"It's pretty obvious that Zombies have no idea what to do with money. I've seen their coins, and they print Crazy Dave's head on them. I just can't wrap my head around why that is. Shouldn't they have Dr. Zomboss's head on them?" Marigold detailed to her friends.

"That is kind of strange. Didn't we used to print Zombie heads on our pennies in the past?" Sunflower asked.

"Yes, we did. But first, we don't use pennies anymore. Second, we printed Zombie heads on those coins as a form a diplomacy towards the Zombies, though that didn't seem to matter to them. Now with our relations so strained with this war, the exchange rates for Zombie and Plant currency are astonishing. For them, 10 Zombie coins trades for 1000 Plant coins. For us, 10 Plant coins trades for 100000 Zombie coins. But both parties hold so little value in the actual coins that we don't bother trading." Marigold rambled on and on.

"Is money really as boring as you're making it sound?" Fire Flower commented, nibbling on her taco.

"Not if you see money as more than just a tool to buy material goods. If we could get Zombies to appreciate money as much as brains, we might have better relations." Marigold answered Fire Flower.

"Yeah, right. They killed a freaking married couple with a daughter. I'm pretty sure they don't even consider money as an object." Fire Flower spat.

"Fire…we're really trying. We can make a compromise with the Zombies, I know it! We just have to try different strategies. Strategies that never would have occurred to us without the war." Marigold said.

Fire Flower sighed and continued eating her taco, wondering if Marigold knew something she didn't.

"Attention Plants!" Crazy Dave called out to everyone, drawing their attention.

"We have made an astounding discovery and would like to tell you our plan." Penny said.

"We found a safe place for you. No Zombies anywhere to be found!" Crazy Dave cheered.

"We have named it 'Eden' for the moment. While we wish for you to visit this location in the near future, we must first verify its existence by going there." Penny elaborated.

"Me and Penny are gonna go there first, and then we can send some of you there to see for yourselves. This place is awesome, believe me!" Crazy Dave said.

"Let us waste no time, User Dave. Off to visit Eden!" Penny said to Crazy Dave.

Crazy Dave stepped into the driver's seat of Penny and turned on the control panel inside. Penny calibrated the estimated temporal and spacial coordinates of Eden and locked them in place. Penny began to whir loudly as she used her energy to transport herself and Crazy Dave through time and space.

"Next stop, Plant Happy Place!" Crazy Dave cheered.

"Eden." Penny said.

"Right, Eden. YAHOO!" Crazy Dave cried out as Penny disappeared in a blinding blue light, leaving the Plants to themselves.

"Eden? That sounds like a beautiful place. I can only imagine what it looks like." Sunflower said.

"Yeah, I wonder if we could all go there." Marigold responded.

"It seems like a good place for a date or a honeymoon. Maybe Cactus and Andy should consider." Fire Flower joked.

"That's actually a good idea!" Sunflower commented.


Crazy Dave and Penny, travelling faster than light speed across the fabric of time and space, arrive in Eden, slowly landing onto the soft grass of a vast meadow.

"I advise you to tread carefully on the grass, User Dave. I do not know how fragile the flora is in Eden." Penny warned Crazy Dave.

"Don't worry Penny. I'll just take off my shoes." Crazy Dave assured Penny.

Crazy Dave carefully stepped out and indulged upon the wondrous view. The sky was blue and cloudless, the grass was tall and healthy, and there were tiny daisies growing among the grass. Crazy Dave checked the grass beneath his feet to see if he had harmed it in any way. When he stepped away from his spot, the grass he had been standing on stood upright, as if he had not stood there at all.

"Wowie! The grass here is pretty strong! Kind of reminds me of our own Plants." Crazy Dave said.

"Forgive me User Dave, but I was performing more calculations on the actual location of Eden, and I have discovered why I had such difficulty pinpointing the precise location." Penny admitted to Crazy Dave.

"Why is that Penny?" Crazy Dave inquired.

"This is absolutely remarkable! At first I believed that Eden was a garden that existed somewhere on Earth in a different time. However, now I see that Eden is in fact not on Earth at all, but on an entirely different planet! In fact, Eden IS a planet!" Penny exclaimed.

"That's ultra-Crazy! This is the best day of my life! Ok, that's not true. The best day of my life was when I ate that waffle-taco." Crazy Dave commented.

"Er, the waffle-taco? The one that Dr. Zomboss made you?" Penny asked.

"Huh? No, why would he ever do that?" Crazy Dave responded.

"Nevermind." Penny said quietly.

"Well, no more standing around. Let's explore!" Crazy Dave said enthusiastically.

Crazy Dave and Penny moved away from the meadow into a nearby rainforest and are treated to new sights. The rainforest was full of flowers and pollinating insects that looked very otherworldly, but were familiar in a way. Any other animals were mostly creatures that looked like frogs and birds. The entire time, Crazy Dave wore a wide grin and Penny was experiencing technological joy within the inner recesses of her supercomputer processor. Eden would serve as a "Heaven on Earth" for all the Plants after they won the war. Even in the worst case scenario where the Zombies won the war, Eden would potentially be a replacement Earth for them.

"User Dave." Penny spoke up.

"Yeah Penny?" Crazy Dave answered.

"Are you certain we will be victorious in the war against the Zombies? Are you certain we will not have to resort to using this planet as an escape from the Zombies?" Penny asked.

"Penny…allow me to state my educated opinion." Crazy Dave spoke in surprisingly eloquent manner.

"Yes?" Penny said, surprised by Crazy Dave's sudden change in speech pattern.

"I strongly believe that we will succeed. We didn't give up when the Zombies started using guns; we just made the Plants stronger so we could keep fighting. When the Zombies started taking over major cities, we didn't give up either. We kept soldiering on, defiantly, unwaveringly, and bravely. If the Zombies ever took over the world, god forbid, the Plants would not give up then and there. They would continue to do what they were created to do: stop the Zombies from accomplishing their ultimate goals. That is the true spirit and nature of the Plants." Crazy Dave answered in a beautiful speech that left Penny in a state of awe.

"Y…Yes indeed! You are absolutely correct! Brilliantly spoken, User Dave!" Penny commended Crazy Dave.

"Thank you Penny! I haven't talked like that in years!" Crazy Dave said with a smile.

"Why do you not speak like this all the time?" Penny inquired.

"BECAUSE I'M CRAZY! Remember?" Crazy Dave said.

"Oh, right. Sorry, I sometimes forget, especially when you start making logical sense." Penny replied.

"Don't mention it! Come on! There's more to see!" Crazy Dave cheered.


"Wait a minute! You have a Grapevine account?" Fire Flower asked Citron.

"Sure. What about it?" Citron said.

"You mean Grapevine is still a thing a hundred years from now?" Fire Flower exclaimed.

"Yeah. A lot has changed since it first came out, sure, but the company that owns Grapevine has huge stocks invested in it." Citron explained.

"Can I… friend request you? Would that like break time or something?" Fire Flower asked.

"Should be all good. In my era, Grapevine added a feature that allows two Plants to be friends across time periods. Here, let me send you one." Citron said, pulling up his holographic computer screen to open up his Grapevine browser.

Fire Flower pulled out her smartphone and checked her Grapevine app to find a new friend request.

Duke JuiceEm has sent you a friend request

Blazechick has accepted Duke JuiceEm's friend request

"Freakin' sweet! A friend from the future! How awesome is this?!" Fire Flower exclaimed.

"I should be available anytime. When I'm not working that is." Citron said.

Citron saw Rose floating away to the garage and stopped her.

"Hey Rose. Where are you going?" Citron asked.

"Well you see Citron, when Crazy Dave and Penny contacted me, they asked if I would able to build a teleporter when I arrived in this era. While I have not constructed one before, it is very possible for me to build one, so I must go do that now." Rose explained.

"Alright then. Let me know if you need help." Citron said, giving a wink.

"I should be fine, thank you Citron." Rose said with a grin.

"By the way, do you know where Future Cactus is? I need to have a talk with her. I sure hope she's not terminated." Citron asked Rose.

"She actually contacted me not too long ago. She told me that she knew you wanted to see her, but that she had to go into hiding because of Zombie soldiers attempting to track her down. She said that 'you would know where to find her'." Rose answered.

"Hmm…I think I know where to look. Thanks Rose." Citron said, walking away to find Future Cactus.

"You are very welcome." Rose said to the departing Citron.

Fire Flower had walked up to Sunflower and pulled her aside to ask her a couple more questions.

"So, you were saying how most sunflowers are born fluid. Why is that? It seems like such an odd trait to be common." Fire Flower asked Sunflower.

"Well, part of that comes from the evolutionary fact that sunflowers are rarely born male. When was the last time you saw a male sunflower?" Sunflower answered.

"There are male sunflowers?" Fire Flower responded.

"Exactly. They exist, mind you, but they're likely in hiding or live in other places. Because of such a low male to female ratio among the Sunflower species, sunflowers have evolved to be more attracted to members of other Plant races so that we can mate and produce diverse offspring." Sunflower explained further.

"Like my mom and dad." Fire Flower commented.

"Yep. Simple biology, really." Sunflower replied.

"What about Sun Pharaoh and Alien Flower? Who do they like?" Fire Flower asked.

"When I asked Alien Flower, out of curiosity, she told me that 'she would prefer not to potentially contaminate the gene pool of our species'. I guess she wouldn't be able to mate with a Plant from our planet anyway." Sunflower explained.

"And Sun Pharaoh?" Fire Flower asked further.

"Fluid as a river! She told me one time that she used to be married to a couple kings for a few years before she started marrying queens. Maybe she lost interest in male Plants? Keep in mind that I'm telling you these things because I know the others wouldn't mind if I told you." Sunflower explained.

"Would they mind if they knew I was a lesbian?" Fire Flower asked nervously.

"Of course not! They know that it's very common for sunflowers to have different or changing preferences." Sunflower said with a smile.

"Ok then, I should have known. Should I go tell them?" Fire Flower said to Sunflower.

"Only if you feel comfortable telling them. I understand if you're not quite ready to tell them." Sunflower answered.

"…I am." Fire Flower responded.

"Alright then. It's your call." Sunflower said, taking Fire Flower by the leaf and leading her to the others.


"You mean to say that you've heard of 'Eden' before?" Sun Pharaoh asked Alien Flower.

"Scientists from my home planet have been observing a nearby planet for a while now, suspecting that the planet could potentially sustain life. I am quite certain that this planet is the Eden that Crazy Dave and Penny are referring to." Alien Flower signed in response.

"Interesting. You know, it's amazing how you can communicate with us by just making gestures." Sun Pharaoh commented.

"I do my best, and you are all very receptive of my telepathic signals." Alien Flower signed with a grin.

"Hey everyone." Fire Flower spoke up.

"Hi Fire Flower!" The sunflowers replied.

"Uh, I just wanted to tell everyone something that I've kind of kept a secret for a while." Fire Flower began.

"Can I take a guess?" Shadow Flower spoke up.

"What? Uh…ok then." Fire Flower said.

"You've been online dating another sunflower. Is that what you were going to say?" Shadow Flower said.

"How…How did you know that?" Fire Flower asked in surprise.

"You know you're not the only one who uses Grapevine, right? My username is DarkAlias on there." Shadow Flower answered, pulling out her smartphone.

"Oh, right. Why didn't I realize that?" Fire Flower said, feeling silly for trying to keep something on social media a secret.

"You're dating a girl on Grapevine?" Metal Petal asked.

"Never heard of Grapevine before. Is she nice?" Sun Pharaoh spoke up.

"I have a picture of her, if you want to see what she looks like." Fire Flower answered.

"Why not? Show us what she looks like." Alien Flower signed to Fire Flower.

Fire Flower took out her smartphone, opened up the Grapevine app, and accessed a picture of Stuffy Flower standing in front of the entrance of Time Park. She handed her smartphone to the other sunflowers for them to see.

"Oh my God! She's so cute!" Metal Petal said excitedly.

"I've married queens that weren't this beautiful. I'm actually kind of jealous!" Sun Pharaoh commented.

"This is the first time I'm seeing what your girlfriend looks like, Fire. Honestly, I'm really happy for you." Shadow Flower said with a smile.

"Thank you everyone." Fire Flower said with a smile and flushed cheeks.


Citron had arrived at his orange shuttle floating above the suburbs of the Plant side of Backyard Battleground. He had left his personal shuttle in the care of Future Cactus, trusting her ability to keep it away from Zombies and keep it tidy. Admittedly, Citron wasn't the neatest Plant in the world, as he often left snack bar wrappers and juice capsules lying around the shuttle. Hopefully, Future Cactus was kind enough to clean them up for him. Citron sent a remote signal to the shuttle to beam him up, and was slowly lifted up inside. When he had fully entered, Future Cactus was waiting for him, seated at Citron's work desk.

Future Cactus was a cactus fitted with various biotechnological devices, including a visor to increase her range of vision, a control panel on her chest to transmit remote signals and messages, and a laser cannon attached to her mouth for the purpose of firing powerful beams to eliminate Zombie targets. She was Citron's friend, but she was also competition from a different bounty hunter company, and she often struggled to find a balance between work and friendship.

"I'm back." Citron said, imitating Future Cactus's voice.

"You are back. Good." Future Cactus replied.

"So, I'm guessing you haven't been very successful in keeping the Zombies at bay." Citron said.

"It would seem that even my assistance in the war was not enough to curb the Zombie advances. They have claimed several major locations and have killed many Plants. They have recently terminated most of our cacti, leaving only Cactus, Camo Cactus, and myself." Future Cactus detailed.

"That really sucks. Wish I could have been here sooner." Citron said with a frown.

"As a sniper, I can only terminate Zombies from a distance. With your assistance, we can terminate all of our priority targets." Future Cactus said, nodding.

"You know, sometimes I wish we both worked for the same bounty hunter HQ. Then we wouldn't have to compete for bounty." Citron said.

"We don't have to compete at all. This is not about the money, Citron. This is about the greater good of preventing a Zombie world. Whatever bounty we earn, we'll use it to fund the war efforts of this era." Future Cactus suggested to Citron.

"Hmm…maybe. Honestly, I stopped caring about bounty a long time ago. It helps to pay the bills, but not much more beyond that." Citron responded.

"Once we complete our tasks, we will part ways once again. In the meantime, we must coordinate our efforts and eliminate our Zombie targets." Future Cactus said further.

"Did they give us the same targets again?" Citron said with a tone of disgust.

"Yes. Roadie Z, Lil' Drake, and Computer Scientist. They are all in possession of dangerous weapons and must be terminated." Future Cactus explained.

Citron leaned against a wall and shook his head. Their employers were constantly assigning the same targets to him and Future Cactus. Citron suspected that they were intentionally doing this to make sure their friendship was set aside for the sake of the job.

"Fair enough that they're dangerous, but I feel like the bounty hunter HQ are doing this to us on purpose, giving us the same targets to eliminate, like they want us to compete." Citron responded.

"You are my good friend, Citron. I will not do anything that would bring harm to you." Future Cactus assured Citron.

"Hey, same goes for you. Don't you live in a low rent motel nowadays?" Citron replied.

"It was my decision to live in such conditions. Zombie targets do not think to invade such a place. Besides, housing is not important to me, only my objective." Future Cactus said.

"Just try not to get yourself killed out there, or should I say…terminated." Citron said.

"I swear I will not be terminated." Future Cactus replied.

Citron lifted his sunglasses and winked in understanding. Future Cactus pressed a button on her chest that caused a holographic thumbs-up icon to pop up. They had both decided to set aside work for the sake of protecting the other Plants and to bring a brighter future to all of them.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I apologize for not updating in a while. My mom is visiting her mother in FL, and I have had to help take care of my grandfather, who has dementia. These two things are primarily what kept me from working consistently on this chapter, but here it is now. I certainly hoped it turned out fine. I want to try something out, for everyone following the story: a poll. If you want to, visit this site (poal. me/7r8p9d)(remove the space between the period and the m) and pick your answer to the question I have made. No particular reason for doing this, I just thought it would be fun. If the poll works properly, I will keep it up for about 2 weeks and then close it. Thank you everyone for your patience and participation.

EDIT: It seems the polling website is down for the moment, so I will have to end the poll early. Still, I received many good answers from readers, including ones that did not occur to me. Simple, but good answers. Thank you everyone who participated in the poll. It was certainly fun to do.