Kotone lived an average life, up until she was blackmailed into joining Team Rocket when the mob took hold of her small hometown.
She wasn’t well suited to criminal work, as she was empathetic and worrisome – and it would be her empathy that led her to attempt to aid Giovanni’s ‘daughter’, Haru, in escape. Unfortunately, her attempt was foiled, and Kotone was meant to be ‘disposed of’.
Fortunately, she was found in critical condition by a woman named who only went by ‘Mom’, who ran in izakaya in Goldenrod. While Kotone’s body never recovered, her gratitude towards ‘Mom’ led her to aim towards helping others who had bed harmed by Team Rocket.
She currently works at said izakaya as a bartender, and always seems to have an open ear to those seeking help.
Appearance
Kotone is 5’4″, but appears shorter, as she is an ambulatory wheelchair user. She has brown hair that’s often tied into low pigtails, brown eyes, and a bit of a babyface.
She’s almost always seen with nasal cannula due to her condition, and she has heavy scarring underneath her clothing.
She enjoys wearing bright clothing in warm colors.
The empathetic ray of light
| Nicknames | ‘Lyra’ |
| Gender | Female |
| Age | 25 (2029) 31 (Postgame) |
| Birthday | August 22nd |
| Occupation | Bartender |
| Ethnicity | Johtoan |
| Birthplace | Mahogany town |
| Orientation | Unknown |
| S/O | N/A |
| Legend affiliation | N/A |
| Theme |
Personality
Kotone is a genuinely sweet and caring person! Growing up, she always wanted to be a Pokemon Center nurse so she could help people. She was raised with strong values of caring for others, and is in tune with emotions and sensitive to the slightest indicators of mood.
She’s a bit fearful of pokemon after the night of the failed escape, and has never been as in-tune with them as she is with other people. Still, she shows them kindness when she can.
Story
I’ll get to it… eventually.
Skills
Empathy:
- Ever since she was a child, Kotone always just seemed in tune with others. Some bar patrons joke that she’s a mind reader, when really, she’s just very sensitive to changes in people’s disposition.
- She acts as a ‘bar therapist’ – though she has never had formal training in therapy. When suggested by Yuuto, Kotone didn’t express interest in becoming a licensed therapist.
Bartending:
- She’s mostly self taught, filling in the gaps of what ‘Mom’ taught her with what she feels is right. And somehow… it works? She’s not quite sure if she’s actually good at it or if her patrons have low standards, but she makes a decent amount in additional tips.
Relationships
‘Mom’ – Caretaker
It’s thanks to ‘Mom’ that Kotone is even still alive, and she’s eternally grateful for her help. Kotone lives with ‘Mom’ when not working, and with her, Kotone is able to feel at home and safe.
Haru – Old ally
Haru was the person who kept Kotone going while she was trapped inside Rocket, and she doesn’t regret her attempt to help Haru escape one bit, despite the consequences. While they’ve grown a bit distant as Haru’s grown up, seeing Haru always brings a smile to Kotone’s face.
Yuuto – Customer
Yuuto was a frequent customer while he still lived in Goldenrod… a bit too frequent. Kotone feels like he probably needs a real therapist.
Trivia
- Surprisingly, Kotone very rarely experiences compassion fatigue – as most of the ex-rocket stories she hears come nowhere near the severity of what she experienced. However, a certain few stories have gotten to her.
- She has extensive and mixed opinions of her hometown’s famous RAGE CANDY BAR, Don’t ask her unless you have 30 minutes of free time.
- She’d like to visit Cianwood someday, especially after hearing stories from Haru and Yuuto.
- A pichu with a strange-looking ear has recently been a ‘pest’ around the Goldenrod tunnels… despite Kotone’s fear of pokemon, she’s secretly been feeding it and offering it shelter under the counter. She finds it cute.
