Pikgem

Pikgems are a non-canonical type of Pikmin found in the Challenge Mode of Pikmin Forever. They resemble crystalline Bulbmin, and come in 25 gemstone/precious stone types. Pikgems are immune to all hazards including blunt force; they can only die from explosions or by falling off pits. They also have the attack strength of Purple Pikmin, and regular running, swimming, and carrying speeds. In essence they are ideal Pikmin for completing a particularly difficult stage.

Discovery and collection
Pikgems are first mentioned when the Peculiar Gemstone, a hidden faceted gem in the story mode, is brought to the research pod or the KHA Lander. The pod or lander analyzes the gem and concludes that it is alive and comes from an alternate dimension, and speculates about crystalline life-forms living in that dimension. This analysis unlocks Challenge Mode. In Challenge Mode, 50 out of the 100 stages have another gem/semiprecious stone in them that, if collected, will earn the player 5 Pikgems of the particular gemstone's type. Thus up to 250 Pikgems can be collected, and at any time they can substitute for any type of Pikmin. Their leaves/buds/stems will turn the color of the Pikmin they substituted, and they will thus gain the substituted Pikmin's extra abilities (for example, the Yellow Pikmins' ability to conduct electricity). Once deployed in a Challenge Mode stage, Pikgems cannot be used again, no matter if they die or not. They also cannot be converted using Candypop Buds.

Gallery
There are no differences between colors of Pikgem; the color is only to signify what gem/semiprecious stone unlocked them. Just as there are 25 types of Gem, there are 25 colors of Pikgem, meaning a maximum of 10 Pikgems of each color are seen:

File:Amethyst Pikgem.jpg|Amethyst. File:Angelite Pikgem.jpg|Angelite. File:Aquamarine Pikgem.jpg|Aquamarine. File:Black Diamond Pikgem.jpg|Black diamond. File:Chalcopyrite Pikgem.jpg|Chalcopyrite. File:Citrine Pikgem.jpg|Citrine. File:Diamond Pikgem.jpg|Diamond. File:Emerald Pikgem.jpg|Emerald. File:Flourite Pikgem.jpg|Flourite. File:Garnet Pikgem.jpg|Garnet. File:Jade Pikgem.jpg|Jade. File:Jasper Pikgem.jpg|Jasper. File:Opal Pikgem.jpg|Opal. File:Onyx Pikgem.jpg|Onyx. File:Pearl Pikgem.jpg|Pearl. File:Peridot Pikgem.jpg|Peridot. File:Pink Tourmaline Pikgem.jpg|Pink tourmaline. File:Ruby Pikgem.jpg|Ruby. File:Sapphire Pikgem.jpg|Sapphire. File:Smokey Quartz Pikgem.jpg|Smokey quartz. File:Snowflake Obsidian Pikgem.jpg|Snowflake obsidian. File:Tiger Eye Pikgem.jpg|Tiger eye. File:Topaz Pikgem.jpg|Topaz. File:Tree Agate Pikgem.jpg|Tree agate. File:Turquoise Pikgem.jpg|Turquoise.