Private/Closed Re: The Great Unova Treasure Hunt

[Psycho Monkey]

Since this is a reboot of an old RP, I made a new discussion topic as the old one is cluttered and takes a few posts before actually getting to the point. It can be found here in case anyone is curious but I'll be summarizing all of the important information below anyway.

The RP begins on the opening day of a new exhibit in the Nacrene Museum called Ancient Unova which is a large stone mural of the Unova region as it appeared roughly 2500 years ago, the same era in which the twin hero kings united the region. Lenora gives a presentation to the audience detailing the political geography at the time including how four towers were specifically marked: Relic Castle marked with the sun, Celestial Tower marked with the moon, Dragonspiral Tower marked with a cloud, and Abyssal Ruins (which were above sea level at the time the map was made) marked with a star. Lenora is also deeply curious about the northeastern corner of the map which has unfortunately been eroded away by time. Spoiler alert for players: Had it remained intact, there would have been a fifth tower depicted near the Giant Chasm marked with a meteor. But this is something our characters will have to eventually uncover for themselves as they investigate.

As the title of the RP suggests, there is treasure to be found by investigating these four (but actually five) areas. This information will be provided to us by Lenora herself who in turn heard the hypothesis from a colleague, a history professor at Opelucid University, who has been studying ancient texts dated to the same time period that hint "the keys to Unova's treasure lies in the heavens". With each of the towers being near settlements it would stand to reason that these were regarded as seats of power in ancient times and would thus house treasures and artifacts from the early city-states. Our characters then decide to investigate the towers for whatever personal reasons they may have for doing so. In the original RP, a handful of OU history students were going to act as rivals competing with us for the treasure. We can either keep that aspect as part of the plot, make some other entity/organization serve as rivals including each other, or nix the concept of rivals entirely (especially if one of the new batch of characters ends up being an OU student).

Naturally, like any good treasure, there will be obstacles and traps to navigate. I kinda suck at dungeon building so if anyone wants to take up the mantle of setting puzzles and booby traps, be my guest. What we end up finding in the towers are keys shaped like matryoshka dolls which when combined together in the proper order will open a path to the Entralink where the real treasure resides. Spoiler alert: I don't think we actually came up with what the real treasure actually was. I believe we were just going to wing it and figure something out when we got there. :'D

In any case, each key is also being protected by a Guardian Pokemon. Even though the idea of this RP was forged back in 2013, the comedy of hindsight makes it so you can think of these guardians as a combination of Totem Pokemon and Raid Bosses in that they are stronger than the average specimen of their species, cannot be caught, and require teamwork from multiple Trainers to beat.
The guardians were:
Relic Castle: Volcarona. Because of course. You can blame Volcarona for the whole idea of guardians in the first place due to it being a static encounter in the area in the games.
Celestial Tower: Beheeyem and Chandelure. The idea of fighting the two together came from their Hidden Abilities. In Gen V Chandelure had Shadow Tag which would trap us and Beheeyem had Telepathy which allows it to avoid its partner's spread attacks.
Dragonspiral Tower: Shiny Golurk. Just to piss off Shiny Hunters due to it being uncatchable.
Abyssal Ruins: Eelektross. Unlike 2500 years ago, the tower is now underwater so we would be fighting an Electric-type in saltwater where it also holds a terrain advantage due to its anatomy.
Giant Chasm: Kyurem. Back in 2013 we got permission to use it as the maybe final boss (it would have certainly been the final guardian at least). I'll run this by Stel again just in case there was an expiration date on that. If anything has changed we can come up with a new guardian like Metagross or something.

So yeah. Those were the original ideas for the RP. Obviously this is going to be a new cast so you are all welcome to pitch your own ideas on anything you might want done differently, or subplots that you think might work well alongside what was already established. At it's most basic we'd be doing fite gem git bage and filling out our teams as needed between investigations and dungeon crawls. Any other shenanigans and character goals are always welcome too. As strong as the guardians are, you really don't need an Elite Trainer to beat them. Newbies and casuals will do just as good.

Like this guy here!

Spoiler: Shiro Yukimura

Name: Shiro Yukimura
Gender: Male
Hometown: Castelia City, Unova
Age: 14
Height: 5ft 7in
Weight: 130lbs.
Hair: Messy brown hair that comes down his neck
Eyes: Blue
Clothing: Dark blue jeans, sturdy white running shoes, a dark purple T-shirt, and a forest green windbreaker for when it gets cold.
Identifying Marks: Big ears hidden under his hair
Musculature: Thin build
Personality: Shiro is a competitive young man who tends to rush into things without always thinking them through when his goals are on the line. Otherwise he is very intelligent and good at problem solving when having a cool head to think about the situation rationally. He is a kind, optimistic, and decent person to be around but has a short fuse towards people with arrogant alpha douche tendencies.
Skills: Book smart in academics and the fundamentals of Pokémon Training and Battling but, as a fledgling Trainer, Shiro still has a lot to learn about how the world actually works in practice.
Past:
When Shiro was 5-years-old, his Grandma passed away resulting in his Grandpa Roshi coming to live with him and his parents. Roshi was an avid Pokémon fan who always watched tournament battles on TV which inspired Shiro to become a Pokémon Trainer. His parents were less than thrilled with the prospect, instead wanting their son to get a high paying, high profile job like they had; his mom being a prosecution lawyer and his dad a CEO of a computer company. They didn’t want Shiro to throw away a promising future by becoming some sort of vagabond slacker. Thus a contract was made. On the cusp of his eighth-grade year, Shiro made the following deal with his parents: If he got straight A’s for the entire year and completed Prof. Juniper’s online courses on becoming a Trainer then he would be allowed to go out on his own. Needless to say it was a stressful year for Shiro but he managed to fulfill his end of the bargain so his parents were forced to uphold theirs and let him pursue his dream.

He set off on his journey with his chosen Starter, an Oshawott he named Mizuki, but hit a few roadblocks day one. First, he lost to a Gym Trainer when attempting to challenge his hometown Castelia’s Gym. Following that, he lost to a stronger Trainer who he thought he could beat easily due to them using a Fire-type. The veteran Trainer wasn’t going to let Shiro off the hook that easily and instead gave the newbie much needed advice on what it actually means to be a Trainer and to travel with Pokémon. While Shiro didn’t necessarily take the words to heart at the time, they did make him reflect on his earlier actions and think about the kind of Trainer he wanted to become.

When Shiro left home after some light training in Castelia Park, he decided taking the Sky Arrow Bridge to Pinwheel Forest and Nacrene City would be the easier route than taking the road north through Route 4's desert. The trip proved fruitful as Shiro and Mizuki grew more accustomed to battling with each other and they even welcomed Kisaru the Pansear into the team who also received some training on the way to Nacrene. Regrettably their training proved insufficient against the power of Gym Leader Lenora. Shiro may have left the Gym that day without the Basic Badge, but he was now more determined than ever to get stronger and plan for his battles more carefully. He left to train on Route 3 and in Wellspring Cave where he caught a Drilbur he named Simon. Satisfied with his team's gains, Shiro can only hope that it will be enough in his rematch with Lenora.

Family:
Father: Kyoshiro
Mother: Saya
Younger Brother: Masaru
Youngest Brother: Touya
Grandpa: Roshi
Love Relationships?: None to speak of


Pokémon:
Species: Oshawott
Nickname: Mizuki
Gender: Female
Ability: Torrent
History: An Oshawott born and raised in Unova's esteemed Starter Program. When the time was right, she was chosen by a freshly licensed Trainer named Shiro and sent to his house in Castelia City. Mizuki was a bit overwhelmed at first when meeting her new Trainer and his family but she quickly warmed up to them. What Mizuki didn't take too kindly to was Shiro's impulsivity to send her into battle against every other Trainer he met, particularly ones that were well above his skill level with Pokémon far stronger than she was. Luckily it only took two losses for Shiro to get some sense knocked into him and for him to start paying more attention to her needs. Things may yet work out well for them and their growing team.
Personality: Mizuki is a bit shy, but she can be pretty stubborn when it comes to things she wants. Usually gets stuck trying to keep Kisaru and Simon out of trouble.

Species: Pansear
Nickname: Kisaru
Gender: Male
Ability: Blaze
History: The young Pansear lived in Pinwheel Forest until the day the rustling of his foraging in the tall grass caught the attention of Shiro. The monkey traded blows with Mizuki until he was weakened enough to be caught. He then attempted to play with and test Shiro by pretending he couldn't hear what his new Trainer was saying. When Shiro caught on and found the prank amusing, Kisaru knew he had found a good Trainer and was about to have a fun adventure.
Personality: Kisaru is a strong battler who won’t back down no matter how much damage he sustains. Outside of combat he has a few quirks such as pretending to be hard of hearing. He’s not as gluttonous as most members of his species, but he is prone to getting himself (and his team members) in trouble thanks to his odd habits.

Species: Drilbur
Nickname: Simon
Gender: Male
Ability: Sand Force
Special Features: Larger claws than average
History: While Shiro was training in Wellspring Cave, he noticed the dust cloud of a surfacing Drilbur. Thinking to himself that having a third Pokémon would be to his advantage in his rematch against Lenora, Shiro sent out Mizuki to battle it. The Drilbur proved to be a wily foe who made sport of the young Oshawott until Shiro was able to figure out a way to outsmart the mole by using the underground pond to ambush catch him. As Shiro's newest team member, Simon the Digger remains untested in battle but both are expecting great things from one another.
Personality: Simon has a pretty mild temperament but he also doesn’t mind joining Kisaru in mischief making and at times may even cause more trouble.

Future captures: Zorua, Axew, and Rufflet.

 

[Mr.RMA]

Great to see this reboot taking shape! I've definitely been excited for this one.

On the subject of ideas for the story, I think it would be good to bring back the rivals concept, but as to how that would be carried out, I have a suggestion to throw out there. If we stick to the idea that each rival is directly opposed to a character in the cast, I think it might be neat if each character's rival was actually played by a different writer, as opposed to the same writer portraying both characters pitted against each other, if that makes any sense. I think that could make for an interesting dynamic for each rivalry if people would be up to try such a thing.

Apart from that, here's my character bio:

Name: Tristan Blanche
Gender: Male
Hometown: Lumiose City, Kalos
Age: 17
Height: 6’0
Weight: 135 lbs
Hair: Salt and pepper, with vibrantly-white strands clashing with those that are pitch-dark. It’s enough that a close-up shot of the top of his head could be mistaken for part of a Zebstrika if one didn’t know any better. He keeps it grown out to about shoulder length.
Eyes: Greenish-Hazel
Clothing: A green overcoat over a light-green shirt and darker green cargo slacks, with black and brown tennis shoes and a worn-green kepi cap. Rarely does he dress any lighter than this, as he claims to feel a constant chill, even in tropical climates.
Identifying Marks: Besides the hair, his eyes seem to have permanent dark circles around them, making him look constantly sleep-deprived.
Musculature: A tad underweight, he’s a bit on the slender side of things.
Personality: Despite his appearance, Tristan is a friendly and generally sociable sort, quite mellow for a kid his age. That’s not to say his looks are entirely deceiving however, as the fairly recent trauma he’s experienced from past adventures has left him prone to spacing-out on occasion. Furthermore, if something rouses his suspicions or otherwise piques his curiosity, he’ll suddenly become very inquisitive to the point of nosiness, investigating the subject matter as keenly as possible until he’s satisfied with how much he knows about it. As you might expect, this sort of prying can get him in all sorts of trouble. This is a recurring trait in the Blanche family, and as any of them will tell you, it can be both a blessing and a curse, sometimes to the extreme.
Skills: He’s become a rather skilled amateur sleuth, proving himself to be quite perceptive in investigative matters. When it comes to Pokemon training, he attempts to use the same perception to his team’s advantage, denoting weak points in the opposing team or opportune locations within the battlefield. This strategy has served him well, provided he has enough time to work out a solution.
Past: Tristan spent his entire early childhood and a great deal of his adolescence in his hometown of Lumiose. As a young boy, he lived with his parents and older brother, Denis, in a fairly average sort of living situation, all things considered. This proved to be the way of things until one evening, when Denis’ curiosity of the wilderness just outside the city got the better of him and he snuck out to explore, promising Tristan he’d be back shortly. Denis never came back from his excursion, and the grief-stricken Tristan has always regretted not doing more to stop him from leaving. About a decade would pass, Tristan staying put in Lumiose with a newfound fear of the outside world, spurred further by his parents’ own concerns. It wasn’t until a series of strange dreams started to affect him that he’d ultimately feel pressed to push through this fear and uncover his brother’s fate (The details of which can be found in an ongoing story which can be read here). After this series of adventures and mishaps, Tristan found himself in Unova, and, as he found the region deeply fascinating, decided it was worth staying there for a while longer, renting out an apartment in Driftveil with the help of a resident he assisted in his recent journey.

Family:
Father: Hector
Mother: Madeleine
Brother: Denis
Love Relationships?: None

Pokémon:
Species: Quagsire
Nickname: Quagsire (Sometimes the species name just fits too well)
Gender: Male
Ability: Water Absorb
History: Found wandering about on the north side of Lumiose, Quagsire was Tristan’s first Pokemon, the only non-ghost type, and by far his most conventional catch. He’s been an ever-cheerful friend and confidant of Tristan from nearly the very beginning, and the two have a decent amount of battle experience with each other from many summers of sparring with passing trainers. Through the numerous trials of his ghost-seeking adventures, Quagsire has stuck by Tristan and the rest of his growing team all the while.
Personality: As carefree and simple-minded as most of his kind are, Quagsire’s silly, cheerful nature is a reliable source of comfort for Tristan, particularly in the midst of not-so-happy occasions. That being said, for as scatterbrained as Quagsire can act, when the occasion calls for the nonsense to come to a stop, he can get surprisingly serious. Already a fairly formidable fighter just from a healthy supply of experience, when his otherwise ever-present smile drops, then you can expect to see some pretty major damage done, to put it lightly.

Species: Phantump
Nickname: Denis Blanche
Gender: Male
Ability: Natural Cure
History: Tristan’s older brother who, in his former life, let his curiosity get the better of him, which proved a fatal mistake. In his defense, he had been a young child at the time, excited to go out and explore the Pokemon world for the first time, so a little impatience was to be expected, but venturing off at night on his own was definitely not the smartest decision. This led to a misadventure of getting lost in the woods and having a fatal chance-encounter with an unhinged man and his Gourgeist. His subsequent demise brought about his later reincarnation into a Phantump, albeit one without memory of his human past... until the day his younger brother went looking for him. Though he didn't immediately recognize Tristan, he did feel an inherent need to follow this human. As fate would have it, the same duo that had killed him many years prior had come back that very same day, and upon Tristan nearly suffering the exact same fate, Denis' memories returned to him at once as he fought off his own murderers before they could finish the job a second time, making sure they were ultimately dealt with for good. A somewhat bizarre, yet nonetheless heartwarming reunion ensued, and Denis would help guide his brother out of the woods and back home.
Personality: Much like his younger brother, Denis is a very inquisitive sort. However, his rather tragic death, spurred on by this meddlesome drive, has made him much more wary of potential risks and dangers, something all the more prominent thanks to the instinctive timidity he’d felt throughout his many years as a Pokemon alone in the wilderness. He’s rather highly protective of Tristan, as well as those he considers his friends, and in fact, outside of a conventional battle, he’ll generally only resort to violence if his brother, and to an extent, his team, is in danger. Outside of such circumstances, Denis is all-in-all a kindly, albeit quite modest, sort of fellow.

Species: Honedge
Nickname: Lady Catarina Dragonder
Gender: Female
Ability: No Guard
History: A former knight of Kalos who fought in the ancient war that devastated the region thousands of years ago. Her spirit remained in the sword that had slain her, and in it, she remained almost-completely dormant from the grief and guilt of what had transpired in her final moments as the centuries passed. Such was the case, until a day came when she could stay buried no longer and forced herself to face the new world that awaited at the surface. A timely occurrence, as it was around the same point when another haunted sword was terrorizing a corner of Geosenge Town, and one she had more than a passing familiarity with. She would proceed to meet up with Tristan's team, who were looking in on the matter themselves at the time, and subsequently join forces with them, choosing to remain with the group after the incident in Geosenge was over with.
Personality: She abides by a code of ethics and is generally very respectful and polite to most people, though she occasionally falls victim to her own haughtiness and pride rooted from an aristocratic upbringing. Of course, being a Pokemon, she can usually get away with saying whatever she wants to the average human, but, not-so-much when other Pokemon are involved. When faced with a conflict, the warrior side of her comes out in full force, and her fighting style is generally quite brutal, a product of being trained to fight in wars, not the sparring matches that Pokemon battles tend to be. As such, there are times where she needs to be reined in before she can risk bringing too much damage to herself or others. That being said, when she isn't charging head-first into a skirmish, she's highly capable as a leader, able to take charge of the team in Tristan's stead when the need arises.

Species: Gastly
Nickname: Noboru Satou
Gender: Male
Ability: Levitate
History: In his human life, he was a skilled linguist whose talent blossomed at an early age. He grew up to become a professional interpreter, earning the trust of many an international client. Traveling all throughout the world could lead him to occasional trouble, but in addition to his language mastery, he had a sharp wit that could get him out of most sticky situations. However, for all the cleverness he possessed, his arrogance proved to be his downfall, pushing the buttons of the wrong people who decided to do away with him, in the form of a very-deliberate car crash, manipulated to look like an accident. Just before he breathed his last, his horribly injured body ultimately done in by the exhaust fumes flooding the wrecked vehicle, his killers taunted him with their certainty that they would get away with it. His last thoughts were a mix of hatred and vengeance so strong that they ended up taking hold of his spirit and resurrecting him within the very poisonous gasses that had sealed his fate. As a Gastly, he plotted a means of getting revenge, and doing so in a way where his targets would know it was his doing. He used his linguistic talents to relearn the human speeches that had been lost to him in this new form, but the process took some time, and he lost track of his killers in the meanwhile. This left him more frustrated than ever, and, as fate would have it, this was around the time when Tristan and co. came into the picture.
Personality: Brash; impetuous; self-assured; these are the words that fit Noboru quite perfectly. His new life as a gastly, a creature with a reputation for trickery and prankishness, has only furthered this attitude of his, though, throughout it all, there is nonetheless a considerate soul at his core… provided he deems you worthy of consideration of course. For all the brazenness he exhibits at the expense of Tristan and the rest of the team, he is nonetheless quite firmly loyal to them, and, taking his linguistic skills quite seriously, he never messes around when summoned as a means of communication between two parties.

 

[Rex]

Name: Liam Thompson
Gender: Male
Hometown: Born Rustboro City, Hoenn, raised Eterna City, Sinnoh.
Age: 16
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 145lbs
Hair: Short, brown
Eyes: Blue
Clothing: Black newsboy cap, long sleeved cream button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, sleeveless brown vest, brown cargo pants, black hiking boots.
Identifying Marks: Horizontal scar across the nose.
Musculature: Thin, but slightly toned from traveling.
Personality: Smart and he knows it, Liam’s strives to be taken seriously and relied on by others. He hates when he appears weak – which is effectively a synonym for ‘unknowledgeable’ in his vocabulary. Still, he’s kind, eager to please, and genuinely helpful. On the other hand, he does see any disagreements or questions directed at him as a challenge for him to prove why he is right, rather than just a natural fact of life.
Skills: Liam is a passionate cartographer, skilled in both making and reading maps. He has an eye for his surroundings, and what he lacks in battle skills he makes up for in quick thinking and outside the box strategics.
Past: His parents’ younger son, Liam’s father died in a tragic accident shortly before he was born. To make matters worse, his elder brother was only a year old at the time, still effectively a baby himself. Forced to raise the boys by herself, their mother, Chihiro, had no choice but uproot the family to follow a job opportunity she’d received. The family eventually settled in Eterna City, where Chihiro worked for the subprefecture’s representative in the National Diet, eventually running, and winning, the election to succeed him when he retired.

Chihiro always took a dim view of trainers, and much preferred her sons to focus on getting a real education. She didn’t want them to suffer and scrounge as she had to when they were babies, but, unfortunately, both boys eventually got wanderlust. The arguments became more and more frequent, until Seth, Liam’s elder brother, left home one day and never came back. Sniffer Arcanines working with the police traced the missing boy’s scent all the way to the Old Chateau in Eterna Forest, but the trail went cold there. A few days later, a Buizel showed up on their doorstep. Though a wild Pokemon at the time, he was surprisingly tame. When Liam said he wanted to keep it, Chihiro did not argue, still regretting how badly her last interaction with her elder son went.

Eventually, though, Liam, too, wanted to travel. This time, there were no fights, Liam swore he would keep in contact – a promise he has heretofore kept – and departed home with the Buizel by his side. He first made his way to Johto, where he acquired a Cyndaquil from Professor Elm and a strange Smeargle that had apparently moved south from the Holon region. Together, the trio managed to capture the Gym Badges for Violet City and Azalea Town. Next, Liam came to Unova, where his father’s side of the family hailed from. And it was here that he just so happened to hear about a showcase at the Nacrene City museum about ancient geopolitics, featuring a millennia year old map. What enterprising cartographer could resist?

Family:
Father: Alexander Thompson (Deceased)
Mother: Chihiro Akiyama Thompson
Brother: Seth Thompson
Love Relationships?: None.

Pokémon:
Species: Buizel
Nickname: Seth
Gender: Male
Ability: Swift Swim
History: Seth is, in fact, Liam’s elder brother. This was something he was only able to prove to his brother with great difficulty. His memory of the how is pretty spotty; he remembers an old mansion, a mischievous ghost, and a forgotten lab. More clear in his mind are the memories of waking up in the form he was now well and truly trapped in. He spent some time on the estate grounds, using the old house for shelter, as he got used to his new life, and then made his way home. Things got much easier when he reunited with his family, and now he’s starting to get the hang of this whole Pokemon thing.
Personality: Seth is very protective of his baby brother. The fact that he is now less than half the height and weight of said baby brother is irrelevant, especially since Liam’s not the one with water powers. Seth is opinionated and can be a bit haughty, and he also has a mischievous streak. Still, he’s as reliable and supportive as someone can be in his situation, and is effectively his brother’s biggest supporter on this grand journey the two are going on.

Species: Quilava
Nickname: Flynt
Gender: Male
Ability: Blaze
History: A product of the Johto Starter Pokemon Program, Flynt was acquired as a Cyndaquil in New Bark Town during Liam’s early travels. Though Liam technically had a Pokemon already, being the son of one of the people who can set funding levels for government programs has its advantages. And regardless, being a natural Pokemon as opposed to Seth’s learning on the fly, Flynt proved invaluable in battle and quickly evolved.
Personality: Ironically, the best word to describe Flynt is ‘cold.’ He’s very business-like, and would probably be more at home on the team of a professional battler than a bumbling teenager and his team of weirdos. He is at least a little fond of his teammates, though he likes to pretend otherwise, and takes the time to mentor them in the finer points of battle.

Species: Smeargle
Nickname: Ross
Gender: Male
Ability: Technician
History: Ross is what’s known as a Delta Species, a Pokemon mutated by the electromagnetic waves broadcast by the great tower in the center of the Holon Region. In his case, his Normal Typing was changed to Psychic, but the mutation left him with a weakened immune system, which normally expresses itself in a seemingly incurable cough. Somewhere along the line he managed to Sketch Transform, and he likes to use the move to turn himself into bigger, more dangerous Pokemon whose appearances he’s managed to commit to memory.
Personality: Above all else, Ross hates to be babied. He doesn’t like when people walk on eggshells around him, or take extra care to check in on him. He does not want his illness to define him. Even still, it’s difficult, he tires easy and his reaction speed leaves something to be desired. He can be standoffish at times, and prefers to get things done himself rather than rely on others, but as long as you massage his ego some you can generally convince him to take it easy.

Future captures: Trapinch, Mienfoo, Aron.

Since this is an old RP getting revived, it seemed only right to also revive a bunch of my old character concepts and cobble them together into something presentable. Hopefully I'm a better writer now than I was then, and will be able to do these concepts justice.

As far as rivals go, I'm also interested in the idea of each of us controlling a different character's rival.

 

[Dwayna DragonFire]

Name: Heidi Garnett
Gender: Female
Hometown: Driftveil City, Unova
Age: 17
Height: 5ft 10in
Weight: 150lbs.
Hair: Silver (dyed, actual blonde), tied in a ponytail
Eyes: Yellow (contacts, actual brown)
Clothing: A long dark dress with a purple gem necklace. The necklace itself is an extravagant work of art that she made.
Identifying Marks: She has a beauty mark under her left eye.
Musculature: Petite
Personality: Heidi is an intelligent and ambitious young woman that loves the things that she considers beautiful. She has a commanding presence because of her straightforward approach to life, but that can sometimes come off as her having a lack of care for others. Despite this, Heidi does actually care for others in her own way.
Skills: She chooses to spend much of energy on collecting things to make jewellery, so she has an eye for the value of gems and metals. She is more of a hands on type of learner, but she learns quickly.
Past: Since a young age, Heidi has loved puzzles and collecting things that she found outdoors. An orphan child, she only really had her puzzles. Growing up in the countryside of Driftveil often lead to being bored, as there was little to do all day. She wanted to get out and do more with her life, but as all people know, one cannot easily do that without a PokeMon in hand.

She found much fascination when it came to the subject of gems, especially the more rare and prestigious ones that were attuned to the various Pokemon types. She started to use her collection of various objects to make her own jewellery, her artistic talent encouraged by her teachers. One such teacher named Miss Garnett warmed to Heidi so much that she eventually adopted the young girl as her own. Heidi was happy to have a family at last, having been alone for most of her life.

Under the encouragement of Miss Garnett, Heidi expressed her desire to travel and gather more knowledge of gems and jewellry. The young woman was then given a Misdreavus as a birthday gift one year, Miss Garnett having purchased it from overseas. Heidi was not easily scared by the Ghost-type, and the two eventually became good friends as they went travelling together. With a few more Pokemon under her belt, Heidi eventually returned home for a reunion with her adoptive mother.
Family: Miss Garnett (Adoptive Mother)
Love Relationships?: None to speak of.

Pokémon:
Species: Mismagius
Nickname: Ruby
Gender: Female
Ability: Levitate
History: Given as a birthday gift, Ruby has travelled with Heidi since she was a Misdreavus. In Heidi's ever ongoing search for rare gems, they stumbled upon a Dusk Stone and Ruby willingly fused with it to evolve into Mismagius.
Personality: She's been a bit mischievous in the past, but now Ruby is a pretty cool-headed Pokemon. Often tries to guide Heidi towards hidden treasures.

Species: Boldore
Nickname: Citrine
Gender: Male
Ability: Sand Force
History: Caught as a Roggenrola on Heidi's first forays into the world, this PokeMon has travelled with Heidi for some time. Citrine is eager to help his trainer dig for gems, especially in desert environments.
Personality: Helpful and reliable, Citrine is a positive force on Heidi's team.

Species: Gorebyss
Nickname: Pearl
Gender: Female
Ability: Swift Swim
History: Heidi thought that she was getting a Clamperl out of a trade deal for a Fossil she had found, but upon receiving the PokeMon it evolved immediately. At first, Pearl and Heidi didn't get along well, but eventually they warmed to each other over time. Now Pearl regularly helps on underwater expeditions for rare gems and the like.
Personality: A bit headstrong, but willing to work with her trainer.

Future Catches: N/A (probably gem themed in some way)

 

[Psycho Monkey]

I do like the idea of us writing each other's rivals. I think if everyone is onboard then once everyone has posted their bios, we can figure out who is who's rival and create a character for them too.

Since this came up in chat today, I figured I would delve deeper into the setting we're working with since Unova can be sort of complicated given how the region changes between the four games it features in. Since we'll be visiting Route 4 first, I'm going to say that for the purposes of this RP it's in its BW stage where development is in progress but is stalled due to environmental conditions and red tape. Next we've got Opelucid City which is divided between the historical district and the modern urban district with the Gym nestled between the two in the heart of the city. We will also be following the BW Gym lineup so the Opelucid Gym is co-run by both Drayden and Iris. For Black City and White Forest, my personal headcanon is that they are in the same general area of the map as they appear in game but the paths on Routes 14 and 15 fork with Black City being closer to the coast and White Forest being more inland. So both are present, but are however many kilometers apart.

Also, Victory Road never suffered from a landslide so Route 10 is still intact. That said, Route 23 is still an option for travelling up Victory Road. Not that the RP will have a need to visit Victory Road but the information is there just in case. In Driftveil, the southern part of the city is neither Cold Storage nor Pokémon World Tournament. Rather it is a construction site that will one day become the PWT. If we went down there we would see the skeleton of the stadium taking shape. Undella Town will still have its Marine Tube as well as the path to travel through Reversal Mountain to Lentimas Town. That could be useful to us incase we wanted to take a plane across the region in either direction as we'll be exploring both Abyssal Ruins and Celestial Tower. All other BW and B2W2 areas such as Relic Passage, Clay Tunnel, Seaside Cave, and Challengers Cave will be accessible to us. At the very least, Relic Passage will be useful to us plot wise with the rest being potential shortcuts or simply areas to explore because they're there.

If anyone has any other questions or suggestions, you know where to find me.

 

[StellarWind Elsydeon]

So here's this lady. Just as a heads up, I'm not particularly into the rivalry shenanigans and would rather stay out of them personally, if possible. <<

Name: Talia Levine
Gender: Female
Hometown: Currently Opelucid City, Unova - originally from Syona.
Age: 18
Build: About 1.65m tall, curvy.
Hair: Dirty blond, wavy, reaches about the back of her neck, and prone to some frizzing.
Eyes: Hazel.
Clothing: She's normally spotted in loose-fitting but not baggy clothes and round, bronze-framed glasses. Her favourite ensemble of the now involves a muted pink shirt with a slit collar and floral designs embroidered in dark brown around the neckline, a dusty dark purple, nearly black jacket, timber green trousers and black leather combat boots. She also typically carries a brown leather messenger bag and typically wears Opelucid City's Legend Badge - the first and only (so far) gym badge that she won - on the lapel of her jacket.
Identifying Marks: None in particular to speak of.
Personality: A bit of a wallflower, Talia typically keeps to herself, her partner Pokémon and her books unless approached - though she is friendly enough on such occasions. She enjoys learning new things and solving puzzles, and part of the reason she is doing this whole journey thing is to learn more about Unova as part of a general attempt to become more familiarized - and, though she wouldn't admit it immediately - more comfortable with the region as a whole. She isn't prone to planning much in advance, preferring to go with the flow, and is not at all competitive by nature, preferring more collaborative solutions instead. She nonetheless enjoys Pokémon battling, typically preferring multi-battle styles than single-battle styles.
Skills: She's a bit of a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none, I-have-approximate-knowledge-of-many things type, to be honest.
Past: Talia was born in Syona - a small region known largely for a thriving high-tech and R&D industry and a long and complicated history - and had what one would call a fairly peaceful childhood, without any particular earth-shaking events. While her mother pursued a career in said high-tech industry and often worked late hours, Talia spent quite a bit of time growing up with her father - whose line of work as a craftsman of artisanal furniture allowed him to work from home (where he had his workshop) while also functioning as a stay-at-home dad. Weekends were often spent as a family - and typically nature hikes and occasional camping trips were involved - and some more hands-on lessons about travelling the wilds and basic Pokémon training than those the school system provided. Through these trips and hikes, over the course of roughly two years, the Petilil and the Pichu that found their way to her when she was eleven blossomed and evolved to their final stages, stalwart companions and protectors that the girl could trust with her life.

As her thirteenth birthday ticked by, she found herself pondering the idea of actually setting off on one of those big cross-region journeys on her own. Before she could float that idea to her parents, though, fate decided to intervene. Her mother received a major promotion opportunity involving relocation to Unova - and suddenly, the family found itself moving across an ocean to a distant region - and her chance of flying solo in her home region was lost.

Coping with a change this big can be somewhat of a daunting prospect for anyone - and Talia's new environment felt like an alien planet rather than a different region - cities and routes, flora and fauna that she had no knowledge of, new cultural contexts and dialect differences that she did not understand yet - and even her new home city was a confusing patchwork of meticulously preserved historical districts and futuristic technological districts that seemed to be ripped straight from a bad science fiction film, future and past silently glaring at each other across a chasm of time. It certainly made the girl crave the familiar and cling to it as much as she could. Having her Pokémon with her certainly helped, as did the ability to keep at least somewhat in touch with the friends she had back home by online means - but both her parents were now busier than ever before, and over the years, changing experiences led to her having less and less in common with her old friends, whereas new meaningful friendships just didn't seem to form for her. Talia proceeded to fill her time with reading, studying various subjects that caught her fancy (without specializing in anything in particular) and occasional bouts against local trainers at the Battle House (and later, as she became somewhat more comfortable with her new environs, the Battle Subway as well) more for the benefit of her partners than her own. At one point, she even challenged Drayden, the local gym leader - and managed to narrowly squeeze a victory through, thanks in no small part to the partial Fairy-type nature of her Lilligant (the seasoned veteran leader, naturally, had ways around this - but the type advantage absolutely still helped).

And so Talia drifted through life for the next five years, until the realization that she was utterly devoid of direction hit her hard at the age of 18 - and one day, hearing about what seemed to be a particularly interesting exhibit about Unovan history that was to be held in Nacrene Museum, she had a clear fit of "ah, fuck it" and decided that she will go there, see the exhibit, and launch herself off on a full on journey at long last. See where the wind takes her. Maybe she'll have some life-changing revelation on the road, or at the very least an idea for a major to pick in some more advanced education. Maybe this will be a colossal waste of time. Maybe it's Maybelline.

Family:
She is an only child, and has a fairly good relationship with her parents - despite some concerns they have regarding her future. Whatever other relatives she may have, they're back at Syona and unlikely to play much of a part in her story here.

Love Relationships?:
Do crushes on fictional characters count? <<;

Pokémon:

Species: Lilligant (Syonan Form)
Nickname: Raya
Gender: Female
Ability: Triage
History: Raya was the first Pokémon Talia captured, during a weekend trip to one of the northern forests of Syona when she was 11. She was practicing her throws, not expecting to actually catch anything - and acted on instinct when she saw a rustle in the nearby vegetation. Despite being a rather impromptu catch, the girl and the then-Petilil bonded very quickly - and just like that, Talia became a trainer.
Stepping away from her forest home proved a somewhat disorienting experience for Raya at first, but the strangeness was soon replaced with curiosity as Raya soon realized that just because the voices of nature were not as distinct at her new home, they weren't muted altogether, and new experiences opened her eyes to new things. Though a competent battler when she needed to be, Raya was far more interested in soothing conflicts and mending hurts than in causing them, only battling if she could not defuse a situation. Evolution has given her a wider arsenal of moves both curative and offensive, and she often serves a supporting role in the team, often backing up Anastasia in double battles.
Personality: A gentle, nurturing soul, Raya is a healer through and through... for better or for worse. She travels to alleviate the hurts of the world, and witnessing pain and suffering that is beyond her ability to soothe despite her best efforts - and individuals who recklessly endanger themselves over a reasonably necessary extent - can make her somewhat surly, and when that crosses a certain threshold, that's when rather impressive floral explosions tend to happen. Her trainer often jokes that Raya battles to regulate her osmotic balance - gotta keep all that salt in check somehow!

Species: Raichu (Syonan Form)
Nickname: Anastasia
Gender: Female
Ability: Stance Change
History: Talia and Raya came across Anastasia as a Pichu, seriously injured and cornered by a Ground-type predator. Unable to leave the little creature at the mercy of its attacker, the two sprang to action, and after a fairly fierce battle, drove the predator away away. Using her recently acquired Pollen Puff technique, Raya helped the Pichu recover from the worst of her wounds and the Electric-type, in gratitude, decided to join the two.
Perhaps due to this experience - or perhaps Anastasia has always been like this? - the Pichu was left with a burning desire to become stronger and prove herself. This often led her to push herself to new heights, sometimes leading her to bite more than she could chew. Nevertheless, with time and with the support of her trainer and her team-mate's penchant for healing, Anastasia became stronger and more capable of conquering the challenges she set for herself, evolving into a Pikachu and eventually into a Raichu. In the early months following Talia's move to Unova, Anastasia virtually never left her side, acting practically as a bodyguard - and while she appreciated it at first, she couldn't help but worry that fretting over her was stressing the Raichu out - which convinced her to seek an outlet for these feelings. This is what led her to the Battle House (and later the Battle Subway) to begin with and helped her really start the process of adapting to her new home in earnest.

Personality: Anastasia's desire to prove herself has mellowed somewhat over years of training and evolution into a quiet, confident strength born of her desire to protect those she holds dear - and at times, this leads her to take actions that may be somewhat reckless. Regardless of this, Anastasia still remembers her younger days and the feeling of powerlessness that came with them - and still dreads the possibility that despite how far she's come since those days, she may one day find herself in a situation where her power wouldn't be enough.

Species: Egg
A blue egg with a strange, almost-reflective sheen to its surface, which Talia acquired under rather unusual circumstances. During one of her Battle Subway rides, she encountered a breeder from the Galar region who was on holiday in the Unova region, and defeated her in a double battle. Impressed with the synergy between Talia's partners - and the fact they were regional forms hitherto unknown to her - the breeder decided to reward her with an egg that she has been carrying with her. While she did not tell Talia what kind of creature it may hatch into ("After all, why spoil the surprise?"), she did mention that the species was a rare species native to her homeland. As of yet, this egg is yet to hatch.

Future captures: Mienfoo, Pawniard and Sigilyph. The egg she carries will hatch into a Sobble.

 

[Psycho Monkey]

Subway map made by @Rex for a reference incase anyone needs it.