Post by princessclara on Nov 26, 2008 3:34:27 GMT
Name
Clara Parks
Nicknames
Parker, Freckles
Age
16
Gender
Female
Appearance
[hair]
As a kid, Clara’s parents insisted on the child’s hair to be short. “A short, innocent-looking bob” were their exact words. Though they were hardly ever around, the nannies saw to it that they got their wish. No matter the fuss, the kicking, screaming, fighting, biting match that ensued when the dreaded hair cut scissors were brought out, her parents ALWAYS got their way. But that was then. Since their move to the Satori Region, Clara has been on a rather free reign, and the first thing she made an executive decision to do was grow out her hair. Long, wavy tresses of deep chocolate curl down her back, reaching just beyond her shoulder blades. Across her forehead and often falling into her eyes are thick, wavy, side swept bangs, the latest fad back where she had lived before. Always an advocate for a clean, class appearance, her locks are always silky and healthy-looking with almost professional looking soft curls. When attemping a style more conforming to her active life, she sports a high ponytail with a strand of hair wrapped around the band to keep the classy-yet-effortless look through all activities. Also a fan of accessories, she can be seen with a variety of vintage headbands and delicate barrettes woven into the soft strands.
[face]
The word “mature” is one used to describe the overall appearance of Clara’s face. Though only sixteen, she has been able to pass for as old as twenty. There’s nothing particular about her face that brings on these assumptions, most is attributed to the wise look found in her round, innocent eyes. A favorite of her appearance, she takes pride in the unique coloring of her eyes. The color of the sky after a storm, a deep mysterious gray, with flecks of gold always intrigue admirers. She takes great care in lining them with a thin layer of eyeliner, and the surrounding lashes with a few sweeps of mascara. Her skin is a deep beige, made so by her love of the outdoors and spending time under the rays of the sun. The apples of her cheeks always carry a light pink undertone, which can quickly turn deep crimson when she flushes out of embarrassment, or more commonly, anger. Small, peach lips surround two rows of perfect pearly whites, attributed to three years of braces in her younger days, and when she smiles, a dimple forms on only the left side. A small splash of cinnamon colored freckles sprinkle her petite, slightly upturned nose, earning her the affectionate nickname “Freckles” from friends and family.
[body]
Since the beginning of her life, birth complications had made growing difficult for her. The hormone injections helped a little, but nothing the doctors could do would make her a normal size adult. Always being the runt of neighborhood kids and academy classmates, she was called everything from “puny” to “midget”, but none broke her spirit. Even though she was short, she packed a lot of punch, which some found out all too literally. Standing at a meager 4’11” at age sixteen, only her face saves her from being called ten on a regular basis. Though she’s always had a small, delicate, almost boyish frame, her curves have found themselves a little in her teenage years. Not that she suddenly became a knockout, but she can now be clearly distinguished as a girl. She also has extremely toned muscles for a girl with her growth disorder, but running religiously every morning has increased her stamina and strength, not to mention help her keep her sanity. She has always been active in areas around her house befriending and playing with native Pokémon.
[clothes]
Clara had always been well off. Her parents, though never around, never missed a chance to spoil their only daughter. They were that kind of parents that thought giving presents would make up for not being at home for months at a time. Clara, not being one to show weakness, learned to milk this perk for all it was worth. She had closets of every kind of clothing available. Designer, vintage, she had them all. Accompanying her parents to fancy dinners and awards ceremonies, she had a whole rack of adorable thingytail dresses and matching heels. On her own time, however, she can be found wearing anything from fitted denim jeans and a tank top to shorts and a polo, depending on her mood and the weather. Being brought up with a flair for fashion and the funds to support it, it’s a wonder how she can be so comfortable in sweat pants, but she has no problem wearing them as well. Her clothes reflect her mood, most of the time, but no matter what she ends up wearing, it is always perfectly matched with accenting accessories.
[jewelry]
Jewelry was one of her parents’ favorite things to send her while traveling to other regions. She owns a collection of rings, necklaces, bracelets, and hair accessories from across the globe. The only staples in her accessory wardrobe, however, are a tiny silver locket and a ring with a diamond heart. Inside the silver locket was a picture of an old women holding a little girl with a short bob. The girl, of course, is little Clara. The woman is her grandmother, who she lost before her fifth birthday. This is Clara’s favorite picture, one of the only left with her grandmother smiling, showing deep laugh lines from the better times in her life. The ring, a sterling silver promise ring with a diamond heart-shaped stone, was given to her by her brother, Jeremy, before he set out on his own Pokémon training adventure. She holds it so dear to her because it was a promise to her that he would always come back to her. But now he never could.
[other]
Tiny scars adorn the girl’s body, not from any purposeful injuries, but from her clumsy lifestyle. Being adventurous and being clumsy really don’t do the body well, which can be clearly seen on her arms and knees especially. Even before she prepared for her journey of Pokémon training, she always wore her belt with six empty Pokéballs attached to it. During her pretending years, she took them off and pretended to throw them, releasing make believe Pokémon to do her bidding.
Personality
[stubborn]
From the day she learned that she had a say in how life went, Clara would not shut up about her own opinions. When she thought something was wrong or unfair, she would argue until she got her way. It was hard to argue with her parents, the apparent source of her hard headed tendencies, because they could whip out valid points and well thought out argues as soon as she could. With others, however, she had a gift of hitting exactly what they didn’t want to hear, forcing them to agree half-heartedly with what she was saying. This came in handing when convincing her parents that she should be allowed to go out on her own Pokémon adventure, just as Jeremy had been allowed to do. Of course, they argued, painfully bringing up the subject of how Jeremy’s journey was cut short. But Clara would not budge on her position. She knew this was the life she was destined to fulfill, and she would not cease until they saw it her way.
[leader]
Leading was something that came naturally to Clara. When she was put into groups at the academies for projects, it was her voice that was heard above the rest, assigning jobs and giving orders. And to her surprise, people actually listened to her. It was something about the tone in her voice when she decided it was time for business; it was almost hypnotizing. People WANTED to do things for her when she told them to, they all trusted her judgment and the decisions she made for her team. This was one of the reasons she assumed she would be a good trainer. She believed she had the ability to make executive decisions for her team and keep them out of harms way and on the right track. No one doubted her abilities, not even her parents, would could be what contributed to their eventually allowance of her Pokémon adventure.
[clumsy]
When she was carrying herself, she could be the classiest, most sophisticated lady around. But more often than not, she was not carrying herself. She was on the ground, face in the mud. Ever since she was little, she had always had a problem with walking. Not in an actual impairment kind of way, just in a tripping-over-her-own-feet kind of way. One minute, she could be walking next to you, carrying on light conversation. The next, she could be on the group a couple of steps behind you, scrambling to get up and wipe off the stained knees of her jeans, or worse, the blood from her knees if she wasn’t wearing jeans. Her close friends and family have gotten used to her showing up with new scabs and bruises, though it can be rather comical to watch for people she has just met. There have been a few occasions, during fancy events she attended with her mother and father, where she has embarrassed herself in front of very important people, but she has learned the best thing to do is just laugh it off, which she often does.
[benevolent]
One of her inner qualities, not shown nearly as much as the others, is her benevolence. Kindness has always been a virtue she has believed in strongly. Her favorite thing to do when she was little was to run around and play doctor to injured Pokémon, grabbing all the potions in her parents’ cabinets and healing all she could find. This kindness only grew as she got older. She stopped being trouble for her nannies, knowing it was not their fault for her parents’ absence, and started helping out around the house to make life easier on the hardworking women. And she was always kind to her parents, though they were hardly in her life at all until their move to this region. She always agreed to go to events with them so they could show off their “lovely, polite, well-manned child”, and she never disappointed, no matter how strong the urge was to release the pent up anger she help for them.
[determined]
Once Clara set her mind to something, there was nothing that could stop her. No one could change her mind or discourage her, no matter how persuasive the argument. Because of this trait, she has become very accomplished in many areas of her life. At her old academy, she set three track records and was awarded the Principle’s certificate for academic achievement two years in a row because she was striving for approval from her parents. When that didn’t work, she threw herself into Pokémon. She’s studied and researched and now, even at her young age, knows more about certain species than the trained professionals. Once that first red and white Pokéball is set in her hands, there is nothing to stop her from becoming the world’s best trainer.
[smart]
Her determination is not the only thing that aided her in becoming a favorite at the academy. Born with natural intelligence, school subjects came easy to her. She could have been accepted into Poké Research college in no time flat, but decided to go a different path. She has the common sense of a 40 year old and knows how to get herself out of tight situations fast. She has been the target of many envious stares and scowls when more and more accomplishments pile up behind her name. She has no problem letting her true smarts show, knowing that if she hid them, then she wouldn’t be herself.
[impulsive]
Though Clara is smart, she can be known to make impulsive decisions. No matter what her common sense tells her to do, the urge to act in the moment is sometimes to strong for the little girl to resist. Much of her parents’ money is lost to impulse buys, most that she can’t even use yet due to their affiliation with Pokémon, and her lack of a starter Pokémon. She can be known to explore mysterious, even dangerous crevices on her adventures, not stopping to think about the consequences (which are multiplied by her clumsiness). Many have tried to show her the dangers of this impulsive mindset, but of course, being the stubborn girl she is, she had no intention of changing her ways.
Above all else, Clara is strong. She’s grown up independent, not a lot of input from her parents, and that’s made her a strong person. She’s learned that she can’t rely on anyone for what she wants, and that she has to make it happen herself. Learning to get past the hurt in her life has been hard, but she’s grown from it and will never let anyone hurt her without her permission again. Her love for Pokémon is generated by the feeling that they can never let her down. She doesn’t want to cry anymore, and she’s determined to stay strong for her brother. Because she knows that what he’d want, and that’s what he’d help her to accomplish if he was still here.
History
[parents meet]
It all began with Mr. & Mrs. Parks, or Evan Parks and Mallory Skriban as they were known then. Evan was the head of the controlling department in PokéMark Inc., the highest of the high in the business responsible for running the centers around the globe. He was clearly a work-a-holic, but with no family of his own, the lifestyle worked well for him. He first laid on Mallory when she came to make a presentation about a new type of Pokéball. Something about how cute she looked in her business suit or how her velvet voice won over the entire board room intrigued Evan. All it took was a note “From the desk of Evan Parks” to start the relationship. A couple dates later, they were spiraling into true love. They were quickly married in a lavish ceremony. The beginning of their romance was almost like a fairytale. Sweet surprises at work, spontaneous getaways to beautiful islands, anything to show how much their cared for each other. But once their second child was on it’s way, the gestures of love began to lesson and work became priority once again.
[child born]
A couple weeks before Clara’s birth, Mallory was hired into the business as Evan’s assistant (on his request). Work was so hectic, the baby was hardly Mallory’s first priority. Up until the very day of her birth, Clara’s parents were hard at work every day, barely taking the time to decorate her room. They hired the best of the best to make it suitable for a baby of such important people of course, but didn’t even know what it looked like until they laid their baby girl down in her crib for the first time. It wasn’t until Mallory’s water broke in her office that she stopped working long enough to make her way to the hospital. The Parks assumed it would be a quick birth and that Mallory would take the minimum time possible away from work to nurse and raise the baby before nannies would take over. But as soon as the baby was born, at a meager four pounds 6 ounces, they knew this baby would take a little more effort before it was able to be handed over to the care of someone else.
[complications]
Calling in doctors from all around the region, it took a team of more than ten to figure out what was wrong with the baby girl. She had been born with a growth defect that the doctors solemnly told her parents that she would have her whole life. This would mean she would never be the same size as the other kids her age, and the only way she would grow at all would be with the help of hormones injected twice a week until she turns fourteen. The concerned Parks parents took time off of work for the first time since their first child, Jeremy’s, birth to make sure their daughter would survive the first few months of her life. They began the injections as soon as the doctors allowed her to leave the hospital, and after a couple weeks, major improvements could be seen. The baby, though still on the small side, was crying and fussing like a normal, healthy baby. The Parks agreed it was time to get back to work and left their baby in the capable hands of a team of nannies.
[growing up… or not]
Since the day she started school, Clara knew she was different. Compared to the other kids, she knew there was something wrong with her. She constantly found herself looking up when other kids talked, instead of seeing them at eye level. Though she had the same mental capabilities of the other students (if not greater), she always felt inferior, especially when they shouted rude names at her from across the playground or wrote her mean notes during class. She found solace in Pokémon. Every day she’d come home crying, she’d run into the forest out behind her house and play with the wild Pokémon. They never made fun of her for being small or different; they comforted her and always made time to play. Her love of Pokémon only grew stronger from that moment onward.
Though her parents were never a big part of her life, there was one human she could always rely on. That was her older brother Jeremy. Three years older and wise beyond his years, he was always there to dry her tears when she came home from school. He was the one to introduce her to the comforts of Pokémon. She admired him as a strong individual and imitated him whenever she could. She trusted him to always be there for her no matter what happened, and he kept his promise. His baby sister was more important than any friends he made and any girls that wanted to date him. He tried his hardest to be the parental figure that she never had, and she loved him more than anything for it. So when he decided to leave to pursue his own Pokémon adventure, she was heartbroken. He left her with one thing, a promise ring, so she would know he would always come back for her
[pokémon]
With no one left to watch after her, Clara threw herself into Pokémon. She learned everything she could about everything she could. The only time she could be found in the house was when the nannies forced her to sleep in her own bed at night. Other than that, she was outside befriending all the Pokémon she could, learning battle strategies, and really getting inside the Pokémon’s mind. She learned what they liked and what they didn’t like and how to be more than a trainer, to be a friend. Anyone that saw her around the Pokémon could tell that there was something between them, and they were right. Pokémon loved Clara, and she loved Pokémon.
[tragedy]
A couple of months after Jeremy left for his journey, two police officers showed up on Clara’s doorstep. She looked at the two cops, who stood there with their heads down, unwilling to meet her eyes, and knew what they were going to say. Like a scene in a movie, tears clouded her vision and she turned and ran, not bothering to listen to the story the officers were trying to tell. They called her parents and told them about the accident that had cost Jeremy his life during his journey. As devastated as they were, they only took three days out of their work schedule for the funeral. Clara cried. Above all else, she cried. The one person that had always been there for her was now gone from her life forever.
[the following months]
After the funeral, Clara went to her room. That’s where she stayed for the next few months, alone, unspeaking, unmoving. She ate when she was forced, she never talked, and most surprisingly, she didn’t visit the Pokémon anymore. She couldn’t bring herself to do it. Every time she saw their bright eyes she was reminded of Jeremy and how he had introduced her to these creatures to ease her pain. Now all they did was cause her more pain. After the first month, she didn’t want to feel anymore. She became numb to everything around her. She barely noticed that her parents were home more often or that bird Pokémon often flew by the window to check on their old friends. She just didn’t care anymore.
[bringing together family]
Hearing reports from the nannies, Mr. & Mrs. Parks became increasingly more worried about their daughter. They decided it was time to take time off from the business and focus on the family. Evan worked out a deal with his business so that he could do his business from home. But even when they were home, it didn’t seem to matter to Clara. They decided a change of scenery would do her some good, to get away from the place that she associates with memories of her brother. They packed their bags and rented a moving truck. They drove to the Satori Region to start anew.
[the present]
Clara slowly stopped feeling numb. It was a long recovery process, but she knew this wasn’t how Jeremy would want her to live her life. She began to go outside again, making friends with the new Pokémon around her house. She asked her parents, and after many arguments and discussions, she convinced them that the best thing would be for her to start a journey of her own. They were very reserved, but she guaranteed she would be extra careful. She packed her things and decided to seek out the nearest lab to receive her starter Pokémon.
Chosen Path
Trainer at first, then breeder when the adventure is over.
Clara Parks
Nicknames
Parker, Freckles
Age
16
Gender
Female
Appearance
As a kid, Clara’s parents insisted on the child’s hair to be short. “A short, innocent-looking bob” were their exact words. Though they were hardly ever around, the nannies saw to it that they got their wish. No matter the fuss, the kicking, screaming, fighting, biting match that ensued when the dreaded hair cut scissors were brought out, her parents ALWAYS got their way. But that was then. Since their move to the Satori Region, Clara has been on a rather free reign, and the first thing she made an executive decision to do was grow out her hair. Long, wavy tresses of deep chocolate curl down her back, reaching just beyond her shoulder blades. Across her forehead and often falling into her eyes are thick, wavy, side swept bangs, the latest fad back where she had lived before. Always an advocate for a clean, class appearance, her locks are always silky and healthy-looking with almost professional looking soft curls. When attemping a style more conforming to her active life, she sports a high ponytail with a strand of hair wrapped around the band to keep the classy-yet-effortless look through all activities. Also a fan of accessories, she can be seen with a variety of vintage headbands and delicate barrettes woven into the soft strands.
The word “mature” is one used to describe the overall appearance of Clara’s face. Though only sixteen, she has been able to pass for as old as twenty. There’s nothing particular about her face that brings on these assumptions, most is attributed to the wise look found in her round, innocent eyes. A favorite of her appearance, she takes pride in the unique coloring of her eyes. The color of the sky after a storm, a deep mysterious gray, with flecks of gold always intrigue admirers. She takes great care in lining them with a thin layer of eyeliner, and the surrounding lashes with a few sweeps of mascara. Her skin is a deep beige, made so by her love of the outdoors and spending time under the rays of the sun. The apples of her cheeks always carry a light pink undertone, which can quickly turn deep crimson when she flushes out of embarrassment, or more commonly, anger. Small, peach lips surround two rows of perfect pearly whites, attributed to three years of braces in her younger days, and when she smiles, a dimple forms on only the left side. A small splash of cinnamon colored freckles sprinkle her petite, slightly upturned nose, earning her the affectionate nickname “Freckles” from friends and family.
Since the beginning of her life, birth complications had made growing difficult for her. The hormone injections helped a little, but nothing the doctors could do would make her a normal size adult. Always being the runt of neighborhood kids and academy classmates, she was called everything from “puny” to “midget”, but none broke her spirit. Even though she was short, she packed a lot of punch, which some found out all too literally. Standing at a meager 4’11” at age sixteen, only her face saves her from being called ten on a regular basis. Though she’s always had a small, delicate, almost boyish frame, her curves have found themselves a little in her teenage years. Not that she suddenly became a knockout, but she can now be clearly distinguished as a girl. She also has extremely toned muscles for a girl with her growth disorder, but running religiously every morning has increased her stamina and strength, not to mention help her keep her sanity. She has always been active in areas around her house befriending and playing with native Pokémon.
Clara had always been well off. Her parents, though never around, never missed a chance to spoil their only daughter. They were that kind of parents that thought giving presents would make up for not being at home for months at a time. Clara, not being one to show weakness, learned to milk this perk for all it was worth. She had closets of every kind of clothing available. Designer, vintage, she had them all. Accompanying her parents to fancy dinners and awards ceremonies, she had a whole rack of adorable thingytail dresses and matching heels. On her own time, however, she can be found wearing anything from fitted denim jeans and a tank top to shorts and a polo, depending on her mood and the weather. Being brought up with a flair for fashion and the funds to support it, it’s a wonder how she can be so comfortable in sweat pants, but she has no problem wearing them as well. Her clothes reflect her mood, most of the time, but no matter what she ends up wearing, it is always perfectly matched with accenting accessories.
Jewelry was one of her parents’ favorite things to send her while traveling to other regions. She owns a collection of rings, necklaces, bracelets, and hair accessories from across the globe. The only staples in her accessory wardrobe, however, are a tiny silver locket and a ring with a diamond heart. Inside the silver locket was a picture of an old women holding a little girl with a short bob. The girl, of course, is little Clara. The woman is her grandmother, who she lost before her fifth birthday. This is Clara’s favorite picture, one of the only left with her grandmother smiling, showing deep laugh lines from the better times in her life. The ring, a sterling silver promise ring with a diamond heart-shaped stone, was given to her by her brother, Jeremy, before he set out on his own Pokémon training adventure. She holds it so dear to her because it was a promise to her that he would always come back to her. But now he never could.
Tiny scars adorn the girl’s body, not from any purposeful injuries, but from her clumsy lifestyle. Being adventurous and being clumsy really don’t do the body well, which can be clearly seen on her arms and knees especially. Even before she prepared for her journey of Pokémon training, she always wore her belt with six empty Pokéballs attached to it. During her pretending years, she took them off and pretended to throw them, releasing make believe Pokémon to do her bidding.
Personality
From the day she learned that she had a say in how life went, Clara would not shut up about her own opinions. When she thought something was wrong or unfair, she would argue until she got her way. It was hard to argue with her parents, the apparent source of her hard headed tendencies, because they could whip out valid points and well thought out argues as soon as she could. With others, however, she had a gift of hitting exactly what they didn’t want to hear, forcing them to agree half-heartedly with what she was saying. This came in handing when convincing her parents that she should be allowed to go out on her own Pokémon adventure, just as Jeremy had been allowed to do. Of course, they argued, painfully bringing up the subject of how Jeremy’s journey was cut short. But Clara would not budge on her position. She knew this was the life she was destined to fulfill, and she would not cease until they saw it her way.
Leading was something that came naturally to Clara. When she was put into groups at the academies for projects, it was her voice that was heard above the rest, assigning jobs and giving orders. And to her surprise, people actually listened to her. It was something about the tone in her voice when she decided it was time for business; it was almost hypnotizing. People WANTED to do things for her when she told them to, they all trusted her judgment and the decisions she made for her team. This was one of the reasons she assumed she would be a good trainer. She believed she had the ability to make executive decisions for her team and keep them out of harms way and on the right track. No one doubted her abilities, not even her parents, would could be what contributed to their eventually allowance of her Pokémon adventure.
When she was carrying herself, she could be the classiest, most sophisticated lady around. But more often than not, she was not carrying herself. She was on the ground, face in the mud. Ever since she was little, she had always had a problem with walking. Not in an actual impairment kind of way, just in a tripping-over-her-own-feet kind of way. One minute, she could be walking next to you, carrying on light conversation. The next, she could be on the group a couple of steps behind you, scrambling to get up and wipe off the stained knees of her jeans, or worse, the blood from her knees if she wasn’t wearing jeans. Her close friends and family have gotten used to her showing up with new scabs and bruises, though it can be rather comical to watch for people she has just met. There have been a few occasions, during fancy events she attended with her mother and father, where she has embarrassed herself in front of very important people, but she has learned the best thing to do is just laugh it off, which she often does.
One of her inner qualities, not shown nearly as much as the others, is her benevolence. Kindness has always been a virtue she has believed in strongly. Her favorite thing to do when she was little was to run around and play doctor to injured Pokémon, grabbing all the potions in her parents’ cabinets and healing all she could find. This kindness only grew as she got older. She stopped being trouble for her nannies, knowing it was not their fault for her parents’ absence, and started helping out around the house to make life easier on the hardworking women. And she was always kind to her parents, though they were hardly in her life at all until their move to this region. She always agreed to go to events with them so they could show off their “lovely, polite, well-manned child”, and she never disappointed, no matter how strong the urge was to release the pent up anger she help for them.
Once Clara set her mind to something, there was nothing that could stop her. No one could change her mind or discourage her, no matter how persuasive the argument. Because of this trait, she has become very accomplished in many areas of her life. At her old academy, she set three track records and was awarded the Principle’s certificate for academic achievement two years in a row because she was striving for approval from her parents. When that didn’t work, she threw herself into Pokémon. She’s studied and researched and now, even at her young age, knows more about certain species than the trained professionals. Once that first red and white Pokéball is set in her hands, there is nothing to stop her from becoming the world’s best trainer.
Her determination is not the only thing that aided her in becoming a favorite at the academy. Born with natural intelligence, school subjects came easy to her. She could have been accepted into Poké Research college in no time flat, but decided to go a different path. She has the common sense of a 40 year old and knows how to get herself out of tight situations fast. She has been the target of many envious stares and scowls when more and more accomplishments pile up behind her name. She has no problem letting her true smarts show, knowing that if she hid them, then she wouldn’t be herself.
Though Clara is smart, she can be known to make impulsive decisions. No matter what her common sense tells her to do, the urge to act in the moment is sometimes to strong for the little girl to resist. Much of her parents’ money is lost to impulse buys, most that she can’t even use yet due to their affiliation with Pokémon, and her lack of a starter Pokémon. She can be known to explore mysterious, even dangerous crevices on her adventures, not stopping to think about the consequences (which are multiplied by her clumsiness). Many have tried to show her the dangers of this impulsive mindset, but of course, being the stubborn girl she is, she had no intention of changing her ways.
Above all else, Clara is strong. She’s grown up independent, not a lot of input from her parents, and that’s made her a strong person. She’s learned that she can’t rely on anyone for what she wants, and that she has to make it happen herself. Learning to get past the hurt in her life has been hard, but she’s grown from it and will never let anyone hurt her without her permission again. Her love for Pokémon is generated by the feeling that they can never let her down. She doesn’t want to cry anymore, and she’s determined to stay strong for her brother. Because she knows that what he’d want, and that’s what he’d help her to accomplish if he was still here.
History
It all began with Mr. & Mrs. Parks, or Evan Parks and Mallory Skriban as they were known then. Evan was the head of the controlling department in PokéMark Inc., the highest of the high in the business responsible for running the centers around the globe. He was clearly a work-a-holic, but with no family of his own, the lifestyle worked well for him. He first laid on Mallory when she came to make a presentation about a new type of Pokéball. Something about how cute she looked in her business suit or how her velvet voice won over the entire board room intrigued Evan. All it took was a note “From the desk of Evan Parks” to start the relationship. A couple dates later, they were spiraling into true love. They were quickly married in a lavish ceremony. The beginning of their romance was almost like a fairytale. Sweet surprises at work, spontaneous getaways to beautiful islands, anything to show how much their cared for each other. But once their second child was on it’s way, the gestures of love began to lesson and work became priority once again.
A couple weeks before Clara’s birth, Mallory was hired into the business as Evan’s assistant (on his request). Work was so hectic, the baby was hardly Mallory’s first priority. Up until the very day of her birth, Clara’s parents were hard at work every day, barely taking the time to decorate her room. They hired the best of the best to make it suitable for a baby of such important people of course, but didn’t even know what it looked like until they laid their baby girl down in her crib for the first time. It wasn’t until Mallory’s water broke in her office that she stopped working long enough to make her way to the hospital. The Parks assumed it would be a quick birth and that Mallory would take the minimum time possible away from work to nurse and raise the baby before nannies would take over. But as soon as the baby was born, at a meager four pounds 6 ounces, they knew this baby would take a little more effort before it was able to be handed over to the care of someone else.
Calling in doctors from all around the region, it took a team of more than ten to figure out what was wrong with the baby girl. She had been born with a growth defect that the doctors solemnly told her parents that she would have her whole life. This would mean she would never be the same size as the other kids her age, and the only way she would grow at all would be with the help of hormones injected twice a week until she turns fourteen. The concerned Parks parents took time off of work for the first time since their first child, Jeremy’s, birth to make sure their daughter would survive the first few months of her life. They began the injections as soon as the doctors allowed her to leave the hospital, and after a couple weeks, major improvements could be seen. The baby, though still on the small side, was crying and fussing like a normal, healthy baby. The Parks agreed it was time to get back to work and left their baby in the capable hands of a team of nannies.
Since the day she started school, Clara knew she was different. Compared to the other kids, she knew there was something wrong with her. She constantly found herself looking up when other kids talked, instead of seeing them at eye level. Though she had the same mental capabilities of the other students (if not greater), she always felt inferior, especially when they shouted rude names at her from across the playground or wrote her mean notes during class. She found solace in Pokémon. Every day she’d come home crying, she’d run into the forest out behind her house and play with the wild Pokémon. They never made fun of her for being small or different; they comforted her and always made time to play. Her love of Pokémon only grew stronger from that moment onward.
Though her parents were never a big part of her life, there was one human she could always rely on. That was her older brother Jeremy. Three years older and wise beyond his years, he was always there to dry her tears when she came home from school. He was the one to introduce her to the comforts of Pokémon. She admired him as a strong individual and imitated him whenever she could. She trusted him to always be there for her no matter what happened, and he kept his promise. His baby sister was more important than any friends he made and any girls that wanted to date him. He tried his hardest to be the parental figure that she never had, and she loved him more than anything for it. So when he decided to leave to pursue his own Pokémon adventure, she was heartbroken. He left her with one thing, a promise ring, so she would know he would always come back for her
With no one left to watch after her, Clara threw herself into Pokémon. She learned everything she could about everything she could. The only time she could be found in the house was when the nannies forced her to sleep in her own bed at night. Other than that, she was outside befriending all the Pokémon she could, learning battle strategies, and really getting inside the Pokémon’s mind. She learned what they liked and what they didn’t like and how to be more than a trainer, to be a friend. Anyone that saw her around the Pokémon could tell that there was something between them, and they were right. Pokémon loved Clara, and she loved Pokémon.
A couple of months after Jeremy left for his journey, two police officers showed up on Clara’s doorstep. She looked at the two cops, who stood there with their heads down, unwilling to meet her eyes, and knew what they were going to say. Like a scene in a movie, tears clouded her vision and she turned and ran, not bothering to listen to the story the officers were trying to tell. They called her parents and told them about the accident that had cost Jeremy his life during his journey. As devastated as they were, they only took three days out of their work schedule for the funeral. Clara cried. Above all else, she cried. The one person that had always been there for her was now gone from her life forever.
After the funeral, Clara went to her room. That’s where she stayed for the next few months, alone, unspeaking, unmoving. She ate when she was forced, she never talked, and most surprisingly, she didn’t visit the Pokémon anymore. She couldn’t bring herself to do it. Every time she saw their bright eyes she was reminded of Jeremy and how he had introduced her to these creatures to ease her pain. Now all they did was cause her more pain. After the first month, she didn’t want to feel anymore. She became numb to everything around her. She barely noticed that her parents were home more often or that bird Pokémon often flew by the window to check on their old friends. She just didn’t care anymore.
Hearing reports from the nannies, Mr. & Mrs. Parks became increasingly more worried about their daughter. They decided it was time to take time off from the business and focus on the family. Evan worked out a deal with his business so that he could do his business from home. But even when they were home, it didn’t seem to matter to Clara. They decided a change of scenery would do her some good, to get away from the place that she associates with memories of her brother. They packed their bags and rented a moving truck. They drove to the Satori Region to start anew.
Clara slowly stopped feeling numb. It was a long recovery process, but she knew this wasn’t how Jeremy would want her to live her life. She began to go outside again, making friends with the new Pokémon around her house. She asked her parents, and after many arguments and discussions, she convinced them that the best thing would be for her to start a journey of her own. They were very reserved, but she guaranteed she would be extra careful. She packed her things and decided to seek out the nearest lab to receive her starter Pokémon.
Chosen Path
Trainer at first, then breeder when the adventure is over.
