Characters Appearing : Olimar, Donkey Kong, Lash, Young Cricket, Zero, Bowser
Theme Song: Blow Me Away

Nothing could have prepared Peppy for the sight that now lie before him. After a few more weary days of traveling in the company of the three Pokemon spirits, Peppy's quest had seemed not closer to completion. Though they guided him along the straight and narrow, a feeling of anxiety filled the old hare. Soon he would be encountering the same dragon he had before, but he was unsure of what he would do when he finally did encounter it.

Yet now all he could see were the ruins of a once glorious city. What was once a symbol of advancement and prosperity was now a bleak site with buildings now overgrown with plant life. The utter emptiness of the city was all consuming. Yet perhaps more disturbing was that the sights were all too familiar... and when Peppy tried to listen, he felt that he could almost hear the familiar sound of people chattering away, vehicles moving up and down the streets, and ads blaring overhead.

But it wasn't there. It was all utter silence. It was home.

Day 43: Section B-19A (Old Corneria)

Even though the whole city had not arrived, it gave Peppy an appreciation of how large the city was by having to cover all of it by foot. With evening fast approaching, he was forced to call off his search and form a temporary campsite. His first instinct had been to set up some lodgings in the many empty buildings, but when he tried to step into one of them, he had been filled with so horrible of a dread that he didn't dare go in. The three Pokemon likewise seemed to do their best to avoid the buildings as well.

Settling for another night out under the stars, Peppy had managed to start a fire with what little firewood was available by largely relying on old wooden benches and signs. Though he generally returned the Pokemon to their balls at night, this time he opted to keep them out. He was not sure why, but he felt secure having them watching over him. The city was unsettling and deep down, he knew that one thing was true.

Corneria had no battle scars. The city wasn't depopulated by a war. Something else had to have caused the city to become like this. Furthermore, there was a good chance it was still there.

The flora had fought hard to take as much of the city as it had in such a short time. A series of hostile roots had torn through the buildings' foundations, causing several to collapse. Those that kept their feet beneath them had become homes to vines and other creepers, sprouting fruits and flowers of such variety that no greenhouse could have ever matched them. Trees and fungi ranging from the size of a toad to that of some of the neighboring buildings had squeezed themselves in wherever they could, often on the crumbled remains of the structures that hadn't survived. Plants of every size, every kind--even some carnivorous or mobile--representatives of more dimensions than could be counted. All in their final resting place.

Here, the flora was king. The fauna bent to its will. Many of them had migrated here from a spring they had once called home, now long dried up. Others had come from the nearby woods, which had been all but engulfed by the former city anyway. Among those were lesser species, a few from the forest surrounding what was left of Onett, or the woods that rounded the base of a mountain still bearing its single, giant egg, or various others that preferred the warmth and suffocating strength of such vegetation. The hodgepodge group had forged their own ecosystem, the bigger eating the smaller, the smaller eating the plants, and so on. It almost worked. If not for those...in between.

On the roof of one building that had survived its struggle against nature stood a long-legged bird. It was lacking in true wings, but covered in so much down that it gave off the appearance of a brown ball of cotton. Rising amidst that was a skinny black neck, prehensile in nature, which allowed the fluffy head to bend down and nibble on seeds and moss that coated the edifice's top. Being flightless, it was honestly rather perplexed about how it had gotten up so high. Still, it didn't question, nor did it worry. It had learned long ago to trust its rider.

Far below, the campfire crackled and gave off smoke. The creatures, most noctural, were surprisingly apprehensive about approaching it, even considering the number of them that were unaffected by such flames. The presence of the spirits could be attributed to the phenomenon, but even they weren't enough to stop everything from approaching. Nestled in the alley between two structures watching over the fire were a number of shrubs, accompanied by tall grass. A head poked out from the plants, yellow, lacking in everything but ears and eyes, with a thick appendage sprouting from its scalp and draping back behind it, smugly confident that it couldn't be seen. It stared at the fire, then at the spirits, then at the freakish beast lying down nearby.

Though the small yellow creature went unnoticed by the slumbering Cornerian, it had not escaped the gaze of Azelf. The Pokemon turned in the air to look at the new audience, but made no move towards it. However it clearly was communicating to its siblings, as both Mesprit and Uxie soon joined it at either side to insect the unusual creatures. A whirlwind of information was passed between the three, but all of it kept privately within their minds. After all, there was little chance of such telepathic signals being intercepted in such a place as this. For the moment, they made no move to awaken their sleeping companion.

The yellow creature stared for some time, frozen in its spot. A flurry of whispers was building up behind it, harsh and demanding, but it stubbornly held its ground until it was yanked away. A new head replaced it, this one red and bearing a nose rather than ears, the appendage on its head standing tall rather than limp. This one was the optimal choice anyway--if the hairy beast tried to fight with the fire at his disposal, he would find it useless against this one anyway.

The red creature pushed its way out of the shrubs, taking a moment to straighten the leaves wrapped around its chest and waist, then pulled its sprout down and dusted off the four-petaled flower on its tip. It knew the spirits were watching. Once it had finished its grooming, it flexed its muscular arms and sprinted forward, intent on simply running under their line and grabbing hold of the beast before he could even rise from his sleep. Once it had finished that one off, it could move on to the floating monsters. From within the bushes, a voice gave out a whoop of encouragement.

But before the little red creature could even get close to reaching the Cornerian, the three pokemon suddenly erected a psychic barrier that left the creature running into an invisible barrier. The resulting 'thud' was enough to awaken Peppy, who turned from his resting place to stand. He could only vaguely make out the shape of something nearby as he patted the ground to try and locate his glasses with one hand and his blaster with the other.

Vexed, the red creature stood up and felt its way to the barrier, then gave it a few whacks with its sprout and fists. When it proved useless, the creature stood back and waited. It hated having to play the decoy...but oh well.

The third of the beings didn't bother peering out like the first two had, but rather lunged from the bush and darted for its target, rounding the shield that had blocked its partner. This one was blue, with nothing but a red gash across its head (resembling a mouth) and a single eye. Where the other eye should have been was a crude patch made of a torn bit of leaf. One tiny hand and an entire leg were missing, the former refitted with a dried up, black tentacle curled into a hook, while the latter had been replaced by a large thorn that hadn't affected its speed in the slightest.

It succeeded where the other two hadn't. Having past the Pokemon, it jumped onto the prey and grabbed his scarf in its good hand, then wrapped its hook around one ear. It reared back with its head, then brought it forward with a smash into the other's face.

Peppy fell back dazed at having his head slammed. A second one gave him a splitting headache, there was no third though as he shielded his face with his one hand and grabbed the back of the creature with another. He ripped the small blue creature off rather forcefully and kept it at arm's length. Before sitting back up, he located his glasses and gave it a look over. This creature looked just a tad familiar.

With the red one trapped and the blue one caught, the commanding voice within the greenery began to shout and plead, though it earned no response. From the brush burst the last of the group, vastly different from the others if only for his complete set of facial features. He dragged the yellow one, covered in a giant leaf tied at its waist, behind him as he too charged around the barrier. "Oh heavens... You! Put him down, this instant!"

Peppy did as he was asked, but not before removing his blaster and positioning himself in front of the three Pokemon. The blue creature was dropped on the ground next to the red one as the Cornerian got a good look at the fourth one. However this one barely seemed at all similar to the other three, save for the sprout that was growing from its head. The squinty eyes, bulbous nose, and pointy ears looked quite familiar though.

"Okay... you can talk," Peppy replied warily. "What do you want?"

"Ah, well...that's...a rather awkward question, actually," the leader stuttered. He had stopped as soon as the blaster appeared; he hated those things. "We were rather hoping to...you see...kill you." He quickly dropped the yellow creature and held his arms up. "D-don't get me wrong! I...I suppose we would be happy if you j-just left. Now. You see..." He lowered his arms again, picking up a calmer tone as he slipped into explanation. "We've got a rather good, how do you say, "racket" going on here. We could live happily for some time; nothing here poses a threat to us...except them...and outsiders like you. The sooner we get rid of you, the safer we are. So..." Remembering the blaster, he raised his arms again. "So, if you could just make us all happy...? P-please?"

"I appreciate the honesty, but that isn't going to happen," Peppy replied sternly. "I have business in this city... and besides that, technically you could say this city belongs to me anyways. You're the outsider in these parts." He thought for a second as he regarded the man, then a name finally popped in his head.

"Louie," he added.

The leader's look turned frustrated. He tried to distract himself, adjusting the fit of the red-and-blue uniform he had taken from one of those SSA cronies, torn and tied off in places to make up for his diminutive size. "In case you hadn't noticed, this city's gone to the plants." He reached up and tapped the side of the black sprout that extended from his own round head, adorned with a flower similar to the one on the red creature's head. "We're the plants around here. And then some." He grabbed the yellow's stalk again, ready to fight. Forget the blaster. He was the Olimin, dammit. He couldn't stand for challenges like that. "Louie who?"

Peppy leveled his blaster at the small man. They were easily matched one for one, but Peppy could clearly see he had the advantage here. Nevertheless, he had no desire to fight the one person he did recognize in this crazy world. "You, Louie. We met in the forest north of here... five years ago. Ran into some cowboys, met a young lad in green, tangled with a dragon... an interesting affair, all around."

"Five?" The Olimin shuffled his feet, though he didn't drop his stance. "Well that, you see, is quite impossible. I'm a mere three, maybe three and a half cycles, er, years if you will, old." Which wasn't true, he knew, but wasn't entirely false. Either way, if the furball tried to get friendly with him now...why, he'd never leave! Besides that, he certainly didn't remember anything of the event that had just been described. "And stop calling me that, I mean it. I'm the Olimin, the one and only. Though, the other name is quite familiar."

The creatures he had with him were too familiar for this to merely be another person. There had to be a way to remind him of his past. A thought suddenly popped in Peppy's head, though it was as if it wasn't even his own. But it seemed so obvious. He looked at the Pokemon Uxie. Its abilities to manipulate memories could be useful. He had certainly used it a few times when it came to protecting Alleyway Jack from danger. Though how Peppy knew that...

"It's familiar because that's how you introduced yourself," Peppy replied. He gave a slight nod to Uxie and the Pokemon began to move towards the 'Olimin'. Peppy turned back towards him. "Now, let's resolve this calmly, alright? My friend here is going to help you remember."

The Olimin watched in fascination as the yellow-crowed spirit drifted toward him. Help him remember? What sort of gift did this creature have? Was it a trait of evolution, or was he merely over-hyping the long ear's statement? And...wait a minute. He was no guinea pik'. He jumped back, stumbling away. "Now, gracious! Hold on! What if I don't want to remember? I mean...all right, fine. I admit I'm quite a bit older than three. My thinning hair gave that away, yes? And, and I know I forgot things. I even know why I forgot them. That wretched little Shadow Bug that got hold of me, well, five years ago. But I never asked what I had been up to in that missing time, and...given the years that followed, I'm rather sure I don't want to--"

He made his case too late, cutting off as the Pokemon's eyes caught his own. A piece of his brain, locked away by the bug half a decade ago and unable in all that time to bust down the door, finally found the good sense to just squeeze its way out through the keyhole. The Olimin stared at the spirit for a moment, then slumped to the ground. The memories weren't coming too fast, at least, no flood washing through his head to cripple him. First up, his reckless dash into Corneria City, trying to save his lost Pikmin, getting stuck on that giant battleship...

"Curse it all." He put a hand on his forehead, then glanced up at the rabbit man. "It's not Louie. It's Olimar...Mr. Hare."

The story of the Shadow Bug possession certainly caught Peppy's interest. He knew very little of these creatures or what they were capable of. It was a subject he would have to ask more about later. He was more concerned about the present, as Uxie's trick had seemed to do the work.

"Ah, so you lied to me? Fair enough," Peppy replied dismissively. He had ended up using Louie as an alias for awhile, after all. The Cornerian leaned down and offered a hand to help him up. "I've no intention of staying in Corneria long. Perhaps you can help me."

Olimar took the hand and got to his feet. "And perhaps you can put the gun away, hmm?" He stuck his tiny fingers in his mouth and whistled. The red and blue Pikmin, since released from their respective predicaments, scampered over to his side. They then ran back, grabbed the yellow one, and dragged him over as well. "Look, Mr. Hare. The only thing we're looking to do here is survive. Whatever you're playing at...well, you've got three little followers of your own already. Isn't that enough?"

Peppy nodded and holstered the blaster. Once the plant man was at his feet, Peppy stepped back and placed a distance between the two of them. Even standing up, it was a strain on the general's neck to have to look down at him. "You and everyone else in this world," he answered. "But there are more important things at stake here than mere survival. Do you remember the dragon we encountered in the forest?"

"The dragon...yes. Oh dear, that's right. It took you with it on its little time traveling escapade, didn't it? At least, that's what someone told me. Personally, I was rather certain you had died. I suppose that explains your absence though, yes?" Olimar gave the Cornerian a hard look, waving his sprout as he did. "And you want to find it again. Is that...well, what are you implying here?"

"I'm implying just that, Olimar. Last time, it took me wherever it wanted to go. To this time period, to be precise. This time I will make it send me back to where I left off," Peppy replied. "And once I do that--"

Before Peppy could say another word, there was the sound of a crash. The moonlight had been covered by the clouds above and now only the fire offered any sort of light source. At least, not until small red eyes appeared around them from all around. Peppy immediately had his blaster in hand again. "Tell me these are friends of yours."

"Unfortunately not," Olimar answered. "This...is what happens when you stay in one place too long." He turned in a circle, trying to count pairs. It wasn't easy. The creatures bearing the eyes were clever, often standing in ways to conceal all or half of each other, giving the appearance of three eyes. Their blinking had a rhythm to it that was almost dizzying. In the end, he ruled that the number was, to be specific, "too many." "Wulfmin, grab a torch." The red Pikmin turned and ran over to the campfire, grabbing one of the sticks. Any other red wouldn't have been able to, but any other red wouldn't have survived five years either. Olimar grabbed the other two by their stalks. "I stand mistaken, Mr. Hare. You'll want your blaster out after all."

The first one that approached came our shrieking. In many ways it appeared to be just like the Pikmin, only it had two glowing red eyes and a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. Its color appeared to be midnight black, which made it almost impossible to see even with the darkness around. It went after Peppy first. Rather than shoot, Peppy activated the Reflector on his belt as soon as it got near, sending a surge of electricity into the creature and killing it instantly.

"We're outnumbered. Suggestions?"

"Just because we're outnumbered doesn't mean we've lost all advantage," Olimar said. He glanced up at the surroundings, mumbling a few words to himself, then nodded. "Yes, that should work. Put your friends away and kick out the fire. We're in one of its territories."

Five of the dark creatures ran out; Olimar tossed the blue Pikmin at one and pointed the red at two more, then lunged toward a fourth and swung the yellow into it. His blows were careful, hitting mostly from behind or the side, pulling away quickly before the foe could counter.

The teeth weren't the only threat that the black creatures carried. Each hand and foot bore a trio of long, hooked claws, used more for grabbing and holding their prey than killing. Displaying that feature was the fifth monster, which jumped onto Olimar's back, sunk all twelve into his sides, and butted the back of his head.

Though Peppy figured the Pokemon could help more than do harm, he did as was suggested. Besides, they were the key to the past, he couldn't risk even one getting hurt. Fetching their pokeballs from his pockets, he called them back and put them away. He then slowly moved towards the fire and quickly padded it out with his boots. Of course, he wasn't entirely sure that being without light was a good thing, but at least those red eyes provided a good target...

When he saw the one land on Olimar, he quickly fired a blast at it, searing the creature in two. He fired a few more scattered bursts into the crowd of approaching creatures, but there seemed to be too many to see if he was actually doing any good. When he felt one of their claws dig into his back, he activated his Reflector again. It was no good though, because the energy field didn't affect things on his person.

He tried to reach back and grab it, but it was just out of reach. "Ugh! Damn these things!"

"Relax," Olimar called out. "So long as you stay on your feet, they won't swarm you. Pack mentality, you know. Just pray to Mamuta that they didn't call out the Progg." Olimar threw the yellow at the creature on Peppy's back, then grabbed one of the attackers by its sprout and threw it back at an approaching group before it could get a hold of him.

It wasn't long after when a new cry filled the air, this one low and coming from deep within a throat. Another pair of red eyes appeared within the dark, though much higher up than the other sets. Illuminated only by the torch that the red Pikmin carried, a giant creature stormed through the crowd and into the clearing. Its body was bulbous in shape and carried by two tiny legs, half black with red spots, half flesh colored and split by a giant, almost toothless maw. A pair of stalks supported the glowing red eyes, which stared down at the storm of action, ready to join in now that the spirits were gone.

"A Bulbear?" Olimar mumbled, glancing back at the creature. "I was expecting a Blowhog...oh well. Just ignore it!" he added to the rabbit.

After the black creature was freed from Peppy's back, he did his best to shoot off more of the creatures. Fortunately Olimar's assertion that they wouldn't swarm them was correct, otherwise they would be easily overtaken. Nevertheless, between the bleeding gash from his recent attack and having his sleep interrupted, the situation didn't seem to have any reasonable conclusion to it. Ignoring the monstrous creature behind the pack didn't help much.

"I do hope your plan doesn't involve fighting them off until dawn," Peppy grunted.

The black creatures did their best to ignore the Bulbear as well and focus on the smaller, presumed weaker prey, but it wasn't easy for them. The giant gulped down ten with ease and wasn't even slightly satisfied by that.

Olimar and his Pikmin relied on small numbers to evade the creature; the chance that it would target one of them was slim given the number of the black ones, and they had no trouble staying out of its way anyway. Before long, the assailants had to concede to their losses and collectively turned their attention to the Bulbear. They jumped onto its back and attacked, unwilling to go home without a single kill.

As soon as they did, Olimar whistled and ran toward Peppy. The blue and yellow Pikmin ran into him from behind, grabbing his legs and tackling him backwards, though Olimar was already there to catch his back. The red Pikmin led the way out of the clearing, the other three carrying the Cornerian after.

Needless to say, Peppy was more than a little shocked to suddenly be 'turned on' by his new comrades. He tried to wrestle himself over to get on his feet, but it was no good. "Now I say put me down! This is ludicrous!"

He tried to get a good look at where they were going, but it was no good. His hand began to move towards his Reflector.

Olimar caught sight of Peppy shifting toward the device on his belt and threw him upward as hard as he could. It wasn't nearly enough to straighten the rabbit out, not that the Pikmin on his legs could support his weight anyway, but long enough for Olimar to jump away before Peppy fell back on top of him. "Arrmin! Prophmin! Drop him!" The blue and yellow did as commanded and let go of his boots, letting the Cornerian drop to the ground.

Olimar scurried over and glared down at him, though he kept a bit of distance. "What was that?!" he scowled, pointing at the reflector. "You were about to kill us!"

"It has a lower setting," Peppy replied as he stood up and dusted himself off. He adjusted his glasses and fixed an annoyed glare at the foursome. "I don't take lightly to being carried away, especially to folk who have indicated their intent to kill me beforehand. I'm quite fine walking, thank you very much."

"You don't know the whistles," Olimar said, "but fine." He shrugged and waved them all after the torch bearer. While they walked, he turned back to face the yellow Pikmin. "Write that down, Prophmin. Nightmin in the old Stargap Sector, as well as a Bulbear patrol. We're lucky it didn't have any dwarfs with it." He stared at the critter for a moment while it made a few muffled sounds, though the orifice they came from was difficult to determine. "Yes I did teach you how to write Stargap. Stop being obstinate. ...Yes, I did teach you what obstinate means. You already knew. Now do it. ...No, we are not doomed. Now do it." With an almost human sigh, the Pikmin pulled a rolled up leaf from its robe and began to scribble on it with a bit of charcoal.

Pleased with the result, Olimar turned back to Peppy. "There's another camp around here. The Nightmin won't attack that one. Just stick to Wulfmin's trail."

Peppy blinked a bit in surprise at the way Olimar was communicating with the creatures. Did he really understand them or, as Peppy was beginning to really suspect, had the little man simply gone insane? A place like this, it would be hard not to go off your rocker eventually. He decided that maybe it wasn't a good idea to go into it... though as he peeked over Prophmin's shoulder, the writing actually looked... real.

"You called those things Nightmin," Peppy said as he plodded after Olimar. It was surprising how fast he could move despite his smaller stature. "Where did they come from?"

"Oh, that's a very long story..." Olimar said, putting a hand on his chin. "And I suppose, given when you left, you wouldn't even know the first part of it." He glanced up at the moon, freed from its cover of clouds. "It's my fault. Thanks to your little friend, I remember now exactly how "my fault" it is. I let those Subspace people get their hands on a few Pikmin, and, well, a few years later this is the end result."

"Now wait just half a tick there. Are you saying that the Subspace Army... controls those things?" Peppy asked, shocked by the idea of it. "Every city I've been to has a simple structure. An Enforcer and the people who suffer under their rule. But this looks nothing like that. I find it hard to believe they'd dedicate an entire city to something like... this."

"Eh? No, no. They lost control of these guys years ago," Olimar said. "You see, a little after you disappeared, this city fell to those Subspace people. Some of my Pikmin slipped in during the battle and were infected by Shadow Bugs. From them, the Subspacers had the template to mass produce their own army, and my attempts to stop them resulted in my own infection.

"After I escaped my own predicament, I poured myself into raising Pikmin. I couldn't help but feel guilty about creating those things. The world was falling apart around us, but I persevered. And then, over three years ago now, we attacked.

"If there's one thing we succeeded in, it was driving the Subspacers out of the city. We turned their Pikmin feral, uncontrollable. They didn't see the point in hanging around after that, of course, so they just watched. As for us, we kept fighting until we had destroyed almost all of their Onions--the organisms from which Pikmin are produced. We lost all of our Onions too, but I didn't care. I was willing to sacrifice them all for the cause." Olimar glanced down at the blue Pikmin and gave it a pat on the head. "Quite the mistake."

Peppy considered the implications of that. Limited numbers is likely what kept these creatures from spreading outside of Corneria. Without these 'Queen Pikmin'-like creatures that were called Onions, they had no way of bolstering their numbers. Given their apparent preference for the nighttime - evidenced by their arrival after the Moon vanished, they probably were unable to successfully reach any other city during a single night. Besides, it seemed that they had a stable enough ecosystem in the city for subsistence. With a declining population rate, they'd never have to worry about a decline in food. There was only one question.

"You know what I intend to do," Peppy said. "If I return to the past, what could be done to prevent this? If not even the Subspace Army can control it, I'm not sure what we Cornerians would be able to do."

Olimar didn't answer. They had since caught up to the red Pikmin, who was standing by a low, concrete building with a domed roof and no visible entrances. Olimar made his way to one side where a patch of vines had grown thick from the ground up. He pushed the vines back like a curtain and stepped through a crumbled gap in the wall behind them. After a moment of inspection, he gave a whistle for the others to follow. The blue Pikmin gave Peppy a push, forcing him to do the same. The red Pikmin went last, using its torch to set the vines aflame.

Save for a cover of overgrowth, the outside of the building had seemed perfectly intact. The inside was different; most of the floor was broken far down to reveal soil, with only a rim of stone around the wall retained. Numerous plants were growing throughout the room, but unlike the ones outside, these had been cultivated--grown in rows and individual patches depending on what they were used for. Where there weren't plants, stolen furniture and rocks had been arranged or campfires had been set up.

Olimar and the Pikmin made their way to one grove of plants, the red lighting fires as it went, which towered over them and dangled from their tip a cluster of red berries half the size of the spaceman's head. Olimar plucked one for each and an extra for Peppy, then walked it over to him.

"We're safe here. The vines should burn until dawn, unless it rains. Or they've figured out how to douse them. As to your question... Nothing."

The Cornerian gave a curious look at the berry. Of course Corneria often used genetically-enhanced crops to increase their yield, none of them looked quite so naturally grown as this berry, despite its large size. Finding a seat, he sat down and retrieved his cutting knife to cut the berry off in slices, given that it was too big to simply bite into without a mess.

"Unfortunate. Perhaps your counterpart from five years ago will have more luck with a proper warning... and support," Peppy said. "Will it be safe to travel by daylight?"

The Pikmin were less polite with their food, holding the berries overhead and wringing the juice out onto themselves. Olimar bit into his own, disregarding its size, and had it finished off within minutes. He burnt a lot more energy these days than he used to.

Once he had finished, he sat down next to a group of plants half-buried in the dirt and pulled one out. It had the general shape of an Onion, but was much smaller and deformed, with several bruises and four crooked legs that it couldn't even stand on. He sighed and tossed it aside.

"You should be fine if you keep your little followers out. The bugs...the animals around here don't seem fond of them. And you'll absolutely have to watch out for the Progg--it doesn't stop for anything. The Nightmin won't come after you though, no. Just don't poke your face into any of their burrows."

Peppy was not quite so quick at eating his, instead choosing to take it one bite at a time. The flavor was rich and he rather enjoyed it. Nevertheless, he had eaten shortly before bed and didn't quite finish it off, setting it to the side for the moment. He took a keen interest in what Olimar was trying to do, but his knowledge of agriculture was limited and what he knew of these Pikmin even moreso. Olimar's three followers seemed quite capable and intelligent. It was almost a perfect parallel to the three Pokemon he had gathered.

"I was hoping I might convince you to come along," Peppy replied. "My three companions are the only ones who can find and control the dragon Dialga. I intend to go back to where I left off five years ago, but this isn't my city anymore and I'm only used to dealing with stuff like this from the cockpit of an Arwing. Aparoids are bad enough, but these creatures are a bit too much to take on with just a Blaster."

Olimar poked a finger into the earth around one of the Onions. "I have other obligations," he said. "And I remember that dragon now. Giant, angry, beam-shooting...and who knows what kind of attention it would draw. Those three--" He pointed over at the Pikmin, then stopped. "Well, I suppose I never really introduced you. Wulfmin," he pointed to the red, "Prophmin," the yellow, "and Arrmin," the blue. "If you hadn't already picked that up.

"Anyway. Those three are the last of their kind. Their planet's gone just like everyone else's. And me, of course, I suppose I'm one too. After what I sacrificed, I have to see that what's left of their species is preserved."

"I don't think you fully understand what I'm getting at here," Peppy replied, his tone becoming grim. "When I first met you, I remember seeing dozens of these creatures with you. If I succeed in going back in time and stop the world from becoming the way it is, then you won't have to try and preserve the species."

He paused as he looked over at the three Pikmin. He wondered if maybe they understood what he was saying as they understood Olimar. "What do they think? You seem to understand them and they seem intelligent enough. If you are going to protect their species, they should have a say in how you do it, don't you think?"

"I'm sure it's rude, but I'm not putting hope in your little plan," the spaceman answered. "I don't have any to spare."

Olimar glanced over at the Pikmin, who had tossed the skins of the berries into a pile and gone about their own ways. Wulfmin was multitasking, lifting with an old dumbbell they had found while looking into a piece of glass and practicing his own whistles, while Arrmin chipped at a piece of wood, a rolled-up leaf stuck in his gill, and Prophmin sulked in a corner. "You can ask them, but I'll just tell you the responses now. It'll go something like, What would the Olimin do?, some incoherent mumbling, and multiple outcries of Doom. They've got their personalities down pat, at least."

Peppy was silent as he looked at the three creatures. "Yes. I can see that well. The red one wants to be you, the blue one seems to think it's a pirate, and the yellow one is insane. I see that there will be no convincing you," Peppy replied. Silently he added: out of your madness.

He took the berry and began to finish it. "Very well then. I'll leave the four of you alone come morning. I wish you the best of luck with your garden."

Olimar nodded and got up. "Have fun. Sleep wherever you want, we're not picky." He gave another whistle and made his way to where the Pikmin were gathering, but glanced back quickly before he did. "I know this isn't the ideal life, but remember: not everyone gets to live twice like I did. It's not ideal...but it's better than nothing. So don't waste it."

That night Peppy slept poorly, having fitful nightmares in the few moments he was able to force himself to sleep. Morning couldn't have come too soon and he was up at the earliest sign of sunlight. With Olimar and his companions nowhere in sight, Peppy opted to simply move on. He took the liberty of taking an extra berry before setting off, making a lunch of it as he entered the city again.

While the three Pokemon formed a circle around him as they traveled, he cuts off pieces of the fruit to feed them. In truth, Peppy had never been much of a pet lover, but he was growing a certain fondness for these three creatures. Possibly it was because he knew that they were intelligent and even if they did not speak to him as Azelf had through Mia, they were far from being simple lower animals. They also had a calming effect on him. In a way, he regretted the fact that he had not released them overnight. He might have slept better.

The trip through the city was slowly giving way to less and less architecture and more and more plant life. Five years ago an open plain separated the city from the Lost Woods, but now the two seemed to be one entity where the only difference was the ratio of stone to plant. In time he found that the buildings no longer were what offered him cover, but it was now the old, ancient trees of another world. There was a somewhat familiar feeling to them from the weeks he had spent lost in these very woods, but only now they seemed thicker and more hostile. The predatory flora from the city had spread into the heart of the forest itself.

He pushed onward, his ears remaining ever alert for any unusual sounds. One thing had become all too obvious. Something was following them... and it was big. In his periphery vision, he would occasionally see a shadowy shape move across the treetops. When he would look, nothing would be there. Becoming all the more wary, he took his blaster in hand and proceeded at a quickened pace.

He was about to take a step further when Mesprit suddenly halted in front of him. The three Pokemon all turned to look up at the trees and suddenly dispersed. When Peppy looked to follow their gaze, he suddenly found himself facing a brutal creature that rammed into him, knocked him on his back, and ran back into the forest cover. Peppy rolled over to try and catch a glance at it. From the back he could make out a black furred simian creature of some sort. Patches of its fur was missing and the remains of some red colored restraint dangled around its neck.

Peppy stumbled to his feet and pointed his Blaster the direction it had left. However he had underestimated the creature's speed, as he was suddenly rammed into from the side and knocked off his feet. His blaster went flying away as a single shot hit a tree. The simian landed next to the gun and picked it up, regarding it with a hateful sneer before crushing it in one hand. It then turned to glare at Peppy, baring his teeth as he slowly moved in on the Cornerian.

The snarl was broken as a red fist collided with it from the side. There wasn't nearly enough force to the punch to throw the beast, but it did set his head spinning. Wulfmin, having lunged from a set of bushes, now found itself landing right in front of the monster, an unappealing location given their respective sizes. Before the ape could react, Prophmin was thrown from the bushes as well and caught hold of the monkey's tattered accessory, pulling it tight and cutting his breath. Arrmin jumped out last, grabbing onto the creature's wrist and trying to pry his hand open to retrieve the blaster, unaware of its uselessness.

Peppy blinked in shock as he saw three familiar creatures come to his aid. Had he managed to get through to them... or had Olimar...?

Not sparing any time to ponder it, he resorted to the only weapon he had left. After expending his weapons from Dedede and Wes, the only thing he had on his person was the very same knife he had been using for survival purposes. Running forward, he positioned his knife in hand and plunged it into the simian's shoulder. His aim was a bit off, because the creature had enough strength to deliver a fierce backhand that sent Peppy propelling into one of the trees. The simian then pulled the bloody knife out and tossed it to the ground.

The ape flung both the blaster and Arrmin away as his rage built. Wulfmin made a dive for the knife, practically a sword by comparison, but it was thrown sideways as the beast slammed the ground with his palms, sending a shock through the earth. Prophmin clung to the threads, babbling to itself, but the added weight to the makeshift noose wasn't bothering their foe anymore. He hurled himself at the nearest tree, swung around and kicked off its trunk (leaving an impression of his feet), then curled himself into a ball and barreled toward Peppy.

The Cornerian was still a bit dazed from his attack, but upon seeing the simian barreling towards him, he resorted to the only defense he had left. He was only vaguely aware of the Pikmin dangling from the creature's back as his own instinctive survival instincts kicked in. Moments before the ape made contact, the electrical barrier was activated and the ape was sent flying back, his flesh searing from the attack though apparently still alive as it tried to regain its balance, even as steam rose from its back.

Prophmin dropped away from the ape, unfazed by the current that had just run through the other, and started running in circles. Wulfmin and Arrmin had since caught up to the action, the latter giving its yellow counterpart a swift blow to the head. Once the residual electricity had dispersed, Wulfmin grabbed both and tossed them onto the beast's back, then jumped on as well. They lay into the monster with all their strength, though the three of them alone weren't much against the behemoth.

While the three Pikmin had the simian distracted, Peppy pulled himself up painfully as he started crawl towards the knife. As he got close to it and began to reach for it, his other arm gave way and he fell to the ground. He groaned as he tried to pull himself back up, but he was still short of breath from being tossed aside. Reaching for it again, his fingers fell inches short of the blade.

At that time, Olimar entered the site, assured that the Pikmin hadn't gotten far. He froze for a moment, his mind tumbling over itself as he took in the scene, then ran to Peppy, grabbed the knife before he could, and stabbed it into the ground by the rabbit's hand. Gripping the weapon for support, he crouched down until he could look the other in the eyes. "What in the name of Mamuta are you doing here?!" he scowled. "You didn't say you were heading into the woods! I mean...for goodness sake, there's so many more dangers up here! I could have--hey!"

Olimar let go of the knife, pushed himself back up and turned to the ape, who had gathered his senses enough to jab out his arms and swing around in a circle. The Pikmin were thrown off and onto their backs. Before the monster could counter, Olimar flew into his gut, knocking him down as well. The spaceman rolled to a stop a little farther past, head sore from crashing into solid muscle.

For all the injuries the ape had taken, he was soon back on its feet as it began to advance on the intruding spaceman. Standing up to his full height, he began to beat his chest and let out a mighty roar. He then balled up his fists over his head and prepared to bring them down in a killing stroke. Before he or the spaceman could even react, a gleam of light reflected off the shiny surface of the knife before it plunged itself into the ape's chest.

Peppy was back to his feet, one hand clutching his chest and the other arm still hanging limp after throwing the knife. He was breathing deeply and feeling just a bit delirious. The only thing on his mind was hoping to hell that the ape didn't have any fight still left in him.

Olimar got up and stared at the simian, his eyes magnetized to the blade. The beast didn't stare back; his own eyes had rolled back, making the only sight available to him a dull red...soon followed by a fading black. Olimar hopped up and pulled the knife free, giving the ape just enough momentum to collapse forward onto his face.

The spaceman waited, then took the knife and used it to cut off the cloth around the ape's neck, then used that cloth to wipe the blade clean. He walked over to Peppy and handed the weapon back. "Technically, that's interfering with our "racket," he said.

Peppy coughed a few times before he spoke. "You're welcome," he managed to choke out. He took the weapon and with some difficulty managed to slide it back into its sheath. "I see you changed your mind after all. I knew I was right about you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Olimar answered. "We were here foraging. I can hardly help it if all three Pikmin go running off without me." He shook his head, sprout bobbing from side to side. "But since you're here, allow me to spell a few more dangers out to you.

"First, ah..." He turned and tossed the tie back over to the fallen ape. "Well, never mind first. But there's a grove on the northern side of the forest. Absolutely do not go there. It's covered in some kind of smog, but it's more than just pollution. Don't even mess with it. And then the living skeletons...they're relentless. You might knock them down, stack their remains up in a little pile, but they'll rebuild right before your eyes. From my experience, only a wise application of bomb-rocks can really get rid of them. And then--"

Olimar paused, glancing up and around the trees. "Er. Where did your little partners go?"

Before Peppy could respond to the multitude of warnings, he too realized that the Lake Spirits had seemingly vanished on him. He spared a last look at the ape. Something seemed almost familiar about that face, but he wasn't sure why just yet. There were more pressing concerns. The spirits had to be somewhere nearby. They wouldn't just vanish when the end was so close now.

Ignoring Olimar, he began plodding in the direction they had been heading before the ape had appeared. The forest began to look more familiar and he began to recognize the sights ahead of him. The forest clearing was where it all happened. It all made sense now. He had been drawn back to the place where it had all begun. After all this time, Dialga must have went back to its familiar hiding place.

A spark of light caught his eye and he saw that Mesprit floating above him at the top of a pillar. The jewel on her forehead suddenly removed itself from her forehead and flew forward in between her and Azelf. Likewise, Azelf's own jewel covered the distance between him and Uxie. Finally, Uxie's jewel came between him and Mesprit. And from the Pokemon and to the jewels, a beam of light was created in a perfect triangle. Slowly the light began to solidify into a strange crimson chain.

Peppy was overjoyed at first, but then looked around expectantly. Where's Dialga?

Olimar pushed his way after Peppy, continuing on with his speech. "Like I said, I've no intention of endangering my garden or even myself by hanging around you, General Bullseye. I never got around to telling you the rest of my story, did I? After all, you never asked about the stalk, or my comment about living twice last night, so I didn't feel it necessary.

"I didn't tell you how I died that day during that terrible battle, my life strangled out by the poisonous taste of oxygen... And those three...even though I was willing to give them up, they weren't willing to give me up. I didn't tell you how I lost...lost my family right after that. Wiped out with everything else. My wife, my son, my daughter... Those three Pikmin are the only family I have left now. So surely you see, it's not just a guilty obligation to protect them. And I'm quite serious about it, irregardless of the fact that they did want to help you. And I get the distinct feeling that you're not even...

"...listening..." Olimar trailed off as he stepped into the clearing, looking up at the chain that materialized between the three spirits. "By the Mamuta..." He twisted around; the Pikmin had just arrived as well, but he quickly pushed them back the other way. "Time to go!"

Something was beginning to happen though. Peppy, almost without thinking, raised a finger to his mouth, shushing the spaceman to silence. The Cornerian took a few cautious steps forward as a massive silhouette began to form in the center of the chain. This was it. Dialga had finally come. His journey was at last at an end.

He stepped inside the triangle as the mythical dragon finally came fully into form, being dragged from whatever point in space and time it had been hiding... to the here and now. Dawn, the seer, Mia... all of them had been right. Everything had led up to this very moment. At last Peppy could return home.

"I'm ready to go home," was all he said.

The dragon wasn't attacking. That was the first thing Olimar noticed, having ducked behind a tree with his companions. He watched Peppy step up to it, still in one piece, no beam burns, no claw scratches... So he really was in control. That didn't make it any less dangerous.

He gave the rest of the clearing a quick glance, sure that something's attention was being drawn. It was empty. Nothing dared come between the quintet, nothing dared disturb the event.

So Peppy was going home. So what? That didn't mean he would fix anything. It wasn't that simple. ...But then, he did have a chance, at least. At least... Olimar rounded the tree to get a closer look. Maybe...maybe he could spare a little hope.

A flash of purple caught Olimar's eyes. He looked up; the tree he was standing against seemed fine until, reacting to a cut some meters above him that was nearly invisible and clean through its trunk, it began to tilt toward the triangle. Hope went splat well before the tree did.

Holding onto a safety rail, a woman in her early twenties leaned out of the gunship that was now descending over the spirits and the dragon in between. Her dark hair was contained neatly in a bun, preventing it from flying freely like her lab coat did. From beside her, a second figure suddenly emerged and jumped out of the gunship with amazing grace. He too looked to be rather young himself, with pale skin and shock white hair. His throat bore livid scars and a disturbing smile was on his face. Landing on the chain, he ran along the edge until he reached Uxie. Then with his bare hands, gave the Pokemon a jerk on the neck. A second later, the Pokemon fell to the ground with a sickening thump.

The falling tree angled itself toward the pillar that Azelf rested upon. Leaping onto it from the severed trunk was a third intruder. He appeared to be a lithe man decorated with plates of red, white, and black armor, a long blond ponytail streaming from the back of his gem-adorned helmet. Taking a cue from the white-haired man, he ran down the length of the timber, carrying with him a humming, purple blade. No sooner had Uxie fallen when the armored man threw himself off the tree, planted his feet on the side of the pillar and, with perfect accuracy, drove his blade through Azelf's heart.

Following the two attacks, a single shot fired from the muzzle of the woman's gun. The bullet hit the Mesprit dead on and like her two siblings, she too fell to the ground.

Peppy watched in horror as it all unfolded. He turned to Dialga frantically. "Dialga! Hurry! We have to go now! Back to where we were before! You have to take me!"

The dragon however seemed far too distracted by the deaths of the three Lake Spirits. It took a step backwards and slowly began to fade. Peppy started to run towards it, but suddenly a familiar object came flying past him. It was a pokeball, only this one was blue and purple in place of the red. It managed to capture Dialga nearly instantly. Desperately Peppy ran towards the ball lying on the ground, but the pale assassin landed in front of the ball and picked it up. Standing in front of the Cornerian, he began to wag his finger in admonishment while still smiling. He then changed his position to strike.

"Enough!" the woman called out. "Zero. Cricket. We have what we want."

The assassin narrowed his eyes at Peppy, but complied nevertheless. Propelling himself up to the chain, he used it to swing himself the rest of the way up to the helicopter's undercarriage, before climbing back inside the cockpit and delivering the pokeball containing Dialga.

Olimar rolled away from the tree as it finished its drop, looking desperately for the Pikmin. He crashed into a pair of legs and glanced up at the armored man, though the glance wasn't returned. Rather, the man looked further up, responding to the woman's cry. A quiet murmur of, "What are you planning, Lash?" escaped his lips before he turned away.

Olimar sighed with relief as he slid down the cold, metal legs, seemingly ignored. It stopped seeming that way when there was a flash of purple, the man's blade neatly clipping the flower from the tip of Olimar's sprout. The man caught the flower and held it up to his face for a moment, then tossed it away. With a silent, unconcerned gait, he disappeared back into the trees, leaving Olimar stiff with panic.

The woman, Lash, merely smirked as she pulled out a communicator. "Well Cricky, what do you say we leave a toy behind for Mr. Louie. Or is it Cottontail... or Peppy?"

Peppy looked up dumbfounded. Did the Subspace Army really know that much about him? This entire time?

"Don't look so surprised Mr. Hare," Lash continued. "Did you really think after escaping Enforcer Rool that your three personal visits to the Enforcers in Saffron, New Pork City, and Hyrule would go unnoticed? Please." She then held up the communicator and gave the order. "Bring in the Giga-Alpha."

After stuffing the communicator in her pocket, the gunship began to rise. "Goodbye Mr. Hare! And you too Captain Planthead. We're finally going to clear out this plant infestation... beginning with you! Hee hee! Ha ha ha ha ha!"

Her laughs were eventually drowned out as her gunship vanished in the sky. What replaced it was a large transport copter that released a large crate to the ground. It was massive in dimensions and Peppy could only guess what was inside. A red light on the front of it continued to blink until suddenly it changed colors to a solid green. The front hatch opened and fell to the ground with a thud. Two huge glowing yellow eyes peered out.

Peppy took a step back, but upon seeing the eyes appear he turned to Olimar. "Run! RUN!"

Olimar lunged into Peppy, grabbing him by the collar of his jacket and planting his legs on the Cornerian's shoulders. "Where are they?! I can't find them! I told you! Dammit, I told you!" He stopped rambling and kicked off Peppy's shoulders, flipping over the hare's head and landing behind him, though not without giving him a quick whack to the face with his stalk along the way.

He started to run forward, noticed the box and eyes, and angled his path to go around the monolith. That alone wasn't going to stop him. A gout of flames burst from beneath the eyes toward the spaceman, illuminating the reptilian inside. Olimar cartwheeled away, cursing his luck at not being reborn a red. The prospect of running had raised a notch...but still, no. Not without them.

At the moment, Peppy was far too concerned with the big monster in the box. Nevertheless, he couldn't afford to be complacent. Retrieving the Pokeballs from his pocket, he thought maybe there was a chance. He held them out and activated them. "Mesprit, return!" Nothing. "Azelf, come back!" Nothing. "Dammit, Uxie return!" Still nothing.

A creature hideously huge stepped out of the crate. It was reptilian in appearance, with a huge spiked shell, a terrifyingly huge maw, feet and hands with razor sharp claws, and a look of unstoppable rage in its eyes. Peppy himself was eye level with its knees. He had no weapons to defend himself this time. A small knife might have a chance against an ape, but it would be like a mere needle prick on this thing.

"Olimar!" he shouted. "There's no time! We have to leave now!"

Wasting no more time, he took a few more steps back before turning around and running into the forest.

Olimar focused on circling the crate, getting out of the lizard's line of sight. His stature gave him the advantage, as did his speed; it was hard for the other to focus on him, even given its angled posture. It released waves of fire from its jaws in long sweeps, hoping to find its target without looking. As such, the movements were predictable, and Olimar had no trouble keeping away.

The crate, he realized, was obscuring his view of the third pillar in the grove. The other two he could see; what finally struck him was that neither of the spirits that had occupied those pillars were laying on the ground next to them anymore. He spared a glance around the area, but saw no sign of where they had disappeared to.

Sprinting for the third pillar, he arrived to find Prophmin. The yellow Pikmin was dragging the spirit with the same colored crown, the one that had returned his memory, by its tails, trying to get it into the surrounding brush. Olimar held his wits to him and ran over, picking the creature up himself. "That's good, Prophmin. Now quick, let's catch up to the other two."

They too ducked into the forest, leaving the Giga-Alpha alone. It howled into the sky, then crouched low to the ground and sniffed, seeking the reek of fear that its own cry would generate from any sentient being. Having found a bearing, it started its own stride into the woods, trees bent aside by arms almost their equal in size.

Peppy continued through the woods, stopping only momentarily when he reached the clearing with the now dead simian. The two creatures - Wulfmin and Arrmin as he recalled - were dragging the corpses of two of the Pokemon with them, somehow managing to color coordinate the ones they took. Swell.

He looked back and realized that Olimar and the other one wasn't nearby. Damn! He must be looking for these two still...

Prophmin and Olimar entered the grove from the direction Peppy had been heading in. The latter mumbled thanks to Mamuta before they ran over to the other pair, disregarding the circumstances of their arrival. Olimar passed the yellow spirit back to Prophmin, ordering the Pikmin to carry him properly this time, then turned to Peppy. "We'll talk and move. Keep in mind that this is the Lost Woods. You can't go running any which way and expect to escape, or you'll end up in the same mess we did five years ago. So stay close. And keep your ears perked. Bowser surely doesn't know the right path either, so he could pop up anywhere..."

"Bowser? That thing is Bowser?" Peppy asked incredulously. There was certainly a resemblance there. So the traitor had become a perverted monster and shell of what he had once been. Looks like his greed had left him with the same fate as Pigma. It was strangely fitting, if not distressing due to the fact he was about to kill them. But at the moment, so many things were going through Peppy's head that the fact that the monster was someone he knew didn't rank up very high. In fact, the Pokemon being carried by the Pikmin hardly seemed important.

In fact, Bowser wasn't far behind Olimar and could be heard tearing through the forest in a flurry of claws and flames. "Somehow I think he'll be making his own path. Which direction do we go now?"

"Just stay close," Olimar repeated, quickly choosing the bearing to follow. "We can lose him if we make it back to the city. He and the Progg should get along nicely, provided it hasn't moved on from where we last spotted it. We'll head for a den after that...and then it's up to you." He glanced back. "Like I said. This world's better than nothing, right?"

Peppy quickly fell in line. Though still a bit roughed up from the encounter with the ape, the adrenaline from recent events was keeping him going. In fact, it was the only thing that kept him from stopping and giving up in the face of his colossal failure. "If survival is all that's left, then I'll make it worth it."

Olimar watched Peppy for a moment. That was it, then. The world would just continue on its downward spiral, and everyone else would make do. There really was no simple fix.

Olimar bit his lip and peered over at the remains of the spirits, then nodded to the Pikmin holding them up. "They have an idea for you. Onions--they generate seeds from whatever you feed into them. Certain things, myself included, apparently aren't subject to a complete metamorphosis into Pikmin, I suspect because we aren't natives of their planet. Naturally then, there's a fair chance that, should I actually manage to breed a new Onion, we can save them."

He waved a hand. "Like I said, their idea, not mine. It's just a thought. And there's no telling when or if I'll ever produce a viable Onion, of course. And who knows what all could be lost in the process. I might be completely wrong. They might just pop out as Pikmin, completely different, unaware of their old lives. It's up to you."

And here Peppy had been thinking that they had only been brought for food. But if there was any kind of chance, then he owed it to everyone who had helped him get this far to try. "I think it's worth a try," Peppy said. "If there's a chance that-"

He was suddenly cut off as Bowser suddenly came trampling through the woods directly behind them, sending a searing flame in their direction. Peppy was only barely able to evade the fire by throwing himself rather painfully to the ground and rolling away.

"Of course, our mutual survivals would be the key necessity of this plan..." Olimar mumbled. He shouted to the Pikmin to drop the spirits. "Wulfmin, draw his attention! Prophmin, the nearest bomb-rock stash...you know where it is, don't complain! Peppy, go with him, unless you want to give that energy shield some exercise! Arrmin, we're going around to the back. Shoot for the head!"

The group split at a whistle from Olimar, Prophmin heading to the west while Wulfmin sprung up into Bowser's line of sight, though keeping a distance from the claws and jaws. Olimar followed Arrmin to the koopa's tail...no chance of tossing him around. With a quick pair of hops, each caught a spike near the bottom edge of the shell, pushed off it, and scampered as best they could up the slick surface to the next nearest spike.

Peppy decided not to question the spaceman and followed the yellow Pikmin a little further into the woods. He was hoping that they weren't going too far, because 'Prophmin' seemed to be regarding him with a fair amount of apprehension at being followed. However they didn't have to go too far before the yellow one stopped at a pile of strange looking rocks. It picked up one, walked over, and held it up.

The general gave it a careful appraisal. Given its name, it didn't take too much imagination to guess as to its purpose. Peppy knelt to get another one in his other hand. He would've gone for an armload, but he didn't quite know exactly how volatile they were. After his yellow companion started off towards the fight holding his own bomb, Peppy quickly followed back to the battleground. By the time he was back though, Olimar and one of the Pikmin were already on top of Bowser. That certainly was going to make bombing the thing harder...

By the time they had reached the monster's mane, Peppy had returned with the bomb-rocks. Olimar pulled himself up first, tangling himself within the red locks so that, no matter how much Bowser shook about as he continued his pursuit of the red below him, the spaceman wouldn't go flying. Arrmin held on tightly, keeping his sprout within Olimar's reach.

Olimar kept his eyes on Bowser's maw; he couldn't breathe flames indefinitely, having to stop and catch a new wind after about six seconds, leaving a very short gap in which his mouth was neither flame-bearing or closed. Once released, bomb-rocks were quick to explode...probably only three seconds... Peppy wasn't young, but he was a space pilot; his reflexes were probably decent, at least. He hated risking it, but Arrmin was good with bomb-rocks. He'd survived them before, with only minimal loss of limbs.

"Stay back there!" he shouted down to the Cornerian. "As soon as I tell you, throw the rock at his mouth!" In hindsight, shouting commands right next to his adversary's ear holes wasn't the best idea, but Wulfmin was on top of the situation, whistling and throwing even more of a stir than before.

Peppy cringed upon hearing the plan of action. He just hoped his old pitching arm was still in good shape. It'd been a long time his aim had been tested in this way. Tucking one of the rocks under his left arm, he got the second one ready to throw as soon as the opportunity presented itself. His chance was quickly approaching though, as indicated by the fact that the red Pikmin was now running towards him.

The flames were still pouring from Bowser's mouth and the Cornerian took a step back from fear that he wouldn't be stopping before Peppy got the chance to attack. "Anytime would be nice," he mumbled.

Three...two...one. The fire had died back, Bowser only keeping it alive out of ignorant neglect. Olimar called for the throw.

A second later, the bomb flew into the air. At the same time, Olimar flung Arrmin overhead toward the sphere; the Pikmin reached it a second after that as it became lit with cracks of orange across its surface, its core turning volatile. While Olimar untangled himself from the hair and jumped clear, Arrmin caught the bomb-rock from above, using the momentum from the throw to swing it around. Another second passed, and the flames disappeared. Bowser began to inhale, his jaws slipping shut. With the rock now between the Pikmin and the Koopa, Arrmin kicked off it and into the air, giving the explosive just enough push to slip between the teeth before they could clench shut. Then, one final second more, and there was a muffled explosion.

Olimar was already scampering over to the rest by this point. Bomb-rock explosions weren't that strong, and if Bowser was as hard on the inside as he was on the outside, he wouldn't stay dazed for long. "Now we can run!"

Though particularly proud of his throw, Peppy didn't dwell on it for too long. After Olimar and his companions had reached him, Peppy took the other bomb rock and sent it rolling towards the Koopa's feet. It wasn't much, but if it disrupted Bowser just a bit more, then all the better. With that taken care of, Peppy took off after Olimar. "How much further to the Progg?"

"We'll be out of the forest soon. Once we're clear, head for the central park...assuming you still know where it is." Olimar glanced up through the trees, having noted the tone and direction of the sunlight; bright orange shafts of light speared at them horizontally, rather than coming down from above. The day had burned by rather quickly. "I don't know if we can make it before dusk. Keep that energy shield handy.

"Though...if Bowser's moving faster than us, we might benefit from hitching a ride. With any luck it'll get us there before the sun is gone, too." Not waiting for Peppy to question, Olimar jerked to the right, heading west rather than south. He took another right, doubling them back, and untied the twine that kept the edge of his shirt down. They had come out in a glade occupied by several hollow tree stumps. Crawling in and out of the stumps and the forest itself were giant, many legged bugs. They were composed of several yellow orbs strung together in the likeness of a caterpillar. Aside from a giant red nose, eyes, and a mouth, each head also bore a tiny white flower.

Olimar chased after one and jumped onto its back, holding the rope taut between his hands. He skipped over the segments to the head, reaching it just as the bug disappeared into the woods. It then stormed back into the clearing, its entire body burning red and wreathed in steam. Its lackadaisical mood had been dropped in favor of untempered rage thanks to the crushed bloom on its noggin. With the rope pulled between its teeth, Olimar steered the Wiggler toward Peppy and the Pikmin. Clinging desperately to it himself, he shouted for them to jump on as he passed.

When Olimar finally returned, Peppy did a double take as he saw the bus-sized creature come rampaging towards him. The three Pikmin appeared to be sharing his astonishment, especially at the fact Olimar was apparently driving it. Simply jumping on wasn't going to be an easy task. Putting his fingers to his lips, he gave a shrill whistle and called for them to climb on to his back. Once they were on and the creature was close...

Peppy took a deep breath and threw himself in the air, landing on the side of the creature and near the back of it. The three Pikmin made quick work of moving from his shoulders to the creature's backside. They then formed a chain to help him level himself up on top of the creature. but he found himself flat on his belly as he held on for dear life.

He tried to yell at the spaceman, but only with minimal success. "If...! Bowser...! Doesn't...! Kill us...! This...! Thing... Will...!"

"I thought you were a fighter pilot!" Olimar shouted back. "I've flown freight runs bumpier than this!" Of course, those had been somewhat easier to steer too, but he omitted that part. The Wiggler was stubbornly unresponsive to his guiding tugs, forcing him to all but drag the creature's head over to the direction he wished to go, made all the more difficult as he struggled to keep purchase on the Wiggler's back at their current speed. By the time he started to straighten the bug back out, they had already overcompensated and now needed to go the other way...

They went back and forth this way for some time, snaking along, ramming trees on either side. Wulfmin made his way up to the head, dragging himself bit by bit until he was at Olimar's side. Olimar passed him one end of the rope; working together, they managed to smooth the ride out.

Forgiving the pace, it would have almost been an enjoyable ride at that point. Olimar might have even considered using this as a regular transport. Any repeat trips would have been scarred with the memory of what now transpired though, as Bowser emerged from the trees to their left and, with his own look of shock, saw them cascading towards him. An exaggerated lean on both Olimar and Wulfmin's part got them around him, though not without a few more scrapes with the local greenery. The Koopa wasn't shocked for long, taking up the chase.

Those Arwings had sides to hold on to! was exactly what Peppy didn't yell. Instead he kept his legs and arms locked until the ride became just a bit smoother once they stopped hitting every single tree in their path. Though they were moving fast still, it wasn't so fast that he was left immobile. He begun moving himself closer to the front until their sudden turn from the koopa. But by then he was only a few segments from the spaceman.

"We almost ran into it again," Peppy yelled accusingly. "Do you even know where we're going!?"

"A pretty good idea, yes! I think--" Olimar turned his focus to the surroundings. "Yes, not far to the city now!" He glanced back, noting that Arrmin and Prophmin had kept the spirits secured despite the bumps. Bowser was still close, letting out a few bursts of flames that were dodged with more forceful pulls on the reigns. They were leaving him behind, though, and by the time they reached the city's limits he was clearly struggling to keep them in sight.

Now for the fun part. The thickets of trees had been difficult to navigate, but they wouldn't even compare to dodging through the alleys and streets nestled between the buildings that still stood. With any luck, most of the local creatures would still be sleeping. Though even if they weren't, they wouldn't have much hope of intercepting the ride anyway. Nor did they get the chance to.

Olimar, his confidence in his steering bounding forward with every second despite Peppy's remarks and Bowser's interference, tried to turn the Wiggler sharply into an alley. The bug managed to round itself into the mouth between the two buildings, but was unable to complete the turn in time. Noting the error, Olimar and Wulfmin abandoned their post and scrambled down the body, grabbing Peppy by the arms and dragging him with them. The Wiggler crashed through the overgrowth on the far building and struck its head on the metal beneath hard enough to leave a dent. The rest of its body swung sideways thanks to the near stop, whipping the passengers down the street; thanks to the spread of vines, moss, and the like that covered it, their landing at least had some buffer to it.

Peppy was only so fortunate to crash into a bench that had since become overgrown with plantlife to the point of becoming a carnivorous Baba plant. The momentum of the throw had killed the plant instantly so that he would have never known that it had any intention of snacking on him. After everything else that had happened, Peppy's body was like one mass of bruises and sprains. If not for the fact everything was trying to kill him, he'd probably be immobilized by now.

However a collection of nuts nearby didn't escape his notice. He remembered them well enough from his previous time in the forest. Not moving from his spot, he tightened his grip around a few of them and brought them close.

Pikmin, on the other hand, were quite resilient to falls. They were frequently thrown from the backs of much larger creatures and able to pick themselves up without a scratch. The four of them did so now and ran over to Peppy. The thunder of feet was still approaching, there was no time for the rabbit to lay around. "Come on!" Olimar shouted as they approached. "Or do you want us to carry you this time, hmm?"

The Cornerian let out a grown as he got back to his feet. He shook his head and fixed his glasses, which he'd managed to keep in tact the entire time. "You'll only be carrying me when I'm a corpse." He slipped the nuts into his pocket and gave a quick glance back in the direction their foe was. "Right, let's get a move on."

Taking a moment to find and pick the spirits back up, the group hurried forward to the next alley, unwilling to turn back and see what had become of the Wiggler. There were a few smaller versions of the Bulbear picking their way through the street, but a direct hop onto their backs from each Pikmin was enough to squash them dead. The sun shone red in the sky only now, offering no light to the rest of the world.

By the time they reached the end of the alley, Bowser had appeared back at the entrance. He glared in at them and let out a roar, but it was too narrow for him to pass. Even with their weakened foundations, the Koopa wasn't strong enough to shift the walls either. He did have enough sense still to note the direction his prey had turned upon exit (continuing on their way south) and went that way as well. He would find a clearing and get back on their tail soon enough.

The road that Olimar led them down merged directly into the central park, where a tight circle of trees had been grown. They rounded the cluster until they found a gap on the eastern side and ran in. In the center of the enclosed grounds was a steel monument, retained from before Corneria's fall. Supported on four widespread legs was a circular platform upon which might have once stood a statue, or at least a hologram of a statue. Now it held up a giant round egg covered in brown and white splotches. Surrounding the structure were nearly two dozen Nightmin that had come out early to watch the egg.

"Too late..." Olimar grumbled. "Watch the trees," he ordered to the Pikmin, then turned to Peppy. "Well. There's the Progg."

When at last they arrived, Peppy had been expecting a rather fierce beast to put at odds with their nemesis. The fact that he was now staring at an egg, no matter how large, did little to instill him with confidence. He'd trade just about anything for a Landmaster at this point.

"Well it's certainly decorative," Peppy said bitterly. "I hope you're right about this."

"I'm not very fond of the idea of waking it myself," Olimar admitted. "Look, I've only seen it prey on smaller creatures. I've no idea how it will hold up to Bowser. But the Nightmin worship it as a god, much like how the Pikmin used to revere the Mamutas. They'll follow it into battle, and if Bowser does kill it...I imagine its followers' reactions would not be pretty for him. So unless your city has some secret weapon only you know about that we can use to drive our predator out, right or wrong this is what we're doing." He reached down and picked up a piece of brick. "Just...be ready to run."

"You never cease to inspire me with confidence," Peppy replied. A plant religion was certainly not something he would normally consider too important, but if it did its job, so be it. "So if I may, our plan is to wake it up as soon Bowser shows up, then run like hell." He paused a moment as he considered it. "I like it. Make it so, sir."

They hung back at the entrance to the grove, as yet unnoticed by the Nightmin. The scheme would no doubt draw their attention as soon as it was put into effect, making a hasty retreat all the more crucial. Olimar scanned the surroundings; his attention was drawn to the nearest building, where a hole in the side of the wall he faced allowed him to peer in. The Nightmin had made the structures their nests, and by squinting he could just make out movement inside. Red eyes appeared at ground level and slowly climbed their way upward as the monsters drew themselves up from the earthen holes they had dug for themselves that morning. They couldn't afford to get into a struggle now...

The first few Nightmin that had freed themselves poked their way toward the gap, staring out with their teeth glinting in the cloud-dulled moonlight. Olimar ordered the Pikmin to set down the spirits; if they had to fight, they couldn't be encumbered. He kept the brick handy, though. Bowser was still approaching.

And in fact, as that very thought crossed his mind, the terrapin burst his way through the building's opposite wall. The Nightmin all turned to him; he sniffed the air for a bit before determining that they weren't quite the prey he had been assigned. They could wait. They didn't seem to want to, though, as a few latched onto his feet and started attacking. He kicked them off and started forward, setting a few ablaze to keep them out of his way. Taking the flames into consideration, the other Nightmin abandoned their assault and turned their attention back to the Pikmin and Cornerian, rushing out to get to them before the Koopa could.

By then, Olimar had already ducked into the grove and hurled the brick into the egg. The Nightmin surrounding it turned to him in unison while it began to shake, both signs for him to go. He ducked back out and whistled for his group, darting south in the direction opposite of Bowser's approach.

Though Peppy followed Olimar a good distance away, the Nightmin had ceased to chase them once a strange creature began to emerge from the egg. The Cornerian could not resist taking a look back to see what had emerged. It was an unnatural creature that seemed to slide along the ground. In size and dimensions it was similar to the new Bowser, but its body shape was rounded and it large bulbous head stooped over ponderously. An unnatural mist surrounded it, obscuring its means of movement. Red eyes peered menacingly from its face and two small arms seemed to hang to the ground, used only to steady its large head and pull it forward. The stench was perhaps the worst part, as it reeked of decaying flesh.

When the Koopa came near it, the creature did not at first seem to even regard him. The turtle delivered a swift headbutt in the intent of quickly incapacitating it, but the Progg seemed unphased. Instead it raised itself up and began to shake as the mist began to thicken around it. Even the Nightmin seemed to back off due to this and Peppy took it as his cue to start moving again.

Bowser backed away as well and let out a flame to dissipate the mist that neared him. Once it had cleared, he took a step forward, bringing his claws with him to slash the creature between the eyes. More smoke, born of the perpetually rotting flesh that had been torn through, curled into the air and clung to the Koopa's face. The wound gave off a soft white glow before the body rebuilt itself, the beast seemingly unharmed.

Bowser pawed at his face. The taste and smell of the smoke was dizzying, possibly toxic, though what of it had invaded his system would be burned off by his heightened metabolism before it could prove fatal. With its offender distracted, the Progg reared back onto its decaying end. Without a sound to herald the action, it released a pulse throughout the city. The Pikmin shuddered when it hit them. Throughout the area, Nightmin that were still resting burst from the ground, foragers and hunters dropped their prey, and all of them turned and ran toward the battle.

A large number of the predators approached the fleeing group, who had since rounded out of sight of the brawl. Unaware of the reason behind the Progg's summons, they squared themselves to intercept, some ducking away to ambush and others leaping forward to distract.

Peppy swore under his breath. As if they hadn't encountered enough of those freakish Nightmin already. Given that his only practical weapon was the Reflector still on his belt, he would have to time it for when the creatures were almost about to hit him. Or perhaps he had a better idea. Fetching the Deku Nuts from his pockets, he positioned himself in front of Olimar and the others, ordering them behind him. As soon as the Nightmin came towards him, he threw one of the nuts down. The blinding flash was enough to stun the otherwise nocturnal creatures, giving them an opportunity to move just a bit further ahead unhampered. He then let Olimar take the lead again. With only two more nuts, they wouldn't get them too far.

The Nightmin that had gone to cover were shielded from the nut's explosion, but were instead stunned by the actions of their counterparts in the open. By that time, Olimar had weaved them through the group and the dark creatures could only take up pursuit. They were small and agile, and it didn't take long for them to pick up the ground they had lost.

One jumped at Wulfmin, at the tail of the group; the red dropped the spirit and turned, catching the Nightmin by its wrists. The Nightmin turned the grapple around by using Wulfmin to support it as it lifted its legs and stabbed the other set of claws into the Pikmin's chest. Wulfmin released the attacker and grabbed its feet, yanking them out and dropping the other on its head.

The other Nightmin had caught up, repeating their strategy from before. Wulfmin hopped up onto the pink-headed spirit to protect it, but that left him open to a lunge from behind, throwing him right back off. He rolled onto his feet, turned, and punched an approaching Nightmin across the face. While it was stunned, he grabbed its sprout and swung it around, clearing away the other approachers, then hurled it into a tree.

Olimar had already turned back, flying through the pack to save the red. He stopped and turned his head to the right; one of the Nightmin had grabbed the Pokemon...but he couldn't be bothered with that. He shouted back to Peppy. They were his responsibility, after all.

Things kept getting progressively worse. Heading back into the swarm, Peppy cleared the way with another blast from a Deku Nut. However even as he tried to fight his way through, he found himself even more surrounded. One leapt towards him and found itself on the receiving end of the Reflector's energy pulse, sending the fried predator back into its own kind - now little more than a tasty treat for his own kin. Another one managed to latch on to his arm. Before it could dig its fangs into his flesh, Peppy bashed its head in with his other fist, then ripped it off and tossed it away. Another one in his path was on the receiving end of his knife.

Though he had managed to push himself into the same area as the red Pikmin, he could see that Mesprit had been pulled deep into the swarm and was being carried away rapidly in the direction of the Progg. Without any kind of projectile weapon, it would be impossible to catch up to it. The Progg's awakening had roused the Nightmin in numbers that far exceeded the night before. Peppy had seen enough battlefields to know one simple truth. It was only a matter of time before they were overrun. Worse yet, they were lacking any kind of options. Perhaps it was only fitting that he met his end in Corneria City. He'd be the last man standing before Corneria would be considered truly lost.

Olimar made his way to Wulfmin's side and, without hesitation, grabbed the Pikmin and flung him away from the battle. As he stepped into the other's place, mindless of the scratches and thumps he had taken to get there, he took a glance out into the crowd. Peppy and Arrmin had both jumped into the fighting as well, and despite his efforts to escape Prophmin had also been dragged into the melee. It wasn't long before Wulfmin jumped back in as well. The pink fairy was gone by now, the blue and yellow ones had been apprehended and were on their way... The whole plan, from start to finish, was a bust. There would be no summoning Dialga now, not without them. They wouldn't even escape at this point, thanks to his stupid gambit. He hadn't counted on so many, hadn't counted on it being so difficult to escape, and now they were all going to pay for it.

But then, Dialga wasn't dead. It could still be found, still be harnessed. So long as Peppy got out of there alive...there was hope.

Bowser rounded the arboreal wall of the Progg's sanctum, wheezing, veiled in the monster's fumes. He dragged himself toward the fight, his pace slow and limping. The Nightmin ignored him; this group had yet to see him as a threat. Though if he was here, then surely the Progg was dead. It would only be a matter of time until they realized that. The spaceman could make time. He wasn't without weapons of his own.

Olimar shouted for Peppy to throw the last of the Deku Nuts, the explosion blinding the Nightmin around him. He took advantage of the distraction to reach into his pockets, drawing out a pair of clear, plastic spray bottles. One had been filled with red liquid, the other with purple. He threw the first to Peppy, throwing out one last command: "Use it and run!" So long as the Pikmin got out of there alive...he was satisfied.

Before he could figure how best to use the second, the Nightmin had snapped out of their daze and tackled him to ground amidst his own distraction. He kicked them away and rocked back onto his feet. From his crouching position, he sprung into the air, spinning himself around and releasing the spray in all directions. It spread from his location as a fine, violet mist; the Pikmin fled from it, though most of the Nightmin were caught. By the time Olimar landed, he could feel the effects of it kicking in on himself, unable to evade the mist as well. A layer of stone crept up his and the affected Nightmin's legs until it had covered them completely. They stood frozen on the battlefield, unable to break free.

A few of the Nightmin hadn't been caught, but they were quickly cleaned up. Once they had been, the three Pikmin ran through the field of stone forms until they had reached Olimar. They tried to pick him up, but he was too heavy. They struggled to move him anyway, ignorant of Bowser's approach.

Amidst the ensuing battle, Peppy had received the bottle of red liquid. It was nearly empty and he found himself just a bit confused at to its purpose. He didn't follow the instructions right away, initially making use of the fact that the Nightmin were stunned. But with Bowser coming in closer, he knew he would have to use it somehow. After watching Olimar's incredible display of turning his enemies to stone, Peppy had a good idea what the spray bottle was for.

With the three friendly Pikmin attempting to carry away their frozen leader, Peppy pointed the red spray in the direction of Bowser. One blast from the bottle, he figured, would be at least able to disable him. He just hoped his was equally potent. However as he began to approach the Koopa, Prophmin's ears suddenly perked and looked around to see what Peppy was about to do. Were Peppy able to understand him, he might have heard the creature wail Dooooooooooooom!

The blue and red one quickly sprung into action. Dragging the yellow one by his stalk, they ran towards Peppy and just as the spray was released, placed their selves in front of it and absorbed the liquid it produced. The change was almost immediate. Their entire bodies seemed to surge with a newfound energy and strength and they raced towards Peppy. Wulfmin propelled himself into the air, hitting Peppy square in the forehead and sending him flying into the air, utterly knocked out from the blow. Arrmin and Prophmin followed up from behind and caught him from below as he fell back towards the ground. Though they were well on their way out of the city, Wulfmin lingered just a moment more.

The stone began to crack and flake away, a soft sound magnified by dozens of simultaneous occurrences. Wulfmin watched it, shaking in place from the spray's effect. What would the Olimin do? The Olimin...would have protected him and Prophmin and Arrmin, so that was what he had to do. No matter what. He turned and ran after them.

As Bowser dragged himself the final step of the way to the petrified swarm, they burst one by one from their stone coffins and looked around in confusion. Only one of their prey was still left. Olimar didn't hesitate as he burst from the stone, grabbing the Nightmin and throwing them at Bowser's face. They still needed to be rid of him.

Though this was even more confusing to the Nightmin, they shook it off and leaped onto him, swarming him, pushing him to the ground, being thrown away, up at the monster who was getting quite irate. Bowser drew his breath slowly and let out a wave of flames onto Olimar and his surrounding foes. The Nightmin began to panic, but Olimar, wreathed in flames, kept throwing. Bowser swung his claws low, sweeping Olimar to one side. The Hocotatian rolled along the ground, unable to catch himself. He came to a stop face up. As he tried to push himself up, Bowser's foot appeared above him. And then it dropped.

Nightmin appeared behind Bowser, running toward him and screaming to the ones already occupying his attention. The Progg was dead, and they all knew why. The first group sprung onto his chest as one, scrabbling their way up to his collar, up his face or down his shell, biting and beating and stabbing and slashing. He started backing away, but the rest had caught up and jumped him from behind. He continued backing, trying to escape, to shake them off, but he was weak already and they were unbearably tenacious. He turned around and ran, seeking escape, finding none.

The battlefield was left empty. The fallen Nightmin had all decomposed, their spirits drifting into the night sky. Only one body remained, not quite Pikmin enough to follow the same postmortem trend. The flightless bird, the brown fuzzball that had observed them the night before, stalked up to it some time after the area had been cleared. It stopped next to Olimar. A red chain jangled from the rider's person as he shifted toward the little man, noting what had happened. And then they were gone.

---

The Pikmin carried Peppy through the city. They didn't stop at any of the hideouts. They didn't want to. By morning, their boost of energy long burned away, they had reached the southern city limits. It had been three years since they had last been outside Corneria; Olimar had left once or twice to gather news of the rest of the world, but never them. They didn't hesitate to now, though. Once they were clear of the place, they stopped and set Peppy down.

The blue Pikmin folded his arms as he regarded the colossal beast they had carried for the last several hours. He pulled his small wooden 'pipe' stashed away inside his bud and popped it into his gilled mouth. He nudged his foot on the beast a few times, shrugged, and then gestured to the city. The Olimar was still there.

The yellow one sat a distance away from the others, quietly despising them all as he began scribbling away on the leaf he always carried with him. He turned around occasionally to look at the others and give them angry, mouthless scowls. The red one however stared sullenly at the city ruins. After a few moments of silent reflection, he approached the slumbering beast. Leaning over the creature's head, he swung his head down so that he could catch the flower on his stalk. He then gave it a tight squeeze and some of the red spray that had not been absorbed dripped on to the creature's tongue.

Peppy woke up with a start, coughing and sputtering as his eyes burned and his head felt as if it was on fire. After rubbing the tears from his eyes, he looked around while rubbing his aching forehead. "Olimar?"

The three Pikmin regarded him quietly. He stood up and looked around, nearly frantically. "Where's Olimar?" he demanded of his silent companions.

They had no reply. Wulfmin began heading in the opposite direction, followed by Arrmin, and at last Prophmin who rolled up his leaf and fell in line. Their meaning was well taken. Peppy looked back at Corneria City, filled with a deep sadness and regret. Dawn and Dedede... Mike and Tetra... Tabitha and Nana... Wes and May... Tony and Mia... Luigi and Jack... he had failed them all. But more than that, he had led the spaceman to his death for a future that would now never be. This was his home now.

He turned away from the city and fell into line as well, once more the lonely man.