Eternal Mametchi Fan
Well-known member
FYI This fan fiction is aimed at members aged 10 and up. 
PEROTCHI DREAMS
Somewhere in another reality there was a mysterious, green planet inhabited by small, clever creatures called Tamagotchis. Each Tamagotchi had its own unique personality and appearance. Their home planet, Tamagotchi World, was very similar to Earth. There were forests and cities, but the only difference was that everything was much more colourful, more magical—and much more alive.
One of the Tamagotchis was called Perotchi, but her friends called her Pero. She looked like she had an ice cream sundae on her head, with three berries and two leaves on top. She wore a pink suit with lighter pink stripes and a little red ribbon at the top. She loved sweets of all kinds, and her mother, Bakerytchi, owned a bakery shop.
Today, Pero was playing in the garden with her Tama Pet, Puchiberitchi. Puchiberitchi looked like a tiny strawberry with wings and two curly antennae, very much like a butterfly. She couldn’t talk much, but she was one of Pero’s best friends.
Pero stopped playing and sighed. She stared at the clouds. Puchiberitchi hovered by her and looked at her in concern. The thing was, Pero longed to be more well-known. Nobody thought much of her—they just saw her as some random Tamagotchi who could never hope to be famous.
“It isn’t fair,” Pero complained. “All everybody cares about these days are Lovelin and Meloditchi. They are so popular and cute. Everybody loves their songs. Why can’t I be like them?”
Puchiberitchi shared her sorrow. She frowned and made a sad little squeaking sound. Pero sighed again and walked back inside her house, to see what was on TV. There was a fluffy, bunny-like Tamagotchi singing a song and her cat-like friend playing a violin. Lovelin and Meloditchi were performing live on stage! The song was amazing but it only made Pero sadder. She switched off the television and locked herself in her room.
As Pero wrote about her boring day in her diary, she thought about everyone else who seemed to be adored by everyone. Pero had two friends, Kikitchi and Chamametchi. Kikitchi made friends easily because he looked like a cheeky, yellow monkey with a red scarf and a hilarious sense of humour. Everybody thought Chamametchi, with her round ears and pretty pink dress, was adorable. Even Chamametchi’s Tama Pet, Hapihapitchi was cute and fluffy and made adorable sounds. Puchiberitchi was jealous of Hapihapitchi, while Pero was jealous of just about everyone.
“Lovelin and Meloditchi can sing,” Pero muttered. “My Mama runs a bakery. Lovelin’s Mama owns the best café in town. Chamametchi and Kikitchi are popular and cute.”
Pero thought of Moriritchi, a poodle-like fashion-designer who was the Tamamori champion.
“Moriritchi’s designer dresses are taking the world by storm…”
Suddenly Pero’s thoughts came to a halt. What use was it complaining about being unpopular? Sure, she could never become as famous as Lovelin, Meloditchi, and Moriritchi, but wasn’t there something she could do about being an unloved Tamagotchi? Maybe she had some sort of secret talent. Maybe if she got to know more Tamagotchis, they would see what a great friend she was. She decided that tomorrow, she would try to talk to some of the other Tamagotchis at school after class. It was worth a try. If she became friends with someone popular, would she become popular? She would just have to wait and see!
The next day after class, Pero lingered around, looking for somebody to talk to. There really was nobody in her class that was famous. Yes, a lot of them were popular but not popular enough. She thought hard. Who was the most well-known Tamagotchi on the planet? Mametchi, of course!
Mametchi went to a higher class since he was a bit older than Pero. Pero found him and his friends, Memetchi and Kuchipatchi. They were all chatting and having fun. Pero took a deep breath and tiptoed towards them.
“Oh look, it’s someone from Chamametchi’s class!” Memetchi shouted suddenly. Pero froze. “Mametchi, do you know who that is?”
“I think she’s called Perotchi,” Mametchi replied, smiling kindly at her. “Chamametchi told me about her. Perotchi, what are you doing here?”
“Just call me Pero,” Pero muttered, blushing. She had no idea this would be so nerve-racking!
“You should be playing with Chamametchi, Kikitchi, and your other classmates-tchi,” Kuchipatchi added.
“Actually, I wanted to talk to Mametchi.”
“Yes, what is it?” Mametchi looked at Pero expectantly.
Pero didn’t reply for a while. “Not with everybody else around. They might laugh.”
Memetchi and Kuchipatchi glanced at each other. “Sure, we will leave you to it then,” Memetchi decided, striding off with Kuchipatchi. They whispered and giggled to each other. Pero was mortified at the thought that they might be talking about her.
“Now, Pero, what do you want to tell me?” Mametchi asked.
“Um… it’s just that I’m upset about not being as popular as Lovelin, Meloditchi, and Moriritchi,” Perotchi explained, sitting down to rest. “In fact, lots of Tamagotchis are more famous than me. I was wondering if you could help, since you’re so famous.”
As Mametchi listened, he became very sad. Pero wondered if she had said something that hurt his feelings.
“Pero, I know what you mean. But I’m afraid I’m not the most adored Tamagotchi anymore. Now it’s Lovelin, or Lovelitchi.” Pero was shocked at Mametchi’s words.
“That’s impossible!” Pero insisted. “Nobody could become more famous than you; you’ve always been the best Tamagotchi for as long as anyone can remember.”
“The ‘best’ Tamagotchi used to be Mimitchi,” Mametchi told her, “and then it was me. But lots of people still preferred Mimitchi. Now everyone loves Lovelitchi.”
“You mean… you feel the same way as I do?” Pero asked.
“Similar,” Mametchi agreed, “yet different. I used to be famous, but now my popularity has been stolen by Lovelitchi. One the other hand, you have never been popular but you want to be. Uh… no offence or anything…”
“I know,” Pero sighed, staring at the ground. “It really sucks, though. We both don’t get the attention we deserve.”
“Do you have any ideas?” Mametchi asked.
Pero thought for a moment. “We can leave them all!” she declared. “We can go and do something heroic, and then everyone will respect us.”
“You mean… run away?” Mametchi repeated. “We can’t do that! What about all our Tama-Friends?”
“Well, I’m going to go on an adventure so that everyone actually notices me,” Pero declared. “You can come if you want, but if you don’t that’s fine. I can go by myself!”
Mametchi thought for a moment. “There’s nothing we can do to make us as famous as Lovelitchi. It will be pointless.”
“Then they don’t need us!” Pero insisted. “I’m sure it will boost out popularity if we save Tamagotchi Planet or make a discovery or something…”
“That won’t happen,” Mametchi sighed. “I’m not running off on some unknown mission. When will you go?”
“I’ll go when I think of something to do.”
“Oh. Well, I better go find Memetchi and Kuchipatchi. See you later!”
“Bye,” Pero muttered. Mametchi didn’t even seem to care! She just had to think of something to do that would make everyone adore her.
As Pero paced back and forth with her gaze fixed on the ground, she didn’t notice Chamametchi running towards her with tears in her eyes.
“Pero, come here! Something terrible has happened!” Chamametchi sobbed, stopping in front of Pero.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” Pero demanded anxiously.
Chamametchi shook her head. “It’s Hapihapitchi. She’s gone missing!”
“That’s terrible!” Pero exclaimed, knowing what good friends Chamametchi and Hapihapitchi were. “I’ll come at once.”
Chamametchi lead Pero to Donuts Park, a playground that Tamagotchis and Tama Pets loved to play in. Chamametchi tried to wipe the tears from her eyes.
“We were just playing with our ball here,” Chamametchi explained, “but Hapihapitchi kicked it too far. When I went to get it out of the bushes, I heard a loud cry from Hapihapitchi but when I turned to look, she had just vanished.”
Pero was shocked. What could have possibly happened? She glanced at Chamametchi, who looked as if she had just witnessed the destruction of the entire planet, and made a decision. She would find out what had happened to Hapihapitchi. Everyone would see her as a hero!
“Chamametchi, I’ll help you,” Pero announced bravely. “I’ll look for clues and begin a search. Don’t you worry; I’ll bring her back to you safely.”
“Thank you so much, Pero!” Chamametchi grinned. “You’re a great friend.”
“No problem! I’ll start looking tomorrow.”
Satisfied, Pero went back home. She began making plans in her room, scribbling ideas on a piece of paper. Puchiberitchi hovered by her, watching her quizzically.
“Puchiberitchi, I’m going on a rescue mission,” Pero told her. “Your friend, Hapihapitchi, has gone missing and I’m going to find her.”
Puchiberitchi gasped and started squealing in an attempt to talk. Pero worked out what she was trying to say.
“No, Puchiberitchi, you have to stay behind. I don’t want you to be taken by the same thing that took Hapihapitchi, whatever it was. Bakerytchi will look after you.”
Puchiberitchi nodded sadly in agreement.
“Good! I’ll form a plan today and begin the search tomorrow. Then everyone will know who the bravest, most helpful Tamagotchi is—me!”
It was Saturday, so there was no school. Good, Pero thought. I can spend the whole day carrying out my plan. First, she would have to visit Mametchi’s house. He simply had to come with her! Pero knew that he was secretly Detective Anpan, the best detective on Tamagotchi Planet. Maybe he would be able to help.
Pero knocked on the colourful, blue door of Mametchi’s house. Mametchi answered it. Pero noticed that he almost seemed to regret opening the door. He probably already presumed she would ask him to come with her on her adventure again.
“Is Anpan home?” Pero asked, grinning.
“No,” Mametchi replied, shutting the door.
“You are such an idiot!” Pero shouted good-humouredly, pounding on the door with her fists. “You are Anpan and you are home.”
“If there was not a chance I wasn’t home, why did you ask then?” Mametchi retorted, opening the door again.
Pero couldn’t help giggling. “Anyway, I came to ask you to help me find Hapihapitchi.”
“Oh. Thank you for the information.” Mametchi shut the door again.
“Mametchi, Hapihapitchi might have been killed! You can’t just ignore her disappearance.”
“If she’s dead, there’s no use looking for her,” Mametchi called without opening the door.
“Do it for Chamametchi,” Pero pleaded. “This has upset her so much.”
There was a moment of silence. “Okay,” Mametchi finally answered, reluctantly opening the door. “Now let’s go.”
“Hooray!” Pero cheered. However, she decided to prank Mametchi again for being so stubborn. Smiling to herself, she led Mametchi to Donuts Park.
“What do you want me to do?” Mametchi asked her impatiently.
“You silly,” Pero replied, “You can’t be a detective unless you are wearing your cute little Anpan outfit.”
Mametchi stared at her. “You want me to go all the way back home to get it don’t you?” he assumed.
Pero couldn’t reply because she was too busy chortling. Mametchi glared at her and made his way back to his house.
As Pero waited for Mametchi to come back, she got bored of laughing her head off. So she decided to have a look around the park. She stopped in front of the flowers and pulled some out of the ground. She sniffed them, but they didn’t smell like anything so she tossed them back onto the ground.
Suddenly Pero felt a load of water splash all over her, soaking her. She turned around in horror and found Mametchi with a big, empty bucket.
“That’s for ruining the garden,” he scolded.
“Oh, Mametchi, you look so cute in your little Anpan outfit!” Pero squealed, ignoring the water that was dripping from her.
“It’s not cute and little. It’s meant to be… cool and awesome,” Mametchi snapped.
“Cute little Mametchi must help me find Hapihapitchi,” Pero sang.
“Shut up. And I’m not called Mametchi. I’m Anpan.”
“Oh. Well, Anpan, are you going to help me or not?”
“Yes. First of all, we need to investigate the scene of the crime and collect clues for analysis…”
Pero ignored his lecture and started playing on the swings like a little kid.
“Hey, stop messing around…” Anpan stopped when he noticed something pink on the ground near the swings. “Pero, look at this! It’s Hapihapitchi’s collar.”
Pero immediately stopped playing around. She snatched the collar from the ground and studied it. It will fairly dusty and torn up.
“OMG, there’s blood on it!” Pero shrieked, throwing it at Anpan.
“That’s disgusting!” Anpan cried, dodging the collar.
“Just kidding, you silly Anpan,” Pero chuckled, picking up the collar. Anpan glared at her. “Well, anyway, why do you suppose Hapihapitchi’s collar is here but Hapihapitchi isn’t?”
Anpan took the collar from Pero and inspected it with his magnifying glass.
“Well, it looks like Hapihapitchi was attacked by some sort of creature but her collar got left behind.”
“Maybe the creature ate her but it left the collar here because it didn’t want to eat it!” Pero fretted, staring in horror at the mangled collar.
“Don’t be silly,” Anpan assured. “Tamagotchis aren’t cannibals.”
“I guess that’s all we can find,” Pero said. “Can I go home now? I’m tired.”
“No,” Anpan answered. “You’re the one forcing me to do this anyway.”
“Look!” Pero wailed. “It looks like something happened to the slide.”
Pero stared at the slide. It was blackened, as if it had been burnt. She then started playing on the slide like a little kid.
“Well, what have we here?” Anpan placed his hand on the surface of the slide. “There must have been some sort of fire or something.”
“Does that mean Hapihapitchi was burnt to a crisp?” Pero gasped.
“No,” Anpan replied. “I think I have worked out where Hapihapitchi went.
“Where did she go, then?” Pero demanded.
“She was taken to the Under World by a Devilgotchi. Remember when Hapihapitchi and Chamametchi went to the Henshin Jo and became HapiChamatchi, a mean devil? I think the Devilgotchis think that Hapihapitchi belong with them just because she was once a devil.”
“That sounds nasty,” Pero remarked. “How do we get to the Under World?”
“We must go to a certain cave that leads underground,” Anpan replied. “Then we will try to rescue Hapihapitchi without the Devilgotchis noticing us.”
“That’s too scary!” Pero whimpered. “We’ll be goners.”
“Pero, you’re the one who started this. If you don’t go, Hapihapitchi will be gone forever.”
Pero stared at the ground. “Okay. But don’t let me be a goner.”
“Good! I think we should be able to find the cave in an atlas.”
“Then let’s go to the library!” Pero exclaimed.
However, when Anpan and Pero got to the library, all Pero did was look at picture books like a little kid.
“Anpan, will you read this one to me?” she asked a little too loudly, holding up a book about colours. A librarian told her to shut up.
“I found an atlas,” Anpan told Pero, handing it to her. Pero dropped it on the floor because it was so heavy. She started looking at it on the floor.
“We’re meant to be looking for a cave, not a pretty garden,” Anpan told her, turning to the right page. “Here it is. It’s called Lava Cave.”
“Why would we be going to Lover Cave?” Pero asked. “We’re not in love. “I mean, not as much as we could be, anyway.” She gazed at Anpan with sparkling eyes. He ignored her.
“It’s called Lava Cave,” Anpan corrected. “However, you are right. We are not in love as much as we could be—we are not in love at all.”
Pero frowned and started reading romance novels instead. Anpan took them off her and put them back on the shelf. “It’s time to go.”
“You are such a meanie,” Pero complained as Anpan dragged her out of the library.
“We must go through the forest to get to Lava Cave,” Anpan told her.
“Is it called Lover Forest?” Pero asked hopefully.
“No, it’s called the Deadly Woods.”
“We can’t go there; that’s too scary!” Pero whined.
Anpan ignored her for the millionth time. “We must make preparations. We can’t leave straight away. I’ll go to my headquarters to prepare and stuff. You can go back home and wait.”
“Okay!” Pero dashed back to her house, happy that she would no longer be bossed around by Anpan. She started watching cartoons for little kids, before drifting off to sleep.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Pero woke with a start, angry that someone had disturbed her nap. But then she grinned with excitement as she realised that it must be the dolly she once ordered!
Pero opened the door, but instead of finding a package just for her, she found Anpan. She groaned. “What do you want?”
“We’re going to find Hapihapitchi,” Anpan reminded her. “Here, carry this.”
Pero stared in dismay as Anpan stuffed a heavy, loaded backpack into her arms. “Wear it,” he commanded.
Pero put on the backpack, but she could barely move. “Are you trying to kill me or something?”
“No. If you die, there would be nobody to carry all the stuff,” Anpan said. “Now we must go to the Deadly Woods.”
Pero muttered inappropriate words under her breath as she trudged after Anpan. When she saw the Deathly Woods, with tall trees and spooky cobwebs, she came to a halt. “I’m not going in there!”
“We have to,” Anpan insisted. “You’re the one who wanted to do this. Besides, if we rescue Hapihapitchi, we might become more famous. Isn’t that what you want?”
“I suppose it is,” Pero mumbled. “I will go in, but only if you do what I tell you.”
“What do you want me to do, then?” Anpan asked.
“Remember at the library? You said that we were not in love at all. You have to apologise for being such a meanie.”
Anpan stared at her like this: O_O “But we aren’t!”
Pero didn’t budge. She glared at Anpan as if her life depended on it.
“Okay, I’m sorry.”
“Hooray!” Pero gave Anpan a hug. He kicked her in the shin. Pero let go and hurried into the woods.
“Don’t forget to stay on the path,” Anpan reminded her, trying to keep up.
“You make me mad,” Pero complained. “You are such a meanie.”
Anpan ignored her.
Pero walked a few more steps, and then sat down. She took her backpack off and dropped it on the ground. “I’m so tired. I want to go to sleep.”
“But we just started!” Anpan protested.
Pero opened the backpack and found two sleeping bags, as well as all sorts of other stuff. “How dare you make me carry all this junk around!” she moaned as she placed her sleeping bag on a comfortable spot on the ground.
“You’re impossible,” Anpan sighed. “Well, I guess it is getting dark. We can continue our search tomorrow.”
Anpan placed his sleeping bag 10 meters away from hers.
“Mental,” Pero muttered.
It wasn’t even dawn when Pero woke up. She felt as if she were being watched. She quietly got up and listened. She could hear a faint hissing sound. She turned around and, staring at her with dark eyes, was a snaketchi.
Pero got out of there at full speed, which was exactly what she shouldn’t have done. Provoked, the snaketchi slithered after her. However, Tamagotchis are generally faster than snakes, so she kept out of its reach. All of a sudden, a small creature emerged from the shadows. It had sharp, snapping claws and a deadly stinger. It was a scorpiontchi!
Pero didn’t know what to do. Should she get bitten by a snaketchi or stung by a scorpiontchi? With both the scorpiontchi and the snaketchi inching closer, Pero lost hope and closed her eyes, awaiting her fate. When she felt the long, scaly snaketchi coiling around her, and the scorpiontchi’s set of miniscule legs crawling onto her, she knew she was doomed.
Pero opened her eyes and saw a clear blue sky. Where was she? Had everything been a dream? It couldn’t have been; she was covered in so many bandages, she looked like a mummy. Worse than that, she felt as if she’s been run over by a train.
“Ooh, my head,” she groaned, trying to sit up. “What the heck happened?”
“That’s what I’d like to know,” Anpan replied, giving her the evil eye.
“What are you doing here?” Pero demanded. “I’m dead.”
“Yes you are,” Anpan agreed. “But somehow, you are still alive, too.” He stuck a Band-Aid on a bleeding cut on her head.
“Hey, I don’t want that there!” Pero tried to pull it off, but it hurt too much. “It doesn’t matter because I’m dead.”
“I don’t know how you survived, but whatever happened, you must never do that again. Do you remember what attacked you?” Anpan asked.
“A scorpiontchi and a snaketchi,” Pero replied, tugging at some of the bandages.
“Leave them!” Anpan commanded. “Anyway, if I hadn’t found you in time, you would be really dead by now.”
“You saved my life!” Pero grinned. “I thought you didn’t like me.”
“I don’t like you,” Anpan confirmed, “but that doesn’t mean I want you to die. Then who would carry all that stuff in the backpack?”
“I think you really care about me.” Pero winked at him flirtatiously and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
“WHAT THE #%@*& HECK DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!”
“Uh… sorry,” Pero murmured.
“Don’t you EVER %#@$ do that again! %?#!$*&@!”
Anpan was cussing so much that Pero covered her ears.
“Seriously, if I didn’t need somebody to carry the backpack, I would %#@!?& KILL YOU—“
Anpan stopped when noticed tears pouring out of Pero’s eyes.
“Pero, what’s wrong?” he asked. “I didn’t mean it.”
“You said such bad stuff,” she sobbed. “You don’t like me.”
“Yes I do. I was just… I’m sorry, okay?”
“You hate me. I know you do.”
“Aw, Pero, I like you. Don’t worry about it.” Anpan helped her up. “Do you think you can walk?”
Pero staggered a bit, but nodded.
“Now, because you’re hurt, I guess I’ll have to carry everything, won’t I?” Anpan reluctantly packed everything away and picked up the backpack. “Jesus, this is heavy.”
Anpan gently took Pero’s hand and helped her through the forest. She was silent the whole time, staring at the ground with an expression of grief in her eyes.
Soon, they came to a hidden clearing with a dark cave that seemed to lead underground. Pero shivered in fear. It looked so intimidating!
“I think this is where we have to go,” Anpan told her. “Do you think you can do it?”
“It’s too scary!” Pero whined.
“I’ll protect you,” Anpan promised, carefully leading her to the cave. “It’s going to be all right. Got it?”
Pero nodded. “I hope you’re right.”
They warily entered the cave. There was no need for a flashlight, as the cave seemed to radiate with some sort of light. There were pools of lava everywhere.
“Whatever you do, don’t touch the lava,” Anpan instructed.
“What if a Devilgotchi finds us?” Pero whispered. Anpan didn’t say a word.
Pero looked around cautiously. She saw something lurking in the shadows, somewhere behind a large boulder. “What’s that?” Pero asked quietly, pointing to the boulder.
“It’s just a big rock,” Anpan replied dismissively, pulling Pero away.
“I saw something moving!” Pero cried. “What if it’s a Devilgotchi?”
“It is a Devilgotchi!” an unfamiliar voice replied. Creeping out from behind the rocks was something that looked strangely familiar. It looked exactly like Mametchi, except it had bat-like wings and a deadly pitchfork.
“Anpan, that’s you!” Pero giggled. “It’s a Mametchi with wings.”
“This is no time to be laughing,” Anpan said, clutching her hand. “Don’t move.”
“Silence!” the Devilgotchi shouted. “I am Debiru Mametchi, warrior of the Under World. What do you kids think you’re doing here?”
“We’re not kids!” Pero protested.
“We’re just looking for a friend of ours. Don’t pay any attention to us. We’ll leave as soon as we find her,” Anpan assured.
“If you’re not kids,” Debiru Mametchi reasoned, “you’re too old to be playing hide-and-seek! Besides, this is no place for you.”
“You make me mad!” Pero shouted bravely. “Let Hapihapitchi go so we can leave!”
Debiru Mametchi smirked. “Hapihapitchi is a friend of yours? Do you mean that cute little fluffy puppy?”
“Take us to her!” Pero demanded.
“Pero, stay calm,” Anpan warned.
Pero didn’t listen. “You better give us back our friend or you’ll be sorry!”
Debiru Mametchi strolled up to Pero and pointed his pitchfork at her. “One more word from you, and you’ll literally be toast.”
Pero was silent.
“You both follow me,” Debiru Mametchi ordered, taking them deep into the cave. They entered a corridor with lots of dark, separate caverns.
“Get in there,” Debiru Mametchi commanded, stopping in front of one of the rooms.
“Who’s going to make us?” Pero retorted, refusing to move.
“You asked for it, little one.” Debiru Mametchi raised his pitchfork, and fire shot out. Anpan pulled Pero out of the way just before the flames could reach her.
“Come one, Pero, we better do what he says,” Anpan said, reluctantly stepping into the cavern. Pero hesitated a few moments, but finally gave in.
“Good. Now you idiots wait here. I’ll kill you after I’ve had enough fun with you.” Debiru Mametchi pressed a button on the wall. A large, metal gate came thundering down, blocking the entrance of the cavern. The Devilgotchi’s footsteps echoed in the cave as he walked away.
“Get back here!” Pero shrieked. “Open this door!” She grabbed the bars and rattled the gate as loudly as she could.
“Stop it, Pero,” Anpan said. “You’ll just make him kill us sooner.”
“He’s not going to do that to us,” Pero insisted, letting go of the gate. “Is he?”
Anpan didn’t reply. He just sighed and stared at the ground.
“We’re doomed, aren’t we?” Pero realised. “We’re going to die no matter what.” She slowly walked towards the corner of the cavern and sat down, crying.
“Don’t cry, Pero,” Anpan murmured. “It was nice knowing you.” He knelt down beside her and tried to think of something to say that would make her feel better. “I like you, Pero. I really do.”
Pero turned to him. “No you don’t. You said you’d protect me. But we’re both goners.”
“I’m sorry,” Anpan insisted. “I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. Sometimes, things happen and there’s nothing we can do about it.”
“Do you know what Debiru Mametchi will do to us when he comes back?” Pero whimpered.
“I don’t know,” Anpan admitted. “But that’s not important. All that matters is that we’ll face it together. Okay?”
“Okay,” Pero answered. In a soft voice she added, “I love you.”
Anpan hadn’t expected her to say that. He blushed a little, but then he smiled. “I love you too, Pero.”
Pero gazed at him with her large, adorable eyes. Anpan lovingly put his arms around her and pulled her close. Hesitating just a few seconds, Pero closed her eyes and leaned in…
At that instant, they were interrupted by the loud, thunderous crashing of the gate being opened. Pero jerked back and stared in horror at Debiru Mametchi, clutching his deadly pitchfork. Anpan held on to Pero as she tried to get up. “Don’t move,” he whispered.
“Who wants to be cooked first?” Debiru Mametchi cackled, pointing his pitchfork at them. “I guess I’ll go with that sweet little Pero.”
“Don’t even think about it!” Anpan retorted as Debiru Mametchi loomed closer. To Pero, he said, “This is it. Goodbye.”
But Pero wasn’t about to give up. She was outraged. She jumped to her feet and glared at Debiru Mametchi with all her inner hatred and fury she felt for him.
“You RUINED the most romantic moment I’m ever likely to have in my entire life!” she shouted as loudly and as furiously as she could.
Debiru Mametchi blinked in surprise as Pero snatched his pitchfork right from his hands. It was so hot it nearly burnt her hands, but Pero was determined to get rid of this pest once and for all. She pointed the pitchfork at him, and a jet of fire shot out towards him. Soon there was nothing left but black dust… and, strangely, a lone bat fluttering out to escape.
Anpan couldn’t believe it. “You… you did it, Pero.”
Pero dropped the pitchfork on the ground, and it melted into a small, dark puddle. “There’s always hope in even the darkest of situations,” she said, smiling at Anpan. “Now, where were we?”
Pero hugged Anpan and again whispered, “I love you.” He smiled at her and they both moved towards each other, but suddenly they were again interrupted by the sound of Hapihapitchi howling.
“It’s Hapihapitchi! What if she’s hurt?” Pero said anxiously, searching the corridor for Hapihapitchi’s prison. She soon found one in which a fluffy little puppy was trying to squeeze between the bars. “Don’t hurt yourself, we’ll soon have you out.”
Pero pushed a button on the wall, and the gate thundered back up into the ceiling. Hapihapitchi flew out and started barking in joy. “I’m free, aroo!” she squealed.
“We did it!” Pero exclaimed. “We can go home now!”
Anpan looked at Pero meaningfully. “But we cannot tell anyone back home about this.”
“Why shouldn’t we?” Pero questioned, surprised. “It will give us a good reputation.”
“It doesn’t matter how popular we are,” Anpan explained. “We saved Hapihapitchi’s life. That’s a reward in itself. If we told our carefree friends of Tamagotchi Planet, it will only cause fear and confusion.”
“I understand,” Pero agreed. “We should be glad that we are even still alive after everything we’ve been through.”
“I want to go home now,” Hapihapitchi squeaked, fluttering nearby. Pero didn’t pay much attention to her.
“Anpan, thank you for everything,” Pero crooned, beaming at him. “I love you.”
Anpan gently rested his hands on her shoulders. “I know,” he said quietly, gazing at her. He leaned closer to her, and she closed her eyes just as she felt Anpan’s mouth touch hers. After a few moments, Pero slowly stepped back and blushed when she noticed Hapihapitchi staring at them curiously.
“Are you ready to go now?” Anpan asked her, grasping her hand. She nodded.
“Come on Hapihapitchi,” Pero said to the once-missing Tama Pet. “It’s time to go home!”
Back home, Chamametchi was glad to finally see her missing Tama Pet.
“Hapihapitchi, it’s really you!” Chamametchi cried. “Oh, where ever did you go for the past few days? I’ll have to get you a new collar!”
“She was just lost in the woods,” Pero answered, remembering Anpan’s words just before they left Lava Cave.
“But we found her thanks to my excellent detective skills!” Anpan added. Chamametchi and Pero laughed.
“Now I’m going to watch Lovelin’s shows with Chamametchi!” Hapihapitchi cheered. The two friends went to turn on the television.
Pero sighed, but she was smiling. “I guess nobody will ever like me as much as Lovelin.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Anpan teased.
“What do you mean?” Pero asked.
Anpan didn’t reply. He just grinned at her.
“Whatever,” Pero laughed. “At least we did something nobody else would ever be able to do—rescue Hapihapitchi from Debiru Mametchi!”
“You better go home now,” Anpan told her.
“You’re right. Bye, and make sure Hapihapitchi stays out of trouble!”
Pero went back to her home to find her beloved Tama Pet. “Puchiberitchi, I’m back!” she called. Her little friend flew towards her, chirping with joy.
Pero beamed. Her best friends loved her. It didn’t matter what everybody else thought. She would never be as popular as Lovelin, but that was not important. She had the best friends anyone could ever hope for, and she wouldn’t change her life for the world.
PEROTCHI DREAMS
Somewhere in another reality there was a mysterious, green planet inhabited by small, clever creatures called Tamagotchis. Each Tamagotchi had its own unique personality and appearance. Their home planet, Tamagotchi World, was very similar to Earth. There were forests and cities, but the only difference was that everything was much more colourful, more magical—and much more alive.
One of the Tamagotchis was called Perotchi, but her friends called her Pero. She looked like she had an ice cream sundae on her head, with three berries and two leaves on top. She wore a pink suit with lighter pink stripes and a little red ribbon at the top. She loved sweets of all kinds, and her mother, Bakerytchi, owned a bakery shop.
Today, Pero was playing in the garden with her Tama Pet, Puchiberitchi. Puchiberitchi looked like a tiny strawberry with wings and two curly antennae, very much like a butterfly. She couldn’t talk much, but she was one of Pero’s best friends.
Pero stopped playing and sighed. She stared at the clouds. Puchiberitchi hovered by her and looked at her in concern. The thing was, Pero longed to be more well-known. Nobody thought much of her—they just saw her as some random Tamagotchi who could never hope to be famous.
“It isn’t fair,” Pero complained. “All everybody cares about these days are Lovelin and Meloditchi. They are so popular and cute. Everybody loves their songs. Why can’t I be like them?”
Puchiberitchi shared her sorrow. She frowned and made a sad little squeaking sound. Pero sighed again and walked back inside her house, to see what was on TV. There was a fluffy, bunny-like Tamagotchi singing a song and her cat-like friend playing a violin. Lovelin and Meloditchi were performing live on stage! The song was amazing but it only made Pero sadder. She switched off the television and locked herself in her room.
As Pero wrote about her boring day in her diary, she thought about everyone else who seemed to be adored by everyone. Pero had two friends, Kikitchi and Chamametchi. Kikitchi made friends easily because he looked like a cheeky, yellow monkey with a red scarf and a hilarious sense of humour. Everybody thought Chamametchi, with her round ears and pretty pink dress, was adorable. Even Chamametchi’s Tama Pet, Hapihapitchi was cute and fluffy and made adorable sounds. Puchiberitchi was jealous of Hapihapitchi, while Pero was jealous of just about everyone.
“Lovelin and Meloditchi can sing,” Pero muttered. “My Mama runs a bakery. Lovelin’s Mama owns the best café in town. Chamametchi and Kikitchi are popular and cute.”
Pero thought of Moriritchi, a poodle-like fashion-designer who was the Tamamori champion.
“Moriritchi’s designer dresses are taking the world by storm…”
Suddenly Pero’s thoughts came to a halt. What use was it complaining about being unpopular? Sure, she could never become as famous as Lovelin, Meloditchi, and Moriritchi, but wasn’t there something she could do about being an unloved Tamagotchi? Maybe she had some sort of secret talent. Maybe if she got to know more Tamagotchis, they would see what a great friend she was. She decided that tomorrow, she would try to talk to some of the other Tamagotchis at school after class. It was worth a try. If she became friends with someone popular, would she become popular? She would just have to wait and see!
~*~
The next day after class, Pero lingered around, looking for somebody to talk to. There really was nobody in her class that was famous. Yes, a lot of them were popular but not popular enough. She thought hard. Who was the most well-known Tamagotchi on the planet? Mametchi, of course!
Mametchi went to a higher class since he was a bit older than Pero. Pero found him and his friends, Memetchi and Kuchipatchi. They were all chatting and having fun. Pero took a deep breath and tiptoed towards them.
“Oh look, it’s someone from Chamametchi’s class!” Memetchi shouted suddenly. Pero froze. “Mametchi, do you know who that is?”
“I think she’s called Perotchi,” Mametchi replied, smiling kindly at her. “Chamametchi told me about her. Perotchi, what are you doing here?”
“Just call me Pero,” Pero muttered, blushing. She had no idea this would be so nerve-racking!
“You should be playing with Chamametchi, Kikitchi, and your other classmates-tchi,” Kuchipatchi added.
“Actually, I wanted to talk to Mametchi.”
“Yes, what is it?” Mametchi looked at Pero expectantly.
Pero didn’t reply for a while. “Not with everybody else around. They might laugh.”
Memetchi and Kuchipatchi glanced at each other. “Sure, we will leave you to it then,” Memetchi decided, striding off with Kuchipatchi. They whispered and giggled to each other. Pero was mortified at the thought that they might be talking about her.
“Now, Pero, what do you want to tell me?” Mametchi asked.
“Um… it’s just that I’m upset about not being as popular as Lovelin, Meloditchi, and Moriritchi,” Perotchi explained, sitting down to rest. “In fact, lots of Tamagotchis are more famous than me. I was wondering if you could help, since you’re so famous.”
As Mametchi listened, he became very sad. Pero wondered if she had said something that hurt his feelings.
“Pero, I know what you mean. But I’m afraid I’m not the most adored Tamagotchi anymore. Now it’s Lovelin, or Lovelitchi.” Pero was shocked at Mametchi’s words.
“That’s impossible!” Pero insisted. “Nobody could become more famous than you; you’ve always been the best Tamagotchi for as long as anyone can remember.”
“The ‘best’ Tamagotchi used to be Mimitchi,” Mametchi told her, “and then it was me. But lots of people still preferred Mimitchi. Now everyone loves Lovelitchi.”
“You mean… you feel the same way as I do?” Pero asked.
“Similar,” Mametchi agreed, “yet different. I used to be famous, but now my popularity has been stolen by Lovelitchi. One the other hand, you have never been popular but you want to be. Uh… no offence or anything…”
“I know,” Pero sighed, staring at the ground. “It really sucks, though. We both don’t get the attention we deserve.”
“Do you have any ideas?” Mametchi asked.
Pero thought for a moment. “We can leave them all!” she declared. “We can go and do something heroic, and then everyone will respect us.”
“You mean… run away?” Mametchi repeated. “We can’t do that! What about all our Tama-Friends?”
“Well, I’m going to go on an adventure so that everyone actually notices me,” Pero declared. “You can come if you want, but if you don’t that’s fine. I can go by myself!”
Mametchi thought for a moment. “There’s nothing we can do to make us as famous as Lovelitchi. It will be pointless.”
“Then they don’t need us!” Pero insisted. “I’m sure it will boost out popularity if we save Tamagotchi Planet or make a discovery or something…”
“That won’t happen,” Mametchi sighed. “I’m not running off on some unknown mission. When will you go?”
“I’ll go when I think of something to do.”
“Oh. Well, I better go find Memetchi and Kuchipatchi. See you later!”
“Bye,” Pero muttered. Mametchi didn’t even seem to care! She just had to think of something to do that would make everyone adore her.
As Pero paced back and forth with her gaze fixed on the ground, she didn’t notice Chamametchi running towards her with tears in her eyes.
“Pero, come here! Something terrible has happened!” Chamametchi sobbed, stopping in front of Pero.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” Pero demanded anxiously.
Chamametchi shook her head. “It’s Hapihapitchi. She’s gone missing!”
“That’s terrible!” Pero exclaimed, knowing what good friends Chamametchi and Hapihapitchi were. “I’ll come at once.”
Chamametchi lead Pero to Donuts Park, a playground that Tamagotchis and Tama Pets loved to play in. Chamametchi tried to wipe the tears from her eyes.
“We were just playing with our ball here,” Chamametchi explained, “but Hapihapitchi kicked it too far. When I went to get it out of the bushes, I heard a loud cry from Hapihapitchi but when I turned to look, she had just vanished.”
Pero was shocked. What could have possibly happened? She glanced at Chamametchi, who looked as if she had just witnessed the destruction of the entire planet, and made a decision. She would find out what had happened to Hapihapitchi. Everyone would see her as a hero!
“Chamametchi, I’ll help you,” Pero announced bravely. “I’ll look for clues and begin a search. Don’t you worry; I’ll bring her back to you safely.”
“Thank you so much, Pero!” Chamametchi grinned. “You’re a great friend.”
“No problem! I’ll start looking tomorrow.”
Satisfied, Pero went back home. She began making plans in her room, scribbling ideas on a piece of paper. Puchiberitchi hovered by her, watching her quizzically.
“Puchiberitchi, I’m going on a rescue mission,” Pero told her. “Your friend, Hapihapitchi, has gone missing and I’m going to find her.”
Puchiberitchi gasped and started squealing in an attempt to talk. Pero worked out what she was trying to say.
“No, Puchiberitchi, you have to stay behind. I don’t want you to be taken by the same thing that took Hapihapitchi, whatever it was. Bakerytchi will look after you.”
Puchiberitchi nodded sadly in agreement.
“Good! I’ll form a plan today and begin the search tomorrow. Then everyone will know who the bravest, most helpful Tamagotchi is—me!”
~*~
It was Saturday, so there was no school. Good, Pero thought. I can spend the whole day carrying out my plan. First, she would have to visit Mametchi’s house. He simply had to come with her! Pero knew that he was secretly Detective Anpan, the best detective on Tamagotchi Planet. Maybe he would be able to help.
Pero knocked on the colourful, blue door of Mametchi’s house. Mametchi answered it. Pero noticed that he almost seemed to regret opening the door. He probably already presumed she would ask him to come with her on her adventure again.
“Is Anpan home?” Pero asked, grinning.
“No,” Mametchi replied, shutting the door.
“You are such an idiot!” Pero shouted good-humouredly, pounding on the door with her fists. “You are Anpan and you are home.”
“If there was not a chance I wasn’t home, why did you ask then?” Mametchi retorted, opening the door again.
Pero couldn’t help giggling. “Anyway, I came to ask you to help me find Hapihapitchi.”
“Oh. Thank you for the information.” Mametchi shut the door again.
“Mametchi, Hapihapitchi might have been killed! You can’t just ignore her disappearance.”
“If she’s dead, there’s no use looking for her,” Mametchi called without opening the door.
“Do it for Chamametchi,” Pero pleaded. “This has upset her so much.”
There was a moment of silence. “Okay,” Mametchi finally answered, reluctantly opening the door. “Now let’s go.”
“Hooray!” Pero cheered. However, she decided to prank Mametchi again for being so stubborn. Smiling to herself, she led Mametchi to Donuts Park.
“What do you want me to do?” Mametchi asked her impatiently.
“You silly,” Pero replied, “You can’t be a detective unless you are wearing your cute little Anpan outfit.”
Mametchi stared at her. “You want me to go all the way back home to get it don’t you?” he assumed.
Pero couldn’t reply because she was too busy chortling. Mametchi glared at her and made his way back to his house.
As Pero waited for Mametchi to come back, she got bored of laughing her head off. So she decided to have a look around the park. She stopped in front of the flowers and pulled some out of the ground. She sniffed them, but they didn’t smell like anything so she tossed them back onto the ground.
Suddenly Pero felt a load of water splash all over her, soaking her. She turned around in horror and found Mametchi with a big, empty bucket.
“That’s for ruining the garden,” he scolded.
“Oh, Mametchi, you look so cute in your little Anpan outfit!” Pero squealed, ignoring the water that was dripping from her.
“It’s not cute and little. It’s meant to be… cool and awesome,” Mametchi snapped.
“Cute little Mametchi must help me find Hapihapitchi,” Pero sang.
“Shut up. And I’m not called Mametchi. I’m Anpan.”
“Oh. Well, Anpan, are you going to help me or not?”
“Yes. First of all, we need to investigate the scene of the crime and collect clues for analysis…”
Pero ignored his lecture and started playing on the swings like a little kid.
“Hey, stop messing around…” Anpan stopped when he noticed something pink on the ground near the swings. “Pero, look at this! It’s Hapihapitchi’s collar.”
Pero immediately stopped playing around. She snatched the collar from the ground and studied it. It will fairly dusty and torn up.
“OMG, there’s blood on it!” Pero shrieked, throwing it at Anpan.
“That’s disgusting!” Anpan cried, dodging the collar.
“Just kidding, you silly Anpan,” Pero chuckled, picking up the collar. Anpan glared at her. “Well, anyway, why do you suppose Hapihapitchi’s collar is here but Hapihapitchi isn’t?”
Anpan took the collar from Pero and inspected it with his magnifying glass.
“Well, it looks like Hapihapitchi was attacked by some sort of creature but her collar got left behind.”
“Maybe the creature ate her but it left the collar here because it didn’t want to eat it!” Pero fretted, staring in horror at the mangled collar.
“Don’t be silly,” Anpan assured. “Tamagotchis aren’t cannibals.”
“I guess that’s all we can find,” Pero said. “Can I go home now? I’m tired.”
“No,” Anpan answered. “You’re the one forcing me to do this anyway.”
“Look!” Pero wailed. “It looks like something happened to the slide.”
Pero stared at the slide. It was blackened, as if it had been burnt. She then started playing on the slide like a little kid.
“Well, what have we here?” Anpan placed his hand on the surface of the slide. “There must have been some sort of fire or something.”
“Does that mean Hapihapitchi was burnt to a crisp?” Pero gasped.
“No,” Anpan replied. “I think I have worked out where Hapihapitchi went.
“Where did she go, then?” Pero demanded.
“She was taken to the Under World by a Devilgotchi. Remember when Hapihapitchi and Chamametchi went to the Henshin Jo and became HapiChamatchi, a mean devil? I think the Devilgotchis think that Hapihapitchi belong with them just because she was once a devil.”
“That sounds nasty,” Pero remarked. “How do we get to the Under World?”
“We must go to a certain cave that leads underground,” Anpan replied. “Then we will try to rescue Hapihapitchi without the Devilgotchis noticing us.”
“That’s too scary!” Pero whimpered. “We’ll be goners.”
“Pero, you’re the one who started this. If you don’t go, Hapihapitchi will be gone forever.”
Pero stared at the ground. “Okay. But don’t let me be a goner.”
“Good! I think we should be able to find the cave in an atlas.”
“Then let’s go to the library!” Pero exclaimed.
However, when Anpan and Pero got to the library, all Pero did was look at picture books like a little kid.
“Anpan, will you read this one to me?” she asked a little too loudly, holding up a book about colours. A librarian told her to shut up.
“I found an atlas,” Anpan told Pero, handing it to her. Pero dropped it on the floor because it was so heavy. She started looking at it on the floor.
“We’re meant to be looking for a cave, not a pretty garden,” Anpan told her, turning to the right page. “Here it is. It’s called Lava Cave.”
“Why would we be going to Lover Cave?” Pero asked. “We’re not in love. “I mean, not as much as we could be, anyway.” She gazed at Anpan with sparkling eyes. He ignored her.
“It’s called Lava Cave,” Anpan corrected. “However, you are right. We are not in love as much as we could be—we are not in love at all.”
Pero frowned and started reading romance novels instead. Anpan took them off her and put them back on the shelf. “It’s time to go.”
“You are such a meanie,” Pero complained as Anpan dragged her out of the library.
“We must go through the forest to get to Lava Cave,” Anpan told her.
“Is it called Lover Forest?” Pero asked hopefully.
“No, it’s called the Deadly Woods.”
“We can’t go there; that’s too scary!” Pero whined.
Anpan ignored her for the millionth time. “We must make preparations. We can’t leave straight away. I’ll go to my headquarters to prepare and stuff. You can go back home and wait.”
“Okay!” Pero dashed back to her house, happy that she would no longer be bossed around by Anpan. She started watching cartoons for little kids, before drifting off to sleep.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Pero woke with a start, angry that someone had disturbed her nap. But then she grinned with excitement as she realised that it must be the dolly she once ordered!
Pero opened the door, but instead of finding a package just for her, she found Anpan. She groaned. “What do you want?”
“We’re going to find Hapihapitchi,” Anpan reminded her. “Here, carry this.”
Pero stared in dismay as Anpan stuffed a heavy, loaded backpack into her arms. “Wear it,” he commanded.
Pero put on the backpack, but she could barely move. “Are you trying to kill me or something?”
“No. If you die, there would be nobody to carry all the stuff,” Anpan said. “Now we must go to the Deadly Woods.”
Pero muttered inappropriate words under her breath as she trudged after Anpan. When she saw the Deathly Woods, with tall trees and spooky cobwebs, she came to a halt. “I’m not going in there!”
“We have to,” Anpan insisted. “You’re the one who wanted to do this. Besides, if we rescue Hapihapitchi, we might become more famous. Isn’t that what you want?”
“I suppose it is,” Pero mumbled. “I will go in, but only if you do what I tell you.”
“What do you want me to do, then?” Anpan asked.
“Remember at the library? You said that we were not in love at all. You have to apologise for being such a meanie.”
Anpan stared at her like this: O_O “But we aren’t!”
Pero didn’t budge. She glared at Anpan as if her life depended on it.
“Okay, I’m sorry.”
“Hooray!” Pero gave Anpan a hug. He kicked her in the shin. Pero let go and hurried into the woods.
“Don’t forget to stay on the path,” Anpan reminded her, trying to keep up.
“You make me mad,” Pero complained. “You are such a meanie.”
Anpan ignored her.
Pero walked a few more steps, and then sat down. She took her backpack off and dropped it on the ground. “I’m so tired. I want to go to sleep.”
“But we just started!” Anpan protested.
Pero opened the backpack and found two sleeping bags, as well as all sorts of other stuff. “How dare you make me carry all this junk around!” she moaned as she placed her sleeping bag on a comfortable spot on the ground.
“You’re impossible,” Anpan sighed. “Well, I guess it is getting dark. We can continue our search tomorrow.”
Anpan placed his sleeping bag 10 meters away from hers.
“Mental,” Pero muttered.
~*~
It wasn’t even dawn when Pero woke up. She felt as if she were being watched. She quietly got up and listened. She could hear a faint hissing sound. She turned around and, staring at her with dark eyes, was a snaketchi.
Pero got out of there at full speed, which was exactly what she shouldn’t have done. Provoked, the snaketchi slithered after her. However, Tamagotchis are generally faster than snakes, so she kept out of its reach. All of a sudden, a small creature emerged from the shadows. It had sharp, snapping claws and a deadly stinger. It was a scorpiontchi!
Pero didn’t know what to do. Should she get bitten by a snaketchi or stung by a scorpiontchi? With both the scorpiontchi and the snaketchi inching closer, Pero lost hope and closed her eyes, awaiting her fate. When she felt the long, scaly snaketchi coiling around her, and the scorpiontchi’s set of miniscule legs crawling onto her, she knew she was doomed.
Pero opened her eyes and saw a clear blue sky. Where was she? Had everything been a dream? It couldn’t have been; she was covered in so many bandages, she looked like a mummy. Worse than that, she felt as if she’s been run over by a train.
“Ooh, my head,” she groaned, trying to sit up. “What the heck happened?”
“That’s what I’d like to know,” Anpan replied, giving her the evil eye.
“What are you doing here?” Pero demanded. “I’m dead.”
“Yes you are,” Anpan agreed. “But somehow, you are still alive, too.” He stuck a Band-Aid on a bleeding cut on her head.
“Hey, I don’t want that there!” Pero tried to pull it off, but it hurt too much. “It doesn’t matter because I’m dead.”
“I don’t know how you survived, but whatever happened, you must never do that again. Do you remember what attacked you?” Anpan asked.
“A scorpiontchi and a snaketchi,” Pero replied, tugging at some of the bandages.
“Leave them!” Anpan commanded. “Anyway, if I hadn’t found you in time, you would be really dead by now.”
“You saved my life!” Pero grinned. “I thought you didn’t like me.”
“I don’t like you,” Anpan confirmed, “but that doesn’t mean I want you to die. Then who would carry all that stuff in the backpack?”
“I think you really care about me.” Pero winked at him flirtatiously and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
“WHAT THE #%@*& HECK DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!”
“Uh… sorry,” Pero murmured.
“Don’t you EVER %#@$ do that again! %?#!$*&@!”
Anpan was cussing so much that Pero covered her ears.
“Seriously, if I didn’t need somebody to carry the backpack, I would %#@!?& KILL YOU—“
Anpan stopped when noticed tears pouring out of Pero’s eyes.
“Pero, what’s wrong?” he asked. “I didn’t mean it.”
“You said such bad stuff,” she sobbed. “You don’t like me.”
“Yes I do. I was just… I’m sorry, okay?”
“You hate me. I know you do.”
“Aw, Pero, I like you. Don’t worry about it.” Anpan helped her up. “Do you think you can walk?”
Pero staggered a bit, but nodded.
“Now, because you’re hurt, I guess I’ll have to carry everything, won’t I?” Anpan reluctantly packed everything away and picked up the backpack. “Jesus, this is heavy.”
Anpan gently took Pero’s hand and helped her through the forest. She was silent the whole time, staring at the ground with an expression of grief in her eyes.
Soon, they came to a hidden clearing with a dark cave that seemed to lead underground. Pero shivered in fear. It looked so intimidating!
“I think this is where we have to go,” Anpan told her. “Do you think you can do it?”
“It’s too scary!” Pero whined.
“I’ll protect you,” Anpan promised, carefully leading her to the cave. “It’s going to be all right. Got it?”
Pero nodded. “I hope you’re right.”
They warily entered the cave. There was no need for a flashlight, as the cave seemed to radiate with some sort of light. There were pools of lava everywhere.
“Whatever you do, don’t touch the lava,” Anpan instructed.
“What if a Devilgotchi finds us?” Pero whispered. Anpan didn’t say a word.
Pero looked around cautiously. She saw something lurking in the shadows, somewhere behind a large boulder. “What’s that?” Pero asked quietly, pointing to the boulder.
“It’s just a big rock,” Anpan replied dismissively, pulling Pero away.
“I saw something moving!” Pero cried. “What if it’s a Devilgotchi?”
“It is a Devilgotchi!” an unfamiliar voice replied. Creeping out from behind the rocks was something that looked strangely familiar. It looked exactly like Mametchi, except it had bat-like wings and a deadly pitchfork.
“Anpan, that’s you!” Pero giggled. “It’s a Mametchi with wings.”
“This is no time to be laughing,” Anpan said, clutching her hand. “Don’t move.”
“Silence!” the Devilgotchi shouted. “I am Debiru Mametchi, warrior of the Under World. What do you kids think you’re doing here?”
“We’re not kids!” Pero protested.
“We’re just looking for a friend of ours. Don’t pay any attention to us. We’ll leave as soon as we find her,” Anpan assured.
“If you’re not kids,” Debiru Mametchi reasoned, “you’re too old to be playing hide-and-seek! Besides, this is no place for you.”
“You make me mad!” Pero shouted bravely. “Let Hapihapitchi go so we can leave!”
Debiru Mametchi smirked. “Hapihapitchi is a friend of yours? Do you mean that cute little fluffy puppy?”
“Take us to her!” Pero demanded.
“Pero, stay calm,” Anpan warned.
Pero didn’t listen. “You better give us back our friend or you’ll be sorry!”
Debiru Mametchi strolled up to Pero and pointed his pitchfork at her. “One more word from you, and you’ll literally be toast.”
Pero was silent.
“You both follow me,” Debiru Mametchi ordered, taking them deep into the cave. They entered a corridor with lots of dark, separate caverns.
“Get in there,” Debiru Mametchi commanded, stopping in front of one of the rooms.
“Who’s going to make us?” Pero retorted, refusing to move.
“You asked for it, little one.” Debiru Mametchi raised his pitchfork, and fire shot out. Anpan pulled Pero out of the way just before the flames could reach her.
“Come one, Pero, we better do what he says,” Anpan said, reluctantly stepping into the cavern. Pero hesitated a few moments, but finally gave in.
“Good. Now you idiots wait here. I’ll kill you after I’ve had enough fun with you.” Debiru Mametchi pressed a button on the wall. A large, metal gate came thundering down, blocking the entrance of the cavern. The Devilgotchi’s footsteps echoed in the cave as he walked away.
“Get back here!” Pero shrieked. “Open this door!” She grabbed the bars and rattled the gate as loudly as she could.
“Stop it, Pero,” Anpan said. “You’ll just make him kill us sooner.”
“He’s not going to do that to us,” Pero insisted, letting go of the gate. “Is he?”
Anpan didn’t reply. He just sighed and stared at the ground.
“We’re doomed, aren’t we?” Pero realised. “We’re going to die no matter what.” She slowly walked towards the corner of the cavern and sat down, crying.
“Don’t cry, Pero,” Anpan murmured. “It was nice knowing you.” He knelt down beside her and tried to think of something to say that would make her feel better. “I like you, Pero. I really do.”
Pero turned to him. “No you don’t. You said you’d protect me. But we’re both goners.”
“I’m sorry,” Anpan insisted. “I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. Sometimes, things happen and there’s nothing we can do about it.”
“Do you know what Debiru Mametchi will do to us when he comes back?” Pero whimpered.
“I don’t know,” Anpan admitted. “But that’s not important. All that matters is that we’ll face it together. Okay?”
“Okay,” Pero answered. In a soft voice she added, “I love you.”
Anpan hadn’t expected her to say that. He blushed a little, but then he smiled. “I love you too, Pero.”
Pero gazed at him with her large, adorable eyes. Anpan lovingly put his arms around her and pulled her close. Hesitating just a few seconds, Pero closed her eyes and leaned in…
At that instant, they were interrupted by the loud, thunderous crashing of the gate being opened. Pero jerked back and stared in horror at Debiru Mametchi, clutching his deadly pitchfork. Anpan held on to Pero as she tried to get up. “Don’t move,” he whispered.
“Who wants to be cooked first?” Debiru Mametchi cackled, pointing his pitchfork at them. “I guess I’ll go with that sweet little Pero.”
“Don’t even think about it!” Anpan retorted as Debiru Mametchi loomed closer. To Pero, he said, “This is it. Goodbye.”
But Pero wasn’t about to give up. She was outraged. She jumped to her feet and glared at Debiru Mametchi with all her inner hatred and fury she felt for him.
“You RUINED the most romantic moment I’m ever likely to have in my entire life!” she shouted as loudly and as furiously as she could.
Debiru Mametchi blinked in surprise as Pero snatched his pitchfork right from his hands. It was so hot it nearly burnt her hands, but Pero was determined to get rid of this pest once and for all. She pointed the pitchfork at him, and a jet of fire shot out towards him. Soon there was nothing left but black dust… and, strangely, a lone bat fluttering out to escape.
Anpan couldn’t believe it. “You… you did it, Pero.”
Pero dropped the pitchfork on the ground, and it melted into a small, dark puddle. “There’s always hope in even the darkest of situations,” she said, smiling at Anpan. “Now, where were we?”
Pero hugged Anpan and again whispered, “I love you.” He smiled at her and they both moved towards each other, but suddenly they were again interrupted by the sound of Hapihapitchi howling.
“It’s Hapihapitchi! What if she’s hurt?” Pero said anxiously, searching the corridor for Hapihapitchi’s prison. She soon found one in which a fluffy little puppy was trying to squeeze between the bars. “Don’t hurt yourself, we’ll soon have you out.”
Pero pushed a button on the wall, and the gate thundered back up into the ceiling. Hapihapitchi flew out and started barking in joy. “I’m free, aroo!” she squealed.
“We did it!” Pero exclaimed. “We can go home now!”
Anpan looked at Pero meaningfully. “But we cannot tell anyone back home about this.”
“Why shouldn’t we?” Pero questioned, surprised. “It will give us a good reputation.”
“It doesn’t matter how popular we are,” Anpan explained. “We saved Hapihapitchi’s life. That’s a reward in itself. If we told our carefree friends of Tamagotchi Planet, it will only cause fear and confusion.”
“I understand,” Pero agreed. “We should be glad that we are even still alive after everything we’ve been through.”
“I want to go home now,” Hapihapitchi squeaked, fluttering nearby. Pero didn’t pay much attention to her.
“Anpan, thank you for everything,” Pero crooned, beaming at him. “I love you.”
Anpan gently rested his hands on her shoulders. “I know,” he said quietly, gazing at her. He leaned closer to her, and she closed her eyes just as she felt Anpan’s mouth touch hers. After a few moments, Pero slowly stepped back and blushed when she noticed Hapihapitchi staring at them curiously.
“Are you ready to go now?” Anpan asked her, grasping her hand. She nodded.
“Come on Hapihapitchi,” Pero said to the once-missing Tama Pet. “It’s time to go home!”
~*~
Back home, Chamametchi was glad to finally see her missing Tama Pet.
“Hapihapitchi, it’s really you!” Chamametchi cried. “Oh, where ever did you go for the past few days? I’ll have to get you a new collar!”
“She was just lost in the woods,” Pero answered, remembering Anpan’s words just before they left Lava Cave.
“But we found her thanks to my excellent detective skills!” Anpan added. Chamametchi and Pero laughed.
“Now I’m going to watch Lovelin’s shows with Chamametchi!” Hapihapitchi cheered. The two friends went to turn on the television.
Pero sighed, but she was smiling. “I guess nobody will ever like me as much as Lovelin.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Anpan teased.
“What do you mean?” Pero asked.
Anpan didn’t reply. He just grinned at her.
“Whatever,” Pero laughed. “At least we did something nobody else would ever be able to do—rescue Hapihapitchi from Debiru Mametchi!”
“You better go home now,” Anpan told her.
“You’re right. Bye, and make sure Hapihapitchi stays out of trouble!”
Pero went back to her home to find her beloved Tama Pet. “Puchiberitchi, I’m back!” she called. Her little friend flew towards her, chirping with joy.
Pero beamed. Her best friends loved her. It didn’t matter what everybody else thought. She would never be as popular as Lovelin, but that was not important. She had the best friends anyone could ever hope for, and she wouldn’t change her life for the world.
** THE END **
