[DG] Spicy

Diagnostics
Aliases: Valor, Tiger, Slayer of Bunnelby
Position: Rookie
D.O.B.: January 21st
Age: 19
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 203 lbs
Type: Fire/Dark
Preferences: Demisexual

Disposition
He's more than anything an excitable go-getter, with the strong body of a tiger but the mind of a curious kitten. Don't be surprised if he has a ton of questions, and if you don't answer all of them he might just throw a hissy fit. Always happy to help and happier to learn, anyone who can put up with his thin patience and rash disposition will find him to be a very versatile and handy guildmate. Unfortunately, this doesn't save the fact that he's like a Tauros in a china shop, and breaks most of what he touches.

He's not the smartest when it comes to mathematics and electronics, but he's a jack of all trades with many skills to put to work. He's also not afraid to speak his mind and will not hesitate to get into a fight if he has to. He may seem intimidating, but he's actually pretty friendly, albeit cocky. He's also pretty emotional, so he can easily get loud when excited or frustrated. If you show him something cool, he'll instantly gravitate towards you. He's easy to impress and even easier to put into a state of wonder. Curiosity killed the cat, I guess.


Pre-Guild History
Spicy was born in a small farming town out in the open, that being Leeside Village. His mother was a feral Incineroar, and his father was only halfway feral himself, being a Pangoro. The two wanted to settle down, however, as they wished to experience the peace and sanctuary civilization had to offer. Although his father wasn't too fluent in Common and his mother was even less fluent, the two settled into the farming industry. And further down the road, when they were married and had children, life really had become that much better for both of them.

Of all the siblings in his litter, 4 other Littens and 3 Panchams, Spicy hatched the first and fought the hardest. This earned him his real name, Valor. He earned the nickname Spicy later down the line out of his habit for eating almost nothing but Figy, Razz and Cheri berries, which were all very spicy.

In his early childhood, he was popular with his siblings for being the oldest, the biggest and the strongest, and frequently sparred with them, only losing a few times. But when he did lose, it was brutal, because it took all of them ganging up on him at once. He got a few teeth kicked out every now and then. It was all in good fun, though.

Before he was even of age to work, he and his siblings spent a lot of time helping their parents with their farm and guarding the crops from any wild Bunnelby, Zigzagoon and the like. Valor himself was an excellent guard, swiftly hunting down pests like the apex predator he was, and then grabbing them by their little tails and giving each a swift kick into the nearest patch of mud. Word must have got around about the viscious Torracat guarding the crops, because only the bravest thieves would even come around at one point. He prided himself in being the best watch cat around.

But everything changed for him when he saw a machine soaring in the sky.

It was a hot summer day, sifting through tall grass and boredly pouncing and swiping at every little rat, squirrel or bug that had the audacity to move. He heard the voice of his youngest sister calling out. "Valor, Valor! There's a monster in the sky! A big monster with big wings!" She rambled on, but Valor was too distracted with the complete awe of seeing the crude machine swoop down, further, closer to the ground, and then crash in the forest.

He raced after it, panting like a Herdier in a heat wave, and tumbled down a dusty slope he hadn't noticed was there. He immediately bolted up to find a strange Pokemon limp on the ground, tangled in the battered skeleton of what looked like a wooden bird. He walked over to it with immense caution, sniffing it. He quite literally jumped when it shifted in place, a foot up in the air and almost two feet back. He looked like he'd just seen a Gengar, with his claws out in the dirt, tail and back all puffed out, and eyes as wide as two full moons.

The strange Pokemon groaned and got up, looking just as scared of Valor as he was of the unidentified flying object. "Hey! Yeah, weirdo with the flyin' thing! What's with that knicknack over there?!" He spat, glaring at the broken craft behind the stranger. He'd feel bad about such a greeting in the long run, because it was this Pokemon, a pink Pachirisu with frizzy fur and a wildly curious stare in her glittery little eyes that would inspire him to change the rest of his life.

One he'd assessed she wasn't a threat, he went to get his siblings, told them about what happened and together they helped carry the rubble up the slope and out of the woods. The stranger ate dinner with them that night, although she was reluctant to take food from strangers, feeling pretty greedy. She told them all about the new revolution of technology. About trains and boats, electronic lamps and strange machines that played sound from radio frequencies, whatever those were. The wild stories were plenty enough of an exchange for the food, and she even ended up taking some along for the road once her craft was fixed.

But just as she left, Valor approached her as if desparately, and said with somewhat of a flustered look. "Hey! Uh, before ya leave, ya better tell me where ya found out all this stuff! Or else!" He figured the standoffish act would deny he had any interest in this 'stupid intellectual nonsense'. She caught on immediately with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Is there a library around here?"

"I think so. I've seen it around here." He still looked at her with a convincing mask of intimidation and annoyance. She just smiled.

"Then start there! Look for books about technology!"

"Books?" Valor had been caught off guard by this, and his heart sank a little. He could barely read his own name.

"Yeah! Where else would you learn it."

"Uh, gee, thanks, but I'm no good at readin'. Why can't ya tell me?"

"I don't have time. Sorry. But if you want to learn, you know where to start!" She left in a hurry, leaving him to feel stupid. Really stupid, in all honesty.

It was strange. He never felt like an idiot. He always felt like he understood things, like how to water crops and how to scare off big Pokemon, and what time most pests liked to come out. Now he was in a world he didn't understand at all. The only thing he understood was that he was determined to learn about the strange machine.

So he took to the library, took her advice and started to learn how to read. It was increcibly frustrating to start with. His clumsy paws could barely turn the pages and he needed the librarian to teach him the basics. He worked adamantly through the frustration, spending all his free time at the library learning.

One day, at dinner he proudly announced. "Guess what, everybody? I'm learnin' how to read!" With the biggest smile ever. Two of his siblings laughed, but their mother's glare was enough to shut them down. His heart sank again when he realized hardly anyone believed in him.

"What? Ya think I can't do it?! Well y'all are gonna be sorry when I do, 'cause I can!" He was so angry he ran off into the field that night. He was 16 years old and still knew almost nothing about the world. He'd have broken into tears, but he was still too determined.

His father believed him. He encouraged him to learn, to become advanced like he himself had always dreamed of. His mother did not. She wanted to be civilized, but she always carried the message that a Pokemon with feral blood could never be much more than a farmer. The two argued over this once or twice. With the odds against him, he almost wanted to give up. But the more news about technology he caught wind of, the more wildly it excited him.

By the time he was 18 years old, he was very busy, and very frustrated he had yet to evolve again. He knew how to read, and he even knew some math and engineering. And despite studying, he still managed to guard the farm, though not as much, as his siblings were now plenty strong enough. He'd long realized his interest in machines, but he never did realize his calling.

Since some had left, there were 5 of the 8 kids left on the farm. A Pancham, a Pangoro, a Litten and two Torracats, one of which being Spicy. Between the 5 of them, they didn't have enough time to watch the shed where they stored their food. The problem was that a thief kept breaking in and escaping in the middle of the night. They knew it couldn't have been a feral Pokemon, because the door had a chain lock that could slide open and shut. And every time they decided to stake out, they didn't catch the thief.

Just as they were starting to get suspicious of each other, Spicy thought of a brilliant solution.

His plan was to layer two doors like a valve. They would open to let the thief inside, but when they tried to get back out again, one door would be behind the other and push against it, making it impossible to open without immense force. It was something he'd seen in a book. His family didn't doubt him at this point, and thought he was quite smart. Besides, he'd earned his keep since the day he fought off his first intruder.

Once they helped him build it, they went to sleep.

Sure enough, the next morning, a Raticate was scrambling around frantically, trying to find an exit. Poor thing got thrown all the way into the woods with a loud thud. Spicy recieved a ton of praise from his family, and they'd finally recognized his efforts to become intelligent. But on the same night, when he sat out in the field holding the Menhir shard he'd recieved on his 16th birthday. As he stared into it, it glowed. He finally didn't feel stupid any more. He'd done something with his own brain to help others. He hoped he did that Pachirisu proud. He closed his eyes as a glittering light and an overwhelming feeling overtook him.

This was a feeling he'd only experienced once before. He was ready to evolve. And this was the last time he'd ever feel it.

His entire family woke up to see his new, unfamiliar face. They were so proud of him. He almost cried out of joy a little, though he wouldn't admit it.

A week later, everything was pretty normal. He was still studying and working vigorously, and he was getting so much better at it. Two of his other siblings found their callings, too, one liked painting and the other simply liked farming. With only 4 left, the farm was getting smaller. The baby birds he'd spend all his life with were leaving the nest, and soon enough, so was he. One afternoon during a calming sunset, his mother approached him.

"Valor, you've gone and proved me wrong. You ought'a put this skill to use." She handed him a newspaper clipping about the guild's mechanic department. "I wanna see my son change the world." His eyes sparkled with intense honor. He knew he wasn't a genius. He knew he was still learning. But maybe if he learned enough, he could do just that. He took the opportunity.

Through a sappy farewell and tears just surfacing in his eyes, he turned and took to the road with a bright future ahead of him.

The journey to the guild headquarters was a rough one. On the first few days of travel, he started by heading through Spring Lane, which had taken him a day to get to. By then he had already gotten used to camping out, so the journey through the dungeon was fun for him. Continuing the walk, he took a while to marvel at Radiance Tower while he had a nice lunch his mother insisted he left with. Being full of energy that day, he made it to the entrance of Redwater Ravine in a surprising amount of time, and took shelter in a relatively safe spot. The next day was rough, when he tackled the dungeon. He was strong, but he knew to avoid every feral he laid eyes on. He had a few bruises by the time he got out, but his belongings, which he was carrying with him, were undamaged. He made it to Sider's Grove, staying there for the night, and in the morning he continued his journey.

When he saw the distance between where he was and the nearest big city on his map, he knew he couldn't just walk there. He took a lengthy caravan ride from Sider's Grove to Spinner's Roost, where the spider Pokémon creeped him out a little. They were friendly, though, and through Silver Road he made it all the way to Arbington. He almost felt at home in another farming town, although it did make him a little homesick. He stayed in Arbington a day longer than he planned, wondering if he might settle down there one day, sightseeing and sharing stories with other Pokémon of his travels.

Walking, running and sometimes climbing the rest of the way, he finally made it to the mountain where the guild headquarters rested. He took a deep breath, marveling at the sheer height of the mountain, and made his way in with a nervous giddiness that made his whiskers twitch and his heart beat like a drum. He was finally there.

Trivial
- He really loves Figy berries.
- He used to eat meat back on the farm, but he had to give it up when he left. He still hasn't gotten over this.
- His body constantly gives off heat, so he's a great 'mon to cuddle with when it's cold! If he lets you, that is.
- He absolutely hates getting his fur dirty, muddy or wet. Although many people assume he doesn't mind. He really does mind. A lot.
- He's somewhat of an insert of my Incineroar from Pokemon Sun, sharing the same nickname (Spicy), moveset, nature and ability.

Familiarities
KNOWS PRETTY WELL
    Thomas - Stunky - They met in a violent twist of fate that turned into a newfound friendship. He feels respected in Thomas' company and has future plans to meet up with him.

    Amanda - Torracat - Spicy's younger sister who he shares a pretty strong bond with. Was vaguely inspired by his pursuit of machinery to pursue her own calling.

KNOWS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
    Donovan - Braixen - A strange homeless fox who attacked him and Thomas when they first met. Turns out all he wanted was a job and a roof over his head. Spicy overall dislikes Donovan, but he wishes him luck in job hunting.

COMPLETE STRANGERS (No descriptions, but he has interacted with them)
    Mog - Jolteon
    Mac - Tyrunt
    Cynder - Litten
    Armin - Tyrogue   
    Wick - Combusken
    Ryker - Gallade