Thanks to all of you for reading my story this far!
Now, if anyone has been playing the game through this story, they will already have reached the ten thousand mark in-game. Also, Pileated Snagret wins the poll. With that in mind, let's get on with the fic!
--
"Thanks to you our company has been saved! Hurrah!" the president said with glee.
Olimar looked unease. He could not get the guilt of losing Louie out of his mind. He feared Louie might have…
"Uh, Mr. President. Would you mind if I headed back to the planet?"
"Hm? What for?" the president said with an eyebrow raised, "there really can't be any reason for you to return to the planet…unless, there's more treasure you'd want to keep for yourself…"
"Well," Olimar said, not sure if he should lie to his president, "that too. But-"
"What?! There's still more treasure! …Good gravy! If we collect it all, we'll be filthy rich!"
Olimar had no idea it would work that quickly. But as long as he was going to return to the planet and look for Louie, it was okay by him.
"Louie!" the President said, apparently failing to realize the dilemma Olimar was in.
"…Where's Louie?" the president asked, staring at the dusty winds of Hocotate.
"That's also part of the reason I wanted to return to the planet… I kind of lost him…"
"What?! You lost him?" the president said, fearing a lawsuit.
"But I'll accept complete responsibility in the rescue of Louie sir!" Olimar said, wanting to calm down his president.
The president felt relieved knowing his trusted employee was going to take the blame for him. But he could never trust Olimar by himself.
"In that case… I'll go!"
"Wh-what?"
--
I cannot trust Titan Dweevil anymore…
The killing must stop…
Though, in a selfish way, I'm glad the pikmin have paid less attention to Awakening Wood now. I'm not a pansy or anything, but I'm enjoying the flourishing wildlife here in Awakening Wood. The pikmin could never destroy this peaceful haven and I'm glad they won't. Simply because there are two Land Council members here who are still alive. I'm feeling very optimistic about the rise of the pikmin. So even if the pikmin direct their attention to this spring ridden piece of earth, they've got another thing coming.
I hopped down to the wollywog lake. They looked up at me and waved. I was glad that they wouldn't see me any less than a caretaker because I've got a reputation to keep. Still, it was nice to have this kind of reception from the wildlife.
"Pileated Snagret, sir," a voice from behind said.
I looked to see a fellow Burrowing Snagret. For him to address me in such a way… oh god, don't tell me…
"What is it?" I said, restraining from sighing in frustration.
"We've received a distress call from Perplexing Pool. But it is a bit…late."
"How late?"
"Like, yesterday late, sir." Oh for the love of-
"Who sent the distress call?" I asked, trying to remain calm.
"Ranging Bloyster. But we believe Ranging Bloyster may have already-"
"DO YOU BASTARDS EVEN CARE ANYMORE?!" I snapped. The Snagret was taken aback by my outburst obviously.
"S-Sir Pileated-"
"NO! Don't even ask for forgiveness! Can your tiny brain even comprehend this?! The pikmin have already killed off Ranging Bloyster and you're telling this to me NOW?!"
"B-But-"
"Has this even reached the Land Council yet?! For the love of all that is mighty, at least tell me you mentioned this?!"
"I-I thought you needed to know before-"
BAMMM!
I stared at the bruised Snagret who was lying on the ground. His face was in shock, pain and confusion. The bruise from my head swinging into his was clearly visible as there was some hemorrhaging on his head and nose. I breathed heavily from rage as I stared at the scene I made. The Creeping Chrysanthemum hopped down from the ledge and looked back in fear. The Wollywogs behind me
planted themselves on the other side of the lake and continued to stare in horror. I looked back at the Snagret who got back up but avoided eye contact. Some blood dripped.
"…"
"I-I shall make a n-note to the Land Council i-immediately, s-sir," the Burrowing Snagret said, still avoiding my gaze.
I can't believe I just did that. Was it because I was under stress? The pikmin rise is still of great concern to me. Maybe I've been thinking too much on it. Still, that's not a good excuse for deliberately attacking a fellow Snavian. Though I am a Land Council member, I might be excused. But I still fear an infraction. And how will the animals think of me now? …No. that's not important right now. If I were Titan Dweevil, I'd hold a meeting or something.
"I'll be heading to the Land Council HQ now. After you've made your report proceed to guarding Snagret Hole."
"…Y-Yes sir. B-But may I ask why you are heading to Land council HQ?" he asked me. Apparently he thinks I'm still in a bloodthirsty mood. But I feel more guilty than anything.
"I just know Titan Dweevil will hold a meeting concerning Ranging Bloyster's death. I'm just getting there ahead of time." I said as I made my way to the Forest Navel.
--
"The hell do you mean he's not here yet?" Segmented Crawbster yelled out loud.
"Yes, it is irritating. Though Titan Dweevil should be able to take care of his problem, whatever it is," Prince Bulblax said as he stared at Titan's seat.
"Usually, he's here before any of us," Raging Long Legs said to me, "I heard a rumor that he sleeps underground where his seat is because he doesn't sleep a lot at home."
"…" I stared at Raging for a while. "Why are you talking to me?"
Raging Long Legs looked back and forth in the Forest Navel (shut up, I know we can't see his eyes but he does this a lot so we're used to it) and back at me.
"This is kind of embarrassing but there aren't that many people left."
He was right. I, Raging Long Legs, Prince Bulblax, and Segmented Crawbster were the only ones even present here at Land Council HQ. In a matter of fifteen days, the pikmin have reduced the Land Council to this. Hell, we ARE the Land Council. I can't stand it anymore. The pikmin threat must be neutralized!
Suddenly, Titan Dweevil fell from the sky out of nowhere. I stared at him since this was the first time he's made his entrance like that. He stayed silent as he made his way toward his seat. I found it odd that he was walking a bit slow but my primary concern was the pikmin and nothing else.
He made it to his seat after what seemed like a minute or two. He turned around to face us but it seemed like his mind was somewhere else. He stared at us, silent for a while, then finally spoke.
"So…Ranging Bloyster died? Right?"
What.
"I guess the pikmin killed him."
The.
"Anybody have any ideas?"
HELL!
"I'LL TELL YOU WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO!" I suddenly yelled. "THE PIKMIN ARE GOING TO PAY WITH THEIR LIVES FOR EVERY SINGLE ANIMAL THEY'VE KILLED! THEY SHALL BE MERCILESSLY EATEN, CRUSHED, OR ANNIHILATED! THAT IS MY PLAN EVERYONE! ANY OBJECTIONS?!"
Everyone just stared at me.
"Yeah, just one," the Titan Dweevil stared at me as I panted, "what the hell is wrong with you?"
"Dweevil," I said, pausing to catch my breath, "do you not see the obvious threat that is the pikmin? The pikmin must be exterminated!"
Titan Dweevil stared at me for a bit.
"Why do you think that will solve anything?" he said, "even if we do kill off each and every pikmin, more will come out, repopulate and take down whatever replaces us."
"How could you possibly say that? What the hell makes you think that can happen?" Prince Bulblax proclaimed.
"…it happened last time…" Dweevil said.
"I'm sorry, what?" Prince Bulblax said, apparently not hearing what he said.
"Look, I just don't work that way."
"And why?" I yelled, "For what insane reason makes you think like that?"
"Because I don't want to make the same mistake the Grand Emperor made."
"My father NEVER made mistakes," Prince Bulblax exclaimed, "Everything he did was to benefit his kingdom!"
"Then why do you think he was killed by the pikmin?! I would never do anything so reckless as to provoke the pikmin like that! That buffoon never thought the pikmin would strike back! And now he's dead!"
Prince Bulblax stood silent for a moment.
"How DARE you call my father a buffoon?! How DARE you insult the Bulblax name?!" Prince Bulblax yelled.
"I could care less about the Bulblax name. And the King is dead. Mindlessly killing pikmin will NOT bring him back!" The Titan Dweevil said in outrage.
"No, Dweevil…" the Prince Bulblax said, in an irritated calming voice, "He won't come back. But he will be reincarnated! No greater king than my father can have the soul to come back! We'll simply wait for the day that happens!"
"Are you serious?!" The Titan Dweevil said, almost laughing, "I can't believe you would go so far as to believe Grand Emperor Bulblax to be almost as high a being as God!"
"…" Prince Bulblax stood there for a while.
"Accept it. The King was nothing more than a king and he will have died in history, whether it be death of age or sooner. I know some of you believe that no one could replace Grand Emperor Bulblax, and if that is true, that no one can reach a higher accession than him, the whole country would be screwed!" Titan Dweevil said aggressively, "You all know as I do that there will soon be a king greater than the Grand Emperor Bulblax. And if you," he pointed to the Prince Bulblax, "are supposed to be his successor, than I cannot imagine how disappointed the king must feel."
We all stood still. What came out of Titan Dweevil's mouth had us standing there, wanting to believe something else. But in front of us, he showed us the truth. We all wanted the king back, but we were blind with loyalty, drunk with remorse, wanting a wrong to be right. But life only works in one way and we knew the king wasn't going to come back. We didn't want to admit it, but we loved the king so much we actually believed he was……
…
…
…God.
"I will end the meeting today,"
Titan Dweevil said. "And why don't you brush up your attitude
'Prince Bulblax'?"
"No…not Prince." He said, "I'm Emperor Bulblax. Royal heir to the Bulblax Monarchy."
"…very well then. Meeting adjourned."
I could've sworn I saw Titan smirk.
--
That was the most aggressive meeting I've ever been to.
On my way back to Snagret Hole, I couldn't help but wonder. Since there was Land Council before us, what was titan Dweevil's role in the last Land Council? Many species came to this piece of land in response to the distress signal the king gave out before he died, that much I know. So a large majority of us are actually clueless about this land's history. All we knew, however, was that the pikmin was the enemy, and if the pikmin had the power to down a beast like Grand Emperor Bulblax, then the pikmin were a prime threat to us. At least we were on the right side of this…well, I wouldn't say war.
Night had arrived and I had just made it to Awakening Wood. I looked out to see-
…
…
…no…
The dead bodies of Wollywogs stood before me. Their corpses were slowly rotting away into the pool. I had to remain calm, I told myself as I made my way down the miniature valley. I flinched when I saw the halved mouth of a Creeping Chrysanthemum and lifeless bodies of Shearwigs littering the ground. Beyond the bridge before me I saw the rotting body of a Red Bulborb and a Dwarf Red Bulborb. I hopped a little down, remain sane, and around the corner I saw dismembered Cloaking Burrow-Nit. Some legs were missing, the snout was pulled and bent, and its eye was out of the socket and staring at me…
To my right I heard some fluttering noise as well as what sounded like some bombs blowing up. When I looked, I saw the Onions fluttering away along with some golden object flying off in a trail of smoke.
Those accursed pikmin…they've…
Tonight was the quietest night of Awakening Wood.
--
"…and don't let a single one in, you got that?!" I yelled at the Burrowing Snagret.
The sun was going to rise soon, and I had high suspicion that the pikmin were targeting Snagret hole. Evidenced by the two bridges that were built and the murdered animals from here to the onion's landing site; I was pretty sure Snagret Hole was their next destination.
"Yes milord," he said to me.
"And I swear to god, if you chicken out and let these pikmin into the hole, you'll suffer a much worse death than slaughter by the pikmin." I threatened.
"Understood, but may I ask why you haven't alerted the Land Council about your dilemma?" he asked me.
"I don't need their help. Besides, the situation is much more different than the others who died. For one, we are aware of the pikmin's next move. All the other members who were killed off didn't know of the pikmin until it was too late. And two, since we know of the pikmin's next move, our hole is the most prepared. All four Snagrets inside are completely aware of their objective, and you should be no different. Is that all?"
"…of course."
"Very well then. If the pikmin are targeting me I shall burrow to the last floor, though I usually sleep on the third. So, if that is their true intent, than the pikmin must be very exhausted by the time they reach me. Though I hope that is unnecessary."
The morning sun breached rose from behind the trees, blanketing the earth and flowers with its warm light. I knew the pikmin would come any minute now.
"Besides, if things go wrong, there are two Antennae Beetles living here. They will escape and send a distress signal to the Land Council."
Before I burrowed underground, I took one last look at the beautiful earth and plants covered in the morning sun. Sakura petals falling from the sky, flowers glistening with dew, and the grass swaying lazily in the wind. I wondered if I was going to see any of this again.
--
I cannot let a single one through.
I was under the strict order to not let a single pikmin into Snagret Hole. Pileated Snagret was obviously scared of the pikmin, but I would never say that in front of him. I'm scared of them too, but still I wouldn't say it in front of him. I missed the days where we would all lounge around, loitering in the lush grass of the earth. But apparently the pikmin are at fault.
I heard a slight tapping sound above ground. It's show time.
I erupted from the ground the traditional way. Head first into the air, then pick at the animals to eat. As soon as I caught sight of the pikmin, however, they were already fleeing. It made me think that these were the so called murderers of the land.
Disappointed, I burrowed back into earth. Maybe I should report to Pileated about the misinformation. I mean, they didn't even-
I heard tapping again. They were back…
AGH! They're probably trying to break the gate! I can't let a single one through!
I shot up quickly to the above ground, when I suddenly hit a rock! Ow, but I have to make it to above ground! I was having a lot of trouble coming out of the ground. How embarrassing. But when I got to the above ground, the pikmin were already latched onto my head! I gulped as they all attacked at once.
CRACK!
--
"Did you hear that?" I said to my guard buddy.
"Without question. It's the death cry of a Burrowing Snagret. They will reach this floor soon," he said to me.
"They've already killed the gate guardian?" I asked him.
"To be honest, I expected no less from the pikmin."
He was the experienced one, I was the new guy. We were a bad mix, him and I. But at least he's not strict, at least, not very strict. He is a bit old and age is finally getting to him. He dozes off on occasion, he utters little tidbits of his memories, and he's a bit sick. That's the impression I get from his coughing in the early mornings. I just hope he doesn't do something stupid when we're fighting pikmin.
"You guys can shriek and fear all you want. I ain't worried about no pikmin threat," a Swooping Snitchbug said to us.
"How could you not? Every animal that has come in contact with the pikmin has died. The Snitchbugs are no different."
"Well, I don't eat pikmin, so I'm pretty sure I'll be ignored. You guys, on the other hand, can have fun."
"Have you neglected the deaths of Snitchbugs in the reports of abandoned caverns?" my partner said to him.
"Two things. One, I don't care about those guys. Two, they were probably in their way or something. I'm just gonna stay out of this."
"And whose the guy with the flower fetish?" my partner asked again.
"Sh-shut up."
"It'll be awhile before the pikmin reach this sublevel. We should rest up before that happens." My partner suggested.
I burrowed underground, following his advice. But I didn't feel like sleeping. Y mind was still on the pikmin who were killing without reason. I had heard of the pikmin who started mindlessly killing off animals for no known purpose whatsoever. This labeled the pikmin as hated, murderers, and lowlifes. To
me, it all started with the survival of the fittest. And since the pikmin were doing all they could to survive…
Wait, aren't their numbers high enough already? I heard they had exceeded a thousand altogether. If so, then why are they still killing? Their onions don't follow them into caves so there's no point in coming down here in the first place. It makes no sense. Maybe they are after something else, other than the lives of the Land Council. What would they-
We already beat a Snagret. Why are we still here?
Those voices…
Don't forget, young man, that there are more than one.
Without a doubt, they're pikmin.
I quickly emerged from the ground to the surprise of the pikmin. Acting quickly, I pecked at the nearest pikmin, but missed. They all ran I the opposite direction as the Swooping Snitchbug took interest. I paid him no mind as I burrowed back underground, knowing that the pikmin won't venture into the vicinity near me while I was surfaced.
I heard their tiny feet tapping on the ground again. I knew that I had to kill as many pikmin as possible, even if I had to risk my life. I shot up to the ground a-
THWACK!
AGH! ……I hit a rock.
Crap! I couldn't burrow back into the ground yet. I had to emerge and dig back in. When I did emerge, there were pikmin already latched onto my head! Crap! I knew this was gonna happen! But, I was supposed to kill as many as I could. My head was completely swarmed by a rainbow of hostile plants, but if I was gonna die, I will eat as much of the pikmin I can!
PLOSCH!
My eye!
I can't die here! Not yet! With my working eye, I targeted the pikmin and lunged for them. More pikmin just latched onto my head when I made this move. My breathing became shallow and I couldn't swallow the pikmin. I just tasted blood. A lot of it.
"OLD MAN!" I yelled.
--
"That makes three," I said.
The death cries of three Snagrets made me doubt that this ambush strategy was going to work well.
My partner was in a different part of the sublevel. He and I knew all too well the dangers of confronting the pikmin in their favorable conditions. For example, the other Snagret and I were far in terms of distance. This means that they can pace themselves between the two of us and proceed to the next floor were Pileated Snagret is. We were spaced apart for strategic purposes. Mostly because we don't know where the pikmin will land. This way, at least one of us will attack first and surprise them. And we have an Antennae Beetle fighting with us. Though he doesn't have any attacks, his whistle can distract and confuse the pikmin long enough for us to retaliate. We feel pretty confident in our strategy.
The Antennae Beetle is sounding off his beacon. It means the pikmin have reached the floor.
I heard the tapping of their feet. It's show time.
I erupted from the ground, obviously scaring the pikmin. Wasting no time, I plucked the first one I saw an-
BURRP!
…wh-what the?
My body has completely turned to stone! No, not entirely stone, just covered and plated. But the pikmin are attacking! How are their attacks breaching the stone plating without breaking it? I can't move at all! I'm completely helpless. My skull has cracked! I'm bleeding severely! NO!
CRACK!
--
That makes five.
I was completely shocked at the work of the pikmin. They've killed off all five of the guarding Snagrets. I hope that their numbers have diminished severely from when they entered the cave. If not, then…I'm screwed.
The last death cry wasn't that long ago. The pikmin will be here any minute. On the inside, I didn't want to fight the pikmin at all. But thinking about all the innocent animals they've killed and decimating the peace of Awakening Wood reinvigorated my hatred for the pikmin. I absolutely despise the pikmin, for that they have killed off numerous members of my tribe. And not only that, but they are messing with a member of the Land Council. These guys are seriously asking for it!
As if right on cue, the pikmin had entered the sublevel. I'll give these guys a piece of my mind!
I erupted from the ground. Of course I expected to surprise the pikmin, but the pikmin looked more scared than surprised. Maybe both.
I wasted no time and immediately started plucking as many pikmin as possible. They all ran away immediately though. But I knew there was nowhere to run. The pikmin ran to the other side of the arena, but I hopped toward them in pursuit. Just then, the pikmin took shelter in one of the tunnels. I
wanted to follow them, but I couldn't duck my head and hop towards them. My body doesn't work like that. And the floor was made of extremely hard rock so I couldn't burrow into it. Frustrated, I hopped back towards the center, knowing that it was only a battle of patience and I hated waiting. I burrowed back into the ground since I knew the pikmin wanted to take me down. Why else would they venture down here?
As I predicted, the pikmin were walking above ground, looking for me. Granting their request, I shot up to the surface and-
BAM!
Damn.
I hit a rock! Of all the stupid… Never mind. I needed to surface and attack the pikmin as I had planned. I knew I couldn't-
BURRP!
…m-my body! I've completely turned to stone! Well, not all of it. Just my skin. But the pikmin were proceeding with their attack! I don't know how I turned to stone, but what really mattered was that the pikmin attacks were breaching the stone! I had to break free of this stone spell or whatever it was. I found myself loosening through the stone binding and pretty soon, I broke through the stone spell.
I still had to surface in order for me to burrow again. But the pikmin were attacking ruthlessly on my way out. As soon as my foot touched the ground, I shook off all the pikmin on me and dug straight back into the ground.
I examined myself quickly, finding that they had inflicted blunt blows onto my head. I wasn't suffering from bleeding or anything severe, but I was mad that they hurt me at all.
The pikmin sounded like they were retreating. Their little feet were making their way into another tunnel. Well, I'm not gonna let that happen!
I immediately resurfaced in front of the pikmin before they went any further. I started plucking at the pikmin quickly as two, ugly pikmin things started throwing them at me. They were obviously missing, only hitting my feet. I managed to get one in my mouth and proceeded to get another-
BOOM!
Ugh… Why do I feel so dizzy? The sudden earthquake shook up my whole body as I felt pikmin latching onto my head and weighing me down. I was trying to regain balance but all the weight of the pikmin on my head made it hard to focus. When I finally regained my balance, my head was only a few feet from the floor! Throwing the pikmin off now would be hopeless, but I feared for my life because I felt my skull cracking inward.
When I looked up into the sky, I was met with a grueling symbolistic form of heartless bludgeoning.
A purple pikmin…
In the air…
Falling down…
CRACK!
For the 5 years I've lived, I did not expect to be taken down by the merciless hands of the pikmin. As a Pileated Snagret, we're the most violent of the Snavian tribe. And yet, to have been killed so easily without taking down a pikmin… If I recall, there was about a hundred pikmin when they entered the cave. So much for strategy.
If the pikmin do succeed in killing off the Land Council, what will become of this country? Will the pikmin end up being the new kings of this land? Will their numbers deplete as a new Land Council stands, repeating the cycle? As of now, I'm starting to believe that the Land Council has no hope of defeating the pikmin as they are now. If that's how it is, then there's nothing stopping the pikmin.
But, I didn't want to die without regrets. I don't want this beautiful country to be destroyed by the pikmin. This once grand kingdom has become hostile territory for the sake of annihilating the pikmin threat. I just think we are trying too hard.
Land Council… Titan Dweevil… pikmin… I hate you all.
To die in their name…I can't believe I died at all.
Yay! Now, to keep myself interested in writing this story. I've been playing through the game following my own story. How could I have lived without the Justice Alloy?! Ah well, it doesn't matter.
Also, the segmented parts of the chapter are the last moments of a few Burrowing Snagrets that you encounter in the hole. Just clearing confusion.
Last poll.
A) Emperor Bulblax
B) Empress Bulblax
