Days Since Impact…

Disclaimer: I do not own Pikmin, Pikmin 2, or Pikmin 3. They are copyright of Nintendo.

Chapter 1 Stranded

Stars….. Stars were all Captain Olimar could see as he traveled through the deep and immense vacuum that was space. Deep within his ship, the Dolphin, the Captain enjoyed the nice view from behind the safety of the glass, seeing numerous galaxies and planets as far as the eye could see. Yes, it certainly was a great time to be on vacation. Captain Olimar had certainly enjoyed the trip so far. It was nice and smooth. Usually the Captain was always frantically delivering cargo through space for the company he worked for known as Hocotate Freight. This was a nice change of pace for the young captain. It was nice to be able to take his time and even put the ship on auto pilot from time to time so he could relax. As Olimar lay back in his chair to take a nice nap….little did he know he was about to embark on an adventure, an adventure that would be anything but relaxing.

Bang! Olimar lurches up from is relaxing position in his chair as the cockpit swirls in dashes of luminous red lights. "What is going on?" the Captain asked as the ship was vibrating from the impact outside. The Captain immediately out of instinct grabs hold of the steering wheel. What had hit the ship? The Captain thought as he struggled to gain control of the spiraling aircraft. He takes at a glance at the screen to his right and his eyes widened in shock. Meteor! The Dolphin had been struck by a meteor! How could this be? There wasn't even a meteor shower right now! Of All the rotten luck! The Captain didn't get much time to ponder this, however as the ship began to shake more violently due to entering the atmosphere of a nearby planet. The gravitational pull was so strong that it sent the Captain into the wall, rendering him unconscious as the loud drum of the sirens dulls and his vision fades into darkness.

As the ship penetrated deeper into the atmosphere, balls of flaming light could be seen trailing off the ship all over the surface of the planet. The Dolphin no longer able to resist the urge to fall fell down into the gigantic forest below. Upon impact with the ground, Captain Olimar skipped along the surface of the ground, eventually coming to a resounding stop when friction finally took hold. His form did not stir, and would not until the coming of morning.

Chirping could be heard come morning from the impact site as the sun came from over the horizon. The sunlight glistened upon the morning dew of the grass and the bright green of the trees. Olimar groaned, as he forced himself to get up from his position on the ground. Grasping his head, the Captain felt a slight headache as he tried to remember where he was. It suddenly hit him, the burning ship, the meteor, and the distant planet! He was stranded! After clearing his head, Olimar began to observe his surroundings. He was in a forest of some kind that seemed to be orchestrated with many different types of fauna… especially red flowers.

What he saw next almost literally stopped his heart. It was a painful sight. His beloved Dolphin was in very poor shape. There were many holes in the hall and parts that were missing. Worst of the Captain noticed was that the engine had seemed to be torn out of the ship some time during the crash… To make matters worse. Olimar noticed the sound of faint beeping coming from his space suit. Life Support Activated! Poisonous Oxygen Present! Life Support Remaining: 30 Days. The communicator on his wrist presented on the screen.

"30 Days", Captain Olimar thought. If Olimar couldn't escape the planet in 30 Days…he would be dead… "Best not to think about it", Olimar thought even knowing a wave of helplessness seem to consume his being. He gazed out into the calm meadow of the woods. The day had barely begun and it was a shame that the Captain's vacation had come to such an abrupt end. Captain Olimar, with a determined look in his eyes thought aloud, "I best get searching then" as he began to explore the new and strange world in front of him.

As he began walking through the woods, Olimar couldn't help but be amazed by the titanic wildlife that surrounded him. "Where exactly am I?" He asked as began to gaze at one of the giant wild flowers next to him. He then stumbled on to a giant brown object with the number ten written on it. "It looks like a giant box." The Captain thought. "I guess I am not going that way" The Captain sighed.

An hour later, without much progress, the Captain was beginning to start to lose hope when he suddenly gazed upon a brown structure in the distance. "What is this?" the Captain pondered as he walked toward the brown smooth object. All of the sudden, the structure flew out of the ground in a red blur. Flinging the Captain backwards, Olimar got up moments later, his body shaking. Olimar was now gazing up at the site of a strange red structure with three brown legs sticking out in a tripod-like manner. The Captain also noticed that there was a flower on top of the structure that was spinning like a propeller, its white petals cutting the air with insane speed. Then it all came to a stop, shooting what appeared to be a single seed that slowly planted into the ground. "It looks like an onion" Captain Olimar thought amazed.

To add to his astonishment, the seedling grew out of the ground exposing a red firm stem with a single green leaf on top. As if drawn to the new specimen of plant, Olimar felt compelled to reach for the stem and pluck it from the ground. Plop! The sprout flew from the ground and to Olimar's surprise… it was a living creature. The creature turning around on its own two feet was small as it stared at the Captain with its big eyes. The Captain also noticed that the red stem that was attached to its head seemed to match the rest of the creature's body that was of a bright crimson color. The creature pointed at the Captain with one of its two arms swaying its stem into the breeze, its long nose, along with its eyes pointing at the Captain. "Extraordinary!" Captain Olimar exclaimed. It was not a plant; it was a living creature that appeared to be not hostile. The Captain couldn't help but be intrigued and also found his situation a little comical. Here he was, on a planet, stranded and his days numbered yet he was spending his time intrigued by this creature in front of him. He then noticed the creature run off for one of the nearby red flowers and then started whipping it with his head. "The creature looks like those Pik-Pik Carrots I love so much" The Captain thought suddenly feeling homesick. He was brought back from his thoughts when he heard the thud of a red pellet hitting the ground. The creature then took the red pellet to the Onion, as Olimar had begun to call it. The Onion then shot out two more seeds and just like before, two stems with leaves stuck out of the ground. "Fascinating" Olimar thought "I must research this phenomenon more". Captain Olimar then felt a tug on his arm, dragging him out of his thoughts once again. The creature looked up at him and back at the stems, as if urging the Captain to pluck more of the creatures out of the ground.

"If I am to study these creatures, I will need to give them a name." The Captain pondered. Suddenly, remembering the Pik-Pik Carrots, "Pikmin! I will name them Pikmin!" Olimar exclaimed to himself. Captain Olimar then proceeded to answer the Pikmin's silence pleas and pick the other two stems out of the ground. Olimar was then in the company of three Pikmin added to the group. The Pikmin then all assembled around the next flower, looking up at the red pellet on it longingly. "Here, let me help you up there." Olimar said as he threw the Pikmin at the Pellet with all his might. The Pikmin grabbed the pellet and brought it to the ground. Two of the Pikmin grabbed the red pellet, adding two more Pikmin to the current total of five.

Later, after dragging one of the larger pellets they could find in the area. The ten Pikmin that had been born form the efforts of the Captain were sitting under the Onion. A little bit pale in appearance, looking bored and having nothing to do. "How do I communicate with them?" The Captain asked, gazing at the group of Pikmin. "It's not like I can communicate with them, they don't seem to speak my language and can't hear me through my helmet. All I have is the whistle that is embedded within my suit for safety precaution as a way to call for help." Olimar then figured it would be a good idea to try as he didn't have much to lose. He blew his whistle and as he did, the Pikmin leaped up from their position and ran to his side. The Captain was amazed as he did not believe it would work. He then used the whistle and experimented with the Pikmin, making them move in certain patterns and dismissing them. Captain Olimar then started to ponder. The Pikmin seemed to show great strength as they were able to move objects such as the red pellets that were way bigger than them with ease. It was time for a test.

Captain Olimar led the Pikmin to the box he had discovered earlier in the day. A few tweets from the whistle sent the Pikmin rushing to the box where they preceded to push the cardboard box. Captain Olimar couldn't believe his eyes once the Pikmin were done with the task asked of them. "They are so naive, yet so strong" Olimar thought as they traveled into the new area.

A moment later, Captain Olimar stumbled onto a wonderful site. "Amazing! There's no mistaking it! My ship's engine rests before my very eyes! By a stroke of pure luck, I have already stumbled upon the most important piece of my damaged craft! Fate has smiled upon me! But how will I get it back to the Dolphin?" Olimar thought hurriedly. He then looked at the Pikmin and ordered them to carry it back to the Dolphin. However, the Pikmin did not seem to be able to lift it. "Maybe I do not have sufficient numbers" Olimar pondered, "I need to grow more."

Calling the Pikmin, Captain Olimar preceded to walk up a rock that was not connected to the Cardboard box the Pikmin had moved previously, taking them into a new area. The area was very strange, it was essentially a circular area of rock with red pellets everywhere. Captain Olimar immediately ordered the Pikmin to carry the pellets back to the Onion.

Now with 25 Reds, Captain Olimar went to get the main engine of his ship. This time, the Red Pikmin were able to lift it and carry it back to the Onion, much to the Captain's pleasure. Captain Olimar suddenly felt new hope as he saw the main engine rejoin the Dolphin once again. However, with this hope the Captain felt very tired and he knew he had a long twenty-nine days ahead of him if he wanted the remaining ship parts. The Captain and the Pikmin not wanting to spend nighttime on the planet, each got into their respective ships and blasted off into space.

Captain Olimar in his ship began to write his voyage log. "I have somehow managed to launch the Dolphin, but I was surprised to see the Onion lift off with me. Perhaps the Pikmin cannot survive overnight on the planet's surface. Or have they merely decided to join me for other reasons? Either way, it seems they will help me again, tomorrow." The Captain pondered for a moment and then continued, "The Dolphin is missing 29 parts. If I can't recover them all, I may never return home to my family on Planet Hocotate. Analysis shows life-support systems will function for only 29 more days. How can I repair my Dolphin in such a short time? A dense forest is visible on the surface below. As it holds the keys to my survival, I name it the Forest of Hope. I explore it tomorrow…"

Olimar lay back in his bed and smiled. He really was fortunate to find those Pikmin creatures. He had so many questions though about them as well. "Would they really be their tomorrow in the morning as well?" The Captain asked himself. Only time would tell…