A regretful recruitment?

After coming across Rai the Zubat, Pokkoji had made it's way towards the guild. He had finally made it. He could join the guild, and there was no big chikorita guildmaster here. Or so he hoped. Chikorita weren't able to fly, right? He didn't think so. The bug fluttered through the entrance. He had not expect the guild to be much different from the guild in Grassveil, he was wrong though.

The first thing he noticed, was that there were not a lot of Pokemon there. Grassveil's guild was always buzzing with activity, from Pokemon requesting help and the exploration teams. This guild, on the other hand, was rather quiet and empty. The Pokemon that were there looked rather curious at him.

Another thing he noticed, was the building itself. Everything was really tidy and clean. There also was a strange atmosphere in the air. He could not really describe what it was though. He glanced around him in awe, unaware of his surroundings.

"Fly out there and report anything you find in your given area – and I mean anything," came a sudden voice from one of the hallways of the Guild, starting out quieter and then growing louder as its source came closer. It sounded like it belonged to a female, though her voice wasn't very high-pitched and it had a definite authoritative tone to it. In the silence of the Aileron Guild, it was something that stuck out, the rest of those few Guild members that were around seeming to raise their heads slightly.

A trio emerged, led by a Swellow and a Noibat, both carrying themselves with an aura of importance as they walked towards the entrance, determination in their eyes. But it was the Archeops that towered over both of them that seemed like the leader, despite walking behind the two – especially when while the Swellow and Noibat did get some greetings and nods in their direction, it was the Archeops that got most of the attention from the rest. The Archeops, in turn, nodded back – quickly, her mind on other matters right now.

Aileana the Archeops saw both of the Flying-types off, watching as they took flight on their strong wings and disappeared outside faster than one might have expected – but she expected it. After all, it was the fast fliers she had sent off, for a reason. Speed was important in what she wanted.

And thus, just as quickly as she had appeared, she turned around to walk back to her quarters.

Voices echoed through the hallway when a small group of Pokemon appeared. Pokkoji turnef towards them. He could identify one to be a Swellow, but he had no idea what species the other two were.

Even though he was young, the Butterfree could tell that the Pokemon were important. Especially the female that was giving orders. There was authority in her voice, and the other Pokemon had gone quiet and seemed to watch them with respect.

Pokkoji fluttered behind the group in awe. They all seemed really strong. He wantee to ask them all kinds of questions, but before he had a chance, two of the Pokemon where gone. Only the leader seemed to still be there.

When she turned around, Pokkoji fluttered in front of her and stared at her with big, curious eyes. He started speaking in an excited tone. "Hey, I am Pokkoji. Who are you? You and those other Pokemon seem really strong and I want to join the guild and become really strong like you so I can save a lot of Pokemon and become a hero!"

(What to do with this child?)

Aileana stopped when her path was being cut out by a Pokémon that fluttered in front of her, her gaze falling onto the Butterfree's face, making eye contact. Yes, she could tell that this one was a new one – young and inexperienced. But then again, most were when they started, so she couldn't exactly hold it against the newcomer. Her eyes did give the Butterfree introduced as Pokkoji a good look, shifting from one part to another as if to make an assessment.

"Aileana. The Guildmaster," came her short reply as she gave her name and position, to the point as she so often was. If she acknowledged the compliment of seeming strong, she certainly didn't seem to be showing any signs of that.
"If you truly wish to join the Aileron Guild, you are talking to the right Pokémon. But do you think you have what it takes? A rookie will not be sent on dangerous missions, but with the current state of the world, it is difficult to guarantee your safety."


((Probably not eat him. Hopefully. There are lots of bird Pokémon around, after all…))

Pokkoji stared at the Pokemon before him. It seems he actually managed to find the guildmaster. That was fast. He had to make sure to remember her name. She didn't seem to react to him calling her strong. Instead, she asked him a question. Did he have what it takes? Pokkoji didn't have to think about that question.

"I know I do." Pokkoji said in a voice filled with excitement. "I have trained a lot and I fought a lot of Pokemon and I even beat a Charmander and I will keep trying to get stronger so I can beat really, really strong Pokemon too." The Butterfree had a hard time fluttering on the same spot. That was how excited he was.

"Hm," Aileana let out a short, quiet hum, rather neutral in tone. It was quite difficult to say what it was she was thinking, her eyes looking at the Butterfree. Other Pokémon in the Guild also had their eyes on the Pokémon the Guildmaster was looking at, but most of them were already getting back to whatever original business they had in mind before Aileana's presence had interrupted them.

"It is good to have faith in one's abilities. However, I wish that you understand there is more to strength than mere power alone. Don't bite more than you can chew," the Archeops finally continued after a moment of silent pondering – and judging, it seemed. She turned around, starting to walk in another direction with a calm pace.
"Come now."

Pokkoji stared at the large Pokemon before him. He was wondering what she was thinking. There didn't really seem to be any other bug types in the guild. He wondered if she considered him too weak. Maybe he shouldn't have been boasting? Nah, it couldn't be. He would totally join the guild.

Pokkoji tilted his head in confusion when the guildmaster spoke up. "There is more? Like what?" The child asked her as he fluttered behind her. He tried to think about what she could mean, but he really didn't know. He hoped the guildmaster would tell him. It had to be something really cool, right?

"Of course there is," Aileana replied, no-nonsense and swift to get to the point, not wasting any time with her replies. She had started to walk through the halls, making a couple of turns to get to the door of her quarters. Aileron Guild wasn't nearly as large as the one Grassveil had, but it also didn't have the member numbers to make it seem awfully crowded. What it did have was prestige. What little there was had a grand look to it, rather than something one might describe as homely. It was as if within these halls, real heroes rested and mingled.

"A fool with strength will only get themselves and others hurt. One needs to learn to recognize their limits," the Archeops continued, her clawed hand grabbing the handle of the door as she twisted it and pulled the door open into her tidy little office filled with shelves and books. She didn't stop to look behind her as she kept walking deeper into the room.
"Had you decided on a name yet?"

Pokkoji curiously followed the large Pokemon through the halls, looking around him. The building was a lot different than the one in Grassveil for sure. It was not nearly as crowded and the building was totally different. The Butterfree felt like he had entered a whole different world. He was not used to prestige for sure. He grew up in a flower garden, and left it at a rather young age. He was still very young.

The Butterfree followed the guildmaster into her office, noticing it is very tidy. He thought a moment about her words. He had to learn his limits? What did she mean with that? Did that mean he shouldn't fight when tired? Pokkoji was not really sure. He would probably figure it out later, right? Pokkoji almost missed the question Aileana asked him. "Huh? Team name? Oh right, Galeforce. I want the name to be Galeforce." He said in an energetic voice.

"Hmh. Right," Aileana hummed, using a ladder by one of the bookshelves to grab a book – one that was quite large and thick compared to her frame, but she didn't seem to have any issues actually moving it about. Hopping off the wooden little ladder, she plopped the book on her desk and jumped up to her little perch. Using her dextrous claws, the Guildmaster flicked through the pages before she landed on the first blank one and retrieved a quill pen from its holder.
"And your own name, Butterfree?"

Pokkoji watched as Aileana climbed the ladder by one of the bookshelves. He was wondering what she was looking for. He saw her take out a rather large book. He never had held a book that big before. Did he have to read something? He hoped not. He hated reading. He never even read a book before. Wait, could he even read? Pokkoji glanced around him. He thought he could. What if he really couldn't? What would he do then? The guildmaster would probably laugh at him. He would show her that he could read!

Pokkoji fluttered closer to the desk and looked. There were things scribbled on the pages, but he had no idea what they said. Oh no, what was he supposed to do now? He couldn't read that. Pokkoji panicked a bit, not realizing he was looking at it upside down. Aileana's voice snapped him out of his thoughts again. "Huh? My name?" He said confused. Did he not tell her before? "I am Pokkoji." He said as he watched her.

With a nod, Aileana dipped the quill pen into a bottle of ink, starting to scribe the information she had just learned onto the book's pages. Team Galeforce, and Pokkoji the Butterfree. It was easy enough. But that wasn't all of it, it was just the surface of the paperwork that would follow every time when someone signed up. The Arhceops wasn't fed up with it – not yet, at least. Perhaps it was a good thing that the Guild didn't have such a huge influx of members as some others.

"There. It is done," she spoke, putting the quill into its holder before hopping off the perch and walking over to a closet in the corner of the room,
"As you are a new team – and a solo one at that – I hope you do not bite more than you can chew. Again, you will not be able to take on jobs that have been deemed too dangerous by the Guild at your current rank, but even the beginner rank has easier and more difficult jobs."

Stopping in front of the closet, she opened it to quickly fetch their newest member a bag for their supplies. Picking a map and a badge from the shelves, she bagged them before her eyes settled on the basket of ribbons. Right, they needed one of those as well. Aileana's gaze lingered for a moment before she grabbed a yellow one, also putting it in the bag.

Closing the closet door, the Guildmaster turned around and walked to the butterfly Pokémon, holding the bag out to him.
"Here. This and everything in it will be yours, something that will help you get started with your missions."

Pokkoji watched how Aileana wrote something down on a blank page of the large book. He wondered what it was she wrote down. He was a bit confused when she said it was done. What did she do? Pokkoji fluttered to the other side of the desk to try to read what she had written down. It seemed he had put down his name and the name for his team. He didn't really understand why she did that though.

The Butterfree looked at the guildmaster as she spoke up. Was she implying he was weak? How could she say that about him."Hey, I am not that weak. I can handle it." He said, pouting a bit. He fluttered a bit closer to her. Why was everyone always calling him weak? It was unfair. He was going to show them.

Pokkoji saw the guildmaster had a bag with her when she came back to him from digging in a closet. He eagerly took the bag and looked inside it. First, he took out the badge and inspected it. It looked rather pretty. Having this meant he was a member of the guild now. Everyone had to admit he was not just a weak bug anymore. He laughed a bit in himself at the idea of showing this to everyone who treated him like one.

Once he was done, he put the badge back in the bag and took out the ribbon. It had a nice, yellow color. He actually liked it. He wondered how he would wear it. His arms were short and stubby and he had no tail. Seems he had to tie it around his neck. Of course, Pokkoji was not exactly good at that either. He tried tying it around his neck with the help of confusion, but it was a bit messy. He was really happy though and turned back to the guildmaster. "Thank you!" He said in an extremely happy and excited voice.

Aileana was starting to feel like there was no way of getting actually through this Pokémon's thick skull, a deep sigh of resignation escaping her parted lips. Perhaps some just had to get burned before they understood one shouldn't play with fire. Walking back to her desk, she opened one of the drawers to dig for a small piece of paper which she then wrote on. After all, she still needed to assign Pokkoji a room and get someone to show him around the Guild, so a swift message of having someone do exactly that was written, as well as the number of the room that was free for use.

"I have to finalize your registration, so show this to any Pokémon you see in the Guild to get to your room," the Archeops looked up from the paper, bringing it to the Butterfree and handing it over. She didn't have time to personally go instruct everyone, after all – and that was why they had Guild members around as well.
"Our rooms aren't terribly big, but they should be more than enough for sleeping."



((This might be a wrap for the thread! Once Pokkoji leaves the room, at least, hah. If he has any questions then he's of course free to ask them before he does that.))

Pokkoji watched the guildmaster and noticed her sighing. What was she doing that for? She didn't believe him, did she? He knew it. She really did think he was weak. He was going to work extra hard to prove that he is strong and he was going to become a hero. They will all see!

The Butterfree took the paper of the guildmaster. A room? He actually hadn't thought about a place to stay so getting a room in the guild really helped. He was rather curious about it and fluttered out while yelling, "Yay, thank you! Bye guildmaster!" Pokkoji sure was a handful, but he had finally made it to a guild. He was one step closer to realizing his dream.

(I am fine with wrapping it up here. We managed to get a full page. Thank you for your services, Bird. Hope you had fun. I know I had with my silly bug. ^_^)