Mold

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Mold is a hazard that can threaten the lives of Pikmin and turn them against their leaders. Additionally, mold can alter the fauna and flora it touches, and revive dead matter.

=In fanon games=

In Pikmin Evolution
Mold is an uncommon hazard in Pikmin Evolution. It takes the form of a thick green slimy mass that sticks to the floors and oozes from various creatures, plants, and fungi. Mold acts as a sort of convergence between two other hazards, those being poison and spores, as mold is made up of condensed spores that clump together. Mold is dangerous as not only does it slow down anything that treads on it, like acidic sludge, but also poisons anything that crosses it. Any Pikmin unlucky enough to touch the substance will quickly suffocate and decay from the green goop, eventually becoming assimilated with it, if not whistled in time.

Mold, as a byproduct of spores clumping together, has the same sources, mainly members of the sporovid family. While the Puffstool is the resident spore-creating sporovid, the Toxstool and Toxcap produce mold. Mold also comes from creatures infected by sporovid spores, such as the Moldy Bulborb, which leaves a trail of mold where it walks, or the Moldspitter, which scatters smaller clumps of mold on the ground from its mouth as it walks. A more harmless yellow mold produced by Glueshrooms only slows Pikmin down and has no other adverse effects, and will only disappear when the entire Glueshroom colony is destroyed.

Mold, like poison and spores, is resisted by Roach Pikmin, which are the only type able to destroy most types of mold clumps. However, some mold clumps can be destroyed by all Pikmin types on a case-by-case basis. Mold can also be destroyed by either dousing the substance in water, causing the mold to shrivel up and become less active, or acid, causing the mold to melt. Mold can be seen as a more advanced form of spores, as while they don't turn Pikmin into Puffmin as spores do, mold is a more physical hazard that can cripple Pikmin with their toxic emanations.

In Pikmin: Neo
Mold appears in Pikmin: Neo as a hazard similar to spores as it is an infectious powdery substance. It takes the form of a green, mossy substance, but can appear as a thick green mist when airborne. Mold is far more infectious than spores, which can only turn Pikmin into Mushroom Pikmin and has temporary effects, as it can turn Pikmin into Moldmin as well as infect wildlife. Mold slowly drains the life force of creatures that come into close contact with it, and upon dying, those creatures are revived by the mold, adopt a zombie-like appearance, and gain a uniquely gray health wheel. Only Cleaner Pikmin can destroy mold and cleanse it from infected Pikmin.

In Pikmin: Other Frontier
Mold is a hazard in Pikmin: Other Frontier that takes the form of a moss-green powdery substance that affects all Pikmin except Cleaner Pikmin. Mold is comparable to poison in that it is emitted from certain destructible obstacles, although mold vents are black rather than tan, although unlike poison, which mainly suffocates Pikmin, mold makes Pikmin hostile and converts them into Moldmin. Some enemies that wield mold appear to be under its control, although others appear to have control over it.