| Benediction |
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| Theme | Echo |
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| Profession | N/A |
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| Text Color | #5D478B |
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| Item | None |
| Time of Infection | Three months ago |
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| Gender Identity | He|Him|His |
| Age | Adult |
| Species | #571, Zoroark, Illusion Fox Pokémon |
| Height | 5'03" |
| Weight | 150 lbs (Has lost a lot of weight) |
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| Pokédex Entry | Bonds between these Pokémon are very strong. It protects the safety of its pack by tricking its opponents. -Pokemon Black |
| Level | 50 |
| Ability | Illusion: When sent out into battle, it takes the name and appearance of the last non-fainted Pokémon within your party. It breaks when an attack does damage on the Pokémon but not from Weather Effects or Entry Hazards. |
| Nature | Quiet (+Sp. Atk,-Spd) |
| Characteristic | Often lost in thought (Sp. Atk IVs) |
| Moves | -Night Slash (Evolution)
-Agility (Level)
-Flamethrower (TR)
-Copycat (Egg) |
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| Quote | "Hey, it's me." |
| History | - Warnings: Child abandonment, domestic abuse between siblings:
Benediction's story was not a happy one. The oldest of three kits, his life was suddenly upended when his mother died. His father's constant absences had been noted before, but they didn't stop with her passing. Even when he was present, he didn't do much that actually involved taking care of his children.
The closest they got was that he spoiled the only daughter with gifts before promptly skipping out when she needed grooming or anything resembling emotional needs.
Benediction and his little brother might as well have not existed.
Actual care for his younger siblings fell to him exclusively, and he did the best he could with no help. He didn't want to disappoint his dead mother, and some part of him hoped that maybe his father would stick around more if he didn't have work waiting for him at their den.
It didn't work. But Benediction's hope wouldn't waver until reality drowned the flame.
One day, Father wanted to take Hannah along for a day trip. It wasn't unheard of for the favorite to get these trips, so he didn't think to worry about how it would go. He had other things to worry about, and he had assumed that Father would know how to do the bare minimum of caring for a child.
Hannah would not return from the trip.
According to Father, Hannah had wandered too close to a human out of her neverending curiosity, and the human panicked and attacked her. The details were vague, but even the brief description made Benediction's stomach turn.
Father's behavior... didn't change. There wasn't any indication that the Lopunny even noticed that the vibrant Zorua was gone.
That's when he realized that it didn't matter. No good deed he did would ever make his father look at him or his brother. If the favorite wasn't missed, then the invisible children had absolutely no hope.
Out of desperation and bitterness, Benediction viciously turned on his brother. He never outright hit or attacked Tristan, but he pointedly set up scary illusions meant to terrify the young Zorua. He also stopped taking care of their living area, and Tristan was often left to fend for himself while Benediction went out with 'friends.'
These friends encouraged Benediction's malice, and within weeks, he was an unholy terror to many who crossed his path.
And still, Father didn't really care beyond being annoyed that the den was dirty.
It came to a head when Father made him take Tristan with him to hang out with his friends. Already annoyed at the forced chore, Benediction was easily swayed by his friends' own grievances. The group bullied the child until he cried, and when they found an old bear trap that humans used, they had a great idea for a prank.
Said prank ended with Tristan dead, and his blood all over Benediction's claws and face.
It wasn't supposed to go this far
That moment broke him.
His 'friends' abandoned him to clean up the mess, and to explain what happened to Father. Who still didn't seem to care. Hell, Benediction could have sworn the Lopunny was impressed.
But was disappointed again when Benediction was little better than a puppet without strings. Father made him start taking care of their living space and look for food, but Benediction knew that it didn't come from any concern. It was just so that Father wouldn't have to do it.
If anything wasn't done, Father would just remind him that no one here would ever want someone like Benediction around, so he needed to earn his keep here.
He barely noticed when a human caught him. As far as he was concerned, he just did as he was told, and it didn't matter who gave the orders. Without someone else taking the reigns of his life, he wouldn't put any effort into it.
When The Epidemic hit, he fully expected his trainer or someone else to put him down. Instead, he was ordered to protect his trainer and teammates, and that's what he did. He was often on the front lines, but fate was as cruel as ever to him. All of the other Pokemon fell or turned, and he showed no sign of the illness.
He and his trainer traveled north since it seemed that the undead moved slower in the snow, but his trainer didn't account for the difficulties of living in the cold. Without the benefits of electricity and other modern conveniences, the nights were nearly unbearable. Benediction had an attack that made it easy for them to light fires, but even then, he had a limit on how many times he could use it.
His trainer tried to leave, but they got trapped in a snowstorm while walking. After hours of walking in probable circles, his trainer became more and more desparate. Benediction tried to keep his trainer warm, but the frantic way the human moved made it impossible. He wasn't doing well either, and his limbs were starting to grow numb...
Finally his trainer ordered him to stop and stay. The human had a knife in their hand, but he wasn't sure what they were going to do.
He woke up later covered in warm blood and cold snow. His body was just as numb and sluggish as it had been before the blank in his memory, so it took him a while to notice the long wound down his chest and abdomen with his-
He woke up again later with bandages covering almost his entire torso, and two small pokemon nearby. A Pikachu and A Teddiursa.
A flash of Hunger sparked in his brain and belly, but he pushed it to the side to talk. They had found him near a dead human, and his injuries had been pretty severe. They offered him some food, and despite feeling guilty about using their supplies, he couldn't refuse it.
Despite including pecha berries, the mix was... rather tasteless. He didn't think on it long as his new friends started asking him questions, and he didn't feel a need to reject their companionship.
As long as they'd have him, he'd stay.
For the first time in years, he felt a spark of happiness as he trailed behind the two pokemon as they tried to find safety. They were both so small, but they were so determined to keep going. The drive to live was unfamiliar to him, but he could appreciate it in their bright eyes.
He would do anything to protect that light, and he had no qualms at jumping in front of them to shield them from the undead. Or living pokemon that threatened to steal from them.
Unfortunately, he finally started to notice that ALL living avoided them, and it was after they would stare at him. Teddiursa and Pikachu would argue for his continued presence in whispered voices, but without fail, they would be shunned.
And then, one day, while fighting another undead, he nearly lost himself. He was just so hungry, and after brutally cutting the throat on the undead mamoswine, he started eating. The meat wasn't too rotted, and it was finally sating a long lasting hunger he had never had a name for.
He only stopped and looked up, maw still bloody, when he heard a sharp intake of breath and saw his small friends looking at him in terror.
He ran.
He hadn't looked at himself in years, so it never occurred to him that he might need to. He looked for any source of water or reflective surface, and finally found an intact mirror in a ransacked human home.
Glowing red eyes stared back, and he could see both his red mane and black body fur developing purple patches. Like the undead he just fought.
That would explain why his stomach wound hadn't healed.
He lost track of time he had been staring at himself when he smelled his friends approaching. They didn't hide themselves as they called his name, and he felt strong pang of guilt. He shouldn't be weighing them down, and they definitely shouldn't be risking their lives trying to find him.
So he went out to them, one last time. And he thanked them for their time, and that he was going to leave. There was a closed community nearby that had only barred them from entry because of him, and he wanted them to go there.
They tried to argue, but he refused. They wouldn't be able to stop him if he lost himself again, and just the thought of hurting them in a hunger fueled frenzy was too much. It was only a matter of when at this point.
They finally seemed to listen and left him alone.
It was what he deserved.
After he was sure they weren't going to follow him, he went deep into the woods, and he sought an ending. However, he didn't feel right leaving so many undead around, and he started killing every undead and infected he came across. If one managed to kill him, then it wouldn't be a great loss, and hopefully he would weaken it enough for someone else to kill. A few that still had their minds were left to live unless they specifically asked,and this was how he found out that there was a powerful undead settled on the other side of the mountain. But the way it was moving unsettled him.
It was going to find the community he left his friends in if he didn't stop it.
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| Bulbapedia | "Zoroark is a bipedal, slate gray, fox-like Pokémon with crimson and black accents. It has a pointed snout and ears with red insides. It also has some red rimming its eyes and mouth. Zoroark has a large, red, voluminous mane with black tips, tied into a ponytail, as a teal bangle down its length separates a mass of the mane from the lower portion. It has a black ruff on its upper body, pointed at the shoulders from which its arms extend. Its upper arms are thin, whereas its lower arms, while still slim, are bulkier. The arms have spiky extensions of fur at the elbows, and it has red claws on its hands and feet. Zoroark's eyes are red-rimmed with light blue irises.
Zoroark can create illusions that are indistinguishable from reality, deluding many people simultaneously. It can even create illusory landscapes in the forests where it dwells, to hide its territory and protect its den. However, Zoroark is incapable of physically changing itself into another form; it is merely capable of casting illusions. When a Zoroark takes the form of a human, it is capable of human speech. It can make convincing illusions of attacks, and these illusions are extremely realistic, enough to fool even cameras and make one believe they're being physically affected, though the illusion does not have any direct physical effect. Lonely Trainers tend to use Zoroark to create illusions in order to ease their own burden of solitude.
Zoroark lives in groups, where unity is strong. It is extremely protective of those it cares about and will go to any lengths to keep them safe, including risking its own life, and it can hold grudges on those who harm its loved ones. Zoroark will hide its Zorua young in its mane to protect them and carry them around. There are stories that say Zoroark punishes those who attempt to catch it by trapping them in an illusion. Prior to Generation VII, Night Daze was its signature move." |
| Appearance | Before his untimely death, Benediction was a regular Zoroark with no defining features. As an Undead, he bears a large slash down his stomach that cannot heal, so he keeps bandages, cloth, or anything he can to keep it literally tied together. Bright blue eyes have changed to a violent, glowing red. There are patches of infection purple marking his skin and fur, and his scraggly fur has started to come out. |
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| Accent | Brittish |
| Religion | If there is a god, then he must be damned. |
| Motivation | -Ultimately, he wishes to die without hurting any living, which is why he has wandered so far away from any settlements. He has heard rumors of powerful undead in a place that is far too close to where he dropped off his young, living friends, and he wants to ensure their safety. |
| Personality | - Quiet
Always a softspoken fox, he doesn't make loud noises or draw attention to himself.
-Wandering mind
It's difficult for his mind to stay focused at times
-Guilty
His nonstop fuck-ups have been what lead him here, and this undead life is clearly his punishment
-Deep seated anger
Despite his guilt, there is an anger at how unfair everything is. He finally found something resembling happiness and it was taken within months of finding it.
-Getting more irrationally angry over time
-At war with the part of him that hungers and slowly losing
-Easily swayed into doing what others want
After being a pawn for everyone else, he has few strong opinions on what he actually wants.
-Self-Sacrificing to an extreme
Even before dying, he had little motivation to live. Now it translates to taking heavy risks that have a high chance of killing him a second time. Especially if it means it would help someone else
-Sarcastic
Internally at least. Bitter comments and thoughts cross his mind a lot, even if he doesn't always say them out loud. |
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| User Notes | -Egg move was from a Lopunny Father
-Very, very, very loosely based on my interpretation of Michael Afton from FNAF, but mixed in with inspiration from To Build A Fire.
-The name listed is the name his trainer came up with, and he doesn't care enough to choose a different name or go back to his old one.
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| Team notes | Snowbelle? |
| Affiliations | Pikachu and Teddiursa- These two gave him the closest thing to happiness he has ever known, and while he wanted nothing more than to protect them and give them the life he never had, his worsening condition made that impossible. He could not risk eventually lashing out and killing them when they had no chance of fighting back. The fact that their names have already slipped from his mind frightens him, so he tries to hold onto what little bits of memories he can. |
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| Development Notes | Find peace. |
