SU!
Woot! I had some extra time tonight, so I wanted to get this posted before work tomorrow. Okay, here we go...
Name: Anton Chesnokov
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Appearance: Anton stands at 6"2' and has a pale complexion. He is not particularly well muscled, but the muscles that he does have are built into a toned, lithe physique, a result from traveling across the region of Kanto. He has chocolate brown eyes and wind-tousled black hair that he rarely bothers to comb; instead he lets the fringe fall across his forehead. In terms of attire, he tends to gravitate toward black and blue. He wears a snug, short sleeve, ice blue button-up shirt underneath a black leather jacket. He pairs this with black denim jeans and lightweight, sturdy hiking boots. Finally, he carries a blue backpack with silver detailing that holds his supplies, including food, medicines, and spare clothes.
Personality: Anton tends to view the world in an easygoing, slightly cynical manner. He is independent and self-reliant, to the point of being too cocky for his own good. He has no problem with talking to people and doesn't shy away from conversation. However, he maintains his façade of being laid-back and cynical so he doesn't show his true feelings. As a result, others tend to get frustrated in talking with him, thinking that he is mocking them or not taking them seriously. He also has a penchant for giving people nicknames instead of referring to them by their real names, often just to tease them.
In battle or when faced with problems, Anton keeps up his confident, snarky personality, usually throwing in a few taunts to his opponent, while on the inside he is focused and serious. He can't stand to lose to anyone and relishes new challenges.
When meeting new people, Anton places little importance on forming long-term friendships or in getting to know people on a deeper level. In turn, most people who try get frustrated with his cocky, cynical attitude and eventually give up. However, a handful of people have managed to get past his walls and earn his trust to the point where he doesn't see the need to be sarcastic around them. He also has a soft spot for his little brother, who is younger by 3 years.
History: Anton was born and raised on Cinnabar Island. His mother worked as a researcher in the fossil laboratory while his father traveled the regions of Kanto and Johto as a Pokemon trainer. He also has a brother named Maksim, or Maks for short, who is 3 years younger. The two brothers were inseparable as children, and Maks absolutely idolized Anton. With his father gone most of the year, except for the few days when he would visit during the holidays, and his mother engrossed in her research at the laboratory, Anton spent much of his time alone or taking care of his brother. In particular, the lack of a constant father figure was one of the main reasons why he became cynical, preferring to rely on himself rather than others. As a result, he formed few long-term friendships among his classmates at school, but that didn't really bother him.
When he was 16, Anton got his trainer's license and went to Pallot Town to receive his starter Pokemon from Professor Oak. He would have done so when he was 10, but he didn't want to leave Maks behind to fend for himself when he was only 7. Therefore, he waited until he was 16 and Maks was 13. His mother and brother were surprised that he was following in his father's footsteps, but then, he had no other male role model in his life to emulate. He chose a male Charmander to be his partner, which was almost foreshadowing because his father had originally chosen Bulbasaur. Choosing a starter with a type advantage was Anton's silent vow that he would one day surpass and defeat his father in battle to prove that he didn't need his father's guidance to become strong. He spent the next 2 years traveling the Kanto region and managed to earn all 8 gym badges. However, he was defeated in the Indigo League in the top 16. This defeat infuriated him because his father had also finished in the top 16 during his first time at the Indigo League.
Instead of following his father's precedent and going to Johto next, he instead decided to make a fresh start in Sinnoh. He left all his Pokemon at Professor Oak's lab except for his starter, which by then had evolved into a Charizard named Griffith. However, once he got to Sinnoh, he sensed an air of unease among many of the trainers and heard rumors that Pokemon were disappearing at an alarming rate, both wild and captured ones, along with whispers of a Team Falling Sun. He hadn't encountered Team Falling Sun during his Kanto journey, but he later learned that they had started in Sinnoh and were quickly spreading their influence over the other regions as well. Not long after, he started having strange dreams involving the legendary Pokemon (which he had never seen until then), some strange power inside him, and something about his destiny. At first he shrugged this dream off and blamed it on something he ate or an overactive imagination. Then one day, not long after he had begun his Sinnoh journey, he was suddenly surrounded by a white light and blacked out. He awoke in the plains of an unfamiliar region, with the voice of a Pokemon resonating in his head telling him that he was now in the Sun Region…
Pokemon: Griffith, a male Charizard
Griffith was Anton's first Pokemon and has been a steadfast, reliable partner in many trainer and gym battles. He evolved from Charmander to Charmeleon during Anton's gym battle with Lt. Surge. Griffith later evolved into Charizard while he and Anton were training near the volcano on Cinnabar Island for their gym battle with Blaine. After evolving into Charizard, he became the major powerhouse of Anton's team and his main mode of aerial transportation. Griffith does not share in Anton's overconfident cynicism but is instead a serious-minded Pokemon who throws himself wholeheartedly into training. He is fiercely loyal and protective of Anton and brave in battle. However, he absolutely can't stand water thanks to an incident where he and Anton got caught in the middle of a thunderstorm and his tail flame nearly went out before he could be recalled. In terms of attacks, he knows Flamethrower, Dragon Claw, Smokescreen (for sneak attacks), and Aerial Ace. Anton also had a Move Tutor teach him Blast Burn, but he only uses this attack in dire emergencies.
RP Sample #1: From Omega Saikon's "Heart and Soul"
By early afternoon, the dense forest had given way to a more hilly terrain with more sparsely scattered trees. Eri took a deep breath and let the warmer air fill her lungs. "Ah, that's much better," she remarked contentedly. However, her joy at leaving the forest turned to concern as she noticed the thick, dark clouds starting to fill the sky and strong scent of moisture in the air. "Looks like we're going to be in for a summer thunderstorm. We should start looking for some shelter before it hits."
That plan failed miserably. Less than fifteen minutes later, the first peal of thunder rumbled through the sky, and a single raindrop landed on Eri's cheek. "Of all the rotten luck…" Eri growled under her breath. Two minutes later, the sky opened up, and the clouds released their bounty in sheets upon the parched earth. Now Eri was sprinting, though she had no destination in mind except to find anything, even a decent-sized tree, which could serve as a shelter. Pyrix ran silently at Eri's side, though her expression clearly portrayed her distaste for water.
Noticing her partner's silent distress, Eri reached for her Pokeball and expanded it. After all, there was no reason for both of them to be miserable. "You'll be dry in here. Pyrix, return!" She recalled Pyrix mid-stride and reattached the Pokeball to her belt without slowing her pace. The rain poured down harder until Eri could barely see where she was running and she was soaked to the skin.
Eri's breath was starting to come in strained gasps when she spotted a large gray mass in the distance. As she grew closer, she realized that it was a small cave hewn out of the rock, most likely an abandoned den for a Pokemon.
Eri wasted no time dashing into the cave just as a flash of lightning illuminated the dark sky. She bent over with her hands on her knees to catch her breath. 'Wow, I'm lucky I found this place.' Glancing around, she found no evidence that any Pokemon still lived here. Now that she was no longer running and pumped with adrenaline, her body caught up with the fact that she was wet and cold and shivered violently. She doubled over in a sudden coughing fit and slid to the ground with her back against the cave wall to keep from falling. She dug around in her backpack, which was also soaked, and pulled out her black leather jacket, which she draped around her shoulders. Still shaking, she fumbled around for Pyrix's Pokeball. "Pyrix, come out…" she croaked. The red light from the Pokeball coalesced into the shape of her Ninetales.
"Nine nine!" Pyrix cried, noticing her trainer's distress. She sat next to Eri and pressed her body as close to hers as possible to try and share her warmth. Eri wrapped her arms around Pyrix's neck and tried to stifle her coughing. She could feel the blood rushing to her head in the characteristic symptom of a fever, and, even with Pyrix trying to keep her temperature stable, she alternated between overheating and shivering. Pyrix had seen this all too many times as well. Neither of them could deny that Eri was sick. They just found it surprising that she came down with it so quickly, even in this warmer climate.
'This isn't good. Even with Pyrix, I'm still freezing. Maybe…' Eri pulled out her other Pokeball. "Arod, I need your help." The young Ponyta materialized in front of her with a snort. "Arod, come join us," Eri said weakly, patting the ground beside her. Arod cocked his head to one side, observing her curiously, and then noticed that Eri seemed to be unwell and cold. Nickering softly, he took a few steps forward but then abruptly shied away, as if he remembered that he still wasn't terribly fond of her. He stood at the other side of the cave and refused to meet her or Pyrix's gaze. Discouraged, Eri sighed, which then turned into another coughing fit.
After a few minutes, Eri was exhausted from coughing, and her eyelids started to droop. She shook her head, trying desperately to stay awake. 'No, I can't fall asleep now while I'm still soaked. My body temperature will drop too much, and then I would be in major trouble.' She propped one hand against the wall and staggered to her feet.
"Nine?" Pyrix asked.
"I just…need to move around," Eri replied, her voice barely above a whisper. Wrapping her arms around her torso in a feeble attempt to warm herself, she started pacing back and forth. 'Just keep moving…no matter what, I have to stay awake.' She could feel Pyrix and Arod's eyes watching her warily but ignored them. Instead, she focused on simply putting one foot in front of the other, as her vision grew more and more blurry.
Finally, her weakened body couldn't take it anymore. Her knees buckled, and the faint sounds of Pyrix's cry and a whinny were the last things she heard as her vision went black.
RP Sample #2: Also from "Heart and Soul"
"I think he wants to battle you." Eri whirled around to see Nurse Joy and Chansey standing behind you. "Why not give it a try?" she asked with an encouraging smile.
Eri turned back to the Pidgey. "Is that true? Do you want to battle me?"
"Pidg pidg!" the Pidgey cried. His eyes took on a competitive glint.
Eri smirked, relishing the thought of this new challenge. "All right, I accept. Let's go, Arod!" Her Ponyta whinned and tossed his head, pawing the ground in anticipation.
The Pidgey hopped off his branch and flew straight toward Arod in a Tackle.
"Dodge it, Arod!" Arod jumped to the side just in time to avoid the attack. "Now you use Tackle!" Arod galloped toward Pidgey, but it easily flew higher and out of range. Arod whinnied in frustration and skidded on the wet ground as Pidgey got behind him.
"Arod, turn around quick and use Ember!" Eri commanded. Arod used the last bit of momentum from his Tackle to whirl around and fire off an Ember attack using the flames that made up his mane.
"Pidg!" Pidgey cried as the tiny fireballs struck him for heavy damage. However, he recovered his balance and flew low to the ground, beating his wings to kick up clouds of blinding sand.
"Look out, Arod. That's a Sand Attack!" Eri exclaimed. But it was too late. The sand hit Arod's eyes, and he whinnied in distress, shaking his head from side to side to try and clear his vision. Pidgey took the opportunity to attack and flapped his wings harder to gain speed, slamming into Arod's side with a Quick Attack and sending him crashing to the ground.
"Arod, are you okay?" Eri called. Arod got to his feet and snorted in defiance. His mane and tail burned more intensely as his competitive side kicked into overdrive. However, he flinched as the sand stung his eyes. 'If Arod can't see, then it's going to be a lot harder for him to dodge or attack. Unless…' She quickly concocted a plan in her head. "Arod, close your eyes and just listen!"
Arod flinched in surprise but obeyed nevertheless. "Pidg!" Pidgey crowed as he charged Arod with another Quick Attack.
"Dodge it!" Eri called. Arod's ears perked, listening for the sound of Pidgey's wing beats. He dodged the attack at the last second and whirled around to face his opponent as Pidgey banked on his left wing and charged again, wings glowing white in a Wing Attack.
"Wait for it…" Eri said. Arod stood his ground, putting his trust in his trainer to tell him when to move or attack. Finally he was close enough. "Use Ember again!" Arod whinnied and sent out wave after wave of tiny fireballs from his mane and tail. The attack hit at point-blank range, since Pidgey was so close.
Pidg pidg!" Pidgey cried. He fell to the ground and struggled to get up, but he was too weak.
"Now I've got you." Eri pulled out a Pokeball and pushed the button in the middle to expand it. "Pokeball, go!" She threw the Pokeball, and it struck the Pidgey dead center. He turned into red light and vanished into the small metal orb, which closed and fell to the ground. The button in the middle flashed an angry red as the ball rocked from side to side. Nurse Joy, Chansey, Pyrix, and Eri looked on in anticipation.
Eri clenched her hand into a fist at her side as she stood watching the Pokeball with tense anticipation. "Come on, stay in there…"
