The sun shined brightly in the sky, blessing my flower with its warmth as I picked up a white, spherical object. Cracking it in my hand, I watched as a pale-gold liquid oozed out before slurping it up. The flavor was passable, albeit barely, and I proceeded to grab another sphere.
At the moment, the group and I were sitting in a circle eating Crawler eggs. Despite their mediocre taste, I did take some satisfaction in devouring the spawn of those horrendous creatures. Or at least, I would have if I didn't have so much on my mind.
As I took my third egg, my eyes drifted to the male yellow. He seemed so innocuous—compared to the blue, anyway—and yet all I could think about were the ideas that the female yellow had planted in me.
He's egotistical!
He sees his injury as a trophy!
He's just here to glorify himself!"
Was it really true, though? It would explain why he was less fervent than the blue, but then again, he had still tried to condition the red and me. Or was that just part of his cover-up…?
Overthinking this to death wasn't going to accomplish anything. I needed to confront him about this, but first I needed an excuse to be alone with him. The problem was, what could I possibly say that wouldn't rouse suspicion? Especially after that one time I went "foraging" with the female yellow? I could just wait for a chance to catch him alone, but how long would that take? The female yellow frequently took time to herself, but him? Not so much.
As I pondered what to do, I noticed the female yellow looking at me. She was sitting next to the male yellow, and soon she turned her gaze to him. She then looked at me again, and then back to him. Um…?
Before I could wonder what she was doing, she suddenly leaned over and whispered in his ear. After a slight pause, he turned to me and said, "Hey, Pink?"
"Uh, yeah?"
"After we're finished eating, could you give me a lift up that tree? I want to see what the canopy looks like from up there."
"Sure thing," I said with a shrug.
We resumed our meal in silence, with no further glances or murmurings.
The yellow and I sat side-by-side on a broad leaf, gazing upon the crown of the forest. "Breathtaking, isn't it?" he asked.
"It most certainly is," I replied.
As requested, I had flown him to the top of the nearest tree. I had only gone this high once before during the Season of Snow, so this view of the fully decorated canopy was as new to me as it was to him. The leaves shined like emeralds under the late morning sun, and a flock of majestic soft-rose creatures fluttered upon the breeze. "What are those things?" I asked, observing their narrow, six-winged bodies.
"Rodflies. I've only seen them a handful of times, but I'm pretty sure they're harmless."
"They better be. I'd hate to be enemies with something so elegant."
"You're just saying that because they're pink and have wings."
"Well… I mean, you're not wrong."
We both chuckled. Then he looked at me and said, "So what did you want to talk to me about?"
I blinked. "Excuse me?"
"The other yellow said you wanted to talk to me. Is that not the case?"
Ah, so that was what was going on. I'd have to thank her later. "No, she's right. I do want to talk to you about something."
"Well, I'm all ears."
Oh, the irony. "So, the red and I will be joining the harlemin soon."
"Returning to Onion life, huh?" he said, sounding both intrigued and disappointed. "I suppose this was to be expected, but…"
"But what?"
"Oh, I don't know. I just thought we had made an impression on you, is all."
"You did make an impression on me," I said with tense brows. "Just not the kind you had in mind. But that's beside the point right now. See, there's a reason I wanted to talk to you in private."
He crossed his arms. "This isn't really about you leaving, is it?"
"No, it's not. There's some lingering questions floating around, and I want them answered before I go."
The yellow gave me a dubious glare, only to shrug it off. "Ask away."
"For starters, why did you come out here? What was your reason for leaving your Onion?"
He narrowed his eyes. "Haven't we been over this several times already? I came out here to free myself and such. You know the story."
I raised my brow. "You sure? 'Cause I've got an inkling that you have other priorities."
At first the yellow simply stared. He then gave a good-natured head shake and said, "The other yellow said something about me, didn't she?"
I winced. "How did you…?"
"Who else would it have been?"
Good point. "Right, well, according to her, you care less about liberation and more about glorification. She claims you don't actually believe in the blue's philosophy, and that you're just using it as an excuse to feel superior. Is all that true?"
He smirked. "I actually do agree with the blue, at least to an extent. Learning to survive without our Onion has definitely made us stronger, but I don't believe that Onions are a plague on pikminkind like he does. A crutch, perhaps, but not a plague."
"Is that why you didn't want him to show us the war?"
"Pretty much. It's one thing to give someone food for thought, but it's another thing to be downright cynical. Though if it's any consolation, he'll probably lose his mind when he learns that you'll be joining the very Onions that he tried to use against you."
"He sorta already knows," I said, scratching my head. "See, it was actually his idea that I do this in the first place. I just haven't told him that I've committed to it yet."
The yellow squinted and tilted his head. "I truly cannot understand that 'min sometimes."
"Yeah, me neither," I grumbled. "What about all that stuff about you and glory, though? Was she wrong about that, too?"
"Oh, no. She was absolutely right about that," he said matter-of-factly.
My mouth fell open. "WHAT?!"
"It's true. I choose to live out here because I want to feel great about myself, and I'm not afraid to admit it."
"S-so this whole thing has just been an ego trip for you?! It was never about personal growth?!"
"Not entirely. I mean, personal growth is good, but I'd be lying if I said that was my primary motivation. Growth means everything to the blue, but to me? It only means a few things."
"And what about your ear? The other yellow said you keep that injury as a trophy. Is that also true?"
"Yup. It's my little mark of pride," he said, twiddling it proudly.
I could feel my eyes going bloodshot. "Unbelievable! This whole time I thought you were genuine, but the other yellow was right! You're just an egomaniac!"
He raised his brow and asked, "Is that a problem?"
I immediately raised my finger, but found myself unable to speak. When he realized that he wasn't getting a response, he gazed at me coolly and said, "Keep in mind that being self-important isn't the same thing as being self-centered. Remember: I am the one who taught the harlemin how to hunt."
"Did you do that because you cared about them, though? Or was it just to bolster your own ego?"
"Does it make a difference?"
Once again, I found myself speechless. The problem with his attitude seemed so obvious, and yet for some reason I couldn't verbalize it.
"I know it's tempting to question one's motivations," he began, "but at the end of the day, motivations don't really matter. All that matters is our actions. You could argue that the blue's motivations are more 'genuine' than mine, but which one of us has been better to you?"
As soon as he asked me that, my mind went back to my second day with the deserters. The blue and the yellow had both tried to sway me, but in different ways. The blue had shown me a war to prove that pikmin shouldn't have Onions, but the yellow had shown me the trapmin to prove that pikmin didn't need Onions. And while the blue's perspective on the war had turned out to be completely wrong, everything the yellow had said about the trapmin had been entirely true. The fact that they had no Onion to serve didn't make them any less pikmin than the rest of us, and I was ashamed that I ever convinced myself otherwise.
Hmm… The trapmin…
Almost involuntarily, I recalled the battle between the harlemin and the Demon Harbinger. Images of them scattering, diverting, and ultimately driving off the Harbinger filled my mind, and once again I got that feeling of deja vu.
And now I finally understood why.
"Yellow… Those techniques you taught the harlemin. Were they inspired by the trapmin?"
"Not sure what that has to do with anything, but yes. They most certainly were."
Yeah, that was it. What the harlemin had done to the Harbinger was what the trapmin had done to that Orange Demon. "You admire them, don't you?" I asked, my face softening.
"Right again!" he said with a smile. "It's one thing to learn to survive without an Onion, but the trapmin never had an Onion to begin with. I adopted this lifestyle, but the trapmin were born into it. Quite a way to live."
"But it doesn't feel like we're living. It feels like we're just surviving."
"Exactly. Now we can say we achieved something."
I stared blankly at him before throwing my palm into my face. "Of course. Of course you would say that."
"I am what I am," he shrugged.
"Indeed you are." I shook my head. "Oh, and for the record? You have been better to me than the blue."
"So, we're good then?"
"Yes. I still think you're kind of a nutcase, though."
"I can live with that," he shrugged again. "Is there anything else on your mind?"
"No, that's everything. We can go back down if you're ready."
"Not so fast. I've got a question for you," he said. "Before, you said that we had made an impression on you, but not the kind I was thinking. Care to explain what you meant by that?"
"You haven't convinced me that I'm better off without an Onion, but that doesn't mean I've gained nothing from this experience. My time in the woods has taught, or rather forced me to think creatively. I do not intend on forgetting this mindset, even when there's an Onion supporting me."
"Interesting," he muttered. "So when are you leaving, anyway?"
"In three days or so. There's a few other pikmin I want to speak with, including the trapmin."
I had said that last part without thinking, and when I did, the yellow's eyes instantly lit up. "You have unfinished business with them, too?"
"Well, that's not really how I'd put it, but—"
"Mind if I tag along?"
I raised my brow. "For what reason?"
"Because I like visiting them. Obviously."
"Yeah, obviously. But you can do that on your own, can you not?"
"I could," he said with a coy expression, "but I could also hitch a ride with you so I don't have to go on foot."
I rolled my eyes. "Ugh, fine. You can come. Just don't say anything to the blue or the white, okay? They're the only ones who aren't in-the-know at this point, and I want to keep it that way."
"You got it," he winked. "Shall we get going?"
"Oh, I'm not going until tomorrow. This is strictly a once-a-day thing."
"Need time to ruminate, huh? Alright, we'll leave tomorrow after first forage. And don't worry about the blue. I'll handle the excuses."
I smirked. "Thanks, Yellow. Ready to go down?"
"Ready."
I took the yellow and descended back under the canopy. As the forest floor came into view, I felt a strange sense of satisfaction. I was not impressed by his vanity, but I was impressed by his honesty. And really, he had always been good to me, even when I was at my worst. Despite his conceit, he was a true ally—one that I could respect.
Two pikmin down. Three more to go.
