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A character page for the "Pokemon story series" (Pokémon: Nova and Antica and Pokémon Story: Sinnoh Journey) currently under construction.


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     Aaron Shadow 
Aaron Shadow hails from Metropolis Town of the Orre Region. The oldest of three siblings. His mother was a successful coordinator and his father a trainer. However, his parents had him young, forcing them to abandon their careers to care for their child. As a result, despite their exploits, neither of Aaron’s parents are well-known. His family would have him (and, by extension, his siblings—Chandra and Bruce) engage in battles around the home and sometimes citizens in Metropolis Town to give them some rudimentary experience. In addition, Aaron went to Pokemon Tech School from ages to 5-6 and 8-9, receiving decent grades in hoping of earning his parents’ approval (even though he already got it). He found Magnemite on the family ranch and cared for it since discovery. One family outing at town, Aaron’s parents bought him a hat. It would be their last gift to him because, later that night, they were ran over by a driver with him able to see it. When Aaron was ten, he set out to begin his journey.

Catching and training a number of Steel-type Pokemon, Aaron blossoms into a skilled trainer, coordinator, and strategist by the time he reaches 14 years of age, which is during his Sinnoh Region journey. At that point, he becomes acquainted with Ash Ketchum, becoming one of his many connections.

He later reappears in Pokémon: Nova and Antica as a major recurring character and rival.


  • The Ace: It's clear Aaron is born with a number of talents. He showed an aptitude of strategy and tactics as early as seven and becomes a skilled strategist once he learns from his mistakes and matures. Also, Aaron manages to procure a Ribbon Cup in just his second Grand Festival (in Hoenn) while also winning the Ever Grand Conference. He later goes on to win the Lily of the Valley Conference by beating Ash Ketchum himself. Not to mention, every Pokemon he obtains eventually fully evolves and grows into absolute monsters in combat.
  • Always Someone Better: Written with this concept in mind. He's an Experienced Protagonist and the Hero of Another Story who's gone through his fair share of trouble that's made him all the better. Ian can never seem to get the upper hand against him, Ash, despite his best efforts, falls short of beating him, and it's safe to say Dawn isn't ready for him either despite implications to the contrary. Though, he's on both ends of the spectrum: he's never beaten Zoey or May.
  • Badass Armfold: Aaron's default pose before a battle.
  • Badass Bookworm: Aaron went to Pokemon Tech School from ages to 5-6 and 8-9 and, while completely eclipsed in this regard by Jacob, he's still a gifted thinker. He uses his brain quite well, and it's gotten him some very significant victories and makes him a forced to be reckoned with.
  • Beneath the Mask: Aaron isn't as cool, calm, and collected as he's usually depicted.
  • Brainy Brunette: Aaron sports brown hair and is a very intelligent trainer.
  • Broken Ace: He's one of the strongest trainers with a decorated resume in spite of his young age and being a type specialist, but he works himself to the bone, often without rest, trying to maintain his high standards. Gets even worse when you realize all his skill meant jack without a proper goal. Although he's gotten better in one aspect, there's all the pressure Aaron puts on himself in Tenla.
  • Dark and Troubled Past: Among the grimmest for the kind of universe he lives. Doesn't get any worse than seeing your parents get ran over right in front of you.
  • Decon-Recon Switch: Aaron, at first, deconstructs the To Be a Master trope like XY character Alain. Although he enjoys winning, the joy goes away very quickly and he never considered what to do with his achievements. However, after his journey in Sinnoh, Aaron has a talk with May that reveals he wants to become the "ultimate," an unstoppable trainer who will never fade into obscurity, which was one of his greatest fears, therefore achieving his greatest pleasure in life. Furthermore, he's okay with making rivals now and is seen emoting more than ever.
  • Extra-ore-dinary: Trains specifically Steel-types.
  • Fatal Flaw: When a person is in a pinch, their thinking faculties reduce, increasing the chances of errors. Aaron devotes a whole combat philosophy around preventing that. So, he also has the stress of consciously abiding by it. Thus, Aaron is rather terrible at handling pressure. Take him out of his comfort zone, and he crumbles like soft dirt.
  • Goal in Life:
    • Aaron is an interesting example in that he initially had none. He feels obligated to honor his deceased parents' careers and exceed them as a result of Survivor's Guilt, so success is very important to him. However, that's still just a motivation; he has no end goal in mind. At the same time, he rejects the notion of being the best like no one ever was, finding it to be “one-dimensional”. This same contradiction leaves a void of dissatisfaction within him, also leaving his great skill without purpose, that is brought to light when he talks to May and later Ian.
    • As of Nova and Antica Chapter 16, he found one: to be "the ultimate" instead of "the best" to make sure no one can steal his title.
  • Good Is Not Soft: Deconstructed. Unknowingly, Aaron tends to look down on his opponents, seeing them as mere obstacles. His mind is geared toward winning, and he unconsciously has no desire to forge an emotional attachment toward foes. Ian was right about that, and Aaron wasn't even aware of it. This leads to some internal strife, he's genuinely a Nice Guy to Dawn, but she's still in the way of his Contest Ribbon. Later Reconstruction if Ian's comments are any indication; his eyes are on the prize, but Aaron remains polite and courteous to his rivals.
  • Heroic BSoD: Prone to these.
    • Between trying to get his final ribbon to enter the Sinnoh Grand Festival and knowing an apparently stronger Ian is around, the pressure gets to Aaron so much he almost suffers a panic attack. Ash, Brock, and Dawn get him out of it.
    • Aaron almost suffers another one in his Sinnoh conference battle against Ash. He tried to rationally explain Pikachu's impossible winning streak, but he winds up stressing himself out. Magneton keeps him on track.
  • Hero of Another Story: By the time we see him, Aaron has already travelled through a few regions with varying success. Supplementary material put everything into deeper detail.
  • Nice Guy: Outside of battle, he's pleasant and understanding. Inside, while still a good sport, he's more pragmatic and goal-oriented, even merciless at times.
  • Hidden Depths:
    • Initially introduced a cool and calculated trainer, it's slowly revealed Aaron has his own humanizing worries and insecurities.
    • He watches soap operas, has an interest in cooking, and loves chocolate.
  • Lethal Chef: He is an "obliviously" terrible cook, as evidenced in 'Solace and Ease' when his chocolate chip cookies knock out Big Eaters Ash and May as well as Dawn, Brock, and Misty in only one or two bites.
  • Like Parent, Like Child: His father was a trainer while his mother was a coordinator. He eventually wound up doing both in their honor.
  • Renaissance Man: Pokemon Trainer who participates in Gym Battles, Pokemon Coordinator, strategist, tactician, and chess player.
  • Survivor's Guilt: As the only survivor of the accident, he feels he owes his parents to surpass them, succeed in his endeavors, and forge a "concrete legacy."
  • Talented, but Trained: Saying Aaron coasts by on pure talent alone grossly underestimates his capabilities. This guy works himself to the bone to get ahead of the game. Small wonder why very few in his age group are as successful as him.
  • Tragic Keepsake: His hat. It was the last thing his folks gave him before they died.
  • Teen Genius: Ian hails him as such, and his accolades prove it.


     Ian Darusu 
Born as part of triplets, Ian spent much of his early life living in France, being a nephew of famous Top Coordinator and Gym Leader, Fantina. At some time, he and his siblings were enrolled Pokémon Academy of Montpelier – a very prestigious school located in the heart of France – to start to his career as a Pokémon Coordinator. However, his performance at the school was rather subpar. He'd try his best, only to get the lowest grade, listen to people call him a loser or failure, and repeat. With this cycle of failure, the haughtier and more gifted students at the school appropriately called him a failure, scum, or outcast and treated him as such. According to him, even the teachers were guilty. He met his Gastly on campus and watched it scare a group of harassers. Ian instantly became hooked and developed his famous scaring habit. Eventually, his grades fell below the minimum curve and he was asked to leave. After Ivanna and Irvin also left for other reasons, Fantina suggested to Olsen and Cherise they begin their travels now and gather some experience.

He later reappears in Pokémon: Nova and Antica as a major recurring character.


  • All of the Other Reindeer: At the Pokémon Academy of Montpelier, a prestigious school in France, Ian was one of the worst students, leading to him becoming a social outcast amongst fellow students and even some teachers.
    Ian: I grew up in France with my brother and sister. We studied at the Pokémon Academy of Montpelier. I did the worst, and the other students caught on. Even my homeroom teacher liked telling me how much I sucked. Then, I met my then Gastly who scared some of the suckers off. Wasn’t long before I did the same thing. When I see someone who is oblivious to suffering, think they’re all high and mighty, I like to give them an education. That moment when they discover their first taste of terror is pure bliss! Then, I grew addicted and made it a regular hobby.
  • Ambition Is Evil: Zig-zagged. As a Pokemon Coordinator, Ian is motivated by two things: his love of the sport and his dreams of fame. Since he was a child, he's been working with his back against the wall, being a social pariah, a school dropout, and having an unorthodox style. He works hard in spite of those setbacks, so when he sees people (like Aaron, who notably won a Ribbon Cup on his second try while Ian is 0-for-4 as of this writing) rising ahead of him, he gets really jealous. His ambitious nature is treated as a flaw, going so far as to hurt his relationship with one of the few friends he has because of said jealousy. After a journey in Sinnoh and a lecture from Jacob, Ian keeps at it but doesn't let his ambition corrupt himself or his friendships anymore.
  • Anti-Hero: His longing for fame and glory is understandable and his past makes you root for him, but Ian still bears some unpleasant tendencies and attitudes that contrast with the brighter and wider-eyed members of the Pokemon anime cast.
  • Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Greatly believes in himself, talks a big game, arrogant, haughty, but proud and dedicated to his craft. He'll accept every opportunity to prove his worth, and to rub it into the faces of his critics.
  • Ax-Crazy: Downplayed, but Ian still busts out Evil Laughs and Slasher Smiles more than what's considered normal. You can't say it's part of the act either when he genuinely enjoys this sort of thing.
  • Badass Cape: Always seen wearing a cape. It's practically his trademark.
  • Blood Knight: Demonstrates shades of this.
  • But Not Too Foreign: Part French, part Caucasian.
  • Casting a Shadow: Only wields Pokemon who represent this trope.
  • Crazy Enough to Work: The object of a performance is to bring out a reaction from the crowd and the judges. Bright lights, sparkles, and stuff like that are the most commonly seen stuff in the anime. Ian, however, takes umbrage in how "cookie-cutter some of stuff" is, stemming from his time in school. His interests bled into his style and profession, leading to his unique brand of performing. It may be unconventional, but it still wrests out a reaction from the audience and judges while demonstrating what makes Ghost-types and Dark-types so scary.
  • Creepy Good: He is a Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant who dabbles in horror and darkness, often leaving his friends dismayed or distressed.
  • Dark Is Not Evil: Wears black, exclusively trains Ghost or Dark type Pokemon, enjoys horror, is a Terror Hero and a Nightmare Fetishist. Yet, he's still a decent person.
  • Deadpan Snarker: A veritable repository of dry wit and humor, Ian never fails at making a sly comment at someone's expense.
  • Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: Male example. Black-haired, handsome, pale-skinned, and knows the right moment to turn up the mania.
  • Enemies Equals Greatness: A variation, "Rivals Equal Greatness". Ian isn't afraid of taking on people (read: Top Coordinators) technically out of his class. It's a gambit: defeating them might increase interest in him as well as show everyone his true capabilities, and using his own style no less.
  • Freaky Is Cool:
  • The Gadfly: Don't give him any fuel to push your buttons with. He'll do it. Poor Dawn and Jacob are victims of his lightest japes.
  • Glory Seeker: Everything he does is rooted in a desire to be famous.
  • Good Is Not Nice: Ian is someone who's nice when he wants to be, not on a normal basis.
  • Hidden Depths: Ian sews, a habit he's not at all embarrassed about. He's damned good at it too — he makes his own contest outfits as well his sister Ivanna's dresses for Pokemon Showcases.
  • Inferiority Superiority Complex: Ian's rather insecure, obsessing if he thinks someone is better than him. He held a massive over Aaron in the past that resulted in friendship being called for a while. Generally, one wonders if his passive-aggressive quips to people like Dawn come from his insecurity.
  • Nightmare Fetishist: Nightmare Fuel in general is this man's raison d'être. Probably why nothing scares him. Can't be scared by stuff that interest you in the first place.
  • Nightmare Fuel: Invoked. It's an omnipresent aesthetic of his performances, and it's genuinely one of his interests.
  • Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant: More often than not, he endorses the violent, brutal, and terrifying fighting styles of his Pokemon, somehow managing to twist their traits and capabilities into Contest combinations that are a sight to behold. Even Ian himself can be seen as this, knowing yet fully embracing his dark style. All in all, despite clearly being a hero, he may be one of the most terrifying characters.
  • The Prankster: A dark example. He developed a scaring hobby at a young age that's been with him since. He'll have his Pokemon imitate Eldritch Abominations or simulate Jump Scares just to enjoy people and Pokemon alike replete with fear.
  • Real Men Wear Pink: Textile Work Is Feminine? Pft. Ian says otherwise. He gets to wear what he wants in the perfect size and save money.
  • Refuge in Audacity: His whole gig basically.
  • Tall, Dark, and Handsome: His character profile posits him as 5'11", he predominantly wears dark clothing with the demeanor to match, and is an Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette.
  • Tall, Dark, and Snarky: See the above and Deadpan Snarker.
  • Terror Hero: Let's start with "has a scaring habit". Furthermore, he enables the darker aspects of his Pokemon's personalities, such as Spiritomb's Blood Knight tendencies and Gengar's penchant for mischief.
  • Troll: He's a harrowing combination of a Deadpan Snarker, The Gadfly, and The Prankster. He loves seeing people squirm.
  • Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: His unsettling style was set in stone as early as 10-years-old. He's never regretted it. According to Aaron in Pokemon Story: Sinnoh Journey, he got worse over the years — in terms of Pokemon Contests, that is.


     Jacob Forut 

From the Orange Islands, with an IQ of 200, many academic counselors recommended Jacob challenge himself, and his mother Fisterre of the Tenla Elite Four allowed him to excel. However, this came at the price of Jacob losing out on interacting with children and teenagers his age, leaving him a stunted wreck. This changed when he met and traveled with Aaron.

He spent Pokemon Story: Sinnoh Journey in the background advising. He attends the Orange Islands Research & Biology Institute, a technical university for advanced scholars like him. Now that he rejoined his best friends, he's taken on a bigger role.


  • All There in the Manual: A lot about Jacob is covered in Pokemon Story Chronicles', especially his character before Sinnoh Journey'' and the scope of his relationship with Ian and Aaron.
  • Character Development: Retroactively. Meeting and travelling with some of his good friends certainly helped Jacob. His social life improved since he now had people to relate with. He even had a legitimate circle of friends. His attitude also changed, no longer being a scared and squeamish individual. He's even more articulate and less prone to stuttering and general awkwardness.
  • Child Prodigy:
  • Disappeared Dad: It's heavily implied Fisterre had a one-night stand with Jacob's unknown father.
  • Eating Lunch Alone: According to "Entry #4" of ''Pokemon Story Chronicles, Jacob met Aaron when the former was eating lunch in high school and emulating a chess game on his own.
  • Friendless Background: Being a Grade Skipper, it was virtually impossible for Jacob to relate with anyone. Being alone became an anguish rather than a salve.
  • Grade Skipper: His abnormal intellect and his mother's willingness to let him benefit from it landed in classes and coursework beyond his age group. He still spends a lot of time a panicky, nervous wreck of a child stuck in a school full of people often years older than him with no one to relate to.
  • Grew a Spine: Used to be a bonafide Shrinking Violet due a lack of self-confidence and social isolation. Now, he's a Wise Beyond His Years Tsundere.
  • The Heart: In Pokémon Story: Sinnoh Journey, despite not physically present, Jacob serves a source of advice and emotional grounding for Aaron and Ian, particularly the latter since he keeps in touch the most with him.
  • Improbably High I.Q.: 200 IQ isn't unrealistically high, but it's pushing it.
  • Intelligence Equals Isolation: Extremely smart and knowledgeable, but it left him with no one but his mother for a long while.
  • Insufferable Genius: Jacob carefully defied this. He refused to give anyone a reason he was an insufferable know-it-all, that he knew he was special. He knew he was an easy target for the unsavory, older kind. The less fuel they held, the better.
  • Nice Guy: Sweet, empathetic, nice, and friendly. No surprise he and Winter relate to each other.
  • Shrinking Violet: Jacob used to be shy, not an introvert where one felt power in being alone. He wanted to be around people, to connect with them, but he just didn't know how. He carried that feeling all the way to high school where the "boy was more fragile than a glass figurine."
  • Smart People Wear Glasses: Sports a pretty nice pair of green glasses that reflect his educated personality.
  • The Smart Guy: Of his trio, Jacob is the most overtly intellectual with clear emphasis on his intelligence
  • Teen Genius: Ten-years-old taking the hardest classes in high school.
  • Tsundere: He's usually very sweet and empathetic, but when someone presses his buttons ever so slightly, Jacob fumbles to keep his pride aloft, often shouting.
  • When Are You Coming Home Dad?: Wishes he knew his father.
  • Wise Beyond His Years: The same age as Aaron and Ian, but as The Heart between the three, in addition his prodigious intellect, leaves Jacob with a few extra ups on them.


     Winter Isolda 
A demure but elegant young woman from Fimbulvetr Town who yearns to be Champion of the Tenla Region. She is the younger sister of Fimbulvetr Town Gym Leader, Heather.

More specifically, she is the adopted younger sister. Her biological mother perished from a terminal illness while her father soon lost a battle with despair and died as well. Thankfully, Heather was a childhood friend and the Isoldas took her in as one of their own.

In, Pokémon: Nova and Antica she is a major recurring character and yet another rival for Ash in his way of becoming a Pokemon Master.


  • Affectionate Nickname: Winter's is "Winny".
  • Beneath the Mask: Beneath her polite and soft-spoken personality lies a young woman racked by guilt and great disappointment in herself. Battling, the one thing she really excels at, serves as her escape from a reality she dreads. All in all, it's very clear that her self-confidence is actually frighteningly low.
  • Blood Knight: It may be surprising to see Winter is a closet example.
  • Death by Despair: Seems to be the case with Winter's biological father. She mentions, after her mother died of an illness, he looked "to have given up".
  • Deconstructed Character Archetype: Winter's soft color scheme, pale skin, long hair, and demure disposition all make the perfect depiction of delicate femininity, right? Too bad "delicate" equals "weak", and Winter hates her weaknesses. Not to mention, she suffers from various mental issues and Survivor's Guilt. All this contributes to her massive self-esteem problems and insecurities.
  • Dull Eyes of Unhappiness: Winter is described as having eyes "bereft of their natural sheen" as a result of the trauma she went through in Chapter 12. Dawn talks her out of it in Chapter 13.
  • Escapism: Winter uses battles as a means of forgetting her own shortcomings in real life.
  • Fainting: Winter has been plagued by weak constitutions since childhood. She’ll faint under great duress.
  • Girly Girl with a Tomboy Streak: Winter is a composed and elegant Lady of War who commands her Pokemon in a collected manner, all the while spewing poetic lines as cool as her Ice-types. She also has a distinctly feminine appearance with her long hair, demure demeanor, and cool colors (white and teal). Being said that, she's very eager to battle and dislikes dressing up.
  • Good Samaritan: Winter saves Ash and Pikachu in Chapter 11 out of the goodness of her heart.
  • Graceful in Their Element: Shy, reserved, soft-spoken, and racked with self-esteem and emotional problems normally. Make her accept a challenge, and the Lady of War Blood Knight comes out.
  • Guest-Star Party Member: Travels with Ash's extended party in the Fimbulvetr Town-Ifrit City chapters.
  • Heartwarming Orphan: Winter is revealed to be one in Chapter 14, although her children friend's parents quickly adopted her.
  • Heroic Self-Deprecation: Winter really wanted to beat Heather to convince herself doing so was a stepping stone in her career towards becoming Tenla Region Champion. When she ultimately loses, she spirals into a Heroic BSoD so hard that she covers up her disappointment in front of her friends. Excusing herself to the bathroom, she takes the moment to let it all out, convinced her loss proved she always was that weak.
  • Hidden Depths: Think she's just your typical Shrinking Violet? You're only partially right. She's also a Lady of War and Blood Knight with a surprising amount of ambition who's looking to overcome her crippling self-esteem issues. And that's just what we learn of her at first.
  • An Ice Person: Winter exclusively trains Ice type Pokemon. Yes, she is also a nice person.
  • I Just Want to Be Special: Winter admits she wants to take the Pokemon League to win battle after battle to become strong and therefore special.
  • Imagine the Audience Naked: A variant of this. Obviously for a Shrinking Violet, she never fully grew out of her shyness. To grow accustomed to strangers and new acquaintances, Winter pretends they are carrots (her favorite vegetable incidentally), allowing her to talk and maintain eye contact more comfortably.
  • Nice Girl: Unfailingly polite, Winter is an absolute sweetheart.
  • Shrinking Violet: Under casual circumstances, Winter is timid, soft-spoken, and polite. In fact, in her debut, Winter withers under the attention of Ash's friends, especially Brock's. In a battle? Well...
  • Sickly Child Grew Up Strong: Winter as a child held no special talents of note, wasn't a good talker, had a weak body, and suffers from mental issues. Nowadays, while remnants still linger, she nevertheless grew up to be a respectable Lady of War with strong Pokemon and a penchant for battling.
  • Silk Hiding Steel: Sweet and unassuming out of battle. Hyper-competent in battle.
  • Survivor's Guilt: Mom dies an illness, dad dies out of despair, and she blame herself for what happened.
  • The Nondescript: As a child following her parent's demises, Winter saw herself as someone who had no special talents of note, wasn’t a good talker, and had a weak body.
  • To Be a Master: Winter's desire is to be Tenla Region Champion.
  • Warrior Poet: What usually marks the difference between Winter during a battle and Winter in normal conversations is that she spews out hammy but eloquent lines. Check out her first lines in the story:
    “Ice blooms in full splendor like flowers in spring. Each blossom is another second closer to your end.”
    “Be devoured by pure white flakes, trackless and untrodden.”
    “Scatter.”
    “The chill of snowflakes waft.”
  • You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Said word-for-word by Heather to Winter in Chapter 14, the former trying to comfort the latter and make her realize how much she's progressed in spite of her flaws.

Alternative Title(s): Pokemon Story Sinnoh Journey

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