Dakota

She is the main protagonist of *Dakota*.

### Ability

Tough Claws (Dusk form), Vital Spirit (Midnight form), Sand Rush (Midday form), Own Tempo (Rockruff)

### Height

4'14" (Dusk and Midday forms), 6'14" (Midnight form), 1 m (Rockruff)

## Relations

### Family

Annie (deceased mother), Arnold (disowned biological father)

## **Appearance**

### **Currently**

Dakota normally appears as a large Dusk form Lycanroc with golden brown and white fur. She has yellow eyes, black-tipped ears, and a dark brown facial stripe on her muzzle. Her paws, claws, nose, and the rocks in her mane are black. Her thick, fluffy, white tail is longer than her body with a dark brown and then black tip. There are dark, mud-colored patches on her back, and her paw pads and the insides of her ears are also mud-colored. She has unusually long white claws and sharp mud brown quills on her lower back, the only physical traits she inherited from her mother. She has multiple scars as a result of both external battles and physical self-harm. There is a yellow gem on her chest that allows her to devolve into Rockruff and evolve into other forms of Lycanroc. After being adopted, she gains a black collar with a gold hexagonal tag on it. When shapeshifting, she can take on the form of Rockruff and other forms of Lycanroc, but retains her normal coloration.

However, her true form can gain up to nine tails, making her resemble a Kitsune. A smaller yellow gem is present on her forehead between her eyes, her upper fangs extend, and she has another pair of forelegs. Her mane is larger and has eight more stones: four are long and straight, growing on her neck with the original five (resembling a sun), and the other four are shorter and curved, growing out of her sides. Her eyes remain yellow but turn scarlet red when angered.

### **Initially**

As a young Rockruff, Dakota had lighter fur and black pebbles in the mane around her neck, and she wore no collar. Her gem was a lighter, yellowish-white color. Her back was bare with no patches. Other than that, her appearance remained the same.

After evolving for the first time, Dakota took on Lycanroc's Midnight form. Her fur color was the same as her pre-evolved form, but her gem was a slightly darker shade of yellow. She also retained her quills, which were lighter and much shorter, long claws, long fluffy tail, which uncurled and grew to be as long as her body. Upon evolving, she gained the dark brown patches on her back; both this and her quills led to her secondary Ground typing. After being shot and killed, she gained a bullet hole wound in the center of her forehead and her body transformed into that of Dusk Lycanroc when the residents of the Spirit Realm sent her back to the living world, believing she deserved a second chance at life.

## ***Dakota***

### **Chapter 1**

Dakota is called down by her mother for breakfast. She is reluctant to eat Berries, though Annie persuades her otherwise, saying she doesn't want Dakota to end up like Arnold. Dakota asks Annie who Arnold is, and the Sandslash reveals that Arnold is her father. When the Rockruff asks why Arnold isn't with them, Annie responds that she'll understand when she's older and has her finish her food when someone bangs on the door. Dakota notices her mother become angry and storm to the front door. Hiding under a chair, the Rockruff watches Annie answer and ask what the visitor wants in an unfriendly tone, revealing their name to be Arnold. Dakota realizes in shock that her father came to visit. She listens as Arnold pleads for Annie to let him see their daughter, hearing him panting.

Annie vehemently denies his request, claiming that Dakota is hers alone. She furiously berates him for his actions, pointing out his flaws, and finishing that she's cutting him out for both her own and Dakota's sakes. Arnold tries to get Annie to budge, but she refuses, revealing that many of her own family members are just like him and that she won't let him imprint his behavior on her only daughter. Dakota feels her heart break with sadness as she realizes her father doesn't sound like who he says he is and begins to put the pieces together. She listens as Annie angrily disowns Arnold, snarling that Dakota is the only family she has left, and shuts him out, slamming the door in his face.

### **Chapter 2**

Three weeks later, Dakota, who has grown quite a bit, notices Annie crying while reading a letter in the mail. She asks her mother if she's okay, and Annie replies that she isn't before ripping the letter to pieces and going upstairs. Dakota later notices her mother exhibiting strange and disturbing behavior, such as cutting herself with a knife and chewing on things. She confronts Annie about this, and Annie tells her she's going through some tough times, revealing that the letter she received was from her mother, who condemned her for raising a child on her own. Dakota comforts Annie, who promises Dakota that she won't suffer the same fate.

### **Chapter 3**

The next night, Dakota spots Annie holding a knife to her throat and realizes she's about to kill herself. The Rockruff begs her mother not to go through with it, telling her she still needs her. Annie hesitates, and apologizes to her daughter, before telling Dakota she can't bear the abuse from her family anymore and putting the knife's blade against her throat. Horrified, Dakota screams for Annie not to do it, but her plea falls on deaf ears as she witnesses her mother commit suicide right in front of her. Annie falls to the floor, dead, and the blood pumping from the stab wound in her throat forms a large pool that stains Dakota's paws. Traumatized, Dakota begins to sob, repeatedly screaming for her mother. She eventually realizes that Annie is gone for good and huddles against her body, shuddering at its coldness.

### **Chapter 20**

As part of her community service, Dakota is forced to work as an unpaid medical assistant. However, she can't wear any protective gear due to her physiology. She is shocked when Arnold is wheeled in for a liposuction procedure, and ignores him when he tries to talk to her. Korra scolds her for her attitude towards Arnold; this triggers Dakota's memories of his abuse towards her, resulting in her snapping at Korra. As punishment, Korra forces Dakota to wear a basket muzzle and help get Arnold ready for the procedure. Arnold keeps trying to start a conversation with Dakota, but she keeps ignoring him and finally places the oxygen mask over his snout to sedate him. Under Korra's orders, she assists her and the other doctors, during the liposuction, while silently fuming that Korra has no idea what she's been through. Everything goes off without a hitch. When the procedure is finished, Dakota wheels her father into the recovery room. She is amazed how much slimmer his body is, but continues to hold her grudge against him. She leaves the room when he wakes up.

Three days later, Arnold's incision wounds have become infected, and Dakota notices him showing signs of kidney failure. She asks Johnny to run a blood test on him, which confirms he's suffering from kidney failure. Due to her grudge, Dakota decides not to tell anyone else, wishing for her father to be dead. For the next three days, she lies to Korra and the others that Arnold's doing well when he's actually becoming worse. While Arnold is unconscious, Dakota tells him that she wishes she never met him and he deserves to die for what he did to Annie. She leaves his hospital room and returns the next morning to find him dead. Realizing someone could report her if they find out what happened, Dakota flees from Arnold's room before anyone sees her and abandons the hospital. She soon manages to flee Harton City on a public bus.

## **Moves**

### **Rock-type**

Accelerock, Stone Edge, Rock Tomb, Stealth Rock, Ancient Power, Rock Slide, Power Gem, Rock Throw, Rollout, Sandstorm, Rock Blast, Smack Down, Head Smash, Meteor Beam, Rock Wrecker, Diamond Storm, Rock Polish, Splintered Stormshards (Z-move), Continental Crush (Z-move)

### **Ground-type**

Drill Run, Sand Attack, Dig, Mud-Slap, Scorching Sands, High Horsepower, Sand Tomb, Earthquake, Bulldoze, Fissure, Earth Power, Mud Bomb, Magnitude, Mud Sport, Headlong Rush, Mud Shot, Spikes, Shore Up, Stomping Tantrum, Bone Rush, Tectonic Rage (Z-move)

### **Normal-type**

Crush Claw, Swords Dance, Double Team, Protect, Hyper Beam, Super Fang, Double Edge, Quick Attack, Mean Look, Bide, Fury Attack, Mega Punch, Strength, Mega Kick, Substitute, Cut, Slash, Hyper Fang, Double Hit, Copycat, Facade, Extreme Speed, Frustration, Roar, Metronome, Breakneck Blitz (Z-move)

### **Fighting-type**

Counter, Reversal, Drain Punch, Final Gambit, Bulk Up, Quick Guard, Close Combat, Low Sweep, Upper Hand, Brick Break, Focus Punch, Double Kick, Power-Up Punch

### **Dark-type**

Lash Out, Crunch, Night Slash, Taunt, Knock Off, Throat Chop, Snarl, Foul Play, Sucker Punch, Fling

### **Fire-type**

Fire Fang, Fire Punch, Flamethrower, Burning Jealousy, Sunny Day, Blaze Kick, Fire Blast

### **Dragon-type**

Dragon Claw, Dragon Tail, Dragon Rush, Dual Chop, Dragon Pulse, Outrage, Breaking Swipe

## **Personality**

Initially curious, playful, energetic, and loving to her mother. Also very intelligent and quick-witted. However, due to her traumatic childhood, during which she is estranged from her father, Dakota becomes self-sufficient and independent but also distant, aloof, cold, calculating, stoic, wily, and self-serving. She is not above using deceit and manipulation to achieve her goals, even going so far as to take the possessions or lives of others, like when she committed patricide out of anger. She also tends to act erratically and has developed dangerous, unsanitary habits as well as an obsession with blood and weapons. However, the sight of those things also causes her to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder after witnessing her mother committing suicide. This has resulted in Dakota having frequent nightmares and hallucinations about the incident, and she'll willingly harm herself, believing that physical pain will alleviate her suffering. Despite this, her inability to move on has driven her to the point of insanity and contemplating suicide herself. However, she later changes her attitude upon finding a dumped baby and, realizing that the baby reminds her of her younger self, Dakota's old persona partially resurfaces. She vows to care for the baby, showing new maternal instincts. Seeing the baby girl's sweet personality, the Lycanroc lovingly names her Annie to honor her mother's memory and helps care for her until her untimely death.

Upon her resurrection, however, Dakota's personality once again changes for the worse as she develops an immense fear and hatred of humans, as the human male Keith killed her in vain. This hatred deepens when Dakota finds out that the people who found Annie sought help too late, and the baby died from malnutrition, devastating her. She blames Keith and the rest of humanity for all of this and vows vengeance, also seeing the Pokémon under human care as traitors. Additionally, her PTSD has worsened as a result of being unjustly slain, causing her to descend into madness once again. She becomes a sadistic sociopath hellbent on making those her wronged her suffer. Her intense fear of weapons also triggers her PTSD, causing her to have seizures and/or violently attack anyone who comes too close to her; she'll sometimes foam at the mouth, making it look like she's rabid. Her mental state borders on unstable, resulting in her being extremely hostile, aggressive, and temperamental.

However, through intense physical and mental training from Keith, who adopts her, and Korra, Dakota's persona makes a full 180, and she's able to put her trauma behind her.

## **Type Effectiveness**

As a Rock/Ground-type, Dakota is weak against Grass, Water, Ice, Ground, Fighting and Steel-type attacks. She is immune to Electric-type attacks and resistant to Rock, Fire, Normal, Flying, and Poison-type attacks. Her primary type moves are super-effective against Flying, Ice, Fire, and Bug-type Pokémon; they're not very effective against Water, Grass, Ground, Steel, and Fighting-types. Her secondary type moves are super effective against Fire, Electric, Steel, Poison and Rock-type Pokémon; they're not very effective against Ice, Grass, and Water-types and completely ineffective against Flying-types.

## **Quotes**

"Please take care of Annie." - Dakota's last words to Keith before he kills her and discovers the baby.

## **Trivia**

* Her DNA results are: 90% Lycanroc, 10% Sandslash. While she can switch between Rockruff and the Lycanroc forms, she can't transform into Sandslash.