So, I've decided that I'm sick of constantly going on hiatus because of personal stuff. However, I also don't want to abandon this fic. So from now on, if a chapter takes me longer than a month to finish, I'm just going to post whatever's done and save the rest for the following update. This will inevitably make the pacing choppier than I would prefer, but I think I'd rather post small chapters consistently than post a "finished" chapter every three-to-five months.
With that said, please enjoy this chapter. Future updates will probably be around the same length as this one.
I hovered in place, being unable to do anything but stare. Even from my height, the Leviathan's armor shined like the sun, and her bloodthirst shined even brighter. But even then I could hardly believe it. She was here. She had really come all this way.
Many questions swirled in my head, but one thing was clear: We needed to find cover. Now.
I took a quick survey of my surroundings, and from my vantage point, I could see a pile of boulders. Perfect.
The wind nearly blinded me as I dove downwards, trying to get back to the group as fast as possible. Within seconds I was swooping over the ground, my newfound instincts barely saving me from a crash. The others must've noticed my haste, because they came running up to me with expectant looks.
"Did you see what it is?" asked the blue-orange.
"It was her! The Leviathan!" I exclaimed.
"The what?"
"The giant creature from two days ago! She's here!"
A small panic spread amongst everyone, their stems quivering like grass. "What the hell is it doing out here?!" asked the male yellow. "Last we saw, it was on the other end of the forest!"
Other end of the forest, I thought. Then my eyes widened. "The fire! The fire must've driven it out!"
Reflexively, we all looked at the sky. The smoke wasn't visible from here, but somehow, I could feel everyone silently cursing it.
"Just our luck," the blue-orange growled. "We need to find-"
"A place to hide?" I finished. "Way ahead of you. Follow me."
I bolted forward at once, straining to go as fast as my leaf would allow. It occurred to me then how much slower I was without my flower, but a nectar run would have to wait. Before too long, the boulder pile came into view. It was covered in a thin layer of moss and had crevices just big enough for pikmin. The white stepped forward and, after briefly looking it over, said, "Follow me."
She squeezed into a crack, and we followed her one by one. The spaces between the rocks were tighter than I imagined, but after some tricky maneuvering, we found ourselves in a "chamber" that was big enough for the six of us. The earth was cold and the light was scarce, forcing us to activate our glows.
"What do we do now?" my friend asked.
"There's not much to do but wait," said the male yellow. "We can't take any risks with that beast at large."
Crossing my arms, I sat on the damp soil and thought to myself. My friends and I were safe, but the warmongers were not. They would have to fight, and while their stems didn't stand a chance against the Leviathan's defenses, their bomb-rocks might've been able to do some damage. And if the Leviathan were to perish, it would serve us well to know. "I'm going to see what's happening out there."
Everyone's stem stiffened. "Why?" asked the blue-orange.
"The Leviathan was heading straight for the battlefield, and by now, she's probably already reached it. If the warmongers were to somehow kill her, wouldn't that be useful information?"
The blue-orange and male yellow looked at each other. "A death confirmation would be useful," said the latter. "Then we wouldn't have to hide here."
"That is correct," said the blue-orange. "And with those wings, you could investigate without endangering yourself."
"Exactly!" I exclaimed. "So if you don't mind-"
"Hold it!" the blue-orange commanded. "Go on your little mission, but don't get cocky. Stay high in the sky, and make sure no one follows you."
I nodded. "Understood."
I wriggled my way out of the boulder pile, and after checking my immediate surroundings, I flew halfway towards the canopy. It was high noon now, and there was an eerie stillness within the forest, as if it were anticipating something terrible. The apprehension was palpable, but I had to press on.
I didn't waste time returning to where I last saw her; she would've been long gone by now. Instead, I headed straight for the battlefield. My skin tingled as I flew over, under, and between branches, suspense filling the air like mist. Everything suddenly seemed endless, and yet before I even realized it, I had escaped the trees and was overlooking the valley. Far below, I saw blacks, oranges, and
Leviathan.
I simply hovered, taking in the mayhem before me. The Leviathan was on a rampage, and the warmongers were fighting vigorously. However, none of it was directed at their giant adversary.
It was directed at each other.
Everywhere I looked, oranges and blacks were battling furiously, even as the Leviathan stormed across the battlefield. In a swift motion, the beast charged through a crowd of oranges with open mandibles, and while she feasted upon those she had captured, the blacks descended upon those that were knocked aside. Violence literally followed the Leviathan as blacks and oranges opportunistically preyed on one another, attacking heedlessly even when she was in close proximity. Many of them were devoured for their efforts, and yet still they persisted with this barbaric strategy, all in the name of raw hatred.
A small but piercing light caught my eye. An orange pikmin had ignited a bomb-rock, and was making a running start towards the Leviathian. My eyes widened as it swung its arms and rolled the bomb…
…into a group of blacks.
My stem went limp. The explosion came, and the blacks were torn apart. Several more explosions erupted from different parts of the valley, but the Leviathan remained unharmed and unchallenged. More and more pikmin were trampled, snared, swallowed, yet even in the midst of her killing spree, the Leviathan's bloodthirst couldn't match that of her prey.
I spun around and fled into the forest. I had seen enough.
Eventually, I arrived at the boulder pile and made my way in. Once I was back in the chamber, everyone looked at me expectantly. "What did you see?" asked the blue-orange.
No words came out of my mouth. I just didn't know how to begin. I half-expected him to press me further, but instead, he mirrored my silence. Looking into his eyes, it almost seemed like he regretted asking.
"The Leviathian… isn't going to die," I finally said. "The warmongers have chosen their fate."
"…I see," the blue-orange murmured. I suddenly felt cold, but it wasn't because of the ground.
"Pink," said the female yellow, "did you ever figure out how they found us in the first place?'
"I did," I said, happy to change the subject. "The pink pikmin I met yesterday was actually the captain of the oranges."
Everyone flinched in surprise when I said this, especially the white. "Unbelievable," she breathed.
"Indeed. I told him about the stench barrier, and he used that information to approximate our location. I hate to admit it, but he was damn clever."
"It all makes sense now," said the white. "Remember when we were cornered by those Drones, only for the Master to call them back? That must've been the Captain's doing. He attacked the Master and forced it to recall its minions, all so he could have you for himself."
I grimaced at this. He was a sick pikmin, and I was glad I'd never have to see him again.
"So what do we do now?" my friend asked. "Go home?"
"I don't think that's a good idea," said the blue-orange. "It's not safe to travel with that creature roaming about, and at this time of day, we might not make it before sunset. We'll have to spend the night here."
After he said this, he turned to me and cocked his head. "Do you disagree?"
"Me? Not at all."
"Then why are you scowling at me like that?"
I furrowed my brows and looked away. I hadn't noticed I was scowling, but I knew why regardless. "Are you… going to stay that way?"
The blue-orange looked at his own hands and said nothing. It occurred to me then that that probably wasn't an appropriate question. "Disregard that, Blue. It's just hard for me to-"
"I get it, Pink. You've been through a lot," he said. "However, I actually would like to be blue again."
"Um, this is gonna sound crazy," my friend began, "but maybe you and Pink should go back to that cave?"
The blue-orange narrowed his eyes. "You're right. That does sound crazy."
"Which means it's definitely going to work," the female yellow snarked. "What exactly did you have in mind, Red?"
"By the sound of things, the oranges' forces are highly preoccupied right now, which means there's probably few if any in the cave. If Ora- err, Blue goes with Pink, then Pink can fly him the whole way. This way they won't have to worry about the Leviathan."
"That does seem a bit more rational now," said the blue-orange, "but I'm worried about what would happen if we got cornered in that cave. Even with Pink's wings, the oranges could still throw each other at us."
"That is a possibility," my friend said, "but Changing Flowers aren't easy to come by. This could be your only chance for a long time."
The blue-orange rubbed his forehead. "I just don't know if it's worth the risk."
"Well, what are your powers?" the male yellow asked. "Do you think they'll come in handy?"
"I can navigate underground passageways."
"And?"
"And nothing. That's my one power."
"…Seriously? That's it?" my friend asked. "How have they not lost this war?"
"They could have underground bases all over the place for all we know," I interjected. "That would even the odds a bit, what with the blacks having heat sensors."
"Can we please stay on topic?" asked the male yellow. "Blue, I think you should go. Your cave ability will rarely if ever be useful, and we'll need a blue pikmin when the rainy season sets in."
"True," he conceded. "Alright, Pink. It's you and me."
I nodded. "Let's do this."
I whisked the blue-orange through the air, holding him by the stem. The journey to the Labyrinth wasn't long despite him weighing me down slightly, and thus far there were no signs of oranges. "So what will our approach be?" I asked as I descended.
"For starters, we should really get our flowers back," he replied. "If anyone's in there, we're not going to outrun them in this state."
"I'm not seeing any nectar grass from up here."
"Neither am I. However, I am seeing some pebbles."
"…So?"
"Just take us down there."
I flew downward and placed him near the Labyrinth's entrance. As he had stated, there was a pile of pebbles on the ground. "Looks inconspicuous," I muttered.
"It does, doesn't it? However…" With a swing of his leaf, he cracked a pebble wide open. Instantly, nectar began to ooze out, forming a shiny little glob. "There's more than what meets the eye."
I blinked in fascination. "How?"
"I don't know. But I am not complaining. Remember what these stones look like, because they will serve you well."
As the blue-orange drank his nectar, I cracked a pebble and drank as well. Energy surged through my body as my leaf bloomed into a flower; suddenly I felt a burst of strength in my wings. "We're all set."
"Quite," he said, also sporting a flower. "Take one of those with you. I'll need it for when I change back."
I did as he asked, and together, we entered the Labyrinth. As I followed him through the passageways, I noticed that periodically, he would scrape the ground with his flower. "What're you doing?"
"I'm making a trail."
"…Oh. Right," I mumbled, realizing how badly this could've gone. "Thanks for having the foresight."
"You're welcome."
There were no oranges to be seen in the passageways, and when we arrived in the flower garden, nobody was there. The Labyrinth was officially deserted.
"I guess it was worth it after all," said the blue-orange. "Now, if you don't mind…"
With my free hand, I lifted and dropped him into a Blue Flower. As always, it curled its petals, expelled a matching seed, and re-opened. After a few moments, a swaying stem emerged from the soil. Putting the pebble down, I grasped the stem and pulled, freeing the blue from the earth. "Yes! It's good to be back!"
"There's your meal," I pointed.
After drinking the nectar and regaining his flower, the blue gazed upon the garden. "Pink, I know there aren't any Red Flowers, but are you sure you don't want to…?"
"No. I want to stay like this," I replied. "I might become red again someday, but for now, it's in our best interest to have some wings on the team."
The blue nodded. "Let's get out of this accursed place."
Following the trail of scrapes, we went back through the tunnels and out of the Labyrinth. Still we did not encounter any oranges, and while their absence was definitely a relief, it also gave me a foreboding feeling. This feeling stayed with me even as I flew back through the forest, even as I took refuge under the boulders, even as the sun began to set. I didn't understand what any of this meant, but somehow, someway, I did know one thing.
Something was about to end.
