Spring will come

PLAYER INFO

Name: Sheepy
Contact Information: sheepyton
Time Zone: PST
Characters Played: Lux


CHARACTER INFO

Character Name: Sakura Shinguji
Character Canon: Sakura Wars

History: Wiki

AU History: Sakura Shinguji comes from a long line of spiritual fighters, going back for generations. Living in Union from its inception, the sole duty of the Shingujis were two-fold: Protect the people of Union from attack, as well as play guardianship to the various legendaries--viewed as gods--around the new world; a job that all members took very seriously. While not all children of the Shinguji line were born with a spiritual prowess able to be used to fight for their cause, in every generation there was at least one who was blessed with stronger than normal psychic ability.

Sakura was one such child.

Raised by her mother, Megumi, as well as the elders in her family, for the first few years of her life, Sakura was doted upon, yet training for her budding powers were not looked into. It was not until her father Kayama's passing when she was five that she became interested in her own volition, throwing herself full-force into her spiritual training.

Training in her family's special sword arts, it seemed that, while she herself was a very talented swordwoman in her own right, she struggled with tying the two together, her psychic ability unwieldy and unwilling to convert to any kind of combat-related skill. Wishing to one day be able to wield the sacred sword passed through her family line, she cast herself into the city itself, searching out the organization that Kayama helped found...

...Only to find that it had been turned into a theater. And she had no kind of acting or singing ability--that she knew about. Regardless, through sheer force of will and the commitment to become a woman that her family could be proud of, she has persevered. Little did she know, however, that the Union Divine Theater was a cover for the Divine Defense Force, protectors of the city of Union.

She has been a member for almost a month.

Canon Personality: Sakura is the only daughter of Kazuma Shinguji, a former hero of the Demon War who sacrificed himself to see its end. The only heir to the great power of the Shinguji family, she was raised to follow her father's great legacy as a swordswoman. However, despite the somewhat high standards set upon her to be the spiritual successor of her father, Sakura is surprisingly normal all things considered. Growing up in the country, she has somewhat of a naive view of the world and how things work. She was also raised to be very polite, something she takes to heart. She has a warm personality, that is for sure, but she very rarely speaks out of turn, unless it is to those people she feels comfortable with.

Despite her training as a swordswoman, Sakura is surprisingly kind and not the least bit intense as one might think. Possessing a gentle heart, she does everything she can possible in order to help others. Tending to wear that bleeding heart of hers on her sleeve, she can be prone to moodiness at times, particularly where Ogami Ichiro is concerned. It's true, she does harbor a bit of a crush on her superior, and the whole world knows it save for Ogami himself. When she sees him with other women, she almost always assumes the worst and acts accordingly. When she's jealous, Sakura can be a little hard to deal with, and boy can she spit some venom when that comes up. At the end of the day, though, she always manages to forgive him for his transgression. While it seems like she could probably hold a rather heavy grudge, she has a hard time staying mad at anyone for too long.

Well, most anyone. There are always exceptions. Unfortunately, one of them happens to be on her team.

Sakura knows her faults. One thing she struggles with is the fact that she's a total klutz. She really doesn't mean to be, and it's something that she's very sensitive about. When picked on about it, she tends to do one of two things: in the case of Sumire, one of her team mates, she usually flies off the handle. Her biting remarks certainly aren't welcome, and Sakura has been known to bite back when she feels it's appropriate. However, it does bother her that her clumsiness can hurt or hinder other people, and when that happens she tends to draw back into her little shell. Yes, she is prone to moodiness and sometimes takes guilt a bit too far, readily willing to blame herself more than is really needed. She snaps back quickly from this, but there are times where she has been known to act rashly when it one of these depressive moods.

At the end of the day, Sakura Shinguji is the heir to a great legacy, and no one knows that better than her. While she does not let on that the responsibility is constantly there, constant training and honing her skills are a part of her everyday life. She works hard to be an asset to her team and can be rather intense in battle. She does not think much of the work that she puts toward her training or toward performance, so any kind of compliments tend to throw her for a loop. She assumes this much work is expected of her, so that feeling of elation from praise tends to last a bit longer than with most people.

All and all, despite a somewhat unconventional upbringing and high expectations, Sakura is a relatively normal girl as far as she sees it. A bit clumsy but always greeting the world with a polite smile.

AU Deviation: While Sakura's backstory is, for the most part, cut and dry the same between OU and AU, given the changes in the setting itself, Sakura's upbringing has changed. In original canon, the Shinguji family was located in Sendai. Thought to be out in the country, she is in many ways disconnected from the ways of the city folk. Such is not the case with BNW Sakura. While her training has been the most important thing in her life, she is not completely ignorant to the goings-on, and because of this can be a bit... excitable about certain things, particularly things involving events of extreme heroism. In canon, she is not at all on board with the theatrical part of the Flower Division, in BNW, she embraces it, feeling enchanted by the whole thing. Double life, where in one of them she gets to be an actress/singer? Sign her up! She may not be very confident about her ability, but she's going to try her very best!

Canon Abilities: Exhibition, courtesy of Project X Zone

Sakura, much like the other women in the Flower Division, has psychic ability, enough to not only be able to pilot a Kobu--a steam-powered mecha fueled by burning spirit--but also the monsters plaguing Teito, where the Flower Division is located. The Kobu itself acts as an amplifier of what their pilots are already able to do, as such, Sakura is able to focus her psychic energy into her sword, using it to launch wave attacks. Sakura's sword style is Iaijutsu, using the quick sword draws to either launch said attacks or defend.

Enlightened Abilities: Sakura is a Psychic/Fighting type, with the Master of Training ability.

At the beginning of the game, Sakura will have little to no access to her psychic abilities. However, despite this, she will be, in her own right, a very potent swordswoman, relying on speed and finesse above power and sheer force. As she grows into her talent and becomes more able to tap into her own potential, she will slowly be able to use shockwaves from her katana in battle. With her first evolution, she'll see little change in physicality, however, will experience a rather large spike in her speed. Her second evolution will denote her unlocking her full potential as a spiritual fighter, and she will have access to more high-powered shockwave and charged sword attacks.

Sakura will begin the game with an enhanced katana, passed down through the Shinguji line. Once belonging to her father, it has been imbued with ghost-typing, and is considered to be something of a holy sword. This will allow her to imbue some of her attacks with the ghost property.

Starter Pokémon: A Ralts named Takeshi.

Notes/Special Considerations: Sometime during the game, Sakura's sword will break, and she'll be going an indeterminate amount of time without her enhanced katana. Eventually she will be getting it back after it has been tempered into a new sword using a ghost plate.

SAMPLES

What would you say the role of Pokémon is in your life?

I've always thought of them as equals, that's what I've been taught. They protect us, and we protect them. Obviously there are some that don't; there are bad people and there are bad Pokémon in the world. But it is our duty to protect and work with one another, if we want to move forward. Did that answer your question?

What do you feel your role in Union is?

[Sakura touches the back of her neck, a bit of a sheepish smile on her face.]

I'm still trying to figure that out myself. I think, right now, that is to entertain people and make them happy. That's what I feel passionate about right now.

To what lengths would you go to rescue your allies if they were lost in the wilderness?

I wouldn't stop until they were found, and I knew they were safe. The wilderness is a scary place, but I would go out and find them, and fight anything that stood in my way, without question.

What does the story of the Savior mean to you?

It means a lot to me!

[She sighs wistfully.]

The savior is why we're still here, isn't it? And why humans and Pokémon are able to coexist how they do now, right? It's very important! I don't think people give the moral behind it enough thought, if you think about it. Most stories about heroes and martyrs suffer the same fate, and it's sad to see.

To me, it's a story of hope, and of sacrifice for the sake of others over yourself. I hope that, if anything like that ever happened to me--which it probably won't--that I could come to the same decision.

What do you look for in the Pokémon with whom you bond?

Conviction, and the willingness to grow. The ability to be humble, and to approach life with a fresh prospective. Compassion. Inner strength. There are a lot of things.

What do you think your Pokémon respect most about you?

[She pauses.]

I don't know, actually. Probably the same qualities that I said before. I've always been told that I'm persistent, and that, above all else, people can rely on me. I don't know how much of that is true, but maybe those things? I'm not sure, I don't think I'm that great myself. But obviously they see something in me, like I see in them.

Maybe that's it! We both see ourselves as walking the same path. I bet that's it.

A human has attacked a wild Pokémon who retaliates in defense. How do you respond and whom do you defend?

I would punish the human, regardless of their cause. We are equals, after all, we have the same goals and dreams. Attacking someone else with no reason is unacceptable. Even if there is a reason, I believe that there are other ways that you can respond outside of violence.

You are alone and bereft of your Pokémon allies, upon what strengths do you rely on to see yourself safely home?

My conviction and, should it come to it, my sword. These are the two things, other than my allies, that I have the most faith in. I believe that they would guide me safely home.

When encountering a rare and powerful Pokémon, what is most important? Researching it, bonding with it, or defeating it? Why?

Bonding with and understanding it. They have wisdom to share, and I think that's the most important thing, above all else.

What do you do to ensure we never again awaken the wrath of the gods upon humanity?

I withhold the teachings of my lineage, and protect those that cannot protect themselves, and will never use my blade in the name of those that seek to harm our peaceful way of life.