Hoopa the Ring King

Hoopa- or as some would call them, the Ring King, is a champion that was rumored to be the last one ever blessed by Arceus before she passed. He is small in stature, grey colored with patches of pink fur. On his horns and upon his waist sits golden rings. He also has a third golden eye on his forehead. He can often be seen playing with golden rings that sometimes drip with a black tar like substance.

## Personality

Hoopa is most known for his impish and cruel demeanor, especially when one considers his pension for collecting and imprisoning unique Pokémon against their will. He is reliably drawn to the rare and bizarre items and creatures of the world so most normal Pokémon rarely have to deal with his antiques. It’s the exceptional that should be afraid.

While being a champion means he’d more then likely be able to take things he desires by force, time has humbled Hoopa some and in recent years he has taken to making trades instead of engaging physically with those he wishes to antagonize. These trades are not always fair however, as Hoopa is known to add strange and bizarre conditions to whatever agreement is being made. It appears this is mostly for the entertainment of Hoopa who has a remarkably bleak outlook of the world and the emergence. He explained that with what he sees as the eventual end of the world, might as well have some fun while he can.

## Powers

Hoopa has several unique powers that most other champions do not. He can conjure golden rings that allow him to teleport to one area to another almost instantaneously. There are some limits where rings can appear, but no one Pokémon really knows what those limits are except for Hoopa. It's also said that Hoopa can travel places normal pokemon can not. What these places are only Arceus had known. One known area however, is the Ring King's palace. Most Pokémon who are kidnapped by Hoopa find themselves trapped in the bewildering halls of Hoopa's domain.

## Appearances

Hoopa was first encountered during a mission to get help for Anana’s father. While in the splintering spire, Boris encountered a strange ring and touched it. When touched, a tar pillar erupted from it and from it’s inky darkness, Hoopa appeared. He was holding onto a small Zygarde core, juggling it in a carefree manor. Anana eventually freed the core, but when Boris insulted Hoopa, he stole Anana’s father and Kit as an act of revenge. It was then Hoopa presented a game where they could win these Pokémon back if they found them before sundown.

The Zygarde core revealed when prompted that Hoopa had originally came to relay a message to the champion Zygarde that he had not been able to complete a crucial task given to him by Arceus and now Hoopa suspected the emergence would only get worse at an accelerated rate and eventually swallow the world until none could survive it. He wasn’t even sure if Arceus task was completable to begin with.

This information would have to wait as Hoopa still had Anana’s father hostage. Hoopa set up several rings around the Splintered Spires, each with one of his “treasures” or captive Pokémon waiting to ambush the players. First was a Type-Null that they would rescue and quickly bartered for its release. Next we’re several strange piecemeal dinosaur like Pokémon that they outran or attacked until they fainted and were taken back by Hoopa. Lastly was a shiny Obstagoon warlord who attacked the teams without mercy. They managed to take her out with a critical hit, severely wounding her. Hoopa gave up on the Obstagoon thinking it would likely die then opened up the doorway to his Treasure Trove. Solving his trickeries with talk and trade, they eventually found Anana’s father and Kit, along with two Golett units. Hoopa stayed behind after the teams successfuly negotiated their release back outside.

Later after the fight with the Alipam forces that resulted in the beginning of a greater emergence and the destruction of the players home village- Hoopa reappeared to reclaim an Obstagoon bandit and to antagonize the players. At first he merely gloated about how they’d just sped up the end times and that they should start to flee for their lives, but then Tony the Togepi offered a trade of one of the plates they’d recovered for more information. Intrigued, Hoopa revealed more of his supposed duty to Arceus as the summoner of some great force meant to stop the emergence. But, apparently the place Hoopa was meant to get the help from didn’t exist and as he tried to seek it out, he was met with dying planets. He claimed Arceus lied and that he does not see a way of ending the emergence. Maybe another legendary would have more answers. He was given one half of the Alipam plates and vanished.

## Lore and History

While most champions have chosen to hide themselves from the world at large, the same can not be said for Hoopa who is widely known for the chaos and destruction they have caused over the centuries. While in recent decades Hoopa has been primarily absent from large scale endeavors, he is still mostly in the public consciousness- especially in areas where he had invaded on some scale in the past. Although stories describe him as being a large six armed beast. Now a days they appear much smaller. Whether by choice or by force, it is not certain.

The story Prairieville tells is of the time the Ring King invaded Alipam in search of the Gilded Core piece.

*Long ago, before the emergence had taken a great hold on our earth, the Ring King was one of the greatest forces of evil. They say Arceus had blessed the Ring King with one of her last great gifts: the gift of greater travel. The Ring King could go most anywhere he wanted in no time at all, even places they say only Arceus alone could go. We don’t know why she had blessed a Pokémon with such a cruel heart, only that the Ring King was given one final task that Arceus cared deeply about. But once Arceus had left us, the Ring King betrayed her trust and all the Pokémon of the earth. He was violent and uncaring, the only thing that prevented him from ravaging our world was the careful watch of the other champions. Though strong, his might and the power of travel would not save him from the strength of the other champions. That didn’t fully stop the Ring King from trying, however. Delighted by treasures and power, the Ring King would steal from kingdoms of the world whose champions had gone missing or were elsewhere.*

*They say Alipam used to be one of the richest kingdoms of the world, and that the champion Raikou was a fierce and proud protector of her plains she protected, which included the Alipam kingdom. For centuries the Ring King had not attempted to defile the Alipam Kingdom. Some say it was because he feared Raikou, others say it was because she had known him in another life and that the Ring King respected that life. Most believe the it was because they had known each other long ago, for when the Ring King finally set their sights on attaining the rare Gilded Core, Raikou was hesitant to stop him. The Ring King in turn did not harm Raikou, but to the kingdom of Alipam, no such kindness was shown. The Ring King was efficient, collecting the best and brightest warriors of Alipam for his collection, and trapping and sending the others to parts unknown. Desperate, the Queen Zeraora of Alipam begged Raikou for help. Unable to move, Raikou did something rarely seen, she made a deal with the Queen and gave up her plate she had been blessed with. Zeraora was to use it's power to fend off the Ring King and return it once done so that Raikou could continue to keep the balance and fend off the darkness. With the plate in hand, the Queen was transformed into a powerful champion and with her new form, she took on the Ring King. The fight was long and treacherous. New to her powers, Zeraora was pushed and pulled in ways we can never truly understand, but she still held strong, and when the Ring King gave up his pursuit of the Gilded Core, the kingdom rejoiced. Not all was well however, for when the Queen returned to the throne, she had changed. Plates are a powerful thing, like how Arceus shattered in the wake of her own powers, those who aren't strong enough can shatter with even the smallest of plates. Zeraora's mind had been altered and when Raikou had come to retrieve the plate, the Queen had refused. She was paranoid, certain the Ring King and other evils would return to terrorize her kingdom. Raikou had hesitated and for that Zeraora was no longer willing to trust her. Raikou begged for her to return the plate, but the old queen was gone. With a mighty claw, Zeraora tore at Raikou and she was struck down. As Raikou lay dying she cried out and in that moment a golden ring appeared- the Ring King had returned once more. He gathered Raikou in his arms as a powerful wave of of his essence swarmed all in the throne room. Those who were there saw a rare moment of sorrow in the Ring King, weeping over the damaged vessel of Raikou. He was gone as quickly as he arrived, back into his golden ring with Raikou in tow. It's not certain if Raikou ultimately died with the Ring King, but Alipam was never the same. The era of Zeraora had begun. Now immortal, she ruled the kingdom for centuries, leading it to ruin in her paranoia. The Ring King through his greed had changed the course of history.*