Pikgem

Pikgems are a non-canonical type of Pikmin found in the Challenge Mode of Pikmin Forever. They resemble crystalline Bulbmin, and come in twenty-five types. Pikgems are immune to all hazards including blunt force; they can only die from explosions or by falling into pits. They also have the attack strength of Purple Pikmin, and regular running, swimming, and carrying speeds. In essence, they are ideal Pikmin for completing a particularly difficult stage.

Discovery and collection
Pikgems are first mentioned when the Peculiar Gemstone, a hidden faceted gem in the story mode, is brought to the research pod or the KHA Lander. The pod or lander analyzes the gem and concludes that it is alive and comes from an alternate dimension, and speculates about crystalline lifeforms living in that dimension. This analysis unlocks Challenge Mode. In Challenge Mode, fifty out of the one hundred stages have another gem or semiprecious stone in them that, if collected, will earn the player five Pikgems of the particular gemstone's type. Thus up to two hundred fifty Pikgems can be collected, and at any time they can substitute for any type of Pikmin. Their leaves, buds, or flowers will turn the color of the Pikmin they substituted, and they will thus gain the substituted Pikmin's extra abilities. For example, the Yellow Pikmins' ability to conduct electricity. Once deployed in a Challenge Mode stage, Pikgems cannot be used again, no matter if they die or not. They also cannot be converted using Candypop Buds.

Gallery
There are no differences between the colors of Pikgem; the color is only to signify what gem or semiprecious stone unlocked them. Just as there are twenty-five types of Peculiar Gemstones, there are twenty-five colors of Pikgem, meaning a maximum of ten Pikgems of each color are seen: