Post by kristachi on Dec 13, 2023 20:05:08 GMT 11
Name: Andrew Grove
Age: 26
Gender: Male
Trainer Type: Detective in training
Hometown: Oreburgh City, Sinnoh Region
Appearance: Drew's hair is naturally a dark brown, commonly mistaken for black. It is kept in short strands, never growing longer than his shoulders or over his ears. He mostly leaves it down in a messy, grungy look, only tossing it around for some stylish effect. When undercover or in an interview, however, he does pull out some gel and styles his hair up in a spiked or messy bedhead look, but with some neat effect, making sure his face is visible with no stray strands sticking out. His eyebrows are thin and though he doesn't admit it, he does sometimes go to his sisters to help pluck them in line. Andrew can be seen with his personalized dog tag chain, embedded with 'Drew Grove' and his date of birth. His shirts don't vary much through the year, mostly made from string cotton from bugs like Spinarak, Wurmple, and Scatterbug. Each with a different color, ranging from purple to green and grey.
Personality:
Andrew has grown into a responsible, young man with some crude humor whenever the situation calls for it. Because of his independence and responsible attitude, he has grown very confident in his abilities and is most comfortable when he is in charge. This is because he feels more freedom, not having to live under anyone Else's rules or be limited by their delays. However, being confident in his own abilities also makes him a bit arrogant, in the sense that he gets defensive when criticized or corrected.
He has spent years pursuing one goal. To become a detective, following his father's footsteps. He grew up distant from his father, feeling enviousness toward him and his analysis abilities. Andrew always heard him come home after solving a case, having a celebratory beer. Or returning from a tough case and he's beat. Going with him onto the field Drew heard people say how great his father was, seeing things they walked passed a hundred times. Andrew always aspired to make his father happy, by becoming a better detective than he could be.
Although he has confidence in his abilities, Andrew continuously compares himself with his father. He always sets his mind to think 'What would he do?', questioning every movement, every action he makes, to ensure he outsmarts his father. He has this mindset because he wants to succeed in life, going as far as to exceed his father.
He wanted to see things that nobody else could see, to help people and Pokemon who had been suffering for years. Andrew wanted to make a difference in the world. Being born with such an analytical father, he was constantly challenged growing up, to look into the finer details in every aspect of his daily life. This has given him an intelligent mind and great attention to detail.
The long years he spent training shows his great focus, patience and sense of perseverance, ready to wait to see any task to the end. On the other hand, his time spent training and studying has given him a high level of built-up stress. To deal with this weight, Andrew tried going to the gym (no pun intended). Though after one particular incident when his stress was shown through anger and he punched one of the wall-length mirrors, he was banned from the local gym and needed a new way to relieve his stress.
He never enjoyed the idea of drinking in the afternoons, seeing his father drink extensively whenever he dealt with a problematic case. Drew never liked the taste of alcohol, claiming the bitterness is like a cutting poison. He witnesses his father having hangovers the next morning and questions why anyone would go through that pain at the price of an hour of blurred good times. 'Good times' you don't even remember the next day.
Another way to relieve stress in the modern day would be to watch television or play Video Games, however, his family never had any video games for him to use. His parents believed every technical object was just a cheap way to escape the real world. So he picked up smoking. His hand was shaking when he lit his first cigarette, knowing there may be no going back, though promising only one a day. To this day he has kept his promise. He continues to go to the gym and jog whenever he can, keeping his stamina as high as possible. Keeping to one smoke each day, he isn't given any serious set-back when it comes to his day-to-day life.
However, because he smokes simply due to stress, it unintentionally creates more stress for him. As he smokes, the nicotine constricts the blood vessels in his brain, increases his heart rate and blood pressure. This, in turn, gives him migraines and added dizziness. Whenever he reaches for a cigarette, knowing he is limited to one each day, he does remind himself and go to find someone else to do to clear his mind. This can range from a few minutes outside to get clear air, to a small nap to even just a snack.
Because of his independent, confident attitude, Drew has a sense of arrogance. However, because of his occupation as a detective, he always tries to connect with the people he talks to. He can be calming, but ultimately his appearance makes him hard to approach. Because of this, he is often thrown into awkward situations, causing him to grow with flexibility, able to act accordingly in various situations.
Andrew's adaptable and confident mind has given him self-strength, which allows him to be uncontrolled from his own beliefs and the beliefs of others. Growing up with the strays brought in with his mother helped him understand that bad things do happen in the world. He experienced changes, with the different pets coming and going to new homes, and realized that not all people are happy, safe house-keepers. These aspects of his mind and lifestyle has given him an open-mind.
Particularly the homeless strays he helped raise has given him the sense that everyone needs help from time-to-time. Drew has grown up with the mindset of being someone to help those being victimized to get something back in return for all the crap handed to them. Andrew wants to see those who caused pain and suffering to get what they deserve. He wants to help those less fortunate, people and Pokemon alike.
History:
Born into a family of five with two older sisters, Andrew grew into a feminine household, brought up with dolls and make-up around every corner. As a young toddler, he could often play the part of 'Baby' when the siblings would carry him around the house and pretend to cook for themselves, force-feeding him. His parents worked in the local Police Station, his mother working with the 'dog squad' and voluntarily helping out with raising stray animals and Pokemon. His father worked as a Crime-Scene Investigator, gathering clues from local crimes to help solve cases. Helping his mother raising the strays had given him some small connection to the Pokemon world, providing him with knowledge about the various species that live around his area alone. Though these strays were mostly pets cast-aside, such as Stunky, Purrloin, Delcatty and other cute felines, or wild creatures wandering from Lumina Bridge, like Hoppip, Zigzagoon or the occasionally lost Psyduck.
As Andrew got older, starting school, he felt a bit of freedom, being in a separate class from his siblings. He began to find his own independence, talking freely with classmates and, with more growing confidence, he grew into a class-clown. He went through his elementary years playing pranks on teachers, talking back smartly and generally being a 'devil-spawn'. Despite his bad reputation he still did his work, only creating a crowd once his test was complete and he began to bug the students around him who were still trying to finish. His grades remained averaging As and Bs. If whenever he got a C or lower, he would punish himself and re-read his tests or assignments to pin-point his mistakes. The group of friends he would sit with were mainly those who were easily entertained and distracted. They weren't sitting in the back of the class to whisper the answers or tease any one child in particular. They sat together in the back to laugh at Andrew's antics.
Once he gained maturity, heading into his teens and Secondary School, he got curious about his parent's occupations and took up afternoons and weekends with his mother on her voluntary work, working with stray Pokemon. Once he hit the age of 13 years, he had his heart-set on joining his parents in Police-work. He had worked to get his Trainer's license (though he struggled at first and couldn't retrieve it completely until his 14th birthday) and began joining his father in the crime-scenes, helping with basic detective assistance.
While he struggled to get his license he felt a little disheartened, but no anxiety attacks followed. He knew his main dream wasn't to be a trainer, but to be a detective, so he pushed on with little wavering. His sisters did harass him from time-to-time as a light joke, so he ignored them for the most-part, knowing what they said were harmless words. Helping his father on fieldwork, he didn't do anything too extensive, as he was a young teen still and just volunteering. He mostly kept to himself and followed his father, who was the only familiar face. Andrew's dad would purposely ignore things in the open, so Drew could spot them and ask if they were necessary to the case. Sometimes just a tug on his father's sleeve or nod of his head.
At age 15 he gained other voluntary jobs, watching Video Surveillance, Crisis Response Teams and sometimes the Neighborhood Watch. Being given these jobs were always looked as a step forward in his career. Whether he was filling out paperwork with his father, or learning about new Pokemon species with his mum, Drew always looked at his long-term goal. After two years of constant voluntary work, he was offered a part-time job as a Detective, for which he had to go through rigorous tests and earn an Advanced Diploma of Public Safety, which was achieved when he aged 21.
Through these years he never gave a moment's thought of being partnered with anyone romantically, despite the many dates he was set-up on by his sisters, 'supporting' them on double-dates. He was told constantly 'A guy with your appeal and intelligence.. It's unbelievable you're still single!', but he only focused solely on furthering his career as a detective. His mindset was achieved in his schooling years and he has clutched onto it for a number of years. Money is more important than a stable family. He knew he needed to get a job first and worry about romances later. He also knew, with his years of pent-up voluntary work, it would be quicker to go for a job while he can, than to throw away years of working hard, for someone he could depend on. Growing up with his father who had spent special holidays in the office or out on a crime scene also gave him an idea of the long hours he'd sacrifice if he were to pursue his goal. Not only would he be spending time where it's most needed, but energy as well.
As he was given the job, he was advised to receive a partner to help solve his crimes. Once given the choice of a human or Pokemon, he spared no moment to choose a Pokemon. He knew with his many years of training he had basic human contact and communication skills, meanwhile Pokemon are easier to talk to as they listen with little complaints or reflex to argue back. Upon this choice, he suggested being a Private Detective, so he could be able to travel the world as a Pokemon trainer while also having an occupation that allows him to be hired at any given moment, giving him the money he needs. He had no relationship to worry about with long distances and time away from home. He could spend all his time gaining all the money he needed, which was a big plus for him and so his journey began.
Goals:
To make his father proud. Eventually, he will realize that his father's approval won't make him happy and that true happiness can only be achieved once he's proud of himself. Admittedly, he has a lot of work to do concerning his mental health.
Other Info:
On his upper left arm, he has a tattoo of a tribal flame, replicating his mother's tattoo, although hers is on her right arm. She originally got it to show her love for fire-type Pokemon, but its meaning changed once Andrew got his own, showing the strong bond they share. He tried getting his elder sisters to get the same tattoo, though they were worried about scarring their skin for life. His father got a tribal thunderbolt on the back of his left shoulder, as he favors Electric type over Fire.
How did you find us?:
I googled and wound up here.
Application completed: [YES]
