Hello, readers. I hope you are all well wherever you are. With the Coronavirus epidemic happening right now, I hope you guys are all staying healthy…. and washing your hands. I'm fine. Even with everything, I still have a job and work. So at least I don't have to worry about money. Still, if I didn't have to work, I would put more effort into my writing. But for now, I'll write when I can. So, this chapter of While We're Young, PIZZA! Pizza just happens to be my favorite food and I decided "Kids love pizza. Let's do it as a chapter.". If you guys paid attention to my old story, I made it so that Nick's dad, John, used to work at a pizza joint when he was younger. So I decided to branch off that. While I planned to do a chapter like this long ago, I feel that it's important to do this chapter at a time like this. With times like this, restaurants are having hard times. Many are still closed and they thrive off the business they make. So, here's to hoping every place open back up soon once the epidemic is over. Now, on with the chapter.

Standing in the side of a street Downtown was the gang. Nick, Judy, Finnick, Ben, Falisha, Finnick, Ronnie, Audran, Mervin, Darson, and Mimi. As they all circled each other, they discussed one of the most important things in their lives. Pizza. And where to get it. The problem was the gang was pretty…. divided with their own choices. It was getting pretty heated too.

"Sorry, everyone. But I'm putting my foot down." Ronnie said with a stomp. "We got to get pizza at Big Moe's."

"Dude, one slice is as much as an actual pie. Pass." Audran said.

"How about Muzzliozi's?" Darson suggested. "I heard they have a lot of great toppings."

"No way, man. My brothers and I got food poisoning 7 times from there." Mervin suggested as he held his arms.

"Why would you keep going back to a place after getting food poison the first time?" Judy asked feeling that Mervin and his brothers are pretty dumb for doing that.

"We…. all kept wanting to roll the dice and that it would be different each time." Mervin admitted. "It was never different."

"Ooh. How about we go to this place called Apollone's. I heard they have this purple potato and fig pizza with ricotta cheese that's to die for." Falisha suggested.

"Yeah. That sounds good…. IF YOU WANT A SLICE THAT COST AS MUCH AS A WHOLE PIE!" Finnick shouted out not want to pay for some high priced pizza. "Besides, we don't need all that hoity-toity stuff for a pizza. There's a food truck not too far from the street. They sell these mini pizzas that are pretty good. Cheap too."

"I've been to that truck. They are basically CRACKERS and KETCHUP!" Falisha stated not sounding like a fan of Finnick's suggestion.

"Ugh! All of this is getting us nowhere." Nick said with his arm's crossed. "I'm starving and we are all too biased on what pizza place to go to. Flash would have picked a place faster than we are now."

"By the way, where is Flash?" Judy asked.

"Well, remember when we went to the Farmer's Market and tried to popsicles? He found a place to get the actual guayusa leaves. He thought if he ate those, he could move at normal speeds more often." Nick said.

"And?" Judy asked.

"It worked for a while, but he may have eaten way too much of them and apparently had a bad case of 'the runs'." Nick stated awkwardly.

"Ohhhhhhhh…." Everyone else went.

"I mean, he's fine. I check on him earlier this morning. However, he's gonna be at home for a while." Nick stated.

"As long as he's okay," Benji said looking relieved.

"Anyway, I think we choice just pick a random place none of us have been to and get pizza from there. Sound good?" Nick asked the others.

"Good idea," Judy said agreeing.

"Fine with me," Finnick said. "So long as the toppings are good."

"Me too." Benji stated.

"Sounds good." Mimi said. "By the way, how does the group feel about pineapple on their pizza?"

Mimi was met with silence and glares from the whole group. That pretty much answered her question.

"Mimi, you're still just joined our group. Don't try to get yourself kicked out already." Mervin said as he patted Mimi on the shoulders.

"Heh. Right. I was totally joking. Pineapple on pizza, bad." Mimi said while smile awkwardly.

"Don't mind Mervin. It was just a joke." Judy said. After saying that, she switches to a serious look on her face "But seriously, no pineapples."

"I think I saw a pizza place that looked interested not too far from here. Let's go there." Nick suggested.

"Then let's move. I'm starving enough." Ronnie stated as his stomach growled.

"We better go before the teddy bear here get grumpy." Darson said with a smirk.

"Why does everyone refer to me as a teddy bear?" Ronnie asked with his head down

The kids then headed to a pizza restaurant that was about 4 minutes away. The place looked small, yet it seemed like it's been around for a while. The restaurant was called 'Counlizza's Pizza'. The kids all went inside. As they looked around, the place looked like pretty much any regular pizza joint. Brick walls, a few poster frames on the walls, and the smell and pizza being cooked in the ovens. The place seemed nice enough, but…. no one seems to be around.

"Uh…. are they really opened?" Audran asked. "No one seems to be here, eh?"

"Yeah, and it's still pretty much lunchtime." Benji said as he looked at the time from his watch.

"Obviously, they are open. Not just because of the sign outside saying they are, but the smell." Nick said getting a whiff of the fresh pizza being made. "Still, they are pretty dead."

"Oh! Customers!" A girl's voice said.

The voice got the attention of the group and they looked to see who it was. The person was a tan-furred cougar that was around the same age Nick and a few of the others. She wore a black shirt with the restaurant's name on the right side of the shirt and a black and white apron below it.

"Quite a big group, I see. My name's Camellia. I will be your server." The young cougar said cheerfully.

"You work here? You look at the same age as we are." Mervin stated after looking at Camellia.

"All have you know, I'm actually 14…." Camellia said before quietly saying "…. or will be…. in about another 7 months.".

"Hmm. So, you are not the average age of 16 then?" Judy asked as she raised an eyebrow. "You actually the same age as most of us."

"My family owns the store, so they let me work here." Camellia stated. "You know how family businesses are."

"Some of us do." Judy said totally getting it since her whole family is a family of farmers.

"CAMELLIA!" Shouted out a strong sounding male voice.

The teens are turned around to see that it came from an adult male cougar wearing the same kind of shirt Camellia was wearing. He had darker fur than Camellia and looked like he was in his 50s. The group assumed that this was the owner, Mr. Counlizza. He also seemed to be Camellia's father

"Camellia, what did I said about badgering customers?" Mr. Counlizza said.

"Sorry, papa!" Camellia said looking frantic. "But I wasn't badgering them. I was just having a regular conversation with him."

"Papa?" Judy thought. "So…. that's her father?"

"Sir, I assure you, your daughter wasn't badgering us. None of us here are even badgers to begin with." Nick said making a joke.

Everyone that wasn't Mervin groaned after hearing that joke. Mervin chuckled since he always finds Nick's jokes funny. Nick was then met with a powerful glare from Mr. Counlizza.

"Eep! Sorry!" Nick said feeling that he offended Mr. Counlizza. "I tend to make jokes every time the opportunity comes around. It's one of my quirks."

"Hmmmmm…." Mr. Counlizza went as he continued to look at Nick. He then walked over to Nick and got a closer look at the young tod.

"Whaaa…. What?" Nick asked being a little freaked out.

"That fur…. that look in your eyes…." Mr. Counlizza said before messing with Nick's face like he was trying to make him smile. "…. that smile."

"Sir, this is awkward." Nick said while his face was being pulled.

"Sorry." Mr. Counlizza said as he let go of Nick's face. "If I didn't know any better, I would say you were Johnny boy. One of our former workers here."

"Johnny boy?" The teens all said in unison.

"Wait. As in John Wilde?" Nick asked.

"You…. You know him?" Mr. Counlizza asked looking a bit surprised. "Don't tell me…. are you…."

"He's my dad." Nick replied.

A few seconds later, the cougar went over and lifted up the young fox as Nick shouts out "WOAH!".

"Hahaha! So you're Johnny's little bambino. I know it! I know it!" Mr. Counlizza said sounding happy.

"Sir, this is weird!" Nick said wanting Mr. Counlizza to put him down.

"Right. Sorry. Scusa." Mr. Counlizza said putting Nick down.

"So, you know Mr. Wilde?" Judy asked.

"Know him? Ha! He used to work here." Mr. Counlizza said happily.

"He did?" Judy said looking surprised to hear that.

"Oh! OHHHHH!" Nick said realizing something. "That's right. My dad used to work at a pizza joint when he was younger. THIS must be the one."

"Your papa used to work here when my papa was still running the shop. He was about a little bit older than you are now. He started off as a sign spinner and then after a while, he had him spin dough." Mr. Counlizza stated. "Papa felt unsure about hiring at first. But warmed up to him because he had 'honest eyes'."

"That sounds like Mr. Wilde alright." Finnick said nodding his head.

"I believe he wanted to work here because he wanted to make enough money to impress this vixen he was dating at the time. I believe he called her…. Frankie." Mr. Counlizza said as he pondered a bit.

"That would be my mom." Nick stated.

"Oh ho. So he really did marry her and had a little bambino, huh?" Mr. Counlizza said.

"They…. actually had 3 now. They had my brother and sister last year. So, 3 bambinos." Nick said with 3 fingers out.

"Oh ho! Good to hear that." Mr. Counlizza said smiling. "Not surprising that Johnny-boy got married to her. He always seems to really love that girl. Always made pizza special for her. He kept saying that she was the one."

"Sounds like pop, alright." Nick said smiling a bit. "Pop did say he was always head over heels for mom even when they were younger."

"It's great to hear things worked out for him." Mr. Coulizza said grinning.

The gang could tell that Camellia's dad was a good person. He gave out quite a strong aura and aroma. Because he seemed to be a bold, but kind person… and because he smells like pizza. Camellia looked at her father and was surprised by how warm and inviting he was to Nick.

"Now then, I believe you are all not here for small talk, right?" Mr. Coulizza asked.

"We aren't." Nick answered.

"We're actually here for some pizza. We are starving." Ronnie stated as he rubbed his stomach.

"Then allow me to fix that. And since Nicky here is Johnny boy's kid, it's only right that I treat you all to a pie on me." Mr. Coulizza said happily with crossed arms.

"WHAAAAT?!" Camellia shouted out looking completely shocked. "YOU are offering a free pizza, papa? Should I call the doctor or something?"

"THIS is a special occasion." Mr. Coulizza said to him boldly. "Besides, I don't mind treated them all to some good pizza."

"Well, if you are really offering…." Judy said not complaining at all.

"You won't get any argument from us." Benji said happily.

"Free food is free food." Finnick said not complaining either. He never complains when someone offers him something for free.

Camellia then took the teens to a booth that was big enough for all of them. While they sat and wait, Mr. Coulizza got to work on the pizza. After a few minutes, Mr. Coulizza brought the pizza over to the table. The pie was really large 22' inch pizza with a bunch of mushrooms and heirloom tomato slices.

"Here you are. One Portobello-Heirloom Special." Mr. Coulizza said as he puts the pizza down. "Buon Appetito."

"Ooooooooooohhhhh!" The group all went.

"Wow! That is a big pie!" Mervin said impressed.

"I think it's 21…." Mimi said before fixing her glasses. "No…. 22'inches."

"Looks at those mushrooms. The tomatoes too." Falisha said in awe. "It's like a piece of art."

"Smells so good." Benji said feeling like he was in heaven because of the pizza's aroma.

"Check it. I think all nine slices are evenly distributed." Audran stated looking at the slices.

"Yeah. I have a special tool that I use to make all the slices equal." Mr. Coulizza stated.

"Nice. I was worried I was going to have to fight everyone for the biggest slice." Ronnie said.

"A fight we would all lose." Darson stated.

"Word up." Finnick added.

"Alright!" Judy said as she claps her paws and rubs them together. "Shall we finally dig in?"

"Absolutely." Nick said eagerly.

Each of the kids pulled a nice big slice from the pizza pie. One of the alluring things from the pizza was the pull of the cheese from each slice. A good sign that this pizza was very cheesy.

"Oh! I can already tell this is gonna be good." Finnick said grinning.

"What's the Italian word for 'cheers'?" Nick asked Mr. Coulizza and Camellia.

"Saluti." Both Mr. Coulizza and Camellia said at the same time.

"Saluti!" The teens went as they raised their slices up.

After blowing on their slices really quickly, the gang took bites of their pizza. Compared to most pizzas they had, this one was on a whole different level. It was better than the pizza John would make sometimes and better than most places they went to.

"O…. M…. Goodness." Benji said after his first bite. "This pizza is… OM-Goodness."

"What he said." Finnick replied agreeing with the cheetah's comment.

"This pizza is sooooo good." Mervin said as he pulls a string of cheese from the pizza.

"This might even put pop's to shame." Nick admitted.

"Well, just because we taught Johnny boy how to make pizza doesn't mean that we taught all the tricks." Mr. Coulizza stated with a smirk. "Had to keep some secret to ourselves."

"Fair enough." Nick said as he continued eating.

The whole group enjoyed eating the pizza. As Judy ate, she couldn't help but look around the restaurant. The whole time they were here, there were no other mammals here.

"The pizza's really good. So why aren't there more customers?" Judy thought. "I mean, this is the lunch hour. Restaurants always have their slow points, but this seems a little too dead in my opinion."

"Alright. I'll leave you kids to your meal." Mr. Coulizza said before bowing. He then headed back to the kitchen.

As Mr. Coulizza left, the group continued to eat their pizza slices. Camellia heard the door open. She assumed it meant that they were getting another customer.

"Oh! I think we have another customer." Camellia said sounding happy to get more business. "I'll be right back."

Camellia then left Nick, Judy, and the others to go back to the front of the store.

"Hello! Welcome to Couli…." Camellia said in her usual happy matter. When she stopped speaking, her expression changed from happy to angry. "Oh. It's you."

In front of Camellia were 3 mammals in black suits and sunglasses. Two of them were yellow furred alpacas. The one standing in the middle was a black ram. He looked slightly bigger than the average ram. But clearly, he was the boss of the other two.

"Hello, again. Is your daddy here?" The ram asked trying to sound polite. "We would like to speak with him again today."

"Don't belittle me. I can speak for my daddy just fine. And like he said before, the answer will always be the same." Camellia said firmly.

"Now now. Don't be like that." The ram said still trying to sound polite. "We're just here to make some simple business."

Some of this conversation got into Judy's ear range. As her ears went up, then leans down to see what was going on. Nick and the others notice this as well and did the same. The group wanted to know why men in black were coming here?

"Unless you plan to order something, please leave." Camellia said being very firm. "We do have other customers, you know? As well as people calling for orders."

"That really seems that way to me." The ram said. "Now, about seeing your father…."

"I believe my girl has already answered you." Mr. Coulizza said as he walked over to them. "The answer will always be the same. Now either order something or leave."

"Hmm…. It's admirable how you are still willing to keep this place. But with each passing day, things will only get worst for you. I'm offering your quite a large sum. It might be the only chance you have while the value is high." The ram said.

As they talked, the gang was listening to what they could hear, thanks to Judy and Finnick.

"What are they talking about?" Benji asked quietly.

"Something about them offering them a large sum." Judy replied quietly.

"I also heard that and something about declining their offer." Finnick stated quietly.

The group kept listening in with what they could.

"Very well, we will take our leave. But remember, our offer will only last for so long." The ram said before turning around. "Let's go, boys."

The three guys in suits then left the restaurant leaving a bit of lingering anger in both Mr. Coulizza and Camellia.

"He just doesn't know when to quit, does he?" Camellia asked

"*sigh* Yet each day, it gets harder and harder to…." Mr. Coulizza said looking sad. He then realizes he might be saying too much. "Never mind. Back into the kitchen, I go. Make sure to treat our guests well."

Mr. Coulizza then went back to work. Camellia started to feel worried. The gang was watching from afar and notice this and got back down to their seats.

"Something must be up." Judy said to the others.

"I don't think we were supposed to be here for some of that." Falisha stated.

"Hmmm…" Nick went as he pondered this.

Later, the group had finished their pizza and was ready to be on their way. But before that, they said their goodbyes to Mr. Coulizza and Camellia.

"Thanks for the pizza!" The group all said.

"Glad that you liked that." Mr. Coulizza said with a smile.

"We need to get going now." Nick said.

"Tell your father I said 'Hello.'." Mr. Coulizza said with a smile.

"Will do." Nick said with a nod.

After that, everyone then left the restaurant. As they left, Camellia still had that worried look on her face. She quickly walked out of the restaurant door and called out to the gang.

"WAIT!" Shouted out Camellia wanting the group to hold on a minute. They all stopped. She then walked up to them. "Do you guys have a moment. Please?"

"What's up, Camellia?" Nick asked.

"What do you need?" Judy asked.

"I was hoping you all can do me a favor." Camellia said.

"A favor?" Ronnie said sounding interested.

"Is it about that guy and his goons from earlier?" Falisha asked.

"Yes. They have been trying to get papa to sell the restaurant for weeks. Papa and I have been very firm with them and we keep telling them no. But recently, I been feeling that he is thinking about saying yes." Camellia stated.

"What? So he might actually sell the place?" Benji asked looking worried.

"Woah woah woah! Woah! He can't just sell the place." Finnick stated firmly.

"You saw the inside for yourself. Besides a few deliveries, the business hasn't been great as it could be." Camellia admitted. "I believe it all started when my papa lost his 'passion' pizza making."

"His 'passion'?" Audran asked.

"Yes. See, my papa always loved making pizza for his customers. He took great joy in his work. But a few years ago, my mama fell ill and…. she didn't make it." Camellia said looking sad.

The group was sad to hear that Camellia lost her mother. Especially Darson because he had lost his mom from an illness as well.

"You lost your mom too?" Darson asked looking a bit surprised.

"Yeah. I was around 10 when she died." Camellia said looking sadly. "I could tell that was when papa started putting less effort into his cooking and the customers started to notice. However, the moment he realizes Nick was Johnny's son, a spark lit up inside him. That was the happiest I have seen papa in a long time. The restaurant has been in our family for generations and I want to run it someday. But I can't do that if the place closes down before then."

"Hmm. Most kids do want to help keep a family business going." Mimi stated.

"So, anyway, I was hoping that you all could…." Camellia said wanting to ask for help.

"Stop!" Nick said with a paw up. "No need to say anything else. You want us to help your family business, right? We're in."

"You are?" Camellia said surprised that he answered without hesitation.

"Heh heh! Totally saw that coming." Mervin said while shrugging and smiling.

"To be honest, I was totally going to try helping you guys even if you didn't ask me. That's just the kind of fox I am." Nick said proudly. "I was even gonna drag these guys in to help as well."

"He's not dragging me into it. I had already had my mindset on helping you too." Judy stated proudly.

"He definitely wasn't going to drag me. You and I both know what it's like losing a mother due to some sickness. For that reason, it's enough for me to want to help." Darson said.

"Helping out a fellow feline that's also a girl is always enough of a reason for me to help." Falisha stated.

"The pizza was enough for me to wanna help." Benji said with a smile.

"I agree with Benny." Ronnie said.

"I agree with Benny and Ronnie." Mervin added.

"Not like I wasn't going to help either." Audran said boldly.

"My dad's a cook too. So it only makes sense to help out another fellow daughter of a chef." Mimi stated.

"He gave us free pizza. So it's only fair that we return the favor." Finnick said boldly.

"Looks like it unanimous." Judy said cheerfully.

"Indeed. Looks like we are helping you and your pop's today." Nick said with a smile.

"You're all are really gonna help? Thank you!" Camellia said looking happy.

"No need. Honestly, we do this kind of thing all the time. I would say this is the six or seven…. teen times." Nick said with his usual sly grin. "Actually, it's probably close to a hundred. Pretty sure I've lost count. Ah ha ha ha ha!"

"You'll have to forgive him. Nick can be too modest and let it get to his head." Judy said to Camellia.

"If he really wants to help, then it's fine with me." Camellia said smiling. "Okay. Do whatever you can to bring us business. And if there is any way I can help, I'll be right here."

The group all nodded their heads.

"Alright then. Good luck to you all." Camellia said.

She then headed back to the shop. Leaving the gang to think about what to do next.

"Alright! What's the plan?" Ronnie asked as he looked eager.

"You guys remember what we did when we were kids back when we did the Zoo-Burrow Scouts?" Nick asked.

"The Zoo-Burrow Scouts?" Mimi said looking confused.

"Oh, right. You weren't here for it." Finnick said.

"Back when we were all little, Nick and Judy formed the Zoo-Burrow Scouts. A scout troop that allowed anyone, prey or predator, to join. Our members consisted of kids from Zootopia and kids from Bunnyburrow." Benji explained to Mimi.

"The first thing we ever did was help Nick and his dad's first store, Wilde and Son's." Falisha stated. "Mr. Wilde's store didn't make as much business before. So we used the group to spend the word out and it helped big time."

"I see. So we are gonna do the same thing for Counlizza's." Mimi said understanding right away.

"Somewhere around that border, yes." Nick said as he rubbed his chin. "However, I don't think it's gonna be that simple."

"What do you mean?" Judy asked.

"Think about it. Remember how we were all arguing about which place to go? We're in Zootopia. They are literally hundreds of pizza joints. Almost one in every corner. So it's gonna be close to impossible for us to try and make Counlizza's stand out." Nick stated.

"You're right. It's not gonna be easy. Also, we might be on the clock with all of this." Mervin said as he bit one of his fingernails.

"Then what do we do?" Audran asked.

"I think the first thing we should do is see a 'certain someone' first." Nick suggested.

"Certain someone? Who would that be?" Judy asked.

"Weren't you guy paying attention? I mean, they mentioned his name quite a few times." Nick said to the others as he wants them to use their heads.

The group all pondered for a moment and then finally realized who Nick was talking about and said "Ohhhhhhhhhh!"

"Seems like you all got it." Nick said looking happy. "He should be at the shop now. So let's go see him."

The rest of the gang nodded their heads in agreement and were on their way. The group all stopped by "Wilde and Family's Suitopia". The suit and tailoring store owned by Nick's dad, John. Currently working on a suit in his office was John himself wearing glasses. While John did had other workers, he liked doing many of the stitch work on his own. As he was stitching up some plans for a client, he hears a quiet knock on his door.

"Who is it?" John asked to whoever was at the door.

"Pops, it's us!" It was Nick's voice.

"Ah. Please come in." John said allowing his son and the others to come in.

Nick opened the door and he, as well as the others, all came inside the office. Falisha was the last to come out and she closes the door. The group all walked over to John.

"Hey, pop!" Nick said greeting his dad.

"Hello, Mr. Wilde." Judy said greeting John with a smile.

"What up, Mr. Wilde?" Finnick asked with a bit of swagger.

"Hello there, kids." John said with his usual smile. He then looked and noticed Mimi. "Oh! I don't think I've seen you before."

"Pop, this is Mimi. We first met her not too long ago and let her join our group." Nick explained to John.

"Hey there, Mr. Wilde. It's so nice to finally meet you." Mimi said politely. "Wow! It's amazing how you look so much like Nick."

"Haha! Well he had to get his foxy looks from somewhere, right?" John said modestly. "As well as his love for blueberries, his sense of humor, his 'Wilde Charm', and…."

"You can clearly see where Nick gets his 'modesty' from." Judy said with air quotes.

"Ohhhhh. So it's genetic." Mimi said understanding why John is so much like Nick. "I wonder if the twins are going to be the same way."

"As much as we hope not, it seems to be inevitable." Finnick stated with a face of grief.

Nick wanted to reason to Finnick rude comment, but realize now was not a good time. It was better to talk about the subject at hand with his dad.

"Pop, we need to talk to you about something. I hope you're not too busy." Nick said.

"Naw. Not for you, my boy. I can work and talk at the same time." John said willing to still listen to Nick and work at the same time. He got his needle and went back to his stitching. "What do you need, son?"

"Today, the gang and I went to Counlizza's." Nick stated.

"Counlizza's?" John said as his ears twitched. "Haven't heard from that place in years."

"The owner told us you worked there." Judy said.

"Yep. That's true. I used to work there in my youthful years. It's also how I learn to make pizza, as some of you may already know." John stated as he continued to sew. "How is the old place?"

"To be honest sir, they are having some bad times." Benji stated.

"When we went there, the place was pretty much a dead land." Finnick stated.

"According to the owner's daughter, they might be doing so poorly that they might have to sell the place soon." Falisha stated.

"WHAT?!" John shouted out as he accidentally pulls too hard on the needled and causes the suit to rip a bit. It was quite a shock for him to hear.

"Pop! The suit!" Nick said looking worried about his father's work.

"Don't worry about that. I can fix that easy." John said not sweating the tear. "Now, what do you mean that they might have to sell the place?"

"Well…." Judy said before starting from the beginning.

The gang explained to John about the current situation with Counlizza's. They also talked about the owner's daughter, Camellia. Once they explained everything, John pretty much got the whole picture.

"I see. I had no idea." John said feeling neglectful. "Nick, kids, I think it's time I told you the whole with me and working at Counlizza's."

"The whole story?" Nick said looking confused.

"See, working at Counlizza's was my first real job. It was around the time I really started dating Frankie." John stated. "I was only a little bit older than Nick was. I asked my father if I could get an allowance, but he told 'You want money, then get a job, ma boy.'. So I went around town looking for a place I could work at. But as you may have guessed, it was hard for a young fox to find work."

"Guessed as much." Finnick stated not sounding surprised to hear that.

"Anyway, one day, I found out that Counlizza's was hiring. I went over there and begged for a job like crazy. I told them that I wanted to take Frankie on a fancy date one day and not get her something from the 30 cent menu." John stated.

"30 cent menu? Those existed?" Mervin asked surprised.

"That's right. Our ancestors only needed a few cents for things that we paid dollars for." Falisha stated.

"Hey! I ain't THAT old. Not like when things were only 5 cents for a sandwich." John said looking a bit mad. But he quickly got over it. "Back to the story. They hired me to be their sign spinner. Advertising was everything back in the day and I had to do my best to get business rolling."

"Oh yeah. I remember at the Farmer's Market back home, you did some sign spinning for my family's stand." Judy said recalling a good memory a few years back.

"That's right. Pop, everyone said you were super awesome for that." Nick said recalling that moment as well.

"I was, wasn't I?" John said proudly. "But as much as I would love to say I was a natural, Nick, as you kids would say, your daddy straight-up sucked."

"What?! You?!" Nick and Judy said shocked to hear that.

"It's true. I mean, you can't expect to be good the first time." John told them. "I got better afterward. I really started luring customers in. A few weeks in, the owner at the time saw me and decided to bring me into the kitchen. He put some dough in front of me and told me to toss it up in the air. That's when I went from sign flipper to dough flipper."

"So that's when you started making pizzas." Benji said.

"Correct." John said with a nod. "They taught me all of their techniques like making the sauce, prepping the ingredients, and how to cook the pizza. It was fun and all… but…."

"But what, Mr. Wilde?" Audran asked.

"It was exhausting!" John admitted in a different demeanor. "It was much more work than you think. For starters, I had to start waking up early on the weekends to prep the dough and chop up the ingredients. I lost so many extra hours of sleep."

"Yeesh! That sounds rough, eh?" Audran said.

"But it is pretty common. Restaurant owners and their crew always have to come in early to prepare everything before opening up." Mimi stated. "Can't open up if you don't have the ingredients ready."

"That's true enough." Ronnie replied.

"It didn't mean it was great." John said still not sounding happy about it. "However, I will admit that there were some advantages. For starters, I learned how to make pizza and I treated my dear Frankie to some."

"But…. wasn't the point of you getting a job was to treat her to something fancy?" Nick asked.

"The thing was, neither your mother nor I had a taste for the hoity-toity stuff anyway. So we just settled for the pizza." John stated. "I think she preferred it that way."

"How do you know that?" Nick asked.

"Cause I was the one who made the pizza for her." John stated with a smile. "She believes that since I made it for her, it meant more then it ever would if I took her somewhere else. I even think it was how your mother really started falling in love with me."

"Awwwww!" Judy, Falisha, and Mimi went adoring that little detail.

"That sounds like mom alright." Nick said smiling a bit.

"While I stopped working for Counlizza's when I wanted to start going to college, working there has taught one thing. To make on 'honest' living." John stated. "It was a simple job, but an honest one and I chose to live my life that way."

"Honest living…." Nick said. "Oh! That's why you like to go by 'Honest John'."

"Correct. I used that job as my sole reason to always be honest and stay myself no matter what. So the fact that you tell me that they might have to close is…. upsetting." John said as he began to look sad.

"So, you'll help?" Judy asked.

"Of course." John said as he stood up from his chair. "It's only natural that I'll help with what I can too, right?"

"That's great to hear, Mr. Wilde." Judy said sounding happy.

"Alright then. Tomorrow we're going back over there and helping them with what we can." Nick said looking motivated. "We will be sure to get customers in no time."

"YEAH!" Everyone shouted out just as motivated.

"OH! WAIT!" Mervin shouted out unexpected. "I totally forgot to ask Mr. Wilde something."

"What's that?" John asked the hyena.

"While we're at the subject of pizza, a few years ago, Nick stated that you were trying to get a pizza oven." Mervin said. "It's been a couple of years now. So, is it finally possible for you to…."

"Let me stop you right there." John said halting Mervin from saying more. "I already tried and the answer was still no."

"Awww! Why?" Everyone except Nick and John asked.

"The twins." Nick and John responded.

"Even with us making enough money, Mrs. Wilde keeps telling me 'Johnathan Wilde, we have two new mouths to feed and you want to spend more money? We are not putting ourselves back in the whole.'." John said while initiating his wife.

"Oh." The others went sounding disappointed.

"By the way, that little detail DOESN'T leave this room, got it?" John said firmly and scared for his well being. "The Mrs. wouldn't be too happy if she heard me say that."

The teens all nodded their heads because they knew if Frankie heard this, she wouldn't be very happy. That and while Frankie is sweet most of the time, she does have a scary mother's side. A side that Nick and the others have known for quite some time.

It was the next day. John had taken the day off and left his friend Henry to run the shop. With Nick, Judy, and the others, the group went back into Counlizza's. The restaurant wasn't open yet, but they expected that someone was inside preparing to open. John then knocked on the door a few times. They heard a voice from the inside.

"Sorry! We're not quite open yet!" The voice sounding like Camellia.

"Camellia! It's us again!" Nick shouted out. "And we brought someone this time!"

"Nick?" Camellia said before unlocking the door and opening it. As she sees everyone, she was a bit surprised to see John. "Oh! You must be Johnny Boy."

"Ah ha ha! Guess I am." John said laughing joyfully. "But these days I'm not much of a boy. You must be Camellia. You must be Giorgio's daughter."

"I am. Nice to finally meet you." Camellia said politely. "You look a lot like the pictures papa showed you. Except you're old now."

"Wow. You kids don't hold back when it comes to telling us adults how old we are, do ya?" John asked with a straight face.

"Oh my gosh! I'm sorry. I didn't mean it in a bad way. I swear." Camellia said sounding apologetic. "It just that you were a lot younger back then…. in the pictures…. and umm…."

"I get it. I was still pretty much still consider a pup back then." John said trying not to sound offended. "You kids are all still at the prime of your youth while me…. my day of being young is gone…. forever. And I only grow older with every passing day."

There was an awkward silence from everyone. Seems like John really missed being a teenager.

"This isn't awkward at all." Mervin said with sarcasm as he leans towards Nick.

"Sooooo…. how about letting us in?" Judy asked Camellia before things got more awkward.

"Right. Come on in." Camellia said as she let everyone in. "Papa will be happy to see you.

John and the teens then walk inside the restaurant. All the chairs were still on the tables and there are still a few more things to clean before they opened up. John assumed that Giorgio was in the kitchen doing final preparations. So he made his way to the kitchen. Currently, Giorgo was prepping the pizza sauce. John slowly walked into the room and made himself known.

"How you blend the sauce always determines how well it goes on the dough. That's what you and the old man taught me, right?" John said with a grin by the kitchen doorway.

Giorgo then stopped mixing his sauce as he was caught off-guard. He then turned around to see the adult fox. Once he saw the smile, he already knew who it was.

"Well, as I live and breathe. Johnny!" Giorgo said sounding happy to see him.

"It's been a long time, Giorgo." John said as he walked forward.

"Too long." Giorgo said before bopping John on his head.

"Oww!" John shouted out as he rubbed his head. "What was that for?"

"For taking so long to come back here." Giorgo said sounding angry. "Insensibile scusa di una volpe. (You insensitive excuse of a fox). You didn't call. You didn't come back in for a slice. You didn't even invite us to the wedding."

"Last time I check, neither did you." John said sounding mad as well. "I didn't even you had a kid."

"I didn't even know you had THREE until your boy showed up the other day." Giorgo stated. "Would it have killed you to swing by at least once?"

"You…. have a point." John admitted as he started feeling bad for not coming back at least once. "I'm sorry."

"Well…. I suppose I should apology too. For whacking you in the head. I'm not going to apologize for anything else." Giorgo stated.

"That's fair." John stated.

"So, you and little Frankie actually worked things out and got hitched. I was worried that you would have screwed thing up with her." Giorgo said with a grin.

"What do you mean by that?" John asked as he crossed his arms.

"Nothing. Nothing. I'm just happy for you." Giorgo said. "I can tell you raised your boy well. Just meeting him once, I can tell he's a lot like you. But I'm sure he gets a bit from his mother as well."

"You're not wrong about that." John admitted with a smirk.

"For my little Camellia, she gets everything from her mother." Giorgo said.

"Sorry to hear what happen to her." John said feeling sorry for Giorgo's loss.

"It's okay." Giorgo simply said.

The two then took a moment of silence to reflect on their lives. They both had some sad times, but they also had some good times. Especially the good times they had in this kitchen.

"So, your father gave you the rights to the place now." John said. "Is he…."

"Still kicking? Yes, he is." Giorgo replied. "While he is retired, the old coot doesn't plan on keeling over anytime soon. But even with him being retired, he still does some work outside the restaurant. Mostly the paperwork and he will pop up once or twice nag at me."

"Haha! Didn't he did that with me all the time?" John asked while laughing.

"Well, you did screw up quite a lot." Giorgo said while grinning. "Haha! You used to flip the dough so high it got either stuck up on the ceiling or fell right on your head."

"I…. I was still learning." John stated while looking a bit embarrassed.

"Please. Papa started me out younger than you and I didn't make that many mistakes compared to you." Giorgo stated with a smirk as he leans down.

"Pssh! That's because you have pizza making in your blood." John stated looking huffy. "For me, it's tailoring. Then again, there aren't that many differences. After all, we put our heart and soul into what we make."

"That's is true. And it seems that you done well for yourself." Giorgo said with a smile. "Now, before I forgot, what brings you here anyway?"

John then pointed behind him where the group of teens was standing behind the door.

"Your kid talked to these kids about your current situation. After hearing what they said, it's only natural that I wanted to help you out." John stated.

"…." Giorgo didn't seem too happy to hear that. "That girl. I didn't want her to talk about our problems with other mammals."

"She was just looking out for you and your family's business. A child always wants to help their parent in any way they can. My boy did the same for me." John stated.

"Is that right?" Giorgo said as he looked up at Camellia.

"Papa, when you found out Nick was Mr. Wilde's son, it brought light back in your heart. Even now, after seeing Mr. Wilde again, you seem incredibly happy." Camellia stated. "It's…. obvious that you still miss mama. So,…. I thought bringing the others here would not only cheer you up but they could also help out with the business."

"Mr. Counlizza, your pizza's amazing and it would be a shame if this place were to disappear one day." Nick stated.

"That's nice and all, but…." Giorgo said not wanting them to bother with his personal problems.

"Sorry. But we already made our decision. We don't change our minds that easy." Judy said with a smirk as she waved her index finger.

"It's true. That's just who we are." Nick said with a bold smile.

"I can vouch for them." John said. "When my business was down, these kids helped picked up and because of that, I was finally able to open up my dream store."

"Is that a fact?" Giorgo asked.

"It's a fact." John said boldly.

Giorgo already knew that John was never the kind of fox that lies about something. The cougar then looked over at Nick.

"Nicky boy?" Giorgo called Nick.

"Yes, sir?" Nick asked.

"You are your friends aren't going to take no for an answer, are you?" Giorgo asked.

"Nope!" Nick said with boldness.

For a second, Giorgo felt that he was talking to John in his younger day. John was the same way when he asked for a job. With that said, Giorgo already knew that there was no point in saying no.

"Heh! No surprise. You really are Johnny's bambino." Giorgo stated to Nick. "Alright. I do have a guy that's sick today. So, if you are really offering to help, then I'm not saying no."

"Hehe! I thought you would see it our way." Nick said with his signature smirk.

"Seriously, you are so much like your father it's ridicolo." Giorgo said with a straight-face. "From that look in your eyes to that sly grin."

"That genetics for ya." John said while shrugging with a smile.

So the group and John began helping out around the restaurant. Giorgo even got John and the teens to wear uniform shirts. The restaurant was close to opening in less than half an hour. After pulling out the chairs, wiping the tables, and making preparations were done, everything was ready to open.

"Okay. Everything looks ready." Giorgo said looking happy.

"Opening up for a restaurant is a lot more work than I thought." Benji stated.

"Yep, from opening to closing, it's quite a cycle. Especially since we have to do it each and everyday." Camellia stated.

"It's the same for my dad in his restaurant." Mimi stated.

"Alright, guys. Everyone ready for today?" Nick asked everyone while sounding pumped.

"Yeah. We need to do what we can to give this place some customers." Judy said sounding pretty confident. "It will be no problem."

At that moment, someone opened the door.

"Look at that, we already got a customer." Judy said looking happy.

The person that came in was an elderly cougar. He looked like he could be in his late 70 's. He had a cane and his fur seemed to have hints of gray. He also wore a black long sleeve shirt and tan pants.

"What's going on here? I don't recall so many young employees." The old cougar said having more of an Italian accent than Giorgo and Camellia.

"Oh! Gramps!" Camellia said seeing the old man.

"Gramps?!" The group said sounding surprised.

"That's right. This here is my grandfather and former owner of Coulizza's Pizza, Maurizio Coulizza." Camellia said introducing him.

"Well, I'll be. Old Man Coulizza. It's been quite a while." John said happy to see the old cougar.

"Huh? Who might you be?" Maurizio asked not sure who John was.

"It's me, Johnny boy!" John said while pointing at himself.

"Johnny boy? Can't be. Quell'idiota sa quando visitare (That idiot knows when to visits.)." Maurizio said sounding angry. "All these years and you wait til now to pop up?"

"Sorry. I've…. been busy." John replied while twittering his fingers.

"Niente scuse (No Excuse!)!" Maurizio said before bopping John on the head with his cane.

"Oww! First your son and now you? Seriously?" John asked as he rubbed his head.

Maurizio then noticed Nick from the distance.

"That boy over there looks too much like you to not your son." Maurizio stated.

"That's because he is my boy. That's Nick. My oldest kid." John stated.

"Nick, huh? Hope he didn't get everything from you." Maurizio said.

"I can not confirm that or deny that, sir." Nick admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"I guess it really doesn't matter." Maurizio said not minding the kid.

"What brings you here, gramps?" Camellia asked.

"Just because I don't work in the shop anymore, doesn't mean I'm not doing work on the outside." Maurizio stated as he rubbed his chin. "I don't trust your father with his brain."

"HEY!" Giorgo shouted out sounding mad.

"Either way. I…. have some news." Maurizio said in a bit of a serious tone.

"News?" Giorgo and Camellia said.

"That…. doesn't sound good. Why do I have a bad feeling in my gut?" Nick thought.

"I check with the income we have been making and…. it's not good. The lack of customers each day had started to take it's toll. So that's why…. I've decided it's time we sell this place." Maurizio said.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTT?!" Everyone shouted out.

"Crud. I hate it when I'm right." Nick thought looking grim. "The whole reason we all came here... was to prevent that. What do we do now?"

Yeah, this is a good way to end the chapter. Well, I was bounded to do a shocking 2-parter. At least I finally finish a chapter after all the craziness. In your face COVID-19, laziness, work, and dead Wi-Fi. You will not hold me from doing writing any longer. But for real, it's gonna be a while for the next chapter. Hopefully not too long. It makes me really happy to work on this story again. Alright. I got to work on the next chapter. Can Nick, Judy, and the other save the Coulizza's family business? Find out next time.