"Another morning's work is all done!" Leena brushed her gloved hands together and grinned confidently, planting her hands on her hips, which had begun to widen a bit in the past two months. She was maturing both physically and emotionally. After Leena's win at the P-Factor, she had an enormous boost in confidence. Her gardening skills had increased dramatically and her plot of land had finally become the little piece of paradise she wanted it to be.

Leena's garden had started to look like a fairy land with its light colors and shady trees. Leena had recently developed a fondness for Hootyfruities and had quite a few flittering around. She finally managed to attract some larger piñatas, too, she had Ponockies and even a female Eaglair she named Eleanor. Leena's white picket fences and lightly colored flowers were a treat for the eyes, and at the very center of the garden was an enormous oak tree. Leena loved that tree very much; she and Seedos had planted it together the day after they came home from Poprockolis. Leena was so happy that it grew up big and strong.

Leena's favorite piñata, Crispy the Squazzil, loved to climb up that tree and sleep in its branches. Leena was glad Crispy loved the oak so much; Leena wouldn't be where she was today if it weren't for that little Squazzil's victory!

"Everything looks amazing, Leena!" Seedos grinned enormously at her, giving her a thumbs up. "I swear, your garden gets prettier every day! Your plants are happy, too."

As always Leena turned red at Seedos' compliments. Even though they had gone on two dates in Poprockolis, he still hadn't made the slightest romantic move towards her. Leena didn't mind too terribly; he still spent a lot of time with her every single day, helping her in her garden and cheering her on.

Leena came down from her cloud of thoughts when she heard a familiar motorized wheelchair sputter towards the garden.

"Oh, crap!" Seedos bolted behind the enormous oak tree as quickly as he possibly could.

"Hello there, Miss Leena," The Great Jardiniero skidded to a stop and leaned forward to examine Leena's garden. "I see you've been working hard again today! That's just what I like to see!"

Leafos, who had arrived with her father, let out a little giggle. "Leena always works hard, Dad, you don't have to check on her every single day!"

Jardiniero tsk-tsk'd. "Now, Leafos, I can't have Leena slacking off! Especially since she's taking care of the family's old property!" Stroking his beard a bit, Jardiniero smirked and added: "I'll be completely honest. I like looking at her progress. She's almost as great as I was! Almost."

"Thank you, sir!" Leena still couldn't believe she had Jardiniero complimenting her on a regular basis. She always saw him as stoic, tough, and strict, so having him smile at her hard work seemed like a miracle!

"By the way, have you seen that no good son of mine?" Jardiniero shielded his eyes from the autumn sun's glare and looked around Leena's garden. "I need to ask him a question."

"We need to ask him a question, Dad," Leafos cut in, flipping a pigtail over her shoulder.

"Oh, uh, he went home for a while… I think he was sleepy," Leena lied with a shrug of her shoulders. Jardiniero seemed to buy that. He sighed heavily and shook his head, looking at his daughter for support.

"Don't worry, Dad," Leafos patted his shoulder. "I'll ask him about you-know-what next time I see him. Promise."

"Good," Jardiniero smiled at Leafos before turning back to Leena. "Keep up the fantastic work! Don't get too cocky; you don't want to mess up!" With that, Jardiniero turned his wheelchair around and began a bumpy trek up the Village road, Leafos following close behind.

Once they were safely out of earshot, Leena let out a little sigh and turned around to face her garden.

"Seedos?" she called, planting one hand on her hip. "They're gone. You can come out now!"

"Whew…" Seedos sighed with relief as he stumbled out from behind the tree. "That was a close call. Thanks for covering for me, Leena, it means a lot!" His mask split into a gigantic grin.

"They sounded like they had something important to tell you, though…" Leena scratched her head in thought as she walked back over to Seedos. "You better Alert your sister as soon as you can, 'kay?" Leena tilted her head and smiled at Seedos. "She was being kind of mysterious about it… she called whatever she wanted to ask you about 'you-know-what.' It might be serious, so I won't pry." Leena shook her head and folded her arms.

"Oh man, Leafos usually can't keep secrets in…" Seedos gnawed on his nails. "It must be serious! I'm gonna go home and shoot her an Alert, sorry, Leena!" Seedos ran towards the swamp, but stopped as soon as he got to the bridge. He turned around and waved goodbye. "Keep up the good work, all right?" With a smile, he turned around and ambled into his boggy home.

Leena gave a little wave as Seedos left her sight. She turned her attention back to her garden, happily noticing that all her piñatas were getting along famously. Leena was glad they were all feeling happy!

"I need to plant more tulips…" Leena dug in her pocket for the seeds Seedos had given her earlier. "That Galagoogoo won't attract itself!"

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"Huh? A party?" Seedos blinked, a little surprised. He was lounging maskless on his wicker couch with his Alert System pressed to his ear, his Shellybeans surrounding him.

"Yes indeed!" Seedos could practically hear his oldest sister nodding. "It's almost Leena's sixteenth birthday, you know! Turning sixteen is a big thing where Leena comes from, so we figured we'd throw her one heck of a shindig!" Leafos giggled joyfully. "Not to mention it'll be a nice way to congratulate her for how much she's improved! I'm so proud of how far she's come!"

"I know, right?" Seedos let an enormous grin cross his face. "I'm proud of her too!"

"Oh, I bet you are…" Leafos teased, her voice peppered with mischievousness. "Anyway, you know what Leena likes. I need your help with decorations and presents and things like that. The party's in two days and it's a surprise, so don't you even think about telling Leena!" Seedos imagined Leafos wagging a finger at him.

"I won't, Leafos!" Seedos crossed his heart. "Are you guys having it at the P-Factor auditorium?"

"How'd you know?" Leafos asked, sounding a bit surprised.

"That's pretty much the only place in the Village that can accommodate a big party!" Seedos grinned. "Anyway, do you want me to meet you somewhere to discuss party stuff?"

"Yes, please! Arfur's Inn at three o'clock! Don't let Leena follow you!" Leafos warned.

"I'll make sure… on one condition," Seedos' voice was firm and unwavering.

"What's that?"
"Don't let Dad follow you."

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Avalon looked around her garden, making sure no one was hiding in the trees or lurking up the road. Once she decided the coast was clear, she grabbed her Alert System and called Dastardos.

"Dastardos?" she whispered into her Alert System. "Come quickly. There's something yew need to see…"

The night before, Dastardos had given Avalon his Vulchurro, after putting up with her mournful squawking for the past couple of months. Victoria wanted nothing more than to be with Avalon's Crowla, Cid, who she had fallen in love with during their time in Poprockolis. Dastardos finally realized what she wanted and handed her over to Avalon.

"It's for the best," Dastardos had noted the previous night, a guilty look on his twisted mask. "My Vulchurros have a tendency to… bite it. You'll take much better care of her than I will, I'm sure."

That morning, Avalon had woken up to her doorbell ringing. She opened it to find Storkos looking quite baffled, a large purple and green egg in her arms.

"Um… are you aware two piñatas in your garden cross bred?" Storkos knitted her brow, holding out the egg to Avalon.

"Oh, no…" Avalon frowned intensely. "I thought I forbade my Rashberry and Swanana from even looking at each other! Ugh, I don't want to deal with a Pigxie…!"

"This isn't a Pigxie egg, Avalon… it's a… um…" Storkos frowned as she tried to come up with a name. "I'm not sure what it is. It's a new cross species. Vulchurro and Crowla. The baby shouldn't come out as disfigured as a Pigxie, but…" Storkos bit her lower lip.

"I should 'ave foreseen this…" Avalon shook her head, taking the egg from the shorter girl's arms. "My new Vulchurro and Cid are absolutely crazy about each other."

"Well, send me a picture of the baby when it hatches, all right?" The fact that Avalon wasn't insisting on Storkos taking the egg back made Storkos really happy. She was glad the newly hatched chick would have a loving home! "Cross breeds are really rare on this Island, so this baby will go down in history! You can probably even name the species!" Storkos beamed up at Avalon, resting her hand against her cheek. "It's so exciting! I'm kind of jealous!"

"'Opefully it won't up being too much of a 'assle. Wait a second, Storkos; don't fly off just yet…" Avalon walked into her house, placed the egg on the couch, and walked back to the door. She gave Storkos an outrageously generous tip.

"Avalon… this is too much!" Storkos gaped at Avalon, who just laughed.

"Only the best for my buddy Yoto's girl!" Avalon winked at Storkos, who turned bright red.

"Who… who told you about that?" Storkos seemed genuinely shocked.

"The man 'imself! Don't worry; I don't go spreading things around. Thanks for the delivery," Avalon waved goodbye to Storkos and shut the door before she insisted on giving back the tip.

"I should call Dastardos…" Avalon whispered to herself, smiling broadly. She was excited to hear Dastardos' reaction!

Now, Avalon was sitting in her garden, the egg in her arms, waiting for Dastardos to arrive. Her excitement had faded and now she had no idea how Dastardos would take this news. Someone who has a reputation of being a crazy villain isn't likely to coo over baby piñatas, after all. But it was worth a shot…!

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"Today's the day, Yen…" Yen held the carefully wrapped necklace Yoto had given him for Avalon back in Poprockolis, a triumphant smile on his face. After Yen's spectacular failure at the afterparty of the trip, he had to spend a few months recovering before he could give Avalon her present. He hoped she'd like it…

Yen's mind was filled with happy scenarios about what would happen when he finally gave Avalon the gift…

"Oh, Yen, it's beautiful!" Avalon said, completely breathless from the beauty of the necklace. She fastened it around her slender neck and smiled her dazzling smile, her dark eyes shimmering with delight.

"It is beautiful… but it's not even close to being as beautiful as you…" Yen took Avalon in his arms and leaned in, his lips mere inches from hers.

"Oh Yen… you are truly a poet!" Avalon sighed, her hot breath tickling Yen's mouth. She moved closer and their lips met, finally, after Yen had kept his feelings bottled up inside for so long…

Yen snapped out of his fantasy, his cheeks burning. "God, that was silly…" Yen shook his head around, messing up his dark red hair quite a bit. "I'm turning into Yoto… ugh, that's the last thing I want…"

Yoto was so damn hung up on Storkos that he hadn't stopped whining about his failed proposal since everyone got back to the Village. Two months of Yoto whining nonstop was too much for Bart and Yen to handle.

"I really wish that brother of yours succeeded in his romantic endeavor," Bart had told Yen a couple nights ago, his mask's expression one of complete disapproval. "Then he would be out of this house and out of our hair!"

It was hard to disagree with Bart on that one.

"My love life is much more important than Yoto's…" Yen smoothed his unruly locks with one hand. "I'm intelligent and actually capable of holding a conversation. I'll never know how Storkos puts up with him…" Yen sighed, looking down at the package in his hands. "…but Yoto's not all bad. He did find the perfect gift for Avalon, after all…" Yen chuckled to himself. "…but he won't be getting any credit for his find, I'm afraid."

Looking up, Yen noticed he was almost to Avalon's garden. Yen felt his cheeks grow hot when he realized he had been talking to himself. Oh God, if Avalon overheard me rambling I'd be crossed off her list of potential boyfriends for sure… Yen swallowed, his hands getting a bit shaky. I can't even think about that…

Yen arrived at the end of the path and was surprised to hear Avalon exclaim "THERE yew are!"

Yen felt his heart flutter. Was she expecting him? Has she been waiting, day in and day out, for Yen to pay her a visit? Oh, she was probably all dolled up and gorgeous, Yen couldn't wait to see-

Hold on a second… Avalon wasn't talking to him.

Realizing she had company, Yen dove into a thicket of trees, his heart pounding. He should have foreseen that Avalon would have a guest! She was a gorgeous and popular woman, after all…

"Calling me out this early?" a cold, familiar voice snarled. "This better be good."

"It's eleven in the morning," Avalon sounded mildly annoyed.

"Yes, it's horribly, horribly early. What is it?"

Yen felt like his heart jumped right out of his throat and onto the ground in an enormous, bloody puddle. Yen dropped the gift he was holding and buried his mask in his hands, choking back despairful sobs.

Avalon was talking to Dastardos! Yen was hoping that her hanging around him in Poprockolis was a fluke, but apparently they were still friends! Or maybe… something more…?

The very idea of that was enough to make Yen shed a few tears.

Man up, Yen! Avalon wouldn't want a crybaby! The nagging voice in the back of Yen's head shouted.

Yen wasn't listening. He was too damn upset. He couldn't even will himself to stand up and leave.

"Is that an egg…?" Dastardos leaned forward to examine what Avalon was holding, furrowing his brow in thought. "You called me out here for an egg? I don't deal in eggs, Avalon. Why don't you take this up with that fat chick?"

"What's gotten into yew? Yew're being extra rude…" Avalon glared at Dastardos, who grinned at her.

"Just taking precautions in case someone's listening in," Dastardos put his hands behind his back, swaying in mid-air mischievously.

Avalon rolled her eyes. He had no need to act this way, especially since them conversing in the first place was suspicious to begin with.

"It's not just any egg, Dastardos," Avalon rubbed the papery egg affectionately. "It's Cid and Victoria's egg!" Avalon nodded in the direction of the birds, who were sitting up in a tree, happily cuddling. "They Romance Danced and they're going to have a chick really soon!"

"A new cross-breed?" Dastardos held up his hands. "I swear, if it comes out looking like a Pigxie, I'm going to put its out of its misery and spare everyone the sight."

"It won't come out looking like a Pigxie!" Avalon couldn't believe Dastardos sometimes. He'd kill a cute little baby piñata just because it was weird looking? "Vulchurros and Crowlas are pretty similar when yew get right down to it! It'll probably come out absolutely beautiful!" Avalon moved the egg around a little bit. "It's really heavy, though. This isn't going to be a small bird…"

Yen couldn't take it anymore. Dastardos and Avalon's piñatas fell and love and had an egg together?! That was too much for him to take! He couldn't stick around; he'd go completely insane!

Yen grabbed the present from the ground, stood up, and whirled around, tears flowing off of his mask and hitting the grass at his feet. Suddenly, Yen's foot got caught on a rock and he fell to the ground with a loud thump!

Avalon didn't hear Yen fall, but Dastardos' sensitive ears picked it up. Dastardos felt his heart stop and he looked into the jungle. Dastardos saw the slightest hint of movement as Yen scrambled to his feet and sped off.

"I have to go!" Dastardos suddenly blurted, turning around in mid-air and kicking off the ground, speeding through the air like a tiny rocket.

"Dastardos, wait-!" Avalon thrust out a hand to attempt to grab his scarf, but he was already quite a ways off. Avalon sighed, hugging the egg to her chest and knitting her brow. "I should 'ave known 'e wouldn't care about all this… wot was I thinking?"

Cid stopped snuggling Victoria and flew to Avalon, resting on her shoulder and nudging her cheek with his beak.

"Good boy, Cid…" Avalon scratched his papery head, letting herself half-smile. "At least yew care."

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"That annoying little brat…!" Pester slammed his meaty hands onto his keyboard, grinding his teeth loudly in anger. "I can't believe that jackass Jardiniero is actually pleased with her!"

The evil professor had spent the past several hours watching his wall of monitors, and Leena's sudden increase in skill was totally pissing him off! Jardiniero's garden plot was supposed to be in abysmal condition forever! When the young, dithering, scatterbrained Leena took over the land, Pester was pleased. He thought she'd never get better, leaving the garden of a legend in the hands of a thirteen year old girl was social suicide! But the now fifteen year old Leena had a dramatic leap in improvement, and the garden was looking more and more gorgeous every day, which turned Pester's stomach. It brought back horrible memories to see his former place of employment spring from the ashes. He couldn't let this happen.

"I have to do something about this…" Pester rubbed his chin in thought. "That little party all the idiots in the Village are throwing for her will be the perfect time to strike…" Pester let an enormous smirk cross his masked face. "Leena might be an 'amazing' gardener, but she's still as fragile as fine china! I could break her easily… and I know just how to do it!" Pester threw his head back and let out an evil laugh for the ages. "Ruffians! Bring me my whiteboard! I need to outline a plan… and you're going to help me!"