"Think you can do it in one take? Watch out for the sting of defeat!"

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Name: Holly Holbrok

Age: 28

Gender: Female

Birthplace: Spikemuth

Appearance Information: Holly's hair is multicolored and dyed heavily. Her natural hair color was blonde but she hasn't been blonde for the longest time, having decided to dye her hair black as a young girl and then in her teens decided that black and other colors looked cool. Presently it's black and purple, mostly purple, to symbolize her affinity for the poison side of things. She is tall, standing just shy of 6'1" which leads many to assume she is a model when not competing which is an easy assumption to make given that she likes to dress more for fashion first and then casual but regardless she always seems to be able to mix in form and function with her style. Her eyes are a bright blue and her gaze always seems to somehow be both piercing and distant at the same time. She is able to say so much with just a flick of the eyebrow or a twitch of the lip. With her gym uniform she wears a black fur-collared jacket with purple fur.

Personality: If there's any reputation Holly has in Galar it is for being incredibly cool. Not just keeping a level head under the most pressure filled situations - though she does do that - but more in how her sense of style and attitude combined creates an aura that just can't be matched but makes her popular even without the gym leader tag alongside her. She rarely seems to get excited, instead choosing to express her emotions with subtlety - a flick of the eyes, an upward slant of the lips, crossing her hands in just the right way or an impatient tap of her always-heeled foot. Her demeanor comes with the added bane of there being walls erected between her and most others, especially her fellow gym leaders, and though she might not particularly enjoy how 'unapproachble' she comes off as, she doesn't exactly do herself any favors with her acerbic, incising tongue.

Believing it best to let her reputation define her, Holly makes no great effort to show the gentler side that she learned from her grandmother. Behind the finely crafted visage and 'tude is a softer, caring soul who would sooner enjoy a meager living than a life of glitz and fame - though she does admit having it helps more than she ever knew for good and for bad. For someone good at playing other people, the only role she seems unable to master is being able to let her guard down. And yet even with her 'unapproachable' nature, she still always seems to be supporting her fellow gym leaders in their battles and endeavors. Holly cares dearly about people even if she never allows herself to show it.

Short Biography: Holly comes from Spikemuth which might explain her surly-yet-cool attitude. Growing up in a smaller town known mostly for cramped alleys and being smack in the corner of nowhere, Holly was an orphan raised by a foster family including her late grandmother Poppy whom Holly was incredibly close with. They were hardly well off which fostered a bit of jealousy in Holly when she saw visitors and tourists throwing money around like it came from the ground. She never felt the need or want to find out about her birth parents believing that if they cared enough about her they would've made an effort over the years. Growing up in Spikemuth, she didn't get much of a chance to really experience much of the gym challenge even as an audience member - so few trainers seemed to make it that far and the ones that did saw Spikemuth more as a speed bump on their way to the finish line. What Holly did have, though, was basketball. She wasn't very good and the equipment was a bit run down but it got her outside and active and that was an accomplishment in itself. Holly, not growing up wealthy, understood the value of appreciating what they had - though with her eventual fame later in life she allowed herself to enjoy finer things like clothes rather than hand me downs and constantly patched clothing.

During a pick-up game on the Spikemuth courts, a wayward three pointer went wild and landed with a pop on something. The pop was like a gun shot and freaked out the other kids Holly was playing with. Holly, however, was curious and followed up on the sound to find the basketball having a hole in it and the reason why was clear: the deflated orange ball was being worn like a hat by a little spiky thing that Holly would soon learn was a Mareanie. She couldn't be mad at the Pokemon despite that being their only ball and her concern was less that the ball was gone and more if the Mareanie was alright. She dropped it off at the PokeCenter thinking that would be the end of it. The following day she noticed it following her, and that was how Holly met her partner in crime. Or at least her partner in all things Pokemon.

That had been the spark needed for her to do more than hang out on the courts and doing little else. Holly became a trainer and saw the sights of Galar. She was, of course, completely overwhelmed. Even just getting to Hammerlocke was startling; she'd never been around so many people before that she damn near ran back home. To safety. But she didn't. She took a breath and carried on. Holly tried to fight at the Hammerlocke gym but was denied due to not having a sponsor to vouch for her. She got into a verbal argument with the staff; Holly thought it was unfair that the only people who could participate had to know someone to give them permission. She didn't have money or connections so what was she supposed to do?

The answer was obvious. Earn money. Become someone. Change things from the inside. She could accomplish at least one of those things, surely. Holly was too young to work so she panhandled. She busked. She tried challenging people to games of sport for money. It didn't work and in fact she wound up further in the hole than she started. Thanks to the owner taking pity on a girl trying to get by, Holly was able to find work at a boutique in Hammerlocke, starting off by sweeping hair off the floor, but eventually being trusted to apply makeup and do haircuts as she got older and put forth effort in learning the trade.

It was like she found a passion for the first time. Beauty. Specifically in helping others achieve it. People came in not sure what they wanted and Holly made sure they left feeling like a new person. She was a wizard with scissors that she had fully intended to make that her career, maybe taking over after the owner retired. But when the then-gym leader of Hammerlocke came in looking for a makeover, Holly gave it to them and when she heard her name on television after the leader gave her a shoutout when asked about the new haircut, Holly knew what she had to do. She had to show her appreciation for the shout out by meeting the leader on the field of battle.

Holly had money to enter the minor circuit and worked her way up, eventually being able to enter the Gym Challenge proper. She didn't do well the first time. Nor the second. Nor the third. But on her fifth attempt she made it all the way to Hammerlocke and her goal was accomplished. She won. And in the victory interview she told her little story - and that, combined with her unique sense of style - was enough to catapult her to fame even though she went on to lose in the Champion's Cup. Holly found herself on television more often - her unique look and husky cool voice was perfect, it seemed, for acting, specifically in commercials and ad campaigns along with her Toxapex. She stayed for a time in Unova doing work for PokeStar and being on televisions and screens the planet over, but acting didn't provide her the same thrill as helping others with their style or, indeed, battling had.

When the opportunity arose to become a gym leader in Galar, Holly took it - believing she could balance the responsibilities of gym leadership and her acting requirements.

Likes: -Spicy food, though she can't stomach it and tends to regret it always
-Sports, specifically basketball
-Black coffee. No sugar, no cream. Just black
-Supporting her gym leaders. If she can, she'll always watch from the crowd.
-Tawdry romance movies and series', even ones she isn't in
-Stargazing. She doesn't believe in horoscope stuff but she likes the stars and the stories they tell
-Fashion and style. She believes everyone should make a little effort to dress well.
-Punk music. She's from Spikemuth. It's basically law.

Dislikes: -Elitism. Everyone deserves a fair shot especially in the gym challenge
-Psychic types. Not just because they tend to be strong against her types, she just doesn't like the idea of things that can get inside her head
-Scary stories. She'll try and put on a brave face but inside she's terrified and trembling
-Paparazzi. It seems worse because of her dual celebrity status.
-Deliberately lazy people. There's no excuse if you're able to get up and be active.
-Those who can't be graceful in defeat or are sore winners. No one likes a sore loser but everyone hates a sore winner.
-Unchecked arrogance.

Quirks: She has a secret sweet tooth and tends to almost always be chewing gum or sucking on hard candy. She's not a fan of chocolate but likes the more fruity candies.

Her natural accent is rough, street urchin slang and she's done a lot to hide it. But when she gets excited she can't help it and it comes out and she is incredibly embarrassed by it. Those who have heard it are bound to never tell anyone. Or else.

She thinks bug Pokemon are cute. Moreso than the typically 'cute' Pokemon by far.

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Type Specialty: Poison

League Ranking: Major

League Placement: TBD

Gym Location: TBD

Gym Description: TBD

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