Chapter 3: Peashooter, Sunflower, and the Pole
/Two weeks after last chapter…
It was a normal day in Suburbia. The academy students had graduated not long ago. The L.E.A.F. Academy baseball team was playing one last game against the military trainees. Peashooter, Wallnut and Chomper were in the stands by the outfield, cheering and wondering when the squads would be chosen.
Peashooter hadn't told anyone about being the next squad leader yet. He thought it would be better if they found out for themselves. Besides, he didn't know who to pick yet, and that's his biggest worry.
Sunflower was cheering for the academy plants with Marigold. The two were great friends, and Sunflower hoped that she and Marigold would be in the same squad, or at least close squads. Sunflower was watching a fire flower go up to bat when she saw Peashooter and Cabbage-pult apparently arguing.
While Peashooter had been thinking, Cabbage-pult was insulting him, calling him a "cowardly peashooter who can't even kill a browncoat." This insult hit too close to home. It reminded him of Wolf. "No." Peashooter thought, "Not now." So Peashooter, Cabbage-pult, Chomper and Wallnut were arguing.
The fire flower was getting ready to hit. Rocket, a Shamrock, threw the ball as fast as she could. The fire flower hit it with a ringing force, sending it flying over the outfield and into the forest.
"Cool! I'm gonna get it!" said Sunflower as she saw it go flying.
"That ball is mine." Peashooter stated, trying to find any way to get out of the situation with dignity.
"Sure. Maybe you'll find a life too." replied Cabbage-pult, causing the argument to resume. Peashooter shrugged and took off at top speed toward the ball.
A gargantuar was walking in the forest next to a cliff. He was mad at Zomboss and General Supremo for saying that he's too easily distracted. So he set out to go find another way to get brains. He was reflecting on what happened when a baseball came rocketing towards him at a high speed. The gargantuar didn't notice until it hit him in the head, causing him to drop his pole in surprise. The gargantuar stumbled backwards and fell off of the cliff.
Peashooter ran as fast as he could, trying to find that ball. He didn't know why, but he felt like someone was following him. Peashooter shrugged and went a little faster, until he came to a cliff. A telephone pole was lying on the grass, with the baseball sitting next to it. Peashooter smiled as he walked up to get the ball, but suddenly someone burst out of the trees and tackled the ball.
Peashooter groaned. "Why is it that when I'm all the way out here, someone just swoops in and gets the ball first?"
The plant, which was Sunflower, got up, the ball in her right leaf. She smiled at Peashooter, who was looking at her with an annoyed expression.
"Guess you want the ball, huh?" Sunflower said in a teasing voice.
"Yes, please." replied Peashooter with a bored voice.
"Then come and get it!"
"No thanks. I'd rather take the pole than waste my time chasing you, just for you to hide it."
Sunflower frowned. How did he know she was going to hide it? Whatever. Then an idea popped into Sunflower's head.
"Alright then. But you have to take the pole."
Peashooter looked at her quizzically. Of course. He sighed in defeat and started to lift the pole. That thing was HEAVY. Peashooter barely took it three feet before he fell in exasperation.
"Me and my big mouth."
Sunflower giggled. Was he actually going to do it? He never really broke promises or anything, so he might actually do it. Sunflower decided to test this.
"I don't really care, you know."
"But you still want me to take the pole. Fine. I've really got nothing else to do anyway. This or arguing with Cabbage-pult? I'd take this any day."
Sunflower smiled. She knew it. He really was what people say. Gullible, yes, but also determined. So she decided to make his life easier.
"I'll help."
So together, the two hauled the pole out of the forest. It took a couple hours, but they did it. When they got back, Chomper was somehow not surprised.
"Really, Peashooter? A telephone pole? I guess that Sunflower said that or chasing her to get the baseball. Personally, you're crazy either way."
Peashooter rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Chomper. Who won?"
"The academy, one to nothing. It was a close game. There were so many close plays! I couldn't believe it. The final inning was so jam-packed! It was really epic to watch, Peashooter. You really missed out."
Peashooter rolled his eyes again. Chomper always did this. If you missed something, he always told you it was super exciting and really good. It's just his way of messing with people. Peashooter just sighed as he and Sunflower started dragging the pole again.
Back in the forest, the gargantuar had climbed back up the cliff. When he got to the top, he saw that his telephone pole had been stolen. A trail of where the pole had been dragged was there, and the gargantuar followed it, seething with rage.
"Finally! We're done!" Peashooter yelled out as he and Sunflower had dragged the pole to the streets. "I'm never going to do that again."
"Oh really? Because I still have the ball, and you still want it."
"Not really. I'd rather fight a gargantuar." As soon as Peashooter said this, he covered his mouth. "Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no!"
As if Peashooter had summoned it, the gargantuar from the forest came towards the two. It narrowed its eyes as it saw them. Peashooter and Sunflower had their mouths open.
"I really need to stop saying things like that."
The gargantuar roared at them and charged. Peashooter ran right at it, sliding underneath it and shooting at its back. The gargantuar turned around quickly and tried to slam Peashooter, who promptly dodged. Sunflower was thinking about what she could do to kill it.
Sunflowers can take a sun they produce and turn it into a small solar beam. These beams aren't lethal, but they can cause serious injury. If a sunflower uses enough sun, they can make a much larger, more dangerous beam that can vaporize walls.
Sunflower started to produce sun for ammunition. As she did this, Peashooter was running for his life. The gargantuar had picked up the pole and was charging Peashooter, who was in turn running as fast as he could. Soon, the gargantuar fell behind Peashooter, and Peashooter was in the L.E.A.F. Squad House district. He sighed and sat on the curb.
"Maybe I shouldn't have been so stubborn."
"Your stubbornness shall bring you your death!" the gargantuar roared as he once again charged Peashooter. Peashooter ran towards him, before jumping over him and landing on his back. He smirked as the gargantuar tried to grab him.
Peashooter shot at the gargantuar's neck before realizing that the gargantuar was wearing a collar. Peashooter quickly hopped off the gargantuar's back as it tried to grab him. The gargantuar then hit Peashooter with the pole, sending him flying down the street.
Sunflower had finally been able to produce enough sun for ammunition. She stood up and started running towards Peashooter and the gargantuar when she heard a giant slam. As she looked around, Peashooter crashed into a house behind her. He was bleeding badly. Sunflower saw this and immediately thought What the heck, Peashooter! You idiot! You could've died! Then she ran over to him, only to be intercepted by the gargantuar. He smiled at her as he lifted his pole.
"Say goodbye to your pathetic friend."
Then the gargantuar slammed the pole on Peashooter. Sunflower looked in horror as tears formed. "He's gone. I never even became his friend and he's gone."
The gargantuar turned to her. He laughed at her sadness. "That pathetic peashooter had no friends. Boo hoo. Don't worry little thief; You'll join him soon enough."
Sunflower started shooting the gargantuar and was getting pretty mad. This guy was gonna pay. The gargantuar was laughing until one sun pulse hit him in the eye. He recoiled and fell. Sunflower ran towards him, and walked right into an obvious trap. The gargantuar grabbed her and threw her into a building. She wasn't bleeding, but she was in a lot of pain. Too bad sunflowers can't heal themselves.
As the gargantuar approached, he was enraged. He glared at Sunflower with one eye and screamed,
"YOU MISERABLE FLOWER! I WILL DESTROY YOUR SOUL! PREPARE TO DIE LIKE YOUR IDIOTIC FRIEND!"
"I'm not dead. You'll find that I won't die so easily. And honestly, this garg is getting on my nerves."
Sunflower turned to the left. Standing there was Peashooter, Chomper and Wallnut. Peashooter had some major bruises, but he was acting like he'd been untouched.
"Don't ever hurt my friends. Because if you do, it will be the last thing you ever do."
The three plants charged. Wallnut was immediately knocked aside and rendered unconscious. Chomper had a better approach. He ran around the gargantuar until he was sent flying by a nice smack to the face. Peashooter got the worst beating. He'd be hit in the face, slammed and even stomped on, but each time it seemed like the gargantuar was missing. He was almost a blur, circling around the gargantuar and jumping over him, shooting peas all the while.
Wallnut was still unconscious, but Chomper came back. He didn't fight though, he just sat next to Sunflower and watched. Sunflower started to gather more sun, and Chomper told her to stockpile it. She reluctantly complied.
Peashooter had been fighting for a while. He was getting exhausted. The gargantuar was still as strong as ever, and he finally hit Peashooter. Peashooter was lying on the ground, the gargantuar towering over him.
"You said that if I hurt your friends, it would be the last thing I ever did. I guess you were wrong. Because now I will kill you."
Peashooter just glared as the gargantuar went in for the kill. It smiled as it did so. Peashooter closed his eyes, prepared for the worst. The gargantuar lifted the pole deliberately slowly, then
"Sunflower, fire!"
Sunflower shot a large beam of solar power, which was aimed right at the gargantuar's head. As he was hit, his head disintegrated into nothingness, his body falling on the floor.
Chomper was smiling. Wallnut was no longer unconscious. Sunflower was amazed. Everything was fine, until Peashooter passed out.
/One hour later…
Peashooter was on a stretcher in the hospital. Sunflowers and aloe veras were running around everywhere. He was feeling just fine, so he didn't know what was going on. Until he saw his stem.
His stem was covered in cuts from the rubble. Any of the cuts could've been fatal. And he got them all at the same time. Peashooter tried to remember what happened. Sunflower wanted him to take a pole to Suburbia. A gargantuar tracked them there. Peashooter and Sunflower fought it, and Peashooter almost died twice. That's it.
In the lobby, Chomper and Sunflower were waiting. Wallnut wasn't there because of something Infinut did to the house. Chomper was calmly waiting, while Sunflower was pacing back and forth.
"This is all my fault."
Chomper sighed. Plants always blamed themselves for situations. But Chomper knew that everything happened because of Zomboss. He was linked to everything as a form of evil. His invasions had caused so much damage that every plant's decision was because of him.
"It's not your fault, Sunflower. Even if it was your fault, many good things are your fault, too! Look at Peashooter. If it wasn't for you he wouldn't have ma-"
Chomper cut himself off. Peashooter was going to kill him. Spilling secrets was always Chomper's flaw. He didn't outright say them, but he was usually forced to after they interrogated him. But this time, Peashooter would never forgive him. Chomper was history.
Sunflower looked quizzically at Chomper. "He wouldn't have what?"
Chomper panicked. "I shouldn't even know! If Peashooter didn't talk in his sleep, I never would've learned that he-"
Chomper cut himself off again. What was wrong with him? He dug a hole for himself so deep that he'd die. And to top it all off, Sunflower might freak out. Or beat up Peashooter. Or both.
"Chomper, spill it. You're going to talk. Now."
Chomper flinched at the command. She said it with ringing force, making Chomper want to do it to avoid her wrath. But it was her wrath, or Peashooter's. Chomper didn't know who he wanted to execute him. Finally, Chomper caved in.
"I shouldn't be telling you this. Never mention to Peashooter that I told you." He was pleading, which Sunflower noticed.
Chomper continued, "He never would've made it to year five if it wasn't for you. He" Chomper gulped. "He was going to fail. He didn't really want to pass, anyway. But he, um," Chomper was really nervous. Sunflower was obviously interested in what he had to say, but it wasn't his place to say it.
"Chomper, get on with it."
Chomper was sweating like crazy. Jeez, why was he doing this? Chomper finally sighed. "He only made it because of you, because he, he loves you. He couldn't just leave you. Please don't kill me." Chomper hung his head. He had given up one of Peashooter's biggest secrets, to the person it was about no less. What a friend he was.
Peashooter was lying on the stretcher. He finally tried to sit up, and it didn't hurt at all. He stepped off the stretcher. He was fine! Peashooter smiled as an aloe came up to him.
"Peashooter, you're free to go."
Peashooter looked at his stem. Faint cuts were there, but he's alive. Peashooter almost laughed as he walked to the lobby. What a crazy day.
Sunflower was looking at Chomper in disbelief. What? How? Half of Sunflower felt like doing flips, but a small part of her was saying What about Cabbage-pult? He actually cares enough to tell you, and he's always there for you. "But not today! And if Peashooter was too scared to tell me, then he cares a lot too, right?" "Just not enough."
Sunflower didn't want to handle this internal battle right now. She had more important things to do. Like seeing if Peashooter's okay.
As if on cue, Peashooter walked into the lobby, his cuts almost gone. Sunflower smiled. Chomper looked happy, but nervous. Peashooter seemed to notice this and decided to talk to him alone
"Thanks for coming, Sunflower. I'll see you later. Just don't make me carry anymore poles, ok?"
Sunflower laughed and left. When she had gone, Peashooter faced Chomper. He had a tired look on his face.
"Alright Chomper, what did you do?"
Chomper had definitely learned his lesson. "I told her everything." he blurted. Peashooter raised an eyebrow.
"You couldn't have told her everything. Even you don't know everything about me. But if-"
Peashooter stopped. He panicked. "What did you say?"
"Um, that you loved her?"
Peashooter looked straight at him. "You can't be serious."
"Yeah?"
Peashooter groaned, then shook his shook his head. "Fine then. But don't think that means you're off the hook." He started thinking.
"What are you thinking about?"
I'm thinking that I just found some squad members.
/Three days later…
Zomboss was sitting at his desk, looking at his computer. The screen showed drone footage of the rouge gargantuar. Zomboss watched intently as Peashooter was almost killed, only to be saved by Sunflower's solar beam.
"Bah! These plants! That Peashooter reminds me of Doug. I never did get the pleasure of killing him. I'll have to settle for that one instead."
Zomboss looked at the footage some more. Then, he got an idea. He pressed the intercom button.
"Buck, report to my office immediately."
Within seconds a buckethead zombie walked in. Above the traditional browncoat clothing he was wearing a black vest. His jeans were ripped. But most interestingly his bucket was clean. Polished. Not a smudge, scratch or crack. Buck smiled at Zomboss.
"Yes, sir?"
"I have an important job for you. You will lead an elite zombie squad, similar to a L.E.A.F. squad. Before you recruit members, this squad needs a name. One that will strike fear into the hearts of plants. And make it short: I don't want to yell something ridiculous to get your attention."
Buck thought about it. After a minute, Buck smirked. "It will be called… Brain Squad."