Ace

Ace is kind-hearted and caring, but can come across as serious or grumpy most of the time. He is on a rescue team with his long-time friend, Mochi. He is fiercely protective of her, imposing himself as something of an older brother figure in her life. He sees her as oblivious, overly friendly, and easy to manipulate, and worries for her safety as a result, despite her competence in battle.

Ace developed PTSD after he and his close friend Melody were attacked by a group of feral bug pokemon. He ran to get help but upon returning discovered the feral pokemon had left her for dead. She was able to recover from most of her injuries, but her vocal cords were permanently damaged in the attack, and is unable to use her voice much. Ace was hurt in the attack, but not badly; he sees her condition as his fault, for not being strong enough to fight off their attackers on his own. He began to have nightmares after the incident, and panics when he encounters bug-type pokemon now. He resents that Melody does not seem to have any lingering trauma, while he, despite being relatively unharmed, does. This, coupled with the fact that seeing and speaking to her reminds him of everything that happened, and that he wasn't strong enough to save her himself, has resulted in Ace avoiding speaking to Melody as much as possible. He tells himself that he doesn't deserve her kindness, because her injury was his fault, and that this self-imposed isolation will motivate him to get stronger.