Sutter Chiaki

Professor **Sutter Chiaki** was the grandfather of Matt and Amanda Chiaki. He was a famous adventurer in his younger years, eventually gaining recognition as the one who brought the many mysteries of Lapidaria to greater public attention through his search for The Golden City. He also was the first to document the Pokémon Mamoswine and shed light on its evolutionary link to Piloswine. Later in life, he took a teaching position at the Rustboro School, gaining the title of professor.

## History

As a young man, Sutter attended Hammerlocke University in the Galar region. During this time he was known to be a skilled Pokémon trainer, but did not pursue it professionally.

During his career as an adventurer, Sutter relished the thrills his chosen life afforded him. His worldly lifestyle brought him significant and well-earned fame, but led to a fracturing in his relationship with his son, Charon. During this time, he traveled the Lapidaria region extensively with his apprentice, Jacob Alexison. The pair operated out of the desert kingdom of La Ciudad Dorada, and Sutter forged a deep relationship with its royal family. All his work led to the previously obscure region becoming much more prominent in the public eye, forging its reputation as a land of mystery.

In 1952 and 1953, Sutter and Jacob explored Sinnoh hoping to find the holy land of the ancient Tenganists. They eventually met a young woman, Saeko Oryo, who brought them to her home and the land they were searching for. Though Sutter and Saeko grew close, a tragedy involving the Tenganist elders and the Jewel of Life kept in the holy land resulted in the deaths of Saeko and all the other Tenganists there. The land was ravaged by the effects of Saeko's actions, turning it into a snow-bound wasteland that came to be known as the Sinjoh Ruins. Sutter and Jacob only survived due to their being exiled from the settlement before the tragedy took place.

These events led Sutter to begin re-evaluating his lifestyle. He attempted to become a better father to Charon, but it was already too late for a reconciliation, and Charon resented Sutter for the rest of both of their lives. Sutter eventually settled in Rustboro City in the Hoenn region, accepting the position of professor at the prestigious Rustboro School. He worked to have a better relationship with his grandchildren Matt and Amanda, bonding with them even in spite of Charon's bitter opposition. Sutter encouraged them to embrace life's adventures and, at one point, gifted them with a valuable copy of the Kalosian fairy tale *The Prince and the Soul-Heart*. When they discovered Cyrus and Team Galactic's manipulation of them, Sutter helped them escape to Rustboro, settle in an apartment they shared, and enroll in the Rustboro School themselves. He also taught them Braille to help facilitate better communication between the two. Sutter became an active member of the Rustboro community, garnering respect for himself among a new generation.

Sutter was still healthy despite his advanced age, however, he met his end when a thief came to his office at the school searching for a relic from his days exploring Lapidaria, the Pillar Cube. He sacrificed himself to protect the cube and its secrets, suffering a fatal blow from the thief's Dragonite. His secretary and several guards forced the thief to escape without the treasure, and in his last moments, Sutter begged his secretary to tell Matt to continue his work protecting the Pillar Cube.

## Pokémon

Runerigus's known moves were Phantom Force, Toxic Spikes, Ally Switch and Safeguard, while her ability was Wandering Spirit.

## Trivia

* Sutter's name comes from Sutter's Mill, the site where the discovery of gold that set off the California Gold Rush took place in 1848.
* Sutter's coat buttons and the pattern on his necktie are based on features of Regigigas's body, while the color of his coat is based on the blue section of a shiny Regigigas.