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Finally managed to finish it o/

So, I'm taking part into 's contest for her Nuzlocke Challenge, The Fall .
We had to come with an OC Ranger, who would eventually become a character in the story.

Now, let me introduce Maisha Dhoruba ! *careful though, you'll have some reading, I hope you're ready for it*

Name : Maisha Dhoruba

Age : 26

Gender : Female

Pronoun : it's a she :3

Hair color : light gray

Eye color : pearl gray

Skin color/nationality : dark (she's from Hoenn)

Accent : hum... Except Hoenn one, I don't see any x: (please, I beg you, you can give her anything but a French accent. My ears are bleeding when I hear French people speaking with this accent… T^T And I’m French, so that’s something)

Height : 1,68 m

Body type : quite athletic, except for her right arm (explain later) However, she's not as athletic as she used to be.

Face : ovale face, thin lips and eyebrows, quite small nose, layered squarelly haircut

Tattoos : she's got a 'medical tattoo' on her right arm, from the elbow to the fingers. Her grand-mother is the one who did it after her accident. It represents a branch, her scar being the wood and the leaves and buds being drawn. Her grand-mother says that the day the flowers will blossom, her arm and hand will be cured.

She also has a tribal Talonflame on her left shoulder. Like the previous one, her grand-mother is the one who made it when she was twelve. Indeed, she told her that Talonflame was her totemic Pokémon, and having it represented on her skin acts like a protection, as well as it gives her its strength.

Piercings : she only has two silver ear rings

Birthmarks : none

Disfigurements : her right arm and hand are thinner (she has a muscular loss due to her accident) Although she can still bend her elbow a little, she can't move the rest of her arm/hand anymore.

Scar : she has a big scar running from her right hand to her elbow.

Maisha usually has a lot of scratches on the face, arms or hands because of Mwezi.

Sexual orientation : she's mainly homosexual, though she did try sleeping with men (you know, for curiosity). Otherwise, she's not difficult, and isn't intensively looking for being in a couple.

Romantic orientation : Maisha prefers being in a stable relationship, notably because of Joka.

She'd instantly fell in love if the person declares itself after bringing her to a giant waterfall. Bonus point if it's at night, with a clear sky so the stars can be seen, and if the person offers her a red rose, no matter of its gender. (Yes, she has some specific criteria x) )

How does she usually dress ?

Maisha is proud of being a Ranger, and make sure to wear her uniform when she's outside. Despite this, she likes wearing some casual and comfortable clothes when she's with friends or at home. This means, most of the time: a tank top, sometimes with a jacket if it's a bit chill, a jean and snickers. She likes colorful clothes, and avoid as much as she can wearing too much black, grey or dark color.

What does she wear to sleep ?

Once again, nothing too farfetched : a shirt (sometimes with a book/movie character on it) and a pant.

Does she wear some jewelry ?

Nothing but two silver ear rings.

Backstory:

Maisha was born in Lilycove twenty-six years ago. As a child, two major things had raised her.

First was her grand-mother's influence. Indeed, Hekima Dhoruba is a former grave-keeper at Mt Pyre's sanctuary, notably in charge of bringing peace to lost souls and organizing some rituals to honor the gods. Many times the old woman talked about this spiritual stuff to her grand-children, through tales and her own work experience, making them aware to the fact that everyone is under the protection of a spirit, a totemic Pokémon. Hekima wanted to make sure to pass down her heritage (and, in fact, what she calls Hoenn's heritage) to her grand-children, since she didn’t want it to be lost and her son, Maisha's father, didn't care about it.

The second thing was the fact that, when she was about seven, she witnessed a poacher arrested by Rangers at Lilycove's harbor. She was completely impressed by how strong and awesome the Rangers were, and how powerful their Pokémon were. Even though her child eyes might have overstated her memory, she knew since that day she wanted to become a Ranger, to fight for justice, as she was always repeating.

Because of this, Maisha was often skipping school to spend her days to Lilycove's Rescue Center. The place, ruled by Rangers, was meant to recover the wild Pokémon poachers had caught to offer them a shelter and heal them before releasing them into the wild. And, even though her parents were against it, she gave up her studies after middle school to dedicate herself to help the Rescue Center staff as a volunteer.

Then came the moment she met Joka, which was ironically both her best and worst experience at the Rescue Center.

She was about eighteen when the Rangers managed to arrest members of an infamous group of long wanted poachers, the White Fang, known for many years to deal with the rarest of Hoenn Pokémon. They had been apprehended while they were about to set sail to sell their loot. When the Rangers opened the hold of the boat, they discovered a seriously wounded female Salamence, chained and muzzled into a cage so small she could barely stand up. The great dragon was immediately entrusted to the Rescue Center director, Amani Miujiza, who was also Maisha's mentor, said to be among the best healers in all Hoenn.

However, he never succeeded in using his gifts on the reptile. As soon as the female Salamence was put into the Center and freed from her hobbles, it became impossible to approach her. Even when she was alone in her pen, with no human or tamed Pokémon around, she was always on watch, tense, ready to face any threat. Things got worse when someone was on her sight or tried to come closer to her: she turned mad, breathing fire or directly attacking the intruders. The old Amani got even badly injured, one day he tried to examine her while his Wigglytuff had aslept the dragon. Due to the stress and despite the used Sing, she woke up as soon as the human touched her scales and, panicked, closed her jaw on the healer's closest hand, snatching off two of his fingers. Any other attempt ended up quite the same way after that, with the Salamence violently rejecting any intrusion on her vital space.

Despite the several attempts and will of the Rescue Center staff to help her, the mythical reptile weakened every day, partly because of her wounds but also due to her refusal to eat any food they gave her, preferring starving to death. They kept trying for weeks, but even when she had no strength left to stand up anymore, when she spent all her days left lying on the ground, she continued to show the exact same attitude.

There was nothing they could have done. The time they could approach her, starvation and infection were way too advanced to save her.

Maisha was the one who found her. One day, she went checking her pen during her morning round. The great dragon was in the same position as the night before, when she left the Center to go home. Except for one detail: her wing was spread out to a big blue egg, as if she tried to reach it to shelter it. The young woman didn't hesitate: she entered the cage, ignoring the weak growl that welcomed her, and carried the precious egg to the female reptile. She had hoped for relieving the dying creature. Yet, when she saw her touching the fragile shell of her future child, the Salamence did nothing but thanked her with a last look full of hatred. Petrified, Maisha was so shocked she didn't even dare moving again, unable to look away from the mad pupils that stared her, even after life had left them.

The young woman was devastated. It was the first time she saw the Rescue Center failing, the first time she actually saw someone dying in front of her. But what marked her the most was her last encounter with the dragon, how she looked daggers at her. It haunted her dreams since, and even several years later she's still seeing it in nightmares.

She thought she would never be able to take care of any Pokémon anymore, too afraid it might die as well. Too scared to see that last look once again. She didn't show at the Rescue Center for many weeks.

Then, several months later, the old Amani called her, and managed to convince her to meet him at the Rescue Center. When she went there, he took her to the incubator. Maisha immediately recognized the big blue egg among the others, which did nothing but remind her this fateful day, when she faced the Salamence's last stare. Yet, despite seeing her fear, her mentor calmly explained her that the egg would hatch in a couple of days, and that the child would need to be raised by someone, since its mother wasn't there anymore. Getting what he was implying and why he made her come there, the young woman didn't even let him finish his explanation: she ran away.

Once back at home, she locked herself in her room, curled up on her bed. When her grand-mother went to see her, she told her what Amani Miujiza wanted her to do... And why she felt like she would never be able to make it. How could she even have this right to take care of the Salamence's child, whereas her last thought clearly was that she was stealing it from her?

Hekima didn't reply to her grand-daughter. Instead, she left the room... Only to come back some minutes after, wearing the Dragon Mask she used to make the rituals to communicate with the dragon-type Pokémon souls. Reciting incantations in the old Hoenn language while mixing some powders and other ingredients into the ceremonial bowl she had also brought, the old woman then told Maisha that the Great Vulture hadn't took away the Salamence's soul yet. She was still there, full of anger against those who caused her death. However, Hekima felt mainly a strong sadness and bitterness: the deceased dragon was worried about her child, and how she had left it alone, surrounded by humans. And she was categorical: she would only find peace and return to Arceus if she knew her descendant was safe. Plus, she had added, perhaps Maisha would then feel like she had paid back her debt, and would cease being haunted by her memory.

Half convinced of her ability to do the right things but trusting her grand-mother's judgment, the young woman finally agreed to raise the Salamence's child. Just in time: she had just announced her decision to her mentor when the blue shell cracked, revealing a tiny Balgon calling for its mother. Quite unconfident but encouraged by the old man, Maisha took the new born creature in her arms... And, as soon as she felt the little dragon’s scales on her skin and saw how it calmed down immediately when she embraced it, all her doubts disappeared. She then knew she had made the right choice.

Joka was the name she gave to the little Bagon, the word for dragon in the old Hoenn language. Since she hatched, she followed Maisha wherever she went, considering her as her mother, crying when she wasn’t on her sight. The young woman too couldn’t get rid of her: Joka was her little baby, and she often gave in her whims –making her kind of a spoiled child.

At first, it wasn’t such a big deal, since Maisha spent most of her time with her Balgon. Problems began to come when Joka grew up as a Shelgon and the young woman started again taking care of the other Pokémon of the Rescue Center. The dragon child was very possessive, as most of her kind, and she didn’t like when her mother was with other creatures and not paying attention to her. She even started being threatening, aggressive towards injured Pokémon Maisha was close to, and sometimes even people. And although she reprimanded her for such a behavior, it didn’t prevent Joka to keep being hostile towards what she considered as strangers.

Not knowing what to do –and fearing she might upset the Salamence’s spirit if she wasn’t able to correct this attitude-, she eventually asked the old Amani for advices.

Her mentor immediately recommended her to take some training lessons with the new Ranger recruits, who were taught how to deal with trouble-making creatures. And indeed, his advice was right: after only two months of hard training, Joka calmed down, agreeing to let Pokémon and other people to be with her adoptive mother –yet she was still on watch, ready to defend her if any threat was to happen.

However, those training sessions had given Maisha a taste for Ranger work. Even though she liked her work at the Rescue Center, she felt like she was more made for Ranger stuff –especially because it met what she had liked when she first saw Rangers, when she was a child. Plus, as Amani Miujiza had told her, with Joka on her side, she would be a great aid within the very organization. Thus, mainly supported by him and her grand-mother, she applied… And passed. She then was twenty-one.

Maisha had now to deal with totally different tasks from what she had at the Rescue Center. Notably, she had to learn to work with her Shelgon, something she had started to experiment with the training sessions.

And she also had to learn how to fight. This was a big new thing for her. Of course she had heard about it, and sometimes she had even watched some battles -especially because her little brother was fond of it. Yet it had never been something she really liked. Mostly because she had spent so much time healing very bad injured Pokémon at the Rescue Center that she knew how serious they could be hurt.

Because of this, Maisha didn't manage to be a great strategist, mainly because she was always trying to figure out the way she could hurt the opponent’s Pokémon the less. She even almost failed the tests on this category, if it wasn’t for Joka’s power. Indeed, the dragon was enjoying those sessions a lot –even too much, sometimes, to the great displeasure of her adoptive mother-, till the point she quickly left her protective shell to become a Salamence. Yet, she didn’t have more strategy as the young woman as well, and most of her battles consisted in striking at full power until the opponent was down. A strategy that paid most of the time, since Joka was quite impressive with her new shape, but many times Maisha received warnings from her teachers, who asked her to seriously teach her Salamence to control her strength.

Despite this, at twenty-two, the young woman officially became a Grunt, before being promoted one year later as a Sentinel. The decision had been made mainly due to the powerful ally Joka consisted against foes.

Strangely enough, Maisha’s reluctance about fighting completely changed once she was on the field. Indeed, her first mission as a new Sentinel was to apprehend poachers. They weren’t as famous and dangerous as those who had caught Joka’s true mother, but it was enough for the young woman to click: she swore on the Salamence’s soul she would do everything she could to prevent her fate to ever happen again.

Since this first mission, Maisha and Joka were known among Rangers for being merciless and brutal on the field. A good point… Except that many times, they had put in danger other Rangers’ life. Not counting the fact that the young woman tended to ignore any strategy made by her co-workers. Once again, she received warnings about controlling Joka’s power and also about acting collectively to avoid any casualty. However, focused on her thirst for justice, she ignored them, keeping doing with the same attitude. Which looked like it was paying, since things went pretty well for a couple of years.

But you reap what you sow, as one says, and Maisha should have taken seriously what her colleagues and superiors were saying.

She was almost twenty-four when the Rangers were given the information poachers were in activity around Meteor Falls. But not any poachers: the White Fang. Those who were responsible for the Salamence's capture and death.

The young woman immediately volunteered for the mission and, despite some doubts about her behavior, she was given the permission to be part of the Sentinels in charge of the arrest.

The group of eight Sentinels flew directly to the place, managed to catch them in the act... And things got worse.

They were about to apprehend them when Maisha saw one of them making a suspicious movement. She didn't even warn her colleagues: she immediately ordered her Salamence to strike.

Joka released an intense and powerful beam from her throat, directed to the poachers... But a Protect deflected the attack. Straight to the mountains. Hit by the beam, a big part of the cliff collapsed, burying Rangers and poachers.

Rescuers needed almost an entire day to extricate them out of the rocks. The assessment was bad: two Sentinels got killed and four were badly injured. Maisha was one of them. Her dragon had tried to protect her, but didn't prevent the rocks to respectively crush their right arm and left wing. If the doctors managed to keep the shape of the young woman's arm -at the price of a big scar running all over her skin-, they could do nothing for Joka's wing. It was so damaged they had no choice but amputate it.

Yet, Maisha's troubles had just begun. During her hospitalization she received the visit of Nike Misra herself. The head of the Hoenn Rangers was mad at her, and how couldn't have been so: because of the young woman's intervention, the mission had been a total disaster. Not only the White Fang had escaped, taking advantage of the mountain collapse to disappear, but she was also directly responsible for the death and injuries of her companions. As a result, she was demoted to Grunt -Nike had considered firing her completely, but she had then judged the loss of her arm was already a big enough price to pay.

Maisha then had to learn again everything from the beginning, even her everyday life. It wasn't easy, but thanks to her family and friends, she progressively became more autonomous, to the point that she can now live normally. However, she still has some reflexes on using her right arm.

Her relatives were especially important on a moral point of view. They backed her up, preventing her to sink again into a depression. Notably, her best friend, Neema Uzuri, offered her Mwezi, one of her Delcatty's children -even though she doesn't understand how Maisha can be so fond of this grumpy and lazy cat-; her grand-mother used once again her knowledge to put what she calls a 'medical' tattoo on her paralyzed arm: the long scar being used as a branch, she drew buds and leaves around it, saying that they will absorb the pain in her arm and that the day the flowers will blossom, she will be totally healed. Even though this isn't true, it was enough to cheer the young woman up again.

Ranger: Grunt for now.

Work History: Maisha has a long experience at Lilycove's Rescue Center. As a Grunt, she was really effective -notably thanks to Joka-, and was so promoted quite quickly. As a Sentinel, she helped a lot of times apprehending poachers, even if her methods were often discussed by her colleagues and her hierarchy.

The disaster with the White Fang, however, is a big black point on her career. She since tries to redeem herself, notably by changing her attitude on field and towards her colleagues. It seems that that wasn't unnoticed, and if she keeps doing that way, she may recover her Sentinel status within a couple of years. Anyway, her work nowadays mainly consists in patrols and paperwork.

Personnality/Character: Maisha is a cheerful and dynamic young woman, who don't get easily sad or blue. She likes meeting new people. She may be a bit naive sometimes, and can be really obstinate when she has an idea in mind (and good luck to make her changing her mind in that case...) Having been confronted to badly injured Pokémon caused her to become really empathic and, if she doesn't understand Pokémon language, she still gets most of the time what they are expecting from her (yet, she can be mistaken sometimes)

Due to the loss of her arm, she has become clumsy, but the situation has improved compared to the beginning (but she still doesn't like handwriting... Especially when she has to do some at her work)

She absolutely loves Joka and Mwezi (even if the last one doesn't really deserve it), and will ensure that their interests come before her owns (notably because she's afraid the Salamence's Soul might be mad at her if she doesn't act like this towards Joka). She also likes to complain about her misadventures to her best friend Neema (which, most of the time, concern Mwezi or her clumsiness)

Since the accident, Maisha refuses to fly on any other Pokémon -except if she truly has no other option left. Indeed, she doesn't want to hurt her Salamence's feelings, since she can't fly anymore.

Pokémon:

• Joka: Maisha's first Pokémon. This female Salamence considers the young woman as her mother, and calls her 'Mommy' in her language. Maisha did had told her what happened to her real mother and they went sometimes visiting her grave together at Mt Pyre. Yet, Joka doesn't really care about it (after all, her one and only mother is the young woman!), and do it mostly because she feels that it relieves her adoptive mother.

Even though she now lets people approaching Maisha, she doesn't hesitate to show when she doesn't trust someone -sometimes in a brutal way. She would be ready to do anything to save Maisha's life.

Because of her amputated left wing, Joka can't fly anymore. She then had developed a different fighting style: she always faces her enemy on her right side, hidden behind her valid wing she uses as a shield, striking with distance moves until the opponent is close enough to attack it directly. Her accident also taught her to qualify her strength, and she now knows when and if she has to use her most powerful moves and at which intensity. She also has learnt to climb steep hills to a certain extent.

Just like in battles, she doesn't appreciate when someone is on her left side, but can tolerate it if she trusts the person. Indeed, she feels vulnerable there, adding to the fact she is partially blind on her left eye and so has to completely turn her neck to see what the person is doing on this side.

Even though she knows it hurts, she can't help but watching flying creatures in the sky, with a sad and nostalgic look and growl.

• Mwezi: Maisha's second Pokémon. This male Delcatty is way away from the canon of his species: grumpy, fat, lazy, never satisfied, he has nothing to please in theory. Yet, for a reason or another (a reason she can't even explain), Maisha adores this big furball, despite all the scratches, awakenings in the night and early morning to feed him because-the-bowl-isn't-full-enough-what-are-you-waiting-for-you-useless-and-lazy-human-slave, and the fact he seems to always find a way to make her life more difficult (for example: sleeping on her valid arm so she can't move him away when she wakes up because she can't use the other arm, and so making her late at work) Plus, she can't keep him in her arms more than ten seconds before regretting it.

Even his evolution was an accident: he became a Delcatty when, intrigued, he touched the Moon Stone Maisha had just received from her older brother as a birthday gift, while she was phoning him to thank him (which caused her brother's hilarity when she explained him what had just happened in front of her eyes)

If Mwezi prefers not bothering Joka too much (you never know, those giant dragons can be so susceptible...), it is usual for him to demand some favors from her. For instance: once he tried to climb on a tree on the little garden... But due to his weight, he didn’t go really high. Taking pity on him, the Salamence grasped him on her jaw and, accompanied with a full concert of hissings and insults in Pokémon language, she took him up to one of the branch. Mwezi didn't even take the trouble of thanking her... But demanded meowing for her making him go down some minutes later.

Mwezi is a carpet... Hum, a pet, and Maisha would never think of him taking part into a battle (his best catch being his toy Rattata...)

Does she has nicknames? Where do they come from?

Her nephew calls her 'Aunt Shasha', because he couldn't pronounce her name correctly when he was little and so kept calling her 'Shasha'.

Her grand-mother used to call her 'Little Bird', in reference to her totemic Pokémon.

In a funny way, her best friend Neema had started calling her 'Nurse' when she began to work at the Rescue Center, but as she is now officially a Ranger, it became 'Chief'. This is the usual name her friends are using now.

For a while, the other Rangers used to call her ‘Black Mareep’, due to her being responsible for the failure with the White Fang. However, minds have changed since and thanks to her new behavior towards them, and most of them have abandoned this nickname.

Favorite time of day/season/weather:

Late afternoon on summer, with a light breeze bringing the scent of sea and salt to her nose (especially when she’s sitting on the terrace of the Meowth on the Roof with her best friend after a day of work)

Where did she learn her abilities?

At the Rescue Center at first, thanks to her mentor. Then, with the training sessions of the Rangers.

Does she like her job? How does she feel about her co-workers?

She has the best job ever, and wouldn't change it for all the gold in the world!

She feels ashamed and guilty, due to what she had caused a few years ago. If some of them are still mad at her, most of them has made a fresh start with her, especially thanks to her change of attitude on the field -and maybe also because they feel sorry for her arm... ?

Where does she live? Why did she choose it, how did she acquire it? How does she handle intruders?

Maisha lives in a little apartment on the first floor of a building in Lilycove. Even though the place isn't really big (she has a bedroom, a bathroom and a kitchen/living room on which the front door opens), she has the luck to benefit of a little garden, where Joka can play and sleep if she wants too.

She chose it when she was about 22, shortly after she became a Ranger. She wanted to be independent (she lived at her parent's until then), and she could now afford something decent.

The young woman likes having visitors, and will happily welcome her guests (even though Joka is suspicious and Mwezi will clearly express his displeasure to see someone entering his domain and messing with his slave)

How is she with technology?
Is she specially qualified in any particular field? Would she be considered at the top of the field?
Has she ever been publically acknowledged for anything?

Maisha is okay with technology as a whole, but won't be looking for the latest novelty. If something older is still working, why should she change it.

She has a good empathy towards people and Pokémon in general; she also used to be a good fighter in a traditional Hoennian martial art using a stick. However, she now has to learn everything from the beginning with her left arm, and her level has drastically dropped.

Except for the big failure on the White Fang case, not necessarily.

Is there anything she've deliberately sought to improve at?

Improving her dexterity with her left arm. Especially writing.

Also, she's still looking a solution for Mwezi not being always mad at her. But she should give up (she has more chances on having her right arm back to normal than having her Delcatty becoming an adorable and loving furball)

Does she speak more than one language?

She has basics in old Hoennian language, thanks to her grand-mother. She also has very far memories of Seviian language when she was still at school (but her vocabulary is very limited)

Plus, even though it doesn’t really count as a language, she tends to understand what Pokémon are expecting from her to do.

What is one thing in her past she's ashamed of? One thing she's proud of?

Two things: having caused the Salamence to die furious; being responsible for one of the biggest disasters in Hoennian Rangers' History.

She's proud of Joka and how she raised her.

Family & Relatives

• Msani Dhoruba: Maisha's big brother, 32. He lives in an appartment in Castelia City, and is the curator of the Hoenn art section at the Unovan Museum of Arts. He is the only one among his siblings who made superior studies. He still considers them as immature, especially because he is the calmest and the most patient of them, and had had to baby-sit them many times when they were younger. Even though he hasn't seen them in a while, their relationship is quite good.

He is married and has a six year old son, Nils. He also owns a Minccino as a pet, named Pamba. Just like his sister, he has a tattoo on his left shoulder representing a Musharna, his totemic Pokémon.

• Joyce Dhoruba: Msani's wife and Maisha's sister-in-law, 33. She's a Unovan and works as an executive at Sunset Inc. -the leader society in Unova for movie distribution. She's currently on a break, since she's pregnant for seven months now.

• Nils Dhoruba: Maisha's nephew, 6. He inherited his father's dark skin (yet lighter due to his mother) and cool temperament but his mother's blond hair and cheerfulness. He loves playing and sleeping with his father's Minccino. He quite likes his aunt, even if she's sometimes a bit too hyperactive for him. He calls her 'Aunt Shasha'.

• Mshindi Dhoruba: Maisha's little brother, 22. Mshindi is even more stubborn and hotheaded than his sister. It wasn't unusual to see them fighting against each other because of this -and it was usually Msani who had to separate them. Still, Mshindi and Maisha get along very well, even if they disagree about Pokémon battles. As his parents', and especially his father, didn't want to have another child giving up school, he was kind of forced to study beyond high school, choosing to enter the University of Sports of Rustboro City, in order to become an official judge. However, they didn't receive any news from him for months... Until the police called them: he had been arrested with other people for having taking part into illegal Pokémon battles and bets. After a short time in prison and multiple arguments with his father, Mshindi eventually obtained his Trainer License, at 20. Last time Maisha heard about him, he had earned his sixth badge, and his team was composed with a Tentacruel, a Nuzleaf, a Manetric, a Sealeo and a Xatu.

His totemic Pokémon, a Tauros, is on his left shoulder.

• Tuhuma Dhoruba: Maisha's father, 59. He is a docker at Lilycove's harbour. Even when he was a child, he wasn't really pleased with his mother's work. If he finally gave in letting her making the traditional tattoo on his left shoulder when he was 12, he doesn't like to show it, thinking that those believes are outdated and modern societies don't need them anymore. His totemic Pokémon is a Dunsparce.

He's especially proud of his older son, the only one who succeeded in becoming what he calls an erudite. He still disapproves Mshindi's choice to become a Trainer (it's too dangerous and won't pay your needs nor help society, as he keeps saying anytime someone ask about his opinion about Trainers) and, if at first he disagreed with Maisha, he recognized that she does her part to contribute to society.

He used to have a Wingull (who died some years ago), and still has a Machamp to help him in his work.

• Wimbi Dhoruba: Maisha's mother, 57. She's in charge of the supplies at the Department Store of Lilycove. Even though she is less narrow-minded than her husband, Wimbi didn't like either Hekima's influence over her children. She raised them in a strict but faire way, but she's quite mad that only her older son had chosen to fulfill superior studies.

• Hekima Dhoruba: Maisha's grand-mother, 81. Former grave-keeper at Mt Pyre's sanctuary, she wants her grand-children to learn Hoenn heritage, so it won't get lost. She then taught them some basics in old Hoennian language, as well as some daily rituals they can easily do. She learnt all this stuff from her mother, and her mother before her.

She has a lot of tattoos all over her body, some of them being 'medical', other linked to her former work with spirits and Gods. She of course has her totemic Pokémon, a Xatu, represented on her left shoulder.

• Neema Uzuri: Maisha's best friend, 27. They know each other since kindergarten. Neema is way more down-to-earth than her friend, and is often sarcastic, even cynical.

She won the Junior Edition of Lilycove's Contest Hall when she was 11 with her father's Seviper, and has then become a Coordinator. She has won several other contests all across Hoenn with her team (Delcatty, Sandslash, Seadra and Banette), and is currently training her newcomer: a little Helioptile her boyfriend offered her some months ago for Valentine's Day.

• Sukari Chumvi: Maisha's friend, 30. Sukari is the co-owner and bartender of the Meowth on the Roof, a trendy bar restaurant perched on the roof of Lilycove's Department Store. Maisha and Neema know him since he created the bar, six years ago, and as they are (very) regular customers, they often have discounts. He likes teasing Maisha (who gives him as good as she gets), and they like playing to having a conversation as if they were in couple (even though Sukari's feelings may not be as faked as he pretends it in their game)

• Nicolas Dumonnier: Maisha's friend, 25. Nicolas (called Nico by his friends) is the other co-owner of the Meowth on the Roof, and also its chef. Native of Kalos, he did cooking studies there before immigrating to Hoenn when he was 18, in order to discover other savors and ways to cook. He met Sukari, and they both decided to create their own establishment.

There are three things he absolutely loves: cooking (even talking about food or cooking); his Fennekin, Filou (who helps him in the kitchen); and Neema, who is his girlfriend for a year and a half now. It's not unusual to see him leaving the kitchen right in the middle of the rush to hug her if he knows she's here (and then to be given a roasting by both Neema, who doesn't like to be so show off in public, and Sukari for him to go back to the kitchen, while Maisha is almost dying laughing each time this scene happens)

• The Meowth on the Roof: trendy bar restaurant perched on the roof of Lilycove's Department Store and owned by both Sukari and Nicolas, famous for its cooking and its view (the best view in all Lilycove, as advertised on the store sign) Indeed, clients have an unbeatable view on the sea (they can even guess Mossdeep in the distance in sunny days), the forest at the East and Mt Pyre.

The menu is short, but all the meals are homemade with fresh ingredients. The cooking is based on a mix between Kalosian and Hoennian cuisine.

Entrées:

• Hot Gogoat's Cheese Salad with Spicy Honey and Homemade Bread

• Avocado, Krabby/Clauncher/Corphish and Pecha/Pinap/Oran Berry Salad (composition changes according to the season and the catch of the day)

• Cold Soup of the Day (Tamato/Cumcumber/Zucchinni/Beetroot Gazpacho); served with Homemade Bread and Raw Vegetables

• Fried Fish and Vegetables with Sweet and Sour Sauce (composition changes according to the season and the catch of the day)

Main Courses:

• Sharpedo's Steak with Bearn Sauce; side order: rice, plantain Nanab berry fries and spicy Tamato berry sauce

• Braised Mareep's Knuckle-End with Caramelized Sauce; side order: mashed sweet potato and green beans

• Spicy Vegetable Pie (changes every day); side order: salad with sweet and sour sauce

Desserts:

• Crême Brulée (made with MooMoo Milk)

• Fruit Salad (its composition may change according to the season)

• Flamed Crêpe (possible seasonning : hot Occa berry sauce, red berries coulis, fruits, ice-cream)

• Homemade Ice-Creams (savours change according to the season; made with MooMoo Milk)

Meowth's Special Drinks:

• Milkshake of the Day

• Pinap Colada: MooMoo Milk, Pinap Berry Juice, Rhum

• Hoennian Dream: Rhum, Cream of Whiskey, Green Mint Liqueur, MooMoo Milk, Occa Berry in Powder

• Amani Miujiza: Maisha's mentor, 67. Amani is the director of Lilycove's Recue Center, and among the best healers in Hoenn. He used to be a Grunt within the Rangers, before choosing to create the first place dedicated to the wild Pokémon Rangers were able to take from poachers -others were later created in all the main Hoennian cities. Patient and attentive, besides having faith in Hoenn beliefs and spirits, he can understand most of the time what Pokémon are saying, if only they agree to open their heart to him. His partners are a Wigglytuff, a Masquerain and a Dodrio.

He has the traditional tattoo on his left shoulder, representing a Whishcash.

What was she like as a child? What was her favorite toy? Favorite game? Playmates?
What did she want to be when she grew up?

What are her best and worst memories from childhood?
Where did she grow up?

Maisha was kind of a turbulent child, but she looked calm besides her little brother. They both kept arguing with each other -and their parents or big brother often had to separate them. However, when someone had her interest (with stories or anything else), she was quiet and listened carefully.

Her favorite toy was a frayed Darumaka comforter she called Pougnougnou (pronounced Poo-nyu-nyu), and her favorite game were hide-and-seek and off-ground touch. She mostly played with her brothers or her best friend Neema.

She first wanted to be a Lopunny (don't even ask why), but after watching an arrest done by Rangers when she was 7, she decided to become one of them, because she also wanted to look cool with all this uniform, and having gigantic Pokémon who made the ground shaken and could break a wall with ease and also...

Her best memory is the day described above (when she witnessed the arrest and the Rangers) Her worst memory, however, was when she went seeing her father at work on the docks, but ended up lost in the maze of containers... Her father's Wingull and Machamp eventually found her, and brought her back to her parents.

Maisha has always lived in Lilycove, even those days.

Does she have any rival? Who and why?

Maisha doesn’t have any, or at least there is nobody she considers like that. On the contrary, especially at work, she’s always trying to be the more useful she can, in order to redeem herself for what she had done.

What are her dreams ? What does she want to do someday?
Are there places she wants to go? Where and why?

Her bigger wish is for Joka being able to fly again, even though she knows it’s impossible.

She’d like to go to Kalos one day, to see some Talonflame (and, why not, raising one in her team) She feels like it’s important to have a concrete connection with her totemic Pokémon.

What is one thing she feels strongly about?

Two things: appeasing the Salamence’s soul and redeem herself for the White Fang case.

One trait she admires?
What disturbs her?

She’s impressed by people with a wide general knowledge and with those who know things she doesn’t. Sometimes she wish she hadn’t given up school, because she feels a bit dumb when she doesn’t understand or know what a person is saying.

However, she doesn’t really like when people say religion and beliefs are nothing but fairytales (her parents being the first one to say so) and that one doesn’t need them at all.

Is she a leader or a follower? Why?

Before the accident, Maisha tended to be none of them on the field, acting on her own without any collective work. However, she since has changed, but prefer letting other decide what should be done. First because she doesn’t want to cause any more damages as she already did, second because she knows there are people way wiser and experiment than her.

Does she believe that a person can redeem themselves from mistakes of the past?

Given that she’s specifically concerned by it, she definitely thinks like this. It would be quite hypocritical for her not thinking so.

What scares her?

The Salamence’s soul; Joka (and Mwezi, but he is safer) being dead or injured; maze-like places (it reminds her when she got lost on the docks when she was little)

How does she feels about death? Has she been significantly affected by it?

Her link with death is quite ambiguous.

First, she perfectly accepts it: her grand-mother told her many stories about Mt Pyre and the graves, and she has then understood it is a normal yet sad part of life.

However, that was only for the theoretical part. When she was first confronted to it, she was petrified. Yet, it may be more because of the context (the Salamence’s last stare, notably) than Death itself.

She has been significantly affected twice:

When Joka’s mother died (which haunted her until then), and when she caused the death of two colleagues and had a close call herself during the White Fang failure.

Does she value faith over reason or vice versa?

Maisha knows spiritual stuff isn’t something one should take lightly on it, and she has a tendency to support actions that agree wholeheartedly with this opinion over a cold yet maybe more logical reasoning.

Does she believe in an afterlife?

Yes, definitely –I suppose it helps when your grand-mother worked in a graveyard.

Does she have any habits that reflect her beliefs?

She goes visiting the Salamence’s grave at least once every two months, and may invoke a God depending on the situation (for instance: Arceus helps us, …)

Does she respect the beliefs of others?

The only belief she doesn’t respect is when people say they don’t believe in anything.

Is the character religious? What are her views, and why?

Maisha is more spiritual than strictly religious. She does believes in Gods and spirits, and will do all she can to please them, but she doesn’t pray them daily or else. She sometimes takes part into some important rituals at Mt Pyre’s Sanctuary to honor Gods and the spirits of the past year deceased beings, but it doesn’t go far beyond.

Would she be more likely to act for the good of one or the good of many?

What she thinks is that the good of many should be preferred to the good of one. However, she doesn’t necessarily apply this herself given that, most of the time, she tends to advantage Joka (and Mwezi to a lesser extent) over the success of a mission.

Describe one or more plots you would like to do with this character:

Without any doubt: Maisha falling from a cliff. If she’s able to catch a branch, she’s then stuck, with a panicked Joka unable to reach her…

Also, if chosen, maybe Joka being a bit jealous over Arnold (because dragon who can still fly and “Don’t even think about taking my Mommy away from me because you can fly ;A; ” )

Otherwise, I'm open to everything (even my character dying. Eeyup)

I hope you like it, and wish me luck

~
Pokemon © Nintendo Game Freak
Art © Yunuroko

Description
Finally managed to finish it o/

So, I'm taking part into 's contest for her Nuzlocke Challenge, The Fall .
We had to come with an OC Ranger, who would eventually become a character in the story.

Now, let me introduce Maisha Dhoruba ! *careful though, you'll have some reading, I hope you're ready for it*

Name : Maisha Dhoruba

Age : 26

Gender : Female

Pronoun : it's a she :3

Hair color : light gray

Eye color : pearl gray

Skin color/nationality : dark (she's from Hoenn)

Accent : hum... Except Hoenn one, I don't see any x: (please, I beg you, you can give her anything but a French accent. My ears are bleeding when I hear French people speaking with this accent… T^T And I’m French, so that’s something)

Height : 1,68 m

Body type : quite athletic, except for her right arm (explain later) However, she's not as athletic as she used to be.

Face : ovale face, thin lips and eyebrows, quite small nose, layered squarelly haircut

Tattoos : she's got a 'medical tattoo' on her right arm, from the elbow to the fingers. Her grand-mother is the one who did it after her accident. It represents a branch, her scar being the wood and the leaves and buds being drawn. Her grand-mother says that the day the flowers will blossom, her arm and hand will be cured.

She also has a tribal Talonflame on her left shoulder. Like the previous one, her grand-mother is the one who made it when she was twelve. Indeed, she told her that Talonflame was her totemic Pokémon, and having it represented on her skin acts like a protection, as well as it gives her its strength.

Piercings : she only has two silver ear rings

Birthmarks : none

Disfigurements : her right arm and hand are thinner (she has a muscular loss due to her accident) Although she can still bend her elbow a little, she can't move the rest of her arm/hand anymore.

Scar : she has a big scar running from her right hand to her elbow.

Maisha usually has a lot of scratches on the face, arms or hands because of Mwezi.

Sexual orientation : she's mainly homosexual, though she did try sleeping with men (you know, for curiosity). Otherwise, she's not difficult, and isn't intensively looking for being in a couple.

Romantic orientation : Maisha prefers being in a stable relationship, notably because of Joka.

She'd instantly fell in love if the person declares itself after bringing her to a giant waterfall. Bonus point if it's at night, with a clear sky so the stars can be seen, and if the person offers her a red rose, no matter of its gender. (Yes, she has some specific criteria x) )

How does she usually dress ?

Maisha is proud of being a Ranger, and make sure to wear her uniform when she's outside. Despite this, she likes wearing some casual and comfortable clothes when she's with friends or at home. This means, most of the time: a tank top, sometimes with a jacket if it's a bit chill, a jean and snickers. She likes colorful clothes, and avoid as much as she can wearing too much black, grey or dark color.

What does she wear to sleep ?

Once again, nothing too farfetched : a shirt (sometimes with a book/movie character on it) and a pant.

Does she wear some jewelry ?

Nothing but two silver ear rings.

Backstory:

Maisha was born in Lilycove twenty-six years ago. As a child, two major things had raised her.

First was her grand-mother's influence. Indeed, Hekima Dhoruba is a former grave-keeper at Mt Pyre's sanctuary, notably in charge of bringing peace to lost souls and organizing some rituals to honor the gods. Many times the old woman talked about this spiritual stuff to her grand-children, through tales and her own work experience, making them aware to the fact that everyone is under the protection of a spirit, a totemic Pokémon. Hekima wanted to make sure to pass down her heritage (and, in fact, what she calls Hoenn's heritage) to her grand-children, since she didn’t want it to be lost and her son, Maisha's father, didn't care about it.

The second thing was the fact that, when she was about seven, she witnessed a poacher arrested by Rangers at Lilycove's harbor. She was completely impressed by how strong and awesome the Rangers were, and how powerful their Pokémon were. Even though her child eyes might have overstated her memory, she knew since that day she wanted to become a Ranger, to fight for justice, as she was always repeating.

Because of this, Maisha was often skipping school to spend her days to Lilycove's Rescue Center. The place, ruled by Rangers, was meant to recover the wild Pokémon poachers had caught to offer them a shelter and heal them before releasing them into the wild. And, even though her parents were against it, she gave up her studies after middle school to dedicate herself to help the Rescue Center staff as a volunteer.

Then came the moment she met Joka, which was ironically both her best and worst experience at the Rescue Center.

She was about eighteen when the Rangers managed to arrest members of an infamous group of long wanted poachers, the White Fang, known for many years to deal with the rarest of Hoenn Pokémon. They had been apprehended while they were about to set sail to sell their loot. When the Rangers opened the hold of the boat, they discovered a seriously wounded female Salamence, chained and muzzled into a cage so small she could barely stand up. The great dragon was immediately entrusted to the Rescue Center director, Amani Miujiza, who was also Maisha's mentor, said to be among the best healers in all Hoenn.

However, he never succeeded in using his gifts on the reptile. As soon as the female Salamence was put into the Center and freed from her hobbles, it became impossible to approach her. Even when she was alone in her pen, with no human or tamed Pokémon around, she was always on watch, tense, ready to face any threat. Things got worse when someone was on her sight or tried to come closer to her: she turned mad, breathing fire or directly attacking the intruders. The old Amani got even badly injured, one day he tried to examine her while his Wigglytuff had aslept the dragon. Due to the stress and despite the used Sing, she woke up as soon as the human touched her scales and, panicked, closed her jaw on the healer's closest hand, snatching off two of his fingers. Any other attempt ended up quite the same way after that, with the Salamence violently rejecting any intrusion on her vital space.

Despite the several attempts and will of the Rescue Center staff to help her, the mythical reptile weakened every day, partly because of her wounds but also due to her refusal to eat any food they gave her, preferring starving to death. They kept trying for weeks, but even when she had no strength left to stand up anymore, when she spent all her days left lying on the ground, she continued to show the exact same attitude.

There was nothing they could have done. The time they could approach her, starvation and infection were way too advanced to save her.

Maisha was the one who found her. One day, she went checking her pen during her morning round. The great dragon was in the same position as the night before, when she left the Center to go home. Except for one detail: her wing was spread out to a big blue egg, as if she tried to reach it to shelter it. The young woman didn't hesitate: she entered the cage, ignoring the weak growl that welcomed her, and carried the precious egg to the female reptile. She had hoped for relieving the dying creature. Yet, when she saw her touching the fragile shell of her future child, the Salamence did nothing but thanked her with a last look full of hatred. Petrified, Maisha was so shocked she didn't even dare moving again, unable to look away from the mad pupils that stared her, even after life had left them.

The young woman was devastated. It was the first time she saw the Rescue Center failing, the first time she actually saw someone dying in front of her. But what marked her the most was her last encounter with the dragon, how she looked daggers at her. It haunted her dreams since, and even several years later she's still seeing it in nightmares.

She thought she would never be able to take care of any Pokémon anymore, too afraid it might die as well. Too scared to see that last look once again. She didn't show at the Rescue Center for many weeks.

Then, several months later, the old Amani called her, and managed to convince her to meet him at the Rescue Center. When she went there, he took her to the incubator. Maisha immediately recognized the big blue egg among the others, which did nothing but remind her this fateful day, when she faced the Salamence's last stare. Yet, despite seeing her fear, her mentor calmly explained her that the egg would hatch in a couple of days, and that the child would need to be raised by someone, since its mother wasn't there anymore. Getting what he was implying and why he made her come there, the young woman didn't even let him finish his explanation: she ran away.

Once back at home, she locked herself in her room, curled up on her bed. When her grand-mother went to see her, she told her what Amani Miujiza wanted her to do... And why she felt like she would never be able to make it. How could she even have this right to take care of the Salamence's child, whereas her last thought clearly was that she was stealing it from her?

Hekima didn't reply to her grand-daughter. Instead, she left the room... Only to come back some minutes after, wearing the Dragon Mask she used to make the rituals to communicate with the dragon-type Pokémon souls. Reciting incantations in the old Hoenn language while mixing some powders and other ingredients into the ceremonial bowl she had also brought, the old woman then told Maisha that the Great Vulture hadn't took away the Salamence's soul yet. She was still there, full of anger against those who caused her death. However, Hekima felt mainly a strong sadness and bitterness: the deceased dragon was worried about her child, and how she had left it alone, surrounded by humans. And she was categorical: she would only find peace and return to Arceus if she knew her descendant was safe. Plus, she had added, perhaps Maisha would then feel like she had paid back her debt, and would cease being haunted by her memory.

Half convinced of her ability to do the right things but trusting her grand-mother's judgment, the young woman finally agreed to raise the Salamence's child. Just in time: she had just announced her decision to her mentor when the blue shell cracked, revealing a tiny Balgon calling for its mother. Quite unconfident but encouraged by the old man, Maisha took the new born creature in her arms... And, as soon as she felt the little dragon’s scales on her skin and saw how it calmed down immediately when she embraced it, all her doubts disappeared. She then knew she had made the right choice.

Joka was the name she gave to the little Bagon, the word for dragon in the old Hoenn language. Since she hatched, she followed Maisha wherever she went, considering her as her mother, crying when she wasn’t on her sight. The young woman too couldn’t get rid of her: Joka was her little baby, and she often gave in her whims –making her kind of a spoiled child.

At first, it wasn’t such a big deal, since Maisha spent most of her time with her Balgon. Problems began to come when Joka grew up as a Shelgon and the young woman started again taking care of the other Pokémon of the Rescue Center. The dragon child was very possessive, as most of her kind, and she didn’t like when her mother was with other creatures and not paying attention to her. She even started being threatening, aggressive towards injured Pokémon Maisha was close to, and sometimes even people. And although she reprimanded her for such a behavior, it didn’t prevent Joka to keep being hostile towards what she considered as strangers.

Not knowing what to do –and fearing she might upset the Salamence’s spirit if she wasn’t able to correct this attitude-, she eventually asked the old Amani for advices.

Her mentor immediately recommended her to take some training lessons with the new Ranger recruits, who were taught how to deal with trouble-making creatures. And indeed, his advice was right: after only two months of hard training, Joka calmed down, agreeing to let Pokémon and other people to be with her adoptive mother –yet she was still on watch, ready to defend her if any threat was to happen.

However, those training sessions had given Maisha a taste for Ranger work. Even though she liked her work at the Rescue Center, she felt like she was more made for Ranger stuff –especially because it met what she had liked when she first saw Rangers, when she was a child. Plus, as Amani Miujiza had told her, with Joka on her side, she would be a great aid within the very organization. Thus, mainly supported by him and her grand-mother, she applied… And passed. She then was twenty-one.

Maisha had now to deal with totally different tasks from what she had at the Rescue Center. Notably, she had to learn to work with her Shelgon, something she had started to experiment with the training sessions.

And she also had to learn how to fight. This was a big new thing for her. Of course she had heard about it, and sometimes she had even watched some battles -especially because her little brother was fond of it. Yet it had never been something she really liked. Mostly because she had spent so much time healing very bad injured Pokémon at the Rescue Center that she knew how serious they could be hurt.

Because of this, Maisha didn't manage to be a great strategist, mainly because she was always trying to figure out the way she could hurt the opponent’s Pokémon the less. She even almost failed the tests on this category, if it wasn’t for Joka’s power. Indeed, the dragon was enjoying those sessions a lot –even too much, sometimes, to the great displeasure of her adoptive mother-, till the point she quickly left her protective shell to become a Salamence. Yet, she didn’t have more strategy as the young woman as well, and most of her battles consisted in striking at full power until the opponent was down. A strategy that paid most of the time, since Joka was quite impressive with her new shape, but many times Maisha received warnings from her teachers, who asked her to seriously teach her Salamence to control her strength.

Despite this, at twenty-two, the young woman officially became a Grunt, before being promoted one year later as a Sentinel. The decision had been made mainly due to the powerful ally Joka consisted against foes.

Strangely enough, Maisha’s reluctance about fighting completely changed once she was on the field. Indeed, her first mission as a new Sentinel was to apprehend poachers. They weren’t as famous and dangerous as those who had caught Joka’s true mother, but it was enough for the young woman to click: she swore on the Salamence’s soul she would do everything she could to prevent her fate to ever happen again.

Since this first mission, Maisha and Joka were known among Rangers for being merciless and brutal on the field. A good point… Except that many times, they had put in danger other Rangers’ life. Not counting the fact that the young woman tended to ignore any strategy made by her co-workers. Once again, she received warnings about controlling Joka’s power and also about acting collectively to avoid any casualty. However, focused on her thirst for justice, she ignored them, keeping doing with the same attitude. Which looked like it was paying, since things went pretty well for a couple of years.

But you reap what you sow, as one says, and Maisha should have taken seriously what her colleagues and superiors were saying.

She was almost twenty-four when the Rangers were given the information poachers were in activity around Meteor Falls. But not any poachers: the White Fang. Those who were responsible for the Salamence's capture and death.

The young woman immediately volunteered for the mission and, despite some doubts about her behavior, she was given the permission to be part of the Sentinels in charge of the arrest.

The group of eight Sentinels flew directly to the place, managed to catch them in the act... And things got worse.

They were about to apprehend them when Maisha saw one of them making a suspicious movement. She didn't even warn her colleagues: she immediately ordered her Salamence to strike.

Joka released an intense and powerful beam from her throat, directed to the poachers... But a Protect deflected the attack. Straight to the mountains. Hit by the beam, a big part of the cliff collapsed, burying Rangers and poachers.

Rescuers needed almost an entire day to extricate them out of the rocks. The assessment was bad: two Sentinels got killed and four were badly injured. Maisha was one of them. Her dragon had tried to protect her, but didn't prevent the rocks to respectively crush their right arm and left wing. If the doctors managed to keep the shape of the young woman's arm -at the price of a big scar running all over her skin-, they could do nothing for Joka's wing. It was so damaged they had no choice but amputate it.

Yet, Maisha's troubles had just begun. During her hospitalization she received the visit of Nike Misra herself. The head of the Hoenn Rangers was mad at her, and how couldn't have been so: because of the young woman's intervention, the mission had been a total disaster. Not only the White Fang had escaped, taking advantage of the mountain collapse to disappear, but she was also directly responsible for the death and injuries of her companions. As a result, she was demoted to Grunt -Nike had considered firing her completely, but she had then judged the loss of her arm was already a big enough price to pay.

Maisha then had to learn again everything from the beginning, even her everyday life. It wasn't easy, but thanks to her family and friends, she progressively became more autonomous, to the point that she can now live normally. However, she still has some reflexes on using her right arm.

Her relatives were especially important on a moral point of view. They backed her up, preventing her to sink again into a depression. Notably, her best friend, Neema Uzuri, offered her Mwezi, one of her Delcatty's children -even though she doesn't understand how Maisha can be so fond of this grumpy and lazy cat-; her grand-mother used once again her knowledge to put what she calls a 'medical' tattoo on her paralyzed arm: the long scar being used as a branch, she drew buds and leaves around it, saying that they will absorb the pain in her arm and that the day the flowers will blossom, she will be totally healed. Even though this isn't true, it was enough to cheer the young woman up again.

Ranger: Grunt for now.

Work History: Maisha has a long experience at Lilycove's Rescue Center. As a Grunt, she was really effective -notably thanks to Joka-, and was so promoted quite quickly. As a Sentinel, she helped a lot of times apprehending poachers, even if her methods were often discussed by her colleagues and her hierarchy.

The disaster with the White Fang, however, is a big black point on her career. She since tries to redeem herself, notably by changing her attitude on field and towards her colleagues. It seems that that wasn't unnoticed, and if she keeps doing that way, she may recover her Sentinel status within a couple of years. Anyway, her work nowadays mainly consists in patrols and paperwork.

Personnality/Character: Maisha is a cheerful and dynamic young woman, who don't get easily sad or blue. She likes meeting new people. She may be a bit naive sometimes, and can be really obstinate when she has an idea in mind (and good luck to make her changing her mind in that case...) Having been confronted to badly injured Pokémon caused her to become really empathic and, if she doesn't understand Pokémon language, she still gets most of the time what they are expecting from her (yet, she can be mistaken sometimes)

Due to the loss of her arm, she has become clumsy, but the situation has improved compared to the beginning (but she still doesn't like handwriting... Especially when she has to do some at her work)

She absolutely loves Joka and Mwezi (even if the last one doesn't really deserve it), and will ensure that their interests come before her owns (notably because she's afraid the Salamence's Soul might be mad at her if she doesn't act like this towards Joka). She also likes to complain about her misadventures to her best friend Neema (which, most of the time, concern Mwezi or her clumsiness)

Since the accident, Maisha refuses to fly on any other Pokémon -except if she truly has no other option left. Indeed, she doesn't want to hurt her Salamence's feelings, since she can't fly anymore.

Pokémon:

• Joka: Maisha's first Pokémon. This female Salamence considers the young woman as her mother, and calls her 'Mommy' in her language. Maisha did had told her what happened to her real mother and they went sometimes visiting her grave together at Mt Pyre. Yet, Joka doesn't really care about it (after all, her one and only mother is the young woman!), and do it mostly because she feels that it relieves her adoptive mother.

Even though she now lets people approaching Maisha, she doesn't hesitate to show when she doesn't trust someone -sometimes in a brutal way. She would be ready to do anything to save Maisha's life.

Because of her amputated left wing, Joka can't fly anymore. She then had developed a different fighting style: she always faces her enemy on her right side, hidden behind her valid wing she uses as a shield, striking with distance moves until the opponent is close enough to attack it directly. Her accident also taught her to qualify her strength, and she now knows when and if she has to use her most powerful moves and at which intensity. She also has learnt to climb steep hills to a certain extent.

Just like in battles, she doesn't appreciate when someone is on her left side, but can tolerate it if she trusts the person. Indeed, she feels vulnerable there, adding to the fact she is partially blind on her left eye and so has to completely turn her neck to see what the person is doing on this side.

Even though she knows it hurts, she can't help but watching flying creatures in the sky, with a sad and nostalgic look and growl.

• Mwezi: Maisha's second Pokémon. This male Delcatty is way away from the canon of his species: grumpy, fat, lazy, never satisfied, he has nothing to please in theory. Yet, for a reason or another (a reason she can't even explain), Maisha adores this big furball, despite all the scratches, awakenings in the night and early morning to feed him because-the-bowl-isn't-full-enough-what-are-you-waiting-for-you-useless-and-lazy-human-slave, and the fact he seems to always find a way to make her life more difficult (for example: sleeping on her valid arm so she can't move him away when she wakes up because she can't use the other arm, and so making her late at work) Plus, she can't keep him in her arms more than ten seconds before regretting it.

Even his evolution was an accident: he became a Delcatty when, intrigued, he touched the Moon Stone Maisha had just received from her older brother as a birthday gift, while she was phoning him to thank him (which caused her brother's hilarity when she explained him what had just happened in front of her eyes)

If Mwezi prefers not bothering Joka too much (you never know, those giant dragons can be so susceptible...), it is usual for him to demand some favors from her. For instance: once he tried to climb on a tree on the little garden... But due to his weight, he didn’t go really high. Taking pity on him, the Salamence grasped him on her jaw and, accompanied with a full concert of hissings and insults in Pokémon language, she took him up to one of the branch. Mwezi didn't even take the trouble of thanking her... But demanded meowing for her making him go down some minutes later.

Mwezi is a carpet... Hum, a pet, and Maisha would never think of him taking part into a battle (his best catch being his toy Rattata...)

Does she has nicknames? Where do they come from?

Her nephew calls her 'Aunt Shasha', because he couldn't pronounce her name correctly when he was little and so kept calling her 'Shasha'.

Her grand-mother used to call her 'Little Bird', in reference to her totemic Pokémon.

In a funny way, her best friend Neema had started calling her 'Nurse' when she began to work at the Rescue Center, but as she is now officially a Ranger, it became 'Chief'. This is the usual name her friends are using now.

For a while, the other Rangers used to call her ‘Black Mareep’, due to her being responsible for the failure with the White Fang. However, minds have changed since and thanks to her new behavior towards them, and most of them have abandoned this nickname.

Favorite time of day/season/weather:

Late afternoon on summer, with a light breeze bringing the scent of sea and salt to her nose (especially when she’s sitting on the terrace of the Meowth on the Roof with her best friend after a day of work)

Where did she learn her abilities?

At the Rescue Center at first, thanks to her mentor. Then, with the training sessions of the Rangers.

Does she like her job? How does she feel about her co-workers?

She has the best job ever, and wouldn't change it for all the gold in the world!

She feels ashamed and guilty, due to what she had caused a few years ago. If some of them are still mad at her, most of them has made a fresh start with her, especially thanks to her change of attitude on the field -and maybe also because they feel sorry for her arm... ?

Where does she live? Why did she choose it, how did she acquire it? How does she handle intruders?

Maisha lives in a little apartment on the first floor of a building in Lilycove. Even though the place isn't really big (she has a bedroom, a bathroom and a kitchen/living room on which the front door opens), she has the luck to benefit of a little garden, where Joka can play and sleep if she wants too.

She chose it when she was about 22, shortly after she became a Ranger. She wanted to be independent (she lived at her parent's until then), and she could now afford something decent.

The young woman likes having visitors, and will happily welcome her guests (even though Joka is suspicious and Mwezi will clearly express his displeasure to see someone entering his domain and messing with his slave)

How is she with technology?
Is she specially qualified in any particular field? Would she be considered at the top of the field?
Has she ever been publically acknowledged for anything?

Maisha is okay with technology as a whole, but won't be looking for the latest novelty. If something older is still working, why should she change it.

She has a good empathy towards people and Pokémon in general; she also used to be a good fighter in a traditional Hoennian martial art using a stick. However, she now has to learn everything from the beginning with her left arm, and her level has drastically dropped.

Except for the big failure on the White Fang case, not necessarily.

Is there anything she've deliberately sought to improve at?

Improving her dexterity with her left arm. Especially writing.

Also, she's still looking a solution for Mwezi not being always mad at her. But she should give up (she has more chances on having her right arm back to normal than having her Delcatty becoming an adorable and loving furball)

Does she speak more than one language?

She has basics in old Hoennian language, thanks to her grand-mother. She also has very far memories of Seviian language when she was still at school (but her vocabulary is very limited)

Plus, even though it doesn’t really count as a language, she tends to understand what Pokémon are expecting from her to do.

What is one thing in her past she's ashamed of? One thing she's proud of?

Two things: having caused the Salamence to die furious; being responsible for one of the biggest disasters in Hoennian Rangers' History.

She's proud of Joka and how she raised her.

Family & Relatives

• Msani Dhoruba: Maisha's big brother, 32. He lives in an appartment in Castelia City, and is the curator of the Hoenn art section at the Unovan Museum of Arts. He is the only one among his siblings who made superior studies. He still considers them as immature, especially because he is the calmest and the most patient of them, and had had to baby-sit them many times when they were younger. Even though he hasn't seen them in a while, their relationship is quite good.

He is married and has a six year old son, Nils. He also owns a Minccino as a pet, named Pamba. Just like his sister, he has a tattoo on his left shoulder representing a Musharna, his totemic Pokémon.

• Joyce Dhoruba: Msani's wife and Maisha's sister-in-law, 33. She's a Unovan and works as an executive at Sunset Inc. -the leader society in Unova for movie distribution. She's currently on a break, since she's pregnant for seven months now.

• Nils Dhoruba: Maisha's nephew, 6. He inherited his father's dark skin (yet lighter due to his mother) and cool temperament but his mother's blond hair and cheerfulness. He loves playing and sleeping with his father's Minccino. He quite likes his aunt, even if she's sometimes a bit too hyperactive for him. He calls her 'Aunt Shasha'.

• Mshindi Dhoruba: Maisha's little brother, 22. Mshindi is even more stubborn and hotheaded than his sister. It wasn't unusual to see them fighting against each other because of this -and it was usually Msani who had to separate them. Still, Mshindi and Maisha get along very well, even if they disagree about Pokémon battles. As his parents', and especially his father, didn't want to have another child giving up school, he was kind of forced to study beyond high school, choosing to enter the University of Sports of Rustboro City, in order to become an official judge. However, they didn't receive any news from him for months... Until the police called them: he had been arrested with other people for having taking part into illegal Pokémon battles and bets. After a short time in prison and multiple arguments with his father, Mshindi eventually obtained his Trainer License, at 20. Last time Maisha heard about him, he had earned his sixth badge, and his team was composed with a Tentacruel, a Nuzleaf, a Manetric, a Sealeo and a Xatu.

His totemic Pokémon, a Tauros, is on his left shoulder.

• Tuhuma Dhoruba: Maisha's father, 59. He is a docker at Lilycove's harbour. Even when he was a child, he wasn't really pleased with his mother's work. If he finally gave in letting her making the traditional tattoo on his left shoulder when he was 12, he doesn't like to show it, thinking that those believes are outdated and modern societies don't need them anymore. His totemic Pokémon is a Dunsparce.

He's especially proud of his older son, the only one who succeeded in becoming what he calls an erudite. He still disapproves Mshindi's choice to become a Trainer (it's too dangerous and won't pay your needs nor help society, as he keeps saying anytime someone ask about his opinion about Trainers) and, if at first he disagreed with Maisha, he recognized that she does her part to contribute to society.

He used to have a Wingull (who died some years ago), and still has a Machamp to help him in his work.

• Wimbi Dhoruba: Maisha's mother, 57. She's in charge of the supplies at the Department Store of Lilycove. Even though she is less narrow-minded than her husband, Wimbi didn't like either Hekima's influence over her children. She raised them in a strict but faire way, but she's quite mad that only her older son had chosen to fulfill superior studies.

• Hekima Dhoruba: Maisha's grand-mother, 81. Former grave-keeper at Mt Pyre's sanctuary, she wants her grand-children to learn Hoenn heritage, so it won't get lost. She then taught them some basics in old Hoennian language, as well as some daily rituals they can easily do. She learnt all this stuff from her mother, and her mother before her.

She has a lot of tattoos all over her body, some of them being 'medical', other linked to her former work with spirits and Gods. She of course has her totemic Pokémon, a Xatu, represented on her left shoulder.

• Neema Uzuri: Maisha's best friend, 27. They know each other since kindergarten. Neema is way more down-to-earth than her friend, and is often sarcastic, even cynical.

She won the Junior Edition of Lilycove's Contest Hall when she was 11 with her father's Seviper, and has then become a Coordinator. She has won several other contests all across Hoenn with her team (Delcatty, Sandslash, Seadra and Banette), and is currently training her newcomer: a little Helioptile her boyfriend offered her some months ago for Valentine's Day.

• Sukari Chumvi: Maisha's friend, 30. Sukari is the co-owner and bartender of the Meowth on the Roof, a trendy bar restaurant perched on the roof of Lilycove's Department Store. Maisha and Neema know him since he created the bar, six years ago, and as they are (very) regular customers, they often have discounts. He likes teasing Maisha (who gives him as good as she gets), and they like playing to having a conversation as if they were in couple (even though Sukari's feelings may not be as faked as he pretends it in their game)

• Nicolas Dumonnier: Maisha's friend, 25. Nicolas (called Nico by his friends) is the other co-owner of the Meowth on the Roof, and also its chef. Native of Kalos, he did cooking studies there before immigrating to Hoenn when he was 18, in order to discover other savors and ways to cook. He met Sukari, and they both decided to create their own establishment.

There are three things he absolutely loves: cooking (even talking about food or cooking); his Fennekin, Filou (who helps him in the kitchen); and Neema, who is his girlfriend for a year and a half now. It's not unusual to see him leaving the kitchen right in the middle of the rush to hug her if he knows she's here (and then to be given a roasting by both Neema, who doesn't like to be so show off in public, and Sukari for him to go back to the kitchen, while Maisha is almost dying laughing each time this scene happens)

• The Meowth on the Roof: trendy bar restaurant perched on the roof of Lilycove's Department Store and owned by both Sukari and Nicolas, famous for its cooking and its view (the best view in all Lilycove, as advertised on the store sign) Indeed, clients have an unbeatable view on the sea (they can even guess Mossdeep in the distance in sunny days), the forest at the East and Mt Pyre.

The menu is short, but all the meals are homemade with fresh ingredients. The cooking is based on a mix between Kalosian and Hoennian cuisine.

Entrées:

• Hot Gogoat's Cheese Salad with Spicy Honey and Homemade Bread

• Avocado, Krabby/Clauncher/Corphish and Pecha/Pinap/Oran Berry Salad (composition changes according to the season and the catch of the day)

• Cold Soup of the Day (Tamato/Cumcumber/Zucchinni/Beetroot Gazpacho); served with Homemade Bread and Raw Vegetables

• Fried Fish and Vegetables with Sweet and Sour Sauce (composition changes according to the season and the catch of the day)

Main Courses:

• Sharpedo's Steak with Bearn Sauce; side order: rice, plantain Nanab berry fries and spicy Tamato berry sauce

• Braised Mareep's Knuckle-End with Caramelized Sauce; side order: mashed sweet potato and green beans

• Spicy Vegetable Pie (changes every day); side order: salad with sweet and sour sauce

Desserts:

• Crême Brulée (made with MooMoo Milk)

• Fruit Salad (its composition may change according to the season)

• Flamed Crêpe (possible seasonning : hot Occa berry sauce, red berries coulis, fruits, ice-cream)

• Homemade Ice-Creams (savours change according to the season; made with MooMoo Milk)

Meowth's Special Drinks:

• Milkshake of the Day

• Pinap Colada: MooMoo Milk, Pinap Berry Juice, Rhum

• Hoennian Dream: Rhum, Cream of Whiskey, Green Mint Liqueur, MooMoo Milk, Occa Berry in Powder

• Amani Miujiza: Maisha's mentor, 67. Amani is the director of Lilycove's Recue Center, and among the best healers in Hoenn. He used to be a Grunt within the Rangers, before choosing to create the first place dedicated to the wild Pokémon Rangers were able to take from poachers -others were later created in all the main Hoennian cities. Patient and attentive, besides having faith in Hoenn beliefs and spirits, he can understand most of the time what Pokémon are saying, if only they agree to open their heart to him. His partners are a Wigglytuff, a Masquerain and a Dodrio.

He has the traditional tattoo on his left shoulder, representing a Whishcash.

What was she like as a child? What was her favorite toy? Favorite game? Playmates?
What did she want to be when she grew up?

What are her best and worst memories from childhood?
Where did she grow up?

Maisha was kind of a turbulent child, but she looked calm besides her little brother. They both kept arguing with each other -and their parents or big brother often had to separate them. However, when someone had her interest (with stories or anything else), she was quiet and listened carefully.

Her favorite toy was a frayed Darumaka comforter she called Pougnougnou (pronounced Poo-nyu-nyu), and her favorite game were hide-and-seek and off-ground touch. She mostly played with her brothers or her best friend Neema.

She first wanted to be a Lopunny (don't even ask why), but after watching an arrest done by Rangers when she was 7, she decided to become one of them, because she also wanted to look cool with all this uniform, and having gigantic Pokémon who made the ground shaken and could break a wall with ease and also...

Her best memory is the day described above (when she witnessed the arrest and the Rangers) Her worst memory, however, was when she went seeing her father at work on the docks, but ended up lost in the maze of containers... Her father's Wingull and Machamp eventually found her, and brought her back to her parents.

Maisha has always lived in Lilycove, even those days.

Does she have any rival? Who and why?

Maisha doesn’t have any, or at least there is nobody she considers like that. On the contrary, especially at work, she’s always trying to be the more useful she can, in order to redeem herself for what she had done.

What are her dreams ? What does she want to do someday?
Are there places she wants to go? Where and why?

Her bigger wish is for Joka being able to fly again, even though she knows it’s impossible.

She’d like to go to Kalos one day, to see some Talonflame (and, why not, raising one in her team) She feels like it’s important to have a concrete connection with her totemic Pokémon.

What is one thing she feels strongly about?

Two things: appeasing the Salamence’s soul and redeem herself for the White Fang case.

One trait she admires?
What disturbs her?

She’s impressed by people with a wide general knowledge and with those who know things she doesn’t. Sometimes she wish she hadn’t given up school, because she feels a bit dumb when she doesn’t understand or know what a person is saying.

However, she doesn’t really like when people say religion and beliefs are nothing but fairytales (her parents being the first one to say so) and that one doesn’t need them at all.

Is she a leader or a follower? Why?

Before the accident, Maisha tended to be none of them on the field, acting on her own without any collective work. However, she since has changed, but prefer letting other decide what should be done. First because she doesn’t want to cause any more damages as she already did, second because she knows there are people way wiser and experiment than her.

Does she believe that a person can redeem themselves from mistakes of the past?

Given that she’s specifically concerned by it, she definitely thinks like this. It would be quite hypocritical for her not thinking so.

What scares her?

The Salamence’s soul; Joka (and Mwezi, but he is safer) being dead or injured; maze-like places (it reminds her when she got lost on the docks when she was little)

How does she feels about death? Has she been significantly affected by it?

Her link with death is quite ambiguous.

First, she perfectly accepts it: her grand-mother told her many stories about Mt Pyre and the graves, and she has then understood it is a normal yet sad part of life.

However, that was only for the theoretical part. When she was first confronted to it, she was petrified. Yet, it may be more because of the context (the Salamence’s last stare, notably) than Death itself.

She has been significantly affected twice:

When Joka’s mother died (which haunted her until then), and when she caused the death of two colleagues and had a close call herself during the White Fang failure.

Does she value faith over reason or vice versa?

Maisha knows spiritual stuff isn’t something one should take lightly on it, and she has a tendency to support actions that agree wholeheartedly with this opinion over a cold yet maybe more logical reasoning.

Does she believe in an afterlife?

Yes, definitely –I suppose it helps when your grand-mother worked in a graveyard.

Does she have any habits that reflect her beliefs?

She goes visiting the Salamence’s grave at least once every two months, and may invoke a God depending on the situation (for instance: Arceus helps us, …)

Does she respect the beliefs of others?

The only belief she doesn’t respect is when people say they don’t believe in anything.

Is the character religious? What are her views, and why?

Maisha is more spiritual than strictly religious. She does believes in Gods and spirits, and will do all she can to please them, but she doesn’t pray them daily or else. She sometimes takes part into some important rituals at Mt Pyre’s Sanctuary to honor Gods and the spirits of the past year deceased beings, but it doesn’t go far beyond.

Would she be more likely to act for the good of one or the good of many?

What she thinks is that the good of many should be preferred to the good of one. However, she doesn’t necessarily apply this herself given that, most of the time, she tends to advantage Joka (and Mwezi to a lesser extent) over the success of a mission.

Describe one or more plots you would like to do with this character:

Without any doubt: Maisha falling from a cliff. If she’s able to catch a branch, she’s then stuck, with a panicked Joka unable to reach her…

Also, if chosen, maybe Joka being a bit jealous over Arnold (because dragon who can still fly and “Don’t even think about taking my Mommy away from me because you can fly ;A; ” )

Otherwise, I'm open to everything (even my character dying. Eeyup)

I hope you like it, and wish me luck

~
Pokemon © Nintendo Game Freak
Art © Yunuroko