A rival, butler, ghost, and conductor

Me: Uh. Wow. I just asked how you were doing, jerk.

In chronological order

Eevee - Naive - Eevee is a huge drama queen. She wants everything her way and doesn't understand why things would be any other way. Oak gave Eevee to Blue as his first Pokemon. Early on Blue realized that Eevee wasn't a natural battler. He forced her to battle for months, thinking he could transform her into a powerhouse. This caused a lot of Frustration between the two. Eventually Blue gave in, promising to never battle with her without her permission first. She's under leveled compared to the rest of the team. 

Pidgeot - Hasty - Cocky but lazy, Pidgeot rushes into situations assuming he has more than enough skill to handle it. Blue observed dozens of Pidgey before centering in on one that had more Agility than the rest. Pidgeot's natural talent has always been his hubris, and he often attempts to predict Blue's commands before they're even said. 

Alakazam - Sassy -  As an Abra, he was furious to have been caught by such a thickheaded trainer. He's always had a "I'm too good for this" attitude. That being said, when Alakazam feels challenged he will react accordingly. He thinks Blue is idiotic most of the time, but respects him for his passion. Blue would have boxed Alakazam for his sarcastic vibes and condescending mannerisms, but Teleport assured they could antagonize Red at a moments notice. 

Arcanine - Serious - Arcanine sees himself as the leader of the pack. He has a strong sense of responsibility and tries to keep the others in line whenever Blue can't speak for himself. He could always see Blue's reasoning behind everything. Even if the rest of the team questioned their trainer, Arcanine was always on the same page. Every Flare Blitz is perfectly executed, every training exercised is mastered, and every command is fulfilled when it comes to Arcanine. 

Gyarados - Lonely - Gyarados evolved from the Magikarp Blue caught during his first use of a fishing rod. He didn't plan on adding a water Pokemon to the team until later, but this Magikarp gave the biggest Splash he could in order to impress his trainer. Gyarados has never really felt like he fits in with the rest of his colleagues.  Perhaps it's the fact that he's never truly felt comfortable in his new, serpentine body and sometimes thinks that Blue evolved him much too early. Despite these self esteem issues, Gyarados is the hardest working of all Blue's Pokemon. 

Exeggutor - Gentle - Exeggutor is a huge nerdy environmentalist. Blue caught him when he noticed that Growlithe's fire attacks were powered up. Nearby, an Exeggcute was using Sunny Day to help some flowers grow. Exeggutor prefers less offensive attacks like Trick Room, since it allows his slower friends to come in and be more successful. 

Rhyperior - Brave - Rhyperior is the tough guy and the class team clown. He's a people person and loves to joke around. Blue met him in the Safari Zone, when the Pokemon was showing off by charging around and giving a Horn Attack to tourists from behind. Blue challenged him in front of the crowd. They both basked in the applause from onlookers when the catch was made. 

Machamp - Adamant - Total gym bro, with a sweet tooth. Machamp couldn't believe his luck when he was caught by a trainer who could bring training to the next level. He's always working to feel the burn, but also likes to Rest by eating the sweet snacks that Blue's fan girls leave him. #sweetgainsbro 

(Fo' real this time)

Edit: It's getting late and Blue is gushing. Time to stop. There's more to say about this, but it'll have to wait. 

The prodigal dickhead rival returns! 

Blue has been undergoing so many changes and it's about time I write this all down so I don't look back one day and wonder what the fuck I was doing. 

Arbutus - "You're the only one I love."

Berrirose - " I love you forever, I won't give up my promise."

Star of Bethlehem - "Atonement, Reconciliation"

So, those character questions have become pretty popular on PT. One in particular intrigued me: what sort of personalities do your Pokemon have?

I took this opportunity to flesh out Blue's team a bit more. I've always had unspoken personality traits for specific Pokemon, but I think solidifying them in writing will be helpful. 

I'm probably going to split this into various parts because Blue has a ton of Pokemon.

I tend to dislike the cliches that come so often with characters who have tough pasts, but I've always had some pretty tragic ideas when it comes Blue's parents. The fact that both of his parents are completely absent in the games brings up a lot of questions. So this is how I see it, at least.

Blue's mother left him and Daisy while they were very young. They woke up one day and found that all of her things were gone, and she was nowhere to be found. He grew up with some pretty horrible insecurities after that, but refused to accept it. This is where he gets his dual complexes. He tries to show off because he wants to impress everyone, but it's really just to counter his self imposed inferiority.

This explains why he denies the care that Daisy and Agatha try to show him. He always had this stupid superstition that if he accepted someone else as that maternal figure, it would ruin the chances that his mother would return.

It was under Professor Oak's roof where Blue learned of the Pokemon League. He remembers his grandfather leaving to initiate a trainer by the name of Lance as the new champion. The whole region was abuzz with this news.

So he set his sights on becoming champion. The figure head of Kanto. As a five year old kid, he thought that the news of him becoming champion would reach her and she would finally be proud enough to return. 

Of course, he wasn't focusing on bonding with his Pokemon. He rushed to get the strongest Pokemon he could find and to train them as quickly as possible. This was his chance to fix everything, after all.  They could sense his frustration, but it only frustrated them in turn. He would wait for Red to catch up to him, so he could show off the power of his team. They tried hard to impress him, but, in the end, they knew that they weren't Blue's friends. They were just stepping stones to an end.  

"While working on my Pokédex, I looked all over for powerful Pokémon! Not only that, I assembled teams that would beat any Pokémon type! And now! I am the Pokémon League Champion! Red! Do you know what that means? I'll tell you! I am the most powerful trainer in the world!"

He waited for months after that, hoping that she would show up.  His hope turned into spite. His need to impress her became a need to prove her wrong. He wanted to make her regret leaving their family; for leaving him.  

He is still slowly recovering from what happened. He has spent time working on befriending his Pokemon. The idea of unity is important to him. He constantly refers to the Kanto leaders as his family, because that's all he wanted as a kid. 

It kills him to be so close to her. He is frustratingly aware of her presence. At any moment, he could run into her.

The sight of her frail frame. Her familiar scent. The patter of her soft steps. 

It's all so crippling.  

I miss father.

***

Darach would wake up early to cook breakfast for his dad, who was always rushing out of the house to get to the castle. Every morning he would fetch the paper, put on the tea, water the plants, cook the eggs...

He did whatever he could to make things easier for his single parent, who would come home looking exhausted. After all, he would eventually have to take over the family business. 

"One day you're gonna be in my shoes, Darach!" He would laugh. "I'm getting old, after all."

"Yes, father." Darach enjoyed the idea of being like his father. Polite, compassionate, nurturing...

One morning, the paper lay on the doorstep. The kettle didn't boil. The plants remained thirsty and the eggs went uncooked. Darach stared at his reflection, slowly moving the folds of his bow tie into place.

He was only five when he learned how to knot a tie; the morning just before his mother's funeral. 

And now he was preparing for his father's. 

Most twenty-somethings would have broken down seeing their parents' graves, one next to the other. But not him. As he walked away from that cemetery, he threw his shoulders back, picked up his feet, and kept his head high. 

Things escalated quickly after that. The house was sold within the week and he was told that he would live in the castle with his employers and their daughter. 

Her. 

"I don't want to play with you! I don't want a new butler! Get me the old one!" 

Could this really be the girl whom his father cared for every day? It was hard to believe. 

Things were difficult those first weeks. She would get mad. Really mad. 

"I WANT YOUR FATHER BACK!" He couldn't blame her. So did he. 

The castle would shake with psychic energy. Fists clenched, she would lift herself from her bedroom floor. Darach's spectacles shattered. But he never left. He couldn't. His father was expecting him to care for this girl; to love her. 

Eventually she would enervate herself to the point of exhaustion, floating down into his arms. 

Things got better, though. He started to believe that maybe, as long as he had her, his father wouldn't really be gone. 

***