[u]Name:[/u] Nicolas Storm, Current Alias: Johnny Ghastly
[u]Age:[/u] 34
[u]History:[/u]
[hider=History of Nicolas Storm, Illicit Pokemon Breeder, Dealer, and Black Market Items supplier.]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/gB02gSL.png[/img]
A Kanto native, Nicolas was born in Saffron City. Nicolas' parents were...disinterested in raising him, with them preferring to spend their time and money in the nearby Celadon City Game Corner, barely keeping enough to feed, house and put Nicolas through a basic education. They did, however, care enough to give him his very own Growlith when he turned eight years old, though he now believes it was simply an unwanted prize from one of their many excursions to the game corner. Naming the Growlith "Bandit", because it was a cool name he heard on TV, and giving him a soon-to-be-signature black bandanna, the two soon became inseparable. 

Nicolas sought the attention of parents, first by trying to achieve things in his classes and with Bandit. He'd work hard to earn top marks in his classes, and to win various competitions and contests with Bandit, but this proved fruitless. With his parents growing ever distant, Nicolas began to act out, seeing that as the only way for his parents to care about him. Being caught time after time committing various crimes, from vandalism and destruction of property, to illicit pokemon battles and theft. His parents, more out of insistence by the police than any real desire, tried to punish him by restricting contact with friends, forcing him inside after school, and other punishments of that nature. These proved mostly ineffectual, as Nicolas would simply sneak out while his parents were away at the game corner, or simply wait out the punishment, going back to his criminal activities once the timeframe of the punishment was over.

This life of youth crime deeply impacted Nicolas' school performance in later years, leading to complete failure in all his classes by his final year. His parents did seem to notice their son's failing grades and ill behavior, but generally did not address it. They did try talking to him about it at one point, after some fierce encouragement by a police officer. This conversation lasted about an hour, and was mainly Nicolas trying to drive home his hatred of his parents' gambling addiction, their ineffectual method of raising a child, and so on. It was cut short when his father reminded his mother of a special discount deal at the game corner that evening, and they rushed out the door while Nicolas was in mid-sentence.

Dropping out of school due to poor grades and a desire to leave, and deciding to leave home after another one-sided argument with his parents, Nicolas and Bandit set out on a crime-filled journey through the Kanto region, making acquaintances in the underground and black market, and becoming a dealer for black market products.

Taking up many different aliases, and wandering from region to region, Nicolas would establish contacts with local underground breeders, catchers, and item suppliers, buying product from them before heading to various back alleys and dark street corners to peddle his wares, selling stolen or illegally bred pokemon, fake licenses and badges, and knockoff pokemart items.
[/hider]

[u]Team:[/u]
[hider=Bandit]
Name: Bandit
Species: Arcanine
Gender: Male

Bandit is Nicolas' main pokemon, and the one he's had with him the longest. Having raised him as a Growlith, the Fire Stone used to evolve Bandit is one of the few items Nicolas legitimately acquired through legal sources. The two are inseparable, and many attempts to do so have ended with a vicious mauling on Bandit's part. Bandit can be identified by his signature black bandanna tied around his neck, a gift given to him by Nicolas when they first met.
 
As well as being his main pokemon for battles, Bandit acts as Nicolas' security, protecting him from police, Rangers, thieves, and unhappy customers. He's rarely in his pokeball, usually only if Nicolas has to smuggle himself out of a region. Bandit has a strong distaste for authority figures, both those representing the law, and those of more ill-repute, and Nicolas often has to stop him from nearly mauling those he deals with.

Bandit gets along well with both Butch and Bruno, enjoying training with Butch, and participating in more canine pursuits with Bruno, such as hunting wild pokemon. Bandit still prefers to spend most of his time at Nicolas' side.

[u]Move List:[/u]
Bandit is Nicolas' main battler, and the one he uses in most of his battles. Focusing primarily on fire and physical moves, Bandit has picked up a few underhanded tricks along the way, and when ordered to use moves of this type, can be considered a 'dirty fighter'.

Bite, Crunch, and Flamethrower are Bandit's go-to attack moves, preferring to burn opponents with a crisp jet of flame before leaping at them and lacerating them with his sharp fangs and strong jaws.

Bandit is also Nicolas' chief method of escape, with Nicolas hopping onto the back of his Canine companion, and Bandit using a quick combo of Double Team and Extreme Speed to fool the enemy with an afterimage, and dash away before being discovered.

Bandit holds several intimidation moves in his repertoire as well, such as Growl, Roar, and Scary Face. Several battles have ended before they've even began with Bandit, by him simply snarling at the opponent's pokemon and baring his massive fangs, leaving them cowering in fear before the opposing trainer calls them back and rushes off.
[/hider]

[hider=Butch]
Name: Butch
Species: Machoke
Gender: Male

Butch is a Machoke that was given to Nicolas by a friend. The friend was starting an underground fighting-type battle ring in Johto, and had asked Nicolas for help in getting ahold of different fighting type pokemon. In return for his help, Nicolas was given this Machoke, when he was told was named 'Butch'. The two quickly got along, and now Nicolas uses him as his lead in different underground gambling fights to win money, and occasionally in regular battles as well. 

Butch also acts as an 'enforcer' for Nicolas' business, being the touch muscle Nicolas uses to either ensure a deal goes through, or to punish those who try to betray or double-cross him. A good beating in a dark warehouse tends to encourage return customers with renewed enthusiasm.

Butch really seems to enjoy working with Nicolas, finding pleasure in all the fighting that accompanies their work, and always eager for his next role in helping Nicolas. He gets along well with both Bandit and Bruno, though he seems to find distaste in Bruno's methods of fighting.

[u]Move List:[/u]
Butch mainly follows a set of various fighting moves, Submission, Focus Punch, Sky Uppercut, and Close Combat. He fights more like a street brawler than a martial artist, preferring powerful blows and grapples to careful technique. This often catches other, more "professional" fighting types off-guard, as they aren't used to such blunt fighting.

Butch also uses Strength as both a field move and an intimidation piece. Lifting heavy objects, such as street lamps, mailboxes, or an angry customer's car has ways of getting people to listen to you, Butch and Nicolas have found.

Butch is not opposed to attacking humans, and has more than once fought to defend Nicolas from police, gang members, and others who would do him harm. In this case, Butch often holds back some of his strength, going for knockout punches or low-blows to dissuade pursuit as Nicolas and him escape.
[/hider]

[hider=Bruno]
Name: Bruno
Species: Houndoom
Gender: Male

Bruno is an odd situation among Nicolas' pokemon, in that he willingly left someone else to join Nicolas' team. Nicolas was battling a trainer that was angry at him for selling him a fake Marsh Badge that was found out. The trainer sent out Bruno, Nicolas sent out Bandit, and the two fought for quite a while. In the end, Bandit was set to deliver the final blow. Instead, Bruno turned on his trainer, snatching his pokeball from the man's hand and taking it to Nicolas. Since then, Bruno has been a member of Nicolas' team.

Bruno helps with Nicolas' business by acting as "product procurement". Bruno will steal from trainers wandering the streets, midnight delivery to stores, and even customers who are purchasing from Nicolas. Bruno has used these skills to get Nicolas out of several tight spots in the past, from breaking out of his pokeball to steal the handcuff keys off of a police officer, to planting stolen items on random passers-by to frame them for a crime just committed.

Bruno does get along with the rest of the group, though he is much more isolated than any of the others. Being a convert from another trainer's team, Nicolas has had a harder time getting to understand Bruno, and this has led to disagreement between the two, with Bruno occasionally using moves different than the one requested by Nicolas, or by simply not waiting for a command at all. Despite this, the two do enjoy each others company, and Bruno seems to enjoy working with Nicolas.

[u]Move List:[/u]
In battles, Bruno acts as an odd form of support, using the moves Snatch, Thief, and Embargo to prevent rival trainers from helping their pokemon with items by intercepting them and bringing them to Nicolas.

Bruno can fight, however he is far less skilled than either Butch or Bandit. Using the moves Bite, Pursuit, or Foul Play to attack a target's weak spots such as leg joints, necks, eyes, or other incapacitating body parts, Bruno is a vicious fighter when cornered, or chasing a fleeing opponent.
[/hider]