The Pikmineers took flight under a cloudy sky, a light rain drizzling the earth. They followed Plankton's signal to a shopping district somewhere in Utah. "Well, Plankton picked a clever state to hide in." Rupert said.
"Huh? Why?" Sind asked.
"'Cause nothing bad ever happens in Utah!"
"Uh…really?"
"I don't know, it's a joke he heard somewhere." Timmy shrugged.
"There!" Sappo pointed downward. "Do you see that restaurant?"
"Yeah?"
"I think I can feel Plankton's signal further underground, around that area."
"I don't remember ever finding this farm." Mujika said. "But I guess it's a good place to bait victims."
"Then let's investigate." Rupert decided. "Timmy, Lenari, take Sappo and wait for our call."
"You got it." Lenari responded, steering their Celery to hide someplace else.
The restaurant in question was Pastry Paradise: All You Can Eat, But Probably Shouldn't. Very colorful and inviting, it was a popular place to go out for dessert. Team Rupert parked under a table on the patio. Because of the rain, only few were eating outside. "Hey, won't our Pikmin be in danger in this rain?" Mujika asked.
"This kind of rain won't hurt them. Anyway, let's bring 12 of each Pikmin this time. That'll give us a good 156. And it'll save room for any new types."
"What type would we find here?" Sind asked.
"Oh, you'd be surprised~" (Play "Dashing Thru the Fire" from Rayman Origins!)
Stage 3: The Gluttons' Kingdom
Mission: Search for and defeat Plankton!
The trio called out the desired number of Pikmin and moved out from the table. They studied the wall of the restaurant and found a cinder block wedged into a part, likely used to cover up a large gap. The Purple Pikmin couldn't push it as something obstructed it from behind. The trio split up to search for something helpful, with Mujika KOing some Dwarf Bulborbs that looked like sentient chocolate chips; they were Dough Bulborbs. Meanwhile, Sind found a hole in a broken potted plant, with only a small amount of soil inside. He made the Orange Pikmin start growing the plant that was inside: it grew into a bulbous, brown, pulsating bud with leaves around the side.
The plant spat out three spores that looked like bombs. Sind had the Rotten Pikmin pick up the bombs and bring them to the cinder wall. "Let's see if this works." He threw the Pikmin against the wall, and they fled as the bombs seemed to ignite. The Bomb Spores destroyed the cinder! "Hey, guys, we can go in!"
"Good work, Sind!" Rupert praised. "Mujika, let's go!"
The crowd of Pikmin bunched into the entrance, finding a pair of screws that were used to block the cinder. They set foot on a red, patterned, flat carpet underneath a table. Proceeding forward, they were overwhelmed by the dozens of gigantic customers partaking in the mountains of sweets. "This reminds me of a scary mission I took a few weeks ago."
"Yeah?" Sind asked.
"Basically, a bunch of Lilliputian kids were kidnapped and served to overweight creeps."
"I think I heard about that. Sector W7 said Aeincha was captured by them."
"Yeah, she was there. At least this place feels a lot more pleasant. But if we aren't careful, we could be mistaken for M&M's."
"Um…I'm starting to have second thoughts about this." Sind gulped. Though they were safe under the table, the sight of the dining giants was disorienting. "AAH!" A young boy came charging past the table, quaking the floor.
"I guess a giant isn't used to seeing actual giants."
"Uh, heheh…not exactly." Sind couldn't help but wonder if this was karma… his punishment for what he had done back then.
"Should we call Timmy to swap with you?" asked Mujika.
"N-no. I…I feel like I have to do this."
Rupert raised a brow, wondering what his deal was. Since it seemed safe, they walked out and headed rightward. Unfortunately, a large wall of cake blocked the way, but to their left, a slope made of crackers led up onto another table. This table was full of the remains of half-eaten sweets—a Peckish Aristocrab wandered out of an ice cream bucket. "EUH!" Rupert yelped. "I think this restaurant has some problems!" The Aristocrab's body resembled a head of garlic, and its right claw was large and crystalline. Sind kicked two Rock Pikmin to shatter its claw, leaving the other Pikmin to gang up and KO the crustacean.
Behind the crab, they could cross a rope bridge; the boards were chocolate bars and the rope had candy beads. The bridge led to another table, where a couple Breadbugs were carrying cookies away. The Breadbugs were like pillbugs whose bodies resembled loafs of bread, with two blue eyes and two legs. Besides the ones taking the cookies, three of them seemed to be trying to tug a more rounded cookie out of a pancake. "Wait…" Rupert studied the 'cookie' closely. "Is that an Onion?!"
"That?" Sind looked. Indeed, the chocolate chip mass was shaped like an Onion. "Is it… covered in cookie dough?"
"It's not that! Quick, stop those things!" Rupert threw Purple Pikmin to make shockwaves and flip the Breadbugs over. Their undersides exposed, they threw more Purples to quickly KO the bugs. "Now, let's see!" Rupert jumped on the plate and touched the odd-shaped cookie. A flower propeller bloomed atop as it rose from the pancake, grew three legs, and mounted itself.
"It really is an Onion!" Mujika beamed. "But… why does it look like a cookie?"
"Man, I've wanted this Pikmin type for ages!" Rupert exclaimed.
The Onion popped out a single seed that planted in the pancake. Rupert immediately plucked the Pikmin out: like the Onion, it was peach-colored with chocolate chips. It was also defined by a bucktooth over its mouth.
Rupert discovered Cookie Pikmin! These doughy helpers have such a big sweet-tooth, they can eat any pastry too sweet for other Pikmin!
"No way!" Sind said. "What kind of crazy Pikmin type is this?"
"Haha, they're pretty rare! The Onions only grow in pastries, but they typically wind up eaten."
"Pikmin biology is really fascinating…" Mujika commented.
Since there were Pellet Posies nearby, their next objective was simply to have the Cookie-type collect and produce more of its kind. After gathering nine Pikmin, they looked once more to the Breadbugs, who had dragged their cookies to nests (half an ice cream bucket). "Hey, watch this~" Rupert said, sending the Cookie Pikmin to grab one of the cookies. They played tug-o-war with the Breadbug, dragging it to their Onion, and the bug was sucked into the Onion with the cookie. They repeated this with the other Breadbug, leading to about 30 Cookie-types in total.
"I knew my Pik-Sensors were tingling! But now the real work begins." They returned across the candy bridge and down the cracker slope, using their new Pikmin to eat through the cake wall blocking the next area. They could turn left and go past a utensil station.
"Hey, you guys! Down there! Help!" They looked up a wall of forks, seeing a Minish tied up on the point of one. "I was being chased by monsters! I was able to hide up here, but, well… this happened!"
"So, this is a farm!" Mujika realized. "Hey, did you see a big, green cyclops monster by any chance? Were you being kept in a dungeon?"
"N-not exactly… they were taking me somewhere, but I escaped before they could. Please just get me down!"
Rupert tossed three Silvers to climb the forks and rescue him. "At least it's a start." While those Pikmin carried the Minish back, the group proceeded to a somewhat open area amidst some tables. There were mounds of vanilla icing with candles sticking out of them: they grew adorable, creepy beady eyes and wobbled toward the group like slugs. There were two ways to beat the Candle Slugs: either throw Red Pikmin on their candle to attack it, or have Cookie Pikmin eat their icing and expose their weak cores.
"Okay, let's split up and cover this area." Rupert suggested. They each took different Pikmin, but divided the Cookies evenly, and traveled to different corners of the dining area. Rupert headed a little backward and found another ropeway of candy beads leading up to a window… except there were no stairs.
Sind saw a chocolate fountain and thought it looked like a fun area to explore. A slope led up to the fountain's rim: the chocolate water was just clear enough to see through… and didn't look very appetizing. Furthermore, there were Water Dumples lurking in the chocolate; round, purplish, big-mouthed fish with flat bottoms. "I wonder…" Sind dropped a single Blue Pikmin in the chocolate, and it was able to survive. He then placed a Cookie one in… and it also survived. "So, they can survive in sweet liquids. But seriously, these Pikmin feel way too situational! I mean, how many levels would have giant pastry obstacles?"
Regardless, Sind had them defeat all the Dumples. The second layer of the fountain seemed to have crackers lain around it. Sind found part of a licorice stalk sticking out of one side of the rim, so he had the Pikmin attack and extend it, forming a way up to the second layer. Sind had the Blue and Cookies climb up, allowing them to start collecting the crackers. They would drop into the chocolate (now safe with the Dumples defeated) and carry the crackers over to the empty ropeway that Rupert found. This would eventually make a way up to the window.
Meanwhile, Mujika traveled across the "field" and found a young girl sitting in front of a door. She had frizzly blonde hair tied in a large bun, a puffy pink dress with matching shoes, and had a huffy face. "I'm not moving! I want birthday cake." she stated poutingly.
"Is it your birthday today?" Mujika asked.
"No. But I. Want. Cake."
"O…kay?" She took out her communicator. "Guys, there's a giant girl blocking the path. She demands cake."
"I'm sure her parents or somebody will move her eventually." Rupert responded.
"Rupert, I don't think anybody in this restaurant cares about anything." Sind reasoned.
"Yeah, you're right. I'll keep an eye out."
Rupert traveled along the wall left of the ropeway and faced up at the back of an average-looking man, eating something. He tried to study the tops of the tables in search of a cake… and saw one atop the roof of a food stall. "Uh…found it. …Hey!" He saw that Sind's Pikmin had finished making the cracker slope. Rupert traveled up it to reach the window, which had a cracked area that his Rock Pikmin could shatter, providing a shortcut back to the Onions.
However, Rupert traveled left along the windowsill and could get to the average man's table. He seemed to be eating M&M-coated ice cream. There was gelatin in a corner of the table, which could bounce them up to other suspended jelly platforms that led atop the ceiling lights. Of course, Rupert first had to get this adult out of the way, lest he substitute Pikmin with his M&M's. He noticed the screws in the legs of the chair he was sitting on, so Rupert dropped back down and had Silver Pikmin climb up to the screws. The Pikmin unscrewed them and retreated immediately after. The man's seat collapsed to the floor and him with it.
"Aw, man. 'Guess I'll eat this somewhere else." The man stood up, took his ice cream, and left. While Rupert remained ever curious about him, he returned to the table. He also saw Mujika's Pikmin carrying back a shrunken goth girl, along with some defeated enemies, up the cracker slope and down the shortcut. Rupert crossed the table and used the gelatin platforms to bounce up above the ceiling lights. The roofs above the lights were mostly safe, except for electric gaps that he needed Yellow Pikmin to disable. There were a couple Swooping Snitchbugs up here, yellow chubby bugs that would snatch them up and throw them off the lights, but they were quickly taken down.
Rupert reached the area above the giant cake and dropped down. It was a plain vanilla with yellow and blue flower decorations, and due to its weight, Rupert used the Purple Pikmin to carry it. They dropped onto a nearby table, then to a chair, and carried the cake to the pouting girl. "Yaaaay!" Her mood brightened as she took the cake. She ran away to eat it, allowing the door to open outward.
Rupert's teammates came to rejoin him, with Mujika having regathered the Pikmin. "I saved a prisoner that was stuck in a banana." Sind said. "She said the Gupna are nested in a cave located under a trashcan in the kitchen."
"Let's see if we can get there through here." The newly opened door led into a more peaceful room with curtained tables. There was no one at the tables, but a brown-haired woman with a blue dress under a small purple jacket was singing on a stage. "Hey, isn't that Amanda Bynes?"
"Who?"
"She used to be a child actress, but now she's doing odd jobs. …In fact, I think she developed multiple personality disorder."
"ONE TIME, I ate at, a restaurant!" Amanda sang. "The food was disgusting and baaaad! The spaghetti had fungus, the rats were humongous, and the waitress threw up on my daaaaad~"
"Yeah, this is her 'Melody' persona. I wonder where Thad is?"
"Her song is making me wanna vomit. Let's hurry and find the kitchen."
"Over there!" The door on the left side was labeled 'Kitchen.' Unfortunately, they couldn't even squeeze underneath it. They explored the dining room for something to help. Scorpions dropped from under the table curtains and launched their stingers, but Sind quickly kicked Rocks to KO the bugs, disgusted by their presence here. However, there were some crackers with icing under each table. The Cookie Pikmin ate the icing off the crackers and afterwards carried them to form a staircase onto Melody's stage. "Alright, gang, give us a real song!"
Rupert had the Music Pikmin line up onstage. They began to hum the song "Makes Me Happy" by Drake Bell, their notes overpowering Melody's. A band of waiters burst out of the kitchen door and jumped on the tables, beginning to dance exuberantly. "Hahaha!" Sind laughed half-awkwardly. "This is a really weird level, and it makes me happyyyy~"
"Ha ha! I think Music Pikmin are my favorites!" Mujika danced.
"They sure know how to start a party!" Rupert danced. "And hey, the door's open! Looks like we're on the right track!"
They raced toward the kitchen door and crossed from the carpet onto a tiled, brownish floor. They trekked down a short hall to the actual kitchen, staying to the left side to avoid the giant shoes of a waiter. "Oh, is that kid finally gone?" he asked. "Finally, I can use this door again!"
There seemed to be a red line at the edge of the kitchen, and when Rupert stepped across it- "Whoa!" he yelped when a Rumbi slid by. The round vacuum-boy twisted to see the tinies, but it was unable to cross the red line, apparently. With that, it resumed its back-and-forth patrols. "I guess we can't walk on the main floor."
"Okay, why isn't that thing patrolling the main restaurant?" Sind asked. "Isn't it a tripping hazard in here?"
"It's about to be a convenience!" There was a small slope up along the right wall, which could take them level with the Rumbi's top. When the robot slid by, the tinies jumped onto it. The Rumbi rotated and returned backwards, stopping beside an open stove that seemed to use burning coals. While the traditional aesthetic was unique, they could toss Red Pikmin in to begin breaking the coals and disabling the heat. With that, they could jump into the oven and enter a hidden passage in the back. It had stairs leading up to the top of the stove.
"Speaking of convenience, I'm surprised the Ice Pikmin didn't melt in there." Sind remarked.
"Rupert, I think I sense Vida Seeds nearby." Mujika said, facing right. It was a counter with jars of various powders and sugar. The group explored the counter and discovered a jar with glowing purple seeds, intended to be hidden from the cooks.
"Good nose, Mujika!" Rupert praised, using Rock Pikmin to destroy the jar.
"Well, it's mostly an aura thing." Mujika replied, sending Whites and Wings to begin collecting the seeds. "Otherwise, the smell of all this cooking is overwhelming my nose."
The group backtracked and crossed to the opposite end of the stove. They would have to cross a counter where a mustached chef was waiting to cut something with his knife… and had nothing else to do, apparently. If they crossed now, they would be diced by the knife. However, there was a potted banana tree on their side, with only small bananas. The Pikmineers used their Orange types to begin enhancing the tree and grow a bounty of full size bananas. "Ha haaaa!" The banana butcher perked up in delight. He took the bananas and began to dice them up, paying no mind to the bypassing tinies.
The path would then be blocked by a giant refrigerator, with various letters magnetically stuck to it. The Silver Pikmin were able to climb the magnetic fridge, pull the letters down, and stick them into a path around the front of the fridge. The explorers would be able to travel over that path and reached the next counter. From the edge of this counter, they were above a trashcan, but the lid was sealed. "Maybe we can have the Purples push the can aside." They could safely drop down via some jelly platforms, only to find that pieces of discarded cake covered the rim of the trashcan.
While the Cookie Pikmin began eating away at the cake, Sind went back to regather the Pikmin that finished collecting the seeds. Once the discarded cake was eaten, the Purple Pikmin were able to push the hefty can to the side. A hole was revealed underneath. "This must be the entrance!" Mujika deduced.
"Plankton, you better be down there!" Rupert declared. "It's time for you to pay for all you've done!" And so, the group jumped into the dungeon.
"Plankton, you better be down there!" Rupert declared. "It's time for you to pay for all you've done!" And so, the group jumped into the dungeon. (Play "Deep in the Caves" from Rayman.)
Act 2: The Caves of Scraps
A dim, dusty air filled the first chamber of the cavern. Half-eaten crackers lay there for ages… a lost pancake lay withered, its dried syrup in the shape of a sad face with one tear… the rotting last piece of cherry pie, unable to finish its journey… So many forgotten foods found this as their final resting place.
"I don't understand." Mujika said. "If people didn't wanna finish their food, why don't they give it to someone else?"
"Most people don't think scraps are appetizing." Rupert replied. "Some people save it for later, but restaurants just throw it away. Plus, we've already seen tons of food on the floor up there, so it's no wonder this cave exists."
"When you consider how many other humans are starving, it's pretty sad." Sind said.
They maneuvered around a snaky path in-between the food, finding a dead Black Bulbear blocking the exit. They used some Purple Pikmin to pull it out… and it seemed a Breadbug was trying to drag it through the tunnel, though it couldn't fit. The Purples dragged them both to the Storage Nut and sucked them in. The group traveled through the tunnel and into a vast cavern, echoing with the sounds of droplets and creatures' caws. The tunnel's exit was set atop a narrow, snaky path that sloped 40 meters down into the cave's surface.
The path ended beside a river with a broken bridge, and the other side was too high for the Ices to cross to. "Hmmm…" Rupert viewed right, where the river flowed from, and left. There were some Skops (scorpions) lurking around the shore and Jellyfloats over the river. "I'm gonna take some Blues and Wings down left, Mujika, take the Ices and check upriver. Sind, deal with the enemies,
"Got it!" they chorused. Rupert swam downriver with his Blues, whilst the Wings floated above the surface. He reached the edge of a waterfall, with an underwater wall available to stop him from falling. Bridge tiles were piled by the wall, so he had the Blues collect and carry them back. Rupert then surfaced and could climb onto a ledge, overlooking the vast, dark chasm that the water fell into. But across the chasm, a caged man was hanging from a stalactite. He sent the Wings to retrieve his cage.
Mujika had the Ices freeze a trail to go upriver. They went under a spider-web that would've impeded the Wings and found more bridge tiles on a platform. They took the tiles and returned downriver. Sind would finish KOing the nearby enemies, watching as the Pikmin finished the bridge. The friends regrouped and traveled up the bridge to another open ground, with a humped path leading to a tunnel. They calmly traveled up- "AAAH!" and immediately fled from the shadow of a giant scorpion, the monster dropping from the ceiling. It was purplish-red with a big mouth, angry eyes, and a yellow goatee.
"It's a King Skops!" Rupert exclaimed. "I'll take care of it, you guys run ahead!"
"Just yourself?!" Sind asked.
"Yeah, don't worry! It'll be even easier with these Silvers; gimme the Greens and Whites, too."
The King Skops detached and launched claws in attempt to grab Pikmin, but Rupert had them dodge, seizing the chance to throw Greens on its face. He ran around and threw Silvers up on its tail tip. While Skops devoured the Greens, the Silvers could freely damage the tail. Skops shook them off and launched spikes from its back, sticking in the ground and emitting poison. Rupert had the White Pikmin destroy them, and the newly dead Ghost Pikmin resumed attacking the head. Rupert repeated the process to steadily defeat King Skops.
Sind and Mujika entered the tunnel and found two Gupna guards patrolling. "Oi! That looks like the beautiful one! Let's get 'er, Bobby!" The guards threw boney spears, but the kids dodged as Sind kicked Rock Pikmin at their masks. They swarmed the Gupna with Pikmin, but a Wollywog dropped from a hole in the ceiling, jumped, and crushed six Blues and five Yellows, while the Gupna captured and ate four Browns and two Musics. The kids thrashed all three creatures with Pikmin until they were down.
"Hey, is Plankton somewhere in this cave?" Mujika demanded to know.
"Bah…you'll never stop him now…" a Gupna hissed before fainting.
"Oh, no… does that mean he's absorbed Synthia?"
"I hope we can still stop him…"
The tunnel turned left and sloped down. There were Anode Beetles linking with electric beams, so they used Yellows to take them down. The tunnel led to a walkway along a cliffside. They were right under and behind the waterfall Rupert was above earlier. They were so mesmerized by the water that they almost didn't notice the glass on the wall. A chubby, young human boy was trapped behind it, looking terrified. "Don't worry, little guy! We'll save you!" Sind broke the glass with Rocks and had them escort the boy back.
"I'm back!" Rupert called, bypassing the escorted boy. "The King Skops spat out another prisoner, so I had some take both of them back."
"At least you made it!" Sind said. "I was almost worried about you."
"Don't doubt the Pikmin Master!"
The friends calmly traveled along the edge of the chasm, later to enter a new cave. This cave was a swamp of murky, spilled chocolate syrup, with broken bottles embedded into the walls. There were cherry-topped fudge cakes placed in some parts of the syrup, but a large gap separated them from the next path. "Can the Cookies walk on syrup surfaces?" Rupert threw one to see. The lone Pikmin began struggling. "Nope, too sticky." He pulled it back. "But maybe the Browns can help afterward." He threw some Cookies onto the cakes, letting them eat.
Cracker tiles were revealed beneath the cakes. They threw Brown Pikmin to toss the Cookies back to land, as well as bring the crackers to form a bridge to the next path. They crossed and entered another tunnel, which turned right and led further downward. Open atmosphere surrounded them as they walked out onto a ledge over the dark chasm. The waterfall was still in sight to their right, but the looming darkness was unsettling.
Small platforms were set below their level, but above them were discarded swirly ice creams, hanging like stalactites from their cones. They were so stale that they were hard as rock. "I wonder…" Sind kicked Rock Pikmin up to break the cones. The ice creams dropped and stuck perfectly on the lower platforms, allowing them to jump across their flat tops. They arrived at a path suspended above the abyss, but two Winged Gupna lurked ahead.
"Crud." Rupert said. "Our Wings and Ghosts are still waiting at the base."
"I'll run back and get them." Mujika offered.
"No, let me do it." Sind said. "I'm the fastest. Should be a fun workout!"
"Okay, go for it!" Rupert cheered. Sind grinned and made the dash back to the start. "But we can at least get started." He led their Rocks toward the Gupna, luring the beasts over. Once they were over the foothold, he tossed Rocks to destroy the left's mask. Mujika threw Purple and Ice Pikmin on the right one, allowing for a combo of stuns and freezes. Rupert bombarded the left with other Pikmin. Three Ices and two Silvers were shaken off into the abyss by the time the Gupna were defeated. "Phew! At least that wasn't too costly…eh?"
A bulky, winged shadow seemed to flap over them. "R-Rupert, did you see that?"
"Yeah… I think it's a Vehemoth Phosbat! It'll only show itself in light or if it eats something!"
The camouflaged beast seemed to face them as it was making a sound. "It's about to suck us in! Run!" They rushed up the path as the Phosbat began inhaling like a vacuum.
"Rupert, the Cookies!"
"What?!" Some of the Cookies stayed behind, their chocolate chips being sucked into the Phosbat. It would become visible as a large, brown, hefty moth-like monster with a big mouth and purple protrusions. The duo quickly threw Pikmin to attack it, but after it finished chewing the chips, the Phosbat released spores to shake the Pikmin off. They panicked from the spores, so Rupert whistled them back to their senses. "So, Cookie Pikmin can shed off their chips and let them get eaten!"
"But now they're just plain Dough Pikmin."
"I'll bet some nectar could grow their chips back." They baited the Phosbat into sucking once again and had some Cookies sacrifice their chips. They repeated the process and chipped away its health, but lost three Cookies and two Blues. The defeated Phosbat spat out half of a human woman's body. "W-what the…?!"
"It must be a person that was killed by the Gupna." Mujika assumed. "They ate half of her and let this monster have the rest…"
"I'm back, guys!" Sind called, leaping the platforms with a squad of Pikmin. "Heh, that was actually a fun- oh…"
"Yeah…" Rupert said. "Well, we can't just leave her here." And so, they used a few Whites to carry her back, with two Purples to haul the Phosbat. The path would end, but some buds were growing on low platforms. They tossed a couple Orange Pikmin on the first one, growing it into a Bloominous Stemple, a glimmering, wide, white fluffy flower. They used Oranges to grow the following two, providing a way to the next path. However, to their right was a sequence of gelatin platforms. It was too far for a jump, so Sind lifted Mujika and threw her onto the first. She bounced the others and landed on the ledge of a very peaceful garden, with smaller Bloominous Stemples, and… a pack of monochrome cats?
A larger Kittentia was leading a pack of smaller ones, and they all had Pikmin antennae. "Uh…hey, guys!" she yelled over the chasm. "There are some strange creatures over here, they look like Pikmin!"
"Huh? Sind, throw me over." Sind lifted Rupert and threw him to bounce the platforms. He also chucked some Pikmin over to join them.
"Whoa…" Rupert was awed by the fluffy, monochrome kittens, waddling about the fluffy flowers. "I kind of recognize that cat from an incident about a month ago. A whole bunch of them appeared all over the place. I don't really know what these cats are, but they must've eaten some Parasitic Pikmin."
"Is that another type?"
"Yeah, but it only lives underground. When it gets eaten, it possesses whatever creature ate it. They're immune to elemental hazards, but they can't be taken out of the cave. These should be enough to replace our lost ones. But first…" Rupert used the Red Pikmin Sind sent to KO the Mama Kittentia. With that, the 20 Floofmin trusted the Pikmineers for guidance.
They had some Reds carry back the defeated mama. A walkway led them and dropped off to a cliff that the Stemple platforms initially led to, with Sind already waiting there. "Oh, it's those cat things again. They come in this size, too, eh?" he commented.
As they followed the path further across the darkness, a Nectarous Dandelfly fluttered over them; a long, fluff-headed bug with round segments made of nectar. The Dandelfly was easily KO'ed by a Yellow, scattering its nectar. They allowed the Pikmin to replenish their strength with it, such as restoring the Oranges or helping the Cookies grow chips.
The path led to the shore of a small, white lake of sour milk. A man with long black hair was playing guitar and singing a song in rhythm with the music. "Oh, there's Thad." Rupert said. "He must've gotten shrunk. I wonder why he isn't imprisoned?"
"Inside… the Caves… of Scraps… The food… was ver…y bad… The spaghetti's filled with worms, and the milk is filled with sperms… And instead of steak, there is stone…"
"Probably because he grossed them out." Sind figured.
The Pikmin fell droopy from listening to his tune. "Ew, and only the Music Pikmin can tolerate him." Rupert noticed. "You guys got this." Four Musics were needed to lift Thad and carry him back.
"The chocolate tastes like poo, and tea tastes like pee… down, in the Cave, of, Scraaaaaaps…"
The Pikmin regained confidence after he left. Their next task was crossing the milk. Not wanting to swim in it, Rupert had the Ice-types freeze a trail. "I'm gonna scout ahead." the leader said, crossing by himself.
There seemed to be a large, pulsating pancake in the middle of the lake, a glob of gold butter hanging from its antenna. …Rupert already suspected an obvious trap, so he only sent one Ice-type forward. (Play "Mr. Skops Battle" from Rayman!)
Almost instantly, a giant mouth SPRUNG open along the pancake's rim, and it would've eaten the Pikmin had Rupert not called it back. The beast was a giant frogfish with a pancake body, rising on a pair of legs hidden under the milk.
Boss fight: Buttery Panfish
Rupert retreated to shore as the Panfish spat cyan ice cream globs in their direction. The trio split up and divided the Pikmin, but three Reds were smothered by the sour cream. Mujika ordered Wings to attack its antenna, but it retracted into its head. "It looks like it's walking, so I wonder if we can attack the legs?" Rupert said. "Any volunteers?"
"I'll do it." Sind decided, taking the Blue Pikmin. With a deep, nervous breath, he dove into the milk. The Panfish's legs were rather short and bulky, its hefty body swaying as they walked. Sind sent the Blues to attack the legs. It stopped walking after a moment, and Sind called them back before the creature could jump--alas, all the Blues died. Sind quickly swam back to the shore. "Huff, huff! I lost all the Blues!"
"Dang it! I guess the Ghosts or Cookies can… wait, use the Parasites! They can survive in water, too!" Sind nodded and called the Floofmin into the water. Sind had them attack the legs, called them back before the fish could crush them, and repeated until the legs were disabled. Seven Floofmin died during the scuffle, but the Panfish was dropped onto its bottom. The big-mouthed pancake twisted around to face the shore. With its mouth level with the milk, it was only able to spit globs along the surface.
Mujika had some Ice-types form a path to the Panfish, and she had some Cookies follow her across. Once close, the Panfish stuck out its tongue and brushed it along the surface. Mujika allowed the Cookies to be caught, and their outer skin shed as the beast ate their chips. The monster submerged further to chew its food, allowing Mujika to throw more Cookies onto its head. They ate at the buttery spot where the antenna was hidden, and by the time the Panfish reemerged, the antenna was forced to pop out.
The Panfish shook the Cookies off, but Rupert sent the Wing Pikmin to attack the antenna. They were shaken off into the milk, and Mujika whistled them out of it before the fish could eat. The Panfish shot its tongue into the ground, and it sprouted up on the shore. The tongue was cyan-colored like the ice cream it spat, spinning to snatch some of the Pikmin. It caught four Floofmin and three Whites, but Sind tossed some Purples to Ground Pound its tongue and weigh it down. Rupert sent Wings to keep attacking the antenna, bashing it until the last of its stamina was down.
The Panfish bellowed, detaching the Pikmin from its tongue. It stretched up and stumbled toward the back wall, smashing it open with its weight. The Panfish fell unconscious. (End song.)
The milk flowed into the broken wall, revealing a tunnel behind it. The group set the Purple Pikmin to work carrying the Panfish's body back. "Phew… good work, team." Rupert reached to either side.
"Sigh, that was a tricky one." Sind fived him. "I'm really gonna need a bath after this."
Mujika shook Rupert's other hand. "I can sense some kind of energy down there… It's strong. Plankton is close."
"Sind, run back to base." Rupert ordered. "Not just for our Pikmin, but we may ask you to call Lenari and the others."
"Okay." Sind nodded seriously. "But if it gets too dangerous down there… you two should run back, too."
"We will." Mujika agreed. "But… um…"
"Yeah?" asked Rupert.
"It's just… this has been really fun. I've never had friends like you guys or Timmy… and I'm really thankful to you for helping me."
"Come on, don't get all sentimental on us." Sind chuckled.
"But when we stop Plankton, I'll shrink back down to my normal size, along with the Gupna. I won't be able to do this, anymore…"
"Oh, yeah…" Sind frowned. "And I guess I'll go back to my size, too. I…I probably shouldn't even be down here when that happens, hehe."
"Well, even if you are tiny, Muji, it doesn't mean you can't hang out with us!" Rupert smiled. "Now that we're aware of you, no one'll ever try to squish you again!"
"Heh heh…" The Gupna blushed.
"Same with you, Sind! Keep your eyes open 'cause we might visit you sometime~"
"Uh…y-you probably shouldn't." Sind grinned nervously. "Accidents can happen… you know."
"Don't worry, I've dealt with scarier giants~"
"Eh heh…ahem, I'll head back now. Be careful." Sind dashed back through the caves.
"Let's go, Mujika." His friend nodded, and the two raced down with their remaining Pikmin.