What Are the Odds?

“Stella. We don’t have all day,” Alvus reminded their companion, who was admiring yet another baked goods stand.

The Snivy turned to them, eyes shining. “But these cakes are so very charming! How did they become so small?”

Ugh. Right, rich people. Alvus shook their head at her. “It’s a cupcake. It’s quite a common snack here.”

The stall owner, a Slurpuff, beamed at Stella. “You can try a sample, if you’d like!”

Alvus rolled their eyes as Stella eagerly accepted the chocolate cupcake, marvelling at the wrapper. “I’ll be waiting by that tree. Find me when you’re finished.” “Oh— sure, alright.” Stella mumbled through a mouthful of cake.

Sitting underneath the tree, Alvus could watch the bustling farmer’s market from a safe distance. Being in such a crowded area gave them palpitations, especially if they accidentally brushed past a stranger. Pickpockets were commonplace in events such as these, and Alvus had first-hand experience… both as a victim and perpetrator. Maybe leaving Stella alone was a bad idea, they realised, with dawning dread.

Alvus scanned the area for that bright pink-and-bold navy blue Snivy, but they couldn’t see her.

+++

"Look I said you could hang back with Jewel if you wanted to." Nox glanced over at Rumble as the two made their way through the market. "And trust you to get everything we need without getting everything we didn't? Not a chance." Rumble glanced at him before looking at the crowd wearily. Nox sighed and Rumble tried to ignore the slight bit of concern in Nox's eyes. "Look if I promise to only get the stuff on the list would you be ok with just waiting for me somewhere?"

Rumble very much wanted to decline but he'd be lying to himself if he said the crowd wasn't setting him on edge. "Fine, but if I see one thing that wasn't on the list..."

"Don't worry. You won't see anything that isn't." Nox waved. "See ya round, go find some place quiet to chill ok?"

Rumble sighed as he watched Nox disappear into the crowd. Now to find some place a little away from the crowd. He scanned the area and noticed a tree. At the moment there was only one other person below it. That would do for now. With one last glance in the direction Nox had gone off in he walked over to the tree.

+++

Stella skipped from stall to stall, a bag of newly purchased cupcakes dangling in her hands. She wanted to grab another baked treat, but she resisted. I have to save one for Alvus!

She glanced towards the tree and saw their short orange figure. She waved at them, then let herself wander around the market. So many colors, smells, and sounds in one place! A stand selling unusually bright blue berries caught her eye.

“Oh my, what are these?” she gasped. As she made her way to the stand, she bumped into a passing Pachirisu.

“Apologies,” they mumbled.

—

The sound of an approaching Pokemon halted Alvus’ racing mind. They turned to get a look at the newcomer. A Fuecoco. Alvus held their breath for a few moments, watching the stranger’s movements. A moment passed before their heart rate settled. He seemed to respect personal boundaries. Good.

“Hey there,” Alvus addressed the Fuecoco.

+++

Nox dutifully avoided most of the things that weren't on the list, though if Rumble never knew he had them he couldn't get in trouble. A few things might have been gotten and subsequently eaten so that his teammate wouldn't even know.

As he enjoyed looking at everything for offer he noticed a snivy nearby get bumped into by a pachirisu. Hmm. That seemed suspicious. Sure bumping into people was bound to happen when so many were around but that seemed... deliberate. He wandered over to check on the snivy first. It was possible he was wrong. "Hey there! How's it going?"

---

Rumble glanced over at the sobble. Honestly he hadn't been expecting them to say anything. "Hey." He nodded politely. He could hold a normal conversation with one person surely.

+++

Stella perked up at the new face. “Hi there! Aren’t these berries beautiful? I was just about to try some, and— Oh.” She had a hand inside her pouch, rummaging things around. “I think I dropped my wallet,” she said, eyes wide. “Have you seen it? It’s got an embroidery of a constellation on it.”

—

Taciturn. That was Alvus’ preferred conversation partner. They returned the nod and sat under the tree with the Fuecoco in companionable peace. “I’m not much of a fan of crowds. I take it you’re the same.”

+++

"Hmmm weird." Nox glanced at where the pachirisu was wandering off. "I might just have an idea..." Nox walked up to the pachirisu. "Scuse me." He placed a paw on their shoulder. "I must say I enjoy how nice your fur looks." Nox tried to reclaim the wallet. "Very shiny." He slipped the wallet into a pouch on his belt. "Ah sorry I shouldn't take up any more of your time. Enjoy yourself!" He waved as they left, he kept a close eye on them before walking back over to the snivy. "Your wallet."

--- "No not really." Rumble grunted. "Only here cause I don't trust my... acquaintance to actually get what we need without some supervision."

+++

Bewildered at the sleight of hand, she whispered, “Th-thank you.”

A rush of shame warmed her cheeks. I was careless… I had no idea it was stolen. She let curiosity renew her confidence. “How did you do that? How did that Pachirisu get my wallet so quickly?” The questions tumbled out before she could stop them.

“Oh— I haven’t introduced myself yet, I’m Stella. What’s your name?” She held out a hand, offering a shake.

—

“I can relate,” Alvus said. “My… travelling companion dragged me to this place. Wanted to see all the local produce and goods. But I don’t think she can really manage in a crowd all alone.” Speaking of that…. she still hadn’t returned. Did she get lost?

+++

"Name's Nox. It's a pleasure." He tilted his head politely at her as he took the offered hand. "And don't mention it, I try to help people out where I can. As for how I did that well... when you travel around as much as I have you learn a few things. Not that I want to steal from other people, it just makes it easier to steal things back and know what to look out for. Skilled thieves are pretty quick at what they do." He chuckled. "So what brings you here? You seem a bit out of your depth." ---

"Yeah I have the opposite problem. Mine can handle himself just fine, but that makes him take forever." Rumble shook his head, staying quiet for a few moments. "I wouldn't even be surprised if he managed to bump into your companion. He has a way of finding odd situations."

+++

“Wow, that’s amazing… I want to be well-travelled like you. It must lead to developing a bank of useful skills. I’m just… well, I’m just from a local village. I rarely had an opportunity to venture beyond its walls.” Stella recited the backstory Alvus had given her. They were often skittish about Stella being too open about her origins, and she trusted their advice.

Still, Nox had been nothing but kind and helpful. Stella felt relaxed in his presence, so she continued,“I’m actually travelling with my friend. We’ve only just started our own adventure, and we have plans to visit all six regions in Harlour!” She beamed. “I’m also trying to investigate a thief. One of my family’s treasured possessions had been stolen recently, and I must retrieve it for the sake of my family.” A quip came to her, and she delivered it, “So… I suppose I’m not too out of my depth with regard to theft!” She scanned Nox’s facial expression for any reaction of amusement. I’m definitely out of my depth when it comes to socialising!

—

“Sounds like a bit of a thrill-chaser,” Alvus remarked. “I guess they are alike in that way…” The thought put them at ease, somewhat. If Stella found good company, as she is inclined to do, then she’d be fine.

Their conversation carried along with leisure, taking gaps of silence, unhurried.

“So, where are you from? What brings you here today?” The question drifted out, casual and light.

+++

"Yikes, I can't imagine being stuck in one spot all my life. I think I'd go kinda crazy heh." Nox shook his head, a smile on his face. "Glad to see you're at least getting out now. There's lots to see. I'm not actually from here so me and my partner are traveling around hoping to see everything too! Well at least I am. I think my partner mostly stays out of spite at this point." He chuckled, but his face quickly fell into a more neutral expression. "I do really hope you manage to find the item you're looking for though. It must suck to have something so important taken from you."

Before Nox could think of anything else to say he noticed something over Stella's shoulder. Well well well. It looked like their little pachirisu friend was back at it, and they had some friends of their own. "Say... wanna do something fun?" He grinned at Stella. Was getting into a fight in the middle of a farmer's market the best thing to do? Nope, but it would at least be interesting.

--- "His thrill seeking is going to get us in trouble at some point." Rumble huffed. "I'm from around here though." He gestured widely. "Not from any specific town or anything. Just here to pick up some supplies to keep traveling. Us being in town during the market was just a coincidence."

+++

Stella nodded along to everything the Rockruff said. Yes, it was hard growing up in one place. Yes, it was wonderful to finally be out exploring the world. Yes, it was certainly a terrible turn of events when their artifact was stolen. And yes, she absolutely wanted to do something fun— Huh? Stella blinked in bewilderment as Nox took off towards a Pachirisu’s stall.

A small crowd had gathered around it, and she could hear words like “Phoney!”, “Give me a refund!”, and “Conman!” being shouted at the Pachirisu. It all looked like trouble to Stella, but Nox was a real explorer. Perhaps this was her time to learn a thing or two about being an adventurer herself! She dashed after Nox, though the vitriol of the mob left her reluctant to fully dive into the fray.

— Rumble’s huff was laced with a stiff exasperation that Alvus was all too familiar with. “And we’re the ones who have to get them out of trouble. Yep.” They leaned back against the tree, listening to him talk. “So you’re travelling as well. My travel partner is on a search for a stolen artifact, and I’m helping her.”

+++

"Hey there friend." Nox nodded at the pachirisu at the stall, they narrowed their eyes. "Fancy seeing you again so soon." He sparred a quick glance at the other pokemon around that weren't part of the complaining crowd. A nickit and herdier, both were shooting him dirty looks. Yeah they were probably with the petty thief. He turned to give Stella an encouraging smile before turning his attention back to the pachirisu. "You know with all this complaining going on it really makes me wonder why. Care to comment on the matter?"

—

"Yeah?" Rumble perked up in some interest. "Interesting." He hummed. "As far as I can tell he just travels because he can. Still not sure why I even agreed to come along with him sometimes." He paused, readjusting his hat. "But I guess it's not been horrible so far."

+++

The Pachirisu bared its teeth at him. “How many times you gonna disrupt my business?” she spat. “I was nice enough to leave you alone last time, but rowdy customers… well, I can have them removed.” The Nickit and Herdier scraped their claws against the dirt. They prowled a few steps closer to Nox.

Stella gaped at the barbed exchange. She’d read about similar conflicts in books, but feeling the tension crackle and seeing the sparks fly in person made her heart race. It could escalate to a real fight! And one with dire stakes!

She caught Nox’s smile and gulped. She didn’t want to make it worse, but… but these criminals had to be stopped. This town was technically part of House Elysia’s domain, and she had a responsibility to it. Even if it was a different type of task.

With trembling footsteps, she found herself head-to-head with the Pachirisu. If anything, I have a height advantage. she thought, hoping to steady her shaky breath.

The Pachirisu turned to her. “Hah! And who do we have here? You wanna return something to me?”

“As if…” Stella tried to sound intimidating, but her voice came out breathy, “As if you have anything of value to sell here.”

Oh no that was WAY too aggressive, dial it back! Stella panicked. “I-I mean, just look at your berries. They’re big, sure, but doesn’t the color look off? A well-tended to Belue Berry would have a deeper hue.”

“And the stem here? It was carelessly cut off. That is not good for your shelf life. In fact, if I profiled the aromas of your Belue Berries, I believe these would not be genuine at all. Yes, these are just oversized Chesto Berries!” Stella rambled.

She noticed the basket of herbal medicine and skimmed the contents. “And here! You claim these are made from pure Lum Berry extract, but that simply cannot be. At the moment, such berries are out of season, I’m afraid. And, even if these were from a previous harvest, they would not be this color.” She ranted. What am I saying? Is this working?

—

“I’m not sure why I tagged along with her, myself.” Alvus allowed a surge of warmth in their voice, “But she is surprisingly smart and puts her complete enthusiasm into whatever she does.”

Noting Rumble’s reaction at the mention of the artifact, Alvus deliberated on his next words. It was a gamble, but… “Yeah. It’s called the Lunar Disc. Apparently, it has been used to grant unusual powers to a Pokemon. Have you heard of it?”

+++

Nox laughed. "Wow you're really letting her have it." He glanced at the approaching nickit and herdier. He flexed his paws. Things were going to get complicated soon. Hopefully Stella knew how to fight. Maybe he should have tried to find that out before all this but it was a bit late now. He doubted that the pachirisu and her goons were going to let them go now.

"Also I'd hardly call this a business if public reception and the stuff she pointed out are anything to go by." He gestured to Stella. "The way I see it we have two options." He grinned, keeping his body language relaxed despite him being tense. "Either you pack it up and leave on you own, or we'll have to forcefully show you the metaphorical door."

"Cocky aren't you?" The herdier growled at him and the nicket stepped up to stand between Nox and the stall.

"I'd prefer to call myself confident." He placed a paw on his chest. He leaned over to Stella. "So now may be a poor time to ask but have you ever been in a battle before?"

---

"Lunar disk huh?" Rumble hummed in thought. He crossed his arms and drummed his fingers as he thought. The name did seem sort of familiar. Maybe he'd read it in one of the ruins he'd visited or something. Not that he could recall where that had been. "The name rings a bell." He nodded.

+++

At Nox’s positive reaction, Stella puffed her chest out proudly. So, her “intimidation” tactics worked… somehow! She was in the game. Maybe they would leave peacefully now that their scam was exposed.

The growls from the Herdier dashed any hope for that possibility coming to fruition. Stella took up a defensive stance and whipped her tail. Any fear she felt before had now transformed into an adrenaline rush. So it’s come to this. Well, it’s you or me! She glared at her adversaries.

“The only battling I’ve done is in training,” she said, with a fire in her eyes, “But that won’t stop me now. We have no other choice but to win!”

—

Alvus’ eyes widened. They hadn’t expected anything from this shot in the dark, but perhaps he knew something more about the disc. “Really? I heard it’s made of metal and has a gold print of the moon on it… was it a half-moon..?”

Alvus tested him. They knew it was a crescent moon, but if Rumble knew anything, he would surely correct their statement.

+++

"Good enough." Nox nodded. "You take that nickit while I deal with my fellow canine." Without waiting for a response Nox jumped at the herdier. The herdier growled as he rushed forward to meet Nox. As Nox moved out of the way of a crunch, he gave the herdier a wink using charm. If the guys was gonna come at him with physical moves well that was all the better for him. He didn't have time to move out of the way of the take down that came his way next but it wasn't too bad. Nox pushed off the herdier and threw a stone edge his way. Well this was going alright so far. Hopefully Stella was doing ok as well. He glanced over to where she was to quickly check.

—

Rumble tilted his head. "Could have sworn it was a crescent moon..." It was sort of coming back to him, not that he knew much in the first place. There hadn't been much information to gather where he'd heard about it to be fair.

+++

“R-right!” Stella took her position against the Nickit. Her opponent sharpened claws against the ground and charged at her with a Scratch. The claws glinted in the sun, Stella ducked away. In retaliation, she extended her vines and hit them with a Vine Whip.

The Nickit stood strong, however, and smirked. Before she could react, something was flung into her eyes. Stumbling back, Stella heard sand and dirt crumbling down from her face. Was that Sand Attack?

A slash of claws struck at her arms, which had been shielding her eyes. The Nickit must be at close range. Stella used Vine Whip again, hoping to catch the Nickit, but she only managed to hit its flank, missing a full grab.

—

“Oh, I think that sounds right.” Alvus nodded. They glanced over at Rumble, interest gleaming in their eyes. “Where did you learn about it? Maybe that could help us find some clues about the thief.”

This was it. A first lead. Alvus didn’t expect the first stranger they bumped into to have anything to do with the disc, but their investigation was taking off now. If Rumble had any lead, even if it was just hearing it from another Pokemon or a book, Alvus would have their next destination set.

+++

Well it looked like Stella could be doing better. His moment of distraction cost him though as the herdier managed to bite on to him before throwing him in the direction of the crowd. Thankfully any pokemon in the way managed to scatter so he didn't crash into them.

He shook himself off as he stood back up. "A bit tougher then you look huh?" A growl was his only response. "Not much of a talker huh? Fine by me." He managed to skim the herdier's side with a trailblaze. Though the herdier was quick to retaliate as he whipped around with another crunch, barely missing snagging Nox by his tail. "Hey! Watch it!" He quickly turned around and hopped over the herdier as he tried to use a mud slap on Nox. "Trying to play dirty huh? How rude."

"Do you ever shut up?" The herdier growled.

"Not unless I have to." Nox smirked. Though the look was quickly wiped off his face as the herdier crashed into him and pinned him to the ground.

---

Rumble hummed. "It was a while ago that I heard about it..." He tilted his head. "I think it was some writing on the walls of a set of ruins I visited." He tapped his fingers on his arm. "Yeah that was it. Didn't say much beyond the name and what it looked like though."

+++

Stella heard Nox get slammed into the ground, and she frowned. We’re at a disadvantage. Oh dear.

Her vision was returning now, and she could make out a blur of bright blue, navy and brown struggling near the ground. She dashed towards their direction. The Nickit was hot on her heels, but she ignored the fox Pokemon.

She used her vines to ensnare one of the Herdier’s paws and yanked it back with full strength. Hopefully this gave Nox an opening to get back up. “YAAAAAAH!” she screamed instinctively.

It wasn’t before long that the Nickit caught up to her and bit onto Stella’s tail. She flinched.

— “Some ruins, huh…” Alvus trailed off, now lost in thought. That makes sense, doesn’t it? If it needs an ancient ritual to be activated, no wonder it’s not working now… Maybe I should bring the disc to those ruins.

Slipping back into their part, Alvus continued, “Are those ruins in Firstbush Fields? If they are, it’s possible the thief is a local.”

+++

Nox took the opening the moment Stella made it for him. Kicking with his back paws he managed to push the herdier off of himself enough to crawl away. Well this could be going better. He sent a stone edge in the direction of the nickit to hopefully get them off of Stella.

Though he didn't have much time to worry about her as the herdier was back on him. He narrowly dodge out of the way of a take down, but didn't have time to move out of the way of the incoming mud slap. "Oh come on!" Nox shook himself in an attempt to remove the mud which was clouding his vision. "Not cool." He threw a stone edge in the general direction of the herdier and hoped that it hit.

---

Rumble nodded slowly. "They are." He shook his head. "I can't quite remember where those exact ones were but I know they were around here somewhere. They weren't very big so easy to lose I guess." He shrugged.

+++

The piercing pain in her tail had released. She quickly took up position next to Nox, two teams facing off on opposing sides of the clearing that had been made by a gathering crowd. Spectators from all sides surrounded them.

“Make them pay!” some of them cheered, “Give those crooks what they deserve.”

Unfortunately, the Herdier easily dodged Nox’s attack. With blinding speed, the Nicket emerged from between the gaps in the Stone Edge and charged at Stella. She took the hit, grunting.

Knowing she was getting weaker, Stella started to use the sun’s light to speed up the regenerative process in her body. A Synthesis allowed her to control her breathing better, no longer fatigued.

“Nox, I have an idea!” she spoke quickly, “I’ll try to slow them down with my vines, and then you can fire off your strongest move.”

—

Satisfied, Alvus leaned back. I might be able to access that power sooner than expected. They tried their best at a smile at Rumble. “Thanks for the help,” they said. “Hope you and your partner find what you’re looking for, too.”

+++

"Well looks like we have the support of the crowd at least." Nox took a deep breath before wiping away the mud that still blocked his vision.

He glanced over at Stella as she started to talk. Nox nodded along as Stella laid out her plan. That should hopefully work. "Sounds good." He grinned, ignoring the pain he was in. He'd been through worse. His body tensed as he fell into a wider stance. "I'll hit em on your cue. Let's take these guys down."

---

Rumble nodded. "You're welcome I guess. I just better not hear that you made a mess of the place after I told you about it. I don't take kindly to people who destroy or damage places like that." He pointed at Alvus before recrossing his arms.

"And yeah hopefully we do, but I'd have to actually figure out what we're looking for." He shook his head. "Besides just exploring I guess." The two lapsed into a short but comfortable silence. That silence is what had him notice the crowd that had started to gather. That was odd. Though he also was starting to get a sinking feeling that Nox was somehow involved in whatever was going on.

+++

Stella nodded and with her regained strength, she unleashed her vines at the Herdier. A Crunch came in retaliation, but Stella dodged and attempted to wrap the Herdier’s legs.

“The same trick won’t work twice on me,” the Herdier growled.

“Huh?” Her vines had already been curled around the Herdier’s front paws. What does that mean?

Another Crunch came down, this time on Stella’s vines. She was forced to retract them. Thrown off by the escape, Herdier ran at Stella with a Take Down. She started to move away, but she was too slow.

The Nickit sneered at Nox, taking advantage of his impaired vision.

“How do you like this?” Nickit unleashed a flurry of Sand Attacks, slashing the ground with sharp claws and throwing sand into Nox’s face. “Now all you have are your pretty words to fight me,” Nickit cackled, “Unless you want to try and hit a Stone Edge? Just watch out for your companion there!”

—

Alvus put a hand to their chest, deferentially. “Of course, it’s important to preserve these historic areas.”

When they were younger, they had a knack for leaving things exactly as they had been. It was a useful skill for stealing and sneaking into places, especially when….

A loud crash boomed from the marketplace. Alvus snapped their attention to the crowd forming in the distance.

+++

"Gah!" Nox jumped back in a desperate attempt to put some distance between himself and the nickit. First mud in his eyes and now sand? Today was shaping up to be just great...

He growled. "I don't need more than my pretty words to beat you losers." He had to close his eyes. With the nickit not letting up he didn't have enough time to try and get the sand out of his eyes. He'd have to try and rely on his other senses then, but that would be hard given all of the distractions around. Really all he could do was try to dodge the scratches that came his way with mixed success. Sure they didn't hurt too much on their own but they were going to start adding up.

He blindly pushed the nickit off of him before waving a paw using a taunt on the nickit. At least that would stop any more sand attacks for a bit. Didn't really do much of anything for his already sand covered face though. He had to just try and bid his time, hoping Stella was doing a bit better than him. It was hard to tell when all he could hear was the nickit dashing around him.

---

"What are the odds that's unrelated to our two companions?" Rumble sounded tired as he looked more closely at the crowd. He couldn't see anything past it but he could make out some attacks flying. "You know what? Don't answer that. Whether it's related to them or not I'm checking it out. Follow me or don't." With that Rumble took off towards the active battle.

+++

The Herdier knocked her backwards near Nox. The Rockruff had his eyes closed, making only defensive moves rather than attacking. Things weren’t looking good for them at all.

I didn’t want to use this move, but… “Take this!” she shouted, creating a formation of floating leaves behind her.

They started honing towards the Nickit, who leaped out of the way to dodge. But the leaves pursued the Nickit, battering their pelt, causing them to lose their footing. They stumbled onto ground.

“Nox, that was the Nickit! Now!”

—

Alvus let out a long sigh. Of course she would start an “adventure” with pastries and make her way up to a tumble in the market. Of course.

Wordlessly, Alvus got up and followed after Rumble. As they approached the commotion, jeers from the crowd got louder and louder, setting them onto high alert.

The crowd had formed a circle around a clearing. Alvus had to scan the area for colors: orange, brown, green. They inhaled. Blue. Red. Navy, pink. Exhale. There was Stella.

Alvus and Rumble pushed their way through to get a better look at the situation.

+++

Without a word Nox sent a stone edge in the direction of the nickit. Despite his severely decreased accuracy he felt some confidence it would land. A soft yelp of pain told him it did. "I have no idea what you did Stella but nice one!”

With a moment to breathe he desperately tried to get the sand out of his eyes. It worked well enough for him to at least partially open his eyes again. Well some vision was better than none he supposed. He'd take what he could get.

For now he opted to stick close to Stella. It was pretty clear the two of them would do better working together than separately. As he watched their two opponents approach them slowly he caught a very familiar flash of green in the crowd. Ah. Rumble was going to kill him after he saved them huh?

---

Rumble frowned as he took in the scene. Nox was there, because of course he was, along with three other pokemon. He recognized none of them, but the snivy seemed to be helping Nox. Things were looking rough for Nox and the snivy though.

Him and Nox briefly caught each other's gaze, and Rumble quickly slashed a finger across his throat to silently inform the rockruff of his impending doom. Not by the nickit and herdier he was fighting oh no. By Rumble's own hands. "He's so dead when I get my hands on him." Rumble growled, belatedly realizing that the sobble had followed him. No doubt the snivy helping Now was their traveling companion. Of course.

+++

Alvus stared at the battle taking place. Stella stood by a blue Rockruff— Rumble’s companion.

“Thanks!” she exhaled at the Rockruff.

Stella got into formation with him, covering his flank. They were starting to work as a team. The Nickit seemed to be severely weakened from the blow, leaving only the Herdier as an active threat.

The Herdier opened their jaws wide, going for a Crunch, but Stella sent more Magical Leaf attacks at the Herdier. The first barrage of leaves caused the Herdier to cease the attack in order to close their mouth, but the second wave dissipated before it could reach.

Alvus noticed Stella gritting her teeth at that. She couldn’t rely on her best ranged move, they concluded.

The Herdier shook off the weak leaves from its pelt and resumed the offensive.

As Rumble growled beside them, something else caught Alvus’ eye. Far from the excitement of the battle, just past the crowd, a lone Pachirisu observed the fight taking place. She didn’t seem to be a mere spectator, either. Her yellow cheeks crackled with sparks, and her eyes trained on the combatants, unblinking and intense.

“Yaah!” a battle cry broke Alvus’ attention on the Pachirisu. Returning their focus to the battle, Stella appeared to be meeting the Herdier head-on, charging at them with her vines out.

There was no way someone her size could overpower a Herdier alone. Alvus thought.

+++

"Time to bail him out." Rumble growled before rushing into the fight. At least helping deal with the herdier and nickit should help him let off some steam. At least until Nox was well enough to take it. As the nickit leapt for Nox Rumble intercepted them, crashing into them with a temper flare. "Couldn't go a few minutes without running into trouble could you?" Rumble briefly turned to glare at Nox.

"I'm not gonna sit by if I can do some good." Nox grinned hitting the still recovering nickit with a trailblaze.

"You dragged someone else into it too." Rumble turned to where the snivy was charging the herdier. To hopefully get the herdier off balance he came up behind them and used a stomping tantrum. The herdier seemed to stumble, hopefully the snivy would have a chance to do some good damage. Though he didn't have time to see as the nickit was back on Nox.

Rumble rushed back over as Nox did his best to dash around the nickit's attacks. The speed boost from the earlier trailblaze seemingly the only thing keeping him from getting hit. Letting fire cloak his body he rushed at the nickit once their back was to him. As he collided with another temper flare. The nickit was sent flying and landed nearby. They slowly started to get back up.

"I'm never letting you out of my sight again." Rumble growled at Nox. "All you needed to do was get what we needed and leave. Instead you pick a fight."

"Yeah who would've thought. I was the one to get into a fight and not you." Nox tried to look nonchalant but the fact the rockruff was injured and still squinted took a lot away from that.

"You're insufferable." Rumble glanced over to where the snivy was fighting the herdier.

"Yet you still chose to stick around." Nox shrugged.

+++

Stella didn’t have time to thank the newcomer, but gratitude surged in her chest. She wrapped the pair of violet vine to immobilise Herdier.

Now, a finishing blow! Emboldened by their momentum, she fired a barrage of Magical Leaf again. It battered the Herdier’s face at full force.

The confidence in her eyes dulled into fear as the leaves petered out, scattering in the air. The Hardier growled and bared large fangs, prepared for a Crunch.

Then, a jet of water streaked through the Herdier’s head, knocking them unconscious.

Stella’s gaze flew towards the source, where a glowering orange figure stood just in front of the crowd.

“What in the world are you doing?” they exclaimed.

“I was… helping the townsfolk from a scam group,” she supplied unconvincingly.

Alvus scoffed and gestured at the battered up stalls in the vicinity. “Yeah. Clean work, too. Leave it to the more experienced next time.”

Stella sighed. “It was all so exciting, though. Me, given a chance to partake in a fight for justice!” As the adrenaline settled down, she stared to feel ashamed under Alvus’ glare. “Well, I’m glad I had a friend like you to help me see how foolish I’ve been,” she said, giving them an embarrassed smile.

“You’re… not a fool—”

“WHAT!! YOU CALL THAT A FAIR FIGHT?” a high pitched, but highly enraged, squeak rung out in the market. The Pachirisu shoved through the crowd and shook her lackeys roughly. “This will NOT do!”

+++

"Wow what a real nice way to treat the people working for you." Nox watched the pachirisu shake her lackeys.

"Who's this now?" Rumble frowned, eyes narrowing in the direction of the pachirisu.

"Eh just some punk who stole Stella's wallet. Speaking of..." Nox glanced over to where Stella was. There was a sobble with her now. Must be her friend. "I should totally introduce you. C'mon."

Rumble gave him a flat look. "Are you seriously going to ignore them?" He gestured to the pachirisu.

"Until they turn that anger on us? Yeah." Nox chuckled. "Shouldn't take too long so don't get comfortable." He waved at Stella as he walked over. "Alright gonna make this quick since I get the feeling we're not done here. Stella, Rumble. Rumble, Stella." He waved a paw between the two of them before putting a paw on his own chest. "And I'm Nox, for the benefit of our sobble friend here."

"Look alive. I think the electric rodent is done scolding her underlings." Rumble glared in the direction of the pachirisu, body tense.

+++

Stella beamed at Rumble. “Oh! It’s an honour to make your acquaintance.” She shook his hand.

Alvus nodded politely at Nox. They looked at Rumble. “You were spot-on,” they said, adding a quiet, “What are the chances…”

At Rumble’s warning, Stella and Alvus turned around to see the Pachirisu surrounded by the Nickit and Herdier.

“You cheats! A four versus two is hardly fair,” she seethed. “And you ruined my stall!” Electricity crackled from her body. “How shall we make them pay for this?”

+++

"I'd back off if I were you." Rumble barred his teeth. "Unless you want to get hurt."

"I'd say the unintentional wrecking of your stall is a healthy dose of karma." Nox grinned even if he felt a bit unsteady on his feet. "You hardly deserve to be repaid for anything when you were the one scamming innocent people in the first place. Plus I bet you would have sent in more goons if you had them anyway. " He shook his head. Seriously the gall of them. "You're outnumbered now, so I'd run while you have the chance."

+++

Stella smacked her tail against the ground. “And don’t come back until you’ve changed your ways,” she added.

The trio of thieves glared at them, but they knew they had to retreat. They ducked into the crowd and disappeared from Alvus’ sight.

With the commotion resolved, some of the stall-keepers set to returning items thrown in the scuffle back to normal. The crowd that had gathered eventually dispersed, and the four of them blended into anonymity.

“Well, I hope you’ve learned your lesson,” Alvus said to Stella. “You both wanted to help others, but you put yourself in danger, instead.”

“In a sense. And I ought to let you know that Nox came to my aid! That Pachirisu stole my wallet and he retrieved it for me. So… he helped at least one person today.” Stella smiled at the Rockruff.

+++

"Happy to have helped." Nox nodded. "Putting yourself in danger is the gamble you take when you wanna help people and not everyone is up for that." He chuckled. "Though if you don't have people willing to take that chance no one will ever be helped." He glanced at the sobble before looking back at Stella. "You did great out there by the way. I bet with a bit more training you'll be taking out bad guys on your own in no time." He grinned.

"You shouldn't be encouraging her to follow in your reckless footsteps." Rumble huffed.

"I mean she can do whatever she wants." Nox shrugged. "I was simply complimenting her on her performance."

"Sure you were." Rumble shook his head.

+++

Alvus was unmoved by Nox’s sentimental platitudes, but Stella nodded along to everything.

“Do you really think so? I must refine my skills in that case. Adventuring… helping people… I’ve dreamed of doing them since I was small.” Stella clasped her hands together.

“For your first battle it was quite impressive,” Alvis admitted. “Though we really have Rumble to thank for the situation resolving without too much harm done.” They nudged Stella.

“Right, of course.” She gave the Fuecoco a small bow, “Your timely intervention really helped us. Thank you.”

+++

Rumble nodded. "Sure thing. Was mostly cleaning up this one's mess." He gestured roughly at Nox who made a soft offended noise at that. "But I'm glad I could help you out."

"Definitely keep training though." Nox smiled. "Follow that dream."

"Well with all this excitement over now..." Rumble turned to look at Nox. "Did you actually get what we needed?"

"Iiiii did." Nox didn't make eye contact with Rumble.

"But?" Rumble asked impatiently.

"But I may have lost the bags sometime between when I finished and now." Nox at least had the decency to look sorry.

Rumble drug a hand down his face. "Of course. Well it's certainly been... a time. I guess it was nice meeting you two."

+++

“I will!” she smiled brightly at Nox. “Should you two ever need help, know that you have an ally in me.” Stella touched a hand lightly to her chest.

At Alvus’ behest, they bid their final farewells, leaving Rumble to chastise Nox.

Alvus took Stella aside and spoke with intensity. “I might have a new lead into finding the Lunar Disc,” they whispered.

“Wait, really? When— how did you..?”

“I have my ways.” They glanced back at where they had left Rumble and Nox. “It’s important that we leave soon. We have to find the thief before they get too far.”

“Right, right. So, what is this lead that you found?”

Alvus pulled out a map from their bag and unfurled it. “It’s in Firstbush Fields. You see this cluster of ancient sites and ruins? Well…” They pointed at a town marked on the map. “A suspicious Pokemon carrying a bag of artifacts was spotted around here.”

Stella looked at Alvus, puzzled. “That’s… really specific. And are you sure that’s the same one who stole my family’s Disc? What if they are just an antiques dealer?”

“It’s the only lead I found. Unless you have a better plan?”

“I suppose not…” Stella sighed. “Let’s go.”

Alvus put the map back in their bag. They double-checked the contents with a swift feel around.

A thin, metallic disc was nestled in the hidden pocket just as they had left it. Satisfied, Alvus closed their bag shut, tightly, and led Stella towards the open road.

“Hey, Alvus?” Stella said, after a companionable silence.

Alvus turned their head back.

“I’m glad to have a smart, supportive friend like you. I think I would be running myself in circles trying to find the disc if not for your advice,” she confessed. After a moment, she brightened. “One day, I will make it up to you! I’ll become a great thief hunter, starting with the one who took the Lunar Disc. Then, you’ll be able to rely on me!”

Watching her bright smile made a knot form in Alvus’ stomach. They quickly turned around, but mumbled a quick, “I’m counting on you.”

+++

"Sooooo." Nox looked anywhere but at Rumble. "What are the odds of you letting me off the hook for this?"

"Do you really want that answer?" Rumble narrowed his eyes.

"No." Nox sighed. "No probably not. But uuuuuh." Nox quickly scanned the area and noticed a familiar set of bags, "But hey look! The bags!" He stiffly walked over to them, quickly checking their contents. By some miracle everything was there.

"How lucky for you." Rumble said dryly as he walked up behind Nox. "Let's just get out of here. I'll deal with you later." He huffed.

"Awe, but if you yell at me in front of Jewel she'll get upset." Nox picked up the bags before smiling innocently at Rumble. "You don't want that right?"

"No one said anything about doing it in front of the kid." Rumble started to walk off, Nox rushed to keep up. "It'll come when you least expect it mutt."

Nox sighed heavily. "Guess I'll just have to be on my toes then." As the two made it out of the crowded streets Nox gave Rumble a more genuine smile. "Thanks for saving us back there. You can be a nice guy when you want to."

Rumble hummed. "Just don't get used to it. Now come on, we still have a bit of walking to do." Nox groaned but followed Rumble anyway.