Perotchi Dreams 2

FYI I once read a book 100 times gorier than this and it said for ages 8 and up so technically this should be for ages 6 and up but I say it’s for ages 10 and up. That means you, Orandatchi, can’t read it.

On Tamagotchi Planet, Pero, an adorable Perotchi, was having fun as she attempted to make a cake. She was a lover of all things sweet, so she didn’t follow the recipe exactly.

“It needs a lot more sugar!” Pero insisted, pouring in the whole bag. Her Tama Pet, Puchiberitchi, watched in amusement. “Now we need some flour, but only a little bit compared to the amount of sugar.”

Puchiberitchi fluttered over to the cabinet and pulled out a large packet of flour and carried it to her friend. Pero carefully poured a tiny amount of flour into the bowl, taking care not to spill any.

Suddenly, there was a high, musical sound that was so loud Pero jumped and spilled flour everywhere. Pero started coughing and trying to brush the flour off her clothes.

“Not the new doorbell,” Pero muttered to herself. Her mother, Bakerytchi, had recently installed a doorbell so that Pero could know when she was home, which was rather rare since she spent most of her time working at the bakery. Pero sighed and hurried to answer the door. “Try to clean some of the disaster up!” she called to Puchiberitchi.

Pero opened the door. “Next time, just knock—ANPAN!” Pero couldn’t stop herself from squealing in delight. Detective Anpan was her very best friend (and maybe a little bit more than that) ever since they went on an adventure to find Hapihapitchi when she went missing.

Anpan smiled at her. “Hey, Pero, I just got a call from someone. They wanted me to look for a legendary flower, and I was wondering if you would like to come.”

“Of course I will!” Pero agreed, giving him a hug.

“Yuck, what’s that white stuff all over you?” he asked.

“Oh, I forgot about that,” she muttered, stepping back. “Please don’t ask.”

“Well, we better get going,” Anpan said, taking her hand and leading her to a shiny red car that was parked in front of her house.

“You can drive!?” Pero gasped, cautiously getting into one of the front seats.

“You bet I can!” Anpan replied. He sat down next to her and started the car.

“Just don’t crash!” Pero fretted as the car drove faster than she had expected.

“Okay, I hear you.”

Pero calmed down a bit and looked out the window, thinking about nothing in particular. Then she remembered she had forgotten to tell Puchiberitchi where she was! She chuckled at the thought of her poor little Tama Pet trying to clean up all the flour by herself.

After a while, Anpan parked the car in front of the TamaMori shop. “We’re here,” he announced. He opened the door and got out.

“Why the heck are we going shopping at a fashion store?” Pero demanded as Anpan helped her out.

“We’re not going shopping,” Anpan answered. “Our client, Moriritchi, should be here.”

“Oh.” Pero was actually disappointed that they wouldn’t be shopping, but she followed Anpan into the shop without complaining.

When they entered a room that said, “STAFF ONLY”, they found Moriritchi waiting for them. However, it would be more accurate to say she was waiting for Anpan.

“You’re here!” Moriritchi exclaimed, beaming at Anpan as if he were the cutest Tamagotchi she had ever seen. He probably was. “I’m Moriritchi! My sister, Anemoriritchi, runs this place.”

“I know. I am pleased to meet you!” Anpan shook her hand.

Moriritchi glanced at Pero, who was glaring at her.

“Who’s this?” Moriritchi asked, studying her suspiciously.

“That’s Perotchi, my girlfriend,” Anpan answered. Pero smirked with pleasure when Moriritchi’s face fell.

“Is that so?” Moriritchi rasped. “She looks a little bit young… Wouldn’t you prefer someone older?”

To Pero’s relief, Anpan pretended he didn’t hear. However, she was furious! Moriritchi was older than her, so whatever she was hinting at, Pero didn’t like it. Pero pointed at her eyes with two fingers, then pointed them at Moriritchi’s eyes, emphasising that she was giving her the death stare. Moriritchi just narrowed her eyes and looked away.

Anpan watched them in confusion. Trying to forget about it, Anpan turned to Moriritchi and said, “I believe you called me because you want me to find some sort of legendary flower for you. Could you tell me about it?”

“Yes,” Moriritchi answered. “I just have to fetch something. I’ll be back soon!” She blew him a kiss, which made Pero so angry she wanted to punch that irritating girl.

“That idiot makes me so mad!” Pero confessed when Moriritchi was gone.

“Don’t let it bother you so easily,” Anpan told her gently. “That’s exactly what she wants to do. So if you try not to get angry about it, she will stop bothering you. Okay?”

Pero sighed. “Okay.”

. When Moriritchi came back into the room, she had a little map of some kind of rainforest.. She showed it to Anpan. “I’m looking for the legendary Silk Flower,” she explained, “which has big, beautiful petals that are said to make the most beautiful dresses. It is meant to be at the centre of Patchi’s Forest, but when I went there the plant had been uprooted! I want you, Detective Anpan, to find it for me.”

“Okay.” Anpan took the map and put it in his pocket. “Is it okay if my girlfriend comes with me?”

Pero liked how Anpan called her his girlfriend instead of just Pero. Moriritchi was outraged, but she managed to calm down and tell Anpan, “Yes, she can come. But I am coming too.”

“Then it’s settled,” Anpan decided. “We shall leave when you are ready.”

“I’m as ready as I ever will be!” Moriritchi insisted, grabbing Anpan’s hand. Anpan gave her a cold stare, and she reluctantly let go. He took Pero’s hand instead. Pero pulled a face at Moriritchi. Moriritchi ran her fingers along her neck.

“Stop being childish,” Anpan commanded. “Now, let’s go!”

Moriritchi was not very pleased when she found out she had to sit in the back of the car. As Anpan drove, Pero had the time of her life teasing Moriritchi, who was becoming angrier and angrier by the minute. “Anpan is mine,” Pero hissed threateningly. Moriritchi pouted and looked out the window instead.

“You two better try to get along,” Anpan warned. “We are all going to search for the Silk Flower together. If you don’t cooperate, one of you might have to go home.”

Pero fell silent and turned away from Moriritchi. But she thought it would be fun to continue making Moriritchi jealous, so she snuggled against Anpan and hugged him. She could imagine Moriritchi staring with envy.

The trip was taking so long that Pero drifted off to sleep. When she awoke, the car was stopping in front of a large, lush jungle. She rubbed her eyes and sleepily got out of the car with Anpan and Moriritchi.

“This is Patchi’s Forest, the largest rainforest on Tamagotchi Planet!” Anpan declared.

“Where shall we go first?” Pero asked. “Moriritchi already said that the dumb flower wasn’t where it was supposed to be.”

“We will inspect the area where the flower was, and see if we can gather clues,” Anpan replied.

“What if somebody else already took the Silk Flower?” Moriritchi wailed. “I really need it so I can make the most popular dresses ever!”

“And the most expensive dresses,” Pero added with a smirk. Moriritchi blew a raspberry.

“I thought I told you not to fight!” Anpan scolded. “Now, I have something for Moriritchi.”

Moriritchi’s eyes sparkled in anticipation as Anpan began to search for something in the boot of the car. Then her anticipation turned into dismay as he shoved a big, heavy backpack into her arms. “Carry it,” he ordered.

Anpan winked at Pero and they both giggled as Moriritchi struggled to stand while wearing the backpack. “I look like a tortoisetchi!” she complained.

Moriritchi had no choice but to trudge after Anpan and Pero into the jungle. “This humidity will ruin my hair and these flies are a pain!” she complained as flies started buzzing in her ears. She looked at the tall trees and vines surrounding them, wondering what could be lurking in the shadows. “What if there are creatures just waiting to eat us?”

Anpan and Pero just snickered and pretty much ignored her. “Is this how you treat a girl?” she shouted angrily. They didn’t even glance at her. Moriritchi muttered inappropriate words under her breath as she hurried to catch up with them.

When it was dusk, Anpan decided it was time to stop and rest. Moriritchi was glad to finally remove the backpack from her shoulders and dump it on the ground. “What’s in that thing, anyway?” she asked, panting from exhaustion and heat.

“Food,” Anpan replied with a grin. He opened the bag and took out a bottle of milk and some bread, and started gobbling up his snack like there was no tomorrow.

“Is bread the only thing you eat?” Moriritchi asked.

“It’s not just any kind of bread; it’s Anpan bread!” he corrected with his mouth full.

“That’s how he got his name,” Pero told Moriritchi.

“He is such a slob,” Moriritchi muttered, digging through the backpack to see if there was anything else to eat. She found a bag of popcorn and started snacking on it.

“Popcorn is only for watching movies,” Pero told her. Then she decided she was hungry too, and found a box of cupcakes. She loved cupcakes! Moriritchi was annoyed that Pero got something better than popcorn. But Pero could only eat one cupcake.

“Can I please have one of them?” Moriritchi asked politely.

“Sure, help yourself,” Pero replied, handing one to Moriritchi.

“No!” Anpan snapped, grabbing the cupcake and putting it back in the box. “Save the others for later. I bought them just for Pero.”

Moriritchi scowled and threw her empty bag of popcorn on the ground.

“Don’t litter,” Pero advised. “It is very unthoughtful.” Moriritchi rolled her eyes.

“It’s getting dark. Let’s make a fire,” Anpan said when he had finished eating.

“Do you mean a fire to burn down this awful jungle?”Moriritchi asked hopefully.

“Of course not, you dummy!” Pero retorted. “He means a campfire.

“Indeed,” Anpan confirmed. He picked up two random sticks and started rubbing them together. Nothing happened.

“I thought I saw some matches in here,” Pero said, searching through the backpack. Sure enough, she found a little matchbox.

“Good!” Anpan snatched the matches from her and lit one. He dumped a bunch of sticks on the ground and touched them with the flaming match. Bright orange flames suddenly formed, but they soon eased into a harmless little fire.

“Did you bring marshmallows?” Moriritchi asked. “They would be fun to toast!”

“No,” Anpan answered. “You already ate enough. Don’t be so greedy or you will get fat.”

Moriritchi was furious. All she ate was a bit of popcorn! She was about to something nasty to Anpan before Pero spoke.

“I’m a bit tired,” she moaned. “Can we sleep for tonight?”

“Of course we can,” Anpan replied. “But I didn’t bring sleeping bags because I had to bring food…lots and lots of food!”

“I’m not sleeping on the uncomfortable, dirty ground,” Moriritchi objected.

“Too bad,” Anpan said indifferently. He leaned against a tree and pulled his cap over his eyes. After a few minutes, he began snoring.

Moriritchi covered her ears. “Tell him to stop!”

Pero stifled a giggle. “I’m not going to wake him. He looks so peaceful!”

Moriritchi sighed irritably. “Whatever.”

Pero gazed into the gently crackling fire. She decided that, with Anpan asleep, it would be the perfect time to confess her suspicions to Moriritchi. “Moriritchi, I want to tell you something.”

Moriritchi turned to her. “What?” she groaned impatiently.

Pero didn’t reply for a few moments. “You like Anpan, don’t you?” she said finally. “I can tell, even though you sometimes pretend you don’t.”

Moriritchi blinked at her in surprise. “Of course I do!” Then, in a darker voice, she added, “One day he’s going to be mine.”

“He’s mine!” Pero retorted.

“No, he’s mine!”

“Mine!”

“Mine!”

Their bickering woke Anpan up. “What’s yours?” he asked them. “Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?”

Pero and Moriritchi fell silent. But then Moriritchi grinned. She whispered in Pero’s ear, “I’m going to talk to him! And you can listen!”

Pero shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re getting at, but okay.”

Moriritchi got up strolled towards Anpan. She sat down right next to him and grabbed his hand. Anpan seemed quite bothered.

“What do you want? I want to go back to sleep.”

“I just want to talk to you,” Moriritchi explained. “It’s no big deal.”

“Of course it isn’t,” Anpan agreed. “But make it quick.”

Moriritchi took a deep breath. “Um… how do you feel about Pero?”

Anpan stared at her quizzically. “What kind of question is that? Well, she’s really special to me. I thought she was adorable the moment I saw her, but we didn’t really get along. But then I realised just how fond of her I was. There was a time when we were in terrible danger, but thanks to her courage we survived. Now we both know we are made for each other.”

Pero beamed to herself as she listened, but Moriritchi was clearly upset by what Anpan was saying. “Erm… do you think you will ever like anyone more than her?”

“I’m not sure. Now that I think about it, perhaps we just fell in love because we were alone during our journey. It was just the two of us.”

“Does that mean you don’t love her after all?” Moriritchi demanded.

“Of course I do,” Anpan insisted. He looked at her meaningfully. “Now, I know you have a crush on me but don’t get too hopeful. Okay?”

Moriritchi blushed and didn’t say any more. She got up and stormed off.

Pero was tired of listening to the pointless conversation, so she went to sit beside Anpan. “If it okay if I’m here?” she asked.

“It’s perfect,” Anpan murmured. He leaned in and kissed her on the mouth.

“Stop that, it’s disgusting!” Moriritchi pleaded.

Pero stopped, but only to give Moriritchi an evil grin. Then she went back to what she was doing before. Annoying Moriritchi was her new favourite hobby.

Moriritchi groaned and covered her eyes. Then she walked across the clearing and lay down, using the backpack as a pillow. She closed her eyes, but she could not sleep because both Anpan and Pero were snoring. “I don’t know how you can fall asleep sitting up!” she called, even though they wouldn’t hear.

As Moriritchi tried to go to sleep, an evil plan formed in her mind. She would get rid of Pero once and for all; THEN Anpan would love her! So, smirking at the thought of her cruel plan, she waited for morning to come.

It was dawn when Moriritchi awoke. Somewhere in her mind, she knew she had something important to do. She thought for a moment, and then remembered; she was going to get rid of Pero!

First of all, she had to write a message for Pero. She knelt down and traced a message in the dirt, and drew a little arrow. Satisfied, she got back to her feet and went to wake up Anpan.

“What do you want…?” Anpan muttered as Moriritchi started shaking him.

“Anpan, please help me!” she begged. “I…um…brought my lucky bracelet but I think I dropped it somewhere! You have to find it!”

“Okay, I’ll look for it. Where did you lose it?” Anpan asked, reluctantly getting up.

Moriritchi pointed in the opposite direction that the arrow she drew on the ground was facing. “Somewhere over there, I think.”

“Okay. You stay behind and make sure Pero stays out of trouble.”

“I will!” Moriritchi promised. When Anpan was gone, she rummaged through the undergrowth for a nice, sharp stick. When she found one with a leathal point, she went over to Pero and tapped her shoulder. Then, laughing darkly, she raced into the depths of the jungle in the same direction as her arrow.

Pero blinked open her eyes and yawned. She thought she felt something tapping her, but she decided it must have been a dream. She stood up and looked around. Where were Anpan and Pero? Then she noticed a message traced on the ground. She studied it, attempting to make out what it said.

“Pero, I have left to find the Silk Flower, but you were sleeping and I didn’t want to wake you. Follow the arrow and you should find me. Love, Detective Anpan.”

Pero spotted the arrow, neatly traced in the ground. She was a bit wary, but she tried to ignore her suspicions. She cautiously made her way through the jungle, but this part of Patchi’s Forest was so thick she soon lost her way.

She froze when she heard footsteps creeping up behind her. “Anpan…?” she called anxiously. There was no reply, but there were more footsteps.

Pero trembled in fear. Before she could turn to see who was following her, she felt something sharp slash into her side. Pero wailed in agony and fell to the ground. As more and more blood trickled onto the grass, Pero felt herself become too weak to even move. Soon her cries became faint moans, and then she was silent.

Out from the bushes stepped a lone figure, clutching a blood-tipped stick. It was Moriritchi, and she couldn’t wipe the smirk off her face. “Take that, Pero!” she whispered, stabbing Pero once more just in case. She thought she saw Pero move slightly, but then she remembered she should get back to the clearing before Anpan realised she was gone.

When Moriritchi returned, she sat down on a flat, smooth rock, tossed her stick on the ground, and started to daydream. After a few moments, Anpan came back without her lucky bracelet, which didn’t even exist in the first place.

“I’m really sorry, Moriritchi,” he told her. “There’s no sign of any bracelet. Are you sure you dropped it around there?”

Ï am not sure,” Moriritchi admitted. “But oh well. I can just buy a new one.”

Anpan seemed puzzled. “Where is Pero? I thought you said you would keep an eye on her.”

Moriritchi quickly thought of a lie. “She, uh… had to go to the bathroom…?”

“How long ago was that?” Anpan asked. “She’s a bit absent-minded, so she might be lost.”

“Don’t know, don’t care,” Moriritchi muttered.

Ï’m going to look for her anyway,” Anpan decided. “Do you want to come with me?”

ÖF course I do!”

Anpan glared at her suspiciously, but then he noticed the message Moriritchi had traced in the dirt ealier. Moriritchi rushed over and brushed the message away, but she left the arrow.

“Stop playing in the dirt!” Anpan commanded. “I thought I saw writing… never mind.”

Then he noticed the arrow.

“What’s this? Did Pero draw that?”

“Maybe,” Moriritchi mumbled indifferently.

“I guess we better go and look. Do you think you can show me where Pero headed off to?”

Moriritchi nodded and hesitantly led Anpan to the area where she had attacked Pero. Something inside her told her that she had done the wrong thing, and she froze when she saw Pero, lifeless as last time, in a small, scarlet puddle.

“I think she’s hurt…” Moriritchi said shakily, taking a few steps back.

“What do you mean…?” Anpan trailed off when he spotted Pero. “Pero, are you okay?”

Anpan rushed to Pero’s side and started shaking her gently. Moriritchi stared at the ground in guilt. She was a murderer. The very thought made her shiver.

“Pero, Speak to me!” Anpan demanded with tears in his eyes. Pero stirred and opened her eyes.

“Detective Anpan…?” she murmured feebly.

“It’s okay, I’m here,” Anpan assured.

Pero coughed a few times. “Thank you… for being such a good friend… I’ll never forget you… I’m sorry…”

“Don’t leave me!” Anpan protested. “Please, don’t!”

Pero closed her eyes again snd fell silent. Her breathing became fainter. Then, in a soft whisper, she said, “I will love you forever.”

“Pero, please don’t…”

But Pero was dying, and there was nothing Anpan could do. He leaned down and gently kissed her for the last time, and he thought he saw Pero smile.

“Wait, Pero, hold on!” Anpan pleaded. “Tell me, who did this to you?”

Pero whispered, “I don’t know...” But then it dawned on her. She flashed a horrified glance at Moriritchi, coughed a few more times, and became ominously still and silent.

Anpan listened for her heartbeat. There was none. Gazing at his true love with misery, he started crying. Moriritchi didn’t say anything. She felt too terrible to even think. Anpan eventually stood up and took a deep breath.

“We better leave her now,” he said to Moriritchi.

Moriritchi nodded. To her surprise, Anpan clutched her hand. She felt a glimmer of hope that Anpan would love her, but it just didn’t feel right that she had murdered someone else he loved more. Anpan looked so sad, she felt like crying too. As they headed back to the clearing together, she wondered whether she should tell Anpan the truth.

“Moriritchi,” Anpan began when they arrived. “I will still help you look for the silk flower. Just… give me time.”

Moriritchi nodded. But then Anpan noticed something on the ground. He picked it up, and with a shiver of dread she recognized it as the stick she had stabbed Pero with. Anpan stared at the red tip, lost in thought.

It all came to him now—Moriritchi had killed Pero. He remembered the rivalry between Pero and Moriritchi, the mysterious message on the ground, Moriritchi’s suspicious behaviour, the look on Pero’s face when she saw Moriritchi moments before her death, and now the stick. He glared at Moriritchi as if he hated her more than anything else in the world.

“You killed her!” Anpan shouted. Moriritchi gulped. She knew she was in serious trouble.

“Er… yes,” Moriritchi agreed, grinning sheepishly. “You really ARE a good detective!”

But Anpan was definitely not in the mood for humour. “I am going to send you to jail for the rest of your life!”

Moriritchi flinched. It was terrible to think that she, a famous fashion designer, would end up in jail. She simply had to do something that would make up for Pero’s death.

“Wait!” she said suddenly. “I have an idea!”

“What?” Anpan asked irritably.

“Legend has it that the Silk Flower has five petals, and each petal does something different. But you can only use one of the petals, and the rest of the Flower will disappear.”

“What about it?”

Moriritchi thought for a moment. “One of the petals, the one I want, can make dreses that will instantly become the most popular in the world. Another one of the petals can give you a special talent that will make you famous. The third one can make you live forever. The fourth one can give you lots of money… I forgot how much, but there were a LOT of zeroes.”

“What can the fifth petal do?” Anpan asked impatiently.

“It can revive a deceased loved one,” Moriritchi answered quietly. “But only within one hour of their death.”

“What if that’s just a rumour?”

“It’s worth a try isn’t it?”

Anpan nodded. “Okay. But we better hurry!”

Anpan took the map from his pocket and used it to locate the center of the jungle. As they rushed towards their destination, Moriritchi hoped the rumours were right.

“This is where the flower is meant to be,” Anpan finally announced. Moriritchi came to a stop and looked at the empty hole and scattered soil on the ground.

“It’s like before—somebody must have stolen it.” She said.

“No, I think I know what happened. Look over there.” Anpan pointed at an uprooted bush lying on the ground a few meters away. “That must have been what was taken from the ground; not the Silk Flower!”

“Then where IS the Silk Flower?” Moriritchi asked, looking around in confusion.

Anpan shoved the uprooted bush aside. There underneath, although a little bit crumpled, was a beautiful blue flower!

“It’s the Silk Flower!” Moriritchi breathed. “Now I can make beautiful dresses or get lots of money or live forever or—“

“Or rescue Pero,” Anpan interrupted. Moriritchi fell silent. “But how do we know which petal is which?”

“You can’t,”Moriritchi admitted. “You just have to trust your heart.”

That was easier said than done. Anpan studied the petals. They all looked exactly the same. He thought of Pero. He thought of her unique sense of humor, her boldness that was sometimes dangerous and sometimes life-saving, her devoted love for him… and plucked one of the petals off the flower.

There was a moment of silence. Nothing happened. But then, the Silk Flower, with the four remaining petals, started to glow. The light became blinding, and then it slowly died away. In place of the flower was Pero, alive and well. Anpan was speechless. Moriritchi stepped away cautiously

“Ooh, where am I?” Pero mumbled, rubbing her head. She blinked a few times, and tilted her head to one side quizzically. “How did I het here? Aren’t we supposed to be looking for the Silk Flower?

Anpan beamed. “You’re alive!”he exclaimed. He grabbed her and hugged her so tightly, she started to struggle.

Öf course I’m alive,”Pero said, managing to pull herself out of Anpan’s grip. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Anpan and Moriritchi glanced at each other. Pero was getting agitated. What did they know that she didn’t?

“Anpan, what’s been happening?”Pero asked curiously. “You’re both acting weird… did I fall asleep or something?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Anpan assured. “We better go home now. Okay?”

“If you say so…” Pero murmured uncertainly.

Anpan turned to Moriritchi. Ï’ll let you go this time, but if you ever do anything like that again, you’ll have to pay.”

Moriritchi, trembling in fear, slowly backed away. She raced off into the depths of the jungle. Anpan forgot about her and turned back to Pero.

“Don’t worry about her. I’m sure we’ve seen the last of her.”

Pero nodded and smiled. She still wasn’t exactly sure what had happened, but she soon forgot about it as she and her best friend in the world made their way back home.

When Pero entered her house, she found a surprise waiting for her. In the kitchen, right on the table, was a beautiful cake decorated with cherries!

“Where did this come from?” Pero wondered. Puchiberitchi tried to tell her, but of course she couldn’t talk.

Pero thought for a moment. Puchiberitchi couldn’t have made it all by herself… That was it! Her mother, Bakerytchi, must have made it for her while she was away on her adventure!

“Thanks, Mama!” Pero said, even though she was probably working at the bakery. So Pero happily started feasting on the entire cake. As she ate, she wondered why Anpan had stopped searching for the Silk Flower, and why she had suddenly found herself in a different part of the rainforest when she awoke from her nap… She knew Anpan knew what had happened, but he wouldn’t tell her…

Pero soon forgot all about Moriritchi and that silly Silk Flower of hers, and everything in her life was back to normal… for now, at least!