I opened my eyes to near-total darkness. Feeble traces of light bled into my hiding place, and as I sat up, I could see the silhouettes of the others. Once again we had spent the night in the rock pile, though it was hardly a nostalgic experience. "Is anyone awake?" I whispered.

"I am," the female yellow answered without rising. "And so is the blue for that matter."

I looked around expecting to see the blue sitting up as well, but this was not the case. In fact, upon closer inspection, I realized that he wasn't present at all! "Where is he?" I asked.

"You already know," she replied.

She was right. Sighing, I got to my feet and started to leave.

"I wouldn't bother if I were you. I don't know what his deal is, but it probably can't be helped."

"I'm going to talk to him anyway."

"That's what I figured."

A faint mist shrouded the forest as I flew among the trees. Soon I arrived at the cliff, and to my utter non-surprise, I saw the blue standing upon it. I lowered myself to the ground and watched him overlook the valley, his form highlighted by the dawn light. "I thought you might show up," he said without turning around.

"Yeah, I'm just gonna cut to the chase here," I said flatly. "What the hell is up with you?"

The blue grunted. "This isn't something you can help me with."

"Perhaps not. But I still want to hear about it, and I know that a part of you wants to talk about it. Otherwise, why would you have come here?"

For awhile, the blue was silent. He then looked over his shoulder and said, "Come here."

I did as he asked, and he kept his eyes on me until I stood next to him. He then shifted his gaze to the Harlequin Onion, which was standing alone in the valley. "When I first brought you to this cliff, what did you see below?"

"Chaos."

"And what do you see now?"

"Hope."

The blue nodded. "On a surface level, you are correct. The war was unbridled chaos, and this post-war is a time of hope. However, things aren't that simple from my perspective." He turned to me. "When I looked down at the war, I saw more than just chaos. I saw justification. The hatred, the bloodshed, the extremism… It was all proof that I was right. That I had done the right thing by leaving my Onion. That I had spared myself a ruinous path. That I hadn't led the others astray."

Normally I would've criticized this logic, but for once, I was more interested in listening than arguing. So instead, I simply nodded and said, "Go on?"

"You already know how I feel about Onions, so I shouldn't have to explain why it's uncomfortable for me to support one like this. However, this isn't just any Onion. It's an Onion that used to be the epitome of everything I hate, everything I sought to avoid. It was my… my…"

"Antithesis?"

"Yes. Essentially."

I glanced at the Onion, then at the blue. "So what do you see now?"

He looked aside and frowned. "Self-denial."

A cold silence passed. The sun was steadily growing brighter, and yet everything felt so dark. "Alright, look," I said. "I can see why you've been acting so irritable now. You're building up the very thing you dedicated your life to defying, and that's hard. But you're not betraying yourself by doing so. There's a world outside your ideology, and it's good to recognize that, even if it's something you find strange or contrary."

The blue titled his head in my direction. "You really think so?"

"Yes, I do," I said, thinking of the trapmin. "Things are different now. The war's over, and it's a new start for everyone, including the Onions. But if it's too much for you, you don't have to do this with us."

"Pink, I…" A smile crept onto his face, but it quickly vanished. "You know, when I realized that the Onion's life was in our hands, it gave me a powerful feeling. Not powerful in a good way, but in a frightening way. The possibility of an Onion dying hadn't so much as crossed my mind before then, so obviously I had never asked myself whether I cared for their lives."

"Well, apparently the answer is yes."

"Right. I couldn't bring myself to abandon the Harlequin Onion, and I still can't imagine myself doing so… Even though I hate it more than ever now."

My mouth fell open. That was decidedly not what I had expected to hear. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"If this whole saga has taught me anything, it's that Onions are more complicated than they appear," he explained. "I don't know what motivated the Harlequin Onion's fusion, but the timing couldn't have been a coincidence. They were aware that the war had ended, which means they must've known about it to begin with. They were also smart enough to awaken themselves when you returned."

"Your point?"

"My point is that two intelligent beings were wholly aware of a war between their spawn and did nothing. An argument could be made that leaving pikmin behind is a necessary evil, but there was absolutely no reason the orange and black Onions couldn't have just relocated. Even a minor increase in distance would've been enough to solve everything, and yet they actively chose to stay put."

"You're not the first one to bring that up," I muttered. "I didn't have a response back then, and I don't have a response now. I would ask for the Onion's side of the story, but I can't exactly do that, now can I?"

"As if it makes a difference," he grumbled. "You can give it the benefit of the doubt if you want, but I certainly won't."

I crossed my arms. "If that's how you feel, then why do you still care about its well-being?"

"I honestly couldn't tell you. Maybe a tiny part of me hopes that it had a good reason. Maybe I can't fully resist my nature as a pikmin. Maybe I just don't have the nerve to let an Onion die. Maybe all three."

I looked at the Harlequin Onion once again. It waited innocuously like a bicolored beacon. "I think it's about time we got started," I mumbled. "I'm gonna go wake the others. Again, don't be afraid to sit this one out."

I was about to take off when the blue spoke. "Pink! Wait!"

"What is it?"

"Before you go, I want to ask you something: Do you still believe in Onion life?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then why don't you join the harlemin?"

His question shot through me like a bolt of lightning. "Jo… Join the harlemin?"

"They have a cave full of Changing Flowers, remember? All you have to do is pick your favorite color, hop in, and bam. You've got an Onion again.

I stared blankly at him, not knowing what to say.

"Why the funny look? Isn't this what you wanted?" he asked. "I'm surprised I even had to suggest it, to be honest."

"I'm surprised you're even suggesting it to begin with!" I exclaimed. "What happened to all that talk about Onions being bad?"

"You said it yourself: There's a world outside my ideology. You're not mine to control, so if you still believe in Onion life after everything you've been through, then go for it. I won't try to stop you, and the others probably won't, either."

His words rang in my ears. You're not mine to control. How the hell was this the same pikmin that lied to the white?!"

"It appears I've left you speechless," he said. "The choice is yours. I will say nothing else about the matter."

Without another word, he walked away. I watched him as he faded into the mist, not knowing who I was even looking at anymore. Once he was gone, I turned to the Harlequin Onion, and as I gazed into its swirling colors, I asked myself a question:

"What do I see now?"