Faux the Smeargle [Saffron, Kanto]

She was often called a boy among other Pokemon without them knowing better to her sex. She didn't speak enough for others to think otherwise, either. She had always been quiet since a young age and many thought she had been born mute except her family. She preferred to paint instead of be around others, so she had little social experience. One day while painting in the woods a group of Pokemon her age came to socialize with her. They tried socializing with her, but she would write only short replies on her canvas. When they asked if she could talk she whispered 'yes', her voice slipping and sounding squeaky but quietly enough for them to hear. It was one of the first times she had been alone in a social situation without her family around her. They were surprised, a few even teasing her about how boyish she was until she spoke. She had gotten embarrassed and slipped away as the other's shifted their focus completely away from her.
Faux's mother had been concerned for her. Her amount of talking had gone down even between her family. She asked, and Faux supposed she wasn't a talker anyway. But then she came clean about her interaction that one day and her mother comforted her and told her she was beutiful the way she was. Faux nodded emptily and walked outside. She came upon a creek after she had gone far from her house, down a route she had never taken. She looked in the water to meditate and found inspiration to draw. She found an opening behind the waterfall after searching a while for a canvas and she skipped into it.
She found a blank wall and started painting happily for what felt like hours. She didn't even notice when another Smeargle, black with purple tail paint, spoke up to her. "Nice painting!" Faux stopped like a deer in headlights as the other walked up to her. "You're pretty good. I like your style." Faux only nodded, and the other joked if she could speak. Faux whispered that she could talk; and the other didn't understand why she would be so shy, but introduced herself. Her name was Ashes, but Ash for short. Both of them decided this was a great place to paint, after some small pauses after introductions - and they started painting. Ashes asked Faux questions about herself, and Faux trembled a little but answered but opening up a little from her friendliness. Ashes asked about her about why she was so shy, and Faux explained that she was insecure with her deep voice and boyish body not matching up so well with what she was... supposed to be. Ashes said she found it odd because Faux had a pretty normal voice.
"You're a girl, doesn't matter what people say about your voice or body."
"So you know I'm a girl?"
"I thought it was pretty obvious. I mean, I don't have a really girly voice myself."
There was a pause, before Faux - quite revolutionarily - spoke up first.
"Do you maybe wanna meet here... again?" Ashes looked at her, then grinned.
"I love that idea."
So they did. For many years after, they became inseperable friends. Faux even introduced Ashes to her family, and her mother was relieved that Faux found a friend. She began talking more, not feeling quite so weird about it anymore. She had come to embrace herself. By the time Faux was a young adult, the cave walls were covered with pale blue and purple paintings. They painted a special painting on her birthday, spending hours on it before they walked home. It was slow and plesant with Illumise and Volbeat dancing on the water of the wide river.
"Y'know.... Before I met you, I never thought I'd make a friend." Faux said, much more confidently than she would have before. Ashes smiled sincerely at her.
"Becoming your friend was one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Other Pokemon who outcast you because of your shyness don't deserve your attention anyway."
"Well, I hadn't really had a chance.... They jump to judge me because I whisper. And I don't know how to talk normally with new Pokemon." Ashes puts a paw on her shoulder, below where her purple paw-mark was, the one Ashes left on her.
"I think you just need to get the confidence to speak up. And that will get easier to do. Your voice and personality are beautiful.... You just have to let others know that by showing it and speaking it. And you'll get better at it. I know you can do it." Faux looks to the ground, and sniffles a little as Ashes pats her back.
"I know... I can. You'll help me too, right?"
"I'll always be there for you."
They sat in silence for quite a while, watching the firefly Pokemon jumping on the river. Faux stared at them in deep contemplation and trying to unknot her mind.
"Hey... Ash?" Ashes looked at her. "... Have you ever felt like... you're not who you've been? Or who you thought you were? Like... have you ever felt like... not a girl? ... I have no words to explain...."
It had been boiling in her heart for a long time. The question of what she really was. She never really questioned it before until she really stopped to think.
"Because I've discovered recently that all of my life that I don't feel like... a girl. That my voice and body are actually something that's ideal to hiding myself. I've found that it wasn't being mistaken for a boy that bothered me.... I don't feel like, in my head, that I'm a girl."
"Well.... I don't really either. I consider myself kinda both or neither. I think. I'm between, I don't think I'm really male or female."
"... You can do that?"
"I mean sure, why not? ... You can do that with me."
"... Can I try?"
From that day on, both felt that 'they' was a better way to describe both of them.
Faux had left the house the next day with Ashes, and they came upon a trainer. Both of them were caught, and Faux was scared for their mom, or whether they would see their family again. When they were released from their balls, Faux clung to Ashes to quell her fear. Their trainer seemed nice enough, but Faux wasn't having it. Ashes tried to comfort them, but they ended up crying for days.
Their new trainer was named Jenny. She was 16, an artist, and an actual trainer who aimed for the Pokemon League. Her team was friendly to them, and Jenny loved them, and Ashes and Faux were both pretty content with their new lives so far. In the battles they had, Faux sketched moves from friend's Pokemon, gaining Transform, Acupuncture and Copycat. Faux's favorite was Transform because being able to take on a different form was something that felt spiritually right to her. Ashes was impressed but also really happy to see them happy. They were happy with Jenny for an entire year.
The epidemic hit, causing Jenny distress. Faux and Ashes knew this meant nothing good, and it scared Faux to death. Was their family ok? Or even alive? They were struck dumb at the though that they may be dead.
One night, Jenny was taking an emergency bus to to come back to her hometown since the infection was starting to rapidly spread. The bus was driving in the rain, and the driver had an awful flu and drove recklessly. The bus fell off a cliff after hydroplaning, and before the bus fell completely down the ravine, she managed to throw Ashes and Faux out of their Pokeballs and into the mud. The bus had been turned into a heap of metal at the bottom of the cliff before they realized what happened. They were both absolutely mortified. They both ran away quickly, Faux transforming into a Charizard and flying away with Ashes towards a town. In the midst of flight they were attacked by huge flock of bird Pokemon, and Faux dropped Ashes on accident. Ashes went falling into trees that they were - thankfully- pretty close over, and to Faux it seemed like they made a smooth landing. They tried so hard to go back and grab them, but they had to flee to a nearby area. They stayed there for an entire day, waiting for Ashes to come find them, but with no luck. For an entire day they cried, fearing that Ashes was dead. Eventually, they came out from their hiding place to go look for Ashes.

Their fur is sleek and healthy looking, her pelt grey brindle and their patches of fur are silvery blue. The paw mark on their back is purple (paw print is Ashes paw print). They use their tail paint to form attacks. (ie., Flamethrower is a jet of paint that turns into fire, or a Shadow Claw flings paint off the tail to make shadow energy waves in a claw-like shape.)

Naturally pretty quiet and reserved. They don't usually talk about things unless addressed. They do make expressions to respond most of them time. When they talk, their voice is nearly indistinguishable between girl and boy, unless they make a startled or pained noise, which then it's more obvious they're female by birth. They try to hide it though, afraid others may ridicule them for their deciet (they will also blatantly reject they are female if someone proposes it. It's become something they don't want others to know.) They find themself, by physical characteristics, to be unattractive, and sometimes wished their sex was male as it's more suited to them. They're insightful, knowing better how to analyze and read people better than talking since they would listen instead of talk most of their life. They aren't very good at social interactions. They're very easily embarrassed, and certain forms of encouragement can make them very shy and embarrassed, oddly to the point of tears. They can seem isolated, mad, and will refuse to talk when they're embarrassed. They might even hide her face and resort to pushing if anyone gets near them.