Lockjaw's Saga: a Pikmin Story

[reefhead]

 hurry up

[reefhead]

thanks 4 the advice paper luigi

When it's reppin'time DIPSET.

[PaperLuigi]

Edit your posts man.

[Area 64]

You'll have to excuse Reefhead. He's my friend IRL, which I (regretfully) introduced to these forums. I'll try to keep him under control at the home front.

   “The Puffstool Garden?” said Heeb, puzzled. “Why do you want to know about that place?”
   “We’re going there to get spores from the Puffstools there!” said Gallon.
   “Uh… why do you want to get Puffstool spores?” asked Heeb.
   “The Puffstools’ spores are able to control Pikmin!” said Lockjaw. “We were going to use them to force Red-Light and Blue-Light off the planet!”
   “I hate to break it to you, but that’s not how the spores work…” said Heeb. “They do infest the Pikmin, but once the Pikmin are infested, nothing can command them; not even the Puffstools themselves. They won’t listen to the creatures you’re talking about, but they won’t listen to you, either. They’ll sorta just… stand there around the Puffstool until they return to normal.”
   “So then… we’ll… never get rid of the Pikkins?” asked Amp, downhearted.
   “Well… not exactly…” said Heeb. “There is one way… but it is forbidden by the Keepers…”
   “Who are the Keepers?” asked Divebomb.
   “The Keepers are four ancient creatures living in the Puffstool Garden who watch over a powerful yet suppressed entity,” said Heeb. “This entity has the power to wipe Pikmin off the face of this planet forever, though once released, it would be impossible to contain. The Keepers keep the entity locked in a hidden temple in the Puffstool Garden to prevent anyone from triggering its release.”
   “So… we can use this… ‘entity’… to destroy all Pikmin?” asked Lockjaw.
   “Like I said before: no one can use it. It’ll just rampage through the entire world, very literally destroying everything in its path,” said Heeb. “You’d have better luck just getting the spores from the Puffstool and trying to rid the droned Pikmin yourselves…”
   “Well… if the entity is forbidden… I guess that’s what we’ll have to do…” said Lockjaw. “Would you have any idea where the Puffstool Garden is located?”
   “I don’t have exact information… but I do know that there are two ways to get there, and one of them is a tunnel that’s somewhere under this very village,” answered Heeb.
   “Do you know where that tunnel is?” asked Gallon.
   “I’ve been researching for the perfect spot to start digging,” said Heeb, “but I still haven’t come up with any leads. I’ve started a hole in one place, but it seems to be a dead lead. Even if I don’t find the tunnel, you can always get there the long way…”
   “Where’s that?” asked Lockjaw.
   “Not sure of that, either…” said Heeb. “Well, I’ll keep you updated on my research.”
   “Alright, thanks for the information,” said Lockjaw. Lockjaw, Gallon, Amp, Divebomb, and Saria then walked out of Heeb’s information burrow and back to the surface.
   “Well, let’s go back to the Chief’s burrow and let him know we returned the record,” said Divebomb. Lockjaw and the others then followed Saria back to the Chief’s burrow and made him aware that the errand was complete. While there, Lockjaw decided to ask the Chief about the Puffstool Garden.
   “The Puffstool Garden? I’ve heard of that,” said the Chief. “It’s somewhere past a large mountain far away from here. I think I’ve even seen Heeb trying to dig there the other day… I don’t really know how to get there though; sorry…”
   “That’s fine,” said Gallon. “We’ll just look for the long way to get there.”
   “Well, what do you four want to do now?” said the Chief.
   “I guess we can go sightseeing around the village…” said Lockjaw.
   “Sightseeing, you say?” said Saria. “If you’re going sightseeing, you simply MUST see my garden! Follow me!” Saria then led Lockjaw and his friends out of the Chief’s burrow and led them to a large garden of assorted flowers near the edge of the village. When they got there, everyone had noticed a large hole in the middle.
   “What… what happened to my garden?” said Saria, dejectedly. “My… my flowers!”
   “Wow… that’s a pretty impressive hole…” said Divebomb. “That must’ve been the hole Heeb started to dig but didn’t finish…”
   “I can’t believe this!” shouted Saria, furiously. “Heeb shall pay ROYALLY for this! He even uprooted my favorite flower!”
   “Your… favorite flower?” asked Lockjaw.
   “There was a Margaret right where that hole is. It was the only Margaret in the whole garden. It was very close to me…” said Saria. “I raised it since it was a tiny seed. I had planted it in extra fertile soil and gave it plenty of healthy water… and now it’s gone!”
   “Well, I’m sure you can always get more Margaret seeds…” said Lockjaw, consoling Saria. “In fact, we’ll help you get them!”
   “Really?” asked Saria, looking up from her mangled garden.
   “We will?” asked Gallon. “Uh, Lockjaw, don’t we have more important--”
   “Follow me! I’ll take you to where I originally found the seed!” said Saria, enthusiastically. Lockjaw then followed her out of the village, followed by his reluctant friends.

[PaperLuigi]

I wasn't tryin' to be mean or anything, just some helpful advice.

[Area 64]

   Saria had led Lockjaw and his friends back into the Crawmad Railroad. While walking behind Saria, everyone else gave Lockjaw an annoyed look.
   “…What? What’d I do?” asked Lockjaw, innocently.
   “Lockjaw, we’re trying to get to the Puffstool Garden, not go on errands all day...” said Gallon.
   “What? It’s not like we don’t have the time or anything…” said Lockjaw.
   “We could be using that time to find the Puffstool Garden,” said Divebomb. “We’re not seed hunters!”
   “Well… spores are kinda like seeds…” said Lockjaw. “So… haven’t we been seed-hunting this whole time?”
   “Mr. Lockjaw, if we don’t go to the Puffstools, who will?” said Amp. “When we get there, everyone will already be made dead by the Pikkins!”
   “She’s right, Lockjaw,” said Divebomb. “Who knows where Red-Light and Blue-Light will strike next? We’ve no time to waste.”
   “Look, no one needs to worry,” said Lockjaw. “We’ll go back to the village after this and look for that hidden tunnel, and we’ll be there in no time! Besides, it never hurts to help…”

   After walking about 20 minutes in the Crawmad Railroad following behind Saria, Lockjaw’s friends started to get annoyed.
   “Hey, are you sure you know where we’re going?” asked Gallon.
   “Of course,” answered Saria. “I visit this place every so often…”
   “Yeah, well… where exactly are we going?” asked Gallon.
   “It’s called, ‘the Candypop Circle’,” said Saria. “It’s a clearing full of flowers in the middle of a lush jungle of grasses and trees.”
   “Wait, ‘in the middle of’?” asked Divebomb. “How long will it take us to find it once we get there?”
   “Oh, not long,” said Saria. “It’s fairly easy to navigate through--” Saria then stopped walking and turned around to Lockjaw and his friends.
   “I heard something really weird just now,” said Saria. “It was a really strange noise…”
   “Like a whistle?” asked Lockjaw.
   “Yes! Like a whistle! That’s exactly what I heard!” said Saria. Lockjaw, Gallon, Amp, and Divebomb just stood at the middle of the tunnel with extremely dismayed looks on their faces.
   “Is… there something wrong?” asked the oblivious Saria.
   “It’s the Red-Light and Blue-Light!” shouted Gallon. “They must be coming this way!”
   “The… who?” asked Saria, confused.
   “Red-Light and Blue Light! Two creatures that use Pikmin to kill everything!” said Lockjaw.
   “They made my whole village dead!” said Amp. “They’re really, really bad!”
   “We have to hide!” said Divebomb.
   “There’s nowhere to hide down here!” said Lockjaw. “It’s all just tunnel!”
   “Then we’ll have to take cover!” said Gallon. He, Lockjaw, Amp, and Divebomb then huddled down against the ground, while Saria stared into the distance and saw a mysterious creature approaching.

[Area 64]

   The mysterious creature emerged from the out of the shadows of the tunnel. Saria was the only one who saw it, since Lockjaw and the others were crouched down with their eyes closed. Saria slowly and carefully approached the creature. She had seen that the creature was fairly large, with round, red eyes, a round body, droopy antennae, small wings, and long, powerful, gangly legs.
   “Who… are you…?” asked Saria. “Are you… the Red-Light?”
   “Whoever ‘Red-Light’ is, I’m not him,” said the creature. “I’m an Antenna Beetle. My name’s Trick.”
   Lockjaw and the others then stood up and opened their eyes. They saw the awkward-looking Antenna Beetle looming before them.
   “Trick?” asked Lockjaw. “What kind of name is that?”
   “Trick, the Antenna Beetle,” said Trick. “I get tricked lots of times. I even got tricked out of my home. That’s why I’m down here.”
   “Tricked out of your home?” said Gallon. “How did that happen?”
   “A long time ago, a gang of Dweevils told me that their home had been taken over by some hostile Burrow-nits,” began Trick. “I went to go help them get their home back, but it was completely empty when I got there. When I turned around, I saw them carrying my very home on their backs, with all my food still inside! They were moving too fast for me to chase them down, so I was left homeless and was forced to wander down here.”
   “So, what was that noise you just made?” asked Saria.
   “I heard you coming from a distance and made the noise to flag you down,” said Trick. “I’m desperately hungry… could you five help me get food?”
   “Uh…” started Gallon, “we were already doing something el--”
   “Of course we’ll give you food! These four behind me are heroes after all,” said Saria. Saria then turned to Divebomb. Divebomb sighed and looked in his bag. He pulled out a berry and offered it to Trick.
   “Ohhh, no thank you,” said Trick. “I won’t have any of that…”
   “What?! How could you ask for food and then refuse what we give you?!” shouted Divebomb.
   “I only eat Dandelion leaves,” said Trick. “You wouldn’t happen to have any of those, now would you?”
   “Nope, none,” answered Divebomb, rummaging through the bag.
   “Oh… okay… well… I guess I’ll keep looking…” said Trick. “I hope I don’t… starve…”
   “Trick, we will NOT allow you to starve!” said Saria, much to the chagrin of Lockjaw’s friends. “We’ll get those Dandelion leaves for you!”
   “Y’know what? I just thought of an idea,” said Gallon. “We’re going to a jungle full of flowers. I’m sure we’ll see a Dandelion or two there. We’ll bring its leaves back for you.”
   “Oh, no, no, no… Dandelions are weeds; they don’t grow in the Candypop Jungle,” said Saria. “We’ll just have to look somewhere else…”
   “Have to?” said Divebomb. He, Gallon, and Amp then tersely glared at Lockjaw.
   “What? It… doesn’t hurt to… help?” said Lockjaw, feebly.
   “This takes up even MORE time!” said Gallon.
   “We have lives, too! We can’t just help everyone!” said Divebomb.
   “I don’t like Miss Princess!” said Amp. “She makes us do stuff!”
   “Just relax, everyone,” said Lockjaw. “We’ll just find these leaves and we’ll be on our way.” Lockjaw and his friends then joined back up with Saria and the five of them went off through the Crawmad Railroad to find a Dandelion.

[Area 64]

   “So, where exactly are we supposed to find a Dandelion?” asked Gallon.
   “I don’t know… one has to be through one of these tunnels…” said Lockjaw. Lockjaw and the others then looked around through various tunnels, having no luck at finding a Dandelion. After 25 minutes of random searching through tunnels went by, Gallon finally spoke up.
   “Let’s just forget this!” said Gallon. “We’ll just tell him that there are no Dandelions and to except the food we give him!”
   “What kind of attitude is that?” said Saria. “Where’s your hero spirit?”
   “Look, this is a pointless errand,” said Divebomb. “We offered him our food and he refused. What ever happened to ‘beggars can’t be choosers’?”
   “I can’t believe you!” said Saria. “You defeated a watery monster and saved my father from his sickness, yet you can’t help a hungry wanderer? You four are not heroes; you’re frauds!”
   “Hey, I’m not agreeing with them!” said Lockjaw.
   “Miss Princess, we’re tired…” Amp whined. “We need rest, too…”
   “Since when was it our job to go out of our way to help everyone?” said Gallon.
   “Since we started this journey,” said Lockjaw, assertively. “Saria makes a good point. If we’re able to defeat large monsters, we’re DEFINITELY able to get these leaves. I don’t want to hear any more griping.”
   “Yeesh… fine…” said Divebomb.

   Lockjaw and the others went up through a tunnel that led to a large, bowl-shaped area made of sticks, and had feathers scattered here and there. There was light shining down from a small hole in the ceiling, and grass on the edges of the bowl. Lockjaw looked around, and quickly made the others aware of what he saw.
   “Hey, everyone! Look over there!” said Lockjaw. “A Dandelion!” Lockjaw and the others then started to rush over to the Dandelion, but as they were running, the ground started to shake.
   “W-w-why is the ground m-moving M-Mr. Lockjaw?” asked Amp, vibrating.
   “I d-don’t know! There m-must be some earthquake or something!” said Lockjaw.
   The ground had continued to shake for a couple seconds, and then two objects slowly rose from the ground. They were pointy and yellow, with blue tips. The objects then rose further out of the ground, and it was revealed that both objects were connected to the feathery, white heads of two Snagrets. The Snagrets then pulled their slick, blue bodies partially out of the ground and faced the group.
   “Why are you five trespassing in our nest?!” squawked one of them.

[Area 64]

   “We’re sorry to bother you,” said Lockjaw, “but could we possibly have that Dandelion over there?” Lockjaw motioned to the Dandelion on the side of the nest.
   “That there Dandelion? That little thing over there?” asked the other Snagret.
   “Yeah, the thing with the yellow flower on top,” said Lockjaw.
   “Well… no… we don’t think we’ll let you have it…” said the second Snagret.
   “But… why not?” asked Saria. “We’ve looked ever so hard to find one!”
   “Well, keep looking!” said the second Snagret. “You cannot take it! It is part of our nest!”
   “Yes, and the yellow really brightens up the place,” said the first Snagret. “So, go on! Leave now! You are not to stay here! Leave you must! What you must do now is leave! Staying in our presence is not an option! Leaving is necessary! You must not linger in our nest! Our nest is from which you must exit! You shall exit now! …GO AWAY!” The two Snagrets then pulled their small, round heads back into the ground.
   “That was… weird…” said Gallon. “Well, do we tell Trick we can’t help him now?”
   “I guess so… these Snagrets are weird, but they seem too stubborn to reason with,” said Lockjaw. Lockjaw and the others then went back down the tunnel and into the Crawmad Railroad. They walked back to where Trick was waiting humbly and patiently.
   “Happy, happy day! The heroes have returned! No doubt, with the leaves?” asked Trick, excitedly.
   “Yeah, sorry, the only one we could find belonged to two cantankerous, unyielding Snagrets,” said Divebomb. “Bargaining with them would be futile.”
   “Oh… well, that’s fine, too…” said Trick, disappointed. “I’ll just… continue along… on an empty stomach… probably collapsing from exhaustion… and eventually get picked off by a predator…” Trick then turned the other way and was about to hop off, but Saria couldn’t help but pity him.
   “Hold on, Trick! Don’t leave yet!” she called out. “We’ll get those leaves for you, no matter how stubborn those Snagrets are!”
   “Tell them… my story…” said Trick, melodramatically. Lockjaw’s friends then gave a heavy groan as they turned around and went back to the Snagrets’ nest.
   Back at the nest, Lockjaw called out to the Snagrets, who then rose out of the ground and faced Lockjaw and the others.
   “What do you want now?! We told you you could not have our flower!” said the first Snagret.
   “Please, Snagrets, it’s for a noble cause,” said Saria. “You can keep the flower. We only need the leaves. They’re for a famished Antenna Beetle with no other food! Please, look in your scaly hearts! We beg of you!”
   “Just the leaves, eh?” said the first Snagret. “Well in that case… still no!”
   “We can’t have the leaves?!” said Lockjaw. “The leaves are all we need! Without them, the Antenna Beetle will starve!”
   “We cannot help you there!” squawked the second Snagret. “Every inch of that flower is ours! We own it! We claim ownership! It is our property! It is in our possession!  It belongs to us! To you it does not belong! To say it is yours is false! The fact that it is ours is true! …GO AWAY!” The two Snagrets then burrowed back into the ground, leaving everyone very annoyed and frustrated.
   “Well, NOW what, Lockjaw? Or wait, perhaps YOU have any bright ideas, Princess?” said Gallon, facing Saria.
   “I’m not the one at fault here; you’re the heroes!” said Saria. “And apparently, heroes know everything of battling and nothing of negotiating!”
   “Let’s just go back to Trick and tell him once and for all that there’s nothing we can do…” sighed Lockjaw.
   “And DON’T let him guilt-trip you!” said Divebomb, glaring at Saria. The five then went back down into the Crawmad Railroad.

[Area 64]

   Lockjaw, Gallon, Amp, Divebomb, and Saria walked back Trick. After hanging his head low waiting for them to return, Trick got very excited when he saw them.
   “Oh, thank goodness! I’ll be able to eat tonight! I won’t fall over and die after all! The heroes have saved me!” proclaimed Trick.
   “Sorry, Trick, but those Snagrets aren’t budging,” said Lockjaw. “We tried and tried, but we just can’t get them to give it to us…”
   “Oh… that’s… that’s fine… you did your best…” said Trick. “It’s fine… I don’t need food… I’ll just--”
   “Y’know what? Just STOP IT!” yelled Gallon. “We TRIED, alright!? We offered you our food, but you were too ungrateful! You’re not pitiful at all! You’re just a moocher! I mean, HOW are we supposed to get those leaves?! You give us ANY answer, and we’ll do it!”
   “Any answer, you say?” asked Trick.
   “Give us anything at all!” shouted Gallon.
   “You swear on your reputation as heroes that you’ll do it?” asked Trick.
   “We SWEAR on it!” said Gallon, not expecting Trick to come up with an answer.
   “…Steal it?” suggested Trick, casually.
   “What? We can’t do that!” said Lockjaw. “It’s the Snagrets’ property!”
   “You SWORE on your reputation,” said Trick, holding them against their word. “If you don’t do it, you’ll be as lowly as I am!”
   “I say we should do it, Lockjaw!” said Saria. “Those thick-headed Snagrets don’t even need the leaves! We’ll just quietly take them!”
   “But that’s stealing!” said Lockjaw. “I mean, what do you guys think--” Lockjaw then turned around to his friends, and found that they were already going to go steal the leaves. Saria quickly ran after them, followed by a conscious-stricken Lockjaw.
   Once Lockjaw had caught up to his friends at the nest, he saw that no light was coming down from the top, and assumed night had fallen.
   “Amp, we need light,” said Lockjaw. Amp then charged up and illuminated some of the nest. With the small amount of light, Lockjaw was able to see the location of the Dandelion.
   “Okay, if any of us walks on the ground, the Snagrets will rise from the ground,” said Lockjaw. “Divebomb, we need you to very quietly float over there, pluck the leaves off, and bring them back here.” Divebomb then nodded as he floated over to the Dandelion, plucked its leaves, and started floating back.
   “I’m glad we can get this over with,” said Lockjaw. “I feel like Sneed and Barney…”
   “Can we leave now, Mr. Lockjaw?” asked Amp. “It’s dark and scary and… ahh…”
   “…Amp…?” Gallon started to worry.
   “Ahhh… ahhhhhh… CHOO!” sneezed Amp. Amp’s sneeze was loud enough to seemingly make the ground shake.
   “What is this? The ground is shaking again?” said Saria.
   “The Snagrets must be waking up!” said Lockjaw as he and the others started to panic.

[Area 64]

   The rumbling lasted for a few seconds, and then the two Snagrets emerged from under the twigs of the nest.
   “What are you doing here? We denied you the possession of our Dandelion! Give up already!” said the first Snagret.
   “What is that you carry in your arms?” asked the second Snagret, noticing the two leaves Divebomb was holding.
   “Oh, this? Oh, nothing! Nothing at all!” said Divebomb, quickly hiding the two leaves behind him.
   The first Snagret then looked over to the Dandelion, and seen that its leaves had been stripped.
   “Thieves!” it shouted. “You have stolen the leaves off of OUR property!”
   “Well, we need them,” said Lockjaw. “You guys were being completely unreasonable!”
   “Give them back! Relinquish them!” said the second Snagret.
   “What are you gonna do about it? You’re stuck in the ground!” taunted Gallon.
   “We shall give you a head start before we retaliate!” said the first Snagret. “We shall close our eyes and count to three! No more or no less! Three shall be the number we count to! The number up to which we count is three! Four is not the number we shall count to! Nor is two, unless in the case where it is succeeded by three! Five is right out! Once we reach three, three being the number we count to, we shall open our eyes and retaliate!” The two Snagrets then burrowed underground and left Lockjaw and his friends very confused.

   After three seconds, the Snagrets rose up from the ground and started pecking at the group. Lockjaw and his friends quickly dodged, and then the Snagrets quickly descended.
   They’re attacking us!” said Saria. “I don’t want to be attacked! I’m a princess!” she then ran to the side of the nest out of harm’s way.
   The ground then started to shake again. The Snagrets appeared under Gallon and Amp, and quickly grasped the two in their beaks. The second Snagret was trying to crack Amp’s shell by attempting to squeeze its beak shut, but couldn’t close it, since Amp’s durable shell kept it pried open. Amp then charged and the weak resulting shock burnt the Snagret’s tongue. The Snagret quickly descended back into the ground.
   Gallon was trying with all his might not to get swallowed whole by the Snagret. After struggling in its beak, gallon was able to squeeze out. The Snagret then sank into the ground for a second attack.
   “Divebomb, make a bomb rock and put it on top of Amp!” said Lockjaw. Divebomb then made a bomb rock and placed it squarely on Amp’s shell. As the Snagrets rose from the ground, they aimed for Amp and Lockjaw. Lockjaw was able to dodge, but Amp had been caught up in the Snagret’s beak. After a while, the bomb rock on Amp’s shell exploded. It did no damage to Amp, but directly damaged the Snagret. The Snagret then fell to the ground.
   Meanwhile, Lockjaw and Gallon were attacking the body of the other Snagret, but weren’t doing much damage. They were getting pecked a lot in the process.
   “Divebomb! Make another bomb rock and drop it at the last minute!” called out Lockjaw. Divebomb then made a bomb rock and held onto it while it glowed in his hands. When it was about to explode, Divebomb let go of it, and it exploded in the air next to the head of the Snagret, knocking it out.
   The two Snagrets’ heads were lying on the floor of the nest, moaning.
   “Fine… keep the leaves…” said one of them. “We never needed them anyway… they were worthless to us… to us they had no value… value they did not have… they were invaluable…” Lockjaw and his friends just simply walked away during the Snagret’s speech.
   “Was what we just did a bad thing?” asked Lockjaw.
   “We’ll think about it later…” said Gallon as they went back down the tunnel.

[Area 64]

   Lockjaw and the others walked back down the tunnel and back to Trick for the last time.
   “Here are your leaves!” said Divebomb, handing Trick the leaves. “You happy now?!”
   “Oh, yes, of course!” said Trick, taking the leaves. “They’ll go great with the stew I’m making!”
   “Stew?” questioned Lockjaw in disbelief.
   “Oh, yeah! This was the final ingredient!” said Trick. “I would’ve got ‘em myself, but those Snagrets are some tough nuts to crack, let me tell ya!”
   “So… all of this… could’ve been avoided?!” asked Gallon. He then glared angrily at Saria. Saria just gave an oblivious look.
   “Well, I thought you guys wanted to help me! No one ever forced you to!” chuckled Trick. “Well, If were done here, I oughta be hopping home now…” Trick then turned around and prepared to hop off.
   “Hold on! Wait!” said Gallon. “We don’t get any reward for all this?!”
   “Well… let me just say… I owe you one!” said Trick, quickly bounding off, leaving Lockjaw and his friends very annoyed.
   “What do we do now, Mr. Lockjaw?” said Amp, breaking the awkward silence. “Do we go get the leaves back?”
   “No, it’s not worth chasing him down…” sighed Lockjaw. Lockjaw then turned to Saria.
   “Finish leading the way, I guess…” he said. Saria then resumed leading Lockjaw and his friends through the Crawmad Railroad.

   Lockjaw and his friends had been following Saria down the Crawmad Railroad for around 45 minutes, not saying a single word the whole time. In order to alleviate the boredom, Saria struck up a conversation.
   “Well, that Trick fellow sure was mendacious, wasn’t he?” said Saria. “It just shameful that someone would lie like that.”
   “Well, you’re one to talk,” said Divebomb. “You’re the one who fell for it… not to mention dragging us under with you…”
   “Well, excuse me for expecting the best in everyone!” said Saria, defensively. “I must’ve forgotten that everyone else in the world is untrusting and cynical!”
   “Anyone could tell that his whole, ‘famished’ routine was fake!” said Gallon. “Even a Jellyfloat could see it from a mile away!”
   “Come on, everyone… let’s not argue…” said Lockjaw. “Let’s just concentrate on getting to the Candypop Circle.”
   “Fine… I’ll drop it…” said Gallon.

[Area 64]

   Lockjaw and his friends had followed Saria until she suddenly stopped walking.
   “What? Why did you stop?” asked Lockjaw.
   “I recognize this tunnel…” said Saria. “We’re here!” Saria then led Lockjaw and his friends up a tunnel to the left. When they emerged, they found themselves surrounded by an abundance of foliage.
   “Is this it?” asked Gallon. “Is this… the Candypop Jungle?”
   “Yes. We have finally arrived,” replied Saria. “The Candypop Circle should be somewhere around here…”
   “Wow… this place is amazing!” said Lockjaw, gazing at the environment. There were tall grasses and trees small and large as far as the eye could see. The Sun was shining bright above, but much of it was obscured by the broad leaves of the plants.
   “Well, which way do we go?” asked Divebomb.
   “The Candypop Circle is hidden behind a waterfall, so intruders would never find it,” said Saria. “We just have to find the waterfall and travel behind it.” She then started walking through the jungle, followed by Lockjaw, Gallon, Amp, and Divebomb.
   While walking, everyone noticed how breathtaking the scenery was.
   “This place is so pretty…” said Amp. “I don’t think I ever saw so much grass before!”
   “It’s huge, too!” said Divebomb. “It feels like this place extends to the edges of the world!”
   “So, Saria,” started Lockjaw. “Tell us about the Candypop Circle.”
   “The Candypop Circle has some of the world’s most beautiful flowers,” said Saria. “In fact, my dress was crafted from Candypop petals found in this very jungle.”
   “Yeah, but what about the things that live here? Will they attack us?” asked Gallon.
   “There is a small village in the Candypop Circle,” said Saria. “All of the inhabitants are friendly and greatly cherish the plants. They won’t attack unless provoked.”
   “When did you first find out about this place?” asked Lockjaw.
   “When I was very young,” answered Saria. “In fact, it’s tradition that all royal garments in my village be made from materials found here. I also played here with the natives often.”
   “Well, this seems like a really peaceful place, huh?” said Gallon.
   “Oh, yes. There has never been any major conflict here,” said Saria.
   “Well, that’s good. So, I guess we won’t have such a hard time finding this place…” said Lockjaw as he and the others continued walking through the jungle.

[Area 64]

   After walking deep into the Candypop Jungle, Lockjaw and the others came across a rushing river.
   “What do we do now?” asked Lockjaw. “Do we cross the river?”
   “Hmmm… the river should lead right into the waterfall…” answered Saria. “If we travel parallel to it, we should reach the waterfall in no time!”
   “Wait, is the waterfall against or in the direction of the current?” asked Gallon.
   “I’m not sure…” said Saria. “I guess we could go in the direction of the current. If we travel on the water, we’ll go faster."
   “But I can’t swim!” said Amp. “And that water looks scary!”
   “Hold on, I got an idea…” said Divebomb. He then floated over to a large tree where the bark was peeling off and stripped a large piece of bark.
   “We can use this as a raft!” he said, holding the large piece of bark in his hands.
   “I just hope it holds all of us…” said Lockjaw. Divebomb then threw the bark into the rushing river. Lockjaw and the others carefully stepped onto the raft as it floated down the river.
   “Wait, how are we going to steer this thing?” asked Gallon.
   “Hmmm…” thought Lockjaw. Lockjaw then ripped off a small strip of bark from the edge of the raft.
   “We can use this as an oar,” he said. Divebomb then took the oar from Lockjaw and started paddling gently with it.
   Time passed as Lockjaw and his friends floated down the river. After a while, Lockjaw noticed the water was flowing alarmingly fast, and also saw some rocks coming up ahead.
   “Uh-oh…” said Lockjaw. “Divebomb, we got rapids!”
   “Don’t worry, I can handle it! Everyone hold on tight!” said Divebomb. Everyone held on to the bark as the raft churned and rocked. After narrowly passing several sharp rocks, Divebomb was able to safely guide Lockjaw and the others out of them.
   “Wait… if we just passed the rapids,” began Saria, “then the waterfall should be right up ahead!” Surely enough, everyone saw the waterfall quickly approaching in the distance.
   “Okay, here’s the plan,” said Lockjaw. “We’ll ride this raft partway down the waterfall and jump into the alcove that leads to the Candypop Circle!”
   “Ride it down?!” questioned Saria. “Don’t you think that’s a bit… dangerous?”
   “There’s no time to think this over! Everyone get ready!” said Lockjaw. Lockjaw and the others then held on tightly to the raft as it plummeted down the waterfall.
   “Okay, jump, everyone!” shouted Lockjaw over the sound of the water. Lockjaw, Gallon, and Divebomb, carrying Amp in his arms, were safely able to make it into the alcove behind the waterfall. They were all glad they successfully made it.
   “Wait… where’s Saria?” said Lockjaw, looking around.
   “Oh, I knew something like this would happen!” groaned Gallon.
   “We have to go back for her!” said Lockjaw. “Come on!” Lockjaw and Gallon then dived back in the waterfall into the dangerous waters below. Divebomb safely transported Amp to the land at the bottom of the waterfall while Lockjaw and Gallon swam around frantically looking for Saria.
   “Lockjaw, come over here!” shouted Gallon from underwater. Lockjaw quickly dived under and saw Saria struggling to free herself from a rock that snagged onto the end of her dress.
   Lockjaw and Gallon tried pushing the rock, but after a few attempts, they decided to save time by snipping off the tip of her dress that was caught under the rock. Saria then grabbed onto Lockjaw and Gallon as the three resurfaced and met up with Amp and Divebomb back on land.
   “Why didn’t you jump?” said Gallon. “Everyone else made it into the alcove!”
   “Well I’m sorry I’m not as reckless as you are!” said Saria, coughing. “And why did you tear my dress?”
   “You would’ve drowned otherwise!” said Gallon. “Is that what you wanted?!”
   “This is a royal dress!” shouted Saria. “You shall treat it with respect!”
   “Okay, that’s it,” said Gallon, turning to Lockjaw. “Lockjaw, ever since Saria started traveling with us, all she ever did was hold us up! I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks this.”
   “Yeah, I agree,” said Divebomb. “It’s bad enough that we helped out that Trick guy…”
   “She’s mean and bossy!” said Amp. “We don’t like her!”
   “So, what’s it gonna be, Lockjaw?” said Gallon. “She can just stay here, we’ll get the seeds on our own, give them to her, and we’ll never have to see her again. It’s either us, or her.”

[Area 64]

   Lockjaw was faced with a difficult decision. He could either travel with his original friends, or with Saria.
   “Come on…” said Lockjaw. “I’m not gonna choose…”
   “It has to be one of us, Lockjaw!” said Gallon. “We refuse to travel another inch with her!”
   Saria was very grief-stricken throughout the whole conversation. After being silent, she finally spoke up.
   “I… I think I should go…” she said, quietly.
   “No, don’t leave…” said Lockjaw. “You’ve done nothing wrong…”
   “Well, apparently… I’ve done something wrong…” said Saria. Saria then turned around and fretfully ran off into the jungle. Lockjaw then angrily turned around to his friends.
   “What was that for?” said Lockjaw. “Why did you make her run off like that?”
   “We didn’t make her, she decided to…” said Gallon.
   “Maybe we can catch up to her,” suggested Lockjaw. Gallon then crawled up to Lockjaw’s side.
   “Lockjaw, just let her go,” said Gallon. “I’m sure she knows her way around this place. We’ll see if we can find a way to get back to the top of the waterfall, get the seeds, then give them to her and leave.” Gallon, Amp, and Divebomb then started walking through the jungle to find a way to get back to the top of the waterfall. Lockjaw shortly followed.
   Not before long, it had started to rain. Lockjaw and his friends proceeded to journey through the downpour.
   “What if she’s hurt?” Lockjaw said to himself. “What if something’s got her?”
   “Lockjaw, why do you care so much?” asked Divebomb. “I’m sure she’s fine…”
   “Oh, sure you are,” replied Lockjaw. “You guys being the ones who told her to leave…”
   “Okay… we’re sorry…” said Gallon. “We didn’t know… she…”
   “…She what?” asked Lockjaw.
   “You know… meant that much to you…” said Gallon.
   “What? No, of… of course not…” said Lockjaw. “I mean… nothing…”
   “Just relax, I’m sure she’ll turn up,” said Divebomb.
   “But… I can’t stop thinking about whether or not she might be in danger…” said Lockjaw. Lockjaw then stood still thinking for a couple seconds, leaving his friends confused.
   “Mr. Lockjaw, why’d you stop walking?” asked Amp.
   “That’s it… I’m going after her!” proclaimed Lockjaw.
   “Lockjaw, it’s hopeless,” said Divebomb. “She could be miles away in a jungle this large. At least wait until the rain lets up.”
   “You guys can go on if you want,” began Lockjaw, “but I’m going to go find her!” Lockjaw then ran deep into the jungle, leaving his friends behind.
   Lockjaw ran determined through the Candypop Jungle looking for Saria. He checked under every leaf and in every bush, but still couldn’t find her. He ran and ran, never looking back, but was unsuccessful in finding her. Just when he was about to lose hope, he saw someone sleeping under a large, broad leaf.
   Is that… who I think it is? thought Lockjaw. Lockjaw then crept closer to the sleeping creature to get a better look.
   It is! thought Lockjaw. He had recognized Saria sleeping safely under the leaf. Just when he was about to approach her, he was interrupted by a deep voice that came from an indeterminable source.
   “Come no closer, intruder!” said the voice. “The princess is sleeping!”