Chapter Text
The S.S. Dolphin's engine sputtered as it flew down and roughly landed on the planet’s surface. The sun had just begun rising, and Olimar hoped to collect more of his scattered ship parts today.
After putting on his uniform, the captain exited the ship and began his morning stretches. His muscles constantly ache nowadays, but Olimar couldn’t tell if it was simply because he was getting old, or because of crash landing on some random planet. Perhaps it was both.
Today, the air of PNF-404 had a biting chill that could even be felt through Olimar’s spacesuit. His home planet, Hocotate, was always warm and dry. So he wasn’t exactly used to dealing with temperatures this low.
Although, he supposed that Hocotate Freight’s suits weren't exactly the highest of quality. In fact, they were rather baggy and cheap. When Olimar eventually returned home (the captain struggled to imagine the implications of using “if”), he would make a note to briefly discuss getting better spacesuits with the President. His boss had no other choice but to listen to him, Olimar was the company’s best employee after all.
On second thought…maybe he should ask for a raise instead. Or an extended vacation period. He was getting desperate.
Walking toward the Red Onion that rested nearby, Olimar hoped that the Pikmin wouldn’t mind the cold air. Maybe once they started running around, the area would grow to a more comfortable temperature.
Nonetheless, the captain quickly grasped his whistle and let out an ear-piercing shrill. The response from the Pikmin was instantaneous. They rushed out of the Onion, shoving one another as they slid down its roots and cheered about the arrival of their leader.
Many Pikmin jumped up and down as they raced over to Olimar. Their stems twitched with excitement as they surrounded him.
He desperately wished that he could understand them, but his intergalactic language database didn’t include anything similar to the Pikmin’s. It was the struggle of being the first person to document an unexplored planet, he mused.
Olimar smiled as he reached out to pat the head of the nearest red Pikmin. The creature squealed with joy, while its siblings quietly watched on with envy.
When he eventually pulled away, he didn’t notice the disappointed sighs that came from some of the crowd. Instead, he clapped his hands together and started to ramble, “Well, good morning everyone! I suppose we should double-check which ship parts are missing…”
The Hocotatian pulled out the hand-written list he made last night and began to read it aloud. The Pikmin had collected a few parts already, but it wasn’t as much as he would’ve liked.
“Okay, seems like we’re still missing the Geiger Counter, Sagittarius…”
Unbeknownst to Olimar, the Pikmin had already begun getting bored. Some simply sat down and stared at the sky, while others ran around observing the area. A few red Pikmin tried to pay attention, but it was obvious that he already lost most of them.
One Pikmin in particular spotted a patch of nectar weed, and instinctively ran over to pluck at its leaves. Its tiny hands worked quickly and, eventually, nothing was left aside from some gooey yellow nectar. The loud plopping sound of the liquid drew the attention of the other Pikmin, and they dashed toward it.
“Omega Stabilizer, and…huh?” Olimar looked up, startled at the severe lack of Pikmin in front of him. He turned to a lone Pikmin still looking up at him adoringly. “Do you know where they went?”
The single Pikmin started to chitter as it flexed its stem in various directions, before turning around and guiding Olimar away. The captain let out a quiet chuckle, he guessed it was the Pikmin’s turn to lead him for once.
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Soon enough, the two turned around a massive rock and discovered the rest of the Pikmin huddled against something. Olimar tilted his head in confusion, what could be causing the Pikmin to behave so oddly?
He prepared himself for the worst, and grabbed the Pikmin that helped him by the stem. Then, he weaved his way through the crowd, making an active effort to avoid stepping on any Pikmin’s feet.
At last, the captain’s eyes landed on the yellow substance that covered the ground. He paused, and the stiffness of his form melted away.
“What in the world is that?” Olimar asked as he bent over to get a better look. However, his attention was quickly drawn away as the Pikmin squirmed out of his grip, landing directly in front of the nectar. After gathering its bearings, the creature bolted to absorb it, right alongside its siblings.
At that very moment, Olimar finally realized what the Pikmin were actually doing, they were drinking it! The slurping sounds made that pretty obvious, in retrospect. How could he have possibly missed that at first?
“Hmm…is this the Pikmin’s regular food source? A sort of yellow nectar that can be absorbed into their bodies?” Olimar asked himself. “But this is the very first time I’ve seen the Pikmin consume anything. Do they not need to eat daily? Or perhaps they simply have lower metabolic rates…but that wouldn’t make much sense. The Pikmin are quite small compared to other creatures on this planet. And that’s not even taking into account that the Pikmin-”
Olimar cut himself off as the Pikmin finished their meal and stood up. With a sparkle in his eyes, he was amazed as the leaves of the Pikmin immediately sprouted into beautiful white flowers with a yellow center. They let out happy cheers as they also started to sing and dance.
Olimar sputtered at the sight, “I-incredible! Is this the natural progression of a Pikmin’s life cycle? Are they considered fully matured now? Or are the flowers purely for aesthetic purposes?” The captain felt completely giddy at all the possibilities. “Oh, I have to mention this in my voyage log!”
Though, just as quickly as it came, his excitement settled down and the Hocotatian took a moment to collect himself. “Later, of course. Right now, we have work to do,” he stated. His days were numbered, after all. It was probably best to get back on track.
Olimar looked over to the mass of red Pikmin, his eyes drawn to the bright flowers that decorated their stems. With one last look, he gave the Pikmin a soft smile before blowing his whistle.