BFOI Gym Leader 4

Join the Ohana Islands Battle Frontier and battle Lane! In round 4 you get to take on her gym.

Lane may be the 4th gymleader on Ohana Islands but that’s not how she identifies herself. A large amount of her time is devoted to her research. She dabbles in everything, but her primary focus is human communication with pokemon. She's managed to tie in her gymleader work with her research. We’ll hold off on details for now, but let's just say that every challenger must sign a consent form before they battle her. Everything has the potential to go into one of her papers.

Lane operates on a slightly different wavelength. Her intelligence and creativity are offset by a distracted tactlessness. For example, she may thoughtlessly try to add you and your pokemon to her research, rather than even bothering to pretend she’s interested in carrying on a normal conversation. She might make some unintentionally rude observations. Try not to take offense. She's just being an overenthusiastic academic.

At other times, she's surprisingly charming. When she puts her mind to it, (that is, when she wants to impress somebody/wants something/is being manipulative in general) she can charm. Such a skill may be manipulative, but it is important for networking and grant-writing.

If you’re in luck, you’ll catch her in between her tactless mode and her super-charm mode. These bouts of general social awareness or flirtatiousness (both genders) manage to keep her afloat socially. She’s still a little odd, and may say things that don’t make sense to you. However, her idealism, her loyalty, her wit, and her open mind allow her to maintain a nice circle of friends. So long as you don’t hurt her ego or argue against her sense of logic, she’d probably be happy to be your friend. So go ahead. Say hi.


___



Anna is better than you. She is smarter, more talented, and lovelier than you. And yet, she puts up with all the stupid things you do. What a saint. She’ll continue to be condescending but helpful as long as you don’t insult her.
Anna was Lane's first pokemon. She is loyal and generally supportive, but isn't afraid to roll her eyes or protest. Sometimes she considers herself a force of reason when Lane is having her sillier moments. She is particularly intelligent, does Lane's taxes for her. The two share a special bond which is highlighted by their breakthrough in toppling preconceived communication barriers. That is, Anna can read, and has developed an abbreviated audio-visual language with which to communicate with Lane. Lane is inspired by this to research if such communication is possible with every pokemon.

Ahiru is a darling, plain and simple. She's earnest and caring. She sees the best in everybody. In the water and air she embodies a grace that inspires warmth. On land, however, she becomes comically clumsy, and may need help with simple tasks. Her origin is a mystery, even to Lane. Somehow, she seemed to appear out of nowhere to save Lane from what would have been a deadly fall from a tower window. After that, she never left.

Mr. Delicious is a veteran SlowBRO of the Slowpoke Tails Incident from 10 years ago. He and Lane befriended at that time --a story for another time. Years later, when Lane was old enough for pokemon, Mr. Delicious joined the team. He likes to solve mysteries, or at least pretend to solve mysteries. He is actually pretty good at deductive reasoning, but it takes him a while. When in deep (absence) of thought, his eyes slide in different directions, and he may start drooling a little. However, when he snaps out of it again, his actions are surprisingly logical and intelligent. Chances are he’ll short-circuit again in a few minutes, though.

Earl Grey is a boisterous connoisseur of fine teas. He brings brewing to an art, and very much enjoys sharing with others by personally serving his teas. As such, he supplies the rest of his team with a wide assortment of comforting beverages every day. Unfortunately, sometimes his enthusiasm causes...mishaps.

Stephen is an incredible and charismatic pokemon that is doing his best to save you all from 'Them' by kicking ass and promoting a healthy level of fear. His logic may not make sense to you, but it makes sense to HIM, and that's what really matters. All you really need to know is that he is right. About everything. GOD BLESS UNOVA.

Kayvon had something of a troubled past, along with the tough-guy attitude prevalent amongst his species. However, Lane was able to get through to him with a bit of kindness and respect. Together they discovered that he has a sensitive nature, as well as an aptitude for drawing. As of now, he may be the most cheerful Zuruzukin you'll ever see. Just hope you don’t catch him when he is having an off day. If his art isn’t coming out ‘just right’ he may become moody and discouraged, or throw a fit.

Brandyn is the little mijumaru you see with Lane. He was given to her by [link] Judith recently. He and Lane have taken to each other very quickly, but there are some discipline problems. For example, if he sees food, it is his food. He's a bit mischievous, but the fact that he's eager to please has helped to make some behavioral gains. We'll see how he develops through the year.