PvZH Bye-Bye L.E.A.F

Chapter 22

Green Shadow and Grass Knuckles gazed up at a ginormous cave mouth. Both were a little scared to go inside the cave, but they knew that the signal was coming from there.

"Alright." Grass Knuckles flipped on his flashlight. "We stick to the path and hopefully find whoever's in the cave." Grass Knuckles walked forward and stopped, turning to Green Shadow.

"You're not scared of the dark, are you?" He smirked as Green Shadow gulped and backed up.

"I'm not scared of the dark. I just don't like caves all that much." Green Shadow pointed at the cave. "It's dingy and wet, and it makes me upset."

Grass Knuckles tried to muffle his laughter as Green Shadow softly smacked him on the shoulder.

"You're very, very funny." Green Shadow rolled her eyes as she walked into the cave. "I hope we don't get lost though."

"Well if we do, then you'll be stuck with my corny jokes." Grass Knuckles nudged her.

The two plants walked into the cave and looked around for a while before Grass Knuckles pointed his light towards a path.

"This way looks inviting." He smiled and walked towards the path as Green Shadow held his leaf tightly.

"None of these pathways look inviting! What if there's a bear hiding inside?" Green Shadow sharply whispered as she shone her light around the caves.

"HEY BEARS, MY GIRLFRIEND WANTS TO KNOW IF YOU'RE THERE!" Grass Knuckles shouted, making Green Shadow try to cover his mouth.

"ROAR ONCE FOR YES, AND ROAR TWICE FOR NO!" Grass Knuckles tried to shove her away as he started laughing.

Green Shadow groaned and pulled her hood over her eyes. "You're insane. You know that, right?"

Grass Knuckles nodded and continued to walk. "That's why you love me."

Green Shadow scoffed and joined him. "You're insane in a funny way." Green Shadow shined her light around the path.

The two remained quiet for a while until Grass Knuckles spoke up.

"So, about L.E.A.F...". Grass Knuckles trailed off. "Do you have any regrets?"

"Of what?"

"Joining?" Grass Knuckles looked away. "I know it's a stupid thing to say, but do you regret joining L.E.A.F before you got to do the things you wanted to do?"

Green Shadow sighed. "There are a few things I've always wanted to do." Green Shadow put her leaf on her badge. "I never really got to spend enough time with my Peashooter friends."

"Peashooter friends? I always thought you were a loner." Grass Knuckles picked up a rock and tossed it in the air.

"Well, before I met you and the others, I was friends with these two other Peashooters." Green Shadow's gaze lowered.

"What happened?" Grass Knuckles glanced over at her.

"The fight with the zombies, getting hit with the hero ray, meeting you guys, and trying to keep a secret identity." Green Shadow shone her flashlight to the roof of the cave. "I knew I couldn't tell them about my hero identity, but I really wanted that friendship to last."

"And then what?"

"We drifted apart. They never knew about Green Shadow, and just thought that I was hanging out with other plants." Tears began to stream down Green Shadow's cheeks. "I still see them sometimes when I'm patrolling. Sometimes I want to go down and ask them how it's been."

Grass Knuckles put his leaf around Shadow. "I understand how you feel."

Grass Knuckles took a deep breath. "I used to be really weak. I wasn't the toughest of the Bonk Choi's and everyone knew it." He fiddled with his badge. "But I was smart. I was the smartest out of them all."

Grass Knuckles gazed at the ceiling. "As soon as the hero ray exploded on that day, everything changed. I got a lot stronger, but I found it hard to balance classes and hero work. In the end..."

"In the end?" Green Shadow raised an eyebrow.

"I had to drop out and go to L.E.A.F." Grass Knuckles ran his leaf along the wall of the cave.

"So you left your college to pursue hero work?"

"Yeah. I sometimes wish I could go back to college. But that's far gone now." Grass Knuckles sadly looked at Green Shadow.

Green Shadow put her leaf in his and took a deep breath. "Maybe we all should take a break after this."

"Like break up the team?"

"No. I mean, we just stop the hero work for a while and focus on ourselves."

"How long would it be?"

Green Shadow shrugged and looked around. "Two weeks? A month?" She sighed and turned to him. "I don't really know."

Grass Knuckles smirked and turned to her. "Will you go to your friends?"

Green Shadow rolled her eyes. "It's been two years. They've forgotten about me."

Grass Knuckles was about to respond when he shushed Green Shadow.

A low hum was resonating through the cave, making the two stop and listen.

"It sounds like it's coming from the end." Grass Knuckles whispered as he started to walk forward.

"It could be a creature of sorts." Green Shadow held her flashlight tightly.

The two continued down the path before they saw a small light at the end.

"I think that's the end of the cave." Green Shadow pointed towards the light. "Think we should go towards it?"

"Yeah. Maybe there's someone out there." Grass Knuckles scratched his chin as he went towards it.

Green Shadow followed him as they walked. She was still thinking about that dream.

The dreamcatcher worked, and she no longer was having those dreams. But deep down, she knew something was going to happen when they got back. Green Shadow took a deep breath and looked at the ceiling.

The zombies aren't going to give up the city so easily, and I know that they'll have something planned for us once we get back. Green Shadow rubbed her leaf and gazed at Grass Knuckles.

The two walked out of the cave and noticed a large machine in the middle of a grassy clearing.

"What is that?" Grass Knuckles tapped it and pushed on it.

"Why is it out here?" Green Shadow wondered as she looked around for anyone.

Grass Knuckles eyed a bright blue button and reached for it. Green Shadow smacked his leaf and glared at him.

"Don't go pushing random buttons on a random machine left outside of a cave!" She shouted.

Grass Knuckles groaned and slumped down. "But they look so pushable."

"And you don't know what this machine can do!" Green Shadow folded her leaves and glared at him. "What if this machine has a self-destruct button on it?"

"I won't push any buttons mom." Grass Knuckles rolled his eyes and playfully nudged Green Shadow's leaf.

The sound of something flying made them get up and look at the sky. Something was coming.

Green Shadow was about to speak, when the thing flew down, making Green Shadow and Grass Knuckles stop.

"I thought I saw a familiar cape."

Beta-Carrotina smiled at them. "I was wondering when you guys would find me."