[SIGNUP/OOC] Pokémon: Topaz

It promised a lot. It had to. The Urobos League was new on the world stage, and to be recognised, it needed to stand out. The other regions had laughed, at first. Not many were laughing now.

For a region with a population numbering nearly fifty million, Urobos was still seen as a bit of a backwater. A tourist destination for the rich and famous with little to offer beyond beaches and cheap thrills on safari. An island in the middle of the ocean, covered in jungles, rainforests, deserts, and still-active volcanoes. It was a far cry from the gentle plains of Hoen, or the culture and panache of Kalos. Urobos was still wild, untamed - and dangerous.

That all changed when Pokéman arrived on the scene. 'The costumed crusader,' or so the media painted him, had swept through Kanto and Johto in weeks, beating both their respective Leagues, Elite Fours, and Champions in quick succession. The masked man - or woman, perhaps - had made a splash all around the globe. Known for his (her? Their?) flamboyant style, distinctive costume, and wildly unpredictable teams of Pokemon - including a few seen nowhere before - Pokeman had done more for Urobos than decades of tourism campaigns and billions of cacao had managed. Suddenly, Urobos was the place to be.

It'd taken a few months, and dozens of construction crews working around the clock, but the League had established itself in the cities, favellas, and jungles of Urobos. Tourists and competitors were arriving as fast as planes and boats could ferry them. And it all came down to that simple promise.

"Make your dreams come true." The Urobos League had promised that anyone who completed the series of challenges they'd simply dubbed 'The Climb' would have their greatest wish fulfilled. One wish, with no conditions attached. They claimed they could do anything.

It was a bold claim, and one that captured hearts and minds around the world. If the bold claims weren't enough, the Urobos League had changed the game even more. Competitors had to tackle the Climb as a team - solo acts were free to take on the various gym leaders, but they couldn't qualify for any of the five badges required to progress through the arduous challenges. Some of the best and brightest battlers in the world had banded together and made their way to Urobos, only to fall short time after time. That had only spurred people on and fanned fires of imagination for many.

Now it was your turn. Whether you grew up in the tiny coastal town called Calara or came as a visitor, you'd decided to sign up for the Climb. All you were lacking was a team - and that was where the professor came in.

Professor Aspen lived on the outskirts of town in a lab he'd seemingly built himself. He was a... prickly man, at times, but most in the town thought highly of him. Some of the older residents remembered him as a young man, blazing his way through the jungles with his team and delving deep into cramped caves and dark dungeons. Now, he seemed content to study theory from the comfort of his own home. He'd commented in the past of the folly of battling, but he'd either had a change of heart or (more likely) been pressured by the League into helping out. Either way, the (admittedly quite plain) posters on the walls in town had gotten your attention:

COMPLETE FORM BELOW & RETURN TO PROFESSOR ASPEN BY 7 AUGUST.

And so you stood, completed form in hand. You were the last batch of the day on the last day, just scraping in before the deadline, which gave an idea of the kind of people you might be paired with. You tried not to think too much about what that said about you.

That didn't matter. Soon, you'd be hitting the trails of Uboros. Soon, you'd be battling your way across the island in search of fame, friendship, recognition... or something else.

Soon, maybe you'd make your dreams come true.

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Welcome to POKÉMON: TOPAZ, my poorly-conceived done-in-a-night idea for a Pokémon RP! I've seen (and been in) a few Pokémon RPs over the years, and I really like the mix of storytelling and spectacle that can come from them. With this setting, I'm hoping to get a more story-driven Pokémon RP going (there'll be a clear plot in mind on the way through, though with room for diversions and personal stories along the way) that isn't just about capturing Pokémon and battling trainers (though there'll be plenty of that!)

I won't go too far into rules and things like that, save to say that this will be quite different to traditional Pokémon RPs and games. For one, I'm pushing a team-based system, which will mean trainers will have less 'active' Pokémon on hand - depending on numbers, this is likely to be around half (so 3) of a 'standard' trainer's roster. There'll be a focus on teamwork between trainers (and, accordingly, players), and capturing Pokémon will be a little less common as a result. I'm hoping that a smaller roster means individual Pokémon will be better characterised as a result and will really get a chance to shine along with the trainers, as to me that's a huge part of what Pokémon is about. Because there'll be less potential Pokémon 'on-hand' (that doesn't mean you can't capture more than 3 - just that you'll only have a few with you as an active roster), I'd like to work with players to make sure they get a chance to run across their favourites. I'll still throw in a few surprises and opportunities, so keep on the lookout for them!

So, onto the signups! Credit to Hawk for a lot of this sheet - I'm making some modifications, but he's provided the skeleton.

Name: Pretty simple. Bonus points for puns.
Gender: Male? Female? Neither?
Age: While Pokémon has a tendency to have kids as protagonists, this isn't a requirement.

Appearance: Pictures preferred. Bonuses if they're style appropriate.

Class: In Pokémon, most NPCs have a 'class' or archetype - whether that's Officer Jenny (Police Officer), Ranger, Chef, Nerd, Jock... what describes your character?
Backstory: This doesn't need to be very long or very detailed. Ideally, it'll give me something to work with - some plot hooks (maybe your character has a rival? Maybe they have a mystery from their past they want solved?) would be ideal. If you're stuck, don't sweat it - you can hit me up and we can brainstorm or you can work it out as you go! The only rule I have is that they shouldn't be experienced trainers - I want everyone to be starting from near-scratch. I'm willing to negotiate but only if you've got a really good reason.

Strengths: This is where I’m going to get a little bit creative with the GMing, drawing on my earlier RP, Perfidy. I’d like you guys to pick two (2) strengths that define your character. If you’re an ace trainer, that might be that you’re Enthusiastic and Hard To Keep Down. If you’re a doctor, maybe you’re Educated and Logical. I’m not going to restrict anyone to a list here, but try to think of Strengths that apply in a few situations. Using the above examples, an Enthusiastic trainer might win people over with his cheerfulness (like Ash), while a Logical doctor might be able to work out tricky puzzles as easily as he’s able to keep calm in a crisis. You’ll also have two (2) wild cards here you can fill in later with additional strengths, so don’t worry if you can’t get everything in you want to. Try to work in a bit of personality here, too, rather than just going for something like 'big and strong.'
Flaws: As above, I’d like you guys to pick two (2) flaws that define your character. These should also be applicable in a variety of situations. If we’re using the above examples, maybe the trainer is Headstrong and tends to bite off a bit more than he can chew. Like the strengths, you’ll also have two (2) wild card flaws to fill in later.

Starter Pokemon: This should ideally be something not too powerful - think of the original starters. They're often cute, small, but with a lot of potential (like evolutions). It's not a requirement that they evolve, but it definitely gives somewhere to go. If you've got a particular favourite that might be too powerful (or maybe a bit too 'grown-up,' like an Onyx, Machamp etc), feel free to shoot me a message and we can try to work it in later on.

What is your one wish? The Uboron League promises just about anything (how they'll achieve it is a question you might want to ask them later...) - what would your character wish for if they could? I'm hoping this will change as the RP progresses, and we can look back at the end and see how far from the start we've gotten.

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[b]What is your one wish? [/b]