Just to drum up a bit more interest in anticipation of the demo, I'm gonna release a couple of profiles for two characters set to debut in said demo.
Rival:
(Character design by Nintendo Jr. with assistance from Afti)
(OW sprites by Jake)
(Battle sprite by Sir Adamus)
The rival (I'm thinking the default name might be Lloyd, from the Welsh for "grey", as he is a grey-area character) is a boy who lives Alderford City and attends the academy in Elderwood City. One day, he doesn't come home from college on time and his parents become fearful for his safety and will ask you to try and find out what has happened to him. It turns out that he has been accosted by Team Rocket and forced to assist them in their mission at Larix Cave. Of a similar age to Kamon, he is often good-hearted in his intentions but is naive and easily swayed.
In the game, the rival represents what Kamon could be. He will always follow the path that you could have followed. If you follow the path of "good", he will fall in deeper with Team Rocket, believing their dogma, and attempt to hinder your efforts to stop them. If you join the Rockets yourself, he will end up seeing the true nature of Team Rocket and escape, and will try to persuade you to do the same and go to whatever lengths he can to get in the Rockets' way. If you follow a neutral path, the rival will instead share your goals and even help you sometimes. Whichever side the coin lands on for the rival, he will become instrumental in the way the story unfolds.
Kane:
(Designed by KangasKid18, refined by Nintendo Jr)
(OWs by Jake, obviously)
Battle sprite pending.
Kane's rise to prominence in the Team Rocket ranks came about at the start of Argus' incumbency as the Rocket Boss. Argus had in fact recruited him to Team Rocket back in the days when they were under Giovanni's reign, discovering him in the modest surroundings of Vermilion City's docks, loading heavy cargo onto the ships. Kane had briefly served under Lt. Surge's platoon when both were in the army but his aggressive, reckless temperament had led to him being court marshalled. Argus, seeing potential, offered him a new career path and brought him to Giovanni.
Only a grunt in those early days, Argus was delighted to see Kane present when he gathered the remnants of the Team together. Kane was given Argus' old rank of Rocket General and would go on to lead important field missions with the goal of gaining a foothold in Merto and discovering Giovanni's whereabouts. With his brutal assortment of Rock and Fighting types, Kane aims to obliterate anybody who stands in the way of his objectives.
Characters and images relating to them are not for public use.