Ahh Pokémon Professors. One of the most recognized and distinguished careers within the wide world of Pokémon. While there are many ways one can become officially certified as a professor, only the best and brightest study at The Laventon Institute for Pokémon Study and Professorship (Often shortened to The Laventon Institute to save time). Located in the heart of Jubilife City in the Sinnoh Region, The Institute is the premier school for those looking to earn their Professor certification and pursue Pokémon research as a career. Among the Institute's distinguished list of alumni, notable graduates include Samuel Oak, Jameson Rowan, Augustine Sycamore, Cedric Juniper, and Sasha Burnet just to name a few.
As befitting the distinguished nature of the Laventon Institute, they receive numerous applications prior to every school year. Due to the highly selective nature however, only a handful of applications are ever accepted. One year, only five students were brought in as first years! Those chosen to attend the Institute spend the next four years immersed in the study of Pokémon. Courses cover everything from studying Pokémon type classifications all the way to how newly discovered moves and abilities can be applied in battle and practical day to day use. Upon graduation, the Institute will even provide funding for graduates to begin their research or connect them with a Professor in the same field of study!
The Laventon Institute was founded shortly after the colonization of the present-day Sinnoh Region. Following the disbanding of the Galaxy Expedition Team, Professor Jonothan Laventon - the creator of the first Pokedex - converted Galaxy Hall into Sinnoh's first school for youths to be properly educated about their Pokémon partners: The Galaxy Charter School! The charter school became quite popular and served as a major draw for students from neighboring regions to come to Sinnoh and study, contributing to the growth of Jubilife City.
As Pokémon research advanced over the years, the role of the charter school had to change to match up with the times. More schools were opening to teach the younger children the basics of Pokémon training, and more youths longed for the freedom of adventure rather than being cooped up in a classroom all day. In one of his last acts before retiring as headmaster, Prof. Laventon decided to convert the school into a facility for training the next generation of Pokémon Professors! Thus, the Laventon Institute for Pokémon Study and Professorship was born! The next headmaster promptly shortened the name.
In between their class schedules and attending lectures with visiting professors, the crown jewel of the Laventon Institute's curriculum is the Thesis Program. As part of their application to the Institute, students are required to submit a paper on what specific aspect of Pokémon research they are most interested in pursuing. These papers can range from a wide variety of topics such as evolution, breeding, battle theory, or even the origin of Pokémon themselves! Once accepted, students will spend the next four years pursuing that topic and - prior to graduation - will be required to present a thesis paper documenting all of their findings. This research will form the backbone of the student's field of study post-graduation. Even multiple years after he submitted it, Prof. Oak's thesis on the relationship between humans and Pokémon is upheld as the gold standard for the Thesis Program.
Students working on their theses are allowed a considerable amount of freedom. The Institute is willing to help with most expenditures should the student need to travel or acquire specific materials for their studies. It's not an uncommon occurrence for students to travel as far as Alola or Galar for the purpose of completing their theses. While out performing field work, students are excused from classes provided they make up the missing homework upon their return.
Hey there! Thanks for reading this far down! So the basic idea for this RP is that we'll be playing Pokémon Professors in training and making our way through the school year until graduation. There really isn't going to be a limit for characters in this RP, but it will be application based. Character sheets will be rated on the quality of submissions, so if you join late don't worry. We'll try and find a place for you. I'm a pretty laid back GM so here are a few ground rules:
1. We're all here to have fun. Don't be a jerk.
2. Don't make your character broken
3. If you join and have to leave for any reason, don't ghost the RP. Let us know if you're stepping away and whether or not you'll be re-joining us
4. No Legendary Pokémon on teams. Just no.
5. If you have any questions or need to settle a disagreement between players, GM will rule it.
Whew! With all that out of the way, character sheets are posted below! Let's have some fun!
*insert character image here*
Quote: Show off your character's personality!
Full Name:
Age: Self-Explanatory. Avg. age for LI students is early to mid-20s. Think of it like a college phd program
Year at the Institute: First? Second? Third? Fourth? Year
Favorite Color: For your dialogue in the RP
Thesis Subject: The title of your character's thesis for the program. What are they specializing in at the LI
Appearance: Put anything here that isn't explicitly shown in your faceclaim. About a paragraph is good.
Personlity: What is your character like?
Bio: Your backstory up until the current year at the LI. Write what you can, but 3-4 paragraphs would be ideal
Pokémon: Put a hider here to denote your team that assists with your work. Battles can still happen, but the Pokémon are more assistants in this context
Quirks: List 2-3 things that make your character unique!
Quote: "In a world full of challenges, I'd rather be a Bulbasaur in a field of wildflowers than a Charizard blowing hot air."
Full Name: Florian Pine
Age: 20
Year at the Institute: First
Favorite Color: Green
Thesis Subject: Grass Pokémon. A hybrid of Flora and Fauna and what we can learn from them
Appearance: Pine is a tall and lean man. He stands at six feet tall, and has a slim physique. He has a heart shaped face with a firm jaw. His eyes are as green as the forest. He has a mop of blonde hair on top of his head
Pine doesn’t have much of a taste for fashion in his day to day life. Some days, he dresses like the scientist he aspires to be one day. Wearing dress shirts and pants in shades of white and gray, as well as a green tie. He even wears a white lab coat. Other days, he dresses in casual jeans and T-shirts, often green in color and with floral patterns on them. In all of his outfits, he always wears a pair of thick green glasses, as he his near sighted, as well as a flower in his hair.
Personlity: Once upon a time, Pine was a shy and nerdy young man. He didn’t have an easy time socializing with people, and also didn’t have much confidence. He often preferred his plants and Pokemon more than other people’s company. After joining the Laventon Institute, Pine developed a bit more confidence, but he's still awkward when it comes to interactions with people. He is interested in science, and is particularly fascinated with plants and grass type Pokemon. He treats his own Pokémon as if they were his babies.
Some days, Pine hates humanity. His experiences with being bullied and how people take the environment for granted contributed to this. He can be rude to people when he first meets them. He can still be rude even after he first meets them. There are moments where he thinks he's smarter than everyone else, and the people around him are idiots. He’s not opposed to using his Pokémon’s attacks on humans if they bother him too much. Even though he often feels like the world would be better off without humans in it, he understands that they are needed. If only to provide carbon dioxide for the plants.
There are other times when Pine longs for human companionship. If anyone shows him even the slightest hint of kindness, he will be all for it. He’ll cling to that person and be their best friend whether they like it or not. He will talk their ear off about whatever he's interested in. Maybe he'll care about what the other person has to say... Maybe. At least until he perceives they did him wrong in some way. Then he’ll be furious and seek revenge. He can even be flirty with people he finds attractive. In general, his emotions can vary wildly at any given time.
Bio: Florian Pine was born to a pair of scientist parents. They studied Pokemon in their natural habitats, particularly Grass type Pokemon. Due to the fact that they were often out in the field researching, they weren't around very much to raise their son. Sometimes they took him on research trips with them, but when they did, they often left him to his own devices. Even though his parents didn't show their affections all that much, Pine always knew he wanted to be a scientist just like them.
Growing up, Pine always had a fascination for plants and Grass type Pokemon. Something he got from his parents. On his free time, he would frolic in the flowers, and play with the wild Oddishes that lived nearby. He saw how often people would casually leave their trash on the floor in the forest, which could harm the environment and the Pokemon living there. Pine would tell them to pick up their trash, and they'd just laugh him off. Others found his intense fascination to be odd. He was often bullied by others because he was physically weaker, psychologically delicate, and in their eyes he was just plain weird.
He would be picked on, beaten up, called deaming nicknames, every kind of bullying you could imagine. He was even made fun of because his first name was Florian, which was weird. He also had to sit alone during lunch because no one else wanted to sit with him. Him trying to defend himself by saying it means flower did not help the matter. He bullied by one boy in particularl, who already had a Charizard, when most of the other kids didn't even have Pokemon of their own yet. He was sure to brag about that in everyone faces, but especially Pine. Pine made it no secret that he wanted a Bulbasaur. Of course this got no end of ridicule from this boy. He talked about how much cooler Charizard was than Venusaur because it was a dragon, and that Venusaur was an overgrown frog with a flower on it's back, and that it was uncool. Pine knew he was wrong, but he hated having to hear this kid's bragging every day. It would later come out that this boy brought his father's Charizard to school, and it wasn't actually his, but that didn't make it better.
Despite all the bullying, there was person who seemed to show him kindness. A boy named Evan often defended him from bullies. Evan was handsome and one of the most popular boys in school. Pine was shocked him of all people would take the time to defend him. They hung out together sometimes, and it was the first time Pine actually had a friend! He finally had somebody to sit with during lunch. It didn't take long for Pine to get a crush on Evan. After a long while, Pine finally built up the nerve to ask Evan out on a date. Evan politely turned him down. Pine was not happy about this, but he was able to move on with his life.
Than he heard Evan talking to his girlfriend in the hallway. She witnessed Pine asking her boyfriend out, and wanted to know what happened. Evan basically admitted to his girlfriend that he didn't like Pine all that much, and thought he was as weird as everyone else did. The only reason he defended him was out of pity. He told his girlfriend she was the most important person in his life, and kissed her. Now, Pine was devasted.
Despite all of this, Pine was still an intelligent young man, and eventually graduated from school at the top of his class. He did the Pokémon trainer thing for a little bit, but it was mostly just to study Grass type Pokémon in the wild then it was for getting 8 Gym badges. He got that Bulbasaur he wanted. He eventually applied to the Laventon Institute to further his goals.
Pokémon:
Leafy the Bulbasaur, Fiona the Deerling, Bebe the Flabébé
Quirks: Hates Charizard, blame that bully. Is Bisexual, but prefers other men. Has a major sweet tooth Has other stereotypically nerdy interests like video games and comic books about superheroes. He prefers to enjoy them alone than with others. Always introduces himself as Pine, never Florian. People have bullied him for that name.
I’m not limiting anyone on Pokémon. Your characters are going to be in their early to mid twenties at the youngest. You’ll likely have caught a few by this point.
Honestly, if you REALLY don’t want to keep the tree theme going, I’m not going to deny you entry for it. Sada and Turo technically broke that tradition already even if they aren’t typical Pokémon professors. I do find it to be a fun gimmick however. Just personal preference.
I’m not going to dog people for posts. This is meant to be a low stress RP. At least once a week would be ideal, but I get that people have lives.
Somewhere in the middle, maybe 6-7ish? It’s still casual roleplay
I think you could do something with that topic! Maybe your character is studying the bonds between the trainer and Pokémon and how it makes the Pokémon stronger? (Friendship/Battle Bond)
Thank you so much! That answers all my questions for now. (I'm sure I'll have more later. That's how it works) I can only typically post on the weekends, well my weekend, Sunday through Tuesday, so once a week is perfect. Like I said, I am excited. I'll work on my application character sheet this weekend. Well, my weekend. I do think that they will be studying Pokémon Friendship. (Munchlax is my favorite. I will shamlessly admit that this character will most likely be at least 50 percent self insert. I hope that's okay.)
I am absolutely interested in this and will create a character first thing in the morning. I would do so now, but it is very late and I would rather be a little more able to think things through.
"You can't learn everything in a lab! It's time to get our hands dirty!
Full Name: Jason Yew
Age: 25
Year at the Institute: Fourth Year
Favorite Color: Violet
Thesis Subject: Pokémon Epigenetics and how Environmental Changes may Induce Evolution
Appearance: To an observer, Jason seems like the stereotypical "messy student". His hair is unkempt, his clothes tend to be wrinkled, and his lab coat is always covered in a variety of stains. He typically carries protective gear in his satchel due to the number of Poison-Type Pokémon he has in his possession. You would have hardly recognized him during his first semester at the Institute. In stark contrast to his current state, he used to be a rather put together student. He was consistently well groomed, kept his clothes clean, and he was notoriously concerned about his self-image.
Personlity: Jason is notorious among his classmates for his devil may care attitude. While his grades are consistently among the top in his class, he spends most of his time either skipping class, or using his thesis work as an excuse to travel the world and pursue whatever topic has captured his interest. To many, this would seem like the hallmarks of a lazy student, but many teachers acknowledge Jason's skill as a budding professor and will turn a blind eye to some of his more 'eccentric' tendencies.
Much like his appearance, Jason wasn't always like this. He used to have a very Type-A personality where he took extensive notes and ran his life on a constant schedule. Near the end of his first semester however, a chance meeting with his idol Professor Oak changed his entire worldview. Shortly afterwards, Jason began to loosen up and become more sociable towards his classmates. By the time his second year rolled around, Jason was practically a different person!
These days, Jason's motto is "Limit your interests, and you limit your life!" While he remains dedicated to his work and his thesis, Jason has a penchant for getting distracted will endeavor to learn everything he can about a particular subject that takes his interest. while his new approach to life has garnered the interest of several of his classmates, Jason can be denser than a brick and will often fail to pick up the clues that someone has interest in him for more than his knowledge.
Bio: Despite technically being born in Pewter City, Jason Yew would be hard pressed to say the Kanto Region is his home. In fact, he's unsure if there's any region that he really belongs to. Jason's parents were renowned Pokémon Doctors and the duo spent much of their time travelling from region to region as they moved for work or travelled to attend medical conferences. As you might expect, Jason was dragged along whether he wanted to go or not. Despite being privileged to see much of the world at a very early age, Jason never developed close relationships with many children his age and he could never take part in gym challenges because his family never stayed in one region long enough.
Knowing their child was going to be lonely travelling all the time, Jason's parents opted to give him a Pokemon at a young age. Before leaving Pewter City, Jason's father took him out on Route 3 and let him choose from the wild Pokémon roaming the area. By sheer chance, a male Nidoran appeared. Excitedly choosing the purple Pokémon Jason was ecstatic when his father caught it and presented him with its new Pokeball. Naming his new partner Rex, Nidoran and Jason became inseparable as they traveled the world together and both were fans of Prof. Oak's TVand radio shows after the latter became a world famous celebrity.
It was during one of these trips that Jason began to notice how certain Pokémon of the same species would develop different traits depending on the region they lived in. Why did the Slowpoke in Galar evolve differently than the Slowpoke in the rest of the world? Why was Alolan Muk multicolored? Why do only FEMALE Salandit evolve? His burning desire to understand just what caused these unique mutations is what drove him to begin studying for the Laventon Institute. Despite not having much formal educations, his parents' reputation and homeschooling enabled him to be accepted at the earliest opportunity.
Because the Institute would be the first time Jason was staying in one place for an extended period of time, he was extremely self-conscious and tried... a bit too hard to fit in. He was top of his class as a student, was on good terms with his teachers, and even excelled in extracurricular activities. This had the effect of making other students distance themselves from him. During this time, Professor Oak was visiting the Laventon Institute as a guest speaker. During a chance meeting with his childhood hero, Jason and Oak wound up having a two hour long conversation in which Jason's eyes were opened to just how much he'd already managed to achieve. Oak assured the young man that he was doing just fine and could let his guard down around his classmates. From that day onward, Jason began to loosen up at school and people began to see his 'true self' more and more.
Pokémon:
Name: Rex Species: Nidoking Ability: Poison Point Bio: Caught by Jason's father as a Nidoran, Jason and Rex have been together for as long as either can remember. Despite being a battle hardened species, Rex has picked up several of Jason's more inquisitive traits over the years and gets invested in new subjects just as easily as his trainer.
Name: Ricin Species: Salandit Ability: Corrosion Bio: A shiny male Salandit Jason discovered on a research trip to the Alola Region. After saving it from a raging Salazzle, Jason believes he can 'unlock' the male Salandit genome and find its lost evolution.
Name: Toxin Species: Galarian Slowbro Ability: Quick Draw Bio: One of the first Pokémon Jason caught himself, Toxin is a 'unique' character. Despite only being a Slowbro, he displays significantly more intelligence than others of his species. As part of testing evolution mechanics, Jason has removed Toxin's Shellder several times, reverting it back into Slowpoke.
Quirks: -Despite its dirty appearance, Jason actually does clean his lab coat. It just gets dirty again by the end of each day! -Rex has poisoned Jason multiple times over the years. It's gotten to the point where Jason has a natural immunity to venom from the Nidoran line. -Jason has a secret desire to learn Mega Evolution for himself. He hopes there's a mega stone for Nidoking out there that hasn't been discovered yet
Let your heart speak for itself, it has more important things to say
Full Name: Natalie Willow
Age: 24
Year at the Institute: Third Year
Favorite Color: Lavender
Thesis Subject: The effects on Pokemon when sharing an emotional bond, be it with other Pokemon or their trainers.
Appearance: Natalie is young, with pretty features. Her eyes are bright green, with chestnut hair that she often pulls back in a ponytail to keep out of her way during her research. She comes across as disorganized, because of the papers and other items constantly sticking out from the bag that she carries, but, to her, this is organized chaos, as she always knows where everything she needs is. She is usually in clothes of convenience, rather than appearance, often shorts, and a tank top under her lab coat, something that makes it easy for her to traverse and get around quickly.
Personlity: Natalie doesn't like to sit still for too long, often finding herself zoning out during classes where she is expected to simply sit and take notes. When it comes to activities, labs or anything hands on, this is where she excels, and in fact, shines, often above the rest in her class. She interacts with pokemon, performs experiments, and completes world tasks with ease, and often in a way that appears both clever and impressive to her teachers.
Because of her inability to sit still for long periods of time without losing her focus, Natalie often seems to be in a hurry, and because of this, she rarely takes the time to place things neatly or orderly into her bag, often stuffing notes or papers that she may have been doodling on without care. Her bag is like a world all it's own, if anybody else were to try and find anything, they would never be able to, however, she seems to be able to find what she's looking for fairly quickly... even if it might be a little wrinkled. There is one exception to this rule. Her leather bound portfolio. This portfolio doesn't stay in her bag, she is more often seen carrying it in her arms, and this is where she keeps the things that she deems the most important. Keeping everything from detailed drawings, charts, and information about her chosen field of study. This portfolio is her truest dedication to her love for pokemon and her study of them.
Bio: Natalie was born and grew up in Lavendar town, in the Kanto region. At a young age, she became oddly fascinated by the emotions built between a trainer and their pokemon, often seeing travelers coming through with their own pokemon, or visiting the tower, mourning their losses. As she grew, she developed a kind of fear of losing her own pokemon once she got old enough to become a trainer, so much so, that when she finally turned ten, she refused to make the journey to Palet town and become a trainer herself. Out of concern, her parents reached out to Professor Oak, imploring him to visit with Natalie and help her through her fears. To their surprise, Professor Oak did make a visit to Lavendar town, and stopped to visit the young girl. The twelve year old seemed unsure about the professor, at first, sure that he was going to insist that she become a trainer, but instead, he told her that there were so many other paths that could be taken and explored in the world of pokemon, that becoming a trainer was only a single path.
This conversation changed Natalie's entire world, and by the end of the conversation, she found herself fascinated by Professor Oak and all the good that he had done in the world for Pokemon and humans from his research. That was the spark that ignited her passion for becoming a Pokemon professor. She began her studies at once, borrowing books from Professor Oak, and creating her own studies, even, on rare occasions, being permitted to go with Oak on special outings, where they might study Pokemon in their natural habitat. Over the years, though Professor Oak enjoyed teaching what he could to the girl, eventually, he informed her that all Pokemon researchers had to go out on their own, find their own love and interests in what they want to study. He set her sights on the Laventon Institute, encouraging her to do what she could to get into this prestigious school, and naturally, doing everything that he could to help her succeed.
With Professor Oak's endorsement, Natalie was accepted without hesitation, and taken into the school with high regards from many of the teachers. The first year found the young girl starry eyed and eager to learn, taking notes and dedicating everything she had to doing her best. This made her stand out as a top student pretty easily, her love, passion and dedication was obvious to anyone who spoke with her. By the second year, she found herself growing less interested in theory and notes and much more interested in going out and exploring the world, like she used to be able to do with Professor Oak. Eventually, they were given more freedom to do this very thing, encouraged to go out and study, to help choose their field of interest. Natalie had always known that she was interested in the bond between a Pokemon and it's trainer, but these explorations, and meeting trainers with their Pokemon, who always seemed just as determined, and attached cemented her interest. The bond was only the icing on the cake, there was so much more to the relationship between Pokemon and their trainers... or even, Pokemon and other Pokemon, as she discovered through watching her own Pokemon interact with each other and other wild Pokemon that they would sometimes run into.
Her third year introduced her to even more freedom as she began to explore further and further out. This would be the year that she could focus on building the information that she would need for her thesis, this meant exploring the relationships between Pokemon and people, the differences between individual trainers, and even the difference between an active trainer, and others who used Pokemon in their everyday work.
Pokémon:
Vaporeon Ability: Water Absorb Bio: Vaporeon, also known as Dewey was given to Natalie by Professor Oak on her 16th birthday, as a young Eevee, though most children take on their first pokemon at the age of 10 or 11, Nat was quite terrified to take on her first partner. This was a big step in her life, and she grew attached to her little fluffball very quickly. She decided early that when Eevee was ready to evolve, that she would evolve it into a Vaporeon, and so she named the little darling "Dewey". Her bond with Dewey is very strong, and has allowed her to open herself up to caring for other Pokemon.
Vulpix Ability: Flash Fire Bio: Vulpix, also known as Ember, was Natalie's first ever and only caught pokemon. The little furry fox type was found a little ways off one of the main path's out of Cerulean City. She had been trying desperately to get ahold of a Sitrus Berry. Nat, realizing what the little fox was trying to do, offered her assistance, climbing up into the tree and grabbing the berry. Slipping, she tumbled out of the tree, with the berry in hand, the landing had been painful, but she shared a laugh with the little fox afterwards. Ember chose to travel with Nat after that, and allowed herself to be caught.
Turtwig Ability: Shell Armor Bio: Turtwig, also known as Twig, was given to Natalie upon arriving in Sinnoh for the first time. Professor Oak had sent her to meet Professor Rowan. During this meeting, Nat was given the opportunity to meet the three starter Pokemon in Rowan's care, and found that the Turtwig had taken a special liking to her. The feeling was mutual, while staying with the Professor for several days, she found that the little turtle Pokemon very rarely left her side. Eventually, when it was time for her to go, the Professor, having witnessed the bond growing over the past few days, offered to let Nat take the little Twig.
Egg - Uknown Bio: The egg has only recently been sent to her by Professor Oak as she begins her third year, she has been tasked for maintaining the egg's health and looking after it as a special project, somewhat having to do with her thesis. She doesn't know what kind of Pokemon is in it yet
Quirks: Loves to doodle and draw (sometimes useless things, sometimes pertaining to her study); Small outbursts of energy, especially after she's been cooped up; Does not like to battle, and will do everything within her power to avoid it if she can.
Some great looking applications so far! If you are still making yours, or you need to touch up on you submitted, see Jason Yew for the format I'm looking for. It didn't translate too well on the original posting. That's on me. Haha.
Also if you want to work out character relationships with each other before the RP, feel free to discuss them here.
Well, I finally scarped somehting together. Took a bit. Hopefully, it'll do.
"Huh? What do you want? I'm busy, ask someone else. Oh geez, why're there so many stairs...!?"
Full Name: Sylvie Maple
Age: 20
Year at the Institute: First Year, Freshman
Favorite Color: Aquamarine
Thesis Subject: The Appication and Amplification of Pokémon and Power Stones.
Appearance: Sylvie is a shorstack, standing only at around 5'1" (155 cm) tall. Her reddish brown hair is almost always messy and all over the place and she dresses fairly casually most of the time, prefering to wear comfortable attire over fashionable ones. Her eyes are brown as well, and she wears a pair of large glasses. When she removes these, her face has been known to look quite "villainous"... She only wears a lab coat while working on projects at the institute or when when doing field-work or on official trips. She has a plump physique. Some people call her 'thicc'.
Personality: Sylvie is a reclusive person. She often shies away from large groups or crowded events and seems to generally avoid large gatherings of people whenever possible. This isn't to say she can't communicate or talk to others, far from it, she just prefers things to not be noisy or crowded. So, it should come as no surprise that she dieslikes loud, noisy, pushy and/or obnoxious people, those who like to or frequently cause a scene and drama, or those that feel the need to stand out and be seen/heard.
She's also sensitive and very defensive, often misinterpreting peoples words or actions as jabs or flak aimed at her person. She can be prickly and sharp-tongued, and doesn't seem to be concerned with other peoples' thoughts, feelings or desires. In that regard, she's selfish and can be rude or curt with others, and she's rather impatient too. A bit of a slob as well actually.
Sylvie's also a scaredy-cat, being easy to frighten or surprise, which will lead to her being furious - or panicked. She doesn't handle scary stories or horror themes well at all, and will get very small and mousy when exposed to such things. She also has a very hard time accepting compliments or praise, becoming very shy and conflicted if given such. Basically, a bit of tsundere in there. The young woman does undeniably love pokémon though, and is very friendly, kind and thoughtful with and towards them. She never litters in nature and she's conscious enough to pick up trash in the wild if she spots it.
Her low self-esteem is the main reason she acts the way she does towards other humans. She always believes they're judging or ridiculing her, for one reason or another, whereas pokémon don't judge based on appearance - which is why she loves them. That said, even Sylvie isn't cold-hearted or jaded enough to turn a blindd eye to those in need. And if someone can endure the porcupine quills and crack that wall she's built around herself, one might find that she's actually a genuinely sweet and kind, but frighteningly shy soul.
As a final point, she has a rather quick wit and is surprisingly bright, despite her disheveled appearance and thorny persona. She can laugh at jokes or silliness... As well as others misfrotune... She keeps an facade of confidence up and talks a big game, trying to puff herself up. When she's focused on a task or something she's interested in though, she goes into some kind of hyper-focused trance and is barely able to perceive or respond to things around her. When in this state, she's probably the most earnest and honest you'll ever see her. She likes tinkering with and building things you see, and that eats a lot of cous - which means she doesn't have any to spare on being snarky.
Bio: Born in Hoeen to a dad from Unova and her mother, a Hoenn-native, Sylvie is of mixed heritage. Her father travelled to Hoenn on business, met her mother, fell in love, got married and had their daughter. Unfortunately, his work required him to travel around the world a lot, so Sylvie's upbringing was left for the most part to her mother. For the most part, they lived peacefully in Oldale Town, with Sylvie attending basic school over in Petalburg City.
Sadly, Sylvie's childhood was rahter sad. She was shy and awkward, and the other kids often made fun of, or pointed out, her weight. This only got worse with age and eventually caused Sylvie to shy away from humans and prefer the company of pokémon, and the anonyminity of the internet. She also happened upon an injured Ralts not too far from their house one day, broguht it back home and nursed it back to health. This would become her first pokémon, as it refused to leave once fully recovered.
Spending time with this Ralts, it became her best friend and most precious pokémon. It was also around this time that she started developing her defensive mechanisms to deal with other humans. Tongue-lashing those who looked at or mocked her, becoming overly prickly and hard to approach, etc.
When the time for Sylvie to set out on her own journey finally came, her mother noted that the girl didn't seem the least bit excited. And she wasn't. Having been an indooors-kid for most of youth, she found travelling incredibly inconvenient and tiresome. Being challenged by other trainers was exhausting and irritating. Spending time in the crowded Pokémon Centers gave her headaches and challenging the gym leaders or the Pokémon Contests felt so pointless. Needless to say, Sylvie never got her eight gym badges or her five ribbons. She returned home well before that.
Surfing the web, reading and learningabout pokémon in books, magazines and while watching the TV, Sylvie led a slow, peaceful and uneventful life. She became particularly fond of stones at this time, especially evolution stones. She also became an avid fan of Unova's Elesa. But back to the stones, she began to bug her mother to go all the way to Celadon in Kanto in order to buy some... Which she later regretted deeply once there, as the place was packed with people... But hey, at least she got that stone...
Following this, she'd save up her allowance and take her pokémon outside - on rare occasions - to search for more pretty rocks. Rocks were great. They didn't say anything or make noise, they didn't look at you funny or make comments about your appearance. And they were heavy! Something they had in common. Thus, she spent a few years like that. On her 15th birthday, her dad returned briefly, bringing with him a new addition to their family. A young growlithe. This made Sylvie very happy. A few months later, said Growlithe found that stone she'd bought in Celadon... And, sort of accidentally bit it... And turned into an Arcanine. This made Sylvie less happy. Now she was down one stone and had a dog that no lognger fit in her bed.
As the years dragged on, her mother was actually the one who brought up the possibility of the Institute. During one of their dinner-time discussions, her mom was concerned about Sylvie's future and what her daughter wanted to do with her life. Sylvie, being ever the couch-potato, had no goals or aspirations to speak of. Worried that her daughter would become a useless lay-about, her mother borught up the institute, saying that since Sylvie liked evolution stones so much, loved pokémon and didn't want to move around a lot, she could become a pokémon professor and spend all her time inside a nice, cozy lab... Complete with AC, and get paid for doing it! This, obviously, was quite the wily way to motivate her slug of a child, but unsurprisingly it worked.
Of curse, Sylvie had a very hard time deciding on her thesis. She liked stones and rocks, but didn't want to go around cave-diving or mountain climbing... Way too exhausting. She loved pokémon, but she didn't want to go out into the wild and search for them, or spend long periods of time roughing it in the underbrush or sleeping in a tent on a foldable bed, or worse, a sleeping bag. She needed to come up with something that would allow her to study both things, but not make her need to run around or do a bunch of exhausting field work. Then, it finally hit her. She got her idea, and wrote it down.
Some months later, after having submitted her thesis and applications, she got a response from the institute. She'd been accepted. Just as planned...
Pokémon:
Name: Gardevoir Species: Gardevoir Ability: Synchronize Bio: Gardevoir was originally found by Sylvie when it was a Ralts. The girl took it home with her, as it had been injured by some other pokémon and nursed it back to health. Wehn it had recovered though, it refused to leave and stayed with Sylvie until she was old enough to set out on her own pokémon journey, becoming her first pokémon, and her dearest partner. Unlike its master, Gardevoir is reliable, considerate, collected, friendly and dutiful. Though sometimes it does like to tease its master.
Name: Marill Species: Marill Ability: Thick Fat Bio: Marill is the first pokémon Sylvie caught "legit". Due to its shape and cute appearance, Sylvie treats Marill more as a pet and playmate rather than an assistant or partner like she does with Gardevoir. Because of this, Marill is a bit spoiled and can get rowdy or mischievous. Like its master, it also loves to eat.
Name: Arcanine Species: Arcanine Ability: Rock Head Bio: Arcanine was originally a Grwolithe that Sylvie received on her 15th birthday. It later accidentally came into contact with one of Fire Stones and evolved. As punishment, Sylvie freequently used (and still uses) Arcanine as her personal mode of transportation. Despite this, Arcanine is still very puppy-like in its behavior and seems to be no less happy or energetic than before.
Name: Mawile Species: Mawile Ability: Huge Power Bio: Mawile is Sylvie's most recent pokémon. It is a bit lethargic and prefers to laze about, and is far less energetic than her other pokémon. Still, it does its best to help out when it eeds to. It can also be a bit clingy and likes to be babied by Sylvie.
Quirks:
Stress Eater: As apparent by her physique, Sylvie is a stress eater. When things get hectic, she eats. When she's stressed. She eats. When she's peckish, she eats. And she eatas a lot. She be a foodie.
Admirer: Sylvie is a big of Elesa of Nimbasa City. She has pictures, posters and even recordings of the Gym leader/Super Model doing poses. She gets very embarrassed and flustered whenever someone else finds out about this. Which often leads to a lot of incoherent explaining and pointless gesturing on Sylvie's part.
Collector: Sylvie loves pretty stones, and has a small collection of various ones. Which includes evolution stones. However, due to an incident with her Arcanine, she now stores them in a special, secure case to prevent accidents. Still, she gets very excited whenever she can add a new rock to her collection.
Prepared: Despite what one might think when looking at her, Sylvie is surprisingly well-prepared. This is because she always carries a bag with her, stuffed with various useful things like medicine, antidoes, paralyze heals and other items. Scissors, rolls of bandages, bandaids, sunscreen... She even has her swimsuit tucked away in there at all times! And she never goes anywhere without her bag.
"I don’t study Pokémon. I study Pokémon Trainers. Thank you very much."
Full Name: Lancer Cerisier
Age: 23
Year at the Institute: First
Favorite Color: Lancer’s favorite color is actually Cerisier Eye Blue, but for the sake of the role-play I will be using Lancer Eye Green for Lancer’s dialogue.
Thesis Subject: The Effects of Independent Journeying and Studying on Young People in Regards to Financial, Physical, Emotional, and Mental Wellbeing
Appearance: To Lancer's perpetual dismay he looks like an almost carbon copy of his mother with fiery red hair and emerald green eyes. His vison is terrible and requires him to wear a pair of bifocal lenses that only leave his face if he is showering or sleeping. He wishes to appear professional at all times so, he wears dress shirts, slacks, and ties unless he is doing field work in which case, he wears t-shirts and jeans under weather appropriate gear. His attempt at being professional is partly ruined by his slightly oversized lab coat. Lancer is aware of this, but as it was a combined gift from his younger siblings, he chooses to ignore it. His posture is perfect showing off all his 1.9 meter (74.8 inches) height. His weight is roughly 73 kilograms (160.9 pounds) but will vary depending on a variety of factors. He cuts his hair himself and as such it is a constant shaggy mess. He also bites his fingernails.
Personality: Lancer is a caretaker parent. There is no other way to say it. As a result of having to raise three younger siblings from a young age, Lancer has got both the emotional resiliency and intelligence to deal with any number of mental or emotional crises. On the other hand he has the ability to ‘lay down the law’ as it were to wrangle impossibly stubborn people into doing what needs to be done. If someone is in need, he is the first to leap to offer aid without expecting anything in return. This aid can be anything from a good home cooked warm meal, a ride to the airport, to a shoulder to cry on. However, he has no skill whatsoever in managing his own stress or needs. His standard default to dealing with his own stress or trouble is to ‘deal with it later’ except later is always pushed back and back and back. He is on the verge of cracking but is masterfully hiding it behind a brittle smile and a weary sigh.
Bio: Although both traditional and expected to begin an adventure sometime in early youth Lancer never received the opportunity to do so. His mother, Kiki Cerisier, ran away from the responsibilities of motherhood when his father, Jonas Cerisier, was diagnosed with a chronic illness that left him mostly bedridden. With a runaway mother and an invalid father 9-year-old Lancer pushed up his metaphorical sleeves and got to work to take care of then 4-year-old twins Malene and Matthis, and 2-year-old Nathan. Jonas could not do much work so Lancer learned the fine arts of budgeting, cooking, and cleaning. His teachers despaired because even though he was bright with above average intelligence, he chose to do just enough work to not fail in order to focus his attention on making sure his siblings got the best childhood they could.
When the twins turned 12, then 17-year-old Lancer, packed their bags with all they could need, and with worry in his heart and mind sent them off into the dangerous world in order to find their own way, to claim their own glory. When he was 18, they returned home to welcome and loving arms. Malene was triumphant while Matthis was despairing. The difference alarmed Lancer and he became reluctant to send Nathan on his own journey. Eventually Nathan wore him down and so, with even more worry in his heart and mind, Lancer packed his bag and let the youngest Cerisier off into the world. Malene took off again, this time to another region. Lancer bullied Matthis into therapy and eventually Matthis recovered enough to hold a part time job as a waiter. For the first time in a very long time Lancer had more free time than he knew what to do with, and although he didn’t have the money for a formal education, he spent vast amounts of time in the library and online researching things that he never could before. Lancer found himself drawn to psychology and neurological development and he could never explain why.
Nathan returned home when Lancer was 20. He … was not the same. At first, he would not talk about it, but slowly the truth came out. Nathan had spent money faster than he earned it, and in order to clear some debts had fallen in with a bad crowd. He had done things he was not proud of, but eventually he did manage to clear the worst of the debts. He had come back because he didn’t know where else to go. Lancer made up his old room. Matthis got him a job and the baby of the family finally learned the lessons that Lancer had tried to teach him so long ago.
When Jonas died, the year Lancer turned 21, Malene came back for the funeral, and then was gone again, no roots, just adventure. Matthis returned to the restaurant where he was rapidly moving up the promotion ladder and Nathan found an apprenticeship as a construction worker that he adored. Lancer was alone in the childhood home with no one to teach or care for. He almost didn’t know what to do with himself, so he threw himself into his studies, even enrolling in some psychology classes at his local community college.
Over the course of his studies, he kept coming back to his siblings. All three of them had very different reactions to the journey that only a few did not embark on as children. Why was that? Was it something he had done or failed to do? There were no real studies done on the matter and he was certainly not in a position to do the studies himself. He wasn’t destitute by any means, but he didn’t have money to go around interviewing people about their childhood adventures. He didn’t have money to give to people in return for their interviews. But it was frustrating. It wasn’t just his siblings. He could see it in every adult. Some were shattered by the journey. Some never stopped journeying. Some were content to let it just be a childhood adventure. Lancer couldn’t help but wonder; was sending children as young as 10 out into the world on their own really a good idea? He didn’t have an answer and no matter how much he studied or read he wouldn’t find it.
And then, at 23, Lancer stumbled upon the Laverton Institute’s website. This … this might give him the resources he needed to conduct his studies into the long term effects of the journey he himself had never gone on. This could help him figure out a way to help parents help their children better! This was a chance to do some good! Alright, it was a long shot. He had no real education outside of high school and his grades were just barely passing then. But if he didn’t try, he wouldn’t know! Besides, maybe this was his own adventure, just a decade later than most people. He spent months agonizing over, crafting, perfecting, his thesis proposal and research plans. He paid a professional to edit and review it. He let his siblings read it to get their comments. They were excited for him, and when Lancer received the highly hoped for, but entirely unexpected, acceptance letter, they all brought him his lab coat, now that he was a ‘real professor.”
Lancer Cerisier is on his way from Kalos to Sinnoh, not to study Pokémon, but to study Trainers, and Rangers, Breeders, and Elites, Leaders, and Champions. Lancer Cerisier is on his way, for the first time in his life, to do what he wants to do and be what he wants to be. Lancer Cerisier, Professor-in-Training, is on his way to change the world, for good! Better! Best!
Pokémon:
Sassy McSassy Pants the Furfrou, usually just called Sassy was Jonas Cerisier’s loyal Pokémon through bitter years until peaceful rest. Lancer honestly does not think Sassy has many years left. Nathan volunteered to watch Sassy while Lancer went to the Institute but the stubborn Pokémon wouldn’t hear of it. Lancer is constantly worried because of her age. Despite Lancer’s poor attempts with his own hair, he is the only allowed to trim her fur. He takes more care with her fur than he does with his hair. Sassy refuses to be in a Pokéball as she rather just walk beside Lancer, but when she absolutely must be it a Luxury Ball or none at all. Sassy wears a Cerisier Blue Ribbon around her neck.
HoneyLuv the Munchlax, usually just called Honey, a term of exasperation, or Luv, a term of endearment, is Lancer’s first and only Pokémon of his own. It happened quite by accident. Lancer was making apple pie with honey drizzle and the injured Munchlax let himself into to the unlocked house and ate the unattended treat. Lancer didn’t have the heart to chase the poor bedraggled creature out and instead tended to the wounds and then sent him on his way with the last of the apples. Lancer woke up the next morning to a snuggly, teal-colored intruder in his bed. Since then, HoneyLuv and Lancer have been practically inseparable. Luv is quite capable of evolving since he trusts Lancer beyond anyone else, but he chooses not to, since his favorite way to travel is Lancer’s arms. When Lancer needs his hands Luv will bounce behind him. If necessary, HoneyLuv will reside in a Premier Ball as it was the only one that Lancer had at the time they decided that Luv needed one.
Darius the Goodra is technically Malene’s Pokémon and Lancer has absolutely no idea how she found it or how she caught it and she’s not telling. It’s a Goodra alright, but unlike most Goodra he has a metal shell attached to his back. When Malene found out that Lancer was heading to another region for the first time in his life with only Sassy and Luv, both of whom aren’t fighters, she sent him Darius. Darius has explicit instructions to “keep Mama’s older brother safe from bullies, vagabonds, and other ruffians. Okay? Love you lots! You behave for Uncle Lancer now. Be good!” Lancer does his best to care for Darius and Darius does like the human in his charge, but it is obvious that Lancer is not his trainer or his person. While Lancer does let Darius out of his weird teal colored ball that he has never seen before or in stores as often as possible, Darius is quite content to remain put away. He does appreciate it when Lancer polishes his shell to a mirror shine.
Quirks: Lancer can cook and clean just about anything. If he doesn’t know how he can usually figure it out. Years of helping with various school projects means he is a fount of useless but interesting facts, that he will usually say out loud whenever they come to mind at seemingly random times. He thinks extreme couponing is tacky, but he still knows how to get the most for his dollar. He is excellent at haggling. Malena, Matthis, and Nathan all take after Jonas, with dark brown hair and deep blue eyes. Lancer takes after their mother. Looking in the mirror and seeing her face hurts. Every. Single. Time. He doesn’t like his looks one little bit and has no self confidence in his appearance at all.
Okay. It's late, and this has only been proof read once, but I wanted to get it up before I went to bed. I'll check for typos again tomorrow.
A couple notes. I used an AI art generator to create the image. I hope that's okay. I can change the Pokémon Malene sends for protection, I just thought Darius was cool.
Oh! Ah! I'm not sure how I missed that. I'm sorry. I see three things that can be done. I am okay with all of them.
1. I can change it. I'm not attached to the name Maple and that's an easy thing to do.
2. It's just a common family name. This does add just a slight whisper of a kiss of realism.
3. They are in fact related, but I would prefer of it was distantly, like fourth cousins five times removed or something. It could be a fun little thing for them to discover during the course of the story.
