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Uh, er, I mean…this chapter is a tribute to a certain game series for no particular reason. Lol but seriously, I had this idea planned for ages, I think now's the perfect time to write it.
Earth; above Cleveland, Virginia
"Alright, crew, time to get ready for tomorrow's breakfast!" Augustus clapped hands. "We're gonna need a TON of Rainbow Munchies boxes for you all! Unfortunately, according to Stewie's research, other stores haven't been able to get them in… so, we need to hit the Supervillains' Supermarket."
"We shalt giveth it all we hath!" O-Tama vowed.
"No you won't." The ninja gasped in disappointment. "As experienced supervillains, Stewie and I will take care of this ourselves. Hopefully our creds will allow us entry and allow us to shop peacefully. But even if they don't, we'll just beat everyone up. It's highly likely you have to be a Brotherhooder to get in, anyway."
"No harm in sticking with simplicity." Senku shrugged.
"Now, Kohaku and Tressa… why don't you take the kids on a tour around Sector V's neighborhood? This is where Haylee lives, try to ask if she's around. Then she can direct you to the Sanbans… or if she isn't, the other townsfolk can. Those kids are pretty famous, after all. To be honest, I don't remember the area too well myself; last time I was here, I helped invade the Drilovsky House and kidnapped their daughter! Heh heh!…heh…" The chill of reproving glares enshrouded him. "Hey, I was in a bad crowd back then."
"Apologies, Captain," Hinahoho began, "but Konayuki will not be joining this adventure. She is grounded for running around Saturn's ring without my supervision."
"Then I wanna go in her place!" Carrot threw her hand up.
"If you want to." Gus shrugged. "In fact, you should swing by Gallagher Elementary. They kind of revere rabbits."
"But that just means Konayuki should come even more!!" Suika shouted.
"A child needs the right balance of freedom and discipline." Hina replied. "Especially in dangerous places where recklessness can cost you. Remember this well, children, and be sure to behave yourselves."
"Oh, Suika can watch herself just fine!" Kohaku patted the child's melon. "Just promise to stay near the group. Cleveland sounds like a big town."
"Suika promises!"
Augustus and Stewie flew elsewhere in their biplane while the girls parachuted over town. "I'm sure this won't look suspicious at all!" Tressa joked.
"Not as much as that giant tree." Kohaku pointed. "That's where the KND is based?"
"Yep!" Carrot chirped. "It's the same for Mobius!"
"I wonder if Haylee is there now?" Kohaku said. "We could just make it our first stop."
"Unless it thinks we're enemies and unloads lasers at us." Tressa figured. "…Hey, is that big red building the Gallagher school?"
"Looks like there are kids playing." Kohaku noticed the trio at the playground, climbing statues of the Gilligans and Kirie.
"It's about 6p.m. here, isn't it? They shouldn't be in school now. And look at those statues! That one's Haylee!"
"Oh!" Tama gasped. As they drew near the school, she could make out a familiar shape: a boy with bowl-cut black hair and a green sweater. "That boy… he was from yonder Cooking Festival!"
"You think Kirie and her friends will like these, guys?" Joey asked, sitting on the knuckles of the Kirie statue, the hand of which was held up and shaped like a "zero."
"Definitely!" Rupert cheered. "But if you have more Legos, we gotta make statues of the other ones, too. It's the best way to thank them for all they've done for us."
"Yeah." Timmy smiled. "I just hope everyone else remembers, too… with those online jerks trying to embarrass them. …I bet Hikari would like these, too…"
"She'll wake up someday, Timmy." Rupert tried to console. "Heck, maybe there's something me and Synthia can do!"
"It's alright. But, Rupert, the KND are about to get in a big battle, right? You have one of the Newborn, so you have to…"
"I guess I might… but, Pikmin aren't really meant for big wars or the like." Even from up on Harry's statue, Rupert could almost see his colorful little pals moving to and fro between the school and an outside trashcan, carrying lines of discarded chip crumbs. "I'd like 'em to stick to the hunting and gathering gig if I can. But if any of them suffer broken chi paths, they'll sure need Synthia to fix them."
"I know. I'm just thinking… I dunno if I can handle it. If you end up getting involved, I dunno if I wanna come, too…"
"Okay… but it won't feel the same not having you…"
"Guys, look!" Joey pointed at the sky.
"Ooooooiiiiii!" Tama sent them a bright smile and a wave. "Dost thou remember Tama?!"
"Yeah! You're the girl from the festival! The ninja!"
"HAIAH!" Tama ripped off her parachute pack to land more stylishly on Kirie's head. "'Tis a pleasure to make thine acquaintance once more, Joetaro!"
"My name is Joey, silly! Are they your friends? How come you're all falling from the sky?"
"August'n suggests always making thine arrivals 'stylish'!"
The others landed at separate positions around the school's backdoor. "…?" Suika had only barely noticed a line of moving barbecue chip crumbs. Curiosity becoming the detective, Suika dropped into a crouch for a closer study. The line going toward her was carrying chips, while the line going away… appeared to be made of very tiny, colorful, leaf- and flower-headed bugs. It was probably thanks to her lenses, which could amplify details to beautiful degree, that she was able to see them at all.
"We hath come bearing a message for the Sanban Clan." Tama explained as the kids climbed down the statues. "Dost thou know of them?"
"Yeah! I'm only one of them, after all!"
"Ah! Then our reunion was predestined!"
Rupert turned his gaze to the approaching group… and took particular notice of the crouched girl with the weird head. That leaf on her melon… looked strikingly like a Pikmin's. She was even studying said creatures now, even though it was quite tricky for normal-size people to spot them without experience. "WHOA, LOOK AT THAT!" Joey's exclamation snapped Rupert out of his gaze. However, Joey's reaction was to someone completely different: the tall, humanoid rabbit. "That's a real big bunny! Is it real?!"
"I am!" Carrot smiled.
"SHE CAN TALK?!"
"Tehe, you've never seen a Mobian before?"
"I mean, I know a raccoon girl, and some catgirls, but they still look like people. But you're a full rabbit!"
"Heh, too bad the president and Sandy aren't here." Timmy chuckled.
"Is it true that you guys 'revere' rabbits?"
"I dunno what that means," Joey answered, "but we got a pet rabbit in the classroom! Wanna see?"
"GARCHU!" Carrot excitedly raced inside ahead of Joey.
"I feel like we're seeing too many rabbits lately." Tressa shook in disbelief. "Well, that's better than wolves, I guess. I mean, not our Wolf, but the other Wolf."
"Yeah, we know." Kohaku chuckled, proceeding after them. "Come on, Suika, let's…?" The child was still gazing at the colored bugs. Kohaku's enhanced vision could make out what she was studying from afar, yet was a tad too far to truly make out their shape. "Hmhm! Ants are fun to watch, huh, Suika?"
"Huh?" She looked up.
"Just keep your hands away from them. Ant bites hurt!"
Suika watched the group head inside, not able to find the words to correct her elder. Perhaps because Suika wasn't sure how to describe these fascinating bugs. It was an alien planet, after all, so Suika couldn't expect everything to look the same. Regardless, she pushed herself upright and ran after her friends. …Rupert fell behind as well, following the curious girl with intrigue.
Within a minute of following Joey and Carrot to the classroom, Suika noticed them again. They were coming and going through a hole beneath the lockers, carrying the chips further up the hall. "Here he is!" Joey said, leading Carrot into a classroom. An old, shaggy bunny slept peacefully in a cage.
"Awe! He looks older than the dukes! And way fluffier than Cat Viper."
"His name is Snubblebun. We got him a few months ago. Actually, it's the first new rabbit we've had in decades."
"Decades?" Kohaku asked. "How long do normal rabbits live?"
"I don't know, but we used to have a really special rabbit that kept getting reborn. But it was taken by evil candy pirates a while ago and it's never come back."
"Well, that's unusual." Tressa cocked a brow.
"Suika, dost thou-" Tama wanted to ask her friend if she thought August'n had anything to do with this… but Suika wasn't available to ask.
The melonhead followed the trail of bugs to a further classroom, its door wide open. Suika peeked inside and watched the bugs climb onto a single desk, loading the chips inside a small, round, light-green craft, surrounded by even smaller things that matched the creatures' colors.
"I can't believe humans throw all this good food away." Mujika, a lavender-haired girl with white skin and a robe, thought aloud as another band of Pikmin carried a half-eaten apple to the Celery ship. "But it'll make a nice snack for somebody! I wonder when they'll be…" Mujika heard the thudding of giant footsteps, sensing that someone was entering the room. She turned—"AH!" and even her Pikmin ceased activity to share in her shock. A tremendous, melon-headed creature was gazing directly over their short desk. "Is…is that a… giant Pikmin?"
Suika could barely make out a different creature among them. One that kind of looked like a girl. But… it was still so unreal to the little detective. So unreal that she couldn't even trust her lenses. She grabbed her helmet and plucked it off, her clear blue eyes and messy blonde hair exposed to the littles. "Oh, it's just a human." Mujika smiled. "Hey! Hello, little gir-" Suika's entire face scrunched in trying to focus on them. "AAAAAAHH!" Mujika and the Pikmin screamed. "I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS!"
"Hey!" Suika turned, making out a blurry, human shape. "Oh, you're a girl." Rupert said in acknowledgement. Upon walking closer, he couldn't help but think she was kind of cute. "Who are you?"
"Suika is Suika." She slipped the melon back on. Rupert's blonde hair, blue jean vest over his orange shirt, and camouflage pants. "Suika needs glasses to see."
"Heheh! Never seen glasses like those! So, I see you noticed the Pikmin~"
"Huh?" Suika faced the crowd on the desk once more. "Those are… Pikmin?"
"Yep! I trained them myself. That girl you see is Mujika, one of my vice-trainers. Would you like to see them up close?"
"Closer?" Suika leaned her head on the desk, her magnified irises looming ominously close above the Pikmin. "Suika can't get any closer."
"Then let me help ya." Rupert withdrew a small, glowing, orange and yellow orb from his pocket. He popped the orb open as a small light flew out. "Synthia, get us Minishfied."
"Ooo, a new person! Okay, Rupert!" As Rupert leaned over the desk as well, Synthia zapped them both with her light.
"WAH!!" Suika flailed her arms, finding herself suddenly in the air before landing on a surface. The very colorful creatures she was just gazing over were now only half her size.
Mujika's form became far more clear as the masked her approached, only her smile visible. "Hi, Suika! I'm Mujika!" She offered a six-fingered hand to the fallen child.
"Hey, you're not a person like Suika! What…" Suika viewed the world around her. The classroom ceiling grew as high as the sky, and the rest of the room spanned for miles. But if these creatures, who were as small as ants just now, were now roughly her size, then…
"OI! SUIKA!" A booming voice vibrated the entire massive chamber, accompanied by the colossal frame of Suika's fellow cabin girl in the doorway.
"T-Tama!" Only then did it hit how small Suika had become.
"Hmmmm…" Since Suika was clearly not in here, Tama proceeded to the next room. "Suika is dedicated to her craft, but 'twould not wound her to answer Tama's call!"
"H-H-H-How did Suika get so small?!"
"Synthia here did it." She saw that Rupert had reached the same level as her, indicating the small light with his hand. "She can change you back, too. I just thought you'd like to meet the Pikmin personally."
One of each of the colors gathered around Suika. There were 14 of them. Their wide eyes seemed to look up at Suika with a sense of kinship. Did they still think she was one of them? "What… are the Pikmin?"
"They're what the Minish people use, along with other small types like us. We command them to fight monsters and gather food and treasure. Our job is to collect abandoned materials and either return them where they belong or deliver them to the Big KND. Sometimes, we clean litter around playgrounds and stuff. It's tons of fun."
The line of Pikmin had finally finished bringing all the chips back to the ship. At this size, they were more than enough chips to feed the Marzipan Crew and their families. "…What kind of food do you find?"
"Whatever's lying around, pretty much. And believe me, we scored quite a bounty at that Cooking Festival! So many dropped goodies."
"The festival?? Are you a Gourmet Hunter?"
"Nah, I'm a KND operative. What about you? We never got to ask who your friends were."
"We're Hunters! Captain Augustus takes us around outer space to find amazing food!"
"That sounds awesome!"
"Yeah! There was a giant ring of toys around a whole planet, a giant elephant, a giant carrot, and…and…" The pattern became clear to both of them, especially now of all times. "But Suika's never been small before. Now everything is…"
"Everything looks different from down here, eh?"
"And I could make you even smaller!" Synthia chirped. "But that would be too much of a shock!"
"…" The idea wasn't only fascinating… it presented so many possibilities. What kinds of ingredients lie waiting to be discovered under their noses? "Did you say you fought monsters?"
"Bulborbs, Dweevils, Wollywogs, you name it. Lots of small animals that you wouldn't think twice about if you were big, but can be a big challenge to the Pikmin."
In this tiny world, there were animals and foods too small for the big people to care about, or even discover. Ever since helping Senku build the Science Kingdom, Suika's job had been to search and gather materials, like rocks or plants, that could benefit their village. Suika roughly got that chance after joining this pirate crew, though she was still useful in other situations. But now… a whole other universe was open to her. "Anyway, we'll make you big now if you want." Rupert offered. "You just looked really curious, so I had to show ya."
"W-Wait!" Suika gasped. "Can you…Can Suika learn to use Pikmin, too?"
Those were the very words Rupert was hoping to hear. "I would love to. I looked the same as you did when I first saw Pikmin at the park. As if I were meant to notice them… as if they were attracting me. I think that's the true sign of a Pikmineer."
"Haha, for me, it was the exact opposite!" Mujika laughed. "The Pikmin found me! I guess they really know a master when they see one?"
"You think… Suika is master?" Her question was half-asked at the Pikmin.
"Well, it's too early to decide." Rupert said. "But… how about a test run? We actually have a mission prompt to clean up a coffee shop. Wanna come with us and try to use them?"
"Hmmm…" Suika promised not to stray too far. She should let her friends know… but Kohaku might think this job was too dangerous and bar Suika from doing it. Besides, this was too exciting… Suika wanted to go now! "How long will it take?"
"At most… maybe an hour?"
"Er…o-okay! Suika will go! But can we at least tell Tama?"
"Sure! We'll tell Timmy, too! Let's get in the Celery! You guys, in the Onions!"
"HWEE!" The Pikmin huddled into their respective Onions while the three kids boarded the Celery saucer. "Oh, forgot to mention. My name's Rupert. Pleasure to meet ya." His confident and knowledgeable aura reminded Suika of Senku and Augustus.
Suika would watch in awe through the window as they soared beyond the classroom door. Skimming the hall, they spotted Timmy talking to Tama herself. "What's wrong? Are you looking for something?"
"Tama canst not find Suika. Is she practicing her Hidden Melon Jutsu?"
"Tama! Tamaaaaa!" A faint voice resounded from the megaphone of a tiny saucer.
"Suika! Where art thou?!"
"In here!!" The Celery flew between their heads.
"What the…" Timothy gaped. "Rupert! Tell me you didn't!"
"Hehe, I couldn't resist, Timmy."
"Suika! How is thine voice speaking from this… dish?!"
"Rupert made Suika small! Suika's gonna try to be a Tiny Gourmet Hunter!"
"T-Tiny… Tama dost not understand!"
"I'll explain later! Can Tama tell Kohaku that Suika promises to be back soon? When Suika returns, she hopes to be more useful than ever! See you later!" With that, the saucer made its leave out of the school.
"Suikaaaaaa!"
Suika felt a little bad for rushing into this so impulsively. But sometimes, the Marzipans would decide their next course on impulse… maybe Suika's instinct was speaking to her. "Let's see where this coffee place is." Rupert reviewed the computer. "Shouldn't be too far."
Somewhere in Tokyo, across the planet
Yongen-Jaya awoke to a rainy, dreary morning, but no place livened the morning like Café Leblanc. The Pikmin flew in through the door just as a customer was entering, landing right underneath the table in the corner near the entrance. There was a boy with messy black hair and glasses, wearing an apron as he served coffee to an old man at a table. The titan-sized eatery was breathtaking… this was how everything looked to all the little ants Suika used to see. Her gaze fell down as she noticed a large and small, Orange Bulborb wandering under a table. "Ah, Bulborbs. Can't go anywhere without them." Rupert said. "Mujika, try to cover the area behind the counter. I'll walk Suika through myself."
"Got it! Good luck, Suika. And be careful."
"Okay!" (Play "Beneath the Mask (Rainy Mood)" from Persona 5.)
Pikmin Stage: The Den of Waking
Mission: Clean the café of creatures and litter.
The Pikmineers called out 14 of each Pikmin, making 196, and seven of each would be divided between Mujika and the other two. Mujika proceeded to take out the Orange Bulborbs while Rupert led Suika around to the other table. There were two faint cigarettes laying around the floor… and the fat man sitting there dropped a third one. "That's just rude." Rupert said. "But those cigarettes look pretty hot. Which Pikmin do you think should carry them?"
"Um…well, fire is red, so do we use Red Pikmin?"
"Care to do the honors?" Suika nodded and led only the Red Pikmin. It took three to carry one cigarette, but they pulled it off without issue. "Great job, Suika! While they carry them back, let's look for other tasks. …Hey, check out that wall." The wall beneath the opposite seat looked fragile and diggable. "We can use any Pikmin for digging, but Yellows are best at it." They sent 5 Yellows to dig the wall. As they were about to head out from the table, the dark-haired waiter stepped by to collect the man's finished cup. They would have to be wary of him when crossing the central aisle. After he walked away, they approached a pipe beside the door, connected to a sink. The base of the pipe was leaking. "So, what Pikmin do you think could help fix this pipe?"
"Um…it's water, so maybe the Blue ones!" Suika tried to throw Blue Pikmin against the leak, but they were merely washed down from it. "Okay, I guess not. Maybe the gray ones because they're metal!" She threw the Silver Pikmin, but they would frantically run about in panic with bubbles drowning their heads. "UH-OH!"
"Suika, whistle them, hurry!"
She blew her whistle to calm the Pikmin down, the water dispersing. "Um, er…hey, these ones feel cold. Maybe ice?" She threw the Ice Pikmin at the leak and froze it solid. "Hey! Suika did it!"
Mujika's platoon climbed a Minish-size ladder onto the shelves of coffee ground jars. They would have to hide between the jars whenever the café owner, Sojiro looked over. The old man waved his hand to shoo away Pestos (red flies) buzzing around him. Mujika found a ladder to the upper shelves and sent Wing Pikmin to KO the Pestos, having them carry the flies back to base. Mujika found a mostly empty jar with some gold nuggets inside. She wouldn't begin to question how those got in there, instead using the Rock Pikmin to break the glass and give them the task of collecting the nuggets. They would carry one piece each, down the shelves, back to the ship under the table, and climb back up until all the gold was gone.
Rupert and Suika explored the chairs beneath the counter. Only one customer, a slightly pudgy lady with short hair and high heels, occupied them. There were bloated white creatures called Blowhogs lurking beneath; except Rupert had never seen this variant with brown lips. When he threw Pikmin at one as a test, the Blowhog shook them off and spat coffee at them. "Whoa!" Overcome with caffeine, the Pikmin zipped about at a frantic speed and wide radius. Rupert could barely whistle all of them to calmness; four Purples wound up being squished by the waiter. Suika was saddened as they turned into spirits.
"Never seen Caffeinated Blowhogs before! I'm not actually sure which Pikmin to use. Blue ones can't handle tainted liquid… I'll try Cookies." Rupert threw the chocolate chip Cookie Pikmin at one. When the Blowhog spat coffee at them, the Cookies seemed unaffected. "Aha! Cookies go great with coffee, I guess!"
"Rupert, it's Mujika!" the Gupna called via communicator. "I'm looking over an open coffee pot and there's an untied ribbon inside it! I tried throwing Blues in to get it, but… they didn't like coffee." She shirked in guilt.
"Throw Cookie Pikmin in, Mujika!" Suika called.
"Oh! Thanks, Suika!" Mujika tossed three Cookies into the coffee pot. They were able to carry the ribbon by both ends and center, climbing out of the pot's pour hole as the tainted ribbon slipped cleanly through.
"Suika, let's check on those Yellows." Rupert led his partner back to the previous table; the obese man seemed to have his fill and was on his way out of the shop. The Yellows succeeded in digging a hidden tunnel into the wall's interior. Spider-webs blocked the stairs within. "Wanna guess what Pikmin can clear up sticky traps?" Suika felt each type until she determined Browns were the stickiest. She threw them to tear down the first web trap with success. The second web trap had an Arachnode, but Rock-types were thrown to KO the spider swiftly. Beyond the web was a water spout to spring them to a higher level. From there, they could exit onto the shelf along the wall beside the tables.
Several magazines littered the shelf. One's open page blocked them from advancing, so they ordered all their Pikmin to push it closed. They could cross the other magazines with ease… but Suika noticed the eyes of one of the lady pictures glance at her. What looked like a cloaked slug slithered over, Suika throwing random Pikmin over it in a frenzy. Only the Browns were effective in KOing the sticky slug. "Nice one, Suika! You spotted that Sneakslug before it could eat anyone!"
There was a potted plant at the end of the shelf… except the plant was only a bud. A thin stick leaned against it for the Pikmin to climb in. "Now, can you guess what Pikmin can help this plant grow?"
"The green ones, right?"
"Nope, not them. Here's a hint: they look like a certain vegetable."
"Uh…th-the orange ones look like carrots!" Suika wouldn't overlook that after their Hyrulean adventure. She had the Oranges climb the stick, and their leaves or flowers sprinkled green dust to grow the plant.
"This might take a while. Stay and watch them while I cover somewhere else. I'll leave the Reds with you, too."
The doorbell rang, so the ops curiously looked to the new customers. "Oh, some new faces." Sojiro acknowledged.
"We're new in town!" One of them was a sweet young man with a sleeveless, light-purple outfit and greenish-blonde hair. "Heard this place was the bee's knees!"
"We'll take the house special." His partner was a thin, black-haired girl with a matching sweater, blue jeans, and a gold necklace of an upside-down Cross. Her large glasses hung over her cheeks rather than her eyes; Suika questioned how she could see well if they were in that pose.
"Have a seat." The waiter smiled, directing them to the table where the Onions were based under.
"Hmm…" The woman glanced at the shelf; Suika tensed up as though her gaze directed at herself. "This place seems to have a bug problem."
"Ah, what's a few harmless pests?" the boy said, laid back with arms spread.
"They only showed up just recently." The waiter replied. "We've been trying to find an exterminator, but no one seems to have gotten the request."
"It's kind of bugging me. Shalnark, can I just kill them real quick?"
"Easy does it, Shizuku." The boy consoled. "It's only morning. Let's take it easy!"
Suika hoped her Pikmin would get done fast, lest she carry on with her desire. Rupert saw a toy racecar abandoned on the seat where the man last sat, so he dropped down and asked the Silvers to carry it back. Mujika's platoon, meanwhile, dropped onto the table with the coffee maker. There was a lit stove heating up a pot, and she noticed a car key inside the stove. Knowing someone would want that back, she asked the Red Pikmin to carry it out and venture back to base. Afterwards, there was a walkway along the wall past the stove, leading to a board that led to the side of the refrigerator. There was magnetic blockade along the fridge that would prevent the Silver Pikmin from climbing up, but from here, Mujika could throw her Purples and others to weigh the blockade down, completely dropping it.
There were numerous magnetic tiles around the fridge, and only the Silvers could climb to pick them off. With the blockade down, they had an easy shortcut back up, but it seemed they would carry the tiles through a door past the fridge and up some stairs. (Or rather, the sloped side of the stairs for the tinies.) "Hi, Mujika!" Rupert approached her. "You find some bridge parts?"
"I don't know where they're taking them. How do they know where to go?"
"Pikmin are smart cookies." Rupert shrugged. "My Silvers are bringing something back to base. You can borrow them to get it done faster; I'll go see where they're bringing them."
"Sure!" And they split off to fulfill their tasks.
Suika's Pikmin finished growing the plant, sprouting some miniature, chocolate coconuts! "Coooool!" There were five Cocoa Nuts, and it only took one Pikmin each to carry them.
On her way back down, she saw Sojiro go to wash his hands at the sink. "Huh?" He was baffled as a mini toothbrush fell out of the faucet. "How the hell did that get in there?! Ugh…" He set the brush on the side and resumed his business.
"An abandoned toothbrush!" Suika gasped. "That means some kid somewhere can't clean their teeth! But how does Suika reach it… wait! I bet the Wing ones can do it! I'll ask the others if I can borrow them!"
Rupert led his platoon up to what appeared to be the attic. It appeared to be a bedroom with a potted plant, a desk with a laptop, a shelf above it with a snowman-like doll, and most notably, an orange-haired girl playing a videogame on a TV. She was very skinny with long orange hair, glasses, and black top, and baggy gray pants cross-legged. The loud retro music was a heavy contrast to the relaxing radio music downstairs. (It was "Rextro's Arcade" from Yooka-Laylee.)
"That looks like one of those Inklings." Rupert observed. "I didn't think there'd be one here. Hmm…that plant could use some growth." He picked up his communicator. "Mujika, I might need some Orange Pikmin up here, can you bring them when you're done?"
Rupert saw the Silvers were sticking the tiles up to make a sloped bridge onto the bed. He then noticed the black cat on it, frantically scratching itself from a terrible itch. While those Silvers were still finishing, Rupert wondered how he could get onto the desk. …The gamer girl was sitting on a beanbag chair. The back part was puffed up from her weight, so if she gave it a good bounce, that part could spring them right up to the desk. Rupert climbed the beanbag and tried to have his three Purples lift her, but he needed two more. "Mujika, can you bring the Purples up, too?"
"Coming up! I just lent Suika my Wings, too."
"How're ya feeling so far, Suika?"
"There're so many things we have to do. Suika gets really confused, but it's fun to watch the Pikmin work! AH! SPIDERS!" Suika realized the Orange Pikmin were being attacked by Red Dweevils on their way back to base. "Where did they come from?!" She was too late to save one of the Oranges, but she calmed the rest down and used Red Pikmin to KO the Dweevils. She then had some Pikmin haul the Dweevils back as well.
"That's great, Suika!" Mujika smiled. "Wanna come with me to where Rupert is?"
"Sure!" Suika and their colorful band headed for the attic stairs. "Wait." But just before the stairs, there was another door. "You think there's anything in there? It looks like we can fit under."
"That's the bathroom. I guess we should check it."
"Can Suika go in and see? She'll catch up with you!"
"Okay. You might need the Whites and Blues in there." Mujika lent her those respective colors before proceeding upstairs, leaving Suika to creep under the bathroom door.
The waiter placed Shizuku and Shalnark's coffee on the table. The woman picked hers up with her right hand, but as she took the first sip, Shizuku spilled the coffee on her sweater. "Ah!" The waiter gasped. "Sorry, I'll get you a new cup."
"Shizuku, that's what happens when you don't use your dominant hand." Shalnark scolded her jovially.
"My righty needs to learn independence!" Shizuku kicked him under the table. Though her tone raised, her wide-eyed and straightforward expression didn't change.
"You can use our sink if you need to wash it off." Sojiro offered.
"I think I'd just like to change clothes."
"The restroom's past the sink there."
"Arigato." Shizuku scooted out of her seat. On her way to the bathroom, her large cyan shoe stubbed the chair the pudgy lady was sitting on, causing her to spill coffee on her skirt.
"Uck…hey, 'scuse me, Missy." She turned to Shizuku in a sassy manner. "Ya supposed to say 'SORRY' when ya spill someone's coffee! Hey! Lay-day!" Shizuku paid her no mind and entered the bathroom. "Uh! How – rude! Ya don't just ig-NORE someone!" She pushed out of her seat, her high heels stomping to the bathroom.
"Please don't cause a big commotion, ma'am." Sojiro requested.
For a café bathroom, it was unusual to find a shower stall in here (not that Suika would know). There was an emerald ring in the corner, covered in a toxic brown goop. With great disgust, Suika threw her Blue Pikmin to grab it, but they were poisoned by the filth. After whistling them back, Suika considered why Mujika lent her White Pikmin: they were able to tolerate the smell and carry the ring. Afterwards, Suika saw another puddle of brown, except this one actually smelled like spilled coffee. There was a three-legged bug skiing around it with a bulbous, chocolate bubble; this would normally be a water creature called a Skeeterskate, except this was a Skoffeeskate. "Darn… Suika should've took the Cookie Pikmin. …!" Suika gasped when the door opened, and Shizuku walked in. She quickly retreated her Pikmin behind the toilet before Shizuku's thundering shoes could find their way on top of them.
"Suika should give her privacy." The melonhead blushed. It didn't seem that Shizuku was using the toilet, so Suika peeked around. Shizuku had taken her sweater off, making Suika want to look away from her indecency… but something on her lower-left midsection drew Suika's interest: a spider tattoo with 12 legs and the number 8.
"Hey, Mis-say." The sassy woman barged in. "Ya got something ta say ta me. Ewwwww, where'd ya get the tattoo? From the goth store?" The door shut behind her. "You got, like, no fashion sense, ya d-"
Shizuku grabbed her neck with her left hand, squeezed it until it popped, and let her drop. Suika was in abject horror as the lady's blood flowed into the drain. There were any number of things that the child wouldn't want to witness at this sensitive size, and this was one of the worst. To make her even more speechless, Shizuku's left hand morphed into a vacuum with an attached pipe. WHEEEEEEEEEWWWWWW… The woman's corpse twisted, compressed, and slurped cleanly inside the vacuum, proceeding to swallow up the blood as well. Suika and her Pikmin crouched in fear of being vacuumed, yet the gust never seemed to pick them up.
Shizuku then vacuumed the stain on her sweater. She put it back on, good as new. ". . . . ." Her spectacled gaze fell to the floor. In that brief instance, everything around Suika was black, except for Shizuku's eyes. Suika immediately retreated under the toilet, ordering her Pikmin to as well. But in that darkness, everything outside was still black. Shizuku was still watching. And Suika would die if she showed herself. "…This place is filthy." So, Shizuku left.
Upstairs, under the exuberant, retro songs of Futaba's game, Rupert and Mujika set their Orange Pikmin to work on the plant. However, some of the Oranges were rotten after helping Suika's task; luckily, there was a dirty sock nearby, and in that sock was a Doodlebug. Attacking the bug would yield nectar for the Pikmin to regain their strength; though the bug's poison clouds hurt them briefly. While the Oranges worked on that, the duo headed up onto the bed. The black-furred, blue-eyed cat faced them with a hiss. It swiped claws at the tinies, but Rupert dodge-rolled sideways with Pikmin mimicking. The cat swiped at Mujika, who was ready to throw Silver Pikmin on its paws, unaffected by the claws as they bashed them. The pain caused Mona to fall on his side, showing them his back.
They noticed something tiny, furry, and monochrome sticking out from under his yellow collar. "'Guess that's a faulty flea collar." Rupert remarked, throwing Mujika up there to pluck the furry thing out. It was a Floofmin! A Kittentia with a leaf antenna. "A Parasite Pikmin! I thought these were only found in caves!"
"I mean, it is pretty iffy up here." Mujika reasoned. "That girl doesn't even have the light on."
"But this only a small one. The lead parasite has to be around somewhere." Case and point, the Floofmin seemed to be wandering off on its own. Mujika cautiously faced the Mona cat, but he showed no predatory instinct. He only seemed to watch the tinies with intrigue.
The Floofmin was only wandering around the boarded floor in search of something. There was a ripped part in the wood that exposed a patch of dust; Rupert wondered if there was a secret for the Whites to dig up. "Suika, how's it going down there? Can you bring the Whites up soon?"
"S-S-S-Suika's c-c-coming…"
Slowly and shakily, Suika traveled up the stairs to the attic. "!" She flinched at spotting Futaba, but calmly realized that she was a different, albeit similar-looking person. "Heya, Suika!" Mujika ran up. "…You okay? You seem tense."
"Y-Yeah. S-Suika's fine."
"Alright… did you figure out what White Pikmin do?"
"Yeah. Th-They can handle… smelly stuff."
"Yep!" Rupert affirmed. "But they got another use, too. Throw them on that patch of dirt." Suika tossed them on the barren patch of floor. The Whites began to dig it up. "Voila! They can sense underground treasures or tunnels!"
The Floofmin came to assist the digging. "That one looks like a cat!"
"It's a Parasite Pikmin. A type that grows in caves or dim places and possesses whatever creature eats it. In this case, this weird cat thing. Let's comb this room before we see where that goes."
Rupert set his other plan in motion: using the Purples to lift Futaba by her rump. They carried her toward the TV while the tinies waited on the back of the beanbag. "Whoa, I'm so focused, it's like the screen is getting bigger!" Futaba exclaimed. Once they were far enough, the Purples chucked Futaba straight back onto the beanbag, the impact springing the tinies up to the computer desk!
"Phew! She's so skinny, I didn't think that would work!" Rupert said.
"Haha, that was fun!" Suika laughed, the exciting ride briefly getting her mind off the trauma.
"I know! There's tons of fun things you can't do when you're normal size!"
"Hehe…" The group proceeded to the laptop, which seemed to have Tileworms lurking under the keys. They would bait the worms out before throwing random Pikmin on them. "Hey, Rupert, Suika never asked how you met the Pikmin."
"My dad dumped me in the forest, where I got shrunk by a magic tree stump, and the rest just worked itself out."
"R-Really? Why did your dad-"
"'Cause he's a bad dad. But I guess if he didn't, I never would've found my true calling. Pikmin is the life for me!"
"Rupert, this key looks wobbly," Mujika climbed on the "esc" key, "but there isn't a—WHOOOA!" It sprung her to the top of the shelf.
"A secret spring!" Rupert exclaimed. "Let's go, Suika!" He took the girl's hand, excitement racing in her heart as they flew onto the shelf, their crowd of Pikmin following. They were at last level with the snowy Jack Frost doll. The view was astonishing: in reality, they were only overlooking a dim attic bedroom, but to them, it was like standing on top of a mountain, gazing across a valley. They sent their Pikmin to move the doll, but its frosty appearance was no joke: the Pikmin were instantly chilled! Rupert whistled them to normal before only sending the Ice-types to push the doll off.
It was sitting on top of a card with a red hatlike design with a fiery eye. The card opened, exposing a note written in Japanese. "Rupert, should we take this?"
"I mean, it kind of looks like a birthday card or somethin'. …Well, maybe we'll deliver it as a surprise! As soon as we translate it."
"Senku and O-Tama speak this language." Suika said. "Suika can show it to them when she gets back."
With that, the Pikmin began to carry the card downstairs. The Orange Pikmin finished growing the plant, blooming a huge tomato that had waves of light coursing along it, as though a sun were blooming inside. "Whoa, this looks delicious!" Mujika beamed, taking a bite out of it. "MMMMM! It's so GOOD!"
Suika and Rupert shared in the fruit. "MMM!!" They felt their hearts swell as wide as this tomato, and just as vibrant. "Suika feels a sun growing inside her! And it wants to blow up, like…like…"
"LIKE A SUPERNOVAAAAAAAAA!" Rupert and Mujika felt their hearts explode, a great sun gracing space.
"(Heh heh heh.)" Mona laughed, his voice only audible as meows. "(I guess we're not the only thieves in town… but these ones sure are cute!)" He was too focused on their tomato eating to notice the other Pikmin making off with their card.
The White Pikmin finished digging the hole in the floor. The army jumped into it, landing in the area between the floor and ceiling. They saw a larger Floofmin guiding its platoon of five around, with their stray 6th member to join it. They simply needed to KO the Mama Floof to earn the loyalty of the baby Parasites. Afterwards, they discovered an open pipe in the wall, seeming to lead deeper. "This must be the cave all the creatures were coming from. But we should bring Suika back before her friends worry; exploring it will take too long."
"At least these Floofmin can wait here until we come back. We can't take them with us out of this place though." Mujika said.
"Hey, there's a hole we can fall through back to the first floor." Rupert led them to said hole, dropping to the very top of the jar shelves. Up here, there was a pile of spilled coffee grounds covering an abandoned watch. As they let their Pikmin dig up the coffee, they viewed over the café… Suika gulped as Shizuku and Shalnark took from their table, drinks finished.
"This coffee's as good as the folks say!" Shalnark cheered as they left money at the table. "You did a heckin' good job!"
"Thanks." Sojiro replied suspiciously. "…So, what happened between you and that woman in there?"
"We had a friendly engagement before I left her to her business." Shizuku answered. "We have business to attend as well, so we must go."
"Okay." The waiter was slightly baffled by her demeanor. "Have a nice day."
The two left the shop quietly. …Mujika couldn't help but notice Suika shuddering, pale around her mouth area (the only exposed part under her mask). "Suika, are you sure you're okay?"
"S-Suika is… just fine."
"Waaaiiiit, I get it." Rupert drawled out. "You were in the bathroom. One of the customers used it, right?"
"Ooooohhh…" Mujika drawled out in realization. "Uh, sorry you had to be there, Suika. That must've been horrible to listen to."
"… … … … … …Yes. Suika…s-saw… the bathroom…"
The Pikmin carrying the card and tomato traveled under the tables, so no one would notice. The watch was finally dug out from the grounds, so it would be carried back as well. "There're probably more things we can find around here, but we can head home now if you want, Suika. I think this trial run has gone pretty well."
"Uh, okay. S-Suika should probably be back soon…"
"Then to the Onions!" Making sure all their Pikmin were accounted for, the trio returned and made to leave the coffee shop. (End song.)
Gallagher
"HOW COULD YOU LET THEM GET AWAY?!" Kohaku squeezed Tama and Timothy in her inflated hands. "YOU DON'T JUST LET TINY ALIENS ABDUCT SUIKA AND NOT TELL ME!!"
"T-Tama is sorry! Suika was positive in her words, but Tama was not positive in how to tell thee!"
"Where were they going?! We have to find them before they eat Suika's sweet little head!!"
"Kohaku! Kohaku, don't!" The Celery's timing couldn't be any better. "Don't hurt Tama! It's not her fault!"
"That voice!" Kohaku gasped at the little saucer. "Suika, is that you?!"
"Suika's just fine! Mr. Rupert taught Suika how to use-"
"YOU MONSTERS!" Kohaku shrunk her hand holding Tama and angrily shook the saucer. "You set Suika free right now or I'll rip you into pieces!"
"AAAAAHH! THEY CAN MAKE SUIKA BIG IF YOU PUT US DOWN!"
The Celery landed as Kohaku, Tama, and the others squat around it. Suika was so adorably tiny that they almost wanted to scoop her on their fingertip and nuzzle her with their noses! For now, they only wanted Rupert to uphold his word: the Celery would give them space as Synthia touched and restored them to full size. "Suika!" Kohaku squeezed her little sister-figure in a hug. "Thank goodness! And YOU!" She PUNCHED Rupert in his noggin. "Abducting an innocent girl, who do you think you are?! Augustus?!"
"Hehe, sorry! I just get excited when I have a chance to show Pikmin to someone new. What did you think, Suika?"
"S-Suika…Suika had a lot of fun." She forced a smile and tried to only remember the positive parts. "Being small was really cool! It was fun to watch the Pikmin work and collect things. Rupert… do you think Suika could borrow some Pikmin?"
"Well, you would have to find your own Onions, otherwise my Pikmin won't listen to you as strongly. We could help you find some."
"But Suika doesn't wanna be away from the crew too long. …But the Onions are ships, right? Can't you make one for Suika?"
"Well, the Onions are organic ships, not the kind you 'make'…"
"But what if you could make one?" Tressa inferred. "Like a greenhouse? An artificial environment the Pikmin could grow in?"
"Maybe Senku or Stewie could…" Kohaku thought aloud, "Wait, no! Suika, why would you want to make yourself small and vulnerable just to play with these bugs?!"
"Because Suika can find new ingredients that are too big for us! And we already have our own ways to get small! We can all enjoy them! Like this tomato!" The Celery dropped the Sun Tomato in Suika's hand. "Wait'll everyone try it!"
"But Suika…"
"Suika promises to be careful. Kohaku can even watch Suika when she's tiny! Please, Kohaku?"
"Err…well… I guess we'll give it a few tries. Anyway, we'd better check on the captain. He's probably expecting us back."
Supervillains' Supermarket
The crew, accompanied by Rupert's trio, returned to ship before landing near the supermarket. Everything was peaceful, the lot crowded with villain vehicles, as they approached the shop. "They should've been out by now." Tressa figured. "Bet ya that means they landed in trouble."
…They stopped when the front of the market tilted forward. It fell and shook the lot, raising a cloud of dust. Beyond it, the supermarket lay in ruins aisle to aisle, and the supervillains thrown up in piles. "Phew." Gus sighed, he and Stewie casually scanning the cereal at the only available counter. "All this trouble for one lousy box." He paid the shock-ridden bag-headed villain before going on their way. "They didn't attack at all as we were shopping, but as soon as we reached for this box, it was all out war. I'm afraid there won't be enough for all of us."
"…" The crewmates needed a moment to process the extreme casualness. "Er, actually, I think there should be." Rupert began.
Once aboard the Ace Hunter, Gus poured the Rainbow Munchies in a bowl and filled it with Milky Way milk. It was then glazed with Saturn Sugar. "And now for the finishing touch." Stewie charged his shrink ray. "Cheeeeeese!"
Everyone was zapped down to two inch sizes, with Lumsy five times as big. They climbed steps up to the cereal pool and chewed the first bites. Joy coursed within them. They were swimming. Swimming on a Milky Way river, amongst thousands of rainbow-colored cereal. Floating blissfully on their backs, under an endless cosmos of worlds and adventures. It was thanks to Augustus the children got to experience this feeling… and they would keep sailing this wonderful river.
The taste of the Sun Tomato was no less delightful. A sun combusted in all their hearts. After her first successful Pikmin adventure, this tomato was deserving on Suika's Full Course Menu, as her Salad dish. The Drink place was already taken by Two-Sided Sunshine. Stewie Griffin, meanwhile, marked Milky Way Wishes as his hors d'oeuvre.
Their tummies filled and satisfied, the crewmen grew back to normal. Suika would finish consuming the tomato while the other children finished the cereal. "This was the best only Children's Day we've ever had." Stewie smiled.
"Yeah…" Suika bowed. "It was… s-so fun…"
Kohaku could see better than anyone the discomfort under her melon. She gently reached and pulled the mask off. Everyone's hearts sank from Suika's pale visage, her eyes wanting so badly to cry that they were drying. "Suika, what's the matter?!"
"Suika…" Rupert knew that was no expression of disgust. "What… really happened in that bathroom?"
". . . . ." She felt the pressure of all eyes on her. Everything went dark again. But no, these weren't the murderous eyes of that woman… they were the earnest eyes of her friends. "Suika… s-saw… someone die…"
"?!" Even they weren't prepared for such an answer.
"In the bathroom… this woman… with a spider…"
"A spider?!" Gus gasped.
"A spider… drawn on her body…"
Gus flapped open the wanted poster. "Did it look like this?!"
Suika gasped. "Th-That's…aaaahhh!" Suika knelt and covered her eyes.
"Captain!" Kohaku gasped reproachfully. "Where did you get that?!"
"That Illumi guy gave it to me for some reason. If Suika saw one in Tokyo… I think we should tell somebody."
"Hmm…" Rupert didn't know what this was about, but… "Well, if you're going back, we also wanted to deliver this." He showed them the strange card. "Can you translate it?"