You like what I did there? Cedar? You think about Pokemon experts and who pops up? Oak, Elm, Birch, Rowan, Juniper...ALL TREES! That's right! Gonna start this thing off right! Good name, Kevin...good name...
Also, do you like this drawing? Would you like one like it? Check out the Pokemon Trainer Creator made by username Hapurianinen on deviantART. Here's the link:
Hapuriainen's Pokemon Trainer Creator
From what I've read, she's Finnish and a bit bitchy about protecting her shit, so whatever. Here's her link. If she wants credit, she'll get credit, but she doesn't get to dictate how I feel about her tone of type. So, to sum up: great artist, but sounds a little bitchy.
Anyway, here's the backstory...
Tom Cedar was an electrician, living in Cerulean City with his wife Holly and their infant son Cole. He supported his family with his job at the Kanto Power Plant.
Have you figured out where I'm going with this yet? Keep following, you'll get there...
So, suddenly, the plant gets shut down and he loses his job. He inquires as to why, but the higher-ups just cite "unexpected complications" that could shut down the plant indefinitely.
"Unexpected complications". Yep, that's what happened. You figure out the character concept yet? No? It's okay; you're probably not big on inferring things. I'll keep going.
So, Tom is left unemployed, but oddly enough, a skilled electrician is not something in high demand in the Pokemon world. In fact, there really aren't that many jobs that DON'T require a comprehensive knowledge of Pokemon. The entire structure of the Pokemon economy rests on inter-trainer gambling, so without Pokemon, you're pretty much fucked financially. So, in Cerulean City, if you don't have a strong knowledge of Pokemon, you're left with two job options: you either work the stock room of the Poke-Mart, or you work at the Bike Shop in some capacity.
Tom took both job opportunities. He started working the stock room at the Poke-Mart during the day and worked as a bike-messenger for the Bike Shop in the early morning; however, he wasn't making enough money to support his family and a massive strain was placed on his marriage.
Have you...have you figured it out yet? I mean come ON!
Ugh...fine...
Eventually, his wife can't take it anymore and decides to leave Tom one day while he's at work. She takes off with their infant son to live in a different region outside of Kanto where Cole might have a chance at becoming successful and financially stable as an adult by studying to be a champion Pokemon trainer. So, he comes home one day to a heart-breaking Dear John letter on the refrigerator and realizes that the life he's been fighting to maintain is now over.
Okay, if you haven't figured out the character concept yet, here's a photo to help:
Ash Ketchum and his supportive mother. Do you see anything missing? Do you distinctly remember an odd absence in every episode of the anime, an absence which isn't even so much as hinted at?
WHERE THE FUCK IS ASH'S FATHER?!?
Maybe he died when he was a little boy...but that can't be it. His mother would have said something eventually like, "Your father would have been so proud." But she doesn't say that, so it must mean that Ash's father was not an object of fond remembrance to his mother.
Maybe he left Ash's mom when he was still very little, perhaps even while she was pregnant...but that can't be it either. There would be an inherent anger towards him in both of those characters. Maybe Ash's mom wouldn't want to talk about the man that broke her heart and abandoned her son, but Ash would sure as shit harbor some resentments. He must have asked, "Where's Daddy?" at some point, and if his mom spilled the beans about how much of an asshole he was, by the time the anime rolls around and he's a tween, you can bet your ass he'd have some daddy issues. This must mean that it isn't anger that shields Ash's father from public discussion...
...maybe it's shame. That has to be it. Ash's mom is ashamed of her son's father and doesn't want Ash to even know how much of an embarrassment his father is. However, it's too easy to say that Ash's dad was, let's say, a member of Team Rocket, or a Pokemon poacher, or some other kind of criminal warranting immediate ostracizing. It doesn't make for a fun character with an interesting story.
However, what if he was a target of shame through no fault of his own? What if he was a victim of tragic circumstances out of his control and, though try as he might, he could not find redemption in time? Now that is what we call a tragic-past character!
Sad-ass man. That's the backstory. But why is he in a Pokemon RPG? Does he become a Pokemon trainer somehow?
Well...guess you just gotta keep reading then, don't you?
BANG! Hooked.
It took 4 days for Ash ' s dad to get to Viridian City...
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