"So... They just. Sold his spaceship."

"Pretty much."

"... Damn. And he went through hell putting it back together you said?"

"He had a month of vacation and he spent the entire month finding parts of his ship and avoiding death. In short, he had the worst vacation in history."

"That's the truth. Wait a second, is that a bottle cap?"

"Yeah, they're all, like, an inch and a half or so tall."

"And they managed to obtain interstellar travel before us?"

"We're all dead."

"Well, shit."

If any of you out there don't know what's going on or what we're even talking about, my best friend, Victoria (Tori for short), and I started Pikmin 2 while hanging out at my house. I was trying to show her what made it so great, but at the moment, she was really making it hard to explain. I liked the humor she was giving about it though. It really made it more fun.

"Holy shit, that bottle cap was worth a hundred bucks technically?"

"Well... It's more than he makes in a year, so hopefully it's more than a hundred dollars to them."

"Yeah, hopefully! Because if it was just a hundred bucks, then he'd be better off at Mickey D's!"

At that, I just began to laugh. Why was I even bothering with explaining things? This was much better. One of the reasons why I loved Tori so much as a friend.

It really was crazy how much our personalities differed, despite us being so close. I was more calm and collected, tending to be more focused on things. Tori, however, was more passionate and more focused about stuff she liked rather than things that could be important. Yet, it was never a dull moment when she was around.

Now. How were we going to play a single player game with two people?

It would be hard, but both Tori and I had agreed to pass the controller back and forth when we switched between captains.

She decided on being Louie, because, and I quote, 'I have no clue what the hell I'm supposed to do and I want to be a chef. By what you've told me, he's that one co-worker that doesn't know what the hell he's supposed to do and he wants to be a chef. He's my spirit animal.'

Now that I thought about it, it really was uncanny. Tori was studying to be a chef because of her celebrity crush on Gordon Ramsey. She really loves it when he tells horrible chefs and restaurant owners just how awful their food is. To be honest, Tori actually has been making really good progress. I'm happy for her.

As soon as the ship had reached the Valley of Repose, something... Odd had begun to happen.

"Aw, why did the screen cut off? I was gonna play soon, right?" Tori whined as I went to inspect the television.

Trying to press the 'on' button... Nope. No dice. I tried again.

Nada.

Finally, I tried to fiddle around with the channels and videos. It was only then that the screen suddenly became a bright white.

"Gin..?" Tori asked nervously, "Is that supposed to happen?"

No. It wasn't. As suddenly as the white screen appeared, a sudden text began to type across the blank space.

[WELCOME. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR ADVENTURE.]

"Is this game a bootleg or wha—,"

Well, I couldn't really tell if Tori had finished that question or not, because at that moment, a sensation of electricity went through my entire body. As I fell to the floor of my room in pain, I heard a second 'thump' right next to me. Could Tori be dealing with the same thing?!

I tried to keep my consciousness, but eventually, everything went blurry... Then dark.

— —

I awoke to shaking all around me. As if I was on top of a washing machine or a dryer. It took me a while for the blurriness to fade, but after I could see clearly, it was apparent that I was in a cockpit of some sort flying through a bunch of trees.

Yeah, that seems about ri—WAIT NO IT DOES NOT!

In a frenzy, I began to look for the steering mechanism. Button, button, screen... Cupholder?

OKAY HERE IT IS!

Shakily, I began to steer whatever I was in through the dark trees with as much grace as I could. Which was about as graceful as a pigeon trying to pilot a fighter jet. And everyone knows that if a pigeon pilots a fighter jet, they're bound to crash. Which... Is exactly what happened.

As soon as I had made impact with the tree, the aircraft I had been piloting was officially crashing to the ground. I wasn't knocked out of it, at least. And I had a (questionable) feel for the controls now. I could probably graduate from a pigeon piloting to a duck piloting and try to make an emergency landing. Yet... I heard a scream. Was someone with me? This felt too real to be a dream, so... Did I just kill someone with my bad piloting?!

Okay, calm down. First, land and assess the situation and possible damages. Find out what's going on. Find the other guy and hope they're still alive. Then try to figure out where I was.

After finding a suitable but... Familiar place to land, I was in the middle of trying to find a way to safely make my way to the ground before I was suddenly EJECTED FROM MY COCKPIT AND THE GROUND MADE ITS WAY INTO MY FACE INSTEAD!

As I lay there in pain, a mechanical voice buzzed through the helmet I was wearing—helmet?

"BRRRZZZZZZZT! That was close! I have averted a crash landing. Running diagnostics..."

Wait...

"Alert! Danger! Louie must have somehow fallen out of his cockpit!"

This... This can't be real. Am I..?

"... He is not responding via communicator. He is either flouting protocol or in danger!"

Am I in PIKMIN?!

"Olimar! You must find Louie before he freezes to death in the cold of this planet!"

Olimar? Am I seriously Olimar? One glance to my red gloves confirmed that I was wearing his spacesuit, but... Am I seriously a guy now? "Wait a moment! Look!"

The ship's exclamation got me back on track. Lifting my head up from the ground, I could see five of the original red Pikmin, fighting off against a dwarf bulborb.

This... Really wasn't what my mind was prepared for. I admit, I have a little plushie of a Bulbmin, but this? This is just plain hard to process. The enemy and the Pikmin were AS REAL AS I WAS!

"Olimar, your pulse is rising quite quickly... Are you alright?" I heard the ship ask me, "If you are worried about Louie, you should first save those Pikmin from being eaten! Your reports have stated how they helped you, so they must be of some help in finding Louie! You DO remember how to whistle them to their side, correct?"

"Y-yeah..." was all I could reply. That definitely wasn't in the game. Wow... And my voice was Olimar's. Because of course it was. After all, I needed more to make this uncomfortable for me.

The ship buzzed, seemingly skeptical about my response. "You seem too stubborn to admit that you need to be reminded. Simply blow the whistle connected to your helmet and point to the Pikmin. Now do you remember?" the ship asked, almost impatiently. So, it's more literal here. Well, I didn't exactly see any B-buttons or anything, so it made sense. Taking a breath, I grabbed hold of the whistle and, with a point, blew.

Almost instantly, the walking red carrot people came running my way, surrounding me; their beady eyes seemed to show that they were awaiting my directions eagerly. Seeing them in person really was something. In fact, they were... Pretty cute.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by the ship. "The Pikmin ran to your side! They seem to remember you, Captain Olimar! How fascinating."

Well, yeah. They remember OLIMAR. Unfortunately for these little guys, I'm not really him. In fact, they might just figure it out faster than the ship when they hang around me for a little bit. But wait. If I'm in Pikmin, then is Tori here too? Well first, there was now a hungry dwarf bulborb coming right towards me, so this definitely was something that should be addressed first.

"Give them instructions and do not delay! Grip them tightly and throw them at the beast!"

Well, I guess it isn't rocket science. I just have to throw the Pikmin at it and hope one lands directly on top of it. No biggie. Grasping one of the Pikmin in my hand, I backed up and gave the strongest throw I could muster.

Well, it worked. But I overshot it by a bit. Time to try again. With another throw, it landed right... To the left of it. I could hear the ship buzz in my ear, "With an aim like that, I am surprised that you survived here."

I was REALLY tempted to retort. But it was more important that I finished off this thing. This time, I decided to not throw as hard. With a toss... It landed! Not accurate enough to one-shot it, but at least I did it! Using the same method as before, I chucked more Pikmin onto it, which resulted in the tiny warriors pummeling the small bulborb with their leaves. It was honestly quite sad to see the thing die up close and in person. The way it squealed before dying seemed more real than before.

Despite my sorrow for the creature, I felt... Accomplished, in a way? It was a pretty bittersweet feeling. That's when I heard the ship buzzing frantically.

"Attention! Captain Olimar! I have just reestablished my communications link with Louie!" it announced, "It is fortune that we have managed to confirm his safety. Press the button on your neck to communicate with him! ... I am quite interested in the details of his condition."

With a nod, I felt around my neck until I found the said button. After a moment of hesitation, I pressed it.

— —

This was officially the worst day ever. One second, I'm with Gin playing a game about getting out of corporate shit, next thing I know, I'm falling through the sky. I had been in the same position of a face-plant for a while now, not in the mood to get up and instead wait for me to wake up.

But everything I was feeling felt so real. I was cold. I was sore. And worst of all? I was hungry. None of these felt so real in a dream before. Getting up from the ground, I could see that the snow had broken my fall. Somewhat. However, the imprint it had... It looked like one of those tiny space guys that were in the game Gin and I were playing. That... Was really weird.

At that moment an alarm-like sound echoed around me. It took me a few seconds, but it eventually registered that it was ME wearing the suit. That's when I heard a robot sounding like voice ask, "Louie! Allow me to assess your condition, as per safety protocols. Are you at all injured?"

"Nah, I'm goooooohhhuh?" I began, but trailed off. My name isn't Louie. And I KNOW I didn't sound like that... Something weird was going on. The buzzing continued, then the robo-voice spoke again, "Is that so? Then my concerns are eased. Our communication link shows that you are nearby."

"Uh, okay?"

"Can you make your way to our location and rejoin us? I will navigate for you. Hold down the communications button on your neck to obtain information about the terrain."

I really wasn't sure who the robot was referring to when it said 'us'. Maybe it and someone else? Whatever it was, I wasn't alone. And from what I know from the movies, being on your own in these kinds of scenarios was a bad idea. And maybe the robot will stop referring to me as 'Louie'.

The robot didn't really have to guide me anywhere, actually. There was only path, after all. So, I just went with it. I walked up the (steep) path and was about to catch my breath when I had reached the top. Well, I was in for an unexpected surprise. Because I was now staring at the weirdest looking set of playground equipment I had ever seen.

"... The hell is this?"

"Louie! The odd object before you appears to be one of the Onions mentioned in Olimar's report!"

This is the weirdest onion I have ever seen... A red Onion, huh? Now I'm wanting to cook up some roasted red onions with some nice black pepper and thyme... Maybe dash it with some rosemary or maybe—

My recipe thoughts were interrupted by a sudden 'pop' from the 'Onion' as a red seed of some sort slowly floated to the ground and planted its way inside. Almost a second later, a leaf stretched its way out of the soil and... Glow.

Okay, this dream was taking a turn for the weird.

"The seed the Onion ejected just sprouted!"

No shit Sherlock, but NOT EVEN THE FASTEST GROWING PLANT ON EARTH GROWS THAT FAST!

"According to Olimar's report, you can pluck it from the ground."

Okay. So I just pull it out like a weed? Okay then. Gripping the stalk, I pulled with all my might until the sprout eventually started to come loose. Damn, it really is stuck in there. With one final tug, it was finally unearthed and flew right over my head. Turning around, I was met with... A red carrot. With eyes. And hands. And legs.

The robot spoke once again, "Louie, this must be one of the Pikmin creatures from Olimar's report. It is staring at you."

A CARROT WITH EYES IS STARING AT ME.

"You can issue objectives and direct their movements by pointing in the direction intended as they follow you and disband them with a short blow of your whistle."

I DON'T WANT THIS THING TO FOLLOW ME.

"Olimar's description of these creatures resembling Pikpik Carrots was strikingly accurate..."

Yeah, actually. A nice, spicy chili carrot with brown sugar and pumpkin spice to add a hint of sweetness to the kick of the spices and cooked delicately with—

"Louie... My sensors have detected drool at the corner of your mouth. Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

I want to make those chili carrots.

All of the sudden, the carrot-thing took a step towards me. Now, being the brave person that I am, I did what any courageous aspiring chef would do in this situation.

Scream and run from the chili carrot.

Looking behind me, the carrot was CHASING ME!

"OH GOD, WHY AM I NOT WAKING UP?! THIS IS A NIGHTMARE! ALL OF THE MEALS I HAVE CREATED ARE OUT FOR VENGEANCE!"

"Louie! The Pikmin will not harm you!"

With the robot's reassurance, I slowed to a stop. It didn't look like it was out to kill me... Well, I guess I should do a thing? With a look to what appeared to be a flower, it definitely wasn't what I had expected. The center of it was red with the number '1' plastered neatly onto it.

I decided to stop questioning the logic of all this. So... What do I do? Looking to the 'Pikmin' next to me, I gave it a shrug, indicating my confusion. With this motion, the Pikmin ran up to one of the flowers and started BEATING THE SHIT OUT OF IT! As the flower was flattened into the ground, only the large, red pellet-like object remained. The Pikmin then began to carry it away to the 'Onion'.

It placed the pellet into the center of the light and began to dance around as the pellet got SUCKED UP INTO IT. Moments later, the flower on top began to spin and two more seeds popped out. At first, I was stumped as to why this happened and why there were two of the sprouts instead of one, like the number said. Maybe the color had something to do with it? Well whatever! Right now, this thing made MORE of itself right in front of me.

"The Onion ejected more seeds!"

No shit, Mr. Holmes. No. Shit.

"The pellet from that flower must have nutrients that breeds more Pikmin!"

Well, at least that answers a question I had.

"Yes! The Pikmin gather nutrients, haul them to the Onion, and further propagate their species! It's a Pikmin mother ship!"

So, this thing is a literal "mother" ship? Wow, okay. I'm never going to hear that word the same way ever again.

"According to Olimar's report, after pulling one Pikmin out of the ground, it becomes easier to do and can be done rapidly."

The Pikmin once again stared at me, as if he was anticipating that I pulled his new buddies out. "Okay then. Mind if I, uh, call you Chili?" I asked, which caused it to tilt its head in slight confusion. Whatever. His name is now Chili. "Okay, Chili. Let's get your friends out of here," I announced, which resulted in a happy little noise from Chili. The first one was, indeed, quite hard to pull out, but after going to the next, it was noticeably easier than the last.

This process continued until the remaining four flowers were now a part of my Pikmin squad (I apparently had to throw them, but they seemed pretty chill about it). "Okay, now. Chili, you ready to go?"

Fortunately, Chili had remembered our friendship and gave a noise of what I assume was confirmation. Now that I thought more about what I had been doing, it really seemed like the weird Japanese shit I've seen online. If it really impacted my dreamscape this much, then I really need to stop watching those commercials.

Now with my crew of about ten or eleven Pikmin, we headed off. Towards adventure. Into the unknown. It only took me a few paces before I stumbled upon a pillar of epic proportions. A pillar that, when I approached, it shown majestically. The beauty of this—wait that's a Duracell battery.

I could hear the buzzing of the redundant robot as it began to tell me something obvious, "Perhaps this is one of the treasures that we are searching for!"

"Wait, what?"

"The only reason we found it here was because this is where you crash landed. How fortunate!"

"No no no, wait. This is treasure?"

"Yes! It might not look like the one that you had seen at home, but I can assure you, this is treasure!"

If that's "treasure", then I would be rich as a motherfucker.

"I would like to appraise it, but you must regroup with Olimar. Can you see him?"

I tried to look past the ice wall by jumping around like an idiot, but I couldn't really make out anything aside from the edge of an antenna looking thing. If it really was an antenna, then maybe that's where I should go. Following the icy path, I was met with an obstacle that further confirms the strangeness of the world I was in.

My path was blocked by a giant paper bag. This is just plain sad. But maybe if I throw my carrot crew up there, it'll flatten it? Worth a shot. With a rapid fire of Pikmin, every last one, including Chili, was tossed up onto it.

Seems like that won't do the trick.

"Hey, uh, my path is a little blocked—"

"Don't worry, I'm on it."

— —

Throwing the last five Pikmin onto the bag, it successfully compressed under the weight. Before me, was Louie... But maybe, just maybe, it was Tori on the inside. Louie gave a small wave, "Uh. Thanks for that."

Hm. It'll be hard to tell if it's really Tori. Maybe it'll become apparent when I'm around him—or her? Screw it, I'm calling him Louie until further notice.

I couldn't really say much of anything, because the ship had interrupted me.

"Captain Olimar! Louie! You have reunited at last! This has been quite a troublesome start to our trip,"

Louie and I looked to each other, the both of us thinking the exact same thing: It's been hell.

Seeing the silent agreement of the redundancy that the ship had been giving, it decided to try to change the subject, "But now you must feel assured that your combined wits can get you through anything! Correct? From now on, try to stick together and separate only when necessary."

With a nod, I looked over to Louie. "Alright. First, let's take this thing to the Onion to make more Pikmin," I told Louie, pointing to the deceased dwarf bulborb. Louie just stared at it, then at me. "You mean, you killed it? What even IS it?"

"It's called a dwarf bulborb. And the Pikmin I had did the deed. They're not just for gathering stuff. Now let's get it over to the Onion before we get the treasure," I explained, then chucked six of our sixteen Pikmin at it. As soon as they had a good grip on it, they went on their way.

As we walked with them, I could now see the Courage Reactor. Or, in other words, one of those bigger Duracell batteries.

... Hold on. Will I have to make the journals now? I don't have photographic memory and have no idea what Olimar had put... I'll just write my own treasure logs! And as for the rest, I'll just use notes Olimar had from his first expedition. And for the enemies that weren't documented by him... Well, I can probably make my own biology observations.

By the time we had arrived at the Onion, I was already contemplating what I would write. If I don't cause canon to turn upside down, then I'll probably be fine. After all, this wouldn't be permanent... Right?

Now with twenty Pikmin in our battalion, we were officially ready to end the day. All we had to do was dig it up and wait for the little guys to bring it on over. I was really glad that we were going to have the day end. I was cold and hungry. And apparently, Louie's a good cook. So I guess I'll see that firsthand.

After waiting impatiently for the battery to be delivered, the ship chimed through our helmets. "This is worth 280 Pokos! I shall name it... The Courage Reactor!"

With an exhausted sigh I plopped to the ground into a sitting position with Louie following suit.

The ship gave a happy buzz, "Our first day of exploration has yielded our first treasure! We will be done in record time!"

Louie just gave a tired, "Woohoo..." in response. Yep. I feel the exact same way. "Thank you for naming it. I don't know if I could really think of anything clever at the moment," I admitted, which earned a scoff from the ship, "Perhaps I should rename it into 'Slacker Reactor' instead. After all, the names given reflects my current "thinking". Then again, the name 'Slacker Reactor' doesn't seem that appealing for a sales pitch..." it trailed off.

Oh great, I changed the name of a treasure to something I'm positive that I won't ever forget.

"I might as well keep it that way it is. Seeing as you managed to find an extremely valuable treasure on your first day even after being separated is quite an accomplishment. I can imagine that the ordeal could be tiring. So, to commemorate our very first treasure, I will allow you both to take the rest of the day off. But you had better not think that this will happen again!"

Well, we both just got teased by the ship. I guess it really adds to the experience in its own cruel way.

After dismissing the Pikmin to their Onion, both Louie and I were returned inside the ship.

Oh. Oh yeah. I gotta pilot this thing. Well, as an official figurative duck piloting a rocket, I'm sure that I'll be fine.

I felt so relieved about being able to achieve liftoff.

—

EXTRA: Gin's Entries

Courage Reactor:

Despite my... Expert piloting, we had managed to crash into an obstacle and lose track of my partner. However, this stroke of bad luck turned into our favor, as this was able to be found. I'm now filled with invigoration to get out of here once everything is said and done! And thus, the Courage Reactor is the perfect name for such an inspiring object.