To get into the country aesthetic, play "The Train Station" from Sly 2!
Parky's Farm was a popular children's park where they could interact with animals or simply play on the playground. Even during the twilight hours, children would still visit, mainly because the fireflies and orange lights made the park prettier. It was especially festive during the month of October, its Halloween decorations bringing life to the park.
Rupert and Mujika landed within a small fenced area with hay stacks. "This should be a safe place to park." Rupert said as they stepped off onto the muddy ground. "Whaddya say? Ten of each Pikmin and we'll build them as necessary?"
"Oh, sure. But, you can have more than 100 Pikmin out in the field, can't you, Rupert?"
"Yeah, I can have tons out! But with a newbie around, I'd stick to 200 at best. For now, 120 is decent."
"Oh, okay. And since it's nighttime, it means we can take Ghosts out, right?"
"Yep! Just keep them away from any lights."
It was then they heard a stomach growling. Rupert looked to a blushing Mujika. "Haha! Someone's hungry!"
"I guess I haven't eaten since I got bigger."
"You and me both! Let's have some of the grub for ourselves~ Oh, but if you ate, wouldn't you transform or… something?"
"No. I don't really have that trait, either."
"Really? I know I'm just learning about the Gupna, but you really do feel different."
"I know…"
Rupert frowned, sensing her upset. "…But actually, I don't think I feel comfortable killing the Gupna, anymore. Knocking them out, maybe, but…"
"It's fine, Rupert. The Gupna are dangerous. We were made small so we wouldn't hunt the larger species."
"But they're still your people, aren't they? And they're being controlled by Plankton."
"Even so… they should know our sins. They should know why we should be punished."
"It's just so sad though."
"Saving your friends is more important. Let's just hurry."
"Alright…"
Stage 2: The Produce Plains
Mission: Search for and rescue Sappo!
They summoned 10 of each Pikmin, making 120 total. However, the only way out of this fenced area was an opening several feet above in one of the fence boards. They ordered the Pikmin to collect hay lying around and stack it into a slope for them all to climb up. A slanted board led down from the other side of the hole, so they all slid down! They walked around to the front gate of the fenced area, finding it sealed with barbed wire. Lights were shining on it, so Ghost Pikmin couldn't attack it, leaving the Silvers to the task. Once the wire was taken down, the gate opened, providing a way back to the Onions.
"Mujika, let's stay along these mud paths. Could be a lot of predators hiding in the grass." Mujika nodded as they progressed along the path. Fireflies loomed over the path, the duo throwing Yellow Pikmin up to take them down, their lights fading. There was a ledge on their right with a tiny mushroom underneath it. They had no way to use the mushroom, so they ignored this route for now. The path curved left and led to a circular area: a little girl with red hair in pigtails was chasing piglets around the circle. "Man, those guys are gonna trample us flat. …Wait, there are little trenches in the ground! Maybe we can hide in those." They waited for the piglets to scamper by before going, hiding in the first gap in the mud. The pigs and girl stepped right over them. They repeated this until they could get past the circled path.
To their left, they could walk up a slope to a plank bridge that led over the grass. To their right was a giant, empty jug of milk, which some Gupna seemed to be surrounding. Mujika sent the Ghosts to attack the monsters while Rupert threw some Rocks against their skull masks. The Gupna devoured three of the Rocks, but the duo threw more Pikmin against their heads until the Gupna were KO'ed. They tried to peer through the plastic jug, curious why the Gupna were around it. "Hey, I think I see someone in there! Ghost Pikmin, go inside and get them!"
The spirits saluted and phased through the plastic. They grabbed onto the figure and carried him up through the jug's opening. They afterwards brought him down to ground level: it was a human boy in blue overalls and blonde hair. "Hey! Are you two kids from the playground?"
"We're KND ops." Rupert answered. "Were you shrunk?"
"Yeah! Ah was just explorin' the farm and Ah got shrunk by some purple flower! Them monsters tried to eat me, so Ah ran for it and wound up in that carton."
"You'll be safe in our ship. Let our Pikmin take you."
"'kay, but y'all better have a way to fix me."
"We hope to find a way!"
Three Ghost Pikmin carried the boy while the Pikmineers continued up onto the plank bridge. Termites emerged from the wood, wanting to snack on them. The duo sent all their Pikmin to attack, and while the termites could be KO'ed in a few hits, three Reds, two Whites, and two Purples were eaten in the scuffle. They could make it across the bridge afterwards, overlooking another small field where it seemed someone was being chased by two quadruped Gupna. "Hey! That kid has Pikmin!"
A Hispanic boy in a red soccer jersey, matching gym shoes, black shorts, and blonde hair threw some Orange Pikmin at one of the Gupna, only for them to be shaken off. The Orange Pikmin each had two antennae, each with one bloomed flower and one leaf. Before it could eat them, Rupert hurdled Rock Pikmin at its head, with Mujika targeting the other one. "Huh?!" The Spanish boy gasped as a pair of strangers came down a slanted board. Their army of Pikmin charged the Gupna and beat them until they were down.
"Well, well!" Rupert smiled appraisingly. "I didn't think there was another human that could use Pikmin!"
"M-me? Wait, who are you two?"
"Name's Rupert, expert Pikmineer of the Minish KND. This here's Mujika, a newbie!"
"Minish? But, aren't you a human?"
"Humans come in all sizes, friend~ Besides, you're not much bigger."
"N-no, you have it all wrong! My friends and I were all shrunk by magic flowers! Some of them were kidnapped and brought here."
"Were you exploring this farm?" Mujika asked.
"No! We were in our treehouse all the way from Guatemala!"
"Oh, you're from a Human KND sector!" Rupert realized.
"That's right." The boy assumed a more serious posture. "I'm Sind Diego of Sector GT. These monsters kidnapped three of my teammates, so I let myself get captured to follow them. The Minish KND followed and helped free me. We split up to search for the others and they lent me some Pikmin. But I kinda lost a few of them…"
"You let yourself get caught? I get the gesture, but that's still pretty reckless."
"I wasn't about to abandon them! No matter if I'm big or small, it's my job to protect people!"
"Heh, I guess I can't argue there."
"Should we lead him to the ship, Rupert?"
"Hmm…" Rupert stroked his chin. "Well, since Timmy couldn't come with us, we could use another Pikmin user."
"Eheh, I'm not really a Pikmin user." Sind blushed. "I usually fight with a soccer ball, but I'm a little small for that now. The best I have now are my kicks."
"I wouldn't mind teaching you a few basics! In fact, it looks like your Pikmin wanna tell you something."
"Mmm, mmm! Mmmm!" The Orange Pikmin were tugging on Sind's shorts and pointing at a bud in the ground. "Throw them onto that." Rupert instructed.
"Okay?" Sind tossed the five Pikmin onto the bud. They began to sprinkle green dust from their flower antennae. The bud soon bloomed into a spinning flower and rose into an orange Onion. The flowers that the Pikmin used withered back into leaves, while the leaf antennae turned brown and rotten.
"No way!" Rupert exclaimed. "There was an Onion here of the same color?!"
"Come to think of it, we don't have this Pikmin type, do we?" Rupert asked.
"I've seen other Minish use them, but this is my first time finding an Onion! They're…"
Rupert discovered Orange Pikmin! These carrot-colored cultivators are experts at growing any plant or produce by sprinkling it with Plant Chi! They can make plants grow to suit your needs! However, once they finish their task, they will wither into Rotten Pikmin and need some nectar to recover their strength. If they have flowers, they will simply return to their unbudded state and can be used again. Their effect is strongest when both flowers are bloomed.
"Usually, they're only found in farms."
"Oh, yeah…" Sind scratched his head, looking sort of anxious. "The Minish who helped me said they lived in our treehouse. We have a farm by our treehouse, so that must be where they came from…"
"Are you a farmer?" Mujika asked.
"No, I'm a soccer player! My friend, Doran is a farmer. Heh, I wonder if he knew about these little guys…"
"Let's just start building them up." Rupert said. "Share some with us and start attacking these flowers."
Sind lent them each two Oranges, and they began to take the orange pellets from the nearby flowers. There were two larger flowers that were in buds, so they used the new Pikmin to make them grow and bloom into five-pack pellets. However, when the Pikmin accomplished the task, their leaves withered and their lush orange color turned brownish, with wrinkled bodies and tired expressions. "Uh, are they okay?" Sind asked.
"This is their Rotten state. They can still carry and attack, but they're slower. We'll need to find some nectar." For now, the Rotten Pikmin carried the five-packs to their Onion, producing a fair number of their type.
"So, were you guys sent here to rescue us?" Sind asked.
"We came here to save one of our other operatives." Rupert answered. "But we're gonna save all the prisoners in this farm, anyway!"
"Then I'll be glad to help! But I'm still not sure if I can use these guys well."
"We'll teach you on the way. For now, let's look for some…aha!" Rupert saw some eggs lined up by a wall. They used Pikmin to break the eggs open and reveal globs of nectar. "Nectar helps Pikmin bloom into flowers and make them stronger. But they'll be imperative for these new ones." He instructed the Rotten Pikmin to suck the nectar and restore their lush orange. Afterwards, they instructed five of the Oranges to sprinkle a line of ungrown grass, growing them into a stairway that led over a wall of grass. The group crossed over it and down to another path, but a giant tire served to block their way.
Rupert sent the Purple Pikmin to push it, but they didn't have enough. Luckily, there was a Violet Candypop nearby, so he threw a few Reds into it, converting them into Purples. The three extras were able to push and roll the tire with their great strength. The path led out into an open field, in which the Purples steered the tires to the left, making the exit fully open.
The tiny group saw a couple of farmers sitting on rocking chairs to the right of the field. "Hey, Clem! That tire done rolled on its own!"
"What're you doin' lookin' at that tire, Conroy? Ah'm more interested in our new automowers!"
There were three small lawnmowers grazing the field; small, but still terrifyingly huge. "Automatic lawnmowers?!" Sind exclaimed. "They'll tear us to shreds!"
"I bet our Silver Pikmin can take them! Leave it to me!" Rupert led the 10 Silvers and approached the first lawnmower. The machine sensed the tinies and faced them, deeming the Pikmin to be weeds. It came buzzing up ominously, but the Silvers charged and let their selves be sucked into the blade. The Pikmin began attacking the mower from the inside, eventually causing the machine to short out. The Pikmin dropped out, and Rupert led it to defeat the other two mowers.
"Conroy! The mowers done blew a fuse!"
"Ah knew you couldn't trust that Eddy! Gosh dang scammer, I tells ya." Clem and Conroy ran out to move the mowers back to the farm.
The others could safely lead their Pikmin across the field. They decided to head for the farm on the opposite side, but a large chasm of mud prevented them from advancing. "It looks like we need to build a bridge here. Guys, let's split up and look around for tiles."
"Split up? Are you sure that's fine?" Sind asked.
"It will be as long as have some Pikmin! Take this communicator so we can keep in touch. You can explore that way and I'll take this side. Mujika, why don't you take the Orange Pikmin back toward the beginning areas? There might be some plants you can use them on."
"Okay!"
Sind went to explore the right side of the field, entering a garden of giant bug zappers. The Ghost Pikmin couldn't enter this zone, so he told them to stay behind. Sind threw Pikmin at some grazing Shiny Dwarf Bulborbs, but he lost a couple Rocks. He encountered a larger Shiny Bulborb at the end, aimlessly throwing all his available Pikmin at it. It shook the first round off and devoured four Blues, so Sind quickly called the Pikmin back and threw them on again, eventually KOing the beast. Behind it was a large, open power generator. Sind threw the Yellow Pikmin into the device, their electrical bodies distorting the flow of electricity and causing it to short out. All the bug zappers died out.
"Haw, man! Ah was just enjoyin' my zap-tan." A chubby farmer was inside one of the zappers.
"Huh?" Sind heard the stereotypical voice and approached. "Are you a human?"
"Hyup. Ah dunno how I got all puny, but I was bein' chased by some scary-lookin' bugs and decided to hide in here."
"I don't know how you didn't get zapped to death, but let's get you out of there. Pikmin, do you have a place to bring people?"
The Pikmin cheered in acknowledgement. The Ghosts flew through the zapper bars, grabbed the farmer, and carried him up through the top opening.
On her way backward, Mujika returned to the circular area where the girl was still chasing piggies around. She wondered if there was a way to stop the girl; clearly the repetition wasn't tiring her out any. But partway to the right, Mujika saw a small, ungrown pumpkin inside a safe ditch. After the stampede ran by, she quickly led her Orange Pikmin to the pumpkin. They were safe from the stampede in the ditch as they would simply step off the pumpkin before continuing on, but when the Pikmin sprinkled it with their dust, the pumpkin inflated to a foot tall.
The piggies ran around the pumpkin, but the girl- "AAAH!" tripped, flipped, and fell headfirst in the mud.
"Ooooo…" Mujika cringed in guilt.
The child then fell on her back, a smile on her muddy face. "Haha! Now I'm a piggy, too!" She began swishing her arms and legs in the mud.
"Well, at least she won't trample us, anymore…" Mujika said. It seemed the pigs had gone to grazing in the grass. Mujika led the Pikmin around to the girl's boots.
"Hey! Can you get me off this brat?!" A Minish was stick in the mud on a boot's sole.
"Ah! How did you wind up there?"
"I was running from those skull-faced monsters when this kid stepped on me! She's lucky the ground's all muddy or she'd be getting pressed for Minishide!"
"It's amazing that you survived… but don't worry, I'll get you down!" She threw some Rotten and Music Pikmin onto the sole and had them dig against the mud, soon pulling the Minish free. Three Rotten Pikmin carried his weakened form to the Celery.
Mujika backtracked further and remembered the small mushroom close to the start. She made it back to that mushroom and had the other Orange Pikmin help it to grow. It expanded into a Bounce Shroom and could bounce them up onto the ledge it was beside. This elevated path led to a platform with a stage. Fortunately, since she had the Music Pikmin with her, she had them get on the stage.
The Pikmin began to rehearse the song "Fireflies" by Owl City. Dozens of lights awoke in the grass as fireflies rose to the air, swirling majestically. Each firefly would swoop down and drop a tile before the stage, steadily building a pile. The fireflies would keep swirling around after they were done.
Mujika beamed as the budded Pikmin in her group bloomed flowers, and the Rotten Pikmin regained their orange colors. "Oh, yeah! Music Pikmin can make Pikmin bloom! Anyway, these should be good for the bridge. All of you, get to work!" She sent all her Pikmin to grab the tiles and carry them across the farmland, following the same route they had taken.
Rupert traveled leftward from the field, going up a hill that led to the belly of an upturned pig. There were several pigs lined up and lain on their backs, and Rupert was able to bounce across them like strong trampolines! His Pikmin platoon followed with delighted cheers. Rupert landed in a small field of giant cows. To his left appeared to be another sequence of pigs that would serve as a shortcut back to the start. "Oh, man, I wish we found that before I sent Mujika back. I guess I should." He walked up the slope to the first pig and called, "Hey, Mujika. I think I found a shortcut to where you are. Let me know if you find a Red Pikmin by itself." He threw a Red onto a pig and watched it bounce across the pigs.
"Yeah, I did! But I think it's only a one-way shortcut, I can't get up there."
"Aw, that sucks."
"But it should help the Pikmin who are bringing the bridge parts!"
Rupert began to investigate the cows, all of whom were sipping prune juice from bowls. "Ew, this reminds me of a gross level from a certain videogame." Rupert cringed. "I don't want my Pikmin involved in none of that." Still, the cows had to be guarding something, so he tossed Wing Pikmin to look into the juice bowls. One of the bowls seemed to have bridge tiles. However, with the cow sipping from it, it would likely eat the Pikmin, so Rupert ordered the Wings to fly up and attack its eyes. "Moooo!" The cow shook them off and decided to walk away. With that, Rupert could toss Blue Pikmin into the juice bowl, collect the tiles, and bring them to the bridge. He also saw a line of Mujika's Pikmin bouncing across the pigs as well, returning to where their bridge parts were found.
Mujika would simply recollect those Pikmin. Between the bridge parts she and Rupert found, they were able to complete the bridge. Sind reported the Pikmin he lost, and that he had some of the remaining ones collect Bulborbs to replenish their numbers. Mujika returned to the Onions, waited for their return, and then would balance out their numbers once more, but still kept 20 Orange Pikmin. After they regrouped, the kids crossed the new bridge to a swampy area. The mud was deep and more liquid, so they needed Ice Pikmin to form icy trails across it.
Wollywogs lurked in the mud and would try to smash the frozen paths, so Rupert threw Blue and Ghost Pikmin to take them down. Once they were across the swamp, there was only a short walk toward the barn, and four Gupna seemed to be watching the entrance. "It's them again!" Sind exclaimed.
"We must be close to their base!" Rupert knew. The Gupna saw them coming and ran to engage the small army, with two of them sprouting wings. "Dang it! We can't throw Rock Pikmin at their masks if they're that high up!"
"Then let me try!" Sind took a Rock-type and KICKED it straight up at a flying Gupna, smashing its mask in one hit.
"Whoa!" Mujika exclaimed. "Our Pikmin could go anywhere like that!"
"I think only the Rock ones could endure those kicks." Rupert said. "The other ones would be too woozy to attack afterwards. Well, the Silver ones could probably endure it."
Sind tried to kick one of the Silver Pikmin at a flying Gupna, but the creature easily evaded the slower projectile. "I think it's only effective with Rock-types, anyway. Their roundness helps them back more force." With that, Sind kicked Rock Pikmin at the others' masks and broke them. Wing and Ghosts were sent to attack the flying Gupna while the remaining ganged up on the two ground types. They lost three Silver, three Orange, and a White—which in turn poisoned that Gupna and KO'ed him. Two Wings were also eaten, but the four Gupna were eventually defeated.
"Huff…" Sind panted in stress. "Should we carry these freaks back to the Onions, too?"
"Er, um…about that…" Rupert said nervously. Mujika turned her head awkwardly.
"About what?"
"Uh…should we explain, Mujika?"
"Yeah… it's only fair that he knows."
Sind was anxious at what info they were hiding. Rupert and Mujika recapped her background and what these monsters were.
"Oh…" Sind said afterward. "I was starting to wonder what you were exactly."
"Heh, it's kind of a lot to take in so quickly." Rupert figured. "That's why we didn't explain right away."
Sind looked at Mujika with sympathy. "I'm… so sorry for what Plankton did. I…"
The very thought of Plankton crushing her family sparked a painful memory in Sind's mind. A vision of Minish and Lilliputians being trampled by titans. "Errr…" His pupils creased in horror as he grasped his head.
"Is something wrong?" Rupert asked.
"Thanks, but… it doesn't excuse what the Gupna are doing to everyone." Mujika said.
Sind shook out of his trance. "I…I just have sort of a headache. But, thanks for… telling me all this."
"Do you hate me?"
"N-no, no. But I…I really want to stop Plankton now!" Sind declared with furrowed brows. "He…he can't get away with this!"
"Y…yeah." Mujika nodded. "W-we have to stop him!"
Rupert cocked a brow, suspicious at Sind's behavior. "Then let's keep going."
They headed to the barn entrance, able to easily walk under the closed gate. As soon as they entered, they were facing up at the backs of giant kids, parents, or teens, with the younger ones cheering at something. "Whoa… th-they're huge." Sind stuttered.
"Yep, maneuvering around giants comes with the job." Rupert said. "Let's leave our Pikmin here and see what they're looking at."
"W-we're going past them?"
"Come on, you look fast."
"Okay…" And so, the trio carefully walked around the crowd of giant feet. At the front of the crowd, they could see a spot-lit area where a flock of chickens were chasing something around.
"Man, why's that bug so fast?!" a boy asked.
"Heh, this is more fun than I thought." A teen boy said.
The tinies squinted their eyes at the figure being chased. It was a girl with bowl-cut brown hair and a white dress with red polka-dots. Sind gasped: "ALLY!"
The girl in question ran frantically from the titanic fowls, unable to hear Sind's voice amongst the thundering noise and too distracted to see him in the crowd. "That's one of my teammates!" Sind said.
"We have to help her!" Mujika yelled.
"No, we'll end up being chased, too!" Rupert said. "We don't have enough Pikmin to fight them. Let's look for another way."
"Grrr…" Sind hesitantly decided to follow them back through the crowd. "Whoa!" They dodged right when a girl stepped partway over. After regrouping with their Pikmin, they headed left from the gate. A white, diagonal board sloped up to the second level of the farm, so they followed it. Mice lurked up on this level, and they were attracted by the Yellow Pikmin, thinking they were cheese. The Pikmineers used the Yellows as distractions and otherwise bombarded the three mice with other Pikmin, losing four Yellows in the process.
There seemed to be a giant cheesecake slice intended to feed the mice. However, none of their Pikmin were able to dig through it and see what lie inside it. The next segment was past a narrow gap within a wall of hay, where a horde of baby rabbits were crouched and keeping eyes out for invaders. Rupert peeked out and leftward, seeing a small walkway along the wall that led over three soil pots. He walked out and search the very left of the hay stack, where the hay was soft enough for the Pikmin to dig a tunnel through.
The tunnel sloped up and onto the walkway beside the bunnies. Rupert threw four Orange Pikmin into each of the pots, beginning to grow the carrots inside. The carrots grew large and fell out of the pots, and the bunnies began to amass around them. Rupert called the Rotten Pikmin back, and the group hurried past the hungry bunnies. However, they found Nectar Eggs to restore the Oranges back to strength.
From the next segment, it seemed they could cross a board over the chickens' floor and reach a platform for Music Pikmin. However, Mujika alerted them to the bats asleep on the ceiling, likely to swoop down and stop them. Rupert escorted the Wings across the board while Sind led the Rocks.
The bats peeped open their ears and glanced down (up in their vision). ("Hey, Bartie, what're those critters skittering on the support beam?")
("They're too small, I don't see them.")
("Will you just use your sonar, for Drac's sake?! Let's get down and eat!")
The twin bats swooped down, flapping level with the tinies. Rupert sent Wing Pikmin to attack one's head. It tried to shake them off, but Rupert ordered them to maneuver around and keep attacking. Meanwhile, Sind forcefully kicked Rock Pikmin at the other bat, and although they would drop to the chickens' ground, they would be immune to the trampling. Ten Rocks to the face were able to take the bat down, and the other bat would be felled by the Wings.
The cheering crowd were naturally curious about the bats, but it didn't stop the chickens from chasing Ally. Mujika then hurried over with the Music Pikmin and threw them onto the stage. With that, they mustered their voices and sang. (Play "Royal Snif Hotel Pool" from Origami King!)
The barn suddenly turned into a lively party! The chickens stopped chasing Ally and started to dance in synchronized fashion, performing graceful twirls with flaps of their wings. The customers started to dance with the groove as well! "Hey, it worked!" Rupert cheered. "Let's hurry down and get her!"
The group proceeded back along the route they came. The bunnies started to tap-dance on their hind paws, not paying the tinies any mind. The mice had awoken and were facing the party while jigging their rears. After returning to the ground floor, they carefully maneuvered around the stomping feet of the dancing giants. They did the same where the twirling chickens and found Ally crouched fearfully on the ground. "Ally!"
"Sind?! You're okay!"
"Yeah, these guys helped me! They're Minish operatives… sort of. What happened to Konbu and Uzu?"
"The monsters were taking us to a hole over in that stable." She pointed at another gate. "I was able to slip away, but then, well… this happened."
"We're going to save them. But I think you should head to these guys' ship. You're probably pretty tired."
"Are you sure, Sind?"
"Honestly, I don't really feel like recapping Pikmin basics to every other person." Rupert said. "The three of us will be more manageable."
"Well, okay… It's not like we can do much at this size, anyway."
They used three Wing Pikmin to carry Ally safely upward and out the barn's window. With that, they carefully made their way past the chickens and giants and toward the corresponding stable. There were horse behind fences and nodding their heads to the music. There was also a large, clean, and boastful pig happily trotting to and from both sides of the stable.
The tinies traveled up a slope and onto the fence. From here, they could jump on the back of the trotting pig when it waltzed by. The smiling pig returned to the other side, and they could jump from him to an enclosed area. They sent their Pikmin to dig up a large mound of hay, revealing a hole underneath. "This must be the hole." Mujika assumed.
"Get ready, Sind. We're about to enter a nest of Gupna. They're keeping your friends and other prisoners down there."
"Then let's go!"
"Should we bring more Pikmin?" Mujika asked.
"I'm sure there will be Plankmin and Candypop Buds down there, we'll just use them. Let's go!" The three dove into the hole, and the Pikmin piled down like a candy pellets pouring out of a jar! (Play "Birdhouse Peak" from Hat in Time!)
Act 2: The Hay House
The tinies landed on a soft mound of hay bits. The Storage Nut flew down after them. "What's that?" Sind asked.
"Storage Nut. It follows us down in caves and it lets us store our collectibles and prey." Rupert answered. "The Pikmin can't reproduce with them, but it's agreed that if any color brings prey to the nut, that color will get them later."
"Ah, okay. But why doesn't the nut-"
"-follow us around normally?" Mujika interrupted. "I asked that question, I'm given to believe it makes Pikmineering less fun."
"And like, we don't want enemies trying to attack it." Rupert shrugged.
"Whatever. Let's just hurry."
The first room was wide and seemed to have an egg half-buried in the ground. Rupert approached carefully with a few Pikmin. The large egg rose from the hay and started ringing and throbbing. "Retreat!" Rupert ushered, the group returning to the narrow corridor, in which the egg couldn't fit. It BURST into yolk. "Egg Bombs. We better keep an eye out for those."
The next room had round platforms leading over a pit, with baby chicks patrolling them. The platforms were close enough to jump, but they tossed Pikmin to KO the Mad Chicks first. The last platform was guarded by a sunglasses Mad Chick with a black pompadour. Sind threw a Red Pikmin, but missed, and the chick immediately shoved it into the pit with great force. "Oh, no! I lost one!"
"This bird's a little pushy. Let's give him a decent match." Rupert threw a Purple Pikmin. The Bully Bird was unable to shove it off, and the Pikmin was able to bash it unconscious. They let the Reds take it back to the Storage Nut to feast on it later. Past the platforms, they traveled down a rightward, sloped hall and into what seemed like a break room. Four Gupna were sharing the bodies of two Minish at separate tables. Horrified by the sight, Sind immediately kicked a Rock Pikmin at one's mask, breaking it.
"INTRUDERS!" a Gupna snarled, lunging for the attack. Ghost Pikmin swarmed one, Mujika threw Ice and Browns on another, and Sind kicked a Rock at the 4th one, allowing Rupert to swarm either of them with other Pikmin. One Gupna ate a White and poisoned himself, while the others ate three Blues, two Rocks, two Browns, and three Oranges. After the Gupna were KO'ed, a horde of Plankmin ran in next. "Just in time!" Rupert cheered, throwing the Purples to make shockwaves and stun them. With that, the Pikmin swarmed and KO'ed the Plankmin.
"These poor guys…" Sind horrifically looked at what remained of the dead Minish. Crimson flowers were blooming from their bodies. "Why do they look all dried out? How long have they been down here?"
"Those flowers are Crimson Vidas." Mujika answered. "Our tradition is to impale prey with those flowers to drain their blood. Of course, they're only supposed to be used on… the unintelligent creatures…"
"Are they doing that to my friends now?!"
"Th-th-they don't kill the prisoners right away, we might still have time!"
"Then I'm going ahead!" Sind rushed off and ushered the Rock Pikmin to follow.
"Sind!" Rupert yelled. "Mujika, there're some Candypops over there, throw the Plankmin in them." He took the rest of the Pikmin and ran after Sind. With a guilty expression, Mujika began to make up for the Pikmin they lost using the Candypop buds. She also had the new Pikmin take Minish's bodies back to storage.
Sind reached a wide chasm with a window across and further down, set up in a pseudo chicken cage built into the wall. Sind kicked a Rock Pikmin down to smash that window, which then pressed a switch that stretched a sloped bridge up to Sind's platform. Rupert caught up as they traveled down the slope. "Where's Mujika?"
"Making more Pikmin."
"Ugh, we should've brought more of the stupid things." Sind stomped into the next room.
"Hey, don't call them that. Besides, a smaller amount is safer for newcomers."
"Then why couldn't we just bring normal weapons or any operatives with bending?"
"Well, 'cause Pikmin… are supposed to be relaxing."
"Well, they're not doing a good job! Aren't you worried about your own teammate?!"
"Of course I am! We already lost his sister!"
"W-what?"
"Yeah… but if we don't keep a level head, the Pikmin will start to panic. We have to stay patient."
"Then maybe you need better weapons. Ones that don't panic."
"They're as much teammates as…" Rupert stopped himself, not sure how to continue that statement.
"Yeah, but you're not sad about replacing them."
"Look, we'll find your friends. Just have faith that they're okay."
"I wish. Even at our normal sizes, we're easy prey."
This room led to a narrow walkway over an abyss, where more Bully Birds were stationed on the path's angles. Rupert sent Purple Pikmin to wrestle with and shove the bullies off. "Hey! Help! Help!" There was a cage hanging over the pit, trapping a teenage girl in a white top and blonde pigtails. She was hung upside-down inside it. "Y'all don't look like them monsters! Are ya rescuers?!"
"Yeah! Ghost Pikmin, take her to safety!" Rupert ordered. Five of the Ghosts flew to lift the cage off its hinge and carry it back.
"I know this is a farm, but I didn't think all these people would have stereotypical accents." Sind commented.
"Guys, I'm back!" Mujika returned with her Pikmin. "Everything okay?"
"As good as before." Sind stated in a huff. Past the walkway, they entered a wide, tall room with two chicken coops suspended in the wall above, connected by a rope. There was a boy doing pull-ups on the rope and a Gupna on the walkway below it. The boy pulled up each time the Gupna tried to jump and bite him. He had pudgy cheeks, puffy brown hair, a yellow shirt with a waffle design, and blue jeans with white socks. "Hey! That's Uzu!"
"Huh?" The squinty-eyed boy tried to glance down. "S-Sind?! Is that you? Please help me! They're forcing me to work out for my life!"
Some Mad Chicks stepped across the rope and would try to peck his fingers, prompting Uzu to clamber across the rope. "We'll save you! Just hang in there! N-no pun intended!"
The spotlights in the room prevented the Ghost Pikmin from helping, but they sent the Wing Pikmin to attack the Mad Chicks. They led the other Pikmin to collect hay from small piles and have them build a slope up to a tall ledge. Once up there, they jumped back when small drills seemed to rise up from the ground: they were Sheardrills, a type of Sheargrub with drill noses. They quickly tossed Silver Pikmin to KO the pointy bugs. Afterwards, they needed Orange Pikmin to grow three short mushroom platforms to different heights. (The Orange Pikmin had bloomed flowers because of the Music ones' song, meaning they wouldn't become Rotten Pikmin, yet.)
Once the mushrooms were grown, Mujika lifted Sind and Rupert onto the shortest one, wherein they could bounce up the others, and she tossed other Pikmin up to follow them. They landed on a ledge where they had to follow a small walkway to reach the Gupna. A faucet was pouring water on that walkway, so Rupert tossed Ice Pikmin up to attack and freeze the faucet, allowing all their Pikmin to pass. Once they made it to the Gupna, Sind kicked a Rock and broke its mask, but the beast set itself aflame. Rupert threw Red Pikmin to attack its head, but it would shake them off. Sind then kicked more Rocks; though they took damage from the fire, the impacts still damaged the Gupna enough to knock it out. The burning Rock-types fell down to Mujika, who whistled them back to calmness.
Uzu was able to safely drop down. "Uzu, you're safe!" Sind hugged his friend, who was about chest-level with the soccer player.
"Sind! Thank you!" Uzu hugged back. "They took Konbu farther in, and I don't know about the others."
"They're all safe. Follow these guys back to base and we'll go find Konbu."
"Okay!" With that, they entrusted a Red Pikmin with leading Uzu back.
"Now let's go look for the last one!" Rupert cheered.
"Hehe…" Sind smiled, feeling a bit more relieved. "We still need to find your friend, too."
"We will!"
They dropped back down to regroup with Mujika, who was looking over the fallen Gupna with pity. They let some of the Silvers, Music, and Orange Pikmin carry the Sheardrills back. They entered a door on the left side of the room, which led to another chasm with connected platforms leading over it. Three Egg Bombs were buried in hay. "Rupert, I sense something to the right there." Mujika pointed to a cinder block door on a platform touching the right wall.
"I'll be right back!" Rupert took a single Rock and baited the Egg Bombs into chasing him, luring one of them to the cinder blocks and destroying them. He proceeded to bait the third Egg Bomb and make it explode. "Hah! They're just like Volatile Dweevils. Just scout ahead with one Pikmin to lure them out."
Behind the cinder door was a pile of seeds. "More Shrinking Vida seeds!" Mujika said. "Should we send the Whites on this?"
"Yeah! But just them, just in case we'll need the others." They sent those Pikmin to begin carrying the seeds back.
"Wait, what are they?" Sind asked.
"The magic flowers that've been shrinking people."
"Oh. By the way… how're we gonna get back to our normal sizes?"
"We have one idea, but we might also have to defeat Plankton. The flowers are powered by his new chi."
"Then I guess I'm in this for the long haul."
They crossed the platforms and entered a very long room in which a prune juice river flowed beneath them. "I guess prune juice runs underground at this farm." Rupert figured.
"How does THAT make sense?" Sind questioned.
"I mean, in some areas, prune juice just does, and it can be pumped like oil. Salad oil, too. I don't really remember what causes it."
"Science is weird like that…"
There were pink, swirly plants growing from the sides of the wall above the river. They sent to grab and pluck those plants, pulling out flower platforms that would float to and fro. The group jumped onto the first one from their ledge, then to the others. They couldn't go farther, but they could throw Pikmin onto a thin branch on the left, which led up to a tiny pink plant. They tossed two Orange Pikmin to climb the branch and grow the plant. Afterwards, they sent Wings to pull it free and make another flower platform.
The group could jump off on a ledge on the left. A slope led to a walkway where the now-Rotten Pikmin were, and it served as a shortcut back to the start of the river. "Hey, want me to head back and get those other Pikmin?" Mujika asked.
"Not yet." Rupert answered. "Let's keep going."
They followed a cave to the next room, very wide with a chasm looming below. A Gupna was chilling on a platform in the center, its mouth hanging open. The group faced up, seeing a diving board: a fat boy was trying to shove against a group of Bully Birds, who were trying to push him off the board where he would plummet into the Gupna. He had thin black hair, a green top, and blue shorts. "Guys, that's Konbu!"
"We better back him up! Let's climb!" The path to the right escalated upward. They first needed a Silver Pikmin to pull out a screw and reveal an updraft, which blew them up to the next ledge. Some two-sided tape was covering the next draft, so they sent Brown Pikmin to peel it off and throw it into the pit. The next ledge was longer, but a Lithopod rose from the opposite end, spitting boulders along it. Sind kicked two Rocks with enough force to break the first boulder, then he kicked others to defeat the Lithopod. They let the Rocks carry the worm away, and from there, they could get to Konbu's board.
"Purples, back him up!" Rupert threw the Purples down to push against his back. With their added strength, the chubby boy pushed back against the birds and squished them against the ledge on their side. The birds would be pushed and fall into the abyss.
"Hey, that weren't part of the deal!" The Gupna grew wings and flew up to their level. "I wanna eat me a fatty!"
"Go eat yourself!" Sind kicked a Rock Pikmin to break his mask, and it thankfully bounced back to the diving board. Mujika sent the Wings to attack and Sind kicked more Rocks until the Gupna fell into the chasm.
"Wow, Sind! Where did you find these little guys?" asked Konbu.
"These guys brought them." Sind answered. "They're Pikmin."
"Yeah, us Minish ops use them for combat and chores!" Rupert said.
"Wow! We oughta get some for our treehouse!"
"They're a little too tiny for our normal size." Sind said. "I'm glad you're okay, Konbu. The others are safe, too."
"Oh, good… to be honest, I'm pooped." Konbu fell on his back. "I've been shoving for my life since we got here. I need a nap…"
"Heh, okay, buddy. Let's have a Purple carry you back." With that, a single Purple hoisted Konbu up and carried him away.
"I guess they were all okay!" Mujika said positively.
"Yeah, but it's too soon to rest. Let's clear out the rest of this place!"
"Dang right!" Rupert cheered.
"I'll go back and recollect the Pikmin!"
"Sind and I will go ahead. Take a few of these ones in case you need them." Rupert lent her some Ice, Music, and Blue Pikmin.
"Heh, watch us need them next." Sind laughed.
"It's all a part of Pikmining."
Leaving Mujika to backtrack, Rupert and Sind returned down the ledges and headed down a path to the left of the entrance. It led to a tunnel with stairs that simply sloped down, with nectar eggs available. The Pikmin broke them and sapped the nectar to power their selves. Afterwards, they entered the room at the bottom.
Hay covered the room like a thick, wheaty blanket. A large mound of it stood in the center, and someone was half-buried on top. Rupert and Sind climbed up to see. "It's… Sappo."
Sappo's had become more round, he had the body of a Blue Pikmin, and a leaf antenna. "He was turned into a Pikmin!"
"What?!" Sind gasped.
"Mujika said that the Gupna were turning Minish into Officer Pikmin. To help Plankton control his army."
"Is there a way to change him back?"
"I don't know, but we can at least get him out before Plankton corrupts him. Pikmin, start digging!"
The Pikmin hurried onto the mound and began doing so. A pair of eyes popped open on the mound, glancing at the tinies angrily. "HEY! What're you pint-sized pests doin' on my HAY?!"
"WHOOOA!" The hay grew arms and spun around, shaking the group off. (Play "Haybot Wars" from Conker's Bad Fur Day!)
"Lord Plankton demands I guard this prisoner until his return. Ah…but you've got a nice amount of Pikmin with you. Lord Plankton will love to have more slaves!"
"A sentient hay monster? Are you serious?" Sind questioned.
"Hah, Plankton must be short on creativity! Let's needle this hay!"
Boss fight: Hay
The kids led their Pikmin away from the monster as it began to slap its big hands along the ground. Sind led some Pikmin around to confuse the hay, so Rupert could toss Brown Pikmin at its back. The Pikmin couldn't attack the soft hay, but they picked some bundles off its body instead. The Pikmin seemed to walk to an unlit fireplace and threw the hay on. "Bah! Whew, whew!" The monster made a whistle to summon the hay bits back to his body.
"Sind, throw those Red Pikmin on that wood!"
"Okay!" Sind did so and quickly retreated from the hay. The Pikmin channeled some heat and lit the fireplace. Rupert threw more Pikmin to pick some hay off, the creatures carrying and tossing it in the fire. The hay spun and swept some Pikmin off their feet. It snatched up four Silvers, five Yellows, and tossed them in its mouth. Rupert threw the Wings to more safely fly and carry its hay bundles to the fire. "Well, this boss is pretty easy. We just need to call our Pikmin back when…?"
After the Wings took some hay from its left eye, a red, mechanical eye on a metal body was exposed. The red eye zoomed in on Rupert and scanned him. "Subject identified as: Rupert Dickson. Status: Plankton's 4th mortal enemy. Mission: squash that asshole."
The creature grabbed some hay off the ground to fill in any gaps on itself. Its mouth became a vacuum, so Rupert quickly called the Pikmin away from its suction. Sind sent the Rocks to take more hay and threw the Reds on as well. With the monster focused on trying to inhale Rupert, they were able to burn more bundles.
Eventually, the monster tried to use all the available hay in the room, but it was all inevitably burned. "Rupert… that's not a hay monster! It's a hay ROBOT!"
The robot was mostly a large, round head with big hands attached, and a press at the bottom with which to bounce. Sappo was still stuck in a hole on its head. "This machine has been compromised. Heavy artillery is required. Suzie, 9MM."
A pair of missiles with grinning faces and eyes extracted from his head. "I'm right here, sweetie! Just tell me where ta shoot~"
Haybot faced the fireplace and fired a missile, destroying it. Haybot tried to flatten Rupert's Pikmin, but he called them in retreat. "Rupert, how do we damage it now?"
Rupert's Pikmin dodged the other missile, and it grew two more. The boy glanced close to where the fire was and saw a small mushroom in a spot of soil. "Take this!" Rupert threw Brown Pikmin on its eyes to distract the robot. He then took some Oranges to throw on the soil spot. Rupert quickly called the Browns off afterward, but Haybot grabbed and crushed three of them. They kept Haybot distracted long enough for the Oranges to finish growing a Bounce Shroom, which seemed to aim at Haybot directly. Sind beamed at the mushroom, already knowing what to do: he lured Haybot's attention and ran under the mushroom.
The robot fired a missile, but it bounced off the mushroom and blasted his face. The Haybot began to spin in place dizzily. A hatch opened on its back, exposing a big red button. "Bet you that's a weak point!" Sind smirked. "We'll need a lot of force to press that!" He grabbed a Rock Pikmin, and when the robot's back faced him, he KICKED the Rock with enough force to press the button.
Haybot's right arm blew up. The angry robot bounced over and ripped the mushroom off the wall, eating it. He had also closed his back before trying to shoot the kids again. While evading the projectiles, Rupert saw a pink plant on one side of the room. He used Brown Pikmin to distract Haybot again while Sind threw the Wings on the plant. They needed 10 seconds to fully pluck the plant, unveiling another small mushroom. They had the next batch of Orange Pikmin grow the mushroom and make it aim at Haybot. Sind got its attention again, ran under the mushroom, and tricked it into shooting a missile. The missile bounced off, blasted, and dizzied Haybot. Sind kicked a Rock Pikmin at its button, causing the left arm to explode.
Haybot decided to stop using missiles and quickly bounce after Rupert. Three Purples, four Browns, and three Yellows were crushed before Rupert could properly maneuver them. Sind saw that the back hatch was repeatedly opening and shutting. When Rupert faced him, Sind patted his own back, gesturing for Rupert to get it to turn away. Rupert took the hint and lured Haybot away from Sind. The soccer player waited for the hatch to open, then he immediately kicked a Rock-type straight at the button.
Haybot's head came blasting off, crashing violently on the ground while Sappo landed further away. The base still tried to chase Rupert before ultimately conking out. "Guys!" They looked as Mujika returned. "I found a few secret places. I sent some Ice Pikmin to save some prisoners in a frozen cavern by the juice river. Um…what happened?"
"We found Sappo." Rupert pointed. "But… he's been Pikified."
"We were too late?!"
"I wonder how long ago he was transformed…" Sind said.
"At least he's alive. And if Plankton still has his sentience, then so should Sappo."
"I hope so." Mujika replied. "Let's carry him out."
She tossed five White Pikmin to carry Sappo. Rupert threw some Purples to carry Haybot's head and base. "We could sell this guy for parts, too." Rupert figured.
"Hey, Rupert?" Sind spoke nervously. "Um…sorry for getting kind of heated back there."
"Nah, it's alright. But once we're done here, we'll have you guys carried to Moonbase. I heard other operatives are being kept safe there."
"But I…I get to stay with you guys, right? I don't wanna back off this mission after all this."
"Are you sure? We're gonna keep using Pikmin, you know."
"Heh heh…well, now that my friends are safe, I can clear my head a bit. And using the Pikmin is kinda fun. But besides… I want to help stop this crisis. I feel like my team can barely take a beating before we conk out. I wanna do something! And I can't let Plankton get away with what he's doing!"
"In that case, welcome to the team, Sind! Now, let's clear out the rest of this farm so we can eat!"
"Yeah!" Mujika smiled. "And… thanks for helping us, Sind."
"Haha, you guys, too! Let's go!" The trio hurried to scour the rest of the farm.