Yes! Day 8 is here, and I have a number of things to say before you read it.
1: This Day is almost exactly as long as the infamously long Day 5, which is over ten thousand words alone.
2: This Day makes a multitude of references to events on other Days, including the Watery Blowhog incident that happened on Day 5.
3: I have updated my profile! But, if you've been following Through Red Eyes this far, please read Day 8 before viewing my profile, because my profile has a small Day 8 spoiler in it. Yet, there is a lot of information in my profile that you'd probably like to have, so be sure to check it out when you're ready.
4: Olimar's first encounter with an Antenna Beetle is in this Day. I myself have never actually assaulted an Antenna Beetle with Pikmin. I have always gone after it with a single Leader to make sure none of my Pikmin get ensnared by its call. (In retrospect, this seems highly unnecessary.) Because of this, I ask that you not be harsh on me if something is very wrong about how I portray Antenna Beetles in this Day. EDIT: I have an update on this. Apparently, yeah, I make the Pikmin do the wrong thing when "called" by the Antenna Beetle. Well, the way I did it fits with my story, so I can't alter it. Oh, well; you'll allow me one necessary alteration, right?
5: The strategy used on the boss in this Day is neither tested nor recommended. Most of the strategies I have outlined in this story have been good ones to use in the game. (Day 2 is a prime example of this.) But, I have not game-tested the strategy that Olimar uses on this Day's boss. I suspect it might work, but I don't recommend it unless someone wants to test it for me.
6: I would very much like to know if anyone actually follows along in a Pikmin 2 guide while they read Through Red Eyes, as I suggested at the end of Day 1. XD If you do, and you post a review of this Day, please say so in your review.
...Alright, I guess that's it. Well, enjoy! And, thanks for reading.
Day 8
I wake in the morning to find that I am now sharing the thing I slept on with four other Pikmin. I feel slightly groggy, not quite ready to get up. I definitely slept well, though. This brown-and-tan item is very comfortable, which is undoubtedly why so many other Pikmin squeezed onto it with me.
As soon as one of the Pikmin around me gets up, I do so as well. I need to be ready for when-
A whistle rings out! The Red Leader is calling for 20 purples and 15 whites!
I'm ready this time! I quickly hop out of the exit nozzle into the glorious sunshine.
I have arrived! I'm back in the flowery paradise I glimpsed on my first day! The sights! The smells! This world is incredible! Life bursts from every surface.
I am joined by 14 other whites, 20 purples, 15 reds, 25 yellows, and 25 blues. Everyone, except for some of the blues, looks relatively happy to be back in this bright area.
The Red Leader calls us to him. He looks perfectly normal. I wonder what the purple storyteller yesterday meant by his skin being red. But, then I see the Dark Leader, and he doesn't look normal at all. His eyes are horrifyingly wide and blank. Also, he isn't moving and talking as he usually does; he seems so stiff now. What could have done this to him?
We follow the Red Leader to the right, away from the storage vessel. I rush to the front of the group so as to get the best view of my surroundings. The air is wonderful and I feel livelier than I have in days.
I see that each of the other Pikmin colors have a sole Pikmin in front, like myself. Then, I suddenly recognize them: They are the Pikmin from my fourth day, the ones that were first introduced to the Dark Leader as representatives of their respective colors. Yet, as I look to the Pikmin leading the blues, I see a Pikmin that I don't recognize, instead of my blue friend. My eyes quickly dart through the rest of the blues, searching, but my friend is not among them.
...Where could it be? Is it just back in the Seed Hut, or is it...
I hear the Pikmin leading the reds speak, "We will vanquish our foes!"
With a sudden angry fervor, I respond, "We'll get them!"
"We'll crush 'em!" continues the Pikmin leading the purples.
"And then..." says the blue, somewhat hesitantly.
"Victory," finishes the yellow, flatly.
We arrive at a rolled-up collection of wooden materials in front of a small creek. The Red Leader instructs us to unroll the wood to make a bridge. We swarm to the pile and work as a seamless team to build a bridge across the creek. Then, we do the same thing with another mass of wood pieces. This time, however, as we build the bridge, we unearth two damaged pipes in the ground. They look like they once spewed poison into this area. Could the Red Leader have been through here before?
We finish building the second bridge and the Red Leader calls us to him. He then instructs us to follow him while keeping as close to the wall on our right as possible. As I walk, I look upward, and in doing so realize that this wooden wall is actually the base of a giant tree.
We come to a spot where the tree's roots are frail looking and pale. The Red Leader commands us to break down the wall. It topples easily, revealing a cave underneath the tree, in the center of which is a hole that leads underground.
Yes! The Red Leader leads us in! I look backward as we enter the cave. I watch as the wonderful world of life aboveground disappears. Now I journey down into the darker world of adventure below.
The first underground area is a mess of dirt and roots. Immediately when we land, the floor rumbles beneath us, and suddenly a horde of small purple bugs burrows up from below!
Without waiting for the command, we attack. Bugs continue to pop up around us, between us, everywhere. All is chaos for a few wild moments. I run around madly, smacking every bug I see with my flower. There are shrieks of pain and fury all around me...
And, then it's over. The last bug keels over, dead, and we survey the wreckage. The Leaders are both standing against a wall, away from the battlefield. The Red Leader looks astonished; the Dark Leader looks the same as he had aboveground, still wide-eyed and blank.
Once again without receiving any sort of command to do so, we all pick up the bug carcasses and carry them to the floating vessel, which sucks them up, one by one.
When this is done, the Red Leader calls us to him and instructs us to separate into groups based on color. I join my fellow whites, all of which survived the battle, in a small group.
The Red Leader moves to each group, his eyes moving quickly to each Pikmin. Is he... counting us?
Olimar: "Well, this isn't good. If such an alarming attack has already occurred on the first sublevel, we certainly can't expect an easy time traversing this series of underground locales. Looks like we'll never know what might be just around the bend..."
The Red Leader looks sideways at the Dark Leader, smirking as he does so. The Dark Leader's eyes, however, seem to widen even more excessively, and the side of his mouth twitches.
Olimar: "Anyway, I never expected Male Sheargrubs to ever do this much damage. This initial attack has already decreased our Pikmin count. Four yellows are missing in action, along with two blues, though no other Pikmin were hurt. Something tells me we'll need to be perpetually ready for attack here, now and in lower sublevels."
The Red Leader calls us to him again and leads us through the cave. We move through a smaller tunnel, which forks a short way in.
Olimar: "Pod, do you have any data for us that might allow us to determine which path to take here?"
I hear the floating vessel answer from far behind us.
Pod: "I can detect a soft, er, snoring noise, emanating from something down the left tunnel."
Olimar: "Right, then."
We head down the right tunnel. Soon, the ground switches abruptly from dirt to... wooden planks? Surely nothing grows this way...
The tunnels ends in a larger, cubic room, which contains a hole to the next area, and a huge... feather. The Red Leader walks over to the latter and examines it.
Olimar: "A giant feather. This certainly is quite a find."
The Red Leader grasps the end of the feather with both hands and lifts it with difficulty. It is now pointing straight up. He then speaks again, straining slightly to support the weight.
Olimar: "Amazing... It's so light, considering its size."
The Red Leader hands it to a white Pikmin. The Pikmin holds the object's weight easily. I suddenly wish I were the one holding it. The Red Leader then instructs the white, with a series of precise beeps, to take the feather to the floating vessel and return afterward to this exact spot. It leaves at top-speed, somehow carrying the giant item with minimal effort.
When the white Pikmin returns, the Red Leader leads us over to the hole to the next area. But, the Dark Leader suddenly speaks, and in quite a different tone of voice than I am used to hearing from him.
President: "Oli...mar... Treasure Gauge... Still treasure... here."
Olimar: -raises eyebrow- "Oh, yes. Because we have to get all the treasure, don't we? ALL OF IT!"
The Dark Leader recoils from the Red Leader's shouting. He makes a noise somewhere between a whimper and a shriek, shielding his face with his arms.
Olimar: "Just as I thought. Now, come."
The Red Leader jumps into the hole. We follow, along with the Dark Leader. We fall into another world.
It's hard to believe this endless grassy landscape is really underground. I look upward and see brightness above me, but no sun, just light, a "sky" of light. Is that what we fell from? How could we have? And, what is it? I look at my fellow Pikmin and wonder how many others wonder about this sort of thing. I suddenly feel very self-conscious, wondering about wondering and all that.
Olimar: "I don't like the looks of this place. There isn't a single bug to be seen."
The Red Leader calls us to him and begins to walk along a path with stones on each side. There are flowers growing around us, some on the path itself. The Red Leader stops before coming close to a trio of yellow flowers.
Olimar: "Just as I thought." -points at the President- -addresses the President- "Call half of the Pikmin. Put purples first in line. Throw on my command."
Then, something I have never seen happen before happens. The Dark Leader obeys the Red Leader immediately, without doing anything else. It's obvious to me that this is happening, though I can hardly believe it. Yet, the Dark Leader's blank stare... Surely this must be his subdued facial expression.
The Dark Leader calls to us, separating us into two equal groups, each with half of each color. I stay with the Red Leader. Both Leaders command us to line up behind them, with purples in front. The Red Leader then takes a single step toward the yellow flowers.
The flowers are immediately lifted onto the back of a large green-and-blue plant monster. The center flower transforms into a fruitlike mouth while the other two reveal eyes in their interiors.
Olimar: "NOW!"
Both Leaders begin throwing purple Pikmin at the creature. The purples land hard on its body, and, before it can react properly, they have already caused massive damage.
The creature's body shrivels up, shrinking back into the ground as quickly as it had sprung up. Only the bulbous mouth remains.
Olimar: -smiles- "Excellent. That was very efficient."
We are commanded to take the bulb back to the floating vessel. We do so, and then move back along the path.
The path leads to a series of large, open areas, which contain nothing at first. But, then, flowers morph into more of those plant monsters, strange slabs on the ground rise up to reveal unfriendly creatures, bugs zoom down at us from the sky to snatch us up, and while we are carrying a number of carcasses back to the floating vessel, along with a huge red fruit we found at the end of one path, we are ambushed again by another swarm of little burrowing bugs.
The Leaders frantically call us off the items we are carrying and command us to battle the bugs. The insane commotion begins again, but this time it is punctuated with terrific thuds from purple Pikmin the Leaders throw into the fray.
Soon I'm once again standing in the middle of a scene of mass destruction. It is as though there was a sudden explosion of bugs, and now they all lie dead around us.
The bugs have unearthed a large, green from what I can see, triangular thing. The Red Leader views it before counting us as he had the last time little purple bugs swarmed us.
Olimar: "More yellows and blues are missing from our number: four yellows and three blues. The Sheargrubs caught us even more off-guard this time than they did on the first sublevel, but throwing purple Pikmin certainly prevented the death count from growing exponentially. We, or rather I, will need to formulate a way to prevent further suffering from these attacks. Now," -addresses the President- "you direct the Pikmin in taking everything here back to the ship's pod. I'm taking five of the red Pikmin so that I can add to our white Pikmin population with the Ivory Candypop Bud we located earlier. There's an egg near there that will probably contain nectar, so I should be back soon."
The Red Leader calls five red Pikmin to him and departs with them. The Dark Leader commands us to pick up as much stuff as we can and take it to the floating vessel. The two items that aren't carcasses prompt the usual response from the floating vessel.
Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 190 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Combustion Berry."
Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 40 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Taste Sensation."
The Red Leader returns, bringing five new white Pikmin with him. He then commands them to help out with bringing bug bodies back to the floating vessel. I remember what my blue friend had told me about how white Pikmin are made; those reds are no more. But, thinking about my blue friend makes me feel very preoccupied, and I try to put it out of my mind. My friend would have wanted it that way...
When everything is safely sucked inside the floating vessel, the Leaders guide us to the end of the paths, where there is a puddle separating us from a hole to the next area. How are we going to get across this one?
Olimar: "We're going to have to throw all the Pikmin over the rocks on the edges of the path and direct them from this side, as we cannot climb over ourselves."
The Leaders turn and throw us, one by one, over the rocks on one side of the path, into the endless expanse beyond. Yet, they call us from the other side when we are all over and direct us to follow the sound of their beeps while remaining on our side of the rocks as they move along the path and apparently through the puddle. Eventually, they command us to climb over the rocks to rejoin them. We do so, and follow them into the hole.
We drop into another clearly underground area that looks similar to the first one, but seems cleaner somehow. There are even a few flowers growing out of the ground in some places. We are on one end of a rectangular room, some of the walls of which look unstable. There are no bugs in sight.
Olimar: "No bugs in sight. But, this dirt looks like it could easily be the home of a Burrowing Snagret. I have encountered these creatures before, and I know how to deal with them. I will take care of this."
The Red Leader calls all of us to him and walks forward across the rectangular room. When he is halfway to the other wall, the gigantic yellow beak of some creature shoots upward from the ground. As the white head of the creature begins to push itself out of the ground as well, the Red Leader commands us to swarm it and attack.
We all converge on the head. We climb all over it just as it pops out of the ground. I feel myself get raised high up in the air as I attack, whacking the beast's head with my flower. The creature squawks in pain and then emits a long shriek; as it shrieks, it keels over onto the ground.
I let go of the creature and step back to see it in its entirety. The creature's head now has numerous cracks in it, which are leaking dark red blood onto its white feathers. The creature's neck-like body is covered with blue scales, rather than feathers, and protrudes directly from the ground.
Olimar: -smirks- "Perfect. And, it regurgitated something when it fell. See there." -points- "That's treasure."
The Red Leader directs us to carry a long, brown object, which came out of the creature's mouth, to the floating vessel. We leave the giant carcass where it is.
Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 40 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Meat Satchel."
The Red Leader nods his head in what appears to be satisfaction and then calls all of us to him. He subsequently instructs us to break down every unstable wall along the edges of this room, one by one. It takes a while, but the process is greatly sped up by the size of our group. We reveal small alcoves behind each wall. Nearly every alcove contains something different: the hole to the next area, a white flower, a purple flower and an egg. Two contain nothing at all.
Olimar: "Excellent. We'll use the rest of the reds here, as the Pod originally told me they wouldn't be needed in this dungeon. We still have a staggering abundance of red Pikmin in the red Onion, far more than in any other Onion or the ship's hold. I brought these reds on the off chance that we might be able to use them to increase out white and purple Pikmin populations."
The Red Leader calls the remaining ten red Pikmin to him and leads them to the alcove containing the white flower. He throws five of the reds into it. The flower closes over them, and then, after a moment, spits out five white seeds, which plant themselves in the ground. The flower itself shrinks into the ground afterward. As I watch, each seed pokes a leaf-bearing stem up from the ground. The Red Leader pulls on each white stem, popping five new white Pikmin from the ground. He then repeats the process with the purple flower, throwing the last of the reds in and getting new purples in return.
The Red Leader takes these new Pikmin to the alcove containing an egg. He commands them to break it open. They do so. Yellow goo bursts from the egg. The Pikmin drink it and sprout flowers, before being led over to us by the Red Leader.
As the white Pikmin join our group, I try to think of something to say to them. I think back to what it was like to be as new to the world as they are...
"Hi," I say to them.
They answer back with "Hi"s and "Hello"s.
The Red Leader calls all of us to him and leads us into the hole to the next area.
We fall into a world similar to the one I visited on my second day. The surfaces are metal walkways, suspended over an endless abyss. Just as in the previous two areas, no bugs are in sight.
Olimar: -frowns- "Once again, no opponents can initially be seen. If the natural world had gimmicks, then this pattern would definitely be the gimmick of this dungeon. I suppose we should deal with the electric nodes first."
The Red Leader calls all the yellow Pikmin to him and leads them off to shut off a number of familiar pairs of sparking metal spikes. The yellows break the first pair easily, but when they get to the second, a light-grey, long-snouted creature falls from above and lands in their midst. The creature sprays a jet of water at the Pikmin, but not before the Red Leader calls a retreat, maneuvering the Pikmin out of harm's way.
Olimar: "A Watery Blowhog next to electric nodes. This is certainly familiar." -addresses the President- "Now, it's time for you to learn how to deal with this properly."
I then hear the Dark Leader speak in the way he normally does for the first time today. I turn my head to look at him, but his expression has not changed. His tone of voice does not match his still-blank-and-staring eyes.
President: "No, Olimar. I did it wrong last time. Nothing doing."
Olimar: -raises eyebrow- "Surely you can do something this simple." -lowers eyebrow- "With your loud whistling prowess, you can easily call to save the yellows when they get hit by water. Just attack the electric nodes and regroup whenever the Watery Blowhog fires. That's really all it takes."
President: -folds arms- "Nope; not gonna happen, Olimar. Not worth it. It's a waste."
Olimar: "Oh, really? A waste of what?"
President: "Time, energy, possibly the Pikmin's lives, AND ME."
The Dark Leader shouts the last bit of what he's saying very loudly, though no change to his facial expression occurs whatsoever. The Red Leader jumps slightly, startled by the sudden outburst. After a moment, however, during which the Red Leader appears to be in deep thought, he speaks.
Olimar: "Hm. Very well. I'll take care of it."
The Red Leader leads the yellow Pikmin back to where the creature stands between two sparking metal spikes. It spits water at the Pikmin, but the Red Leader directs them masterfully around the stream and commands them to attack the spikes. They attack, but are shortly hit by a stream of water! There is a moment where the Red Leader rushes to call all the water-encased Pikmin, but then he commands another attack. This time, the spikes break just before the Pikmin are sprayed again. The Red Leader quickly saves them again and returns to us. He temporarily dismisses the yellows and calls the blues to him. He then uses them to battle the creature, commanding them to attack, but commanding a withdraw every time the beast rears up to buck them off. Soon, the blues have won.
The Red Leader commands the blues to carry the creature's body to the floating vessel. He then calls all of us Pikmin to him.
Olimar: "Alright, let's go."
The Red Leader leads us out into the maze of metal walkways. Every once in a while, one of three things will happen: One, we encounter electric nodes, which have to be shut off with yellows; two, another of those long-snouted creatures falls from above, which must be defeated with blues; three, and by far the most common, a small orange bug with black spots falls from above, yet these are always defeated swiftly by our vast numbers.
We find two items during our travels in this area: a small red berry and a large transparent orb with red swirl things in its center.
We take carcasses and items back to the floating vessel at regular intervals.
Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 20 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Cupid's Grenade."
Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 120 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Crystallized Telepathy."
When we are exploring a far corner of the area, a larger bug drops from above. It's green and has a big, circular mouth, which the Red Leader quickly moves us away from. This turns out to be a good call on the part of the Red Leader, because a moment later, the beast spits out a spherical boulder, which would have rolled right over us if we hadn't moved.
The Red Leader orders us to attack. We swarm the creature, which rears up onto its hind legs. The Red Leader calls a retreat, and we step back before the creature lunges forward, a move that would have thrown us off. The creature inhales and the Red Leader calls us away from its mouth before it fires another boulder. We repeat the process, and then again. The third attack renders the creature motionless.
Olimar: "Oh, my... It happened again."
I hear the Red Leader speak, so I look in his direction. He is standing near the front of the creature, next to a large, flat, curved item that is red at the curve but white on its ends. I wonder where the item came from, as I don't think it was there before.
Olimar: "This item unshrunk when it exited the Armored Cannon Beetle Larva's mouth. I have seen this before, bugs releasing items considerably larger than they are when they're defeated. It perplexes me. It's as if these creatures possess a natural version of our ship's storage technology."
The Dark Leader calls us to him and commands us to carry the carcass and item to the floating vessel.
Olimar: "What?"
As I help my fellows pick up the creature's body, I glimpse the Red Leader, who looks surprised by something. The Dark Leader then speaks in his normal voice, which still clashes with his highly abnormal facial expression.
President: "I don't give a damn about your scientific preoccupation, Olimar."
Olimar: "Wait a moment. You said that twice yesterday."
President: "And, you'd better listen to me! No more dabbling about in trying to understand things we don't! It's a WASTE!"
The Leaders begin to follow us, but I can't see the Red Leader clearly enough to interpret his facial expression. We eventually arrive at the floating vessel as usual and deposit our spoils.
Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 150 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Heavy-duty Magnetizer."
The Red Leader calls us to him. His expression is neutral. He leads us across to the hole to the next area. We enter.
The next area is, as far as I can see, identical to the previous one, minus the sparking metal spikes. The Red Leader says something before leading us through it.
Olimar: "What? This is very strange. My Treasure Gauge is going haywire. Something appears to be jamming it."
Just like in the area above, small orange-and-black bugs fall from above frequently, but then something new drops in...
A strange beetle lands near us. It is a dark greenish-brown color, but has two little purple wings. Its two wings, two long legs, two antennae, and bulbous body, all extend from its snout-like head. But, then something completely unexpected happens: The bug calls all of us Pikmin to it! It's a Bug Leader!
We quickly join it. Glancing back, I see the Red Leader look completely astonished.
A second later, he calls us back, a sudden fervor alight in his face. But, we are called again almost instantly by the Bug Leader. Again and again the two repeat their calls. We turn as fast as we can, running back and forth frantically. We have no choice; we have to obey the Leaders! What can we do!
The Red Leader begins adding other commands to his orders, like "ATTACK", "MOVE", and "RUN", but it's obvious he's just trying to think of something that might stop this madness.
The Red Leader stops for a moment to yell at the Dark Leader, yet in that precious amount of time, the Bug Leader begins to move away with us. What's going to happen now?
Olimar: -addresses the President- "Attack! Hit that bug now!"
It is then that I hear a strange voice speak in the language I understand.
"Come," says the Bug Leader, "and we will live without work, without hardships, withou- EEEEEEEEEE!"
The last word ends in a very bug-like scream, as the Dark Leader appears out of nowhere and punches the Bug Leader in the face! Then the Bug Leader, just as suddenly, jumps up into the air. I look up to see where it went, but it has disappeared!
The Red Leader immediately calls us back to him, but, seconds later, the Bug Leader falls down in front of us and initiates its call again. Yet, even as we move toward it, the Red Leader calls us back, and the Dark Leader sinks another punch into the Bug Leader's head.
The Red Leader orders us to attack, but the Bug Leader springs upward again. There is a moment's pause, during which the Red Leader shouts something.
Olimar: "Get ready!"
The Bug Leader lands, and immediately the Dark Leader smashes into one of its legs. The Red Leader commands an attack at the same instant, and we are upon the Bug Leader in another.
"No!" sputters the Bug Leader, in between its screeches of pain. "Stop! No! Don't fight! You're..."
The Bug Leader lies still.
I step back and stare in horror at what we've done.
We killed a Leader.
We killed a Leader...
I look around at my fellows, and see that all of them are just as shaky and horrified as I am.
Olimar: -grits teeth- "Darn bug... This species must have adapted to deal with Pikmin attacks." -examines the carcass- "It's of the Kettlebug family, but with long antennae. I'll log it as the Antenna Beetle. Ah, look, my Treasure Gauge is up and running again! This bug must have been what was jamming its signal. Surely such a bizarre set of defense mechanisms can't be an accidental..." -addresses the President- "Do you mind? I was studying that!"
While the Red Leader is talking, the Dark Leader commands us to carry the Bug Leader's carcass to the floating vessel. I am still in a state of shock.
President: "Study it on your own time, Olimar. I won't have you wasting anything else."
My state of shock remains for the rest of my time in this area. Things happen around me, but I take no notice of them. I just can't believe what happened.
Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 120 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Crystallized Clairvoyance."
And, the Bug Leader had promised us a peaceful life...
Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 75 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Emperor Whistle."
Yet, the normal Leaders made us kill it. What does all this mean?
I stumble into the hole that leads to the next area.
We land on sand. We are once again clearly underground. The walls are dark stone.
Olimar: "Darn it. My Treasure Gauge is encountering interference again, and I'm getting frustrated with being unable to see any enemies upon arrival in each sublevel."
The Red Leader calls all of us to him and leads us away from the floating vessel. These angular catacombs are quickly revealed to contain two prominent hazards. Puddles impede our travels, blocking off paths, requiring us to backtrack, etc. And, to my delight, poison-spewing pipes block every major intersection of pathways. Destroying the pipes takes my mind off the Bug Leader at last. I'm thankful to be working with poison again; it feels right.
At one point, we meet another of those giants with huge beaks and long bodies that burrow up from the ground. It is the first creature we've seen in this area. Just like last time, the Red Leader seems to know exactly when it is going to appear beforehand, and orders an attack as it first surfaces, once again ending the battle before it really begins. When the creature falls, it coughs up three strange spheres, which are pink, white and green, and are held together by a sharp stick. We carry them back to the floating vessel.
Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 60 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Triple Sugar Threat."
After that, we resume our trek through this area. We travel for a long time before anything happens, but that which finally does happen cannot have been more unexpected to us Pikmin...
A strange beetle lands near us. It... No, it can't be! It's the Bug Leader! But, we killed it in the last area! How can it be here now!
The Bug Leader calls us to it, but the Red Leader calls us back. The battle of the calls repeats again, but this time the Dark Leader does not hesitate to intervene. He speeds between us, through the Pikmin mass, and lands a punch right between the Bug Leader's orange eyes. But, before the Bug Leader can jump upward like in the last area, the Dark Leader gives it another punch, this time in the leg.
The Bug Leader jumps, but, as it does, its redirected foot comes up to meet the Dark Leader's head. The Dark Leader is knocked to the side as the Bug Leader disappears into the darkness above. He grunts in shock, but stands up again quickly, with no change to his staring facial expression. I notice a long scratch across one side of the clear barrier around the Dark Leader's head.
The Bug Leader falls from above once more, but, this time, its jump apparently wasn't executed very well, and it lands on its head. The Red Leader orders an attack before the Bug Leader recovers, and we instantly swarm it, beating it with our flowers.
"Wait!" sputters the Bug Leader, just like last time. "No! Wait! Stop! Don't..."
The Bug Leader lies still.
I step back and look at my fellows. I'm glad I'm not the only one who's confused; everyone seems to be. We have just killed the same thing twice.
"This was no Leader!" exclaims a yellow Pikmin suddenly. "These 'Bug Leaders' are naught but normal foes masquerading as Leaders!" The yellow continues to speak vehemently as we carry the carcass back to the floating vessel. "Do not take to heart what these villains have said, for they aim to confuse us and take us from the true Leaders without inciting revolt. Do not despair, but be happy they have not taken us into foreign bondage."
"Hey, it ain't like we could revolt even if we wanted to," says another Pikmin, a blue, voicing exactly what I have been thinking.
"Then, you should be doubly glad we are not in the clutches of that fiend!" retorts the yellow.
"But, how do you know that the Bug Leader's promise of a life without hardships was false?" questions a purple Pikmin.
A number of blues chime in with yells of "Yeah!" and "How do you know?".
"Think about where you are!" replies the yellow as the Bug Leader's carcass is sucked up into the floating vessel. The Red Leader calls us to him and leads us down a different path from before, while the yellow continues in exasperation, "What could the Bug Leader possibly offer us down here? We need nutrients! Sunlight can provide this for us, but there is none of that at these depths. We can receive nutrients from our Onions, and I have no doubt that the Pikmin who live inside the metal vessel receive nutrients within it, as that is where every carcass we gather at these depths ends up, but it remains the case that neither of these residences exist underground! The true Leaders have never steered us wrong before now, so-"
There is an outbreak of skepticism from the crowd. I detach myself from the babble, never keen to join in on anything of that nature. Luckily, I hear the Red Leader speak.
Olimar: "A Burrowing Snagret lives here, but its home is next to a puddle. This could prove dangerous, as there is no guarantee that the Pikmin won't land in the water when the Snagret keels over, or, even worse, manages to shake them off. There is one hope, though, and it lies in using our blue Pikmin to save the drowning others if calamity strikes. For this, you will need to learn a new command, as I must organize the attack. You need to learn how to instruct the blue Pikmin to save their fellows."
President: -shakes head- "No, Olimar. I will not learn any new commands."
Olimar: -rolls eyes- "You know, you really shouldn't write off learning new things as wasteful just because of yesterday. Look, the hole to the next area is just on the other side of this puddle." -points- "There is a space between the far wall and the puddle that we could direct the Pikmin across single-file after the battle is won. If we don't kill the Burrowing Snagret first, though, the Pikmin will be at its mercy while crossing that narrow strip of ground."
President: -folds arms- "Well, then, we had better find a different route to that hole, because I'm not going to participate in any command instruction. And, that's final."
Olimar: -grimaces- "Fine. Let's go."
The Red Leader turns around and leads us back to the floating vessel, from which we leave through yet another route.
We are passing through a more open part of the area when the horror returns: A gigantic swarm of those little bugs burrows up from the sandy ground!
There is instant pandemonium once again as each of us immediately attacks whichever bug is closest. After a couple frantic moments of battle, one of the bugs I attack unexpectedly flies up into the air! I suddenly realize that the little purple bugs aren't the only ones in this swarm. The one that just escaped into the air is green, and has wings.
I am suddenly immobilized from behind. I have stayed still for a moment too long, and a purple bug has clenched me in its jaws! I shriek in shock and fear, but before the bug can tear me apart, it falls over dead, beaten by a few of my fellows.
With immense relief, I pry myself from its jaws, and, without a word, continue the assault, thankfully unhurt from the experience.
When the battle had started, the Leaders had begun throwing purple Pikmin into our midst, their thunderous crashes on the sand stunning bugs left and right. Now the Leaders aim high to knock down the flying bugs as well. Every once in a while, one of the flyers is struck in midair, and smashes on the ground beneath a purple's feet.
At long last, the dust settles, revealing the entirety of a bug massacre. I notice immediately that there are less Pikmin in our group than before.
Olimar: -growls in frustration- "Will this siege never end! How are we supposed to get our Pikmin out of here alive if these ambushes continue!"
The Red Leader counts us again, just as he has after every ambush. I do so as well.
Olimar: "Even more are gone this time! We lost one purple, one white, six yellows and four blues." -addresses the President- "See? This is what happens when you don't learn anything new! If you had just cooperated, we would be on the next sublevel by now!"
The Dark Leader speaks again. Why doesn't he stop staring?
President: "It would have been worse if I had cooperated, Olimar."
Before the Red Leader speaks again, I finish my count. We are down to 24 whites, 24 purples, 16 blues and 11 yellows. That's 75 Pikmin in all.
Olimar: -growls again- "Let's get these bugs to the Pod."
The Red Leader commands us to carry everything back to the floating vessel. We do so.
Apparently, the ambush-initiated battle severed some of the foliage in that part of the area, for a purple Pikmin among us effortlessly carries not a carcass, but the stem of some plant that has four leaves on its end. When it has been deposited with the carcasses, the floating vessel speaks in the same way it does whenever it receives an item of interest.
Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 20 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Science Project."
The Red Leader sighs and then speaks.
Olimar: "Well, at least that wasn't a complete waste."
The Red Leader gives the Dark Leader a look that seems almost... exasperated... if I'm interpreting that correctly. He then calls us to him again and leads us off again.
After we cross the ambush site, we are blocked by an unstable wall of roots, the like of which we have seen many times before now.
We break it down on command, revealing a large open space that contains nothing but a spotted white flower, the spots of which chance color frequently, and a big spotted bug. The bug is orange with black spots, and apparently asleep.
Olimar: "Call half of the Pikmin to you. Put purples in the front and run at the Orange Bulborb when I do. Begin throwing Pikmin when I do."
The Dark Leader calls half of us Pikmin to him. He then commands the purples to stand right behind him, as does the Red Leader. Then, both run at the sleeping bug, and both begin throwing purples at it when they get close enough to hit it.
The bug snaps awake, but is immediately bombarded. The first few purples deliver a crushing concussion to its head, and the rest make sure it won't wake again.
Olimar: "Well, that was quick. Good."
The Red Leader calls one of the yellow Pikmin to him, walks over to the big flower, and, as its spots change yellow, throws the Pikmin into it. The flower closes on the Pikmin and then spits out nine yellow seeds, which pant themselves in the ground. As the flower shrinks into the ground, the seeds sprout leaf-bearing stems.
Olimar: "Alright, I'm going to take the Bulborb back to the floating vessel, along with the item behind it. You are to stay here to wait until the yellow Pikmin flower. Bring them to the Pod when they have done so."
There is a pause while the Red Leader looks at the Dark Leader.
Olimar: -raises eyebrows- "Is that clear? Give me some sign that you heard me."
The Dark Leader turns and walks over to the growing yellows.
Olimar: "Er, alright. I'll see you then."
The Red Leader calls all of us to him and instructs us to carry the big bug, and an item that he reveals to be behind it, back to the floating vessel.
Pod: "Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. The artifact is worth... 120 Pokos. I hereby dub this object... the Stupendous Lens."
Olimar: "Pod, give me my log recording device. I cannot wait until tonight."
There is a sudden clunking noise, and something very small falls out of the floating vessel. The Red Leader picks it up before I can get a good look at it and begins to speak into it.
Olimar: "Captain's Personal Log: supplemental dictated entry. Day 77. It has been difficult for me to maintain a grasp of today. In biological news, I have come into contact with a new breed of bug that I have dubbed the Antenna Beetle. This species possesses a more sophisticated form of defense against Pikmin attack. It has the ability to call the Pikmin from our custody by emitting a sound frequency similar to that of my whistle. And, if I'm not much mistaken, it even spoke to the Pikmin as they were beating it to death. What it said, I could not make out, but it can't have been good. I noticed that the Pikmin had strange looks about them when we killed the first one. It wasn't a reassuring sight."
The Red Leader makes a worried glance in our direction before continuing.
Olimar: "As for the President, his attitude has changed dramatically since yesterday's events. No longer tyrannical, he has become more like a concentrated mass of skill, satisfyingly perfect for carrying out my search-and-rescue operation. There have been a few problems, however. He needed an extra reminder of yesterday's events on this dungeon's first sublevel. And, there is the most frustrating development of him no longer being willing to learn anything new. I can see now how both of these side effects of his current condition are a result of the events that came to pass in the Submerged Castle yesterday. His insistence to get all the treasure in each sublevel yesterday explains the first one easily. As for the second... It is frustrating when he rushes me as I'm trying to come up with a way to get a grip of the situation. Now he keeps saying that things like learning are a 'waste'. If only our inadequacies, his in particular, had not cost us so much against that terror, the Waterwraith. On Day 74, three days ago, the President reduced me to a slave-like state, truly convinced I had no power against him. Yesterday, I managed to impose the same mindset on the President instead. This wide-eyed, submissive state is a condition that seems to be unique to this planet, as I have not seen it on any other. It's almost... It's..."
The Red Leader looks at us again, and his eyes light up with what seems to be a sudden realization. If only I could know what he's thinking! If only I could understand his speech.
Olimar: "It's almost Pikmin-like! Those large eyes! The pure skill! The submissiveness! I don't know how I didn't see this before now! But, I know the Pikmin are able to think. I can sometimes see them speak to one another, though I don't understand them. The President could be plotting something even in his subdued state..."
The Red Leader looks downward, with sudden fear and worry in his eyes.
Olimar: "What am I supposed to do now? The President refusing to learn anything new is bad enough, but now I'm once again uncertain of my own safety. Was finally managing to 'subdue' him a good thing? If his confidence is restored to him as mine was, he could become even more tyrannical than before out of resentment. Yet, how could his confidence be restored if he refuses to ever learn anything? But, wait... The President can only speak normally, with confidence, when he is refusing to learn anything new. He doesn't want to learn anything because of what happened yesterday. Also, as for the Pikmin, because they are in a similar condition, I have never seen a single one of them learn a new command. And, I know I definitely didn't want to learn anything new when I was under the President's control, because I had just learned that I had ruined Louie's chances of ever returning to Hocotate, that it was all my fault!"
I notice that the Red Leader's eyes have been slowly lighting up again, and his speech is getting faster.
Olimar: "It's all connected to learning! The Pikmin have no idea what our intentions are; they just know that we are, unlike everything else on the planet, not trying to kill them. It was my learning how to deal with the Ranging Bloyster that gave me the confidence to escape the President's grasp! It restored my confidence! That's it!"
The Red Leader pauses in his speech, his breathing fast and his face looking astounded.
Olimar: "This realization came on so fast. It's incredible..."
The Red Leader falls over backwards to lie flat on the sand.
Olimar: "Yet... I still don't know what to do."
The Red Leader's hand that's holding what he's speaking into falls limp on the ground. The tiny object within it lands directly under the floating vessel, which sucks it back up.
For a time, we wait.
At long last, the Dark Leader arrives with nine yellow Pikmin, all flower-bearing. This brings our count of yellow Pikmin up to 19, as one was sacrificed to bring nine into existence. The total Pikmin population in this area is increased to 83.
Olimar: -stands up- "Good. Now, let's see if we can find an alternate route to the hole to the next area."
The Red Leader rises and speaks to the Dark Leader, but receives no reply. Then, the Red Leader calls us all to him, including the nine new yellows, and leads us once more through twisting passageways. We trek past where we fought the third burrower ambush, and then past where the yellows were grown. After that, the path becomes narrower, and breaks off into a maze of twisting passageways. We hit many dead-ends, and many intersections contain poison-spewing pipes. Both of these slow us down, but the latter provides a satisfying diversion for us whites as we shut them off.
Finally, we arrive at a larger arena that contains the hole to the next area, beyond which is a puddle. We enter the hole.
Upon landing in the next area, which is similar to the pervious one, the floating vessel speaks.
Pod: "Sensors indicate that this is the Final Floor."
I know what that means! I recognize it from hearing it a number of times before! It means we're about to fight something really nasty, and that this is the last area of this underground series.
I look at my surroundings. The floor is sandy, and the walls are dark stone, both just like the last area. We have landed on the edge of a gigantic circular arena. I can just barely make out a couple of unstable root walls on its far side, but the monster here must undoubtedly be fought before we can get to them.
Olimar: "A giant arena. This looks like it could be trouble. When my ship crashed on this planet last time, I had to fight three Burrowing Snagrets at once to claim one of my ship's missing parts. This area is most likely a trap of that nature. This is obviously a Snagret's nest. As the Snagrets are obviously the rulers of this dungeon, I hereby dub it the Snagret Hole."
The Red Leader scans the area further before speaking again.
Olimar: "The only thing that perplexes me is the existence of a number of oddly-shaped indentations in the sand. I can't quite make them out from here, but if we move forward, we are sure to be noticed. Well, it has to happen eventually. Let's go."
The Red Leader calls all of us to him and walks forward slowly. We get a ways out into the open before anything happens.
There is a sudden explosion of sand in front of us, and a huge creature springs up from the ground. Before the dust settles so that we can get a good look at the beast, a huge beak suddenly comes down at us. Snatching us up one by one. There are shrieks of terror from the crowd, coupled with a hurried call for retreat from the Red Leader. We immediately run back towards the floating vessel. As we clear the dust cloud, the creature follows us, I can hear it bound across the sand, making huge thudding sounds.
I look back and see a terrible sight. It is a monster like the long-bodied ones in the areas above, but this one has an orange head and a green body. Yet, the most alarming part of the beast is the fact that it is not merely poking out of the ground like the others; this one has a single foot at the end of its long body, and it is hopping across the arena after us.
The Leaders are running ahead of us, as fast as their legs can carry them. We follow at each of our maximum paces. I move to the front of the group with my faster speed, farther away from the monster behind us.
Though the beast is huge, it has only one foot, and cannot hop quite as fast as we can run. It stops to snap at the slow purples, but misses as they clear its reach. It squawks in disappointment and jumps into the air, then turns over and dives headfirst into the sand.
We arrive back at the floating vessel. The Leaders are both out of breath. The Red Leader speaks through his panting.
Olimar: "So... that's... what... the..." -coughs- "That's what the indentations are. They're footprints."
The Leaders recover and the Red Leader speaks again.
Olimar: "This is definitely the lord of all Snagrets. With that one foot, it can jump from the ground without leaving itself vulnerable, and then it can hop to pursue its prey. We will require a cunning strategy indeed if we are to defeat this monstrosity. A Snagret that hops! What a terrible foe!"
The Red Leader pauses for a moment before continuing. He is clearly thinking hard.
Olimar: "We are safe here under the Pod. Snagrets are territorial and this one's nest does not extend this far, or we would still be under attack. But, I can't think of any way to attack it without suffering heavy casualties. When aboveground, this Snagret's foot makes it taller than the normal Burrowing Snagrets. Because of this, I am certain we will not be able to hit its head with anything but our yellow Pikmin."
President: "Don't bother telling me this stuff, Olimar. Just devise a strategy, NOW, and use it."
Olimar: -grunts- -closes eyes-
There is a short amount of time where the Red Leader simply stands there with his eyes closed. Is he still thinking?
The Red Leader opens his eyes and speaks again.
Olimar: "There are three destructible walls on the far side of this arena. If we can get to them without being detected by the Snagret, we can tear them down and possibly find something useful back there. I don't know what we might find that's useful, but we might as well try. Here's what we'll do... Stay in the back of the Pikmin group with me. I'll instruct them to walk ahead of us, around the outer wall of the arena, but I'll keep the yellows in back with us. If the Snagret attacks, throw yellow Pikmin at its head. Let's go."
The Red Leader instructs us to turn and walk along the wall of the arena, in front of him and the Dark Leader. The Red Leader also instructs the yellow Pikmin to stay at the back of the group, nearer to him.
We walk slowly so as to stay together. It takes a long time to circumnavigate the entire side of the arena. When we have nearly arrived at the first of the three unstable root walls, there is an explosion of sand to our side, and the monster attacks again!
The giant beak snaps down at us, snatching up another Pikmin with each strike. Immediately, it is met with a volley of thrown yellow Pikmin from the Leaders. The yellows soar high into the air, land on the beast's head, and begin smacking it with their flowers.
Second after second, Pikmin after Pikmin is taken by the monster. As the Leaders throw the last of the yellow Pikmin, I hear the Red Leader begin directing us in random, swerving directions, trying to have us dodge the creature's beak. But, the instant the creature misses just once, it jumps into the air and burrows back underground, throwing all the yellows off its head in the process.
The yellows fly in every direction. The Leaders call them back as quickly as possible.
Olimar: "Retreat!"
The Red Leader calls everyone to him and orders us to run back towards the floating vessel as fast as we can.
We run. As we do, there is an explosion of sand behind us. The beast is after us again, it's lunging footsteps shaking the ground beneath us as we run in terror towards the safety of the floating vessel's light.
We make it, but not all of us. I look back and see that one of the yellows, which is now leaf-bearing from being flung from the monster's head, has tripped on its way back with us. The monster snatches it up in its beak and tosses it into its mouth, swallowing it instantly. The fiend then burrows back into the ground.
The Leaders are out of breath again. As they recover, the Red Leader counts us again. When the two finally regain their composure, the Red Leader speaks again.
Olimar: "We definitely hurt it a lot, but apparently we have to keep allowing it to eat our Pikmin to keep it from tunneling back into the ground. That is unacceptable, as our casualties are too numerous already. Since we arrived in this sublevel... Our blue count has dropped by five, from 16 to 11. Six of our yellows now have leaves instead of flowers, and the yellow Pikmin count has fallen by three, from 19 to 16. Our purples have taken the hardest hit, with ten losses, taking the purple count down from 24 to 14. Only three whites have been taken, but it would have been less if they weren't so numerous, as the whites are too small and fast to receive heavy casualties in this battle. We now have 21 whites, instead of 24. A total of 21 Pikmin have been taken by this more powerful version of Snagret; we only have 62 Pikmin left."
The Red Leader stamps in frustration.
Olimar: "Is there any form of attack against this beast that would work without allowing it to eat the majority of our Pikmin! Unless... That's it! We make sure it only eats the type of Pikmin it shouldn't!" -turns to the President- "When I was first trying to figure out how to combat Burrowing Snagrets, I discovered that Pikmin attacking its body at ground level were always the beast's first target when eating. With that in mind, we could make sure that this Snagret only eats only our white Pikmin and no others by making the whites attack its foot. This way, the troops it eats will help us kill it quickly through poison. If we have to sacrifice Pikmin to kill this fiend, we might as well sacrifice the ones that will shorten the battle when eaten, thus reducing our overall casualties. This is our only option."
The Red Leader then looks at us with a strange expression on his face. Before I can interpret his look, however, he turns back toward the Dark Leader and resumes talking.
Olimar: "Here's the plan... We organize the Pikmin the same as last time, with the bulk of the troops in front, but the yellows in back with us. Then, we step into the Snagret's territory to coax it out. Once it has surfaced, I'll command all the white Pikmin to attack while you begin throwing yellow Pikmin at its head. The whites will attack its foot and be set up as its target. You may think the Snagret will eventually wise up and realize that the white Pikmin it is eating are poisonous, but no enemy I have ever encountered has ever figured this out before now, so I do not believe this one will. I will then join you in launching our yellows at the Snagret's head. If our opponent behaves as I believe it will, this plan has a one hundred percent chance of success. We may lose nearly all of our white Pikmin, but at least we will win this fight with enough total troops left to bring back whatever treasure this Snagret holds."
The Red Leader pauses for a moment, but the Dark Leader does not respond.
Olimar: "Okay, just one more thing, and we'll set this plan in motion."
The Red Leader holds out a small, red rock, which looks rather familiar. He then throws it to the ground, causing it to burst into a bright pink haze that engulfs everyone. I immediately feel a very familiar sensation as my flower bristles and begins fizzling with pink sparks. My energy level has skyrocketed! I'm ready for anything now!
The Red Leader calls all of us to him and instructs us to walk out into the arena, ahead of him and the Dark Leader. The yellows, just like last time, are given a different command, which keeps them in back with the Leaders.
We advance. Soon, I will be able to exert my energy in defeating this monster. The Red Leader must have come up with a better plan to combat the beast that will soon appear before us again. This monster strikes so quickly. It's frightening to watch it snatch up my fellows one by one. But, now I'm faster too.
Another sand explosion rocks our vision. The terror is upon us again! But, this time, I immediately hear a command from the Red Leader instructing all white Pikmin to attack!
Like lightning, I race forward with my fellows and grasp hold of one of the beast's toes. I strike rapidly with my flower, but it seems to just bounce off the beast's hide. My flower's petals spin like blades, but simply ping off of our opponent without visible damage being dealt.
Suddenly, the white Pikmin next to me disappears as it is taken by the monster. One second later, I squeak in alarm and panic and I, too, am caught in that giant beak. I scream for my life as I zip up and down as the beast strikes again and again, adding more of my fellows to its collection in its beak. I see yellows fly past us, no doubt landing on the beast's head to attack. I try to scramble out of my captor's beak, to save myself, but then everything turns upside down and I fall backwards into darkness.
At the instant that I lose sight of the light outside the beast's mouth, everything seems to suddenly stand still. As I am suspended in darkness, it suddenly hits me...
That was it. That was my whole life and this is the end of it.
Though I never learned what were the Leaders' true motives, I take heart in knowing that I have aided them in their quest. Even with my death, I will poison one of their foes, thus helping them to the very end.
The Bug Leader was wrong. Pikmin are not meant to live a life without work. It is our service to the true Leaders that gives life its satisfaction; it makes life worth living.
I wish the true Leaders the best of luck with all their endeavors.
My whole life I've been itching for action, and I've had a life full of it, thanks to their Leadership. I wouldn't trade that for anything, especially not a life of lazy... nothing.
Life is action. Inaction is death.
I have had an abundance of life, and now, it's over.
I close my eyes, and rest in peace.
THE END