[CHAR] Pokemon: Professor's Academy

[RisingRobin]

Jason Yew

"Evolution isn't just growth. It's a Pokemon carving its role in the universe!

Full Name: Jason Yew

Age: 26

Year at the Institute: Third Year

Favorite Color: Purple

Thesis Subject: Unlocking Evolution: A Study of Gender-Based Evolution and What Controls It?

Appearance: From an outsider's perspective, Jason looks like a mess. His shirts are wrinkled, his lab coat is permanently stained from toxins, and he frequently looks bored or like he's about to fall asleep. This is a side effect of his work. Behind his serious expression, Jason's mind is constantly at work. He's so driven by his research, that he's forgotten his own self-care more often than not. He keeps several extra lab coats in his dorm, but they are typically stained by the end of the work day. Despite his usually serious expression, his eyes will light up and he gets more animated if someone mentions a topic that interests him.

Personality: Jason has a distinctly dry humor. Because of his serious expression, it's often hard for other students to tell if he's joking or not. One time - during lunch - he suggested that feeding the Trubbish outside the cafeteria the school's pudding was causing the Trash Bag Pokemon to get poisoned themselves. All he got were blank stares.

He's also received an unfortunate reputation for being unintentionally intimidating. In reality, he's a bit awkward and struggles opening up to new people. When people get in his inner circle though, they discover he's surprisingly patient with his Pokemon and with kids.

Jason is also fully dedicated to his research and thesis. He's developed a taste for stale coffee thanks to long nights in the lab. Many times, he'll answer a 3AM phone call wide awake because he wasn't even aware the time had passed. His research notes are covered in burn holes from testing with Pokemon venom. It's no stretch to say his own Pokemon have kept him alive more than once.

Bio: Hailing from Fuchsia City, it was no surprise that Jason Yew loved learning about Pokemon. Fuchsia's Pokemon Zoo and Safari Zone meant there was always a new species for him to discover. When he finally turned ten, his parents paid for him to play the Safari Game for his birthday. Despite almost catching a Scyther (and getting chopped for it), Jason found his future partner in a male Nidoran. This was Doku. The duo became fast friends and Doku's unique evolutionary line would go on to become the foundation of Jason's research.

Jason and Doku would also play with their next door neighbor Janine and her Venonat. With her dad being the Fuchsia gym leader Koga, the two bonded over their mutual love of Poison-Type Pokemon; often clashing over who had the "better" partner. When they were old enough, Jason and Janine went on separate journeys to conquer the Indigo Plateau. Jason's journey would be cut short after a devastating loss to Sabrina in Saffron City. It was during this time, Jason had a chance meeting with the legendary Professor Oak! The Professor had been in Saffron on a work visit and had heard about Jason through Koga. He was surprised by Jason's knowledge of Pokemon biology and his interest in understanding evolution. On Oak's suggestion, Jason went back to school and eventually applied to the Laventon Institute.

Since arriving at the LI, Jason has become a standout student. His self-care aside, many professors find him to be a hard-working individual. There have been concerns expressed about him needing to be a bit more social with his peers though. He finished his second year at the LI with a research trip to the Alola Region. Starting his third year, he's been requested to TA for Pokemon Ecology 101 with Professor Birch. Not that he WANTS to, but he needs the credits for graduation.

Pokemon

Starter:Doku

Name: Doku
Characteristic: Proud of its power!
Bio: Caught in the Kanto Safari Zone, Doku was Jason's first partner. The two have been inseparable since day one. Since Jason changed his focus to being a professor, Doku has become less of a battler and more a jack of all trades, often using his power for traversing regions (surfing, smashing rocks, etc.) or keeping Jason out of trouble.

Team

Name: Luna
Characteristic: Good endurance!
Bio: The first Pokemon Jason caught after joining the Laventon Institute. During his first year, he wanted to analyze the Nidoran species in their natural habitat: Mt. Moon. During this time, he caught a female Niodran he named Luna. Intending to pair her with Doku, he was shocked when she quickly evolved and lost her ability to lay eggs! Now, she provides crucial information and is an invaluable part of Jason's research team. Like Doku, she has a big part in keeping Jason alive.

Name: Toxin
Characteristic: Loves to Eat!
Bio: A recent catch during his research trip to Alola. Jason discovered Toxin at Wela Volcano Park. It had stolen food from a very angry Salazzle and was currently being chased. Jason and Doku saved the Salandit and won it over with the promise of more food. Jason theorizes something about Toxin's biology makes him immune to Salazzle pheromones. He wonders if this means a male Salandit evolution could be discovered.

Name: Jester
Characteristic: Mischievous!
Bio: Before his infamous battle with Sabrina, Jason had attempted to catch a Gastly from Lavender Town's Pokemon Tower. He was successful in catching and evolving it too. The problems arose when he discovered Jester had no interest in battling! It spent most of the battle just pulling pranks on Jason and not listening to orders. Now, he mostly just haunts Jason's dorm. Jester takes a strange delight in tormenting his trainer, and Jason fears what it could be capable of as a Gengar... He's never tried to evolve him.

Quirks:
- Despite not seeming interested, Jason does keep up with the professional battling scene. He was over the moon the night Koga joined Kanto's Elite Four.
- Due to multiple cases of being exposed to Pokemon venom (whether accidental or because of Jester), Jason's body has developed natural resistances to most common types of poison. It weirds out his fellow students when he has no reaction to poison sting.
- Jason believes poison-type Pokemon may hold the key to evolution as poison-types are among the most numerous in the Pokédex.

[Ryik]

Ryoka Shikimi

Theme

"The question should never be, 'has science gone too far?' What you should be asking is, 'was it worth it?' Because I assure you, the answer is yes."

Full Name: Ryoka Shikimi

Age: 23

Year at the Institute: Second

Dialogue Color: Cyan-Turquoise #35FDF3

Thesis Subject: Pokémon Fusion: The Viability and Utility of Pokémon Gene-Splicing and Its Applications Within the Field of Pokémon Epigenetics

Appearance: Ryoka is a perfectionist, and it shows in her composed outward demeanor and immaculate attire. She's not one for dresses or jewelery, though she is known to wear red-rimmed glasses and the occasional colorful accessory. She tends to appear more unapproachable than she actually is, and when there are "more important matters", the last thing she'll care about is how she looks.

Personality: Ryoka is a bit intense in a lot of different ways. She isn't very good at small talk and her best customer service face just makes her look annoyed, so if you register as a distraction to her, she's likely to come off as cold and dismissive. On the other hand, if she comes to see you as a person she can bounce ideas off of, she's rather casual, uses a lot of deadpan snark, and can talk your ear off for hours about obscure pokémon biology and its highly specific niches in nature, battle, and commercial industries.

Outside of her interests, which are rather dense in content, she tends to cut straight to the heart of matters and is offputtingly forthright. Her words are sometimes as sharp as a blade, and it is very easy to end up cutting yourself on her metaphorical edges, only for her to be blissfully unaware.

She is driven, goal-oriented, and chafes at being told what she can and can't do. For her, almost every problem has a solution, and she is simultaneously humble enough to seek help and arrogant enough to keep looking when she doesn't immediately find an answer. She can be difficult to get along with, but her preferred solution to conflict resolution is to simply battle about it until it stops being a problem.

Bio: Ryoka was born and raised in Tōno City, which is North of Kanto, South of Sinnoh, and east of Sinjoh and Kitakami. It's a relatively quiet place with a lot of history, and Ryoka has always regarded it as kinda boring. Her father works at a Brewery, while her mother used to be a trainer of some renown before her Ace Typhlosion suffered an unfortunate career-ending injury. She is still a trainer, but not a particularly competitive one, and she mostly works at a local hotspring since her pokémon are good at temperature control. Ryoka decided she needed to get out of Tōno as soon as she could, and so when she was old enough and got her first pokémon, she did just that.

Although pokémon journeys were comparatively less popular in Tōno on account of the lack of local pokémon league, she had no trouble convincing her parents to let her go on one, and her goal wasn't to complete a gym circuit anyway. She mostly just wanted to see the world outside of her city full of old temples. She had already loosely planned to become a pokémon professor with a focus on epigenetics on account of the many tricks of her mother's aging Typhlosion, but it was only after going on a journey with the peculiarity of a Solosis with an atypical ability that she really began to dig into the possibilities. She learned how to battle, evolved Solosis, and even won a few gym badges, but as her plans for the future began to solidify, she began to reprioritize. She didn't need pokéballs, but she did need the money for an expensive second party member and their evolution requirements. After much toil, a Porygon was acquired, though as she got to know them, her plans for the future shifted further. Eventually, she settled on the path she is on today, and in what she would call a stroke of genius, she decided her team needed at least one more party member.

The rest is less history and more an insane hyper-fixation with world-shaking socio-political ramifications. Not that most of those ramifications are her problem anyway, at least for a while. In any case, after returning home and producing her first partial success at gene splicing and publishing the results, she made headlines, and was recommended to apply to the Laventon Institute, which offered some very attractive facilities and resources. She was accepted, and has since been slowly producing more results in her research without paying much mind to the growing controversy surrounding her work taking place behind closed doors. She was always good at arguing her way through unfair teachers anyway.

Come her second year, she realized she had missed Pokémon Ecology 101 since she had been excited about the other options in her first year, and it would only be useful to her in the latest stages of her research. Since it was a graduation requirement, she figured she might as well get it over with, and it would likely become useful eventually, if releasing Chimeras into the wild ever becomes a desirable outcome.

Pokémon

Anthroparion the Reuniclus (Peri for short)

Ability: Trace
Ryoka's first pokémon and the one that arguably set her on her path aiming to become a pokémon professor specialized in genetics. Peri's father was a Gardevoir, and whether through chance or environmental factors, he inherited his father's Trace ability, which makes him an anomaly among Reuniclus. Although unnoticed at first and arguably a detriment in battle compared to standard Reuniclus abilities, Ryoka came to appreciate the uniqueness of Trace. This eventually extended to her research as Peri's partially transparent body and ability to mimic pokémon abilities provided a unique opportunity to study pokémon biology. Nowadays, Peri's ability to mimic aspects of other biologies combined with its permeablility and psychic power makes it perfect for keeping DNA samples alive and stored away within its body, ready for artificial cellular reproduction if more samples are needed and modification via Dox's instructions when Ryoka is ready to conduct a new or revisit an old experiment.

---

Archidoxis the Porygon-Z (Doxis or Dox for short, Archie when Ryoka wants to annoy them)

Ability: Download
Although Ryoka initially sought out a Porygon for a Trace user to compare with Peri's Trace, with the added benefit of being able to look into Porygon's code during the process, Porygon are hard to come by, and certainly not cheap. It took long hours in jobs Ryoka would rather not talk about to be able to afford one, but in the end she simply adopted one (albeit for a non-negligible fee) after a crackdown on poachers in Sinnoh after a certain "reputable" pokémon delivery service used by a certain rich eccentric was revealed to be less than reputable. By the time she realized Doxis didn't have the Trace ability, she was already knee-deep in being able to study a fully artificial pokémon, with all of the potential genetic modularity inherent to that. The Download ability simply came as a welcome surprise, and caused her to pivot her plans for Doxis yet again. It allowed Doxis to ascertain relatively detailed information on a pokémon not unlike a pokédex, and when they evolved into a Porygon2, they were able to meaningfully contribute to pokémon gene sequencing efforts. She doesn't regret evolving Doxis into a Porygon-Z. She knew the risks of doing so, but make no mistake, Porygon-Z are much more powerful, and she needed that kind of processing power for her purposes. A touch of madness here and there wasn't so bad anyway. In any case, Doxis came to be the digital side of her DNA database, helping Peri index his catalogue and serving as the main vehicle through which she plans gene edits. In conjunction with Peri's psychic abilities, it is enough to modify DNA, simulate the outcome, and prep the samples for use in conjunction with her third party member.

---

Alkahest the Ditto (Alk for short)

Ability: Limber, changes with transformations
The star of Ryoka's research, Alk's transformative capabilities allowed her to do safe experiments and ultimately skip to the practical applications of her research. With help from Reuniclus' DNA database, Alk can transform into any pokémon Ryoka has taken a sample from. With help from Dox's gene editing software, variations can be made, and with enough work on Alk's part with Ryoka, Dox, and Peri's help, Alk can transform into a chimera: a stable fusion of two separate pokémon, with a mix of their strengths and weaknesses. Currently, Alk has mastered shapeshifting into various Ditto-based forms, mainly those with the face of a Ditto and the body of other pokémon.

Ditto forms of varying stability

Alk is able to do this with decent consistency even with new pokémon and minimal assistance from Ryoka, Peri and Dox. Some species, according to Alk, are too unstable when combined with Ditto, though being able to meaningfully battle with an untransformed pseudo-Ditto at all is a major breakthrough. Whether Alk's limitations are personal or generalized, Ryoka has not yet confirmed. However, the hard part comes from trying to maintain the face of other pokémon and the body of a Ditto. Alk has had some success with such forms, but cannot reproduce them consistently. Ryoka hopes to use these Ditto-based fusions as a stepping stone towards combining the genes of two different non-ditto pokémon via Dox and providing it to Alk to enable fully realized pokémon fusions. Once a perfect end result is achieved, Ryoka believes that she can extrapolate the method in reverse to create stable pokémon chimeras from scratch.

Quirks:

• Has an inexplicable obsession with Azumarill ears, among other specific pokémon body parts. She Insists Azumarill ears are supreme in terms of capability, versatility, and aesthetics. She moves the goal posts away from capability when Audino is brought up.
• Ryoka is the type of person to binge bulbapedia articles at 3 am.
• Despite knowing how to synthesize the exact chemicals used to light up Chinchou's bioluminescent lamps, she has a lot of inexplicable blind spots about a number of common pokémon. She could tell you the number of bones in a Pidgey (120-130ish based on age and region) but couldn't tell you the difference between a male and female Starly.

[SpookySquid]

Not-So-Officer Jenny Baobab

Image

(Could not find an image of how I actually wanted her to look like - she is a member of the Officer Jenny family and shares the facial features and build of a typical Officer Jenny, but has a slightly different hair style. I'll expand more on what she looks like in "Appearance" blurb below.)

Quote: The black Mareep of the family

Full Name: Jenny Baobab

Age: 24

Year at the Institute: First

Favorite Color: Orange

Thesis Subject: Leaving Stones Unturned: Unusual Evolution Methods Exploring more unusual forms of evolutions, with a focus on measures difficult to quantify. For example, evolving an Eevee into a Vaporeon is easy - just use a Water Stone. But an Umbreon? A bit more involved. Riolu, a fighting-type Pokemon, doesn't need to be in a battle to evolve, just needs properly pampered. If a Pokemon hasn't evolved yet, maybe it simply hasn't done the right thing because nobody has thought to do that with the Pokemon?

Appearance: Jenny is, obviously a member of the Officer Jenny family, and shares many of their physical features. However, since she doesn't share the same profession as most of her relatives, she doesn't feel the need to quite present herself in the same way. While she has the hallmark green hair, she does not tie it back unless undergoing specific experiments, nor keep it quite as short. Instead, she often let's her hair flow freely, unless she's working on a specific experiment, in which case her Ditto will morph into a headband for her. Her clothing is often blue, but she often has splashes of orange, her favorite color.

Personality: Jenny's mind runs at a million miles an hour. She'll often pick up something, work frantically on it a bit, and then jump to something else. She's quite prone to dig her teeth into something for a bit, then discard it for some other fascination later.

Bio: Some parents are distraught when their ten year old child leaves to start a Pokemon journey. For Jenny, her parents were floored when she showed an interest in dentistry instead of working as a Police Officer. It's not that there was a problem with an Officer Jenny not going the routine route, it's just that it seldom happened. A year later, though, she was yet again interested in becoming an officer. She received her first Pokemon, a Growlithe, who she very much cherished; in retrospect, Milkshake the Growlithe was likely the source of her love of the color orange. It seemed, at least for a bit, she would go the traditional route, likely serving to patrol Route 216 near Snowpoint City. Then it became clear she was only interested in joining her sister so she could fiddle around with and pick apart the motorcycles. So, a mechanic, perhaps?

That stuck for a bit, but this interest in mechanics would lead to a fascination with aviation. It was settled. She would be a pilot. In fact, there was actually a decent chance she would settle with this as her career. She always did want to travel a bit. Her parents sought out for a flying pokemon, something that would glide gracefully through the air... a Starly, perhaps! But she got a Doduo. Another companion she became fast friends with. The bizarre method in which they flew changed her interests yet again. Next, it became Doduo racing. Snow skiing. Then battling. Then aviation again. Then Kayaking. Firefighting. The list continued. While most explored the world, she explored hobbies and careers. She became a cave explorer in Mt. Coronet. Then a farmer in Floaroma Town. She took up fishing for a while in Canalave city. One miniature adventure after another. That was until she met her Ditto.

It happened when traveling along route 218 when she came across a hurt Glameow. She took it back to nurse it to health at her apartment in Jubilife City and when she got back to her apartment, she had a... Spinda? She had found herself a Ditto. She was fascinated by the Ditto, capable of being both everything and nothing all at once. She began to study it, but she soon found studying Dittos was a hefty task. To understand Ditto, you sort of have to learn a bit about all sorts of Pokemon. And so that she did. One thing lead to another, and she had enough research under her belt to make a good candidate for LI. She has a love of learning, and is hoping to meet like minded people.

It is worth noting, she is sort of a jack of all trades, master of none. Jenny has learned a large variety of things many would not have, but is by no means an expert, nor some savant or genius.

The interest in her thesis comes from being exposed to the many ways she has seen Pokemon used and treated in her time. Of course, there are the obvious contests and battles a typical trainer would see. But she saw some Pokemon work along side her in warehouses and restaurants; helpful, but not exactly ones she would say she bonded closely with. Ominous Absol's with no human companion showing up to warn people of a dangerous storm, treated with more fear than anything. Certain Rare Pokemon being treated with a sort of reverence instead of as a companion. And, unfortunately, having worked briefly with Officer Jenny's, people who treated Pokemon poorly. Of course, Jenny is not going to do anything to harm a Pokemon, but her experiments often involve having Pokemon just do things nobody would likely think to ask - asking a Kriketune to learn the Violin, having a Smeargle participate in a hot dog eating contest, having pokemon that would normally herd Wooloos herd Aipoms, etc.

Pokémon:

Jenny's Team

Milkshake the Growlithe: Milkshake is a Munchlax in Growlithe form. She is constantly napping or eating anything she sink her teeth into. She seems to have no desire to evolve, mostly because then she couldn't hide away in her favorite nap spots as easily. It's probably for the best- if she grew into a Arcanine, Milkshake would probably eat everything in Jubilife City. She has had Milkshake for over a decade and the two have a special bond. Jenny chats to Milkshake (who blissfully sleeps through most of these conversations) to help gather her thoughts.
Oranges and Apples the Doduo (Oranges on the left, Apples on the right): Oranges and Apples are her diligent research assistants. Her Doduo is a fiercely loyal companion and often trots around her room to help her sort through sprawled notes whether it is in her research or in her past when she was studying any number of things.

photo

Also the Ditto: Also sparked Jenny's interest in Pokemon-specific research to begin with. Also will often morph into a model or diagram to help her visualize something. The two work in harmony with one another. Also often will slide into her hat or into pockets of her lab coat, gleefully trying to form silly shapes to make her laugh.

Quirks: Someone you want on your team at trivia night, Jenny's eclectic knowledge isn't always the most useful, but it sure is impressive. She loves a good pickled slowpoke tail. Jenny does not stay awake late using coffee, but instead pitchers of lemonade and sweets to give her a sugar rush during those late nights. Despite not going down the same career path as her relatives, Jenny has a strong sense of justice and fiercely opposes anything she believes is wrong.

[Azure Bubbles]

Callum Hazelwood

Quote: “If you underestimate a Pokémon because it looks cute, that’s not the Pokémon’s problem. That’s yours.”

Full Name:
Callum Hazelwood

Age:
24

Year at the Institute:
Second Year

Favorite Color:
Pink

Thesis Subject:
“More Than Adorable: The Evolutionary, Social, and Behavioral Functions of Cuteness in Pokémon.”

Callum’s research focuses on how perceived cuteness affects Pokémon survival, human bonding, trainer behavior, adoption rates, socialization, threat reduction, and battle underestimation. He wants to challenge the idea that cute Pokémon are just ornamental, beginner-friendly, or less serious than stronger-looking Pokémon. In his eyes, cuteness can be a real adaptive advantage.

Appearance:

Callum has a soft, put together look that makes him seem a little more delicate than he actually is. He is around average height with a slender build, neat features, and the kind of carefully crafted appearance that makes it obvious he spent time getting ready, even if he insists he “just threw something on.” His hair is always styled, usually a bit too neatly for someone who claims not to care that much.

His clothes tend to lean soft and pastel, with a lot of blush pink, cream, powder blue, and lavender. He usually wears things like cardigans, pressed shirts, nice trousers, and small accessories that are cute without being too over-the-top. He likes embroidered details, enamel pins, and anything that makes an outfit feel coordinated. His research bag is usually stuffed with notebooks, field journals, Pokémon treats, sticky notes, and at least one fancy pen he absolutely did not need but bought anyway. He looks like someone who belongs at a Contest Hall and a research library at the same time, which is basically the point.

Personality:

Callum is sweet, polite, and usually very put together, though he is not quite as harmless as he looks. He has a soft way of speaking and tends to come across as gentle at first, but he can get surprisingly sharp when someone dismisses him or his research. He is used to people hearing the words “cute Pokémon” and assuming he must not be doing anything serious, so he has developed a bit of a quiet competitive streak.

He genuinely loves cute things, pretty things, and soft aesthetics, which probably does not help his case when he is trying to convince people that his work is serious. Still, he refuses to pretend he is less interested in those things just to seem more academic. Callum can be fussy, a little vain, and very particular about his notes and supplies, but he is also thoughtful and observant. He tends to notice when people or Pokémon are uncomfortable, even when they are trying to hide it.

Around friends, he is warmer and a little more dramatic. He fusses over people, gives unsolicited advice, and acts like he is above being emotionally attached to his research team despite being very obviously attached to all of them. He likes being right, which is not always his best quality, but he usually means well.

Callum has a special fondness for Fairy-type Pokémon, though his research is not limited to them.

Bio:

Callum grew up in Hearthome City, so Contests were a big part of his life from a young age. His family had connections to the Contest scene, and for a while it seemed obvious that he would become a Coordinator. He liked the costumes, the performances, the dramatic appeals, and the way a well-trained Pokémon could completely hold an audience’s attention. He still likes all of that, honestly. He just realized over time that he was more interested in studying the reactions than chasing ribbons himself.

The thing that really caught his attention was how differently people treated cute Pokémon. Trainers were often more patient with them. Strangers were more likely to approach them. People were quicker to help a small, cutesy Pokémon than one that looked intimidating. Even in battle, some trainers would hesitate or get careless against a Pokémon that looked harmless. Callum started wondering if cuteness could actually serve a purpose beyond just being appealing.

When he first tried to explain that he wanted to study cuteness seriously, a lot of people did not really take it seriously. Some thought it was funny. Some acted like it was basically Contest commentary dressed up as research. Callum took that personally, even if he would never admit that. He started keeping field notes, observing Pokémon in Contest halls, Pokémon Centers, parks, shelters, and beginner trainer programs. Eventually, one of his papers on how people respond to cute and baby-like Pokémon got enough attention that a mentor encouraged him to apply to the Laventon Institute.

Now Callum is in his second year at the Institute, where his thesis has gone from “oddly specific” to “surprisingly legitimate.” He has already done fieldwork in Sinnoh and Hoenn, but because of that travel, he missed a required Ecology 101 credit. That is why he is currently stuck in Professor Birch’s class with a bunch of first-years. He is trying very hard to be mature about it. He is only somewhat succeeding.

Pokémon:

Callum’s Research Team

Aria the Jigglypuff
Aria is Callum’s main partner and probably the closest thing his thesis has to a mascot. She is round, adorable, and fully aware that people think she is cute. Callum uses her in a lot of his research involving attention-seeking behavior, and how people respond to cute Pokémon. Unfortunately, Aria does not enjoy being ignored for too long, and her solution is usually to start singing until everyone in the room is asleep. Callum insists this is useful data. Everyone else would like him to stop calling it that.

Trinket the Skitty
Trinket is a mischievous little kitty with a cute face. She helps with Callum’s observations of affection-seeking behavior, social bonding, and how quickly people forgive a cute Pokémon for being an absolute menace. She likes stealing shiny things, batting at loose papers, and making Callum apologize to people on her behalf. Callum claims her behavior is spontaneous field data. Most people would call it “Skitty being Skitty.”

Buttons the Stufful
Buttons is part of Callum’s research into what he calls “dangerous cuteness.” He looks soft, cuddly, and harmless, which is exactly why people tend to make bad decisions around him. Callum is especially interested in how often people ignore obvious warning signs just because a Pokémon looks huggable. Buttons has proven the point several times by looking precious right before knocking someone over.

Patch the Mimikyu
Patch is probably the most emotionally complicated member of Callum’s team. Callum is fascinated by Mimikyu because its cuteness is something it has copied and constructed for itself, rather than something people naturally assigned to it. He treats Patch’s disguise as communication, not deception, and is very careful not to make it feel like a research subject first and a partner second. Patch has made Callum’s thesis a lot messier, but also a lot more meaningful.

Pollen the Ribombee
Pollen is Callum’s neatest and most reliable assistant, which is why he jokingly calls her his “one competent colleague.” She helps with field research, pollen collection, and observing how Pokémon respond to different emotional states. Her ability to sense moods makes her especially useful for Callum’s work, though he also appreciates that she is the least likely member of the team to knock over his notes, steal his pens, or put an entire room to sleep.

Quirks:

* Uses pastel-colored sticky notes for different categories of research and gets quietly distressed when someone uses the wrong color.
* Can identify several small Pokémon species from clues such as their pawprints, vocalizations, shed fur, or common behavioral patterns
* Keeps saying “this is not about aesthetics” while wearing an outfit that is absolutely about aesthetics.

[StarfrostedFox]

August Pine

“Every Pokémon starts somewhere. Sometimes all it takes is the right environment, a little patience, and someone willing to believe in them.”

Full Name: Augustine Thelonius Pine

Age: 23

Year at the Institute: First Year

Favorite Color: Green

Thesis Subject: The Influence of Environmental Conditions and Social Bonds on Pokémon Egg Development and Hatchling Temperament

Appearance:

Standing at 6'3",, August possesses a lean build more suited for long hikes and fieldwork than battling. His dark green hair is perpetually windswept, often falling into his lighter green eyes that seem to sparkle whenever Pokémon are involved. His face is narrow and long, with a pointed chin and sharp cheek bones. His wardrobe consists of comfortable outdoor clothing layered beneath a well-worn Institute jacket with far too many pockets. Various notebooks, incubator sensors, berry samples, and Pokémon treats can usually be found tucked away somewhere on his person. A permanent smile seems etched onto his face, and he’s rarely seen without a clipboard or notebook tucked under one arm.

Personality:

August is relentlessly optimistic and approachable. He possesses an almost infectious enthusiasm that makes it difficult for others to stay pessimistic around him for long. While many students focus on battling applications or evolutionary research, August finds genuine joy in observing the earliest stages of a Pokémon’s life.

As a new student, he approaches the Institute with a sense of wonder and excitement. He eagerly asks questions, volunteers for research opportunities, and is always looking for chances to learn from more experienced classmates and professors. His enthusiasm occasionally gets him into trouble, as he tends to jump into projects before considering whether he has the time or expertise to handle them.

Though intelligent and hardworking, August is still developing his confidence as a researcher. He sometimes worries that his focus on breeding and hatchling studies is less prestigious than other fields of Pokémon research, but his genuine passion for the subject always shines through. He approaches both people and Pokémon with kindness and patience, preferring cooperation over confrontation whenever possible.

Bio:

August grew up outside Solaceon Town in Sinnoh, where the Pokémon Day Care quickly became a second home to him. While other children dreamed of becoming Champions, August spent his afternoons helping caretakers feed Pokémon, clean enclosures, and observe newly hatched Pokémon taking their first steps.

His fascination with Pokémon breeding only deepened as he grew older. He became particularly interested in why Pokémon raised in different environments often developed noticeably different temperaments or physical characteristics despite being the same species. Throughout his teenage years, he filled journal after journal with observations on Pokémon behavior, incubation conditions, and hatchling development. Local breeders and Day Care workers quickly learned that if an Egg needed watching, August was eager to help.

When he was 15, he came across a solitary egg that had been abandoned on a beach, or so it seemed. Remnants of other eggs lay scattered about the sand, fragments of shells and dimples of small feet pressed into the ground. He claimed the lone egg and began caring for it at once, using a fabric sling to carry it everywhere with him. When it finally hatched into the tiniest Slowpoke he had ever seen. It fascinated him to know why she had developed so small. She was healthy otherwise, just tiny.

Unlike many Institute students who arrived with extensive field experience, August's knowledge comes primarily from hands-on work at local breeding centers and Day Care facilities. Though he lacks the experience of some upperclassmen, his enthusiasm and dedication have already made an impression on both staff and fellow students.

After submitting a proposal centered on the relationship between environmental conditions and hatchling development, August was accepted into the Laventon Institute as a first-year student. He arrived on campus eager to learn from professors and researchers whose work he had admired for years. Though still new to campus, he has quickly gained a reputation for volunteering whenever Pokémon care is involved. Many students have already learned that if an Egg needs monitoring or a hatchling needs attention, August is usually the first person to offer help.

Now beginning his first year, August hopes to develop the skills necessary to turn his lifelong passion into meaningful research. While his thesis is still in its early stages, he dreams of one day creating a comprehensive framework demonstrating how environmental factors and social interactions influence Pokémon growth from the moment an Egg is laid until maturity.

Pokémon:

Research Team

Slowpoke, F, Nugget

The first Pokémon he ever hatched, Nugget is completely devoted to August. Though she doesn't feel she brings much to his research, she's happy that he keeps her around. Endlessly patient, she enjoys observing long before she makes any comments. She has a deep love for dried pineapple.

Chansey, F, Sunny

August's second oldest partner and the unofficial caretaker of his entire team. Sunny assists with monitoring Eggs and caring for young Pokémon, often noticing signs of discomfort long before he does. Her nurturing personality perfectly complements his research interests.

Fletchinder, M, Scout

Energetic and endlessly curious, Scout helps August travel between field sites and locate nesting grounds. While not yet fully evolved, he is dependable and always eager to help with research excursions.
Minccino, F, Poppy

An obsessive cleaner who keeps August's workspace remarkably organized. Poppy frequently helps prepare habitats for newly hatched Pokémon and seems personally offended by dust.

Quirks:

• Keeps meticulous journals documenting the first moments of every Pokémon hatchling he encounters.

• Can accurately identify many Pokémon species simply by examining their Eggs.

• Gives encouraging nicknames to almost everyone he meets, often forgetting to ask whether they actually like them.

• Carries emergency Pokémon snacks at all times “just in case.”

• Has never successfully walked past an Egg without stopping to inspect it.

• Gets visibly excited whenever a professor mentions breeding studies, Egg Groups, or environmental influence.