Claudio Hickory

Purrsia the Purrloin (Pet)

Claudio Hickory is one of the graduate students of the Aquacorde City Pokémon Academy and a main character of Z: A Kalos Journey. He is written by BugTypeAficionado.

 Background

Claudio was born in Driftveil City with two loving parents, a reformed ex-member of Team Plasma as his mother and a sanitation worker as his father. As unlikely of a duo they were, Claudio was given a very respectable childhood. One with all the things a growing child could ask for; loving parents, a nice home, company in the form of his mother's Purrloin, Purrsia, and funds to support his ever growing passions.

At a young age, it became apparent that Claudio was a very curious child. From spending nights watching Pidove come and go from his windowsill, to catching and releasing more bug-types near his house than a Bug Maniac could shake a net at, Claudio had a passion to learn of the world around him, one way or another. His mother, desperate to provide her child with a life they wanted, caved in to Claudio's wishes. While his father mostly provided for the family with his job, his mother started taking up part-time jobs for additional income.

With the efforts of both of Claudio's parents, he was provided with fancy devices to help fuel his passion around 10 years old, and the gifts kept coming year after year. But left to his own devices, Claudio became somewhat reclusive. He came out of his room less and less, didn't talk or do anything with his parents as much.

"Was this not enough?" His mother falsely believed. Having rarely left his hometown, his mother started to fear that perhaps Claudio was unhappy to be stuck here, to not be able to explore the world he read about. But with both her and her husband working hard to not only provide Claudio with what he had, but to support their family as well, they couldn't afford to sign him up for the Unova Pokemon League.

However, with luck, some string-pulling, and the assistance of an aunt in Kalos, Claudio *was* able to be enlisted into the Aquacorde Trainer Academy. They even got a plane ticket and everything for the boy. Claudio was surprised with the ticket, which left him positively overjoyed. A couple weeks later, he flew alone to Kalos, with whatever of his possessions he could cram into a couple suitcases.

During his time at the academy, Claudio stayed at one of his aunt's vacation homes in Aquacorde, and breezed through his classes with little effort, thanks to his prior knowledge and research about Pokemon training. Prior to the events of "Z: A Kalos Journey", Claudio did not interact with any of his fellow students, his nose almost always stuck in a book, laptop, or something similar.

After graduating, he set off with his newly acquired partner, Yottabyte the Porygon, and set off to claim all the badges across Kalos. While not necessarily aiming to defeat everyone in his path, Claudio wishes to become a trainer of high prestige and power, whether that be a gym leader, elite four member, champion, or even something else entirely.

## Personality

*Strengths*

**Smart Cookie** - Having studied Pokemon and battles profusely before even attending the Trainer's School, he's well familiarized with plenty of strategies to choose from in battle. He's also a very logical thinker, and can analyze most problems from several angles and provide a multitude of solutions.

**Eager to Learn** - Of course, he doesn't know everything. Not even close. Claudio will eagerly jump at a chance to see new Pokemon, places, and opponents alike. He'd spent most of his time researching in the comfort of his own home, it was time to experience it first hand.

**Encouraging** - With people and Pokemon alike, if he's developed a bond or friendship with them, he quickly obtains confidence in them. Seeing them succeed will strengthen Claudio's confidence in them, while their failures will only be treated as minor setbacks. They don't make them any less talented than they already are, in his eyes.

**Determined** - If Claudio sets his eyes on a goal, he'll stick to it, through and through. While not a go-getter, ready to tackle any challenge head on, he's more of a...slow-getter. His work and methods may not be the fastest, but they're definitely efficient.

*Weaknesses*

**How The Smart Cookie Crumbles** - Seeing his ideas get shot down, counteracted, or proved to be ineffective altogether is discouraging to the aspiring researcher, and can cause his focus to waver.

**No Time For Fooling Around** - While Claudio is a nice and caring person, he's not exactly...joke savvy, for lack of a better word. He always has an air of seriousness and level-headedness around him, no matter how small. He can definitely be a stick in the mud at times.

**Darned Delinquents...** - Claudio has a strong distaste for people (and on rare occasions, Pokemon) that he deems as trouble making, even if there's more to someone than what's on the surface. And he's not afraid to voice his distaste either.
Confidence Issues - Claudio rarely lets it show, but losses and failures can challenge him on a personal level. He should've been equipped to handle this better. He flubbed, and let his Pokemon down. He was the head of his team, how were his Pokemon supposed to succeed if he couldn't keep his head straight?

## Physical Appearance

Claudio is, in layman's terms, a twig. He's incredibly thin, and only has very few signs of muscle on his body. His complexion is pale (although not unhealthily so), from being more so of an "in-the-lab" worker rather than out in the field. Claudio's hair is a dirty blonde, the bushel on his head thick and ruffled at all times. It extends slightly down his forehead, and only halfway down his neck. His face is youthful and soft, with big blue eyes whose gaze can turn from somber and relaxed to harsh and serious in, quite literally, the blink of an eye. His eyes, however, are almost always covered by a pair of thick framed glasses, the lenses of which are almost always crystal clear.

As far as clothing goes, Claudio is never seen without his lab coat. It fits him almost perfectly, and extends just above his ankles. He keeps the top 3 buttons are so done, and leaves the rest undone so he doesn't get too stuffy wearing the thing. Various sew marks and wrinkles are a testament as to how long Claudio has kept and worn his lab coat, treating it as a symbol of his studies and intellect. Although it's hard to see normally, Claudio wears a a dark, pine green sweater under his coat. His black work pants, with belt and all, can be seen much more easily, as it's not covered as much by his lab coat. He wears slip-on shoes of a similar hue to his work pants, along with a pair of white, run-of-the-mill socks. He keeps a small, yet hefty notepad inside one of the inner pockets of his coat, with a novelty Voltorb-themed ball point pen in another. All of his other valuables he holds in a solid black with white outlined trainer bag, which is slung across his right shoulder underneath his coat.

## Pokémon

### Pokémon On Hand

> **Yottabyte (Genderless, Analytic)** - Yottabyte, AKA Yotta, is Claudio's starter pokémon, having received them from Professor Sycamore upon graduating from the Aquacorde Pokémon Academy. Similar to their trainer, Yotta is very serious and rarely messes around, while also holding a strong amount of determination in battle. Unlike his trainer, they've learned to loosen up now and then, although even then not often. They also act as the voice of authority among Claudio's other Pokemon. After a fierce battle with an abandoned Herdier, the Trubbish that they protected gave Claudio an Up Grade, allowing them to evolve. They were first seen in Act 3, Stage 2.
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