Protagonist

## Character

* Male
* Female

"*Misfortune may as well be my middle name."* -Picturesque, *Unannounced* (Apex's opening credits)

The **Protagonist** is the primary character of the game, and the one controlled by the player. The Protagonist can be either male or female, depending on the choice made by the player at the beginning of the game, and can essentially have any name. The Protagonist lives in Nascene City and from there begins their journey into Gehenna.

## Story

The Protagonist has lived in Nascene City their entire life. When they were very young, they were introduced to the Rival, and have been best friends ever since.

When the Protagonist was young (about 11 years before the beginning of the game), the Protagonist's parents divorced, leaving the protagonist to live with their father. Their mother has not been seen since. This causes the Protagonist a lot of grief, and is something with which they have had to come to terms as they grew up.

When the story begins, the Protagonist is complaining about strange dreams and rough sleep. This causes them to struggle to stay awake during class. After school, the Protagonist meets up with the Rival and voices their concerns. After a brief conversation, Dad texts the Protagonist, asking them to bring his forgotten Research Notes to the XENO Corp. Labs where he works. After a heart-to-heart with Dad, the Protagonist eventually goes to hang out with the Rival. The two play Super Smash Bros. for the WiiU and discuss the Protagonist's feelings about their mother. To cheer them up, the Rival proposes they sneak into the Abandoned House to see what they can find. In the Abandoned House, the Protagonist finds the Strange Device, but fails to understand it and files it away.

The next day, Dante appears in the suburbs, audibly irritated about not being able to find the Strange Device. Intrigued, the Protagonist follows Dante into the woods, which somehow lead to Jagged Pass. After reaching Jagged Cavern, Dante confronts the Protagonist. Before he can act on his threats, a strange cloaked figure interferes. When Dante calls his Blaziken to strike the Protagonist, the cloaked figure orders a Vileplume to spread Sleep Powder on the area, knocking out the Protagonist and causing Dante to flee.

The Protagonist awakes in a cave in the Amon Desert, and runs into Yorick outside, who gives the Protagonist their choice of starter and informs them ever so slightly about their predicament. After a quick battle, the Protagonist awakes in their bed.

Intending to confer with the Rival about what occurred, the Protagonist heads to school. They are unable to locate the Rival until a series of eerie texts arrive after school. The Protagonist hastens to the RevTex Textile Factory to locate the Rival. After battling their way through a sudden appearance of wild Pokémon in the factory, the Protagonist once again finds Dante, who has taken captive the unconscious Rival. The two battle, and Dante retreats through a portal with possession of the Rival. The Protagonist gives chase, invoking Dante's irritation. Dante knocks out the Protagonist, who falls out of the portal and into Sagaxis Forest.

The Protagonist is woken by Dahlia, who leads them through the forest to her house. Dahlia's mother Holly informs the Protagonist that they are now in Gehenna and must head to Acacia Town to seek guidance from Elder Matthias.

At the Acacia Temple, the Protagonist observes the Cloaked Elder interrogating Matthias about some sort of artifact. After defeating the Cloaked Elder in battle, Matthias requests that the Protagonist retrieve the Ancient Map from the Temple Catacombs. When the Protagonist returns with the map, Matthias explains the history of Gehenna, along with the fact that the Protagonist's heart is bound by chains. In order to free themselves, the Protagonist must collect all of the Ancient Artifacts that lie hidden across Abbadon. With this in mind, the Protagonist heads once more into Jagged Pass towards the Amon Desert.

## Description

Since the Protagonist can be either male or female, their physical appearance can take on one of two forms, with the Rival taking on whichever appearance is not chosen.

### Griffen

The male character (henceforth known by their default name of Griffen) wears a white t-shirt bearing a skull graphic, jeans, a black and white backpack, and a distinctive static-grey beanie. He has long, dark-brown hair that can be seen below his beanie. As for height, he stands at around 5'5", three inches shorter than Heather. His favorite Smash Bros. character is Villager.

### Sarah

The female character (henceforth known by their default name of Sarah) wears a black t-shirt, jeans, and a bright red backpack. Her hair is naturally dark, but she has dyed it a deep crimson. She stands at around 5'8", three inches taller than Griffen. Her favorite Smash Bros. character is Kirby.

### The Protagonist

Regardless of which gender is chosen, the Protagonist retains their same personality and backstory. The protagonist is an introvert who prefers to spend their time playing video games and hanging out with their best friend, the Rival. The Protagonist has always struggled with staying motivated in school, and would rather daydream about adventures. However, despite how despondent they seem, they still get fired up about topics they enjoy, and vow to do anything for those they care about.

The Protagonist has lived alone with their father for most of their life, so they are constantly wondering what it would be like if their estranged mother were still around.