Juniper Stevens

Favorite Pokemon Types (Most to Least): Poison, Ground, Dark, Fighting, Bug, Ghost, Dragon, Fire,  Electric, Normal, Fairy, Water, Flying, Grass, Steel, Rock, Psychic, Ice

Like most kids in her hometown, Juniper wanted to become a Pokemon trainer when she grew up. However, to her dismay, when she turned 10, of age to qualify for her trainer license, her parents "surprised" her by sending her to a quality boarding school. They were supportive of her wish to become a trainer, but felt education came first and would assist her pursuing a training career later. Juniper hated being cooped up and away from home, but she did begin to bloom into her own person and explore who she was outside her parents influence. 

The school allowed it's students to select a starting Pokemon after covering training basics after their first year. Feeling a bit rebellious by then, Juniper chose her partner croagunk- a poison and fighting type she didn't think her prim and proper parents would normally approve of. Juniper adamantly turned down all of the starters the school offered, insisting that the only partner for her was the wild frog she'd befriended during recess. A teacher who had taken a shining to her rambunctious attitude agreed to catch it for her. Though she'd chosen him a bit out of spite, Juniper loved Wobbles with all her heart, and he was her closest (and only) friend through boarding school. 

She never liked the school and didn't make good grades, but she was very bright. She intentionally failed many classes hoping her parents would bring her home, but she only received reprimands and extra tutoring. Although she put little effort into her schoolwork, she absorbed a lot of the information taught and could have easily graduated top of her class. Instead, she put in the bare minimum work to graduate and get out of that school as quickly as she could. When she did FINALLY graduate at 19, (after repeating a year) she didn't even bother going home before setting off on her own journey. Their relationship fell apart after sending her away, however her parents have attempted to contact her on occasion. But given that she all but disappeared, locating her is a challenge of its own.

After breaking free of her parents, Juniper chose the nearby town of Tillshire to begin her own Journey. (Mostly because without her wealthy parents, she had to find an affordable area. And the quiet town advertised a small start-up kit for aspiring trainers who agreed to stay with the town for a minimum of two years in an attempt to bring life back into the tiny community.) There she met two other trainers, Dahlia Gardner and Blake Haz-ard, who happened to register on the same day. Albeit begrudgingly at first, all three agreed to travel together. Gradually, the trio grew to become friends, if not rivals, exploring the region, gallivanting off on adventures, even building and sharing a pokemon ranch together. After a new, nefarious power growing within the region began to disturb life in their sleepy town, they personally jumped into action and took the task of thwarting Team Drill. 

Eventually, their two-year contract to stay in Tillshire ran out. They had to make a choice, to stay, or explore the rest of the world. Blake was near to achieving his dream of becoming a Fire-Type gym leader. Dahlia, partnering with Blake's brother, became a nurse, brewing her own medicines and remedies with homegrown herbs. She stayed close to Blake, setting up a pokecenter station in Blake's new gym to heal his and challengers' pokemon after their matches. Juniper, on the other hand...

Juniper had some exploring and self-reflection to do. She saw her friends moving on and up with their lives, but she felt stagnant staying put. They had explored everything Tillshire had to offer. So, Juniper took a job offer as a researcher's assistant involving a lot of travel and field work. She bid farewell to her friends, and set off with Wobbles to meet a mysterious Professor Mayten. The professor, eccentric as she was, took Juniper under her wing. They made an extraordinary pair, and together tracked down many legendary and mythical pokemon. It was on one such special assignment- her very first in fact- that Juniper met the Hoopa which eventually became Mayten's partner, further expanding their research and ability to explore the world. Juniper has since travelled through many regions, including Galar and most recently Peizuri. As skilled a trainer Juniper has grown into, she's found her niche in the line of research field work, and now trains under Mayten as an apprentice.