Post by lurker on Sept 11, 2023 2:46:01 GMT 11
Name: Shang Li
Age: 72
Gender: Male
Trainer Type: Black Belt
Hometown: Cianwood City
Appearance: Shang Li is an old, weathered looking follow. At only 5'6" and just shy of 130lbs he is not physically intimidating by any stature. He does however have surprising muscle tone for a man his age, even sporting a six pack of abs on a really good day. What's left of his hair is bone white and his skin is leathery. He typically sports a pointed chin beard.
For clothing he generally wears a traditional gi or just whatever traveling clothes are most comfortable. He typically has a large, hiking style backpack with him containing his camping supplies and his late wife's urn. The latter of which he will guard with his life. These supplies include a simple tarp, some rope, a sleeping bag, some flint and steel, and some basic cookware.
He has no tattoos or piercings but his upper body is heavily scarred, especially his hands. He typically tries to carry himself with confidence and stoicism. While he still has some athleticism to him thanks to his literal decades of physical training, his movements are slower, stiffer and more limited in their range of motion than those of a younger man in good shape.
He typically appears relatively friendly, being willing smile a little bit or give a slight chuckle when the occasion calls for it but he tries to avoid grandiose displays of emotions as he believes men should generally not be emotional except for extreme circumstances.
For protection he carries a bo staff that doubles as a walking stick.
Personality: Stern and regimented are usually the first words people think of when they think of Shang. The old man is set in his ways and his routine. Meditating every morning and every night. Getting up and (usually) going to bed with the sun. He is a strong proponent of traditional self sufficiency and hard work believing that if you want something you have to work for it and those that don't put in the work should go without. He has a rigid moral code that he rarely strays from and will preach to others.
That is not to say he's a bad person. He's often willing to go well out of way to help those in need doing whatever he can to help. He will just lecture them the entire time about how, if they had done better, they wouldn't be in need in the first place.
Despite his stern demeanor Shang is not without his vices. He loves sweets, especially chocolate, and he's not above the occasional bit of drinking or gambling either.
Coming from a more traditional background, Shang Li is uncomfortable with major displays of emotion. While he will certainly appear friendly enough to most, only his closest friends and family will ever see him grin from ear to ear or let out a loud, boisterous laugh. For the same reason he can be appear stubborn or callous at times as he is extremely reluctant to ask for help, lest he be a burden, and something like crying is just about the most shameful thing he can do in front of somebody.
He is still somewhat adventurous, even in his old age. Usually this means he will hike, swim or climb his way along a route even when there are more convenient, modern methods of travel available.
History: Shang Li grew up in a working class family in Cianwood City. His father, Kung Li, was a fisherman. His mother, Hana Li was a housewife and school teacher. Being the fourth born out of seven children Shang was largely ignored by his parents and spent most of his time exploring what is now known as Route 47. It was during one these adventures, when he was about 11 or 12, that he witnessed a couple of Primeapes fighting over a mate. This display of violence fascinated Shang and sparked an interest the martial arts within the boy.
For the next few years Shang would train in the mountains seeking to emulate the primates with...mixed...results. Eventually at the age of 17, Shang decided he wanted to travel the world and other ways to fight and train. Soon after that Shang, now a man in his own eyes, ran away from Cianwood to explore the region. During his travels he would study under as many masters and observe as many Pokemon fights as he could. To fund his adventures he would take on various odd jobs ranging from prize fighting (his favorite) to more menial tasks like ditch digging or hauling boxes.
On the eve of Shang's 25th birthday, as he was traveling from Cherry Grove to Violet city, he would meet his future wife Aoi. Aoi was an aspiring artist. Like Shang she wanted to travel the world. After a talking the two agreed to travel to Violet City together. Then to Golden Rod City together. And then to Mahogany Town together because Aoi wanted to see the Lake of Rage. On Shang's 28th birthday he proposed and Aoi said "yes".
The two would travel aimlessly for another couple of years before age and a desire to start a family drove them to settle down. Shang was around 30 at the time. Shang would open up a dojo just outside of Ecruteak City and began teaching his fighting style to future generations. Aoi would work various jobs in the city during this time, most prominently as an interior designer. Shang and Aoi only ever had two kids. A girl and a boy.
The dojo was moderately successful and Shang would run it for about 35 years only closing it down when Aoi fell gravely ill and he realized that, in his advanced age, he couldn't take care of his wife and run his dojo. So he chose his wife. The illness Aoi had couldn't be cured. Sure with proper treatment the symptoms could be managed and her life prolonged eventually she would succumb to it and pass away.
When Aoi died Shang fell into a deep depression and for the next six months he did little more than mope around his now abandoned dojo waiting to die as well. It was by happenstance that he found his late wife's old diary and stumbled upon a passage talking about how she wished for her ashes to be spread at the peak of Mount Silver.
Shang decided to honor her request. Or die trying.
After several months of training to get his old body into adventuring shape, Shang sold what was left of his dojo to a local land mogul. The mogul planned to demolish it and use the land for something else but Shang didn't care. He had no intention of ever coming back.
Goals: Bury Aoi's ashes at the peak of Mount Silver. Die on a grand adventure.
Other Info: N/A
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