29. Family Matters (are messy)

Rio slurped the rest of his berry stew up. It was one of the best things he'd ever tasted! Sweet, warm, and filling as all hell! The berry chunks were just firm enough to chew comfortably, and it was a surprise on which one you'd get. Might feel the refreshing juices of a rawst berry, the sudden alertness of a chesto, or the sugary sweetness of a pecha. And it all somehow worked! This was the Riolu's third bowl!

He looked towards the dragon and panda that sat opposite of him. Seven, much larger wooden bowls sat to the side while he slurped down his eighth. Pana sighed in contentment, having finished her own regular-sized bowl. As the Hakamo-o loudly belched his complements to the chef, shaking the entire tree as he did so, the Pancham sighed in disgust.

"Had enough?" she sarcastically asked the dragon, already knowing the answer.

"Nope!" Scales said, laying another bowl down, licked clean like the others.

"Let's not bankrupt Blue's mom, huh?" Rio said, stacking his own bowls. He could feel the Greedent's Aura as she worked in the kitchen. Happy, pure joy radiated from her. She must have really missed Blue.

Nutmeg soon burst from the kitchen again, smiling at her new guests.

"It's no problem at all," she said, smiling. "Any friend of my son eats here for free! I won't hear anything else."

Rio wasn't sure how long it would be before she regretted those words, but he'd do his best to make sure it wouldn't happen for a while. It was a good thing Pana brought so much money… The only problem was convincing her to part with some of it.

Then he felt those other three Auras coming down. He turned to where they would come out, that other door, and sure enough, three Skwovet popped out, one after another. The first had a yellow bandana, the second a green, and the last a silver. They all turned to stare at the three sitting casually at one of the tables.

"Mom?" the one with the yellow scarf asked, turning towards Nutmeg. "Did that dragon guy just eat our breakfast?"

"More than our breakfast…" the one with green said, looking at Scales's tower. "Never seen anyone eat that much of mom's stew…"

"Don't be rude," the silver one said, chiding the green. "They're customers."

"Don't worry Yellow," Nutmeg said. "I made sure to set apart your share. Listen to your brother, Green. And Silver, they're actually our guests. Blue's teammates!"

Each of the squirrel's eyes widened at that.

"Blue's back?!" Yellow said, her eyes and Aura alight with joy.

"They're explorers!?" Silver asked, curiosity shining through more than joy.

"Is the dragon guy even gonna fit upstairs?" Green said, her eyes still fixed on Scales. "The other two should be fine, but…"

"Now now," their mother said, patting each on their heads. "Go ahead and get your food."

"But," Yellow asked, looking around. "Where's Blue?"

"Visiting your father. He'll be back soon. Now, go along!"

The triplets filed into the kitchen, not taking their eyes off of the siblings as they went. Yellow and Silver were still very happy, but Green's Aura showed more confusion than anything, probably still trying to figure out how they were gonna fit Scales upstairs.

"My other children," Nutmeg explained. "Blue's siblings."

"They're nice…" Pana grumbled.

"Yeah," Scales said, licking his bowl clean. "Seems to be worried about me…"

"Oh don't worry," Nutmeg said. "We'll find a way for you to be comfortable. I promise!"

Her cheery Aura wavered a bit at that, but she kept her smile on her face. Rio would be willing to try at least…

"Wait," Rio asked, remembering the earlier conversation, right before Blue left. "Didn't you two mention a Red?"

"Ah yes, my eldest. Shouldn't have to wait long to meet him. He usually stops by with…" her Aura turned sour as she finished the sentence. "...someone."

Rio cocked his eyes at that one, but before he could ask Scales finished his eighth bowl of the filling stew.

"Can I have another one?"

"Of course dear!"

…

It took a while, But Red finally let go of Blue. His smile was wide as he looked his brother up and down, obviously happy to see him again. It had been two years after all. Blue returned his smile, of course pleased to see his brother, but still nervous. At least he couldn't sense his emotions. It was very, very clear Red couldn't do that.

"So," Red said, walking towards the tree and placing his offering down and looking at the badge he left. "You made it to silver before deciding to move back home? I'm proud! Unpacked yet? I'll help you move your stuff."

Wow, that was fast. Even for him.

"Actually-" Blue started, but Red just kept talking.

"Probably hard and dangerous, right? No shame in giving up. You did good!"

"Red-" he said, digging in his bag for his new badge. He'd want to see proof.

"The timing couldn't be better! I-"

"Red!"

The Bibarel turned back to him, finally listening. The Bidoof knew this wouldn't be easy, he sounded so excited! What he was about to say would hurt.

"I'm just visiting," he said, showing his brother the gold ranked badge. "We had a big success recently and the guildmaster insisted. So I suggested… here."

Red's smile quickly turned into a frown. Blue took in a deep breath, preparing for what was about to happen.

"So you're not staying?" he asked. Blue could already hear the panic rising in his voice. "What's stopping you? Exploring? Well-"

"Not in front of dad," Blue said, stopping his brother with those simple words. They both looked back to the tree. "Please."

"...Fine."

Without another word the two beavers walked away from their father's grave, being very careful of the others. At least it gave Blue more time to think. How could he reassure his brother? Have him meet the team? No, if anything that'd make him worry more. Tell him about what he's accomplished? Same problem. Maybe don't bring it up? He might just drop it…

"How long are you staying?" Red asked.

"We...don't know," Blue answered. "The guildmaster never specified…"

"Well," the Bibarel's smile came back stronger. "That means you can stay as long as you want, right?"

"I guess…"

"Great! Now, let's head back to the restaurant. There's something I have to tell everyone. Someone for you to meet. It'll be perfect now that you're here!" He started on all fours, heading back to The Cheeky Chipmunk. Suddenly a little more nervous, Blue followed.

…

"Do a circle!"

Rio complied with Yellow's request, grabbing one end of his Bone Rush and pulling. The bone obeyed, bending backwards until he had a perfect hoop spinning around his arm. Two of the triplets seem to be mesmerized by the display, but one of them was definitely more inquisitive than the others.

"How does this move work?" Green asked. "And isn't it supposed to be a Lucario thing? How are you able to use it?"

Rio could wholeheartedly believe this was Blue's family. He gave the triplets a big grin.

"Lotsa practice," Rio answered. "As for how it works, you got me there. I just think about it, and the Aura-"

A spike sprouts from the ring, stabbing the table. The triplets jump back in shock.

"-can do that." the bone faded, leaving a noticeable puncture in the wood. At least Nutmeg didn't see it. She was in the back, making another batch of stew for actual customers. "Also sorry about the table."

The triplets stared in awe, all of them now focused on Rio.

"Teach me how to do that!" Yellow shouted.

"What are its other uses?" Silver asked, eyes shining.

"Do you have limits?" Green questioned. "Shapes you can't do? How big can it get? How long can they last?"

"Well-"

"Thanks for the help," Pana said, slamming the door to upstairs behind her. She had just finished putting their stuff up, mainly the cash and some random bits and bobs, while Scales finished his twentieth bowl of stew. Even Green had grown used to the sheer amount of food that guy could pack away.

"What?" Rio said, shrugging and letting the bone fade. "They asked to see something cool."

Rio sensed her intentions before he could react. She gave him a quick, stinging knock on his head, glaring.

"And I asked for help," she hissed. "Now-"

"How did you move that fast?" Silver asked, wide eyed. "I didn't even see you move!"

"Trade secret," she said casually before continuing. "Help me clean up in there or I'm gonna-"

Then the door opened, and an unfamiliar Aura stepped inside. A Zangoose entered, a pleasant smile on her face. Her reddish eyes shined with excitement and joy, along with her Aura. A long, faded scar ran all the way up her belly and chest, splitting the red streak of fur in the way. Her necklace, a thick thread with a clear stone with a bright yellow center hanging from it. She waved at the triplets.

"Hey Rose!" Yellow said, turning to her. "Where's Red?"

"Visiting your dad," she said, taking a seat near the group. "Agreed to meet up here. Got something important to say!" She looked at the new faces in the restaurant, a Riolu rubbing his head, the Pancham that obviously punched him, and the giant Hakamo-o who was currently licking a large bowl clean. Her grin never faded.

"You're new around here," Rose said to the three. "What brings you all the way out to this sleepy berg?"

"Vacation," Rio said, rubbing his head. "Our friend's from here. Their brother."

"Oh you mean Blue?" she seemed to light up at that. "Red talks about him all the time! Great timing too! He was talking about going down there to pick him up."

"What for?" Scales asked, now finally finished with his meal.

"I should wait for them to get back," Rose said, smiling. "This is for the whole family to hear."

It was then that Nutmeg decided to reappear, clapping her paws, looking a little more haggard than usual.

"The new batch is on," she said. "I'm glad you all enjoy my-"

As soon as she saw Rose, the second she laid her eyes on her, her Aura went from the cheeriest and brightest in the room to cold and dark. Not even Pana could flip a switch like that. She patted her apron aggressively before continuing.

"Hello Rose," the mother said, barely containing her disdain. "How are you today?"

"Hi Nutmeg," she said, not even phased by the tone of voice. "I'm great, better than ever."

"Wonderful," she ground out. "And why is that?"

"Well-"

The door opened again, and in stepped the brothers in question. Rio was so startled by the sudden change in their mothers Aura he hadn't even noticed them coming.

"Hey mom!" Red said, cheerily. "Guess who I-"

"Blue!" the triplets said, tackling their brother off his feet. He never stood a chance, lying on his back as his three smaller siblings crawled all over him.

"We missed you!" Yellow said.

"What's guild life like?" Silver followed up, bouncing excitedly on his stomach. "What have you found?"

"Your friends eat a lot," Green commented, pointing to Scales's tower of bowls.

"Yeah, holy…" Red said, following his little sister's gesture. When the Bibarel saw Rose, his Aura did the exact opposite of his mother, lighting up as soon as he laid eyes on her. Hers did the same. Rio swore he could see hearts in both of their eyes. The Zangoose walked over, nuzzling Red gently.

"Hey guy," she said.

"Hey yourself," the Bibarel said back, hugging the taller Pokemon, not even minding the long claws that came with her. "You got here fast."

"I was excited!" And she was, practically bouncing in place. "So, this is the famous Blue?" She said, crouching down and holding a clawed paw out.

"F-famous?" he said, carefully taking a claw. The Zangoose pulled him off his back as the triplets cleared away.

"Of course! This guy won't shut up about you!" she chuckled, pointing at the Bibarel behind her.

"Hey!" Red said. "It's not all I talk about!"

"You're right. Sometimes it's about how he-"

"Not in front of my mom…" Red said, now blushing.

"Ok, ok, but you're doing it later!"

He blushed even harder, but Rio could sense excitement between the embarrassment. His eyes were alight with it too. Something told him he was glad he couldn't read minds.

"So," Nutmeg said, her Aura softening at the sight of all her children in one place again. "What did you two want to tell us?"

The obvious lovebirds locked eyes with each other, before turning to the Greedent.

"We're engaged!" they said at the same time, Rose holding out her necklace.

Rio struggled to find words that would describe the shock coming from the Bidoof, or the utter despair coming from the Greedent.