» Name: Josie Cordero
» Gender: Male
» Species: #172 Pichu - Tiny Mouse Pokemon
» Affiliation:
» Level: 5
» Energy: 16
» Ability: Lightning Rod
» Moves:
Flail
Tail Whip
Thunder Shock
-
» Natural Feats:
Accidental Electric Discharge: Josie can store some electricity in the sacs of his cheeks, however, he is not yet skilled at retaining this electricity. If amused or startled, he may send out a jolt of electricity, affecting itself and those around it.
Josie naturally attracts electricity with his ability, Lightning Rod. He forces every electric move used on the field, whether by friend or foe, to target him, and with 100% accuracy. These moves will deal no damage to him. When hit by one of these moves, it will also bolster his Special Attack by one stage.
» Relatives:
Josefina the Ampharos (Mother)
Zenas the Raichu (Father, Absent)
» Personality:
To put it simply, Josie is very much a go-getter. To a fault, even. He’s the type of person who thrives off of solving problems, to the point he’ll even go seeking out problems to solve. Most often, this will manifest in an enjoyment of competition, which he’ll always take seriously, but it can also manifest in an enjoyment of games that require any sort of concentration or exertion, whether that be physical or mental.
By extension, this proclivity for problem solving also means he’s very stubborn when he encounters a problem he can’t easily solve. This makes him incredibly stubborn, not willing to give up unless the problem is solved (Or unless he’s otherwise forced to.) Continued failure will often make him irritable and as such, a bit more aggressive towards people that he really shouldn’t be. Despite his hot-headedness, he’s not unkind, and will often apologize if he catches himself acting out of line.
He often has trouble expressing his own emotions. He cares very deeply for his friends, and it’s not even particularly hard for him to make some! But despite that, he’ll often find it difficult to properly express his emotions and thoughts towards said friends.
» Likes:
Long conversations - Despite Josie’s aloof, and seemingly distant personality, he genuinely enjoys holding conversations with anyone, even strangers. Although he might seem above it all, and indeed, feels like he’s above it all, he still has a real interest in finding out more about the people around him, both out of a sense of curiosity, as well as one of sympathy.
Competition - While Josie is generally good natured, if abrasive, he’s incapable of ever backing down from a challenge, friendly or not. This is a reflection of his pride, both in his ability and in who he is. For better or worse, he’s the type to never back down from a challenge, no matter the circumstances, context, or consequences.
Freedom - Being a very daredevil, carefree type person, the Freedom Grima allows him is one of the few things he actually enjoys about the town. Being allowed to pull whatever mischief he likes, with no repercussions (Unless, of course, he gets caught,) is the most appealing aspect of his current life. Freedom in general, however, is something he values quite highly, whether it’s his, or others.
Companionship - Josie’s not one to undervalue the relationships he has. As much as he likes to project a self-sufficient image, the truth is, he’d fare very poorly as a lone wolf. After all, what good is mischief - or anything, really, - if there aren’t friends to enjoy it right there with you? While he’d be reluctant to admit it verbally, he cares very, very deeply for his friends, and there’s very little he wouldn’t do for them.
Music - While not a skill or hobby he’s very vocal about it all (Frankly, he finds it embarrassing, and believes it clashes with his image), he’s very fond of music, and will often busy himself playing a guitar he obtained as a child when he’s alone with nothing to do. This isn’t something many people know about him at all.
» Dislikes:
Short Jokes - As a very short Pokemon (And a very short individual for that species,) Josie often resents anyone who will make fun of his height. Although he’ll play it off as mere irritation, he was often teased for it in his early childhood, so it can be legitimately hurtful to him. He’ll prolly be, at best, cold with anyone who makes a joke regarding his height, whether it was in bad faith or not.
Helplessness - As much as he hates to admit it, Josie has been in more positions of helplessness than he’d like. The sensation of having to depend on others is something he deeply hates, as he’d like to be in control of his own path as much as possible.
Failure - Because who doesn’t? But due to his extremely competitive nature, he takes any failure very personally, even if it’s of relatively small consequence. While it won’t outright ruin his mood, he’ll certainly be much more touchy and snarky after any perceived personal failure.
Loneliness - Spending time on his own is an inopportune time for him to reflect on things he’d rather spend less time thinking about. His future, the inescapability of Grima, as well as his own nature are things he’d like to spend less rather than more time dwelling on.
Lack of Self-Accountability - If there’s one thing he hates more than failure, it’s others being unable to acknowledge their own failure. He sees it as others shifting responsibility away from themselves, and believes it to be the mark of someone who isn’t quite trustworthy. Making excuses rather than owning up to your actions is one of the quickest ways to earn Josie’s disapproval.
» History:
Josie was born in a small village, nestled between mountains, far away from any other settlement. His dad had left, long ago, when Josie was still an egg. According to his mother, he’d left one day, in the night, when she was sleeping. She’d found a letter, explaining his dream to join the guild.
And just like that, he was gone. Josie never met him, when he hatched, and his mother rarely spoke of him.
Josie led a simple life. The village lived at the whims of the season. Some seasons, the harvest was good, and the food was plentiful. More often, though, there wasn’t enough to go around. The food was rationed, and everyone ate less. Josie hated eating less.
But what could be done?
Often, the Pichu would see empty bottles scattered around the house, and his mother seemed distant. She’d stand on the porch of their small house, staring off into the distance, a bottle in her hand. The liquid inside was a strange, brownish-orange color. He’d watch her, but there she’d remain, statue still, for minutes, what seemed like hours at a time. Josie’d ask her about it, and she’d say she was ‘only thinking’.
He tasted the bottle once. It burned.
One day, his mother announced they were leaving. She never said why, but Josie could guess. Every day, a new villager left. The food grew increasingly more scarce. Nobody visited, and there was no trade. No one but electric types could live here, it was said. No one else spoke the language. Why stay?
The nearest town was a place called Grima, where a layer of smog was ever-present. But it wasn’t all bad. There were good people there! His mother went through the effort of finding a school. They were few and far between, but a kindly Ampharos, just like her mother, offered to teach him, along with a group of other kids.
He wasn’t able to communicate with anyone, and he had a hard time understanding. There were some words he understood! Admirable, for example! Which was a word the teacher often said to the kids when they did something right. He preened whenever she said it to him. He began to understand their names. The teacher’s name was Yua, and her son was named Rui.
He didn’t know the word for Son. But it was obvious. The Ampharos with the Skiddo reminded him of his own mother with him. On the days he had school, he often found himself unable to focus. The words were a drone. He waved his feet back and forth, the seat too big for him, as he found himself doodling in the margins of a notebook his mother had bought for him.
One day, the Ampharos gently called his name, after the other children had gone home. It was just him and her.
“Do you understand me?” She asked, crouching down, in an effort to appear less intimidating to the child. He didn’t mind. She reminded him of his own mother, albeit, she spoke very, very strangely.
He smiled, and nodded his head. He didn’t understand.
She smiled back, turning away for a second, before offering him a small book. He took it, cracking it open, as he gave her a small, puzzled stare. He shrugged his shoulders, as if to indicate his confusion. She pointed a hand at one of the drawings, and on it was a picture of an apple.
“Man...zana…?” He offered, his eyes clearly betraying his confusion. The Ampharos shook her head, a patient smile on her face.
“Apple!” She said cheerily, pointing at the image again, for further emphasis. The Pichu inspected the image further, staring at it, before understanding began to dawn on his face.
“Ap...ple?” He repeated, before he placed his own hand on the image. He glanced black down at it, tapping the image. A smile began to appear on his face, as the Ampharos beamed down at him.
“Right! Good job! Err… Ad… mirable!” She said, before patting the smaller Pokemon on his head.
And so, he began to understand. Josie would read the books, and he’d understand. Yua would give him new books, he’d learn more. He learned what ‘Short’ meant. (It meant small. The other kids called him that rather often, and it was never a good thing.) He learned what ‘Friend’ meant. (Someone who cared for you very much, and who you cared for right back. He wished he had one.)
One day, Yua’s son, Rui, approached him. He was a Skiddo, a grass pokemon. He’d never seen one before. He was much, much taller than him, and for a brief second, Josie wondered if he was upset at him. The Pichu shrunk back, sparks briefly manifesting around his cheeks, before he actually spoke.
“Hey I’m sorry to bother you but there's an - i mean you shouldn’t - i mean don’t go to the marketplace today pleasesorry!”
And just like that, he was away.
He was talking way too fast for Josie to understand him. At all. But he did catch something about a marketplace! Maybe he should go there?
He did. A Nickit knocked him over as he was observing a small tent filled with scarves, before running off with his small pouch of coins. Josie cried out, but nobody helped him.
Time passed before Josie could work up the courage to approach the strange Skiddo, and he only realized what the goat pokemon had been trying to tell him once he’d learned more of the language. It hadn’t been a suggestion. It had been a warning.
The Pichu tugged on the Skiddo’s leg one day, after class, prompting a startled jump from the goat.
“Thank you,” The Pichu said, his accent still thick, but warm. The Skiddo’s ears perked up, as he began to blush.
“O-Oh! It’s, no big, err, deal,” The Skiddo said, flustered, but grateful. From then on, the two began to spend more time with each other, the Pichu seeking out the Skiddo after class, slowly growing more and more comfortable in each other’s presence. Josie’s grasp of the language improved, and Rui had finally found a friend.
Many years passed in this manner. The two boys were inseparable friends, everywhere they went, they went together. Rui spent time helping Josie with the language whenever he needed, and Josie, for his part, was there to support Rui, whenever he needed it. Whether it was standing up for the Skiddo, or providing moral support whenever his shyness and skittishness was overwhelming for him, he was there for Rui, and Rui was there for him.
Friends, however, can often drift apart. Josie didn’t know why, but Rui began to show up less and less, after they’d graduated. Josie figured that they had simply moved out of Grima. Good for them.
But now he was alone.
Years passed without much to note. Josie grew up, he helped his mother raise funds, odd jobs here and there. One day, however, as he was walking home from work, he was stopped in the alleyway by a much larger Pokemon. He demanded Josie’s money.
Josie electrocuted him.
He didn’t think much of it at the time, of course. Muggings happened, it was just a fact of life in this town. He could protect himself, and that night in particular, he really needed the money. The food prices had been hiked again.
It wasn’t until the Persian came to him, late at night, that Josie began to regret that choice. He had just left his job, and was walking home, when the cat Pokemon pounced on him.
“You electrocuted someone who works for me.” He said. The mouse pokemon was pinned to the ground, but nonetheless, attempted to fight back. Sparks crackled, as the pichu mustered every ounce of energy in an attempt to to get the assailant off of him.
It didn’t work.
“I wouldn’t do that again, if I were you.” He said, a frown on his face. Josie felt the distinct sensation of claws poking at his stomach.
He stopped squirming.
“What do you want?” Josie asked, glaring up at the larger Pokemon.
“I want to offer you a job. Like I said, you electrocuted someone who works for me, and you got away with it. That’s impressive.”
Josie remained silent, waiting for the ball to drop. The Persian let out a cold, heartless chuckle before continuing.
“I like to… Scout out, let’s say, promising talent. Get ‘em started in my field early, so to speak. So like I said. All I want’s to offer you a job.”
“...And if I don’t want your job?” Josie asked, before feeling the pressure on his stomach increase. The pichu whimpered, placing both hands on the Persian’s paw, in an attempt to push it off. The persian’s face hovered over his, a sadistic grin on his face.
“I’d urge you to reconsider.” He said plainly, before releasing Josie. The pichu scurried back, glaring at the Persian. He wasn’t stupid enough to fight back. Besides, his chest hurt now… “There’s a Cafe you should get a job at. It’s called Sawsbucks. There’s a Salandit there, and let’s say… She can show you the ropes. Play nice with each other, Okay?” The Persian said, sneering down at the Pichu.
Josie, for his part, said nothing, and did nothing. He watched as the Persian turned around, and slinked away, only rubbing his stomach. Droplets of blood emerged on his hand.
As much as he hated to admit it, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to ignore the Persian, huh…?
» Other:
- Both Josie and his mother are fluent in an in-world foreign language. Due to it being localized within their village, it is rather rare. For the purposes of bio, any dialogue between him and mother has been translated, and if this language is ever used in RP, it will be translated in a spoiler at the bottom of the post.
- Josie has a red scarf he often wears. It is purely cosmetic.
Subject: Josie the Pichu 
