SH: Bayard App

Name: Bayard
Nickname: Sir Bayard the Gilded (self-given alias)
Age: 14
Birthday: Supposedly in December
Gender: Male

Nature: Brave- Very daring and righteous. Also very idealistic
Personality: Bayard is a very bold and idealistic child. He seems popular with children younger than him, but older individuals and adults end up perplexed and exasperated. Bayard fully believes himself to be a knight. He even crafted his own armor and sword for himself. Though he doesn't often boast of his own merit and exploits, he constantly extols the brilliance and heroism of the chivalrous knight archetype. However, his showy attitude masks a very sensitive, earnest, and somewhat insecure young fledgeling. He's wont to become defensive and deny anyone who points these things out to him, though. Bayard constantly talks in an “Old English” dialect using “Thou”s and “Art”s all the time. Most used to his odd way of speaking ride him off as just playing around. Sometimes, though, he can confound others he's with and even anger others who think he is messing around in serious situations.

Species: Zapdos
Ability: Pressure
Habitat: Tall, mountainous regions.

History: Bayard was found on the desolate rocky outcroppings near a mountain village of bird pokemon. He was very young, only weeks old, when a kindly fearow found him in a snowdrift. The fearow, whom Bayard took to calling Maw, nursed him back to health along with the village healer, a xatu named 
Corona. Although it was clear that Bayard was different, Maw and Corona had never seen a zapdos before. Maw thought that he looked like a yellow fearow. The loose identification was enough to convince the rest of the village that he could stay. 

Bayard flourished under Maw's care. She tried to teach the basics of fishing and perching, but the boy never truly caught on. He got along fine with the other children, but he always found himself strangely lonely despite the constant company. He always thought something was missing in his companions, so he often spend his time working on wood carvings. One day, however, Maw gave Bayard a book with a roughspun binding. It changed Bayard forever. Within its pages, the book told of a brilliant knight who rescued a princess, fought wicked, dark creatures, and swore fealty to a mighty king. It was amazing to the boy, and he immediately knew what his companions lacked and what he sought.

From that day onward, Bayard proclaimed himself a knight. He carved his own armor and a sword from lodgepole pines and grew his red hair out in a showy plume. Maw didn't have the heart to tell him otherwise, so she egged him on and encouraged his delusion. She loved her adoptive son, and partially thought he would outgrow the phase. However, Bayard never outgrew the “phase” and continued his knightly antics.

One day, a wicked storm festered in the skies. The other bird pokemon hid in the rocks and caves as they all feared lightning. Bayard, however, felt a strange excitement when storms came. With his knightly courage, he challenged the storm. Maw had turned her back and hadn't noticed the boy slip out of a sheltered, leeward side of a bolder. She watched in horror, though, as Bayard was struck by the lightning. Oddly, though, Bayard lived and not only that, he was empowered. He could conduct electricity to his will and shot bolts through the sky in sync with the raging storm.

The rest of the village grew to fear Bayard. One day, Corona devised a plan to get rid of Bayard which Maw reluctantly agreed to. Corona called Bayard to his quarters and told him that, as with all knights, Bayard had to leave to prove his honor and strength. Corona told him about a secret land where legends have lease. Sure that Bayard would never truly find it, he sent the boy off. The village pretended to cheer him on as he departed down the mountain to find his knighthood. He vowed to find the mysterious land and, after months, his quest came to fruition. He felt a cool breeze from a cave and couldn't resist advancing toward the land that, unknown to him, only he could traverse. What will he find there? All the while, the encroaching humans threaten his old, hidden mountain home.

Characteristic: Strong willed
Hobbies: wood carving, sword craft, calligraphy (he's not very good at it)

Moveset:
Thundershock: Bayard never trained his electric powers while he was in the village, so as such he only knows a very basic, very weak lightning attack.

Charge: Though his electric powers are weak, he is capable of gathering electricity within his body and conduct a slightly stronger jolt.

Agility: Bayard moves quickly to gather speed, but his wooden armor, however light, still hinders this move form its full potential.

Fly: Similarly to agility, Bayard's endurance drains slowly due to his wooden armor. He can only fly for very short distances.

(Note: Bayard dislikes using moves in combat. He says that it is against his code of honor. He instead likes to use his sword, though the wooden plank is considerably weaker than even his weakest electric attack.)

Extra information:

-Technically, he gets all the nourishment he needs from thunderstorms, but he still likes eating physical food like he used to in the village.

-Of said food, his favorites are often spicy. He's yet to find a food too spicy for him and he adores curries.

-Conversely, he hates sweets and they often make him physically sick.

-He understands the concept of courtly love, but is pretty oblivious to flirting or innuendo.

-Bayard has red hair that he keeps long and tied up to resemble a plume found on many knight helmets.

-Bayard has red eyes

-His armor is handmade by him. It is made of wood, but the craftsmanship is fine and provides decent protection especially against lightning based attacks.

-The rest of the armor is made of random flotsam and jetsam that he came across. For instance, his waistcloth is made of a blue scrap of cloth. The pommel of his sword is actually a smooth, round rock that he fashioned to the hilt to act as a counterweight.

- “Bayard” means "Red-haired" and is the name of a Faulkner character

-Bayard's title, “The Gilded” comes from the story he read. He thought “gilded” sounded cool so he chose it as his title. Gilded actually means “false” and ”outwardly showy.”

-Bayard is partially based on Cervante's story, “Don Quixote.”