| Taph | |
|---|---|
| Text Color | #BC7642 Coconut Shell Color |
| Item | None |
| Gender | Male |
| Time of Death | Two weeks |
| Age | Child |
| Species | #447, Riolu, The Emanation Pokémon |
| Height | 2'04" |
| Weight | 44.5 lbs. |
| Pokédex Entry | "Its body is little yet powerful. It can crest three mountains and cross two canyons in one night."-Pokémon Pearl |
| Level | 6 (RP level up) |
| Ability | Inner Focus: Prevents Flinching. |
| Nature | Brave |
| Characteristic | Often lost in thought |
| Moves | -High Jump Kick (bred) -Endure (learnt) -Quick Attack (learnt) -Dig (TM passed down) |
| History | Taph was bred to be a battle pokemon, his mother a powerful Lucario and his father a strong Blaziken from whom he inherited many strong techniques. As a child the young Riolu was born weak and shivering from his shell and written off by both his parents and his trainer. The little blue furred canine couldn't even stand upright let alone master the powerful kicking techniques of his parents. The little Emanation pokemon could feel his parents disappointment radiating from them, destroying his self confidence from the beginning. No matter how hard he tried to please them he was a useless fighter and he felt he would always be useless. At the next town the trainer set him free, not even bothering to name the little Riolu and set him free into the wild, leaving before the little Fighting Type's crooked gait could catch up to his parents. The little Riolu was terrified of this strange new world he had been released into. He was buffeted from side to side, no human interested in the young fighting type in the rush. The tiny weak Riolu found himself picked up by the most unlikely of allies; a gravedigger. The old man worked in the Celestial Tower, burying the bodies of dead pokemon and putting their restless spirits to rest. He named the young Riolu Taph and raised the little fighting type as if he was a human child. Taph helped the human dig holes for the new graves and hid from the mischievous ghosts that haunted the upper floors. The Gravedigger read to him from his favorite book every night; an illustrated copy of Peter Pan. The story touched the little Riolu's heart; its words sending a message to him that belief can make things better. His childish mind took in the hope that if he wished hard enough he too might be able to fly, then it wouldn't matter if he couldn't kick properly because he would be free in the sky like the birds that sung outside the tower. Instead of just trusting his parents were right to disbelieve in him he began to try and have some confidence in himself. The first time he managed to walk on his own he was proud and his trainer was even prouder of the little Riolu. Taph began to feel that perhaps he could have some purpose after all. If he believed he was strong enough maybe he would be able to fly away from all his troubles... The human Gravedigger passed away from illness and Taph buried his body in one of the tower graves. He was alone but he overcame his fear of the upper tower ghosts and found out they were willing to be his friends against the things that made him afraid. The nervous little Riolu felt his confidence grow. The ghosts were like fairies, helping him like the ones in the story by helping him find food without his trainer to feed him. He carried the book with him, its bright cover starting to fade. Taph still remembered the story inside it and each night told it to his litwick friends. It made him hopeful for the future. He had learnt how to walk, there wasn't really anything wrong with him and as long as he believed that he could be strong. After all if the little ghosts could believe in themselves enough to fly he could too! As Taph entered the world of the epidemic he slowly learnt how to be bolder. With the help of his litwick friends he learnt how to fight a little bit, enough to help them defend the tower. When the tower came under attack from a strange Herdier with red eyes, he put aside his fear aside to help defend the tower. Even when he ended up getting bitten he managed to fight back and win his first real battle. He felt like a true hero until by the dark of the night the Herdier's pack attacked in retaliation. Taph was driven up the stairs as he fled, carrying his book up the long spiral staircase. The young Riolu saw from the corner of his eyes the window sill and filled his heart with hope as he leapt, jaws snapping around his ankle. He believed he could fly... Taph fell, the undead Lillipup falling with him as the nearby forest broke his fall, branches battering and bruising his body before with a thump he landed hard on solid ground. Knocked unconscious for a few moments Taph awoke sprawled over his precious book. He had failed to protect the tower, he had failed to defend his friends and with the bite mark oozing on his ankle he knew that he was marked by death. He really was useless... He would never fly, he would rot and die. His parents were right... There was no more hope for him...Even if he was strong now, really strong not just pretending then he would soon die and none of it would matter. The book flopped open to an illustration of a fairy silhouetted against the shape of the full moon. A tear formed in the corner of one of his bright red eyes and Taph closed them. What did he have now but the belief that maybe things might get better? That belief was all he knew, the hope that one day he might be strong, that one day he might truly fly... The next thing he knew he was in a strange room with unknown pokemon and he was afraid. They had seen the bite mark on his ankle but in the end they had not been afraid of him. They had cared for him and kept him safe and treated him like he had belonged. He felt like they were his family… The Riolu’s heart had stopped. He had died and he knew what that meant. It meant he would turn against his friends. He was truly terrified at what he might do and he ran as far as his legs could carry him so they wouldn’t have to witness his descent into madness. |
| Appearance | Riolu is a small, blue, dog-like Pokémon. Its legs and torso are colored black. Riolu's tail is blue and it has a yellow collar. There are rounded bumps on the backs of Riolu's forepaws, which could be the beginnings of the spikes on Lucario's forepaws. Riolu has a black "mask" and red eyes. Like Lucario, Riolu stands on its toes instead of its entire foot.-Bulbapedia Taph is a regular young Riolu with an uncertain look in his red eyes. His tail is long and plumy and he stands confidently on his curved hind legs whenever alone, hunching over submissively whenever another approaches, leading to the belief that he was deformed. The collar around his neck gleams like solid gold as do the metal pads on the back of his paws. He has strong legs and jaws. His face has a serious or frightened look. Rarely he will smile. He is a good digger but rubbish at the fighting type move he was bred for, being increasingly more likely to miss a High Jump Kick than land one. Every time he fails to use the move he gets flustered and depressed, making him less capable of successfully using it the next time. There is little sign of the infection on him but he knows it is working its way through him and occasionally checks himself over for signs of purple discoloration, though none are yet apparent except for around his foot. Following his death he has started to gnaw at the fur on his wrists whenever his undead hunger peaks. |
| Personality | Taph has spent the happiest part of his life in Celestic Tower and developed mild Taphophilia; being near graves makes him feel calm and safe. Still being very young he wholeheartedly believes in fairies and that strong belief can solve his problems, seeing ghost types as proof that happy thoughts really can make you capable of flight. His treatment by his parents has left him with low self esteem, believing he is no good for anything. Constantly he will apologize for his uselessness in battle, not realizing it is due to his low level not some inherent flaw in himself. He is afraid of what will happen when the infection takes him over. Taph is terrified at his inability to protect his friends or anyone else he feels close to. He occasionally recites encouraging phrases to himself to try and get himself to think more positively. As he is still a young child he is often rather naive. He often apologizes for himself even when he was done nothing wrong and then sometimes apologizes for apologizing and says he's trying to be more confident. At moments when things get serious he will straighten up and appear more confident as he no longer focuses on his internal issues but protecting his friends. During these times he will fight with bravery and determination but reverts to his normal personality as soon as the battle is past. He is prone to crying but does it in private where no-one can see him and gets embarrassed if found out. He is often desperately lonely and greatly desires to be hugged but is afraid that his useful nature means no-one will ever care for him again and that the infection means he will hurt anyone who he manages to befriend. After his death he has become even more paranoid. Whenever he feels hungry he gnaws at the fur on his wrists to pacify the desire for flesh, hoping that it will permanently stop his hunger but knowing it will not. |
| User Notes | - Image provided by Lulu from her sketchbook which is free to use <3 Thank you Lulu -Named for the latin Taph, meaning Grave and root word of epitaph. -Father was a trainers Blaziken who knew Dig via TM and High Jump Kick via level up. -Used to adopt a permanent submissive crouched pose, resulting in a belief that he was deformed. He can walk properly but still tends to try and make himself look smaller. When he is acting bravely he will straighten up without realizing it. -Has trouble using his High Jump Kick and it has resulted in confidence issues. -Has only recently become infected but knows that as the disease progresses he will become lass and less rational. -Still has a very childish view of the world. -Cannot read but can recite most of Peter Pan from memory. -History from Colosseum added. |
Last edited by Kaze on Mon Mar 24, 2014 3:55 am; edited 11 times in total
