Perplexing Pool

Perplexing Pool
Treasures	7
Caves	4
Pikmin discovered	Yellow Pikmin
Requirements	Collect the Geographic Projection
Music	Perplexing Pool

The Perplexing Pool (まどいの水源^?, lit.: "Spring of Perplexity") is the third area discovered in Pikmin 2, of the four in the game. It is the most aquatic area in Pikmin 2, with multiple lakes spread across its length and two of the caves being submerged, making Blue Pikmin a necessity. The level contains four caves, seven treasures, and a variety of beasts, many of them spending a lot of time in water. The Perplexing Pool is considered a representation of Summer. There are × 560 worth of treasure in the US version and × 520 in the PAL version.

The area is noted to bear a number of striking resemblances to The Distant Spring in the first game, for which reason it can be confidently considered to be the same area of the Pikmin planet. At one point, Olimar points out how much the area has changed since his last visit.^[1]

Additional enemies appear after day 30. These creatures are rather difficult to defeat, making it advisable for inexperienced players to complete the area before that day.

General layout

The Perplexing Pool has a close resemblance to The Distant Spring of the first game, though it does have some changes. There is a big area where there were only small islands and water, there is no water in the middle of the area, the Shower Room is where the Massage Machine was in Pikmin, the Submerged Castle is where the Chronos Reactor was, most of the gates are gone, and there are 3 Burgeoning Spiderworts in the area – two in the middle of the area and one in the water. There are some Yellow Wollywogs and one Toady Bloyster in the water to the south of the landing site.

Yellow Pikmin

A view of where the Yellow Pikmin are located.

In Pikmin 2, Yellow Pikmin are discovered in this area. The player must navigate around the stumps and use the scales to get to higher elevation. Alternately, if they are skilled enough, they can throw their Pikmin onto the ledge near the bridge to the right of the large stumps, then carefully guide them to building the bridge. Any Pikmin that fall in the water can be easily whistled back. The Fiery Blowhog in the way can be bypassed. Then, the player must fight a Fiery Bulblax with Red Pikmin. After killing the Fiery Bulblax, White Pikmin must break down a bramble gate with poison pipes inside. The Yellow Pikmin are on the other side of this gate.

Caves

Objects

Treasures

Gherkin Gate / Idea Assistant (Japan)
Impediment Scourge / Lightning Bolt (Japan)
Aquatic Mine (inside the Toady Bloyster)
Fortified Delicacy
Onion Replica
Optical Illustration (US) / Abstract Masterpiece (Europe) / [icon] Yell Battery (Japan)
Massage Girdle

Enemies

Toady Bloyster × 1
Shearwig × 11 (3 of them replace a Yellow Wollywog on day 10)
Skitter Leaf × 5
Wogpole × 5 (disappear after being defeated; near Shower Room entrance)
Withering Blowhog × 1
Fiery Blowhog × 1
Fiery Bulblax × 1 (disappears after being defeated)
Spotty Bulbear × 1 (after day 30, and respawns on days ending in 1 when killed)
Dwarf Bulbear × 6 (first three appear after day 10, more appear after day 30)
Yellow Wollywog × 6 (one of which is replaced by a trio of Shearwigs on day 10)
Water Dumple × 7
Swooping Snitchbug × 2
Beady Long Legs × 1 (after day 30, in front of base (note that Pikmin will carry items over the area where it appears), and respawns on days ending in 1 when killed)
Ravenous Whiskerpillar × 3
Hermit Crawmad × 2
Honeywisp × 3
Mitite (randomly come out of eggs)

Others

Egg × 3 (only on day 4, fall from the sky near the Beady Long Legs's location)

Piklopedia and Treasure Hoard

Map of the area as it appears in the Piklopedia.

The Piklopedia and Treasure Hoard version of this area, which can be accessed by placing the ship's icon on top of the area and entering the archives, is similar to the in-game Perplexing Pool, but with the critical difference of having a large, round, open arena as the landing site, instead of a rectangular closed-off room. That circular region is also surrounded by an irregular beach of sand, surrounded by scrap metal. The following differences can also be noted:

There is a crack to the southwest of the landing site, indicating the presence of a clog.
There is a large metal tube protruding off the ground in the water, to the southeast of the landing site, instead of two plastic tubes.
The sand plot near the Chronos Reactor from The Distant Spring is present, and the nearby block with a Golden Candypop Bud, also from The Distant Spring is also present, but sunken into the ground.
Part of the original landing site from The Distant Spring is present, but it's mostly covered up by sand except for part of the Red Onion's original spot.
The tree in the Yellow Pikmin landing site is not present.
The stone block buried to the northwest of the landing site is not present.
The wooden structures near the Glutton's Kitchen's entrance and the Optical Illustration are not present.
The large stone ramps at the north that provide a one-way access from the lake are absent on the Piklopedia.
The ground at the western river and the center of the area is at the same level, so it is possible to walk from one to the other at will. In the in-game area, the center's terrain is higher.
In-game, there is a gap to the northeast of the landing site that requires a bridge to cross. It is absent in the Piklopedia variant.
In-game, there is a flat stump found to the west of the Glutton's Kitchen entrance. The stump is cut much higher in the Piklopedia version.
Most of the trunks at the north of the landing site don't have walls, or have lower walls than in-game.
The inaccessible area to the south of the Shower Room entrance is a lot more detailed than shown in-game.

Gallery

The landing site.
The Beady Long Legs and Spotty Bulbear near the landing site.
Part of the western path, with a Burgeoning Spiderwort in the distance.
Two stumps on the western part of the area.
Area where Yellow Pikmin are first found.
Entrance to the Glutton's Kitchen.
The northwestern corner of the area.
The northeastern corner of the area.
The maze at the east, with some Burgeoning Spiderworts.
The area with Toady Bloysters.
The entrance to the Shower Room.
A tube that separates the western and southwestern areas.

Other images

In the Piklopedia, the layout of the Perplexing Pool is slightly different.
A wire-frame version of the Perplexing Pool that can be found in the background of the Piklopedia and Treasure Hoard menus. Seems to depict an early version of the area.
Official overhead map.
High definition overhead map, taken with in-game screenshots.
Carrying paths on the Perplexing Pool.
Wogpoles, Captain Olimar, Louie, and Blue Pikmin in an early version of the Perplexing Pool. The Shower Room can be seen ahead. Also note the Male Sheargrub, which never appears in the final version of the level.
A different image of the early Perplexing Pool.
A map of the Perplexing Pool.
The pattern for The Distant Spring laid on a map of the Perplexing Pool.
The texture used for the radar.

Trivia

The Perplexing Pool was originally going to be called "The Perplexing Spring".^[2]
While walking through the area, translucent cicada and min-min cicada calls can be heard. In the evening, they are replaced with evening cicadas.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
French	La Source Troublante (GameCube version) Source Troublante (Wii version)	The Disturbing Spring Disturbing Spring
German	Die Mythische Quelle (GameCube version) Mythische Quelle (Wii version)	The Mythical Spring Mythical Spring
Spanish	El Arroyo Desconcertante (GameCube version) Arroyo Desconcertante (Wii version)	The Disconcerting River Disconcerting River
Spanish (NoA)	Arroyo Desconcertante	Disconcerting River

References

^ “I've recently noted that changes in this planet's environment happen at a very rapid pace. Compared to how it was when I was here before, the Perplexing Pool has changed drastically. Due to frequent tectonic shifts, the region appears slightly different each time I enter it. It could be a natural phenomenon, but it's as if I feel the presence of a guiding hand. ...Maybe it's just my imagination running wild.” – Aquatic Mine's entry in Olimar's journal
^ Pikmin 2/Early English Script on The Cutting Room Floor