31. Tone Down the Terror

"So," Blue asked. "Married?"

He sat across from his older brother and his finance, his own birch log half eaten. Everyone sat close to each other, although the Bidoof couldn't help but notice his mother sitting as far away from Rose as possible. Scales, of course, had just polished off his sixth bowl of stew for the night, and if this morning was any indication he wouldn't be done anytime soon. Rio was playing with the triplets, making more and more complex shapes out of his Bone Rush. Pana sat quietly beside him, eating her soup and trying to ignore her brothers' stupid antics.

"Yup!" Rose said, pulling Red closer. "Honestly I thought he'd never ask!"

"Oh come on," Red said. "A little more faith would be nice."

"You're right! I'll make it up to you later…"

Red's cheeks turned his namesake, and his tail started wagging. Blue could only blink in surprise. A lot changed in two years, apparently.

"When?" his mother asked in a neutral voice. "Where? Who's invited? Do you already have it planned out?"

"We're working on it," Rose said coolly.

"We're gonna try for about a month from now," Red elaborated. "Give her family enough-"

"Her family!?" the Greedent shot up at that, eyes wide. All eyes turned to the short squirrel. Even Scales stopped eating, and the small Bone Rush Rio was shaping into a squirrel shape popped in his paws. "They're coming here?"

"Nutmeg," Rose said, her smile finally fading. "I promise they'll be on their best behavior. I'll make sure of it."

The Greedent stared at her future daughter-in-law, not quite glaring, but with hard eyes. What was wrong with this family? Blue had never seen her so bothered by anything, except for the last time she saw dad…

No. He couldn't relive that. Not that memory. Never that memory.

After a while, the Greedent sighed, sitting back down.

"Please do," she said, before forcing a smile. "Sorry. Just surprise after surprise. I'm not good with meat dishes though, so I hope they won't mind…"

"Oh don't worry about that," Rose said, perking up once again. "Finn already agreed to help there."

The smile suddenly came less forced at those words.

"Really? Good! I'll have to talk with him on what would pair well… Later. We have another thing to celebrate tonight!" His mother turned to face the Bidoof, who couldn't help but sweat a bit. Red and Rose followed suit.

"You're an explorer right?" Rose said, looking down at the Bidoof. "Want to tell us a story about what you've seen?"

"Yeah Blue!" Silver had darted away from Rio at those words, followed by his two siblings. "Tell us!"

"Yeah," Red added, leaning in closer, looking Blue in the eyes. "What have you been up to?"

"Well," Blue said looking away, trying to figure out what exactly he should say. Too boring and the triplets would be disappointed. The truth might scare Red to death, and then he'd spend the entire time they were here trying to convince him to quit! And he didn't want mom to worry more than she already did. "I-"

"Just tell em about the crystals," Pana said, elbowing him without looking up, really into her bamboo shoots. "You know, the cavern? Who we met?"

"Oh yeah!" Blue lit up at the memory, an exciting one, and decided right there to leave out the… more dangerous parts. What Red didn't know would probably save him from a heart attack.

"So… theres a huge crystal cavern under Wonder City…"

…

"You met a Mythical Pokemon?!"

Silver's eyes were wide at Blue's story, along with Yellow and Green. No Legendaries or Mythicals had been seen in over a century after all. It was a good thing he'd just finished the log, or his brother would have knocked it over.

"What's she like?" Silver continued. "Is she really made of pink gemstones? Did she make that entire place? How did no one notice an entire society under there for so long? How-"

"Silver!" Nutmeg said, standing and also in awe. "Off the table!"

"Sorry mom…" the Skwovet said, following his mothers orders.

"That's incredible!" Rose said, taking a sip of water and turning to her future husband. "See, he was fine!"

"Yeah…" Red said, looking his brother up and down. "I guess he was…"

Shit, did he know he was hiding something?

"Diancie is kinda crazy," Pana said, looking back up. "Said the dungeon was some kinda test."

"Test?" Red asked, looking at the shorter bear. "What kind of test? Was it dangerous?"

"It was-"

"Nothing too bad!" Blue cut Pana off, to her slight annoyance by the looks of her glare. "We all came out fine. Nothing to worry about."

"Really?" Red asked. "That's not the tone of something fine…"

He did his best to hide his nerves, but Red was always good at picking up on that.

"We lived," Rio said, playing with his Z-Stones. "Got this out of it!" he was tapping on the most recent addition to his collection, the pink crystal. His entire family's eyes widened in recognition at the shape. He hoped to broach that subject later…

"They look like dad's!" Yellow pointed out, looking back at Blue's wrist, and back at the other two members of the team. "Did she give you the bracelets too?"

"Yup!" Scales said, now eating his eight big apple. "Now we can use em. Well, Rio and Blue can."

"Rio won't let me try the black one…" Pana grumbled.

"I found it, it's mine!" Rio shot back. "When you find one, you can keep it."

"Use?" Green asked. "But dad said they didn't do anything."

"Couldn't be more wrong!" Rio continued. "Just needed the right moves."

"And what are those?" Red asked, incredulous.

"Actually Rio," Blue said before he could demonstrate and possibly destroy half the town by accident. "Do you mind if we try those new ones tomorrow? In a...safer environment?"

"Oh yeah," Rio said, sitting back down. "Of course."

"Safer environment?" Nutmeg asked, looking at her eldest sons. "What exactly did your father give you two?"

Red paused to yank at his own necklace, kept under his bandana. The light blue Z-Crystal looked just like Blue remembered, a diamond shape, with a black droplet on its center. He suddenly seemed scared of it as he looked at the Riolu. Blue saw his friend's eyes light up at the crystal, and he wondered if that one glowed for him too...

"Don't worry," Blue reassured his brother. "They won't do anything on their own. There are specific instructions."

Red seemed to calm down at those words, putting the necklace back under his bandana. Rio let his eyes linger a little while longer, before turning away.

"Mind if I tag along?" Red asked, looking between the two. "I wanna see what exactly he left us…" He knew that was at least part of it.
"Depends," Rio asked before Blue could answer. "Are we invited to the wedding?"

"That depends," Rose shot back before Red could respond. "You guys willing to help prep?"

"Sure!" Rio answered.

"Why not?" Scales said, finishing the apple core.

"At least we're getting compensated…" Pana said, nodding. "Sounds fair."

"Great!" Rose said, clapping.

"Can we come too?" Silver asked, eyes pleading.

"Yeah!" Yellow added.

"No!" Blue said immediately. Red was one thing, but endangering his younger siblings? Off the table. "...I'll tell you all about it."

"Awwwww…" they groaned in unison.

"I'll teach you a move after?" Rio said, shrugging.

"Yaaay!" the triplets shouted, crowding Rio.

"What kind of move?" Blue asked, fearing for their safety for a second.

"Something they're suited for, don't worry. Nothing dangerous."

Blue already knew Rio's sense of danger was heavily skewed in one direction, but he also knew the Riolu wouldn't put the triplets in danger on purpose, so he decided to let it go. Besides, they were excited, and Red was already suspicious. He had to let it happen. They'd probably be fine.

"Alright then," Red said, standing up. "Blue, wanna go for a walk? Catch up?"

Oh no.

"S-sure!"

"Don't stay out too late you two!" Nutmeg said as they walked for the door.

"Hey Blue!" Rose said, just as his older brother opened the door. "Red's bedtime is when the moon's at its peak. I want him back by then. We've got a...busy night…"

Red blushed, and he saw Rio stifling a laugh. His mother looked horrified, and the implications thankfully flew over the triplets' heads. Except Green probably. She was shaking her head.

A LOT changed in two years, apparently.

…

"Was that the whole story?"

The two beavers aimlessly wandered their hometown on all fours. Red hadn't looked away from Blue ever since they left.

"...No," Blue said. He couldn't lie to his brother. Dance around the truth maybe, but straight up lie? It wouldn't feel right.

"Are you gonna tell me the whole story?" The pair had just come up to the founder's statue, Keldeo's horn spraying water and catching the moonlight. He wished he could enjoy the walk, but he knew why Red had asked him to walk with him.

"...No," if he told his brother the entire thing, the conversation they were about to have would get so much worse. He couldn't tell him about the Labyrinth. About what really happened with Diancie and Rhodes, about Legacies, and especially not the lab.

"Was it dangerous?"

"I mean, dungeon diving always had an inherent risk, so…"

"You know what I mean."

He did. He always did.

"Yeah," Blue answered, looking away. "Very."

"Why do you insist on doing this to yourself!" Red suddenly started shouting. "You could just stay here, make a life as a carpenter, or something safe!"

"I-" the smaller beaver tried to cut it, but Red was in full rant mode.

"I get that you want something more, but is that really worth your life?" He was in his face now, his worry and anger contorting his face. Blue turned away once again, but Red wouldn't be ignored, padding and now standing over his brother.

"I-"

"You're not strong enough."

He was probably right about that, one of the last things he said to the Bidoof after all. Mostly from Red, but he'd felt the truth behind those words many, many times over in the past two years.

It still hurt.

Still, there were three reasons that's become less of a problem, but that wouldn't matter to his brother. Hell, he'd doubt he'd listen, so he stayed silent.

"You're not suited for this life!"

"Dad did it," he mumbled.

"And look what that got him!" Red shouted. "A tree in the grove!"

And suddenly he could see his father, the shape he was in right before he died. Missing his tail, one eye missing, the socket freely bleeding, stomach filled with stab wounds…

Blue blinked the memory away, shaking. That memory was off limits. It was too much to remember his father's last moments…

He felt Red's paw on his back, and he couldn't tell if his brother was shaking too.

"That was too far," Red apologized. "I shouldn't have brought that up."

Blue could only stare back at his brother, still shaking, trying to get his mind off that damn memory…

"I just don't want the same thing to happen to you."

Blue couldn't respond, as he trudged back to the restaurant. Trying desperately to focus on something, anything else. The tests, yeah. What would he and Rio try first? The limits of his transformation first, and work up from there. Yeah, that sounded reasonable.

"Blue?"

He didn't respond to his brother, or anyone for that matter, as he wandered back up to his room, and fell asleep, thoughts full of possibilities, and nothing else.

Of course the nightmare still came for him. For the first time in two years.