Name: Mark Lakes
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Appearance: Mark is small for his age, standing only about 5'3" and weighing little more than 100 pounds, with scrawny muscles that have rather obviously rarely seen any use. He has pale, almost translucent skin due to rarely getting any real sun exposure, and these features combined with his light blond hair and more compact facial structure means others often mistake him for being several years younger than he is, much to his consternation.
One look into his startlingly bright blue eyes, however, will dispel that illusion, as they reveal a deep intelligence…assuming, of course, you manage to make eye contact with Mark, which is no small feat—they are generally either staring off into space or focused on the pages of a book. Mark prefers comfortable clothing to anything else, and is usually seen wearing shorts or jeans along with a plain T-shirt or jacket, depending on the weather—oftentimes these clothes are spectacularly mismatched. Given the choice, however, he would much rather wear sweats than jeans, as he does when he sleeps and whenever he can get away with it. He's never cared much about his appearance and makes virtually no effort whatsoever to maintain it other than keeping himself clean. He also carries a black backpack that usually is so full it looks like it weighs more than he does, as it is crammed full of books at all times.
Personality: Mark is not the sort of person one would expect to see on a Pokemon journey. You can tell just by looking at him that he is more accustomed to indoor activities than anything else, and, indeed, he would much rather busy himself with sedentary pursuits such as reading or playing strategy games than go traipsing out into the wilderness looking for cute little creatures—it's not that he doesn't like Pokemon, as he is actually fascinated by them, but he would rather read about them or play with them at home than go searching for them.
Mark is also rather socially awkward and prefers to avoid social situations when he can. He has only a few friends that he made when he was very young, and as a result he becomes reliant upon them, sometimes annoyingly so, as he will want to hang out with the same people over and over, eventually driving some to become exhausted of him. Still, even though he can be exasperating at times, Mark is kind and loyal, and none of his friends regret the trouble they went through to become close to him. Because he isn't outgoing at all, Mark's friends tend to be the opposite from him: social addicts who love hanging out with people and who are willing to go through that trouble. When he is with his friends or family, Mark is extremely comfortable and doesn't worry about embarrassing actions.
But as close as he can try to be to his good friends, he is timid and ever concerned about being too forward when it comes to acquaintances, never making the first move when encountering other people. Due to his limited social experience, Mark will overinterpret even the smallest signals from other people, such as a smile when someone's greeting him, and he likes to believe that those who talk to him just a little like him much more than they do, though he is too timid to take the initiative to move their relationship past mere acquaintainceship and will usually come off as unconfident and aloof when answering polite inquiries.
Mark's parents instilled a strong sense of morality in him and he is solid in his convictions. Though his parents frustrate him sometimes—usually by trying to get him to do social activities—he has a better relationship with them than most teenagers have with their parents. They taught him the value of sticking with his commitments and finishing what he started, which is something that has helped him through everything he's attempted (admittedly not much, as he is very cautious and hates taking risks).
Mark can also be very stubborn and will stick to his guns; this has led to some conflicts with his parents, although his stubbornness usually manifests in passive-aggressivism. Despite his timid and humble attitude socially and in most other areas of his life, if he finds an area in which he is skilled, he will pursue it and practice it doggedly until he reaches the top, and can actually be quite competitive if the occasion arises. Still, he hates running the risk of being (as he sees it) embarrassed if he loses, so his competitiveness only surfaces when he knows he has a good shot at winning…or if he is already committed.
History: Mark was born in Violet City and raised for his entire life in New Bark Town in the Johto region, an only child to two loving parents who raised him well and almost spoiled him. His father was a fairly wealthy scientist and they never had want of money; they were well-off enough that his mom could afford to stay at home. They also were able to take Mark on many trips throughout the Pokemon world, mostly to places in Johto and Kanto, but also to places as remote as Fiore. When he was ten, his parents took him to the Indigo Plateau Conference. Everywhere they went, Mark was fascinated by the Pokemon they encountered, and he began to want one of his own, but his parents didn't allow it, saying that the Pokemon in their region were too wild and unpredictable.
Undeterred, Mark turned to reading and games to simulate his desire for a Pokemon of his own, and he became engrossed in the study of these fascinating creatures. His interests expanded into a large variety of subjects, and it was not uncommon for him to spend hours captivated by his latest obsession. One of the things he came to love was strategy, and he would pore over manuals and guides and tips for the strategies to whatever game he happened to be obsessed with at the time. One such game was chess, and, when he outstripped his friends in this area (as he inevitably did when it came to these intellectual pursuits, due to his total dedication), he played mostly against his father, who was quite skilled as well, and by the time he was 14, he was winning more often than not.
Mark started off attending a regular elementary school, but once he realized he was blessed with above-average intelligence, he devoted whatever spare time not dedicated to reading for pleasure/his latest obsession to his schoolwork. He quickly grew bored with the work his classmates were doing and skipped a grade, but his natural intelligence and his drive prompted his parents to withdraw him from school and homeschool him so that he could get through at his own reckless pace. This suited Mark just fine, but it also meant that, as a homeschooled only child, he had very little social interaction with other kids. He also rarely went outside, so even in a small town like New Bark Town he did not know many others, aside from his immediate neighbors and one or two kids from the school.
He did not lead a very unique or interesting life, really, as he grew up. Despite his parents' attempts to keep him involved in activities such as sports, Mark just wasn't interested, and eventually he worked his way out of any such involvements. He had great plans for his life—he was going to be rich, whether he became a famous scientist or a doctor or a writer or what, and social activities would just take up time he could be using to improve himself and better his chances.
His parents, however, were concerned about his withdrawal, and, knowing there was no way he was going to make it in the world without at least some social skills, they tried to find ways to get him out of his little bubble. Finally, the opportunity came when Derek Walsh announced the beginning of a new Pokemon league in Johto, and they managed to "convince" Mark to give it a try, knowing that the boy's sense of commitment would not allow him to quit.
Chosen starter Pokemon: Poliwag
Nickname: Jonah
Gender: Male
Nature: Naughty
Level: 5
Attacks: Bubble, Water Sport
Personality: Much to Mark's dismay, Jonah is very different from his trainer. He is friendly and easily excitable but also somewhat lazy, and occasionally Jonah refuses to obey Mark's commands if he doesn't feel like it. For the most part, however, Jonah is loyal to his trainer, even if, at least for now, he doesn't quite respect him. He will continue to watch Mark closely, judging whether or not he is worth his obedience and respect, and his hope is that Mark will grow to earn both eventually. He also tends to be a little cowardly and will run away from fights he doesn't believe he can win.
Other Information: Because of his reading habits, Mark has an extensive knowledge of literature and trivia and enjoys reciting random bits of information to his friends.
