Pokémon Mystery Dungeon:

Explorers of Twilight

Chapter 1: A New Adventure

"Today's the day."

A small creature stood on the edge of a tall cliff. The creature was no larger than the clumps of grass and briar that grew along the cliffside, and would have been quite inconspicuous if it weren't for the sheen of his fine yellow coat, which stood out among the tufts of sandy green. It — or rather, he — was none other than a young Pokémon; a Pikachu, with bright red cheeks and a tail like a bolt of lightning.

The Pikachu looked out over the gently rolling ocean. The morning sun hung high over the eastern horizon, blindingly bright in the clear blue sky. Not a cloud remained from the storm that had raged only the night before — the deluge of rain, accompanied by the near-constant howl of thunder and gales that tore through the air, had vanished as quickly as it had come. If it weren't for the number of trees blown over in the wind, or the dampness of the sand on the beach below, there might not have been a storm at all.

"Valentine!" called a shrill voice. The Pikachu looked around, and from a nearby thicket of thorny bushes emerged another of his kind — a smaller, younger Pikachu, who had rosy cheeks and a small dent on the end of her black-tipped tail. Her fur was unusually pale, and grew into a single lock above her forehead. "Valentine!" she called again, "I finished mending mama's old bag!"

Valentine's face split into a smile. "Already?" he said happily.

"I added some pockets on the inside, too," Easter added, as Valentine bounded over to look at the repaired the brown leather bag. "Oh, and I shortened the strap."

"Hey, isn't this from your collection?" asked Valentine, examining the small pink seashell that had replaced the old bag's worn button.

"That's my favorite shell, so don't you dare lose it," Easter warned, looking sternly at Valentine with her little arms crossed.

Valentine caught the little Pikachu in a headlock and ruffled her pale yellow fur, disheveling her tidy curl of hair.

"Good work, little sis!" he said over her plaintive squeals. She finally wriggled out of his grasp and said loudly, "Why don't you put it on already!?"

Easter watched tentatively as Valentine slung the leather bag over his head.

"Perfect," he announced. "Carrying that stone all the way to the library won't be a problem anymore, and the shell's a nice touch! Seriously, Easter — thanks."

He beamed at his sister, but Easter looked sideways at the ground, shuffling her feet. Her brown eyes flitted up at Valentine, then back to the ground.

"I guess you're really going away, then, Val?" she said at last, in a clear attempt at an offhand voice.

"Not really. Well, yeah, but I'll only be gone for a few days," said Valentine assuredly. "I just need to drop by the Historium — you know, the library — so I can ask someone about the stone." Noticing the thiny-veiled look of concern in his sister's face, he added, "It's only a day's walk to the library from here, and another day to get back. Seriously, you won't even notice I'm gone! Besides, you're a big girl now; you can take care of yourself for a couple of days… can't you?"

"Yeah, but it's not me I'm worried about," said Easter indignantly. "Only… it's a long way to the library, isn't it? Through the forest?"

"Up the beach, past the woods and across the valley. It's a little far, but if the stone we found has some sort of historical value… We may have made a really big discovery! You know that, Easter."

"But, Val…" Easter's lip trembled. "Val, it isn't safe. There are bad Pokémon on the road. Wh-what, what if…" Tears welled up in her large, brown eyes. "What if you don't come back? What if you disappear like mama did?"

Easter began to sniffle. The large, salty tears flooding her eyes threatened to overflow. His ears drooping sadly, Valentine tucked a yellow paw underneath his sister's chin and lifted her face towards his.

"Listen," he said firmly, "a lot of bad stuff has been happening lately. There are packs of nasty Pokémon wandering around, and a lot of places aren't safe anymore. But that's no reason to hide or run away."

"But what if you get hurt?" she cried. "I don't know what I'd do! I don't want you to go…"

A tear ran down Easter's rosy cheek. Heaving a sigh, Valentine gripped both of her paws in his and gave them a little shake.

"We have to be brave, Easter," he said firmly. "Mama was brave — she was an explorer; she faced danger every day, and maybe she was scared, but she was brave so it didn't matter! No — no, it did matter, and that's what made her strong! So we have to be brave, too!" He squeezed his sister's paws so tight, she winced in pain. "We can't live our lives in fear, Easter… Mama didn't want that."

He let go and turned away, staring out over ocean waves once again. The brilliant sunlight felt cold in the brisk sea wind. From somewhere behind him, Easter sniffed loudly.

At long last, Valentine felt a small paw tug at his own.

"I'm sorry, Val," said Easter. "You're right. I have to be brave, like mama." Valentine looked around, and she smiled up at him with slighty teary eyes. "You have to be brave, too, so go now and don't let me down!"

Valentine nodded, and gave her a gentle pat on the head.

"You bet I will," he said. "Is the stone still in the burrow?"

"Nope, I already packed it. I packed a few berries, too."

"All right! Thanks, sis!" Valentine opened up the bag to double check. "I guess that's everything, then. I'd better get going so I can come home as soon as possible!"

Easter nodded. "Hey, can I see the stone one more time?"

Valentine nodded, and dug a flat piece of rock out of the bag. It was smooth and flat, with one rounded edge, like a half-circle. The flat edge was rough and jagged, as though it had been broken in half.