» Name: Saido
» Sex: Male
» Species: Nickit, #827, the Fox Pokemon
» Affiliation: Aspiring Police Officer
» Level: 5
» Energy: 16 (11 BE + 5)
» Ability: Unburden
» Moves:
Quick Attack (Level 1)
Tail Whip (Level 1)
Beat Up (Level 4)
Torment (Egg Move)
» Natural Feats:
- Good at being Quiet! Nickit has soft paw pads on its feet, allowing it to be a naturally stealthier species than most.
- Unburden: After a held item is used or lost, the speed stat of this pokemon is doubled.
» Relatives:
Mother: Allie (Ninetales NPC)
Father: Okas (Thievul NPC)
» Personality:
He's a very well meaning, and naturally extroverted kid. He doesn't have much confidence in himself, if only because he hasn't given himself much reason to be confident in himself. He doesn't think he's particularly good at anything either, at least at the moment. Neither of these traits tend to get him down, however. He’s not amazing at anything, and he’s not horrible at anything, so he’s more or less a jack of all trades. At least, that’s the way he views himself.
He carries himself with a cautious optimism, in respect to all things. Himself, his surroundings, and the world at large; his parents tried to put it into his head that the world was a dog-eat-dog kind of world. Now that he’s on his own, he’s doing his best to rebel against that world-view. Despite his attempts at rebellion, however, outbreaks of cynicism can flare up from time to time inside his own head, much to his frustration and disappointment. He views these as personal failures at being a “Good person”, and will often beat himself up for any sparks of frustration, cynicism, anger, or disappointment he might show outwardly.
This can often make his personality come across as rather fake. Saido goes to great lengths to keep his cynical thoughts and tendencies at bay; he’ll often laugh at an inappropriate time in order to keep his pessimism at bay; be overly cheery in the face of the failures of others (or his own), or simply distract from the situation at hand in any way he can find.
He stays away from negative feelings and emotions like the plague; he considers them avenues to worse and worse emotions and actions. Frustration can lead to anger, which then leads to hate, which can then lead to violence, and with it, crime. And that’s what it all loops back to. He grew up practically abused into being an outlaw; now that he has only himself to worry about, his biggest worry and fear is that he is still an outlaw at heart, and his parents just brought that side out of him. He wants to be a good person, desperately, because he fears that if the inverse is true, if he isn’t a good person, he’ll slowly devolve back into the outlaw his parents forced him to be.
This is the very reason he wants to be a police officer, too. He wants to distance himself as much as possible from his childhood actions, fears, and traumas, in order to become a person he can be happy with. He blames himself for helping his parents, even though he didn’t truly have a choice. He wants to atone for those actions he was forced into, and he figures that hunting and catching outlaws is the best way to achieve these goals.
He’s also very self conscious about his typing; he believes, as a result of his childhood, that being a dark type makes him naturally predisposed to more morally grey, if not black, actions. His parents often told him that all his typing and species would ever be good for the crimes they committed, and that lesson still follows him like a curse, even months later.
» Likes:
Karaoke: This like stems from the last memory he had from before his parents were caught and he was liberated from their control. While it is a rather intimidating prospect every time he goes up to sing, and he’s unsure of how good his voice really is, he still views the activity as the catalyst for him breaking free from his parent, and as such, views it with a fondness few other activities can match.
Music:
As a tie in to his like for Karaoke, he also has nothing but the utmost respect for musicians. Whether they be instrumentalists or singers, he admires their ability to communicate feelings and emotions through sounds and lyrics. If it weren’t for his biology, he’d love to learn how to play an instrument, but as it is, he’s unsure how he might be able to accomplish such a thing. As it is, he’s content to simply hear how other Pokemon might play music.
Battling:
While he wouldn’t consider himself anything special at battling, he does derive quite a thrill from it. He rarely got into fights, or even play fights as a kid, but he idolizes both guild-mons and police-mons for their strength. He would love to be as powerful as the Pokemon he idolizes, and as a result, he’d love to learn to battle as well as they do.
School:
While he was never in school for long, only enough to learn how to read and write, he found himself enjoying himself quite a lot. He was forced out of school by his parents, but given a chance, he’d love to experience school fully.
» Dislikes:
Crime:
While this goes without saying, as most Pokemon are very disapproving of breaking the law, for Saido, it’s significantly more personal. He is severely judgemental of pretty much everyone who decides to break the law, seeing how much such acts hurt him as a child. He thinks people who decide to be outlaws are, at best, severely misguided, and at worst, a combination of stupid and evil. He has very little empathy for pretty much any kind of criminal.
Bad Parenting:
This dislike, once again, stems from his childhood background. While it is a rather obvious thing to dislike, he takes other people’s parenting problems as seriously as his own. He thinks that a bad parent is the most damaging thing that can happen to a kid, and will often be vengeful and mean to anyone whom he deems to be doing a bad job of parenting. Of course, being a kid himself, his point of view is somewhat biased. He considers any parent who’s strict with their kids to be “bad”, and as thus will act very spiteful towards them, even if he’s not personally affected.
Organization:
Why bother being organized? It’s so much effort for so little benefit. While he’ll respect others wishes for a clean environment, he could not possibly care less about his own. His desk will be littered with loose papers, used dishes, random books and the like. In short, he’s somewhat of a slob. But he likes it that way!
Pessimism:
Saido desperately wants to be happy, and an optimist. As such, while he can’t really put it into words why he doesn’t like pessimism in others, he knows that negative emotions in others often leave him quite distressed. He’d rather everyone just be happy, because he fears that negative emotions will bring out negative emotions in himself, and as such, would rather others not be negative around him.
Sneakiness: While it is a part of his natural biology, he hates using such an advantage in battling, and sees others who do so as unhonorable. This dislike mostly stems from his experience being sneaky as a child, and the activities that were generally associated with it. Now that he’s older, he sees sneakiness in battle as an act of cowardice, and looks down on anyone who uses any move that qualifies as sneaky in his mind.
» History:
Saido was born to a Thievul father, and a Ninetales mother. His early years were uneventful. He was too young to really understand what it was his parents were doing, all he knew was that he had a comfortable bed, a decently sized house, and enough toys to be content with. Those early years were the best of his childhood, if only because he hadn’t yet gotten involved in his parents activities. Then, his parents had been almost kind to him, obtaining books, and toys, and even enrolling him in school. This hadn’t lasted long, only long enough for him to learn to read and write, but it was enough time for him to learn to enjoy it, and to miss it when his parents pulled him away from it.
“We need your help.” His father told him one day, on the walk back home from what would be his final day in school. He could remember that the clouds had begun to converge over-head, the blue sky being pushed out by the menacing, dark grey clouds. The sun shone through them once in a while, but not enough. Not like it used to. “And you can’t tell anyone.”
So he didn’t. For months, Saido helped his parents. Not happily. In his free time, he’d read books about hard boiled detectives and determined, heroic guild-mons, and rash, headstrong police-mons. Always, they’d be catching the bad guys. The detective would outwit the criminal, slowly but surely uncovering and revealing their master-plot. The guild mon would track outlaws down, the kind that hurt people, the kind that couldn’t be redeemed, and the police-mon would always do both. Outsmart them, track them down, beat them up, arrest them…
The good guys always won in those books he read. And he loved them. He read them at night, by candle-light, as often as he could. His stories would go on and on, sometimes until the dull, cloud covered sunlight started to shine once more on the streets of grassveil, but he never failed to enjoy every minute of it. There was only one thing that bothered him…
Why did the bad guys always remind him of his parents?
That was his routine, then. He woke up in the morning, and ate some breakfast. It was usually rather rich; pancakes covered in honey with sweetened tea to go with them, a salad filled with all sorts of sweet berries, tossed together. Saido never failed to enjoy this. Sometimes, his parents even talked to him about normal things! The weather, the food, how school had been for him, and even if he’d like to go back! Of course, he always said yes. Yes, he would like that. But it never seemed to happen.
The small talk never lasted long anyways. When the patrons of the restaurant they frequented began to disperse, the three followed suit. Saido and his parents walked out, each in different directions. Of course, the crimes back then had never been too bad. Saido, personally, was never too good at being a cutpurse. But at the very least, he’d never been caught. He never brought home too much Poke either.
He went into his room, at the end of every day, reading, but his parent’s voices broke through the walls, more and more.
“He’s not getting enough.” He heard his mom through the walls, and he could practically picture her pushing through the coin they’d collected on their dinner table. Coin from others. He buried his nose deeper into the book, reading about the heroes that he desperately wished his parents were like. Why were they like the villains?
His dad never defended him. He could imagine him nodding along, agreeing that Saido needed to be better at something he hated. So what if he was a bad thief? He didn’t want to be a thief in the first place…
One day, over the pancakes and tea and salad that they always had, Saido finally gathered enough courage to bring it up. He stood up from his seat, and looked between his mother and father. Immediately, they realized that something was wrong. Or at the very least, different. His dad looked at him with the same look he always did. Attentive, but at the same time, bored. As if he wasn’t worth his time. He raised his eyebrows and perked up his ears, as if to say I’m waiting. His mother was no better. Pursed lips and the same, small frown that she always wore. Time was money. Literally. And he was wasting it.
“H-Hey, Mom, Dad...” He began, unsure of how exactly to phrase his question. The glares only intensified. He pawed softly at the ground, ears flattening as he tried to gather the courage to continue. They already were viewing him as useless… He didn’t want them to view him as a coward too. “I-I’m just c-confused. The books I read, I always see… Just...”
His father was narrowing his eyes, and his mother’s frown deepened.
“A-Are we the bad guys?”
The conversations around them continued. He’d been quiet enough that no one around them heard. But his parents… Both of them were still. Eyes boring into him, confusion and irritation giving way to hate. Saido leaned back, one paw suspended in the air, as though ready to flee. But they were his parents! He couldn’t run… What would he do without them? They took care of him…
Immediately, he knew he’d made a mistake. His dad was the first to break the silence.
“Your books?” He asked, looking away from the Nickit. Saido nodded. He looked nervously at his mother, and the look was even worse. Had he said something wrong? It was an honest question!
“Let’s go home. Just for a bit.”
The walk home felt like walking on needles. Saido stood frozen to the spot, too fearful to protest. He’d barely eaten, and they left without paying. His parents refused to look back at him. Silently, the Nickit yelled at himself. Why had he brought it up then? He should’ve at least waited until they’d come back, hopefully from a good haul. But it was too late for that now. The walk was like treading on needles, and at a moment’s notice, he was ready to flee. But neither of the older Pokemon said anything.
They got home. The sunlight streamed in, brightly, much brighter than the Nickit felt. He could hear the door closing softly behind him. His parents were behind him now. He was standing in the middle of the living room, a wood floor beneath him.
“Dad, I --” He began, but before he could even finish his thoughts, a sudden, painful sensation erupted from his side. It took him a couple of seconds to realize what had occurred, lying in a heap on the floor. His dad was over him. The Nickit couldn’t summon the courage to stand up.
“Your books.” His father repeated again. Saido was petrified, but after a large, tense, looming silence in the room, he finally managed to nod, and answer.
“Y-Yes…?”
His father took a step forward, and when Saido looked to his mother for reassurance, all he saw was the Vixen glaring at him, leaning on the wall, watching the scene unfold before him.
“Don’t mock me. Your books are making you think that we’re the bad guys?” He leaned in, and the Nickit could practically feel his dad’s anger emanating off of him. Was this what psychic types felt like? Of course, he didn’t have to be psychic. Saido began to tremble, wide, terrified eyes flickering between his parents, trying to figure out what was occurring. Ten minutes ago, they’d been eating pancakes…
“Y-Yes...” Saido said, watching his parents warily. He was still lying on his side, unsure of what to do. Silence invaded the room once more, and this time, it was his mother that spoke.
“Go to your room. Gather all your books. Every single one. Once you’re downstairs, I’ll check your room myself. If you forgot any...”
“There’s more where that came from.”
Saido remained on his side. Instructions had been issued, but he was too terrified to move. The two older pokemon glared at him, before his father nudged him in the ribs, none too gently. He got the message.
The Nickit stood up, and ran off to his room, precisely as instructed. He gathered every single book in his bookshelf, every single fantasy he’d enjoyed over the past few months, and brought them down, one by one, to the living room. His parents watched, wordlessly When he was done he simply nodded to his parents, sitting down on one of the stair steps. His side was aching even more now. He didn’t want to cry…
“T-That’s all of them...” Saido managed. He closed his eyes, trying to hold back the tears. His mother stalked up the stairs, pushing him off his perch as she did so. He fell back to the ground, but once again, couldn’t manage to find the strength to stand up. His mother had left the room, leaving just him and his dad.
“Look. I don’t care what you think about us.” His dad spoke up. Saido whimpered, unsure what to expect. His whole side hurt, and his mother still hadn’t come down. He hadn’t forgotten anything, right? He didn’t want that to happen again. “But we’re not the bad guys. There are no bad guys, just winners and losers. So I want you to get that idea out of your head. We’re providing for you. You have food, shelter, safety... ”
Silence filled the room once more. His mother still didn’t come down. Saido was still quivering on the floor, too frightened to stand up.
“You and me… Even more so than your mother… We have to play to our strengths, don’t you see? We’re dark types… We’re meant to be thieves. Wouldn’t you agree? Aren’t we good at it?”
His mother came back down, and whatever Saido was going to say in response to that died on his lips. He braced himself for another strike, but no strike came.
“I’m gonna get rid of these. Saido, go to your room. I want you to think about everything wrong in those books. I’ll tell you when you can come back out.”
His mother didn’t fetch him from his room until the next day. That was the first time something like this happened, but it would be far from the last. Every time he showed a hint of rebellion or of insolence, he’d get a beating to accompany it. Scratches, punches, the like. From time to time, his mother burnt him.
That was ok! At least he had a home! And his parents had money, even if so little was used on him after that day. Pancakes and tea and salad were a thing of the past. Most of his time was spent in his room, not doing much of anything. But that was fine… Besides, if he tried to leave, his parents would just hurt him even more…
He’d tried once…
But, regardless of what his parents decided to do with him, life went on. For them, it involved more and more complicated jobs. From cutpurses, to burglars, occasional muggings… They made him tag along, so they could keep an eye on him, but at least, they rarely made him help anymore. In a way, he was happy they didn’t trust him. He didn’t want to be a bad guy!
But he didn’t want them to be bad guys either… And by now, he was sure that they were.
A few months passed, before his parents had begun to plan something bigger. He only got as much information as he needed, but from time to time, he could pick out bits and pieces from his parents. Something about a heist, taking money from something called a bank, running off to Rainfront and hiding there…
And they wanted his help.
Of course, he wasn’t really in a position to say no. If he did, he’d get beaten, and if he said no again, he’d get beaten some more, so the only answer was yes… Even if he didn’t want to help.
He agreed to it.
The plan was simple. The back exit of the bank was guarded by a couple of police-mons, but there was so rarely trouble that they were prone to slacking off. His parents had been observing them for weeks. There was a rotation every couple of hours or so, and the reserve guards often left the scene in a hurry. His parents didn’t tell him what they were going to do, or why they needed his help. But he was to distract the two police officers, and lure them away. For some reason.
On the day of the heist, his parents reminded him of what it was he was supposed to do. Just lure them away. Somehow.
And then they left him. Alone. Trusting him. The warm, pleasant sensation of the cloudy sunset bathed him, as he watched the patrons of the bank leaving. He watched as no one left the front door for five, ten, fifteen minutes. Ok. There was just the one guard in front, and he watched as his parents lured the police officer away. His mother called out for help from a nearby alley-way, and the alolan sandslash followed the call. He heard a burst of flame. That was his cue. He saw his father get to work with the lock, breaking it, and then he was off.
The two guards were right where his parents said they’d be. One was a lucario, the other, a shinx. They seemed like a funny duo. The Nickit didn’t bother to be sneaky. He hated that. He walked up in front of them, a grin subconsciously appearing on his face. Both of them looked at him, wary almost immediately. Did he seem scary?
“A-Are you t-two...” He began, the excitement palpable in his voice. No! He had a job, and if he failed, his parents were really going to hurt him. That’s what they’d said! A look of fear crossed his face, but that was bad too… If they figured out something was wrong, they’d catch his parents…
Saido cleared his throat, before starting over.
“A-Are you two police officers?” Saido managed to get out, unable to completely erase the excitement in his voice.
Both of the police officers nodded, but the Shinx seemed much more happy about this than the Lucario.
“Yep!” She said, stepping closer to Saido. He took a step back, almost unconsciously. As much as he idolized them… As much as he wanted to be like them… He was a bad guy now. His parents had made him a bad guy… The wind went out of his sails as the thought occurred to him.
The Shinx cocked her head at him, as though waiting for him to ask something else.
“C-Can I… d-do you think I could… Erm...” His parents would kill him if they knew what he was asking… “H-Have a-an autograph…?”
The Shinx smiled warmly, while the Lucario simply chuckled. Either way, a spark of warmth was filled within him as he watched the Shinx grab a nearby pen and a sheet of paper from a notebook in her bag. She scrawled out a signature, including the word officer at the start, in big, scrawly letters.
“Like that?” She said with a small chuckle, as she handed him the paper. Saido’s grin grew, as he nodded with vigor. The task his parents had assigned to him was forgotten, replaced by the joy of getting to meet one of his idols.
“Yes!” He exclaimed, his voice ringing out, as he gently folded the paper that had been given to him, and placed them in his bag. His side hurt, but it was important to keep the bag there, to keep others from seeing the scratches on his side. The scratches would make people ask questions, they said…
He looked up at the two police officers, and the door behind them. His parents had said that they’d need to be gone sooner rather than later… How soon was soon? He didn’t want to trick them, though… He’d just gotten an autograph… And the Shinx seemed so kind, he didn’t want to get them hurt…
“H-H-Hey, um… I-Inside...” He stammered out. “T-The b-bad guys… a-are inside… ”
That was the last he saw of those two. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the Nickit fled, running away from the scene, away from the threat of his parents, the beatings, the crime… He just wanted to be normal. He missed school. He missed books.
He ran silently through the night, away from the police officers. There was no destination in mind. The destination didn’t matter. He just needed to go… somewhere… He knew that he couldn’t go home anymore. That wasn’t an option. He’d disobeyed his parents. He had no idea how long he’d been running when he stopped, panting for air.
When he’d cleared his head enough to listen to his surroundings, he heard music nearby. Smells wafted from it, sweets, like honey and berry jam, sweetened teas, the kind he remembered, as well as fries, chips, and a bunch of other sweet and savory smells he couldn’t quite recognize.
And the music!
Saido wandered in, marveling at the amount of Pokemon inside. Eating, drinking, chatting, and happy… There was one that stood out above the rest. A round, pink fairy type was singing, clasping their hands tightly as their voice projected across the crowd. His eyes widened as he watched the performance. Sounds he’d never heard accompanied the voice, the melody was perfect…
And then they got off stage. A different Pokemon walked up, a fox, like himself, but very very white, blue on their paws, and more tails than he could count at a distance. Like his mom. But smaller, and white… and she seemed nicer… A lot nicer...
It wasn’t until the next morning that he learned that his parents had gotten caught. He spent the rest of that evening cheering on, and even at a couple points, going up to sing. He was given notecards with lyrics, and then the band begun, and he sung. The food was ok, but it was the singing that made it so enjoyable… He wasn’t even too bad at it!
That was the first night he’d spent without his parents. It was the best night he’d ever had…
When it was over, he walked home, resigning himself to his fate. When he got there, there was a Police-mon outside. He hadn’t noticed him. But Saido had certainly noticed her… She was right on the porch, waiting…
He had no idea what had happened. He could only hope that the police had caught the bad guys… Was he a bad guy too, still? He didn’t want to find out… He slowly backed away, away from the porch, away from the house, with all it’s painful, aching memories. He nervously adjusted his bag, before turning around, and walking away.
So he was alone, now...
» Other: Nah
Subject: Saido the Nickit 
