Fun Fact: This was actually a trio of oneshots of sorts before becoming what it is now. I did include, at least, a nod to one of the sections that got outright cut instead of reworked.
Also, shoutout to Akarenger for reviewing the previous two oneshots, and for giving me an idea for part of this one.
Olimar always had a somewhat complex relationship with the Pikmin. On the outside, it looked as if Olimar simply used them as a means to an end. He certainly couldn't blame anyone, especially with how fiercely he's been pushing them lately.
Of course, everyone would understand if he simply told them. Told them about his concerns about his family and how, if the theories the fighters were thinking of were true, Galeem probably annihilated them. Told of how they were probably nothing more than souls now, or perhaps they were in the body of someone like Wario. Nobody would blame him or say that it was his fault. Heck, plenty of them would empathize with him as they were going through similar situations.
So why doesn't he?
That's a good question.
Perhaps it's fear of what will happen. Fear that idling too much will cause the reality of the situation to set in: That unlike all of the heroes and villain here, he is just a delivery man and this crisis is far beyond him-
...Ahem.
On second though, perhaps it's more like a coping method, a way of dealing with the problem, the scale of which threatens to consume him. If he's constantly fighting the copies and brainwashed fighters, he doesn't have to think too hard about how his family and co-workers more than likely died in terro-
No.
Don't go there.
Just focus on the task at hand.
"At least I'm on leave until further notice." Olimar sardonically thought to himself.
It was after finding Bowser that they finally made camp.
It wasn't a conscious choice, but a necessary one. Bowser, initially presented no problems once awakened, being the same boisterous tyrant that he usually was due to not entirely knowing what went on on the cliff. When he had been told the entire cope of the matter and how among those who had fallen were his minions and his son… needless to say, the king had to be restrained, lest he turned Giga on the spot.
The sad part is that Olimar felt he couldn't even blame him.
Still, the mood of the camp was pretty bleak. Marth's group was hit especially hard by it; the unusually-tired Chrom and the still-shocked Marth were trying to convince Robin to stop stressing so much about what they could do about Galeem. Robin remained undeterred however. When an argument began breaking out between Robin and Chrom and Lucina's name along with another (Morgan?) Olimar, rather wisely, decided to leave before emotions he shouldn't be feeling threatened to come up.
"That's just it Chrom! I've gone through everything in my head so many times and I… I… I don't have a plan. I don't know what to do..."
Olimar finally decided to settle down, or pace rather, at a more secluded part of the camp. He briefly took notice of his Pikmin curiously and intently watching him. For a moment, he idly wondered if they knew what was going on or if they were just following him blindly. Did they know why he was running them ragged? Did anyone?
Maybe they would if you just-
Mercifully, a somewhat obnoxious "Hi!" saved Olimar from the fears lurking in his mind. He turned to find Kirby, beaming up at him as if everyone he knew didn't get vaporized by beams of light.
"Kirby."
"You've been doing a lot today Olimar. Don't you ever get tired?"
A crestfallen chuckle emerged from Olimar as he tried to word his next words carefully.
"Yes, yes, I do get tired Kirby. Unfortunately, not all of us can be as carefree as you. Some of us are just scared about what happened to the people we love caused by a force that not all of use can comprehend."
"Don't worry Olimar! I was scared too!"
Olimar gave the pink ball a skeptical look.
"Kirby, from what I understand, you deal with these monstrosities on a daily basis."
"Weekly."
"Okay, weekly then. Out of all of us, you are probably the most likely to handle the situation easily."
"But this time was different." Kirby looked reflectively at a pool of water. "My friends have been brainwashed, possessed, kidnapped, roboticized… One time, I barely escaped a monster that split me into nine. And sure it was lonely, but I knew I had to save them and so I pressed on. But this time..."
"...You didn't know if there was anyone left to save."
Silence. Kirby broke out into a big smile.
"Yeah, but now I know you guys are okay. I know everyone can still be saved. And after we beat Galeem and save everybody, we can have the biggest picnic ever!" Suddenly two spirits (which Kirby called "Rick" and "Coo") flew over. Olimar couldn't quite hear what they were saying to him, but Kirby suddenly stood up and looked confident. "Sorry Olimar, but I gotta go! Rick and Coo found Kine!"
And then he was off.
Olimar sat down for once as he pondered Kirby's thoughts. Even in spite of everything, he manages to focus on the silver-lining to the situation. Is it possible for Olimar to do the same?
Suddenly, a ruckus was raised at the camp as Pac-Man came in jumping and bouncing. Mario had to run up to Pac and calm him down.
"Woah, there Pac-Man! Is something wrong?" Pac-Man shook his head and presented a spirit to Mario. Olimar couldn't exactly see what it was, but he didn't need to based on Mario's words. "Oh-ho! It's a pleasure to see you again Ms. Pac-Man! I'm sorry it had to be on such unfortunate terms though. So, are you ready to head back to the real world…?!" Mario looked stunned at what the response apparently was. "Y-You're gonna stay?! But why?!"
Pac-Man produced a picture and held it out. Olimar stepped closer for a better look. It was a family portrait that had Pac-Man on it, along with two other...pac-people (?). The yellow ball pointed to the woman in the photo, who looked similar to him, but with different boots and a red bow. She had a checkmark next to her. He then pointed to the child Pac-person, who was wearing a propeller hat and the pac-dog.
"Oh… She wants to help you find the rest of your family." Mario realized. Pac-Man nodded happily. "Well then, who am I to say no? Good luck to both of you! Let's all find our loved ones!"
Olimar blinked. He hadn't realized that Pac-Man had an entire family who were also wiped out by Galeem. And yet, Pac still managed to at least pretend to keep his spirits high until he actually found one of them. Olimar turned to his pikmin. The red and blue ones were trying to move a boulder that the yellow one was relaxing on top of. Olimar gave his whistle a blow and they immediately came over to him. Their loyalty was still in tact. Even this minor act gave Olimar a bit of confidence. He may not have his family or co-workers, but at least the Pikmin were a familiar and welcome sight.
And, until he encounters a black-suited Wario or a particularly gluttonous Dedede or some such, perhaps he can afford to relax for a bit.
…
…
… There was a Koopaite in the Smash tournament last time. Alph.
Is it possible that he…?
Kirby strikes me as the optimistic type, so I'd only really see him troubled towards the beginning of World of Light. At the same time though, as much as we joke about Kirby eating these monstrosities for breakfast, none of them managed to kill the population of Pop Star (and the Universe).
Either way, let this trio of oneshots serve to put up the points that, regardless of what Adventure Mode ends up being like, there's a lot of potential for stories here. I mean, Hinawa is a Spirit. Try touching that landmine of emotions.
...Actually, now that I think about it, Lucas can technically spend time with his family again, but, on the other hand, Ness' family is now technically dead. What would that look like? I don't know because I'm not as interested in the Mother cast as everyone else is, but there's an idea for anyone who needs some.
And that's not even mentioning all of the obscure characters that can technically now interact with the main cast, depending on how you view the use of the Spirits. Things will probably pick up more when the game is actually out, given the entire Nintendo Universe (and a few others), front to back, is gone, there's quite a bit of wiggle room even if somebody doesn't make it into the game somehow.
I may do a final oneshot later (tentatively involving, Diddy Kong, Mega Man and Bowser Jr.) but I'm still trying to think of how to go about it. For those well versed in recent Mario spinoffs, the presence of Paper Bowser and several Mario + Rabbid themed spirits implicate two certain spirits that present opportunities for hope/torment for a certain Koopa Prince...