Name: Ren Tauße
Nickname: R'tahz
Age: 27 (June 18th)
Gender: Male
Birthplace: Ambrette Town, Kalos
Family: Unknown
Trainer Orientation: Chaotic Good
Trainer Class: Hiker, Wanderer
Starter Pokémon: Honedge
Character Theme:
Roger Bart ~ Go the Distance (Disney's Hercules)
The Wandering Duo:
Skillet ~ Good to Be Alive (Rise)
Warrior's Resolve:
Yuuki Hayashi ~ Allied Force (Gundam Build Fighters)
The Azure Dragoon:
Masayoshi Soken ~ Revenge of the Horde (Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward)
Battle Theme:
Masayoshi Soken ~ Revenge Twofold (Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward)
Solkaz [Male Aegislash] — A paladin does not exist to defend his own honor.
Ren's first Pokémon, gifted by his parents at the start of his journey, symbolizes his desire to be the knight in shining armor, and acts accordingly. Noble and proud, Solkaz exemplifies the highest virtues of chivalry. Incredibly even-tempered, he is near-impossible to rouse to battle in non-sanctioned events unless it is a matter of life or death. Though more than capable of acting on his own, Solkaz also serves as Ren's primary arms when his trainer must enter battle as well, imbuing Ren with a greatly-enhanced knowledge of swordplay and tactics than he would have using a normal sword.
—Recieved in Ambrette Town.
Ability: Stance Change
Move Pool: Automotize, Shadow Sneak, Iron Defense, Night Slash, King's Shield, Sacred Sword, Swords Dance, False Swipe, Protect, Flash Cannon
Estenien [Male Escavalier] — Have a care, dragon, lest I prize your eyes from their socket!
Another highly-trusted member of Ren's team, Estenien is standoffish and aloof, and takes things far too seriously, but is steadfast and ready to give his life at a moment's notice for Ren, the others in Ren's team, or anyone Ren declares a friend. A relentless combatant, Estenien's lances are renowned for finishing battles in a single strike. Fancying himself a dragon-slayer, Estenien has proven that his strikes are true enough to pierce the thick hides of the Dragon types despite having no inherent advantages against them.
—Captured in Unova, Route 6.
Ability: Shell Armor
Move Pool: Fell Stinger, X-Scissor, Swords Dance, False Swipe, Double Team, Infestation, Twineedle, Iron Head, Cut, Hyper Beam
Karakul [Male Mareep]
Almost solely a utility Pokémon, Karakul barely manages to qualify as a battler rather than a pet. Choosing to remain as a Mareep despite being well beyond even the level needed to be an Ampharos, Karakul likes to relax and take things easy. Karakul views battle as an annoyance, and prefers to just stand back and offhandedly blast things with electricity when he has to fight. He rarely stays in his Poké Ball, instead preferring to wander along with Ren and graze at will.
—Captured in Johto, Route 32.
Ability: Static
Move Pool: Strength, Zap Cannon, Ion Deluge, Charge Beam, Thunderbolt, Volt Switch, Thunder Punch, Discharge, Cotton Guard, Confuse Ray
Curious Gorge [Male Rhyperior] — One must harden their will with resolve, rather than steel it with anger.
A powerful warrior, Gorge is loud and boisterous, and loves to fight. Where Solkaz and Estenien are precise, directed skill fighters, Curious Gorge is a wrecking ball, held in reserve until the time when maximum damage is required in a minimum amount of time. When he's not trashing everything in sight, Gorge likes to harden himself by training in water, preferably underneath waterfalls. He is also an avid student of history, hence the 'Curious' appellation.
—Captured in Sinnoh, Route 227.
Ability: Solid Rock
Move Pool: Drill Run, Rock Blast, Stone Edge, Earthquake, Rock Wrecker, Surf, Bulldoze, Dig, Smack Down, Rock Tomb
Laevateinn [Male Gyarados] — Your mortal contrivances cannot quell the raging sea!
Laevateinn is a proud and willful spirit, but unlike Solkaz, whose pride instills honor and virtue, Laevateinn's pride is a motivator of terrible carnage. Fancying himself the master of the seas, Laevateinn is loathe to obey Ren, especially near the water, and frequently has to be brought to heel by the other members of Ren's team. Due to this unreliable nature and his penchant for causing mass carnage, Ren almost never deploys Laevateinn, and frequently acts as though he's not even in possession of the fearsome sea beast.
—Captured in Republic of Seafoam.
Ability: Intimidate
Move Pool: Aqua Tail, Twister, Hyper Beam, Ice Fang, Waterfall, Hydro Pump, Scald, Rain Dance, Dark Pulse, Thunder Wave
Widarg [Male Medicham] — An end to oppression. An end to starvation. The world will be made free. I will see it done!
Brilliant, but lazy is an apt way of describing Widarg. An incredibly-potent combatant, Widarg is one of the best martial artists that Ren has ever seen. On the other hand, he has a tendency to lose himself contemplating the mysteries of the universe. Solkaz considers him a useless, lazy lout, and Estenien recognizes that there's vast potential in Widarg, but for the most part he just likes to sit and meditate on life, the universe, and everything. When he focuses and steps up to battle, however, he is capable of leveling significantly larger and more-powerful opponents in seconds.
—Captured in Mt. Pyre, Hoenn.
Ability: Pure Power
Move Pool: Zen Headbutt, Confusion, Power-Up Punch, Rock Smash, Focus Blast, Psychic, Low Sweep, Reversal, Force Palm, Flash
[Male Clauncher] —
More a fancy on Ren's part than any concept of an active battler, Clauncher is surly and antisocial. Normally he lives in Ren's bag, with his appearance on Ren's shoulder being an indicator that he's not in the mood to instantly blast anyone who tries to interact with him in the face with water. He always makes it very clear the people he does not like, and anyone who tries to pet or play with him when he isn't in the mood will get whatever body part they put within reach nipped very painfully.
—Captured in Ambrette Town.
Ability: Mega Launcher
Move Pool: Water Pulse, Water Gun, Smack Down, Vice Grip
Standing at just under six feet, Ren considers himself to have the most average appearance in the world. His dark brown hair is worn shaggy but usually trimmed before it gets more than an inch or two thick, as he hates having it cover his ears and feels very uncomfortable with having to brush it back behind his ears. His eyes are a very light hazel, sometimes appearing golden-orange in direct sunlight. He has two visible scars on his face, one two inches long leading down from his right eye, the other half an inch long cut across his left cheek.
The clothes he wears varies based on the environment he's in, but typically he favors red upper wear and black lower wear. His most common attire is a black tank top with a red windbreaker, worn over black shorts or jeans depending on the season and locale. Regardless of where he is or what he's doing, he always wears a pair of well-worn black surplus military steel-toed boots that are very scuffed. He is aware of the superficial resemblance he bears to the famed trainer Red, which brings him a few headaches in people challenging him thinking he's Red.
Despite all things, Ren has a positive outlook on life and a relatively-upbeat demeanor. This is an active effort on his part, choosing to look to the brighter side of things and view the world as a half-full glass than let himself get mired in pity parties. He has a tendency to space out and let his thoughts wander far afield when not directly engaged in something, lending the appearance of being slow or dull-witted.
Notably, he has an inability to let pass any situation in which he could help someone. He jokingly refers to it as his 'chronic hero syndrome'. Part of it is due to his dislike for seeing wrongs go unrighted or bad deeds unpunished, the other part is a need to validate himself against some arbitrary measure of worth by doing these good deeds.
Once he's decided on a course of action to take, a goal to pursue, or a sidequest to undertake, he is remarkably single-minded and pig-headed in his determination and efforts in accomplishing that task. However, if he experiences enough failure in a task--usually in the form of repeated attempts--he becomes completely disheartened with that task and will abandon it; to date, he has not returned to any such abandoned tasks. Because of this tendency, he's usually reluctant to engage in challenging tasks to begin with.
Born in Ambrette Town, Ren spent his childhood and early teen years in the seaside village. He became adept at fishing and swimming from an early age, and developed a love for visiting aquariums due to the one in Ambrette, attempting to stop by any aquarium he learns about in any cities he's traveling through. He also developed a fascination with the concept of chivalry, Bushido, and the romantic notions of being a knight in shining armor, the various tenants and concepts of which he has combined into an amalgamated personal code of conduct that he lives by. It was this idealism that prompted his parents to determine that his first Pokémon should be a Honedge.
Unlike the majority of children, he didn't start his Pokémon journey at the age of ten, not feeling the burning need to adventure that most children did. Instead, he contented himself by spending his time fishing and working out and learning about the sea. It is entirely likely that he may well have spent his entire life in his hometown, never traveling away from home, were it not for one fateful day. Out fishing by the sea with his father, Ren happened to espy Valerie, newly-arrived from her home region of Johto, touring the region and taking in the sights. Young Ren, just at that age when he was no longer thinking of girls as cootie factories, was instantly smitten by her. It took no more than his father casually mentioning that Valerie was going to take over as the Leader of Laverre Gym to get the boy to decide on the spot that it was time to start his Pokémon journey.
Setting off with Solkaz at his side and Clauncher on his shoulder, Ren charged through his journey as fast as he could, collecting Pokémon that caught his fancy and battering his way through Gyms with all the skill and grace of a Tauros in a china shop. This attitude cost him dearly, leaving him flummoxed and unprepared for the Fairy-types that featured heavily in Valerie's lineup. Leaving dejected from her Gym after a crushing defeat, he was chanced upon by Elite Four member Wikstrom, who sensed right away the strong morals and sense of justice hidden within Ren's spirit.
Upon listening to Ren's story and the reason for being in such a down mood, Wikstrom reminded the young teen that the strength of a Trainer and his Pokémon came from a sum of different sources, far more than just the Pokémon's battle power: a Trainer's strength came from his own resolve, as well as that of his Pokémon, along with the bond they shared in pursuit of a common goal. Having passed along that invaluable nugget of wisdom, Wikstrom challenged the boy to make it to the Elite Four and face him on the field of battle.
Armed with his newly-bolstered resolve, Ren disappeared into the wilds for a week to retrain himself and his team. Upon his return to face Valerie again, he defeated her after a challenging battle. After receiving his badge, he declared his intent to romantically pursue her, which she seemed to distracted to fully understand, remarking that she had no interest in average trainers. Initially crushed at that casual dismissal, Ren decided that if she had no interest in an average trainer, he would become an exceptional trainer.
Thus began the many long years of Ren's Pokémon League challenges. Progressing through the rest of the Kalos League, he challenged the Elite Four, taking advantage of the setup of the Kalos Elites to ensure that he fought Wikstrom last, making good on the promise he had made with the older knight. Wikstrom was a much more powerful competitor than he expected, however, the skill and power of the man and his team forcing a draw with Ren. Unable to progress further, Wikstrom interceded before the boy could fall depressed once more, reminding him that he needed to turn every defeat into a victory, and never falter on his path to his goal.
With those words to heart, and with the implicit moral support of Wikstrom behind him, Ren set off to travel the other regions of the world, seeking to become Champion of any of them in order to earn Valerie's affections. Unfortunately, the same story repeated itself in the other five regions, falling short of victory each time. Undeterred, he simply returned home to bide his time and train further, awaiting the next year's round of League competitions.
To make a long story short, six such years passed in Ren's efforts to defeat any of the Pokémon Leagues, all without victory, and all without any sign that Valerie even noticed his efforts. With each passing year of defeat, his will to continue waned, eventually resulting in a negative-feedback loop that saw him trying less and losing faster. After making the rounds for the sixth time, he had been at home spending his days idly fishing for several weeks when he was visited by his friend in the Elite Four, curious on how he had done. With his heart once again poured out, Wikstrom, ever sympathetic to the young man, remarked that sometimes it was the true measure of a man to know when to admit defeat. Agreeing, Ren decided that perhaps he should stop wasting his life on a boy's dream that would never come to pass.
Deciding it was best to get out of Kalos for the time being to give himself the time and distance to put Valerie out of his mind, Ren departed for an extended stay in the Japanese regions, where he's been kicking about just biding his time until he finds something else to occupy him.
Regular Abilities______________________________________
└-Skills, professions, knowledge and talents.
Weaving: Using fleece trimmed from Karakul, Ren engages in clothweaving and tailoring as an idle hobby that he mostly uses to keep his own clothes repaired.│
Martial Abilities______________________________________
├─Classification: Talent
├─Category: Skill
└─Power Level: Apprentice
└-Weapon specializations and fighting styles.
Swordsmanship (Longsword): Over the years, having traveled with Solkaz his entire journey, Ren has self-trained himself in the way of wielding a sword. When he is using Solkaz as a primary weapon, his skill significantly increases due to the experience and knowledge of Solkaz.│
Lances: The weapon of choice for fully realizing his Dragon Plate powers, Ren is but a small child flailing with a stick.
├─Classification: Physical
├─Category: Weapon Proficiency
└─Power Level: Journeyman, Expert│
├─Classification: Physical
├─Category: Weapon Proficiency
└─Power Level: NoviceElemental Abilities____________________________________Weaponskills─┘ wrote:Vorpal Thrust: A swift thrust with the spear, this technique is alarmingly keen at putting the lance's head directly into someone else's.│
Disembowel: A swipe to stagger the target, then a brutal thrust into center mass with an added twist to tear into sensitive organs.
├─Classification: Physical
├─Category: Attack
└─Power Level: Not Acquired│
Elusive Jump: A quick-reaction leap backwards utilizing the power of his Plate. Quite handy at removing most binding affects. Can be used to clear gaps. Usually used to accidentally throw self off cliff.
├─Classification: Physical
├─Category: Attack
└─Power Level: Not Acquired│
Spineshatter Dive: A potent diving attack that has a high probability of paralyzing the victim by dint of spear embedded in vital support structures. This ability grants the status Dive Ready, enabling [Mirage Dive] (when learned).
├─Classification: Physical
├─Category: Status
└─Power Level: Not Acquired│
Phlebotomize: A savage spear thrust, followed by lateral yank in any given direction, usually with a twist of the spear involved. Causes profuse bleeding in targets that are capable of such. Inflicts an inexplicable damage over time effect on those that are not.
├─Classification: Physical
├─Category: Status
└─Power Level: Not Acquired│
Keen Flurry: Ren is adept at using his spear, ungainly length and heavy weight and all, to deflect attacks.
├─Classification: Physical
├─Category: Status
└─Power Level: Not Acquired│
Leg Sweep: A powerful sweeping attack at an opponent's legs to trip them up. Harder to defend against if using a spear with hooked protrusions.
├─Classification: Physical
├─Category: Status
└─Power Level: Not Acquired│
Blood for Blood: When in battle with a merciless foe, show no mercy yourself. This ability increases both the damage that Ren deals, and the damage he receives.
├─Classification: Physical
├─Category: Attack
└─Power Level: Not Acquired│
Wheeling Thrust: Leaping a short distance (for a dragoon, at least) into the air, Ren first kicks the foe to disorient them, then spins in midair, spear out, as he descends, striking the foe multiple times. When used, this ability extends the duration of Blood of the Dragon.
├─Classification: Physical
├─Category: Status
└─Power Level: Not Acquired│
Fang and Claw: A two-fold attack. A rising sweep from below to break open an enemy's guard, and then a swift thrust into the soft bits. When used, this ability extends the duration of [Blood of the Dragon].
├─Classification: Physical
├─Category: Attack
└─Power Level: Not Acquired│
Doom Spike: A quick, short forward dive that drives his full weight behind the spear, allowing him to overpenetrate and hit multiple targets at once.
├─Classification: Physical
├─Category: Attack
└─Power Level: Not Acquired│
├─Classification: Physical
├─Category: Attack
└─Power Level: Not Acquired
└-Powers from a Dragon Plate, aided by a Dragon Focus.
Blood of the Dragon: A passive support technique. Calling upon the power of the Dragon, Ren boosts his attack power and speed. When this effect is active, glowing blue energy in the shape and form of an Eastern-type dragon swirls around his body. Not to be confused with the Dragon plate keystone power. Based on the move [Dragon Dance].
[power]Elemental (Dragon)|Status|Novice[/power]
Dragoon's Grace: A passive ability. From the power of his plate and the benefit of a focus, Ren gains the ability to leap great distances, direct all his weight onto a single point, and remain unharmed by falling from a height. Based on the move [Tailwind].
[power]Elemental (Flying)|Status|Not Acquired[/power]
Ring of Thorns: A short leap followed by a powerful thrust of the spear into the ground, unleashing a vortex of energy that strikes nearby targets. Based on the move [Twister].
[power]Elemental (Dragon)|Special|Not Acquired[/power]
Battle Litany: A passive support technique. By deed and by action, Ren boosts the morale of all allies who can either hear or see him, increasing the likelihood of making critical strikes. Based on the move [Dragon Dance] and [Tailwind].
[power]Elemental (Dragon/Flying)|Status|Not Acquired[/power]
Dragonfire Dive: A powerful diving attack that unleashes a blast of fire upon impact that covers all enemies within five yards. Based on the move [Flame Burst].
[power]Elemental (Fire)|Physical/Special|Not Acquired[/power]
Mirage Dive: When under the effect of Dive Ready, Ren can create a shade of pure Dragon energy in his own shape that enacts a single Jump attack against the target. Based on the move [Wing Attack].
[power]Elemental (Flying)|Physical/Special|Not Acquired[/power]
Gaze of the Dravanians: While under the effects of Blood of the Dragon, any use of Mirage Dive attracts the gaze of the Legendary Dragons Rayquaza, Reshiram, and Giratina. Upon earning the gaze of all three Dragons, Ren enters the Life of the Dragon state, boosting the power of all Dragon Elemental abilities and replacing Geirskogul with Nastrond.
[power]Elemental (Dragon)|Special|Not Acquired[/power]
Geirskogul: A frontal attack that unleashes a long blast of Dragon elemental energy. Can only be used under the effects of Blood of the Dragon. Requires a spear. Based on the move [Dragon Rush].
[power]Elemental (Dragon)|Special|Not Acquired[/power]
Nastrond: A frontal attack that unleashes a long blast of Dragon elemental energy, powered by the fury of the Legendary Dragons. Contact with any part of Nastrond inflicts bleeding wounds that are extremely difficult to close. Can only be used under the full effects of Gaze of the Dravanians. Requires a spear. Based on the moves [Dragon Rush] and [Dragon Pulse].
[power]Elemental (Dragon)|Special|Not Acquired[/power]
Dragonsong Dive: The most powerful of diving attacks, Ren draws upon the full power of his Plate in one concentrated burst. The ghostly head of a massive wyrm surrounds him, empowering his attack as he takes to the skies and delivers a devastating strike on his target. Useable once per thread. Based on the moves [Dragon Rush], [Sacred Fire, and [Bounce].
[power]Elemental (Dragon/Flying/Fire)|Physical/Special|Not Acquired[/power]
Akh Morn: When used, three massive orbs of elemental energy streak down from above, one after another. Whether directly striking the target or striking the ground, the orb explodes into a violent and turbulent rising column of draconic, fire, and flying-type energies, a blazing twister of rending and incinerating forces vying for the kill in seemingly competing attempts to outdo one another. When the first column has faded, the second will land almost instantly, followed by the third in a similar manner. Each column tends to be about thirty feet wide and a hundred tall. The user is incapable of attacking the next round. Using Akh Morn more than once per combat suffers a reduction in damage by about a third on each subsequent usage. Based on the moves [Draco Meteor], [Overheat], and [Hurricane].
[power]Elemental (Dragon/Flying/Fire)|Physical/Special|Not Acquired[/power]
Weapons_________________________________________________
└-Weapon and munitions.
Weathered Spear: A simple six foot length of wood with a half-foot doubled-edged blade attached to the end. Gifted by Wikstrom in Kalos.