Chapter Six

Redd twisted the knob to his apartment door. He had thought about visiting his family, but he wanted to catch up a few things before he did that. HIs door was at the top of the steps but the stubborn old door refused to open.
"Stupid door." He said, "Can't a guy get in his own place."
He began to ram the door with his shoulder until it gave way. When the door suddenly did, Redd had to swing his arms to keep from falling over.
"Well, I didn't break my nose." Redd said, remembering a pretty bad incident one of the first days he moved in, "Home sweet home." He slammed the door behind him but still the door swung back open, now refusing to close. Redd sighed and repeated his technique on this side of the door.
Finally it shut itself and Redd turned back to his single room studio. It had really only the basics, and it was originally just a single large room with one extra room for the bathroom. Since Redd moved in, he put up fake walls to divide off areas; the kitchen, the bedroom, and the t.v. room.
Redd put his coat on a peg in the wall to his right of the front door, and thought about getting a cup of nectar from the kitchen. He barely took a step with something slid across the floor from his foot.
"Well what do we have here?" He asked reaching down. It was a small silver envelope with a single leaf design on both the back and the front.
"It looks like I have mail." He said, "And at least it's not from that lonely guy who wants to meet me. Stupid spam." He flipped the envelope around to find an address but there was nothing.
"Weird. I don't know anyone who would send me this." Using his index finger he tore open the top and unfolded the letter within.
"'When all has failed, and life deserted you!'" Redd began, "'When your gods of Pikmin have been made a sham.'" Redd stopped and rolled his eyes.
"Great, a cult group letter."
He was tempted to throw it away when something caught his eye; the words "silver-skinned Goddess".
"'Turn to the one true mother of the Pikmin race! The silver-skinned Goddess herself given us a glimpse to a new tomorrow. A tomorrow that brings with it the promises of many and the future of many more!'"
Redd felt his heart stop for a moment.
"Silver? Could she be the one I saw out in the forest?" He read the bottom of the note and added, "There is a gathering in the Wistful Wood, just across the ocean. I wonder if I should go or not."
Everyone knew the main religion of the Pikmin was of an ancient race of giants who created the Pikmin. There were so large that even the biggest Purple Pikmin barely matched their thumbs. Redd didn't really believe in this religion because of the sheer size of the race. How could Pikmin have been born from such large creatures? But Redd had to follow what his father always said; to each their own.

Yellow was going to head home but the encounter with Roy only made her nervous. "What if he is following me?" She asked herself nervously, then decided she was going to walk around for a bit. Eventually, her path lead her to a popular spot for the community, especially the younger Pikmin:
The Nightbulb.
It was a bar that specialized different berry drinks and nectars so patrons could get a nice buzz. Yellow herself was not proud to admit going home with her leaf lit up like the Onions during ceremonies a few times.
The small square grey building wasn't in the best part of town though, so Spore dealers crept in now and again. Thinking about this, Yellow wondered if it was a bad idea going here: Roy could be following.
"Roy wouldn't try anything here," She assured herself, "Some of the best people in town run the Nightbulb." She trusted the owners with her life, she knew they wouldn't let anything truly bad happen to anyone.
Assured that she was safe here, Yellow pushed open the double doors and took a deep breath. The bar had just opened for the night so the place was most likely empty.
Yellow had been wrong though.
The place was packed with Pikmin of all shapes, sizes, and colors filling up every available space, even a few flying in the air. A group of white and purple Pikmin were around a few tables and cheering on their friends who were competing in arm wrestling contests. Poor white Pikmin. And the biggest thing to note was that every single Pikmin had a drink in their hands.
Through the crowd, Yellow noticed an empty chair and sat down. She turned away from the bar and looked around the noisy, fun-loving group. Her youth had been filled with this sort of activity. She would come in with friends, have a good time, then wake up in someone else's bed or couch, with the other person passed out half in the toilet.
She wasn't too proud of her old life, and on more than one occasion wondered how she lived through it.
"Well, I haven't seen you in a while." Someone said from behind the bar.
Yellow turned around but already knew who was talking: William.
"William! Hi!" She said when she turned around. She could feel her face flush when she saw the bartenders face. He was a white Pikmin with ruby eyes that could see right into you, almost literally. He stood there over the counter cleaning a glass with a rag like a classic bartender would do.
"How is it going?" He asked and Yellow immediately replied, "Me? I'm fine, just fine! How about you?" She hated when she got like this, she always ended up looking like a stammering fool.
"I've been alright." He replied but something in the way he said it stopped Yellows giddiness and made her wonder what was wrong.
A few moments passed before anyone said anything, and it was Yellow asking, "Anything new?"
William looked around a bit and, almost as if ignoring her tended to the other patrons at the counter, then said something to the other bartender, another white one then came back.
"Got a minute, it's a bit noisy in here." William asked Yellow.
"Uh, sure. Do you want to go outside?" Yellow asked and William simply nodded.
Yellow stood up and William walked down the counter till he pushed open the half door. The floor behind the counter was much taller than the main floor, because the bartenders were white Pikmin so they were much smaller than everyone else. When William took off his apron and hopped down the lower floor, Yellow had forgotten how small William was. His bud on his head only reached her forehead.
He looked at her and simply asked, "What? Something on my face?"

Chapter Four

The three Onions took to the air and this time didn't stay in the same area, instead they leaned toward the setting sun, and began their journey to the great Pikmin City. Blue took in a heavy, water-filled sigh and retrieved a pen from it's cup on the wall. His Onion was entirely filled with water to help make his kind, the blue Pikmin, more comfortable. To Blue it was fine, but to others it was deadly. Blue began to write down in the blank, binded book and said, "In order to continue our race..." He had decided not too long ago to work on a book, sort of an autobiography, where he detailed his life so other Pikmin could live and grow even after he is gone. "I was sprouted the same as the rest, from a blue Onion under the command of my mother, who raised me and my 14000 collected siblings the best she could during her life. I was one of the few who survived into adulthood, and having been born in the time of flightless Onions, that is no small feat. I am several decades my comrades senior, but I am glass they don't loose respect for me because of that." blue sat there and wrote for a few more hours filling twenty to thirty pages with his words and thoughts, then stood up and checked on their positions. "Only a few more hours till we arrive." He said looking to the panel, "I'll see you soon Blossom." That morning, the Onions one by one extended their landing legs and landed on a large silver platform that stuck out from the side of a mountain. "Kay, we're here." yellow said feeling the fist shake form the Onion's legs landing, then a quick static discharge came from the console and then into a physical spark that passed into Yellow's hand who didn't really feel it. "Will that be all in your party?" A voice asked. "Yes." Yellow confirmed, then moments later, felt the platform begin to move toward the rock face. While the platform moved toward the mountain, the mountain began to open up and allowed the Onions to pass through. Once they were inside, the door they passed through closed back up and three cranes moved down onto the Onions, picking up the vessels in their three metal fingers. The Onions began to pull their legs in as they arrived in the docking pay and were gently placed in a row of multicolored Onions. When it was clear they were ready to leave, a beam of yellow light transported Yellow to the front of her Onion where she was greeted by both Blue and Redd. "I'll go check in with the Pikmin Council, you two will go speak with the Purple's and get the Onions worked on." Blue informed, "After that, it would be acceptable to visit with your families and friends." "So we get the rest of the day off huh?" Redd asked. Blue nodded his head. Yellow gave a smile and her ears perked up a bit, it felt like years since she was home last. Yellow had started working as a picker several years ago and spent most of her time outside of the City. She knew Redd didn't feel as homesick, this being his first year as a Picker, the ties from family weren't as strung out. Blue, on the other hand, had been doing this for many, many years, she wondered how he could keep sane being so far from his loved ones, and then, while at the City, still continue to work. Yellow sighed then looked to Redd, who had busied himself with a small toy he always had with him. "Ready?" She asked. Redd stopped examining his "Pik-man" action figure he got from his grandfather when he was young, and gave a small shrug while saying, "Whenever you are." The Purple Pikmin were, by far, the strongest guys around and handled all things labor wise, which included Onion maintenance and repair, and, thankfully, there was a small Purple Unit located in the docking bay. "Hey fellas!" Redd said when they got within earshot. The purples were all chatting with each other across from the Onion line all drinking nectar from cooler in the small break room. When Redd had called out, the larger one of the small group looked over and raised an eyebrow, then sighed. He took another sip of nectar and replied with a, "What do you need?" Redd's smile dropped at the tone he had been answered with and asked, "What did I do?" "Don't worry about him." A second purple said walking forward, "The name's Mech, what can I do for you?" Purple Pikmin all had the same basic features as every other Pikmin, a rounded body and a sprout from their head, but they had, of course, purple skin and string-like hair around their sprout. Mech was obviously proud of his hair, as it was longer than the others and pulled into a ponytail, it even seemed to shine from great care. The other purples had their hair cropped short and it was barely noticeable. "We just came back from Picking the Eastern Woods and in the mission we increased our seeds to almost max. We were wondering if you and your crew could help update our Onions?" Yellow asked. Mech crossed his arms and said, "Wouldn't it be easier to give the extra seeds to the care of the Council?" Redd shrugged his shoulders, "Sounds easier to me, but we're just following blue's orders." "Well, I have no problem workin' on them, you just need the expanion for the storage right? Or is there anything else we can do for you?" "Only if you think something does." Yellow replied. Mech smiled and stuck out a hand, "Consider it done." He said, then he shook hands with both Redd and Yellow. Yellow handed over the numbers of the Onions to Mech, they said their farewells, ready to see the City and their families. "Name." The Grey Pikmin said when Blue approached the desk. "Captain James Blue." Blue responded, "Primary leader of Picker Unit SM2001." After a moment on a holographic console, the grey receptionist said, "Captain Blue, you are cleared to report to the Council. Wait in the man meeting room, if you will." Blue walked past the desk and headed straight into the meeting room, a small room with a large table and several chairs. "How may I be of service?" A voice questioned, from a chair at the far end of the table. It was a grey Pikmin, noted for their wrinkled grey skin and yellow eyes, who had asked the question. The grey Pikmin were said to be the oldest and wisest Pikmin of all, though they were the weakest race. They assumed civil duties such as running the City and other non-dangerous duties. "I have come from a recent Picking mission and stumbled across something... different. I would like to present my report tot he Council and see what they have to add on my find." The grey Pikmin raised an eye ridge and asked, "What exactly did you find out there?" Blue stood a bit taller, though the memory of his blue Pikmin who was life was taken by that claw, buzzed angrily around his head. "A monster." He simply replied. "A monster? What do you mean by that?" The grey asked, a touch of nervousness edging his voice. "I'm not sure, that's what I wish to discuss with the Council. I think it may have to do with the old history." The Pikmin's forehead wrinkled in surprise. "If that's the case, we shall get you an audience as soon as possible." With that, they Grey Pikmin rose from his chair and led Blue through a small door on the side of the room.

Chapter Two

Once it was morning, Blue and Redd left their tunnel that protected them and looked to the sky for the Onions.
“Good morning sky.” Redd said looking around, “Have you seen our friends this morning?”
“Shut up Redd.” Blue warned, not wanting to attract late predators.
“Just joking…” Redd said edging away from his comrade. Redd looked down from the sky and spotted a patch of grass growing not too far away. He found the thickest blade and pulled it out, which revealed a sphere of golden nectar on the end of it.
“Breakfast?” Redd asked holding the grass and nectar.
“Not the time.” Blue replied still watching the sky for the Onions.
“Fine, more for me.” Redd said, then drank the nectar off the plant then began to chew the green plant itself.
“Personally, I prefer meat to grass, but the nectar makes it better.”
“Do you ever shut up?” Blue asked, annoyed.
“When I sleep.”
“I wish…” Blue sighed.
After a bit of searching and listening to Redd ramble about why he prefers meat over the grass, Blue finally spotted the Onions hovering close to where the camp was yesterday. The weeds obscured their view of them when the crafts began to land, but it wasn’t that difficult to find them.
“Well I see Redd is alive, just like I said he would.” Yellow said when her comrades arrived. “It’s good to see you both.”
“It’s good to see my Onion.” Redd said walking over to his Onion. The red ship was simple in design, with the bulb of a real Onion with three long legs held it above the ground. The flower on top slowly spun in the light breeze making a sounds along with its two similar comrades.
Yellow sighed then looked to Blue, “He’s more excited about seeing his Onion than anything else huh?”
Blue nodded then went straight to business, “How much food and nectar do we have left?”
Yellow said, “With the number of Pikmin we have… only enough to last us par way through the week.”
Blue was surprised, yesterday they had a full load, enough to feed them all for at least two weeks. “What happened? He asked. Yellow sighed then said, “Two things happened: first, some of the food became bad and I had to toss some from mine, and had the other two checked. There was bad food there too. And second, pearls were somehow put on board and created many more Pikmin. We now have a collected… twenty-eight thousand infant Pikmin. Give or take.”
“Twenty-eight thousand!” Blue yelled, unable to believe that, “We only had close to six hundred yesterday! How many pearls were put on?”
“I don’t know, but the Onions are nearing their max, we may have to regroup with the other Pikmin to drop off some of them.
“Pearls?” Redd asked, overhearing their conversation, “What do they look like?”
“They are round and light enough for a few Pikmin to carry. Why do you ask?” Yellow responded.
“Are they silver?” Redd asked, his face becoming fearful.
“Usually.” Blue answered, “What did you do?”
Redd looked down and said, “ I found a field of them. And harvested as much as I could.”
“You collected Pikmin Products!” Blue shouted, furious with the young leader. Pikmin Products were things that were collected to increase the production of Pikmin. Normal creatures and nectar provided food for them, but things like pellets and pearls created Pikmin.
“I didn’t know what they were!” Redd exclaimed, “I’m sorry.”
“But why didn’t the one who guarded the Onions catch them?” Redd asked, “I mean, there was someone guarding right?”
“Hey Blue, wasn’t that you yesterday?” Yellow asked. Blue opened his mouth about to object but then shut it like he was a gasping fish. He looked away, and then began to turn actually purple.
“You were guarding weren’t you? Why didn’t you catch it?” Redd asked, feeling the momentum of the argument shift in his favor.
“Dismissed. Today we just gather more food and supplies to manage our larger force. Redd, you guard, Yellow, you collect food, and I will collect nectar.” Blue said, changing the subject entirely.
Redd decided to give Blue one more jab and said, “I’ll be sure to tell Blossom hello.”
Blue turned beet red and stormed to his Onion, spouting out things about disrespect and mutiny. Redd laughed at the reaction and then said to Yellow, “Well, I guess I better enjoy the day off then right?”
Yellow nodded, “Just take it easy, and don’t wonder off again.”
Redd stretched his arms and grabbed a few red Pikmin whom, once on the ground, began stretching and getting their muscles loose.
“Alright guys, let’s relax.” Redd said.
When Yellow and Blue left to collect the supplies, Redd decided to play a game with the small group of Pikmin he had with him.
“Pikmin Sweeper.” Redd said, then passed out scraps of brown material cut from a strange wall they had overcome once before by tossing Pikmin atop and making it collapse. Along with these, Redd passed out pieces of chalk so the Pikmin could mark on the materials. On a few of the papers the Pikmin wrote down a large “X” to show that they have a “bomb”. The ones around it would mark down how many “bombs” were nearby, to give clues to the bomb.
While the Pikmin wrote down, Redd looked away and waited for them to finish. When they were done, Redd began to pick where he thought was bomb free. The first few rounds proved more difficult for Redd, whom would swear at each lose and have the Pikmin reset.
The Pikmin themselves seemed to enjoy the game, giving small noises that could be translated to laughter when their leader lost.
Before long, small groups of yellow and blue Pikmin began to arrive carrying their harvests, greater than usual to support the large quanity of Pikmin they now have. Blue and Yellow had left with larger forces, at least one hundred a piece, to make their jobs easier. Groups of three were the first to arrive, holding Dwarf and Spotty Bulborbs, or even a Honeywisp or two, to collect the nectar.
When they arrived, Redd directed them to their Onions to await the return of one of the other leaders. Naturally though, Redd began to be bored, and started to kick up his feet to take a nap in the morning sun.
“It’s a lazy day.” He said, not for the first time, before he shut his eyes. He knew his Pikmin would wake him if trouble occurred and so let his mind slip into sleep…
Redd found himself in the middle of a green meadow, with crisp grass that hugged his feet and warm air that rolled over his body. Redd walked along the field gazing at the long expanses of grassland that reached to meet the ever blue sky.
“It’s beautiful.” He said.
“I agree.” A feminine voice said behind him. Redd didn’t jump, nor did he turn around. He knew this voice would continue speaking though he had no idea how he knew that.
“Did you know?” She asked, “It didn’t seem like you did.”
Redd didn’t talk, though he wanted to, somehow he knew not to speak and to just listen.
“Do you remember? What about the photo? What is it that you seek?” Redd figured she was talking about the torn picture that was stuck to the ceiling above his bed in the Red Onion. He has had it for as long as he can remember, but doesn’t know who was in it, or what was ripped out.
“You know Redd. There are others like you. They look like you too.”
There was a flash when the voice stopped, a flash of silver which left Redd alone in the verdant field that meets the clear sky.
Redd woke to a large group of both blue and yellow Pikmin milling around the camp waiting for their next order. Some were stretching, while others copied Redd and appeared to sleep on the ground. The red leader sighed and stood up to separate the crowd all the while remember the dream he just had.
“What a lazy day.” Which was all he said.