A Minor Setback
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This article or section presents information pertaining to A Minor Setback, a fanfiction created by Reginald-Bulbazorp. |
A Minor Setback is a Pikmin fanfiction written by Reginald-Bulbazorp. It is set after the events of Pikmin 2 and follows the perspectives of Olimar and Louie after crashing the ship on a return trip to PNF-404.
Story
They had been walking for well over an hour. With no treeline in sight and barely any sight at all past a certain distance thanks to the continuing whiteout, things were looking bleak.
After trying once again to view a map of the area, Olimar sighed.
- “Well, this isn't looking good... I'd say we should keep going, but I can't seem to get a reading on the map in this weather and I don't know if we're still heading in the right direction.”
Louie had been growing tired of this since they landed, but this trek through a featureless void of snow was evaporating what little patience he had left. Plus, he had started to get a bit peckish–which he always was–but that wasn't helping his mood any. After a few moments, he decided he should finally try saying something.
- “...This... Was a bad idea.”
Olimar looked over his shoulder, startled by the unexpected sound of Louie's voice.
- “You know... I must admit, I’m starting to have second thoughts about this as well. Considering the situation we're in, I probably should've been more patient and waited to see if the snowfall would get worse before committing to an expedition like this. However, I still think this is only a minor setback... If we could just get to that treeline, there should be some Pikmin there to help get us out of this mess.”
Wandering through this white wasteland had given Louie a lot of time to think–mostly about how boring it was, and about all the recipe ideas that he could be trying instead of this, but also about how bothered he still was at Olimar and his boss squandering his culinary plans. The Titan Dweevil may have been the perfect portable kitchen and ingredient collector... But, it was also delicious. Anyway, at this point the silence had been broken. The opportunity to actually give Olimar a piece of his mind for once was ripe for the picking.
- “...We could've dug it out by ourselves.”
Olimar was somewhat astonished to hear Louie having yet another thing to say after how silent he'd been since they got back to Hocotate. Even on the first mission, he'd rarely engage in a non-food related conversation past a simple reply acknowledging he had heard what was said. However, Olimar found his notion to be rather unrealistic.
- “In all due respect, Louie, I don't think that would've worked. Two-thirds of the ship is lodged in the snow. What we could do in three days, a decent-sized group of Pikmin can do in half a day–if not less.”
As usual, Olimar wanted things done as efficiently as possible. That giant plate wasn't going anywhere, Louie thought.
- “What's the rush?”
Olimar tilted his head. It was only a few days ago that they had rescued him from this unforgiving planet, and yet Louie wasn’t bothered at all about being sent back? Not to mention how it was all to somehow retrieve that enormous metal covering near Emergence Cave at the request of the President.
- “What do you mean? Even if we had landed perfectly with plenty of time to spare, 'ASAP' means ‘as soon as possible’. The president probably expects us to be back by now; which we could’ve been, had that falling clump of snow not hit the ship at the worst possible time... ”
- “Digging out the ship ourselves would've been more productive than this.”
- “Perhaps, but hindsight is 20/20... Look, the day is still young. We can keep moving forward or we can try to head back in the direction of the ship. Regardless, we'll need Pikmin as soon as possible if we want to get anything done.”
Louie paused for a moment. Now he was curious...
- “Why do we... ‘need Pikmin’?”
Olimar put his hand against his helmet, the closest he could get to a facepalm. This was probably the longest non-food related conversation he had had with his co-worker (in which his co-worker verbally responded, no-less), but he was starting to wish he'd go back to being quiet.
- “Louie... Surely you're joking, right?”
- “What if we got some of the bigger beasts to do the work instead?”
- “Not to sound condescending, but you of all people should know by now that everything on this planet besides the Pikmin are either apathetic to us, or more interested in eating us than listening to our orders.”
Louie seemingly hadn't heard a word he said.
- “I bet... 10–no, 15 Bulborbs could carry back that plate. And it'd fit them all too.”
- “I... appreciate the creativity, but that just wouldn't work. Even if we found 15 Bulborbs, how would we convince them to lift it? Also, dealing with one Bulborb is dangerous as it is. It would be too risky.”
- “This isn't risky?”
Olimar squinted in utter bafflement.
Olimar was starting to get visibly irritated now.
- “Okay. I realize the decision to venture away from the ship so quickly wasn't in my best judgment. As Captain, I failed to consider the risk and I'd like to admit my fault. But, also as Captain, I request that you make a decision on our next course of action so we can get moving before our suits ice over!”
- “Uh... What were the options again?”
Olimar sighed.
- “We can keep going forward or we can try to go back to the ship.”
- “Hm...”
Louie seemed to really be thinking about it. Olimar was hoping he'd just pick something so they could put an end to this conversation, and so that Olimar could have some time to organize his thoughts for the ensuing lecture about how not to to talk to your superiors.
- “No,” Louie said bluntly.
- “What?”
- “...No.”
- “Okay, fine. That wasn’t one of the two options, but since you’ve chosen to be needlessly bullheaded about this for some reason...”
He briefly thought about trying to reason with him again, but his patience had been worn thin.
- “You know what? I don't have time for this. You can follow me, or not. Some of us have a family to get back home to.”
Olimar started walking away.
- “How do you know?” mumbled Louie in response.
That single, errant comment seemed to have struck a nerve. Olimar stopped in place, furrowed his brow, turned around, and marched right up to him.
- “How do I know? How do I know?! I don't know what you're trying to imply, but you shouldn't speak on things you know nothing about! If you actually had a family of your own to care for, you’d understand!” Olimar sternly shouted, with each iteration of the word ‘you’, poking the glass of Louie’s helmet.
Louie hadn’t been paying much attention to whatever Olimar was saying beyond the tone of his voice, especially at this point, but this reaction was a little much. He really didn't like him tapping on his helmet like that. Olimar continued to scold him, jabbing the glass of his helmet at irregular intervals, until finally... He had enough.
- “Back off.”
Louie shoved Olimar away, causing him to stumble backward a few steps and fall flat on his back in the snow.
The seconds following slowed to a crawl.
Olimar began to rise from the snow, looking a little dazed when–suddenly–the ground began to sink beneath him.
By the time he had realized what exactly was happening, the snow beneath him collapsed. The last thing Olimar saw before plummeting into the abyss was Louie's expressionless face. Then, the realization of what just happened finally kicked in. Louie hurried to the edge of the newly unveiled ravine and peered down in shock. He just barely caught the red glow of the Captain's beacon as it fell into the inky blackness.
For a moment, he stood there, struggling to process what he just saw. He frantically looked at his surroundings, his first instinct being to get as far away from where he was as possible. ...But there was nowhere to run to. There was nothing but a featureless white expanse all around him–only, now the landscape was bisected by the ravine.
Feeling overwhelmed, he opted to flop down onto the snow, unsure of what to do next. One thing he did know was that he probably needed to come up with a really good excuse.
After falling for what felt like an eternity, Olimar landed on the soft snow that was piled at the bottom of the ravine. Climbing out of the imprint he had made, he started to get a bearing on his surroundings. It was dark, extremely dark, and the ravine from below looked like a jagged crack revealing a blinding sky. Thankfully, his beacon provided him with some light. He examined the walls to the left and right of him. Both were made of uneven stone. They might have been possible to climb if they weren't also coated in slippery ice.
Olimar decided to pick a wall and start following it, hoping for some kind of opening into a cave, or at least a section of wall that wasn't iced over. As he walked, he reflected on the events that had just transpired. He was still furious at Louie; the nerve, he thought. What had gotten into him? From the moment they returned to Hocotate, to the moment they were sent out to retrieve the giant metal plate from the Valley of Repose after the President had the ship's storage capacity upgraded, Louie had grown more quiet than he usually was. It was particularly jarring, as after they had rescued him, Olimar thought that he might actually be coming out of his shell after he cracked that joke about his new title, the ‘King of Bugs’. But by the time they returned to Hocotate, he seemed to have shut down completely. Then, all this transpired.
Regardless of why he was acting this way, Olimar felt fairly confident in reporting Louie's actions and behavior as soon as he got out of this ordeal. Him knocking him down a hidden ravine could have only been an accident–albeit a potentially deadly one–but shoving a superior after back-sassing them was a definite write-up.
Louie continued to lie in the snow, thinking about the situation. How could he have known pushing Olimar like that would've led to him falling to certain doom?
Sure, he probably shouldn't have pushed him in the first place, but it just kind of happened. How else was he supposed to react to him getting up in his face like that? He didn't even remember what he'd said that set him off.
He thought about potential excuses. He could just say it was an accident–which it truly was–but... That seemed kind of lame. Maybe he could say Olimar sacrificed himself or something like that. That almost seemed like something he would do, but after thinking about it more, the idea of telling that to the boss was... Strangely unappealing.
After following the wall a fair way, Olimar found a narrow opening into a cave system. Navigating it cautiously, so as not to disturb any lurking beasts, he began to feel a creeping sense of dread at the thought of being alone in a cavern with no way to defend himself besides his own two hands.
However, as luck would have it, he turned the corner into a large open area and spotted a group of wild Pikmin attacking a dweevil! The Pikmin looked like no type he'd ever seen before. Their chunky, light blue bodies seemed to be encased in ice, and when the unusually pale dweevil they were fighting let out a burst of super-chilled air, the Pikmin barely flinched. For a moment, Olimar just watched in fascination at the new species he had discovered... Then recomposed himself and whistled to the frosty Pikmin. As expected, they immediately ran to his side, wide-eyed and attentive. He started to throw the five Ice Pikmin (Frost Pikmin? Frozen Pikmin? He was still workshopping the name in his head) at the dweevil until it eventually skittered its last step.
It was then something dawned on him. The Titan Dweevil... Maybe something relating to that was the reason behind Louie's out-of-line behavior? He seemed completely unaffected by the whole situation–but, maybe, that was a lie? After all, he was young and inexperienced, and Olimar had left him completely on his own on a deadly planet. Maybe escaping down that nightmare of a hole in the Wistful Wild was his only chance to avoid becoming dinner for the prowling beasts of the night, with his squad of Pikmin slowly being whittled away to nothing as he ran further into the depths before being abducted by that gargantuan insect...
The thought alone brought chills down his spine. Olimar thought about his own time spent alone on this planet, and how much of a brave face he had to put on just to get through that ordeal. Perhaps Louie was trying to do something similar, to bad effect? And to think, had he been more observant and not rushed to get back home, Louie could’ve been saved from a similar experience... Olimar had no one to blame but himself for his stranding, but that wasn’t the case for his coworker. Surely, Louie must’ve been at least a little bitter about that if nothing else.
Louie continued to lay still. Snow had begun accumulating on his suit.
He actually didn't feel bitter at all about Olimar leaving him behind. In fact, he was glad he did. This planet was a cornucopia of new foods just waiting to be tried, but he had hardly gotten the chance to try even a fraction of what he wanted to while they were still paying off that debt. The moment he heard that they had completed the mission and would be taking off shortly, he quietly went out to gather as many ingredients as he could before they had to go back to Hocotate. Though... By the time he returned to the landing site, the ship was already gone.
Of course, it was a little terrifying at first, but he quickly realized where exactly he was and what exactly that meant. He didn't have to do anything but what he wanted to do, meaning he could cook whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted–or even do nothing at all. No pressure, no expectations, no authority. It was nice.
What he did feel bitter about, though, was it all coming to an end the moment Olimar and the boss arrived.
Then, it hit him. Now that Olimar was gone, what was stopping him from doing it all again? After all, even with a good excuse, going back to Hocotate just to tell the boss the bad news just seemed like too much of a bummer. But... What if he didn't go back?
Olimar continued to explore the cave with his Pikmin, searching for a way back to the surface.
He had reflected more on the situation, and after coming to the conclusion Louie may be dealing with untold trauma, he started to feel like he had wildly overreacted to Louie's inane comment about his family. Really, he had no idea what he had meant by that comment, but with morale being so low at the time, Olimar just immediately assumed it was meant to be hurtful.
He genuinely regretted reacting how he did, and while Louie still should've known better not to have pushed him, Olimar couldn't exactly blame him for his reaction considering he, as the captain, shouldn't have let the situation escalate like it did–much less contribute to the escalation. In fact, Louie's insensitive remark reminded him a little of himself when he was younger and not as in-tune with his own thoughts and feelings.
If anything, Olimar ranting to Louie about how he knew nothing about having a family effectively enforced that kind of irreverent behavior and potentially justified future insensitive comments toward figures of authority. Olimar knew all too well as a parent, that the reactions of mentor figures could impact behavior like that.
It was decided; he would apologize for his behavior, but would also give Louie that talk about respect he was planning to give anyway. As for the write-up... He had decided that would be going a little overboard. If Louie was receptive and understanding about the situation and what they both did wrong, then Olimar didn't see a reason to take it to a level higher than personal. Also, he just remembered that Hocotate Freight did not, in fact, have an HR department.
Louie was still lying in the snow, having accumulated a blanket. It was getting a little cold, but also kind of cozy.
Now that he'd made up his mind, he could finally focus on other things–like trying those red berries he recalled seeing in the Valley of Repose. He could easily envision them becoming a delicious tart or pie, the kind of thing his Nana would make around the holidays.
His Nana... Sure, he could just never go back to Hocotate, but she'd probably get pretty worried. He would still need to send her emails, maybe even sneak in a visit every once in a while–even if it's just to drop off some ingredients she'd like. Somehow. He would figure it out later.
Olimar had continued to trek through the cave, and surprisingly hadn't encountered anything more than another Iceblown Dweevil and a few Snow Bulborbs that his Ice Pikmin easily dispatched.
As he followed a corridor, the temperature of the surrounding area began to rise. Knowing what this likely meant, he hurried along. Just as he had hoped, at the end of it was a fountain of hot spring water erupting from the ground. At last, he had found a geyser! Before hopping in, he checked the reaction of the Ice Pikmin, worried that maybe the warm temperature was affecting their ice-covered bodies negatively. However, the Ice Pikmin looked just as cool as ever, and they almost seemed eager to jump in without him. Figuring that they would be alright, he and his squad of Pikmin jumped in.
The snowstorm had finally stopped. Louie sat up, pushing off the snow that had almost completely covered him. He glanced around, and could finally see the red hull of the ship shining in the far distance.
He stood up, stretched a bit, then started heading towards it at a leisurely pace. Despite some unfortunate circumstances of this return trip, he was feeling reinvigorated. All that thinking had made him pretty hungry, and he looked forward to trying out some new recipes.
He had only taken a few steps before a rumbling sound started to shake the ground. Suddenly, a geyser of water shot out of the snowy terrain not far from him. A figure and several Pikmin-like things landed in the snow, and as the figure got up, Louie could hardly believe his eyes.
It was Olimar.
Olimar shook his head, recovering from the geyser launch, and was relieved to see that Louie had stuck around. However, his face was pale and his eyes were as big as saucers–it was like he had seen a ghost.
- “Louie?”
Louie jumped at the mention of his name, then took a few steps backward before running full-speed in the opposite direction.
- “Louie? Where are you–”
Olimar could only watch as his co-worker fell straight into the crevasse that he had just climbed out of.