Welcome to Gaia! ::

I'm sure you've got other things to do today, so I'll be frank. My name is Zero Hallow Rai, though some of my friends refer to me as Null or just Zee. Call me what you will, but these are the names I've been given. I don't believe it's hard to tell that I'm Male, and as of this moment I'm eighteen, born the 5th of December. My home is Lilycove in Hoenn, and where I was born and raised.

If you're looking for something more, I guess I could spare a few minutes more. I stand at about 5'8", and weigh about 154lbs.I'd have to say any romantic interests I'd have would probably lie with women, even if I'm not the romantic type. I like many things, like cat ears, cheesecake, masks... cheesecake, and I'd like to say I'm rather fond of the number nine. Spirits have also been very interesting to me, and they rarely seem hostile to me, so I could usually observe them just fine.

Although, to be honest I'm not terribly fond of snakes. Tentacruel also have a certain spot of disdain in my heart, but that's a story for later. Breaking things is a bit annoying too, and crowds occasionally give me trouble too. Other than that, I can't think of too many other things worth mentioning that I don't like. As for fears though, I do have a few. I steeled my heart long ago, and conquered my more trivial fears, but there are two in particular that have continued to haunt me. The first is being submerged under water. I'm fine with water on its own, as well as being in it, but if I find myself beneath the surface I start to panic. Bad experience with being pulled into that abyss, after all. Then there's another, which is admittedly a little mundane, but still terrifies me. I can deal with solitude, sure, but the feeling of being truly, utterly alone is what chills my bones. I do not want to be alone. I do not want to be cold.

Ah, my apologies, I seem to have gotten off track. I believe I forgot a rather important piece, my personality. I'll let you judge for yourself, but I believe that I am a tad stoic. I will not seek out another on my own, but I have no reservations about most people. Crowds can be a little weird for me, but I do try to stay engaged. Though, you probably won't hear me give any speeches at first. Still, if your my friend, I will do my best do defend you, and hopefully I will be enough.



I lived a fairly normal life for my childhood. It was just me and my dad, and I knew some extraordinary people, but that aside there wasn't anything really special about it. But I think that's why I liked it. Those times were peaceful and calm. I knew plenty of people around town, but I spent most of my free time with my dad, a three people whom I could call friends.

First there was Machina. His hair is whiter than mine, and he always has this composed air about him. Wrapped in one cape or clock or another, his expression eternally stern in the presence of strangers. He opens up more around friends, but he doesn't really emote unless he's around our other friend, Andreas.

I asked him about it once, he says it's not about specially feelings or anything. He just needs all his energy to deal with her. Not that I blame him, Andreas has always been a bit... much. the first time we all met, me and Machina were arguing about who had the strongest family pet, when suddenly she came up to us with her Riolu. She bet us anything that we couldn't beat her two-to-one. We took the bet of course, not realizing just how unprepared they were for her. Before our pokemon even got a chance to act, her Riolu, who's name was Spirit, had already closed the distance between them, and hit them both in one swift motion. He didn't quite have the power to OHKO them at that point, but they were so stunned that he didn't need to. He struck them both one more time, and they went down. We had no chance. That girl then took our friendship as her prize, and were were stuck with her from then on.

That woman then went on to become stronger than anyone I can imagine, and then became a professor at some university or other school. Machina had apparently enrolled there the same year, so it seemed fate refused to spare him of her. Though, about two years later, Machina dropped out, and became Andreas' assistant. I don't know all the details, but right now they're living in Sinnoh, and our favorite silver-haired boy found himself a new place to exerciser his hobby. But there is still one other person I considered a friend.

Alex Reaver, yet another kid with snow-white hair. Birds of a feather, I guess. Either way, I'd say out of the three of them, I think she was my best friend. The woman was energetic and adventurous, and always made Zero do everything with her. It was fun hanging out with her, and she kinda felt like a sister to me. Those were fun days.

But now, it doesn't matter. After all, my story wouldn't be complete, if I didn't detail my greatest mistake.

The setting was unfortunately fitting. Rain pelted down from a coming storm, making the ocean current rough and violent. We were throwing Alex a party the night before she departed to start her journey. It was supposed to be a happy send off, but I acted like a child and brought the mood down. We had planned for me to start my adventure alongside her, that way I wouldn't be traveling alone, but my father changed his mind at the last minute. Apparently criminal organizations had begun acting up again, and he felt it was too dangerous, telling me I couldn't go yet.

I was angry, of course, but looking back I'm rather embarrassed by my behavior. Anyway, after being sour for a while, I took some empty pokeballs I'd bought in preparation, ran out the door, and picked up some rocks on my way to the beach. There was a loose string of large rocks that jutted out into the sea, in an almost bridge-like fashion, and I that was where I set myself up. I determined to prove I'd be ready, but by Arceus, I wasn't. I spent the next few minutes tossing rocks at Wailmer, hoping to stun them long enough for a capture. But no matter how hard he threw or how large the rock was, it bounced harmlessly off their hide.

Within minutes I had run low, and armed with umbrellas and raincoats Alex and my father arrived on the beach. My old friend started crossing the bridge, telling me to get off the rocks and let them just talk about it, but I didn't listen. In frustration, I grabbed a loose, large chunk of the rock I made my perch on, and made the biggest mistake of my life. I threw the stone with all my might at the first thing I saw, assuming that it was a Wailmer. I was even rather excited when I saw that it worked, but that excitement soon turned to horror as I found out what I hit. A large, angry Tentacruel had just come to seek shelter from the storm's raging currents, and when he was struck by a heavy slab it found itself enraged. Alex and my father yelled something at me, but I couldn't hear them. I was paralyzed in fear, and soon a heavy tendril restrained me, and dragged me bellow the water's surface.

It was painful, between my bindings crushing me and what little air I was able to hold was swiftly running out. I don't know how far I was pulled down, but it seemed to go on forever, and all I could do was look up at the dark top of the water I was about to drown in. I was almost out of air when the tentacle holding me suddenly gripped tighter, and my attention was drawn to another figure in the water with them. The light was poor, but I could make out the silhouette. Alex had dropped down into the ocean after me, I didn't see when it grabbed her too, as when my attention was brought to her I saw her, wrapped in another tendril, her teeth sunk deeply into it. This was where things had hit their lowest point. Another massive arm of the Tentacruel came around to grab the silver-haired girl again, and she tried pushing it away with her arm. It obviously didn't work, and the tentacle began wrapping tightly around that arm. Its grip tightened hard, and if it wasn't for the water around me I would've heard a loud crunching sound, but what happened next didn't require sound, or words.

The tentacle around her arm began to pull away, still keeping its firm grip. In one pull, her shoulder was dislocated, in another, flesh tore, and in one final, mighty push, I watched in horror as I saw her arm completely severed from her. Her head shot up, attempting to scream in pain if it weren't for the water. I was in a similar boat, my lungs filling as I tried to scream my horror of seeing my friend's arm torn from her body. It wasn't long before I blacked out, and when I came too, I was lying on the beach, on one side of me my exhausted father, and on his other, lied Alex, her hair covering her eyes, and her hand gripping her bloodied stump of a right arm as she screamed her lungs out. That sound never left my ears, even today, long after the day had passed. The month following was painful, as well as the entirety of the rest of the year as she adjusted to a prosthetic arm she'd received.

That day will never leave my mind, and I will never be able to forget every detail of it. And I vowed to never let it happen again. I spent the time until I was seventeen studying, practicing, and preparing myself. I turned my back on a passion of mine to focus on battling, and when I finally started my journey, it was so I would gain the strength to protect. That was my plan, and when Alex suddenly disappeared two months before, that didn't change. I still decided to look for her of course, but I wasn't going to find her without the proper strength. My name is Zero Rai, and this is my history.



You still wish to know more, hm? Well, I'll share a few more tidbits then. One thing I enjoy doing at home is making masks. I've made quite a few, a Majora's Mask, a black-and-white mask, and typically anything Machina needs for a costume. And not many people know this, but I used to actually be a Coordinator, and a damn good one too. I stuck to being the opening act at the Lilycove Contest Hall while my dad ran it for a while. He's long since retired, but even after they'd occasionally ask me to do it for them. If I'd have to pick a song that I want to play when I walk in a room I felt represented me I'd have to say, Losing Your Senses, by Renegade Five. If not that, then Who I Am, would fit the bill too. I believe that's all for now, but if I think of something else you may be interested to know, I'll just leave it here. Farewell, friend.