NAME: jules fujioka.

AGE: 15

PRONOUNS: they / them.

HOME REGION: kalos.

CURRENT REGION: johto, subject to change.

TO BE A STAR. surrounded by glam and flashing lights, raised in the heart of the most spectacular city in kalos, there was nothing for jules to do but aim for perfection in their every endeavor. awards for martial arts and dance, a regular model for their father's boutique, and a catalogue of blockbuster films they've acted in since the age of five. with all of this under their belt, the entirety of kalos had their eyes on them ... and they would lie if they said they didn’t adore the attention.

THEN, THE INCIDENT CAME. there is much speculation about what happened during that fateful shoot. journalists have gone as far as to dig through hospital admittance lists to uncover the truth, but everyone remains silent or painfully vague. magazines ponder the possibility of hush money having been exchanged. either way, nothing solid is given ... and most curious of all, the kid star has not shown their face in media for six entire months.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? vivillon-shaped sunglasses slipped on and hat pulled low, jules is on a boat headed to a place they had not seen since they were little: johto. it seems surreal to them, even now ... but what other choice do they have?

NAME: Xavier (X)

AGE: 13

PRONOUNS: he / him.

TO BE A PRODIGY. always chased by reporters, always praised and speculated upon. x had been terribly fond of battling. he seemed to have been born for it, with his sharp senses and quick wit. coupled with his love and unending belief in his pokemon, the boy of only eight years old appeared utterly unbeatable -- much to the delight of the media.

THE TOURNAMENT WAS THE FINAL DROP. he was the winner, as heavily betted on. however, x's thrill and celebration was short-lived, for the reality of his situation swiftly bounced at him in the form of a journalist duo yanking baby kanga from its mother for a chance at a mere photograph. x and his pokemon were saved by an old man, but the experience was nothing but scarring for the little boy.

THINGS ONLY GOT WORSE SINCE THEN. cameras in every corner, gossip, his pokeballs snatched and inspected. the violation of his privacy, the lies spread about his person, the weight of expectations placed like a boulder upon his tiny shoulders made x want nothing but to disappear.

AND THUS, HE DID. locked in a room for years on end, with nobody to talk to but his friend, y, who knocked and bothered him through his window no matter how hopeless he was, or her mother, who left plates of food for him when his parents were away. x was perfectly content with staying that way forever. if he never saw his pokemon again, so be it. they might be safer that way.

THAT IS. UNTIL HIS HOUSE EXPLODED. alongside the rest of vaniville town. that ... sounds like a good enough incentive to get moving.

y still had to fight him to change out of his pajamas.