Heh, if you want, you can add some skills to him! But don't be worried about falling behind; we've got a singing bug. 
That said, given your character's background, it's almost inconceivable that he wouldn't have the time and resources to have dabbled in magic. Whether he had the interest or aptitude? That's a better question. 

Our kirlia and bagon similarly have almost no combat ability!

Would you rather be part of the team that goes to explore the ruins, or would you rather be with the team whose purpose hasn't quite been decided yet? 

Both teams will kind of dovetail into the same plot points later in, but in the beginning the challenges set before the exploration team will be less... lethal in nature.