[SUDS] Cycles of Power (High T-Low M)

[VeloJello]

I think everything here is good, at least to me.

Name: Thomas Otone.

Age: Twenty-five.

Side: Organization.

Rank: Organization Leader.

Gender: Male.

Appearance: Standing at a meager 5’6” with a slim frame, Thomas doesn’t look like much of a physical threat. His skin, though naturally pale, is tan from time spent in the harsh Orre sun, and sparring with his Pokemon has given him greater muscle tone as well. Despite his physical fitness, he still has a rather childish face, although stress is quickly wiping this away and replacing it with a consistent expression of weary sadness. His longish hair is dirty blond, and his eyes are green. Typically, he dresses in a light jacket, a light shirt, and cargo pants; the latter, as well as the light shoulder bag he carries, are typically full of emergency supplies and pointy objects.

Personality: Shy, quiet Thomas is the sort of guy you’d expect to find sitting in the back of the bus with a book in his hand - not at the helm of one of the most powerful organized militant groups in history. By nature, he tends to be reserved and not particularly wordy, giving him a rather melancholy air. Despite his lack of initiative to initiate, he is actually quite friendly and kind when spoken to. He is very sensitive, empathetic, and caring, and is generally an excellent friend.

However, Thomas’s softspoken nature cuts both ways. He is given to reluctance, inaction, moodiness, and pessimism, and he prefers to keep his true feelings to himself most of the time which often makes him stressed. Although he is capable of leading, he detests the responsibility for lives and the politics involved. He also has a cold, manipulative side that he sometimes calls upon when dealing with others, despite the fact that it terrifies him. Overall, he is (or at the very least, tries to be) a good person, although his position has led him to make some decisions that he questions himself about frequently.

History: Thomas was born and raised in quiet Nuvema town. His mother removed herself from the family when he was four years old, leaving his lame-legged geologist father devastated and struggling to find work in a region that frankly had little use for geology. Regardless, Thomas managed to do fairly well for himself in school - well enough to qualify with his best friend for Unova’s Pokemon Trainer program. While they were on the waiting list, Thomas’s dad announced that he had found work - in the far-off, inhospitable region of Orre. Since Thomas was unwilling to leave his father to fend for himself with a dysfunctional leg in a region famed mostly for its crime rates, he went along. Before he did so, however, he swapped starters with his friend - his Tepig for her Snivy - so that they would have something to remember each other by.

Orre was the last place Thomas wanted to be, but he tried to make the best of the situation. He worked as a cleaner in the lab, and used the opportunity to learn what he could in the hopes of possibly getting a higher-paying job as a researcher. So eager to please was Thomas that, whenever the lab needed to pick up supplies from Pyrite Town, he was more often than not the one to make the long trip to the seedy city. These journeys were so routine, Thomas never thought anything of them - least of all that he would wind up having been in a Cluster. In fact, he might not have known at all, but when he was ambushed by a group of thugs and scrambling to get away, he suddenly found himself floating ten feet off the ground. Since the incident, Thomas has been doing everything he can to stop Cipher, most notably allying with Sara Sage to create the Organization and, at her insistence, becoming its leader. Currently, he protects the Lab and aids Sara in coordinating their considerable force of parahumans.

Pokemon:
- Serperior - Darius/M/Overgrow/Adamant/Somewhat vain. “Strong, silent type” would probably be an adequate descriptor for Darius, provided you added “pragmatic, merciless, backbone-of-tempered-steel” somewhere in there. The Serperior rarely says a word, preferring to let his actions speak for him, and those actions are usually violent. He is easily the most brutal member of the team, who considers killing to be acceptable and frequently efficient. In spite of his grim nature, he is a reliable teammate who can always be called upon in any fight.
- Audino - Alto/F/Regenerator/Sassy/Quick tempered. Alto is among the first people you want by your side in a firefight, for both her considerable healing abilities and her moderately powerful attacks, particularly those that work at a distance. Otherwise, she can be a bit difficult to tolerate. She is loud, crass, and impatient, with a short temper and stubbornness that rivals that of Darius himself. However, despite her less-desirable traits, she can be extremely helpful with healing and (often tactlessly-delivered) advice.
- Luxray - Alana/F/Intimidate/Brave/Good perseverance. Alana has a naturally intimidating appearance, and her prowess and ferocity in battle backs it up. However, Alana is actually a real sweetheart. She loves cuddles (particularly with a certain Fairy-type team member) and sweet foods. She also has a tendency to be rather hyperactive at times, and is almost always a determined, upbeat go-getter.
- Sylveon - Eran/M/Pixelate/Calm/Highly curious. Granted that the team healer is cranky and irritable, it generally falls on Eran to be the team peacemaker - a role he doesn’t really mind. Eran is slow to anger and quick to forgive, with a soothing, serene air that allows him to smooth ruffled tempers with ease. So loving and gentle is he that it’s hard to believe that this same softspoken Sylveon has a Moonblast that can punch holes in Aggron armor.
- Lucario - Hecate/F/Steadfast/Quiet/Alert to sounds. Hecate, in a word, is grounded. She is firm, collected, resolute, and not given to much talking. She often seems to be the most (if not the only) sane team member, a reputation upheld by her patient temper and realistic, practical outlook. She is by nature a thinker, and likes to help out by strategizing or helping the others increase their own strengths.
- Gyarados - Torrent/M/Moxie/Impish/Somewhat of a clown. Torrent is as loud as Alto but a lot less easy to anger, if not easier to tolerate. He frequently cracks jokes that may or may not be appropriate or tactful, and acts completely carefree and unbothered by the Cipher war. However, a lot of his act is just that - an act, designed to help team morale and hide his own fear. In battle, he’s a brutal hard-hitter, and he often teams up with Alto - with whom he claims mutual dislike - and combines his reckless physical power with her healing abilities and good aim.

Powers:
- Breaker 9: Gravity manipulation. He can use this for a lot of things, such as flight, lifting objects and dropping them at around quintuple their usual weight on bad guys, or making himself seriously hard to hit by repelling things that may be moving toward him at uncomfortable speeds.
- Mover 6: Gravity manipulation enables floating and, with a good deal more concentration, flight. When flying, he typically clocks about 30 mph, although he can go faster with more effort.
- Shaker 6: Again, gravity manipulation. This ability can be both specific to an object(s) or general to an area, although general use is more taxing.

Other: nar i know something even funnier than twenty-four



Name: Cassandra Fitz.

Age: Thirty.

Side: Cipher.

Rank: Cipher Admin.

Gender: Female.

Appearance: Cassandra is built for beauty. She stands at 5’7” with naturally deep curves that are ever so slightly contrasted by good muscle tone. Her skin is a dark ochre color, and her deep brown hair falls in sleek waves to just below her shoulders. Delicately-mascaraed eyelashes punctuate her shimmering, warm pale-brown eyes. Typically, she dresses in casually tasteful clothes that leave only a little to the imagination, although for proper missions she tends to make other choices that include things like desert camo, combat boots, and about a dozen concealed-and-unconcealed weapons.

Personality: Whenever someone looks at Cassandra, they might expect her to be a somewhat high-strung woman with more vanity than brains. Someone else might see her soft, pretty features and suspect her to be a gentle, shy soul with a heart of gold. Still others might expect her to be a weak-willed and whiny hanger-on with little desire to do anything but pick on others in order to exalt herself. The truth is that all and none of these assumptions are correct - none of them are entirely accurate, but these are all masks she wears and wears well.

Truthfully, Cassandra is a ruthless, intelligent, cunning, and wicked woman. Her powers make it difficult for her to enjoy others’ pain, but she certainly doesn’t mind it and would happily beat down, murder, or manipulate anyone who stands between herself and power. She doesn’t mind taking orders from someone competent, although she considers this a necessary annoyance and typically prefers to be in charge herself. However, it’s rare to see her ever display any of her true sentiments; she prefers to display whatever will be most beneficial to her at the time, and even without using her powers she is usually capable of wrapping her unsuspecting victims around her little finger.

History: Born to a lower-class family in Orre, Cassandra had little to look forward to in life. However, she was also endowed with intelligence, looks, and a remarkable talent - and penchant - for manipulation. From an early age, she endeared herself to everyone around her, using her adorable looks to get what she wanted. At first this included things like cookies and crayons, but she soon graduated to full-fledged theft when at the age of sixteen she seduced a hapless Pokemon Trainer for the express purpose of stealing his brand-new Chikorita.

Not long after Cassandra left home for Pyrite town, she woke up one morning and realized that she could very clearly feel the emotions of every living thing around her. This was disconcerting in the extreme but she made it work, and with practice she was elated to discover that she could change the emotions of those she touched. Her new talent worked extremely well when coordinated with her beauty, giving rise to a habit of seducing men in order to get them alone and rob them blind. She would probably have continued doing this for the foreseeable future had she not been found by a strange man with pink clothes and a sadistic Hoppip. Benjamin offered her a place in Cipher and power in a new Orre, which she accepted. Having risen through the ranks to become one of Benjamin’s most powerful lieutenants, Cassandra now uses her charm and savagery in equal measure to undermine the Organization.

Pokemon:
- Meganium - Concordia/F/Overgrow/Gentle/Likes to relax. As Cassandra’s first Pokemon, Concordia has an extremely strong bond with her Trainer. Such a kind comforter is she to Cassandra that it’s hard to believe that this gentle giant can and has been known to snap necks with Vine Whip and turn living things into Swiss cheese with Magical Leaf. Concordia is fiercely loyal to Cassandra and will kill for her without hesitation. However, the Meganium is also the most merciful of the team, preferring to resolve conflicts bloodlessly when it wouldn’t be too great an inconvenience.
- Magmortar (Shadow) - Kenna/F/Flame Body/Jolly/A little quick-tempered. Kenna is a loud, obnoxious, boisterous and crabby Magmortar. She’s also tough as nails, brutally savage, and an expert marksman. She is one of the most versatile team members, attacking from a distance with precision or letting loose with a violent string of attacks up close. She is quite violent naturally, however, and will often cut to fiery violence when her relatively short temper has been triggered.
- Mienshao (Shadow) - Solomon/M/Regenerator/Serious/Likes to fight. Solomon doesn’t say much, and whenever he does speak he does so with cold contempt and bitterness. True to his nature as a Shadow Pokemon, he hates practically everyone and does not hesitate to voice this fact - or rather, display it through his uncanny ability to break bones like they’re made of cardboard. Despite his violent tendencies, Solomon is actually extremely composed, and rare is the day when he is goaded into action he would not otherwise take.
- Malamar - Maeve/F/Contrary/Quirky/Likes to eat. Maeve is, to say the very least, eccentric. She has no qualms about bending other beings to her will, forcing them to take or give lives for her - in fact, she sees absolutely nothing wrong with it. She doesn't seem to have any sort of conscience at all, and would be quite happy to snap even her own Trainer's neck.
- Mismagius - Vadim/M/Levitate/Relaxed/Proud of its power. Vadim is extremely intelligent, if a bit absentminded. He prefers to let others do the full-on fighting while he masterminds the fight from the sidelines, but if pressed he has an immense amount of magical power that he positively loves to show off. Most of the time he would rather hone and experiment with his magic than anything else, be it through research or open combat.

Powers:
- Thinker 4: Always retains a knowledge of the general mood of the people around her, and with greater concentration can single out a person or persons to read all their current emotions.
- Striker 3: Upon skin-to-skin contact with a person or Pokemon, she can form a mental link with them, through which she can see their emotions. Since her Thinker power already allows her to sense others’ emotions and sharing her own would reveal more than she’d like, this really wouldn’t be very practical if it weren’t for her Master power.
- Master 8: Once her Striker power is activated, Cassandra can alter the emotions of whatever unfortunate soul is on the other end, provided they aren’t Trumpish enough to thwart her. She’s learned to be frighteningly subtle about it, but someone with an extreme (read: it basically has to be a power) amount of mental fortitude or corresponding psychic ability can sometimes avert her ability without breaking physical contact. This can only really be done if they notice it, provided they are not already somehow immune to emotional manipulation. Given time to use this ability on someone repeatedly, she can completely bend them to her will.

Other: Her real power is the uncanny ability to aliterate.