Gavin

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Void

As a child in Scale City, I would often explore adventure through Sunswept Plains with my friends. Despite not getting very far, learning about mystery dungeons was still fun. On one such adventure, we discovered a strange place atop a hill, where a bright red and yellow carpet was laid out on the soft grass. A Kecleon sat in the middle of the carpet surrounded by various foods and items that could be useful to adventurers. “Welcome, welcome!” he said to us, “Feel free to examine my merchandise!” What followed would be remembered by all as the worst day of our lives.

I’m reminded of that moment as I look over to two Kecleon standing at a stall nearby. Could this be where that Kecleon was from? I always assumed he slept on the carpet... I walk over to the short line in front of their stall. There's a Zigzagoon in front of me who keeps changing his mind about which TM to buy. I sit my bag on the ground and open the front pouch, taking out the 1000 Poké I brought for food. I’ve never seen how much things cost in other towns, so hopefully this should be enough.

“Thank you, have a nice day!” I hear the Kecleon say as the Zigzagoon walks away with a Thunder TM. Not wanting to keep him waiting, I hurry up to the stall with my money in hand.
“Hi, how are you?” I ask the green Kecleon, attempting to make small talk, “Do you sell any food here?”
“Of course!” he replies cheerfully, “What do you have in mind? We’ve got apples and various berries in stock right now.” I pause for a moment to think.
“How much would three apples and an oran berry cost?”
“That'll be 380 Poké.”
“Thanks.” I reply as he turns to get the food for me. That was much easier than buying from Danny, even if I did have to walk to another town!

I reach down to open my bag, but it’s not hanging from my shoulder. Remembering I left it on the ground behind me, I turn around. My bag isn't there. “No... No, no, no! Where is it!?” I say to myself in disbelief that I let it out of my sight. “I- it was right there in my bag! This can’t be happening right now...” I look at all the nearby Pokémon, none of whom are paying me any attention. I check the area again and my stick (and bag too, I suppose) still isn’t anywhere to be seen - I don’t even see any Pokémon carrying it away!
“Excuse me?” The Kecleon asks from his stall, “Is everything alright?” I turn around to address him, but I’m not sure what to say.
“I - uhh... It’s my stick. And my bag.”
“Your bag?”
“It was right here a moment ago. I just put it down for a second to get some money out but now it’s not there and I don’t know where it is...” I trail off. The Kecleon realizes what happened and looks at me with a combination of worry and disappointment. He puts away the food, knowing that I’m no longer looking to buy anything.

“Now, normally I’d tell people to go to the guild in a situation like this, but I don’t think you’d have any luck there.” He thinks out loud, trying to figure out if there’s anything he can do for me.
“The guild?” I ask, “Where’s that?”
“It’s the building shaped like a Wigglytuff on that hill. You can’t miss it. Like I said, though, there’s not much they can do for you. They have a bit of a situation at the moment.”
“Well, I’m still gonna try.” I reply, disregarding his warning. “Thanks for your help!” I run off towards the guild, keeping an eye out for anyone holding a pointy stick. Hopefully this guild is as skilled as the one back in Scale City.

”What was all that about?” the purple Kecleon asks after I'm out of earshot.
“Oh, you know.” The green one sighs, “Tourists.”

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Void

I mean, it's still better than what my attempts at drawing them would be!

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Void

Having surpassed one of the greatest challenges I've ever faced, I soon see a hill up ahead. I must be getting close to the town by now... I think to myself. Climbing to the top, I notice a small settlement down by the ocean. The buildings look like nothing I've ever seen before. Some of them aren’t even buildings - just tents! "Ohh, I need to see this!" I exclaim as I begin running down the hill towards this settlement. Perhaps this is a camp that keeps guard over the town nearby. Although, I haven't actually seen the town yet... That's strange. It should be right around here.

Soon, I find myself slowly walking along the dirt road, taking in all the exotic sights and sounds of this strange place. Several of the buildings (or tents, I can't really tell which they are) are shaped like Pokémon I've heard of. To my right is one up on a hill shaped like a Wigglytuff, and just down to my left is one made to look like a Chansey. Scattered around in a few places are totem poles carved to look like Pokémon stacked on top of one another. One of them I recognize as a Pidgeot, although most of the others are new to me. It takes a while before I realize that I should move on from this settlement soon. The town I'm heading for shouldn't be too much further south, but I decide I should find out the name of this place before I move on.

"Hey," I begin to ask a Kangaskhan working at a shop, "What's this place called?"
"Hello there, sweetie!" she replies cheerfully, "This is Margret's Storage; I'm Margret! If you have any items that you need me to take care of, feel free to ask!"
"I- uhh... Sorry, no. I meant this settlement. You know, with all the tents around and stuff..."
"Oh, you mean the town? This is Treasure Town, and Allure Town is just down the road there."

I laugh at her joke, but then the confused look on her face tells me she's serious. I stop laughing and the smile fades from my face as I stare blankly at her. Wait... This... "This is a TOWN!?" I exclaim in astonishment, louder than I meant to. How can this be the town I was heading for!? I thought a town would at least be half as big as Scale City... This place is tiny! I look around again and notice all the Pokémon nearby. I had been so preoccupied with the strange buildings and art that I completely ignored everyone. Firstly, I notice a few of them are staring at me. Secondly, I realize that I seem to be the only dragon type around. If those two observations don't embarrass someone, then I don't know what would.

I gulp and look back at Margret, who asks, "Are you okay, sweetie?" My mouth hangs open, as though I'm trying to say fifty different things at once and none of them are coming out. My attempt at an apology probably comes out as an inaudible mumble, and I lower my head as best I can to walk away towards the ocean. Hopefully, they all soon forget about what I said...

---

I get to the bluff overlooking the ocean and see a Dugtrio shouting maniacally at it. "Sea! Oh, beautiful sea! We long to see your shimmering blue water again! We miss the mighty roar of your waves crashing against the cliff face!" I'm about to stop him, but decide it would be a bad idea. Getting closer to the cliff edge, I notice that the ocean is a lot darker than it looks in paintings. Actually, it doesn't even look like water... Instead of light blue, the ocean is a dark mixture of black and deep purple; the colors seeming to swirl and refract around each other as I look at it from different angles. Occasionally, I think I can see movement somewhere inside it, but it's never clear enough for me to be sure. The most unnerving part about the ocean, though, isn't what it looks like. It's the deafening silence emanating from it. There's no calming sound of the waves or the faint cries of Wingull flying above it - there's hardly even any wind. This is definitely not how I imagined the the sea would be.

"I thought the ocean would look more... I don't know... bluey? Is that a word?” I ask the Dugtrio beside me. He pauses his shouting to look in my direction, then looks back down at the ocean.
“The ocean is blue! Well, it should be... You don’t seem like you’re from around here.”
“I’m not. I came from Scale City; I’ve never been this far south before.” I admit. The three heads look me over for a moment, noticing the bag loosely hanging from my shoulder and the stick in the side pocket.
“Hmph. That much is clear.”
“So...” I begin, eager to change the topic, “What’s wrong with the water? Why’s it not blue?”
“We don’t think there is any water down there, anymore. That’s the void.”
“The void?” I ask, confused.

“Well, that’s what everyone’s been calling it, at least. Apparently there’s these things called void crystals. They’re sort of like time gears - ever heard about those?” He asks. I nod my head, pretending to know what he’s talking about. The name sounds familiar, but I don’t remember reading too much about them. He continues his explanation, “So, when a time gear is taken, time stops in that area. When a void crystal goes missing, that... stuff starts appearing and taking over the mystery dungeon. We don’t know what happens to Pokémon who are stupid enough to go into it, but it can’t be good. In fact, when the ocean first disappeared, a Wailord washed up on the beach trying to escape it.”

“That’s... horrible.” I take another cautious look over the edge of the cliff. Noticing a beach down there, I can’t help but imagine how terrified that Wailord must have been to beach itself there. “Is it usually like this around here?” I ask. The Dugtrio thinks for a moment before answering.

“Depends.” he replies. Yeah, that’s reassuring... I say goodbye and head back into Treasure Town, hoping to buy the food I came here for. I knew that adventuring would be dangerous... But I honestly didn’t expect something like this! Everyone around here seems so unaffected by it... Maybe they’re used to the void by now? I don’t know how anyone could get used to something like that sitting on their doorstep. It’s a wonder they haven’t started moving away yet... I look over a few of the stalls lined up in town. Now, which of these sell food?

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Void

Well, he did wake up while falling through the air. Perhaps he hallucinated it while making his way back to his Bonnie and Eralion? Tini probably isn't very good at being alone, so I think it'd make sense if he created friends in his mind.

Edit:
Yeah, I can definitely see Tini as the type of person to leap through a cave or wherever fighting off imaginary monsters.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeons - Stargate [ALWAYS ACCEPTING!]

Hi, I'm interested in joining if that's okay with everyone. Here's my app:

Character App

"I’ve... caused some pretty bad things to happen in the past... but I want to make up for it. Just know that if you ever need any help, I’m here for you!"

---

---

Name: Gavin

Species: Shinx

Gender: Male

Ability: Rivalry

Moveset:
- Tackle
- Leer
- Charge
- Spark

Team: (Plans to join one at the Medburn Guild)

History:
“Tell me about them!” Gavin asks his sister.
“Who? Mom and dad?” Claire replies.
“Yeah! Tell me that story about them again! You know, the one where they saved the world and stuff.” He explains. The Luxio gives a chuckle before responding. “I’ve told you that one at least a hundred times, you should have it memorized by now. Besides, they didn’t ‘save the world’, they just helped out some other Pokémon.”

“I mean it was close enough, right? They did something with something about a Stargate...” Gavin trails off, pretending he doesn’t remember the story. Claire involuntarily shivers at the mention of that word. She knows he’s too young to remember what happened, but still doesn’t like recounting the story of their parents’ disappearance to him. Sighing, she sits down in the straw bed next to his. “Fine. But it’s getting late, so you need to go to sleep once I finish. You know I need to go soon.” Claire begins telling him about their parents - about their adventures as explorers, about the Pokémon they met, about their efforts to make the world a better place by helping others, and most importantly, about their disappearance during the Stargate incident.

Given enough time, people eventually move on. Gavin is no exception. As the years passed, his parents became nothing but dim memories and stories told by his sister, but what remained were the lessons those stories had taught him. Him and Claire had since moved houses more times than he could count, always to different Mystery Dungeons. Their most recent house was within the roots of a large tree in Phosphor Forest. Every night his sister left, and every morning she returned with food and any other essentials they may need. Claire had never allowed Gavin to come along to her job in Treasure Town with her, as he tends to get himself into dangerous situations every time she looks away.

Usually when they needed to move houses, it was “I got a new job in another town” or “We shouldn’t stay in this dungeon anymore. I don’t think the locals like us.” This time, Claire didn’t have time to think of an excuse. At three o’clock in the morning, she burst into the house yelling at him to wake up. “We need to go. Now. Grab some food and water - leave everything else.” Gavin was shocked, never having seen his sister this terrified before.

Before he knew it, they were running through the thick undergrowth of Phosphor Forest. Claire wouldn’t say who they were running from, but the answer soon came in the form of a metallic screeching noise and sparks of electricity. Gavin looked back to see a Magnezone and some Magneton surrounding their house. “Hold on a moment,” he said to his sister, “isn’t that the police force from Treasure Town? What are they doing here...?” His voice trailed off as he realized why Claire refused to tell him who they were running from. No... She wouldn’t... He began going through scenarios in his head where it could just have been a misunderstanding, where his sister hadn’t done something so horrible as to get the entire police force attacking her.

After Gavin threatened to draw the Magnetons’ attention over using Spark, Claire reluctantly told him about what her “job” really was. Burglary, kidnapping, pickpocketing, scamming... You name it, she’s probably done it. She tried to explain to him how it was necessary to keep them both alive and fed. Gavin, however, wasn’t listening. He couldn’t believe his own sister could do such horrible things and think that it’s okay - especially considering who their parents were. Something in Gavin snapped. He shouted the most hurtful and personal insults he could think of, insults which he’d rather not remember saying, and ran away through the undergrowth of Phosphor Forest. It was already too late to turn back. The Magneton would soon arrive, and he knew he couldn’t trust his sister anymore. More than anything, he felt guilty about the harm she had caused on his behalf, as though it was somehow his fault. Gavin ran as far as he could, hoping there would be a way to make up for all the people that had been hurt on his behalf...

Personality:
Because of the stories he heard about his parents, Gavin has developed a clear set of morals and values for himself. His anger towards Claire cemented those values even further, making him especially judgmental towards people who go against them. If put in such a situation, he’ll refuse to do anything that conflicts with his morals, even if it means putting others in danger or ignoring the greater good. Gavin’s main motive right now is his guilt over Claire’s actions. He wants to make up for it by joining the guild to make the world a better place, although he’s worried about the possibility of seeing his sister’s name on the outlaw board.

Once you gain his trust and get to know him, he tries his best to be a good friend. If he sees someone he knows having a difficult day, he’ll likely tell a joke or make a fool of himself to cheer them up. Anyone who meets him should also know that he’s got a knack for getting himself into awkward or dangerous situations, which has led to his sister having to rescue him multiple times in the past.

Important Items: None

Notes: Don't worry, I'm not trying to add in his parents as important characters during the first Stargate incident, that was just a story his sister told him. (Just thought I should clarify that.)

Thanks for taking the time to read over it. If there's anything that needs to be changed, I can change it.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Void

Well, that's good to know, I'm sure that'll ease some of the confusion down the road.
I'm still not entirely clear on the ocean's relationship with the void, though; did the void end up receding from the ocean completely, partially, or not at all? After they got back from taking the void crystal, I think Spruce mentioned that the void seemed to have receded from the shoreline a bit.

---

And sorry everyone else (including my character), but I think Kamina is still one of my favorites.

Kamina

"...yes..." he whispered to himself, not as a response to Celes, but rather to some unasked question. The Goomy had a hat. If Kamina put the Goomy on his head, then he would have a hat. A hat wearing a hat. Something about this spoke to Kamina in ways he had never been spoken to before.

Moving quickly, he slithered over to Anthony and scooped him up with his fin and plopped him onto his head "...yes!" He cried out triumphantly "a living hat wearing a hat! So simple...yet brilliant! With such power at our disposal, how could failure even be a conceivable concept!?" Catching sight of M, he then said "M! Quickly, get on top of my hat-hat. With you added to it, it'll become a hat-hat-hat. Can you imagine the possibilities!?"

@Card Captor

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Void

Poor Bidoof... One more thing, is the disappearance of the void crystals public knowledge at this point? Thanks!

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Void

O_O
Oh my.
And I've just gotten to the part of the story where the ocean is swallowed by the void! I guess I have that to look forward to then, lol.

A few questions then:
1. What's the current state at Wally's guild like? (Anarchy/closed/Charlie in charge)
2. From what I've read ahead a bit, it looks like the void stopped spreading through the ocean, but some is still there. Is that visible from Sharpedo Bluff?
3. Arnold is still there, right?
4. Anything else I should know before getting to town?

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Void

So I'm planning on having Gavin join one of the guilds in the Treasure/Allure Town area. I haven't decided which guild yet, but I'm guessing that him joining Wally's guild might make it harder for him to meet up/go on explorations with other characters? (Seeing as most of them seem to be in Arnold's guild?)

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Void

After walking through the plains for a while, I glance back at Mount Dragoncoil for a moment and notice how small it seems from here. It’s strange seeing it from this perspective, given how I’ve lived so close to it all this time. I decide to sit down in the grass to enjoy a quick snack before moving on. Sitting my bag next to me, I unwrap an oran berry from the blue scarf inside my bag and begin munching on it. There’s a few seeds on the ground next to me that I pick up; I don't know what they do, but maybe they could be useful later on.

A Caterpie, which was hiding in the grass just to my left, looks up at me. “Hi.” I say to it, not sure what it wants. The Caterpie takes a step closer without breaking eye contact. I scoot myself and my bag to the right, but the Caterpie takes another step closer. It stands there like an evil, unblinking statue. “I-... Uhh...” I say, not sure how to respond to this. “Okay, well... It was nice... talking to you...” I get up and put my bag back around my shoulder. The Caterpie’s eyes widen a bit, but it otherwise remains unmoving. I turn towards the south and continue on my way.

A few moments later I look back to see the Caterpie in the exact same spot, still staring at me. I walk faster and try to ignore it. Curiosity gets the best of me as I glance back a few times. It’s still standing over there, staring into my soul. My speed-walk soon turns into a frantic run from what I’m sure can only be a demon in disguise. Just don't look back... Don't look back... Once I’m out of breath, I stop and let out a sigh of relief now that it’s nowhere to be seen.

I look around for any sort of marker I can use to get a bearing on my location. Mount Dragoncoil is over on the horizon there... The sun is rising in the east, so... The town must be this way! It turns out that memorizing all those maps in my free time really paid off. Of course, I don’t know what the town is called... Or what it looks like... But it’ll probably be fine. Learning about that stuff beforehand would spoil the fun of discovery, anyway. The smell of grass is soon accompanied by a salty breeze as I walk, meaning the ocean must be nearby. Just as I’m about to see if it's visible from here, I stop dead in my tracks and a chill runs down my spine. There’s a Caterpie - THE Caterpie, right in front of me.

It stares at me, unblinking. For the first time, I hear an unholy chittering sound emanate from its mouth. Wait a second, that came from behind me... Behind me is yet another Caterpie about five metres away, staring at me with its beady eyes. I turn back to the first, but now there’s two of them. There’s one over to my right - no, two - no, three. Wait, now there’s some on my left. Every time I look away, there's more! Oh, Arceus... I snatch the sharp stick out of my bag and get into a fighting stance, pointing it at the Caterpie surrounding me. “Stand back!" I say with a shaky voice, "I'm warning you! I've got a... a stick! And it's really pointy, too!” The Caterpie don’t respond.

There’s a small gap between them up in front of me to the right a bit. If I’m very lucky... “Aaaaahhhhhh!” I yell while making a mad dash towards them. I hit one with a Tackle while whacking another upside the head with the pointy stick. I try to jump over a third, but instead land on my face after getting hit by a String Shot. No, this can’t be happening... I haven’t been gone for two hours and I’m already going to get eaten by a bunch of Caterpie...

Just as I’ve lost all hope of survival, my new savior comes down from above! I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in my life! A Pidgey swoops down at a few of the ferocious bug Pokémon and uses its talons to drop them in a tree. 'Run! I'll hold off these vicious creatures!' It seems to be saying to me. Well, either that, or it's hungry. It swoops down once again and brings another to its nest in the tree. I stand up and start running just in time as the Caterpie release their secret weapon. A horrible stench emanates from their antennae - surely with the ability to kill anything that breathes it in. I continue running, silently thanking the Pidgey for its heroic actions.