Chapter 1: Dawn
A Litten bounded through a forest, enjoying the feeling of the cool morning breeze ruffling his fur. Despite the fact that it was late spring, the days were still perfect. Not that he was complaining, though. He quite enjoyed the feeling of the grass underneath his paws and the sounds of all the Pikipek and Fletchling singing their songs. He couldn't help but enjoy their melodies.
A brand new day and a brand new life,
Free from worry and free from strife!
With friends and allies around every corner,
Who could ask for more?
The breeze is blowing the right way,
Bringing joy to every face.
The flowers bloom, the year is new,
And it sends our hope to you!
No one's ever alone
In a world as big as this!
When you've hit the bottom,
Listen to us
And find your happy place!
And when summer comes,
We know it'll bring us something big!
Because in the winds we hear a voice
Saying "Let the fun begin!"
In this world full of mystery,
There's always someone there to share
All the things we've seen!
We all have a friend
Who is there with us to the end!
The joys of spring
Are the wonderful things
That will never fade away!
Even as the seasons change,
The friendships will always stay!
And even if your friends leave,
It's not always the end!
Because everybody you meet
Will have some joy to send!
If the world seems like a dark and scary place to be,
Just remember that everyone has their time of need.
You're not being greedy
When you're the one who's needy!
As the voices of the Pokémon grew more distant, the Litten saw something on the path that led to Shimmering Cave.
"Huh?"
He approached the figure, debating whether or not this Pokémon was friend or foe. It spoke, but he didn't hear what it was the Pokémon said.
He moved a little closer, but hesitated upon seeing that it was a Pikachu. What was a Pikachu doing here? They never came this close to Meow Village!
Maybe it got lost on the way to Spark Village?
No way! Spark Village is miles from here!
Still, it wouldn't hurt to ask...
The Litten cleared his throat, and then called out.
"Hello? Are you lost? I haven't seen you around before."
This got the Pikachu's attention.
"Y-yeah." she said. "I... um... Could you help me out?"
"Of course!" the Litten said as he bounded over to her. "My name's Tybalt! What's yours?"
"My name? Uh... What is my name...?"
The Pikachu trailed off, and then her eyes widened.
"I... I don't remember! I don't remember! I just woke up here... and that's it! That's all I remember!"
"Woah! Woah, woah, woah, calm down! Calm down. So, if I've got this story straight, you don't remember a thing. How you got here, what your name is, where you're from, anything?"
"Nothing..."
"All right, then. I have to call you something, though."
Tybalt began to pace around, mumbling and tossing a few names around.
"What should her name be? Pichi? No, no... Piwi? No, I don't like the sound of that either... Picha? No... Chuchu? Ugh, no! Chua? No, no, no! Pi? That's short and simple... but it sounds wrong... Chi? Pika? Pippa? Ugh! Nothing!"
"Um, Tybalt? If it stresses you out that much, you don't have to call me anything special-"
"Aha! I've got it!" Tybalt cried out, cutting her off. "How about Chuy? Wait, no, that's a boy's name... Ugh!"
"... Why don't you just call me Pikachu?"
"I've got it! For real this time! Your name will be Chupi!"
"Chupi..." she repeated. "All right then. Chupi it is!"
"So, Chupi..." Tybalt said, but trailed off.
"What?" asked the Pikachu.
"Do... do you hear that?" The Litten's eyes darted around, trying to figure out what it was he heard. It was... a voice, wasn't it?
"Help! Somebody, please, help!"
Tybalt scanned the area again, wondering just where exactly that voice was coming from.
"I think... it's coming from Shimmering Cave..."
"Shimmering Cave?"
"Yeah. But... Chupi... this cave... is a mystery dungeon..."
"Huh?"
"Oh, what should I do...? If I go in, the wild Pokémon will attack! If I don't, what'll become of that Pokémon? Should I go for help? Should I tell someone that there's trouble? Oh, no... And what if we can't get out? We'd have to wait on someone else! Oh, no... Oh no!"
Tybalt began to run around in circles, eyes wide. He looked around, seeing Chupi seemingly in deep consideration.
"... Tybalt, I think we should go in."
"Huh? What? Why?"
But she was already going in.
"Chupi! Wait!" the Litten cried, running after her.
X~x~X
The lyrics to the birds' song are sung to "Treasure Town" from Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky.
All of the names that Tybalt suggests were names that I'd actually considered to use, and it was very close between "Pichi," "Chuchu," and "Chupi."