Kasumi Tachibana (霞美立花)

Pokemon

Starter: Hisuian Growlithe (Male) Lv. 20
Types: Fire, Rock
Nature: Adamant (+Atk. -Sp. Atk.)
Moves: Flare Blitz, Crunch, Play Rough, Flamethrower

Backstory

Kasumi has a secret she hasn't told a soul; She's from the Hisui region- Never before had she heard of the 'Sinnoh' region until a year ago.It was her trusted, lifelong partner Growlithe who alerted her to the incoming danger with a defensive stance. First came a sudden, unnatural shift in the wind... Then silence. The usually boisterous forest had gone quiet, as if frozen in time. Not a squeak, chirp, or howl could be heard as the air in the forest shimmered, only the low growl of her partner broke the silence. Colors stirring in front of her, the very void of space and time itsself had torn open just meters away.What was it? A new move? An ability? Perhaps a pokemon was teleporting? Despite her better judgement, her curious nature got the better of her as her feet took cautious steps, her partner barking and nipping at her feet in an attempt to stop her advance. But it was to no avail- her gaze had turned hazy, as if drawn in by something. Having dropped her hard-earned basket of berries and herbs, her cautious steps turned confident, as if completely unaware of the danger in front of her. Growlithe's barks did not reach her, nor did his attempts to stop her by strength.Step after step, the forest remained silent.Step after step, Growlithe grew more frantic.Step after step, she drew closer to the end.In a last desperate attempt, her Growlithe launched a full-powered flamethrower at the mysterious opponent, only for its flames to disappear inside. With a powerful gust of wind- no, with a powerful suction- The offending pokemon was dragged into the ephemeral void, barking and clawing at the ground. At last, its barks were enough to wake Kasumi from her trance, who quickly rushed over to pull her best friend away! But she was a moment too late- the instant Growlithe's fur had touched the infinite blackness of the void, his fate was sealed. Quickly, he was sucked inside and swallowed by the darkness, unable to be seen or heard. Kasumi barely even hesitated- not that she had a choice- and jumped inside, the void quickly sucking her in as well.It was then that the void closed behind her, leaving no trace of her behind, save for her basket of berries and herbs strewn across the forest floor. Though even those would soon be picked clean by the wild pokemon.She floated in eternal darkness, a timeless place where she felt no hunger nor thirst, nor the need to rest, or even breathe. She wasn't sure how she could tell, but she knew she was, at least, still alive. So, she clung to hope. the faint hope that she might find and rescue her partner from this place, somehow.It felt like an eternity in isolation- but did 'eternity' even have meaning in a timeless place such as this? Regardless of how long it had been, the only thing she felt when she spied a glimmer of light was simply: Elation. The light grew brighter and brighter, until it opened up into a scene of a forest- similar to the one she had known, except the stretch of ground in front of her was evenly paved with some kind of black rock, stretching endlessly into the distance. This was definitely the forest she knew- the same view, the same cliffs, the same snow-capped mountains and rivers... And yet, it wasn't her forest.Before she could gather her bearings however, she was tackled to the ground by a familiar fuzzy creature- her beloved Growlithe had survived, and had wound up in the same place as her. After showering her friend in affection, she glanced around and, seeing no sign of the void from before, stood up to begin the long trek home.Of course, she would never truly make it home. Not to the time to which she belonged.Even after spending a year in this new world, she still had much to learn. Everything was different and new; the buildings were larger, sturdier. The roads were paved with black rock, the shops and inns were all strange and filled with unknown devices she had yet to master, and now something called a 'pokemon center' existed to heal pokemon. Pokemon- the very same creatures everybody feared- or so it was in her memory. And yet, people and pokemon stood side by side, communicating with nary a word, sharing meals and affections like her and her growlithe would. Rarely had she seen such a sight among others- yet here it was commonplace. The sight brought her to tears when she first saw it...With that realization, despite thoughts of her lost village and family flooding her mind, she knew...This? This was her new home. Wherever she was, this was where she belonged.