is afraid of something; but they will have the ability to overcome their fears with no problem as long as they have the courage and confidence to do anything.

The song ended on a Sunday afternoon when Patch and his family arrived in London to meet Thunderbolt there as usual. When they all met each other, the Dalmatian family noticed something different about Thunderbolt; he was wearing a blue and yellow striped scarf around his neck, which completely covered his usual red collar with a star tag.

"Hi, Thunderbolt!" said Patch as he looks at the scarf that Thunderbolt is wearing. "Hey, nice scarf."

Thunderbolt looked down at the scarf around his neck.

"Oh, this?" said Thunderbolt. "Thanks, Patch. I had this scarf with me for a long time. It's been a while since I've worn it."

"How did you get it?" Patch asked Thunderbolt.

Thunderbolt looked back up and stared blankly at Patch for a few seconds.

"Um, yes, well..." Thunderbolt chuckled. "You see, Patch, how I got it is a funny story. And, well, it's because I--"

But before Thunderbolt could even finish, he and the entire Dalmatian family heard someone humming very sweetly. They all turned around to see that the humming was coming from Amber. Amber was grooming herself in front of a mirror, which is being displayed at a window at the front of a store.

"Well, looks like someone's number one fan has shown up early today," muttered Thunderbolt, winking at Patch as he gestured towards Amber.

Patch chuckled. He then spotted a beautiful flower with pink and purple petals, picked it with his teeth, and went over to give it to Amber. Thunderbolt and Patch's family looked at him in confusion, wondering what made Patch want to pick a flower for Amber or any other female canine. They knew that Patch had shown some sensitivity at times, but he was not usually this sensitive.

Amber was surprised to see Patch the second she caught his reflection in the mirror she was looking at. She turned around to face him and smiled.

"Hello, Patch," said Amber, and she looked at the flower that Patch had picked for her. "What's that you got there, little guy?"

Patch placed the flower down in front of Amber.

"Aw, for me?" said Amber. "How very sweet of you!"

Amber took the flower and placed it on the right side of her head.

"You look beautiful with that flower on you," said Patch, blushing.

Amber looked at herself in the mirror again.

"Yes," said Amber, admiring her reflection. "I really do look beautiful with it on me, do I?"

"Oh, that flower makes you look gorgeous," came Thunderbolt's voice.

Surprised at the sound of Thunderbolt's voice, Amber turned around to face him and giggled at the sight of the scarf around his neck.

"And you look handsome with that scarf on you," Amber said to Thunderbolt.

"Oh, Amber," said Thunderbolt, grinning sheepishly.

Amber and Thunderbolt laughed together. This happy moment ended when they and the entire Dalmatian family heard the ridiculing crowd of dogs calling for Patch.

"Say, where is that spotted little hero?" said a sheepdog.

Patch and his family and friends pointed their ears up in surprise.

"I hear trouble," said Thunderbolt. "Those dogs are coming this way to make fun of you again, Patch. You want either me or Amber to take care of them for you?"

Patch now had a sneaky grin on his face.

"No, I have a better idea," said Patch. "I need all of you to get out of sight. I'm gonna see how well I can take care of those mutts myself. I'll call you back if I had successfully managed to defend myself against them."

"Right," said Thunderbolt, and he faced Amber and Patch's family. "You all heard Patch. Let's all get out of sight and let him deal with those dogs on his own."

Thunderbolt, Amber, and Patch's family ran out of sight and hid behind a building.

"Good luck, Patch!" Rolly shouted as he poked his head out. "Show those mangy mutts who is boss!"

"Rolly! Get back here and be quiet!" Lucky hissed as he grabbed Rolly by the collar to pull him back behind the building.

Patch saw the group of dogs now arriving in London.

"Hello, guys," Patch said to the dogs as he smiled smugly at them.

"What's this?" asked the sheepdog, surprised that Patch was not showing any signs of being miserable at the sight of the group of dogs arriving in London. "Are you really that happy to see us or what?"

"Looks like you're no longer feeling miserable when we come here to see you, are you?" asked a poodle. "What's going on?"

"I just wanted to let you all know that you're gonna have less luck making me miserable, this time," snapped Patch.

"Oh, really?" answered the sheepdog. "Why is that, then?"

"Because," Patch scoffed, "ever since I rescued Thunderbolt from the bank robbers, I have been practicing a lot on improving my voice to do Thunderbolt's bark. And just for your information, my voice actually got a little better."

"Ha! A little better? That's it? Just a little better is not enough to make your bark sound like Thunderbolt's, kid."

"Oh, yeah? Well, I'll show you!"

Once again, Patch took a deep breath and did Thunderbolt's heroic bark as best as he could. The dogs erupted with laughter again, despite that Patch's voice had actually sounded a bit deeper when he did that bark.

"Oh, sure!" said the sheepdog in a sarcastic tone. "A little better is good enough for you!"

As the dogs continued laughing, Patch tried to remember what he learned when his siblings helped him on how to defend himself. He growled furiously at the crowd and charged at them to attack them the way Thunderbolt did after the rescue at Tower Bridge the other day.

"Yeowch!" a poodle shouted painfully as Patch bit her really hard on one of her legs.

"Hey, get away from there!" cried a black Labrador as Patch pulled really hard on one of his ears.

Patch then grabbed the sheepdog by his tail to pull him off the ground and swing him around.

"Hey, let me go, kid!" the sheepdog cried as Patch continued swinging him around. "You're gonna make me sick!"

"All right!" Patch snarled, his teeth still closed on the sheepdog's tail as he kept swinging him around. "You asked for it!"

Patch let go of the sheepdog, causing him to fly at the rest of the crowd.

"WATCH OUT!" the sheepdog yelled at the rest of the crowd as he got closer to making a crash landing on them.

But it was too late. The sheepdog fell on the crowd, causing them to get knocked down to the ground. The entire crowd groaned in pain.

"Okay, everybody!" Patch called to his family, Thunderbolt, and Amber. "You can all come out, now!"

Amber, Thunderbolt, and Patch's family came out from behind the building that they were hiding and laughed at the injured crowd of dogs.

"It's really sad to find that you've been taken down all at once by a pup, isn't it?" Amber smirked.

Patch looked at the defeated crowd of dogs angrily.

"That ought to teach you a lesson for laughing at me just because of the way I did Thunderbolt's bark!" Patch roared. "Maybe the next time we meet, you'll think twice before you mess with the real hero here, and that would be me!"

Patch let out an angry huff and turns away from the crowd.

"Let's go!" Patch said to his family and friends as he went back to a good mood.

As Patch's family and friends walked out of the crowd's sight, Amber stopped and turned her head back to face the crowd once more.

"I warned you what would happen if you mess with him again," said Amber. "But you should be thankful that the attack didn't come from me. I hope you've all learned your lesson to show that kid some respect the next time he does something heroic. See you around, sickos."

Amber used one of her hind paws to sweep some dirt in front of the crowd and left with Thunderbolt and the Dalmatian family, leaving the crowd with guilty expressions on their faces in her wake.

***

End of chapter seven.