Chapter 2 Change of plans

I woke up… But I didn't feel the same. I felt… mad. And frustrated. But when I tried to get up I felt something on my waist. And it was tight. I turned my head.

I was tied to a large pole… I tried to reach down and untie myself, but my hands were tied too. I was stuck. Instead I looked to see where I was.

It was… green. There was a patch of grass nearby, and it made my mouth water. I sensed something there. I wanted to go and pluck it so I could get something to eat. But in my condition I wasn't going anywhere. Why was I tied up? Then I saw movement nearby. And something black following something red. I stared at the colors.

The red color seemed to be running from the black. But then the black jumped onto the red. And the red fell over, dead I believe. I couldn't see what the colors were because my vision was blurry. The black color lifted up the red and began to take it away. No… it was three blacks. Then they disappeared. I stared as they left. And then I remembered when I looked at my waist. I hadn't paid very much attention.

It was purple. Not… Whatever I was before… I looked back over at it. I tried to think back to when I wasn't… this color. And then something clicked. And I remembered.

I quickly brought my stem to the front of my head. And the most surprising thing in my life just so happened to be in front of my face. I stared at my… mushroom. A small wave of fright washing over me. I knew what happened. I knew I wasn't myself anymore. But it just wouldn't sink into my brain. This couldn't be happening. This was all just a dream. Nothing ever happened. I would wake up and be just fine. But my mind kept telling me no… Or maybe it wasn't my mind. Maybe it was someone else's.

Suddenly something black was walking towards me. And as my vision cleared I could see it was a black pikmin. He seemed a little tense while he was walking towards me.

"So, are you awake? Uh, what did they tell me to say if you were awake?" He seemed to be talking to himself. I stared at him.

"Okay, I forgot. I admit it. But then… How to prove it…" He trailed off. Murmuring something under his breath.

"Do you want to kill me?" I didn't say anything. That was the most stupid question I had ever been asked.

"No, that wasn't it. What was it?" He had a ball on the top of his head. And it was bright. Like, glowing bright. And he seemed a little jumpy.

"Alright, I give up. I'll just tell them that you're awake and, uh, they'll do the rest. No, they told me to do it. I'll just assume the safe way, not like you have feelings." He walked over to me and kicked me in the stomach, hard. I flinched, and tried to hit him back with my mushroom.

He was quick. Too quick. He was so fast I almost couldn't tell when he started to run backwards. He stopped a safe distance away.

"Not smart enough yet to figure out that it's no use trying to kill pikmin? Really, you should know that trying to bring harm to us does no good at all." I was frustrated, what was he talking about? I never tried to bring harm to anyone…

"Where am I?" I asked. The black pikmin seemed a bit skeptical.

"I know your ways. Playing dumb so I let you go, thinking you aren't being controlled. You know what, we're not that stupid." He said, with a big frown on his face, like I just insulted him.

"Really, could you tell me where I'm at?"

He sighed. "Sure, but I'm not gonna let you go. You're in forest's peak."

I continued to stare at him. "Where's that?" He put his hands on his head.

"You should know, because you came through here. Oh wait; you're not a pikmin… So you don't name places." He looked around.

"I am too a pikmin!" I argued.

He laughed. "Yeah, sure. A mushroom pikmin. No wait; you're not a pikmin… You're just acting like a pikmin." He started to turn but tripped on a rock.

"Gah! I've always been so clumsy, it's not fair… Nobody else is!" I watched as he got up and stared at me. "You didn't see that." He said, and began to walk again. I layed there and watched him leave, but then he turned back around and said one last thing. "You're going to die… alone." I was alone… Like I always wanted. My whole life. But… why wasn't I happy? I watched as he picked up a rock and chunked it in my direction. It landed right in front of me. I didn't even have to dodge. He huffed and started to walk away again. Muttering under his breath. And so I was alone.

Being alone didn't feel like I thought it would. Being alone felt… Dangerous. I didn't feel happy. I don't think I will ever be happy.

Days passed… Lonely, silent days… I became weaker and weaker as I lost strength from the last time I drank nectar… Which was probably never… I never remembered drinking nectar… So why did I crave it? I didn't even know what it tasted like.

It was getting close to afternoon a few days later when suddenly a rustle behind me was heard.

There was a cyan pikmin. And she was walking my way. But she didn't see me. Yet. She had a leaf. And her leaf was not green like a normal pikmin's. It was a deep blue. She was looking to her left, and she seemed to be in a hurry. And then when she got really close she looked at me. And screamed.

She jumped back. Her stem straight up. But after staring at me for, what seemed like forever, she relaxed and stepped around me. Still eyeing me. And then she looked concerned when she saw I was tied up.

"Do y-you need any help?" She asked, still staring me in the eyes. I didn't say anything, afraid I might scare her more if I said anything. So I just lightly nodded.

"I-I'm not gonna help y-you though. You might hurt me. And maybe you might even kill me. H-How can I trust that you aren't that monster thing?"

I slumped my shoulders and dropped my head. I knew nobody trusted me. "Because you just can. I promise I won't… hurt you." She seemed a bit nervous.

"Actually, if I help you, will you help me?" I nodded a bit more enthusiastically. She crept forward a little bit. And stopped right when she got a distance I could reach her, just to make sure. After a few seconds she walked forward a bit more and inspected the knots. The she reached down and untied me.

It loosened and I gasped in the air, falling to the ground. I could breathe better. She took some steps back as I got up. And she stared at me nervously. I stared at my waist. It was bruised from the knots being so tight. She started to walk away, but then turned to wait for me to follow. I wondered if I should turn around and leave her. I started to but then stopped and turned my head to look at her.

She seemed a bit mad. But still stood there and waited, like I had a choice. I finally chose to follow her. And a slight smile spread across her face. When I got over to her she held out her hand. I stared at it. But then I finally shook it.

"Name's Kutona, but you can call me KT. What's your name?" I thought about that.

"I don't have a name." I said, a bit sadly. I didn't remember having a name. Did I have a name?

"Oh, that's sad. A nameless pikmin." She started walking. I followed her.

"Where are you going?" I asked. She sighed.

"Away from the others. I want freedom." I wondered what it was like not to have freedom. But then again… I felt it earlier.

"Why do you need help?" She shrugged.

"I lied. I just wanted someone to walk with me. Even if it is a traitor." How was I a traitor?

"What do you mean by… traitor?" I asked. She sighed.

"Nothing… Just some time ago when the alien visited this planet." Alien?

"How was I a traitor? I didn't even know an alien existed." She sighed again.

"It was when it crash landed… And found us… And used us… He found the mushroom. And it infected some of us. And then you're kind… should I even think of you as another type of pikmin? Because you were once actually a color. Anyways, so you guys attacked him. I don't know why. But you did. And so I thought of you guys as a traitor. Because you backstabbed your leader. And tried to kill him." When I heard the word leader it made me feel strange. Like a bit mad. But I ignored it.

"Doesn't mean I'm a traitor." I hissed. I felt like turning around and leaving… or punching her in the face.

"It does… to me." She seemed a bit sad.

"What's wrong?" I asked. She looked up at me.

"Oh, he just… Left us. He… backstabbed us as well." I huffed.

"Then why don't you call him a traitor too? And that gives me one reason I would try to kill him." She glared.

"Because… he helped us as well. He taught us what working together means." She said. I crossed my arms. I would still call him a traitor. And I would still punch him in the face. Why? Because the sound of alien made me mad. Or maybe it was the sound of leader… We passed a large berry stalk. She stared at it. I ignored it.

"Still gives me a reason to punch him."

She huffed. "See? I just don't get why you guys want to do that stuff. It's like you're programmed to." I ignored her and paid attention to my own thoughts.

No… They weren't my own thoughts. They were somebody else's. And it sounded mad. Because it didn't like the alien. I wondered whose thoughts they were. Were those thoughts the reason I'm mad? I looked at the pellets we passed. Some were black, some were blue, and some were yellow. They were very tall. And I had to crane my neck in order to see what color they were. Suddenly I was pulled away into a bush. I stared at KT. She had a worried look on her face and motioned for me to be quiet.

We watched a black pikmin pass by, followed by four more. They ignored the pellets and kept walking. And moments later they were all walking back with a small spotted beast. And they were going faster than I thought they would. Almost as fast as a running leaved pikmin. KT watched them pass by and we stayed in the bush for a few seconds after they left before she let go of me. Probably because she knew I was gonna jump out and try to hurt them. She started walking again. I followed. Relief flooded her features. We stayed quiet for awhile.

"I suspect those were the pikmin that tied you up?" She said, interrupting the now odd silence.

"Yes, I think. I really don't know. But one came over to me when I woke up."

She stared at me. "Ah, just as I thought. Why did they tie you up?"

I shook my head. "I already told you, I don't remember." She sighed.

"Oh, well… What did he do?"

"Tripped. And kicked me. And threw a rock at me. He has a clumsy arm though."

She laughed. "That doesn't sound like a black pikmin."

I stared at her. "Well, he was." She looked around.

"I think we're close to their camp. We should be quiet."

I grunted. "Yeah, sure, you're the boss."

She glared.

"Shut up. Or we'll both be in trouble."

I huffed, trying to get all my anger out. My eyes at least showed it. They were strangely always in an angry position. But I shut my mouth, knowing she had a reason for this. We turned left at a point and went into the tall grasses. So we could go past their camp without being seen.

At one point when I looked over I saw their camp. Many blacks were around there. Laying down or sitting. Some were working. Others were looking around, for intruder's maybe, or monsters. KT seemed very nervous. And kept looking around. I, however, had one plan on my mind. If any black pikmin spotted us and came over, they would die. It was harsh, yet true. The thoughts in my mind still hummed angrily about the leader. I ignored them though and thought about keeping up. She was going pretty fast.

After we passed KT exhaled. She seemed very relieved. We kept going though.

"When are we stopping?" I asked.

She turned her head towards me. "I have no idea. Maybe until we pass out."

I looked away. "That's not a very good plan. I don't like walking." She rolled her eyes.

"Well, we're gonna keep going." I started to poke my mushroom out of plain boredom. Wondering if I should walk away.

When the sun started to set I grabbed her shoulder. She jumped.

"We should find shelter. It's dangerous in the night." She nodded tiredly. And then looked around.

"What would be a good place for shelter?" She asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Somewhere that nothing can find us."

She stared at me. "I guess. Where would that be?"

I sighed. "I already told you, I don't know."

We continued to walk and look around. And finally a cave took shape in the distance.

"Over there." KT said with a smile. We walked over to the cave. It was pretty big. And as we walked in we saw a light coming from somewhere. We looked each other in the face. And then continued on. Not knowing if it was dangerous or not.

As we entered the small room that was lit up KT gasped. I didn't. But I was still shocked.

Pikmin, three colors. Red, blue, and yellow. All of them scarred or wounded. They layed around a fire. They looked up at us, and then their stems grew stiff. A red one, who was in better shape than the others, stood up.

"What do you want?" The red pikmin asked.

My mushroom grew tense. And my hands balled into fists.

"We," I pointed towards KT. "Are looking for a place to stay for the night. And this place just so happened to be here." I said. I brought up a fist. The red seemed a little uneasy.

"I am not sharing a cave with a mushroom pikmin." The red hissed.

"Well you do not own this place do you?" I said taking a step forward. KT grabbed my arm and kept me from going any farther.

"Looks like you have no choice. Please, both of you. Keep calm and don't make a scene. The other pikmin over there don't want to see you dead." KT said softly. The red crossed his arms.

"And what makes you think I would die?" I tried to pull my arm free. But she wouldn't let go. So I just had to do with staring at him.

"I don't want to prove it. Because that would require you dying." KT remarked. The red glared at me.

"I would like to see you try to prove your point." He said with grin. KT hesitated, but let go of my arm. Before I could land a punch she grabbed my shoulder and whispered in my ear.

"Don't kill him, he doesn't deserve it." I grumbled, come on, I just wanted to land some punches and hopefully make him regret everything, still staring at the red. And then I noticed he had a flower. Most likely the reason he was boasting. She let go of my shoulder and let me go. I walked forward slowly. And stopped right in front of him. Waiting for his move.

He threw a fist at me. I sidestepped it and whacked him in the side with my mushroom. A very powerful hit. He stammered to the side to recover. But I had already brought my foot to his face. He back flipped. But landed on his feet. He walked forward. Before I could punch him again he stuck his foot out and tripped me. I fell to the ground. He brought his foot down to my head. And pushed…

An excruciating pain flowed through my head. And I heard a slight pop. I screamed. He grinned and pushed harder… Unfortunately for him, he wasn't paying attention when my foot kicked him off his feet as well. I quickly got up. Ignoring the dark purple blood coming from my stem and kicking him in the face multiple times. He tried to kick me down but I jumped over his stem. The other pikmin seemed a little frightened by how fast it all happened. The red pikmin finally managed to get up and punched me in the face. Then he grabbed my stem and pulled at it, hoping it would rip off.

I punched him in the stomach and he let go of my stem, which was now limp. But it worked. Although a bit painful when I moved it. I whapped him in the side of the head and he fell over. Then I started to hit him with my mushroom even when he was on the ground. He groaned. But then went limp. KT ran over and pulled me away. So I wouldn't kill him. I was mad though, and my head was shaking with anger. I tried to pull away, but she didn't budge.

"Does anybody else want to have their point proven?" I hissed, and they all cowered in fear. KT was frustrated.

"I thought I told you to not try to kill him." I kicked at her legs, but it didn't help.

"Let go of me, I want to finish the fool."

She sighed and looked over at all the frightened pikmin. "Will someone help me tie her down or something?"

A couple of guys nodded and got up. Some of them ran off to get something the others helped her keep me from getting over to the red pikmin. The ones that left came back moments later with rope-like stuff. And they moved over to the wall…

I kicked and yelled as they tied my stem to a tall rock thing that stuck out from the floor. Then they all stepped back from my struggling self. And seemed satisfied. KT walked over to everybody and tried to calm them down. I stared at them all… A red pikmin in the back of the group looked at me sadly. I stared at him until he looked away.

KT was a backstabber. It wasn't me. It was her. She didn't let me kill him. He was a fool. He deserved to die. I was sick of her. I was sick of this place. I was sick of my life. I sat there, staring at them all. Until I fell asleep.

I was under the water. Drowning. And then I noticed, I wasn't in the water, I was drowning in smoke, as it filled my body, as it tweaked my brain, as it changed my leaf to a mushroom, as I began to lose control of myself, and when the smoke cleared I saw a red pikmin standing over me. And then he looked frightened. And tried to back up. But I reached up and grabbed his throat. He pried my hands away from his throat and backed away; I stood up and walked towards him. And he began to run. I stood there a second. Then I gave chase. The other red pikmin had already gone. This one was the only one left. And as we both ran, the surroundings changed. It went from a hard sandy area to a green soft floor. I ignored the change though, and still chased. But then he turned the corner. And when I turned, he was gone. I stood still for a second, eyes darting here and there. Then I started to walk forward…

And then my body began to shake. And I knew what was happening. I tried to step back. But it was too late. I went limp and my body sprawled across the ground. My eyes were still open. And I could still feel myself. But I just layed there. And I waited for something to change. My muscles were still tense. And I was still thinking. The only change. I could control myself again. But I didn't want to. That wasn't what my life was meant for. So I waited for it to come closer. So I could go back to what I was doing. Without it I wouldn't be able to survive. But after what felt like eternity I lost hope. It wasn't coming. I needed to get up and go myself.

Before I could a black pikmin walked by. He stared at my body and shrugged. Then he lifted it up and began to head back. I didn't do anything. After staring at him for awhile everything went fuzzy. And finally black.

Yay! End of chapter! Yeah. Yeah. Weird dream. Weird fight. Weird chapter… Weird story… Heh, KT handled that situation pretty well… Or this story would have a dead red. And probably some other dead pikmin as well. Crazy, lunatic, rude, selfish, umm, and scary… To other pikmin. Wow, the main characters got some issues.