Challenger Beetle

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The Challenger Beetle is a giant scarab beetle and the boss of the Challenger's Cavern. It has similar anatomy to the Anode Beetle, but it is much larger and has a tall, obelisk-shaped shell with four indents on the sides; on each of these is a smaller scarab beetle that more closely resembles an Anode Beetle in size and shape. All of them are protected by their shells, which prevent Pikmin from damaging them normally.

When the Challenger Beetle sees a leader or a Pikmin enter its arena, it will begin to slowly wander around them in an irregular, scuttling pattern. It will then release the four smaller beetles from its back, which will begin to walk in a circle around its body, open their wings, and glow red, yellow, or blue. A beam of a random elemental hazard will course through the beetles and the Challenger Beetle shortly afterward, completely covering all five of them. The color determines which hazard they will imbue themselves and their leader with; red means fire, yellow means electricity, and blue means water. The Challenger Beetle can also command the four beetles to increase the radius of their orbit, change direction, or chase after Pikmin, and it can also recall the beetles to its shell and re-deploy them with a different elemental hazard.

The small beetles can be flipped over by throwing a Pikmin on top of them, though it must be the specific color immune to the current elemental hazard, or it will not work. Once all four of the beetles have been flipped over, the Challenger Beetle will open its wing case and flash brightly, startling any nearby Pikmin and sending them into a panic. However, the Challenger Beetle is left vulnerable for a brief period of time after this, and Pikmin can be thrown onto its exposed abdomen to attack it. Eventually, the Challenger Beetle closes its wings, shaking off any Pikmin still attached, and calls back the four small beetles to resume its attack pattern.

When the Challenger Beetle is defeated, the four smaller beetles will begin to scatter aimlessly and eventually die as well.