PikminFanon:Pikmin Story Archive
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The Pikmin Story is a fanon story serial that is ongoing. New chapters are released every Saturday when possible, and are posted here. Completed stories are archived in their respective subpages. The story serial's original concept was created by Peach Bulborb and is currently being written by PikFan23.
Credits to PikFan23 and Wraith for helping the idea come to fruition.
The Captain's Return
This was the first story serial written, and is supposed to take place after the events of Pikmin 2. It is unknown how (or if) this story ties in with Pikmin 3.
Entry One
Once, there was a planet, indistinguishable from other planets. However, this planet was very special, as one unfortunate space captain found out. Creatures called "Pikmin" inhabited the planet, little creatures that had a massive amount of might. The captain managed to escape the planet, and later returned to collect treasure to save his company. This was accomplished as well.
All of that was long ago. Olimar is a fading memory among the Pikmin, and almost none believe he will return...
Run!
That is all on this young Pikmin's mind.
Run! Before they catch you!
The pack of Dwarf Bulbears draw near, with their massive Spotty Bulbear leader in the very front. Its eyes are fixed on this Pikmin, hardly blinking, just fixed on the target. It barks a few words of leaderly encouragement to the young Bulbears that are falling head-over-heels trying to catch this Pikmin.
Normally, this Pikmin would only be chased leisurely, but "The Intelligence" desires this Pikmin for a special reason.
The Pikmin is of the Blue Tribe, and runs into a pool of water, hoping to outsmart the Grub-dogs that are following him so closely; Bulbears are notorious for their poor swimming ability. As he wades into the water, he holds up an object to avoid it getting wet. This object is exactly why he is being followed so closely.
The Spotty Bulbear's eyes bulge as it spots that critical object. It knew all along that the Pikmin was carrying this object, but having it so close and yet out of reach is exasperating. The Pikmin gets safely to the other side, and this stream of water stretches for meters before there is even a stick across to wade on.
The Pikmin is safe, and quickly runs toward the Onion stationed on the other side of the stream. The leader of the band of Blue Pikmin, a flowered veteran that long ago went on the quest to rescue a dear friend of the captain's, takes the object and studies it carefully. He picks it up and begins turning the dial, hearing a good bit of radio static.
Maybe, just maybe, he thinks, I can call Olimar back!
Dream, or Nightmare?
"Dream, or Nightmare?" is the second story in the serial on the main page. It follows the adventures of Louie after he is accidentally left on the planet by Olimar. It presumably with detail the events of the Dream Den.
One
Darkness. Rumbling. A ship lights up the sky like a burning steak, my only hope for escape from this planet. But wait. It has already lifted off! I'm doomed!
It is getting dark, and that Bulbear doesn't look too friendly...
This hollow might provide a little shelter. If I can just survive the night...
I'm exhausted!
If that Bulbear had just left me alone, I might've gotten some sleep. Instead, I have to spend the entire night just trying to avoid it.
This place looks different. everything is orange instead of green or white. Maybe there is some food here?
I could cook up a few ultra spicy berries, but first I need to reach them.
Got it! Now I just need to cook it on my portable stove. This is going to be a long wait. Wait, what is that Blowhog doing? No, get away! This is my food, mine! Go! Shoo!
Aw, and you just had to eat the stove as well! Bad Blowhog, bad! Wait, you're the fiery kind?
This Blowhog is a good mount. I just hijacked its mind, and now I can drive it where I wish. And the moment I find anything edible, I just command him to blowtorch it.
Here is a hole. Holes often have lots of tasty stuff. Come, Blowy, lets see what's down here...
This place has a lot good eats, right, Blowy! This big green fruit is especially scrumptious. But that side of Dwarf Orange Bulborb wasn't half bad, now was it?
You know, being left by Olimar may be the best thing that has ever happened to me...
Mysterious World
Prologue
After the explorers from Hocotate and Koppai left, the Pikmin gained knowledge. They got their knowledge by observing their alien leaders, noting vast knowledge of things. It rubbed off on the Pikmin after a while, but they didn't show it. After the leaders' final departure, they bloomed (no pun intended). Their knowledge increased exponentially in the course of a few short months, acquiring many aspects of civilization. However, their knowledge didn't match that of their leaders, whose knowledge was far superior than the Pikmin could ever have dreamed of. That didn't matter to the Pikmin. What mattered is that they now had a foothold on the world, brought back from the verge of extinction. And as most civilizations go, the Pikmin, naturally, wanted to explore the world's vast lands, and see what sort of challenges it had to offer.
However, one Pikmin would revolutionize his civilization, and make a permanent impact on his world.
This is his story... This is the story of how he discovered a parallel world. And it begins...
...with a seed.
Chapter 1: The New Pikmin
An Onion the Awakening Wood just created a new Pikmin. This would be no ordinary Pikmin, as everybody would come to find out, but its life started just the same. A nearby Pikmin plucked the seed, and out popped a new Pikmin. The Onion had the special ability to impart limited knowledge to new Pikmin: it would plant information into a Pikmin's mind after its creation, and then it would be expelled from the Onion and take root in the ground. This Pikmin thanked the other Pikmin for plucking it, then climbed up one of the legs of the Onion.
Onions are special in the fact that they are their own dimensions, separated from the rest of existence. As such, Onions' insides are many hundreds of times larger than the outside. The reason for this is because the Onion is the mothership of the Pikmin, and needs to be able to carry thousands, if not tens or even hundreds of thousands of Pikmin at once. The Pikmin, once it climbed inside, knew where it needed to go: the Sprout Facility. The Sprout Facility was the first place all Sproutlings visited after their plucking. Here, Sproutlings would be taught of what it's like to be a Pikmin, and they would be named here, too.
The Pikmin found the Sprout Facility with little trouble: after entering the Onion, he came into a chamber, with a passageway in the front that read, "SPROUT FACILITY". Next to each entrance was a Sprout Facility. Here, he quickly found an instructor, who taught him basic Pikmin skills, such as carrying, fighting, throwing, etc. Then the instructor got a Pikmin name generator and pulled up a name: Ignis. The Pikmin accepted the name, thanked the instructor, and left the facility. After a Sproutling's visit to the Sprout Facility, they are advised to exit the Onion, in order to learn the Pikmin's ways, and further enhance their knowledge. Ignis, after leaving the Onion, wandered around the Awakening Wood a bit, and found some Pikmin sneaking up on a trio of Dwarf Bulborbs. The group of Pikmin noticed Ignis. "Are you a Sproutling?" one of them asked.
"Yeah. I just left the Sprout Facility."
"Oh, I see. What's your name?"
"I'm Ignis. You're...?"
"Call me Flare," the other Pikmin said. "You wanna help us kill these Dwarf Bulborbs?"
"Sure," said Ignis. "I've got a lot to learn anyway, so I guess I'll start here!"
"Alright. Now, Dwarf Bulborbs are pretty easy to kill—you throw another Pikmin on it. Easy! Watch."
Flare grabbed one of his friends by the stem and effortlessly threw him on top of one of the Dwarf Bulborb's back. Dwarf Bulborbs' spines are frail enough that they cannot withstand Pikmin being thrown on top of them. The dwarf let out a screech, rolled over, and died. This caught the attention of the other two, who saw the group of Pikmin.
"They've seen us!" Flare yelled. "Quick, Ignis, give me your stem."
"Wha-what? Okay…"
Before he knew it, Ignis flew through the air and landed on a dwarf, killing it. Then the other Pikmin charged at the last dwarf, who jumped, trying to shake off some of its attackers.
"Come on!" Flare motioned Ignis to attack the dwarf. Instinctively, he latched on, and whacked the dwarf a few times. The combined effort of the Pikmin killed the Bulborb.
"Well then, let's get these Bulborbs back to the Onion," Flare said. Ignis watched as some Pikmin picked up a Bulborb and carried it off to the Onion, followed y another Bulborb.
"Hey, Ignis, you wanna help me carry this?" Flare asked Ignis.
"Yeah, okay." Ignis walked over to the Bulborb, and he helped the others carry it back to the Onion. He watched as the Onion absorbed the Bulborb, expelling new seeds.
"I don't know if you know this already," Flare explained, "but the Onion will absorb pellets and dead creatures and convert them into seeds. Because of it, we can reproduce easily… unless there isn't anything for us to get, which would be bad!" He laughed. "Well then, see you later, Ignis."
"See you." Flare and his comrades walked off. It looked to Ignis that Flare was some sort of leader, the way he was instructing the other Pikmin what to do. Soon, they vanished from sight, and Ignis, having nothing better to do, took a stroll around the Awakening Wood. He decided he'd get used to his surroundings. He went north, and found an enclosure with nothing in it. Then he headed southeast from the enclosure, and found a plateau with a weird mound on it. A nearby Pikmin looked over at him.
"Sproutling, eh?" the Pikmin said.
"Yeah, how'd you know?" Ignis asked.
"By the way you're wanderin' 'round the Wood like that, it ain't hard to tell you're a Sproutling!" he laughed. "Ah, did that catch your eye?" The Pikmin gestured to the mound.
"Yeah, what is it?"
"That 'ere is one of 'em caves. They're empty spaces inna ground which 'ave great stuff in 'em, but are swarmin' with monsters. No Pikmin'd survive if they went alone… 'specially Sproutlin's."
"I see..." Ignis gazed up at the cave. He wondered what was in it, but decided to keep exploring. Heading back south, he ended up at the landing site. The Red Onion towered above Ignis, and made him feel small. This was the most expansive part of the area. He headed west, and as he was doing so, looked north, and saw two plants that had berries on them. Earlier, he had seen some Pikmin harvesting the berries from the plants, and condensing them into some sort of liquid. He kept on walking, crossing a bridge and going into a narrow walkway. Turning south again, Ignis saw a small pond, with two bridges connecting an island in the middle of it to both shores. He crossed the bridges, and came upon an open expanse. Taking a break, he sat down. He looked up, and saw the pink petals gently floating to the ground. Then he looked back down and admired all the pretty flowers. One flower in particular caught Ignis's eye, so he got up, went over and looked at it. This flower had what looked like an eye in the middle of it. To Ignis, this didn't seem strange, but the other Pikmin would instantly recognize it as a Creepying Chrysanthemum.
The Chrysanthemum spotted Ignis and promptly uprooted itself from the ground. Ignis was knocked back, and saw the true form of the creature: a giant, green body, with two flowers extending from it—both of which had eyes—and a giant bulb on top, which Ignis assumed to be its mouth. His assumption was correct, as the bulb mouth came down and tried to eat him. Ignis jumped off the ground and started attacking the Chrysanthemum, which caused little damage.
The flower creature shook off Ignis, who saw the bulb coming, and rolled out of the way. Having missed the Pikmin, it fell over, and he took this opportunity to attack. He wondered what would happen if he attacked the eye, so he climbed up to the flower and whacked at its eye. The Chrysanthemum let out a screech of pain, then a roar, and reared up, sending Ignis flying. He hit a tree stump and fell down, and when he looked up, saw the Chrysanthemum. One of its flowers had wilted, and the Chrysanthemum was mad. It was about to eat Ignis when both of them heard a high-pitched sound.
It was Pikmin!
The Chrysanthemum was distracted by the other Pikmin, so Ignis seized the opportunity and attacked. He climbed up to its other eye, whacking furiously, and the Chrysanthemum screeched again. It shook violently, and Ignis fell off. Ignis saw the other Pikmin, and this group's leader walked up to him.
"Gotta say, you're crazy for a Sproutling..." the Pikmin remarked.
"Who are you?" Ignis asked.
"I'm Ruby. ...You haven't heard of me yet?"
"...No?"
"Well, I'm the leader of the Onion." Somehow, Ignis wasn't fazed by this. Then, he noticed her skin. Ruby was bright red, unlike the other Red Pikmin. Her skin was different because she was the leader of the Onion. An effect of her being the leader gave her powers: she was resistant to fire and electricity. She was also slightly stronger than some of the other Pikmin, too. Then Ignis noticed the ruby adorned on her forehead. Indeed, she was a leader: in her eyes, Ignis saw leadership and courage; a brave and hardened soul; a kind and caring heart.
"If you don't mind my asking, who're you?" Ruby asked.
"I'm Ignis," he replied.
"...Well, what are we waiting for, Ignis? Let's get that Chrysanthemum!"
Because Ignis had attacked both eyes, the Chrysanthemum was blinded, and wandered about. It seemed less dangerous, but the Pikmin didn't realize that it could make tentacles now. They charged at the blind plant, and upon doing so, its limbs went into the ground, sprouting tentacles which snatched up a Pikmin. Ignis was horrified when he saw it, and jumped at the tentacle, furiously attacking it. It let go of the Pikmin, but then Ignis was ensnared in the tentacle. The other Pikmin were attacking its bulb, trying to give Ignis time to free himself, but the Chrysanthemum did not stop. Desperate, Ignis screamed. The other Pikmin were stunned, though. They were astonished by what they saw. Ignis fell to the ground, and was amazed when he looked up.
The Chrysanthemum was immobilized—the tentacle was burning.
"How... HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!" Ruby asked, very surprised. Ignis discovered that he had a unique ability: he could manipulate fire.
"I-I... " Ignis stuttered. He was entranced by what he just did. He felt power surging through his body, though, so he figured if he directed it to one spot, he could make fire appear again.
"Let's try this out..." He put his two hands in front of him. He concentrated, trying to summon a blaze. "Ah... Ahhh... AHAAA!" A fire appeared out of nowhere. Many comments arose from the other Pikmin. "Wow, that's so cool!" "How can he do that?" "I wanna try!" Ignis looked behind him, pleased that he could amaze the other Pikmin.
"Now, let's finish this once and for all!" he declared. He willed the fire to grow bigger, and condensed it into a fireball. Then, he launched it at the Chrysanthemum, setting its body ablaze, killing it. Only the bulb was left behind. This caused a wave of cheers and excitement.
Now, let's get this Chrysanthemum bulb back to the Onion!" Ruby said. She directed the others to carry the bulb. "Ignis? Can I talk to you for a second?"
"Yeah, what is it?"
"That power you have.. It is a power only very few Pikmin are blessed with. If you use it right, it could mean us Pikmin could become the most powerful creatures on this planet again. So I have a request of you: will you aid us in these times with your power?"
"Yeah, okay," Ignis answered, "but I'm still a Sproutling. I'm not ready to take on any big fate-changing mission or something right now. Maybe when I'm a little older, I can help you."
"Very well. We have ancient, secret documents about this ability you hold. Tonight, come to my house. I live on the 1st floor. It's the big red house, decorated with rubies. Can't miss it. Anyway, we need to get back to the Onion—it's getting late." With that, Ruby rushed off to join the others. Ignis looked up, and indeed it was getting late. Through the shadows of the leaves, the orange sunlight casted a beautiful glow on the forest. Ignis came back to reality, and rushed back to the Onion.
What Ignis didn't see were a pair of eyes.
Watchful, analytical eyes.
Chapter 2: Exploration
Ignis had climbed up into the Onion and waited beside the exit. Glass came down and sealed it off. Then Ignis saw a flashing red light, and felt a massive jolt, being pulled down. Suddenly worried, he looked through the glass, and saw the ground slowly getting smaller.
They were flying!
Ignis stared intensely at the ground. It got smaller and smaller as the Onion accelerated into the evening sky. The giant trees that were towering above him just moments ago gradually faded into oblivion, becoming nothing more than mere decorations on the surface of the planet. He studied the landscape: most of the ground was forest, and there was a lake to the north. Beyond the lake was a mountain range, and beyond the mountains, Ignis couldn't discern. Then he looked up, and saw some wispy pinkish orange clouds. Above those, the blue-purple sky faded into a black void, jeweled with stars and nebulae. It was indeed a beautiful sight, for Ignis had never seen a sunset before. It was his first, and certainly not his last.
Then Ignis remembered what he had to do: he had to find Ruby, and talk to her about his powers. Making sure that it wasn't just some sort of dream, he put out his right palm, and with little effort, a small blaze appeared over his hand, dancing and flickering. He let the small flame go out, then he walked forward, away from the glass-covered exit. The room he was in was an antechamber of sorts: it was a circular room, with the exit in the back. The Sprout Facility's entrance was at the front of the room. A set of stairs in the middle of the room led up to another circular room directly above. Ignis walked up the stairs to the next room. It had a large window across the entire back half of the room. Nine elevators were present, leading to various different floors. In the front was the entrance to a passageway, which Ignis walked over to and entered.
The passageway was short, and only a few doors were present, which led to maintenance rooms. After going through this passageway, he came into a very large room. Even though it was large, it didn't have much space, because the inner and outer walls close to each other, making a shell of sorts. Ignis looked up and down, and the walls seemed to extend eternally in both directions. It was a ring, not a shell. Many walkways were attached to the walls, and many doors and windows were seen embedded into the walls. He circled around the ring once, and saw two other large entryways like the one he came in through. Staring intently at the windows and doors, he saw Pikmin inside empty spaces. What are those Pikmin doing inside those spaces? Ah, of course, Ignis thought. These are houses. But then... where do I live?
It didn't matter to him. He would find some sort of nice little corner for him to sleep in. He decided to keep exploring the Onion. Continuing on, Ignis walked down the passageway he came from, and entered another ring. This ring was smaller, but still large. Otherwise, it was the same. Ignis kept walking through rings. How big is the Onion? Ignis thought to himself. The last ring Ignis walked into was different than the others. The walls were more open, and Pikmin wandering about inside these empty spaces. Some were walking into them, and some were walking out, holding various things. He saw things lined up, and Pikmin were scurrying about, picking random items. He looked at these empty spaces, realizing they were shops and businesses. He walked through another passageway, and at the end, opened up to a walkway surrounding an enormous space.
This room was the largest in the Onion. It was a field, with miniature trees and plants sprouting up from the ground. Sidewalks and fountains were present, as were some Pikmin milling around. This chamber was special because it could mimic the outside climate: since it was night right now, the ceiling an – artificial sky – was dark, dotted with stars. The lights were on, and a cool breeze was blowing. Then Ignis noticed the blue tube. The tube was at the center of the park, which went from the bottom all the way to the top. Surrounding the tube were several walkways, and several Pikmin were circling around it like bugs attracted to a porch light. He was wondering what the tube did and why there was a fake outside and what the empty spaces were for and why the Onion was so huge inside and…
"OH!" Ignis suddenly shouted. Someone looked over at him, and Ignis, embarrassed, quickly walked back to the innermost ring. He remembered that he had to go see Ruby. "Ugh... What time is it?" he wondered aloud. He looked around for a clock, and found one in the tunnel he just went through. It was 8:59. Ignis needed to find Ruby's house, but he had no idea where to look. As he was thinking, there was a voice that seemed to come from everywhere: "Attention all Sproutlings. Please report to the nearest Sprout Facility for Registration." Ignis was a Sproutling. He decided he should be there for this Registration thing. Maybe it would help him find Ruby. Not wanting to wait in a line, he sprinted down the hallway, and everything he saw became a blur.
Eventually he returned to the Sprout Facility. Some Pikmin had already arrived for Registration, and were talking to other Pikmin. Why wasn't he told about this when he came here the first time? But it would make no difference worrying over it, he decided. He waited, milling about until one of the assistants wasn't talking to anyone. Ignis walked over to the assistant.
"Give me your stem, please," the assistant said. Ignis obliged, and let the assistant see his stem. The assistant looked under his leaf, held up a UV light, and read out a number. "Sproutling D-21 S-268..." the assistant mumbled. He wrote down the number, gave Ignis his stem back, and entered the number into the computer.
"Is your name Ignis?" the assistant asked, and Ignis nodded. The assistant released his stem, then said very quickly "Ignis, your house is at Ring 5, Sector 7, Level 38, House 624." Ignis heard Ring 5 and Sector 7, but the assistant was speaking too fast for him to hear the rest.
"Can you write that down?" Ignis asked. With ease, the assistant wrote down his address on a slip of paper, then handed the paper to him. He read his address, but was confused by its meaning. "Uh... Can you explain how the address works?" he asked.
Robotically, the assistant handed him a paper. He proceeded to read it: "The Onion is divided into three main Zones: the Main, the Upper, and Lower Zones. The Main Zone has the residential and commercial areas of the Onion. It is divided into ten Rings, as well as a Park. Rings 1-9 are residential, while Ring 10 is commercial. The Park is an area on the that resembles the outside environment, and gives Pikmin a place to spend time with friends, do activities, or simply relax.
"The Upper Zone is where the Elite Pikmin live and the location of governmental facilities. As such, the Upper Zone has much security, and any Pikmin that visit who is not an Elite or a government official is at the discretion of the security forces. The Lower Zone is where the mechanical and industrial areas of the Onion are. The machinery powering the Onion is here, and items for everyday lives are made here. This is a restricted-access area, and any Pikmin who needs to be here must have an ID Level of Three or higher. The Lower Zone also houses the Engine Room.
"The Onion has a total of 100 levels. Levels 1-9 are in the Upper Zone; levels 10-79 are in the Main Zone, and levels 80-100 are in the Lower Zone. Each Zone is divided into Sectors. The Upper Zone is divided into 4 Sectors; the Main Zone is divided into 13 Sectors; the Lower Zone is divided into 10 sectors. Each Sector spans all the levels of the Zone that it is in."
He read the explanation several times over, then put it and his address into a flap of skin near his hip which conveniently acted as a pocket. "You can pay off your house loan anytime at the Real Estate Center on Level 3, Sector 5. Your loan costs 5,000 Pokos." Ignis had no idea what a Poko was, but it was the adopted currency of the Pikmin, introduced to them by the Hocotatian explorers. Olimar would have been shocked to know that the average house loan was 5,000 Pokos – half the price of the debt he had to pay.
"Next, I need to register your identification. Please give me your stem." Ignis handed the assistant his stem, and held up a machine to his leaf. It scanned his leaf before making a beeping noise. "Your leaf ID has now been registered. Now, please stand here," the assistant directed. Ignis complied and stood in the spot the assistant told him to stand in, and his picture was taken. "Here's your ID card," the assistant said, and Ignis was handed a card with his face on it and his name. "Finally, I need to register your Account."
"Account...?" Ignis mumbled, confused. First my address, then an ID, and now an "Account"? What a strange society, Ignis thought. The assistant typed in some keys on the nearby computer, then got a small circular device.
"This device will let you to connect with the spirit of the Onion, which itself is connected to your Account. Each time you do an action, like harvesting a pellet, that action is recorded by the Onion and is entered into your Account. It is like a logbook that way. Also, these actions will earn you Pokos. The things you do with your Pokos are recorded in your Account, too." The assistant then placed the device onto the base of Ignis's stem, which glowed for a moment then vanished. "Thank you for Registering. Next!" the assistant said.
Ignis left the Sprout Facility a bit confused. He had gotten a house and had been connected to the Onion's spirit. Now what? he thought. Oh yeah, I need to see Ruby! Hmm... I wonder what my house is like. I'll go to my house first, and then I'll see Ruby. He pulled out the slips that had his address and explained the Onion's structure, and he studied them carefully. He headed off for Ring Five, still clutching the two slips.
He arrived at Ring Five within a minute. In between the tunnels was an elevator, which he walked into. The elevator was of a decent size, apparently being able to hold 15 Pikmin. There was a touchpad next to the door, and above the touchpad, there was a screen that said 'Ring 5, Sector 4, Level 79.' He glanced at his slip, and typed in '38' on the touchpad. The doors slid shut, and the elevator started rising. As it ascended, he thought about the events that happened today. He could control fire, but why? Apparently, very few Red Pikmin could control fire. He was mystified as to why he had been given this power. Apprehension creeped over Ignis as he realized it was clear that if he had been chosen to wield fire, he had some important role to play. While Ignis was lost in thought, the elevator had reached the 38th level, and the doors opened.
His train of thought derailed, he resumed his original objective and searched for his house. According to the Onion structure slip, the Main Zone was divided into twelve Sectors, not counting the central Sector which was the Park. Still in Sector Four, he headed off for Sector Seven. He saw the signs changing: Sector 5, Sector 6, Sector 7... He had memorized his address by this point and was looking for House 624. While searching for his house, he had noticed the houses themselves for the first time. They generally had the same shape: one floor and a simple exterior look. Some houses had two floors, and some houses looked more stylish than others; a few overly so. While looking at the houses, he had caught a glimpse of the number 624. A house. His house.
He went up to his house. It was locked, but a scanner came down, checked his stem, and let him in. His house was rather furnished for a house that hadn't been lived in before. In the living room there was a couch, a radio, and a table. A hallway stretched down the middle of the house. To the left of the living room was the kitchen. It was of decent size, and already had a fridge, a stovetop oven, a dishwasher, and a microwave. There was no food, much to Ignis's disappointment, but was not hungry... yet. He would work out the food issue later. Going down the hallway, there were three doors. The left door led to a bathroom, the right door to a bedroom, and the middle door to...? Ignis was mystified, and so opened it.
A small, enclosed field appeared in front of him: the backyard. However, it was severely overgrown: the grasses grew very tall and many weeds were present. If he could fix it up, it would be his own personal Park. Fences separated his backyard from the others. Like the Park, the ceiling was an artificial sky, but was designed to look the same from every view point, giving the illusion it was an actual sky, not just a mere decoration painted on the ceiling. He studied his backyard for a moment, then decided to check the bathroom. There was a sink, a toilet, and a shower, like typical bathrooms.
Finally, he checked his bedroom. It was dark, like the rest of his house, as he hadn't bothered to flip on any lights – he had been using his own fire as illumination. What he could tell is that there was a bed and a desk, but there was something else. Something wasn't quite right. He thought he felt the presence of another Pikmin. He flipped on the light switch, but no one was there. Confused, he was about to leave, but noticed that the window was open. The curtains fluttered as Ignis looked at the open window. Weird, he thought. He shut the window and took some steps back, contemplating why it was open. He dismissed the thought, though, and left his house to see Ruby.
Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm really, really sorry this took... 5 1/2 months to do. Ugh. I kept getting distracted with stuff, and I had to keep rewriting the chapter because I didn't like how the plot was setting up. Most of all, it was laziness. Heh. Silly me. Hopefully Chapter 3 won't take 5 months to do. Please give input on my latest chapter! But yeah, I'm sorry that this took so long... Anyway, until next time! ~PikFan23 (Admin) 14:31, 5 April 2015 (EDT)
Chapter 3: Revelations
Ignis headed out of his house and walked to the elevator. He typed 1, since he needed to go to Ruby's house, which was on floor 1. The doors shut and he ascended, and before he knew it, he was at the 1st floor. A Pikmin welcomed Ignis.
"Are you Ignis?" the Pikmin asked. What was with this Pikmin predicting his arrival? It must have been Ruby's work.
"Yeah, why?" Ignis said.
"Follow me." The Pikmin headed off toward the center of the Onion. Ignis followed him. While Ignis followed him, he noticed this area was vastly different than the Main Zone. The Upper Zone didn't have concentric rings like the Main Zone did. Instead, there were buildings that followed a circular pattern. He took out the structure explanation and the Upper Zone was indeed divided into Sectors, but here they were more loosely defined. The further they went in, Ignis noticed that the buildings became more heavily guarded. The guards had official military attire, and held weapons. They made Ignis feel a bit uneasy.
His anxiety distracted him from the fact that they'd arrived at the center. "Err... Ignis? We're here," the Pikmin said.
"Oh," Ignis responded. "Oh..." he repeated, staring at the mansion before him. Like Ruby said, it was jeweled with rubies and other red gems. They sparkled in the dim blue light emitted by the tube, which emerged from the center of the mansion and stretched up to the ceiling. The mansion was smaller than all the other buildings, but Ignis felt its significance radiating upon him. His observation of the mansion was only stopped by a sound.
"Ignis."
He realized that it hadn't come from the Pikmin, but rather, another one. Someone female. Someone important.
"Oh...hi," he awkwardly said. What's wrong with me? I'm talking to the most important person in the Onion and I can't even talk, he thought. Clearing his throat and summoning his most formal voice, he said, "Well then, what do you need to talk about?"
"You should know what it's about, silly. Come inside!" she said. He went in, and saw the majesty of the foyer. A giant ruby chandelier hung from the ceiling. Paintings of each of the leaders hung up on the wall, and from what Ignis could tell, there had been five leaders. Five leaders? Is the Onion not that old? Ignis wondered. Despite the apparent immaturity of the Onion, it still appeared ancient, with stone busts of Pikmin in the foyer and stone columns – each with exquisite designs – that extended up to the ceiling. A walkway circled around the entire foyer, with a staircase on either side of the foyer. Hallways from both the main floor and the walkway lead to other rooms. Ignis noticed all of these designs and more within the span of less than 5 seconds, when Ruby said, "Well, come along now. We have things to talk about."
Ruby led Ignis down a hallway. The hallway split into three, and Ruby and Ignis took the left hallway. After some time, the pair emerged in a large room. The walls stretched up high, with thousands upon thousands of books stacked neatly on the walls. They had arrived in the library, and Ruby invited Ignis to sit down on a sofa directly across from her.
"Well then, Ignis. Have you gotten settled in the Onion yet?" Ruby casually asked.
"I guess, though the ID cards and other stuff are a little weird," Ignis responded. Ruby laughed, and said, "Nothing I can do about that. Just how the Saint had the Onion structured. Most other Onions are like this too, though there are some unique ones."
"I see. You didn't call me here to talk about Onions though, right?"
"Ah yes. The ability you have, like I already said, has the power to change the world."
"That important, huh?"
"Of course. That power is known as the Elemental, or just the Elem for short. Only one out of a thousand Pikmin are born with the Elem, and even then, it takes quite some time to master, requiring discipline, devotion, and a great deal of willpower. I, myself, have the Elem." Ruby proved this by breathing fire towards the fireplace, which immediately lit up.
"But don't worry. As long as you give it your all, you'll be able to master the Elem. And it might be easier for you to master it, since you had unlocked your Elem so early. I don't know any other Pikmin with a spirit like yours."
Ignis felt humbled being praised by Ruby. It inspired him to master his Elem, but before he could ask to start training, Ruby continued to speak: "But as important as that is, there is something else more urgent. Right now, the monsters are getting stronger. You know that Chrysanthemum from today? There's a lot more monsters stronger than that. They've been getting more violent, making more attacks, and increasing their numbers. It even looks like they're getting smarter! Since we're Red Pikmin, it's our job to keep them under control, and the other leaders are counting on us to do exactly that. If they attacked... it would be terrible. Many lives would be lost and entire Onions would be destroyed. We can't let that happen."
"So you want my help," Ignis said.
"Yes. But I'm not finished yet. Fifty years ago, there was another war. The monsters attacked. It was so bad that almost everybody died. To survive, the remaining Pikmin sealed themselves inside the Onions, which buried themselves underground. During this Great Hibernation, the Onions became unnoticeable to the creatures. It was so long that the Pikmin became one with the Onion again, and no Pikmin were left – just the Onions. The Great Hibernation lasted for many years Saint discovered us."
"Who's the Saint?" Ignis asked.
"The Saint is the person who revived our species," Ruby explained. "His name is Olimar, and he isn't from this world. Because of the Saint, we're prosperous again, but the Saint hasn't visited in some time and we're on the verge of extinction again. But because of your Elem, we might be able to survive. It's more important than ever that we do something now than wait. We have to take action. If we don't, it could mean the end of us."
"I see. So, now what?" Ignis asked.
"Well, training lessons are boring. What you need is actual experience. Hmm... Tomorrow we're landing in the Awakening Wood again. We're going on an expedition to a tree near the place you fought the Chrysanthemum. There's something suspicious about that tree, and we've been meaning to explore it. Do you want to go with us?" Ruby offered.
"Yeah," Ignis said, accepting the task. "I want to explore and see what the world's like!"
"This world is bigger than you think. Even I can't understand its true scale."
"Wow... Wait, you said it's the job of Red Pikmin to keep the peace. Are there other kinds?"
"Good catch! Most Sproutlings don't realize that right away. And yes, there are other types. There's us, then there's the electric Yellow Pikmin, the aquatic Blue Pikmin, the speedy White Pikmin, and the powerful Purple Pikmin. There should be more types out there, but what with the Great Hibernation, we've all become separated, except for us five types. In fact, some types might still be hibernating. We're looking for the unknown types, but we haven't found any yet.
"Well, I hope that I get to meet the other types soon. Don't you guys ever get tired of being around the same type?"
"No, not really. We all know each other, so it's fine. Most Onions carry only one type, like our Onion, but there are some special Onions called Master Onions that carry all Pikmin types. But also, Master Onions can join with and even absorb other Onions, and they can land on the ground and let their outer shell down, making a real-sized city. Master Onions are very unique."
"Well, I'll say. Uh... Is there anything else you want to say to me?"
"Not unless you have any more questions. It's pretty late anyway, and we've been talking for a while. Why don't you go home and go to bed?"
"That sounds like a good idea..." Ignis got up, yawned and stretched, but quickly recollected himself after remembering where he was at.
"Oh, no worries! I don't really care if you yawn or whatever." Ruby yawned too. "Alright, see you tomorrow?"
"Okay. Good night!" Ignis called as he walked down the hallway. After he left, Ruby sat down in the chair and started uttering a prayer. "O Saint, help us. Come back to us before we're killed. I don't know if we can take it any more..." Ruby, despite putting faith in Ignis, was very concerned about their fate, and had doubts of their survival. What Ruby didn't tell Ignis was that she was one of the first Pikmin created by the Saint, the 12th Red Pikmin born.
As Ignis was walking away from the mansion, he took in everything Ruby had told him. First, he felt disturbed that the monsters were getting stronger and smarter. Though he was a Sproutling, he could tell that the monsters wouldn't be able to do this on their own. Somebody was controlling them, but who? The fact that there was another war also was unsettling to him. If the monsters attacked with the same ferocity or more as the previous war, Ignis realized whatever was controlling them must be very old. Ignis started thinking about the other types of Pikmin, and he wanted to meet them. Apparently, there were missing types. They should have been discovered by now, but they were gone. Ignis realized that this, too, must have been the work of the mysterious force. Whatever it was, this force was something to be reckoned with.
Ignis decided not to dwell on the force, as that would be dealt with and resolved later. He realized that he ended up at his house while he had been thinking so hard. He unlocked the door, went in, and locked it again. Taking a second look at his house, he thought it could use some sprucing up. I don't have any money right now. Meh, I'll get stuff later, he decided. The clock said it was nearly 11 pm. Today had been exhausting, what with first the battle, then getting used to life in the Onion, and now being given all these revelations. All he wanted was to rest, so he went to his bedroom, plopped down on his bed and fell fast asleep.
Author's Note: Aaaaaaand done. Yay, I got over my writer's block! I like where this is going. It's a little on the short side in my opinion (I dunno about you guys, though), but it feels nice and complete. Anyway, I wanted to make Ruby the villain, but I decided it'd be better if she wasn't. Somebody else will be and I don't know who that somebody else is...yet. I'll cook up something. Stuff is starting to get interesting! Stay tuned for Chapter 4: The Expedition! ~PikFan23 (Admin) 20:15, 4 May 2015 (EDT)