Age: ?? (Appears to be somewhere in his Mid-to-Late 20's, unconfirmed)
Nationality: ?? (His accent suggests he is from Western Europe, perhaps Spain or Portugal, but this has not been confirmed)
Crissaegrim. Also called Valmanway in other languages, but both mean the same thing: Blessed Wind
Noble Arm Rank: B+
Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range: Melee. Close/Mid Range. Wind.
~Noble Arm Abilities~
Wind Step: Easily the bread and butter of the Crissaegrim, enhancing its wielder's attack and movement speed to beyond superhuman levels. The resulting fighting style is one centered around speed, movement, and evasion over defense or raw power. The method of defense is simply using the wielder's superior agility to evade incoming attacks rather than risk trying to block them. The method of attack is to use superior speed to inflict death by a thousand small cuts rather than singular massive blows. The ability gets its name from the windy afterimages left behind in the wielder's wake as they bolt at top speed.
Wind's Edge: An appropriately named ability that comes from swinging the sword with enough speed to produce razor sharp gusts of wind that can blast at a target from mid-range, allowing the sword to potentially cut down an opponent without even needing to touch them. Thick walls or armor can stop the attack, but even the sturdiest walls can eventually crumble if attacked enough times in rapid succession.
Savage Storm: A movement technique in which the Arms Master dashes in a closed circle, their raw speed kicking up a dust tornado that can reduce visibility and slow enemy movement. It's particularly effective as a means of creating openings for the Arms Master to further capitalize on.
God of the Wind: Probably the Crissaegrim's most powerful ability. Temporarily further enhances the Arms Master's speed from Wind Step - just enough for four incredible strikes so fast they appear to happen simultaneously. The reportedly godlike speed of the attacks give the appearance of the Arms Master seemingly splitting into four doppelgangers to launch an attack from four separate angles. The sheer speed and mechanics of the attack make it incredibly difficult to defend against, even for seasoned Arms Masters. But no power is without cost, the sheer overexertion of using the ability renders the user drained and exhausted afterward, often resulting in them collapsing on the spot. It's not an ability to be used lightly.
Misc Abilities: Heavy drinking has begun to make him rather tolerant to alcohol. His pseudo chivalry has a certain charm to it that can attract the ladies to a certain extent. Years of wielding the Crissaegrim and using its Wind Step has given him remarkable reflexes, but not to any superhuman extent. Also has an impeccable poker face, so long as he's sober anyway.
Personality: Despite acting jaded or even outright cynical at times, Alain still has an occasional chivalry streak in spite of himself. He shrugs it off simply as an hold habit that refuses to die, yet he still manages to let it shine through on rare occasions. Beyond that he primarily carries himself as a professional sellsword, owing his allegiance to no one and claiming to only be in this for the money despite his actions saying otherwise.
*Likes: Drinking (alcohol), Drinking (non-alcohol), and Women. Did I mention the drinking?
*Dislikes: Tyrants, Dictators, false kindness, and assholes who hit women. Oh, and pineapple pizza. He absolutely DESPISES pineapple on pizza.
Fears: That everything he's ever done or fought for will have been for nothing.
Bio: While his actual country of origin is unknown, the known parts of Alain's background start in Austria many years ago. As a young pre-teen, an orphaned Alain had been living on the streets, hitchhiking his way from city to city. That all stopped when he was found by The Seven Virtues. Apparently he was exactly the kind of demographic the Virtues were always in need of: the forgotten and forsaken dregs of society, whom nobody noticed or acknowledged. Sure, they preached about giving up wealth and other worldly possessions, but in their stated quest to "elevate" humanity, they also sought out the down trodden in order to offer them a way out of their lot in life.
Alain was given the Noble Arm of a previous Master, though he was never told who exactly they were. He learned early on that the Crissaegrim was a rather difficult power to master, movement at that speed was difficult to do without tripping up and hurting oneself. It took him several months of practice and rigorous training before he finally was able to feasibly use the Wind Step. The rest came a bit easier after that. Well, all except for God of the Wind, that is. He was advised early on to not attempt that ability under any circumstance, out of concern that the overexertion would kill him. Alain never confirmed it but he always suspected that the God of the Wind ability may have been what killed the Crissaegrim's former owner.
While under the banner of the Seven Virtues, Alain honestly believed he was fighting as a sort of knight or hero. It made sense to him at the time, as he couldn't think of a nobler ambition than saving humanity. Of course, he was also young and frankly stupid at the time. The older that Alain got, the more confused he was by The Virtues' goal. Why give up absolutely everything? Couldn't that wealth and power be used to ascend humanity further? It was when he was striking down one of the Seven Virtue's enemies that it dawned on him. Or rather, that enemy's dying words were what got to him: "How could you give up who you are in the name of a collective?" Is that what happened? Had Alain actually given up his individuality in the name of humanity as a collective? The Seven Virtues offered no real answers, other than assertions than what they were doing was right and needed not to be questioned.
The lack of any real direction is what made Alain make his decision. He left the Seven Virtues, severed his ties with them and went rogue. The only thing Alain kept was the Crissaegrim, mostly due to it being magically bonded to him so getting rid of it wasn't an option. The Seven Virtues were none too happy, branding the runaway as a traitor giving a standing order to their forces to kill him on sight so that his Noble Arm could be reclaimed. Alain had to practically become a nomad, always on the move so as not to fall into the hands of his former masters. He took to working as a sellsword, a mercenary using his Noble Arm to fight for whoever would pay his fee. Not the most glamorous life, but at least Alain could feel like like he knew who he was.
*Current Goal: Money, kind of. Deep down what he really wants is Freedom.
When he didn't get an immediate answer, Caspian just shrugged it off and decided that he was imagining things. Even if he actually had seen her before, it likely wasn't of much importance lest one of them would surely recall it. Besides, by this point he had begun double checking his profits for the day so far as well as did a quick inventory count. Nothing was out of place and everything seemed to be in order.
Now of course this had the side effect of causing him not to notice the letter, even after the girl had placed it on the bench and slid it forward. His back was turned and thus he didn't see any of the deliver that had transpired. Luckily for him, his snow white Pokemon had just eaten the last of her Poke Puff and was now finally noticing her surroundings. The Vulpix jumped a bit at first, startled at the sudden sight of strangers in front of them. But before she could scurry away she did see the letter on the counter and sniffed it at curiously.
Caspian was still turned away when he heard a little bark from Flurrie. He turned around only to find her with a curious letter in her mouth, "What's this?" he asked, retrieving the letter from his partner and finally noticing the seal, "The Shogun? Now what on Earth could he possibly want with us, I wonder?" he gently broke open the seal so that he could read the letter.
"Hmm... 'recent actions proven worthy'," he mumbled to himself, "...'presence requested at the Grand Gate at sunset'. Seems odd to request from little old us, don't you think?" he asked the Vulpix, whose response amounted to a quizzical look and soft bark, "Well I'm afraid I don't know either. But it looks as though we're closing early today. Whatever this summons is for, the last thing I want is to make such an important person wait."
Remembering the end of the letter, Caspian did the only thing he could think of to destroy it. He crumpled the letter into a ball, but rather than toss it he instead channeled some magic. Ghostly purple energy swirled around the balled paper, resembling the move Hex used by various Ghost Type Pokemon. The swirling energy tore and burned the paper into shredded cinders that dissipated into the wind. That little detail taken care of, the only thing left was start cleaning the stall and preparing it for closing time.
"Unfortunately I'm going to have to close early today." he told his current customer, "I trust you can see yourself out?" well, not that they were inside of any place for her to show herself outside of. It was merely a figure of speech to indicate that he wasn't planning to stay around for too much longer.
Eventually, after cleaning up and closing the stall, Caspian and Flurrie wandered their way in the direction of the big castle. They kept to the south side, keeping an eye out for the Gate they were being summoned to. Though Caspian did also take in some sights along the way, so he very likely would not be the first arrival when the time came.
And the morning continued its course. Though as it did, his flow of customers gradually slowed to a trickle. It made sense, really. Most of what he offered made for a tasty breakfast, but people tended not to have much use for something like Coffee later in the day. Unless of course they were heavy drinkers or had weird work/sleep schedules, but those tended to be the exception and not the rule. That was all fine with Caspian, however. Being able to close up shop at around noon would give him an entire afternoon to browse around the shops for himself. He was here to buy as well as sell, after all.
It was around now that he started to notice that Flurrie had actually been able to stay out of hiding all this time so far. He proudly beamed at his partner, "That's my girl." he said to her with a affectionate ear scratch, "I knew you had in you. And I think you deserve a little reward." and so he gave her one of the extra rawst-berry juice filled Poke Puffs he had in his inventory. The Vulpix gave an eager bark and happily munched on her treat.
"Hi there. Can I have a cup of the house blend, please?"
Caspian was quick to put his attention back in front of him. And with a welcoming smile he replied, "Of course. Well, I've only got one blend made but I guess that makes it the house blend by default." he poured the patron a cup from his personal blend that he had made for his breakfast earlier. It was also the blend that he offered to customers as a sample of what they could do with the beans he sold, "Truth be told, I'm more focused on selling ingredients than the actual drink. But I always make sure to have a sample blend made to offer to anyone who wishes to taste before they invest. My own personal recipe, in fact. Hope you like it!"
But the longer he looked at the young lady, the more familiar she seemed to be to him. To be fair, he'd met and spoken with a multitude of people in his travels so it was entirely possible to encounter the same customer in other locations if they were also travelers. And this girl was clearly not a Kantonian so he had to guess she was a traveler of some description. But it didn't hurt to make a little small talk, "Pardon me but... have we met before by any chance? I swear you look familiar to me but I just can't place it." he rubbed his chin in thought.
Meanwhile, the Snow White Vulpix just kept munching on her treat. Evidently it was enough of a distraction for her to have not noticed the stranger's arrival yet.
Caspian didn't stick around long enough to hear much of the debates going on. He was more preoccupied with satisfying his hunger. It was often said that breakfast was the most important meal of the day, and Caspian wholeheartedly agreed with that sentiment. So having to miss out due to these delays was something he would not abide. He returned to the inn where he had arranged his lodgings, hoping that breakfast was still on the menu. Despite being late, luck was on the foreigner's side. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to sit down and eat it, so instead he took it with him to eat while he set up his shop for the day.
His breakfast was a pair of freshly cooked potato mochi that Caspian paired with a cup of his own personal coffee blend. The coffee especially went a long way in giving him the kick he needed to set up shop rather quickly. By mid-morning he had his shop blanket layed out with a few samplings of his wares on display while he himself sat nearby on an upturned crate that these objects had been previously stored in. Out front was his shop sign, indicating that he was currently in his business hours. Nearby where Caspian sat was a pot of the coffee he had prepared for himself earlier. He'd taken to offering a sample taste to passerby in the hopes of tantalizing them into buying more.
"Come on now, Flurrie. Do you intend to hide forever?" he asked the Vulpix during a slow period. He'd been meaning to work on getting her to come out of her shell a bit more, so he thought perhaps he could convince the Pokemon to come out at least for a little bit, "I know the people around here tend to stare at you, but that's only because of how rare you are in these parts. I'll bet most of them just want to greet you, even!" he offered, trying his best to convince her. She did eventually come out, but slowly and she stayed close by his side, sometimes darting behind him whenever someone tried to get a closer look at her.
His efforts, it turned out, were probably not really needed. His and Flurrie's contribution to this battle was pretty minimal. Oh well, this was mostly Flurrie's idea anyway, and she did at least look a little satisfied in the aftermath. The hail slowly stopped falling and the clouds gradually dissolved into a clear sky once again. That was about when Flurrie's snow cloak wore off and she could be seen by all. At least for the time it took for her nervously scamper back over to Caspian and bury herself under his cloak anyway.
"I swear, you're a big hero one moment, and fleeing with stage fright the next." he teased with a sigh. Oh well, maybe now the two of them could actually get their breakfast in peace. The foreigner gave one more disappointed look at the fallen Persian and shook his head. What a tragic waste of life. It appeared that the people of Kanto treated Alpha's with quite a harshness. In Kalos, the King's Knights would have captured the Pokemon rather than kill it. At least then it would have an opportunity to do some good for those around it. Or be released further away from settlements where it would not endanger people.
Here in Kanto on the other hand, it appeared as though only one individual was willing to try and end this non-lethally. And he was stopped by a nearby foreigner and chastised for his efforts. Actually, wait... that foreigner. Caspian could swear he had seen her somewhere before, probably at the port. But he shrugged it off for now. His business here was concluded, and both his and Flurrie's growling stomachs served as a reminder that neither of them had had a chance to eat a meal yet this morning.
All in all a rather unpleasant way to spend the morning. Caspian did at least learn something of value for his efforts. What he had heard about individuals in Kanto with similar talents to his own, that appeared to be true. He'd spotted no less than three individuals who did more battle damage to the Persian than any of the Pokemon present. So with that confirmation, Caspian knew coming to this region was the correct choice. But what to do with that information? Well perhaps the best thing was to wait and see.
"Let's get your breakfast sorted out, then." he told his Pokemon as he began to walk through the gate. From the belongings he carried on him currently, Caspian received a small wooden bowl. He held it up to his face and gave it a gentle blow. A cold shot of air conjured a small pile of snow that he collected within the bowl. After that he took a small handful of Rawst Berries, crushed them and then shook and mixed them into the snow. He then held the creation up to his shoulder for Flurrie to eat. It was one of her favorite treats. The Vulpix barked and licked at the flavored snow happily.
"Many thanks for the room. I'll be sure to return this evening when I'm ready to retire." said the foreigner to the innkeeper. He'd just negotiated his lodgings for the duration his time in Saffron Village. He was able to get a fair price, as always, in exchange for a free sampling of some of the foods he'd brought with him to sell. A place like an inn or tavern would make for great patrons, as they may well be interested enough to purchase a small bulk of supplies to sell those delicacies within their establishments for a time thereafter.
"Well, what do you say we fix up our breakfast, now?" he asked the hidden Vulpix, eliciting a muffled bark of eagerness from her. He heard some shouts and commotion coming from the south, but paid it no mind at first. Whatever it was, it surely was not any of his business. But then Flurrie uncharacteristically emerged from under his cloak. She hopped down to the road and stared intently toward the south, "What's the matter? Do you sense something?" and that was when the reports reached his ears.
"Everyone evacuate from the south gate! There's an alpha Pokemon on the loose!"
"Alpha...?" he said, thoughtfully, "So they have those here as well." Alpha Pokemon existed back in Kalos as well. They were certainly dangerous monsters to deal with. Back home, they would have been kept in check by the King's Knights, an elite order of knights partnered with powerful Pokemon whose duty was to patrol Kalos and strike down Alpha Pokemon that threatened the townships. But it was looking like Kanto did not have an equivalent of its own that Caspian could see. Shortly thereafter, someone emerged from a nearby inn and sprinted past him toward the South Gate, accompanied by a small blue Pokemon.
"Surely it's not our place to - Wait, Flurrie!" he interrupted himself when he saw Flurrie taking off in a sprint. Naturally, Caspian ran after her. It looked like Flurrie was determined to do her part and protect the village. Why, he couldn't fathom. Sometimes Pokemon were just as capable of illogical acts of nobility as humans were. So it seemed this would be one of those times for the two of them.
Caspian and Flurrie reached the site of the battle mere moments after the stranger from the inn. A quick assessment told Caspian all he needed to know. The giant Persian was the Alpha, and two Kantonian warriors appeared to be struggling against it. At least until someone's Haunter stepped in and used its power to confuse the beast and create an opening. At this, Flurrie glanced back at Caspian with an expectant look on her face.
"I can never say no to you..." the man muttered to himself and went to action. He brought his hands together as if in prayer. In truth, he was concentrating his power. As he did so, the winds picked around him a bit, and then the sky above began to darken with small storm clouds. In moments those clouds began to produce, of all things, snow and hail. As soon as a snowflake touched Flurrie, her mysterious power kicked in and she became cloaked in a snowy mist.
The white Vulpix darted forth, using its Quick Attack to move with great speed. As she did so, she left behind afterimages of snow and mist in her wake. Anyone looking would have a difficult time making out her shape or appearance, and any attack from the Persian at this time would be hampered by lack of visibility as well as Flurrie's own speedy movement. As soon as she was close enough, she opened her mouth and produced a snowy blast of wind, her Powder Snow attack. The move's power was normally fairly average at best, but in this snowy hail storm courtesy of Caspian, it was stronger than normal.
As for Caspian, after his Hail was successfully conjured, he went to work on his next tactic. If what he remembered about Persian was correct, then he was fairly certain he had a move at his disposal that would be greatly effective against it. He held forward his palm and concentrated. In front of his hand appeared a small blue orb of aura that began to grow in size. He was preparing to launch an Aura Sphere, a type of attack that should theoretically be incredibly effective against a Normal animal Pokemon like Persian. When it was finished, Caspian let the ball of aura fly toward its intended mark.
Perhaps between it, Flurrie's Powder Snow, and whatever anyone else in this fray decided to launch... that monstrous Persian could be felled.
"By all means, inspect away, good sir." said the smiling Caspian with a welcoming gesture. He was obviously expecting this. Local authorities at the Vermilion Port performed a similar inspection of his cargo when it was unloaded from the ship. They'd offered similar reasons about the conflicts becoming a cause for increased security. Well, Caspian's goods passed the inspection at the port and so there was no reason to think they would not do so again here at the Village Gate.
While waiting, Caspian fished a blue-colored berry from his personal satchel and held up toward his shoulder. The scent of the Rawst Berry was quite enough to entice Flurrie into showing herself once again. Only this time, she stayed in view whilst happily munching on the treat, "They're her favorite treat." he explained to the guardsmen, "I've had to come up with some rather creative ways to use them in cold or frozen treats. The Vulpix where she comes from are said to be the ice type, the exact opposite of their fire type counterparts elsewhere."
Kimura, the guard performing the search, would in the meantime find only an assortment of cakes and pastries originating from Caspian's homeland of Kalos - in addition to a small variety of dark brown beans for making coffee drinks. These were the popular delicacies of the Kalosian Towns and Cities. Here in an unfamiliar land, Caspian hoped to sell them as exotic goods.
"Ice type, you say?" asked the superior guard, Mizuno, "I'd guard her closely then, if I were you." he said solemnly, "A Pokemon like her is no doubt going to catch the eyes of people, including those who might think to steal her from you."
"I've finished, Sir!" announced Kimura as he returned to his original spot, "I believe he's clean."
As the two guards unlocked the gate for Caspian to enter, he gave a thankful look to Mizuno, "I appreciate the advice. I shall have to stay on my guard, it seems. I hope you two come to visit once I've opened up shop!" and with that, the Southern Gate slammed shut behind them. Caspian and Flurrie both took in the surroundings. Despite being called a village, the place was rather large and bustling. People milling about on their daily business and routines, and even some Pokemon as well that accompanied some of them.
"Let's find us some lodgings first, Flurrie." he told the Vulpix, while giving her ears an affectionate scratch and rub, "Then I'll see about whipping you up some proper breakfast, okay?" this elicited a eager little bark from the white Vulpix. But after this she began to notice some of the heads that were turning to stare at her and hid herself in Caspian's once again.
"Honestly..." said Caspian with a small sigh, "...we really must work on that shyness of yours."
And the merchant started off, pulling the cart behind him. He intended to make for the center of town where the businesses and inns were likely found. The closer he got the more murmurs he heard about some sort of commotion going on at the West Gate. But he mostly just shrugged that off, assuming it wasn't his place to involve himself in foreign affairs.
"Phew... so that's it, then?" the man asked himself as he approached the village gates. He was certainly... a sight to see. His style of dress probably looking almost alien to the local people. Caspian had arrived some three days ago at the Vermilion Port, and after what he had seen there and from what he could see of Saffron Village, things were incredibly different here than back home. Clothing styles of Kanto seemed to make heavy use of silken robe-like tops and sandals that looked to be made of wicker straw. His own clothing, made mostly of wool, cotton, and especially his boots made of leather made for an extremely - almost alien-like contrast. And while the people at the port were a bit more accustomed to the sight of foreigners, he wondered to himself how the people deeper in the region would take to him.
"We're here at last, Flurrie. Saffron Village." he said, seemingly to no one as he didn't appear to have any company with him, "If what I've heard is true, then this village is quite the trade center." He wasn't certain how true that assertion actually was. He had learned the village was built at a rather central location within the region, with four major traveling routes stretching out from in all four cardinal directions. Such a location surely made for an excellent trade economy... or so he had reasoned. Caspian continued his way up the southern route on the approach to the gate. Two guards stood watch just outside it.
"Well met, sirs!" he greeted them politely when he was close enough, "Just a humble trader, as you can probably see." he gestured to the loaded pack he carried in addition to the loaded handcart he pulled behind, "I've some rare goods I've brought with me from overseas, I'd be delighted to do some business here in Saffron... if I may?" and that was the pitch. Hopefully, his promise of exotic goods was enough to grant him entry through the gate.
But then there was some small movement coming from Caspian's cloak, and for just a fleeting moment, the guards would catch a glimpse of his partner, Flurrie. She was a Vulpix, but with a bright fur coat, white as snow. And pale, blue eyes to match. Like nothing they would have ever likely seen. But just as quickly as she had poked her head out, she instantly buried herself back underneath Caspian's cloak when stared at for too long.
"Please forgive my Pokemon partner. She's so very shy, you understand, she doesn't do too well around prying eyes. But she's perfectly harmless, I assure you."
The mention of his partner reminded Caspian of the other very strange thing he noticed about this land. It seemed everyone was allowed and able to have Pokemon Partners. Vastly different from how things worked back in Kalos. Still though, it made for an interesting change of scenery from what Caspian was used to. And it would probably make for a good story to tell to his mother and father once he eventually returned home. A land where seemingly everyone could have a Pokemon? He wondered if they would even believe him.