Robert the Torkoal

Robert is a Torkoal who lives in Cianwood City primarily. He is very dimwitted, but is okay with this. He often yells in normal conversation just because he can. He considers his best friends to be Cragma the Blaziken and  Luke the Heatmor.

History
At the time of his birth, Robert lived near the Fiery Path of Hoenn. As a result, he was constantly exposed to the toxic fumes of Pokemon such as Koffing and Grimer. He quickly grew used to these fumes, but they managed to clot his brain slightly, making rational thought and reason harder for him.

For years, Robert found it difficult to speak in a normal tone of voice, exclusively yelling anything he said. Though this generally annoyed the people and Pokémon he talked to, he personally found it entertaining.

Robert first met Cragma when he was still a Torchic. Back then, he was known as Achamo. Achamo openly insulted Robert for his slow wit, which made Robert mad. So mad that he went so far as to Body Slam Achamo repeatedly once.

The two also met a Mienshao known as Vicky, who brought them to Unova for tea occasionally.

With time, Articuno taught Achamo a lesson about his arrogance, forcing Achamo to turn to Robert for solace and friendship. Despite previous unfavorable encounters with each other, Robert agreed to help Achamo reach Vicky to apologize to her for his behavior. This caused them to end up in Cianwood City in Johto. The two remained until Achamo had done enough training to defeat Vicky in battle and evolve into a Combusken.

By the time Combusken evolved again into Blaziken, the two decided to make Cianwood their home with Vicky, a Machoke named Bruce, and a Mudkip named Zack. Luke also came shortly after, along with his assistant, a Pawniard named Phillip.

In October 2012, Robert fell victim to an illusion from Miss Magius, which made him look like a Bronzong. Similar illusions happened to Zack and Cragma, who became Skarmory and Durant respectively. The group tried to make the best of their illusions before they turned back. Robert, for instance, used his newfound levitation to explore the Seafoam Islands over the water.

In November, Robert finally made an honest effort to prevent himself from yelling all the time, at the request of Luke. But also because he didn't like being whipped by Vicky for yelling. Eventually he cured himself of always being loud, but still occasionally shouts randomly (most commonly his species name). Luke also helped Robert learn how to read.

Eventually, Cragma, Luke, and Robert decided that they should go on a higher scale exploration of Johto, but two unexpected events happened regarding this. First was the addition of a new member for the trip: a Purugly named Precious. Second was Magius striking again to turn Luke into a Durant, a curse that wasn't broken until the group reached the Ruins of Alph.

Before Luke was changed back into a Heatmor, he and Cragma decided to create an act that involved Cragma acting as Luke's petowner. the act was very profitable, so Robert wanted to become a part of it too. So he blew smoke from his nostrils to introduce the performances.

The group returned to Cianwood for a while, then Robert, Cragma, and Zack started a trip to Kanto in March. So far, the highlights of this trip have included a group of Diglett chasing the trio in a cave (after Zack harassed them), meeting Odolwa, a Meganium and an Archen in Viridian Forest, encounters with Clefairy in Mt. Moon (with Robert unintentionally providing a Moon Stone that evolved one of them into Clefable), and Robert finding a golden Magikarp.

Personality
Robert is not a very smart Pokémon. He has his own way of perceiving the world. He often doesn't think before he says things, even if they're inappropriate or personal for someone else.

Despite his slow wit, he's not exactly ashamed of who he is. He's quite content with the fact that he's a Torkoal especially, and enjoys his friendship with Cragma and Luke.

Cragma
Robert's first friend. Obviously they hated each other when he was still a cocky Torchic, but Robert was quick to accept his apology after Articuno froze him. Cragma is still somewhat bothered when Robert says something stupid, but tolerates him regardless.

Luke
Robert likes Luke because he's very kind to him, though Robert doesn't always understand what Luke says to him. He has a lot of respect for Luke and often tries to help him/satisfy him when given a request, such as learning to be less loud.

Vicky
Vicky used to frequently whip Robert when he shouted in order to quiet him. This worked on him, even before Robert learned to control his volume.

Zack
Robert enjoys acting crazy around Zack because of his youth. Robert has even influenced Zack to yell on occasion.

Precious
Rarely do Robert and Precious talk, because Precious' self-centeredness makes Robert uncomfortable around her.

Bruce
Robert and Bruce have friendly conversations sometimes. Robert often has dreams of Bruce being in arm wrestling contests, sometimes with Vicky. Bruce doesn't see how this is so appealing to Robert.

Trivia

 * Robert was created on July 8th, 2012.


 * The name Robert was suggested by Leah. The reasoning behind the name is unknown.


 * "HuffPuffWeeze" is the sound someone would likely make if they were surrounded in smoke, much like a Torkoal.