Chapter 11: Planet Shizin

When I got to the park, I looked for a private place to warp to Shizin. I chose an old gazebo that was covered by long vines. When I got up into it, I threw the Warp Seed up. It started to glow so I shouted, "Shizin!"

Suddenly, I started glowing too. I hope the vines are thick enough to hide all the light. I closed my eyes because the light became so intense. When the light seemed to disappear, I opened my eyes.

"Oh wow," I gasped as I got my first glimpse of Shizin.

I found myself in front of a grand green castle. The turrets looked like trees and the castle itself looked to be made of thick bushes. However, everywhere else looked dead. There were no trees or plants of any kind. The ground was devoid of life. It was a depressing sight.

"Hana! You made it!" a familiar voice shouted.

I turned around to see Kyabe running toward me. When she got close, she jumped at me. I caught her and hugged my cabbage friend.

"Hey. Long time no see. We have a lot of work to do, don't we?"

"Yep! At least we don't have to worry about them bothering us. King Kusumura is waiting for you in the throne room. Are you ready to get started?"

Kusumura. This was the first time I had heard his actual name.

"Yeah," I said as I walked toward the green castle.

When we got to the giant wooden door, some radish guards asked us who we were.

"I'm Hana Kojo. King Kusumura has requested an audience with me and Kyabe," I said, trying to be professional.

"You may pass," they said in gruff voices.

Then, the door opened and we were led further inside by a leek servant. As we walked down the halls, I noticed that everything seemed to be made from plants. Even the rugs and tapestries were woven from some sort of plant. It was incredible! Finally, we made it to another set of wooden doors. More radish guards were stationed here. When they saw us, they opened the doors.

"Welcome, Hana! I am so glad you could make it!" the king exclaimed when he saw me.

"It's my pleasure. I'm happy to help," I replied, curtseying.

"No need for such formality! You are our hero!" Kusumura admonished.

I looked at him and nodded.

"As you know, Kagaku and his minions wiped out most of the life here on Shizin when they polluted this planet. Since you offered your assistance, we are counting on you to help us regrow our planet. Our first task is to plant seeds all across the planet. You will not be alone in this monumental task. Every able citizen will be helping you plant the seeds across this world. Are you ready to get started?"

"Yes. I cannot stand to see this planet look so dead. I can't wait to see how it's supposed to look."

"Excellent! You will start planting in Teien Town. I have arranged a carriage to take you there. Once there, the town chief will instruct you on how to plant the seeds."

"I understand."

With that, we left the throne room and made our way back outside. When we got there, a wooden carriage awaited us. It was pulled by two ginger horses. When I opened the carriage door, I was surprised to see Yuri waiting for us.

"Hello, Hana. You made it here more quickly than I expected," she said, scooting over to give us some room to sit down.

"Yeah. School was over by the time I made it back. I figured it would be best to come and help out."

"I see. As you know, we are going to Teien Town to help the townsfolk regrow their parks. I'm going to help water the seeds once they are planted. It's been a while since I've been back home," Yuri said softly, looking out the window.

"You're from Teien Town? I didn't realize. I thought you and the other girls lived in the castle."

"We do, but we are all from Teien Town. It's a beautiful place full of flowers, or at least, it was before they polluted it."

I didn't know what to say. Hearing Yuri talk of her hometown strengthened my resolve to heal this planet. I'm glad I had a hand in getting rid of Kagaku.

Finally, we made it to our destination. When I got out of the carriage, I saw many houses made of the same bush like material as the castle. Some of them had small, dying flowers growing on them. The town itself was brown and barren. It was hard to believe this was once a lush, green place full of life.

"I'll take you to the chief," Yuri said, tearing up once she saw the barren town.

She led us to a large building in the center of the town. Yuri knocked on the wooden door and waited until someone opened it.

"Hello, Yuri! It's been a long time!" a short man said as he opened the door.

The two hugged until the man spotted me.

"So you must be Hana! It's a pleasure to meet you! I've heard so much about you!" he exclaimed, shaking my hand.

"It was no big deal. I only did what was right," I squeaked modestly, blushing.

The man laughed.

"Modest as well as brave! Anyways, I'm the chief of this town. The name's Jagaimo, but you can call me Jag. Are you ready to get started?"

I nodded so Jag started explaining which seeds to plant and where to plant them. After that, I left with a bagful of seeds, heading to my first destination. There, I found other people planting seeds. I quickly got to work. Once I got my part done, I noticed that the sun was starting to set. After saying goodbye to Yuri, I used the Warp Seed to return home.

When I made it back to Earth, I discovered that it was only a little past 5:30. Not wanting to worry Mom, I headed back home. Today was a fulfilling day.

. . .

Weeks went by. With each day, Shizin was closer to being revived. However, there was still a long road ahead of us. One day would change my life and the life of Shizin forever.