A Pokémon Journey: The Road to Victory

Name: Thomas Bartholomew Lakeland

Nickname: Shades

Age: 17

Place of Birth: We will just say Vermilion City

Appearance: The boy is a well built and well-developed youth with dark skin and an overall demeanor of "leave me alone." Thick, well kempt dreadlocks fall in a graceful frame (except on the rare occasion a tie binds them helplessly behind the boy's head) around the dark skinned youth's facial feature, covering up his rather large ears in the process. Dark, deep-set eyes stare uncomfortably at the world that passes them, moving it a timid manner that is odd for the young man's overall size. Purposely, the outside world is not given opportunity to view what those dark eyes might hold due to a rather dark pair of cheap sunglasses propped upon a flat nose with a tendency to flare when place in a socially situation. White teeth and a fantastic smile hide timidly behind nervous lips. A strong jaw and chin finish out an otherwise handsome face if not for the uncomfortable demeanor that holds it together.

The boy's body is that of one who has spent a good deal of time lifting and moving things. A thick neck attached to thick shoulders attached to thick arms attached to etc. He is a thick individual. Standing only 5'7", Thomas's body is very compact and possesses a lot of strength. Rough hands in continuous motion can be seen moving in various places on the boy's body: running through his hair, entering and leaving the saw-dusty jean pockets, or fidgeting with the top button of his thick, red button up shirt whose sleeves are usually rolled up to the elbows. A simple brown belt holds up the jeans that cover the boy's short of strong legs. Worn brown work boots cover the callous feet and dirty brown socks of someone who would rather spend his time in a workshop than on the road. An old, dirty brown backpack is thrown over his right shoulder when traveling. The only items of interest carried in his bag are a fiddle (which can be seen sticking out of the top of the bag), some replacement strings, and some simple carving tools.

Personality: Thomas is a young man of very few words. He speaks few words because words are overused and misused far too often by people seeking to lie, cheat, flattery, steal, hurt, or to simple get a laugh at the expense of someone else. Yes, words have a tendency to cut without intention or reveal secretes that didn't even exist. And the damned tongue does nothing to aid in this ongoing disaster. Sly and slippery, the tongue is completely untamable by man. Thomas decided a long time ago that it would be best to just keep the beast in its cage as often as possible. When he does speak, however, Thomas tends to show wisdom far beyond his age. Many would consider this a wonderful thing. The many would be correct if it weren't for the fact that Thomas was absolutely terrified of any group larger than 1. The poor guy is probably one of the most socially awkward people you will ever meet. This tends to cause Thomas to shy away from situations that involve…well, people. That would not be completely correct. Thomas loves helping people…just as long as they don't know about it or give him any credit.

For all of his strength, Thomas is an extremely gentle young man. His muscles have never been used for anything other than creating. Thomas has never gotten into a fight. In fact, he has never even been in a position where fighting was an option. So, it is probably impossible to actually know how the young man would handle himself in a fistfight (I think he would do well). Thomas is very slow to anger. Insults tend to be too petty and weak to warrant a response, and physical attacks rarely hold the power to put a dent in the solid young man. The only real way to get a rise out of the young man would be to hurt a woman in his presence, though that is just a speculation (I wouldn't take the risk of trying to find out what would happen though).

Thomas spends a lot of time in his own mind. Probably a little too much time. He tends to forget things easily and unintentionally ignore people who are trying to talk to him. Whether working in a workshop or just walking from place to place, Thomas is constantly engrossed in the wonders of the world and life in general. A poet at heart, Thomas spend much of his free time reading books of every variety, carving different items from spare piece of wood, or playing his fiddle. Thomas's main reason for wishing to begin his pokemon journey is the same reason that has caused men throughout history to do things, a woman. More particularly, he wants to collect as many pokemon as he can so he can show her all the amazing creatures there are in the world. It is a simple desire, but work just fine for a simple young man.

History: Thomas lost both of his parents when he was only six years old. Seeing that statement, one would obviously assume that both of his parents had passed away in some way or another. While no life had left their bodies, they might as well been dead for all that their son saw of them. Both of his parents (Wolfgang Lakeland and Alexis Freemont) were extremely talented pokemon trainers. They had met during their travels, continued traveling together, fell in love, married, settled down, and had a healthy boy. What else could you want? Apparently something that could not be found with your son. Thomas was left in the care or his elderly grandmother as his lovingy parents went off to enjoy more of their adventures without the burden of a child. So you might have to excuse Thomas if he didn't particularly enjoy the thought of going off on his own little adventure any time soon, abandoning his life and responsibilities….not to mention love. Oh sure, his parents wrote letter and kept in contact as often as possible. They would talk about all the amazing adventure they were having and all the wonderful sights they were seeing and how much they loved him. There was even a time that the boy lived for those calls and letters. That changed when they broke their promise to come back. Eventually the letters stopped coming. The phone no longer contained their voices. Thomas was 9 at the time, almost ten. That was 7 years ago.

There is more you need to know to completely under why Thomas hated the idea of having his own pokemon. Not long after his parents stopped contacting him, the boy's grandmother became sick. The doctor's did not think it was very serious. "She'll be better in no time," they said. Surprise, surprise….they were wrong. Not being old enough to take care of himself and with his parents nowhere to be found, the boy was to be sent to an orphanage in one of the larger cities nearby. (You might be wondering where Thomas lives about now. Well, considering that the dark skinned youth does not like to tell….anyone really, I struggle to see why you should know. But I guess some would consider it important, so I will tell you that it was a little town called Libdon that is found not too far outside of Vermilion City. Anyways back to the history.) Thankfully, before that could happen, the local carpenter/contractor stepped up and offered to give the boy a place to live. The man's name was Barsidious Donaldson, and he had been a long time good friend of Thomas's father. It would later be revealed that the man was actually his guardian, but that isn't important now. The man gave Thomas a place to focus his anger at his parents for leaving him. He gave him something to do. He tried multiple times to speak to the boy about why his parents left, but Thomas would have nothing of it, though he would eventually learn that they had been killed on their way back home 7 years ago. The desire to find out why still exist in the young man, but he hasn't decided to pursue the knowledge yet.

As time past, Thomas became a part of the Donaldson family. Mary, the wife, was hesitant at first, but as time went by Thomas proved to be a much needed help to Barsidious. The boy picked up Barsidious's craft rather quickly and was on the fast track to taking up the business himself one day. And it wasn't just the mother that was warming up to the boy. Meagan Donaldson, who was a year younger than the boy, and Thomas had taken quite a liking to each other. Barsidious had even taken up the habit of asking when the wedding was going to be (joking of course, but he was quite aware that it was a possibility). Yes, everything was going well. So well in fact that when the time came for Thomas to choose whether to go on his pokemon adventure, the young man decided against it. He was needed at home. He wanted to be at home.

Unfortunately, things have a tendency to fall a part. I would love to tell you what changed in between Thomas decision to not go on his journey at 13 and receiving a letter from Bastion 5 days ago. I would love to tell you but I won't. It isn't my place to tell you. If you truly want to know, you are going to have to pry it out of Thomas. Approach the topic is caution though. Let's just say he is doing it for a girl. That gives you more than you need, but not enough to do any damage. Regardless, Thomas now finds himself far from home with little knowledge of what is in store from him. Even worse, he doesn't know much about pokemon. His resolve, however, is stronger than ever.

Extra Information: Thomas is going for the typical guy pokemon collection. Mostly, anything that is fluffy and cute…wait…what?

Name: Alexandra "Lexia" Huntis

Nickname: Lone Wolf

Age: 15

Place of Birth: Fuchsia City, Kanto

Appearance:
Alexandra is tall, very tall, almost disturbingly tall for her age. Standing at a good 6'3" and having a figure to match her length, many have misjudged her age by a good 3-4 years. Her pure white hair flows along her back to reach down to her waistline, that is, if she's not got it bound together in the usual ponytail that she wears.
Her skin is a similar tone to her townsmen, a healthy fleshy-pink color with hints of brown in it. While her homeplace isn't the ideal place to get a tan, Lexia loves being outdoors so the hours in the open have had their effect on her.
If one would describe her in one word, most would come up with lanky or athletic. The build of someone that spends her days running for miles or swimming for hours in nearby lakes.

Alexandra is usually seen wearing a pair of cut-off, baggy jeans with lots of grass stains and rips in them. Her t-shirt is usually tied into a knot just above her midriff, it as well being smudged and stained. However, this is just the look that she lets people see, since they make her daily routine a lot easier.
The black backpack she has on her back contains a spare set of clothes that are almost always squeaky clean, a survivalist guide and several bottles of water and healing potion. Like everything she seems to wear, the backpack is ragged and well-worn, though still very functional.

Personality:
Alexandra is a very outgoing, carefree girl on the outside that loves to spend time outdoors, but that is only part of the story. On the inside, she's very uncertain about her future and often hesitant to make important decisions. While she loves to chat, most of the topics she likes to talk about are not concerning Pokemon, but more about nature, food or even just the weather.

Alexandra spends nearly all her time outdoor thus has very little social differentiation, she treats everyone equal no matter their age or experiences in life, much to the infuriation of her parents, which see it as a lack of respect towards the elderly. While Alexandra has a good deal of respect for the elders, she just lacks the right ways to show that.
While other kids are busy training their Pokemon, she's busy training herself through shadowboxing or meditation.
There are even rumors that she's been spotted sparring with a teenage Kangaskhan, but she just laughs when people bring it up and waves it away.

History:
Fuchsia City, the town of Poison Pokemon. Where every kid that ever learnt to train Pokemon started with an Ekans, a Weedle or a Venonat. Because that's what was needed to fulfill the dreams of the youngsters.. become a member in Koga and Janine's Gym.
But for Alexandra, that wasn't the way to fight. On her 10th birthday, her parents gave her the -in her opinion- worst birthday gift ever, a choice between three Poison-type starter Pokemon. The young girl had seen how Poison Pokemon fought and it wasn't how she wanted to fight.

Her parents misunderstood her unwillingness to pick a Pokemon as her being ungrateful to them for their gift and snuffed her for it. "If you want to be rebel, fine.. but you're not getting a Pokemon until you grow up then" is what her mom said to her. For Alexandra, this wasn't a big deal anyway, rather not have a Pokemon then have a Poison type was her own reasoning for it.
It also didn't help that at that age, she was scared, terrified infact of Bug Pokemon. And since most Poison types available in the nearly woods were also Bug-types, it only enforced her unwillingness to start her journey.

In the years following, Alexandra slowly got over her fear of Bugs, though she's still adamant in her personal ban on Poison types. Over the years, the nearby Safari Zone has been the place where she could out her frustrations with her not-understanding parents and the sneering remarks she'd get from Trainers.
It was only because the Safari Zone at that time didn't contain any Pokemon suitable for a starting Trainer that she was still Pokemon-less.

But now, with the mysterious letter from Bastion, the road is finally open for her to start the journey she's always wanted to make, with a Pokemon she doesn't dislike... hopefully...

Additional Information:
As stated in her History, Alexandra has a deep disliking of Poison-type Pokemon. In her eyes, Trainers that use them are weaker then others, who have to rely on the cheap tactic of poisoning their enemy. This can lead to her underestimating opponents who use them.

If she faces a Trainer who uses a Poison-type, she aims to finish the battle as soon as possible, causing her to make reckless moves.

• Name: Sapphire Duskwood
• Nickname: Sapph
• Age: 15
• Place of Birth: Cerulon City (Incase I didn't spell that right, the place where Misty's gym is)
• Appearance:

Sapphire has light brown hair and emrald green eyes. Her bangs covor her right eye. Her skin is 'golden colored'. She is fairly skinny, and weighs three pounds less than she should. Sapphire stands 5"11.




Sapphire wears a brandeis blue thickish strapped tank top looking shirt. The straps are black. She wears white capris For shoes she wears blue jean material sneakers and white socks. Sapphire wears a royal blue thin headband, with a small bow. She wears two dodger blue thick braclets. She carries a dark brown leather decent sized messanger style bag, that she keeps cloths, supplies, and other stuff in.

• Personality:

Sapphire is cheerful, but not annoyingly cheerful. She can become sad or disappointed easily though. Sapphire has gone through a lot in her life (veiw history for more information) but she keeps her chin up. She always tries to help, and it breaks her heart to see one of her friends sad.

Sapphire always feels the need to be helping someone. She usually helps around her hometown. No matter how sad she feels, she'll help anyone who needs it. She could be considered a 'goody goody', and she's been called it before, but she just ignores it when she is called a GG. She is very forgiving.

• History:

Sapphire's parents got shot when she was five, and she was put up for adoption. She was adopted by a young couple, who took good care of her. Sense Sapphire is 'weak' and emotional, she was bullied around a lot at school. She ignored it for the most part, but once when a kid slammed her into a wall she had to go to the nurse. She forgave the kid when they sincerly apalogised, she is very forgiving.

Sapphire has some friends, but some people are really rude. When she asked to be friends with them, they'd reply with something like 'I don't want to be known as a girl who's friends with GG." which kind of disappointed Sapphire. She is kind of good at recovoring fairly quickly when sad, disappointed, or emotionaly hurt. Sapphire usually didn't fight back when being bullied.

• Extra Information:

Name: Elise Bryant

• Age: 16

• Place of Birth: Saffron City

• Appearance: Elise stands around 5'5", and has a medium body build. Her skin is a bit pale from not enough sun exposure, and can burn very easily. She has thin, dark brown hair. It is about shoulder length, but she typically keeps it up in a tight bun. Her eyes are close-set and hazel, with rectangular glasses framing them. Her eyesight is very poor, so she is essentially blind without her glasses.

Elise's fashion sense is much more suited to city life than travel. Her typical attire consists of white jeans, and a nice purple blouse. Her shoes are simple, black flats. She doesn't have any piercings, not even in her ears, and doesn't wear any other jewelry either. She does wear a silver watch on her right wrist, so she can keep track of time. A large, black purse is kept safely on her shoulder at all times. It contains a simple t-shirt and blue jeans in case she needs an extra set of clothes, a daily planner, a stain remover pen, a bottle of painkiller pills, bandaids, hand sanitizer, as well as her valuables.

• Personality: Elise is a very responsible, hard-working girl. She always feels the need to assist people who need it. As a result, she tends to take on more than she can handle, and overwork herself. Even so, she always feels the need to care for other people and their problems. Her own wants and desires are kept to herself.

In any new environment, she feels very nervous. Around people she just met, she is very reserved. She is always wary of trying different things, and would much rather stick with something she knows is safe. When she's with close friends and family, she is much calmer and relaxed.

Elise tries to be prepared for anything that may happen, which is why she brings so many things with her. She writes down everything she is going to do or needs to know, just to make sure she won't forget it. She also tends to be a neat-freak when it comes to her appearance or home. Everything has to look tidy and presentable. She doesn't understand sloppy people, but she does envy their care-free lifestyle.

• History: As a child, Elise was very ambitious. She wanted to become the greatest Pokémon trainer who ever lived, just like her mother. Of course, her mother wasn't actually "the greatest", but she was a huge role model for her daughter. She was very kind and nurturing, but strict when she needed to be. She also told fantastic stories of her days as a trainer, which Elise and her younger siblings would listen to in awe.

When Elise was 10, the year she was planning on becoming a Pokémon trainer, her mother fell terribly ill. Although her father took time off of work to care for her, she still would not recover. She was hospitalized for quite a while, but she never made it. Since her father couldn't look after the children himself, it was up to Elise to take care of her three younger siblings. Despite her strong desire to become a trainer, she simply could not leave her family at this sensitive time.

Six years have past since then. The sting of her mother's passing has long since left the family, and instead they fondly regard their memories of her from time to time. Elise still acts as the caretaker for her siblings, but they are much older now, and could probably take care of themselves. Still, she feels responsible for them, and doesn't want to leave them without a constant guardian.

However, one day she received a mysterious letter. One that awoke her dormant desires and aspirations…

Name: Nicholas Owen Lorren
Nickname: Nick
Age: 15
Town of Birth: Celedon City

Appearance: Nicholas is easily described as pallid. His eyes are a washed out brown, and his skin is a sickly gray. Nicholas' lips are no exception in their paleness. They are also thin, like his body. His body is truly wimpy, with little muscles on his long thin arms or legs. Another contradiction is between his thin sharp limbs and his round eyes and button nose. In contradiction to his pallid color Nicholas has bright yellow hair that has never been bleached by the sun. His cheek bones are also strong, providing a potential to be handsome if Nicholas spent more time in the sun to regain some color.

A sheltered boy, Nicholas wears more "preppy" clothes. A nice collared shirt is preferred, usually striped and with long sleeves. Club shorts and pants are always popular, though Nicholas may wear jeans if it is not a school day. Whenever possible, Nicholas will also wear one of three identical knock-off cashmere sweaters; a striped sweater with alternating shades of light brown, as pallid as his eyes. As soon as Nicholas got the letter he bought an old-time news boy hat that he refuses to take off.

Personality: Childish, immature, introverted and shy are words used to describe Nicholas. He can also be described as imaginative, silly, trusting, and whimsical. Coupled with his innate quietness, Nicholas' lack of social interaction has led him to be quiet and introverted. He has also been spoiled and babied, and hasn't experienced many hardships. He subconsciously expects things to come as easily as the 'A's he gets in his classes. When facing failure and hardships, Nicholas is easily daunted and quick to whine. He believes otherwise though, convinced that he is one of the brave and noble heroes in his books. He has so ingrained books into his world that the two often merge in his mind. He always comes back to earth and accepts reality, though fantasy makes his world much more fun.

Nicholas has replaced his social interaction with story and fantasy, allowing his already ample imagination to take over. Though he is physically and mentally fifteen, Nicholas has not emotionally matured past eleven or twelve, leading to a naiveté and innocence. Naturally shy around others, puberty has made him almost impossibly shy around girls. His undoubtedly wimpy physique doesn't help.

History: Nicholas has never had siblings, and his parents have always smothered him whenever they were home. They weren't home very often, though. Nicholas' father worked in the stock market and owned a small deodorant company, while Nicholas' mother worked as a secretary for a high-ranking government official. Nicholas was born introverted and so wasn't bothered. He satisfied his need for companionship with books as soon as he could read. By the time he was in second grade he could read middle school books and he was always the top of his class, undoubtedly. That was all he ever was. He has never been popular or good in sports. In reality he isn't even the smartest. He is just good at studying.

Upon reaching middle school Nicholas started thinking about his future. One fad has followed another and so far Nicholas has decided to be an astronaut, an artist, a physicist, a doctor, a food critic, various sports stars, and assorted other careers. Now in high school, Nicholas still hasn't decided what he wants to be, though his father is pushing him to take up the family business. When Nicholas got the letter from Bastion, he immediately left his parents a note telling them that he had got a scholarship to become a Pokémon trainer and that they could call him on his cell phone. That phone and his non-school clothes is all he took with him beside his Kanto Union credit card. A greyhound took him to Vermillion City's "Diglett Cave," where Nicholas joined a group of trainers traveling to Route 2. After that it was easy to walk to Route 1.

Extra Information: Nicholas is seriously spooked by clefairys after he read a book about them.

Name: William Garret
Nickname: Digits
Age: 17
Place of Birth: Saffron City

Appearance:
William looks less like someone you would expect to be asked to help with anything, and more like the type of person who made you want to stay on the other side of the street. A ragged mop of filthy, curled black hair, probably infested with lice- maybe even fleas- sits above his gaunt face. A slightly pointed left ear makes him appear lopsided, when it isn't hidden in said mop. The boy's dark blue eyes have bags under them due to lack of sleep, and constantly dart about, watching everything with paranoid attention. Under the young man's small, skinny nose, a crooked yellow smile displays Will's poor dental hygiene. The canine tooth is missing from the upper left side, further contributing to his lopsided appearance. His face bears unshaved stubble.

Standing at 6'4'', William Garret is little more than bone and muscle (muscle simply meaning lean, rather than a build like a weight lifter. The potential is there, but a lack of proper nutrition has stunted that potential strength). For clothing, William wears a pair of blue jeans, held up by an average looking belt, so worn and bleached from sun exposure that they look almost white. His thin frame is covered by a slightly ripped spring jacket, blue and white, under which he wears a grey sleeveless shirt. Clashing, pristine black and red runners cover his feet, newly 'acquired'. To carry his few personal items, William has a light satchel he carries at his side.

Personality:
Being raised as he was, Will is independent and, in most cases, cold. A stone heart and underdeveloped conscience ensure no regrets get in the way of survival. The young man has a fiery temper on him, inherited from his mother's side, but has learned to keep his emotions under control. By which I of course mean he bottles it all up to take out somewhere else later. From his father's side, William learned that the best solution is to weasel your way out of your problems, rather than face them head on.

History:
By this point, it is probably obvious William's past hasn't been flowers and rainbows. He was born as the result of a one-night stand between a ruthless Silph Co. businesswoman, and a 'procurer of wares' she had had dealings with. At the age of the, William's father came into the woman's home and kidnapped his illegitimate son. From that point on, William was raised to be a thief. He was taught to take care of himself, how to pick locks, how to avoid detection, and how to case a location for burglary. During Will's free time he was allowed to do whatever he wanted, be it drinking, gambling, or watching old movies on a busted up VHS player.

When Will was thirteen, some men came into the safehouse to collect on his father's gambling debt. Unable to pay, Mr. Garret was shot to death. The men took Will with them, and forced him to work off his father's debt by stealing things for them. For the past four years, that debt has remained stubbornly unpaid, and William has begun to get restless. During his most recent break-in, a small suburban home on the edge of the city, he found what he believed was the chance to finally get out of his servitude, a mysterious letter from a man named Bastion.

Extra Information: