NAME: Ezran Hawthorne

AGE: 26

GENDER: Male

BIRTHPLACE: Hammerlocke

GYM TYPE: Poison


PERSONALITY: Confident and dependable, Ezran is an easy person to get along with provided you don't get on his bad side. If that's the case he can be just as snappish and toxic as the poison type pokemon that he works with, but thankfully it takes a lot to get to that point. He is hard working at anything and everything, but mainly things that grab his interest completely. He can be somewhat easily distracted so if it doesn't work out every part of his brain he's more likely to lose interest.

He's strongly of the opinion that no one should be judged by how they look or who they are, but rather the quality of their personality. He came to this realization after working with his poison types for many years and noticing that many people didn't seem fond of them. He'll take the time to get to know someone before really deciding if he wants to be their friend or not. Some people see this as putting in too much effort on things that mean very little, but Ezran is of the mind that the types of people you spend time with reflect the type of person you are.

It does take some work to get Ezran to care deeply about someone or something, not to say that he's against closeness by any means, but he wants to make sure it's worth his time. Like many of the other trainers and gym leaders he cares deeply about his pokemon, even the ones that aren't his main six. Training up his teams is something that he throws himself into 100% and if someone seems like they're giving less than that to their own team, he may decide not to fight them at all. If he is putting the work to get his team to be the best that they can then he expects his challengers to do the same.

Overall, he is both a talented trainer and musician that will drive both himself and others to be the best that they can be no matter who they are or what others might tell them. His methods can seem somewhat harsh to people who don't know him well, but he means the very best for his pokemon, the other league members, and the challengers that come up against him.

BIOGRAPHY: Born in the sprawling central city of Hammerlocke, Ezran spent the majority of his childhood exploring the historic back roads of the stone city with his older brother, only by a year, Zac and his gang of friends, or watching pokemon trainers from all over use his home city as a waypoint in their own journey to compete against the Champion of Galar. He was lucky enough to have a father who worked in the league, not as a gym leader more on the business side, and that gave him the opportunity to see a lot of pokemon battles that only furthered his desire to compete himself.

Ezran always found himself fascinated with all types of pokemon like many kids his age. He and his friends would talk about which pokemon they'd want on their future teams when they began their own journeys. Of course they all wanted the coolest ones like dragon or fire types on their teams and for the longest time Ezran completely agreed with them. He thought about how he could put together the strongest and most amazing team of flashy and well known pokemon that would win him the League title. Once he was old enough of course.

The only other hobby he found himself enamored with, other than pokemon, was music. For his birthday one year his father bought him a guitar and that was that. He spent hours and hours learning how to play, and since he couldn't become a trainer just yet he decided, why not become a musician. He roped in a few of his other friends and they started a small group, just for fun, until they found something better to do with their time. After a fairly short time most of them got bored and quit, but Ezran kept working at it. He took lessons, practiced, and eventually got to the point where he felt comfortable performing in a few of the smaller venues around Hammerlocke and other nearby cities. He knew it wasn't what he wanted to do as a career, but he still found a great deal of joy in the small shows he put on.

Fate or, as his father would call it, dumb luck had other ideas of course. Just before he was getting ready to begin his own journey to compete against the gyms of the region he was headed home from one of his later night performances and found a young Toxel thrown into a dumpster; screaming and crying out. While didn't really know much about poison types, wasn't fond of them in the slightest, he couldn't leave it behind and took Minuet as his first teammate. Skittish, weak, and not well suited for battling at all his brother teased him mercilessly about his lackluster performance, but that only motivated him to make his team stronger than Zac's by using the, much less loved, poison type.

He didn't care that Toxel wasn't the most well suited to battling, and instead of giving up on her he worked twice as hard to help her gain confidence and strength. With careful and kind hands he was able to evolve Minuet into an amped up Toxtricity that joined him both in battle and in music. It took a long time, a great deal of battling, and a great deal of loss, but he eventually defeated the gyms, as well as his brother and struck out against the champion only to lose in the last moments of the fight, but he felt he'd proven himself well enough and wanted to get more back into his music, see the world, that sort of thing.

He spent several years traveling and performing all over the world with Minuet and even found some new teammates in his journey. He found unique teammates like Noble-his dragalge and Blitz-his salazzle in far away regions; training them up from their first evolution into strong and reliable pokemon. After putting together a fully poison type team he decided to head back home to Galar. He'd decided he didn't want to try and beat the Champion again, but still wanted to help other young trainers in their mission to do what he couldn't. Given this decision and his newly minted poison team he set out to build up a poison type gym and has been serving as it's leader for the past several years.

TEAM:


RELATIONSHIPS:

NAME:
Joseph Johannes is his real name, and his stage name is Eden Steel

AGE:
27

GENDER:
Male

BIRTHPLACE:
Hammerlocke

GYM TYPE:
Steel

APPEARANCE:
Sporting his favorite yellow jacket and blue jeans, Joseph stands in at "6'4, towering above most others. While the bright blonde hair and the height certainly make him stand out, nothing makes him stand out more than when he's in full costume for his TV superhero persona: Eden Steel.

Eden Steel bears both the sword and the shield, both made of gleaming steel with golden trims. The shield also bears an image of an Aggron. He also wears a set of full plate armor, made of similar shining steel and gold trim, yet on the breastplate lies the face of an Arcanine, roaring defiantly. His helmet covers most of his face, yet a "T" shaped gap in it allows him to see.

PERSONALITY:
Joseph himself enjoys occasionally getting into character for his fans, but his real self is all about good sportsmanship, and fairness in everything. He's willing to fight however his opponent decides, singles, doubles, even no dynamaxing. He also has a bit of a knack for food, though he's found himself rambling on occasion.

Eden Steel on the other hand is a vigilant warrior, who fights against all evil, and will do anything to keep the peace. He believes steel is the best type, and it will help him save the world.

BIOGRAPHY:
Truth be told there isn't really a whole lot that was significant about Joseph's childhood, apart from a few things. For starters, his parents didn't come from Galar, they were from Johto, and they had moved here for work related reasons. As such, Joseph grew up with a Johto accent, rather than a Galarian one.

Secondly, as a child, Joseph's favorite thing growing up were Saturday morning cartoons. The hero in shining armor would always beat the villan, and the day would be saved. This would eventually shape the future of Joseph's entire life.

At just the age of 14 Joseph managed to score a few acting gigs here and there, constantly trying to improve himself. And eventually, one day, he found himself playing a minor character in a tv show. He wasn't always on screen, but he was finally on TV. It's what he had always wanted.

Unfortunately, due to budget cuts from higher up, the show was cut short. Deciding to take a break from acting, Joseph instead decided to travel Galar, building experience and gaining life skills. Eventually, Joseph decided that taking up a position as a trainer in a gym, would help him more, and at the age of 24, Joseph rose to the top, become a Steel type gym leader. He trained and trained, and was known for taking on any and all opponents, regardless of skill levels, eventually making several separate teams for just that.

But something still nagged at Joseph. His acting career. He felt unfulfilled in his dream, despite being in a successful station. With the earnings he made over a year of battling, Joseph decided to take acting classes, and soon, was making his own TV show. He couldn't just go as himself. He'd need a persona. A new name. Some sort of inspiration.

He spent week after week traveling the region looking for inspiration, before eventually, he came across the mural in Stow-on-Side. The sword, and the shield. That's it! He'd be a knight, in ancient times, wielding the sword and shield, defending against the forces of darkness with his dear pokemon. He would become... Eden Steel.

The show, called Man of Steel, would go on to moderate success at first, with the second season having much more. After the years however, Joseph decided he'd take a small break before season 3, looking for a little more inspiration before starting again. Although, for Joseph, or perhaps Eden, inspiration is just around the corner. With the sudden disappearance of Galar's champion, this may be just the thing he's looking for.

TEAM:
Joseph has 9 teams, one for each badge, and his personal team.



















RELATIONSHIPS:
None so far. He's been a little too preoccupied with his own life and his pokemon to have made many friends, but now that he's finally got some free time, he is looking forward to making some.

NAME:
Moira Kingsley

AGE:
29

GENDER:
Female

BIRTHPLACE:
Ballonlea, currently resides in Hammerlocke

GYM TYPE:
Dragon - Her gym is modeled after a dragon's castle. Trainers would have to work with their pokemon to traverse through puzzles and danger lurking every corner, to reach the den in the center, where Moira waits.

And by danger, it's actually just the other pokemon trainers in the gym with them. She made sure no one would actually get hurt.

APPEARANCE:
Standing at around 6'0, Moira always keeps her posture straight. With platinum blonde hair framing her sharp, bi-colored eyes and fair skin, one could mistaken her for more of a princess than a knight.

Her gym leader outfit had been tailored to the style of knights in the past, from the scarlet cape over a black and white dress, to the sword she carries (Which she insists is a mere prop.)

In her free time, Moira usually dresses up in whatever's comfortable. Her favorite outfit is usually a red trenchcoat over a white shirt and black boots.

PERSONALITY:
Moira always has a calm, laidback demeanor, not much tends to phase her. She takes her role as a gym leader seriously, and makes sure to hold up the code of chivalry. Secretly, she's a huge nerd, and can get flustered easily. Even now you can catch her with her nose stuck in a book. With that in mind, Moira's not much of a socialite. She doesn't really want to bother anyone, unless it's important. Or if they approach her first.

Although if any of her fellow gym leaders are feeling down, Moira would always be there for them to talk to.

BIOGRAPHY:
Since she was young, Moira was quite a bookworm. Myths and stories of legendary pokemon were the one thing she wanted to know more about. She didn't have much friends growing up, having been the quiet one out of the other kids. Her father was an explorer, always away on travels across the world, while her mother was an inventor. That left Moira with her twin brother, and her Dratini. As much as she'd rather study more at the time, he was the one that conviced her to join the Gym Challenge with him.

She did struggle at first, from trying out different types for her team to getting her Dratini stronger, but eventually she stuck with the powerful dragon-types for the rest of her trekk. It took her a long time to get her team ready for the Champion's Cup, but as soon as she was close to winning,

Moira surrendered.

Not even she knew why she did. Maybe it was cause she never saw herself as a leader, or the fact that she aspired to be more like the knights in her stories. Either way, Moira was okay with it. There would be more worthy contenders than her soon enough, and she would be the one to test them.

Few years later, Moira traveled back to Hammerlocke with her brother to open a dragon-type gym, and maybe help other trainers reach the throne in the end.

TEAM:
Hydra - Hydreigon
Levi - Dragalge
Python - Dragonite
Vern - Noivern
Moko - Dragapult
Drake - Duraludon (Gigantamax)

RELATIONSHIPS:
TBA

NAME: Fiona MacConnell

AGE: 25

GENDER: Female

BIRTHPLACE: Freezington

GYM TYPE: Flying

APPEARANCE:
Stands at about 5’8”. Skin is fair, long blonde hair, has a lithe build. Somewhat toned, moderate bust.

Typically wears casual clothing such as plain T-shirts and jeans, but makes the token effort of putting on a fashionable jacket. Always seen with a pair of flying goggles around her head, for use in the skies.

When the occasion calls for it, has a full Sky Trainer glider suit for both Sky Battles and official appearances as a Gym Leader.

Speaks with a Scottish Crown Tundra accent.

PERSONALITY:
A free spirit by all accounts, Fiona prefers not to be burdened by much outside of her Pokemon and her Gym. She’s relaxed and lackadaisical, unconcerned with what others think so long as she’s satisfied with her own performance. She’s a wanderer at heart, spending much of her time outside of League-mandated Gym battles soaring the skies of Galar atop one of her many Flying Pokemon.

Despite her carefree nature, or, as some would believe, because of it, Fiona is a hard book to read. It’s difficult to accurately get a handle on what she wants or is thinking, and she tends to just go with the flow much of the time.

Of course, that isn’t to say there isn’t a brain underneath all the laziness and aimless wandering. She’s a quick wit when she’s forced to be, and aims for efficiency in what she does, so as to better get things over with and go back to a state of relaxation.

BIOGRAPHY:
While born in the icy southern town of Freezington, Fiona only spent a portion of her early years there. By the age of nine, she moved with her family to Kalos for a number of years on account of her parents’ work. It was in Kalos that Fiona saw her first Sky Battle, inspiring a love of Flying Pokemon and the open sky itself that she carries to this day.

During her stay in Kalos, Fiona became a certified Sky Trainer by her teenage years along with her regular schooling before her family returned to Galar. Upon finishing high school, Fiona immediately set out on that year’s Gym Challenge, wanting to explore the homeland she’d spent most of her teenage years out of. She won her eight badges handily enough, but was knocked out in the semi-finals of the Champion’s Cup.

Losing didn’t particularly bother Fiona. Hell, she’d gotten further than she’d expected herself. And being Champion was a burden she wouldn’t have really wanted anyway. Interviews, public appearances, actual duties? No thanks. So with a smile and a shrug, Fiona decided to continue her journey, spending the next few years traveling from region to region, honing her skills and learning about different varieties of Flying Pokemon while exploring all she wanted to.

It was on a break from her journey back home in Galar that Fiona was approached to become a Gym Leader by one of the current Leaders looking to retire. While initially resistant to the idea of being tied down in one place, she was eventually convinced by the prospect of advancing the prestige of Flying Pokemon in Galar, as well as possibly bringing her favored hobby, Sky Battles, to the region. So with yet another shrug, Fiona stepped into the next chapter of her life.

TEAM:








RELATIONSHIPS:
Makes her best effort to be friendly and approachable to her colleagues and have cordial relationships with them. Her carefree nature and lack of actual interest in the Champion title might rub some the wrong way, though, giving off the impression that she doesn’t care about her job.

---

NAME:
Malik Harvey

AGE:
Twenty-seven years old.

GENDER:
Male

BIRTHPLACE:
Wedgehurst

OCCUPATION:
Minor League Gym Leader (current), Major League Gym Leader (former)
Flying Taxi Cabbie / Postman

GYM TYPE:
Psychic



PERSONALITY:
Malik has always tried to maintain a lower profile despite what his reputation as a renowned Pokemon Trainer may suggest. He isn't necessarily meek or timid; rather, he exudes a calm and level-headed demeanor. With quiet confidence and swagger, he isn't one to boast his own victories; it's only the thrill of a real challenge that can ignite the true passion that lays dormant from having few worthy adversaries. He likes to mentor Gym Challengers and trainers across all levels of experience, sharing this dedication with his affinity and adoration for nurturing Pokemon.

He is known as a reliable busybody among the higher authorities of the region, often undertaking responsibilities and running important errands for people such as the Pokemon Professor, Gym Leaders, and the Pokemon League, should they call on him. Malik likes to note this as a favor done for the petitioner, and always finishes by saying that he expects repayment of some kind in the future; whether he isn't being serious or always forgets about it is a mystery. But, adding to this, he is notoriously difficult to reach at times, even reported to be absent from his stadium during periods of scheduled challenges.

It's rumored that Malik can communicate with Pokemon telepathically.

BIOGRAPHY

---

RELATIONSHIPS:

---

NAME: Nordrin Yasmar

AGE: 31

GENDER: Male

BIRTHPLACE: Hulbury

GYM TYPE: Gourmet

APPEARANCE:

PERSONALITY:

BIOGRAPHY:

TEAM:


RELATIONSHIPS:


EXTRA:

NAME:
Zeke Webber

AGE:
26

GENDER:
Male

BIRTHPLACE:
Motostoke

GYM TYPE:
Fighting

APPEARANCE:

Standing at 5'11", Zeke has a relatively tall frame made up of lean muscle placing him at 175 lbs. His light skin is tan from frequent time outdoors. He has a tattoo of a dark blue octopus with yellow rings on his left side, with the head on his shoulder and the tentacles reaching out onto his chest. His brown hair matches his similar colored eyes. He keeps it short for practicality and styled into an undercut for show.

For public battles he'll typically wear his bright orange and black uniform shorts with no shirt, and wraps on his hands and feet.

In his personal time, he goes for comfort and wears athletic or leisure clothes in muted colors. Not much one for fashion, he is fond of jeans, t-shirts, henleys, sneakers and hoodies of various thickness and sleeve lengths.

PERSONALITY:
Cocky. Vain. Materialistic. A bully. A playboy.
Well, that's who he tries to be for the public. They eat that stuff up. It's a persona he made up for himself in his younger, shyer days to deal with nerves. He's since outgrown the need for it, but it's kinda fun.

Despite his larger-than-life battle persona, Zeke is a quiet thoughtful young man. As opposed to the fear that controlled much of his early life, any restraint he shows now is a result of discretion. He never speaks without thinking, and sometimes just doesn't speak at all. Far from coming off as cold, there is a warmth to his silence. He is contemplating, giving each thought and each person the attention he feels they deserve. That said, like most people, he comes alive with his friends or discussing topics of interest to him. Though certainly not the life of the party, Zeke is more open to jokes and watches his tongue a little less when around those who really know him. He's got a knack for bad jokes and playful jabs at his friends and himself.

Zeke is driven above all else to reach his full potential. There is no point in getting out of bed if he doesn't go to bed better than he woke. Despite any public show rivalries, Zeke's biggest opponent is always himself. Like many others, he dreams of being Champion, but in his mind the act of winning it is the important part. It's another rung on an ever higher ladder. Zeke feels most himself when he's in competition or training.

Despite his reserved and cautious nature, Zeke also has something of a rebellious, almost contrary, streak. He can't stand being told what he can or cannot do. Some of his most questionable decisions have been in reaction to criticism of the initial ideas. He extends this idea to others as well. In witnessing an overbearing authority talking down to someone, he'll actively encourage rebellion without thinking. It doesn't always end well.

BIOGRAPHY:
Motostoke is pretty unhealthy for kids with asthma. Unsupportive parents are even unhealthier. That's not to say Zeke's parents were bad parents. They just weren't very good either. Busy with the demands of the hospitality industry, they didn't really have time to entertain Zeke's early notions of being a trainer. Then after one too many asthma attacks, his mother decided it'd be best if he stayed inside. The air was cleaner, and the hotel guests' Pokemon were well behaved by necessity. Isolated, he developed into a pale weak child with very little self confidence. Though he had friends, their interactions were limited. He couldn't leave the hotel too often and his friends couldn't be around to disturb the guests. By the time Zeke's friends went off to take part in the Gym Challenge, he didn't even consider going himself. On their way out of town after the ceremony, one of his friends dropped by the hotel and left him a gift. A single Pokeball.

Everything changed on a holiday in Circhester a few months later. It wasn't so much a holiday as a business trip for his parents, but they managed to find some time to visit the baths as well as Circhester Bay. In a rare moment of bravery, Zeke ventured farther from the shore than he was allowed... only to begin drowning in the frigid water. A friendly Clobbopus rescued him. Upon reaching the shore, Zeke was immediately snatched up by his terrified parents and taken back to the hotel. They didn't leave the hotel for the rest of the trip.

The last evening before returning to Motostoke, Zeke snuck out of the hotel while his parents were in a meeting and made his way back to the bay. He wandered a while until he found a friendly Clobbopus wading in the shallow water. The markings seemed familiar so Zeke approached it. "I didn't get a chance to thank you." The Pokemon let out a cry of glee, followed up by an excited punch in the thigh. Zeke fell to the ground, stunned. The panicked Pokemon rushed to try help him to his feet. In that fall, Zeke had felt something. He was reminded of his younger days, running playfully with the other toddlers. Before he was locked away. Zeke sat on the sand looking down at his own hand. He slowly balled it into a fist... and socked the Clobbopus right back. Though there was very little force behind the punch, the Clobbopus comically toppled over, rolling right onto Zeke. And so a friendship was born.

Zeke found his parents apoplectic when he returned. He apologized, genuinely upset that he had caused them so much worry in such a short time. He waited until they were safely back in Motostoke to introduce them to his new friend and make his announcement.

The next ceremony found Zeke in the stadium with all the other excited young challengers. His parents had not been happy. But given time, they'd accepted his decision. It helped that his Pokemon seemed intelligent and reliable, if a little punchy. He could protect Zeke just fine. Still, Zeke was nervous. Terrified, in fact. His small world was about to open up into something immense. But, at least he wasn't alone. He had Clobbopus and all the other trainers going the same way as him.

In time, Zeke became a real Pokemon trainer. It was hard. He went from a sedentary experience to life on the move. The hiking and training with his Pokemon took a toll on him. But the fresh air and active lifestyle renewed him. The sad emptiness in his life was replaced with a burning drive to grow, to become the best trainer, the best person he could be. This drive drew him to others like him. Pokemon looked down on, or worse overlooked entirely. Together they formed a team.

Their drive was tested when Zeke failed in his attempts to earn his seventh gym victory. Try as he might, he had hit a roadblock. After a week of feeling sorry for himself back home, Zeke ventured into the wilds to train so he could try again in the next year. Again he failed to secure the necessary badges. Again he retreated to the wilds, braving all manner of harsh weather, dangerous encounters, training and learning with his Pokemon. The next year found him fall in the second round of the Champions Cup, and Zeke decided his training could use a change. The next few years found him traveling through other regions, occasionally coming back to try his hand at the Champions Cup again and finding varying degrees of success (or failure). After an extended training session on the Isle of Armor, he received a message from a retiring Gym Leader. Would he like to take over?

In the years since, Zeke has developed something of a reputation. His public face as a cocky ruthless gym leader serves as a psychological obstacle to challengers who enter his gym. Trainers who manage to battle him (and those old enough to remember his early years) eventually get to see what he's like off the pitch. Zeke keeps in touch with all those who get to challenge him, cheering on those who make it past him and encouraging those who don't to try again. After all, he knows what a difference having someone believe in you can make.

When not actively on gym duty, Zeke spends a lot of time training away from the city, in the wilderness and exploring dens. These used to be solitary trips, but he's recently begun to occasionally invite other Gym Leaders or challengers to go with him.

TEAM:








RELATIONSHIPS:
Zeke has a healthy respect for most (all?) of the other gym leaders. Despite their differences, he appreciates that they understand the Pokemon lifestyle. He likes to trash talk in their public appearances but he rarely says anything too out of line without their permission, and usually apologizes afterwards to make sure he didn't cross any lines.

They are his rivals. Simultaneously partners and obstacles in his path forward. What more could he ask for?

Note: I write my CS with the assumption that I can take a later position in the Gym Challenge order

Name:
Elijah Grayson

Age:
28

Gender:
Male

Birthplace:
Turffield

Gym Type:
Normal

Appearance:


Personality:
Should Elijah have the choice in three keywords, they would be: methodical, attentive, and empathetic. Fortunately he is very close to the mark, as he applies everything he has ever learned to battles and social interactions alike. Every Pokémon and every human requires encouragement, compassion, and understanding. In his eyes everyone can always learn and improve, whether it's new or existing skills, so he does his best to make the most of every moment to be better.

There are times that he is accused of being cold and calculating during battles, when the reality is that he can become very engrossed with the activity and considers emotions to take a second place to maneuvers. The higher stakes his battles, the more concentrated and less energetic he will become.

Beyond the arena, Elijah is supportive of every combatant, win or lose. In fact, he has a tendency to aid losing trainers with training curriculums he writes up specifically for them to see more progress in the future. Winning trainers that keep in touch with him can expect little praise and more tips on how to adjust their tactics (should he deem that necessary).

Biography:
Hailing back to his childhood in Turffield, Elijah was fully in the stereotype of a teacher’s pet and studious type. The city was smaller two decades ago, and the school there was sorely lacking compared to Motostoke, Circhester, and Hammerlocke. Even during his pre-teen years, he sought out the library on a daily basis and would frustrate his peers with constant reminders of homework and tests.

One late weekend evening, scouring the non-fiction aisles of the local library, the young Elijah stumbled across a Smeargle doing the most blasphemous thing: painting inside the innocent inked pages of several study tomes. At first Elijah was furious, ready to throw hardbacks at the small creature, but the surprised Pokémon dropped its defaced book to reveal a beautiful rendition of the particular passage it was marked in. Inspecting the book closely, he sees that this mass-printed copy of the regional maps was wonderfully done in more color and detail than he had ever imagined.

Turning to the Smeargle, he apologized profusely and even attempted to ask it to show him more of its works; anything related to history is a big plus. It understood his request and happily agreed to this and their arrangement formed from tenuous ideological standoff to friendship to partnership. As Elijah grew up, he learned that his studies could take advantage of the newfound medium, his school career taking on less stress and even deepening the understanding that there are many ways to learn one thing.

His interest in battles didn’t come until his studies abroad. Upon graduating high school, he looked for more prestigious schools in other regions, ultimately switching colleges three times as he landed on education as his major. With his old Smeargle friend’s offspring in tow, they discovered there is more than simply entertainment behind battles and tournaments and even entered a few novice tourneys.

As soon as Elijah turned 24, he found his way back to Galar and applied to the Turffield gym as a gym trainer. In four short years, his part-time teaching and part-time training flourished into taking over as the new gym leader. Building up a name in his community, many look up to him for guidance and leadership beyond Pokémon. He has yet to take on the Champion’s challenge, but has had the time to take on all the current gym leaders at least once in unofficial matches.

Team:




Relationships:
Generally, Elijah respects everyone and enjoys not having to teach outside of his job. Those that tend to bend or break the rules, however, may earn a stern look and, worst case scenario, a lecture. Thankfully, other Gym Leaders all know what they are doing in their respective gyms and battle tactics, so he’s less scolding and more likely to ask for stats and training routines.

NAME: Henrietta Durand

AGE: 24

GENDER: Female

BIRTHPLACE: Circhester

GYM TYPE: Ground

APPEARANCE: Henrietta is fairly tall for a woman at 5’ 10", while also being quite slim, which makes her look even taller. She has an athletic build due to her active lifestyle and her arms and legs, when they are visible, are noticeably toned with muscle. Her skin is naturally pale. She has short dark-brown hair and dark-brown eyes. Her hair falls in wavy locks on one side of her face, dyed with a gradient that starts as dark brown and transitions to caramel at the tips.

She learned fashion from her mother, who worked in a boutique, and as such pays a lot of attention to her appearance. Her clothes consist of a long, cocoa-coloured shirt with an upturned layered frill collar with a black single strapped waist cincher. She wears black trousers that have golden lining around the pocket and ribbons attached to the back of a golden zipper seam around her knees. She wears a pair of dark black, high-heeled leather calf-high boots with golden buckles. She also wears a number of accessories, including her black gloves with the index finger missing, a black beret with a cocoa brown trim and a pair of black, wire-rimmed aviator sunglasses.

PERSONALITY: Above all else Henrietta is someone who always seems to display a level of quiet confidence. There is self-assuredness to the way she moves and the way she conducts herself which is displayed in the straightness of her posture, the tilt of her chin and the little knowing smile she often wears; she has a certain poise to her that is hard to describe until you see it for yourself.

Henrietta is driven by an aggressive determination which pushes her to move forward no matter who or what is in her way, something which is apparent both in the way she battles and the way she interacts with others. She has a forceful personality and isn’t easily swayed by others; once she has set her mind to something there is little that can divert her unless she makes that decision herself and she has a bad habit of ignoring the concerns or needs of others.

She feels strongly about things and her emotions tend to be clearly on display, which can get her into trouble or rub people the wrong way. Her temper burns hot but is also short-lived, her mood can be changed drastically by small things but never for too long; she can come across as mercurial at times.

BIOGRAPHY: Although born and raised in the Galarian city of Circhester, her parents hail from Kalos originally and this has certainly had an influence on her upbringing. Her mother worked at the boutique in the city and her father was a trainer at the Pokémon Gym when she was young, though he had retired by the time she became a trainer herself. She inherited traits from both of her parents; her poise and bearing came from her mother, her love of Pokémon and battling came from her father and her confidence and determination came from them both equally.

Henrietta was always around Pokémon from a young age due to her father’s work and also because her mother also raised Pokémon of her own. She always wanted to become a trainer someday, a fact that she didn’t keep secret from anyone, and it was always a question of when, not if, she would begin her journey. Her parents were supportive of the idea, but they always expected her to keep her travels within the Galar region for a few years before becoming a gym trainer like her father or even a gym leader someday; when it became apparent that Henrietta wanted to travel the world, see every region from Galar to Kalos to Alola, they were less supportive.

After much arguing and persuasion a deal was eventually struck where Henrietta would be allowed to travel if and only if she could prove herself a capable trainer; one who would be able to manage travelling by herself where he parents wouldn’t be able to easily bail her out of difficulties. Her parents gave her an egg at the age of fourteen and tasked her with hatching, raising and training the Pokémon by herself. The egg soon hatched into a Mudbray and Henrietta began rearing and training the Pokémon to prove herself to her parents.

She and her Mudbray took to each other immediately and it wasn’t long before the two were inseparable. They began training together not long after and once Henrietta was satisfied that they were both strong enough she began battling as many of the local trainers as she could. Battling, it seemed, came naturally to her and although her parents tried to delay as much as possible they couldn’t deny that Henrietta had met their condition. Eventually her parents relented and gave her their support to begin her travels.

Since then Henrietta has visited many regions, battled many opponents and faced many challenges. Her team is drawn from the Pokémon she met across her journeys, from Sinnoh to Alola and some from much closer to home.

After several years of travel she eventually returned home to Galar. Upon doing she discovered that a position as Gym leader had recently opened up due to the previous leader’s retirement and on a whim she applied for the position. It was a chance to take on a new set of challenges, to face strong opponents and, most importantly, provided a path to the position of Champion.

How could she resist?

TEAM:






RELATIONSHIPS: Henrietta sees her fellow Gym leaders as rivals first and friends second. She takes her position and Gym leader seriously and views the Pokémon league as a constant competition for the top spot.

Name: William “Liam” Prescott Anwell
Gender: Male
Age: 23
Birthplace: Wyndon
Gym Type: Fairy

Appearance: Liam is short for a young man his age. He stands at exactly five feet tall. He is well aware of his small stature, and makes jokes about it if it get's brought up. While he does claim his lack of height adds to his appeal, he does wish he were taller sometimes. Despite seeming weak and fragile based on his appearance, he is actually stronger than he looks. Being a Pokémon Trainer for a while sort of helps with this. He keeps himself physically fit to compensate for his lack of height, and has a slender, though fairly toned physique hidden underneath all the clothes he wears. He was born with a pale complexion, He has messy blonde hair on top of his head, and his bangs go to his eyebrows. He has big violet eyes. A trait that seems to run in his family. As well as a small nose, and a round "Babyface", which give him a youthful appearance. His face is clean-shaven, and his upper body is free of any hair except the top of his head and eyebrows.

Liam is very into fashion, and likes to dress well. He designs his own clothes to reflect his taste, as he has a hard time finding clothes he likes in men's clothing stores. His fancy wardrobe mostly consists of button down dress shirts, vests, trousers, and dress shoes. He always keeps his clothes neat and tidy. He wears as much pink as he is allowed to get away with. His current outfit consists of a pink dress shirt that fits him well, and he rolls up the sleeves. Over this, he wears a pink vest. He dons a pink ruffled cravat around his neck, with a pink stone attached to it. He also wears a pink pearl bracelet bracelet around his left wrist, and a diamond ring on his right ring finger. On the bottom he wears a pair of pink trousers. His choice of footwear include a pair of pink dress shoes. He accesorizes this with a pink cap on his head that has a diamond brooch attached to it, a pair of pink diamond earrings hanging from his earlobes. He carries around in a pink messenger bag.

While doing his duties as a Gym leader, he wears a pink Fairy costume he made himself. It consists of a pink, skintight, sleeves unitard. The unitard is covered in glitter, and makes him sparkle like a fairy. It also has a pink heart pattern on the chest. He wears a sash tied into a bow around his waist. On his feet are a pair of pink knee-high boots. He wears a lot of pink jewelry including a long pearl necklace, two matching pearl bracelets, pink diamond earrings, and a pink tiara sitting on his head. The look is completed with a pair of large pink fairy wings that are glittery, and resemble a butterfly's wings.

Personality: The first thing people say about Liam is that he is very flamboyant. It is a trait he wears proudly. Liam is innocent, carefree, and seemingly always happy. He is faithful to his loved ones, and will stand by them no matter what. He wants to spread kindness to everyone, and is accepting of everyone. He enjoys talking to people, and being friends with everyone. His desire to be friends with everyone means he has a hard time making decisions regarding other people, for fear of hurting the rejected party. It also means he can easily be convinced to change his mind once he does make a decision. He tries to see good in everyone, and sees no reason to discriminate against others. Everyone is a friend or potential romantic interest, and he often comes off too strong. Some have been known to manipulate him because of tendency to trust people immediately, but he doesn't see that as a bad thing. He is the one who will cheer you up and offer words of encouragement when you are down. He values loyalty and kindness in other people.

Liam has tastes that are usually considered feminine. His favorite color is pink, and a lot of his things are pink. He is very into fashion, and designs his own clothes to reflect his tastes. While he doesn’t consider himself vain, he does like to take care of his appearance. He carries around a mirror, and often consults it when he feels like he needs a confidence boost. He also doesn't particularly care for getting himself dirty either. Due to the fact that he feels there is a lack of nice clothes for men, he likes to make his own clothes to suit his own tastes. He also has a passion for cute and pretty things. It's the reason why he likes the Fairy type. The Pokemon under it are gorgeous. Anything he perceives to be adorable whether it be a person or a Pokemon makes him squeal excitedly. He also has several childish interests as well. He likes candy and other sweets, and he has a rather large collection of fashion dolls that he makes clothes for, as well as cute Pokemon plushies, and his room is decorated with posters of characters from the cartoons he likes. Liam grew up wealthy, and is accustomed to living fabulously. As such, he is a bit spoiled, and he has an easy time indulging himself in the things he likes. Additionally, he enjoys battling Pokémon, and showing off the power of his favorite type of Pokémon

Liam is adorable, and he knows it. He does use it to his advantage if he knows if it will benefit him somehow. He’ll use his cheery personality, and childish behaviors to manipulate others, usually to flirt with guys, or get himself out of trouble when they get mad at him. He’ll play dumb, and act like he doesn’t understand the other person’s request, to avoid rejection, or just get out of situation he doesn’t like. Due to his small size, and child like appearance, he is often perceived as being weak. This has earned him both the ire of bullies who liked having an easy target, as well as the care of nicer people who felt like they had protect him. He works out regularly to compensate for this, but people still coddle him. He considers it both a blessing because it gets him attention and people think he's cute, and a curse because some people underestimate him. He works hard to prove himself, such as staying up late to study, or consistently practicing a new skill when it’s something that interests him. When it’s something that he doesn’t like (usually things that involve manual labor), he’ll procrastinate, or avoid it altogether. When people give him a hard time, he'll usually respond with some sassy comment, and get on with his life. He doesn't understand why so many people have problems with boys liking pink.

Regardless, Liam is a cheerful optimistic person. He is often seen with a smile on his face, and acting like life is all cupcakes and rainbows. He believes it's easier to live life when you expect the best than expecting the worst. This often means he’ll turn a blind eye to any problems he experiences with others. He has a difficult time empathizing with other people’s problems, and that makes it hard for him to develop serious relationships with others. His focus on positivity does not mean that he is never sad. He cries openly when he's sad, but it doesn't take much to make him feel better. He is also very affectionate. He likes giving, and receiving hugs, and often gets very close to people. He develops crushes on guys rather easily. These qualities make him a natural flirt. While he likes people in general, he is attracted to other males. You can often find him staring at, touching, and flirting with guys he finds attractive. While he does flirt often, Liam is a hopeless romantic who is in love with love. He does dream of having his own boyfriend someday, and maybe a husband in the future. In general he is an emotional person, and expresses all of his feelings openly. When he is happy, he is ecstatic. When he is sad, you'll see him bawling. The occasions when he gets angry, he screams, shouts, and acts rashly. While he seems childish at times, Liam is a happy, fun loving young man, who just wants to be accepted for who he is.

Biography: Liam was born to a wealthy, prominent family in Wyndon, Galar. His family contained a long line of skilled trainers, and Liam was expected to carry on that tradition. Liam lived a very lavish lifestyle. As a child, his parents put him in prestigious private schools in order to get the best education possible. Growing up, Liam learned he was never interested in the things typical boys were interested in. He liked cute little ponies, and Barbie dolls while most boys liked playing with toy cars and football. He also preferred Pokemon like Clefairy and Jigglypuff where the other boys were obsessed with Charizard and Garchomp. This made him the target of bullying by other boys.

Other boys often gave Liam a hard time. They made fun of his interests, and calling him a whimp, among other insulting nicknames. Liam didn't really care. He figured that if boys didn’t like him, then he would just play with the girls. They played better anyway. As a child, Liam had more female friends than male ones.

Liam's favorite type of Pokemon were always Fairy type Pokemon. They were adorable, but powerful and not to underestimated. Liam’s parents supported his interests. On his tenth birthday, his parents gave him a very special gift. A Mimikyu they encountered while on a trip to the Alola region. Liam bonded with the little guy almost immediately, and nicknamed him Boo.

Wanting their son to be a skilled trainer like they were, Liam’s parents gave him and Boo private battling lessons. Liam actually took to these lessons rather well. At first, Liam had wanted to become a famous fashion designer. However, after seeing how much he enjoyed battling, and the fact that he couldn’t find any other male Fairy type specialists, Liam made it his goal to be the best Fairy type trainer ever. Besides, there was nothing stopping him from designing clothes on the side. After all, Valerie from Kalos does it.

Things became different once he was of high school age. While other boys were interested in girls, he wasn't. As a matter of fact, he was more interested in the other boys. He kept his attraction to guys a secret for a while, out of fear of being bullied again. After a while though, Liam found it harder and harder to keep something like this to himself. First, he told his family, and they supported him. Then he told his friends, and they too were understanding. After that, he started flirting with boys openly. People didn’t really bully him anymore during high school, and made more friends.

When he finished school, he spent four years traveling around the world. In that time, he amassed a large collection of Fairy type Pokémon, as well as training them, and battling them against various Gym Leaders. His battle prowess soon became well renowned, and he started getting media attention. While he didn’t set out to become famous, he did enjoy the attention. At age 22, he was working on getting his very own Pokémon Gym set up in Ballonlea City.

Now, his life currently consists of being a Gym Leader, and all the duties that entails. His Gym is known known for being very whimsical, and designed to look like a Fairy Garden. He enjoys being a Gym Leader, as well as a role model for boys that don’t quite fit the norm of what boys were supposed to like. During his free time, Liam managed to date a few guys. However, nothing has developed beyond becoming friends, much to his disappointment.

Main Team:
Boo the Mimikyu
Gabriel the Togekiss
Beau the Sylveon
Rarity the Galarian Rapidash
Primadonna the Primarina
Honey the Ribombee



RELATIONSHIPS: Generally, Liam tries his best to get along with others. How others perceive him varies. Some find him endearing, others find him annoying. The truth is, I can’t fill this spot, as I don’t know who the other Gym Leaders will be. Once we know that, I can make individual relationships with the others. However, Liam would like a boyfriend, so I am hoping that there are some hot male gym leaders that aren’t straight for Liam to crush on. ;)

NAME:
Isla Owens

AGE:
23

GENDER:
Female

BIRTHPLACE:
Circhester

GYM TYPE:
Ice

APPEARANCE:
As pictured above
5'3"

PERSONALITY:
Isla is fiercely competitive having come from the world of snow sports into Pokemon training. While she takes a very light hearted demeanor to most things, this quickly changed when challenged.

BIOGRAPHY:
Born and raised in Circhester, Isla was a snowboarding prodigy. Her early life was junior championship after junior championship. This carried on into her early adulthood when she represented Galar in the International Wintersports, she took home the gold for her snowboarding.

Everything was looking good until she suffered a nasty injury while on the mountain. No one was really around her and the situation looked pretty dire. This was until a wandering Snover saw her and helped her down the mountain. It was a good few months in the hospital with the state her leg was in. The Snover didn't really leave, instead choosing to stay around and keep her company. The Snover let itself be caught once Isla was discharged and she gained her first Pokemon.

Isla's leg never healed quite right after the accident and although she still goes up the mountains regularly for fun, her competition days are well behind her. But she found herself a new competition, Pokemon training. It didn't take long before she took a gym leaders position and if people don't look out, she will be champion in no time.

Although she is relatively new to Pokemon training she has already claimed a spot as a minor gym leader under Hestia.

TEAM:





RELATIONSHIPS:
Hestia: "We went to school together you know. We hung out in different circles but she really helped me out when I came to her wanting to be a trainer. I tried to take her up the mountain once, I don't think she likes the snow that much. Either way she is really nice and good to be around. I'm not going to enjoy beating her to become champ, but she is the first hurdle in that plan."

Ezran: "I haven't listened too much of his music, sorry. I don't know, its just not up my alley.

Joseph: "Galar's very own super hero, Eden Steel, oh my god his is even more heroic in real life. Hahahaha, I'm joking of course. But he is something else in real life. I feel like he doesn't get fully out of character, constantly going on about fair fights and stuff. Like how do you even cheat in a Pokemon fight?"

Moira: "She is very tall and being quite stoic as well, she comes off as quite intimidating. I'm afraid I'll have to rely on type advantage to beat her as well. Which is no fun."

Fiona: "Now you are talking about someone I really like. I've gone down the slopes with her and I'll do it again plenty. I have yet to ask if we can get, you know, sky dropped in."

Malik: "While he seems alright on the surface, a lot sketches me out about him. Why keep a low profile and do sneaky shit with the League. Maybe its alright and I'm worrying about things without reason. But when you're a winner you get on the podium, shake the campaign, and pop the cork. I don't understand it."

Nordrin: "The pride, talking smack, it reminds me of the competition days. I miss them quite a bit with how nice everyone is around here. Its going to be very sweet when I beat him."

Zeke: "Cocky, vain, fierce competitor. Its a shame he isn't actually like that."

Thomas: "Everyone is so lax here, no one exemplifies that more than Thomas. Is Champion not the greatest title in the region? I don't understand it."

Elijah: "He looks like an accountant or something doesn't he? Athletes don't come back into the game, and its only a matter of time before they have to get a job. Gym leading really saved me huh? Sorry that was a bit of a tangent, I didn't even talk about him did I?"

Henrietta: "She was a year above me in school. Its good to see that after all the traveling she hasn't changed a bit."

Liam: "Liam is... overwhelming. It seems rich coming from someone like me I know that. He is nice though, just a little too nice."