[hider=A Pint-Sized Powerhouse with Zero Social Skills]
[b]Pokémon Species:[/b] Riolu
[b]Nickname:[/b] Lu
[b]Type(s):[/b] Fighting/Fighting

[b]Desired Rank:[/b] Beginner

[b]Personality:[/b] Of few words, Lu is far more likely to observe and listen than get involved. If he's not training and practicing, his idea of fun is browsing job listings, or the maps that the Explorers' Guild has (of those parts of the world that can be mapped, anyway), watching other members work on their moves, or listen to tales of dungeon-delving adventures. He's used to loneliness and rarely actively seeks companionship, but he's secretly often lonely. He seems to be unable to not take anything and everything seriously, and has a stiff, careful way of speaking to avoid stammering; his youthfulness still shows through a little, though, when there are sweet fruits to look forward to eating.

[b]History:[/b] Lu doesn't know where he's from or what happened to his parents; his earliest memories are vague flashes of gloomy forests and dark caves, and hiding or running, terrified. Rescued by Whiteblade, an independent explorer of some repute, the Absol is essentially Lu's adopted mother despite her periodic absences due to the nature of her work, and Lu is very keen to follow in her footsteps, to fight to protect others as she did him. Whiteblade has trained Lu to be able to more than hold his own in dangerous situations, partly because she considers such skills a necessity, and partly because she doesn't really know how else to spend time with a kid. Lu himself is somewhat aware that his upbringing isn't exactly normal, but he doesn't find it lacking; his Mama's taught him to be strong and independent, and she spends time with him whenever she can, and he's going to be as great as she is, one day.

[b]Distinguishing Traits:[/b] Has a small black backpack in which he stores rations and useful items, and a white braided armband on his left arm, made of shed Absol hair.

[b]Strengths:[/b] Thanks to both natural aptitude and training, Lu excels at running and climbing, at using his aura sense to search for hidden ambushers or folks in need of saving, at channelling energy into boosting his physical capabilities, and at making up for his current lack of raw power by bringing a surprising variety of elements into his strikes, whether by channeling crackling electricity through his fists or blazing fire in a spinning kick. With his small size and his Mama's firm belief that there is no such thing as a fair fight, Lu is pretty willing to play dirty in order to come out on top, and he's got a good memory for elemental advantages and weak spots (as well as a good memory for almost anything else he wants to remember)....

[b]Weaknesses:[/b] ....that said, the heart is willing but the mind is lacking in imagination. Lu is not great at improvising on the spot, and a situation changing too suddenly can catch him off-guard and unable to handle it. Tricky situations and puzzle-solving are not his forte. He's also very awkward when it comes to interacting with anyone else in his age group, or indeed most people in general, being ill-at-ease with anything further than basic social niceties and focusing on the task or objective at hand.

[b]Greatest Fear:[/b] As bad at making friends as he is, Lu is afraid that he'll never be able to find solid adventuring partners to work with, and unable to bring forth his true potential and evolution. What would have him truly terrified, however, is the idea that he might lose Whiteblade someday, something he very much does not want to think about.[/hider]