Brittany's POV

I face a long and terrifying night, all these loud nocturnal monsters kept me awake and restless. I kept hidden behind a rock, jumping at the various sounds. The roaring, the slithering, and the occasional plopping noise.

At one moment, all sound stopped. I peaked out at the glass and to my relief I saw nothing... at first. Eventually I heard familiar stomping noises. I kept watching and eventually I saw a silhouette...oh please don't tell me that's what I think it is! My fears were confirmed when I heard the sounds of juveniles. It's back... oh no that thing is back!

When it faced me, It had the scariest glowing purple eyes I had ever seen...

I scrunched up behind the rock, I heard that thing sniffing around. It gave a hair-raising growl and tapped at the glass. Afterward walking away, no doubt remembering what happened the first time it tried to break the glass.

This was going to be a long night...

Alph's POV

The next morning I tracked Brittany's signal into a forest area that I've named 'Garden of Hope'. Right now, finding her is my highest priority. But I must not forget the cosmic-drive key is missing… If we don't have that, the Drake won't be able to fly fast enough to get us back to Koppai. That would be very bad…

I also can't help but think that there's something more to our crash than we know… It felt almost as if some power from the planet's surface was manipulating our ship…

Putting everything aside, I set off to land in the Garden of Hope with the Pikmin Onion flying close by. Once we landed, I stepped outside into a green environment. Giant pink petals sailed in the air, the various plants were enormous, unlike anything I'd ever seen.

"Brittany's probably around here. Something is flashing on my map – maybe it's her! I'm running out of sustenance, I have to find her before it's too late!"

It looks like the Onion has followed me here. But where are the Pikmin?

"Oh that's right, the data file I found explains all of this."

I went under the ray of light the Onion was casting and I called out my red squad. They piled out and gathered around me. With my squad I traveled to where the signal was guiding me, the lush grass and pink petals rustled softly beneath my feet.

In an opening past a thick brush spot, we encountered a giant red creature! The eyes were stalks and it had white spots on its back. Fortunately it was asleep, and we crept right behind it.

A Pikmin had pulled on my hand and pointed at the creature.

I whispered, "Yes I see it… We're going to sneak past it."

This Pikmin had other ideas, it posed in a combating stance and began to whip its leaf all around and make punching motions. Is it saying what I think?

"You want us to attack it?"

The Pikmin nodded its head affirmatively. Along with the rest of the team.

I sighed, I didn't think these cute little creatures could be so violent!

I silently commanded my squad to attack, the creature had an unpleasant wake up call. When it shook my crew off its back, I called my group back and we hid in the bushes. Watching it look around and sniff for us, when it turned its back we attacked again and that's the ambush that killed the beast.

After it stopped moving, ten of the Pikmin carried it back to where the onion was. It wasn't too far away, so I followed them back, the dead creature got sucked into the Onion and it spit out seeds in return. I still can't believe how unforgiving nature is.

I plucked the sprouts and we continued on with a bigger squad. Eventually reaching a narrow pathway with a steep incline. After reaching the top I stopped to rest, and the lead Pikmin tugged on my arm again, this time making alarming noises.

"What's the matter?" I asked, I looked in the distance where it was pointing and I saw what I absolutely dreaded.

I could see Brittany in the area she got trapped in, and she was laying there! Not moving a muscle! My heart began to race, "Oh no Brittany!" I hastily got out my Koppad and dialed her, "Please tell me I'm not too late!"

My Koppad had connected but she wasn't picking up, it really freaked me out, "Pick up Brittany! Pick up! Please still be alive…!"

"Alph!?" She finally answered, "Sorry about that, I thought I'd take a little nap. So, you're close by?"

I sighed with relief, "Brittany you weren't moving at all. You scared me half to death!"

"Sorry…" she giggled, "You know me, I am a pretty sound sleeper. Even with these creatures creeping around...hah... But never mind that! When I fell here, I noticed what looks like a piece of fruit! I'm stuck here, so could you check it out for me?"

"All right Brittany. I'll come get you soon okay? Stay strong!" Then I hung up. I ran down the path hoping to find the fruit that Brittany was talking about.

Just then I came across the fruit, it was bright, sun-kissed, and had a coat of what looked like little seeds.

"Wow! It's even bigger than I thought it would be!" I exclaimed. If this giant thing really is a fruit than we hit the jackpot!

I took some of my Pikmin and threw them on the ledge, with six of them up there they lifted the massive red fruit and carried it down. The path from here back to the Drake was safe, so I left it up to them to return it to the Drake.

Meanwhile, I continued to follow Brittany's signal, on the way I passed by a cave but I didn't pay any mind to it. But what I did pay mind to, were these peculiar footprints in the ground. The footprint was... well it looked like a two toed creature, and there were these smaller footprints of the same kind following.

What in the world could this footprint belong to?

After some searching, I found Brittany on the other side of a glass wall, "Brittany!"

She approached the glass, "There you are Alph! I can't break through this wall."

I punched the glass several times, but I couldn't make a single crack on it! Jeez this was some tough crystal! My Pikmin team pounded it and not even they could get it to fall! While I waited to catch my breath, I notice that there were several of the footprints I had seen earlier. All around the glass wall, whatever it was it must have tried to eat Brittany. Now I was more determined than ever to get her out of there.

"So now what?" Brittany asked.

My mind crossed the small cave entrance that I passed by on the way here, "Brittany wait here. If I can't find anything I'll come back and try something else okay?"

"Be careful Alphie!"

I felt nervous leaving her there, but I had no other choice. I found the cave entrance that crossed my path earlier and went in. Hoping to find something to help…

Crystal glass decorated the cave, one of the crystal hunks stood out to me in particular. The one with the strange object embedded inside.

I walked closer to get a better look, "What is that thing?" The crystals reflections were so manipulating I couldn't even make a guess.

Out of nowhere this giant ghostly creature floated down from the ceiling, "What IS that!?"

The creature suddenly dropped a part of itself on the ground! The Pikmin and I dodged in the nick of time. In the midst of watching this eerie being I noticed something odd.

Is there something inside that thing?

With no time to lose, I threw my Pikmin at the thing and they managed to latch on and give a few hits. The creature wasted no time shaking its attackers off, then dropping itself again. This time it caught a few of my Pikmin and sucked them inside!

I threw the rest of my squad at the beast wanting to free my trapped squad members.

The might of the team became too much for this monster, it cried out in anguish and shot up into the dark ceiling, dropping everything it had.

What I saw was amazing, along with my trapped squad there were a different kind of living creature too! Well maybe not too different… They had similar features to the red ones, the stem and leaf on their heads, and the same foreign chatter. Except these little guys were a dark gray color and their bodies were in the shape of rocks!

"Are these creatures Pikmin too? They're giving me a funny look…"

After tumbling and rolling amongst each other, no doubt trying to collect their bearings after being trapped in that thing. They turned their attention to the crystal that had a strange object inside and started to throw themselves at it, giving the crystal some chips.

"What in the-?"

I whistled at them, and they approached me in the same friendly manner as the reds did, "These guys are friendly too!"

Whatever was in that crystal they wanted it, so I lifted one of them and threw it at the crystal, hitting it square in the center. That dealt some major damage.

"Wow these guys sure pack a punch!"

With more repeated throwings the tough crystal shattered into pieces and the mystery object inside revealed itself as an Onion. It floated and three yellow tentacles emerged acting as legs. Just like the first one did.

"So that's what that is, it's their Onion."

Going closer to get a better look, I noticed another data file at my feet.

Its another data file.

I plugged it into my Koppad and it read, Rock Pikmin are very hard... Like rocks.

Around that time the Drake sent me a message,

Analyzing recovery!

The Drake scanned the suspected fruit, afterward confirming that large quantities of Piktamin U were detected! That this was in fact, a seed-bearing fruit, making cultivation on Koppai possible. Also that the juice is safe for consumption.

Things were finally starting to look up after a bumpy start on our journey! Then again I don't know much about plants, "I'll ask Brittany to write reports about the fruit we recover. She is the botanist after all."

*THUMP*

That creature that shot up into the dark finally made its way back down to the ground. The Rock Pikmin lifted the carcass and produced Rock Pikmin seeds. I plucked the seed and ran off to free Brittany. Surely these sturdy Rock Pikmin would break through the glass wall keeping her prisoner!

Brittany's POV

I sat in my shelter drawing my finger through the dirt, waiting for Alph to come and rescue me. I sure hope that beast doesn't come around again while he's gone.

Also what were those red creatures he had with him? They sure were cute... Once I get out of here, I need his help getting that huge piece of fruit I can see hiding in the trees!

"Brittany!" Finally he came back. Not only that he had more of those adorable creatures with him! Except these were shaped like rocks!

I wanted to get a closer look, but Alph had picked up one of those rock creatures and was ready to chuck it into the wall!

"Stand back Brittany!" He flung those walking rocks repeatedly, finally making some dents and cracks on the tough glass! After all of that throwing, the glass finally shattered and I was free at last!

I ran out the gate more than glad to be out of there, "Whew! Does it feel good to be out of there! I'm sick of sleeping outside and I'm super hungry too."

"Good to see you Brittany." He replied, "It's a good thing I met these guys!"

"So um... What are those anyway?"

"Well according to the data files I found while exploring, they're called Pikmin?"

Pikmin? What an unusual name... "They are cute. But we don't have time for cuteness right now! Alphie look over there!" I pointed to the huge yellow fruit.

"Hm? What's..." Alph paused seeing the fruit, "Wow!"

"Let's work together and get it Alphie! Throw me over to that ledge!"

Alph picked me up and hurled me on the ledge, to my surprise he managed to throw me far enough to land me completely on the ledge. Why is it a surprise? Because he's smaller than I am.

"Okay throw me some Pikmin!"

After he threw six of them to me, I tossed them up in the trees where the fruit was. More surprise, They actually lifted the massive fruit.

Wow... these little guys sure are strong when they work together like this."

"They'll carry it back to the Drake for us." Alph told me, "We have a bit more time before the sun goes down, let's see if there's more fruit nearby."

While we kept an eye out for more fruit, Alph taught me about the Pikmin, "I found this data file in the area I landed in. The Pikmin live in a small little ship called an 'Onion'."

"A small ship?"

"Yes, when I took off of the planet's surface last night, they lifted off with me."

"I don't blame them, the planet's surface at night is scary. Believe me I know. Luckily they couldn't get to me, so being trapped had a plus there."

"Well you don't have to worry about that anymore." Alph assured, "When night comes, you'll be off the surface with me."

I replied with a small giggle, "I still wonder who left behind that data file."

"Well It couldn't have been the Captain. Which makes me wonder if someone else is here."

"Could be... hey look! Another fruit!"

On a ledge just a Pikmin toss away, a red fruit covered in seeds sat there waiting for us to pick it up. We threw some Pikmin up on the ledge and they carried it away. We followed them back to the Drake upon noticing the sun was about to set.

Alph sighed heavily, "Well Brittany, I've got some bad news."

"What is it Alph?"

"Well... The cosmic-drive key... its gone."

I hesitated, taking in what he just told me, "It's gone!? But without that we can't leave!"

"I know... while we're looking for fruit, it's also crucial we find the cosmic-drive key."

"We should also find the Captain." I added nonchalantly.

"Right, good point."

We made it back to the Drake just as the sun was barely peeking over the horizon, after the Pikmin dropped the fruit off for the Drake to take it in, Alph commanded all of the Pikmin back to their Onions. We then boarded the Drake and prepared for liftoff.

I was so happy that I wouldn't have to spend other night on the planet's surface. I owe it all to Alph and his entourage of Pikmin...

"I'll ration out the juice." I volunteered, "No extra gulps for anyone!"

Alph can make do with a slightly smaller portion...

Alph's POV

Back on board, we ran an analysis on the fruit we retrieved and found it suitable for Koppaite consumption. It looks like there's plenty more where that came from! Reuniting with Brittany, finding this fruit... It's still early, but things seem to be taking a turn for the better!

"Alphie! Look!" Brittany was gazing out the ship's window.

"What is it Brittany?"

I noticed the two Pikmin Onions making circles around each other. It looked like they were engaged in a dance, until suddenly they morphed together!

I was sure amazed, "Whoa!"

"They joined together!"

"Now the Onion is much bigger, that is so cool!"

Our next objective, starts tomorrow. For now, we need to rest.