@Imperfectionist You can make a Sentinel or even Watcher, if you wish. This RP's not really focused on Rangers, so there's no real limitation or stipulation on their rank. But if you'd like to start off "low" and get a better feel for it, then I won't force you. ;)
Okay, now to go to the PM (today kicked my as$...I'm so tired).
Since we don't have an official OOC yet, I'm going to go ahead and post my first character here.
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Name: Dr. Noor Baobab Age: 53 History: "Traveler, researcher, and lifelong PokeFan."
There is more to the realm of Pokemon than competition and power, and Noor is a believer in the potential for Pokemon to have equality with their human companions. As a researcher focused on Pokemon intelligence, she is a critic of the Pokemon League and their pushing of the youth to see battling as the primary activity Pokemon are interested in. According to her theories, Pokemon can be artists, scientists, and even philosophers just as well as people can. In fact, determining why some Pokemon are of a lower order intelligence and why some are geniuses is the primary goal of her research, combining evolutionary theory, Pokemon genetics and "Type theory" with Pokepsychology and good old fashioned human psychology in order to create standards of classification and to test Pokemon education methods.
Her doctoral dissertation to the Hoenn Pokemon Research Institute was an in-depth experimental study comparing the intelligence-from-hatching of the Pokemon species Absol and the Flygon evolutionary line. The first is a single-evolution Pokemon, growing only in size from hatching to adulthood, while Trapinch, Vibrava and Flygon each have unique perceptions of the world and unique levels of intelligence related to their instincts, behavior and style of living. After all, some Trapinch and some Vibrava never evolve further in their entire lives, for reasons still not entirely understood.
Before she ever set foot in the Institute, however, she was constantly exposed to Pokemon, as both of her parents were veteran Pokemon Rangers. In fact, her very first Pokemon egg came about from the pairing of her parents' Flygon partners, and she was soaring through the air on a Flygon's back before she even learned to walk. Her parents instilled their values in her at a young age, as they considered their partners to be just as intelligent as themselves, that they were truly partners rather than master and servant. This is a common belief among Rangers and top-level Trainers, but somewhat less common throughout the world, where many Pokemon are seen as pets or, at worst, slaves.
As she grew up, moving from place to place across the region with her parents, she worked together with her little Trapinch, Hermes, to befriend other Pokemon. Like many Ranger kids, her parents were constantly busy on duty, and her Pokemon were some of the only friends she had. She spent many long weeks exploring in the wilderness, observing Pokemon in their natural habitats and laying the foundation for her later research work. Once she was old enough, she convinced her parents that she and the newly-fully-evolved Hermes could fly to meet their extended family in Johto, exposing her to many strange Pokemon that she could never find in Hoenn. These discoveries pushed her to formalize her theories, and once she had cemented her group of partner Pokemon she applied to the Institute.
Ever since her graduation, she has been traveling the Nation, lecturing on human-Pokemon relations and ethical partnership. In recent years, with her parents aging, she has come back to Hoenn to be close to them, and has begun in-depth studies of some of its most unique native Pokemon and Pokemon environments. Her current projects include the eternally dizzy Spinda, weather-manipulating Pokemon Castform, the effects of Dawn Stones on male Kirlia, the incredibly strange Shedinja and one of her favorite Pokemon, the deceptive hunter Mawile.
Party: Generally, as she is a researcher and not a League Trainer, Dr. Baobab does not battle non-wild Pokemon. Even then, her battles with wild Pokemon either end with her fleeing or befriending them rather than knocking them out. Only in rare, desperate circumstances has she gone all-out with her team in a battle. Wild Aggron especially tend to be ornery, and it's more difficult to flee a battle in cramped caves underground. Because wild Pokemon battles don't have any rules, though, and because she usually dislikes holding her field team in their Pokeballs, any wild Pokemon she comes across are subjected to anywhere from three to all six of her partners.
Main Field Team - "Hermes", Flygon (M, Family Egg / First Pokemon)
The eldest of Noor's little family, Hermes sees himself as the dutiful, responsible son. Being a dragon, he is the most physically capable of the team, with a lot of strength and endurance combined with ludicrous speed. This has lead him to relegate himself to the role of "acceptable target", protecting Noor and the others from danger as much as he can by drawing attention to himself.
The other Pokemon tend to defer to him when Noor is indisposed, and he sees them all as his younger siblings. Though he doesn't usually work to befriend Pokemon in the wild, he's known for his patience when dealing with the strange Pokemon Noor does research on. Charybdis is especially trying, as she keeps trying to bite the end of his tail off.
Classification Size - 6'07"/2.0m, 180.8lbs/82kg Descriptor - Mystic Pokemon Type - Ground/Dragon Ability - Friend Guard (Levitate understood) Baobab Sapience Class - 10, full sapience
Research Assistant Hermes' main jobs have always been protection and transportation, and that's how he likes it. He might be patient enough to babysit Pokemon once they've been brought into the group, but he has a hard time befriending them in the wild. He leaves that to Delphi and Orpheus, mainly. In a pinch, he's able to create beautiful songs and terrible sounds by vibrating his wings, and has a few sound-based moves because of this.
With the rest of the team temporarily in their Pokeballs, Hermes can carry Noor anywhere in the region with blinding speed, and is always happy to show off his muscles by breaking down barriers in the team's path. To escape a dangerous wild Pokemon, his MO is to whip up a Sandstorm to lower visibility and then blow the offender away with a Whirlwind. If that proves ineffective, and flying is not an option, he grabs Noor and zips away with Extreme Speed or attempts to knock the offender away with Dragon Tail.
As the main protector of the team, he is the most experienced at battling. Despite Noor's distaste for violence, she knows that many wild Pokemon and some unscrupulous Trainers will attack her, and her team needs someone who can defend them. Hermes has always been the one to volunteer for that role, and secretly, he really does enjoy battling. The rush of combat, overwhelming his opponents with incredible power... perhaps that's the dragon in him.
- "Delphi", Gardevoir (F, Met in the wild, as Ralts)
If Hermes is the stereotypical big brother, Delphi is most certainly the big sister. Kind, intelligent and graceful, Delphi has always been Noor's primary research assistant. During her time as a lecturer, many students called the Gardevoir Dr. Delphi, and they were only half joking. Delphi's development from Ralts to Kirlia to full-grown Gardevoir mirrored Noor's own growth into adulthood so much, she sees her friend as basically an empathic human. She has even submitted a proposal to the Hoenn Pokemon Research Institute to accept Delphi as a student.
Whenever Noor is attempting to befriend Pokemon in the wild, Delphi is there, directing herself, Orpheus and the rest of the team carefully, to avoid scaring the wild Pokemon off. Whenever Noor is doing psychological studies of Pokemon and humans, Delphi is there, providing data through her telepathic and empathic abilities. Without her, Noor's research would become very difficult to achieve.
Classification Size - 5'03"/1.6m, 106.7lbs/48.4kg Descriptor - Embrace Pokemon Type - Psychic/Fairy Ability - Telepathy Baobab Sapience Class - 10, full sapience
Moves Field Moves Teleport | Future Sight | Telekinesis | Gravity | Charm | Captivate | Attract | Hypnosis | Misty Terrain | Moonlight (synergy with Misty Terrain) | Heal Pulse (trained to use on people, but not as effective on non-Pokemon)
Research Assistant As mentioned above, Delphi is Noor's primary research assistant, and most of her moves are focused on befriending wild Pokemon and understanding them empathically. She is also a capable empathic healer, and has several useful Psychic abilities for field work. Most of the time she works together with Orpheus and his musical skill in order to calm down and interact with ornery Pokemon.
In the rare occasions that Hermes and the other more capable battlers of the team need her help in more than a healing/support role, she can use some damaging Psychic and Fairy moves... But like Noor, she abhors violence, and would rather flee than fight. Thus, these damaging moves aren't particularly strong.
Battle Moves Moonblast | Draining Kiss | Dazzling Gleam | Psychic | Dream Eater | Double Team
- "Orpheus", Ludicolo (M, Met in the wild, as Lotad)
The happy-go-lucky Orpheus is not very serious about research or doing anything other than dancing around in the rain and singing. Delphi constantly has to remind him to pay attention to what they're doing, as given any downtime, he and Lethe go off by themselves and instantly get lost. When he is focused on the task at hand, though, he makes a useful assistant to Delphi, and his musical talents are second to none. He's especially handy when dealing with Pokemon of his own types, as Delphi doesn't have much in common with swimmers or plant-like Pokemon.
He is interesting in that he is, as far as Noor can tell, fully sapient, he's just... kind of dim.
Classification Size - 4'11"/1.5m, 121.3lbs/55kg Descriptor - Carefree Pokemon Type - Water/Grass Ability - Rain Dish Baobab Sapience Class - 10, full sapience
Moves Field Moves WIP, mostly musical/sound moves. Definitely Sing, of course, and Rain Dance. Research Assistant Battle Moves
- "Cassandra", Absol (F, Last Pokemon met during her childhood in Hoenn)
Prickly and aloof, Cassandra is a strange friend to have, but a friend nonetheless. Modern science has revealed the "Disaster Pokemon" to be drawn to impending disasters because of their foresight and compassion, but many people still harbor ill will towards any Absol they see. Noor ignores this stigma, and Cassandra travels with the team just like the others.
One night as young Noor and her early team were camped high on a mountaintop, they were visited by the silent Cassandra, who woke them with a simple tap of her paw and led them away from their campsite. The other Pokemon were wary, but Noor knew of the stories and trusted that the Absol was leading them to safety. As they trudged through the snow, she suddenly whipped her head up and stared in the direction of the camp... And moments later, it was completely engulfed by an avalanche. After that harrowing experience, Noor offered Cassandra a place with her and her friends, and for reasons of her own, the Pokemon accepted.
Nowadays, she tends to stick close to Alexander, as despite their differing approaches they share similar instincts. Cassandra is probably the second most capable battler on the team after Hermes, and if people are being threatened or are otherwise in danger, she and Alexander make a magnificent tag team as they guide people to safety.
Classification Size - 4'/1.2m (at the shoulder), 142lbs/64.4kg Descriptor - Disaster Pokemon Type - Dark Ability - Pressure Baobab Sapience Class - 10, full sapience
Moves Field Moves WIP Research Assistant Cassandra's basic role lines up with her natural instinct and the way she and Noor met: she senses danger. Because she has very fine senses, and she's in tune with invisible eddies and floes of energy in the world, she is always on guard, and rarely surprised by anything. Noor travels in a lot of dangerous places, and Cassandra tends to be the one leading the way. Along with Alexander's sense of direction, the pair of them are very effective wilderness guides.
In addition, if there is a battle that cannot be escaped from, Cassandra attacks with silent fury. Noor and the rest of the team are really a little scared of Cassandra when she's battling, but as soon as the threat is ended she returns to her even-keeled (if moody) self. Battle Moves WIP
- "Alexander", Ampharos (M, Met in the wild as Flaafy during her journeys through Johto)
As a newcomer in a strange region, even though she had her early team and Cassandra, Noor had a tendency to get lost. Johto is large and filled with very different Pokemon from Hoenn, and often Noor would get so excited she would rush off of the path whenever she saw something interesting... Which led to her getting lost. The third or fourth time she did this, she consulted some of the family members she was visiting to see if they had any suggestions.
They pointed her in the direction of some Mareep, which in turn led her to the more intelligent Flaafy who shepherded them. After a long day of bad hair-dos and static shocks, she and Delphi managed to explain their predicament and convinced one of the Flaafy to join them. The newly named Alexander was an enthusiastic but unskilled navigator, and Noor didn't know why his kind had been recommended until a good several months later, when Alexander guided them through a particularly tricky cave, and suddenly underwent his evolution into Ampharos. With the evolution came an entirely greater level of intelligence, and his navigation abilities grew manyfold.
Now, he is partnered with Cassandra as the wilderness guides of the team, keeping everyone moving in the right direction. When people are in danger, he leaps into action with his beacon while Cassandra works to shepherd them, and they work so well together they have become inseparable. Alexander is a lot more emotional than Cassandra, and shows his grief when they're apart, even if the most affection she shows outwardly is a tendency to stand next to him rather than off by herself.
Classification Size - 5'06"/1.7m, 157lbs/71kg Descriptor - Light Pokemon Type - Electric Ability - Compass Baobab Sapience Class - 10, full sapience
Moves Field Moves WIP, definitely Flash, of course. Research Assistant Alexander's main role is as the partner to Cassandra. The pair of them guide Noor and her team through dangerous wilderness, with Alexander specifically determining direction and making sure they don't get lost. Battle Moves WIP
- "Lethe", Quagsire (F, Met in the wild as Wooper during her journeys through Johto)
Ah, Lethe. Noor's only main team Pokemon who does not have full sapience according to her scale, Lethe was just a little Wooper who started following the team around once Alexander evolved into Ampharos. Woopers are not known for their intelligence, and more than once the team found themselves saving the little Pokemon from falling off of cliffs or otherwise hurting itself. After a good little while of this going on, Noor decided to study the Wooper's intelligence.
According to her best methods at the time, she was practically catatonic. This comforting fact in hand, Noor gave up trying to understand the and let the team decide what to do. Orpheus developed a liking to the Wooper, as she enjoyed splashing around in his dish, so Noor agreed that they could keep her around. Since then, Lethe has been a less-than-useful part of the team. In fact, after she evolved into a Quagsire, if anything she got less intelligent. She just got bigger. She makes Noor pretty exasperated, so uniquely among the team Lethe is more associated with the other Pokemon than she is with the human of the group.
Classification Size - 4'07"/1.4m, 165.3lbs/75kg Descriptor - Mud Fish Pokemon Type - Water/Ground Ability - Oblivious Baobab Sapience Class - 2, barely intelligent at all
Moves Field Moves WIP Research Assistant Lethe is not a research assistant at all, she's really more of a burden than anything... But the team likes to keep her around, so Noor tries not to complain.
Weird Pokemon / "Projects" - Spinda (F, stumbled into Noor's camp one night and couldn't find her way back home) - Shedinja (?, happened to appear while studying Nincada evolution) - Castform (?, Noor was granted a research grant by the Weather Institute) - "Charybdis", Mawile (F, sought out in Granite Cave) - Male Kirlia (M, raised from a wild Ralts - Noor is preparing to use a Dawn Stone)
And here's my second character. She's a bit simpler.
Name: Keeper 2nd Class Maxima "Max" Muroda Age: 25 History: "Hiya, I'm Keeper Max! bzzztcrkkakakshhhhPING And that's, um, that's Staog! How can we... help?"
Even in a region as seemingly natural as Hoenn, modernity reigns, and computers are everywhere. All of the major players of the region, from the corporations to the Pokemon League have extensive computer systems, and where there are systems... there are vulnerabilities. Enter Maxima Muroda, at 21 years old: an ambitious self-taught hacker with a chip on her shoulder and a grudge against the Fairfax family. With the aid of her imported virtual-reality Pokemon, "Staog" (PorygonZ), Maxima quickly made a name for herself in criminal circles. If you wanted data you weren't supposed to have, she and her little collective were the ones to hire... and Jonton Fairfax was quite the reliable employer.
She wasn't always so unethical, though. As a teenager Maxima was a bright computer science student studying information distribution systems. She wanted to find a way to link Gauntlets across regions, allowing specialized Pokemon and items to be easily distributed and traded in digital form. After a few years of work on this pet project, she and her professors neared a major theoretical breakthrough. All they needed was access to a massive supercomputer in order to put the theories into practice. When Fairfax caught wind of the project and offered their own company computers, Maxima was overjoyed. Now not only were they going to revolutionize item materialization, she was going to work with the Fairfax Association! Surely they'd be so impressed with her code that they'd offer her a job, right?
Well, turns out the contract they signed for the use of the supercomputer came a bit of fine print. Fairfax researchers had been working on a similar project, but had gotten stuck half-way through. When they got access to Maxima's code, they were ordered by someone higher-up to quietly appropriate it and claim that it introduced a malignant program into the supercomputers. By doing so, they forced her into an investigation of criminal wrongdoing. By the time the investigation blew over and Maxima was acquitted, the Fairfax team conveniently announced that they were developing a nearly identical program. Even though she had been acquitted, Maxima's young reputation had been ruined by the accusation from a major corporation. Her protestations were not heard.
Expelled from her school for academic misconduct, with nothing but stolen Institute computers and a glitchy Porygon, she began her hacking career just to spite the corporate stooges who ripped her off. As far as the world of underground hacking goes, she was doing pretty well for herself for a while. Fat contracts from Jonton, living large with her friends, taking on "the man"... But it couldn't last forever. Two years ago, a job went bad. It turned out the Air Rangers had been onto her collective for a while, and they set up a sting involving the Fairfax Association. Maxima couldn't resist the low-hanging fruit, and she got her whole team busted.
After several long discussions with the Rangers involving her contracts with Jonton Fairfax, as well as the extent of her programming knowledge and her reasons for forming her collective, she was offered a plea bargain: go through Ranger training and become a white hat, and in return her sentence would be suspended. She cut her hair, got some Ranger tattoos, and started calling herself "Max", in order to separate herself from her criminal reputation. Newly christened, Max was a favorite at the Ranger Academy, passed with flying colors, and joined the Air Rangers' computer intelligence division. After its "upgrade", Staog was never too much use, but she still chose it as her partner, as technically it could fly, if she could convince it to do so.
Right now, she's assigned to a broad-spectrum prevention detail, looking for signs of fraud, hacking and other cybercrimes, as well as occasionally flying to other cities for "real" Ranger work.
Ranger Partner: "Staog 2.42.1.01.z (unstable)", PorygonZ (Genderless, Originally licensed as Porygon 1.0)
Poor Staog has never had much of a personality. As a blocky Porygon 1.0, it was a dutiful programming assistant and stalwart, if dull companion. Though Maxima was never great with Pokemon, Staog was in tune with her interests, and it was always there to help, so she quickly grew fond of it. Once she was accepted into her Institute, she discovered that Silph Co. had years before released a stable second iteration of the Porygon program. Initially leery of the upgrade, thinking it might damage Staog's memory of their time together, she did a lot of research and determined that it would probably be a lot happier as a Porygon2.
So upgraded, Staog 2.0 was her best assistant while she was working on her ill-fated materialization network project, and could often be seen rushing around the Institute gathering research and various computer components. It had some small capacity for battle, so occasionally she would spar with a few of Trainers who also attended the Institute, but neither Staog nor Maxima were ever particularly enthusiastic about it.
After her reputation soured and her grudge with Fairfax began, Staog was basically her only friend. During the trial, a shady former Silph employee noticed her Porygon2 and offered (for a nominal fee) a brand-new, bleeding edge upgrade that hadn't hit the market yet: the Z-Disc! It seemed a little dubious, but she was vectoring for any advantage she could find in the trial, so she bought the disc and "upgraded" Staog that night. It did not go well.
Since then, Staog 2.42.1.01.z has been a glitchy mess. Fantastic help when it decides to work, complete hindrance when it decides to bug out. It flies around shouting binary at people, randomly shifts from small to big to icy cold to shockingly electric, and only sometimes completes programming tasks Max assigns it. Staog's new crazy outlook on the world has led to some innovative hacking methods and (more recently) stress testing for Ranger systems, but her superiors' patience runs thin whenever she relies on Staog for a job, so it's relegated to transportation duty more than it would like.
Classification Size - Various, from around 3' to around 6' Descriptor - Virtual Pokemon Type - Various, default Normal Ability - Glitchy: Staog changes its Type and grows stronger or weaker at random. Its size also fluctuates, and like all PorygonZ, it tends to act erratically.
Moves Field Moves Fly | Conversion | Conversion 2 | Recover | Magnet Rise | Sharpen | Lock On | Flash | Disable | Growth | Minimize Battle Moves Metronome | Copycat | Tri Attack | Uproar | Screech | Supersonic | Substitute | Explosion | Random move relating to its current Type
Huh seems interesting might think of joining I'd assume a normal trainer is allowed. also not sure if intentional or not but the gauntlet thing is totally a reference to shin megami tensei 4 isn't it?
@Imperfectionist Excellent character, once again. :) I look forward to abusing interacting with her... ;) One small thing that I wanted to discuss with you. It doesn't really change anything about the character, though. I wanted to play with the idea that every region has their own devise similar to the Gauntlet, but it's not a Gauntlet. For example, in the last iteration, the Kalosian Rangers had Cubes that attached to their packs but were equipped with the same mechanics. Is that too complicated? I just liked the idea of each region having their own small aesthetic differences.
@Cerberus0807 Absolutely. Any kind of trainer you like. It'd be interesting to see a trainer just start out and then have the chaos I'm planning occur all around them. But any level of Trainer is fine, yes ^^. Haha...I even have the game but I was just thinking that a gauntlet is the least offensive form of technology that's convenient and has an unlimited capacity for possibilities in a futuristic RP.
@Cerberus0807 Do you mean "starters" as in "one of the first three Pokemon you get in a region"? If so, there is no max. However, I would argue the use of "starter" for this RP. The first Pokemon you actually catch would be one's "starter," but they would just consider it "your first Pokemon." If it was given to you, then it would just be a Pokemon given to you. You can consider one of those as "your first Pokemon." But you're not going to the professor of the region to choose one of three Pokemon. That doesn't happen in this setting. If you're talking about "how many Pokemon you start with as a brand new trainer," there's no max. ^^
Excellent character, once again. :) I look forward to abusing interacting with her... ;) One small thing that I wanted to discuss with you. It doesn't really change anything about the character, though. I wanted to play with the idea that every region has their own devise similar to the Gauntlet, but it's not a Gauntlet. For example, in the last iteration, the Kalosian Rangers had Cubes that attached to their packs but were equipped with the same mechanics. Is that too complicated? I just liked the idea of each region having their own small aesthetic differences.
Well, it depends on how you want to handle the miniaturization/digitization technology. If it had a corporate source, e.g. SilphCo., I think having it be different in each region makes sense, because every major regional corporation would have released their own version of the technology to compete with the original. Basically like the Poketch/PokeNav distinction. If it came from national-level Pokemon researchers (Professors, Pokemon League), I think it should be more uniform (aesthetic differences only), as it represents an "official" Trainer device, like the various PokeDexes.
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By the way, anyone who's making characters, feel free to talk to me about interactions with mine! I'm happy to have preexisting relationships with anyone.
@Imperfectionist I'm glad you like the idea. ^^ Sorry about being neglectful here, though. I've really just been waiting for others to get some progress on their CSs. I can make an OOC if we're ready for it. :)
Still working on mine :/ Progress is slow due to work and a separate CS I had to do. I'll get it up once I have the bio down though. The individual Pokemon sections are gonna be tough for me. Like I think I'm gonna need graphs and tables to organize a conceivable Pokeathlete lineup. It'll be fun though
hey just chiming in to say i'm still working on my cs too. life is crazy, but hopefully i'll pm it in by tonight or tomorrow. until then, i'm cool with you going ahead and making the ooc already.
Woo. I'm so excited. I think I have my character's final team. Narrowing down to just ten Pokemon is rough... writing out personalities, battle/competition styles, and moves is gonna be just as tough XD
@Prints Avoid You don't have to go too in depth. You also don't have to list every single move the would possibly use. It's more there for a reference to you but also to show me you understand the regulations I've put on moves. Even if you just do one or two Pokèmon and leave the rest with a description, I don't mind that section being a WIP. I hope that takes some burden from you. ^^
Edit: And why limit yourself? Have all of the Pokèmon! (Kidding, but you get the point ;P)
Sorry this cs is taking me forever... every character idea I try just doesn't seem to fit. I decided to just reuse an older character that never really got a chance to shine before the rp died out. I have four to choose from...
Finally got something to post and it only took like 6 months The Pokemon moves need to be finished, but I think Joltik and Sawsbuck are going to stay that way. Darmanitan in particular is gonna take some thinking... I wrote a lot of the Pokemon descriptions while fighting off a food coma, so I'm definitely going back to edit a bit. I'm trying to decide if they'll have nicknames, so I'll come back to that. But as it is I'm pretty sure Diego's bio is close enough to a final product that you can tell what he's all about. Good night, everybody!
Name: Diego Lagorio Age: 24 History:
Son of a relatively successful businessman and a notable gym leader, Diego had a comfortable childhood in Unova. His family lived in Nimbasa City, his mother making the short trip to her gym in the desert to the south every day. Nimbasa City, with its array of amusements, was something of a paradise for Diego and his older brother Marco. Diego and Marco spent every moment they could watching battles at Gear Station, attending shows at the theater, running wild at the amusement park, and getting into trouble as most kids their age do. The attraction that really caught Diego's attention, however, was Nimbasa's sports complex.
An active young boy, Diego was fascinated by the large complex. It was a crowded mess of courts and fields that hosted games from children's leagues all the way to professional sports. While he did enjoy watching the professional matches and did some basketball and swimming himself, Diego found himself increasingly drawn to the section of fields unofficially reserved for Pokemon competitions. While there were plenty of spots around the city sanctioned for Pokemon battling, this was the only place to come see them compete in other ways. The spectacle of the city was enough to make a boy like him lose track of everything else in his life. And he likely would have, if not for Cecilia.
Dominic and Adela loved their children very much. However, they had no business having them in the first place. Despite their love for their children, they were unable to put aside their love of their own success in order to be proper parents. Thus it fell on Cecilia's shoulder to raise her younger brothers and keep them out of trouble. Cecilia was the ideal role model: independent, responsible, intelligent, and one of the best Pokemon trainers in the city. Her influence and steady hand was largely responsible for any sense of responsibility or ambition in the boys. It's an unspoken idea that without Cecilia, Diego and Marcos would probably have lived a semi-comfortable life, never leaving Nimbasa. Ever the dutiful one, Cecilia postponed her own Pokemon journey for years until she felt Diego was old enough to travel with her. Shortly after Diego's twelfth birthday, the three siblings began their own adventure.
It was a long slow journey. Being the patient selfless sister, Cecilia made the journey as much about her brothers' growth as her own. Away from all the distractions of Nimbasa, the two got to know themselves a lot better. Marcos found his place outside the city, among nature and the Pokemon. He looked forward to the nights they spent outdoors and was perfectly content to wander and observe the wild Pokemon while his brother and sister trained their Pokemon.
While Diego found their adventures in the wild fun, the distance from the cities of Unova didn't bring him the same peace as it brought Marcos. Diego was drawn to the energy of Unova's cities and settlements and bridges. He loved to be where there were people. It meant new friends and their Pokemon, it meant battles, it meant competition, it meant comfort, and he could come to see it also meant girls. Though they weren't too official or organized, Diego found himself increasingly interested by the less conventional Pokemon competitions. There were a number of competitions he came across that put he and his Pokemon's non-battling skills to the test. In particular, he enjoyed the athletic events. It wasn't long before this became his focus in training instead of battling. Cecilia only expressed relief that at least no he wouldn't go around challenging trainers way out of his league.
In total they spent roughly two and a half years on their adventure through the region. For Cecilia, who could have stormed the eighteen gyms in about a year, this was significantly longer than expected. She had patiently waited an extra day or two in a city so Diego and Marcos could have more time with new friends and gladly sat and quietly watched a herd of Blitzle with Marcos. While she sacrificed her time for them, she had come to appreciate the slower pace they forced on her. It gave her time to enjoy more of her life, time that she hadn't had back home taking care of their household's needs. In the end, Cecilia and Marcos both made it into the tournament while Diego had forgone five of the gym challenges and only had thirteen badges. He happily cheered Cecilia and Marcos on as they took first and seventh place.
After a full month of celebration back in Nimbasa City, it was time to move on to new adventures. Cecilia was off for the Kanto region, while Marcos had his sights set on Sinnoh. Diego decided to tag along with Cecilia. Their experience, age, and the smaller group meant that the trip through Kanto was noticeably quicker. While Cecilia grew in skill and claimed the region's battles, Diego followed. He would challenge the gyms that interested him, but his focus still remained on training his Pokemon's skills. Through that year, he and his growing team of Pokemon entered dozens of obstacle courses, races, wrestling matches, and various other skill competitions. As he grew closer to his Pokemon and they got to know each other better, he began to learn how to bring out the best in them.
Cecilia competed in the Championship and came in second, bringing their second journey to an end. At this point, Diego parted ways with his sister, as she returned to Unova to begin the process of becoming a gym leader. He, meanwhile, had heard of the Pokeathlon in the next region over. He caught the train in Saffron City to Goldenrod City and began the next page of his life.
The Pokeathlon Dome was everything Diego could have asked for. It wasn't just the organized competition that made the experience. It was being surrounded by so many like-minded individuals. People and Pokemon who trained not just for battle, but to bring out the best in each other. Of course, he found the competition much harder here than he had in any of the variety of contests he'd found in Unova and Kanto.
Despite his confidence, he was outmatched. Where he once thought his Pokemon some of the best trained, he learned they had so much more work to do. Undaunted, Diego rededicated himself, using all the time and the new resources available to him to get better. He settled well into this new life. He felt right at home in the hustle and bustle of Goldenrod City, making his usual trips to the Pokeathlon complex daily. Rent and use of the training facilities were not cheap, however, and he had to spend and unfortunate amount of time working various jobs at the complex, only having time to train after work. This only motivated him further to climb up the ranks to the point where he could get paid. Over the course of his first two years, he trained, competed in Pokeathlon and other events, made friends and enemies, established himself as a constant presence, and became part of a community.
It was a difficult but rewarding way of life, and it eventually paid off when Diego managed to break through the rookie tiers of the Pokeathlon into "The Big Leagues." Once competing in front of big crowds, Diego found the work to have only begun. He and his Pokemon had to push themselves further than ever before to keep up. By this point there was no extra time to really work. Not only did he have to increase his team's training, it also became necessary to promote himself. Still he didn't find it as difficult playing to the crowd as some others did. Diego slowly picked up the sponsorship game, and as a natural at working with his growing following on social media, he eventually managed to make his living off training, competing, and sharing his experiences.
Still even the best training routine can get stale. In order to keep his training fresh, Diego has taken to travelling and training in the outdoors. He'll occasionally take off for a few weeks to train on Mt. Silver, foot of Tohjo Falls, the Seafoam Islands and other areas around the continent. He's a spoiled city boy, however, so he generally returns refreshed but also exhausted. When that isn't enough, he's taken a few trips to other regions, including a few months on the Pokeathlon's exhibition tour of Kalos. In his six years training at the Dome and around the world, he has gained respect and a steady following from his peers and from fans of the Pokeathlon or similar competitions. Recently hitting another plateau in his training, Diego has decided to visit Hoenn and train in the warmer climate.
- Joltik (M, Sister helped catch)
Joltik [Compound Eyes] Bug/Electric 0'4"| .9 lbs. Joltik was Diego's first Pokemon and friend. Cecilia helped her little brother catch this Pokemon shortly before they took off on their first journey. It was scurrying around some of the amusement park lights, feeding off the electricity. Joltik is carefree and friendly. Always excited to meet new people and Pokemon he often startles them by jumping off his resting place in Diego's hair.
Joltik's main strength lies in his webs. A skilled shot, he and Diego take pride in both the accuracy of his web shots as well as the strength of the web itself. A well placed mess of string and web has been the main factor in Diego catching many of his Pokemon. Despite his skill, Joltik's small size is a hindrance. He can move quickly, but it takes a lot more effort for him to move around quickly. Joltik and Diego are both happy with Joltik's current form, however. In battle, Joltik tends to focus on slowing the opponent down, evading attacks as best he can until he can get close, cling to his opponent and attack from there. Field Moves: Cut | Rock Climb | Spider Web | Electroweb | Flash Default Moves: String Shot | Spider Web | Electroweb | Bug Bite | Agility | Discharge Standard Moves: Leech Life | Thunder Wave | Bug Buzz | Charge Beam | Volt Switch Occasional Moves: Screech | Fury Cutter | Electro Ball | Signal Beam
- Sawsbuck (F, Caught in wild as Deerling)
Sawsbuck [Chlorophyll] Normal/Grass 5'9"| 187.5 lbs. Diego's second Pokemon, and the first he and Joltik caught themselves. After a series of failures, they finally managed to chase a Derrling into a well-placed Electroweb. Quick and competitive, Deerling's enthusiasm added fuel to the spark that started Diego on his path. Though they didn't perform well in the first few races Deerling took part in, they eventually began to understand the importance of training.
In competition, she shows of her speed and endurance, really getting into the zone. In battle she tends to rush in and try to overwhelm the opponent. Field Moves: Tackle | Camouflage | Rock Smash | Cut | Aromatherapy Default Moves: Growl | Take Down | Horn Leech | Double Edge | Agility | Headbutt | Quick Attack | Stomp Standard Moves: Energy Ball | Nature Power Occasional Moves: Leech Seed | Sunny Day | Seed Bomb Sacrificial Moves: Solar Beam
- Conkeldurr (M, Caught in wild as Timburr)
Conkeldurr [Guts] Fighting 5'4"| 220.5 lbs. Another of Diego's early catches, Conkeldurr has always been very dedicated to his training. To him, there's no better feeling than becoming stronger than the day before. As Timburr, he often challenged any other vaguely human-shaped Pokemon or Diego himself to friendly wrestling matches. When the two entered a Pokemon and trainer strength competition, Timburr destroyed the competition while Diego failed to keep up. From there he learned that training his own body could only help him in his Pokemon training.
In battle, Conkeldurr gets a lot of use from his concrete pillars. He enjoys grapples and throws, tossing the concrete around, as well as his opponent. Field Moves: Strength | Rock Smash | Brick Break | Rock Climb Default Moves: Low Sweep | Circle Throw | Seismic Toss | Storm Throw | Submission | Vital Throw | Rock Throw* | Smack Down* Standard Moves: Pound | Low Kick | Dynamic Punch | Hammer Arm | Superpower | Counter | Body Slam Occasional Moves: Brick Break
- Emolga (M, Caught in wild)
Emolga [Motor Drive] Electric/Flying 1'5"| 11.8 lbs. Another Pokemon from the early days. Emolga is carefree and honestly not too interested in training. Because he's of a similar temperament to Joltik, the two small electric Pokemon developed a kinship long ago and remain the best of friends. The least disciplined of Diego's Pokemon, Emolga occasionally tries to wander off during training usually to be held back by Joltik. Still, Diego keeps him around as he is a force to be reckoned with.
Quick and agile, Emolga zips through the air in competition and battle, never staying in one spot for long. He's acrobatically talented and can navigate the worst of obstacles, though an extra strong gust of wind can knock him off course. In battle, he zip around and evades attacks. He tries keep a distance from his opponent, attacking from afar and occasionaly coming in for a well placed Acrobatics. When working together, he and Joltik can wreak havoc with their Volt Switch.
- Scyther (F, Caught in wild during Kanto journey)
Scyther [Technician] Bug/Flying 4'9"| 120 lbs. The first Pokemon Diego caught on his second journey, Scyther holds a place on the team as special as any other Pokemon. Scyther takes great pride in her abilities. She brings everything to her training and can become irritated when the others try to take it too easy. In competition she can be a bit of a show-off. When not focused on training or competing, Scyther is easily the biggest sweetheart on the team, showing great affection and care for everyone.
In competition her agility and precision make her shine, and she revels in it. In battle she relies on flying around, keeping constant motion and misdirection. She then waits for the perfect opening and strikes. Field Moves: Fly | Cut | Rock Smash | Defog Default Moves: Quick Attack | Agility | Aerial Ace | Double Team | Substitute | X-Scissor | Slash | Feint Standard Moves: U-Turn | Air Slash | Wing Attack | Substitute | Fury Cutter Occasional Moves: Bug Buzz | Silver Wind | Tail Wind | Bug Bite | Swift
- Poliwrath (M, caught in wild as Poliwhirl)
Poliwrath [Swift Swim] Water/Fighting 4'6"| 126 lbs. Caught fighting the currents and a storm in Vermillion Harbor, Poliwrath has an indomitable will. Probably the least social of Diego's Pokemon, Poliwrath can come across as standoffish and makes little effort to make friends. Still he has grown close to the team, and welcomes all new additions in his own way. He cares very much for them and can be fiercely protective when he has to be.
Poliwrath takes pride in his will and spirit. He's all about endurance. He swims without tiring, takes hits like a champ, and can hold a sustained stream of water for longer than many. He enjoys a challenge and is always ready to push himself. He has a friendly rivalry with Azumarill. In battle he tries to wear his opponent out. He's actually rather slow on land, but he can swim with the best of them. Field Moves: Surf | Waterfall | Dive | Whirlpool | Soak | Strength | Rock Smash Default Moves: Water Pulse | Water Gun | Body Slam | Counter | Focus Punch | Seismic Toss | Endure Standard Moves: Hypnosis | Dynamic Punch | Rain Dance | Hydro Pump | Dynamic Punch | Aqua Jet Occasional Moves: Circle Throw | Bubblebeam | Belly Drum
- Honchkrow (M, caught in wild as Murkrow after moving to Johto)
Honchkrow [Super Luck] Dark/Flying 3'2"| 65 lbs. Confident, conniving, and playful, Honchkrow likes to mess with people. He steals things, tries to plot mischief with any Pokemon he meets, and often gets into trouble. Like the others, he is still devoted to training and competition.
Where Scyther and Emolga zip around in the air trying to evade attacks, Honchkrow soars and owns its piece of the sky. With its mass and powerful wings, Honchkrow takes it own approach to airborne competition. In battle, Honchkrow lets his opponent come to him then attacks without mercy. Field Moves: Fly | Defog | Thief | Gust Default Moves: Taunt | Torment | Night Slash | Dark Pulse | Wing Attack | Pluck | Air Cutter Standard Moves: Nasty Plot | Foul Play | Pursuit | Brave Bird | Sucker Punch | Whirlwind | Tailwind Occasional Moves: Feather Dance | Feint Attack | Roost | Assurance
- Azumarill (F, traded from brother)
Azumarill [Huge Power] Water/Fairy 2'8"| 74.7 lbs. A trade from Marcos. Diego's brother had found himself with a Marill who was active, competitive, but a little overzealous. Failing to control =its power, Marill often went into battle and hurt its opponents more than necessary. It didn't work well with MArcos approach to battling, and he traded the Pokemon to his little brother and received a Flaaffy. With Diego, Azumarill found an outlet in which to channel her power, and energy. She is very competitive and strives to be the best. A gracious winner, but a sore loser, Azumarill is hard to be around after a loss. She has a "friendly" rivalry with Poliwrath.
Azumarill's strength serves her well in many competitions and she's a strong swimmer. Despite her progress, when it comes to battle she has trouble controlling her power. Diego only sends her into battle against strong opponents.
Field Moves: Default Moves: Standard Moves: Occasional Moves: Sacrificial Moves:
- Darmanitan (M, traded from sister)
Darmanitan [Zen Mode] Fire - Psychic/Fire 3'7"| 175 lbs. A trade from Cecilia, it's still unclear whether the trade was meant to be a trick or a challenge or a lesson or a joke. Diego believed he was trading his Phantump for an unstoppable force, he got this Darmanitan. Diego has never seen a Pokemon as timid as Darmanitan. In the beginning the poor Pokemon would go into zen mode at the slightest disturbance. Diego and his team have worked hard in the past few years to help him overcome it. While he was intimidated by the team at first, Darmanitan has grown comfortable around them and now gladly works out alongside them. In addition, Diego now has some experience in training areas other than physical work.
Darmanitan is powerful but he lacks the confidence to use it. He has not competed to this day, as the audience instantly makes him retreat. In battle, he does better. He manages to get in about three good hits before going to zen mode. He then continues the battle with his psychic attacks. Darmanitan is the biggest challenge Diego's training abilites have ever faced, but he believes that down the line Darmanitan with training of both Darmanitan's physical prowess as well as Psychic abilities, he can become that unstoppable force Diego thought he was trading for. Field Moves: Tackle | Rock Smash | Strength Default Moves: Headbutt | Fire Fang | Strength Standard Moves: Incinerate | Thrash | Flare Blitz
Zen Mode Field Moves: Telekinesis Default Moves: Calm Mind | Light Screen | Reflect | Psychic | Heat Wave | Will-o-wisp Standard Moves: Psystrike | Telekinesis | Flamethrower Occasional Moves: Fire Spin | Mind Reader | Inferno Sacrificial Moves: Overheat
- Sneasel (F, newest Pokemon, caught on most recent trip to Mt. Silver)
Sneasel [Tough Claws] Dark/Ice 2'10"|59.8 lbs. The rookie. The most recent addition to the trip, Sneasel was caught the last time Diego went on a training retreat at Mt. Silver. She is eager to prove herself and is a natural at athletic events. She often bites off more than she can chew, however, and its occasionally up to the rest of the team to get her out of trouble.
She's shaping up to be a contender. Looking to be get to Scyther's level she is agile and unforgiving in her attacks. However she does best in quick bursts, and her stamina is lacking. Field Moves: Rock Smash | Cut | Strength Default Moves: Quick Attack | Agility | Feint Attack | Hone Claws | Pursuit | Fake Out | Slash | Ice Punch Standard Moves: Icy Wind | Beat Up | Double Team | Payback | Dark Pulse | Crush Claw Occasional Moves: Hail
@Prints Avoid Awesome job with those Pokèmon. I'll PM you the link to the OOC and you can post the character tab. I'll work on getting a post up by Wednesday,@Imperfectionist.
