Niko

Niko is quiet and easily overwhelmed by large groups of people; he prefers to be outside, in isolated areas, either alone or with one or two others. Niko ran away from home when he was around 12 and has been living on his own in the woods ever since. He would occasionally steal clothing and food from campsites he chanced upon, but for the most part he lived a very isolated life, never interacting with anyone. He had one friend–a Pokemon that roamed the woods as well, who felt safer sticking around Niko–but they eventually got separated by a brutal thunderstorm. After he was alone, Niko began making frequent trips to observe a strange research facility buried deep within the mountains. He suspected there was something up with that place–and when a handful of uniformed members arrived to the base dragging an extremely unwilling Ava, he knew he had to do something. With the help of one of Ava’s Pokemon who had been trailing her, Nico managed to rescue her. After learning that he didn’t have a home, Ava immediately took Niko in to live in the house she and Brennan share (Much to Brennan’s annoyance). Nico felt guilty taking advantage of her kindness, but Ava insisted. Now, Niko is taking on the gym challenge alongside a neighbor girl who convinced him to go along with her. He’s trying his best to make friends and do well, but he has more than a few secrets he can’t let out… FUN FACT: Like Brennan, Niko can sense aura. His ability manifests differently than Brennan’s, though, probably because it was triggered by a Mew who came across him in the woods long ago and took pity on him. Niko doesn’t see the aura of the people and Pokemon around him–instead they manifest as music. He’s able to use this to judge the mood and intentions of those around him, but he never learned to control how much he perceives, which is a big part of why even a silent crowd is overwhelming to him–because to Nico, that many people is *loud!* Another part of the gift Mew gave him is that most Pokemon perceive Niko as friendly and unthreatening (Because he is), so they often ignore him when they would otherwise be aggressive.