Name: Adam Matthew Zeppelin
ID Number: 13920
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Physical Description: At 18, Adam stands tall at a good six feet, but this only makes him slightly taller than usual and not that much difference over the average height of an 18-year old. His build is slim and would be normally considered as an athletic physique by most, more adept to running or swimming than any other type of sport, but he doesn’t really have a great deal of muscle mass to make him super-strong. It basically just gives him the appearance of being in shape – which he is. Adam’s head is pretty straightforward in design: it is configured like an upside-down heart, albeit one with a rounded top, whilst in the middle of his face is a regular-sized straight Greek nose.
Adam’s skin is quite pale, but not overly so; it simply looks lighter than usual. His complexion is best described as fair, as it burns far more easily than it tans from the sun. As he’s gone through puberty, or has at least made it to the final stages, his skin feels rather coarse; having lost the softness he once had when he was younger. His eyes are typically European in appearance: a vague oval shape with the irises taking up most of the white space. In Adam’s case, his irises are a startling deep blue. His hair is unidirectional; it juts out in every which way known to Man and then some. It’s of medium length, cutting off before it reaches the nape of the neck, and in a dirty blond colour, slightly darker than the typical blond, in a shade between blond and brown, but could probably be better described as light brown.
As for clothing, Adam dresses in a type of suit or school uniform; he feels more comfortable in the style best described as “geek chic”, which is no bad thing. Basically, his usual set of attire consists of a white, short-sleeved button-up shirt, with every button with the exemption of the topmost one - that which joins the two parts of the collar together - done up. It's unlikely you'll see these buttons, however, as they're usually covered by a straight, black tie done in a Windsor knot running down the front of the shirt. To make up for the lack of arm coverage, he dons a jet-black double-breasted blazer over his chest, with the edges of the lapels gilded with white. Two large pockets drape down on either side of the blazer, just a few inches above the hem of it, storing his glasses. For everything else, he has his backpack. Like his blazer, it is ebony in colour, with red stripes across the bottom and arcing upwards across it, and contains his spare clothes, a standard first aid kit, food for both him and his Pokémon, a silver-and-black sleeping bag, and other necessities needed for travel.
The attire on Adam’s legs basically carry on the whole “school uniform” look he has going for him. They're a very dark grey, and cover his legs entirely down to his ankles, which in turn are covered by a pair of black socks. Adam holds them up with an ebony, faux-leather belt with a silver buckle; otherwise, they'd slip down to his ankles, and give the whole world a nice view of his underwear; that, and they hold his Pokéballs for him. His feet are encased in a pair of dress shoes in the same colour as his blazer, and while they have been cleaned pretty thoroughly, it's still possible to see the faint remains of mud near the soles. Adam's slightly shortsighted, and so sometimes wears a pair of wireframe, gunmetal-grey glasses to correct his vision. On his right wrist is a standard silver Pokégear with black and red highlights.
Personality: For the most part, Adam comes across as being rather shy, quiet and introverted, but also rather friendly. Afraid of being judged and hated, he tries to appeal to as many people as possible so they won’t turn their backs on him. Maybe because he hasn’t spent a great deal of close social contact with people, but he has trouble expressing his emotions and often chooses not to as he isn’t sure how to do so. As such, he appears rather withdrawn and indifferent, and has often been described as lacking a backbone. This isn’t down to self-loathing, but he doesn’t have a great deal of confidence. Whenever he goes into a battle, he goes in believing he isn’t going to win, and even if he’s formed a brilliant strategy, he will pick holes in it and second-guess himself.
Despite this, Adam isn’t one to run away. Even if he doesn’t believe he has a chance of victory, he will go in and give it his all anyhow. He’s fully aware of his own faults, and is always trying to improve, and can appear gentle, polite and compassionate; he empathises towards the plights of others, but this is negated by the fact he wouldn’t normally be sure how to deal with them. Still, you have to give him points for trying, at least. Adam seems to enjoy training, and while it was mainly for his own self-serving reasons to start with, he has gained a sort of zest as time has passed; there’s a real thrill in it, and this has ultimately given him resolve and a fair bit of confidence as well.
Background: Adam was born in Goldenrod City to a young couple, Jonathan and Laura, who had married a few years after they left college. When it came to naming their child, they decided to make his first and middle names begin with the first and middle letters of the alphabet respectively; “A”, “M”, and “Z”. Jonathan had managed to acquire a job as an assistant to Professor Birch, so the Zeppelin family moved to Mauville City in the Hoenn region, and threw himself into his work. As such, Adam spent his early years with his mother and didn’t see a great deal of his father, so naturally grew attached to her. However, at age 8, the spark in his parents’ marriage died out, and they divorced, but on equal terms, and have a…decent relationship, for want of a better term. This was a major shock to Adam, and ultimately the reason why he has become rather withdrawn.
Laura obtained the greater part of custody over Adam, so in that sense, nothing much had changed, with the exception of possible mental scarring from the divorce. A year after that, he got a sort of “stepfather”: Ryan Krohn, a journalist and photographer who worked for The Mauville Times. The two hit it off as the result of a chance meeting in the centre of Goldenrod and struck up a relationship. Adam was initially weary of the stranger, and didn’t talk to him much, but following the boy looking at one of Ryan’s articles and finding it rather funny, he eventually warmed towards him. Interestingly, Adam had no plans to become a Pokémon Trainer; he planned to be a journalist, and had even started writing articles of his own under the pseudonym “Tabris”, which quickly became his name for all things online.
However, Adam started training at the age of 15, simply because Ryan thought it might be good if he tried something new for once. Initially taken aback by this and refused almost from the off, eventually he was persuaded into doing it after he was told it would attract more people to his own personal webpage if he regaled them with derring-do tales of battling and adventure. His first Pokémon was a Ralts he nicknamed Rave; the two didn’t get along too well when Adam took one look at the Pokémon and immediately assumed it was a female, only to be told gently by Ryan that it was biologically a male. Needless to say, they didn’t get along too well to start with, mainly due to Rave’s aggressive personality and Adam’s passive, timid nature, added to his need to call his mother every step of the way to assure her he was OK. Fortunately, once Adam had mustered just enough confidence to direct Rave in battle – once he had learnt Confusion – the two hit their stride.
During his travels, which he updated on his website whenever he had access to a computer at a Pokémon Centre, he managed to assemble a team and earned all eight Gym Badges, with the aim of entering the Hoenn League. Adam didn’t aim to win, just to get as far as he could, but in his journeys, and throughout the tournament, to his surprise, he discovered he genuinely enjoyed battling. Eventually, he lost, finishing 15th altogether. Naturally, he felt disappointed, but when he returned to Mauville, he was greeted enthusiastically, almost – dare he consider it? – like a hero. This was a massive step for Adam; he had travelled independently across an entire country for a whole year and entered a tournament! He never even dreamed of doing it beforehand.
With this newfound confidence, Adam eventually started travelling across the Pokémon World, visiting Johto and training all over the country, sometimes visiting the Dragons’ Den, but usually getting thrashed by the master. While there, he decided to earn the Badges there, but not with the aim of competing in the Johto League. Adam currently has started training in the Battle Tower in Olivine, and has given himself the aim to try and get further up with each challenge. Following the end of one of his challenges, he overheard two kids talking about the Rumble Island Tournament Extravaganza, or RITE for short. Searching the Internet for it, information on it was scarce, but had his mind set on entering it, viewing it as the ultimate challenge.
Other: Adam is right-handed; his favourite phrase is “Kyôka Suigetsu” (Mirror Flower Water Moon); and he enjoys sweet foods like desserts or fruits, notably Rawst and Sitrus Berries for the latter. He uses the name Tabris when online and it’s listed as his name in the Pokégear, in the same manner as a username.
Pokémon:
Species: Gallade
Gender: Male
Given Name: Rave
Personality: Having spent his earlier years being mistaken for a girl, Rave is now blatantly determined to appear – and act – as masculine as possible. He’s very cocky, viewing anyone apart from his teammates as worthy to sit at his heel for all he cares. Due to his half Fighting-type bloodline, Rave isn’t one to turn down a fight, and will battle until either he or the opponent are knocked out, or he gets interrupted. Rather stubborn, Rave doesn’t let things drop, and will attempt to continue battling through an affliction until it’s physically impossible for him to do so. The risks he often takes leaves his fellows and Adam to wonder whether he’s crazy; as far as the Gallade is concerned, however, only he can call himself crazy. He’s somewhat of a male chauvinist, but in the sense he’ll intervene to try and save any females from getting a beating. This attitude, and their two styles of fighting, has led Rave and Savate to develop a rivalry of sorts, and the two often spar against each other. Hence, Adam has made it a point not to send them out in a double battle unless he’s really stumped. Despite his somewhat arrogant attitude, Rave fights fairly, bowing to his opponent and not pulling any sort of dirty tricks. As such, he isn’t one to use TMs unless it gives him an advantage in some way. The Gallade’s strengths lie mainly in his arm-blades; he has mastered Night Slash, Leaf Blade and Psycho Cut, as a way of trying to overcome Shadow Ball and Psychic – for the first and third moves – by his own effort. The method of using his arm-blades is similar to typical Japanese swordsmanship. Rave’s style is mainly “hit-and-run”, making light clean attacks and then speeding away. As a Fighting-type, he has a good deal of physical strength, but his Psychic abilities are prone to faltering, so he doesn’t really rely on them often.
Other: He’s very much a normal Gallade in appearance only, and can be seen sparing – albeit casually – with Savate. Rave is also rather well-versed in battôjutsu, or quick draw, so the speed of his slashes are increased; since he lacks sword sheaths for this, he merely pulls his arms back and rushes forward instead. He also has the unique ability to delete parts of his memories if he doesn’t like them or is embarrassed by them. He knows Thunderbolt from a TM.
Species: Pidgeot
Gender: Female
Given Name: Arael
Personality: Like most Pidgeot, Arael is very calm and collected, and isn’t one to rush in without any sort of thought. She’s pretty much the tactician of the group, and with her incredibly sharp eyes, doesn’t make a move unless she’s calculated all the possibilites…or as many as she can think of, that is. Her mindset is pretty straightforward: every solution has a problem. Don’t argue with it; just accept it. Trouble is, in battle, the circumstances are forever changing and her teammates make it more complicated. Analytical by nature, Arael will be the one who scans for the window of opportunity, and then zoom straight for it, akin to a hunter. The Pidgeot is confident in her abilities, but doesn't let it go to her head like Rave, and takes battles seriously. She does get annoyed by his teammates’ “antics”, shall we say, but respects everyone and does care for him. Still, she takes the middle ground in arguments; she maintains a neutral disposition in cases like that. Arael’s strengths lie mainly in her speed, and is more skilled in Flying-based attacks, notably Air Slash.
Other: Arael’s name comes from the patron angel of birds, is used as aerial transport, and is slightly larger in size. You’d be hard-pressed to spot this, however. She knows Fly through an HM.
Species: Golduck
Gender: Male
Given Name: Savate
Personality: Savate is quite perceptive and calm for a Golduck (well, when compared to his previous form as a Psyduck), and does tell people what they need to hear, rather then they what they want to hear. However, he’s quite emotional, and loses his temper or bursts into tears pretty easily. Savate is also extremely amorous, flirting with every attractive female Pokémon he runs into, leading many to dub him as “perverted”. He is constantly trying to get a partner, and often does flatter them, breaking his “rule” on telling people what they need to hear and fabricating elaborate descriptions on how beautiful and divine they truly are. Clearly, he needs to read more of Mr. Shakespeare’s work. He’s also not above using his own psychic abilities to probe his object of attraction’s mind, much to Adam’s annoyance, so he is also a voyeur in that regard. Tying in with this, Savate would never hurt a woman, nor will he let them be insulted; he considers himself a handsome fairytale prince. Nobody has yet to agree with this. Naturally, this code of honour is a hindrance against female opponents, and will refuse to attack until a) he’s knocked out; or b) they hit him hard enough to temporarily force him to break his credo. Despite being a bit of a pervert, Savate is really quite good-natured. Savate is one of the stronger Pokémon on Adam’s team. He fights in a fighting style he devised called Ayanami (Cresting Waves), a combination of Capoeira and the damaging/sacrificial Blood Leg, mostly relying on dance-like kicks and seldom relying on his hands except for supporting his legs. In the way of special attacks, Savate shines in Water and Ice-types, but also knows Zen Headbutt as well. Savate is also a good tactician, his psychic abilities helping in that regard; however, this is only if the situation needs it, so pretty rare in battle.
Other: Savate's name comes from a French fighting style similar to Capoeira, which was developed by sailors when fighting on rocking ships; it utilises the hands to support the body and add force to the kicks. This is similar to how Savate fights. Ayanami is the name for a class of Fubuki battleships. Savate also has an interest in cooking and plans to be a Pokémon chef one day. The gem in his head is also slightly faded, so it appears pink. While it doesn't appear to be of much difference to his abilities, this may explain why he doesn't use much of his tactician skills in battle often. He knows Ice Beam through a TM.
Species: Houndoom
Gender: Male
Given Name: Sirius
Personality: While he’s technically one of the older Pokémon, Sirius is very happy-go-lucky, taking life in its stride and extracting great pleasure in exploring the world. Because of his somewhat headstrong attitude, he’s prone to getting himself into difficult situations, but attempts to rough them out to the best of his ability. Sirius is always alert, despite his rather goofy behaviour, and doesn't let down his guard quite so easily. He isn't exactly a "dumb puppy" either, as he does have a bit of brains; however, Sirius is quite simple-minded, and is more prone to taking the direct approach than an intricate, complex plan, because he can't quite get his head around them. Rather, his intelligence is more based on perception; while he lacks the abilities of Arael, he can pick up minor details pretty well. This simple-minded way of thinking is probably best: give Sirius one thing to focus on, and he'll strive to do it; give him many things for him to focus on, and he just won't know where to begin. He's prone to fits of aggression, which kick in when he's out of options or trying to protect Adam. Fiercely loyal to his Trainer, he'll follow his instructions to the letter.
Other: Pretty much a normal Houndoom in appearance. He prefers sweet foods, like Adam, but has a certain love of cotton candy.
Species: Manectric
Gender: Male
Given Name: Blitz
Personality: Compared to his teammates, Blitz comes across as a more serious character. Generally, he's quite reserved and focused, and isn't at all arrogant or cocky; Blitz is aware of his abilities and his limitations and isn't one to try and push those boundaries in the middle of battle. He works hard at everything he does, and doesn't believe in taking life easy. Every day represents a new challenge and he's only too keen to try and overcome them. He's staunchly loyal to Adam, and won't disobey an order; he follows them the instant they're given. Despite his patient nature, Blitz is prone to losing his temper in a rather exaggerated manner; a notable telltale on how this is going to happen is his fur starts to slowly build up with electricity. The more volts that start to dance, the angrier he gets; it's basically a type of mood ring. Blitz is good friends with Sirius, and the two have a rather healthy competitive relationship, unlike Savate and Rave. Battle-wise, Blitz is very competent, and specialises in making quick, damaging blows. He's more focused on dealing damage than boosting his abilities. His main strength is his Electric-type moves, but unusually has even learnt Fire-type moves. This was mainly done to add a bit of variation on Blitz's behalf, but since he knows Rain Dance, they'll be weakened anyway.
Other: Blitz wears a collar of sorts: it looks like a crimson bandanna with golden thunderbolt markings covering it, and is tied around his neck. However, attached to the bandanna is a shard of a Damp Rock, designed to draw out the effects of Rain Dance for longer; that is, a hole has been drilled through, and the bandanna looped through it. The effects of the Rock don’t change a great deal, however. He knows Rain Dance through a TM.
Species: Roselia
Gender: Female
Given Name: Reinette
Personality: Reinette is probably the only one amongst Adam’s team that is the most “normal”; she keeps her emotions under control and doesn’t go into rampages as a result, and always seems to remain calm, with a serene smile ever present. The only “quirk” she has is her touch for the macabre; Reinette is the one to point out the facts that are considered gross or morbid, which creeps out her fellow Pokémon. This would help some, as she wouldn’t easily be scared by Ghost-types. She's well aware she's one of two females in a team of males, leaving many to suspect she was captured just for a bit of variation; and in all respects, that would be a good assumption. However, Reinette describes being amongst a pack of rough-and-tumble males as “her place”. If Adam could describe her as an attack, he’d choose Ingrain; she is stubborn and honest and will keep going even after another Roselia would have given up. Reinette is highly intelligent, one of the smarter members of Adam’s team, and is capable of outwitting most – if not all – opponents. As a combatant, Reinette is a good tactician and doesn’t tend to move, instead delivering attacks from where she stands; however, when required to move, she “dances” – for want of a better term – around the field elegantly. One strong blow is enough to knock her “dancing” off-balance. When combined with Ingrain, this makes her quite formidable.
Other: A normal Roselia in appearance. Reinette is a keen historian, and can understand the human language to the point she has an in-depth knowledge of modern history and culture.