Volkner Voltaire
"The Shining, Shocking Star" |
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| Theme(s) | Wayfaring Stranger - Betsy Lee Version |
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| Text Color | ccb85e |
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| Item | A sturdy backpack carries his travel gear;
A couple Ultra Balls, two Hyper Potions, a Super Potion, Revive, and Full Heal. Universal Communicator (on his ear), silver flask, canteen, rations, a blanket, a couple packs of cigarettes, a lighter
a small pouch on the backpack holds mundane items;
His wallet with his ID's, ect, a set of his Gym Badge's, packs of salt/pepper, a small hair brush, razor, a harmonica, and small music player |
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| Weapons | - His Pokemon (Primary weapon choice)
- A small, sturdy knife - mostly used as a resource and not a weapon.
- a Mateba Autorevolver and S&W M&P 9c - Both guns were issued by HQ, though they are last resort. |
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| Biological Sex | Male |
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| Gender Identity | DMaB - He/him/they |
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| Birthdate | March 10th |
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| Age | Adult (33) |
| Species | Human |
| Weight | 149 lbs |
| Height | 5'11" |
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| Region of origin | Kanto, Cerulean City |
| Occupation | Former Leader of the Sunnyshore Gym |
| Party | His party is in relatively good standing. Octillary and Lanturn are dead while Ambipom is IMA. Had a Magnezone that had to be put down. The rest, however, are healthy. He caught his Heliolisk on his travels as a Helioptile. |
| Pkm 1 |
Name/Gender- Ross (M) 5e9110
Species- Raichu
Level- 72
Ability - Static
- Charge Beam (TM)
- Thunderbolt (Level)
- Grass Knot (TM)
- Light Screen (Level)
Very scruffy, one ear is noticeably tattered, usually out of his Pokeball |
| Pkm 2 |
Name/Gender- Tiamat (F) 427596
Species- Luxray
Level- 64
Ability- Rivalry
- Wild Charge (Level)
- Fire Fang (Bred)
- Ice Fang (Bred)
- Iron Tail (Tutor)
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| Pkm 3 |
Name/Gender- Ramuh (M) 963384
Species- Electivire
Level- 62
Ability- Motor Drive
- Brick Break (TM)
- Thunder Punch (Level)
- Bulldoze (TM)
- Ice Punch (Bred)
A bit on the heavy side. |
| Pkm 4 |
Name/Gender- Topaz Carbuncle "Carby/Topaz" (M) b5871e
Species- Jolteon
Level- 58
Ability- Volt Absorb
- Thunderbolt (TM)
- Swift (Prior evo.)
- Shadow Ball (TM)
- Thunder Wave (Level)
His paws are white. Big blue eyes.
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| Pkm 5 |
Name/Gender- Caduceus (F) 0a6d4c
Species- Eelectross
Level- 63
Ability- Levitate
- Discharge (Start)
- Acid Spray (Level)
- Crush Claw (Start)
- Flamethrower (TM) |
| Pkm 6 |
Name/Gender- Novv (M) c41028
Species- Heliolisk
Level- 38
Ability- Sand Veil
- Parabolic Charge (Level Up)
- Dig (TM)
- Thunderbolt (TM)
- Surf (TM)
Was owned previously by another trainer.
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| Quote | "Can I say game over already?" |
| History | - Spoiler:
Volkner's life started far from his Gym in the city of Cerulean deep in the Kanto region. From a young age his parents could see he was a gifted child, bright with a head for knowledge and technology. His mother and father, a computer scientist and electrician respectively, were proud to believe that one day their child follow in their footsteps. Though he was not talkative young Volkner would get into everything, absorbing all that was put before him, and particularly loved video games, mind puzzle, electronics of any kind.
His young childhood went along pretty happily. With his parents guidance the youth blossomed, watching and learning from them as any child would. While his grew a collection of knowledge Volkner was not adventurous on his own. He was weak when it came to socializing, always sticking either to himself, his parents, or those that chose to approach him first. While being quiet was not innately bad it did make this problem worse. His parents quickly took notice but, wanting to give their 'gifted' son freedom, didn't force him to make friends. So he didn't.
Without others to play with the child had to find amusement with only himself. Going outside became boring and pointless; parks just aren't fun without friends and the local routes were too dangerous for a young child without Pokemon. Turning his attention indoors Volkner found a whole new world to absorb himself in; video games and the internet. With those things he didn't need to pester others to learn; he could just look up what he wanted and discover so much more. He didn't need friends to play; there was plenty of single player games and in multiplayer he was automatically put with others that he didn't necessarily have to talk to. He could just be himself.
And so he did.
Volkner became obsessed with these things. After school he would head straight to the internet, often forgetting to study and even his homework for an enthralling game. His grades slipped much to his parents dismay, and they had to enforce 'homework times' though it only helped somewhat. They couldn't understand why he wasted so much of his time when he had such potential, but they also didn't have the luxury of properly addressing their son's growing unruly behavior.
Each of their jobs piled on work, keeping them out late and exhausting them during the day. They had their own problems as well, namely marriage, and the pair would constantly argue about small and large things alike. They would end up too riled to properly take control of their son's behavior and then disagree about each others methods for it, making the situation spiral.
Volkner was about nine now and clearly his own person. Whenever his parents went at it he would hide in his room, if he wasn't already there, but things declined rapidly. Caring for himself was now necessary instead of a choice, and with minimal outside friendship he had only the internet for socialization and found himself relying on it more then simply enjoying it.
Individually his parents tried to use him as their own escapes. His mom taught him the basics of coding and helped him set up a blog. Volkner was very grateful for the quality time, but when he asked for more his mother was always too exhausted and had to rest. His father on the other hand sought more control over his sons behavior. To just get him out of the damn house Volkner's father took the boy with him to an on-the-sight job down at the Powerplant.
The objective was simple; replace old and frayed wires that seemed to be cropping up in abundance. The youth groaned, loathing the trip and not being allowed to do anything but watch wire replacement. He would have enjoyed learning about the currents and how to pump power out of less waste, but the grouchy old man would rather bore him to tears. With his head in the circuits Volkner's father didn't notice as the boy wandered off. However, he didn't get far before something caught the child's attention. First came the sound, small pops and cracks, then the flashes of light. As he rounded a generator the source came into view: a scruffy, scraggly Pikachu biting and vainly feeding off the electrical wires. He stepped closer, curious, but the Pikachu turned toward him with dark eyes and hissed.
Volkner was about to walk closer to it when his father came up behind him. "Its a pest" he said, chucking a screw at it and walking back to his work, "Come on, leave it be." The Pikachu hissed angrily, taking a fighting stance instead of running away. Intrigured by his courage the child walked closer and threw a screw as well. It clonked the Pikachu right on the head and, a moment later, it charged him and sank its fangs into his shoe. He flailed his leg but it would not let go. Shocked, he reached in his pocket for his emergency Pokeball, which his parents made him carry if he ever went out, and smashed it against the rat. It clicked almost instantly.
He had caught his first Pokemon.
Catching the Pikachu forced a change in Volkner's life. With his parent too busy for him most the time they really had no time for a pet, and suddenly he was responsible for someone else. Worse yet the Pikachu was just as stubborn as when he caught it. Forced into a big brother role, and as much as he hated it, the quiet youth realized that, for once, he had a real friend.
Over the next three years things at home just got worse. The problems with his parents declined even further to the point of physical violence, and Volk's ears seem to hone in on any conversation about him. His parents seemed aware that he was listening, or maybe that their display was not good for him, and often would send the child out of the house to get him away from it. With terrible social skills the boy would walk out onto the closest route and attempt to train his Pikachu against the wild Pokemon, but he was terrible compared to his online battles. After a particularly bad time training he headed home to even worse news; the divorce he saw coming finally happened.
Volkner expected things to get harder but he was hopeful that his parents could start recovery. He was so wrong. There was a massive question of his custody, the child shifting between homes constantly as the fighting continued. Both his parents were shells of their former selves; dad turned to alcohol and hit it hard, while his mother's exhaustion over the years had actually been a serious illness and she now needed to be taken care of. Both parents got worse over the coming months. Dad sank so hard into alcoholism he lost his job. Volkner tended is mother as best he could, even when she became bed bound and later hospitalized. Her passing came as a shock to no one but was devastating nonetheless.
His custody went back to dad but the man could hardly be called a parent anymore. Unable to hold a job he hardly had enough money to raise a kid and any cash he got would go into drinks. The man grew angry, and would often rampage, so the twelve year old was often out on the streets. Fighting any trainer he thought he could beat the boy managed to scrounge up enough money for food. Eventually his activity caught the attention of the local youth gangs and, at the prospect of more money, he was strong armed into their ranks. The profits were still minimal but enough to keep things together at home.
By the time he was thirteen Volkner had been tainted by his father. With such blatant temptation all around it he was easy for him to steal drinks and smokes from the old man. At first he was just hiding them, hoping his dad would do less if there was less, but that only lasted so long. If he didn't use them himself he would peddle his wares to his fellow youths to bring in a bit more money. It even seemed to be working as dad became more responsive over time. The angry drunk wouldn't realize his supply was low, and even offered to share some with his son in some makeshift shoddy father-son bonding. As sad as it was Volkner cherished the time they spent together.
Those precious moments paved the way to recovery. Soon after, Volkner's father checked into AA and started to ween himself off the foul substances. It was a slow process, but something had awakened in him and the man was determined. He got a job, not a great one but it was something, and spent more time with his son. Volkner would go so far as to say they were a family again, but it still wasn't perfect. All that abuse had taken its toll, and his father's body was frail and weak. The once robust man was scrawny and sickly and struggled to just keep his energy up. In the days following Volkner's fourteenth birthday he couldn't help but think the worst was finally behind him.
Volkner came home late to find his father swaying in the center of their rundown house. The old man seemed more disheveled than usual, and when Volk tried to get answers he simple said, "You deserve better."
Before he knew it the youth was being sent off to Olivine City where his dad's brother lived. The man and his wife were kind, as they were the few times he met them before, but that didn't lesson the sudden trauma. The teen was confused but not ignorant, but his search for answers kept coming up empty handed. Was he taken away, or sent away? Had something happened, or did his dad do this? His constant pestering yielded very little information, just that his dad was sick and he thought this would be best. As his fathers main caretaker Volkner stressed over the man's well-being, but with no way to get to him or new information, he had to deal with being separated.
That aside, his uncle was welcoming, but an overwhelming sense of 'this is temporary' could not be ignored. With Ross as his one constant the young trainer decided to bide his time training, and even met an actual friend in the ocean city. She was kind enough, and somehow made the boy feel comfortable enough talk all the shit he had been through. With her, his time there was bearable, and it almost came to and end too soon. With a awkward farewell Volkner was sent away again, but this time he went seas away to the distant Sinnoh region.
Sunnyshore was nice, and his grandparents were nothing like the rest of his family (as it was his first time meeting them). They even had a house warming present to help ease him into life there, a little Shinx, but it was not the gift that Volkner took notice of. The elders mustn't have known how to keep things discrete, as they openly mentioned that his uncle didn't want to deal with the 'troubled youth' and his father was relapsing to the point he no longer felt the boy was safe around him. The news was devastating, and while Volkner appreciated the honesty he fell into an even deeper depression.
Wandering the foreign city the youth lost sight of everything. Taking care of his family had been everything for so long, so now what? He was supposed to just.. be a kid? How, when he had failed his father, been undesirable to his uncle, and didn't know a damn person here? How was he supposed to feel and act like a normal kid?? Numbness overtook him, with a deep and endless void of churning emotions filling his heart. Sitting on the beach the boy felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness even as he clutched his Pikachu in his lap. The rolling waves were mesmerizing, almost to the point of wanting to wander into them, but as dark thoughts crept into his mind a plop thunked itself down beside him.
It was another boy, his bright red hair fluffy and tall like the smile that spread from cheek to cheek. The kid laughed, and started speaking endlessly even though Volkner hadn't said a single thing. He introduced himself as Flint, that he was a trainer, that Sunnyshore was pretty stellar, how the ocean was awesome, and that he was oddly the same age as Volkner. Before Volk knew it the sun was starting to set, and he realized Flint's mindless babble he helped keep the darkness away.
The next day Flint somehow showed up at his house. Normally such a thing would be creepy, but Volkner almost felt comforted by it. It was a familiar face in a foreign city after all. They hung out all day, this time actually having conversations instead of a monologue, and things were almost fun. The guy was a joke to put things lightly, and Volkner did not understand why he had chosen him of all people to pester, but it was exactly that pestering that was keeping him going. With his new friend's warmth to keep him afloat the growing teen could keep the negativity away and finally began to flourish and regain who he used to be.
Over the coming years Volkner got back into video games and started working on electronics thanks to the base skills his parents had given him. Tinkered with any mechanisms he could he learned fast and worked part time on the maintenance and upgrading of Sunnyshore wherever he was allowed. His team grew and lined up pretty well with Flints, and they would train and spar daily. Though still socially awkward the quiet guy was more accepting of being outside where other people were, if Flint did most the talking of course, and for once he didn't feel like an outcast.
Together, he and Flint made a pretty good team, and even took a Pokemon journey across the region together where they learned to be truly superb trainers for a few years. Thanks to his best friend Volkner became a fine young man, and both became highly respected trainers in their city. When they weren't bullshitting, they would train, and it even brought them honorable recognition; both trainers were invited for greater things. He took the role of Gym Leader, while Flint went on to become a member of their own Elite Four. They kept in touch regularly and for years things were peaceful and content.
Then the Epidemic hit.
The evacuation sirens were blaring, a system he had set up himself. While the ever prevalent 'why' was in his head after grabbing his bag Volk's first task was to pick up his Lanturn and Octillery from the shore (as he often left them there instead of cooping them up in their pokeballs). The short walk seemed to take forever as he shouldered his way through the crowd, but when the gym leader finally made it to the beach what he saw sent chills throughout his body. Purple splattered and diseased looking bird Pokemon had pulled Octillary from the water and were swarming her. His Lanturn did what she could from the water's edge, but she could not aim from beneath the water and each time she surfaced the birds would go for her as well.
Sending out Ross the Raichu made little work of the birds, and they either fell dead or flew off. A quick glance told the trainer his Octillery was in back shape, but Ross alerted him to a set of shadows in the water. A bunch of Wailmers with the same pattern where coming up, and the bird were returning with greater numbers. Making a hasty decision Volkner returned all his Pokemon as fast as he could and ran.
But things only got worse. The diseased Pokemon were everywhere, and by the time he had a chance to assess the damage and tend to his Pokemon Volkner was mortified to find his Octillery had bled out. Lanturn had faired better, but was clearly traumatized from the event. Angry and with a heavy heart Volkner headed for the Pokemon League, a place he knew he could demand answers.
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| Accent | Sullen American |
| Appearance | Volkner is your average young man, plain and simple. Of a decent height and weight his stature is somewhat scrawny though his multiple layers of clothes usually covers this. His shaggy, sandy blonde hair is longer than he would like and does what it wants. Accompanied by his striking blue eyes the he is rather attractive, though an expression that's a mix of bored, annoyed, and gloomy can take away from it.
Aside from his usual get up he carries a sturdy black backpack with one of his gym badges adoring it. |
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| Religion | Agnostic | |
| Motivation | End the suffering/fix the bullshit. |
| Sexual Orientation | Asexual/romantic - Never felt strongly about romantic interests and has some difficulty in differentiating platonic and romantic feelings in himself and others. |
| Personality | - personality:
.:Independent:.
Works best on his own, can take care of himself/self sufficient, doesn't need human companionship. Does not like being told what to do/high command. Hates taking orders, shrieks duties/only does what he considers important, makes his own plans instead of following orders.
.:Quiet:.
Would prefer to talk less than more, melodramatic, socially awkward and not great at conversations. Easily forgotten in his silence a lot of the time. When he does talk its usually opinionated or bleak.
.:Attentive:.
Despite his lackadaisical attitude and seemingly lack of attention to anyone else Volkner actually picks up on a lot of the little things. He will listen, and know the brunt of a situation, but the matter of him responding or caring about it is another entirely.
.:'Rude':.
Not great with eye contact, known to blow others off, never acts as though he's listening or that anyone else matters. Always seems uninterested, very cold unless you know him.
.:Calm:.
Lazy is more like it. Not one to over react or react at all, he makes his move second. Scout the situation, respond after if needed. With a level-head things have a way of working themselves out without making himself have to do extra work.
.:Serious:.
Can be blunt, harsh, and forward. Knows the risks involved in anything these days and wont sugar coat.
.:Nerdy:.
Would never admit the obvious, but he is and has been a huge nerd. Says nerdy quotes at random, knows too much about lore, strats, and AI, and often compares it to the real world when he shouldn't.
.:Negative:.
Very dark views, pessimistic, not afraid to be harsh with facts, blunt, see's no good in the future. Not great at being comforting/supportive, toxic to listen to for long periods of time when down.
.:Tired of Existence:.
- He realizes that the world will never be in a way that will make him happen ever again. Even if the humans regain control, even if the disease is cured, even if they rebuild, he will never again have the few joys that actually made him happy with life. He wouldn't want to leave his team in that sort of world either, so while it's no secret that he doesn't want to be alive he looks over the edge instead of falling over it.
.:Distant/Cautious:.
He's not much for humor or jokes, almost whimsical with the strange, almost philosophical stuff he says. Its never clear what he is thinking. Does not let others in, still reeling from the Pokemon he lost and does not want to get attached.
.:Intelligent:.
Enjoys problem solving and mind games. Good range of 'common knowledge' and how things work. Good at reading people. Calculating in his actions, though he'd rather just 'go with the flow' and see if it follows any predictions.
.:Pensive:.
- Obviously a troubled man. Every motion shows repeat offense to something that weighted on him. Dead eyes, bad habits, and miserable to even the densest of viewers.
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| Affiliations | Flint: His best friend and closer than family. Flint kept him going when he was in a dark place, prevented him from going back, and taught him that life is not all bad. The two act a lot like brothers, knowing each others thought processes and interests. Flint is one of the few people Volkner can stand to be alone/partnered with, and their synergy is spot on. Together they make an excellent problem solving team.
Since the Epidemic started his contact with Flint has been spotty at best. HQ uses him for other things, and he can't be pulled away just because non-cooperative Volkner is having an episode. Flint has acted a bit off since this thing has began as well, bringing unneeded stress and worry to Volkner when they are separated.
Jasmine: Childhood friend.
- his team:
Ross: His starter and partner. To Volkner there is no difference between the Raichu and a human and all their interactions are like those of brothers. Same sense of humor, way of thinking, and just a very close bond between the two that does not need words. Ross is his first choice in battle, an ear seeking for information for him, and a very stubborn Pokemon who will only listen to Volkner.
Tiamat: A gift from his grandparents. The cat did not enjoy being aligned with, and worse, trained by a rat, and caused many quarrels in her youth. She has since grown proud and strong, and would often accompanying Volkner and Ross out of her Pokeball. While she would never disobey Volkner Tiamat is highly protective and would go to extreme measures to ensure his safety. Sadly, the epidemic has not been kind to her. Tiamat is highly stressed at all times, her tongue has gotten a bit sharper, and she's quick to snap. However, she's still a good guard and has enough sense to remain calm in dangerous situations.
Ramuh: Caught as an Electabuzz just out of Sunnyshore Ramuh witnessed the quarrels between Volkner, Ross, and Tiamat. The big, gruff teddy bear couldn't stand to see them all arguing, and when he tried to calm the situation spurred a battle that ended up bring them all closer. From that moment on he has always been the 'wise old mountain man' sort of guy. His gentle yet hardy demeanor allowed for a perfect wisdom hold and peacekeeper for the team. Nowadays, while offering what he can, he is often Volker's 'bed' when out in the field.
Topaz: Topaz and his sister Keaton were gifts from Flint's retaliative. The Jolteon is very high energy and difficult to get to settle down. A prankster, he isn't afraid to zap his friends or mess with strangers, but is also very amiable with new Pokemon they meet. He is the lighthearted member of the team and will try to raise spirits whenever he can.
Caduceus: Battle loving 'big bertha' sort of lady. Very hardy and not fearful of the undead. She's the muscle and 'the rock' as nothing seems to change how she acts; gruff, rough, and tough. The deaths of her friends have made her tactics a bit more ruthless as she makes things personal.
Novv: As a Helioptile Novv was owned by young girl. She was a wonderful trainer, but she was not made for traveling let alone trying to survive the now hostile world. Any wild Pokemon, living or otherwise, would spook her and she would run more often than fight. When running from a big undead she dropped her bag, and Novv's Pokeball rolled into a cleft of rocks. She perished, and he remained there until Volkner found him.
The now Heliolisk took a lot after his first trainer in that he's a bit of a scaredy cat. Easily spooked the lizard is always anxious and often speaks too fast. He'd rather hide than fight, and uses Ramuh as a protective wall. Has a small tick of scratching himself when anxious so he's missing patches of scales.
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| User Notes | - Laturn had heavy PTSD after the event with Octillery and rarely wished to be out of her Pokeball. Mixing this with her need for a body of water she started to waste away. Eventually she was sent out (unknowingly) into an infected pool of water to be fed. Upon realizing she was infected she committed suicide.
- He does not want to take in any new Pokemon but he could not leave Novv's Pokeball to the elements.
- Named all his Pokemon after final fantasy characters in an mmo he used to play, aside from Ross who he got before starting the game.
- Works at HQ but currently off on a fieldwork expedition due to unwillingness to cooperate. |
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| Development Notes | Try to find a better purpose in life, or 'a reason to live' as my brother and I often say. Not everythings about him, not everything has to be so dark. |
