Akira

Trainer File

Main Pokémon waiting on hand: • Sandslash • Beedrill • Fearow • Seadra

Bonus

Age: 16 years Birthplace: outskirts of Vermilion City Trainer class: Tamer

Badges: 10 Battle Style: Balanced Special Skill: Making food for his Pokemon

A young man aiming to become "the ultimate trainer," capable of fighting any opponent regardless of type match up. Instead of building a team with lots of different types, he prefers to train each of his individual pokemon to overcome their weaknesses. In spite of his harsh training regimen, he cares deeply for his pokemon and takes great care to keep them healthy. To this end, he is also studying to qualify as a pokemon doctor.

Memo I thought a lot about who to make Red's first opponent. I could have gone with an original character, but wanted someone that at least some people would recognize. That led me to use Akira, from the anime (voiced by Nobuyuki Hiyama). He shows up in Episode 8, "The Path to the Pokemon League," where he runs an unofficial gym and is taking on any trainers that pass by. If he can win 100 consecutive battles, the league will make him an official gym leader. He's also training his Sandshrew (who knows Fissure) to overcome its weakness to water and talks about becoming "the ultimate trainer." He was in the opening during the Orange League arc, so I thought they were bringing him back, but in the end he never appeared in the anime again. I really wanted to see his Sandshrew evolve and use Fissure in a big, flashy way! So I decided to put him in this manga and do exactly that. I may have made some changes to his personality, I hope you don't mind that. It's a shame he was knocked out of the tournament in the first round... As a side note, in the mainline games Sandslash can only learn Fissure by TM, and only in Gen 1. There's no way for it to use this move in Black/White, that's really disappointing! It can't even learn it through breeding - what's up with that?!