Exploration Day 3
Alph's POV

"That was amazing how the Pikmin freed you like that Brittany!"

"Same here Alph. I'm glad they were around. After all they seem to be friendly and intelligent creatures. I hope they keep helping us like this!"

"You're right! We need to focus every drop of our energy on getting the Pikmin to help us gather fruit!" I announced hoping to sound inspiring.

"Well, we also need to find the cosmic-drive key. We won't be making it home without that."

I tried to refresh my speech again, "Right! Let's focus all of our energy on retrieving food and the key! I will think about absolutely nothing else!"

"Except for finding the Captain." Brittany corrected me again, "We need to rescue him wherever he is."

"…Right. So we got fruit, the key, and the captain! Am I forgetting anything else Brittany?"

"Um… No I think you got it this time."

Our computer suddenly beeped at us. The radar began directing our attention to a signal coming from the Garden of Hope. One thing's for sure, it's not Brittany this time.

"Huh? What's that signal coming from over there?" Brittany asked.

"I sincerely hope it's the captain! Let's hurry over there and find out!"

Brittany wasn't so enthusiastic, "…Yeah, I suppose we can pick him up."

We didn't know exactly what to expect, but we had to see what was going on. We headed off to the Garden of Hope and landed like I did the other day. We called out our Pikmin squad, and headed in the signal's direction.

Yesterday was a long enough day, but something was telling me that this day was going to be even longer. The signal was still quite a ways off.

"So Brittany, how was your career working out?"

"Things were going pretty well. I landed a job at Koppai Lawn and Service. Gives me a lot of opportunities to study and learn."

"Sounds great Brittany. I'm glad things are working out for you."

Brittany and I go way back, we met in a college English class and we've been close friends ever since. Respectively her major was in botany and mine in engineering. It was just our luck that we managed to get assigned to this mission together.

"Yeah, other than the food crisis." She replied, "What about you Alphie?"

"I'm working at Koppai Marketing & Services. Things were going pretty well until...well... we got into our little food predicament."

"Wow that's great Alphie! So... are we close to the signal yet?"

I took out the map, The source of the signal was still a fair distance away but we were quite a ways from the Drake now. Gosh I hope we can make it back before the sun goes down.

"We're getting closer. According to the map the signal is…" I paused to look around, "Right down this path." I directed to a narrow passage. Looking into the distance I noticed a large tree, perhaps the signal is there?

"Let's hurry." Brittany urged, "Something about this is making me nervous."

As we traversed down the route, I noticed that something was a bit off. Before we got to this point I was able to hear all sorts of wildlife. Chirping, buzzing, even small scampering.

Out here, nothing, except the eerie howl of the wind.

"Hey Alph! Come look at this!"

I noticed she had stopped, and was looking at something on the ground, "What's up?" when I saw what she was looking at, I recognized the object right away.

"Wha…? What's a data file doing all the way out here?"

She handed it to me, "Well what does it say?"

I inserted the file into my Koppad, this time instead of instructions and a picture. It was a journal entry.

My search for treasure continues with no luck. But I can't fly back home to Hocotate without procuring a few priceless artifacts! I'm sensing something valuable up ahead. But I'm also sensing danger. So if someone is finds this… Please send word to my wife and children… That I didn't make it. I love them very much, and that I'm sorry to have left them this way.

- Captain Olimar

As if traveling down this noiseless path wasn't unnerving enough. Now we have more reason to be worried. We sat there in silence, the ghostly breeze hounding us again. As if on cue, an unknown creature repeated calling yelps, then faded into the environment.

The Pikmin started making chatter amongst themselves, perhaps thinking about the possible danger that could be ahead.

"Captain Olimar?" Brittany broke the silence.

I shrugged, "I can't say I heard of him."

"Another captain has been through here? He says he's from Hocotate…"

"Hocotate isn't too far from Koppai." I added, "I heard they will do anything to get their hands on valuable treasure."

"Maybe it's all the vegetables they eat that make them so treasure crazed."

"Could be. But we can't say for sure. All I know now is that we'd better be careful. Sounds like this Olimar fellow met his end up ahead. Poor guy…This Olimar fellow seems pretty devoted to his family."

"That's true, sad… but true."

We continued on, with more caution than before. When we finally reached the giant tree, we noticed something had hollowed the tree out, creating a large cave-like entrance. The roof of the entrance was spiked out, bearing a resemblance to sharp teeth…

Nonetheless we went inside, which was empty except for a few mushrooms. I grew more anxious than before...

"I've got a bad feeling about this Brittany…"

"Me too… What do you think hallowed this tree out?"

"I have no idea."

"Well whatever it was it must be really..."

I looked at her when she paused, she was looking above my head with sheer terror on her face. When I saw what she was looking at…

"Whoa!"

She finished her sentence, "Huge...!" before giving a terrified squeal.

My gosh it was the biggest bug I had ever seen… It screeched a deafening roar that scared the hair clean off our necks. That is of course if the Pikmin HAD hair on their necks.

"Run for it Brittany!"

We ran from the bug but it crawled its way along the walls, stopping in front of us!

It reared back, snapping its large pincers.

"Watch out! Here it comes!"

"Yikes!" Brittany yelled.

We fled out of the way of its grippers, but this creature had more than just power it had speed. It whiffed around and used its head to send me, Brittany, and our Pikmin flying in several directions.

Oh, no! Oh, no! Oh, no!

I heard Brittany screaming from the other side of the ferocious beast. I used my whistle to gather some of the Pikmin, I first threw some Reds. The Reds struck at the bug constantly but they couldn't make a dent on it!

The creature shook its attackers off and disappeared.

Brittany ran to my side, "Alph! That monster has some kind of protective covering!"

"Looks like this is a job for the rock Pikmin!" I replied, "But where did it go?"

I scanned my eyes vigorously around the tree. It was a strange feeling, my heart was going a million miles per hour, yet time seemed to be standing still.

In the blink of an eye the monster dropped from the ceiling almost on top of us! I stumbled backwards from the shockwave, and found myself with my back against its closed pinchers.

I recoiled from the insect's nasty breath, it smacked its lips, and with its repulsive tongue proceeded to lick the edge of its slicers. I was right in its path! I hurried to escape the deathtrap ready to swipe me up and swallow me whole.

Out of nowhere the bug reared back on its tail! I was thrown on top a nearby mushroom.

"Take that you psycho pest!" I heard Brittany yell at the creature, with rock Pikmin behind her.

The beast fled to the roof again, on its way up I noticed that the armored bug was missing a piece of its cover.

"Alph! Its armor is fragile! Just throw the rock Pikmin at it!"

I rounded up a share of Pikmin and waited for the creature to attack again. This time it tried to sneak up behind but Brittany noticed it before it could attack, "There it is!" the monster promptly charged.

We waited until it got within throwing distance before bombarding the thing with Rock Pikmin. The beast growled and flailed as its protective armor cracked.

The monster recognized we found its weakness and began to panic. It fled in an unorganized manner, it was on the wall, then on the ground, then back on the wall again. All the while Brittany and I were tiring ourselves out trying to dodge the creature, at the same time keeping our Pikmin squad together.

Eventually the thing tired itself out and had to stop to rest.

All right! Now's our chance!

I readied the rock Pikmin and threw several square at its head, the crystal shattered, the pieces went flying everywhere.

The monster roared again, unlike the last time this roar sounded more panicked than monstrous. The creature began round two of running all over the place. This time we managed to keep ourselves together, taking cover in a small grove hidden among a pack of mushrooms.

I devised a plan, "All right Brittany, when that thing stops to rest. Let's pulverize it!"

"Good idea Alphie! Look! It stopped now's our chance!"

We dashed alongside the Pikmin, they hopped onto the creature's exposed head and pounded it senseless. It was too exhausted to shake its attackers off. In a last bit attempt it tried to flee to the ceiling.

I encouraged the Pikmin, "Come on! We've almost got it! Keep going!"

The power of the Pikmin proved too much, the beast delivered a croaking roar. A bulge appeared in its throat, it gaged and some kind of technology piece, and what looks like a huge piece of fruit slipped right out of its mouth. Yuck!

The creature took a tumble to the ground and flopped down on the floor, lifeless.

All went silent again, as if nothing had happened. I stared at the carcass for several seconds waiting for it to rear back again. But it never did. I don't know how, but we managed to kill that beast.

And what was that thing it spit up? I took out my map and our questions were answered.

"So this was giving off that signal..."

So what does this mean for the Captain's whereabouts?

"Alph! Check out this fruit!" Brittany called out.

My attention went to the large magenta fruit that the beast also upchucked. Its appearance reminded me of a comet shooting through space.

"Despite the fact that its been in that monster it smells delicious!"

I wasn't too sure about this fruit, "Well I guess if people don't get scared of it we could take it back."

Of course Brittany was going to take any edible matter back whether I liked it or not. Then again its not like we have much of a choice, Koppai is starving.

"I also want to take this thing back." I mentioned, referring to the signal-emitting object, "I think it might be of some use to us."

With the help of the Pikmin, we hauled our prizes out of that hollow tree. Going back down that creepy narrow path seemed a lot less intimidating now. The sky was going from blue to a bright orange, warning us to hurry.

Brittany's POV

We escaped death by the skins of our noses. Though it didn't hit me until now, when we were taking our findings back.

I've been observing the rock Pikmin, and it appears that they are capable of delivering quite a powerful blow when thrown directly at a target. Considering how dense and chunky and their bodies are, there legs are surprisingly slender. How they manage to support themselves is a mystery to me!

Alph came by me, "Hey Brittany? Are you doing all right?"

"I'm perfectly fine Alph. Just a little rattled."

"That sure was crazy. Now, I've scanned the area for any further signals. But I can't find anymore... I don't think the Captain is here."

"The Captain? Oh yeah. He almost slipped my mind."

I honestly don't like the Captain much, even though he's recognized as a hero on Koppai. Direct opposite of Alph, who truly looks up to him.

It was almost dark when we finally got back to the Drake, the Pikmin loaded all of our things into the Drake. Then we hurried into the Drake while the Pikmin retreated to their Onion before the night predators could get us.

Into low Orbit, Alph studied the foreign object.

"According to the Drake..." He said, "This is an ancient communication device used on this planet. It contains technology unknown to Koppai and is emitting a signal even now."

I was honestly confused, "So what's that going to do for us?"

"If I integrate this device into the Drake's communication system, I should be able to boost our signal's strength! All right! Looks like it's going to be an all nighter for me!"

We recovered the communications device that was inside the massive insect. According to Alph, this device contains parts that may expand the Drake's communications range. I've never seen him so excited! He can't tear himself away from that thing! I'm more than happy to write today's report while Alph examines the device. He can be so diligent sometimes!