[hider=Anthony "Ant" Sterling][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/9fzFCZQ.png[/img] (this is a placeholder image until I get the chance to draw him for real.) [i][b]“You talk a lot of smack. Better be prepared to back it up.”[/b][/i][/center] [hr] [h3][b]MAIN PROFILE[/b][/H3] [b]Name:[/b] Anthony “Ant” Sterling [b]Age:[/b] 25 [b]Gender:[/b] Male [b]Birthplace:[/b] Wyndon [b]Appearance Information:[/b] Ant is rather tall at 190 centimeters, though rather lanky. Although he used to slouch, his Pokemon and friends have recently encouraged him to “walk like a gym leader”, with greater confidence. Betraying his humble origins, much of his clothing is made of expertly-made white silks, dyed with purple and green accents. His brown, medium-length hair and beard are normally unkempt, but are styled into something resembling antennae and mandibles respectively when he enters the fray (his Leavanny insisted that he incorporate this style into his wardrobe). His complexion is that of someone who spends a great deal of time in the sun. [b]Personality:[/b] Anthony loves Pokemon of all varieties (especially Bug-types), and thinks of battling as an art and a science. While initially quite shy, anyone who shows Ant affection will quickly realize that he’s got one hell of a motormouth. Tenfold when intoxicated. Although generally pleasant to be around, he is reserved around strangers. The exception, of course, is if someone tries to belittle his team. Knowing that Bug-types are typically regarded as weak, he revels in the opportunity to upstage a cocky challenger thinking they’d just walked into his gym for an easy badge. Ant can be rather insecure about his gym not getting the respect it deserves, and is quick to launch into long tirades about how his strategies mitigate Bug-types’ weaknesses while playing to their strengths. In terms of sportsmanship, Ant gives as good as he gets, shaking hands and congratulating or consoling challengers who show the appropriate level of respect, and relentlessly mocking those who dismiss his arthropod-inspired party as an easy win. Anyone who talks the talk had better be able to walk the walk as well; he takes a stoic joy from beating those who can’t. Ant believes that he is not respected by his peers. He works as hard as he can to change that, but it weighs on him. [b]Short Biography:[/b] The Sterling family grew up in a poor neighbourhood of Wyndon. It is rather ironic that in one of the world’s most famous and populous cities, with Pokemon masters all around, that Anthony grew up rather poor. While they seldom went hungry, Ant remembers many cold nights in a small, poorly-heated house, with only his mother’s Lampent to keep them warm, and Ant could not afford the expense of potions, adventuring supplies, Pokeballs and evolutionary items to pursue his Pokemon-training dream. Getting a Snom was not meant to kickstart Sterling’s journey as a trainer, but did so anyways. Flurry’s egg was supposed to hatch into a living air conditioner to keep their small house from overheating during the summer months, but as Ant spent his summer vacation days at home with his parents out working, the two bonded. He began to battle alongside the tiny creature, admiring her grit and determination as the two of them added more members to their team. Ant had no sponsor, instead grinding his way through the minor league over a period of several years, honing his team in the process. By the time he’d racked up enough clout to take on the major league, he had been tapped by one of the minor leaguers as a potential successor for a Bug-type gym, whose leader had abandoned it due to too few challengers. Ant, forever determined to prove the value of his favourite type, worked tirelessly to get the gym on par with the others in the minor league. Cultivating this temple of devotion to Bug-type excellence has been his main priority for the past several years. Now that he has done so, he wants to take on the major league and prove once and for all that Bugs can battle with the best of ‘em. Ant has earned every inch along his journey, reveling in defeating everyone along the way who dared to underestimate him. [b]Likes:[/b] Pale Ale Dancing (especially of the Quiver and Sword varieties) Going for long walks and runs Basketball Cheesecake Entomology Etymology Paleontology Baking Trash-talkers who can back up their trash-talk [b]Dislikes:[/b] Being alone, although he’d never admit it Zucchini Cocky challengers Birdlike Pokemon Trash-talkers who can’t back up their trash-talk [b]Quirks:[/b] Anthony, despite enjoying drinking with close friends, is a massive lightweight. Ant is tall and athletic enough to just barely dunk a basketball. Ant keeps a detailed profile not only on his opponents, but each of their individual Pokemon, in order to gain any strategic advantage he can. Ant wears the number 41. There isn’t any sentimental reason for it; he just likes the number. [hr] [h3][b]LEAGUE PROFILE[/b][/H3] [b]Type Specialty:[/b] [b]League Ranking:[/b] Minor [b]League Placement:[/b] Probably high up? [b]Gym Location:[/b] [Don't worry about this at the moment. Will be decided after people are accepted.] [b]Gym Description:[/b] [Don't worry about this at the moment. Will be decided after people are accepted.] [hr] [h3][b]POKEMON[/b][/H3] [hider=League Team] [i][The team your character uses to face off against Gym Challenge contestants. If they are placed lower, their team will be weaker, and vice versa. Again, don't worry about this for the moment as it will be decided when people are accepted. Make sure to describe your Pokemon's name, appearance, and personality as you create your teams.][/i] [b][u][Pokemon #1]:[/u][/b] [b][u][Pokemon #2]:[/u][/b] [b][u][Pokemon #3]:[/u][/b] [i]...[/i][/hider] [hider=Main Team] [b][u][Scizor (Clawson, sometimes called “the Claw”)]:[/u][/b] Without a doubt, Clawson is Ant’s most experienced fighter. Clawson’s agile Bullet Punches and Wing Attacks can terrorize even the mightiest of foes, and his favourite technique is the deadly Swords Dance. Clawson is a respected leader among the other Pokemon in his team, and conducts himself with the seriousness and chivalry of a knight. He enjoys being called “sir”, and one will be greeted by the telltale clang of steel on steel when he salutes. On his chest, he proudly displays the same emblem on the badge which a trainer earns upon defeating his master. [b][u][Leavanny (Taylor)]:[/u][/b] Taylor is certainly no slouch in a fight, moving with the grace and speed of a dancer. However, she is even more useful helping Anthony to train and nurture his younger Pokemon so that they are capable of partaking in battle. This Leavanny is highly intelligent and endeavors to make herself useful in any way she can, often trying to “manage” Ant’s activities when he leaves her outside of her Pokeball, to varying degrees of success. She can be a bit overbearing. She and Clawson seem to have taken a shine to each other, and Ant thinks it’s adorable. She has sprouted several red flowers of various shapes and sizes across her body, likely intentionally cultivated for appearance’s sake. [b][u][Heracross (Chuck)]:[/u][/b] A fast-moving bruiser who can take hits as well as he dishes them out, Chuck will toss his enemies around like they’re made of styrofoam to disorient them before trying to finish them off entirely. Chuck is perhaps a bit over-reliant on his physical strength and bulk, and uses his speed to attack more than to dodge. He acts similarly outside of battle: rashly and brutishly, although fortunately he is quite friendly. He wears a yellow headband. [b][u][Galvantula (Fuzzy)]:[/u][/b] This tricksy, clever planner always makes efforts to get a leg (or eight) up on whomever she happens to be facing. She will draw elaborate schemes in the dirt prior to a battle beginning, though they are incomprehensible to both people and Pokemon. Fuzzy, though scatterbrained, is very creative in her fighting style, laying down traps and webs to slow down her opponents as she darts around the arena. Chances are if Fuzzy sees battle, she and Anthony have already consulted about a complex strategy for a particular type of Pokemon. [b][u][Golisopod (Sheldon)]:[/u][/b] Sheldon’s shell is as hard as rock, and although he doesn’t move particularly fast, he is always watching his opponent carefully, waiting for his chance to land a decisive strike. Sheldon generally enjoys his solitude, but he has found a kindred spirit in his trainer. It is Sheldon whose strategy in battle is most similar to Anthony’s: wait for an opening, allow your opponent to underestimate you, and when the time is right, cut them down for their overconfidence. Sheldon seeks to decisively beat his opponents by outsmarting them, and although he may take a quiet joy in knowing he’s gotten the better of someone, he rarely shows it. He has a series of battle scars and scratches along the carapace on his arms, though these disappear when he molts. [b][u][Volcarona (Ruby, sometimes jokingly called “Spicy Moth”)]:[/u][/b] One of Ant’s least obedient Pokemon also happens to be one of his most powerful. Ruby has had an ego her entire life, although said ego was maximized after her evolution. It doesn’t exactly help that many of Ant’s other Pokemon happen to be weak to fire types, and thus reluctant to stand up to her haughtiness. Still, her prowess in combat is practically unmatched, and she is gifted in a wide range of techniques which allow her to dispatch enemies of many different types. Her arrogance is often her downfall. [/hider] [hider=Benched Pokemon] [b][u][Crustle (Brick)]:[/u][/b] Brick is content to let the world pass him by, either unaware or unaffected by the chaos all around him. Brick is Brick, the Crustle, who’s just as likely to smash his own shell and use it as a weapon as he is to tank a hit from a dangerous foe. He and Sheldon get along absolutely amazingly, standing around and not talking or doing anything. [b][u][Snom (Flurry)]:[/u][/b] This little Snom was Ant’s first Pokemon. Although she and Anthony are as close as a trainer and Pokemon can be, Flurry’s slowness to evolve has privately frustrated Anthony to the point of scarcely using her in battle, for fear of her safety against much larger, more powerful opponents. For Flurry’s part, there’s not a Pokemon in Galar more determined: she never stops trying, and will take on any battle no matter how one-sided it may be. Ant’s overprotectiveness bothers Slushy considerably. Ant has her listed as a backup primarily for emotional support, and so she feels included. [/hider] [hider=Other] [b][u][Flygon (Ace)]:[/u][/b] Another very bug-like creature sadly ineligible for his teams, although considerably less bitter about it than Shank. Ace is an immensely artful flier with maneuverability rivaling the most impressive of bird Pokemon. She has a severe daredevil streak, and seems more concerned with performing stunts than battling... although fortunately, the skill set for those two things overlap a lot. Ace is Anthony’s main method of transportation, though the trainer still hasn’t quite gotten used to her death-defying and oft-nauseating maneuvering. [b][u][Drapion (Shank)]:[/u][/b] It frustrated both Shank and Anthony immensely when, upon evolving from a tiny Skorupi, Shank was deemed to no longer be eligible as a “Bug”-type Pokemon. While once loyal and outgoing (albeit a bit mischievous), Shank has become reclusive and aggressive, annoyed that he has become sidelined by league rules. He is anything but a clean fighter, and will dig underground, kick sand in his opponents’ eyes, and otherwise do anything he can to win a fight. [b][u][Gligar (Clippy)]:[/u][/b] A scatterbrained Gligar who practically idolizes Clawson. He... well, he tries his best. Anthony doesn’t actually remember catching him. [b][u][Armaldo (Graves)]:[/u][/b] A resurrected fossil Pokemon rescued from an unethical scientist. Big, dopey, and seemingly always eating something. [b][u]Centiscorch (Embry):[/u][/b] Changing bodies bring with them great difficulties, and Embry’s is no exception. Having only recently evolved, she is very unused to her now-prestigious size, and is distressed even more by her newfound ability to gigantimax. Embry is shy, skittish, and although very powerful, spends much of her time coiled into a ball. [b][u]Falinks (The Boys):[/u][/b] Honestly? Anthony just thinks they’re kinda neat. They seem to always be up to some silly little “mission”. [/hider] [hr] [h3][b]RELATIONS[/b][/H3] TBD[/hider]