Valerie

Valerie is a rising contest star that's all about the positive things in life! Having been raised by her brother, Marlow, in Serenade Falls, the happiest getaway in Mist Continent, Valerie grew up surrounded by the easygoing fun of summer all year long, all around people who love and support one another. She puts on small contest appeals with Marlow, serving as his assistant while he does all the battling and main work. Valerie wants to make sure she gives back and believes that everyone, no matter how rude, deserves kindness. She goes out of her way to support her peers and help them feel better, and truly believes that everyone means well in the end. She goes as far as considering every Pokemon a friend, she just hasn't met some of them yet. However, like most young Pokemon, Valerie still holds a sense of longing to see what's out there- she has never left her hometown once, and desires to take her career further, and see all the wonderful Pokemon out in the world!

There's just one problem. Valerie has a condition where her aura- the energy inside of all Pokemon that allow them to use their attacks and evolve- is malformed due to an incident where she was left in her egg for too long. So while she can use her attacks, using them (and using her aura in general) drains her rapidly and can make her extremely sick on bad days. She's significantly weaker than other Popplio, and is advised against evolution since too much energy could severely wound her. Because of this, Marlow is extremely paranoid over her and refuses to go beyond the comfort of their town, where Pokemon know not to challenge Valerie to any kind of battle. So while Valerie is positive, deep down she truly is terrified of what's out beyond the forest, much less the mystery dungeons that spawn beyond town, and so she sits in the Serenade Falls she's all too familiar with, wishing she could steel her courage and convince her brother to let her go.

She gets her wish in a very confusing and startling way, however...

-Her nickname is Val! She insists that her friends call her that, which of course means every Pokemon she comes across.

-Due to being raised by him, she's very close to Marlow and sees him more as a father than a brother (though he insists on being called "Marlow" instead of "Dad"). She trusts him completely and often goes to him for advice, and often overwhelms him with contest ideas. Marlow loves her energy, but of course frequently worries for her. She calls him "Mar-mar" out of affection, she made it up when she was a pup.

-Besides contests, she's also into clothing design and music.

-Cheri was her babysitter, so she's also very close to her.