Full Name: Jason Yew

Age: 25

Year at the Institute: Fourth Year

Favorite Color: Violet

Thesis Subject: Pokémon Epigenetics and how Environmental Changes may Induce Evolution

Appearance: To an observer, Jason seems like the stereotypical "messy student". His hair is unkempt, his clothes tend to be wrinkled, and his lab coat is always covered in a variety of stains. He typically carries protective gear in his satchel due to the number of Poison-Type Pokémon he has in his possession. You would have hardly recognized him during his first semester at the Institute. In stark contrast to his current state, he used to be a rather put together student. He was consistently well groomed, kept his clothes clean, and he was notoriously concerned about his self-image.

Personlity: Jason is notorious among his classmates for his devil may care attitude. While his grades are consistently among the top in his class, he spends most of his time either skipping class, or using his thesis work as an excuse to travel the world and pursue whatever topic has captured his interest. To many, this would seem like the hallmarks of a lazy student, but many teachers acknowledge Jason's skill as a budding professor and will turn a blind eye to some of his more 'eccentric' tendencies.

Much like his appearance, Jason wasn't always like this. He used to have a very Type-A personality where he took extensive notes and ran his life on a constant schedule. Near the end of his first semester however, a chance meeting with his idol Professor Oak changed his entire worldview. Shortly afterwards, Jason began to loosen up and become more sociable towards his classmates. By the time his second year rolled around, Jason was practically a different person!

These days, Jason's motto is "Limit your interests, and you limit your life!" While he remains dedicated to his work and his thesis, Jason has a penchant for getting distracted will endeavor to learn everything he can about a particular subject that takes his interest. while his new approach to life has garnered the interest of several of his classmates, Jason can be denser than a brick and will often fail to pick up the clues that someone has interest in him for more than his knowledge.

Bio: Despite technically being born in Pewter City, Jason Yew would be hard pressed to say the Kanto Region is his home. In fact, he's unsure if there's any region that he really belongs to. Jason's parents were renowned Pokémon Doctors and the duo spent much of their time travelling from region to region as they moved for work or travelled to attend medical conferences. As you might expect, Jason was dragged along whether he wanted to go or not. Despite being privileged to see much of the world at a very early age, Jason never developed close relationships with many children his age and he could never take part in gym challenges because his family never stayed in one region long enough.

Knowing their child was going to be lonely travelling all the time, Jason's parents opted to give him a Pokemon at a young age. Before leaving Pewter City, Jason's father took him out on Route 3 and let him choose from the wild Pokémon roaming the area. By sheer chance, a male Nidoran appeared. Excitedly choosing the purple Pokémon Jason was ecstatic when his father caught it and presented him with its new Pokeball. Naming his new partner Rex, Nidoran and Jason became inseparable as they traveled the world together and both were fans of Prof. Oak's TVand radio shows after the latter became a world famous celebrity.

It was during one of these trips that Jason began to notice how certain Pokémon of the same species would develop different traits depending on the region they lived in. Why did the Slowpoke in Galar evolve differently than the Slowpoke in the rest of the world? Why was Alolan Muk multicolored? Why do only FEMALE Salandit evolve? His burning desire to understand just what caused these unique mutations is what drove him to begin studying for the Laventon Institute. Despite not having much formal educations, his parents' reputation and homeschooling enabled him to be accepted at the earliest opportunity.

Because the Institute would be the first time Jason was staying in one place for an extended period of time, he was extremely self-conscious and tried... a bit too hard to fit in. He was top of his class as a student, was on good terms with his teachers, and even excelled in extracurricular activities. This had the effect of making other students distance themselves from him. During this time, Professor Oak was visiting the Laventon Institute as a guest speaker. During a chance meeting with his childhood hero, Jason and Oak wound up having a two hour long conversation in which Jason's eyes were opened to just how much he'd already managed to achieve. Oak assured the young man that he was doing just fine and could let his guard down around his classmates. From that day onward, Jason began to loosen up at school and people began to see his 'true self' more and more.









Quirks:
-Despite its dirty appearance, Jason actually does clean his lab coat. It just gets dirty again by the end of each day!
-Rex has poisoned Jason multiple times over the years. It's gotten to the point where Jason has a natural immunity to venom from the Nidoran line.
-Jason has a secret desire to learn Mega Evolution for himself. He hopes there's a mega stone for Nidoking out there that hasn't been discovered yet

<Withdrawn>

Full Name: Natalie Willow

Age: 24

Year at the Institute: Third Year

Favorite Color: Lavender

Thesis Subject: The effects on Pokemon when sharing an emotional bond, be it with other Pokemon or their trainers.

Appearance: Natalie is young, with pretty features. Her eyes are bright green, with chestnut hair that she often pulls back in a ponytail to keep out of her way during her research. She comes across as disorganized, because of the papers and other items constantly sticking out from the bag that she carries, but, to her, this is organized chaos, as she always knows where everything she needs is. She is usually in clothes of convenience, rather than appearance, often shorts, and a tank top under her lab coat, something that makes it easy for her to traverse and get around quickly.

Personlity: Natalie doesn't like to sit still for too long, often finding herself zoning out during classes where she is expected to simply sit and take notes. When it comes to activities, labs or anything hands on, this is where she excels, and in fact, shines, often above the rest in her class. She interacts with pokemon, performs experiments, and completes world tasks with ease, and often in a way that appears both clever and impressive to her teachers.

Because of her inability to sit still for long periods of time without losing her focus, Natalie often seems to be in a hurry, and because of this, she rarely takes the time to place things neatly or orderly into her bag, often stuffing notes or papers that she may have been doodling on without care. Her bag is like a world all it's own, if anybody else were to try and find anything, they would never be able to, however, she seems to be able to find what she's looking for fairly quickly... even if it might be a little wrinkled. There is one exception to this rule. Her leather bound portfolio. This portfolio doesn't stay in her bag, she is more often seen carrying it in her arms, and this is where she keeps the things that she deems the most important. Keeping everything from detailed drawings, charts, and information about her chosen field of study. This portfolio is her truest dedication to her love for pokemon and her study of them.

Bio: Natalie was born and grew up in Lavendar town, in the Kanto region. At a young age, she became oddly fascinated by the emotions built between a trainer and their pokemon, often seeing travelers coming through with their own pokemon, or visiting the tower, mourning their losses. As she grew, she developed a kind of fear of losing her own pokemon once she got old enough to become a trainer, so much so, that when she finally turned ten, she refused to make the journey to Palet town and become a trainer herself. Out of concern, her parents reached out to Professor Oak, imploring him to visit with Natalie and help her through her fears. To their surprise, Professor Oak did make a visit to Lavendar town, and stopped to visit the young girl. The twelve year old seemed unsure about the professor, at first, sure that he was going to insist that she become a trainer, but instead, he told her that there were so many other paths that could be taken and explored in the world of pokemon, that becoming a trainer was only a single path.

This conversation changed Natalie's entire world, and by the end of the conversation, she found herself fascinated by Professor Oak and all the good that he had done in the world for Pokemon and humans from his research. That was the spark that ignited her passion for becoming a Pokemon professor. She began her studies at once, borrowing books from Professor Oak, and creating her own studies, even, on rare occasions, being permitted to go with Oak on special outings, where they might study Pokemon in their natural habitat. Over the years, though Professor Oak enjoyed teaching what he could to the girl, eventually, he informed her that all Pokemon researchers had to go out on their own, find their own love and interests in what they want to study. He set her sights on the Laventon Institute, encouraging her to do what she could to get into this prestigious school, and naturally, doing everything that he could to help her succeed.

With Professor Oak's endorsement, Natalie was accepted without hesitation, and taken into the school with high regards from many of the teachers. The first year found the young girl starry eyed and eager to learn, taking notes and dedicating everything she had to doing her best. This made her stand out as a top student pretty easily, her love, passion and dedication was obvious to anyone who spoke with her. By the second year, she found herself growing less interested in theory and notes and much more interested in going out and exploring the world, like she used to be able to do with Professor Oak. Eventually, they were given more freedom to do this very thing, encouraged to go out and study, to help choose their field of interest. Natalie had always known that she was interested in the bond between a Pokemon and it's trainer, but these explorations, and meeting trainers with their Pokemon, who always seemed just as determined, and attached cemented her interest. The bond was only the icing on the cake, there was so much more to the relationship between Pokemon and their trainers... or even, Pokemon and other Pokemon, as she discovered through watching her own Pokemon interact with each other and other wild Pokemon that they would sometimes run into.

Her third year introduced her to even more freedom as she began to explore further and further out. This would be the year that she could focus on building the information that she would need for her thesis, this meant exploring the relationships between Pokemon and people, the differences between individual trainers, and even the difference between an active trainer, and others who used Pokemon in their everyday work.

Pokémon:


Quirks: Loves to doodle and draw (sometimes useless things, sometimes pertaining to her study); Small outbursts of energy, especially after she's been cooped up; Does not like to battle, and will do everything within her power to avoid it if she can.

Full Name: Lancer Cerisier

Age: 23

Year at the Institute: First

Favorite Color: Lancer’s favorite color is actually Cerisier Eye Blue, but for the sake of the role-play I will be using Lancer Eye Green for Lancer’s dialogue.

Thesis Subject: The Effects of Independent Journeying and Studying on Young People in Regards to Financial, Physical, Emotional, and Mental Wellbeing

Appearance: To Lancer's perpetual dismay he looks like an almost carbon copy of his mother with fiery red hair and emerald green eyes. His vison is terrible and requires him to wear a pair of bifocal lenses that only leave his face if he is showering or sleeping. He wishes to appear professional at all times so, he wears dress shirts, slacks, and ties unless he is doing field work in which case, he wears t-shirts and jeans under weather appropriate gear. His attempt at being professional is partly ruined by his slightly oversized lab coat. Lancer is aware of this, but as it was a combined gift from his younger siblings, he chooses to ignore it. His posture is perfect showing off all his 1.9 meter (74.8 inches) height. His weight is roughly 73 kilograms (160.9 pounds) but will vary depending on a variety of factors. He cuts his hair himself and as such it is a constant shaggy mess. He also bites his fingernails.

Personality: Lancer is a caretaker parent. There is no other way to say it. As a result of having to raise three younger siblings from a young age, Lancer has got both the emotional resiliency and intelligence to deal with any number of mental or emotional crises. On the other hand he has the ability to ‘lay down the law’ as it were to wrangle impossibly stubborn people into doing what needs to be done. If someone is in need, he is the first to leap to offer aid without expecting anything in return. This aid can be anything from a good home cooked warm meal, a ride to the airport, to a shoulder to cry on. However, he has no skill whatsoever in managing his own stress or needs. His standard default to dealing with his own stress or trouble is to ‘deal with it later’ except later is always pushed back and back and back. He is on the verge of cracking but is masterfully hiding it behind a brittle smile and a weary sigh.

Bio: Although both traditional and expected to begin an adventure sometime in early youth Lancer never received the opportunity to do so. His mother, Kiki Cerisier, ran away from the responsibilities of motherhood when his father, Jonas Cerisier, was diagnosed with a chronic illness that left him mostly bedridden. With a runaway mother and an invalid father 9-year-old Lancer pushed up his metaphorical sleeves and got to work to take care of then 4-year-old twins Malene and Matthis, and 2-year-old Nathan. Jonas could not do much work so Lancer learned the fine arts of budgeting, cooking, and cleaning. His teachers despaired because even though he was bright with above average intelligence, he chose to do just enough work to not fail in order to focus his attention on making sure his siblings got the best childhood they could.

When the twins turned 12, then 17-year-old Lancer, packed their bags with all they could need, and with worry in his heart and mind sent them off into the dangerous world in order to find their own way, to claim their own glory. When he was 18, they returned home to welcome and loving arms. Malene was triumphant while Matthis was despairing. The difference alarmed Lancer and he became reluctant to send Nathan on his own journey. Eventually Nathan wore him down and so, with even more worry in his heart and mind, Lancer packed his bag and let the youngest Cerisier off into the world. Malene took off again, this time to another region. Lancer bullied Matthis into therapy and eventually Matthis recovered enough to hold a part time job as a waiter. For the first time in a very long time Lancer had more free time than he knew what to do with, and although he didn’t have the money for a formal education, he spent vast amounts of time in the library and online researching things that he never could before. Lancer found himself drawn to psychology and neurological development and he could never explain why.

Nathan returned home when Lancer was 20. He … was not the same. At first, he would not talk about it, but slowly the truth came out. Nathan had spent money faster than he earned it, and in order to clear some debts had fallen in with a bad crowd. He had done things he was not proud of, but eventually he did manage to clear the worst of the debts. He had come back because he didn’t know where else to go. Lancer made up his old room. Matthis got him a job and the baby of the family finally learned the lessons that Lancer had tried to teach him so long ago.

When Jonas died, the year Lancer turned 21, Malene came back for the funeral, and then was gone again, no roots, just adventure. Matthis returned to the restaurant where he was rapidly moving up the promotion ladder and Nathan found an apprenticeship as a construction worker that he adored. Lancer was alone in the childhood home with no one to teach or care for. He almost didn’t know what to do with himself, so he threw himself into his studies, even enrolling in some psychology classes at his local community college.

Over the course of his studies, he kept coming back to his siblings. All three of them had very different reactions to the journey that only a few did not embark on as children. Why was that? Was it something he had done or failed to do? There were no real studies done on the matter and he was certainly not in a position to do the studies himself. He wasn’t destitute by any means, but he didn’t have money to go around interviewing people about their childhood adventures. He didn’t have money to give to people in return for their interviews. But it was frustrating. It wasn’t just his siblings. He could see it in every adult. Some were shattered by the journey. Some never stopped journeying. Some were content to let it just be a childhood adventure. Lancer couldn’t help but wonder; was sending children as young as 10 out into the world on their own really a good idea? He didn’t have an answer and no matter how much he studied or read he wouldn’t find it.

And then, at 23, Lancer stumbled upon the Laverton Institute’s website. This … this might give him the resources he needed to conduct his studies into the long term effects of the journey he himself had never gone on. This could help him figure out a way to help parents help their children better! This was a chance to do some good! Alright, it was a long shot. He had no real education outside of high school and his grades were just barely passing then. But if he didn’t try, he wouldn’t know! Besides, maybe this was his own adventure, just a decade later than most people. He spent months agonizing over, crafting, perfecting, his thesis proposal and research plans. He paid a professional to edit and review it. He let his siblings read it to get their comments. They were excited for him, and when Lancer received the highly hoped for, but entirely unexpected, acceptance letter, they all brought him his lab coat, now that he was a ‘real professor.”

Lancer Cerisier is on his way from Kalos to Sinnoh, not to study Pokémon, but to study Trainers, and Rangers, Breeders, and Elites, Leaders, and Champions. Lancer Cerisier is on his way, for the first time in his life, to do what he wants to do and be what he wants to be. Lancer Cerisier, Professor-in-Training, is on his way to change the world, for good! Better! Best!

Pokémon:






Quirks:
Lancer can cook and clean just about anything. If he doesn’t know how he can usually figure it out.
Years of helping with various school projects means he is a fount of useless but interesting facts, that he will usually say out loud whenever they come to mind at seemingly random times.
He thinks extreme couponing is tacky, but he still knows how to get the most for his dollar. He is excellent at haggling.
Malena, Matthis, and Nathan all take after Jonas, with dark brown hair and deep blue eyes. Lancer takes after their mother. Looking in the mirror and seeing her face hurts. Every. Single. Time. He doesn’t like his looks one little bit and has no self confidence in his appearance at all.

Quote: "In a world full of challenges, I'd rather be a Bulbasaur in a field of wildflowers than a Charizard blowing hot air."

Full Name: Florian Pine

Age: 20

Year at the Institute: First

Favorite Color: Green

Thesis Subject: Grass Pokémon. A hybrid of Flora and Fauna and what we can learn from them

Appearance: Pine is a tall and lean man. He stands at six feet tall, and has a slim physique. He has a heart shaped face with a firm jaw. His eyes are as green as the forest. He has a mop of blonde hair on top of his head

Pine doesn’t have much of a taste for fashion in his day to day life. Some days, he dresses like the scientist he aspires to be one day. Wearing dress shirts and pants in shades of white and gray, as well as a green tie. He even wears a white lab coat. Other days, he dresses in casual jeans and T-shirts, often green in color and with floral patterns on them. In all of his outfits, he always wears a pair of thick green glasses, as he his near sighted, as well as a flower in his hair.

Personlity: Once upon a time, Pine was a shy and nerdy young man. He didn’t have an easy time socializing with people, and also didn’t have much confidence. He often preferred his plants and Pokemon more than other people’s company. After joining the Laventon Institute, Pine developed a bit more confidence, but he's still awkward when it comes to interactions with people. He is interested in science, and is particularly fascinated with plants and grass type Pokemon. He treats his own Pokémon as if they were his babies.

Some days, Pine hates humanity. His experiences with being bullied and how people take the environment for granted contributed to this. He can be rude to people when he first meets them. He can still be rude even after he first meets them. There are moments where he thinks he's smarter than everyone else, and the people around him are idiots. He’s not opposed to using his Pokémon’s attacks on humans if they bother him too much. Even though he often feels like the world would be better off without humans in it, he understands that they are needed. If only to provide carbon dioxide for the plants.

There are other times when Pine longs for human companionship. If anyone shows him even the slightest hint of kindness, he will be all for it. He’ll cling to that person and be their best friend whether they like it or not. He will talk their ear off about whatever he's interested in. Maybe he'll care about what the other person has to say... Maybe. At least until he perceives they did him wrong in some way. Then he’ll be furious and seek revenge. He can even be flirty with people he finds attractive. In general, his emotions can vary wildly at any given time.

Bio: Florian Pine was born to a pair of scientist parents. They studied Pokemon in their natural habitats, particularly Grass type Pokemon. Due to the fact that they were often out in the field researching, they weren't around very much to raise their son. Sometimes they took him on research trips with them, but when they did, they often left him to his own devices. Even though his parents didn't show their affections all that much, Pine always knew he wanted to be a scientist just like them.

Growing up, Pine always had a fascination for plants and Grass type Pokemon. Something he got from his parents. On his free time, he would frolic in the flowers, and play with the wild Oddishes that lived nearby. He saw how often people would casually leave their trash on the floor in the forest, which could harm the environment and the Pokemon living there. Pine would tell them to pick up their trash, and they'd just laugh him off. Others found his intense fascination to be odd. He was often bullied by others because he was physically weaker, psychologically delicate, and in their eyes he was just plain weird.

He would be picked on, beaten up, called deaming nicknames, every kind of bullying you could imagine. He was even made fun of because his first name was Florian, which was weird. He also had to sit alone during lunch because no one else wanted to sit with him. Him trying to defend himself by saying it means flower did not help the matter. He bullied by one boy in particularl, who already had a Charizard, when most of the other kids didn't even have Pokemon of their own yet. He was sure to brag about that in everyone faces, but especially Pine. Pine made it no secret that he wanted a Bulbasaur. Of course this got no end of ridicule from this boy. He talked about how much cooler Charizard was than Venusaur because it was a dragon, and that Venusaur was an overgrown frog with a flower on it's back, and that it was uncool. Pine knew he was wrong, but he hated having to hear this kid's bragging every day. It would later come out that this boy brought his father's Charizard to school, and it wasn't actually his, but that didn't make it better.

Despite all the bullying, there was person who seemed to show him kindness. A boy named Evan often defended him from bullies. Evan was handsome and one of the most popular boys in school. Pine was shocked him of all people would take the time to defend him. They hung out together sometimes, and it was the first time Pine actually had a friend! He finally had somebody to sit with during lunch. It didn't take long for Pine to get a crush on Evan. After a long while, Pine finally built up the nerve to ask Evan out on a date. Evan politely turned him down. Pine was not happy about this, but he was able to move on with his life.

Than he heard Evan talking to his girlfriend in the hallway. She witnessed Pine asking her boyfriend out, and wanted to know what happened. Evan basically admitted to his girlfriend that he didn't like Pine all that much, and thought he was as weird as everyone else did. The only reason he defended him was out of pity. He told his girlfriend she was the most important person in his life, and kissed her. Now, Pine was devasted.

Despite all of this, Pine was still an intelligent young man, and eventually graduated from school at the top of his class. He did the Pokémon trainer thing for a little bit, but it was mostly just to study Grass type Pokémon in the wild then it was for getting 8 Gym badges. He got that Bulbasaur he wanted. He eventually applied to the Laventon Institute to further his goals.

Pokémon:


Quirks: Hates Charizard, blame that bully.
Is Bisexual, but prefers other men.
Has a major sweet tooth
Has other stereotypically nerdy interests like video games and comic books about superheroes. He prefers to enjoy them alone than with others.
Always introduces himself as Pine, never Florian. People have bullied him for that name.

Full Name: Isaiha Akana

Age: 25

Year at the Institute: Second Year

Favorite Color: "Blue like the Alolan Beaches!"

Thesis Subject: How Pokemon learn attacks, how attacks work, and if new ones could be created.

Appearance: Isaiha is a young, tall, and very fit young man with tanned skin and always untidy hair. He typically wears some form of a floral Alolan shirt under his perpetually unbuttoned lab coat and a t-shirt and jeans with sneakers. On warmer days he wears shorts and sandals. Isaiha is never seen without a pair of sunglasses and or without his Z- Power Ring on his wrist.

Personlity: Isaiha is almost exactly what anyone would expect; an easy-going guy that lives his life doing whatever he pleases without taking anything seriously. He is the life of the party in any social setting and often times gives others the impression that he was a lifelong friend of someone even though he met them only moments ago. Friendly and sociable are just his default settings, but in a sunny extrovert way that is blinding to most introverts. He's the kind of guy that would actually be late to class because he was helping an elderly person carry their groceries home.

Isaiha is someone that lives with the motto, "A healthy body is a healthy mind." He frequents the gym for weightlifting and wakes up at the crack of dawn to go for runs. However, his healthy habits are probably connected to the fact that he is an adrenaline junkie. Isahia is someone that needs intense amounts of stimulation or else he will go absolutely insane. Exercise helps, but what really gets him going are his two greatest loves: surfing and Pokemon Battles. He frequently makes time to visit Sandgem Town's beach so he can catch some waves and Pokemon Battles reveal an intensely competitive, strategic nature that one would not expect from his laidback demeanor. Don't ask him to choose between surfing or Pokemon Battles. He would rather die.

New experiences are always valuable, and he is game to try new things. Isaiha is very open minded though that may be an excuse because he has a very hard time saying no. He's afraid of upsetting or offending others, so there are times he agrees to things when he really shouldn't. Combine this with a personality that makes him come across as unintentionally flirty and you get trouble.

Of course, like many others accepted by Laventon Institute he is an intelligent, inquisitive young man, but at heart he is truly a trainer, not an academic. His school of life was filled with battles, catching Pokemon, training them to be the best, and exploring the world so at times he feels a bit disconnected with the other students who didn't really have that experience. It's hard to be both a trainer and professor when it feels like he has to choose between them. It's not like he would say that to anyone or say anything about any problems he has for that matter.

Bio: Isaiha is native from Hau'oli City on Melemele Island of the Alola Regions. His parents were professional surfboarders that met during international competitions. His father was from Galar, and his mother was a native to Melemele Island that fell madly in love though they did not necessarily plan to have Isaiha as early as they did. The young couple settled in Hau'oli City and opened a surfboard shop/ surf lessons and surf tours around the island. When he was little Isaiha frequently joined his parents when they gave surf lessons and their island surf tours. His parents often joked that he learned how to surf before he could even walk.

There was not much else that a kid like him could ask for. He had great parents that loved, friends at school, and waves that he could surf on. It was simple, but for him it was all he needed. That was until he met someone that changed the course of his life. Once again, he surfed on the waves of Hau'oli City's beach he noticed that something kept following him, a Horsea. The Pokemon just wanted to play and of course, he obliged and the two rode the waves until the sun began to set below the horizon. And it happened again, and again, and again. It had gotten to the point that the Horsea would wait every day in the same spot for Isaiha and like clockwork he would arrive to play with the water-type. Eventually, they refused to be separated and his parents had to give him to a begging child with tears and snot running down his face.

This ignited the spark that so many young children had when they received their first pokemon; the desire to become the very best trainer. There was only so much that a little kid could actually do besides battle other kids in what was tantamount to playground skirmishes, but when he turned eleven, he was unleased upon the world. Isaiha was given the choice to take the Island Challenge and again, like most children, went headfirst into the challenge. The Island Challenge only made his love of Pokemon and adventure grow as he met so many different kinds of people and Pokemon along with his love of battling. He would eventually become an Island Challenge Champion before the tradition was retired some years later when its Pokemon League was established.

Over the years he would take part in Pokemon and surfing tournaments, even in other regions. However, whenever he travelled through another region it would always have to be during the off months of school. Eventually he wanted to try and go pro, but his parents told him to go to college first because it would have been a waste of his smarts not to. Turned out all of his endeavors counted as extracurricular activities that could be used for his applications, go figure. Anyway, he did go to university majoring in some Pokemon Sciences in Unova and had an internship with Professor Juniper.

Eventually he graduated and true to his word he tried to make a career out of surfing and battling and for a while it worked. Isaiha was getting sponsors and he sent money to his parents to help support them and fix up their shop. Over time though, he started to feel... weird. He was doing what he wanted to do so he should have been happy. So why did he feel so empty inside? Every victory and every loss started to mean less and less to him. It didn't matter anyway because it always had to same result; the ever-growing pressure to be better. No matter what he did it was never enough to satisfy the sponsors. It was suffocating. One day it came to a head where he was scheduled to appear in a match, and he just didn't show. Isaiha hopped a plane back to Melemele Island and ran away from the issue. He burned out.

Something like that does not leave your mind unscathed. Isaiha was depressed and barely left his parents' home at weeks at a time. His passions were non-existant. There was guilt from his friends and family. They should have seen it, but they did not. They should have asked if he was okay, but he hid it too damn well. Eventually, however, they finally got him to see a therapist to talk through what happened. It was slow to help, but eventually did open up and became receptive to what she was trying to do. One thing that stuck out though was this. "You didn't fail, you got out of a bad situation. You can always try again, but why not see what else the world has to offer?" All he knew was battling and surfing. Sure, he had his degree, but he was not cutout to be a scientist or professor. He had focused on this one goal for so long that he really did not know what else to do. However, that all changed with a single random thought that snowballed; Pokemon attacks are weird.

The layman would think that attacks were simply the product of evolution and adaptation for survival, and to a degree it's correct except it falls apart when anyone puts more thought into it. Of course, there are Pokemon the evolved to use moves that are unique to them, but that could not overshadow the oddities. Why can a Slobro know Fire Blast? Why can a Zoroark learn Flamethrower or why can an Infernape use Thunder Punch? Last he checked they did not have any biological functions that allowed them to breathe fire or discharge electricity. Why was the strongest dragon-type move, Draco Meteor, a move that had to be taught by a person? Why can they learn so many moves from TMs and tutors, but not in nature? Were attacks they learned overtime just the process of learning techniques that had been passed down genetically through generations? Were attacks not just biological function, but of natural energies that Pokemon could manipulate? Z-Moves were essentially just techniques amplified by Z-Power to pull off moves that would be impossible otherwise. Why did normal types learn every type of move under the sun? If Pokemon could manipulate these energies and they were just techniques instead of purely adaptation, then was it possible to teach Pokemon moves that they couldn't learn? Could you make new moves?

Isaiha got back in contact with Professor Juniper or, well, she actually did. She had heard what happened from his mother. It turned out when his parents visited Unova to see him, his mother and her actually became friends after he introduced them. They caught up and when he presented his ideas about Pokemon Moves, he received a surprise. Professor Juniper suggested to write that as his thesis and send it to the Laventon Institute. She would review whatever he wrote and offered to write a letter of recommendation. It was a good deal and currently he is a second-year student hoping to make progress on his thesis though that is far easier said than done. He quickly realized that he could not perform his research with a team of already strong Pokemon so he would have to start from scratch and is looking to increase the sample size of his research.

Pokémon:

Quirks:
-He has a surfboard that he named Lola. Besides his Pokemon it is his baby and treats it as such. Do not ask him to choose between you or the surfboard. You will lose.
-Has taken up baking and drawing as a hobby as a new way to destress as recommended by his therapist. He still sees her via online sessions.
-Isahia gets incredibly defensive when someone brings up the remarkable similarities between Professor Kukui and him.
-His creator has to look up surfer lingo for whenever Isahia speaks.

Full Name: Kaori Ginkgo

Age: 21

Year at the Institute: Second Year

Favorite Color: Yellow

Thesis Subject: The Effects of Speciality Pokeballs on the Capture and Growth of Pokemon.

Appearance: Ginkgo is a gremlin. Small of stature and slight of build, maybe a hair over 151cm (~5ft) if she stretches. But that delicate frame is offset by the woman’s rather rough style and mischievous eyes. Her sun-kissed (or more often sunburnt) limbs are covered in tattoos of wildly varying quality and styles with little rhyme or reason to any of them, a physical mark of her impulsive, reckless nature.

Her clothes are typically well worn and loose: lightweight tee shirts and tanks for tops, baggy cargos for bottoms held up by the handy-dandy tool belt (that’s putting in the finest of work trying to hold up those heavy pants on her tiny frame). A beat up trucker hat often sits upon her sandy hair (worn more often than not in loose twintails), frayed and distressed, just the way she likes it. That’s not to say that Kaori can’t dress up - she’s in possession of the obligatory dress or two and we simply mustn’t forget the lab coat - but those are her ass-kissing clothes, for when she really really needs to make a good impression. If she can get away with it though, you’re getting comfy Ginkgo.

Personality: Ginkgo is a gremlin. Repeated for emphasis. Were she a Pokemon, she’d be an Impidimp. Since she is not, however, the girl settles for simply being impish. A brat from birth, really. Pranks, little itty-bitty white lies, Ginkgo’s all about that harmless nuisance stuff. There’s no malice in it, mind you - it’s just for laughs. She’s just as enthused about being the target of shenanigans as she is being the conductor. Fun is fun, and Kaori loves fun.

Kaori also loves people. Extroverted as they come, she laughs freely and often, right at home in a group. Is it egotistical or arrogant to crave the spotlight? Yes. Moving on.

Okay, fine, it’s not just a hunger for attention that motivates her in a group. It’s mostly that, let’s not sugarcoat it, but not entirely. Kaori likes to consider herself a sort of platonic matchmaker. If person A and person B have similar hobbies or interests but don’t interact, Kaori will make it her mission to bring the two together, even if it means taking up a topic she’s not remotely interested in. Call it meddling but...well, no, actually that’s just all it is. Meddling. She meddles. It’s not a great trait and has bitten her in the ass several times. But to her defense, she can’t help it. She wants her friends to be friends with each other as well. Because that means that everybody’s having a great time, nobody feels left out, and… they’re not relying on her to keep the group together. Which means there’s less pressure.

Because Kaori cracks under pressure. It’s a terrible fate - craving the attention and approval of one’s peers while simultaneously being terrified of the weight of the expectation that comes with it. She crumbles. Shuts down. Factory reset.

Kaori.exe has stopped responding.

She’s just not built for it, the shackles of responsibilities. It’s suffocating. Burdensome. She’s a free spirit. Creative. Independent. Impulsive. Reckless. When following her heart, she thrives. She lives.

So why academia? It's not exactly a beacon for creativity, all that science mumbo jumbo. Why would one so ill-suited to the field choose to follow that path? Who knows. Ask her and she’ll say that it just felt right.

Or because, and let’s be completely honest here, them Devon and Silph machines ain’t cheap. And it just feels better to spend grant money than your own money, y’know? Sure, she’ll have to do some stuffy nerd stuff to earn her shiny toys, but that’s stuff that she’d already be doing on her path to build the best balls anyway. The name of the game is fleecing the government out of as much play money as possible and man… Greedy Ginkgo’s a gamer.

Bio: Kaori Ginkgo sprouted up in Azalea Town, the youngest of five and the sole girl amongst a gaggle of guys, though with how the tomboy turned out, one would be forgiven for thinking the Ginkgos went six for six on sons. Ever bought some Charcoal from the Azalea Town Pokemart? Chances are one of Kaori’s brothers was responsible for that. The Ginkgo family ran the town’s Charcoal Kiln and you best believe that growing up, Kaori collected her fair share of branches for the family business.

And in another life, that story might spin off into a tale of how Kaori Ginkgo the Charcoal Princess ruthlessly united the charcoal makers across Johto and Kanto to form a Charcoal Empire that would bring the world to its economic knees before the mighty environmentally questionable charcoal fist.

Ahem.

Luckily, Kaori met Kurt. Well, specifically Kurt’s granddaughter, but yes, that Kurt. Apricorn Kurt the Ball Baron…just, y’know, don’t let him hear you call him that. There weren’t many young girls in town so the little Kurtling clung to Kaori as a big sister figure, a role that Kaori took on eagerly.

And the more time that Kaori spent with Maizie, the more the little one’s grandfather warmed to the Charcoal Princess. It went both ways, mind you. Kaori originally saw Kurt as a prickly old codger. And while she was right, she did become fond of the old man. Her curiosity led to her taking an interest in the man’s craft. Don’t get things wrong, Kaori loved charcoal as much as the next girl, but the creative ceiling in that field was...well, low would be putting it mildly. There was a certain artistry to what Old Man Kurt did.

Eventually, Kaori would even head over to the old man’s place even when Maizie was staying with her parents, desperate to figure out how in the hell Kurt made them damn balls. She would demand the old man teach her how to do it. He would refuse. She would demand again. He would refuse again. An endless cycle.

Kurt eventually broke. Could you blame him? Sure, the first few times the brat asked, it was easy to say no. But after the hundredth? Or thousandth? The stubborn brat was persistent. And maybe he saw a bit of himself in her. Or maybe she was just projecting her interpretation of the relationship onto him much later down the line, who could say? In any case, Kurt eventually agreed to take her on as an apprentice. Not that there was anything formal about the arrangement. She kept asking and eventually one day the ‘No’ turned into ‘FINE! Get me my tools.’ After that, Kaori became a fixture around the workshop.

The pair bickered over everything, Kaori must have gotten ‘fired’ a thousand times over, and to an outsider, the whole arrangement must have looked a mess. But the fact of the matter was that they were both incredibly passionate about the craft. Kaori took to it like a bird to flight, showing a remarkable aptitude and in Kurt’s eyes, a profound potential.

It was Kurt’s suggestion that Kaori try for Laventon. In the years that had passed since that little brat first banged on his door and demanded he teach her, Kurt had indeed bestowed upon Kaori everything he could. Not everything he knew - an old man’s gotta have some secrets still - but enough that there was nothing else he could do for her. And he knew that when she applied herself, Kaori was a bright girl. The field of Ball Studies wasn’t very large, but Kurt’s word had weight. Silph and Devon would fight each other to get his successor on board.

Kaori, to her credit, rose to the challenge. Her funding secured through generous scholarships offered by both companies, her recommendation letters from both Kurt and Professor Elm (the old man had called in a favor) painted her favorably, and her proposal was well-written. The only thing that could possibly go wrong…

No. Nothing. Nothing could possibly go wrong. Kaori bottled up all of that fear and anxiety and stashed it away. Y’know, like healthy people do. Surely that won’t bite her in the ass. Surely not.

Gingko survived her first year at the institute without incident, relying heavily on her newfound friends to keep her grounded, and her ramshackle little custom pokeball sidegig to keep her creative juices flowing. But how sustainable will that be? How much more can that bottle truly hold before it finally bursts?





Quirks:
-As mentioned earlier, Kaori has a bit of a sidegig where she makes custom pokeballs for people. Not exclusively out of apricorn (those cost more), but the option is there for the right price. Cheaper if they agree to record data for the effectiveness of the balls on their new captures for her.

-The tattoos are pretty much exclusively done by friends for practice. She gets fun ink, they get a willing canvas for whatever they want to draw, quality not mattering at all and a custom pokeball job. It’s a standing offer for all of her artsy friends.

-Kaori likes to break rules / traditions / etc, just for the thrill of it. Small crimes, nothing that hurts anybody, but y’know. It helps give her a little burst of adrenaline to get through the day.

-Habitually says yes to plans with little to no context. It’s more fun that way.

Full Name:
Tofu / ‘Cedar’

Age:
24

Year at the Institute:
First

Favorite Color:
Orange

Thesis Subject:
The Existence of Extra-Terrestrial Pokemon
Communication Methods of Mouthless Pokemon

Appearance:
• Tofu has a large backpack that contains audio and visual recording equipment as well as radio transmitters and receivers.

Personality:
"I'm your host, UFO Tofu - annnd today-ay we're discussing Staryu transmissions and their potential eXtRa-PlAnEtArY receivers..."

Tofu secretly hosts a podcast in his spare time under the name, 'UFO Tofu'. He's gained a modest following that he's proud of and likes to think his personality has grown alongside the show. Tofu covers topics that aren't mainstream therefore he'll never garner an audience on par with Professor Oak but Tofu is content with that, in fact, being an underground radio pirate makes him feel pretty cool.

UFO Tofu is a sizable chunk of his identity yet it's something he doesn't disclose to his classmates. It's likely he believes if they knew, it would discredit him as a scientist. Any friend might listen and hear what an enthusiastic researcher he is or how excellently his audio essays are argued - but what if his peers just thought he was crazy? It's best to keep it quiet.

Tofu speaks like a satirical depiction of a typical radio presenter, bouncy words that are potentially obnoxious in certain scenarios. He hasn't learned how to lower the volume on his charisma yet, could he be sending the wrong signals? Authenticity is a lesson he hasn't aced.

Bio:

10 Years Ago - Viridian City Police Department

The validity of the following statement is questionable.

The witness was questioned in the presence of a guardian.

"We were playing on the mountain but it got so - it got all... it got foggy so quick - I couldn't see where he was, I could only hear him. I was shouting, 'I can't see, I can't see anything!' And he was like, 'get over here, come quick!' - but, y'know, it kinda sounded like he was - all around me. I didn't know which way to go. So... then a green light lit up the mountain and I saw him. The light picked him up like... like he was just an action figure or something."

Tofu grew up in Viridian City as the notorious 'UFO Kid'. The trajectory of his life was decided forever after an incident that made national news resulted in the disappearance of his childhood friend. Tofu wholeheartedly believes what he saw that night was his friend levitated by an otherworldly tractor beam and abducted in an alien spacecraft.

Tofu's alien obsession has become a covert mission now that he has a reputation as a scientist to uphold. He's savvy enough within the academic circle to realise that the title of 'UFO Guy' will only detract from his credibility. One day, he'll prove the truth - that his friend really was abducted by aliens... all those years ago...

"get over here! come quick!"

Tofu went to university in Unova where he majored in the study of Pokemon and specialized in Pokemon Linguistics.



Quirks:
• Tofu goes by the pseudonym, ‘Cedar’ at the Laventon Institute.

• His fake thesis exists to disguise his true research at the Laventon Institute.