Fate of the Segmented Crawbster.
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The area was dark. Very dark, save for the dim light of a flame as it danced under a cylindrical metal object. And the area smelled like a kitchen. A dank odor of a tantalizing, hunger inducing scent wafted through the area as a giant spiderlike creature stood in front of a pot. On top of him stood an alien-like person with a bright blue beacon on his head. If one could guess, it seemed that the alien was teaching the spider how to cook.
"I think I'm getting the hang of this," Titan Dweevil said as he stirred the elixir.
"That's good. Keep at it while I check on the Crawmad," Louie said as he jumped off the spiders head and made his way to a steaming pot.
"Man, this is going to be an awesome meal," the Dweevil commented, "Withering Blowhog Curry, Fiery Bulblax steaks, Hermit Crawmad and Water Dumple seviche, and guzzle it down with some tasty berry juice." Titan Dweevil soon found himself drooling as he salivated at the meal.
"All right Dweevil, we should be done now," Louie said as he began chopping up Crawmad meat, "Turn off the stove and start setting up the plates."
Titan Dweevil eagerly followed as he turned off the fire and began preparing to eat.
After a while, dinner was served. But before Louie could eat, he had to set up his air tight tent since he couldn't eat in the poisonous oxygen. Titan Dweevil watched as his package transformed into a large tent. Taking his plate, Louie walked into the tent and sealed it as gusts of wind expelled from the tent. From the inside, Louie took his helmet off as he deeply breathed in the filtered Hocotatian air. Louie then undid a zipper in the tent that allowed him to see Titan Dweevil through a plastic window. Louie and the giant shared waves of the hand as they picked up their plate and began eating.
Titan Dweevil was still getting used to the utensil Louie called a spoon, but at least it was a much less messier method.
As Louie ate, he took out his notebook and began writing in new ideas for recipes. Louie took pride in this.
After a while of blissful, taste-bud tingling sensations, Titan Dweevil began to feel that it was about time he and Louie had a talk.
"Louie," Titan Dweevil began, "Why exactly did you come to my country in the first place?"
Louie stared at the titan for awhile, surprised to hear him ask this kind of question so suddenly.
"Well, it's a bit difficult to explain to a species as primitive as yours," Louie said, "But I'll spare you the mind-straining and make it short and blunt; we came here looking for treasure."
"Oh…okay."
Titan Dweevil still felt uneasy. There was something on his mind that he just couldn't relinquish until his curiosity was satisfied. Something was bugging him and he knew he wanted to know or else he'll lose sleep on it. He noticed his food didn't taste the same as when he first ate it and deduced that his state of mind had an effect on his senses. Giving in, he decided to ask another question.
"Louie," Titan Dweevil asked again, "Why were you working with the pikmin? I know you are a completely alien animal to this country, but why do you work with those runts?"
Louie gave it some thought, and after a while, gave him an answer.
"Well, to be honest, I was working with my partner, Olimar, and he was the one who knew all about the pikmin. After all, he's been to this planet before so all I could do was follow him."
"Wait, what do you mean 'planet' and who is Olimar?" Titan Dweevil continued to ask.
Louie pondered for a bit, wondering how was he going to explain such a complex subject and break it down for a bug to understand.
"Um, well…the truth about this 'country' is that it's only a small piece of the planet. The actual planet is vastly huge and unimaginably distant. As for the planet, it floats in a dark void we like to call 'space' and can house an infinite number of planets like this one."
"…Surprisingly, I think I understand it," Titan Dweevil exaggerated, "So, are you saying you came from a different planet?"
"Yes. I am."
It made sense to the Titan Dweevil now. How he was so smart and how he was able to do the things he did, he even figured that the reason he wore a helmet was because the air in this planet was bad for him. However, Louie still had another question to answer.
"So, did this Olimar of yours come from a different planet as well?" he asked.
"He's from the same planet as I am." Louie answered.
"So, the first time he came here, he was looking for treasure too?"
"Well, not exactly. You see, Olimar didn't come to this planet on his own will, he actually crashed on this planet, or so I've heard."
"Crashed?" Titan Dweevil asked.
"Yes. Olimar was in his spaceship," Louie stopped to see Titan Dweevil trying to figure out what a spaceship was, "er, a type of boat made to swim through space," Louie simplified as Titan Dweevil easily figured it out, "when he hit a 'rock' that caused him to crash into this planet. His 'boat' burned as it fell from the sky and the 'boat' split into thirty pieces."
Whoa.
Whoa.
WHOA!
"Wait a minute, did you say…from the sky?" Titan Dweevil asked.
"Yes. Did something happen?"
Titan Dweevil began to piece together everything in his mind of what happened three months ago.
The day that star fell from the sky was the beginning of the end. It was a mystery to the animals but it was soon forgotten due to its lack of significance. However, many strange things began to happen after that day, he remembered. Mysterious object suddenly appeared as the animals took a quick liking to them. He remembered how Puffstool showed him the 'wicked' disc he had found the day before and kept it with him. Many members of the Land Council even decided to claim these items as their own, even the Grand Emperor Bulblax was quickly infatuated with a strange pink item he had found days later. They all thought that whoever found them would keep them, but the pikmin said otherwise.
Unexpectedly, the pikmin population spiked as walls were torn down, animals disappeared, and the mysterious objects disappeared overnight as quickly as they came. The animals were ignorant and wouldn't let go of their precious items. They even scoffed at the pikmin threat and believed that they would disappear as quickly as they were exterminated. But they were wrong, dead wrong. Armored Cannon Beetle of the present-day Awakening Wood was the first to disappear, followed by the Burrowing Snagret trio, Puffstool, Armored Cannon Beetle of present-day Perplexing Pool, and Beady Long Legs of Forest Navel. All of these objects were items that Olimar was looking for and the rumors of the pikmin following a leader were completely true! Olimar led the pikmin, repopulated the pikmin, fought with the pikmin, even defeated the greatest king the country had ever known with the pikmin!
It was heart-wrenching seeing those animals fall one by one, day by day, and only now does he learn that all of those deaths and crimes against the Land Council were only in the name of the objects the animals were captivated by. The day that metal object soared the skies and was never seen again was the day he would never forget.
The day he attended the Grand Emperor Bulblax's funeral.
"Louie…" Titan Dweevil said softly, "These treasures you mentioned before, is Olimar and the pikmin after them too?"
"Um, yes. Some of the most valuable treasures happened to be in the hands of some strong animals."
It all made sense now, but it was an ugly truth.
All the animals who died in the past weeks, the members of Land Council who met their fate at the hands of the pikmin, the crimes and treason, it was all for little scraps of junk the animals casted off as worthless or of little value. It was all for treasure…
And here, he thought the pikmin had a vendetta against the Land Council. This whole time, it has never been the case.
"Titan Dweevil," this time, Louie had a question, "You told me about your little Land Council, right?"
"Uh, yeah…"
"If the Land Council is supposed to govern this country and keep things in order, why do you continue to let it fall apart because of the pikmin?"
Titan Dweevil knew Louie was his friend, but there were secrets he would never tell, no matter who it was, and this was one of them.
"I…made a promise to a king…" Titan Dweevil said.
"What kind of promise?" Louie persisted.
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that Louie, no matter how much of a friend you are." Titan Dweevil said as he licked clean his plate, which he noticed tasted delicious again, and set it down on the ground.
"Louie, I have to go now. I'm calling another meeting…"
"Um, okay. See you later."
He now knew what it was exactly that the pikmin were after. And he wasn't going to break his promise.
"Kuto…" he muttered.
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She was the world to me…
Oh…Ilu…
Before I met her, I believed my life had little meaning in this bug-eat-bug world. I knew that life feeds on life to live, and that one life must end to keep another life living. I had accepted this as the truth and took no shame when I rammed into Wogpoles and Dwarf Bulbears in order to pulverize them into edible chunks of nourishment. For a long time I had believed in this philosophy, until I met her.
We met on the outskirts of the Perplexing Pool when I chased down a Water Dumple who had somehow evaded me for an admirable amount of time. Around the corner of a giant tree, I literally ran into her and it was love at first sight. Her beautiful pale hue, her cute short arm, I couldn't help myself but say the stupidest thing I could think of.
"Hot damn…" I slapped myself in the face in my head.
To my surprise, she giggled, and thought it was adorable how males lose their coordination around females. I agreed, being solid proof myself, and we talked for awhile. I had completely forgotten about my hunger when my stomach decided to be louder than my mouth. Embarrassed, I asked if she would join me for lunch and my heart nearly stopped when she said yes. She told me her name was Ilu, a beautiful name, but I found myself lost when she asked for mine, which I never obtained during my life. On the spot, I said 'Zehl' and she liked it. I liked the name too.
We spotted some Shearwigs nearby who were snacking on some Skitterleafs in a clearing. I was about to make my move for an ambush when a Pileated Snagret crashed the party and began plucking the Shearwigs off the ground. Ilu groaned in disappointment and suggested that we find something else to eat when I said that we already did.
I took a few paces back, coiled up, rolled, and launched myself by forcefully pushing my tail out. What happened was that I threw myself at the Snagret, dive-rolled, and landed on my feet as the Snagret's head rested on my arm, fainted and near death. Not wasting any time, I flicked the Snagret upward and forcefully swung my arm at him, throwing him against a tree and instantly killing him. My work done, I turned to see Ilu staring at me in shock. I was worried that I made myself look too violent until she cooed at my performance and walked towards me.
She said it was the sexiest thing she had ever seen. I was flattered.
We began to spend our days together. We talked together, we ate together. The night before she disappeared, we even…well, I don't kiss and tell. But the point was, she became a part of my life and I couldn't live without her. I was even excited at the thought of raising our kids together, oh, what a blissful and happy vision. But when she disappeared, my life fell apart.
She wasn't there at the place we were supposed to meet and I only assumed she was late. However, I stayed the whole day there and she still didn't show up. I waited for her the next day as well, and she still didn't show up. I began to get worried and knew something was wrong. I couldn't remain calm during the meeting two days ago, when those animals posed a strike against the Land Council. It was then that I learned that Ilu, my love, had been slain by some animals.
My first thought was that it was the pikmin who took her life, which filled with rage, but then Titan Dweevil told me that no pikmin were capable of killing a Segmented Crawbster. I couldn't think rationally back then, but thankfully, Titan Dweevil told me that it could only have been other animals who took her life. Releasing my rage, I attacked the crowd of angry protestors and took an estimated forty-one lives. Ever since then, I've been living in my hole in complete isolation from the outside world. I was no longer allowed outside ever since my recent outburst, but it didn't matter, it was probably for the best.
I clutched the object tightly in my hand. Ilu's treasure. She told me it was her mother's before she died. It was bleached white from repeated exposure to the rain when it was originally a fleshy tan. She was gone now and this is the last piece of her in the world. The only thing that will keep me from forgetting her until I died was her treasure. Ilu…
"Um…Segmented Crawbster?" I heard.
I looked to my right to see an Antennae Beetle, keeping his distance from me, standing there. I suppose he was to inform me of something, but I wasn't in the mood.
"What is it…?" I said weakly.
"Titan Dweevil is requesting everyone to attend the meeting right now. It is of Level 9 importance."
Level 9? The only time Titan Dweevil ever released a Level 9 meeting was when the king died. I wasn't there, I only heard. However, I just wasn't in the mood to attend another stupid meeting, especially since I haven't recovered…
"I deny." I simply said as I walked away.
"But…but sir, this is a command from Titan Dweevil. Absolutely no one can deny him."
"I deny." I repeated, stressing more on the last syllable.
"But, then what am I suppose to tell Dweevil?"
"Tell the guy to go sodomize himself with a twig. Go ahead and quote me, I don't care."
I looked away as the Antennae Beetle hopped away. I couldn't help but feel proud of myself for that comment. But the pride was short lived as I stared into the face of Ilu's treasure. Oh, how I miss her so much…
Before I noticed it, I cried myself to sleep. I began to notice myself slipping into a dream-like world. But I couldn't tell if it was the real world or a dream. It was pitch black so I figured this was how I saw the world if it were a dream. If it wasn't, it was probably night time then.
Then, I heard a voice.
"Zehl…"
Zehl…that was the name I gave myself. The only one who knows that name was…
"Ilu…?"
"Zehl…save…"
It was Ilu.
She sounded weak, but alive. I thought it was a dream because it was impossible to come back after death, but Gatling Groink's have proven me wrong.
I continued to follow the voice through the darkness. It was difficult to see, even with my night vision. I found it odd how I couldn't see the ground before me since my night vision wasn't that weak. Over and over, I shouted her name.
"Ilu!!"
No reply.
'No, don't go away,' I thought, 'I want to see you. If you are meant to die, then talk to me one last time. Don't leave me alone…'
"Zehl…" I heard from behind.
I quickly turned around, which was difficult for me but in this instance it was like I was on slippery ice, to see her standing before me. I was filled with so much happiness and bliss but it was short-lived as Ilu began to talk with a serious tone.
"This country is melting, Zehl…" she said to me, "I've seen it with my own eyes."
"What…what are you talking about?" I said in disbelief, "Ilu, I finally see you again, and all you're talking about is the country?"
"Zehl, this country is melting," she repeated, "This country is melting…"
"But…what do you mean by melting?" I believed it was a metaphor, but there was no way I could take her seriously if she was speaking in riddle.
"Zehl…stop the country from melting…" she continued.
From melting…did she mean how the country was falling apart?
"But…how?" I asked, "How do I stop the country from melting?"
"This country was never meant to melt…" she said, "But if it melts, who will remold it?"
She wasn't making sense.
"Ilu… Even if I knew what you were talking about, how can I fix a country?"
"Not I," she said, "We."
"We?" I questioned
"Not one," she said again, "Many."
"How many?"
"A storm of a hundred flowers…the hexagram king…in their name…"
"Ilu…you're not making sense…"
Suddenly, without warning, there was loud boom sound from behind Ilu. To my horror, I saw a large shadowy creature violently pick up Ilu from her tail and tossed her around. She landed with a bone-crunching thud as I saw blood splatter from her mouth. I couldn't stop watching the horror before me as I soon realized that I couldn't close my eyes. The shadowy creature picked her up by the arm and, by pressing his legs against her, began mercilessly prying the arm from her body. I saw a blue little light on top of the monster and it began to speak. It was speaking in a completely alien language but for some reason, I was able to understand him.
"When they hear about the sorbets, pies, and parfaits you can make with the delicate, claw meat, they'll be clamoring for every morsel we bring home," he said with a sinister smirk.
"Let's eat now," the beast said in a familiar voice.
With a hideous twist, the arm snapped right off. I screamed.
And then I woke up.
Ilu was trying to tell me something. I don't know what, but it was obviously important. The first thing she told me was to fix the country. I mean, obviously I noticed. I may have been uncaring and even disregarded the world around me, but I knew the country was falling apart. When I think about it, this all started because the pikmin began to rise in power. Come to think of it, every problem the country has had was regarding the pikmin and their carefree way of taking the lives of animals. If this country has any hope of returning to the way it was…
…in that case, I will have to kill off every pikmin in the country. For Ilu…
I heard something. It sounded like tiny voices. I knew it wasn't an Antennae Beetle…
"It's a miracle!"
"Last floor!"
"C'mon everybody! Let's sing!"
"I like bathtubs!"
"I bet something scary is going to appear."
"Why so serious?"
"My name is salsa!"
No.
Impossible…
They found Wistful Wild!!
We didn't count on the pikmin finding Wistful Wild so quickly. We were unprepared! And now, here I see them, the plants that took the lives of so many animals, even doing the unimaginable by killing Waterwraith and Man-at-Legs! What am I going to do now? Can I fight these guys and hope to off them without hurting myself? Will these guys find my weakness and exploit it?
…
'Wait a minute. What the hell am I talking about?' I thought, 'I'm the goddamn Segmented Crawbster! I'm a ruthless, cold-hearted killing machine! And here I am, doubting my ability to slay some shrimps like pikmin?! Unthinkable.'
'Besides, Ilu wanted me to fix this country…' I thought to myself.
I hopped down from a large drop and landed fiercely on the ground.
'…and I'll start by getting to the heart of the problem!'
I looked in front of me and saw a large number of pikmin, probably a hundred of them if I were to estimate. I wasn't intimidated by their numbers, but I was slightly distracted by the flashing lights of the two pikmin before me. One was lit red while the other was lit blue. But numbers did not matter to me as I have taken on stronger enemies in the past. And I was not about to fall to pikmin!
I wasted no time and curled myself into a ball. Without haste I began rolling out at full speed with every intention of crushing the pikmin under my weight. Any chance I could, I would catch a glimpse of the pikmin scurrying and tried to predict where they would run to. Tilting my body, I could steer and direct my path. And even if rolling didn't work, I always had my monstrous arm backed up with insane strength. I heard a Segmented Crawbster like me once shattered a log in half with his arm! Yes, I was the ultimate life-taking killer! There was absolutely nothing that could-
BAMM!!
Ow, a wall.
Oh, how was I so stupid as to have not seen that wall?! Not only did I land on my back, but I had caused some loose rocks to fall from the ceiling. I prayed that none landed on my tender gut as some crashed around me. I breathed a sigh of relief as I struggled to get back on my side. How embarrassing it was for me, as Segmented Crawbster's have difficulty of getting back up if they're on their back. It certainly does bring shame to Crawbster's when-
AAUGGHH! MY SPLEEN!
All of a sudden, I felt the weight of many pikmin on my raw gut as I screamed in pain. They knew that that fleshy spot of mine was a weak spot. Oh god…the pain… I must…get up!
I slammed my arm hard into the ground as it shook off all of the pikmin from my body. Supporting myself with my arm, I stood right-side up as I concealed my gut again. Enraged, I swung my arm side to side and watched as the pikmin flew. They did not die, to my disappointment, but I did not complain and coiled up again. I resumed my pattern as for generations it has proven to be the superior method of hunting to my kind. I kept my focus on the pikmin as I rolled, or, at least I tried to.
Every time I tried to seek the pikmin while I was rolling, I kept finding myself hypnotized by those red and blue beacons. I tried to focus and aim for the pikmin, but that damn light was so tantalizing, I had to destroy it. I decided I might as well since I was going to kill off the pikmin anyway afterwards. I mean, that light was so-
BAMM!!!
Ow…son of a bitch, my face…
More rocks fell from the ceiling although none managed to hit me. I was dazed by the collision I had with the wall and found it difficult to regain my stature after that. I was sure that the pikmin saw a good time to attack but they didn't do anything yet. I looked around with my eyes and I couldn't see them. Maybe it was because of the sudden headache I had after slamming into the wall that I-
OH GOD!! THE PAIN!!
This time, the pikmin were hitting me harder than before. I literally felt my insides torn apart as the pikmin pummeled away at my organs. An endless number of them threw themselves onto my guts and mercilessly clubbed it into pulp. I couldn't take it anymore and just before I was about to shake them off, I heard a burping sound.
Suddenly, I found myself encased in a skin of stone. I couldn't move a muscle and I tried to break free, but the pain was so unbearable I could barely muster a twitch. The pikmin were still pounding away at my gut and I had no idea how they were able to do so without breaking the rock skin. I began to feel my mind blank out when the rock skin shattered. I knew I had to move quickly, but my body stopped responding.
My breathing began to thin as I felt the blood in my body ceasing circulation. My muscles shriveled as I felt my guts melt from my body.
I was dying.
Time began to slow down as I looked to my side. Slowly, Ilu's words echoed into my head.
'A storm of a hundred flowers…'
'That's right, a hundred pikmin, of course,' I scoffed at my own stupidity.
'The hexagram king…'
'Well, I don't know what a hexagram is…' I continued to think.
'In their name…'
'Of course. I died in their name, didn't I?' I thought to myself.
There was so much pain coursing through my body, and yet, why did I feel blissful? Perhaps I was about to meet Ilu very soon… yes, that must be why. Otherwise, I would've fought with all of my power. Ah well…
I saw a red pikmin staring at me as I looked at the world for one last time. I stared back at him and knew that my world would turn blank soon. I didn't realize I had suddenly asked him a question.
"Who will save the country now?" I asked weakly.
I thought it was rather stupid, asking an enemy a silly question like that. I doubt that these pikmin even knew what they were fighting for. Such imbecilic creatures.
"The one meant to be the king," he answered.
I was surprised to see him give an answer, but I stopped caring seconds later.
"This country is melting," I whispered, "Who will remold this ruined country?"
"This country is not melting," he said, "It is molting the skin of a ruined government."
I laughed.
"If it is molting, then what is the skin?" I asked, "What is the true color of our country's skin?"
"It is molting the skin of the Land Council," he said, "This country's true color is Red, Yellow, and Blue."
I laughed weakly.
"Go ahead then," I said, "Save this country. Pikmin of the Six petals."
At last, my organ exploded.
"Save…this…country…" I whispered inaudibly, "Save…Palunata…Distantos…"
And then, the world went blank…
I found myself floating listlessly from the ground. I was confused and looked around in surprise. I was even more surprised to see my own body being hauled away by the pikmin. It was the first time I had ever seen my own body, but because I knew many Segmented Crawbsters looked alike, I wasn't too astounded to see the similarity I shared.
I saw the pikmin head over to Ilu's treasure. I didn't know what they were going to do with it, but then I reminded myself that I was dead and there was nothing I could do. The pikmin formed a circle and picked it up, carrying it in the same direction as my body. I watched as my body disappeared under a golden cone-like object along with Ilu's treasure.
Suddenly, everything began to get smaller. The world before me was shrinking as I soon saw the above world below me. Even then, it continued to minimize in view. Flowers became indistinguishable from land as I saw the country merge into one large piece of land. The land continued to shrink still as I soon saw a sea of blue surrounding the land. All this continued to minimize as, to my surprise, the entire country was a part of a green and blue sphere. It floated there, in a void of darkness as an even larger glowing sphere to the left caught my attention. Soon, the dark void swallowed the green and blue ball along with the bright orange sphere and eventually became total darkness.
Then, I felt a gust of wind.
I was enveloped in a sea of fluffy white cotton as I found myself standing on solid ground. I was even more confused as I stared out into a sea of white fluff. From beyond a mountain of white fluff emitted a golden light over the horizon. I couldn't see where the light was coming from, but its blissful rays enveloped this plain of existence.
The fluffy clouds cleared for me as I was bestowed with a beautiful sight. A field of grass and flowers as far as the eyes can see. Spectralids fluttered in the air as Wogpoles leapt out of the water in a nearby pond. Bulborbs and Bulbears sang their hearts out as Burrowing Snagrets burrowed in and out of the ground in a game of hide and seek. Larval Cannon Beetles were spitting out rocks to see who could knock down the most pins. In general, this place was like a sanctuary where animals didn't fight or get angry with one another.
A heavenly…heaven.
"Segmented Crawbster!" I heard a voice.
I looked to my left to see where the voice was coming from. It sounded familiar but it wasn't Ilu, as I thought at first.
Suddenly, I was pushed quite hard from an unknown force to my right. I wanted to shake my head, but I didn't feel dazed. It was an odd feeling, but nonetheless, someone wanted my attention. I faced the person who had shoved me.
"Segmented Crawbster! It's so good to see you again!"
No way…
"G…G…Giant Breadbug?!" I gaped.
"So, did you finally croak as well?" he said.
'There was no way,' I thought, 'Giant Breadbug was reported dead. And yet, he's talking to me before my eyes. How am I talking to a dead animal?'
"But…what's going on?! You're supposed to be dead!"
"Maybe I am," he said, "Maybe I never died. Did you ever think of that? Maybe I made it look like I was dead and actually came back to life?"
I only stared at him, still brimming with surprise.
"Nah, I'm just screwing with you. Of course I'm dead."
"But…how are you talking to me?"
"Did it ever cross your mind that you're dead too?" he stated.
"I…uh…"
"I know what you're thinking. First, let me explain," he said, "this sanctuary you're in is called 'Zerroh Lyvves Levt'."
"Zerroh Lyvves Levt?" I asked.
He nodded.
"This particular area is a place where animals go to when they die."
So I really am dead then.
"You'd be surprised to see who is here."
"Who?" I asked.
"Everyone." He exclaimed as he turned around and yelled, "Hey guys! Segmented Crawbster is here!"
From the sanctuary came a stampede of different animals. As they got closer, I recognized their grand figure to be the dead members of the Land Council. Beady Long Legs, Pileated Snagret, Ranging Bloyster, everyone who died was here.
"Hey Crawbster!" Pileated Snagret said to me, "glad to see you're finally here."
"You say it like you wanted like you wanted him dead," Ranging Bloyster commented.
"Oh, excuse the wordplay," Pileated Snagret apologized.
Some of them I didn't recognize, like Empress Bulblax and Man-at-Legs. Empress Bulblax was standing on two legs but she still had a large bulbous back. It was probably the deflated egg sac in her body. Man-At-Legs, on the other hand, looked more like an inside-out heart on three legs. I was very disturbed at the sight of him and found it hard to keep looking.
"Um…Man-at-Legs…do you think there's any way to look like the way you did before you died?" I asked.
"Oh, uh, sure…" he said.
In a second, Man-at-Legs went from an organ on stilts to his old mechanical body, complete with a fourth machine leg. I stared in amazement.
"I don't know how to explain it, but it seems that this place acknowledges wishes and grants them. I always wanted to live without a machine in me, so that's why I looked like that."
"Oh, uh…okay," I mumbled, "just put that costume on every time we talk, okay?"
"Sounds good."
I looked at everyone who were talking to me, making jokes, talking about the past, and asking me questions. This moment we had with each other was a great moment, almost as if there was never a pikmin threat. I also thought it was odd that these guys were feeling happier than usual. Was being dead a good thing?
"Huh, surprised to see you here," I heard a voice from behind.
I looked to see it was Waterwraith. He stood there looking empty, as if he was emotionless.
"Waterwraith?" I asked.
"I didn't think you would die that easily," he said, "So, what excuse do you have?"
"Ever since he died, he's been asking everyone that question," Empress Bulblax told me, "It seems that he wants to see someone who didn't die without killing a pikmin."
"I never managed to kill a single one," he murmured, "and I want to be mad about it…"
"Once you answer his question, he'll go back to waiting." She told me.
"How many did you kill?" he repeated.
I tried to remember if I ever did take a pikmin's life. I didn't recall hearing the cries of a pikmin or any bones crunching…
"None," I said bluntly.
Waterwraith stood there, unfazed, and walked away. I didn't understand why he was behaving like that, although he did believe he was an unkillable creature. Maybe he won't rest until he knows that at least one of us killed some pikmin before dying. So much for the superiority complex.
"Segmented Crawbster," another voice behind said. I turned around to face an Emperor Bulblax.
"Hey, you're the brother of the now Grand Emperor Bulblax, aren't you?" I said.
"Yes, I am."
"I heard an Emperor Bulblax had died, but I didn't really think it was actually his brother."
"I was tricked into switching places with him," he claimed, "he knew the pikmin were coming and decided to switch holes so that I could get killed by the pikmin."
"You were tricked, sure," I said.
"But that isn't what I wanted to talk about," he said, "There's someone who needs to talk to you."
"Huh? Who?" I asked as he began walking.
I followed him into the sanctuary and watched many animals playing. Most of them spent their time sleeping except for a Spotty Bulbear who seemed to be entertaining his child. The two stared each other down as the young one would eventually make dashes at the parent only to miss. The young Bulbear was determined and would get up and repeat the process over. The parent Bulbear just chuckled as he encouraged the youth to try harder.
Off to my left I saw a parade of animals ride a big Puffy Blowhog. I was astounded at how many animals were riding the airborne creature because a normal Puffy Blowhog would collapsed at half of the weight he was carrying. Wollywogs croaked in happiness as Dweevils chirped in glee. From below, Hermit Crawmads and Bulorbs hung from ropes as they listed lazily side to side. There was even a Toady Bloyster sticking to the bottom of the balloon-like animal. Apparently, he was holding onto the ropes.
'This whole place is like one big carnival,' I thought.
"Here she is," Emperor Bulblax said to me.
I turned to see the person I was supposed to talk to. I couldn't believe it…
"Zehl…" she said to me.
"…Ilu?"
Without haste, I quickly ran up to her. I was so happy to see her again.
"Zehl," she said to me, "this means you're dead, right?"
I looked down grimly but spoke.
"Yeah, I am. I guess I didn't see it coming," I answered.
"Zehl…the pikmin did this to you, didn't they?" she asked.
"…yes."
"…"
"Ahem!" the Emperor Bulblax behind us coughed, "I believe you had something important to say to him."
"Oh, right," she turned to me and began talking.
"Zehl, who told you I was dead?" she asked.
"Um, if memory serves, it was Titan Dweevil," I replied.
"Titan Dweevil…" she said, "…was lying."
"What? Why would he lie?" I asked.
"To cover up his own sin. Titan Dweevil was the one who killed me."
All of a sudden, I was filled with rage.
"Titan Dweevil…that no good asshole…"
"Not just her," Emperor Bulblax said, "Many of the animals here have been killed by Titan Dweevil in the name of food."
"He tossed us in a vat of boiling acid," some Water Dumples said.
"He churned me into meat patties," a Wollywog said, "and sliced an Orange Bulborb in half."
"You see, Titan Dweevil has betrayed the country by slaying and eating the animals." Emperor Bulblax explained.
I was disgusted. How could Titan Dweevil do such horrible things to his own people? And what would compel him to even eat them? I'm not even sure that it was in his diet to eat all those animals. The rumors of animals disappearing from the country would eventually trace it back to him. And on top of all that, why would he choose this time of all times to commit such heinous sins? The country is in the middle of a war! No wonder the country is falling apart!
"Ilu," I said, "I remember having a horrible dream I had the night before I died. You were in it and you were trying to tell me something."
"Oh. Well, I actually had nothing to do with you having the dream, if that's what you're thinking," she said.
"Well, I couldn't help but assume," I said, "But you did say something along the lines of how the country was melting and that many people were suppose to fix it. You also said something like a hexagram king and a storm of a hundred flowers."
Ilu stared at me trying to answer my questions.
"Sorry Zehl, but, I can't imagine myself saying those things. I don't even know what they mean."
Too bad. I had no idea what made me had that dream in the first place. But it was obvious it wasn't by coincidence. Titan Dweevil killed Ilu, and the shadowy creature in my dream who recreated the death matched Titan Dweevil altogether. Maybe something used Ilu's form to try to get my attention as to what they were trying to tell me?
Well, whatever. It was too late now and I was dead. I found it ironic how I found out everything after I died but couldn't do anything to address it. I knew what needed to be done and now I'm too late to do it. I needed to stop Titan Dweevil.
I needed to kill Titan Dweevil.
"Zehl, now that we will spend our eternity here together," she said, "why don't we start by walking together?"
"An eternity talking to you?" I said, "I can't think of anything better."
And so we began walking down the sanctuary together.
If Titan Dweevil were to die, I can only think of one person who could do it. No, not one. Many. The pikmin have gone so far now that they have no choice but to press on. And they do so without fear. They will continue to pave away the Land Council and oppress them until the country is theirs. Those who stand in their way will fall. Those who resist them will die. And of all the people who must die, Titan Dweevil must die in their name.
To die in their name is dying in the name of the country.
"Although, I can think of something better than talking," I expressed as Ilu giggled and tapped me with her arm, which felt more like a pound.
I deserved that.
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I am rather proud of this chapter. We get to see the sanctuary the animals go to when they die. And the name? I made it up on impulse. But hey, catching Nintendo's sense of humor, it is safe to call it 'Zerroh Lyvves Levt'. And that is totally not meant to say anything else (end sarcasm).
Anyway, two chapters left. I can assure you, Raging Long Legs chapter will be one of the longest chapters I will ever write. And why is that? Eight bosses including Raging Long Legs himself as well as the meeting Segmented Crawbster did not attend. You guys ought to pay me for this, but I have neglected a disclaimer and that would be very bad on my end. Better play it safe though.
Pikmin © of Nintendo.
Read and Review please! Expect the next chapter some time before the end of July.
Hmm, Palunata Distantos…where have I heard that name before?