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| Shadow | |
|---|---|
| Item | None at present |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | Adult |
| Species | #262 Mightyena, the Bite Pokemon |
| Height | 3'03" |
| Weight | 81.6 lbs |
| Pokédex Entry | "Mightyena gives obvious signals when it is preparing to attack. It starts to growl deeply and then flattens its body. This Pokémon will bite savagely with its sharply pointed fangs." |
| Level | 45 |
| Ability | Intimidate (lowers the target's Attack power) |
| Nature | Bold (+Defense, -Attack) |
| Characteristic | A little quick-tempered (+Attack) |
| Moves | Bite (level-up) Shadow Ball (TM) Thunder Fang (egg move) Sand Attack (level-up) |
| History | Shadow never knew what it felt like to be a child. He was born in captivity under the ownership of Team Rocket. Living in a cage and being tossed into training sessions right from the moment he could walk, the small pup's life was hell. His mentor, a violent Houndoom called Genshin, abused him relentlessly. His ruthlessness forced Shadow to blindly obey every order he gave him so he didn't have to endure another beating. The tiny hound was confused and scared, until the day when he learned to accept what he had been born to do: kill. Both he and Genshin were being trained to become assassins. They were loaded up on TMs and undertook daily training sessions until they collapsed from exhaustion. Soon enough, Shadow started to realise that this was his life - it was the only thing he ever knew. Shadow evolved into Mightyena quite early on in his life; he was only in his mid teens when he was taken out of the training program and given to one of the Grunts. Genshin, who belonged to one of the Executives, glared at him from the other side of the room while the squad were been given their orders to seize the Pokemon Tower in Lavender Town. Shadow glared right back; this was his opportunity to show Genshin just what he could do. Once there, the mission went well. The two hounds tore through the tower, killing anything in their path. It finally came to an end when Shadow killed a Marowak mother who wouldn't back down from protecting her child. The Grunts praised him for his efforts on his first assignment, promising him an extra helping of dinner that night. But suddenly, Genshin lost his temper and tried to attack Shadow, but the Grunts managed to restrain him. Later that night, Shadow watched as Genshin was dragged, thrashing, from his cage. He later returned with both of his horns sawed off. Strangely, Shadow felt sorry for Genshin. After all, he only knew what he did because of what the Houndoom had taught him. In an odd way, he was indebted to him. He tried to make it up to Genshin by sharing some of his extra food with him that night, but the Fire-type only glared murderously at him through the bars of his cage before shooting a blast of fire at him, once again having to be restrained and punished. Shadow realised that night that it wouldn't be long in the future until Genshin managed to kill him out of pure jealousy. He didn't want that to happen. He became paranoid and withdrawn, sometimes even refusing to come out of his cage for the day. One night he overheard a couple of the Grunts discussing his behaviour and one of them suggested that they disciplined him. Thinking of Genshin's missing horns, Shadow decided there and then what he was going to do. The next morning, a Grunt opened his cage to give him his breakfast and Shadow snapped his chain and sprung at him, knocking the young man down and ripping out his throat. Alarms blared as he ran through the headquarters, dodging the humans and the Pokemon they sent out to try and stop him. He only stopped when he spotted Genshin and his Trainer blocking the corridor. The hornless Houndoom snarled and attacked. They fought brutally, clawing and biting and tearing into each other. Genshin swiped Shadow's face and ripped off his ear before the Mightyena realised that he wasn't going to win this. He knocked Genshin back with a Shadow Ball and escaped through an air vent that Genshin was too big to fit through. Shadow ran as far as his legs could carry him before he collapsed from exhaustion. He woke up the following day to find a female Mightyena leaning over him, looking worried. Spooked upon seeing his own species for the first time, Shadow initially tried to drive her away, but she wouldn't budge. She picked up a branch of berries at her feet and offered them to him. He gratefully took them, feeling his wounds starting to heal. The female said that her name was Sakura, and that she was on the run from her abusive Trainer. Shadow agreed to travel with Sakura until the two of them found a purpose in their new lives. They never found it - the epidemic made sure of that. The two of them were separated in an ambush and Shadow spent months searching for Sakura, frantic with worry. He did find something else though: Genshin. The Houndoom was fully undead, barely even capable of eligible speech. Shadow wasn't even sure whether Genshin recognised him as he attacked in a hungry rampage. He managed to shut Genshin inside a shed and then sat outside, pondering the situation. He had the Pokemon who had made his life hell within the palm of his paw - his fate was in his hands. The black canine shuddered at the thought of finally getting his comeuppance, believing that his mind could be put at rest upon the death of his old nemesis. Surely enough, as he planned out his actions another Houndoom walked by, this one perfectly healthy. He introduced himself as Blake and, noticing that Shadow seemed troubled, asked what the matter was. Shadow explained the situation, and Blake offered to give him a hand. Together they managed to back Genshin into a corner, the undead Houndoom too crazed by the infection to even know what was going on. They killed him, and Shadow felt a huge weight lift from his heart. He thanked Blake for his help, promising to repay him one day. Blake then told him that he and a few friends were trying to start up a community of survivors in the nearby Fortree City, and invited Shadow to join them and live there. Shadow was reluctant at first - the idea of living in a community full of strangers spooked him. With Blake's persuasion, he agreed to at least visit and see if he liked it. He loved it. He couldn't believe how such a small group of Pokemon had practically rebuilt Fortree City. He lives there to this day, enjoying the feeling of his heart softening as his life finally finds a home. |
| Appearance | Shadow is a fairly normal Mightyena in terms of appearance. He has scars across his muzzle and half of his right ear is bitten off. He still wears the collar he wore in the headquarters, with a small piece of chain attached from where he broke free. |
| Personality | Shadow isn't the friendliest of individuals, although just lately he has been trying to become a better person. He is very withdrawn and quiet around the Pokemon of New Fortree, often only contributing to conversations if he is spoken to first. He is very aware that he is a rather new face, and isn't sure if everybody trusts him yet, but he is determined to put that right. He remembers what he used to be and the crimes he committed and shudders; he never talks about his past to anyone. Shadow is eager to contribute to the community however he can, whether it's hunting for food or simply patrolling the border. He highly respects Blake and will follow any order he gives him. He has seemed to attach himself to the Houndoom simply because he appears to be the only one who trusts him, but hopes that he can gain everyone's approval in due time so he doesn't have to appear so dependent. He isn't, and he hates the idea of anyone thinking that he is weak and can't act for himself. Shadow hides a very dark personality that he hopes will never surface again. He firmly believed in a 'survival of the fittest' way of life in the epidemic, and is no stranger to injuring or even killing fellow survivors in disputes over food or shelter. He was very territorial about his space and his belongings. Shadow used to like to work only alone, and hated company, believing them to be slowing him down. Even now though, he hates infected or undead Pokemon with a passion, and will attack them on sight. Earning Shadow's full respect is difficult, but not impossible. He gets along well with Pokemon who are independent like him; those who are strong both in mind and body. Although he would never admit it now, he believes only the strong can survive. He despises weak Pokemon who rely on others for support and have no interest in trying to improve themselves. Such an attitude is alien to him, and makes him angry. However, despite liking strong Pokemon, he always likes to feel superior to them. |
| User Notes | --Father was a Manectric. He never knew either of his parents. |
