Nextgen Kids: Legend of the Nine Newborn

Operation: PIKMIN, Part 8: The Court of Heroes

Chapter 8: The Court of Heroes

Somewhere unknown...

Lenari thought his vision had died with how bright everything had become. The abundance of odd, wriggly shapes helped attribute to this. "Hey, what's that little critter that done dropped in here?" a country voice asked.

"He must've landed here upon Plankton's miniaturization." A more stoic voice replied.

With squinted eyes, Lenari turned to two one-eyed amoebas floating over what seemed like an unbudded, pulsating flower. One was white with a horned eye and the other was green with antennae on its eye. "What are you things?"

"Ain't you ever see a Growth Spirit when ya see one?" the green one asked.

"Growth Spirits? ...Then you're the pieces of Synthia that Plankton found!"

"Correct." The white one confirmed. "Your being here was entirely happenstance, but it matters not."

"Do you realize how much harm Plankton is doing?! Why are you helping him?"

"Plankton was tired of bein' fish food!" Green Synthia answered. "He an' his family were nothin' but prey to the bottom-feeders, so Ah helped them grow a bit."

"Plankton and his family hail from Aquaria." White Synthia followed. "Essentially, a Great Reduction happened there, too, except on a... smaller scale."

"It were a Small Reduction, ahyuck hyuck!"

"I'd wager it's because you possess far less power than I do."

"Ah, shucks you!"

"That doesn't answer my question." Lenari said. "What's the purpose of you Growth Spirits, anyway?"

"Since the day our universe began," began White, "things have appeared, disappeared, reappeared, and disappeared again. Out of all those things, only one survived and persevered through the ages. That was called Life. The reason Life survived is because its purpose was to multiply. It took the forms of many species and adapted to many environments. And with multiplication comes growth. But what happens when Life cannot 'grow'? Then its duty is to sustain the larger forms of Life, even if through prey. Alas, the different forms of life developed 'souls' and grew to be at odds with each other. Countless different species and races longed for their own survival, and many died out in favor of greater species. We Growth Spirits were meant to ensure the growth of all life, and it saddens us when such imbalance occurs."

"That's why we're helpin' out Plankton and the Gupna, a-hyup!"

"That makes no sense! You're helping Plankton exterminate our own species!" Lenari argued.

"The Gupna and the plankton were given no opportunity to grow. But Plankton's intelligence and the Gupnas' ability to become what they ate left much to be desired. They were deserving to grow, and they desired it as much as the humans or Minish. We shrank your races to determine who desired that growth the most. Which souls were worthy of Life?"

"That ain't for you to decide! You'll pay for what you did to Gibli!"

"There are still many more of your species remaining. Why only concern yourself with the one?"

"She was one of my best friends! I may not be able to do anything now, but just wait until my operatives get here! They'll show you who's not worthy to live!"

KND Convention Center

Team Rupert landed on the stage in the middle of the Convention Center. The four stepped out to find dozens of unconscious Gupna lain around the field. "It looks like the Minish ops already cleaned house." Timmy said.