(So this is a collection of different drabbles, combined into one fic! My girlfriend got me obsessed with the Pikmin series so enjoy!)
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The familiar screech of horrific and yet entrancing beasts was the first thing Olimar heard as he entered the cool air of the early dawn. Even from the damp ground he stood on Olimar could see the monsters in the distance. He stretched and was actually quite certain he heard something crack. He was way too old for this.
"Another day in the grime, huh Louie? ...Louie? Louie!" Glancing over his shoulder, he was barely surprised to see his underling still there behind the glass window of the ship, crumbs on his face. "Get out here!"
Sighing as the younger Hocotation apathetically trudged out, Olimar turned the dials on the Onion and summoned pikmin from the ship's hull. Their little comrades slid down the legs, eager to help as always.
"Morning, everyone. Sleep well?" Olimar gave the pikmin and Louie a friendly smile. "We've still yet to explore a certain part of the woods that I have on my map." Pressing a button, a small pixelated map appeared on one of the many screens adorning his suit. "But luckily it's at least close by."
Louie bobbed his head dully, clearly oh so excited. "So I take purples and smash the creeping chrysanthemum while you harvest? Lost almost twenty yesterday."
"Right…" Olimar's optimism faded for a moment, a more somber one overtaking, as it did for the pikmin. The Snagret had leaped out of nowhere, leaving only masacre behind and tortured screams. Just more sounds to add to Olimar's nightmares and eternal guilt.
"That sounds good Louie." He tried for a teasing smile. "I thought I was the Captain here." It wasn't quite returned, leaving the Hocotation sighing and wondering why he even bothered.
The trek wasn't long, and the group passed the corpse of a bulborb that they ran out of time to displace before sunset. Or rather, one Olimar had to all but physically drag Louie away from cooking—and subsequently becoming a meal himself.
Hammering the hostile plant beast was easy enough, and routine even by this point. Still, Olimar found himself standing by cautiously, always waiting to see if he needed to step in. He was never sure if his concerns over his younger charge were that of being a Captain, or even of being a father.
Whistling his group away before the corpse flattened them, Olimar began to order his pikmin to the pellet posies. And...he immediately stopped.
Half their usual size and appearing frail and almost hunched over, the flowers were a baffling sight and even Louie blinked in surprise.
"Are they sick?"
Olimar felt his fear spike. Was that possible? There were so many uncharted dangers on this planet, so was there one that could poison entire gardens? Botanical threats were so many, and he already knew pikmin could become sickly and hostile. Was this only the start of a catastrophic wipe out?
Before his thoughts could terrify him further, his pikmin were already trying to destroy the flower. With just a kick the stem snapped like a stale green bean, and Olimar was too grimly fascinated to stop them.
The first clue that something was definitely different about the offspring was how each pellet only produced a single sprout, despite the colors corresponding with their onion. Olimar was nervous to make his way over, and all the more nervous to pick what appeared to be only half formed leaves.
Three baby, legitimately baby pikmin popped out.
"Captain Olimar, I sense something off about these pikmin. Some sort of deficiency is causing their suboptimal height."
It was difficult to really focus individually on pikmin when you always had a large group, but sure enough the baby leaves really did seem to be that...babies.
"Not only that, but their leaves appear damaged or maybe even underdeveloped. Do you think the state of them has anything to do with the state their posies were found in?"
The Hocotation cast another look over his shoulder to the slightly withered looking stems. Or...what remained of them at least. They did appear so weak he was surprised they could manage to hold themselves upright.
"Peculiar," Olimar mused with a stunned blink. "I've never seen such a thing...but then again, those pellet posies were incredibly small. I thought perhaps they were merely buried deep but...maybe the flowers really were stunted."
Olimar bent down to the baby pikmin's level and he tentatively reached towards one of their stems. With the utmost gentleness he ran a hand along the smooth leaf. It didn't appear rough or stiff as a dry leaf would be and invoked a pleasant chitter from the pikmin. It didn't seem to be in any pain.
But what did this mean for the pikmin then? Were they unable to ever mature? Did they not even have the same abilities their brethren did? He knew the only way to be sure of such a thing was to test that theory, but the leafs may not be able to survive the results!
"My hypothesis is that they will be generally slower than leaf pikmin as well. And leafs are already so slow! What will you use them for, Captain Olimar?"
"I…" The man blinked, at a loss. "I don't know, actually." It was already clear these babies wouldn't be able to hold their own in battle. Would he, for the first time, have pet pikmin?
"Well...it's clear that I won't be able to have you three in combat," he told the baby leafs. "Unless…" Perhaps he could test something.
Olimar turned back to the colony of normal sized pikmin. At the very least they didn't appear to be viewing their new siblings with contempt. They seemed, thankfully, as accepting with the children as any.
Language barriers were always so difficult, leading to so many frustrating situations, and, unfortunately...many deaths in the field. Tapping his cheeks enough times and gesturing seemed to clue a yellow pikmin on what it was supposed to do. Although the creature certainly seemed hesitant.
"It's alright," Olimar assured the pikmin. "I'll be fine, I just want to test something."
After a moment the pikmin pressed its cheek against the other's glove, and Olimar hissed as a powerful shock had him withdraw quickly. His pikmin shrugged apologetically.
Olimar shook his hand for a moment and then he bent down to the newly harvested yellow leaf. The tiny pikmin pressed its head against their leader's hand as well, but Olimar was concerned when he barely felt the slightest spark. It was as weak as a static shock from a mere bedsheet.
"Hmm, quite concerning. It would appear these tiny pikmin indeed are far less stronger than the others!" the ship buzzed. "I'm unsure of what use they may be, Captain Olimar!" The machine didn't want to say the little things were useless, but Olimar knew it was thinking it.
"I'll...figure something out." The Hocotation looked over to where the tiny critters were attempting to climb a berry stem. The poor little things could barely manage with their stubby legs. Olimar looked over to Louie, who seemed to be watching the miniature pikmin as well.
"They're small. Too small, aren't they?"
Olimar cast Louie a wayward grin. "Oh they'll find their place." Hopefully not in a monster's belly.
-
That evening secure in his ship Olimar pulled back from an email with a fond laugh as he shook his head. His family had been quite excited by the thought of him having permanent pikmin...at least for the time being. And oh, trust his children to come up with the cutest names! The baby pikmin had crept curiously over, tilting their heads at the glowing monitor.
"Well, you three, what do you think about having your own names? Hm?" They continued looking inquisitively at him. "Dew, Spark, and Cinder." Saying each individual name, he pointed to the
corresponding pikmin. Spark of course being the yellow, Cinder the red, and Dew the blue.
Olimar gestured over to where he saw his young cohort heating up a bisque. "Dewy, and Louie!" he exclaimed, snickering at the rhyme the pikmin didn't understand and that Louie seemed to roll his eyes at.
"You're naming them now?" Louie asked, a brow raising. "You said that's a bad idea. Can't get attached." Not that Louie had the inclination to adore the little aliens as his Captain did. He respected them and led them as Olimar did, but it was harder for the younger man to feel strong bonds so easily.
"Not all of them," Olimar said, smile falling. He didn't seem sure of it himself. "Just, er, these three. My children named them actually. I believe we have our first pygmy pikmin, Louie! They're a lot more underdeveloped than the others and don't seem like they might grow. Even their leaves are only half formed. I was thinking in time, they can help out through the ship. Or stay close to our campsite. I'll find...something."
He did want to find use for them, not just because it was routine for Olimar by this point, but he didn't know what emotional depth pikmin had, let alone these three. He didn't want them to think that he thought they were less capable. Which...was sort of true.
"Like I said, they'll find their place."
Louie watched the pygmies climb into his boss's lap. "Like in your lap?" He sounded far more cautious about the situation. This planet was hostile and unforgiving and he knew at any second their new little friends could go from Olimar's arms to a Bulbear's stomach. And he also knew the...emotional repercussions that could have on Olimar.
The captain's eyes were captured by the wide ones gazing up at his, and piercing into his heart. He knew what Louie was thinking, and he was thinking the same thing. Naming the pygmies...it was a very dangerous idea, but his children came up with the idea. And he couldn't just not do it.
"They'll stay in the ship."
Louie watched as Cinder clambered her way over to him and shook his leg as she tried to hug it. "Okay," he shrugged.
-
The wide array of space at their window, Olimar peered into the black canvas littered with stars. It had been an interesting day, one he was eager to record if his exhaust allowed it. And also, if he could find time between dashing back and forth from trying to keep the pygmies from getting into mischief. It seemed that them being as different as they were made them far less inclined to listen to him. It felt like when Oliver and Lily were toddlers!
"Good night, Louie." The captain yawned, and also pat the interior of the ship as a silent good night. He couldn't resist a grin over at his charge resting in the other bunk. "Don't let the bed pikmin bite."
"Nnn….bite back," was the only half asleep mumble he received as Louie buried deeper under his blankets.
Dew, Spark and Cinder were still at Olimar's feet and he gestured to the cargo where the leaf children could sleep. They scurried passed him into his bunk.
"There's barely enough room for me, you know!" he told the leaf babies as he discarded his suit in favor of some furry pajamas. He didn't seem to have any objection to the idea however.
As Olimar tiredly lay on the bed he pushed himself up as the pygmies settled on him. They merely sat there, their cute little stems bobbing around as they looked at him with adoring eyes. Olimar felt his heart threatening to melt on him.
"You really need to stop with that before you make me adore you," he told them, but he knew it was too late for that. "You probably can't even understand me...can you?" The three leafs tilted their heads and Olimar chuckled. "Probably not…It's very late. You should go to sleep now," he told the young pikmin. They curled into him like kittens and Olimar sighed. He couldn't deny it was nice to hold someone after so many nights cold and alone.
Hope I didn't do too badly, still getting the world down despite my endless researching haha. We started on a cute note...but it probably won't stay cute for long ;)
Although each chapter is a story on its own many will still have linking elements, such as Dew, Spark, and Cinder. Longer ones will also be specified in parts in the chapter title.
There will be no romance, most likely (besides Olimar's wife), and everything will be more platonic, especially considering Louie and Olimar and Charlie and Alph, as those take on more parental dynamics here! We'll range from super cute to super sad and everything in between. Forgive me if the formatting is off, haven't been here for a while...)