Shadegrub

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The Shadegrub is a species of mandiblard that hides in the shadows and attacks by swarming.

=In fanon games=

In Pikmin Evolution
The Shadegrub is a species of mandiblard that appears in Pikmin Evolution. They are among the most unique enemies to encounter, being both considered a normal enemy and boss, as well as being one of the few found in only one location, that being the den that is the Cavern of Fangs. As a den set in complete darkness, the Shadegrubs appear as the den's primary threat. At first, in the first three floors of the den, the only evidence of their existence are clumps of spongey blue egg sacs which initially act as trampolines for the captains to bounce across in the dingy and dark cave they are found in. However, upon engaging the Emperor Bulblax on the fourth sublevel, countless Shadegrubs will hatch from the surrounding egg sacs and instantly kill it, completely overwhelming and devouring the Bulblax, leaving no remains, before forcing the captains and Pikmin to flee from the horde of shadowy grubs and into the next sublevel, lest they suffer the same fate.

These pitch-black slugs attack in massive hordes and swarm anything that moves, rapidly consuming every morsel and multiplying using the provided nutrition. Individual Shadegrubs have slightly varied sizes, from half the size of a standard sheargrub to twice one's size, and have a shadowy, goo-like texture. They can't be fought directly, at least not initially because of the swarm's lethality, so instead, the swarm must be manipulated to the leaders' benefit when traversing the next few floors of the den. Naturally for dark and scary creatures, they hate light, and actively avoid any major sources of it such as patches of glowcaps or powered lightbulbs, as the glaring beams of energy disintegrate them on contact. As a result, sources of light can be used as safe havens from the swarm. Another element of the Shadegrubs that could prove to be helpful is their appetite, which also affects anything that may impede the leaders' progress. For instance, while Pikmin can't destroy Bloatstools as efficiently as other resilient enemies, the Shadegrubs can, helping form a balance between avoiding the swarm and letting the swarm help the leaders.

Upon reaching the final floor, there is a bed of hot coals that Elixer Pikmin can dig into to collect the flaming rocks with. The coals are essential to harness, as on top of the Shadegrubs' weakness to light, they also hate intense heat, rendering them weapons against the insects. However, aware of the looming threat to their livelihood, the Shadegrubs will combine forces and form a massive Shadegrub with a gaping maw, serving as the den's boss. The giant Shadegrub has a similar attacking style to the Mama Sheargrub in that it will attempt to flail about and crush Pikmin, but the Shadegrub swarm is much larger than it, making the attack more dangerous. The only way to separate the swarm is to wait for it to charge into a wall, as that way it can be fed a hot coal, causing it to burst and reveal several stunned Shadegrubs that can be killed while the rest are dispersed. After a while, the surviving Shadegrubs will recombine into a smaller but faster and more agile form. Once the Shadegrubs are killed, the remaining few isolated ones rupture into nothingness, each having a tiny piece of refuse that a single Pikmin can carry each, alongside several assorted sparklium seeds. A very dangerous foe from a frightening land indeed.

In Pikmin Rebirth
The Shadegrub is a species of mandiblard appearing in Pikmin Rebirth. They only appear in the deepest and darkest caves, acting as one of the more frightening encounters within them; part of the reason is due to having pitch-black bodies, slug-like anatomy, and glowing red eyes. They also are frightening due to their behavior, as Shadegrubs are opportunistic scavengers, only appearing if a corpse is left alone for too long. When they find a notable piece of carrion, they will swarm the corpse and quickly devour it, with more Shadegrubs taking its place. Shadegrubs are highly dangerous as they can quickly swarm and devour a squad of Pikmin. What makes them even more dangerous is the fact that these swarms can become even bigger by exposure to poison, electricity, and acid, all common methods of dealing with other enemies. Due to these facts, the best way to deal with them is to flee, as, despite the size of their swarms, Shadegrubs are easy to distract. Any large pieces of carrion will redirect pursuing Shadegrubs to it for devouring purposes. Additionally, they are attracted to sources of energy; while they should be lead away from electricity, fire and light can prove to be the swarm's downfall as the heat can quickly burn and shrivel up the swarm, eventually killing it. While Shadegrubs aren't considered boss enemies, killing a swarm still drops a large amount of sparklium and the occasional relic, meaning that there is good reason to hunt these creatures down. Still, their sheer numbers and frightening speed make them one of the most formidable opponents to face.