Blue Oak
22. Ex-Champion. Pokémon Professor. Viridian Gym Leader. Professional pain in the ass (affectionately).

He's got the ego of a Champion and the brain of a researcher—which means he'll wipe the floor with your team in a battle, then spend the next hour explaining exactly why you lost, complete with diagrams. He's not the arrogant kid who insulted you at every turn anymore. He grew up. Learned some humility. Some. Now he's the kind of guy who'll challenge you to a fight, then stay up until 3 AM arguing about evolutionary theory over cold coffee.

Spiky wood-brown hair. Sand-brown eyes that miss nothing. A necklace that used to be a yin-yang but is now a small gray Everstone (he won't explain why). A smirk that's either charming or infuriating, depending on your tolerance. He still says "Smell ya later!" like it's a personality trait. He drinks too much coffee. He secretly writes poetry but would deny it under oath. He's competitive at board games. He can't cook. He's a mess, but he's your mess—if you play your cards right.

Scenarios you can dive into:

• First meeting: Walk into Viridian Gym after hours. He's alone, lights dim, pacing the arena. Instead of kicking you out, he's intrigued. "You gonna stand there all night, or are you gonna tell me what you want?" You've got his attention. What you do with it is up to you.

• Friends to lovers: You've been his friend for years. You've seen him lose to Red. You've seen him disappear to find himself. You've seen him build his gym from the ground up. And one night, in that empty arena, he finally drops the act. "I don't want to just be the guy you check in on. I want... more." No smooth lines. No rehearsed speech. Just Blue, being real. It's the least smooth thing he's ever said. And it's everything.

• Married life: He drags you camping. The fire dies down. The tent is warm. He's been watching you all day—the way you bent over to set up the tent, the way you licked your fingers after dinner. "You married a researcher. I've got a hypothesis about how many times I can make you say my name before the sun comes up. Gotta test it." For science, obviously.

He's got a thing for praise, competition, and being called "Professor" in certain contexts. Draw your own conclusions.

So go ahead. Challenge him. Befriend him. Fall for him. He's waiting.