Shepard, Cannelle

[MizuJakkaru]

Name: Cannelle Shepard
Nickname: Elle
Age: 14 (October 9th)
Gender: Female
Birthplace: Fallarbor Town, Hoenn
Family: Harson Shepard (Father), Miriam Shepard (Mother)

Trainer Orientation: Neutral
Team Affiliation: Team Magma
Trainer Class: Magma Grunt
Starter Pokémon: Zangoose

Character Theme:
PUFFY ~ SWEET DROPS (Usagi Drop)

Versus Theme:
Owl City ~ Hot Air Balloon (Instrumental)

Rush [Male Zangoose] — Hush, little baby, don't say a word.
Rush has taken care of Cannelle almost as if she were a young Zangoose for a number of years. He babies her like a father would and cares about her more than anything in the world. He will maim anyone that harms her or makes her upset. Rush completely disagrees with Cannelle joining Team Magma and often tries to get her to leave. Still, since Rush see Cannelle as a daughter he never had, he has followed her through her trials in Magma. Rush is a silent-type of a Pokémon and prefers not to talk to others.
—Befriended on Route 114.

Ability: Immunity
Nature: Brave
Move Pool: Close Combat, Crush Claw, Detect, False Swipe, Quick Attack, Return, Shadow Claw, Swords Dance, Taunt, X-Scissor

Topaz [Male Sandshrew] — Diamond in the rough.
Cannelle often tells Topaz that he's a "diamond in the rough," because he hasn't yet grown to his full potential. Topaz has trouble holding his own in battle and sometimes even cowards out of them. He's determined to do better, however, because he wants to prove to himself, and to Elle, that he can. He has found he's particularly good at using Rapid Spin... and Cannelle is encouraging him to try honing that.
—Befriended on Route 113.

Ability: Sand Veil
Nature: Hardy
Move Pool: Defense Curl, Poison Sting, Rapid Spin, Sand-Attack, Scratch

Panyopanyo [Female Slugma] — Happy! Smile! Hello!
Panyo is a cheerful little Slugma. Nothing gets her down! Panyo often bounces (bubbles...?) around in glee for no particular reason. She's prone to getting herself in trouble with some of the more serious grunts at the Magma Hideout, because she'll accidentally melt their shoes when she trips over them in her happiness. As such, Cannelle tries to keep her in her capsule while at the Magma Hideout or on missions with others.
—Befriended in Fiery Path.

Ability: Flame Body
Nature: Jolly
Move Pool: Ember, Recover, Rock Throw, Smog, Yawn

Terror [Female Skarmory] — The terror of the skies.
Terror strikes fear into even the chilliest hearts... not. Terror is a lazy bum of a Skarmory, though she'll battle when the time does call for it. Even though she's lazy, she does have a bit of a mean streak and can snap at her team mates. (Excluding Rush, she doesn't dare cross him.) And she often does snap at them if they get on her nerves. When she's not being lazy, she's probably Cannelle's best fighter, sans Rush.
—Befriended on Route 113.

Ability: Keen Eye
Nature: Rash
Move Pool: Agility, Air Cutter, Feint, Fury Attack, Night Slash, Peck, Sand-Attack, Spikes, Steel Wing, Swift

Dusky [Female Numel] — Play chess in the air.
Dusky is a very calm, silent Numel. She's got a level head on her shoulders and she enjoys the quiet. Cannelle found her north of Mauville City when she was seeking a place of solitude since she didn't currently have a mission from any of the higher ups. Dusky is named thus because her hair is a dusky light lemon. Dusky prefers dry types of food. She has a lot of potential to be a good fighter in the future and Cannelle is planning on training her up.
—Befriended in Fiery Path.

Ability: Oblivious
Nature: Relaxed
Move Pool: Ember, Flame Burst, Focus Energy, Magnitude, Tackle

Cannelle is very short for her age, standing about five feet tall. Her eyes are light gray and her hair is a pale white. Her hair is cut short, framing her face, and she has short, layered bangs. Her hair is almost always hidden from sight under the hood of her top. On said hood is, of course, the iconic symbol of Team Magma.

Outfit-wise, Cannelle wears the regular Team Magma get-up, but with a few minor changes. She has the hooded jacket, but she also wears a short scarf around her neck. In place of a skirt she wears shorts. Her belt, shoes and leg warmers are of the standard Magma fare, but she opted not to wear the arm warmers with the gloves. She carries a long staff which she can use with ease.

When she's not in her Team Magma attire, she typically wears shorts and tank tops. Sometimes she wears leggings and skirts, but only rarely. Generally, her clothing colors lean towards pink.

Artwork by Rogia (front) and unknown (left).

Cannelle is incredibly shy and quiet due to her childhood. She doesn't speak up unless someone makes fun of her and even then it's usually just tearful yelling. She's very defensive and has built high walls around herself that take some effort to chip and break down, but the right person could do it. She always has her hood up to keep people from making fun of her hair, because it upsets her so.

Under that shell though, she's a happy little child. When no one is looking, that is. She loves her Pokémon, Rush especially, and, since she doesn't know her father, Rush has more or less taken his place in her life. She often will cry herself to sleep in his fur if she's had a bad day. Generally, she's the person you tend not to notice, the person that's hidden themselves in plain site. She makes a point to keep in her place among her team mates... and she's good at it.

When someone offends her or makes fun of her about not having friends or having white hair, however... Cannelle can get very loud. It's her defense. She yells at them and denies everything they say and has a tendency to keep her hood firmly on when they make fun of her about her hair. She tries to hide it... when she should just accept it.

Name: Harson Shepard — Fantasy, abandoned by reason, produces impossible monsters...
Age: 43
Gender: Male
Relationship: Father
Trainer Orientation: Chaotic Neutral
Trainer Class: Traveling Guy

Not much is known about Harson, Cannelle has never met him and she only knows what he looks like because her mother keeps an old photograph of him in her sock drawer. Harson abandoned Miriam and the unborn Cannelle many years ago and he has not shown his face since.

Name: Miriam Shepard — Where ignorance is bliss, tis folly to be wise.
Age: 39
Gender: Female
Relationship: Mother
Trainer Orientation: Neutral Good
Trainer Class: Ordinary Lady

Cannelle's mother has always loved her daughter. The woman is sweet and caring and everything a mother should be, but raising a child alone in a secluded town was hard on Miriam and maybe she, unknowingly, didn't pay enough attention to the bullying her daughter went through. Regardless, she adores Cannelle very much.

Cannelle was born in Fallarbor Town, the town where the ashes dust the landscape gray and white. Her father had left the ash white town when her mother was pregnant with Cannelle, never to be seen again. Ironically enough, Cannelle's hair, too, is white. And that... is the bane of her existence. She grew up as the strange girl, the kid everyone picked on in class. She's never been strong at heart and being made fun of in school, never making any friends, tore her up inside. Often times she would escape into wilds near Meteor Falls and cry to herself.

One day, while some the boys in her kindergarten class where chasing her and calling her names about her hair, she ran into a Zangoose. Scared at first, terrified, because Zangoose are known to be aggressive at heart, she fell back and closed her eyes in fear. The Zangoose, who Cannelle would name Rush, thundered towards the boys, chasing them off with a growl. Rush would then curl around the sniveling child and comfort her, as if she were his own.

A few more years would pass and Cannelle would also meet Topaz and Panyopanyo, making friends with Pokémon where she could not with humans. She fashioned herself a thin, but sturdy, black pole, which she would teach herself to use by running through the wilderness, her Pokémon at her side. She would become extremely nimble with it, and, while she would never be physically strong, she was incredibly fast. This speed would allow her to pilfer a handful of Poké Balls from the Fallarbor Poké Mart. She promised herself to pay for them one day. Within these Poké Balls, she was able to store Rush, Topaz and Panyopanyo, though Rush adamantly refuses to stay in his unless absolutely necessary.

At the age of fourteen, Cannelle would run away from home, south, towards Mt. Chimney. She had heard of Team Magma as she was growing up as a child, back when they had brought Groudon back from its ancient sleep. Whispers of their return as of late was as good a reason to find a new family. She thought that maybe, just maybe, the people of this team would treat her like a real person, given they cared little for things beyond facts and data. She didn't know too well what their new motives were, but confident that they had turned a new leaf and their plans were now solidly sorted, she ran away to find them. Rush disapproved of the idea, but would protect his "child" no matter what she did.

At Team Magma's hideout, they turned the girl away at first, deeming her too young to join. She would prove herself nevertheless, however, when Maxie had, out of simple amusement (thinking she would fail), ordered her to steal a circuit from New Mauville. When she succeeded due to her speedy and stealthy nature, they allowed her to join.

Regular Abilities______________________________________
└-Skills, professions, knowledge and talents.

Sleight of Hand: Owing to her small hands and fingers and size, Cannelle is skilled at pickpocketing. While not as skilled as some others, she is capable of going rather unnoticed. After all, who suspects a ten year old girl when their wallet goes missing?

│
├─Classification: Talent
├─Category: Skill
└─Power Level: Journeyman

Martial Abilities______________________________________
└-Weapon specializations and fighting styles.

Quarterstaffs: Since she was six or so, Cannelle has played with various poles and staff like implements, becoming rather skilled for her age at both twirling the staff (similar to a baton) and using it to vault to greater heights. The quarterstaff Cannelle has now has a rubber ending, so that when she uses it to vault it will not slide on slick surfaces.

│
├─Classification: Physical
├─Category: Weapon Proficiency
└─Power Level: Journeyman

She huffed with exhaustion. Fallarbor lay far, far, behind her. Life itself as she knew it lay there... but it also stretched before her like some unknown beast. She continued on, one shaky step at a time. Rush was with her, growling slightly in displeasure. He had not wanted her to leave, had thought that this Team Magma venture would be a fool's errand. But Cannelle was his love, and he would do what she wished.

Mt. Chimney grew larger as they walked towards it. A new future awaited them there and she smiled at the thought. The gray hood she wore over her hair fluttered in the slight wind and she pulled it down sternly. The ashes that dusted her leggings were a gray-white. She sneezed at their fluttering rain. Soon she would be at their source. It was about a day's walk.

Yes, it was further than she had ever traveled from home. Yes, she had barely left her mother a note that said she was leaving; something she had seen done on their tiny, old TV in a movie. She smiled despite her prospects. It was a rare smile, usually her face was just... mild. She was happy. She would be able to hide her hair for the most part, and maybe, just maybe... people would accept her for who she was... and not tease her for how she looked.

Yes. This would be a good choice, despite Rush's protest. She was certain of it with every fiber of her small body.