…

…..

….

"...H-Huh?" Rio blinked himself awake, and nearly immediately regretted it. "Gah..!" The sun was shining directly from above, showering him with its invigorating warmth and blinding light. The gentle ebb and flow of waves against the shore graced his ears. Warm, cozy sand cradled his body from behind, while a soft, pink creature laid sprawled on his front. Rio nearly considered going back to sleep, but Mew appeared to be restless in her slumber, and softly kicked him in the face.

Rubbing his cheek, Rio slowly sat up. His body felt stiff as a board, his joints in his spine popping until he was upright, which took, like, a good ten seconds. It quickly dawned on him that he passed out on the beach, right in front of the guild too. Alone as well… aside from Mew it seemed. Who stuck to his abdomen surprisingly well for someone who looked and sounded like they were still asleep. Rio let out a grumble and held his head, taking in a deep breath, then exhaled.

"Yeah, I'm awake now," Rio told himself. He sat in silence for a moment, then started to smile. "Oh my gods I'm awake. And not in a cave!" he laughed, but quickly quieted himself when Mew kicked again. "...And I'm dealing with this instead, it seems. Great."

'Mornin' sleepin' beauty. Oh, wait, Mew's still asleep… Then good morning to you, Rio,' Orion spoke from within Rio's head.

The Lucario didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed that Orion was still around, and with that little quip he was considering leaning towards the latter. 'Har dee har. Thanks for the warm welcome, Orion.'

'Hey, it's what I do best. And I'm sure I'm not nearly as warm a welcome as strawberry frosting on your chest there,' Orion chuckled.

'Strawberry… You mean Mew?' Rio blinked and shook his head. 'Don't… Don't ruin strawberry frosting for me like this, man. I actually really like that stuff.'

Orion's laugh echoed in Rio's mind, and he could practically see Orion wiping a tear from his eye. 'I'm just sayin' it how I see it. If you like strawberry frosting so much, don't let little ol' me stop you.'

Rio's eyes narrowed at no one in particular. 'I know what you're doing, and I refuse to play into it.' He stood up, cradled Mew with an arm, and stretched out his back. It let out a loud, satisfying, and also kinda painful pop. Rio winced, sighed, and kept at it until he felt… mostly normal again. "I-I'm gonna go see what everyone's up to," he said aloud, then spun on his heel and headed for the forest, stumbling slightly as he did so. Good thing nobody was watching him then, he looked like a drunk. At least he was pretty sure he was alone.

'And I'll sit this one out. Now that you're up, I can do some much needed maintenance. Try not to get too worked up about anything. Or do, that might help. Just make sure you pay more attention than you normally do,' Orion said, his voice fading as if walking away. Rio didn't know what that meant, but hey, that probably meant today would be nice and quiet.

First up on Rio's quest to see his friends was Minerva. Who he had… maybe an idea where to find. She was either back at her place, at Diana's house, or somewhere else along the shore. It was too late to test out that third option, and Minerva's Dad's bank was too far, so Rio stopped by Diana's house to say hi.

For whatever reason Rio thought he was being watched. He took a quick glance around, found nothing, then he walked in, he was greeted by Diana, Kai, and Mia sitting around their fire pit. Diana was watching a pot boil, humming softly to herself, and the two kits were snoring gently beside her, wrapped around each other in a black and brown bundle of adorable fluff.

"Hey," Rio whispered, slowly stepping over to Diana and waving. "I'm not too late for breakfast, am I?"

Diana turned to him and gave her usual warm smile, then shook her head. "Oh, not at all. I started not too long ago. I see you still have your hands full?" the motherly fox whispered back and gestured to Mew. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were her loving father."

"Oh please, I'm not that old," Rio quietly scoffed, but took a more secure hold of Mew before sitting down. "But I'm more fine with being called her father than her husband. Don't think I forgot about yesterday, y'all are a buncha teasing jerks," he huffed, then snickered and smiled.

"So would now be a bad time to say I meant that as you being father material?" Diana snorted, covering her mouth with a paw to muffle herself.

Rio's face grew red and he puffed out his cheeks. "I will wake up your son, I mean it!" he quietly shouted.

Diana rolled her eyes and pinched Rio's cheek in response. "Please, dear. You would not risk waking Mew just to get back at me. She'd be clinging to the both of us all day. Not that I entirely mind, but I can tell that you do."

As if to prove Diana's point, Mew shuffled slightly and raised a paw to Rio's other cheek to pinch it. He nearly yelped in surprise, but with his face growing redder, he quietly relented. Diana was right, anyway. "...We'll call it a truce, then," Rio muttered.

"Agreed. I sense we could both use the extra peace and quiet," Diana nodded, giving Rio's cheek a pat as she let go. Mew… did the same, snoring softly still. Taking note of this, Diana smiled again. "I may be getting ahead of myself, but something tells me that today will be quite exciting for you."

The two Outlanders stared at the fire in silence, allowing the crackle of the flames to fill the air. Rio wanted to ask what she was making, but decided to test himself and see if he could figure it out. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and the very first thing to hit him was the tart scent of lum berries and lemon juice, or… maybe some other citrus?

Eventually, when his nose was having trouble deciding between that scent being lemon, orange, or grapefruit, Rio spoke up. "Sooooo… How're you feeling?" he asked.

Diana took a moment before responding. "I am well. Fantastic, even. If I knew I needed a year of battle to get back into shape and enjoy myself, I would have dove into that dungeon sooner," she said, chuckling softly as she placed her paw on her chest. "I feel young again, and seeing our lord Arceus' sun after so long, and my boys, even my home… I never realized how much I could miss any of them." Diana then turned to Rio, her smile fading slightly. "And what of you?"

"Me?" Rio blinked, then shrugged. "I guess I'd say I feel the same. Without, you know, the context of missing my boys. Since I don't have any. Maybe a bit stiff but that'll wear off eventually," he tittered.

"I see," Diana hummed sagely, then gently patted Rio's shoulder. "In that case, why not take another walk? If I recall, you came from the beach, right? That's hardly enough to stretch your legs now, isn't it?"

Rio blinked again, then nodded. "I… guess?" he said, then looked at Diana and squinted. "Wait, you knew I was out cold on the beach? You just left me there?"

Diana simply nodded. "You and Mew were asleep, and my own body was exhausted. Even when I returned, I barely had the strength to carry Kai and Mia." She then looked at the kits in question, smiling more. "They have been asleep like that ever since I took them off your hands. I can't help but feel my heart grow warm everytime I see them."

"...I can see that," Rio nodded slowly, finding himself smiling as well. "Almost makes you forget that one of them tried to beat me to a pulp by using his brother."

"Oh I'm sure you were fantastic," Diana chuckled and waved dismissively. "You're a strong Lucario, an Outlander no less. You wouldn't have fallen so easily, believe me."

Well getting all that praise outta nowhere certainly got to Rio's head real fast. He chuckled shyly and grinned, rubbing the back of his head. "W-Well I mean I guess I'm pretty sturdy. That's oughta be the Outlander stuff coursing through me, or maybe this band of mines is a lucky charm!" he beamed, flashing the band tied around his right bicep, black with green flames, and only slightly scuffed after everything that had happened!

"Perhaps. Of all the weapons I've seen bestowed to Outlanders from Arceus above, accessories are usually tied to good fortune," Diana nodded, grabbing a spoon and stirring the contents of the pot. A rich, sweet scent wafted through the tent. "So to say you are blessed is far from inaccurate."

Rio blinked, then hummed. "Huh, neat." He then leaned over the pot, propping himself up with a paw on Diana's shoulder. "Whatcha makin' by the way?"

Diana herself shrugged. "I am attempting to make a sugary glaze of lum berries and pineapple juice. Emphasis on attempting, but Minerva was insistent that I try at least once. She said Kora and Kai would adore it, which certainly sold me on the idea."

"It's definitely sweet enough for the both of them, yeah," Rio nodded, then took a step back and waved. "Well, I'll be off. Good luck with the glaze! I'd offer some help but have literally no idea what I'd be doing!"

"You and I both," Diana chuckled, waving goodbye. "See you soon, Outlander Rio."

Rio grinned, and dashed off outside. The sound of which caused Kai and Mia to stir, but thankfully, not awaken.

Rio decided to take his time going down to the Square, mostly because he loved the gentle breeze in his fur, and the grass against his legs, and found a really cool tree that reminded him about trees. And it was surrounded by a bunch of other trees!

While Rio was playing up the awe and wonder that tall, wooden flora had on him, Mew was still sound asleep. At some point, however, she managed to climb up to Rio's neck and lay on him like a small and pink scarf. He didn't notice until he had arrived at the Bank tent and took a second to look around, that "being watched" sensation returning for a moment. While he was skeptical about Mew actually being asleep… Rio would rather deal with her pretending than risk waking her up.

The inside of the bank was just like Rio remembered; hardly memorable. A rug, a counter, a big ol' vault behind it… the only thing it lacked was a furious Meowth throwing boxes of stones at a cheesy Zoroark.

…Instead, as Rio took a step further inside, he heard the faint sounds of someone else snoring. Two, someones. And the vault had claw marks and dents in it, as well as the counter?

"What the heck..?" Rio muttered to himself, going up to the counter and leaning over.

Laying on the other side, sprawled out on the floor, was Nate. The Feraligatr was still totally unconscious, and every now and then kicked his foot much like Mew did. Rio honestly didn't know what to do with that comparison, so he discarded it.

"Uh, hello?" Rio said, loud enough to stir Nate somewhat. "Helloooooooooo?" Again, hardly more than a stir from the big reptile. Not wanting to wake Mew, Rio slid her to his chest and pressed one of her ears to it and covered the other. "Nate! Bro! Wake up!" Rio shouted, glancing down at Mew to be sure she didn't wake.

Nate suddenly jolted up, jumping to his feet and holding up his arms. For whatever reason, feathers rose up with him, fluttering gently to the ground right after. "I-I'm up!" he yelped, then blinked, realizing Rio was standing right there. He seemed relieved after that. "Oh, Rio. Thank gods…"

"Yeah, uh, why are you passed out on the bank floor?" Rio asked, when he heard the second snorer start to stir and grumble. Rising just from under Nate… was Zeke. His feathers were ruffled, and he looked rather flat and tired.

"Oh, hey Rio…" Zeke yawned, rubbing his eyes. "Nice necklace."

Rio looked down, and once again Mew moved herself around his neck. He didn't question it. "Why are the both of you asleep on the bank floor? And what the heck happened? Did you have a fight?"

Nate's eyes darted around, as if he was trying to think of something, when he snapped and pointed at Rio. "I have no idea!" he said with a totally-not-suspicious smile. "Minerva asked us to open up this vault thing to get some cash out for Ben and Clara, but, uh… we got tired!"

"Vault..? Oh yeah, that thingy," Zeke smacked his lips, laying his head on the counter with a tired smile. "Good times… Kinda got in the way, though… but we couldn't leave."

Rio was about to ask what that was about when Nate clamped Zeke's beak shut and laughed. "Y-Yeah, it got in the way of our progress! The damn thing was impossible to open! So we gave up! Called it quits!" Nate hastily explained. "Yep, was gonna go ahead and tell Minerva we needed help but uh, we fell asleep! As I said!"

"...Uh huh," Rio nodded slowly, staring at Nate as if he was a crazy person. Which the gator definitely sounded like. "And the scratches and dents on the counter?"

"Were there when we started!" Nate replied, for some reason finding it hard to look Rio in the eye.

Not believing Nate at all, but also being pretty sure he didn't want the truth, Rio shrugged and nodded. "Ok, I believe you," he said, getting a sigh of relief from Nate. Rio then held up a paw, grinning slightly. "I'll just mosey on over to Minerva and tell her you guys were slacking the whole time. I bet she'd be furious."

The color faded from Nate's body, and he swallowed. "Sh-She definitely will be! She'd probably kill us, haha!" he tittered, scratching his shoulder. "H-How, uh, how could I convince you to not tell her..?"

Rio's grin grew even further, and he shook his head. "I don't know what you mean, Nate. I'm just being a good friend and telling my good friend that she'll have to get the cash herself. Wouldn't wanna keep her waiting, or Ben and Clara, right?" he hummed, spinning on his heel to face the exit and leave. He gave a wave as he went. "See ya, and good luck. Maybe if the vault's open when she comes back, she'll be less upset or something. I dunno."

"R-Right! Yeah!" Nate laughed, stiff and forced. "M-M-Maybe! Haha! S-See you later!"

When Rio left the tent, he could hear Nate let out a terrified groan and hurry to wake Zeke up, and Zeke responded in half-asleep slurred speech. Rio honestly felt kinda bad for them, being woken up out of nowhere and threatened with Minerva of all things. But it'd be weird if he went back and apologized, right? Maybe he should… Yeah, yeah, he should.

Rio turned back around to the tent, but before he could enter it again, a torrent of water blasted through the entrance, leaving a soaking wet Zeke in a muddy puddle outside. Inside, Nate was groaning and growling and really trying his hardest to do something. Probably open the vault.

Before Rio went inside, obviously the first thought to stream to mind was to check up on Zeke. He went to the Blaziken's side, worry drenched on his face, holding Zeke's claw. "H-Hey, uh, Zeke? What happened? Are you alright?"

Zeke spit out an almost alarming amount of water and coughed, grabbing hold of Rio's paw with a shaky claw. His eyes were watery, his breathing like uneven waves. "R-Rio…" Zeke muttered, coughing again. "Rio, come closer."

Rio's eyes widened. He gulped and nodded, then sunk his ear to Zeke's beak. "Y-Yes? What is it?" A sudden spurt of water from Zeke shot into Rio's ear, causing the Lucario to yip and jump back. He would have fallen on his back, but threw his arms behind him to catch himself. And, fortunately, Mew was still asleep.

"Ha! Gotcha!" Zeke laughed and sat up, coughing up even more water. "W-Worth it..!"

"What! The hell!" Rio barked, growling and shaking a fist at Zeke. Mew started to shuffle, so he quieted himself. "What was that for?!"

Zeke grinned, coughing again. "F-For going to rat us out to Minerva! Do you know how painful a hydro pump is when you can't brace for it?"

"Then don't fall asleep! I wasn't even gonna tell Minerva, but I just might anyway!" Rio huffed, his eyes narrowing on Zeke. "I might even tell her about how you and Nate scratched up her stuff!"

Zeke glared back, slowly shaking his head. "Nooooo, you wouldn't," he said, wiping some water off his beak. The two stared back and forth for a solid minute before Zeke relented. "Y-You wouldn't, right?"

"I might have water stuck in my ear, so yes, I would," Rio huffed, crossing his arms. "That both hurt, and it's annoying."

"So is being soaking wet!" Zeke squawked, then cleared his throat and pointed a claw at Rio. "You try getting blasted by basically a cannon with muscles! Then have the threat of a bomb of a cat hang over your head!" Zeke then blinked, and a sinister grin grew along his beak. "Actually…"

Rio's eyes narrowed further, almost shutting. "Actually what?"

Zeke suddenly jumped up, taking a deep inhale, then shouted, "HEY MEW!"

And just like that, all hell broke loose. The slumbering pink feline on Rio's shoulders instantly shot awake, letting out a loud, excessive yawn and stretching over Rio's head. She then sat right between Rio's ears, dangling her feet before his eyes, and shooting Zeke a warm smile. "Howdy you! Long time no see!"

"Oh it hasn't been that long," Zeke chuckled, then nodded down to Rio. "But your hubby was planning something special for you, and– whoops!" Zeke gasped dramatically, as if he made a comical blunder. "I just spoiled that he had a surprise! Oh dear, I am so sorry, Rio!"

"Oh my gods, really?!" Mew gasped, putting her paws on her cheeks and giggling afterward. "I can't believe it! Is that true? Oh, that's so dang sweet~!"

Rio pushed Mew off his head, and the feline casually fluttered back to his shoulders, purring and hugging his neck. "Zeke," Rio muttered, shaking water out of his ear. "I am sorry, my friend." He grabbed Mew, holding her before him, and giving her the biggest smile he could. "My surprise was that I convinced Zeke to hug you for as long as you wanted!" Rio said with a sinister, chipper voice.

Zeke looked as if he was hit in the chest with an anchor. Mew's eyes widened and sparkled, and her tail swayed happily behind her. "Really?! Really really?!" she gasped, giggling and laughing wildly. "I can't believe it! I can't believe it!"

"Yep!" Rio snickered, turning Mew to her newest target. "And he just can't wait for you to get together!"

"R-Rio!" Zeke stuttered, taking a step back. "Th-That wasn't the surprise! F-Far from it! Right? Right?"

Rio gave Zeke a cold stare and an empty smile. Zeke bolted back towards the back. "Nope," Rio said, then let go of Mew. She flew right for Zeke, chasing him down like a speeding bullet. Rio heard Mew collide with him just as he entered the Bank, and then his frantic cries for her to let go, then Nate trying to pry her off.

With a snort, Rio spun around and headed towards the bakery, feeling rather good about himself.

The bakery was surprisingly full of activity, but none of it was in the main area. Voices called from the kitchen, pots and pans clattered, laughter and groans danced into the open area of the tent… And above all else the impossibly delicious smell of baked goods pulled Rio in and didn't dare let him go, nor did he ever dream of doing such a thing.

He would have waited at the counter, but the smell was too enticing, and the voices in the kitchen were having too much fun by the sound of it. Maybe… maybe it'd be alright if he hopped over the counter juuuust this once? Surely that'd be fine.

After a glance back to make sure no one was watching, Rio tried to, actually. But thanks to his legs still being kinda wonky he didn't jump high enough and slipped, falling on his backside. Then he tried again, but just couldn't get his leg up and over, and fell again. Thinking he needed a running start, Rio jogged back to the tent entrance, ran ahead at full speed, then propped his arms to vault over aaaaaaaaaand…

Smacked his face on the countertop.

…Defeated, and with his head hung low in shame, he just walked around it. Thank god nobody saw that…

The bakery kitchen was quite big, for something in a tent. It had ovens, most with pastries baking in them, sinks overflowing with dishes, shelves with boxes and trays organized by the ingredients within, several fridges,and it was all laid out in a big ol' rectangle around a big island counter. On that island were plenty of bowls with batter or fruit or water or sitting dough, flour was scattered all over it as well as unattended fruit and berries… and a Pikachu. Ordering around three junior guildmembers and one Scrafty… wearing a baggy set of skin tied off like an apron.

"Lucas, stop licking the spoons if you aren't gonna wash them. Nina, get the spoons away from Lucas, then start on the dishes," Nari said with clap, which resulted in Nina and Lucas wrestling each other over a bunch of batter-coated spoons. Jay–" The Pikachu spun around to Jay, who was rolling out a crust over a pie tin, while Kane watched while whisking something in a steaming pot. "...Good work kid, keep that up. You too, Kane."

Rio watched everything going on as if he just learned how to see. The place was a mess, and yet Rio could tell that they were making progress with whatever they were doing. "They" being Jay and Kane, since Nina and Lucas were being… less than helpful. Speaking of the Frogadier and Charmeleon, their shenanigans knocked over a bowl of batter, which Kane caught with his tail. An act that allowed him to lock eyes with Rio.

The two stared back at each other in silence, which made the others turn to the Lucario as well. Lucas shoved a spoon in his mouth and waved at Rio with the remaining few in his claws, and was quickly tackled by Nina to the ground. Jay glanced up, nodded, then went back to trimming the excess crust from the tin. Kane, now red in the face, slowly turned around and tried not to acknowledge Rio at all.

"Ah, Outlander… I mean, Rio," Nari nodded, walking over a pile of flour to the edge of the island. "Didn't think I would see you up so soon."

"I uh… wasn't expecting to see you either. Especially here, in the bakery kitchen," Rio said, walking inside and rubbing his head. "What uh… are you guys doing?" He tilted to the side to see Kane, who shuffled until Nari was blocking him from view again, then looked at Nina and Lucas covered in batter and flour. "...Why is Kane wearing an… apron? Of skin?"

Jay raised a claw, lifting up a more standard white apron. "I actually have one as well, but not made of skin. They're on the wall beside you."

Nari grinned, putting her paws on her hips. "And believe it or not, Kane was here first. He was working on all this on his own," she snickered. Behind Nari, Kane choked, then turned to her with fury in his eyes. He grabbed a large pot, aiming to slam it on her head, until Lucas and Nina tried to hold him back. Not noticing, or caring perhaps, Nari went on. "He insisted that we put some on ourselves, but none of them fit me, Lucas would've burned his, and Nina doesn't like the ones here. Pretty sure his own is made of old shed skin? Weird, but I've seen weirder."

"Oh, huh, that's pretty cool," Rio said, grabbing an apron himself. All of them were just plain white, which for some reason was a bummer to him. "Still don't know why you're doing all this."

"Minerva's idea, more or less. Came to us asking if we wanted something to do, we said yes, then she dragged us here and told us to hop in the kitchen," Nari shrugged, kicking up a spoon and balancing it on a digit. "Which is hilarious since Ben and Clara would never allow this mess. I'm honestly dreading trying to clean up, if one thing's outta place then Tia's gonna have to get back to work haha… heh…" she shuddered, then cleared her throat and pointed the spoon at Rio. "Alright, Outlander, I'm putting you to work." Nari then pointed to Kane, who was still being detained by Nina and Lucas, and winning. "Do as Kane says."

Rio glanced up at Kane, then froze. The Scrafty was glaring daggers at him now, and he could have sworn Kane was gonna beam him in the face with that pot. Fortunately, Kane did no such thing. He put the pot down, and with Nina and Lucas still holding onto him, walked over to Rio.

"...Rio," Kane spoke, his deep, delinquent-esque voice clashing with his bright and colorful attire.

"K-Kane," Rio swallowed, tapping his digits together.

"You tell no one of this. Got that?" Kane demanded, poking Rio in the chest. The Lucario shrank back and nodded, and after a second of Kane looking him dead in the eye, Kane sighed and patted Rio on the shoulder. "Good, what are your baking skills?"

Still nervous, Rio shrugged. "I've, uh… never baked anything before? I think?"

"Ever cooked anythin'?"

"Honestly… I don't remember. No?"

"Ever put things in a bowl and mixed them together?"

"I've put… aura in me and… well I didn't mix them with anything, they kinda just stayed there an–"

Kane pinched Rio's mouth shut, shaking his head. "Have you, at least, put something in a fire and took it out before it got turned to ash?" There was a pause, then Rio shook his head. Kane sighed, let go of Rio, then pulled him over to Jay. "Aight leafboy, take charge. Rio's your problem. I'm gonna make sure the cakes don't burn," he said, then noticing that Nina and Lucas weren't attached to him. The two were both licking some spoons, which Kane corrected by throwing a towel at their faces.

Jay filled the crust with little stones, then put the tin in an oven behind him. With a satisfied nod, he then looked to Rio. "So, how was the honeymoon?" he asked casually, leaning on the counter.

"I sicked Mew on Zeke already, don't think I won't do it to you too," Rio huffed, crossing his arms. "And for your information, you can't have a honeymoon when you just get married. That's like ordering ice cream right after ordering dinner."

"Ah, but you admit you're married, then," Jay grinned, getting a bop on the head from Rio. "Violence only proves my point. It's like defending your wife's honor or something like that," he scoffed.

Rio glared at Jay, then leaned next to him and looked at the oven, or more specifically, the crust inside it. He wondered what the stones were for, but didn't get to ask before the Grovyle beside him answered. "We don't want to let the crust rise, so we fill it with those stones to keep it flat while it cooks."

"Why are you so good at reading my mind?" Rio puffed.

"A reasonable guess. You have zero experience baking or cooking and were staring at that crust as if you just figured out how to use your eyes," Jay answered with a slight, proud grin. "The alternative was you asking why I put the crinkly metal thing with weird bread in the big metal box, and I gave you the benefit of the doubt that you weren't that outside of your element."

That felt like an insult, and while Rio wanted to say something quippy back, he didn't really have any comebacks in mind. He bet that Jay knew he had nothing to say, and was probably silently gloating about it. That is, until Jay nudged Rio with his elbow.

Which is when Rio got confirmation that he was right. Jay had a smug grin on his dumb grass-reptile beak. "That's two for me, isn't it?" he asked.

"No," Rio pouted, turning away and crossing his arms. He paused for a moment, then let out a groan. "...Maybe."

"Great, first wins of the day," Jay said, patting Rio on the back. "You wanna help me make the top crust? Kane already made the dough, but my arms are tired from everything else. I can teach you how to knead dough as well, if you want." Rio looked Jay over, seeing the more sincere look on his face, then nodded.

Without skipping a beat, Jay brought over two bowls with clear wrapping over it, and a ball of dough sitting inside each. Jay walked through the steps of kneading the dough, doing his best to show Rio first, and even guiding the Lucario's paws when he tried it. Even with Jay's help, Rio wasn't the best at it, probably because his body was still stiff in places, and this baking stuff was a full body workout. He was either pushing too hard and flattening it, or pushing too little and rolled it around. Rio had to shift his knees, change his stance, "use his shoulders" as Jay said and that didn't make much sense… Every now and then, Kane would walk by and nod, and for whatever reason that made Rio feel better about it. After a few minutes, Jay said they did a good job, and then let Rio take a break as he went to work on the second dough to make the crust.

Rio stretched his arms above his head, letting out a pleasant yawn. "Oh wow, that was actually kinda fun!" he beamed, tail wagging. "Needing dough is a lot less complicated than I thought! Even with weird spikes in the back of my paws!"

"Kneading, and yeah, it's probably the easiest part of bakin'," Kane said as he was about to walk by again, this time stopping next to Rio. "Ya definitely need more practice, but not bad for a first timer."

"Thanks!" Rio said, his tail wagging faster. "What're we gonna do now?"

"We're gonna try an' clean up and get to stuffin' the pies and icin' the cakes," Kane answered, then grabbed Rio by the shoulders and started walking him out. "You are gonna get on outta here."

Rio blinked, turning back to Kane. "B-But why? Baking's fun! I wanna help out more!"

"I hear ya, but you're the only one who can deal with that," Kane nodded towards the exit with gritted teeth. Rio looked up himself, and utter despair washed over him.

"Oh no…" Rio swallowed.

"I know…" Kane groaned.

"Hi Blue~!" Mew cheered and waved, holding onto Zeke's neck like a child gripping a teddy bear. The Blaziken was unconscious, and in pretty bad shape… "I didn't know you could bake! It smells so so so so soooooo SWEET!"

Nari stared at the feline and tilted her head. "...What's up with the cat? And… did she kill Zeke?" she asked, growing silent for a moment as she studied Mew's face, then snapping. "Oh, wait, she's Mew isn't she? One of the two new arrivals from the door?"

Mew dropped Zeke and flew up to Nari, a bright smile on her face. "Howdy howdy howdy!" she said with a sing-song tone. "Who're you, Pikachu? You look so strong! And smart! And cute!"

"...Huh, quite the flatterer," Nari hummed, crossing her arms with a flattered grin.

"She's also Rio's husband!" Lucas said, swallowing a mouthful of a batter. "I mean, wife! That one!"

"Aren't they a cute couple?" Nina snickered, finally snatching the last of the spoons from Lucas and tossing them in the sink. "They looked so dang adorable sleeping together on the beach!"

"I would have taken a picture," Jay hummed, taking the first pie crust from the oven and taking the stones out. "But I like to respect the privacy of newlyweds."

Rio snapped back at the three, nearly knocking Kane over. "We are NOT married! Why do y'all keep sayin' that?!"

The trio snickered between themselves, joined by Nari and Mew as well. The only one not laughing, aside from Rio, was Kane, who grabbed hold of Mew and shoved her into Rio's arms. "Other than Mew bein' just another distraction, I ain't gonna risk her gettin' her paws on raw sugar. Last thing this kitchen needs is to be blown up from hyper-Mew-activity," he growled.

"Dawww, I didn't know I was on your mind so much, Kaney!" Mew cooed, floating over to the Scrafty to squeeze him in a powerful hug. "You're such a caring friend, aren't ya?"

With a pained wheeze, Kane patted Mew back once, then pried her off of him. "Not now, Mew. I gotta focus. Which means I need you out." He then looked down to Zeke, seeing the Blaziken twitch and groan, and grimaced slightly. "And uh… take the chicken out with ya… Don't need any trippin' hazards either."

"B-Buh…" Zeke choked and groaned, turning his head up to Kane. "Bitch…" he muttered, before falling unconscious again.

Letting out a disappointed sigh, Rio nodded and crossed his arms. "Yeah, Mew, they're pretty busy here. We can have whatever they're making when they're done," he said, then looked down to Zeke and winced. "Could uh, could I ask you to carry him back to the bank? Or at least to wherever Nate is?"

"Oki doki arms-of-pokey!" Mew chirped, grabbing Zeke by the wrist and flying him out the tent. Rio looked back at the others and waved a goodbye, everyone waved or nodded back… except Lucas, who was drinking batter right out the bowl. As soon as Kane noticed, he practically fought the Charmeleon to get him to stop. Rio snickered, wished them all luck, and left.

…He nearly considered vaulting over the counter on his way out. Nearly.

Battling his temptation to vault over a countertop, Rio took a single step outside and saw Mew throw Zeke at the bank. The Blaziken tore right through the top, and if the sound of a body hitting metal and the loud groan that followed meant anything, it was that Zeke was having a rough day and Rio actually decided not to rat him out to Minerva. But… he and Nate probably didn't really have a way of hiding what happened, unless they knew how to patch a tent and remove scratch marks from stuff and things.

It seemed as though Mew hadn't noticed Rio yet, and after a quick look around to be sure no one else was there, he certainly had half a mind to just sneak away and not deal with her. But Mew really didn't deserve that, did she? She was her usual brand of weird but at least it was… helpful? More or less.

Against a majority of his own wishes, Rio loudly cleared his throat to get Mew's attention. "Hey M–" and the feline dove into his chest the moment she noticed he was there, "Yeah, I knew I saw this coming. Did nothing to stop it."

"Because we're inseparable!" Mew chirped, then patted Rio on the head before perching on his shoulder again. "So! Where to? I wanna go an' do somethin' fun, hehe!"

"Don't keep talking like that, Minerva will find out and beat you to a pulp," Rio warned, then shrugged, walking aimlessly towards the forest. "But I'm sure we'll find something, right? I'm pretty sure that's how these play ou–"

With a solid thud, Rio bounced right off of something and hit the ground. Pretty dang hard too, knocking most of the wind out of him. "Wh-What was that?" he wheezed, holding his head. He didn't know they installed a giant wall in the middle of the Square. What a brave design choice!

Mew, with her honed feline prowess, managed to faceplant unceremoniously on the ground behind Rio. However, she popped right back up as fast as she had fallen, letting out a giggle fit and throwing her arms excitedly into the air. "Again, again!"

"Oh, dears, fancy meeting you here," Diana, the wall that was put up oh so perfectly against Rio, giggled and helped the two up. With one paw. The other one was carrying a scalding pot of some sweet smelling thing. It smelled like the glaze she was working on earlier, but somehow even better.

Rio dusted himself off, then stared at the pot in Diana's grasp. "Oh, it's fine," he said, crossing his arms. "That… looks hot, right? Why are you just..?"

Diana nodded. "Oh it is excruciating. I can tell, regardless of my heightened pain tolerance. I wouldn't know what I'd do with myself if I wasn't one of Arceus' gifted," she explained with a nod and a smile. "I was told that this glaze was needed for something at the bakery, and that it needs to stay hot or else it would quickly harden. Frankly, I would rather not spend more time to melt it again."

"...Totally fair, on both accounts," Rio nodded, his gaze drifting to the pot again. "Well, uh, good luck with that. And please be careful?"

"Oh, Rio, I'll be fine I assure you," Diana smiled warmly, ruffling Rio's head before walking past.

Up until Diana entered the tent, everything was quiet. But right on cue, Mew lit right back up, laying on Rio's head. "Finally! Now we can relax and do something fun! Did ya get anything in mind yet?"

Rio nodded his head. "Actually, yeah. I just remembered, we have a hot spring here. It's… let's see…" He looked around, remembering something, then pointed in where he believed the springs were. "There, I think. It'll be a bit to walk over to, but it could be fun. Quiet. Relaxing, you know?

"Thataway?" Mew hummed, looking in the same direction Rio pointed, then putting on a bright grin. "Ok! Time to get our relaxation on!" she cheered, happily drumming on Rio's head.

That was honestly charming, Rio had to admit. When Mew wasn't a creep, she was kinda adorable, in a sense. He was about to march to the hot springs, but he took only a couple steps before he just stopped. Mew had… grabbed him by the arm, suddenly.

"Uh… Mew?" Rio asked, tilting his head.

Mew replied with a snicker and a wink. "Mew-Air One, ready for action!" she cheered, then blasted off through the woods with Rio behind her.

"M-MEW WAIT!" Rio called out, but Mew didn't listen. Not until–

–they arrived at the hot springs. It wasn't that bad an idea, really. At least not for Mew, but Rio had, uh, a few more twigs and branches and splotches of dirt on his fur than before this little thrillride. And despite Mew doing most of the work, Rio himself was exhausted!

"Wh-Why are you so fast..?" Rio groaned, falling to his knees and panting. "M-My everything…"

Mew picked him up off the ground and gave a big ol' smile. "And now we're nice and worn out for the springs to do their magic!" she cheered. As soon as she started moving, Rio thought she was going to toss him in the water like a stone, but, no, she simply carried him to the water's edge.

As it turned out, though, they weren't the only ones there. Floating right there, elbows propped up on the stony edge behind her, was Eva. She remained silent the entire time, even when she and Rio made eye contact, or when the Lucario waved at her. To call it awkward would have been right on point, but Mew cured that easily.

By pushing Rio into the water without warning. "Whatcha doin' standing around, Blue?" Mew snickered. "I'm sure the water's fine, right?"

Rio burst from the water surface with a pained yelp, his body a burned shade of red. "WH-WHAT THE HELL?! This water is LITERALLY BOILING!" the jackal barked, snarling at Mew. The display got a snicker out of Eva.

"Well now it isn't, it's just really hot!" Mew chirped, and with a bright smile, floated over to Eva and put an arm around her shoulder without actually going into the water. "If it was then your fluffy friend lady over here wouldn't like it!"

"H-Huh?" Eva blinked, startled slightly by Mew being next to her. She looked between Rio and Mew before putting on a shaky smile. "I-I mean, yeah, Rio! It's not that hot!"

"You were already here!" Rio glared at Eva and huffed, crossing his arms. "You don't get to–" he held it for a second before the pain made him yip again, and he decided to sink into the water more. That… helped and hurt, since some of his body was already starting to cool. He probably should have just gotten out… "t-to make fun of me for thinking it's too hot! It is!"

Mew floated over, her tail spinning like a rotor, and stuck her tongue out at the Lucario. "Then why don'cha get on out of the water, hmmmmmmm?" she hummed smugly.

"B-Because… Because..!" Rio put on a dramatic frown, glaring at Mew. She was weird before, now she was just being overly teasey, and it felt like she was reading his mind! But, with a sudden grin, Rio thought of the perfect thing to get back at her. He quickly reached up, grabbing hold of Mew's paw. "How about I just show you how hot the water is?" he said, then dragged Mew into the water.

Tried. He tried to drag her in the water. Mew didn't budge, so Rio grabbed her other paw and gave it his all. But instead of pulling Mew down, Mew lifted Rio up. The pink feline snickered, intertwining her little fingers with Rio's and swinging him around. "Dawwwww, if ya just wanted to hold my paw you coulda just said!" Mew cooed before tossing Rio in the water again, this time closer to Eva.

"KYYYAAAAA!" Rio cried out. Being spun around cooled him down, which meant that whatever progress he made in dealing with the heat was tossed aside just like he was.

Eva let out a snicker, shuffling to the side and giving Rio a grin. "You good, dude?" she asked, getting a fierce glare from Rio.

"Do I look good?" Rio huffed back, pointing a finger at Mew and staring her down. "Do not answer that, I know what you were gonna say!"

Mew batted her eyes innocently, floating to the edge of the spring and patting Rio's head. "I wasn't gonna say anything! Promise!"

Not believing her, Rio quickly batted her into the water. It worked this time, but Mew was… perfectly fine in the water. "Oh wow, this is so nice~! I can't believe water could feel so good!" She swam through it like a natural, shooting Rio a wink before back pedaling around the entire pool. Rio let out a groan and sank until his snout was just above the water, and Eva snickered again.

"Told ya the water wasn't that hot," Eva said, sinking down as well. "But honestly I've been in here for almost half an hour and I gotta say, I don't think I could walk if I got outta here." She leaned her head back and sighed, relaxed. "Not that I mind, I gotta wash off that week of being in a dungeon. Damn near felt like a whole year passed…"

"I know," Rio rolled his eyes, leaning his head back as well. "You have no idea how great it feels to be outta there. To breathe and not wonder if I'm inhaling dead spider germs or not."

Eva shuddered, frowning slightly. "You don't gotta tell me. If I never see another Galvantula, it'll be too soon."

Rio turned to her, resting his head on the stony edge of the spring. "I mean, they're not that bad. We met a real nice one, Minerva and I. Her name was Nize, and she was huge. I'm talkin' enormous, like, she could topple these trees if she wanted," he went on, throwing his arms into the air to emphasize his point.

"Wow! I hate it!" Eva squirmed, then shoved a paw under Rio's jaw to shut it. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't give a mental image of that, thanks!"

As Eva let go of his face, Rio moved his jaw around and apologized. "I… didn't know you had a thing against bugs. My bad," he tittered, then cleared his throat and tried to change the subject. "So… everyone's busy today, aren't they? Diana made a glaze, Nate and Zeke were failing to open a safe, a bunch of people were in the bakery baking…" Rio paused, looking to Eva again. "What about you?"

Eva looked back, brow raised. "What do you mean, what about me?"

"I mean… like…" Rio hummed for a moment, crossing his arms. "I guess I'm asking if you've been busy with anything." He thought about it for a moment longer, then realizing that there was a certain thread connecting everything so far. Minerva telling people what to do. "Or… I guess I'm really asking if Minerva told you to do anything?" Rio added.

At the mention of Minerva, Eva went silent. She looked to be thinking her answer over, then eventually gave a shake of her head. "No, but Diana did, actually. She asked me to take it easy. Well, told me, more like. Still don't know why for, I was actually planning and dying my red back to pink, but I refuse to complain about having another day off after all the dungeon nonsense."

"Huh, interesting," Rio nodded. It felt odd that Diana told Eva to rest, not because she wouldn't, but because it felt like Minerva really was getting her paws in everyone's business today. After a moment, Rio gave Eva a curious look. "Whaddya mean another day off?"

"Been two days since we left that place, hasn't it? I spent the first sprawled on the beach with, like, I think Diana and Minerva." Eva replied, then tilted her head. She then snapped and winced slightly. "Oh, right, you were out cold the whole day after," she said, sucking her teeth.

Rio stared blankly at her, his ear twitching slightly. "...Oh." It wasn't a bad thing, probably, but like… wow.

"You uh, weren't left on the beach, were you?" Eva asked, floating a bit closer. Rio blinked, then gave a slow shake of his head. Eva winced again and awkwardly patted Rio on the head. "Yikes, sorry dude. I would've… wanted to do something, but I could barely move around myself. Probably why Diana told me to take it easy today."

Rio nodded slowly, then took a long inhale, letting out a longer sigh. "That explains a lot, really. Like, I woke up like a log, just absolutely rigid. I couldn't bend anything without putting my all behind it," Rio laughed. "And for whatever reason, Mew was just stuck to my chest? It was like she was glued to me or something, hehe!"

For whatever reason, Mew burst out in laughter.

"...Oh, uh…" Eva blinked, sinking into the water a bit. "Hey Rio?"

"Hm?" Rio hummed, still confused by Mew's laughing fit.

"Don't ever describe things again," Eva replied.

"...Uh, ok?" Rio blinked, tilting his head. "Why, exactly?"

Eva shook her head. "Just… don't. Ever."

Rio didn't know what happened, but assumed it was for the best that he didn't. "Well alrighty then. I dunno how that's gonna work out but I'll." Rio shrugged, leaning back with his arms behind his head.

Other than the gentle bubble of the springs, everything went silent. Eva and Mew looked between each other, then the relaxing Rio, totally confused. A few seconds passed, then another moment. Then Eva let out a groan and splashed Rio with water.

"You smartass!" the Zangoose laughed.

Rio sputtered out some water that had gotten into his mouth, snickering. "What? What? I'm!" he said, getting another splash from Eva.

"You are so lucky I'm taking a day off and am also too weak to kick your ass!" Eva said, crossing her arms and huffing. "How about you get outta here if you're gonna be a prick!"

"Alright alright, I'll," Rio scoffed, getting splashed again. He shook his head and laughed, splashing Eva back. "Fine, I'll go. But you better allow me to explain things again or."

Eva shot him a glare, snickering, then rolled her eyes. "Yes, you can, just get on outta here you prick!" she huffed. "Leave me to my relaxing day out!"

With a smug, victorious grin, Rio hopped out of the water to sit on the edge. "Gladly!" he snickered, stretching out his arms before standing up. His body felt light, but rejuvenated. Most of his stiffness was gone! Finally! "Then I guess I'll be off, you two enjoy yourse–" A pink blur suddenly shot into Rio's gut, sending him tumbling back "-ACK!"

"Don't you go forgetting about me!" Mew purred, nuzzling into Rio's chest. "You can't get rid of me so easily! I refuse to be ditched when our little adventure is almost over!"

Rio groaned, picking himself, and Mew, up and letting the felin onto his shoulder. "Fine, yeah, I should've expected that." He turned to Eva and nodded before going on to leave. "See ya later, Eva."

"Wait, actually," Eva quickly said, looking away from the Lucario. "I got… one favor to ask, if that's alright."

Curious, Rio walked back over to her. "Sure, what's up?"

Eva held her paw up, turning her head head down. "I… wasn't joking when I said I was probably in here too long. I can't get out. So, like, could you… pull me out?"

Rio snorted, then cleared his throat and took Eva's paw. "Y-Yeah, I gotcha," he said, taking a sturdy stance. "You ready?"

"Yeah. And I'm gonna look past you laughing at me, Outlander," Eva huffed, grabbing Rio's arm with her other paw. "Alright, let's go."

Rio nodded, then pulled with all his might as Eva did the same. As one would expect, that didn't go well. Eva's fur was waterlogged, Rio's arms were basically noodles, and it didn't matter how sturdy a stance one took if the surface they stood on was wet and slippery. As soon as Rio pulled up, he was dunked into the water again.

He resurfaced with a pain yelp, his body having cooled partly already, so the water just burned him again. "WHHH-HHHH-HHYYY?!"

Rio didn't realize he resurfaced right in front of Eva, who was snickering at his expense. "I totally should've seen that coming!" Eva laughed, giving Rio a smug grin. "We can call that payback for you being a smartass, then we'll be even."

"O-Ok..!" Rio winced. He was in too much pain to retort, plus now he didn't have to worry about anything later on.

"Then I guess it's up to Mew to save the day!" Mew cheered, having floated off of Rio when he was sunk again. She grabbed both Rio and Eva with a psychic hold, and easily carried them out of the water.

Practically a flood of water flowed off of Eva's body, her fur sticking to herself like a wetsuit. It really showed that most of Eva's normal fluff was just fluff, she was surprisingly toned under it all.

"And done!" Mew chirped, perching herself on Rio once more. "Thank you, thank you. I mean, you're welcome, you're welcome, no need to thank me!" Mew waited all of two seconds before adding, "Well I mean you still can, you know!"

Rio let out a huff, shaking his head. "Thanks, Mew," he chuckled.

"Yeah, thanks a bunch," Eva nodded.

Mew held her cheeks and giggled. "Daww, y'all didn't have to!" she purred, then nudged Rio's cheek and beamed. "Now you two can stop holding paws and we can get this adventure on!"

Rio and Eva both blinked, looking at each other, then down at their paws. They were indeed still holding onto each other. Both of them hummed, then just, let go.

…They didn't know if it was awkward or not, but it was definitely something.

"Well, thanks, again," Eva said with a grateful nod. "I'll probably still be here, it's a miracle I'm standing at all. I might just lay on the ground for a while until I can feel again"

"Fair, make sure you don't fall back into the spring," Rio replied, grinning slightly as he walked past her. "See ya later. Again."

Eva rolled her eyes, then waved back with a grin herself. "Later. Again."

"Bye bye!" Mew said happily. "See you really soon!"

Rio wasn't sure how he felt about that… somewhat ominous statement, and had a feeling Eva was just as uncertain. But he had a thing to do… maybe. He didn't know where he was going now, he'd been basically everywhere already. Save… the guild itself.

He really didn't wanna go back into the mountain, but then again, he wouldn't mind checking in on Kora and Zen. Who knows, maybe he'd find that evasive Meowth and see why she'd been chatting with everyone.

Mew wasn't any more loud or playful than usual on the walk through the woods again. She found some bugs, maybe a cool stick, snagged a wild flower or two, and showed them all off to Rio as if they were trophies. It was nice, he admitted to himself, and even went along with her to look for some cool sticks and bugs in the underbrush. It's a good thing they weren't on some sort of timer, since they spent a pretty long time doing that.

The pair made it to the beach in front of the guild eventually, and were met with Jirachi of all 'mon, floating on his own at the water's edge, staring at the sun sitting above the horizon. Mew tossed all the cool sticks she was carrying aside and immediately flew over to the start sprite, tackling him with a hug. "Rachi!" she cheered. "You wouldn't believe the day I had, Rio went and walked me all over this place! I hugged the fluffy bird, dragged the fluffy bird, threw the fluffy bird, and I even got to say hi to Kane and Diana! Then I went to swim with the Zangoose girl, and I found a bunch of sticks!"

"Ok ok, slow down," Jirachi said with a faint chuckle, hugging Mew back before turning and realizing Rio was there. His gaze dimmed at the Lucario, before focusing back at Mew and lighting up slightly again. "It sounds like it was fun, right?"

"Yepyep!" Mew chirped, nuzzling into Jirachi's neck, then flying back over to Rio. "Where've you been? I haven't seen you, like, all day!"

Jirachi took another glance at Rio before replying. "I've just been everywhere you two weren't, obviously. It's nothing to worry about."

Mew giggled and smiled. "Sounds like you had a great day too, hehe!"

"Y-Yeah," Rio tittered, rubbing his arm. "And if I didn't know any better, I'd say it got ruined when I showed up," he muttered through his teeth. After, Rio cleared his throat, then waved briefly to Jirachi. "So, uh, how've you been taking to the world outside of the dungeon so far?"

Jirachi crossed his arms, a far softer look on his face than Rio was used to. He seemed… oddly uncertain. "...It is fine. But if you know what's good for you, you will cut your prying short."

Wow, even his threats weren't as effective as before. Rio only felt mildly unnerved instead of fearing for his immediate safety. "Are you alright, man?"

"Someone tells you not to pry and the first thing you do is pry?" Jirachi scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"That means he's fine!" Mew chirped, throwing her arms into the air excitedly. "Anywho, have you seen the adorably mean one? What's her name again? Minerva?" she asked, then nodding and grinning. "Yeah, Minerva!"

Jirachi turned back to the ocean and nodded back to the guild. "She's in there, last time I cared to notice her pass by" he said simply, and didn't seem to want to add anything else to that.

Mew certainly didn't mind, putting on an excited grin and hugging Rio's head. "Yay! Let's go then, Blue! Friendship! Awaits!" she cheered, pumping a fist in the air as she dragged him by his head into the guild. Rio couldn't protest if he wanted to, so he let it happen. His mind lingered on Jirachi for a moment longer, but there wasn't much he could do there either.

The guild was as quiet and stony as Rio remembered, which was… fine, but he didn't really enjoy it. He knew the guild and the dungeon were basically separate, but stone was still stone. Regardless, he kept going along with Mew until they reached the infirmary, and were stopped at the door by Tia.

"Ah, he finally wakes," Tia said with a sweet smile, eyeing Mew for a moment before nodding at her. "And to what do I owe this sudden appearance? You two aren't hurt, right? I just got done working on Jax for the day," the Meowstic added, putting a paw to her hip and squinting slightly.

"Uh, no, we're good," Rio tittered. "I wanted to see if Minerva was here, and to, you know… see how Kora's doing? Zen too."

"I see," Tia nodded slowly, walking into the infirmary and waving for Rio to follow. Inside was the still mass of Kora in one bed, Zen in another, and Jax resting on the third. His arms all bandaged up and resting at his sides. Tia hopped up on a chair in front of her desk, crossing one leg over the other and resting her paws in her lap. "They've both been stable for about a day now. I'm certain they're just resting. Whatever happened in the dungeon must've exhausted them extensively."

Rio looked over the two dark types, arms crossed and worry on his face. "...Really? I mean, I know, but… the both of them being out so long is weird, right?"

"Incredibly so," Tia nodded casually, adding a slight smile. "But they're truly alright, I assure you. Minerva had the same worry when I informed her earlier. And much like I told her, I'll tell you. Come tomorrow, or perhaps the day after, they'll be back on their feet in no time."

Hearing that eased Rio a bit, but it being "a day or two" was still… weird. "If you say so," he shrugged.

"Dang, I wanted to see if the big one was as soft and fluffy as he looked," Mew pouted, then, with a big ol grin, turned to Tia and asked, "Unless?"

Tia squinted at the other feline and shook her head. "Absolutely not. For any reason."

"Dang!" Mew puffed, crossing her arms and leaning against Rio's head. "I didn't even get to ask the thingy!"

Rio chuckled then turned to Jax. "What about him? His arms doing any better?"

This time, Tia started to frown and crossed her arms. "...I'll need some more time before I can give a proper opinion on that," she replied, then shook her head. "I'd say "yes," but it wouldn't be a very certain one."

"Well, that's an answer," Rio tittered, worry returning to him. "I'm sure he'll be fine, he's a tough guy after all."

"Indeed," Tia said with a sigh. She then got up from her seat and made her way to the door. "That being said, I was about to go meet with Minerva, and I would rather not leave you two in here with my patients." She pointed directly at Mew, squinting at her. "Specifically you."

Mew looked insulted, if not for the giggle fit she had on after. "What? I didn't do anything yet!" she smiled innocently. "I'm just worried about the friend of my friend! And how fluffy his chest really is! And if the sharp one is huggable too!"

"Out," Tia said more sternly, and with a groan, Mew obeyed. By dragging Rio out by his head. "Good, now, I believe Minerva would be waiting outside. Come now, both of you."

Rio tilted his head, as did Mew. "But… we were just told she was in here?" Rio said.

Tia shrugged. "Maybe half an hour ago or so. Who told you that?"

"Rachi!" Mew chirped happily.

"...Well I don't doubt that, actually," Tia said, then shrugged again and continued on. "Now, again, let's go. I'm not going ahead just to look back and see Mew missing. The last thing I need is another patient to care for that I hospitalized."

Rio gulped and nodded, looking at Mew with a serious glare before following Tia. The last thing he needed was to see Tia lose it again. Once was more than enough for a lifetime in his opinion. Fortunately, Mew agreed, pressing her cheek to Rio's and tightly holding on to him as if that was a sign that she'd actually stay put on his shoulder.

Much to both Rio and Mew's surprise, the scent of freshly baked sweets filled their noses as they approached the outside. Even more rich and tantalizing than the scents from the bakery earlier that day. Both of them hurried outside ahead of Tia, and looked on in awe of a huge table full of treats approaching from the forest. Kane, Nari and her trio, and Diana carried it to the sand. Well, it was more Diana and Kane, Lucas and Nina were hyping them up, Jay was walking just ahead of them, and Nari stood proudly on Diana's head.

"Oh whoa!" Mew gasped, flying from Rio's shoulder to the table, stars in her eyes as she looked over all the pies and cakes, tarts and puddings, cookies and donuts. "I-I've never seen so many delicious looking things?! What are they? I must knoooooow!"

"They're the product of our hard work," Kane said with a proud grin as he and Diana set the table down. "And they're for everyone to share. I ain't gonna let you eat half a damn day's work, Mew."

Mew batted her eyelashes innocently, holding her paws to her chest. "Why I'd never! Hehe!" she snickered.

"I do not believe you," Kane said through his teeth, shaking his head. "'Sides, we got another table comin'. So you gotta wait for that too."

Mew groaned, disappointed, and floated back to Rio. The Lucario chuckled, looking everything over and grinning excitedly. "I can't believe y'all made so much! Like… wow!" he beamed as his tail started to wag. "And I helped!"

"Oh yeah you did," Nari said, hopping down to Diana's shoulder. "You kept your wife outta our hair until we could finish. The most important job there was today!" she laughed hardily, fists on her hips and chest puffed out. The trio did the exact same thing, except Jay, who crossed his arms.

"Yep! Thanks Rio!" Lucas smirked.

"Owe ya one, buddy!" Nina giggled.

"A shame we couldn't get your wedding cake done today, though," Jay cooed.

"WHY ARE THE THREE OF YOU STILL ON THAT?! A-AND WHY IS NARI IN ON IT TO?!" Rio barked, stomping his foot. "Plus, we don't even know if Mew would've been disruptive! She's odd, but not a pain!"

The trio and Nari all grinned smugly. "So chivalrous, so noble. I'm honored to see a man stand up for the woman he loves!" Nari said with a fluttery tone.

"Indeed," Diana nodded, chuckling softly. "I'm quite proud of him."

"Is that why they were together?" Tia hummed, nodding slowly. "Interesting."

Rio would have gone off on all of them, but he knew anything he'd say would be turned against him. He was outmatched, outmanned, and outplayed. He sank to the ground, defeated. "I wanna go back to sleep…" There was a sudden skitter from behind Rio, and he felt an eerily cool presence beside him. He let out a yip and jumped, holding onto Mew, and was surprised to see Paras there. "...Oh. Hey."

"Hey~" Mew winked at Rio, making him let go of her and shove her into Kane's arms. The Scrafty didn't realize until it was too late, and he was smothered to death with hugs.

"Hey?" Paras blinked, staring blankly at Rio. "That is a greetings, yes?" it asked.

"Uh, yeah?" Rio nodded.

"...Why are we greeting now? I was with you all day," Paras chittered, staring still.

Rio stared right back, totally lost. "No..?"

"Y-Yes," Paras insisted. "You even addressed me when you woke, did you not? You said, "Yeah, I'm awake now," and then kept speaking. No one else was there. The pink one was asleep. I thought we shared a mental connection…" Paras actually blinked, letting out a curious chitter. "Were you… not speaking to me? And everywhere you went, did you… not notice me?"

Rio cringed and looked off to the side. "Well, uh, n-no… I mean, I kept feeling like someone was watching me, but I didn't know," he tittered. "Sorry buddy."

Paras stared for a moment longer, then chittered to itself. "...I do not take offense, this is actually splendid news. If I am so good at hiding that you could not find me, then I will survive far longer than I expected!" it chittered happily. "Lord Zen will be ecstatic at this development, surely!"

With that, Paras dashed off to the treeline, chittering and making other happy bug noises. It was… oddly adorable. Not too long later, another table arrived with just as many sweets as the first, and also an unconscious Blaziken on top. It was carried by a Meowth, on the back of a rather beat up Feraligatr. Behind the table came a stumbling Eva, her fluff more puffed than normal. As the table was gently put down, Nate was very ungently kicked out from under it.

"Ow…" Nate groaned, coughing up a mouthful of slightly-red sand. "My… everything…"

"Yikes," Rio winced. He… honestly expected Nate to have been worse. The fact he could move at all was a miracle. Everyone else looked at the gator in pain, wincing as well, but Tia let out a groan and started helping him right away.

The Meowth, Minerva clearly, walked from under the table, clapping the dust off her paws, and grabbing Zeke's leg. She then tossed him onto Nate, and the both of them let out a painful groan. "There, job's done, slackers," Minerva scoffed and crossed her arms. "Next time I ask ya to open a vault, open the damn vault!"

"Y-Yes ma'am…" Nate and Zeke wheezed, raising a shaky thumb's up before falling limp. Tia, again, groaned, but helped the both out the best she could. Which the others chuckled at and went on to eat and chat. Mew practically instantly flew off Kane and towards one of the tables to start scarfing down treats. Kane had to force her to slow down, and even then just barely. It only got worse when Kai and Mia showed up and started doing the same thing.

"I was wondering when they'd show up," Rio chuckled at Kane struggling to control the three ravenous mon, then focusing back on Minerva. He grinned brightly at her, tail wagging slightly. "How's it goin'? I feel like I haven't seen you in days, ya know?"

Minerva looked back at him with her own toothy grin, a gentle sway to her tail. "Ditto, Blue. I was gonna toss ya into the ocean if ya didn't wake up, figure the water woulda sped up the process!" she snickered.

"Oh yeah, and I would've kicked your butt for it," Rio snickered back, rolling his eyes. "A shame, guess I'll just have to enjoy your company." Rio then lit up, looking over the sweets again. "Oh, right, were you the one setting all this up? Everyone I talked to said you told 'em to do this or that."

"Hell yeah I am! What? Did ya think that star-shaped jackass was gonna do it? Or lizard breath?" With a proud grin, Minerva hopped up to Rio's shoulder and leaned against his head. "Figured we were due a celebration, but wanted to give us all somethin' to do too. Was hopin' ya'd wake up sooner so I could work ya to death too but oh well."

Rio scoffed, taking some lum pie off the table and offering it to Minerva. "So everyone else works and you what? Sit back and profit? I know I didn't see you in the bakery."

The Meowth snickered, taking a massive bite of the pie before handing it to Rio. "Nah, I was busy with my own shit. Plus not everyone worked, I had Diana tell Eva to take the day off." She looked over to the Zangoose in question, having to lean against Kane to keep herself from stumbling. "Looks like she almost melted in the damn springs. What an idiot," Minerva scoffed, smiling slightly.

"So it was you!" Rio laughed, taking a bite big enough to finish off their slice of pie and getting another. "I can't say I wasn't expecting that, but I also wasn't expecting to be right! You actually got, like, the entire island to just… do stuff?"

"The hell're ya so surprised for? I got a silver tongue! And my natural charm is undeniable!" Minerva said proudly, puffing out her chest.

"Right, a silver tongue that cusses every other sentence, and a natural charm in you being able to kick just about anyone's ass if they say "no,"" Rio snorted.

Minerva glared at Rio, grinning still. "Oh yeah? Want me to check how much my charm affects ya?" she said with a low chuckle, pounding her fists together. Electricity crackled from her whiskers.

"N-No! It's just, like, I dunno!" Rio laughed nervously, offering her the pie slice he had. "Like, uh, I didn't really expect it of anyone else! Nate and Zeke were working, kinda, Kane was baking, Diana was too… and you got Eva to relax! Which… isn't unheard of, but still!" He turned more calm, proud, and put on his best smile. "Honestly I'm just grateful you did this for everyone!"

At first, Minerva had a proud grin from the compliment, but it quickly fell and she looked off to the side. She, and Rio, noticed Mew grab a bunch of sweets, then fly up into the air. Jirachi was there, and he actually tried the food, from the look of it. At some point, Paras snuck back in to grab a cookie, but the trio noticed it almost instantly and it ran back into the woods.

"Well, ya can keep the thanks. I ain't really did this for all of us," Minerva muttered, hopping off his shoulder, pie in hands. She started walking towards the guild, motioning for Rio to follow. Rio didn't really question it, quickly grabbing a glazed donut and following behind her.

Minerva was silent up until they arrived at the infirmary. She walked up to Kora's bed and moved the blanket from over his face. He was in as deep a sleep as he could have been, looking so gentle and at peace. Minerva set the piece of pie down before him, then snatched the donut from Rio's paw and walked over to Zen. Zen was somehow still angry in his sleep, but even with Minerva jumping on his bed to put the donut beside him, he didn't change at all.

After that, Minerva sat in a chair and waited. A moment passed, then another, and another… and nothing happened. Minerva grimaced slightly, then shook her head. "...Damn, guess I was just hopin' for nothin'," she said, putting her chin in her paws.

Rio looked between the Kora and Zen for a moment, and his eyes widened as he came to realize what everything was about. "Oh… Oh, you…" he began, but Minerva nodded before he could finish.

"Yea, thought a party and pie would get the twerp up," Minerva sighed, glancing at Zen. "And him? I dunno, that was wishful thinkin'. Maybe he'd be offended by the treat and scold me for it or some shit." She looked back at Rio, smiling slightly. "Was worried about ya too, but ya woke up already so I guess it ain't for ya either, huh?"

"...Huh," Rio blinked, then tittered. "Y-Yeah, guess not. But… Are you..?" He didn't finish that sentence, unsure how Minerva would respond if he did.

Minerva frowned, crossing her arms. "Worried? Hell yeah. Tia says he'll be up in a couple days, makin' that a three day coma, Rio." She looked at the Zoroark in question, her frown faltering for a moment. "That ain't normal for someone like Kora. Ain't normal for Zen neither. I ain't spend three days without Kora since…" her voice drifted off, and she sucked her teeth. "Since I met 'im…"

Surprisingly, Minerva was right, assuming Rio was asking if she was worried. So, he decided to change that question. "I was… asking if you were alright, Minerva," Rio spoke softly, taking a seat beside her.

Minerva flinched, her frown growing more as she turned away from Rio. "...Yeah, I ain't the one in a planned three-day coma, Rio. I'm fine," she scoffed. "Save your worry for them, it might get 'em to wake up quicker."

"I…" Rio started, about to extend a paw to Minerva, but something caught his eye from his peripheral. His ear twitched, and his head turned to Kora.

…Despite still being sound asleep, the Zoroark was gnawing on the plate the pie was on. Not even the pie itself.

Rio stared for a moment, then snorted. He turned to Minerva and pointed towards Kora. "I guess you really don't gotta worry now, huh?" he snickered.

"What?" Minera blinked at him, then her eyes shot to Kora. He was now holding the plat in his paws, gnawing on it gently and purring. The pie fell on the floor, but still held itself together. The Meowth's body started to shake, and a wide smile grew on her muzzle. "K-Kora!" she sputtered, leaping from her chair to the fox's bed, trying to pry the plate from his paws. "You idiot! Ya had me worried sick for no goddamn reason!" she laughed as Kora pulled back on the plate, bringing her along with it. "H-Hey! At least open ya eyes and say some joke or somethin'!"

The "joke" Kora made was him rolling over, plate still in hand, and slamming Minerva on the bed beside him.

"Ya big jerk!" Minerva laughed, pulling on the plate again. "Now get up! Everyone's waitin' for ya and metal head to get up and shit!" Kora made a loud purr, then grabbed Minerva herself and dropped the plate. He wrapped her up snuggly in her arms, then gently bit her ear before going back to softly snoring.

Rio watched that whole thing and held back an "awwwwwww," knowing Minerva would probably snap him in half for it. "See? He's fine! Just resting," he said with a bright grin.

Minerva nuzzled into Kora's arms, then sighed. "Yea, yea, I hear ya," she said, shuffling out of his arms and handing him back the plate. She went back over to her seat, then hopped onto Rio's shoulder and grinned. "That twerp idiot is such a drama queen. I oughta clober 'im when he wakes up."

"And I'm sure he's looking forward to it," Rio chuckled, looking at Kora to see him happily gnaw the plate again and kick his feet. "Or maybe he'll just ask for more dinnerware, who knows?"

"He can get all the plates he wants when I'm done roughin' 'im up," Minerva grinned, then exhaled and leaned against Rio, purring gently. "...I can't wait, honestly."

"Yeah, me too…" Rio let out a blissful sigh, putting his paw on Minerva's head to pet her. She grabbed it to hold it in one place, which he definitely didn't mind.. "Me too…"