Yaze
Firebender | Late Teens | MaleAppearance:
Like most of the fire nation, Yaze has the typical lighter skin coloration that seems so commonplace throughout his homeland. A shock of messy brown hair so dark it’s almost black rests upon his skull, tied back into a short bun. Charcoal grey eyes are set into a somewhat gaunt face with high cheekbones and graceful features. Yaze is of relatively average height, his body toned but not overly muscular. His build in general is fairly balanced, not ignoring speed, strength, or endurance. He typically dresses himself in simple clothes. Sandals, brown cotton pants, and short cotton tunic of faded red.
Equipment:
He possesses nothing exactly out of the ordinary, simply a bedroll tied to a pack containing basic provisions for himself and his pokemon. Other than that, he carries with him a bolo knife.
Personality:
Yaze never understood why so many people utilize anger to power their firebending. That’s not how it is, all you need is a drive. Anger is simply the easiest one to harness. Unfortunately, that just doesn’t work for Yaze. He doesn’t get angry. It’s not that he bottles it up or blocks it out, it just isn’t there. So few things phase him it’s shocking. To the people around him Yaze appears to be a level headed and laid back young man that almost always seems to be somewhat pleased, regardless of the situation.
That’s not wrong either. Yaze’s ability to keep a cool head is legendary. Almost nothing can get him stressed or panicked. In fact, he welcomes any and all adversity with open arms. To him, an easy life is a boring one, and problems keep things fresh and interesting. However, this does not mean that Yaze likes to cause issues. Not in the slightest. It’s not that he enjoys it when himself or others suffer, he just accepts that this is the way the world is, and that the way the world is is how it ought to be, so there’s no point wishing things were otherwise. This can cause some people to interpret him as callous, which is so far from the truth.
He doesn’t think he’s very good at comforting people, but when someone he really cares about is suffering he suffers greatly along with them. Seeing his friends in pain drives a stake through his heart, even if sometimes he’s not sure how to show that.
One of his potentially best and worst traits is his filter (or lack thereof). Yaze doesn’t go out of his way to purposefully insult people, but he always says his mind, regardless of whether or not he’s giving support or criticism. If he finds someone attractive, he says so, and vice versa. If someone is wearing something weird, or making a stupid decision, he’ll say so. Those subject to his analyses will either value his honesty or grow annoyed at the fact that he has something to say about everything.
History:
Yaze was born as Yaze Nikasai to a family of respected merchants residing in a prosperous coastal city south of the capital. From a young age he was taught the tools of the trade. Assessing prices, haggling, spotting which products were legitimate and which were shoddy, and how to manage business. Sae and Roma Nikasai were raising their only child to be the spitting image of them. This of course, also included control over the element of fire. Yaze’s parents were proficient benders and proficient teachers as well, and their instruction was well received by their young pupil.
From an early age, Yaze had developed a habit of sneaking out of his home at night to wander the darkened streets of the city, creating little sparks of fire, marvelling at their phosphorescence against the blackness of sun down. This would continue as Yaze grew in age and size, and these times where he was alone from the great hustle of the day and the growing expectations of his parents would be used to reflect upon his life and think on what he wanted for himself, rather than what his parents wanted for him. It was during one of these walks that he stumbled upon a lone slakoth. A slakoth in a populated Fire Nation city was an uncommon sight, and not one in which Yaze was sure of what he was meant to do. The slakoth, however, seemed to know exactly what was going on. It waddled up to Yaze and sat at his feet, cocking his head slightly, a bit of drool leaking out of his mouth and onto Yaze’s foot. And thus, a lifelong friendship was born.
The two were inseparable. They ate together, slept together, trained together, even chased girls together. (Though one of them was trying to gain the fairer sex’s affection, whilst the other was simply around for the ride.) Gradually, an idea began to sink into Yaze’s mind. Why not take Marrow and travel the world? He was damn good at business for his age, but he sure as hell didn’t want to wind up selling cabbages and burn ointments for the rest of his days. No, he wanted adventure! He didn’t bother telling his parents, they would have never agreed. That fateful night when he slipped out of his house to walk the streets with Marrow, he left them a note explaining that he was “going to be out for a while”, and never came back. Dropping his surname would also be necessary, to avoid attracting unwanted attention. So, wrapped in wanderlust’s ever strengthening grip, Yaze left his home and life behind to travel the world, with his faithful companion Marrow resting upon his shoulders.
Aspirations:
Yaze wants to see the world, dammit! He wants to see everything that this great planet has to offer him, and he wants to grow in strength along the way too. As his father once said, “The way to have power is to take it.” Well, that’s exactly what Yaze intends to do. People are measured by their success, and if you’re powerful, you’re successful.
Slakoth | Marrow | Male Personality:
Marrow is quite a bit more energetic than most slakoth, which really doesn’t say much. He still likes to sleep for around fifteen hours a day if he can, only awakening if a battle is really necessary. When he is in battle however, Marrow fights with the tenacity of a zangoose and seviper locked in combat. Additionally, he is extremely loyal to Yaze, and obeys any command given to him with little to no hesitation.
Fighting Style:
He likes to use sudden bursts of speed to get into his opponent's face and assault them with numerous bites, kicks, cuts, and other such forms of physical abuse to make his combatant too weak from the get go to defend themselves against future attacks. Often his lazy and sleepy demeanor gives off the impression that he won’t be much of a threat, something Marrow can easily use to his advantage.
How the Pokemon will Evolve:
Yaze has heard that most slakoth only evolve whenever they’re in a high adrenaline situation that requires them to expend a greater amount of energy than they usually would in a typical battle. Situations where something or someone important to the slakoth is on the line could potentially work, though Yaze is not the type of person to intentionally put Marrow in such an environment.
Desired Second and Third Pokemon:
Yaze always thought that a houndour and a tyrunt, as well as their future evolutions, would make fine additions to his party.