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Curtis DeLoye is a character belonging, obviously, to DeLoye.

Curtis DeLoye
Gender	Male
Age	17
First Pokemon	Sandshrew
Pokébro	Sandslash
Party	Sandslash, Slowpoke, Solrock
PC Box	N/A
Badges	N/A

Backstory

Curtis was born into a lower middle-class family in downtown Centria. The DeLoyes were not of particular importance, Centria being so huge. Another family in another apartment building in another district. They may as well have been ants. The family made a living, though, and learned the value of a dollar through financial stinginess. It was this environment where Curtis was brought up - that of simply surviving in a dog-eat-dog world. An only child, the boy was often lonesome. He had a small circle of friends, but at times he felt like the only one loyal to any of them. If he was a second late at school, they would be gone. He still keeps in contact with them, but there isn't really much there. Our hero still managed to lead a good life through his childhood, despite his social situation. He did reasonably well in school, and lined up for his adventure like the rest of the kids. Some left at ten - no, said Curtis' parents, you're too young. Come eleven, they didn't have enough money to support him out in the wild until he could gain momentum as a trainer. Come twelve, there was outright betrayal as they tried to talk him out of it. Until he was older, at least. For the next few weeks after that birthday Curtis was seething through rooms of his modest apartment. He told himself that he would eventually reach his dream, though. Throughout life he had learned patience from the father who pondered too long and never wanted to be asked twice, and the mother who tested it through tacky clothes.

Time rewarded him.

At the late age of fifteen Curtis recieved a shiny Premier Ball containing his bro for life. The boy and the Sandshrew instantly struck up an accord - the naming process was mercifully easy, and he was relatively bright. Now, don't get hasty, Curtis' parents said. You're old enough for a job now - you'll need to start slow.

Curtis could care less, he had a motherfucking Sandshrew.

"So, Bismarck, where do you want to work?"

The shrew looked up to his trainer and made a shrugging motion. He was a rodent, what would he care. This was Curtis' decision to make... well, he would still be considerate. No public pools for his ground-typed buddy. By this point Curtis was in the downtown core, and everyone has somewhere they needed to be. Curtis needed anywhere to be, anywhere between the middle of the forest and his dump of an apartment. Jobs, jobs, jobs... his dad had reccomended a small business, but that hadn't done the family much good. As he looked around, SOLARUS logos dominated the cityscape. They were growing pretty quickly, it looked like. There wouldn't be much shortage of available jobs. Sure enough, he was able to snag a paid internship at one of their office buildings. That branch of the company dealt with the testing of new medicine on pokemon, and the office dealt with the paperwork and legal responsibilities of the company. An internal law firm, you could call it. Curtis ferried the papers around the office and did what he was told quietly for nearly a year, saving up money for his trip across the Tatsu region.

But with age comes disillusionment.

There were many reports of injuries and attacks strewn amongst the papers. Stories of pokemon who had been killed because the potion hadn't worked fast enough, or because of an allergic reaction to a revive. These reports piqued Curtis' interest - he went to the various museums and libraries, and read between the lines. Pokemon training wasn't the cozy adventures media had told him. People died. Pokemon died. Suddenly, he found it a lot less appealing. But he had already scheduled a break, he told himself. The head of the branch had been really kind with him, even hinting about helping him in his quest when he returned, whatever that meant. Two months to try the waters. It would be great, Curtis assured himself. He would do great.

A month before his sixteenth birthday, Curtis set out north to Wattsburg, citing the electric gym as his best chance at a badge. The journey there wasn't terribly arduous, and Curtis found himself in Wattsburg within a week. Along the way he had captured a Slowpoke, and experienced trainer Hell. Remember the tidbit about Bismarck being relatively intelligent and the naming going smoothly? Well, the capturing of Slowpoke did not go so well. All Curtis really had to do was throw a ball at it, as by the time it had registered that it was now had itty bitty living space it had been captured for ten minutes. Curtis waited until he found a public park with a pond in Wattsburg, and let Slowpoke out there. It stared into space for a while, before drawling "...Slow?"

Curtis was patient, and explained the situation. It took a little while, but eventually the Slowpoke figured out what was going on. Eventually in this case meaning five hours. Curtis was about ready to tear his hair out when they got around to names, and Bismarck was starting to fidget. He didn't particularly like missing meals, and it was verging on seven o'clock when Curtis suggested Hippocampus.

"You know, because you look like a Hippodown and psychic types are... smart."

"..."

"..."

"...Poke?"

Two more hours passed as Curtis went through names slowly and clearly, cycling through near fifty options before eventually settling on... Hippocampus. He seethed as he recalled the embodiment of derp into it's new home, and went to find a place to eat and a hotel. He was going to fight the gym leader soon, and there was no time to waste. They got up at the crack of dawn to go train against the plentiful stray magnemite floating about town. Days of bitter work ensued, and Bismarck learned how exactly to take down both Magnemite and Magneton. At the end of the third day the Sandshrew evolved into a motherfucking Sandslash, and Curtis took this as a sign that they were ready. Notably, he double checks signs' sources often nowadays. The battle against Tessla didn't go too well. After all of his training, it still took Bismarck a long time to take down her Magneton, and after that the Voltorb self destructed in his face. Burned and missing several spines, the Sandslash collapsed in a heap on top of the ball. It would have been cute, if they weren't both injured and fainted. Curtis had done some training with Hippocampus, but no amount of training would change the facts that it was slower than molasses and vulnerable to electricity. Tessla's Flaffy predictably wiped the floor with Hippocampus before you could say "epic fail", literally in the poor slowpoke's case. Curtis left disheartened and angry. He was angry at Bismarck for not being able to get out of the way, he was angry at Tessla for being so condescending the whole damn time, and he was angry at himself for being a miserable failure.

He decided to go back to ferrying paper. He continued training, kind of. Bismarck was promised life as a trained pokemon, and would never give up human food. He would show up at Curtis' feet within an hour of release, and probably take them with him if he was forced to leave again. Curtis could have probably just left Hippocampus somewhere, but that would have made him drown in guilt. He doubted the slow little guy could survive without him. They would be pets, kind of. He could challenge kids that were just starting out, give them a taste of what was coming. If he could get farther up in the corporate ladder he could get an apartment, Sandlash and Slowpoke were both pretty small. If Hippocampus ever evolved he would be able to release it with a clear consciece, not many predators would be able to take down a Slowbro. It would be a fun life. All those hopes were dashed when he returned to work, though. Trudging through the front door, weathered by the berating of his parents - "Do you have any idea how much money we put into your journey!?" -, he was confronted by his boss.

"Why don't you just have a seat over there, Curtis?"

The gaunt lawyer sat down with the disheartened boy, and the former asked the latter a simple question. Dripping with false concern, the man asked Curtis what was wrong. Curtis gave in - he had given up on training.

"Oh, no no no. We can't be having that."

Curtis gulped. His boss really shouldn't have been telling him how to live his life, but... he needed this job. How could he be a trainer, though, when he sucked?

"Sir, I-"

"Quiet. This is for you. You will take it, and you will inform me of your progress."

"...Yes, sir."

Well, he could get better, he supposed... eventually. But he wasn't sure he'd be able to keep this new pokemon he'd been given and Hippocampus comfortable around his parents' apartment. Curtis' employer then forced the remainder of his two month leave on him, and went back to his own devices. With a sigh and a mind rife with doubt, Curtis was back out in the wild. His parents were still at work, so he had until about five to bond with his new pokemon and get a bite for them all to eat. Hopefully he'd have gotten another light eater like Hippocampus, all he needed to do for the metabolically-challenged Slowpoke was give him a Magikarp from the market every now and again. When he opened the SOLARUS pokeball he realized that you had to be careful what you wished for, however. A Solrock emerged from the ball, floating quietly in front of him. The only indication it gave of even noticing him was a slight squint. Curtis didn't know much about Hoenn's meteor duo, other than that they were quiet and creepy. He'd have to do some research... but right now, he had a bit of a ritual to perform. He was his now, and he was going to have a name.

Curtis suggested Philip, it was the first thing that popped into his head. The hovering sun-wannabe was utterly silent, perhaps twitching once or twice - no, that was just Curtis' imagination. Curtis waited a few moments after suggesting the name before deciding he didn't want a repeat of the Hippocampus incident.

"Okay, your name is Philip, and I'm your trainer now. We cool?"

The rock pokemon twirled in the air, it's rocky orange hide giving off a strange light and warming the cool wintery air. Uh, he would take that as a yes. Curtis dared a small smile and returned Philip to his ball. Solrock didn't need to eat, did they? He didn't see any orifices during their awkward first encounter. Maybe it ate sunlight.

Curtis was soon proved right when he got around to doing some research. Solrock ate sunlight, read minds and were all around creepy as hell. They came from space, too. Just to round out the terrifying factor. But... he was a trainer. He had to suck it up and make friends. That's what he'd done with Hippocampus despite it taking a while, and it was what he'd do with Philip. All those trainers with Shedinja and Sazando could attest that the impossible was possible training-wise. So he did - Philip didn`t communicate much, but he had his subtle nuances. Blinking and spinning... that was really it, but Curtis made do. Bismarck was always a solid fighter, and Hippocampus`psychic abilities improved substantially over the next month. It was stressful, sure, with Philips` silence and Curtis`parents hounding him to go back on the road. He could certainly be a trainer without travelling in the wilderness, though. There was a Gym Leader in Centria he could fight when he was ready, and he was doing very well at work. His own place was just a promotion or two away.

Is still just a promotion or two away.

Curtis is living the good life in Centria now, despite still being stuck in internship. His pay has improved, however, and he is well-known around the office. His trio of Pokemon are competent at worst, and the only way he can go is up.

But who knows what lurks in the upper tiers of SOLARUS?

Personality

Curtis is a quiet and reserved individual, pouring his efforts into work and training. In fact, he is developing into quite the workaholic due to his current situation at home. It's become a bad habit for him to stay at work late and then train even later to escape his parents' disdain after the Wattsburg fiasco. He's clumsy socially, and doesn't like to talk much. He usually says something stupid when he does. This fear of screwing things up often makes him an observer of injustice, and even though he likes to think that he has a strong sense of justice he never really acts when shady things happen around him. He will stand up for abuse against pokemon, though, and if inaction would bring anyone's wrath directly upon his head. He's a bit selfish like that.

Attitudes towards things and people

Though often a genuinely okay person to be around, he's a bit cold and apathetic to people he doesn't know well - this extends to Pokemon as well. At this point he doesn't have much of a bond with Philip, but it's getting there. There are shades of the "It's all about me" attitude about him as well, as he hasn't really socialized much and his attempts have often yielded lackluster results. This is counterbalanced by his intimate knowledge of how small he really is, and it only comes up when he's weighing himself against a stranger. When he knows people well, though, he tries his best to help them out however he can whenever he can. If Bismarck could speak, he probably wouldn't say much negative about his trainer... but his average classmate would probably have a neutral or negative view in the matter.

Behaviors and Habits

Curtis has a couple quirks, though not quite enough to open a tawdry quirk shop. He has a tendency to be a picky eater, and his unpriveleged upbringing has made him a victim of the fast food industry. He tries his best to eat healthy, but everyone knows the salads at McBarry's are worse than the burgers. Being such a socially paranoid individual as he is, he does not venture to any mass social gatherings if he can help it - God help him if he ever ends up on a stage. When nervous he has a tendency to scratch the area of his neck directly under his ears, and fiddle with the Pokeballs on his waist.

Pokemon

Bismarck | Sandslash - Bismarck was born as one of the desirable and strong - quite the opposite of the runt of the litter. This potential was seemingly wasted, however, then the breeder's order for a Sandshrew was mixed up for that of a Poochyena. The Smuggon student was able to adjust her NU team, but the posh old grandmother wouldn't have any of it. Being exhorbinately wealthy, she simply dumped the shrew pokemon off somewhere and tried again. This editor is unsure of whether she eventually got her pooch, but he does know where the Sandshrew went. It ended up in a struggling pet store in downtown Centria, and they couldn't possibly match a price to the pokemon's potential. It went dirt cheap to a desperate parent, and came into Curtis' hands. The lonely sandshrew, having been upheaved from his home and traded off from lady to storekeeper to man, found solace with the boy. Bismarck trained as hard as he could, determined not to be left behind again. Evolution came, and then crushing defeat - but it was okay. They could get better. They could try again.

Bismarck is a clingy individual, and shares his trainer's stone cold approach towards outsiders. He has warmed up to Hippocampus, but doubts his capability to do anything and can be seen biting his claws on the sidelines whenever the Slowpoke is out in the field. Philip has yet to earn any real acceptance, but at least Bismarck finds...him? competent.

Hippocampus | Slowpoke - This shining Slowpoke paragon of sharp wit and genius intellect was discovered with it's tail stuck under a log, having given up and opted to take a nap. Not being one to dishonor ancient traditions, Curtis had Bismarck give it a scratch to the face. The Slowpoke opened it's eyes wearily... and did nothing. Taking that as a hint, Curtis threw a ball and captured it rather easily. There wasn't any hint of a struggle until ten minutes later, and by that time it was far too late. Hippocampus came from a small group of Slowpoke who had lost their leader, Slowking, to a Sharpedo by the east coast. They had all just sort of lost their way, and presumably fallen victim to creaky trees and zombies and such. It was a blessing for Hippocampus, though he probably hasn't worked that out yet.

Being a Slowpoke, Hippocampus doesn't really do much. He has started to blossom as a psychic battler and his reaction time has improved, but he's still slow as molasses and not often used when Curtis happens to be challenged by some kid starting out or a coworker. Curtis is looking into getting him a King's Rock, but the expense and the fact that Curtis won't be wrestling any Kingler any time soon means that Hippocampus' evolution will take a long while. How fitting.

Philip | Solrock - Philip was part of a mass capture in the Xiu Crater between Gaston Town and Shiidara city, the area being a hotspot for the beings that just happened to be Team Chandra's mascots. Being a floating rock, Philip doesn't have much of an opinion on the matter, it doesn't really matter to him whether he's in a city or a crater. So long as he gets enough sunlight, he's cool. He was placed in storage for a few months, waiting for a trainer to show up in SOLARUS' employ. They are the symbol of Chandra's control - they are handed to the trainer, the trainer bonds with them, and if they ever disobey they lose the pokemon forever. If they don't have any problem with that, well, there are... alternative solutions. Philip likes Curtis, to the extent a rock can like a person. Mind reading hasn't turned up any Solrock-related brutalities, so he feels safe enough to follow orders and show limited affection in his own way. It's adorable, really, and it's kind of sad how Curtis finds it creepy rather than endearing. Poor floating rock.

Appearance

Curtis is an individual of moderate height, standing at about five and a half feet. Despite his best efforts, he still has a bit of meat on his bones, though this amount is a lot less noticable than it was when he was a pipsqueak. Efforts to groom himself have succeeded more clearly in the case of his hair, which is a brilliant golden blond and neatly arranged. The sterotypical aryan look is completed by dull blue eyes and an apathetic face to match. His default emotion is something along the lines of "So what?", but it's relatively easy to get him to smile or laugh a little bit. The standard shirt and tie affair doesn't really change in the shift from work to training to home, so his look is generally the same. Usually with a green tie, which Curtis has a penchant for.

Terms of Use

Yeah, I'm going to be a bit lax with this. No need to ask me to use him in any works, but I reserve the right to revoke canocity at least in Curtis' case in canon works. It won't fly to have him rape and pillage in canon works, but I'll be considerate enough to leave the rest untouched, if that makes any sense. I'd be flattered if he were to be used in anything, really.