"Chapter One: Arrival"
"Aye, we be almost there, lassie!"
Momoko squealed happily, fidgeting around in her seat, and releasing her inner child. This was her first adventure out on her own. How exciting! She had been waiting for this moment her entire life: to get away from the extremely crowded city to move out on her own. Sure, Aniville (like a short, catchier name for "animal ville") was a little more on the rural side, but perhaps the country would have done her some good. After all, who doesn't love the breathtaking view of nature rejuvenating itself and everything at the brim of life? Indeed, Momoko's new chapter in life was definitely going to be an amazing adventure.
She gazed out the window of the sunshine yellow bus into the open. Beyond the curves of mountains the vehicle was traveling on, the ocean was shimmering as sunbeams embraced the gentle waters. There were a few clouds around, but the weatherman hadn't predicted anything about rain, so Momoko was not worried at all. She looked at the trees near the cliffs. They grew much taller than trees that were near the city. Then, not much farther ahead, was the outlining of a small town. Aniville.
The brown-haired girl with her hair in a two separate pigtails began to fidget around in delight again at the sight of her soon-to-be home. She began to wonder what kind of house she would get. Small or large? One-story or two-story? Where did she even want to live in the town? Near the town hall? Near the beach? The poor girl hadn't given much thought before about the specifics, and now wasn't good to suddenly think about it. She shrugged to herself and decided whatever was in her price range and looked decent would be fine with her.
The little frog that was driving the bus—yes, a frog!—spoke to the young traveler again. "You seem a wee bit enthusiastic there, kiddo," he commented with a gentle smile. "Would this be yar first time ye be on your own?"
Momoko nodded, returning the elderly animal's smile. She didn't mind him being an animal. In fact, she had grown up around animals and humans living side by side her entire life. Everywhere had this wonder of talking animals, though no one knew how the strange idea came in the first place.
"Yes, it sure is!" she chimed. Her voice was high-pitched, like a child's, and rang of the sound of happiness. "I'm not worried, however. This is going to be a fantastic new experience."
The frog nodded in agreement, then told the human girl, "Aye, 'tis true. If ye ever need assistance though, ye come running to me!"
Momoko laughed cheerfully and thanked the frog. The two of them began to talk the rest of the way there. Apparently, the driving frog's name was Kapp'n. He used to sail the seas as an explorer, so he told her. That explained the sailor-like accent he had on his words. He was happy to be able to help others by transporting them where they needed to go though, especially "when pretty lil' lasses are in need of help," or so claimed Kapp'n.
Another voice joined theirs about five miles away from Momoko's destination. A cute blue and white cat wearing a plaid sweater beamed at the driver and other passenger. He went by the name Rover. The girl smiled at the cat and introduced herself.
"So, I heard your going to Aniland? I have some friends over there, and they seem to give good reviews about the place," Rover stated. "I think you'll find a good life there."
"I sure hope so," Momoko replied simply. "I'm not too worried though. I mean, it shouldn't be that hard, right?"
"Well, starting a new life is always a bit rough, but you're right. You'll be fine. Just make sure you have enough cash to cover your first house payment and other necessities."
Momoko reached inside her pocket and pulled out little to no money. Her giddy mood quickly dropped into a panic as she frantically searched for some loose change, fallen Bells, anything that would help her at least be able to afford buying her house. Where would she go if she couldn't buy her house? She'd have to live on the streets! How embarrassing and dangerous that would be! Rover's expression had changed too and began to look with the human girl for some money. No Bells were found at all, and Aniland was literally about thirty seconds away. What was the girl to do?
"Aniland! Aniland! We have arrived at Aniland!" Kapp'n hollered throughout the bus, even though Momoko was only rider other than Rover, and was the only one getting off at that stop.
Rover gave a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. You'll think of something," he assured.
Momoko gave him a weak smile and handed Kapp'n the last of her money for bus fare. She waved good-bye and stared up at the building labeled "Town Hall." She stumbled through the doors, trying to figure out what to do with the money issue. She couldn't hand over counterfeit Bells, otherwise she would be hated and thrown in jail. She couldn't pretend to have lost her savings, otherwise she wouldn't be permitted to buy the house.
As she sedately made her way to the counter, a perky pelican greeted her. "Oh, hello! My name is Pelly, and welcome to the town hall! You must be Momoko Toyotomi, correct?" she said, arranging some paperwork for the girl. Momoko nodded her head and began to fill out the papers. Pelly clapped in joy and waited patiently for the new resident to finish up. Then she added, "By the way, if you ever have a problem, want to make a donation, or want to send a letter to someone, then you can come to the town hall and me or my sister Phyllis will be able to be of your assistance. Just a warning, though... Phyllis can be a bit cranky sometimes." The pelican laughed softly to herself.
Suddenly, an elderly turtle appeared behind her and startled the girl out of her wits. He laughed and slowly walked over to the girl. His strict face returned immediately as he asked her, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Pelly threw herself into a sudden panic and raced over the the stumbling turtle and supported him. She explained, "Mr. Mayor, this is Momoko Toyotomi. She is the new resident in Aniland." Pelly turned to the human girl who was still anxious from being around the so-called "mayor" and smiled. "Momoko-san, this is Tortimor, the mayor of our humble village. He helps run festivals and special events."
Momoko hesitantly held out her hand, which in return the elderly tortoise grinned happily and shook the girl's hand. "It's nice to meet you!"
The girl shook her head in agreement and tried to smile as kindly as she could. Pelly helped lead Tortimer to his chair in the back and collected the paperwork Momoko signed. She thanked the new resident, then explaining to her that the town's store owned, Mr. Tom Nook, should be waiting outside to help her pick out a house. This made Momoko suddenly feel sick to her stomach. She knew she couldn't have avoided that moment, but she had hoped it wouldn't have come so quickly after her arrival.
The young girl thanked the mayor and his assistant before walking outside to come face to face with a raccoon about the same height as her. The raccoon smiled gleefully, as if he had known her for a long time, and shook hands. He introduced himself as Tom Nook: the most amazing entrepreneur in all of Aniland. Momoko simply returned his joyous expression and shook his hand as well. She struck a dramatic pose and introduced herself as Momoko Toyotomi: the most amazing human girl in the entire world. Tom Nook laughed slightly and shook his head, not buying her introduction.
He motioned her to follow him and told her, "Since you are just coming into the town, I suppose you're going to want to purchase a house, hmm?" Before she could ever answer the raccoon, he said, "Well, there are several empty houses, so I'll take you to all of them!"
Together, they marched throughout the town, observing several different houses. One house was a single story, and small. The roof was a green color, which was kind of weird, but pretty nonetheless. Inside, though, it looked like it had not been cleaned out in a while. Cockroaches crawled all over the floor causing Momoko to scream in terror. She immediately exited the house and she and Tom Nook continued. Another house was a little bigger, but barely by much, and had a yellow roof. The inside looked like an old dungeon, which wasn't appealing enough to the young girl. Moving on, the two of them reached a house by the ocean on top of a small hill that overlapped the sandy beach a few inches. The roof was a tinted blue color, although the interior looked a bit run-down. Momoko smiled brightly when this house was in view. The house could use a little love. Maybe, in time, it would become a beautiful and larger house.
"This is the one," she confirmed confidently.
"Excellent choice!" Tom Nook cheered. "Now, the total will come to about...19,800 Bells!"
Momoko's stomach dropped. That was much more than she expected, not to mention that she was still broke from when she first arrived in the town only about an hour ago. The little raccoon noticed her expression, yet kept his upbeat attitude up. He pat her head.
"Do not fret! If you do not have the correct amount of money, we can figure something out!" he assured her. Then, an idea popped into his mind. "Why not come work for me? Yes, that is a splendid idea! You can start immediately! Here, take this map"—he handed her a rolled up paper—"and come meet me at my shop in about an hour. It's only noon, so you have plenty of time to work! I must go prepare for your shift. Until then!"
The animal scampered off quickly to go prepare his shop. The whole time Momoko never got one word in, and now she had to go to her job. She sighed and walked into her new home, going up the stairs and into the cozy little bed that was already set up along with the lighting and a cute little radio (It was probably left behind by the previous owner, so Momoko thought.) that sat in a corner. A few minutes of rest would do her some good, especially since she had to begin working already.
The town sure had its own special way of welcoming a new arrival.