plot
Tradition and honor have always been strong parts of Johto society. The people generally seen as the most honorable and revered are the elite pokémon trainers, and they bring their hometown glory by achieving fame.

It is the start of May, year 2019. Cianwood Town has not produced a single licensed pokémon trainer in five years and has fallen down to the bottom of the list of impressive towns and cities in Johto. A well renowned elite trainer has declared that this can't go on. She's now going to sponsor a number of young people from her hometown of Cianwood who for one reason or another wish to acquire an official license and become a real worthy pokémon trainer.

The deal is that they take on the traditional journey to capture and train enough pokémon to battle all of Johto's gyms in one single summer, and do their very best to put Cianwood back on the map! In return, they receive a rare pokémon from the well traveled veteran to kick their journey off with an advantage, as well as a personal credit card to pay for any pokémon related expenses on their travels. Each gym leader they face will write a formal review and send it to the sponsor and to the PLA directly for their consideration. Good reviews from enough gym leaders in the end, regardless of if the challenger won or lost, will mean that they get their real license approved!

But there are plenty of trainers from rivaling cities who compete with the Cianwood teens for the spotlight and fame. On top of this, things are getting shady in Johto nowadays, with rumors spreading of corruption in authorities, and of people going missing... Better keep an eye out.



setting
This isn't exactly the Johto you're familiar with. Think of it as a sort of parallel universe. It's similar, and almost all the gym leaders are the ones from the games, but the types they specialize in might be different, and so might their towns, the routes around them... Avoid details when mentioning canon people and areas when writing up your SU, or check with me if you really want to mention something other than Cianwood.

In this Johto, in order to purchase pokéballs, you need a trainer's license, which is a physical card linked to a digital online profile in the Pokémon League Association's (PLA) database. Without a license, you can still own pokémon outside of a pokéball, but they are then registered as farm animals or pets, and rules on pitting them against each other are much more strict as you're not easily legally allowed to put your pet in harms way on purpose...

Once you have a license, you can work as a professional pokémon trainer! Not everyone with a license does. Some are content with receiving their license and keep training as a hobby while they get other jobs in their lives. But for many, the whole point of getting a license is to become a professional. The life of a real trainer can sometimes mean traveling and competing in various tournaments to gain fame and wealth through strength and skill. Others start working in their favorite gym; gyms function both as training spots and pokémon healthcare advisors for licensed or unlicensed trainers, and they are often responsible for hosting many official tournaments and challenges with the PLA. Others yet become mercenaries, finding jobs as trainers in unlikely places or in professions where it is necessary to have a full team and pokéballs, or where the skills otherwise come in handy. Life for any pokémon trainer is an exciting one full of opportunities.

If you are young or have very good connections, there is a way to acquire a license: you can attract a sponsor and take on the traditional Johto Gym Challenge. Many kids from the age of 11 and upwards attend the big Trainer Boarding School in Cherrygrove City, where they in a couple of years learn everything they need to get ready for anything the journey could throw at them. The school then officially sponsors them.

You're not a student at this school. Hence, you'll have to get ready in some other way. What you are is a teenager living in Cianwood Town, 14-16 years of age. Perhaps you've always been interested in pokémon training and learned a lot on your own or practiced in secret with a pokémon pet - or perhaps you're not really ready at all and is thrust into accepting this deal by some other circumstances! Put "because dogs are lovely" somewhere in your SU to show that you have read this.

The successful Cianwood trainer Rashirrin ensures you're given a sponsorship trainer's license (valid only for the next four months!) and also generously equips you with a pokégear (newest model: built-in smartphone, "VS Seeker" and pokédex that functions even when reception is bad!) as well as a rare, young pokémon to become your first legal battle partner if you wish. You likely heard of her from gossip around town, or saw one of the many flyers she set up.

On your way through this region, you will not only get a chance to collect most of the original Johto pokémon, but many exotic immigrating breeds from other regions will definitely appear, and you are sure to stumble into dangerous events, fight back against wrongdoers, and be thrown into various adventures together with your fellow Cianwood challengers!

One more thing. There might be some weird things happening eventually. With pokémon. And you. And how they evolve. And how you evolve... And you won't be the only one trying to figure out the mystery behind it.


town map
Cianwood Town is your hometown. It lies on an island at the very most western edge of Johto and is a place where pretty much everybody has heard of everybody, even if they don't know each other personally. The island is rocky and pretty dry but has some forests and cliff areas where wild pokémon live.

Olivine City is the holiday resort paradise Cianwood was too traditional and shy to become. Leader Jasmine runs a Normal Type gym.

Ecruteak Town is a very old place some consider beautiful, others scary. Gym leader Morty uses Poison types.

Goldenrod City is a busy seaside metropolis where entertainment is king! Also fashion. Leader Whitney trains Steel types.

Azalea Town borders several mysterious landmarks. Leader Bugsy has a special connection with Fairy types.

Violet City is an ambitious place which has produced many popular trainers. Its gym led by Falkner focuses on Bug types.

Cherrygrove City is a rapidly expanding, modern city, and the spot for the big Trainers Boarding School where most young aspiring trainers in Johto try to attend.

New Bark Town is a quaint place near the passage to Kanto, where a certain researcher named Professor Pine makes her home...

Blackthorn Town is a small secluded place, an old mining town. The gym is led by Clair who trains Rock types.

Mahogany City is marketed as mysterious and where many come to travel onwards to the spectacular Lake of Rage in the north... The gym here sees its leader use Dark types.


noteworthy mechanics
- the GM will give out levels to your pokémon, based on what they did in your IC posts. Thusly, if you want your pokémon to grow, you'll need to write about them, either battling or otherwise using their skills together with their trainer.

- the GM will notify you when a pokémon of yours is ready to evolve, and how. Pokémon with their first evolution at Lv >40 don't have to suffer; we're gonna say they can evolve at 36 instead. Trade evos also evolve at Lv 36 if they have the item nearby, no trade required.

- you are allowed to trade pokémon with another player's main character at any time. Trading with side characters is also allowed, but is then restricted to pokémon you have been able to catch in previous routes; you can't make a NPC trade and receive something exotic or something from a previous event you didn't have access to unless the GM has specified so.

- you may capture any pokémon you have access to according to area posts, in any way you see fit. Some pokémon may be restricted to certain events or requirements though. Once a pokémon has been captured, I'll give you information on your capture (but you may decide its gender!)

- you will be allowed 1 shiny pokémon in this RP. Either a capture of your choice at any one time, or your simple starter. It cannot be your rare starter (plot reasons, sorry!)

- there is no money system we keep track of in this RP. Your character can eat and spend for whatever makes sense for their family situation, and anything pokemon related is paid for by the arguably very wealthy Rashirrin.

- I'll (try) to keep track of your key items though! Such as rewards, TMs, evolution stones etc.


guidelines
- if you are working on a joint post, let the GM know! Because...

- if you think you that 2 weeks or more will likely pass between your last IC post and your next, for some unfortunate reason, please do let the GM know. Preferably by dropping a note in the OOC thread!

- if you have been inactive for many weeks without proper communication, you might be removed from the RP.

- you are allowed one main journeying trainer, but may make any number of side characters! If you realize they are likely going to be recurring, please make them a brief SU. It's fun and useful for all of us!

- JPing is encouraged, but so is back-and-forth posting IC as well! I'd rather you make small posts IC to keep things moving, than post nothing at all for an extended time :)

- You may reserve a starter for 3 days if you don't have time to write an SU right now. If the starter you truly crave is already reserved or taken, why not try asking the other player if they're ok with switching? :) But a no is a no, so don't pester them further if they want to stick with their choice.


starter pokémon
So! In this RP you have the option to already have befriended a pokémon in one way or another. Perhaps you found it in the wild and started playing with it long ago, or perhaps it was a pet given to you, or maybe it's just the general family pokémon? In addition to this, you also are required to choose one of the rare starters veteran Rashirrin offers you!

Simpler put: choose one pokémon from each selection below, or just one from the "Rare" section if you prefer. The "simple" selection are not unique, so two players can pick the same at the start of the RP and they will likely all be possible to find in the wild at some point. The "rare" selection, however, are unique and you may reserve one for 48h.

simple starters


RARE starters



sign-up sheet
Name:
Gender: (girl, boy, non-binary etc)
Orientation: (optional to state)
Birthday:
Age: (14-16)

Appearance: (can be a picture)

Family:

Key personality traits:

Likes and interests: (if any noteworthy aside from pokemon battling)

Main goal/aspiration(s): (could be related to their pokémon trainer career, or hobbies, family or anything else)

RARE starter: (it will be Lv 5 at the start. State its species, its sex, and anything else you want to tell us about this pokémon you have recently received. Choose its species from the list above - not the same as another player. You may give it one "illegal" move, aka not usually possible for it to learn, or an egg/TM move etc, but I will give you the rest of the moveset at the start of the RP)

simple starter: (it will also be Lv 5. State its species, its sex and anything else you want to tell us about it, such as how you found it unless you already covered that in the history section. players can choose the same simple starter as someone else)

Roleplay sample: (either link to a recent IC post in another RP that is representative of your style, or write up a short sample of a random scene)

EXTRA to add after you've become accepted - Friendships & Rivalries: (it is likely that you recognize most other player characters, as classmates or fellow teens in the cozy Cianwood Town! Maybe there's even pre-established friendships or rivalries? Discuss this with the other accepted players!)



player list
Stinging Bea as Kira with Fennekin only
Astromancer as Frid with Chikorita & Ledyba
aeternum as Kerry with Chimchar & Gligar
Pudding as Nathaniel with Mudkip & Aipom
Janp as Ivy with Totodile & Natu
Evilyas Lyra with Piplup & Sentret
Dragon as Eri with Froakie & Gligar

​

Appearance // Friderick stands at 5'6" but is likely still growing. His build is lanky and thin, telling the tale of a kid who didn't exercise more than he had to, and he usually wears very simple flat clothes. He owns a gazillion t-shirts with funny or pretty prints, and likes to pull on knitted cardigans if it's getting chilly. Below, he usually just wears blue jeans of varying shade, and while he's often seen in sandals around Cianwood in the warmer months, he's managed to invest in a pair of sturdy black synthetic boots for his journey. They make him look a lot more edgy and tough than he is...

He doesn't bother with makeup, and has thankfully so far been blessed with manageable teenager complexion. His frequent exposure to sunlight (not always with the sunscreen he should wear) has given him plenty of freckles on his face and shoulders. He's promised to pack a lot of sunscreen on his journey. Frid's voice is not the lightest, but it's quite soft and feminine still.

The hair is a natural yellow blond, and a while ago he decided to cut it short because he felt like the long locks didn't suit his personality. He however didn't have the heart to cut off the small braids he usually let hang in front of his ears, so the resulting hairstyle sees tufts remaining there - thankfully he does diligently braid them every morning. This more than anything seems to make people mistake him for a girl every once in a while. He doesn't overly mind it though.


Family // Mother named Heidi who is a stay-at-home author and produces low-popularity adventure novels featuring pokemon heroes and crime fighters. Father named Karl was a grocery store clerk and hobby herbalist who grew plenty of plants and berries at home and in their garden and greenhouse and sold as medicine and spices (and fresh berries!) to the neighbors and townsfolk of Cianwood. Sometimes he traveled to fetch new seeds or sprouts or berries.

Half a year ago, he journeyed far away and didn't come home. Frid and his mother are coping and have been to therapy and tried to communicate a lot about their loss, but they're still not nearly over it. Heidi sometimes seems to want to act as if Karl has never been there at all, and Frid isn't convinced that he's truly gone.

None of Frid's parents are pokémon trainers, but they do keep a couple of pets around the house. One is a young Ledyba who used to help Karl out with the plants. When Karl disappeared without bringing Ledyba along with him, the bug started following Frid around instead. The other is a lazy Vulpix who keeps Heidi's feet warm when she sits still typing for too long.


Key personality traits :




Likes and interests // Frid didn't find his dad's hobby overly intriguing, but he couldn't help but learn a bit about plants, berries and herbs from just being around. He's happy to get a grass pokémon from the famous trainer as his official starter, and for Ledyba to want to come with him. Overall, he enjoys bright, cheery, life-ful things. The worst pokémon to ever pair him up with would probably be Yveltal.

He doesn't find his mother's stories overly captivating, but he does think the characters are cool. His favorite stories are instead fantasy tales full of explorers and treasure. Throughout his life, he's been collecting a bit of trash here and there he's come across, and he swears that a couple of the items he has on display in his room are actual pokémon evolution items! They just look a bit roughed up. Perhaps their power has already been used. They're still cool though.

Fairy types and bugs fascinate Frid particularly, and he hopes to find many on his journey. He's skeptical towards fire types (as they can burn down his bug and banana) - Vulpix and he never quite saw eye to eye - and he's also initially quite wary of dark types and dark type moves, due to their dubious nature.


Main goal/aspiration(s) // Mainly, he wants to find his father. Secondly, he doesn't (initially) care much for becoming the very best trainer or anything, but he feels honored to get to go on Rashirrin's quest and spread the word about Cianwood, and chooses to take that mission seriously. Thirdly, this mission is an awesome way to get out and explore the world like the characters in his favorite fantasy stories! He'll be keeping his eyes open for "loot" and likely gravitate towards getting his hands on fascinating or powerful items.

RARE starter: // Chikorita, Female - knows Vine Whip

simple starter: // Ledyba, Male



// // Friendships & Rivalries // //
Kira - knows of her, hasn't had reason to approach her.
Kerry - acquaintances through Mr Esborn's herb shop, will greet but don't know each other deeply.
Nathan - barely knows the name (will likely greet as Nathaniel or just ask again for the name since Frid's not sure) but has seen him around.
Ivy - recognizes her as a Cianwood resident but they've probably never interacted.