Author's note: I do not own any characters in this chapter, only the fake names of Olimar's family members, as always.
Pikmin Worlds: Day 8
Guarding the Garden
As the Porpoise prepared to return to the Goolix Gardens, Captain Olimar received an unexpected message from the ship's intercom. Listening closely, Olimar jotted down notes while the computerized voice described the unexpected delay.
"Captain, I am receiving many signals of great activity on the surface of the Goolix Gardens. Scanners indicate that many stone-like creatures are roaming the surface, possibly cluttering the landing area. The descent has a 15 probability of striking one of these creatures, possibly damaging the hull. Shall I proceed?"
Olimar thought about this for a while, and then told the computer's mainframe, "Yes, you may proceed. If these creatures you are describing are what I think they are, they should be smart enough to avoid the ship."
"Affirmative, Captain." The Porpoise proceeded to travel on its course back to the planet's surface, and Olimar looked out the window to see a truly shocking scene. Where most of the Goolixes were originally lying, brightly colored flowers now grew in their places. Many grey, round creatures were tending to these plants, while others drove the remaining Goolixes towards the lake. The Porpoise and the Pikmin Onions managed to land in a patch of Pellet Posies while the odd creatures were rushing to aid their comrades.
Olimar quickly got out of the Porpoise and raced to withdraw all sixty of the purple Pikmin. As he dashed to the red Onion, his wife Julie spoke up. "Honey, what's the rush? Also, how did all of these flowers get here overnight?"
Olimar took a deep breath, and then told his family about the current situation. "These rock-like creatures are Mamutas, relatively evolved but practically unclassifiable animals. They feed off of the seeds of plants that they have learned to cultivate themselves. However, flowering plants deprive the soil of nutrients that the Goolixes need to survive. As a result, the common Mamuta is contributing to the near extinction of the Goolix. We have to do what we can to prevent this from happening!"
Olimar withdrew forty red Pikmin and started to divide the army among the family. Julie, Chip, and Sadie each received twenty of the burly purple Pikmin, while Olimar kept the forty, slightly less tough red Pikmin.
"Wait a minute," said Sadie, "we can't possibly defeat all of these Mamutas! They will defeat all of the Pikmin for sure!"
Olimar sighed and said, "Mamutas do not harm Pikmin directly, they only plant them back into the ground. As long as you pull the Pikmin back out, there is no reason why we can't defeat the Mamutas without a single loss."
The family split up, each member heading towards a different cluster of Mamutas. At least fifty of the lopsided creatures were hard at work planting seeds into the ground, and in their intense concentration did not notice the approaching Pikmin and their masters. Only when the Pikmin were hurled en masse at the Mamutas did they begin to retaliate.
For the next hour or so, the Pikmin and the Mamutas engaged in fierce combat. The Mamutas fought ferociously, repeatedly pummeling Pikmin into the earth, but the Pikmin countered with overwhelming force when pulled back out of the ground. The Mamutas' numbers dropped one by one as the battle continued to move towards the sprawling lake. Eventually, the two armies reached the lake's edge, where the Mamutas were holding their last stand.
"Were doing great, everyone," Olimar told his family. "We're almost done."
At that moment, Julie pointed out into the lake. "We better retreat; there is a huge wave approaching!"
Olimar immediately called back his red Pikmin and ordered his family to do the same with the purple Pikmin. As the family headed inland, the Mamutas also noticed the danger and tried to run away. However, their stubby legs made it impossible to outrun the wave, and every single remaining Mamuta wash washed away into the lake.
Olimar, his family, and the Pikmin watched as the last Mamuta was engulfed by the water. "Well," said Olimar, "we have managed to save most of the Goolixes. Let's go bring these remaining Mamuta bodies back to the Onions."
"Wait, aren't you going to take any notes on the Mamutas or something?" asked his daughter Sadie.
"Today's victory over the Mamutas cannot be expressed in mere notes," replied her father. "Tomorrow, we will explore that lake more thoroughly."
For the rest of the afternoon, the family brought the dead Mamutas to the purple Onion and collected more Ultra-Bitter Spray from the Goolenas that appeared to feed on the bodies. At the end of the day, the Porpoise blasted off along with the five Onions, leaving the Goolix Gardens to once again be repopulated by the Goolixes.
