It took an hour to walk back to Tabira. A very long hour, in Stefan’s opinion. Stella made due on her promise to chat Marth up the entire way, bombarding their masked companion with a seemingly endless slew of questions. Stefan had tried his best just to drown her out and focus on navigating, but his patience was wearing dangerously thin after just ten minutes. He had to commend Marth who remained unflappable through it all, answering Stella’s inquires with one or two word answers occasionally but for the most part remaining silent.
“Do you like Pecha berries?”
“They’re fine.”
“What’s your favorite color?”
“…”
“I bet it’s blue, isn’t it? You wear a lot of blue, ya know.”
“I do.”
“Why are you all dressed up like that?”
“…”
“Do you just wear the mask to look cool?”
“No.”
“Are you an actor?”
“No.”
“Maybe a magician?” she gave a small gasp, “Or maybe an assassin?”
“…”
“Have you ever killed anyone?”
“Stella!” The plusle paused in her interrogation at her brother’s appalled shout. Stella tossed Stefan an irritated look, folding her arms across her chest.
“It’s a perfectly reasonable question to ask,” she huffed.
“Not of someone who we only just became acquainted to!” Stefan argued, barely keeping his voice from rising in volume.
“Well, he doesn’t have to answer if he doesn’t want to!” Stefan pushed up his glasses to massage his eyes in exasperation.
“That does not change the fact that it’s rude, and you shouldn’t have proposed such a question in the first place!”
“I’m sorry if I get bored! You’re being all anti-social so excuse me for filling the silence!” Stella growled back.
“Has the notion entered your mind that some might like silence?” Stella let out a long, dramatic sigh.
“Are we there yet?” she whined.
“Yes.” Marth’s even voice sounded as he rose one arm to point out the Great Tree in the very near distance. Stefan nodded in satisfaction before stowing away his map back in his messenger bag.
“Good. The sooner we can get this task finished up, the better,” the minun muttered as he cast a glance back at the tied up braixen Marth was carrying over his shoulder. Xavier gurgled something incomprehensible in his sleep but otherwise showed no signs of waking anytime soon.
“Why? This cutting into your nerd time?” Stella grumbled, not willing to let up on her brother just yet. Stefan grit his teeth together and his grip around his bag’s strap tightened, but he didn’t respond to his sister’s jibing. Instead, he just continued walking towards the main city of Tabira. Marth followed wordlessly behind him with Stella pulling up the rear.
“So…what are we going to do with Foxy?” Stella asked after about five minutes of quiet.
“I suppose we turn him in to the authorities,” Stefan replied with a sigh.
“The Trackers? Great! I can finally show you how awesome that guild is!” she cheered, perking up instantly and slinging an arm around her brother’s shoulders to assumingly lead him in that direction. However, Stefan resisted, pulling in the opposite direction.
“I was referring to the Scholars. They are the one that developed the technology for the holding cells where troublemakers such as Xavier are kept,” he said as he shrugged off his sister’s arm. Stella rolled her eyes.
“But the Trackers are the ones who put out the Wanted posters! Clearly, they are the ones to go to!” Stefan groaned.
“You’re not actually immature enough to start that argument again, are you?” he muttered, “Storming off again will get us nowhere-”
“Who said I was going to storm off?!” Stella shot back hotly, sparks starting to fly from her cheeks as her temper flared, “If I remember right, you stormed of too, Mr. Sophisticated. Don’t call me a child when you’re just as bad!”
“Well, I-”
“ENOUGH!” The arguing siblings were both abruptly silenced as Marth rose his voice for the first time since they had met him, demanding their attention. “Why do you go on like this? What does it accomplish? Are you not partners?” Even if they couldn’t see it, both electric types could feel the intense glare being leveled at them and neither of them dare speak. “You told me that you were part of Team Electrophilic,” Marth continued, pointing a finger at Stella, “Being on a team is not just a title. Being on a team requires trust, a bond between partners. It requires you to make compromises and to listen to your partner’s opinions even if they differ from your own.”
“Easy for you to say… You’ve got a cool sword for a partner, not a lame brother,” Stella mumbled after working up the courage to speak. To her surprise, the riolu just nodded slowly, his voice growing a bit softer.
“You are correct. I am not lucky enough to being working with my family. You two are siblings. Your bond should be stronger than that of usual partners. You both have strengths and weaknesses which must be balanced out by the other…and if you could manage to do so in harmony, your team could have the potential of being unstoppable. Family is something to be cherished. Never take it for granted lest one day you find it gone forever.” The riolu’s chilling words hung in the air as Stefan and Stella shared a brief, uneasy glance before they simultaneously looked down in shame. It was quite embarrassing to be lectured at their age, especially by someone they had known for little over an hour.
Stella was the first to speak after several long moments. “So…what should we do? To compromise, I mean?” she asked slowly. Marth looked off for a moment, paw resting on the hilt of his sword.
“What if you both worked for a guild neither of you have connection to?” he said as he turned back to them, “I heard earlier of a Trial of the Keepers. It requires participants to demonstrate charity to the people of Tabira.”
“That doesn’t sound too difficult. Surely we could manage to work together on something simple like that?” Stefan said, casting a half hopeful, half apologetic glance at his sister. Stella smiled before nodding eagerly.
“Of course! We could pass a trial like that in our sleep!” Her enthusiasm dimmed a bit as she laid eyes on Xavier, still flopped over Marth’s shoulder. “But what are we going to do about Xavier?”
“Ah yes…I’d almost forgotten…”
“I will make sure this bandit ends up where he needs to,” Marth answered, back to his usual monotone, “Stefan…Stella…focus on the task before you. I wish you luck.”
“Thank you for all your help,” Stefan said, Stella echoing the same sentiment. The masked swordsman gave a slight bow.
“It’s nothing,” he replied easily before heading off and leaving the two electric bunnies alone once more.
“Well, what are we going to do for this act of charity?” Stella asked. Stefan fidgeted with his glasses, looking deep in thought.
“I’m not sure…nothing immediately springs to mind…”
“Then we should just walk around until we find someone who needs a little charity!” the plusle stated confidently, “We can go to the marketplace. There will be tons of mons there!”
“That sounds horribly inefficient,” Stefan lamented, gazing at the position of the sun. It was a few hours past noon, meaning they did not have all day to go looking for someone to help. He wasn’t sure if the trial had to be completed today or if it could be done tomorrow. I probably should have asked Marth before he left, he thought.
“Oh, come on! You don’t have any better ideas, do you? Trust me on this!” Stella begged. Stefan didn’t have any better suggestions, but he hated going forward without a solid plan. He couldn’t just fly blind into every situation like Stella was always so eager to! Still… Marth’s words about compromising resounded through his mind. The minun let out a long sigh before meeting his sister’s expectant gaze, giving her a small smile.
“Alright. Let’s try it your way.” There was a momentary flash of surprise in her eyes at him agreeing so easily followed by a sunny look of gratitude as she linked her arm with his.
“To the market!
*****
The afternoon rush hour was in full swing in the Tabiran marketplace. Mons of every shape, size, and age scurried from stall to stall like hungry durants at a picnic. Vendors shouted over each other in the hopes of drawing in customers to buy their wares, making it near impossible to hear what even the person next to you was saying.
For someone like Stefan who didn’t like crowds on a good day, being here was borderline torture. Eager shoppers kept bumping into him, with a few very nearly knocking him over. The only thing that kept him here was his sister’s hand gripping his a bit too tight as she pushed her way through the crowd, shouting at or even giving a small jolt to larger mons that were in her way.
“Stella! This is getting us nowhere! We’re highly unlikely to find someone in need of charity in this ravenous swarm!” he shouted.
“Yes we will! We just have to keep looking,” she yelled back, not even turning to face him. The minun groaned before yanking back on Stella’s hand to get her full attention on him.
“We’ve been searching for twenty minutes already! Can we at least move our search to a less congested area?” Stella rolled her eyes, and for a moment, Stefan was sure she was going to keep arguing with him.
“Fine,” she said flatly before changing direction to one of the smaller alleyways away from the main street. Stefan was admittedly surprised that she had agreed without putting up a fight, but he wasn’t about to look a gift ponyta in the mouth.
Slowly, the crowds thinned and the deafening roar of voices lessened to a dull rumble. Not as many shoppers could fit on these slimmer streets, and vendors were fewer and spaced farther apart.
“Better?” Stella asked. Her tone was decidedly neutral. Stefan wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing. Perhaps she was trying her best to get along with him as well after being chewed out earlier?
“Yes. Thank you,” he replied, “Let’s keep looking for someone in need.” Stella nodded, letting go of his hand as they no longer had to fight to stay together.
Another ten minutes of wandering passed, and Stella was starting to get frustrated, though she was trying not to show it. As it was her idea, she didn’t want to give in before her brother. Her ears suddenly twitched as she barely caught sound of a young voice.
“Can’t you lower the price just a little? Just this once?”
She turned around, searching for the origin of the voice, before her eyes landed on a pair of kids, a small lapras and a swinub, at a berry stand towards the end of the street. They seemed to be arguing with the merchant running the stand, a rather cross looking grumpig. Stella crept in closer to hear more of the conversation.
“Sorry, squirt, but I’m not budging on my prices. It’s not easy to get produce like this, ya know!”
“Please! It’s for something really, really important!” the swinub pleaded from her perch on the lapras’s shell. The grumpig folded his arms stubbornly and shook his head.
“There’s nothing I can do for you. Either buy something or move along,” he responded gruffly, sharply pointing them away and back towards the street. Even from a distance, Stella could clearly see the sorrow on the two kids’ faces.
“Alright...good day to you, sir...” the lapras said politely but in a very defeated tone before turning away. He froze the ground in front of him with an icy sigh and slid along it like a seel.
“But, Glacier...we have to get some berries,” the swinub insisted, “It’s Joshua’s birthday...”
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Stella’s attention was forcefully drawn away from the two kids as she nearly jumped from the close proximity of her brother’s voice. Glancing to her left, she saw Stefan standing by her side, also having seen the sad scene. He met her gaze, a knowing light in his red eyes.
“For once...yeah!” she said with a smirk. The electric types walked over to the two younger ice types, Stella calling out to them to get their attention.
“Hey! Why the long faces?” The kids shared a look of confusion at being suddenly addressed by a stranger, but after a moment the lapras spoke up.
“...uh...we wanted to get some berries for our friend, Miss, but we don’t have enough money for more than one or two,” he explained in a somewhat shy voice.
“And we need lots for our party!” the swinub piped up.
“A party?” Stefan asked, “Who for? Shouldn’t your parents be helping you with it?”
“Well...yeah, but all us kids wanted to do it by ourselves,” the lapras admitted, staring at the ground, “We have this good friend who’s a fletchling named Joshua, and it’s his birthday today. We planned to throw a surprise party for him with food and decorations...but I’m not sure we can afford it all.” Despite the two young mons’ despondent faces, Stella smiled brightly.
“I think you two could do with some charity, dontcha think?” she said, patting one of the bag on her belt, “We’ll help you get everything you need for your party!” Two sets of wide, hopeful eyes stared at the plusle.
“Would you...would you really do that, Miss?” the swinub asked. Stella nodded eagerly.
“Of course! We’re with the guilds, and it’s our job to help others,” she said as she wrapped an arm around Stefan’s shoulders and pulled him closer despite the annoyed look he gave her, “and none of this ‘Miss’ stuff! I’m Stella, and this is my older brother, Stefan.” The young ice types’ faces lit up in awe.
“Wow...My name is Glacier, and this is Muffin,” the lapras pointed with his nose to the ball of fur resting on his shell. Muffin raised a tiny paw to wave hello.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Stefan replied calmly as he peeled his sister’s arm off his shoulders, “and might I suggest before you go wildly spending that you let me handle the shopping this time?” Stefan did appreciate Stella’s excitement when it meant he didn’t have to go out of his way to be social, but sometimes he needed to curb her enthusiasm.
Stella narrowed her eyes slightly. “Why? Don’t think I’m mature enough to be trusted with money?” While not yet angry, her tone was testy.
“Not at all,” Stefan placated, “I’m just better with numbers and calculations. Please, allow me to take the lead with this?” Stella wasn’t wholly convinced, but Stefan had listened to her idea earlier. It seemed only fair to do the same for him this once. She gave him a slight smirk before handing him the bag off her belt.
“Ok, might as well put your nerd powers to good use. Let’s get shopping!” Stefan rolled his eyes at her before taking the lead with Glacier and Muffin following eagerly behind.
*****
“I can’t believe we got so many!” Glacier remarked as he lead Stefan and Stella to the meeting spot for their party. Both electric types held sizable shopping bags full of different kinds of berries they had bought.
“It was all merely a matter of how we spread our money around,” Stefan replied. They had spent about an hour walking around the market and visiting different stands with Stefan comparing prices and special deals at each vendor and utilizing little shopping tricks like buying berries that grew in bunches like Cheri and Nanab to stretch their funds the furthest. He was easily able to keep track of all the information in his head that overwhelmed the other three.
“Still, thank you so much! Everyone’s going to be so excited!” Glacier said excitedly.
“Yeah, you guys are awesome!” Muffin added. Stella smirked as Stefan’s face grew a little red from all the praise.
“There they are!” Glacier nodded his head in the direction of a small grassy area not far from the Great Tree’s trunk. There were a few trees and bushes that peppered the area with a large, flat rock smack dab in the center. Several younger mons were crowded around the rock.
“Hey, look! Glacier and Muffin are back!” a very excitable poochyena shouted out as he saw the four of them approach. Seven sets of eyes suddenly swiveled to stare at the newcomers.
“...and look at all the food they got!” another kid, a tepig, added. The whole group came running up to them and started bombarding them with rapid fire questions, too fast for even Stella to keep up with.
“Who are they?” The sharp, almost accusing question came from a female larvitar and silenced the clamor as the rest of the kids seemed to notice the plusle and minun for the first time.
“This is Stefan and Stella. They helped us buy lots of berries,” Glacier announced, “Plus, they’re members of the guilds!” A hushed awe came over the group as they stared at the two electric types with sparkling eyes.
“Do you have a team name?” a small charmander asked shyly.
“Yup! We’re Team Electrophilic!” Stella said with grin, striking a pose with her hands on her hips. This elicited another round of cheers, and Stella readily soaked up the attention.
“What are all your names?” Stefan asked.
“This is Roy, Lupis, Tylla, Crim, Salamander, Tinder, and Myles,” Glacier clarified as he pointed to a cranidos, poochyena, larvitar, shiny carbink, charmander, cyndaquil, and tepig respectively. He paused for a moment, his brows furrowing as he did a double take of the group. “Where is everyone else?”
“Cassidy and a handful of the others are meeting with Evan to work on a master prank,” Roy explained, “Adi is off doing one of her projects, and Leonardo is trying to keep Joshua busy and away from here.”
“He’s going to bring Joshua by soon, so if we want this party to be a surprise, we should stop visiting and get it ready!” Tylla groused. That snapped the group back into action. Stefan and Stella set their bags on the flat rock while Tinder and Myles took out the berries and arranged them on the makeshift table, cooking some berries that were too tough to eat raw with little puffs of fire. Tylla and Roy set about clearing the area of large stick and stones with Stefan helping as well.
We need some cool decorations, Stella thought as she looked at the very average trees, bushes, and flowers. Focusing frosty light blue energy in her hands, Stella shot a ray of icy air at a large tree branch. The gust caused icicles to rapidly form on the branch. Stella concentrated on making the ice grow into the exact shape she had in her mind. She grinned at the end product, the branch now lined with shimmering starbursts made of ice. She quickly moved onto decorating more branches.
Stella almost jumped when she saw blobs of clear water move along the branches and push themselves into similar starburst shapes. She looked down to see Salamander staring intently up at the tree, the small flame on his tail turning blue as he waved his arms. Muffin sat beside him and froze the watery shapes with blast of Powder Snow.
“You can control water?” Stella asked the charmander in disbelief. Salamander looked startled at being directly addressed.
“Y-yeah...with Hidden Power,” he murmured nervously.
“That’s really cool! Ya know, because you’re a fire type and all.” Salamander relaxed a little and a small, proud smile grew on his face at the plusle’s compliment. The three continued to make ice decorations with Glacier offering to help as well. Stella noticed Crim watching them all intently as they worked. The carbink hadn’t said a word this entire time, so Stella decided to invite him (at least she assumed it was a him) over.
“You can help too if you want,” she offered. Crim continued to stare at her, unblinkingly, before glancing up at the last and largest tree to be decorated. He looked at the ice adorning the other trees before closing his eyes tightly as the gems on his body glowed. There was a bright flash of light that nearly blinded Stella, but when her vision came back, she saw that the tree was now embellished with strings of small translucent crystals that almost seemed to glow with their own light. The plusle’s jaw nearly dropped at the sight.
“How did you do that?” Crim just gave her a pleased smile with his eyes before floating off to watch one of the other kids work.
“They’re coming!” Lupis’s voice rang out from his watch post. “I can smell them! They’re almost here!”
“Everyone hide!” Glacier hissed. They all scrambled to get out of sight. It was silent for several minutes before two voices could be heard.
“This better not be another of Evan’s pranks, Leo.” Despite the accusation, the voice was rather laid back and amiable.
“I wouldn’t be caught dead helping with one of that pest’s little jokes,” shot back a more uptight, formal voice.
“A’right, so why the rush to get to our hangout?” A fletchling and a piplup came into view. The fletchling’s eyes grew wide as all the kids jumped out from their hiding spots.
“SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOSHUA!” they all cheered. The look of complete shock on Joshua’s face stayed fixed there for many moments as he took everything in. Slowly, his expression turned into a smirk as he threw a teasingly look at the piplup beside him.
“And you say you’re above deceivin’ and sneakin’ around, Leo!” Leonardo rolled his eyes but gifted Joshua with a rare smile.
“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” the piplup replied, earning a laugh from many of the other kids, Joshua included.
“Come on, let’s get this party started!”
Standing at the outer edge of the area, Stefan and Stella shared a smile as they watched all the kids rush to start playing games and feast on berries.
“I guess our work here is done,” Stella said with a sigh of satisfaction, “Funny what we can do when we aren’t arguing, huh?” Stefan nodded wistfully.
“Indeed. We should probably go-” Stefan’s sentence was cut off as he felt a tug on his messenger bag. He turned to see Salamander and Muffin staring up at him.
“Will you...uh...will you stay? For a little while?” the charmander asked hesitantly yet hopefully.
“Please?” Muffin begged. The siblings shared a look of surprise before Stella grinned and spoke for them both.
“We’d love to.”
*****
The party lasted for an hour and a half before all the children had to go home for dinner. They all thanked Stefan and Stella a hundred times before making them both promise to come play with them again soon. The sky was turning vibrant shades of orange and red as the sun sank lower on the horizon to give way to evening. The two electric bunnies were just getting ready to leave when Stefan noticed a shiny mawile in the garb of the Keepers walking towards them. He rose one eyebrow in curiosity as he realized the mawile was not walking in fact but floating through the air, just above the ground. Considering the electric sparks that danced around the steel/fairy type’s feet, Stefan deduced that they must be using Magnet Rise to hover.
“Hello. Are you Team Electrophilic?” the mawile asked as they came to stand in front of the siblings.
“Yeah, that’s us,” Stella affirmed, “Who are you?”
“I’m Madras, the guilds’ lead archivist, and I’ve come to inform you that you’ve passed the Trial of the Keepers!” the mawile said with a smile, “and I must say, you two have improved quite a lot from the reports I heard this morning.”
“Reports? From who?” Stefan inquired. Madras tapped their chin thoughtfully before responding.
“Mostly the Trackers and the Scholars. They both agreed that you each were pretty strong candidates for new recruits, but that you showed no aptitude for teamwork...which is kind of necessary on a team, you know!” Stefan’s face turned red while Stella averted her gaze to a far more interesting rock at her feet. “Yet, somehow, your attitudes completely flipped around by the end of the day, and you both were able to pass the Trial with flying colors.”
“Heh...all it took was a lot of fighting and a lecture from a stranger,” Stella said wryly under her breath.
“In fact...do you two have a minute?” Madras asked after a moment. They pulled out a notebook and pencil they had stashed in their second set of jaws. “So many new recruits have been arriving from all sorts of places, and I’ve been trying to survey them all for our records. I was wondering if you’d be willing to answer a few questions and tell me a bit about where you’re from?” Stefan cast a questioning glance at his sister, and she gestured for him to go ahead with a smirk. Stella knew her brother loved to talk when it came to studies or surveys.
“Well, my sister and I originally hail from a small town just northeast of Rivercross Acres called Larke...”
*****
Unbeknownst to Stefan and Stella, they were being watched at a distance by a shadowy figure. After turning in Xavier to the guilds, Marth had doubled back to check up on Team Electrophilic. Even now, he wasn’t sure what had compelled him to do so. Some misplaced sense of loyalty? Unlikely as he had only known they for an hour or two. To make sure they had no trouble in starting the Trial of the Keepers he had directed them to? No, why should he care if they chose to partake in the Trial or not?
Perhaps...he wanted to see if they had taken any of his words to heart? Marth, truthfully, expected Stefan and Stella to just brush off his advice the moment he left, but he was pleasantly surprised to find them working in harmony to help the children of Tabira. It was...heartwarming, and he couldn’t help but stay a bit longer to watch, which is what had led to him still standing here now as the light faded from the sky.
He stiffened as he heard the sound of footsteps behind him, and he whirled around in a flash, senses on high alert and one paw already drawing Falchion halfway out of its sheath. It took him a moment to recognize the lucario that approached him as the same one he had met early that day. Gemma.
The Keepers’ proxy held up her paws to show she meant no harm. “Sorry if I startled you...Marth, wasn’t it?” The masked riolu slowly nodded his head and returned Falchion to its sheath, though he kept his paw on the hilt. “I just came to congratulate you,” Gemma continued on.
“For what?” Marth asked with a clear note of suspicion in his voice. Gemma looked a little confused, as though whatever it was she was implying was common knowledge.
“Why, passing the Trial of the Keepers, of course!” This caught Marth completely off guard, and the surprise showed on his face before he quickly covered it up.
“There must be some mistake. As I understand it, completing the Trial required an act of charity...and I’ve done nothing charitable,” he said lowly. Gemma gave him a warm, understanding smile.
“There’s no mistake. I told you we’d be keeping an eye on all of you,” she explained, “Showing charity doesn’t always involve material things. Showing charity means giving of yourself freely for the benefit of others. An act of charity can be something as simple as helping a pair of quarreling partners learn the importance of working together, of trying to better understand each other and overcome their differences.” Gemma waved an arm in the direction of the minun and plusle in the distance to drive home her meaning.
“But...I didn’t do that because of the Trial...” Marth argued, determined to convince the lucario that he wasn’t as altruistic as she painted him to be.
“That’s what makes it all the more praiseworthy,” she replied easily, “I’ve heard from some of the other guild leaders about your exploits today. You’re quite stubborn, but you never act selfishly and always seem to gloss over the good you do,” Marth opened his mouth to insist that Gemma did not know what she was talking about, that she didn’t know him, but she cut him off, “I assume you won’t agree with me. That is merely my opinion.”
She held out her other paw to him in which she had been carrying a small object. It was long, thin, and shaped like an ankh with a black and gold color scheme that mimicked that of a shiny lucario. “This is called a Symbol of Charity. When fueled by a charitable heart, it has the power to heal the injured. Take it as reward for completing the first Trial of the Keepers.” Marth reached out and held the item delicately in his paws.
“...Thank you,” he said automatically. Gemma’s smile grew a bit as she nodded her head.
“You’re welcome. I will admit, you and your partner are a bit...different than the recruits we are used to seeing in the guilds, but I look forward to seeing more of your team in the future.” With that, Gemma headed off with one last wave.
Marth looked down at the Symbol of Charity he held, and he couldn’t help a small glow of pride within him as he gazed at it. Stashing the tool away, the masked riolu directed his gaze at the Great Tree towering about him and all of Tabira.
What is it, Young One? Falchion inquired silently. Marth shook his head.
“Nothing...” he muttered. There were things that would never change, no matter how much he wished otherwise. His home was gone. He would forever be an outsider, a stranger wherever he traveled. Tabira was merely a place he had to go to in order to complete his mission. But...maybe one day Tabira could become more than that. Maybe one day...it could be a safe place...a place that felt like home.
Marth locked away these dangerously hopeful thoughts for another day. He turned his back on Tabira and headed out into the forest to find somewhere to sleep for the night.
