The next few minutes were very awkward. However, it wasn't the fact that neither of them said anything for the next five minutes, or even the earlier events that caused the situation to be unusual.
It was because Falcon was staring at him. And, if one was being stared at for a solid five minutes, that one was bound to get very uncomfortable, especially since he seemed to be unblinking due to the eye-like triangles on his mask.
"Please stop staring. It's very unnerving."
The pilot shook his head, bringing himself back to reality. "Sorry about that. It's just...I was trying to figure out what you are."
"I-I'm sorry, I'm confused."
"Well, after you said what your name was, I just knew that you can't be human! I mean, I had a hunch, with your...how should I put it...unusually small stature, so I guess I was just lost in thought, trying to remember if I had ever seen any of your kind before on my space travels."
Hyu-min? The translator wasn't able to translate that last word. Well, I suppose that is what this extremely tall man's race is referred to as.
"Well, I'm from a race called Hocotatians. I doubt you have ever seen one of us, as we have never been in contact with hyu-mins before. It is fortunate that is the case, as that 'Master Hand' fellow had to increase my size just so I could come to this world."
Falcon looked taken aback, "Wait, you know Master Hand?! Does that mean he really has brought extra help like he said he would?"
"I...suppose. Does that mean that you are one of those 'Smashers' he was referring to?"
"Yeah, if that's what he calls us," he said, shrugging, "Does that mean we'll be fighting together?"
Despite all that had happened, Olimar couldn't bring himself to say no to him. Yes, he was the cause of most of the Pikmin's deaths, but he hadn't meant to do it. At least he seemed sorry about it, and was trying to distract Olimar from what had happened.
It wasn't his fault, it was an accident. Those Pikmin, they died because of my carelessness. My commands were so sloppy, I am an utter disgrace as a leader.
He started to make his way towards the Pikmin's Onions, despite the fact that he was questioning even taking out more of them. The pressures of leadership were getting to him even now, this early in his quest. Olimar felt so depressed, he didn't even notice Falcon following him.
"Hey, what's going on with you? I thought you said you were gonna stop running away from me!"
Olimar stopped, turning around to face the pilot. "I'm not running away from you. What gave you that idea?"
He shrugged, looking even more confused. "I dunno, just the fact that you turn tail and run whenever you're near me. Is this still about those...whatever the hell those were?"
"You mean the Pikmin? Well, as a matter of fact, I was going to head back to base and get more of them. As well as...mourn the ones who fell."
Even when the twosome reached base, Olimar still was unsure whether or not he should in fact put more Pikmin at risk. Maybe...I should just take less. A small number, not too many to worry about, but enough to fight off enemies.
His internal debate now settled, the space captain decided on using a small batallion of six. There were one of each color, with the exception of an extra Purple for firepower. The tiny amount of Pikmin seemed eager to fight at least, as their eyes glowed with determination upon joining Olimar's squad. The creatures were slightly crestfallen as their leader's antenna waves gave them the grave news that a full battalion was lost to an enemy, but they soon seemed that much more invigorated to go into battle in order to avenge their fallen comrades.
"Huh, this is...interesting..."
Falcon was staring in awe at the Hocotate Ship, who was clearly pleased from getting the additional attention.
"How is it that you actually made it here in this tin bucket? This rusty junk pile looks like it couldn't even fly an inch!"
Captain Olimar, this unusual creature is staring at me with wonder, but I have no idea what it is saying. Could you please translate the compliments it is giving me?
The Hocotatian decided against it, not wanting to cause any more tension between himself and the ship. Instead, he decided on going with the strategy he always used with both the ship and his boss: ignore.
"Well, it can. Despite its appearance, Hocotatian technology is better than it looks."
"Yeah, no kidding..." Falcon murmured, still gaping in shock, "So...about us fighting together...you never responded to that."
Olimar didn't answer. Master Hand said to find other Smashers to help him, but the one he found seemed to bring just as much devastation on his teammates as well as his enemies.
"I promise, I won't kill any more of those little guys that follow you around. Please?"
Then again, there was the fact that Falcon seemed familiar with this world, and it would be a lot safer to go through this area with someone who not only knew a lot about it, but was also very powerful just on his own.
"I suppose that would benefit the both of us...very well, I don't mind traveling with you, Captain Falcon."
Not even ten minutes later, Olimar started to wonder if it was even a good idea. True, Falcon was extremely powerful, and yes, he did instantly decimate additional R.O.B.s (which were somehow a lot smaller than the original one) that they encountered, but there was something off.
Olimar was used to teamwork. His symbiotic relationship with the Pikmin was evidence enough of that. But with Falcon doing everything himself, and doing it so easily, the space captain was starting to wonder if he was just dead weight to him.
But then again, it was probably for the best. This way, no Pikmin would be put at risk, more monsters were actually taken down, and faster progress was made. Then again, I didn't exactly give off a great first impression to him when it came to combat. Not that I would have been much help anyways... it would've taken me ten times as long to destroy these machines than Falcon's...er..."Falcon Punch" as he keeps on calling it. This is kind of a nice change...relying on someone else for once rather than having the pressures of a leader.
Olimar saw the pilot stop dead ahead, and walked over to find what halted his progress. He was greeted with an awe-inspiring cliffside view of this world's ocean. Completely mesmerized by the sheer spectacle of it all, he took a moment to immerse himself in the scene's beauty. There were never sights this big...or spectacular...on either Hocotate, or even the Distant Planet.
"Hey Ollie, are you okay?"
Looking confused, he saw that Falcon was not only staring at him awkwardly yet again, but also referring to him by a shorter version of his name. "Yes...why, what's wrong?"
"Your...your eyes...they went all white and huge. Is that normal?"
Olimar tilted his head to the side, now intrigued. "Oh, that. Either when a Hocotatian is either surprised, scared, or sometimes dumbfounded, our eyes change shape and look all, as you said, "white and huge." It's completely normal for us, as it lets us have better vision during those moments of adrenaline rush. Wait...does that mean human's eyes don't change their shape?"
Falcon shook his head. "No, it's physically impossible to do that. Sorry about my reaction, I guess it was...weird...and unexpected to see your eyes look like
Nodding slowly, Olimar was still trying to understand that one concept. They don't change shape? Completely strange... Then again, I suppose the Pikmin's eyes never morph either...
He went back to observing the view on the cliffside. There was something that caught his attention this glance around, however. A small floating vehicle off in the distance was just now noticable to the Hocotatian's adjusted vision. It appeared to be for some sort of cargo transportation, and was piloted by strange-looking humanoid figures. They were green, but had purple faces, and odd shadow particles occasionally leaked out of their backs. Olimar had never seen anything like them before.
"Falcon..." the space captain said, tapping the larger male's leg to get his attention, "What are those unusual creatures down below? And why are they piloting that floating transport device, they certainly don't seem intelligent enough to do so..."
Falcon's attention snapped to what Olimar was describing, and the white triangle-eyes on his helmet seemed to narrow with intensity. "They've got one of our fellow Smashers held hostage! Those damn Primids...they won't get away with this!" He clenched his fists and mimed punching them with his hands, clearly wanting to go into action.
Olimar was confused, he didn't see anyone else on board the ship except for those odd creatures, or the "Damn Primids" as Falcon referred to them as. However, upon closer inspection, he saw that there was some sort of statue aboard the aircraft. It seemed to be a large, shaggy haired primate with massive arms and fists. However, it was still a statue, so Olimar was completely bewildered as to why Falcon would be angry at them for holding a carved decorative object hostage.
"Would you please care to explain what the significance is behind that statue those 'Damn Primids' are guarding?"
"What do you... Oh, wait! You have no idea about trophication, do you?"
"Trophication? What's that?"
"Well, when Master Hand first started those tournaments, he made it so we didn't permanently die in battle. That was not just for our own safety, but also to make it so our world's timelines wouldn't get disrupted because of our demise. So as a safety net of sorts, whenever a Smasher suffers fatal damage in this world, our bodies become petrified and turned to stone, as to preserve ourselves and heal the battle damage instantly. Revival is easy, just have someone tap the bottome of the trophy, and you're good as new."
"Then...why the urgency? What worries you about them holding that Smasher hostage in trophy form?"
"While the trophies are incredibly durable, I'm not entirely sure what would happen if the trophy itself were to be damaged. If something serious were to happen to it, the damage inflicted on the user would be severe, or worse...permanent." Falcon's fists practically had flames dancing on them at this point, his determination was clearly shown through his tense body. "I've got to save him. DK's been a Smasher since the start, back when there were only twelve of us. We're going down there."
Olimar looked down at the ship again, not entirely sure how they could actually get down there. It was such a long drop...the only way they could actually get down there safely was if there was some way they could fly. But because that option was currently not available to them, the space catain had no idea on how they could rescue the trophicized Smasher.
Falcon had other plans, though. He grabbed Olimar and lifted him off the ground, placing him on his shoulder. The Pikmin followed suit, latching onto their leader and holding on tight. Olimar now knew where Falcon was going with this... and did not like it at all.
"Okay, we're gonna jump down there, bash those guys, and save DK. You ready, Ollie?"
"Falcon, this is insanely dangerous, and will most likely result in the both of us plummeting to our death—"
But Falcon wasn't listening. With one massive leap, he pushed himself off of the cliff's edge and practically soared through the air. While Olimar was used to falling for long distances, after all, he practically jumped down cave holes on his second expedition to the Pikmin planet, but he couldn't help but feel terrified at the sheer speed they were falling. Not to mention him not being prepared for getting yanked by his collar and dragged towards a death-defying fall. By the time the two captains actually landed on the transport ship, the Hocotatian was practically swaying, and even looked like he was going to pass out.
"Wh-what...was that...? Falcon...what the heck were you thinking?"
"I was thinking we were going to swoop down and smash some Primid's skulls in!" he said, tapping the bottom of the primate's trophy and reviving him. The hulking beast broke out of the chains that held him, stomping his feet and pounding his chest. "Why, what's the problem?"
Olimar was about to say something, but was interrupted by one of the Primids coming at him with a flaming fist. He ducked to the side, and swung a Red Pikmin around and knocked it into the Primid's abdomen. Never mind, the point is, we both somehow survived our fall, with no injuries whatsoever. I suppose I'll just have to accept the fact that he's got a much more adventurous spirit than mine...and definitely more reckless as well.
Another creature landed next to the three Smashers, looking very much like a miniature version of the big ape they just rescued. This one, however, had a long tail, a baseball cap, and a twin pair of guns that could clearly be used for fighting. It made sense, as he didn't have the natural bulk to dish out damage his counterpart had. Figures that he had arrived to help save his friend and fight off these monsters. Good, we could use the extra help here.
The next few battles all blurred together in his mind. All he focused on was analyzing the new enemy's strengths and taking advantage of their weaknesses, like he always did. The Primids didn't have great balance, so all it took was one hit to really knock them over. Red Primids that threw fireballs, they could be dealt with Red Pikmin. Metal Primids had incredible defense and monstrous attack, so he used the Red Pikmin's heat to melt its steel body and finish it off with a Purple. There were also a few other odd spear-headed birds that flew in to give assistance, which Olimar found that he could actually deal with without the Pikmin's help, simply by picking them up when they got stuck in the ground and throwing them into the ocean down below. Much to his surprise, he was actually contributing quite a lot, and soon made no less than ten of the creatures meet their demise.
Falcon and the primates were also doing rather well. The larger one was able to defeat several with ease, simply by using his massive body weight and size to cause a lot of damage. The smaller one was a lot more tactical, avoiding attacks and firing his popguns when there was an opening. Of course, Falcon's style was a no-holds-barred fiery beatdown, but it was so fast that it was almost impossible to even see his attacks hit. All three of them had a defeated pile of Primids behind them in a matter of minutes, and Olimar could only imagine how many Pikmin could be created by having the Onion harvest all of those bodies.
A searing pain in his shoulder brought the Hocotatian's attention back to the battle at hand. One of the spear-birds had met it's mark, and embedded it's beak deep in his arm. Twisting it out as gently as he could and throwing it into the distance, he could see that the blow had dealt so much damage, that the health of his space suit had already dropped to less than half. Clutching his injured arm, which was covered in blood, he attempted to get back into the battle by knocking another Primid over the edge of the ship with a Purple Pikmin.
However, a Metal Primid had snuck up from behind and delivered a massive punch to Olimar's side, dealing lethal damage to the space captain. He felt his vision flicker and fade, as he felt a burning pain coming from his right side...the Primid had broken his ribs. The pain was so unbearable, he collapsed to the ground and lost consciousness almost instantly. However, his senses still remained, much to his surprise. He could still see as well, but when he tried to move, he found that his body wouldn't let him. A slow realization took hold of him, as he noted that his ribs had somehow been healed, on top of being practically petrified...he had experienced trophication.
However, he remembered what Falcon had said about the dangers of remaining a trophy for too long, as he saw the Metal Primid advancing on his still form. The Pikmin tried to fight him off, but they didn't have the strength to kill the Primid without their leader. The metal humanoid simply shook them off, and continued advancing on the immobile captain. With increasing horror, he saw that the creature was aiming his attack on the most vulnerable part of his entire being...his helmet.
If it is true what Falcon said, and damage you take in this state really is permanent...and if my helmet is destroyed in this form...Oh no. This...this cannot be happening!
However, Falcon saw what had happened to his teammate, and, sprinting over as fast as he could, collided with the Metal Primid and knocked it down, finishing it off with a Falcon Punch to the head. He walked over to Olimar's trophy and lightly touched the bottom, instantly reviving the Hocotatian. He shook his head from side to side, still not believing what had very nearly became of him. He put the pieces together when he saw Falcon there, and realized that the human had saved his life. Olimar smiled, and gave him a small nod of gratitude, the only time for thanks that the battle would allow before Falcon rushed back into combat. He took out the remaining Primids with relative ease, and the spear-birds fled, fearing that they too would meet the same fate as their allies. Olimar knew he should be relieved that the fight was over, but all he could do was stand there, frozen with shock and terror.
Great galaxies...if Falcon hadn't been there when he did...I can't...the mere thought of it is just too horrifying. I must be more careful, I cannot allow this to happen again. Otherwise... he shuddered, his worst fears being realized. I shall not only die of oxygen poisoning...but trapped for eternity as a trophy as well.
As the chapter title would suggest, a new danger has arisen for Olimar, on top of traveling with an incredibly reckless Captain Falcon. I hope you like this chapter, this is where a lot of my original ideas come into play. Also, shoutout to Team Sonic Forever 4910 for being the first person who favorited my story! Your support really helped, thank you so much!