[PKMN FULL] Z: A Kalos Journey [M] [OOC]

Name: Claudio Hickory

Age: 19

Gender: Male

Hometown: Driftveil City, Unova

Physical Appearance: (I couldn't quite find a good picture, so I'm going to try and describe this as best as possible.)

Claudio is, in layman's terms, a twig. He's incredibly thin, and only has very few signs of muscle on his body. His complexion is pale (although not unhealthily so), from being more so of an "in-the-lab" worker rather than out in the field. Claudio's hair is a dirty blonde, the bushel on his head thick and ruffled at all times. It extends slightly down his forehead, and only halfway down his neck. His face is youthful and soft, with big blue eyes whose gaze can turn from somber and relaxed to harsh and serious in, quite literally, the blink of an eye. His eyes, however, are almost always covered by a pair of thick framed glasses, the lenses of which are almost always crystal clear.

As far as clothing goes, Claudio is never seen without his lab coat. It fits him almost perfectly, and extends just above his ankles. He keeps the top 3 buttons are so done, and leaves the rest undone so he doesn't get too stuffy wearing the thing. Various sew marks and wrinkles are a testament as to how long Claudio has kept and worn his lab coat, treating it as a symbol of his studies and intellect. Although it's hard to see normally, Claudio wears a a dark, pine green sweater under his coat. His black work pants, with belt and all, can be seen much more easily, as it's not covered as much by his lab coat. He wears slip-on shoes of a similar hue to his work pants, along with a pair of white, run-of-the-mill socks. He keeps a small, yet hefty notepad inside one of the inner pockets of his coat, with a novelty Voltorb-themed ball point pen in another. All of his other valuables he holds in a solid black with white outlined trainer bag, which is slung across his right shoulder underneath his coat.

Strengths:

• Smart Cookie - Having studied Pokemon and battles profusely before even attending the Trainer's School, he's well familiarized with plenty of strategies to choose from in battle. He's also a very logical thinker, and can analyze most problems from several angles and provide a multitude of solutions.
  
• Eager to Learn - Of course, he doesn't know everything. Not even close. Claudio will eagerly jump at a chance to see new Pokemon, places, and opponents alike. He'd spent most of his time researching in the comfort of his own home, it was time to experience it first hand.
  
• Encouraging - With people and Pokemon alike, if he's developed a bond or friendship with them, he quickly obtains confidence in them. Seeing them succeed will strengthen Claudio's confidence in them, while their failures will only be treated as minor setbacks. They don't make them any less talented than they already are, in his eyes.
  
• Determined - If Claudio sets his eyes on a goal, he'll stick to it, through and through. While not a go-getter, ready to tackle any challenge head on, he's more of a...slow-getter. His work and methods may not be the fastest, but they're definitely efficient.

Weaknesses:

• How The Smart Cookie Crumbles - Seeing his ideas get shot down, counteracted, or proved to be ineffective altogether is discouraging to the aspiring researcher, and can cause his focus to waver.
  
• No Time For Fooling Around - While Claudio is a nice and caring person, he's not exactly...joke savvy, for lack of a better word. He always has an air of seriousness and level-headedness around him, no matter how small. He can definitely be a stick in the mud at times.
  
• Darned Delinquents... - Claudio has a strong distaste for people (and on rare occasions, Pokemon) that he deems as trouble making, even if there's more to someone than what's on the surface. And he's not afraid to voice his distaste either.
  
• Confidence Issues - Claudio rarely lets it show, but losses and failures can challenge him on a personal level. He should've been equipped to handle this better. He flubbed, and let his Pokemon down. He was the head of his team, how were his Pokemon supposed to succeed if he couldn't keep his head straight?

Aspirations: His mother, a reformed Team Plasma Grunt (unbeknownst to Claudio), always aspired to be a powerful trainer, but after settling and starting up a family, she could never find the courage to become a trainer again. Having watched many Pokemon World Tournaments all his life and wanting to honor his mother's dreams, Claudio aspires to be a trainer of high status and prestige, whether it be a gym leader, elite four member, champion, or even something else entirely. And after that? Claudio's natural born curiosity and desire to learn has never wavered. With aplenty of battling experience under his belt, he'd then aspire to become a Pokemon Professor one day.

Rival: None...yet. His harsh attitude to troublemakers is bound to rub somebody the wrong way.

Starter Pokémon and Nickname: Yottabyte the Porygon

Starters Gender: Genderless

Starters Moveset:
- Tackle
- Conversion
- Conversion 2
- Sharpen

Starter Ability: Analytic - Boosts the power of moves by 30% when the Pokemon moves after it's target.

Roleplay Sample:

(I currently have no samples on this site to reference, so I whipped up something quick. Hopefully it's good!)

"Now THAT was a battle! Up next, the final match of the PWT's World Leaders Tournament! After a short intermission, we'll be getting RIGHT back into the action! Stay tuned, folks!"

The buzz and banter of the crowd returned to the PWT's arena as another match had come to a close. It was that time of year again, when the Driftveil World Tournament was being held again. Trainers from all over the world gathered and fought intense battles, with multiple tourneys being held across the entire work. It was any battle enthusiast's dream to be here. So of course, like they had every year, Daphne Hickory and her son, Claudio Hickory, were sitting in the front row of the packed arena.

"Did you see that?" The red-headed woman beamed, turning to the younger, yet only slightly shorter than her Claudio. "Crasher Wake was SUCH a dream boat!" She paused, and then relaxed a bit in her seat. "Don't tell your father I said that."

"My lips are sealed." The blonde boy smiled as he was still writing in the notepad he'd brought with him, filling up one page and flipping to the next. "Anyway, as much of a dream boat as he may be, he still lost. Which is interesting, considering his Gyrados was equipped with both a Wacan Berry and the move Earthquake to counteract it's glaring weakness to electric type moves. However, Elesa's Eelektross was easily able to nullify Earthquake with it's Levitate ability, and once the Wacan Berry was used up, that Gyrados was as good as-"

Daphne furrowed her brow and and snatched the notebook right out of Claudio's hand, and it was in his mom's pocket before he knew it. "Hey, what the heck! I need that!"

"What you need is to loosen up a little, Claudio." Daphne's face looked not too far off from a kid pouting. "I miss when you and I came here to have fun, not just watch you take notes like you're about to take a darn test on the battle you just watched. You're going to Kalos all by yourself in less than a month, I...just want to spend some time with you, you know?"

Claudio was taken a back for a moment, not realizing how worried his mother was about all this. "Mom, are you okay?" He finally asked, putting a concerned hand on her shoulder. His mom was always so upbeat, goofy, even a little childish at times. But this was the first time he'd seen her so...concerned. Afraid, even. She was silent for what felt like an eternity, before an uncertain frown slowly turned into a smile. An uncertain smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"Claudio, I'm...scared. Not because I don't trust you, no. You're smart, kind...I'd even say you're even more capable than your father at times." She giggled gently, before pushing back Claudio's hand from her. She instead put her own hand on his shoulder. "I'm scared because...the world can be unkind, Claudio. It'll make you second guess yourself. What you're doing, what you're fighting for. And if it does that to you, I'm afraid that I...won't be able to help you. It did that to me. Before I met your father, I was in a dark place. And I thought what I was doing was right. I..."

"...you...what?" Claudio asked, looking concerned even more so now. Daphne smiled again.

"That's not important. It's a story for another day. I just want you to promise me something, Claudio. Call me and your father every night, stay safe, use your common sense...but, most importantly, I want you to remember something. I want you to remember to do what is right. Even if it's not what you think is right. Can you promise me that?"

As Daphne turned and looked her son in the face again, he noticed a tear or two, being held back in her eyes. Her smile was uncertain and forced. Claudio didn't know what to say. He just did what he knew he wanted his mother to hear.

"I...I promise, Mom." The boy gave a more genuine smile and hugged her across the seat. Daphne sniffled gently as she quickly and discreetly tried to wipe her tears away. She wasn't trying to make a big emotional scene, especially here and now of all places, but...here they were. With a pat of his back and a couple of deep breaths, she was beaming again.

"So, Claudio. You saw Elesa in battle. She's come all this way, right? Why don't you tell me about her strategy?" Daphne insisted, giving Claudio a heavier and friendlier pat on the back this time.

"Are you sure? I thought you said you wanted me to loosen up, mom." Claudio straightened up his coat and clothes after having a bit disheveled from that more fearsome pat on the back.

"If that's your way of loosening up, then who am I to judge?" She playfully shrugged. "I'm just glad to be here with you, Claudio. No matter what." Claudio felt his smile spread from cheek to cheek, and he started to relax in his seat once more.

"So do I, Mom. Thank you."