Chapitre 5: Sami's Back!
Sami and Delan made their way into the main hall and could hear the echoes of Pokemon chatting around within it. Paying no heed to the other Pokemon and their respective businesses, the duo instead took a moment to admire the main hall which was noticeably bathed in a glow of splendor. Although it seemed that Sami herself was a well-versed member of the Charms Guild, she was as much in awe of the main hall's appearance as her Eevee accomplice was. For, while the Guild entrance was made to be large and intimidating, the main hall was conversely designed to be large and attractive. A row of finely intricate, alternating arches and columns formed the foundation of the hallway. Between them were doors of different shapes and sizes with a myriad of glyphs and patterns adorned on their surfaces. Each door would no doubt lead the guild's members to more hallways and additonal, smaller rooms that made up the guild. The doors themselves were neatly framed by walls so smooth and lustrous that they couldn't be simple bricks layered one atop the other. The floors were tiled with smooth and shining cream-colored marble and each tile in turn was emblazoned with a brilliant green floral pattern. Indeed, the materials that went into the main hall were so luxurious that it was a wonder any Pokemon would have the taste to construct such a marvel of architecture with equally marvelous resources. It was certainly evidence that the Charms Guild was at the forefront of Pokemon ingenuity and credit to its visionary guildmaster.
"That's Alex for you. When he makes an entrance, he
makes an entrance; with shiny stones and crystals no less," Sami whispered to herself.
"You seem surprised by all this," Delan noted at Sami's expression.
"Well," Sami explained. "I've been gone for a fair bit, and it would appear the guild made all these renovations in my absence. Although the doors should be able to lead us where I think they should be leading us," she said weakly. The Espeon pointed towards a door at the farthest end on the right side of the hallway. "That should still be the way to the Lift. The Armory's on the lower levels of the guild and we'll need to take it to get there."
"But that means it's underground," Delan replied. "Is the guild seriously
that big?" he said, astounded by the thought.
"We're a fairly popular guild after all, at least around here," Sami told him. "I think the Bulbagarden Archives even have us listed as one of the top guilds in the region, though I imagine that might have something to do with all the sponsors and financial stuff." Sami appeared pensive when she said this, though soon dismissed it in favor of resuming their current endeavor. "Shall we?" she remarked as she took a few steps ahead of Delan, nodding her head towards their destination. The Eevee gave a quick nod in reply and followed her.
As they walked across the hallway, a noticeable silence fell over the groups of Pokemon within the main hall. Several were rather interested in the pair and conversed amongst themselves in hushed tones. Others seemed to find their presence amusing enough to whisper excitedly to one another. Whatever the reason for all the attention they were getting, it only made Delan considerably more tense than he already was. To have a complete stranger learn almost everything about you, only to have them guide you through some strange, unfamiliar place was certainly something one should not take lightly. But somehow, the Eevee could relax for even just a tiny bit in the knowledge that his acquaintance was an Espeon. Sami seemed nice enough, and more than anything, her resemblance to someone he knew was uncanny. Although the feeling he got from her was something reminiscent of his mother, Delan knew well enough that it wasn't real. It was a painful reminder that he kept in his heart, for the truth was that the Eevee had not seen his mother or father for over a year now. The memories of the fateful day in which his life had gone awry were firmly engraved in his mind. It was something that gave him the determination to pursue things he never would have thought possible. It was the very reason he came to this guild and was his resolve for seeking its membership.
"OH MY GOSH SAMIIIIIIIIIIIIIII," cried a voice. It rang through the hallway for all to hear, and threw Delan wildly out of his thoughts.
"What on-" he wanted to say, but before he could finish, a cyan blur whooshed past him and knocked Sami to the floor. Delan gasped at the sudden attack and turned to her, only to find that the strange blur was actually a Pokemon, and it was now jumping madly around the Espeon on the floor. The Pokemon's smooth fur was a cool shade of blue that shined as brlliantly as the tiles of the hallway. Its paws were darker in color and looked as though they were dipped into a bowl of crushed Oran berries. It had long, pointed ears that were shaped like diamonds and on its forehead were neatly combed bangs. Two long locks of fur were on either side of its face; their sheen and flow gave them the appearance of crystals or prisms and the Pokemon's tail was similar in shape. Although unfamiliar to the Eevee, this Pokemon was one of the seven species that he could eventually evolve into.
"YOU'RE BAAAACCCCKKKKKK," the Glaceon shrieked in excitement as it trotted happily around Sami. Though she was tackled to the ground only moments ago, the Espeon was also quite excited to see a familiar face.
"Belle," Sami replied ecstatically. "It's so good to see you again," she said with a wide grin on her face. The two jumped into each other's arms and did a sort of clumsy waltz as they spun around madly giggling. Delan sat where he was, somewhat confused by the turn of events but more shocked at the odd manner in which the two greeted each other. Unbeknownst to him, tackling a fellow guild member was a well-known sign of affection and the most honored of greetings. The stronger the assault, the better. It is notable that the larger, heavier Pokemon were thought of as being very affectionate as a result.
Delan glanced around worriedly, but it did not seem like the commotion attracted too much attention from the crowd. Those who were whispering before went on their way in a casual haste, and some gave away a mild chuckle in response to the scene before them. Just then, a door from the right side of the hallway swung open, and a large blue Pokemon emerged excitedly out of the Library. "So I heard Sami's back," the Marshtomp said happily. The Espeon shrieked ecstatically in response.
"PHEO!" Sami cried out. The Espeon ran over to her good friend and gave him a compulsory assault of affection. "It feels so awesome to be back," she told him as she helped the Marshtomp up to his feet.
"I can imagine," Pheo said with a chuckle. "Did you just get here today?"
"Yup, I didn't think I'd make it to see today's initiation exams, but I decided not to stop by the town for a break and to just head straight here," Sami told him as she raised a paw triumphantly. A low gurgling sound was suddenly heard and the Espeon grinned at this.
"So I see," Pheo chuckled even more. "You should probably go get some food in the cafeteria. I'll get everyone together and we can all hear about how your training went."
"Sounds tempting, but I think I'll just grab an apple down by the armory. I just remembered I have something to do down there."
"Oh good," Pheo said matter-of-factly. His smile widened at hearing this. "There's a nice surprise waiting for you there. You two should really enjoy it."
"You two?" Sami wondered.
"Well, I should get back to the library now," Pheo told her. He placed both fins behind his head and did not show any plans on spoiling the surprise. "On duty and all. I'll let Carmen know when she gets back from the nursery with Middy," he said with a wink.
"Okay then, I'll see you guys later," Sami waved to the Marshtomp and turned towards Belle and Delan. "Oh right, I haven't introduced you two to each other."
"So who's this little cutie you got here with you?" Belle asked as she eyed the Eevee curiously. Delan blushed at the aspect that he might be cute. Seeing him do this only made the Glaceon squee with delight. "Aren't you just adorable, though?" she told him happily.
"This is Delan, he'll be taking the exams today," Sami told her. "And right now, we really should be getting him to the armory." Belle's ears perked when Sami said this.
"Oooh, so you guys are heading down there," she said as her tail wagged incessantly. "Mind if I join you two? I just remembered there's something down there I need to take care of."
"If you're free then that'd be great," Sami said excitedly. Delan wasn't as enthusiastic about it though. He already felt as though there was some sort of thick wall between him and everyone else in the guild, and the Glaceon's presence only fortified it. "So, Delan. This Glaceon here is Belle, she's a good friend of mine," Sami told him.
"U-uh, yeah, it's nice to meet you," Delan said. No longer sure of what to do, he bowed courteously. His cheeks were still pink from blushing.
Belle inched closer to his face and placed both her paws against his cheeks. "You are just...so...cute!" she said adoringly.
"Isn't he though?" Sami mused in.
"I wish I had a little brother just like him," Belle replied. At this point, her paws moved from his cheeks down to his shoulders as she hugged him tightly. "He's so absolutely adorable!"
"I know, right?" the Espeon replied. Quite suddenly, she too joined the Glaceon in hugging the little Pokemon and the three clumsily scuttled about as Delan tried to escape the Guild members' adoration.
Good grief, the Eevee thought to himself.
What the heck am I signing up for?
