Katie dashed through the corridor as fast as her legs could allow. Her long tail wagged incessantly behind her, its large lightning-bolt shaped end spewing small bursts of static electricity. Her pointed ears twitched with every pant of her breath and her round yellow cheeks glowed repeatedly. In one paw she held a tightly rolled-up parchment while her other paw tried to keep her pointy, green hat from flying off her head. Her feet skidded slightly across the floor as she made a sharp turn through the stone hallway and proceeded through one of its many forked paths. Although there was a quicker alternative to get to the main hall, rather than getting almost hopelessly lost in the many tunnels of the Charms guild, several complications prevented the Electric Pokemon from reaching her destination in a more convenient manner. She had little time to complain about it though, as a familiar face was rushing towards her.
"Oh good, I managed to find one of you," the Pokemon said as she landed on the ground and folded her wings. The Murkrow, much like the rest of her species had a large sharp beak and deep red eyes. The feathers on her head formed a large crest that made her seem as though she, too, was wearing a hat. However, unlike others of her species, this Murkrow had some rather unique traits. Most noticeable was her slightly lighter plumage and a small brown satchel slung across her small shoulders. "Where are the others?" She asked Katie.
"Oh, you know," Katie replied. Of course, the Murkrow wouldn't have; and for her sake she shouldn't. Fortunately, the guild masters were a busy lot. Busy enough to merit a slew of reasons that could be attached to the phrase "oh you know" to great effect. "Wait, wasn't Stel with you guys?" The Electric Pokemon realized.
"If he was, I didn't see him. Ruko went off to find him, but he hasn't reported back in a while" the silver Pokemon replied with a chuckle. "So I guess that means you'll be in charge of doing it today?"
"I suppose so," Katie nodded. She handed her friend the parchment as she tidied herself. "This really isn't Stel's sort of thing anyway. Have they all gathered?"
"I thought so. Has Data printed out the list yet?"
"If by printed, you mean that creepy thing he does with his head, then yes." The feathered Pokemon then placed her beak inside the pouch she carried, pulling out a larger, more tightly rolled up piece of parchment. Katie nodded and motioned for her to return it to her satchel.
"Thanks, Ferne. I'll give it to Alex later," she said as the Murkrow returned the smaller scroll to her. The two quickly made their way down the rest of the corridor. As they drew closer to their destination, the soft noise could be heard reverberating through the hall. It grew steadily louder until finally Ferne and Katie stood before a large wooden door, the chattering noises at its loudest just behind it.
Ferne courteously opened the door for Katie. As she did so, bright rays of light focused down on the Raichu, almost blinding her with their brilliance. Covering her brow, she looked upon the large wooden stage before her. Standing in its center was a lone wooden podium, large and rectangular, with a stepping stool for the more vertically-challenged speakers.
Before the stage stood dozens of Pokemon; the same fresh recruits who had, only hours before, entered the guild for the first time. Having gone through the proper prerequisites and registrations, as well as securing the proper materials for the day's events, they now found themselves in the guild's main auditorium for one final, but undoubtedly important, announcement before their initiation rites could begin. Many were excited, some were anxious, and there were those who were nervous of what was to come. Regardless of how they felt, they certainly voiced their feelings to just about anyone who could hear them.
The spotlights focused on Katie began to disperse as her audience took notice of her. The lighting fixtures, several small Pokemon flying in the space above the crowd buzzed happily to one another before flying off, their tails still glowing. The auditorium grew immediately silent. The newcomers didn't know if they had to applaud or not, though Katie preferred they didn't. Without a word, she approached the podium and climbed onto the stepping stool. She placed the scroll she was carrying on the stand and fondled the device in front of her. It was shaped like a large cone but curved slightly, the larger end directed towards the audience in order to amplify the speaker's voice. After clearing her throat, the Raichu then untied the scroll's ribbon. As the parchment unfurled, a small pair of glasses fell out of it.
Katie placed the ocular devices on her nose and gave the scroll a brief read-through. She glanced at the lines and verses written neatly all over the scroll's interior, then at the sigil stamped at the very top of the document. The four-leaf clover was a sign that this document was quite important to the guild.
Katie then looked down upon her audience. She tried to get a look of the Pokemon individually, but there were simply too many of them for her to take note of. Without any further distractions, she began to read aloud the traditional speech for new guild recruits, as written on the very important document. "Greetings newcomers, and welcome to the Charm's Guild!"
"I really appreciate you taking over my shift this afternoon, Jey," RX said wagging his tail excitedly. The orange Pokemon placed a paw on Delan's head and ruffled his fur briefly. Although larger, fluffier and colored a brilliant orange and yellow, RX greatly resembled the little Eevee next to him; as to be expected from one of the Eevee's evolutionary relatives.
"No problem," replied Jeydis. "The four of you look awfully adorable together anyway," she said with a chuckle. Delan blushed as he had done often that day; and as equally expected, was smothered by his adoring new friends.
"Awww, you sure you don't want to come watch the festivities with us?" Belle asked as she wrapped her forepaws around the little Pokemon's scruffy neck.
"Yeah, won't it be lonely for you down here in the armory?" mused Sami as she hugged herself a portion of Delan's torso.
"Now that I think about it, I don't think anyone'll be coming down here anyway," said RX as he rested his head and forepaws on Delan's forehead.
"I guess so. Tell you what, I'll just do some final inventory and meet up with everybody upstairs later," said the Kecleon.
"It'll be a party! We can celebrate the Sami's return and cheer our little warrior here onward to victory!" Belle cried happily, rubbing her cheeks into the back of Delan's head.
"Right, but before that, you three ought to get off of him before you kill your little warrior with love," Jeydis chuckled again at the seemingly impossible attempt of the three Pokemon to share Delan's tiny body.
"Eh, it's been known to happen," Sami said thoughtfully. The Eevee currently in her grasp turned pale at the notion of being smothered to death. Fortunately for him, the Flareon and Glaceon withdrew their hugs before they could do something to mortally injure him. The large pouch fastened around Delan's neck was already heavy enough with its contents: a small list of supplies the potential recruits could use to outwit and outlast their rivals and survive the initiation test that was soon to come. Waving farewell for now, the Kecleon turned around and strolled back towards the armory's large doorway. As the Lift's own mechanical doors slid forward and shut themselves tight, the four Pokemon settled themselves down. RX instructed the small, glass room to take them up and into the main lobby, and the Lift began to glow and whirr to life.
Delan checked to see if he could reach into the bag with ease, loosening and tightening it every so often just to make sure it wouldn't suddenly drop off. He inspected it of its contents and made sure that he would know just what to do with them for situations that would require they're use. He counted the large fruits he carried, differentiating one berry from the other. He wasn't all that familiar with the subject, but was taught well enough to know that all of the berries in his possession could neutralize any harmful effects he might encounter, not that he was planning to do so anytime soon.
"Not to psyche you out or anything," Sami suddenly spoke. "But you should have some idea of what you're going to be dealing with when you get to the course." Although she smiled kindly towards the Eevee, the tone of her voice was unfittingly serious.
"Judging by how you're preparing, I imagine you have some experience. Your parents must've taught you well enough."
"It wasn't just them," Delan said quietly, lifting Sami's arms off of him. "I had to live on my own for a while now."
The Pokemon sat silently, allowing the Lift's gears and other mechanisms to grind and churn rhythmically. The subject popped up briefly before while they were inside the Armory. They knew based on what Delan had told them, and what Sami had read from the Eevee's mind, that he had been living alone for the past few years since his parents' disappearance. That seemed to be the end of the story, though there was no denying the lot of them were still rather curious about it.
"I didn't have much money after they disappeared," the Eevee suddenly spoke. "I couldn't offer a reward for finding them if I tried. And somehow, even if I did, it didn't feel right to me for some reason." From the scruff around his neck, Delan then produced a small, round object. It was a small metal device, gold in color and connected to a chain that he wore under the fluff around his neck. A good amount of dirt and a scratches could surmise the trinket was fairly old. On its surface was a small relief of what looked like a clover with a ring revolving around it. The symbol was something all-too familiar for everyone on the Lift.
"You have the blood of an Explorer in your veins," RX concluded. "The call to adventure, mystery and travel isn't something you want for yourself it would seem." Delan turned over to the Flareon, ears perked up in surprise.
"How did you know this belonged to my father?"
"So Delan's dad was in the Charms Guild, too!" Belle said as she got a closer look at the trinket. "He must've been a member a long time ago, what with how old this watch is." The Glaceon then pressed a small switch where the watch's chain was and its cover flipped open automatically. The timepiece's face looked more aged than its golden frame. The glass covering had a small crack around the edge, and the clock's hands were frozen in place. The time read half past seven, the instance in which it stopped.
"RX might be right. Maybe the one Pokemon that should find your parents is you." Sami said thoughtfully before giving Delan another hug. "You have tried, haven't you? All this time now..."
"Ah, we're here!" RX interrupted. On cue, the Lift made a loud thud as the last bits of scripture on the glass walls broke off and settled themselves alongside the other symbols. The doors slid open and the four hurriedly exited the chamber and into the main hall. Compared to earlier, the large hallway felt rather empty. There were no glimpses of movement one could ignore from the corner of their eyes, and the hall felt quiet and stuffy. However, that soon wasn't the case as the large doorway towards the interior of the hall lurched open.
"Now if you'll all follow me, we'll be heading over to the-SAMI!" Cried a silver Murkrow as it fluttered out of the large doorway followed by dozens of other Pokemon behind her. Like Delan, most of the Pokemon were carrying bags with them to carry into the testing area. Unlike the little Eevee however, the other potential recruits had just finished listening to a very important orientation from the Guild Master.
"Oh dear," said RX worriedly. "It seems we just missed the orientation."
"The what?" Delan asked worriedly. Judging by the expression on the Flareon's face, it wasn't at all something good to miss.
"Basically, you were supposed to attend that so you would know what to do once you headed into the testing area," RX explained. "But I'm afraid now you'll just have to head straight to the Terminal."
"Eh?" was all the Eevee could utter.
"Darn, this is really all my fault," RX muttered, placing a paw on his forehead; Little wisps of smoke started to flow out of the fluff around his neck and head as he made a strange, low growling noise.
"Ohnoes, does this mean Delan's not gonna be able to make the test?" Belle said, waving her tail to and fro anxiously. As the Fire and Ice Pokemon resigned themselves to panicking, their Psychic counterpart was at the moment preoccupied with her happy reunion with Ferne.
"And who's this little one with you guys?" Ferne suddenly asked as she noticed the little brown Pokemon amongst them. Paired with his larger evolutions, the trio's expressions all expressed chaos, panic and utter dismay, though in a manner that was rather adorable.
"Just another potential recruit for the Guild. The wifeys are rather fond of him," Sami explained cheerfully.
"A recruit, you say? That's odd; I never noticed him during Katie's Orientation just now," the Murkrow mused thoughtfully as she placed a wing under her beak.
"Eh? We didn't miss that big meeting, did we?"
"If he was with the lot of you, I'm afraid you did. He can still take the test I suppose, but…" the Darkness Pokemon just stared quietly at Delan. The look on her face reinforced the little Eevee's thoughts of doom and potential disaster. Sami eyed them furtively, and then trotted over to Delan, patting him strongly on the back.
"Well, can't be helped I guess. He'll just have to wing it and see how it turns out," the Espeon said with a wide grin. "Isn't that right, Delan?"
"I don't see how I could…." But before the Eevee could complain, he felt a sudden sharp pain in his back. It travelled through his spine and surged up into his brain. When it did, his mind's eye was flooded with a flashing array of images. The visions poured wildly into his mind like a raging river of information. Each picture passed through his brain for a split second, yet somehow he was able to comprehend everything, no matter how fleeting the image was. It felt as though his body grew lighter and lighter as the data streamed around and about the inner reaches of his psyche.
Meanwhile, in the physical plane, Delan's body had frozen stiff. His eyes were widened, their pupils focusing on some unseen moment. A bit of drool was slowly dribbling down his slightly opened jaw, causing the Pokemon around him to stare. "Is he alright?" Ferne asked with a quizzical look in her eye.
"Oh, he probably just worried himself into a stupor. But I'm sure he'll be fine," Sami assured the Murkrow. The Espeon patted the Eevee, only to have the little Pokemon tip over and collapse on the ground, his posture still firmly retained. "Uhm, you don't mind if we go with you to the Terminal, right? I'm sure we can get him to calm down somehow." Sami then hoisted Delan up and onto RX's back. Belle poked the Eevee several times, but with no response.
"Oh right, the Terminal! We're all heading to the Terminal!" Ferne flapped her wings excitedly, realizing that she also had an audience waiting on her. "Okay everyone," she cried out to the Pokemon behind her. "This way!" With a few flaps of her wings, the silver Pokemon was quickly airborne and glided up and over to an archway adjacent to the huge doors they had previously exited. The large group followed her, with Belle, RX and Sami trailing behind.
"Did you just mindrape the poor guy?" RX whispered to Sami. The three Pokemon, and the ward they were carrying hunched closer together and began conversing just out of earshot.
"I only gave him a teensy bit of instruction on what to do when he gets there," she replied. "I didn't think he'd freeze up like that."
"True, I would have thought…Well, now we have to worry about getting him to wake up."
"DOCTOR OCTOGONAPUS BL-Ahhhh!" suddenly yelled Delan. As he did, his whole body jolted with life, causing him to fall off of his steed. Belle leapt backward in surprise, while RX froze where he stood. Sami stifled the urge to burst out laughing as a good chunk of the group ahead of them turned their heads or screamed in shock.
"A teensy bit, eh?" RX eyed Sami with a grin. Sami removed the paws from her mouth and grinned weakly back at the Flareon. Belle quickly pounced forward and onto Delan, cuddling the little Eevee plastered on the floor.
"What just happened?" the Eevee groaned. One moment he was in the main hallway, then in the inner reaches of his mind, and now lying on the floor with Belle painfully burning a bald spot into his cheek with her face.
"Mindrape, I'd say," RX answered cooly. Sami assured the group ahead that they were fine, and without a moment to spare they proceeded deeper into the tunnel without them.
"I was hoping to send you psychic visions of what to do when you get to the testing area," Sami explained with a sigh. "But I guess some other…things...wandered into your mind as well." Belle and RX giggled.
"The testing area…it's a Mystery Dungeon, isn't it?" the Eevee said as he got back on his feet.
And we're back!
Kupo! If you follow my art thread, you might notice something's....different. Go check previous chapters, there's been a few changes there as well.
Retcons ftw! Other than some minor alterrations, everything is going as planned.
DDD
