#pokemon kajedorr

[j3nnyjams]

first and second iterations of Haru’s design

[j3nnyjams]

in @onidrills‘ game, we’d just finished up the Electric Highlands arc. here’s some of the further adventures of Haru (previous post here), including her seven siblings and her cousin Kigiku. A lot of boring stuff under the cut!

Abridged Backstory

The Kamonegi Clan is super uptight and traditional. Everyone is trained to use a sword; men are warriors who defend Momiji City, and girls are expected to be trainers and compete in a tournament to represent the Electric Highlands as its regional Battle Princess.

Haru was once a cheerful, troublemaking and defiant child who just wanted to play with Pokémon and do whatever she wanted, but she hugged the Battle Princess’s Jolteon too hard and got zapped, causing her to be afraid of Pokémon for years and shuttering herself away. The clan tried to set her up with another girl, the model daughter Kigiku, but nothing worked. After being neglected and forgotten by her parents and elders, Haru became desperate for approval and forced herself to fit the Kamonegi mold - studying to surpass her siblings, training hard with the swordmasters Yorunozuku and Ajisai and receiving many scars in the process.

Meanwhile, Kigiku won the Battle Princess tournament and soon broke the Kamonegi mold, dressing wildly, fraternizing with the rival clan (the Denchura) and bucking tradition - to the horror of the elders of the clan. Due to Haru’s renewed fervor, the elders took notice of her and chose her as the favorite to replace her cousin Kigiku, sending her on a journey across the region where she would soon learn to love Pokémon again. While she has a lot of pride in her status as a Kamonegi, it’s now clear to her friends that Haru’s spirit is somewhat broken and she derives a lot of her self-worth from adhering to expectations. She’s also struggling to have faith in her abilities as a trainer, and worries about gaining the trust of her Pokémon.

Current Story

While she hasn’t battled any more Battle Princesses since the first post, her travels have been quite eventful in the past few months (or couple of weeks, in game time). The group stopped in Morus City and ended up attending a meeting of the Battle Princesses where they discussed the activity of the gang known as the Loose Canines, and here they met Haru’s cousin, the Battle Princess Kigiku, whose lifestyle is at odds with her clan’s traditions; Kigiku, amused at this crossing of paths, has suggested that Haru ‘let down her hair’. Haru has since revealed that she aims to replace Kigiku at her family’s request, although it’s becoming obvious to everyone that the pressure weighs on her greatly. Her friends have also learned that she feels a strong, empathetic pain whenever her Pokémon take damage in battle - for reasons unknown, though Haru believes it’s instructive to her quest.

Resolving to assist Linnea in procuring rare berries to make a panacea for her gravely ill mother, she went with the group to the Mistlands in the Central Meadows to find some Haban Berries. The group got separated, but in the process Haru caught the Briarhorns Pinsir, a rare and dangerous Bug/Fairy Pokémon that had been wanted by the bounty hunters known as the Mark Guild. She named it Ibara, and with the help of her friend Fang she’s been trying to tame it - it’s easier said than done, since its level is much higher than that of her other Pokémon.

After the Haban Berries were procured, Haru took her friends to her homeland, the Electric Highlands, having heard that some Jaboca Berries might be there. She introduced them to her family in Momiji City, and together with her companions they had a Double Battle with her sisters (the talented Natsumi and bratty Fuyumi). They also went to the Denchura District where they had a run-in with her younger brother Akiyoshi -- a sensitive young man who has dreams of becoming a Coordinator and had been going shopping there in secret against his family’s wishes, causing Haru a good deal of conflict. 

Later, after getting permission from her nana Hahakomori, Haru and friends set out across the Magnet Lake and eventually found the Jaboca Berries. She got more than she bargained for, as well, when she encountered a Farfetch’d - a Pokémon thought to have been lost to the Kamonegi Clan, though it was a Fighting type and looked a little bit meaner than the books had told of. After some trials and tribulations, including a battle where they fought to a draw and KO’d each other, Haru managed to catch her and named her Rui, though the bird is temperamental. Rui is still looking for a leek of her own, and currently refuses treatment for her broken wing. Additionally, Haru’s siblings weren’t too impressed by her discovery, due to Rui’s only passing resemblance to the duck of myth.

Unfortunately, while Haru was out, her friends Fang and Xunyu had also gone behind her back and trespassed on sacred Kamonegi ground to retrieve the Zap Plate as part of Xunyu’s quest, which got them an expulsion from the castle after they were caught by Jiro. After the many ordeals the group had gone through during their time in the Highlands, Haru worried she was losing standing with her clan, but was eventually reassured by her nana and siblings that they love and care about her. Most recently, the group has returned to Morus City in preparation for going to Xunyu’s homeland to retrieve some Nomel Berries, but along the way Haru got a Ferroseed stuck in her ponytail... twice.

Every day, Haru is getting closer to her Pokémon and perhaps starting to become more of her own person, as she allows moments of fun for herself and is willing to bend the rules to achieve the group goals. Still, the road ahead is looking to be tougher than ever, and as she continues travelling, Haru knows she’ll need to train twice as hard. 

[j3nnyjams]

since last sesh’s ferroseed incident, decided to give haru a haircut/outfit change. which i’d been wanting to do anyway. season 2 looks, everyone!