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"If everyone is not special maybe you can be what you want to be. Your life is your own, ok?"

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Twenty-Three

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Male

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Nimbasa City, Unova

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Researcher

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Field Researcher, Part-time tutor, part-time odd job taker

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Neutral

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He has a few tattoos from his college years, but they weren't from a "rebellious" stage. He wears glasses only when he needs to read small text. He alternates between three pairs, depending on where he is or what he is doing. Alastair has quite a few scars from his field work. Mostly along his arms, back, legs, and stomach. He likes to think of them as telling their own stories even though he can't remember how he got half of them.
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Alastair always has his leather satchel with him. It contains papers, pencils, replacement pencils, pens, paperclips, scissors, tape, duct tape, notebooks, field guide books, and a few other items. He's usually never seen without his satchel or without his backpack which he keeps attached to August's saddle (August the Ponyta).

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"Hey, you know what happens if you pull a sleeping Charizard's tail? Neither do I. Let's found out!" -- Alastair Rome, prior to his twenty seven hospital stay for second degree burns and a broken arm.



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¹Picky Eater: Although Alastair seems to eat almost anything, he's very wary of eating food from other people. A few bad experiences in college have led him to being careful. Likewise, he won't eat certain food items in some circumstances, but will eat them in others. Mostly it is a texture thing (for example, he loves cucumber, but refuses to eat it whole or even chopped up, preferring the taste compared to actually eating the food).
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²Skeptical w/ Rumors: Don't be fooled! Alastair still chases after every rumor he hears, but he does it because he wants to prove it right or wrong. He follows rumors for the research potential or to satisfy his own curiosity, not because he believes in them. He's always positive when he heads off to chase rumors, but his positive mood can shift from "yeah this sounds fake" to "omg is there really a dinosaur living in that cave?"
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³Being unable to travel: Alastair hates being stuck somewhere. Hospital rooms, hotels, Pokemon Centers, so on and so forth. Even if there is bad weather, he might gripe and complain because he can't get back to work. Sometimes he will use the time to catch up on work or to care for his Pokemon, but if he's unable to move as he wishes, he'll become anxious and agitated.
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⁴Someone touching his Pokemon: If they don't ask, they'll get on his bad side. Alastair loves his Pokemon, they are his family, thus anyone touching them without notifying him beforehand are doomed to face either a stern talking to or an actual fight. Alastair is very protective over his Pokemon. To the point where he would rather get hurt himself than let them face any danger.
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⁵ Too trusting: A bad habit is a better term for it. Alastair likes to try and see the best in everyone during their first meeting, strongly believing that even bad people can be good. Likewise, if he bonds with someone with questionable methods, chances are he won't leave them behind. He is trusting and loyal, to a fault.
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⁶ Losing a Pokemon: He is terrified of a Pokemon of his--or a friend--going missing or getting severely hurt. Alastair, whose concentration are on the bonds between Pokemon and people, fears hurting or losing his own Pokemon and hopes that never happens.
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⁷ Hurting a Friend: Once Alastair marks someone as a friend he will never leave them behind. Likewise, he can be slightly suffocating due to his need of constant reassurance that he's wanted around. If a friend of Alastair's is hurt, he'll blame himself, even if he couldn't have done anything to prevent the injury (regardless of type). Alastair would rather be hurt himself than let his friends suffer from anything mildly uncomfortable.

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Nimbasa City, the gateway city from forest to the east, a bridge and a river to the west, and a desert to the south. Carnivals, musical shows, battles, and education were valued by the city. From birth to the time he left, Alastair was submerged in the culture. As a safe city, in a prospering region, Alastair was free to roam as he wished. His parents, proud owners of the family's blue ribbon Zebstrika, had always let their boy wander as he wanted (under the condition he took Sparky with him). Sparky, renamed from Leaving You In the Dust by a young Alastair, went with him everywhere. The desert, the forest, the bridge, other cities, everywhere! By the time Alastair was fifteen he was a professional rider. Deserts in Unova proved too easy for him, and the thick forest proved to offer no real challenge. His parents spotted his talents with horse Pokemon, but Alastair didn't want to take on the family business of a racer. Instead, he wanted to go to college after high school.
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College in Nimbasa City was party-oriented, but Alastair's parents wanted him to stay close by and continue training the newest Zebstrika for races as a part-time job. Alastair loved college once he got started. He loved science and research the most. Chemistry and biology eventually became his major and he excelled in his classes, despite the distracting atmosphere of the college's social life. At times, Alastair was dragged to parties by his friends. During the parties, he would try to focus on his homework instead of drinking or eating anything, but leave it to his "friends" to give him a brownie. Afterwards, Alastair spoke to no one and tried to re-forge his position in his major. He wasn't pleased with being lied to, nor with his "friends" thinking it was funny to let him do such embarrassing things. His teachers and parents understood. Some things couldn't be avoided. Alastair was allowed to continue studying at the university, even though he never reported who was at the party. "Friends" or not, he wouldn't rat anyone out for a one-time occurrence. As long as they left him alone.
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After graduation, Alastair was offered a position to get his Ph.D at a graduate school. Alastair applied, despite his parents thinking he had done enough with his education. They needed him to help train the Zebstrika for the racers. His family got their income from selling race horses and participating in smaller races. Torn between helping his parents and going after his dreams, Alastair canceled his application to the graduate school. His parents, pleased, put him back to work and paid him the same as the other workers. About a year later, his parents presented Alastair with a letter. A nearby graduate school had been told he was referred by his old professors for a research position in a far away region, a place almost no one wanted to go to. If he did research there and presented his thesis, he would not only get a Ph.D but he would also have a full-time job that paid well. Alastair took the position and gathered his savings and things. After a heartfelt goodbye, he left his parents and Sparky for the docs.
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After arriving in Orre, Alastair tried to find some transportation to where he had to meet the other researchers. That was easier said than done. Eventually, he discovered a rental place for Ponyta. Rental was a poor word. Half of them looking starved. After arguing with the owner of the business about the state of the Pokemon, Alastair spent over half of his savings on purchasing the weakest looking Ponyta. He named her August, after the month he arrived. With the rest of his money, Alastair got her enough food and water to last for several weeks. He didn't get anything for himself, knowing he could find a job somewhere. His first job in the region was working at a dinner. Alastair waited on tables and eventually got enough money to stay a a small motel. He continued to work and contacted the researcher he was to meet, telling them of his predicament. Alastair was given two months to get enough money to make it to the camp the researcher would be setting up in an area of interest.
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August was well-fed enough for Alastair to start traveling, and he even was able to afford a nice saddle and bridle for her. Their journey across the desert was an easy one, thanks to Alastair's previous training in Unova. Although the deserts were very different, heat was heat. Dry ground was dry ground. Cacti were cacti. After making it to the camp, Alastair was officially welcomed and asked what he wanted to research. His response was simple: the bond between people and Pokemon.

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