Chapter Text
It was growing difficult to differentiate the days as they passed. It wasn’t good Dandori to not track days properly, but Olimar couldn’t say he was bothered by that. His time was better spent optimizing each day as it came - not tracking the days which had gone. It was all a haze anyways. Brief moments of clarity shone through, but they almost frustrated him. They felt like misplaced memories. Something about a Dolphin? Lost parts? That seemed nonsensical.
He had a mission, and he wasn’t going to let these other thoughts drag him away from it. There were far too many people stranded on this planet. He had to give them the leaves. Then they could survive properly, like he was. It was a straightforward goal. He couldn’t ever recognize the castaways he saw; a blend of faces he had never seen before and would never see again. He had Moss, and that was all he needed - a true companion, who could thrive on this planet the way he could.
His daily list of tasks was quite simple. Check areas for potential people, and convert them to Leaflings. They’d be saved then. When he found those lost on this planet, they were always asleep. Most suits seemed to have a sort of forced-sleep function for when a traumatic event occurred. Those he found were typically haphazardly laying on the ground, seemingly never having awoken since their landing.
The individual Olimar stumbled upon this time seemed to be an exception. He was sleeping, but it didn’t seem to be a forced sleep. There was an array of Pikmin lingering near the sleeping man, and what seemed to be… a pot? With something simmering inside. It was a sight that perplexed him.
Those who cannot grow the leaves cannot survive on this planet. He knew that more than anyone. Seeing this random man sleeping, surrounded by Pikmin and what appeared to be his dinner made Olimars head hurt. There was something oddly familiar about the man. Was it his suit maybe? It looked different to the others Olimar had rescued before. It had a resemblance to his own. Maybe it was the blonde hair? Why was his own suit different in the first place? Too many questions.
Typically, his response upon finding a sleeping castaway was to have Moss carry them to an Onion. A part of his head was telling him to do that - it wasn’t exactly good Dandori to stare aimlessly, after all - yet, he fought off the urge and continued to observe the sleeping man. It was all so frustrating and confusing. Something about him seemed so familiar, but he couldn’t place his finger on what. He felt strange about it. His mission still needed to be completed, though. It didn’t feel right to have Moss drag this survivor away like the others. No, Olimar would just carry this one himself.
Hopping off Moss and quietly approaching the sleeping individual, Olimar carefully picked him up. He was a bit heavy, but nothing Olimar couldn’t handle. If the other man was going to wake up, he showed no signs of it. Olimar merely carried him to Moss, before gently placing him atop of Moss and climbing up. He’d have to hold the other man while they went back to the Onion, but it was no matter.
Upon arriving at the Onion, Olimar carefully placed the other man on the ground. All he had to do now was get Moss to take him underneath the Onion. He’d do it himself, but the Onion didn’t seem to accept castaways when Olimar carried them. There was something holding him back though - a gnawing feeling that he knew this man. Not well, but he was sure he knew of him. Maybe if he woke up, Olimar could figure it out. He could explain more of Dandori, and the Leaflings. Surely this man would understand him. It was exhausting to attempt to talk about anything besides Dandori, anyways.
Olimar frowned and shrugged. He always was one to dwell on the small details. Someone always used to say that to him… a woman? His head hurt again. Better not to think about it, it seemed. His head hurt whenever he tried to think about anything outside of Dandori, but focusing on certain people made it even worse. Looking at the man he had taken here made his head hurt, but it left him with a strange curiosity. He couldn’t just change this one and be done with it.
He’d just have to wait for him to wake up.