Another trainer alt of
Solan.
You... wish to battle against me? I see. Very well. Just as when I was a coordinator, I shall show my talent as a Trainer.
Maru... Likely the first thing anyone will notice about her is her voice. It's quiet, cultured, and pleasant to listen to, the sort of voice most people could go on hearing all day. If there were such a thing as audiobooks in the Pokemon universe, she could probably make a fortune simply reading. But at the same time... it's so soft, and flat. Not shy, but simply... without emotion. Very few people have
ever heard the girl raise her voice, and neither sadness nor joy seem to enter into her tone. That's not to say there's no pitch to it, her words are almost musical at times, in fact, but her emotions never affect that tone.
Then again, emotions rarely seem to affect the girl at all. Again, she isn't shy, but her body, her face, her soft, gentle voice... none of them ever seem to display what she might be feeling, if she even is feeling something. Which... really, even to those who know her, is a valid question...
So, who is she exactly? Maru is the daughter of a family that has been taking the Pokemon world by storm for three generations. Gym leaders, researchers, Contest coordinators, even a grandmother that was once part of the Elite Four... Her uncle is a retired virtuoso from the Nimbasa Musical, her cousin remains to this day a rising star at Pokestar Studios, and her own mother is still one of the top Coordinators at the Sinnoh contests. It was only natural that Maru, too, would gain Pokemon and go out into the world.
The Enkatsu family has grown since that legendary member of the Elite Four, and spread itself over all five known regions (the Ranger regions excluded). When Maru was granted her first Pokemon, a Milotic hatched from the egg of her mother's own, she immediately moved to Hoenn and debuted as a coordinator. Where she promptly swept the entire contest. It was clear she had her mother's gift, and Milotic soon had more ribbons than either she or her coordinator knew what to do with. The girl soon began adding Pokemon to those living with her, each one carefully raised on the side and groomed to conquer the competition almost without effort.
And then, one day, she quietly announced her retirement from contests, opting to officially become a trainer at the age of fifteen. Her small apartment in Lavaridge was locked up, ribbons left behind to gather dust, and with a new Snorunt sent by her family joining her other four, she set out for the ferry to the lands beyond her home in Hoenn, quickly starting to win badges across the world...
It was all expected of her, of course. A member of the Enkatsu family comes of a pedigree that has spawned astounding men and women in all forms of interaction with Pokemon. For her to fail was unthinkable, for her to consider doing something else with her life would have been absurd, and for her to succeed... the obvious and sole possible outcome. She learned that early on, watching her mother and her Milotic at the contest. The crowd did not see a talented young woman with incredible bonds with her partner, they saw Anya Enkatsu doing exactly what everyone expected of her.
Expectation, too, turns to duty, but Maru took up her role with grace and quiet acceptance. To shirk her duty would serve only to damage her family and bring her nothing, and to shoulder it, would be a simple task that all expected her to be able to perform. And so, she performed it, with a quiet acceptance. No joy, for where's the achievement in doing what everyone already knew you couldn't possibly fail to do? Yet no sorrow, for a girl raised as she does knows there is no sense in complaining about or being upset at one's duty. And no anger, for her duty was one she accepted as part of the Enkatsu family... Thus, without any of these things, she grew, and progressed, until one day she decided to fulfill that duty in another way.
She'll succeed at that, of course, and she knows it. Everybody knows she will, and she knows that too; her grandmother was one of the Elite Four once after all. Yet somehow, this simpler life feels just a little bit more fitting for her. And so, she continues to travel along her path, carrying out her duty without complaint and succeeding at all she is tasked with... just as everybody knows she will.
Pokemon team:
Brightcrest (Milotic, female, lv. 50)
Ability: Marvel Scale
Moves: Aqua Tail, Aqua Ring, Water Pulse, Attract
Hatched from an egg laid by her mother's Milotic and her father's Mantine, this was Maru's original Pokemon. It's been by her side longer than any of the others and has won every contest it's ever been entered in (no surprise, considering its remarkable pedigree even among Milotic). Bright is motherly towards Maru, being older than the girl, and is the one she trusts in most. This often leads to the sweet scene of the girl sleeping pillowed against and covered by her tail while the Milotic keeps watch over the camp...
Hoshibai (Froslass, female, lv. 44)
Ability: Snow Cloak
Moves: Weather Ball, Hail, Signal Beam, Ominous Wind
The latest member to join the team, originally a Snorunt captured for her by her uncle in the far north of Sinnoh. Originally playful, she has become more quiet and reserved, possibly in imitation of her trainer. She is the only member of the team to have been raised purely for training, and shows it with her more competitive, less Beauty-focused moveset.
Verdura (Leafeon, female, lv. 50)
Ability: Chlorophyll
Moves: Sunny Day, Swords Dance, Leaf Blade, Giga Impact
A friendly young Pokemon who was sent to Maru evolved at level 2, owing to the lack of a Moss Rock in Hoenn. Verdura was the first Pokemon raised solely by Maru, taught carefully to participate alongside Brightcrest in contests. Because of this, it strongly trusts her and does not resent its early evolution, understanding that it was the only way to allow her to raise a Leafeon from near-birth.
Lasarince (Blaziken, male, lv. 49)
Ability: Speed Boost
Moves: Flare Kick, Brave Bird, Night Slash, Flamethrower
A powerful and graceful fighter granted to Maru as a castoff after a Combusken's trainer decided he had no more use for it. After being raised carefully by the girl, he's grown and evolved into a formidable opponent, yet his moves remain so graceful that he's taken home the ribbon at contest a number of times already. He remains a bit aloof from his trainer so far, considering he's been abandoned once, but Maru showers him in care regardless.
Sovendig (Gardevoir, female, lv. 47)
Ability: Trace
Moves: Will-o-wisp, Wish, Energy Ball, Rest
The last member of Maru's team, a shy and often sleepy Gardevoir. Like any Gardevoir, she's clingy and very closer to her trainer, often snuggling up on her... until she passes out, that is. Her Rest move is not always the result of an order, sometimes she simply can't help using it! But it's adorable enough that nobody ever seems to mind...
Empty
The sixth slot on her team is currently kept empty, pending her capture of a Legendary Pokemon. She knows she's capable of doing it, of course, and she knows that she's expected to do so someday, so she holds this space for when she meets it. Just another expectation to fill...
