All I'm supposed to do is follow the leader. It's instinct for us Pikmin, almost a law. If you don't follow him, you'll surely get in trouble. That's what my fellow Pikmin say to me. And that's what I do. He's lead us to victory, supported us in defeat, and showed us our true strength in numbers. Collecting valuable objects, meeting new friends and enemies, and helping our needy leader is what we did when he was here.
However, the leader hasn't been here for a long time. Sure, it might not seem like long to Captain Olimar, back with his family, but it is a long time to us. A few of our fellow red Pikmin were brave enough to wander outside of our home without the leader's command, and only a few of them came back safely.
I wonder what's happing with Olimar? Did he abandon us? Maybe he's out there somewhere… He just hasn't found us yet. Maybe he came back but first found the yellow Pikmin, or blues, or maybe other types we've never even heard of! That had to be it. Olimar was definitely loyal to his Pikmin, I can't deny that, but I'm still feeling a bit of doubt.
It's kind of cramped in this Onion. There are probably hundreds of us in here, just waiting for our orders. But more and more are climbing out every single day, trying to find excitement whether it includes finding treasures or being snatched up by a Bulbear. I won't go, though. Not until I know he's not coming.
We Pikmin have as much food as we'll ever need here, in this Onion, because Olimar's commands involved us bringing hundreds, perhaps even thousands of nutritious food home. But something inside me keeps saying that we'll run out before Olimar returns for us.. And there are only a dozen or so of us Pikmin loyal enough to stay here. And soon only eleven, ten, then nine…
And, with this new sunrise, four of the Pikmin scurry out, leaving only four other Pikmin… and me. I was mocked for it, but I truly wish to see Captain Olimar again before I leave this world. But hope leaves me soon enough. Perhaps it was by fate that I was the first one to join the leader that day, and now I'll be one of the last to leave him.
We all wander out into the cold snow and harsh wind, wondering why our Onion piloted itself into this everlasting winter a few days ago. I shiver; red Pikmin like me may be able to resist fire, but never cold ice crystals. I lead the small group of Pikmin through the snowstorm and over a large brown bag. And there I see something odd: a scuttling spotty creature, a Dwarf Red Bulborb, if I remember correctly.
I can't help it. I ask my tiring friends to attack the creature with all their might, hoping I could help increase the Pikmin population. Yet we're tired… weak… In a swift move, the spotted monster latches onto a panting Pikmin. We're done for… I know it… With my last ounce of energy, I start beating my small fists against the Bulborb's tough skin…
All my hope is lost… I'm about to die, I know, but I keep trying… I only wish it could be different… I hear a low crashing behind me but think nothing of it… I just try to defeat this monster, but after a few seconds, I stop. I hear a familiar whistle behind me; an unmistakable, shrill one! I eagerly turn around with my friends.
There stands Captain Olimar, in front of me. I can't help but let out a squeal of excitement as he walks toward me. I see a smile on his face as he gently picks me up and onto the back of the Bulborb. He does the same four more times, and we quickly defeat the creature.
We go through our normal daily tasks. We collect several pellets from posies, yet there's no place to put them. We try to communicate this to Olimar, and he nods. After talking for a bit -- I don't know to whom -- he leads us to the paper bag we managed to squish ourselves through earlier. He tosses us up into the air and onto the bag, but we're not heavy enough.
Soon another person comes near, one who looks remarkably similar to Olimar. He has a group of fresh, new, budding Pikmin behind him. He follows Olimar's orders and tosses them all onto the bag. Soon, it collapses beneath us. We're able to bring our pellets to our Onion. On our way back, we notice a strange, black object sticking out of the ground. I help to dig it out, and we soon carry it back to Olimar's ship, which I notice seems to be a different one than the ship he had the last time he came.
As the sun climbs higher into the sky, Olimar takes a break and starts to lecture his companion, who I now know is called Louie. I follow his example, teaching my new group of Pikmin the ways of life. But Olimar interrupts us shortly after I start and directs us to a larger version of the creature we saw this morning... A Red Bulborb.
I hear a few Pikmin squealing and cowering behind me, but our leader keeps us safe throughout the battle. I'm tossed onto the creature's back, and I start pounding with all of my skill. I slip off, though, but I grab on to one of its legs, punching and tugging my -- no, our way to victory.
As we carry the body of our enemy back to our Onion for food, I start humming a happy, victorious song. The others soon join in with the tune, our anthem. Following the leader can be a tedious task at points, but it leads to nothing less than total victory in the end.
And I know it will continue to stay that way…