I'm posting this sign up as an Elite Trainer. Champions are fun but I like this guy. :P If I can't though I'll take the Hoenn place, even though a good few of his team aren't from there.
"I'm too young to know who I am yet old enough for it to matter to people."
Name: Nikolai Darius, frequently called Rune
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Region: Sinnoh
Appearance:
"If all people look at is my face instead of my eyes why should I have to bare my soul to them?"
Nikolai has a look that makes you think bleached. Or colorless. His hair is snow-white, soft and reaching his neck in waves. His height is average and he is a thin looking sort. Truthfully, he looks younger than he is, though it can be forgiven due to his carefree lifestyle. He used to wear glasses and the indents are still on his nose. Now he wears contacts, but the Coke-bottle bastards are somewhere, just in case. Wait, what color are his eyes? Well, normally they look blue but most people see them as lilac. It's a trick of the light. He won't let you see his eyes much anyway. Even after his antisocial phase, he's still uncomfortable at looking people in the eye. You will always see his smile however; he's long since turned to rely on his smile to provide a perfectly good method of dealing with people.
His albinism has earned him a lot of bullying over the years, Chalkhead being the nicest thing. In return he's gotten himself versed in the world of street fighting and is much stronger than the wimp of a teenager he had been. Luckier for him, he has a normal skin tone by the fluke of genetics. Excellent for the beach. Not that it matters, he doesn't go for girls eyeballing him across the sand. Scratch that, he doesn't go for girls period. There is a black tattoo starting at the left side of his collarbone and ending at the right side of is back. It did hurt but he's long been someone who enjoys a little agony. It was much easier than screaming about it. He says it's to match the scars made from shattered glass on the rest of his back. Or he said it was shattered glass anyway.
So, he doesn't have any clue about trends or stereotypes. He wears a pair of swimmer goggles. Just don't ask. Anyway, over his now muscular torso is an ice-blue tee shirt. He hates decals. His pants give the impression of skinny jeans, but they're just blue jeans. His shirt is normally covered by a black hooded sweater. He's not being emo, he just liked the shirt. He hates shoes by the way. He didn't wear them much before and doesn't now. If he has to he will wear flat black ones but that's all. That's not his ordinary outfit however. He normally wears an olive-green tee shirt and beige slacks, his shoes the color of sand, though it takes a lot of work to get him to wear them. The latter is his outfit for work, so expect him mainly in that.
Personality:
"You can use as many sophisticated words as you want. You still smack into a wall like the rest of us."
Nikolai is smart. He's genius smart. He's unconsciously nerdy smart. And as much as he would love to forget it, the world needles him every chance he gets. So he doesn't act intelligent. Nikolai slurs his words, mumbles, and never makes eye contact if he can get away with it. To hide this, he smiles a lot, looks innocent, and secretly plans to leave the group as quickly as possible. He's never been around people long enough to get to know them and is quite wary of that possibility. So expect him like a loner... with even less people skills.
The locking eyes issue is a habit he developed when he was little. Nikolai isn't exactly a master of opening his shell. That doesn't make him cowardly. No Nikolai is confident in his abilities. He's simply socially awkward and slightly lacking in common sense. Despite his confidence Nikolai hates showing his ability like a performer. He thinks those kind of people are all phonies and self-centered. It stems from his treatment as a child. So part of it is simply jealousy. When surrounded by those kinds of people Nikolai can be quite cutting. Every other time he sounds as sweet as a lamb and mostly can pretend to be so. So yes he is rather two-faced. Forgive him, he just is very tired of having to hold himself back. Yes there's still a little teenage bitterness going on here.
Nikolai respects women. He believes them brilliant and wonderful. However, he can't stand a good lot of them. He dislikes the idea of having to jump through hoops to reach the purpose of a mission or an event as many of them, mother included, tended to make him do. Word games are only so much of his specialty and the fact that many of the women he was around in his life were masters that lorded it over his head never sat well with him. Because of this, he decided to be a straightforward, semi-kind child... unless it suited him otherwise. He is the metaphorical man of many faces.
The funny thing about him is: if you bring up love, he gets rather playful. Even if you're being serious, he will tease and taunt you men, outwardly appearing coy but inwardly rather frightened of the new experience. He hopes you'll stay but doesn't want to believe you will. His distant, temporary life for so many years has made him believe consistent commitment cannot be found in individuals. If you can convince him otherwise, well, you'll see the shy person buried underneath all that bitterness and acting.
When Nikolai is interested in something, and I mean interested to where he physically shoves someone out of the way, you see a whole new side. His twenty sentences a day limit of human speech shrinks to maybe five, perhaps higher to explain something. Not a single smart or sweet remark, just pure fact. It's the only time you hear him use hundred-dollar words and mean it. His specialty, one of the reasons he was hired, is legends, myths, and old history. He grew up swaddled in old tablets. If there's anybody who could boast about being a living map and timeline of the Pokemon world, it was likely him.
As someone with many moods and faces, Nikolai is surprisingly carefree. He can up and leave without too many or any strands of regret. So goes it with Pokemon battles. If he loses, he loses. If he wins, he wins. He'll throw what he believes is worth it to do it and if it's not worth it to him, oh well. The only thing that he will always keep by his side is his Pokemon, his partners in crime, domination, and discovery. They are the only thing in his life with any sort of consistency and for that, he is eternally grateful and seeks to repay them every day. After all, knowledge changes and grows by the day. His Pokemon have only so long.
History:
"The only time I'm going to stay one place is when I'm dead and that's 'cuz somebody will bury me before I can get out."
Nikolai has no idea where he was born. His parents claim it was somewhere in Snowpoint but he thinks it was Celestic. Regardless, he doesn't know, his parents have gone to too many places for them to properly recall, and in his personal opinion, it really doesn't matter. He's just happy he was born properly in a hospital, even if it was to parents who never developed in him the best sense of right and wrong.
His first real memories start vaguely at the age of five, when he met his Absol as a young, mature cub. Before then, he had been engulfed in a world of legends as fairy tales, old scriptures and readings instead of the trainer's school. He barely spoke the native language of the Pokemon world properly, having been reading the Unown when he was taught. It wasn't as though he would have seen it very often as it was; his parents barely stayed in a town, never mind a region, for more than a few months. It ruined his potential friendships, not that he had the energy to make any. Alma took up most of his time.
In a bid for a few moments of settling, the Darius family decided to place some roots in Lavaridge for a time. Their son could go to school and they could research the mysterious ruins and Mirage Tower in the desert. To the parents, and to Flannery, who didn't mind such a quiet child in her small group of little ones at the gym, it seemed perfectly fine. However, none of the adults were aware of Nikolai's severe shyness, though he wasn't either. Also, the issue of Absol was also prevalent in Lavaridge, a town of elderly who knew superstition like the back of their hands. Absol was rumored to bring disaster and unwittingly, Alma and Nikolai did look rather alike. Simply put, the teasing was merciless, especially when Nikolai began to learn. Eventually, Nikolai simply stopped going to the classes, afraid to speak and angry at the children. He couldn't blame Flannery; there was only so much she could say to the children whose families were likely more suspicious than they were.
Realizing there was nothing else for it, the Darius family eventually discovered this and left, leaving some of their research behind. From that moment, Nikolai started to count the length of time it took for his parents to find what they were looking for. He found it never took long and even when they took him along, his curiosity was left thirsting for more. At the age of twelve, after glimpsing everywhere and more in the region that was thought to matter and having three Pokemon instead of one, he asked to be trained. He wanted to try this on his own. To his surprise, his father consented and even now, Nikolai remembers counting a year to the day of staying in the area of Iron Island and Canalave, where he worked to get a ticket out of Sinnoh and raise his Pokemon. It was at the end of that that he earned his Riolu, now Lucario.
Now, most of what happened after this was a blur of events, sparked from the blur by occasional magazine articles and discoveries that disturbed him to some degree. Nikolai did his best to keep most of his discoveries under the radar, even though the media by this point had coined the name Rune. He did let himself be known for his ability with Pokemon and the occasional Contest with Kepi. Kepi actually earned the Master Rank in Beauty, something that surprised him a little. Nikolai never actually consciously commanded anything in Contest. That had been Kepi's field and he indulged her in it. That was likely where he was seen before he abruptly dropped out of everyone's limelight at the age of sixteen, having been caught in a brutal accident during the Sinnoh League, forcing him to drop out.
The year that passed afterward is a haze to even his own memories. Wherever he was, Nikolai is relatively sure it wasn't anything legal, judging by the tattoo, and even more certain that he deserved whatever smacking his Pokemon gave him to pull him out of it. That earned his desire to at least try and win them a league, though it took him half the next year or more to start kicking the bad habits he was in. Despite that, not long after his nineteenth birthday, he blazed through the Sinnoh League, knocked out in the finals in a long, violent battle which ended in a tie. However, he believed he hadn't earned the title and gave the victory to a boy who earned his respect throughout the league named Alexander Raymond, even though the boy failed to be Champion in the end. They still talk, even though Nikolai is about as aware of trends as a dead fish and Alexander has never been much of a history fanatic. Alexander is determined to keep Nikolai from losing the right and wrong morals he was just starting to gain back. It's a long and hard road and Nikolai wonders if this will be all worth it at the end of it all. Though that is why he is here at this moment, because Alexander is forcing him and he wants to see if he can pull himself out of the strange abyss he had been falling into.
And he will never eat a fish stick sandwich burrito. He hates fried food.
Pokemon:
"It isn't because they're my partners that they mean a lot to me. It's because they mean a lot to me that they're my partners."
Species: Absol
Item: Shell Bell
Nickname: Alma
Appearance: Aside from the limp on her back right leg, her eyes are not red but blue like his own. Also her fur is more silver than white.
Personality: She is every good trait that Nikolai struggles to find within himself. Sweet, even-tempered, and earnest, she is the conscience that Rune lost and the steady pillar he clings to when he's utterly baffled by the world around him. She remembers the shy little boy and hopes she will eventually see him again from her trainer's easily haunted mind. It's for that moment that she keeps an eye out for disaster and importance, hoping to keep him from harm.
History: Alma has been with Nikolai since he was a baby, caught by his father to give the boy a sense of stability in their constantly moving lifestyle. Originally she lived on Mt. Coronet but was caught when curiously walking down to the Snowpoint City area.
Ability: Pressure
Moves: Future Sight, Dark Pulse, Razor Wind, Aerial Ace, Iron Tail
Species: Raichu
Item: Focus Band
Nickname: Tora
Appearance: His tail is more like a blade than a tail and is incredibly dangerous to those who come across it.
Personality: He's slightly insane and often bit Nikolai as a Pichu. He's a pragmatic, instinctual Pokemon who doesn't shy away from beating some poor Pokemon down with his tail to get the win. Nikolai doesn't really command him in battle, and to be honest, isn't sure how he grew to like him in the first place to evolve to Pikachu. Tora won't admit it, but it was because of the food. He's a bit of a big eater. The only reason he is even remotely a team player is because all of them are strong. Strength means a lot to the mouse and if you don't have it, you're less than dirt.
History: Tora is a Raichu who was hatched from a wild egg from Viridian. Bred eggs tend to be more docile than wild ones. Nikolai picked him up early in his journey and just took care of him as best as he could. It's a miracle how well that ended up.
Ability: Lightning Rod
Moves: Thunderbolt, Brick Break, Iron Tail, Grass Knot, Quick Attack
Species: Lucario
Item: Expert Belt
Nickname: Kane
Appearance: Nope, he's an ordinary Lucario except for the X-shaped scar on his forehead. Don't tell him that though, he'll flip.
Personality: Kane's Mr. BALL OF ENERGY! He may not talk fast but boy is he everywhere! Running and jumping and training before dawn; that sums up the Lucario over here. Kane IS the wild child starting every fight he can get away with along with a few he can't. It's hard for Nikolai to keep track of him. Despite his energy, his obedience to Nico's commands is almost second to none. Except you know, when there's dishonor goin' on. He will be right up in the face and punching in the stomach.
History: He had earned the Pokemon working for a breeder in Sinnoh before the league and evolved during Nikolai's second try at the league. The two of them worked well together beforehand training on Iron Island, even though Kane originally couldn't stand Rune and his strange mannerisms.
Ability: Justified
Moves: Bullet Punch, Aura Sphere, Dark Pulse, Rock Slide, Dual Chop
Species: Flygon
Item: Quick Claw
Nickname: Pele
Appearance: Nope, just an ordinary,if slightly derpy, Flygon. Well there are some scars from the Trapinch time.
Personality: She's very slow and oblivious, kindly gentle in her own way if you think about it. Concepts are slow to her which is why she likes Nikolai's concise orders so much. You make sense no issue, you don't, she sleeps on you. Pele is the last mon you expect to lose her temper. People aren't even sure she has one. She has little concept of personal space so expect her to cuddle anyone despite being a bit too large for it.
History: Pele was caught as a Trapinch near Fallarbor Town and evolved to Vibrava to get Rune out of a snowstorm. It was a pretty horrific fight since Nikolai's former Gyarados ran around rampaging everywhere. Thankfully, Pele was forgiving of her new trainer, considering he dragged her out of harm's way more than once. That was likely the main reason he traded that Pokemon away.
Ability: Levitate
Moves: Giga Drain, Dragonbreath, Flamethrower, Earth Power, Aerial Ace
Species: Milotic
Item: Leftovers
Nickname: Kepi
Appearance: Are you kidding? She's good-looking enough.
Personality: Kepi is a very peaceful Pokemon, who prefers to passively or gently use her violent moveset to defeat an opponent rather than sadistically tear through them. Every move she makes is to pacify or harm the opponent as little as possible. If she has to however, her style can be a quick, elegant end to a battle. She is docile and kindly and will even calm down verbal arguments that have nothing to do with her.
History: Kepi was obtained by pure accident, or luck depending. A lowly Magikarp came swimming by while Nikolai was exploring the wonder that is Mt. Coronet. Bored, he caught it and raised it into a ferocious Gyarados. Unfortunately, said creature was too ferocious and no matter how many times Tora knocked the guy unconscious (enjoying every smack down), he never seemed to calm himself. So Nikolai, with some reluctance, traded his wild card away to a boy with a Milotic. It seemed the guy was trying to get out of Contests, huh. Anyway, Kepi didn't seem to mind her new trainer, who treated her respectfully and only made her fight every once in a while.
Ability: Marvel Scale
Moves: Dragonbreath, Return, Scald, Ice Beam, Mirror Coat
Species: Leafeon
Item: Scope Lens
Nickname: Fia
Appearance: She has a scar over one eye socket, permanently sealing the socket shut.
Personality: Fia is a very special critter with a love of treasure. Her sensitive eyes and ears are Nikolai's way of finding new places to explore and is the reason he's been free of many traps in ruins. Wonderfully curious and a little overly reliant on anything other than sight, she is usually seen with Rune, making him laugh and being the optimistic critter. She loves fun and adventure and can't wait to see where this one goes.
History: She is Nikolai's second Pokemon and his been around half as long as Alma. The two of them get along best, what with Fia being the ever-curious child and Alma the patient mother. Fia was one of the cubs born from Rune's family Pokemon, which was rather amusing. She evolved the night Nikolai went on his journey in Sinnoh. He took it as a sign. Fia ended up losing her eye in a very brutal fight against a Mightyena. It took her a long time for her to get back on her feet and fight again but now she's better than ever!... in her opinion.
Ability: Leaf Guard
Moves: Synthesis, Leaf Blade, Shadow Ball, Aerial Ace, Grasswhistle
