Sportacus found Ziggy working in the community garden. The little boy stood in front of one of the garden boxes, engrossed in tending his plot. There was little produce to be seen in any of the boxes after what Robbie had done to the place during the party. The villain's rampage upon getting his memory back had reduced the town's entire harvest to compost.
The kids had been working hard, though, to regrow their fruits and vegetables. There were some shoots and buds to be seen, hints of green poking out of the soil. But it took time for seeds to grow, and everyone needed to eat. Fortunately Sportacus was able to supply the town with sportscandy from his airship while they recouped their crops.
Ziggy looked up as Sportacus jogged into the area. "Hey, Sportacus! Are you here to help with some of the gardening?"
"I—" Sportacus faltered but was quick to recover. "Sure, Ziggy, I'd be happy to help."
Sportacus trotted up to the wheelbarrow and maneuvered it around. Ziggy hummed a familiar tune, a couple words escaping under his breath. "Good stuff!" The hero found his steps keeping time with the song and he smiled as he brought the load to the boy's side.
"Look, Sportacus, there's some baby tomatoes already growing in my garden."
"That's great, Ziggy," Sportacus said, bending down to look. They were no bigger than grapes and still bright green but they hung tenaciously on the vine. It would be a while yet before anyone could eat them.
Ziggy resumed his chores while Sportacus stayed right where he was hunched over the garden box, staring at the tomato plant. The little boy looked back at the hero and giggled.
"They won't grow any faster if you watch them," Ziggy said. "Believe me, I've tried."
"Right," Sportacus said, forcing a chuckle. He straightened and spun away from the garden box. Ziggy paused in his gardening again, still watching.
"You're acting kind of funny," Ziggy said. "Do you need some sportscandy?"
Sportacus shot a furtive glance towards the child. "Not exactly," he said, and stopped. Ziggy waited for him to continue. "Hey, Ziggy," Sportacus settled on saying, "you don't have any candy on you, do you?"
"Candy?" Ziggy checked the front of his shirt and his sleeves, then tried to look over his shoulder, making himself turn a circle. "Do I have a lollipop stuck to my back again?"
"No," Sportacus said with a small laugh. He coughed. "I mean, do you have any candy I could have?"
"You want candy?" Ziggy gawked. "But won't you have a sugar meltdown?"
"Well, it's… for a friend," Sportacus mumbled. Ziggy was too busy patting down his pockets to hear him. He pulled out a wad of unwrapped bubble gum from one pocket sporting a few lint balls. From the other he produced a bar of chocolate, still wrapped but somewhat misshapen from its cramped confines. "That's it!" Sportacus took the treat. "Thank you, Ziggy."
"You're welcome, I guess?" Ziggy scratched his head as he watched Sportacus carry the candy bar in an almost reverent fashion between both hands. The hero half jogged, half ran out of the garden before the boy could say another word.