PKMN-Armonia - Tanvi the Neuroscientist

Age: 17

Gender: Non-gendered (identifies as female)

Pokémon: Metagross

Birthday: August 1st

Height: 4ft 3in

Weight: 245lbs (she’s made of metal, after all)

Nature: Quirky - Tanvi has a strange way of dealing with others, and it usually involves an odd fact about neuroscience and a lot of looking at someone's head to guess their brain size. She's bubbly and bright, but completely lacks a sense of what is considered normal conversation.

Ability: Clear Body - prevents stat changes unless ability is negated

Hometown: Castelia City, Unova

Personality: Tanvi is a cheerful, curious, and happy-go-lucky Metagross with a strong affinity for the scientific community and a bizarre if not overwhelming obsession with brains. She's always happy and very easy to talk to. Losses don't get her down and neither do setbacks; pretty much everything out there is solely to make her better at what she does. Highly competitive, Tanvi will accept any challenge, but is a graceful loser.  However despite her generally welcoming and easygoing nature, Tanvi does have one major problem with regards to socialization; she just doesn't know how to engage in a 'normal' conversation. Since her whole childhood circulated around research, and she hadn't had much experience with normal children, she has serious gaps in her ability to smalltalk, and she's much more likely to ask someone about their neural patterns while doing something mundane than their weekend. Her go-to conversation topics are brains, recent research papers, and the periodic table. And, if you’re lucky, a good book she’s read recently. However Tanvi is capable of discussing 'normal' things if someone brings it up around her, and she's rather good at giving rational advice. Tanvi lives in a moral grey area in part because her mother always had a lot of disdain for the board of ethics _{you can only imagine how much fun growing up with her was}.  She doesn't often realize that there are things that aren't exactly... how do you say... socially acceptable. While she has the self-restraint necessary to make herself seem approachable, she often expresses interest in others with respect to their brains and their behavior as opposed to them as a whole, and it's not uncommon for her to separate a person's identity from their cognitive functions. She will, however, back off if someone confronts her about something she's doing. But you know what they say; old habits die hard.

History:

Namia Raghavendran, the famous if not infamously eccentric Reuniclus, was a brilliant researcher; a pioneer in neuroscientific research, and some said a likely scientist to cross lines Arceus forbid mortals to cross. Namia’s field of study involved brains - specifically, how we could test brain plasticity in children in a non-invasive (maybe not exactly ethical though) fashion - and the possibility of AI brain transplants. Dangerously innovative, Namia easily got bored by the average, humdrum ideas her colleagues presented. Of course observational study has been done before! It’s as if they didn’t even read any scholarly papers. Oh, how she longed to have a partner in the lab with an intellect and ingenuity that matched hers! But she couldn’t find such a partner, and she couldn’t take the boredom any longer. So she did the practical thing - she sought to raise such a mind herself. And she had a particular species in mind; one that would grow up to have four, healthy, working brains. If any Pokemon could revive the lab, it was that.

Namia adopted a young Beldum from a nearby orphanage to raise as her personal project. She was going to raise the only Pokemon on the planet who could possibly suit the illustrious Professor Raghavendran’s labwork. The Beldum’s wiring, as the orphanage told her, suggested great intellectual potential, and the satisfied Namia took it home, deciding to raise it as a girl. But only a few days with the Beldum passed before Namia's heart began to melt; she actually loved her little girl, and this change in heart was evident in the new way she phrased her ‘project goals’. She was going to raise her to be the perfect scientist; "just like her mom."

Tanvi grew up in an environment very much unlike that of a typical child. Surrounded by research labs and diagrams of mammalian Pokemon organ systems, Tanvi quickly grew to believe that the world was all about scientific discovery. And the way she learned was different as well - "A for Amygdala; B for Brønsted-Lowry acid-base theory; C for Cortex" and so on. The toys that Namia gave to her daughter were logic games and jigsaw puzzles, and the outings they took together were to science museums and remote landscapes in order to catch up on the latest research and take care of their own. Tanvi was subjected to a world of activities as a child that would supposedly enhance the strength of the electrical connections in her brain (and, once she evolved, brains). She was taught the violin and the piano, how to swim and how to ride a bike, how to play football and how to meditate. And for a number of years, the cheerful, open-minded little Beldum absorbed everything her mother told her and gave to her gratefully.

However things began to change when Tanvi evolved into a Metang. Tanvi was only 13 when this happened; somehow, being in such an unusual environment, filled with unchecked radiation and chemical fumes that Namia was virtually immune to, had given her the opportunity to build up her magnetic nervous system and gain enough experience with the world that she evolved prematurely. And upon evolution she gained an entire second brain. The sudden duplication of the number of working synapses in Tanvi’s head lead to a sudden switch in personality - Tanvi became much more energetic, and with it, much more innovative in the lab. At first, Namia was overjoyed - her perfect daughter was now a perfect addition to her lab team! But it didn’t take long for her to realize that something was seriously wrong with her darling prodigy. With the energy and the ingenuity came a whole wave of neuroticism - Tanvi had two brains to think with, and thinking about all the possible things she could was driving the young pokemon into a state of constant worry and agitation about things that never bothered her before. The results of Namia’s next project was disproportionately impactful - all of Tanvi’s minor glitches indicated system failure - every small thing freaked her out.

Namia, incredibly worried about Tanvi, concluded after much deliberation that she needed to stay out of the lab until she had grown into her second evolutionary stage and her second brain, and she excluded the Metang from all labwork, homeschooling her as usual and letting her socialize with other researchers in less dangerous labs, but saying very little about her own projects. Two years of kid gloves paid off though - 15 year old Tanvi was in a considerably better place than her 13 year old doppelganger was, and she had almost completely reverted to her old, amiable self. She wasn’t expected to evolve for another six years. It was 110% safe to have her back in the lab.

Unfortunately, the peace didn’t last long. Growing into teenage rebellion, Tanvi longed to see more of the world than was presented to her - Namia hardly let her out of her sight since she evolved. And of course, Namia refused. What need was there to go see others? The world was full of callous fools, ignorant and apathetic. It was unlikely that she could meet anyone who matched her or Namia’s intelligence. But the ever-curious Tanvi wasn’t satisfied with this answer, and one fateful night, snuck out of the lab building to explore the streets of Castelia City while her mother was sound asleep.

But the city streets weren’t safe, and Tanvi found herself a spectator in what seemed to be a large Pyroar man beating up a smaller Togetic for some kind of ‘missed payment’. Angered by this sight, and unable to process that she would be safer staying out of it, Tanvi approached the Pyroar and threatened to fight him herself, an offer he accepted with a salty laugh. And while Tanvi the girl genius had little problem taking care of him and seeing the Togetic back to his office building, she retired early. The fight had made her dizzy.

The dizziness was a precursor to many problems with Tanvi’s health. She had frequent headaches, and sometimes her arms or legs would stop functioning for a few seconds. On occassion, Tanvi was rendered incapable of speech for minutes. Namia was worried sick, and sought out as many of the most capable doctors in and around Castelia to care for Tanvi as the Metang sunk deeper into sickness. But the breaking point for Namia was when she found Tanvi one morning after a two-day experiement unable to wake up, feverish, and a Metagross.

The next few days were a haze to Namia; the doctors rushed Tanvi in and out of rooms, trying to determine what had happened, and clipboards were tossed around like rugby balls while the surgeons attempted to determine what was wrong. When they reached a conclusion, they approached a sobbing Namia with a weak smile, and kept their voices low. “Tanvi’s right anterior brain has suffered from a serious deprivation of oxygen. It’s most likely because Tanvi evolved so prematurely that her body couldn’t get enough oxygen to all the brains equally. Do you know what that might be because of? ...I see, I see. Well, it’s possible that early exposure to such harsh stimuli induced premature evolution on both occasions. The bad news is that the one brain is gone, completely. The cortex isn’t getting any information. The good news though… Tanvi’s other brains seem completely fine. Yes, in a year or two in rehabilitation, she should be back to her old self.”

Namia kept out of the lab and stayed by her daughter's side the entire time the ametagross was in rehab. Thankfully, things were going exceptionally well; Tanvi was much less fidgety and the headaches completely disappeared. After two months months in a wheelchair and five months on crutches, she regained full motor control and was capable of brisk walking without feeling exhausted. It only took 13 months for Tanvi to get better completely, and the first thing she asked when she was out of the rehabilitation center was if she could go back to the lab.

And then Namia said something Tanvi never expected her to say; No.

The reason being quite simply the lab and all the loose chemicals and machines and radiation had been an obvious negative impact on Tanvi, and she shouldn't be allowed back in there until she was much older and her three working brains were getting more than enough oxygen to bear with such harsh stimuli. But the shocking news didn't end there; Namia couldn't afford to teach her anymore. She basically lived near her lab; if she took over until it was time for Tanvi to go to college, she would probably suffer another serious health problem. What helped her all this time was time away from the lab, and Tanvi needed exactly that. So Namia suggested something that for so long she had been philosophically opposed to: boarding school.

But no, she assured her daughter. This one is very good! Full of bright students and remarkable professors and staff. Plus it was a great environment for Tanvi to practice being a 'normal girl'; if she had to be out of the lab, at least she should learn something from it. The academy was called the Armonia Institute, and Namia had already filled Tanvi's application out for her.

It was obviously too late to back down now. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt for Tanvi to see if she made it in...

Summary characteristic: Highly Curious - as all scientists should be, of course!

Hobbies:

-reading about brains, writing about brains, experimenting on brains, etc.

-blowing things up in chem labs

-Playing sports/battling

-Reading

-Talking to the few people who won't be totally creeped out by her

Moveset:

-Flash Cannon

-Psychic

-Meteor Mash

-Magnet Rise

Favorite berry flavor: No preference/Likes them all/doesn't actually eat, so

House: Cordelia 

School Schedule: 

--Core class
-Survival
-Contest
-Gym
-Tech Ed

Extras/Fun Facts:

-Needless to say, Tanvi is exceptionally intelligent. Her excelled fields are math and science, as one would expect, but she has a remarkable memory that has allowed her a great deal of prowess with other fields of knowledge as well. But she doesn't bother too much with those. She mostly only cares about brains.

-Tanvi is very fond of other psychic types, and she gets especially nervous talking to psychic-type boys.

-Tanvi totally does not at all realize that she tends to sound super snooty when she talks about brains. Or science. Or anything, really. She truly does mean well.

-Tanvi should have four brains of her own, as characteristic of her species, but since she suffered from lasting damage to her right anterior brain, only three of her brains are fully functional. However, they have compensated for the lost data processing from the defunct fourth brain. Since these brains are nearly identical in structure, none of Tanvi’s skills or bodily processes have been harmed, except for her ability to discern pitches and pitch changes _{the brain that died was the only one with any real musical inclinations}

-Tanvi is extremely fond of any artificially created Pokemon. She will more than likely behave in ways that express some interest in the possibility of dissecting them to see how their brains work. Possibility. Just that. Thank goodness for everyone, she's not her mother. Yet. 

-These three brains give her incredible computing skills as expected of Metagross - she excels at all forms of mathematics and physical scientific calculations. However, she must learn new behaviors and ‘right-brained’ activities at the same pace as any average, single-brained gifted student.

-Tanvi doesn’t have much memory of her hospitalization, but remembers feeling sick for a long time before and feeling much less anxious afterwards.

-Tanvi's hand cuffs can rotate to open and close the lids to the hollow shafts in her arms. Her fingers will migrate around the circular opening so they are 120 degrees from one another. This hollow shaft is how Tanvi uses her Flash Cannon and her Magnet Rise attacks.

- Tanvi doesn't eat. She is, however, solar powered, and will feel more energized while in the sun.

- Her SpDef stat is crap //OTL _{her regular Defense isn't that great either}

-Tanvi is actually very athletic and loves sports, especially casual battling.

-Tanvi prefers being around pokemon who are as smart as or are smarter than she is, especially those who are very good in a field she's not. She has a lot of respect for intelligence, even intelligence that is not scientific.

-While it doesn't seem like Tanvi learned her mother's extreme contempt for literally any Pokemon not as intelligent as she is, she does rank the value of intelligence high in others, and doesn't tend to like Pokemon who don't care about knowledge, regardless of their grades.