Name
Mark 'Keys' Lucas
Gender
♂ -- Male
Age
22 -- Young Adult
Nature
Mild (spAtk +, def -)
Characteristic
Alert to sounds
Text Color
#7a67ee -- Slate Blue 2
Level
Level 34
Badges -- NONE
Ability
Keen Eye -- Prevents other Pokemon from lowering Accuracy.
Species
#678 -- Meowstic -- The Constraint Pokémon (Psychic)
PokéDex Entry
~ Pokemon Y :: ~
The eyeball patterns on the interior of its ears emit psychic energy. It keeps the patterns tightly covered because that power is too immense.
Item
None.
Height
2 feet 4 inches (average is 2ft 0in)
Weight
23.83 pounds (average 18.7lbs)
Moveset
|| [url=bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Psychic_(move)]Psychic[/url] (Learned) | [url=bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Reflect_(move)]Reflect[/url] (TM) ||
|| [url=bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Trick_(move)]Trick[/url](Egg Move) | [url=bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Yawn_(move)]Yawn[/url] (Egg Move) ||
---- HISTORY ----
- HISTORY:
There once were Pokémon that
became very close to humans.
There once were humans and Pokémon
that ate together at the same table.
It was a time when there existed no
differences to distinguish the two.
~ Excerpt from the Book of Sinnoh Folklore.
To a well-off middle class family in an average-sized house in Rustboro City, an Espurr was born. As the newborn cracked open the shell, his Meowstic parents and their Human companions rejoiced. A new member of the family was now born. The small Espurr was born into a unique relationship. There were two distinct families in that house -- a family of Meowstics, and a family of Humans. They had lived closely and in harmony with each other since antiquity. Long ago, the Humans promised to provide the Meowstics with shelter and knowledge. In return, the Meowstics would provide the Humans with their great intelligence and wisdom. It has been that way for many generations, and shall continue to be.
The Espurr flourished within the confines of this mutual occurrence of Man and Cat. The Meowstics were well-educated and intelligent, seeking knowledge as their greatest asset. He learned many things through both his old and wise parents, and through his relationship with the members of the household. He was not born into the life of a house cat -- he was born into a life of knowledge. His was the life of a Psychic in a world with precious pools of knowledge. His parents started him off easy in his infant years, taking his interest in children's books and using it to help him learn basic English alongside the normal 'Pokemon' language.
He loved to explore the city of Rustboro, and often went out with a Human chaperone. He loved watching battles at the local gym, and would watch fights against the gym's leader quite frequently. The dynamic between the leader and her soldiers of stone was fascinating. Eventually, he met with a Riolu. They bumped into each other while they were distracted looking at the town's scenery. After a small verbal tussle, they apologized to each other and shared their names -- Mark and Elena. They decided to do something together. Their friendship grew over time, even though they had a tendency to disagree with each other. They were both the same age of 4 by that time.
She began to pull him into her fighting routine, for she came from a household where martial arts practice was common. Likewise, he began to pull her into his studying routines, translating for her what he was reading so she could learn things as well. This transaction went on for quite a while. She got an interesting sparring companion, and he got a person to learn with when his parents were busy.
Eventually, at the age of 8, they were inspired by someone. This man left the town with a group of pokemon, all big and tough and evolved. They watched the man's battle against Roxxane, and were amazed by his strategy and his companions' combat skills. They wanted to follow him. However, their parents were unsympathetic. They refused to let him and his friend follow their dreams. So Mark and Elena came up with a plan. Their childish little minds could think of nothing else but to follow after the man. They had to come up with one fast, before the man was long-gone. That night, they quietly but quickly left town together.
They never did find that man again, though. However, they did happen upon another trainer. It was an 11-year old starting off in his career. He had only a Taillow as a companion. They were impressed after seeing him defeat a somewhat older trainer in battle. Tapping into his modest experience in the English language, the Espurr courageously challenged him to a battle: If he could defeat his friend, Elena, then they would allow him to capture them. The boy won. The trainer proved to be quite smart for her age but was very unpleasant due to her bratty personality and desire to constantly train her Pokemon. They were scared and disturbed by her attitude. She was still a smart trainer, though, and she helped them learn a lot.
They grew tired of him after a whole year of training. Thinking with all the brains and cleverness that they had, they came up with a plan. They both waited until the kid was asleep. Then, they broke out of their pokeballs, snagged them, and ran. The girl could not catch up with them, and they managed to escape. But now they were scared and alone in a forest. What could they do? They did the smartest thing they could do: They survived in the wild until they found another impressive trainer. It took them a few months, but they found one. They learned a lot about working together in that time. Even though they argued with each other often, their synchrony brought them through those frightening months.
Their second trainer was much kinder than the first. He was also just starting his journey as a trainer, and had a Poochyena as a starting companion. He proved to be more competent in battle, providing the two wandering Pokemon with great success. But after three years and two badges later, they began to grow tired of his controlling nature. Mark was tired of the Human's ignorance of his skills as a strategist, and Elena was tired of his lack of synchrony with her aura abilities. They stole away one night, leaving behind two broken pokeballs and a letter expressing their criticisms and respect.
This cycle of leaving repeated two more times. They made plenty of progress in wisdom and in skill, for their experience in multiple trainers kept their bodies and minds sharp. Even while they were on the road, Mark continued to intellectual hunger with a few books obtained from their previous trainer. Elena challenged various wild Pokemon that they found, in return for some food she owned. They were both at their 27th level afterwards. At the age of 13, the Meowstic began to care for his friend in ways he never knew before. The way she fought, the way she talked, and the way she always tolerated his flaws. He began to see just how fortunate he was to have a friend like her. He wanted to be with her forever. After one life-threatening battle against a Team Magma grunt, Elena also evolved. The recently-evolved Meowstic was eager to settle down on a trainer, now that they had so much experience from their constant travels. Elena agreed.
Eventually, they found that someone. They found her relaxing at the end of a lake with a cooler beside her. They did not think she was a trainer, and they were hungry. So they plotted to steal her food. They had gotten close to the cooler, but she noticed and confronted them. Using the very food they were trying to steal as a bribe, she started a verbal spar with Mark. The fluent cat was more than a match for her clever words and offers, but in the end she won. After dealing with Mark, she turned to his companion. A Sylveon walked up beside her, and confidently challenged the Lucario to a fight. Elena put up a seriously good fight, but ultimately she was defeated by a Sylveon who did not even need commands from her supposed trainer to fight. This Human was very interesting, indeed, Mark pondered.
Mark learned that this Human was a Pokemon Ranger in-training. She specialized in dealing with rogue Pokemon, and in dealing with Trainers with infractions against the Trainer Code. This was relevant to both Mark and Elena's interests, as they both wanted a change of pace from the usual 'train to beat the Hoenn League' motto Trainers always used. After a bit of pondering and a rather lengthy conversation, they asked if, in return for giving her their assistance in her job, they could accompany her for an 'extended period of time.' She firmly agreed.
Their next six years were quite interesting. Their work involved a mixture of combat and communication, and plenty of strategy. The intellectual feats required by some missions were very fulfilling to Mark. He found plenty of respect in the Human's mixture of intelligence and strength. On some occasions, they would even have to face off against armed Humans -- against such dangerous odds, proper planning and raw skill ensured minimum injuries. Their ranger team was just one of Hoenn's many teams, but it was also successful. With the solace of being in such a fulfilling team came different feelings, too. He found himself considering Elena more and more recently. He was not naive, though: What he felt was love. Given her passive telepathy, Elena was quick to learn of this. They agreed that they shared the same feelings, and they both wanted to give their love some more time to make sure they really were for each other.
The first day of the Epidemic was just like any other day. They were at the headquarters of the Unova ranger division, since Calvin had to move to another region to pursue her work. They were still in Mistralton City when Humans started being separated from their Pokemon. Confused but not wanting to be stolen away as well, the quartet combined their skills in order to avoid the increasing military presence. The military might be full of professionals, but they were professionals as well. Everyone's mood was darkened at the sight of Humans and Pokemon alike stealing away or even slaughtering each other in the chaos. The numerous Undead only added to the chaos. Mark almost forgot how stupid both races could be. Meanwhile, Elena's suffering grew ever worse. She was strong, but her agony from reading so much ill and panicked thoughts was so intense that it was threatening to kill her. If they did not get her away from the city, she would most certainly die. In a desperate bid to keep her and themselves safe, the trio retreated to the mountains in the southwest.
They had been doing somewhat well in the area. Living was hard. Food was scarce. They quickly learned that certain sources of water were unsafe to drink. They were ill-prepared for the cold nights of Unova, for they had little opportunity to gather resources in the Epidemic's initial chaos. They survived by being smarter, quieter, and faster than whatever tried to eat them. In the aftermath of the chaos inflicting the Unova region, they made sure to put plenty of distance between themselves and any of its locales. At one point they had found an abandoned cabin (they had passed Anville Town before then, so they assumed they were far west of it). This, at least, gave them some warmth for the oncoming winter. On their fifth month of survival in the wilds, Elena gave birth to a single egg. The next month proceeded with hope, for Mark still had his companions.
Exactly two months later, a disaster befell the team. It was learned that Elena had somehow become infected. They had found it while investigating a cut from a recent battle. Calvin saw the intense pressure between Mark and Elena. She tried to talk with Mark, but he told her to just go find some food or something. Knowing that Elena was infected only within the last two hours, Calvin agreed to go search for some food while they argued. That's exactly what the two of them did. Mark asked Elena if she was infected. She said yes. He asked if there was anything he could do for her. She said no. He spilled his words out: He asked if he should kill her. She said no. They began to argue. She was going to go insane now. She knew that -- But she wanted to do a few more things before she died -- Steel types do not succumb quickly. But they do not know when her unstable behavior could arise, though -- And, he did not want to see her suffer through that. She has to do something, if anything! He told her she was being selfish. She told him he was being obsessive. Not wanting to encourage his violent thoughts, Mark also left the building. He wanted to find Calvin, but he could not find her. He tried finding Val but he, too, was gone.
After gathering his thoughts, he returned to the building.
Elena was everywhere.
Her extremities were scattered everywhere. Torn limbs, a split head. Whatever had killed her cared not for food, but for amusement. Not only that, but their egg -- their beloved child -- was gone from the nest. He lusted for revenge and nearly succumbed to sorrow.
Mark tries to wait for Calvin and Valencia. He tries as hard as he can. But then he sees that black scruff. That distant grin. And then, a horde of Undead. He is forced to flee from the rendezvous point. With his mind still clouded by the death of his lover and the theft of his child, he was unable to find his teammates as he fled from the horde.
Days later, he swallows his suffering as best he can, and desperately refocuses himself upon the need for survival. Elena was dead, and there was nothing he could do about it. Calvin and Valencia were also gone, for he had no way of finding them now. He tried recalling their previous place, and nearly burned his mind out trying to mathematically approximate their current point. He would like to stay in the area to find them, but that Zoroark wants to make sure they never reunite.
He just has to leave without them. Sombre but resolved, he continues on in his survival and refuses to turn back. Maybe fate would have it that he meets the others again someday. Hopefully.
---- PERSONALITY ----
~ Traits ~
+ -- | Shrewd | Intelligent | Humorous | Determined | Logical | Trustworthy | Honest | Resilient | Resourceful | Alert | Effective under pressure |
- -- | Pragmatic | Traitorous | Selfish | Opinionated | Judgemental | Stubborn | Cozening | Hypocritical |
~ - ~ - ~ - ~
Mark is the sort of person who prefers to have a reason for doing things. Purpose is very important, since it drives the very reasons he survives. He survives because he wants to live on for his wife and his teammates: When he chooses to do something, he prefers to follow through with it. Even though he is disturbed by the horrors of the Epidemic, he is good at overcoming them through his ambitions. He is emotional in an introverted manner. However, he keeps his emotions to himself and refuses to make them the business of others. He is a survivor devoted to the act of surviving: He is shrewd, but not too picky. His wits are sharp, and he tends to choose opportunities for how useful they are to himself and anyone he is being considerate of. He sees kindness as a voluntary act, rather than an innate one -- but rather than be cruel to others, he tends to manipulate his words with others to see how they react. This is not for the purpose of being manipulative, but rather to see what their virtues and sins are.
Mark can be rather pragmatic at times. The Epidemic has done some damage to his original, light-hearted personality. It has convinced him that 'dog-eat-dog' is often the only way to go, and so he does have a small betrayal streak. For example, if he is hungry and he finds a pokemon he could easily kill for food, he might consider doing so. He prefers to keep acts of betrayal to a minimum, though. Nobody likes a traitor, after all, and betrayal is a difficult thing to whitewash.
Mark is poor at direct-contact fighting, having little in the way of physical presence. Thus, he teams up with others that he can bargain with for protection. He is a deep thinker, but only when he feels like it. He believes that good intentions speak for themselves, but he uses his silver tongue as backup when dealing with strangers. Mark is not afraid to admit certain things, and is predisposed to admit the truth to things if confronted. That is not to say, however, that he is above coaxing people. Although he will work in a team, he prefers to consider his team as 'associates' rather than 'friends' and does not mind leaving his company behind (with a polite foreword, in most cases). He just gets a little too emotionally hung sometimes when it comes to making friendships.
He has a sense of respect for higher figures, and usually will not try to displace superiors. As always, though, displacement is not entirely out of the question for him. In most cases he will try to cement a good relationship with the leader of a group to make sure the team of survivors he intends to band with are stable.
He has little sympathy for Undead, believing them to be beyond all help. He is quick to avoid them and to advise against having them as company. To him, Undead are just corpses with memories tied together by a soul that should have passed away uncontested. He is not as quick to condemn those who are infected, but he only withholds his opinions when it is inopportune to condemn them. He still holds them with great caution, especially because his shrewd observations of the illness has given him the knowledge that certain types succumb faster than others. He believes succumbing to undeath is not good for anyone, since he has seen quite a few teams dissolve because someone refused to do something about an infected (or, perish the thought, an Undead) member.
He does not fear death. He wholeheartedly believes that The Epidemic will someday end, even if he does not live to see that end. He believes firmly that some of the wrongs the Epidemic started /can be fixed/. He believes in an afterlife, even if he is not sure what that afterlife entails. And most importantly, he reasons that people should at least try and smile once in a while, especially in a world where misery and unhappiness can be a common undoing. Interestingly, he /does/ fear the death of others close to him.
Lastly, he has a big problem with the racism towards Humans that is occurring among the Pokemon population. It aggravates him how so many Pokemon are so willing to just put the blame on Humans for all of their misfortune, and how everyone cannot just shut up and work together. Sure, competition had to happen. But that did not excuse everyone's obligation to fix this mess that he believes both Humans and Pokemon started. He might be a bit too passionate on the subject. Even though he tries to conceal his preferences, he finds himself more comfortable around Humans than Pokemon.
~ - ~ - ~ - ~
---- APPEARANCE ----
His family is adapted for warmer climes, and so he has fairly shorter hair compared to the average Meowstic.
He is noticeably taller than other Meowstics, mostly due to his genetics.
He has white accents over his eyelids.
Otherwise, he looks just like an ordinary Meowstic.
---- USER NOTES ----
>> The Epidemic has passed for a while, and so he has grown (presumably) three years since the beginning of it.
>> A Smeargle mixed into his father's side of the family a few generations back. The Yawn and Trick moves ended up being passed down from that Smeargle.
>> While he is poor in direct combat, he has great athleticism and a solid grasp of his psychic powers to somewhat compensate. His IV speed is 31, and his EV speed is 255 (he fought a lot of speed-EV pokemon back when he fought to evolve).
>> He knows quite a few of my other characters. For plot reasons, however, I will not be directly revealing who they are.
>> As a Psychic, he has great intelligence. He might not be very powerful, but he is very creative and clever with his moveset. This, along with a few other reasons, is why he is so useful to a team.
>> He 'speaks' fluent English telepathically. He can also write in English, but has not done so in a very long time. He learned how to understand English through language immersion with his trainer and through constant reading.
>> He is particularly good at math, and sometimes amuses himself with it when bored.
Last edited by Uxie on Fri Dec 19, 2014 2:52 am; edited 7 times in total (Reason for editing : Edited User Notes, Appearance, Items, Moves, etc)
