Yukin stared in amazement. The claw pulled on the vine, trying to drag whatever creature underground up. Yukin made a decision, and picked up a rock. Aiming carefully, he threw it at the vine. With a snap, the vine severed where the rock struck it and the claw retracted into the hole. There was a dull thump, and Yukin heard some voices yell. This time, something rocketed out of the hole, shooting upwards. It landed on two feet, with one hand in-between to balance itself. Righting itself, Yukin noticed that it was a male. The bulging muscles and the loincloth were dead giveaways. He stood tall, twice the height of Yukin, and was covered with fur. His lustrous fiery red pelt shone in the sun, but he seemed to recoil.

"So, little Pikmin," he commented. "Care to tell me where your village is?" he asked, flexing his claws.

Stammering, Yukin murmured, "No."

The creature dropped its casual manner and glared at Yukin. "You seem not to know who I am. I am Loki, the only one of my race. You would do best not to anger me. Now, tell me where your village is."

Yukin considered, and directed him to a nearby Emperor Bulblax nest. Maybe he would be torn apart by the Emperor and its various minions in the area!

But no such luck. "Are you sure?" asked Loki, shaking his head slightly.

Yukin gulped. "Um…maybe I got the details a bit mixed up." This time, Yukin directed him to the Submerged Castle. If he listened, Loki would be crushed by the vicious Waterwraith living down there.

Again, Loki shook his head. "I happen to know this region well. You just directed me to the Bulblax Kingdom and a Waterwraith's cave. I had hoped that you Pikmin would be more trustworthy. But he was right. You are good only for slaves."

Apalled, Yukin turned and ran the other way, though at the same time wondering who "he" was. Turning to look back, he saw Loki make a gesture and trace a symbol in the air. Yukin stopped running, feeling an odd tingling sensation. A blast of light flew towards him, engulfing him in its brightness. Temporarily blinded, he stumbled around, and tripped over a root. He landed face-down in the dirt, and twitched as his body changed. Two sharp shoulder blades grew out, being literal blades. His hands, good for working with plants, lengthened into triply pronged claws. His body grew, becoming longer and taller. His leaf shrunk into his head, leaving him bald. As he twisted, Yukin's body faded to a jet-black, dark as the night. His eyes narrowed, becoming red slits on his face. And bat-like wings sprouted out of his back, with a wingspan about as wide as he was tall.

He heard Loki's voice, though it sounded like it was far from him, as if Loki was whispering, "You are now cursed. You should not have lied, Pikmin. Now you shall live out your life as this creature…But I am not without sympathy. You know what? I'll give you choice of when you shall assume form. But if you do not assume your Juki form at least once a day, for at least 5 hours of the day, you shall be haunted." Loki paused, to let it sink in.

It took a moment. "What-? …No…no…it can't be…" Yukin murmured to himself, staring at his newly-formed claws. "It can't be."

Loki gave him a crazed smile. "Oh, but it can, little Pikmin. Or should I say, Juki. Now, run. Run for your life." With this last comment, Loki collapsed on the ground, exhausted from his spellcasting.

More monsters swarmed out after Loki's collapse, seemingly knowing that he would need help. Each was as lethal and dangerous as the next, and they all eyed Yukin hungrily. Yukin took heed of Loki's advice, and turned tail and ran, letting out an odd yelping noise. Yukin looked behind himself, and saw two pursuers. One seemed like a miniature, many-legged Beady-long-legs, and the other looked like an armored and clawed Dweevil. The Dweevil-lookalike soon fell behind, but the other still chased. Yukin ran into the forest, seeking shelter in the trees.

"Come on out, you treacherous Pikmin!" yelled the odd creature. "I know you're out there, and I'll find you!" The critter wandered around, looking upwards at the treetops and inspecting every nook and cranny.

Yukin, hidden in a cliff fissure, held his breath as it walked by. He stayed absolutely still, and it seemed not to notice him…And it turned around and slashed at him with a sharp and hairy foreleg! Yukin closed his eyes, ready for death, but his body reacted naturally. He ducked the blow, and struck back, uppercutting his opponent. The thing flew back, landing, crumpled, on the ground. It groaned, and righted itself. "So you're not going to cooperate, eh? Well, let me introduce myself first. I'm Web Spider. I can see you're a young Juki. Now, if you so desire, let's battle." Yukin looked at his claws, amazed at his own reaction. It appeared as if Jukis had great reaction time and power. Yukin dropped into an aggressive stance his father had told him. Spider bent his legs and jumped into the air. Yukin stared into the trees, trying to pinpoint the small adversary. And a web of sticky strands flew downwards, wrapping him up.

"AAHHH!" Yukin exclaimed. He twisted and turned, trying to get out, but the strands only tightened. There was only one way out. Yukin bared his teeth and bit into the web. It tasted horrible, and he spit it out immediately. Sighing, he took another bite, and spat that out, too. He worked quickly, and was soon free. But why hadn't Spider attacked? Looking to the sides, he soon understood. An arena had been arranged, with webs to stop him from getting out. He could barely move without getting caught again.

"Now I've got you," Spider said, descending on another strand with an evil grin. "You're not getting away, you luscious creature."

Spider was going to suck his blood! Yukin panicked, striking all around with his claws. He broke pieces of the web, but one hand soon got stuck. With the other, he was more lucky. His hand struck a nearby tree, which started to rock back and forth, and soon collapsed. Spider jumped back as the trap was torn apart. Baring his teeth, Spider jumped forward, swiping at Yukin.

But this time Yukin was prepared. He parried the blows, and struck back, sweeping the arachnid's legs out from under him. Spider fell, and, with a kick, Yukin sent him flying into and through a tree. He landed on the ground with a groan, and didn't move. Yukin stared at his foe, panting for breath. He had just killed, without meaning to. Yukin never wanted to kill anyone. He turned, still panting, and fled into the safety of the forest. Meanwhile, the other creatures were launching an attack, and his village would soon be in ruins…