Chapter Text
Siff. Siff. Siff. The dirt shifted beneath him as he walked, small impressions on the ground left in his wake. Anything could follow him this way in this familiarly unfamiliar land. But today, his concern was not with his pacing, it was his dog. Well, he thought it was a dog, the way it acted and barked proved that much. The only thing that afforded any reason for his doubt was its lack of a nose, as well as its bipedal nature with no front limbs to speak of. But that was not his problem with the animal, whatever it was, no. His problem lay within the creature's penchant for getting into trouble, running off and abandoning what it was doing to investigate intriguing objects and watching curious animals, the latter of which being the source of many of his grievances with the dog. More often than not, the animals were hostile and he, proud dog that he was, would stand his ground. Thankfully, most animals would disengage and run away, and those that didn't, swiftly met their ends thanks to the dog's surprising agility and strength. Sometimes though, they would gain the upper hand in the fight, and he would have to intervene, which was what he was rushing to do now. Nearing the cries and yelps of his dog, a strong, almost overpowering, garlic-like scent hit him like a wave breaking against a coastal cliff. SHIIIIIIIT WHY DID HE HAVE TO FIGHT ONE OF THOSE, WWHHhyyyy... !
The tell-tale scorched earth, terrible stench, and nearby smoldering turf told him all he needed to know about the dog's opponent. Stepping into the clearing, he caught sight of the assailant, a pig-like creature that expelled flames from a bright red snout, trying to anticipate the dogs next move so it could scorch the pup. The hog was, fortunately for him, much too slow for the flames erupting from its snout to even reach him. The dog jumped from place to place, a black blur the hog could not hope to anticipate or burn. "CHARCOAL!" He yelled, whistling over to him. The dog immediately stopped leaping at the sound of his name, happily bounding off to reunite with his best friend, disregarding anything in his way. This was a terrible move, the pup found out, tripping over a pebble and landing snout-first into the dirt. The hog saw this and, taking the chance, bellowed a gust of flame at the dog. The boy panicked, jumping in with such a slight idea of a plan that prayer would've better kept the pup safe. As he hurtled into the path of the inferno, he fumbled around his pockets, finding a small bauble he kept there at all times. PLEASE WORK PLEASE WORK PLEASE WORK he yelled in his head as he pressed a button near the side of the device, tucking in tightly and squeezing his eyes in case it did not.
Did it... did it work? ... He asked himself, feeling the cool earth underneath himself. Feet, arms, face... yeah, they're all there. He told himself, breathing out a sigh of relief. Is he ok? He wondered. I don't know... I should probably open my eyes. Yeah, that would probably be the best course of action, leaving them closed would do no one any good. Opening his eyes, an electric blue haze filled his view, until it came fully into view, his eyes focusing on what was in front of him. A large cluster of intersecting hexagons floated in front of him, glowing a bright blue. Around the edges, the hogs gale of flames licked furiously at the air, trying to get at its' target to no avail. Looking behind him, he saw Charcoal, whimpering and cowering behind him, likely because of the imposing barrier's abrupt appearance. "Awww." He cooed to the dog, patting his muzzle. "Don't worry, it won't harm us. It's even protecting us, see?" He pointed to the fire reaching beyond the barrier's edge, grasping nothing. Charcoal looked up, muscles untensing as he caught sight of the barrier's protective capabilities. He turned around, faced the barrier, and let out a bark of happiness. "Awww, I knew you could do it." The boy said, scratching the dogs chin. The celebration was cut short however, the flames dying down much the same way. Both he and Charcoal snapped to attention, the boy saying,"Okay Charcoal, I'm going to need you to listen to what I say..."
If it could cough, it would. How can the others tolerate spitting out this much fire? My snout feels like burning, and I'm fireproof! It thought to itself, or at least the closest approximation its kind could form. 'Cept ol Jerry, always so full of himself, always better than us. Shame his size got to him. Coulda been great. It remisnisced. Back to the task at hand, Wonder if they're burnt yet. Can't see much from here, 'specially since I ... It mentally rambled on, squinting to get a better look at its victims. What's that glow all about? Maybe they burned blue? Should get closer to check it out, like ol' Hank and his ... It continued rambling, ambling towards the blue haze. Now what the? It thought as the blue glow disappeared. Coulda s- It's thoughts were put to an end as a black blur hit him at incredible speed, ending its life instantaneously. Oooooh, shit.
“Well, the signal leads us juuuust about here. Start diggin’!” Several weeks following their encounter with the fire-breathing beast, more parts for the boy’s device started popping up as they expanded their exploratory range, finding more signals that corresponded to each pieces location, but told not much else. If I manage to find my workbench and quantum computer soon, I’m going to have to affix something to the parts that makes it easier to find them, maybe a signal boost is in order. And something that tells me what each part is. Yeah, that sounds good, so I can prioritize which parts to find! Would hate to go without the scanner. An army of small, plant-like creatures streamed past Charcoal and the boy, all headed to an unsuspecting patch on the ground. They immediately started scooping up tiny handfuls of dirt, throwing them to the side of the quickly forming pit. The boy sat there, waiting patiently for them to finish. I wonder why this part is so deep down. Maybe it hit the ground really quickly? The boxes I have each part covered in should protect them, but I’m still really worried. His worries were lessened as the box emerged unharmed, the outer coating still pristine and still embossed with the text, “Extreme Precision Fabrication Unit #000168” on the side. “The fabricator! I can make a more sensitive reciever using this!” He cheered, making the small crowd of roots start cheering as well. “Just 8 more and I can leave. Yeah” He whispered to himself.
“Almost all 46 parts, but the only thing I’m missing is the only part that actually does the thing I need it to do.” The boy said, frustrated with himself. Why would it be so easy? Why did I think it would be so quick? Just a month ago I picked up the power source, why haven’t I found the controlled destabilizer yet? Oh, I don’t know, cause it might not even be here? It might have reactivated on entry, or split off before the barrier even closed? Maybe it eve- His thoughts were sliced clean through by a shrill tone, the device reacting to something. “Ah FUCK, what was that?” He pressed the button on the device, a translucent display immediately coming into view. That tone sounded like the BLUE Field Disturbance Detection and Measuring Unit. Could it be? Navigating through various menus and configuring various systems, the screen was replaced by something resembling a siesmograph reading. Pointing the device in front of him while spinning in place, he stopped facing north. The display went crazy, emitting another shrill tone in the direction of a destroyed shack. Wait, why are the readings growing st- A deafening blast resonated throughout the air, a bright blue flash illuminating the night sky making it seem like day. Shit! It’s going critical! I mean, the flash wasn’t too bad which means it’s got about a day left which is pretty generous for such sensitive equipment, but how is it getting power? I should go back to base and gather up as much as I can and get back in the morning once the Pikmin emerge. He bolted back in the direction of the rotted out tree stump he had called home for the past few months, giddy that he was so close to finally leaving. I can’t believe my luck! Finally! Home!
“Alright, just down here!” He beckoned to the Pikmin, waving over to a wide crater left by the devices recent activity. “Just down here!” Ohhhhh, home! I’m going back! Maybe I’ll get another billion-dollar research grant! Wait, scratch that. This is the first time someones been to another universe, and the first time someone came back from one, and without communication with an outside source no less! I’ll probably gain a budget who’s only constraint is Sencrate Technologies’s networth! Maybe other companies will pitch in too, and I can research anything with my team! God, I hope they didn’t come looking for me, where would they even begin to search? Doesn’t matter, we can get that sorted out once I’m back! Maybe I could even take the Pikmin with me, the lifeforms are so fascinating out here! Beats anything on Hestir-5 or Komplus-17! He buzzed with excitement about the possibilities. As Pikmin made their way into the pit, the boy walked up to the device. “Alright, spot check! Box? Check! Destabilizer core? Check! Exotic particle source? Check! Supermagnetic container array? Check!” He yelled out, the beaming smile covering his face growing wider with each part intact. I thought I would have to perform at least some maintenance, but all of it’s so pristine, I could go back right now! “Well, I did bring everything here just in case, so what’s stopping me from leaving right now!” He shouted excitedly. The Pikmin cheered. They didn’t know why, but their leader was ecstatic, so obviously they should be as well! “Alright I’l just,” He pointed the device in his hands at the box, a green beam shining on it before flashing and storing the box inside of it. “There! It’s back, and in tip-top shape! Alright, time to start the universal membrane puncturing process!” He said, messing with the displays in front of him at breakneck speed, checking every variable and measurement. Hm. Are the BLUE readings supposed to be that low? He pondered for a moment trying to recall what that meant. Hmmmmmmm… Nah, shouldn’t make a difference START THE COUNTDOWN. He slammed down on the final button, typed in a passcode, and sat back. Charcoal sat down beside him, as did the Pikmin, piling on top of both him and the dog. “Ahhhh. Can’t believe it’s over, I’m going home!” I feel like I should be worried. “10!” Nah, can’t be that bad. “9! 8! 7!” What do low BLUE readings mean again? “6! 5! 4!” Hmmm… “3!” Don’t they mean that, “2!” The universal membrane is weak in that locale “1!” and shouldn’t be punctured lest it result in a mass BLUE shift? “0!” Shit “Opening gateway!” A massive blast emanated from the device in his hands, outshining the sun and blasting with such force, an impact with stone could’ve killed. All he managed to see before slipping into unconsciousness was a blindingly blue streak stretching across the sky, growing larger as he flew up to it at breakneck speeds. Then, darkness.
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“CHROME! Get your ass down here! We need practice for the bout!” A shrill voice called. “I can’t just ignore an ominous glow like THAT over the horizon!” A boy, named Chrome, yelled back, gesturing towards the horizon which glowed in a way he hadn’t seen before. “It’s probably just the sunrise, we’ve been up for hours, your brains probably just having a fit.” Another more masculine voice called. “You call THAT a sunrise?” “It probably is. Hm… maybe he should get some rest, since he can’t recognize the sunrise.” “We have to TRAIN, we can think about rest after we save Ruri!” “Grand Bout isn’t for a couple more weeks, I’m sure we can take a rest for a while.” “FINE, but if we don’t win, it’s YOUR fault.” “It’s always our fault lioness.” “SHUT UP!” The two voices trailed off as they left, shouting at each other until the more masculine one gave up and stopped talking. I have been up all night… maybe I should go to sleep. I’m sure it’s nothing. He slid off the roof of his hut, climbing inside and getting ready for bed. I’m sure it’s “Yawn.” nothing…
As the boy drifted off to sleep, the sky flashed a bright blue, astonishing anyone who saw it. The blue faded away, receding behind the mountains. No one noticed though, as the receding flash revealed hundreds of objects streaking across the night sky, some creating loud booms as they crashed down on the earth. “What the HELL?!” Yelled a boy with white hair that terminated in green spikes. “Is that the thing that turned you to stone all those years ago?!” Someone shouted out to him. “NO! This looks more like some kind of meteor strike, but meteor strikes aren’t usually this peaceful! Or low!” “Then what is it!?” “I don’t know!” “You don’t know?!?”