Martin

**Age**

 **Gender**

 **Eye Color**

 **Hair Color**

 **Hometown**

 **Region**

## In the Game

### **Role**

Martin is the protagonist's older cousin and the Fairy Gym Leader of the Vereshad region. He is an unseen driving force for the protagonist throughout most of the game, only appearing during specific encounters. Martin is the 5th gym challenge in the protagonist's journey to become the new Champion.

### **Background**

Martin used to live in Cadere Town with his older sister, Mariana, and their parents. Their house was close to the protagonist's house, and often their parents would spend time together and compare Martin and the protagonist to Mariana. His parents often focused their attention on Mariana and left Martin to fend for himself. Martin was always good at mastering new skills, but Mariana tended to master them faster. This family dynamic caused him to become brash and determined to beat Mariana at all costs.

### **Personality**

Martin can be hot-headed and temperamental to outsiders, but those who are close to him understand that he only acts that way when he feels threatened. He is insecure about his standing in life, always looking to better himself and his position. He wants to bring fame to Cadere Town, much like how his sister did when she became Champion. Martin's goal is to be the best Pokémon trainer in the region, and he seeks the most powerful Pokémon for his team. He believes that Fairy-Type Pokémon are the best type because of their magical nature and elegance. When he does not feel that his status is at risk, he is a fun-loving, energetic person. Only his Pokémon see this side of him consistently since he is paranoid that someone will usurp him at any moment. Martin truly loves his Pokémon and does his best to care for them. As a Gym Leader, he understands that trainers will defeat him, so he strives to make that feat as difficult as possible. Before the start of the game, no one has defeated Martin on their first try.

## Relationships

Martin is not part of the friendship system, so his relationship with the protagonist is not influenced by the player's in-game dialogue choices.

### **Protagonist**

Martin views the protagonist as his direct competition in life. He believes that as long as he is better than the protagonist, he can eventually surpass Mariana. Martin does care about the protagonist as his family member, and he wants to see them succeed in life and become a good trainer. He gives brief, grumbling tips to help the protagonist during their interactions, but Martin still wants to be in a higher standing than his cousin. Martin used to take out his frustrations on the protagonist when they were children by constantly belittling them. He would make a point to push the protagonist down their family's social ladder in order to climb it himself. When the protagonist challenges him to a Gym Battle, Martin is proud that they were able to beat the previous Gym Leaders. As they have grown older, Martin is nicer to the protagonist because he believes that they can never beat him.

### **Mariana**

Martin is Mariana's younger brother. He has bitter feelings towards Mariana starting from their childhood due to their parents favoring her. He does love her, but he thinks of her as an obstacle to his own happiness. Martin tries to match Mariana in her achievements, but he usually falls just short of her accomplishments. When Martin started on his Pokémon journey, he was on track to become the Champion before Mariana. He was stopped at the Fairy Gym, unable to defeat the previous leader, and watched as Mariana won the Fairy Gym Badge and continued her journey to become the Champion. He swears that she would not be able to beat him now that he is in charge of the Fairy Gym.

### **Professor Sakura**

Martin knows Professor Sakura prior to the start of the game. The two were never close because Martin was able to succeed as a Pokémon trainer without Professor Sakura's help. Martin used to avoid Professor Sakura since she would socialize with Mariana, but once he became a Gym Leader, they began to exchange information on Pokémon. He hoped it would help him get an edge over Mariana.

### **Damien**

Martin has known Damien since they were children in Cadere Town. They did not interact a lot while growing up, and he used to resent Damien for receiving help from Mariana. Martin is shocked when Damien defeats him (on his fourth try), but he is proud of Damien's tenacity and endurance.

### **Eva**

Martin does not know much about Eva since she is a transfer trainer from a different region. He is impressed with Eva's ability to defeat him after her second attempt, but he is also a bit wary of her talents. Martin views her as a potential threat to his standing and thus treats her more harshly than the other characters.