NAME: Ezran Hawthorne

AGE: 26

GENDER: Male

BIRTHPLACE: Hammerlocke

GYM TYPE: Poison


PERSONALITY: Confident and dependable, Ezran is an easy person to get along with provided you don't get on his bad side. If that's the case he can be just as snappish and toxic as the poison type pokemon that he works with, but thankfully it takes a lot to get to that point. He is hard working at anything and everything, but mainly things that grab his interest completely. He can be somewhat easily distracted so if it doesn't work out every part of his brain he's more likely to lose interest.

He's strongly of the opinion that no one should be judged by how they look or who they are, but rather the quality of their personality. He came to this realization after working with his poison types for many years and noticing that many people didn't seem fond of them. He'll take the time to get to know someone before really deciding if he wants to be their friend or not. Some people see this as putting in too much effort on things that mean very little, but Ezran is of the mind that the types of people you spend time with reflect the type of person you are.

It does take some work to get Ezran to care deeply about someone or something, not to say that he's against closeness by any means, but he wants to make sure it's worth his time. Like many of the other trainers and gym leaders he cares deeply about his pokemon, even the ones that aren't his main six. Training up his teams is something that he throws himself into 100% and if someone seems like they're giving less than that to their own team, he may decide not to fight them at all. If he is putting the work to get his team to be the best that they can then he expects his challengers to do the same.

Overall, he is both a talented trainer and musician that will drive both himself and others to be the best that they can be no matter who they are or what others might tell them. His methods can seem somewhat harsh to people who don't know him well, but he means the very best for his pokemon, the other league members, and the challengers that come up against him.

BIOGRAPHY: Born in the sprawling central city of Hammerlocke, Ezran spent the majority of his childhood exploring the historic back roads of the stone city with his older brother, only by a year, Zac and his gang of friends, or watching pokemon trainers from all over use his home city as a waypoint in their own journey to compete against the Champion of Galar. He was lucky enough to have a father who worked in the league, not as a gym leader more on the business side, and that gave him the opportunity to see a lot of pokemon battles that only furthered his desire to compete himself.

Ezran always found himself fascinated with all types of pokemon like many kids his age. He and his friends would talk about which pokemon they'd want on their future teams when they began their own journeys. Of course they all wanted the coolest ones like dragon or fire types on their teams and for the longest time Ezran completely agreed with them. He thought about how he could put together the strongest and most amazing team of flashy and well known pokemon that would win him the League title. Once he was old enough of course.

The only other hobby he found himself enamored with, other than pokemon, was music. For his birthday one year his father bought him a guitar and that was that. He spent hours and hours learning how to play, and since he couldn't become a trainer just yet he decided, why not become a musician. He roped in a few of his other friends and they started a small group, just for fun, until they found something better to do with their time. After a fairly short time most of them got bored and quit, but Ezran kept working at it. He took lessons, practiced, and eventually got to the point where he felt comfortable performing in a few of the smaller venues around Hammerlocke and other nearby cities. He knew it wasn't what he wanted to do as a career, but he still found a great deal of joy in the small shows he put on.

Fate or, as his father would call it, dumb luck had other ideas of course. Just before he was getting ready to begin his own journey to compete against the gyms of the region he was headed home from one of his later night performances and found a young Toxel thrown into a dumpster; screaming and crying out. While didn't really know much about poison types, wasn't fond of them in the slightest, he couldn't leave it behind and took Minuet as his first teammate. Skittish, weak, and not well suited for battling at all his brother teased him mercilessly about his lackluster performance, but that only motivated him to make his team stronger than Zac's by using the, much less loved, poison type.

He didn't care that Toxel wasn't the most well suited to battling, and instead of giving up on her he worked twice as hard to help her gain confidence and strength. With careful and kind hands he was able to evolve Minuet into an amped up Toxtricity that joined him both in battle and in music. It took a long time, a great deal of battling, and a great deal of loss, but he eventually defeated the gyms, as well as his brother and struck out against the champion only to lose in the last moments of the fight, but he felt he'd proven himself well enough and wanted to get more back into his music, see the world, that sort of thing.

He spent several years traveling and performing all over the world with Minuet and even found some new teammates in his journey. He found unique teammates like Noble-his dragalge and Blitz-his salazzle in far away regions; training them up from their first evolution into strong and reliable pokemon. After putting together a fully poison type team he decided to head back home to Galar. He'd decided he didn't want to try and beat the Champion again, but still wanted to help other young trainers in their mission to do what he couldn't. Given this decision and his newly minted poison team he set out to build up a poison type gym and has been serving as it's leader for the past several years.

TEAM:



RELATIONSHIPS:
Will be updated as it is figured out~

NAME:
[Pastille Phroot]

AGE:
[22]

GENDER:
[Male]

BIRTHPLACE:
[Circhester Town]

GYM TYPE:
ICE

APPEARANCE:
Pastille is 5’8 ft in terms of height and has an average figure despite how many ice creams he consumes a day.

Whenever he’s at gym work he wears a typical ice cream clerk uniform along with an ice cream pin attached to it.

When not at work he wears a pink, ice cream patterned jacket along with a brown short-sleeve shirt underneath. He wears vanilla-colored long pants and black shoes.

PERSONALITY:
Pastille at first glance is an incredibly cold person, pun unattended, when it comes to first impressions. He holds a rather aloof presence with a disinterest expression and would leave a conversation if he thought it was a waste of time. This holds true to any interaction as Pastille’s attention seems to be elsewhere, or at least in a formal interaction fit for business. This includes his pokemon, except for his Vanilluxe, to the point that they got used to their trainer’s behavior. At the very least he’s respectful, when it comes to his close peers or elders, that he’d pay attention to whatever they have to say.

This image is completely shattered once people know Pastille’s obsession. As stated before Pastille is an incredibly cold person… except when it comes to ice cream. Pastille’s personality does a full 180 turning from a disinterested, cold person to an eccentric, nerd that’s sole focus is ice cream. It has taken such a deep hold in Pastille that he completely changed a town's economy to have ice cream be a huge part of it. Though he would put his obsession for ice cream for the sake of the town when needed.

BIOGRAPHY:
Pastille was born in Circhester Town and never moved from there. Ever since he was a young boy, he had a love for ice cream. Whenever he had a meal, there would always be ice cream at the end of it. It was cute until the love turned into obsession. It was in his teen years when everyone made fun of his ice cream obsession. Everywhere he went he had either a popsicle or ice cream in his hand and if he didn’t have one you’d better bet he was going to pull another ice cream cone out of nowhere. The fact that he could pull an ice cream cone out of nowhere was rather creepy, which caused him to get bullied over it.

Pastille didn’t mind it… until they made him, drop his ice cream. From sheer spite alone he vowed to become gym leader and prove them the greatness of ice cream. Embarking on a quest to spread ice cream awareness, Pastille ventured out to achieve his dream.

When Pastille came back, he was stronger than ever. Challenging the gym leader for leadership of the Circhester Gym that was until it was already occupied by a new gym leader, whose typing greatly differentiated from the natural theme of Circhester which was ice. This greatly angered the ice cream loving man to the point of abandoning Circhester Town. It's former glory now lost to a "hot head," that had no taste in ice nor ice cream.

Eventually once the blizzard died down, Pastille had a plan. He was going to plan a revolution against all the gym leaders in Galar. After challenging a gym leader for ownership and obtaining the gym he slowly began his plan. Turning the town into a town known for its ice cream, making new ice cream flavors, and governing the town, Pastille will make the entirety of Galar realize the importance of Ice cream!

TEAM:









RELATIONSHIPS:
[Relationships with other gym leaders]

Pastille holds indifference and respect to his fellow gym leaders. While he doesn't like their uncultured tongues, he does respect them as fellow co-workers. Though to those who insult his ideology of ice cream then he straight up ignores them and any respect that was there has completely vanished.

NAME:
Zeke Webber

AGE:
26

GENDER:
Male

BIRTHPLACE:
Motostoke

GYM TYPE:
Fighting

APPEARANCE:

Standing at 5'11", Zeke has a relatively tall frame made up of lean muscle placing him at 175 lbs. His light skin is tan from frequent time outdoors. He has a tattoo of a dark blue octopus with yellow rings on his left side, with the head on his shoulder and the tentacles reaching out onto his chest. His brown hair matches his similar colored eyes. He keeps it short for practicality and styled into an undercut for show.

For public battles he'll typically wear his bright orange and black uniform shorts with no shirt, and wraps on his hands and feet.

In his personal time, he goes for comfort and wears athletic or leisure clothes in muted colors. Not much one for fashion, he is fond of jeans, t-shirts, henleys, sneakers and hoodies of various thickness and sleeve lengths.

PERSONALITY:
Cocky. Vain. Materialistic. A bully. A playboy.
Well, that's who he tries to be for the public. They eat that stuff up. It's a persona he made up for himself in his younger, shyer days to deal with nerves. He's since outgrown the need for it, but it's kinda fun.

Despite his larger-than-life battle persona, Zeke is a quiet thoughtful young man. As opposed to the fear that controlled much of his early life, any restraint he shows now is a result of discretion. He never speaks without thinking, and sometimes just doesn't speak at all. Far from coming off as cold, there is a warmth to his silence. He is contemplating, giving each thought and each person the attention he feels they deserve. That said, like most people, he comes alive with his friends or discussing topics of interest to him. Though certainly not the life of the party, Zeke is more open to jokes and watches his tongue a little less when around those who really know him. He's got a knack for bad jokes and playful jabs at his friends and himself.

Zeke is driven above all else to reach his full potential. There is no point in getting out of bed if he doesn't go to bed better than he woke. Despite any public show rivalries, Zeke's biggest opponent is always himself. Like many others, he dreams of being Champion, but in his mind the act of winning it is the important part. It's another rung on an ever higher ladder. Zeke feels most himself when he's in competition or training.

Despite his reserved and cautious nature, Zeke also has something of a rebellious, almost contrary, streak. He can't stand being told what he can or cannot do. Some of his most questionable decisions have been in reaction to criticism of the initial ideas. He extends this idea to others as well. In witnessing an overbearing authority talking down to someone, he'll actively encourage rebellion without thinking. It doesn't always end well.

BIOGRAPHY:
Motostoke is pretty unhealthy for kids with asthma. Unsupportive parents are even unhealthier. That's not to say Zeke's parents were bad parents. They just weren't very good either. Busy with the demands of the hospitality industry, they didn't really have time to entertain Zeke's early notions of being a trainer. Then after one too many asthma attacks, his mother decided it'd be best if he stayed inside. The air was cleaner, and the hotel guests' Pokemon were well behaved by necessity. Isolated, he developed into a pale weak child with very little self confidence. Though he had friends, their interactions were limited. He couldn't leave the hotel too often and his friends couldn't be around to disturb the guests. By the time Zeke's friends went off to take part in the Gym Challenge, he didn't even consider going himself. On their way out of town after the ceremony, one of his friends dropped by the hotel and left him a gift. A single Pokeball.

Everything changed on a holiday in Circhester a few months later. It wasn't so much a holiday as a business trip for his parents, but they managed to find some time to visit the baths as well as Circhester Bay. In a rare moment of bravery, Zeke ventured farther from the shore than he was allowed... only to begin drowning in the frigid water. A friendly Clobbopus rescued him. Upon reaching the shore, Zeke was immediately snatched up by his terrified parents and taken back to the hotel. They didn't leave the hotel for the rest of the trip.

The last evening before returning to Motostoke, Zeke snuck out of the hotel while his parents were in a meeting and made his way back to the bay. He wandered a while until he found a friendly Clobbopus wading in the shallow water. The markings seemed familiar so Zeke approached it. "I didn't get a chance to thank you." The Pokemon let out a cry of glee, followed up by an excited punch in the thigh. Zeke fell to the ground, stunned. The panicked Pokemon rushed to try help him to his feet. In that fall, Zeke had felt something. He was reminded of his younger days, running playfully with the other toddlers. Before he was locked away. Zeke sat on the sand looking down at his own hand. He slowly balled it into a fist... and socked the Clobbopus right back. Though there was very little force behind the punch, the Clobbopus comically toppled over, rolling right onto Zeke. And so a friendship was born.

Zeke found his parents apoplectic when he returned. He apologized, genuinely upset that he had caused them so much worry in such a short time. He waited until they were safely back in Motostoke to introduce them to his new friend and make his announcement.

The next ceremony found Zeke in the stadium with all the other excited young challengers. His parents had not been happy. But given time, they'd accepted his decision. It helped that his Pokemon seemed intelligent and reliable, if a little punchy. He could protect Zeke just fine. Still, Zeke was nervous. Terrified, in fact. His small world was about to open up into something immense. But, at least he wasn't alone. He had Clobbopus and all the other trainers going the same way as him.

In time, Zeke became a real Pokemon trainer. It was hard. He went from a sedentary experience to life on the move. The hiking and training with his Pokemon took a toll on him. But the fresh air and active lifestyle renewed him. The sad emptiness in his life was replaced with a burning drive to grow, to become the best trainer, the best person he could be. This drive drew him to others like him. Pokemon looked down on, or worse overlooked entirely. Together they formed a team.

Their drive was tested when Zeke failed in his attempts to earn his seventh gym victory. Try as he might, he had hit a roadblock. After a week of feeling sorry for himself back home, Zeke ventured into the wilds to train so he could try again in the next year. Again he failed to secure the necessary badges. Again he retreated to the wilds, braving all manner of harsh weather, dangerous encounters, training and learning with his Pokemon. The next year found him fall in the second round of the Champions Cup, and Zeke decided his training could use a change. The next few years found him traveling through other regions, occasionally coming back to try his hand at the Champions Cup again and finding varying degrees of success (or failure). After an extended training session on the Isle of Armor, he received a message from a retiring Gym Leader. Would he like to take over?

In the years since, Zeke has developed something of a reputation. His public face as a cocky ruthless gym leader serves as a psychological obstacle to challengers who enter his gym. Trainers who manage to battle him (and those old enough to remember his early years) eventually get to see what he's like off the pitch. Zeke keeps in touch with all those who get to challenge him, cheering on those who make it past him and encouraging those who don't to try again. After all, he knows what a difference having someone believe in you can make.

When not actively on gym duty, Zeke spends a lot of time training away from the city, in the wilderness and exploring dens. These used to be solitary trips, but he's recently begun to occasionally invite other Gym Leaders or challengers to go with him.

TEAM:








RELATIONSHIPS:
Zeke has a healthy respect for most (all?) of the other gym leaders. Despite their differences, he appreciates that they understand the Pokemon lifestyle. He likes to trash talk in their public appearances but he rarely says anything too out of line without their permission, and usually apologizes afterwards to make sure he didn't cross any lines.

They are his rivals. Simultaneously partners and obstacles in his path forward. What more could he ask for?

Note: I write my CS with the assumption that I can take a later position in the Gym Challenge order

Name:
Elijah Grayson

Age:
28

Gender:
Male

Birthplace:
Turffield

Gym Type:
Normal

Appearance:


Personality:
Should Elijah have the choice in three keywords, they would be: methodical, attentive, and empathetic. Fortunately he is very close to the mark, as he applies everything he has ever learned to battles and social interactions alike. Every Pokémon and every human requires encouragement, compassion, and understanding. In his eyes everyone can always learn and improve, whether it's new or existing skills, so he does his best to make the most of every moment to be better.

There are times that he is accused of being cold and calculating during battles, when the reality is that he can become very engrossed with the activity and considers emotions to take a second place to maneuvers. The higher stakes his battles, the more concentrated and less energetic he will become.

Beyond the arena, Elijah is supportive of every combatant, win or lose. In fact, he has a tendency to aid losing trainers with training curriculums he writes up specifically for them to see more progress in the future. Winning trainers that keep in touch with him can expect little praise and more tips on how to adjust their tactics (should he deem that necessary).

Biography:
Hailing back to his childhood in Turffield, Elijah was fully in the stereotype of a teacher’s pet and studious type. The city was smaller two decades ago, and the school there was sorely lacking compared to Motostoke, Circhester, and Hammerlocke. Even during his pre-teen years, he sought out the library on a daily basis and would frustrate his peers with constant reminders of homework and tests.

One late weekend evening, scouring the non-fiction aisles of the local library, the young Elijah stumbled across a Smeargle doing the most blasphemous thing: painting inside the innocent inked pages of several study tomes. At first Elijah was furious, ready to throw hardbacks at the small creature, but the surprised Pokémon dropped its defaced book to reveal a beautiful rendition of the particular passage it was marked in. Inspecting the book closely, he sees that this mass-printed copy of the regional maps was wonderfully done in more color and detail than he had ever imagined.

Turning to the Smeargle, he apologized profusely and even attempted to ask it to show him more of its works; anything related to history is a big plus. It understood his request and happily agreed to this and their arrangement formed from tenuous ideological standoff to friendship to partnership. As Elijah grew up, he learned that his studies could take advantage of the newfound medium, his school career taking on less stress and even deepening the understanding that there are many ways to learn one thing.

His interest in battles didn’t come until his studies abroad. Upon graduating high school, he looked for more prestigious schools in other regions, ultimately switching colleges three times as he landed on education as his major. With his old Smeargle friend’s offspring in tow, they discovered there is more than simply entertainment behind battles and tournaments and even entered a few novice tourneys.

As soon as Elijah turned 24, he found his way back to Galar and applied to the Turffield gym as a gym trainer. In four short years, his part-time teaching and part-time training flourished into taking over as the new gym leader. Building up a name in his community, many look up to him for guidance and leadership beyond Pokémon. He has yet to take on the Champion’s challenge, but has had the time to take on all the current gym leaders at least once in unofficial matches.

Team:




Relationships:
Generally, Elijah respects everyone and enjoys not having to teach outside of his job. Those that tend to bend or break the rules, however, may earn a stern look and, worst case scenario, a lecture. Thankfully, other Gym Leaders all know what they are doing in their respective gyms and battle tactics, so he’s less scolding and more likely to ask for stats and training routines.