ATBU App: Team Time Rift

Does anyone even remember way back when I mentioned I was reworking some old concepts into better teams? Like a year ago?

Anyway, I've been pretty busy for a while, between trying to work on my Master's and making crochet stock for weekend markets. But, I don't want to abandon everything on here! My wrists were aching from crocheting so much, so I switched my hyperfixation to draw is CSP for the first time in too long. This team was the result!

This is a team I've had the idea for since the old ATBU. Back then, Aeon was the team leader and had a shiny sigilyph for a partner who only spoke in chirps. I really liked them aesthetically, but I couldn't find the right story to tell with them, so they never got an app. However, a brainstorm hit me and I decided to rework Aeon & give him a very different partner. I was going to sketch lots of options...but fell in love with my first sketch of a cyclizar, writing up a story for M1 with them shortly after (expect that to be posted very soon)!

Yeah, I know I should be working on with one of my already existing teams rather than creating a new one....shush!

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Team Tracker: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_7ErTTBvYZDQaQqTRaPc21u258nHiGrqbaaOFoxV0xo/edit?gid=287675809#gid=287675809

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Team Name: Time Rift

Starting Guild: Stargazers

Team Leader

Name: Cyril

Species: Cyclizar

Pronouns: She/Her

Age: Adult

Type: Dragon/Normal

Ability: Shed Skin - When afflicted with a status condition, Cyril can heal herself instantly from that condition by shedding her skin. Her body grows paler before she shakes the old skin loose in a spray of scales, her new skin beneath bright and healthy. It’s not the most...pleasant experience, for her or any onlookers, but it can help in a pinch.

Moves: 

• Iron Head: The crest on Cyril’s head glows white before turning into cold, hard iron. She then rams her target with a forceful headbutt. This attack has a high chance of making the target flinch. Plus, it’s a great crash helmet in a pinch! 

• Shift Gear: Cyril stands on two legs in her battle form and a ripple of silver energy travels across her body. The mechanical whirring of gears echoes in her ears as her body and mind “shift” into a heightened state, raising her attack and sharply raising her speed. While most useful in combat, Cyril can also use this move while in bike form to boost her running speed and stamina to cover difficult terrain more easily. 

• Supercell Slam: Electricity begins coursing through Cyril’s veins, her eyes glowing blue and sparks running across her scales. She puffs up her throat sac, which becomes super charged with electricity like a battery, before striking her target with a high voltage body slam. All electricity she’s built up is immediately discharged into her foe with the might of a lightning strike, dealing massive damage. However, should Cyril’s attack not connect with her target, the collected power will discharge into her body instead - which, considering she isn’t an electric type, will seriously hurt. 

• Breaking Swipe: Cyril collects blue-violet fiery energy one of her hands before swiping at her target with her claws. The draconic venom within causes the afflicted area to swell red, sapping the strength of the target and lowering their attack. When facing multiple foes, Cyril will channel this energy into her tail instead and hit many targets at once with a tail swipe.  

Special Item: None

Nature: Bold

Characteristic: Likes to run

Personality:

Cyril is very much the “cool older sister” type of ‘mon. She just has a likeable aura that draws in a crowd, especially when it comes to those younger than her. She's laid back but exudes confidence. She can enjoy being wild and unruly but never at the expense of others. She’s always ready to jump to the rescue, no matter the odds against her. She’s not someone who will take attitude quietly, being able to give as good as she can take, but when it comes to following chain of command, she’s as loyal as they come. It’s not an uncommon sight to see her hanging out around the Stargazer library or strolling around the harbor's streets to offer guidance to any newbies in the city. 

In her spare time, Cyril’s main hobby is tinkering. She's a bit of a gearhead and enjoys working with machinery of any kind. Her hometown was on the cutting edge of technological advancement, with a strong culture centered around engineering. However, in Vandril’s, resources are far more limited, and she’s forced to get creative in order to continue developing her inventions. Like all Stargazers, she is passionate about solving the mysteries of their world and trying to make the lives of pokemon better through knowledge. When not tinkering, Cyril can often be found in the Stargazer’s clinic hanging out with her best friend, a female indeedee named Nat, or sprinting outside the city limits, trying to set a new personal top speed record. 

History:

There once stood a city to the far north known as Freezing Point. Long ago, many genius architects and engineers banded together to create a refuge high in the frigid mountains, hoping to hide away from the unstoppable scourge known as Selenium. It was a constant struggle to gain a foothold in such an inhospitable place, but the builders’ determination to carve out a home for themselves and their families burned brightly. Day after brutal day, these resilient 'mons toiled away until their city stood tall. High walls protected the houses from the mountain gales, and a unique heating system which generated power from Ember Ore, a variant of Fire Stone that was plentiful in the area, made the temperature bearable. The frozen climate and high elevation helped to stave off most threats like bandits or shadow pokemon. Most importantly, the residents of Freezing Point were hardy and tight-knit, equally bearing the burden of survival and ready to help their neighbor at a moment’s notice. It was in this place that Cyril was born and grew up in until adulthood. 

Inspired by her home’s ancient history, Cyril quickly took to tinkering. Her family line was known for their stubborn tenacity and, paired with Cyril’s sharp mind, she became one of the city’s top engineers in no time at all. She loved to experiment and try wild ideas, in the hopes of further improving the living conditions of her city. Her younger brother, Geoffrey, was a captain in Freezing Point’s border patrol, ever vigilant and wary of catching sight of Selenium. He fought tirelessly to keep the city’s walls secure and defend civilians from the rare shadow pokemon that snuck in. The youngest sibling of the family, Sprite, was eager to tread the footsteps of her older siblings and do her part for Freezing Point. Before she was ten winters old, Sprite was studying as an apprentice to Natasha, one of the city’s best doctors. 

Freezing Point was formidable, but they were also isolated, with the nearest settlement being days away. Should the city be threatened, they were on their own. A city built over decades was destroyed in a single night when Selenium itself appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, with a horde of shadow pokemon in tow. The guards tried to protect the residents or at least buy time for them to escape, but the city was thrown into complete chaos. Cyril was warned by Natasha of the danger, and she tried to flee the city with her siblings, all wearing blindfolds to keep from glimpsing Selenium.

Only Cyril and Nat saw the following dawn, being the only ones who made it out of the city (so far as they knew). Those who weren’t killed suffered a far worse fate of being corrupted into shadow pokemon by Selenium. In a single night, Cyril had lost her family, her left arm, and everything familiar she had ever known. Even if the city was now in ashes, Cyril and Nat were still Freezing Point born and refused to crumble beneath the grief. They pushed on, relying on each other and the kindness of strangers to make it all the way to Vandril’s Harbor. It was there where they finally claimed a new home for themselves among the Stargazers. To this day, Cyril holds herself in debt to Nervia, who had just been inducted as Guildmaster at the time, and is incredibly loyal to both her and the guild. 

Years later, Cyril has made a new life for herself in Vandril’s Harbor. Her regrets of the past feel far away now, but every moonless night, she can feel those old ghosts breathing down her neck. She keeps herself busy between studying magic under the Stargazers, constructing her own mechanical experiments, and going out on the odd desert rescue. The latest mystery she’s hauled in from the desert, though, is sure to keep her busy for quite a while. 

Extra:

• Cyril built her prosthetic arm herself and is constantly tinkering with it. The current model she wears is Mk 3.2, and it’s her hope that her research might aid other ‘mons who suffer the loss of a limb. Cyril lost her left arm while fleeing her home with Nat. It’s only thanks to the Indeedee’s expert medical skills that Cyril didn’t die from blood loss that night, and she was able to make a full recovery with physical therapy. She’s adjusted to her disability over the years, and even likes to joke the prosthetic is a total giveaway that her ability isn’t Regenerator. 

• During a teenage rebellious phase, Cyril was a singer in a rock band. She could get pretty wild on stage and excelled at hyping up a crowd. Once she found her passion for engineering, her music career was put on the back burner. Today, she can be heard humming while she works, and her voice is still quite strong. Should she find the right bandmates, Cyril would return to the stage for a late night concert or two. 

• Cyril’s best move, Supercell Slam, is one she learned by complete accident. Long story short, a project of hers involving Thunder Stones went haywire and exploded in her face. The incident electrified her blood, allowing her to rapidly charge up high voltage within her muscles. Nervia banned her from the labs for a month afterwards.

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Team Mate 1

Name: Aeon

Species: Lucario (Albino)

Pronouns: He/Him

Age: Adult(?)

Type: Fighting/Steel

Ability: Steadfast - When Aeon is made to flinch, his form flickers briefly, like a skipping video. Once he recovers, his agility and speed are increased by one stage. Sometimes, his eyes turn silver as well. 

**Aeon seems unable to intentionally use his moves because of his amnesia, activating them sporadically with no clear trigger

Moves**: 

• Detect: Aeon moves at incredible speeds to dodge an attack or free himself from an unfavorable position, leaving behind pale blue after-images of himself. This move happens so fast, it appears as if his body flickers then teleports to a different location in the blink of an eye. 

• Foresight: Aeon adjusts his monocle, his eyes briefly flashing blue as he looks into the future. In battle, this allows him to out-predict his foe so that his attacks always land and even the shapeless or hidden (like ghost types) are exposed, becoming vulnerable to fighting & normal moves. 

• Counter: This move can be executed in one of two ways: as a reaction or preemptively.

  • After being struck by a physical attack, a deep red glow spreads across Aeon’s body. The attack that hit him is then redirected back at the user with twice the power. 

  • Moments before a physical attack hits him, Aeon strikes his opponent with a precise kick, delivering twice the force of the triggering attack.

• Hidden Power (steel): Cyril had Aeon learn this move, one virtually all pokemon can use, in the hopes that a new move would stick better in his memory and give him a means to defend himself. While a specialist was able to determine his Hidden Power type was Steel (unfortunate as he is already a steel type), Aeon couldn’t generate enough power for an attack. All he can do for now is create a grey mist in his hands. 

Special Item: None

Nature: Quirky

Characteristic: Often lost in thought

Personality: 

Oh, how to describe the albino lucario currently known as Aeon? By his own admission, he is an odd one. He has an unshakable placidness paired with insatiable curiosity, a sharp and dry wit paired with painfully perfect manners, a pleasant smile that is somehow equally melancholy, and wisdom far beyond his perceived years. The lucario is strangely disarming, being both stoic and intelligent yet with a childish glee underneath, like he knows more than he lets on but refuses to share. He hyperfixates on the concept of time and how it passes, and rarely, he hints at him taking some kind of trial. Despite how foggy-minded he might first appear, Aeon is highly perceptive of those around him and acts as if he sees through everything (likely true to some extent with his Aura senses). It’s no surprise that most ‘mons who encounter him find him off-putting or annoying. 

Strangest of all is his bizarre case of amnesia. Aeon's mind is a puzzle even a psychic doctor like Nat can't figure out. His mind should be empty, and to a casual viewer, it appears as much...but closer inspection reveals that it is more like his memory was sealed or forcibly removed i.e. this amnesia was done intentionally and not a symptom of head injury. His memories aren't completely inaccessible either, as he seems to know things at random times that only make sense to him such as calling out certain events before they happen or knowing people who've never met him. Combat works the same way with him unable to remember how to use his moves on command or in training, yet in the heat of the moment, he is a skilled fighter who toys with his opponents. He has an overflow of Aura power, yet he doesn't seem to be able to manipulate it in any conscious way. It’s really no surprise that the Stargazers invited him to stay, to study him further and untangle his secrets.

History:

Your guess is as good as his! Aeon can’t remember anything prior to waking up in the Stargazer’s infirmary. Even basic skills all pokemon should know, like how to use his moves, have left him. All he seems to have retained is his personality and some muscle memory & habits which were so ingrained they became automatic for him. His rescuers were only able to guess his name was “Aeon” because of that name being engraved on a silver pocket watch in his coat - the only item he had on him besides the clothes on his back.

The cyclizar, Cyril, came upon him being roughed up by some bandits in the desert and rescued him, bringing him back to Vandril’s Harbor. Her indeedee friend, Doctor Natasha, took the lead on his medical care and recovery. He’s very grateful to them both. A pity he couldn’t repay them by answering their many, many questions as he didn’t know the answers himself! Even Doctor Natasha’s telepathic scan of his mind came back blank.

Given his unique situation and fearing how easily he could be taken advantage of, Nervia offered him sanctuary within her guild until he could heal his body and mind. In return, the Guildmaster only asked that he cooperate as her best scholars and medics continued to study his condition. As she was the one to bring him in, Cyril volunteered to act as Aeon’s guide and guard, bringing him into her team and teaching him the basics of being a Stargazer in the hopes that something would shake some memories loose. Aeon is pleased with this arrangement. He has no cares or goals of his own, but he is fond of Cyril, for whatever reason, and content to stay with her for now.

Extra:

• Aeon possesses an abnormally high amount of Aura and always has his Aura senses active (visibly shown with his “aura feelers” always floating about his head), even when at rest. Nat has theorized that, before his memory wipe, he was a highly skilled Aura manipulator to the degree that sensing Aura became as automatic as breathing. Thus, he is near impossible to surprise and particularly sensitive to Shadow auras.

• Aeon is fascinated by clockwork, even if he can’t remember why. He loves clock or time based puns and sayings, and he somehow always knows precisely what time it is down to the second. That does beg the question why he bothers carrying a pocket watch on him at all times, but considering it is the only possession he owned before meeting Cyril, it clearly had some great importance to him in the past. He cleans and winds the watch meticulously every morning without fail.  

• Aeon’s constitution is...a paradox. Biologically, he has brittle bones and a frail body, making it incredibly easy for him to get hurt. Currently, he uses a cane to walk because of a grievous leg injury still healing. Yet, in spite of that, he reacts minimally to pain, can have the stamina to walk for hours without tiring, and Cyril can personally attest to seeing him knock-out a Rhyperior with a single blow.