Well, it turns out I didn't have time to do the full art I had intended, but I DID make some sprite art, so I can at least post that. I am usually too much of a perfectionist to do original art, so this plays more to my strong points (like writing).
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The sprite is based on HGSS era sprites, and yes, you can play the level in Pushmo. The idea was to be well-dressed with a cape held in place with a Pokeball clip. When throwing out my final Pokemon, I would remove that Pokeball and fling off my cape. Time to get serious!
Name: Spoony
Alignment: Chaotic
Classification: Ghost Gym Leader
Team: Rotom, Dusclops, Spiritomb, Drifblim, Froslass, Chandelure
Bio:
Four years ago, Spoony’s wife Kelli was killed in a tragic fire that consumed the Normal Gym she ran. Though the source of the fire would remain unclear, days later, as Spoony searched the wreckage for anything to remember his wife by, he discovered a baby Litwick. He was immediately repulsed by Litwick. The flame on its head only made him think of the painful fate that took Kelli from him. Its flame grew in his anger though, and Litwick began to follow him. Paranoid, Spoony left town and started on a journey to find a way to communicate with his deceased lover and forget the fires that devoured his previous life.
Along the way, Spoony caught a Drifloon and flew to many distant regions. But no matter where he went, the Litwick would somehow soon follow. Litwicks feed off life energy, and in Spoony, this Litwick found a deep, hot anger that fed it like nothing else could. Eventually, Spoony went to Lake Acuity, hoping the cold would discourage Litwick from following. He also knew that Froslass in the area were supposedly ghosts of human women who died when lost in the mountains and wished to try to find a way to communicate with them- a stepping-stone on the path to his true desire. In the end, he
did find a Froslass, but when he tried to speak to it, it only led him further into the wilderness. Finally, lost and numb in every sense, Spoony slumped against a tree. Maybe if he died, he would see her again.
A will-o-wisp appeared before him, and soon the glow took the shape of the woman he so desperately needed to see. Kelli told him that she had never left his side, and that her spirit would not be able to rest until Spoony avenges her. Find the trainer who set fire to the gym. Avenge your wife. Deliriously, he nodded. Litwick smiled.
Spoony no longer felt hatred for Litwick. It was obviously a gift from Kelli to do her bidding. With it, he hunted down the Froslass that led him into the woods and caught it. He caught many other ghosts as he learned how to better communicate with them, but despite his training Spoony was never able to summon Kelli’s spirit; something was keeping her from reaching him even though he knew she was not at peace. Litwick evolved into Chandelure and seemed to grow stronger every day. In the end, he opened a gym, knowing it would attract trainers. When he punished the trainer, Kelli would come back. That was all that mattered.
In the center of his gym, Chandelure’s fire burned so brightly.
Battle Phrases
Before Battle: I shall pray for the souls of your Pokemon as I extinguish their flames.
First Pokemon Attacked: This is all pointless… There is only one end…
Last Pokemon Sent Out: You cannot escape destiny!
Losing Quote: … Your Pokemon. Your bond with them that allows you to fight death itself… You have reminded me what it is to be alive.
Battle Theme:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BxIWXE8E-pw
I picked it for the darker version of the champion theme as well as the overall feeling of overwhelming dread in the beginning, gradually turning into a heated battle theme.
Reference Pic:
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(I'm on the bottom right. Bonus points if you can name all our cosplay characters)