Name: Arden Daley
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Appearance: Arden stands five feet and seven inches in height. His lifestyle is not physically demanding, resulting in softness where he would much prefer to see hard, chiseled muscle. He generally likes to keep things clean and neat. His nails are short and kept dirt free. He washes his hands frequently. His clothes are normally clean and wrinkle-free, though not necessarily formal or business attire. He likes to stay clean shaven. His dark red hair is kept at medium length, the fringe stopping just short of being in his eyes. Between trims when it grows enough to be in the way he wears cloth headbands to keep it back. His eyes are green and almond shaped. His facial features are angular, yet adhering more closely to androgyny than masculinity. The fact that his shoulders aren't all that broad and his body hair is nearly nonexistent doesn't help. His skin is fair, partly due to his inactive lifestyle and partly due to genetics. Freckles liberally dust his nose, shoulders, and arms with a few more found in various places on his body.
Most often Arden wears relaxed fit jeans held up by a black cloth belt patterned with blue pokeballs and t-shirts. For the road he'll switch out black and white sneakers for hiking boots. In addition to a plain blue backpack with plenty of storage space he'll wear a black vest with numerous pockets on the outside and slots for pokeballs sewn into the inside.
Personality: Coming from a family with a strong background in healthcare, Arden was raised with respect and concern for others and follows those values closely. He genuinely cares about the struggles others experience and is involved in charity work often. Though he cares deeply for both humans and Pokemon, his focus is primarily Pokemon. He volunteers for an abandoned and abused Pokemon sanctuary in his hometown every week, helping to care for them at the sanctuary and working at events to find them homes. At first he took a strong stance against battling, believing it to be cruel and unnecessary with no example to the contrary since no one in his home battled. But after working with the owner of the sanctuary and seeing how much his Pokemon loved battling he realized it was not a form of abuse on its own; rather, a cruel person turned it into brutal fights and a loving trainer could make it a fun bonding experience. Now he follows competitive battling religiously.
Arden is personable and kind. He enjoys talking to other people and simply being around them. He is optimistic, always trying to make the best of every situation. However, it's much easier for him when he does it for the benefit of other people. On his own he can be anxious and insecure, at times drowning in the negativity and struggles of everyday life.
Insecurity in particular is Arden's major flaw. Though he isn't morbidly obese by any means he is a little fat, a fact that always lurks in the back of his mind. As he enjoys a delicious meal a malevolent voice whispers that he shouldn't be doing it, he shouldn't be eating so much, does he
want to be fat forever? When he comes home from a day of interning or volunteering, exhausted and footsore, that same voice nags that he should be going out and running or working out or something, anything but putting his feet up after a hard day. When someone attractive flirts with him he always convinces himself he misread their signals. The insecurity doesn't just target his physical appearance, either. He often second guesses his decisions in the workplace and doesn't trust his own judgment. In a healthcare setting many decisions are spur of the moment, life or death, and that much pressure is just too much for him. His confidence needs serious building before he can even consider taking such an important career path.
The time Arden spends at the sanctuary is the best part of his day. He feels calm, centered, unconcerned about the things that gnaw on him. It's because of this that he so aches to take the culturally encouraged Pokemon journey. He hopes that being with them, depending on them and in turn being depended upon, will help him build his confidence and maybe even find himself.
History: Growing up in Goldenrod City, Arden was exposed to a variety of things as a young child. Trainers from all over the world came to visit the gym and try their luck at the casino (which of course he wasn't allowed inside). The developing transportation system meant people came and went all the time, bringing with them new stories and new experiences. His father worked at the hospital as a registered nurse, working long hours to care for sick and injured people. Weekends and holidays were not guaranteed and often he missed them, though he did his best to get time off for Arden's birthdays. His mother worked at the Pokemon Center as a doctor. The machines handled most maladies on their own. Exhaustion, minor cuts and bruises, paralysis, and minor poisoning and burns were healed in an instant. Unfortunately, that meant only the most severe cases went to her. She saw paralysis so severe the heart stopped, poison that festered in the internal organs, lost eyes, lost limbs, and sudden illnesses. Despite all that she never stopped loving her job. It was an important lesson for Arden; even when things seem grim, when you can't find the silver lining, have faith and never stop trying.
When Arden was ten he began volunteering at both the hospital and Center alternatively. He read to patients at the hospital and just spent time with them, most often the ones that didn't have family. At the Center he showed love and affection to the Pokemon that didn't have a trainer by their side, cleaned kennels and pens, and exercised Pokemon. He quickly discovered that he loved working at the Center. Most days he could be found there.
One case in particular changed his life. As he took out the trash he found a cardboard box by the dumpster behind the Center. He almost walked right past it, but the smallest of peeps caught his attention. He opened the box and found a litter of young Meowth, too small to be away from their mother, discarded like trash. He carried the box inside and after a quick examination his mother called the owner of Blue Fox Pokemon Sanctuary. The elderly man came and picked up the babies and after a long conversation Arden decided to volunteer there as well.
When he was old enough Arden's mother gave him more responsibility at the Center. He was allowed to administer medications and vaccinations, help with physical therapy, and witness surgeries. Now certain this was what he wanted to do, Arden applied to the same university his mother had attended. After weeks of waiting with fingers crossed a letter came to tell him he had been accepted. Ecstatic, he was able to attend classes at the local university and still put time in at the Center. His volunteer hours qualified him for scholarships and gave him experience that put him at the head of his classes. Unfortunately, he stood out too much. Now fifteen, his baby fat had not turned into wiry adolescent muscle like so many of his peers had. His grades were stellar, he lived at home with his parents instead of living in the dormitories, and he was fat; he was a beacon for cruelty. A few of his classmates teased him mercilessly when they weren't demanding to copy his answers on the homework. More than once he refused, and more than once he walked away with a limp and a black eye. After a while he stopped refusing.
One morning Arden was summoned to the dean's office. His grim faced professor stood behind the dean and one of his aggressors stood next to him. He was informed that his research paper had been copied almost word for word. When the dean asked if Arden had allowed others to copy his work he reluctantly told the truth. He was expelled immediately. When he went home and explained what had happened to his parents they were more concerned than angry, knowing he wouldn't have jeopardized his career for nothing. But Arden gave only the barest of excuses and retreated to his bedroom to grieve a lost opportunity.
For the next three years Arden continued volunteering at the sanctuary. His mother was able to get him a paid internship at the Center, so he at least wasn't without pocket money. But he was without motivation, without confidence. He did the same thing every day without deviation until one day he was sitting next to the owner of the sanctuary when a young trainer came by to look at the Pokemon and potentially add one to her team. Arden's immediate reaction was a vehement no; he had seen the damage battling could do to Pokemon, he had seen the cruelty people were capable of. But the old man smirked and shrugged, standing with the assistance of his gnarled cane. He agreed to let the girl choose a Pokemon, provided it was fit to battle, that it had the temperament, and that she could beat him. Arden was disgusted; all those years he had respected this man so fully, yet he would subject his Pokemon to that?
The battle was fierce, the old man's longtime companions giving their all for their master. Each time one of them had reached its limit he would call it back and the next Pokemon would jump into the fray with enthusiasm Arden didn't know they had. By the time the last of his Pokemon had admitted defeat the old man was standing a little straighter, grinning widely, his Pokemon all panting happily next to him. It was then that Arden had an epiphany. Battling wasn't inherently bad. Bad trainers made it bad. Looking at the happy Pokemon resting around their old master's feet, he realized Pokemon could and did love it. Once the girl had made friends with her new teammate and left he talked for hours with the old man about competitive battling. He learned that the old man had taken the gym challenge in three different regions when he was young, retiring only after a serious accident involving a wild Rapidash that left him nearly crippled. But his Pokemon still had the fighting spirit and enjoyed a good scrap from time to time. That day planted an idea in Arden's head that would need a few months to mature.
One afternoon when Arden was working at the Center a young man rushed in with a squirming bundle in his arms. He claimed to have found the screaming baby Pokemon abandoned in the forest outside Goldenrod with no one around to explain its presence, so far from its natural habitat. The sanctuary owner was called and he came to pick up the young Cubone. In the weeks that followed, every time Arden would go to the sanctuary the Cubone would toddle up to him and cling to his jeans. Before long Arden was desperately attached to it. As it grew stronger it became a bit more independent, but not so much that it didn't still seek out Arden's company and avoid all others.
The Cubone stoked the distant urge Arden had been battling into action. He asked to adopt the Cubone and bring it as he challenged the gym circuit. His longtime mentor and friend granted permission and congratulated him on becoming a real Pokemon trainer. For a few weeks more he took it upon himself to teach Arden the basics. Each day Arden and his new partner grew closer until one day the old man declared them ready. Arden went home and told his parents of his plan. With their blessing he set out to build a team, take the challenge, and find himself.
Hometown: Goldenrod
Starter Pokemon:
Cara
Cubone
Female
Relaxed
Growl, Tail Whip, Iron Head
Starting Area Suggestion: Ecruteak
Roleplay Sample: http://www.pokecommunity.com/showpost.php?p=7595412&postcount=9
