Jared is an unaffiliated trainer from Sinnoh.
History
Early Life
Born to Michael and Lucy Winters, Jared grew up in a dangerous home. From a young age he was abused by his father in every way, though mostly through physical violence. He was forced to stand out in the snow with no shoes and little clothing to help focus his Aura, and he learned to fight hand-to-hand against his father and his father's pokémon.
He had a trusted companion in his Riolu Anubis. The two were inseparable after his father gave him the fighting-type as a means of improving his aura abilities. The two would spar and train together under Michael Winters' supervision. After training, Jared was expected to perform chores around the house until late into the night, when he would be sent to sleep in the attic of their home.
At age 12, Jared finally stood up to his father during one of the man's rages. He ended up killing Michael with an Aura Sphere and fled the house into the night, taking his father's Lapras.
Black Company and Mercury
As he was leaving his home, he heard a voice in his head speaking to him, reminding him of rumors he'd heard about a mercenary company that had stopped for resupplies. He made his way there and joined the group, abandoning his old name and calling himself Mercury.
The Black Company was a band of outcasts and criminals with no place in proper society. When Mercury joined, they were under a long contract with a military organization bent on global domination. They didn't care, so long as they go paid.
During his first mission, Mercury fought and killed two people with a knife in the town of Floaroma. The image of blood staining the flowers would linger in his mind for years to come. Shortly afterwards, their annalist's Xatu had a premonition of several places and dates, and they left Sinnoh to investigate.
They found out that the places were targets where a major catastrophe would take place on the dates. Despite moving as fast as the Company could, they were always too late to get to these places before their destruction.
During this all, they still found battles, and Mercury became more and more ruthless as he killed with his Aura. The main personality that had originally been in control was finding himself losing hours or days of memory at a time, and realized that the other personality was growing more dominant.
A smaller group split off from the Company and reached Lavaridge in time to try and capitalize on defending it. While preparing, Jared and Anubis sealed away the personality known as Mercury and attempted to leave town. They were stopped by Croaker, the annalist, who gave them the list of places to be destroyed and offered to help if Jared ever needed it. As they were saying their good-byes, an explosion decimated the town. Croaker's Xatu managed to teleport Jared and Anubis, but Jared took a blow to the head upon arrival, and lost consciousness.
The Journey to Sootopolis
Mercury woke up in Fallarbor Town with no recollection of his name, how he got to Hoenn region, or why he was there.
The only clues he had to who he was were his trainer ID and a piece of paper in his pocket with a list of dates and locations on it. As soon as he felt able, he left Fallarbor, heading for the next location on the list, Sootopolis City, with the date three weeks from when he left.
He ran into many delays during his journey. Heavy ash fall from Mt. Chimney reduced visibility and speed, and he ran into many trainers along the way through Route 113. After getting off of the ashy trail, he was surprised to see the desert that comprised most of Route 111.
He made it to Mauville City nine days later than he had expected to, with only a week left to make it to Sootopolis, and a five day trek to Lilycove City, where he planned on setting off to sea on the back of his Lapras. Despite this, he and his Lucario, Anubis, pressed onwards. The trip from Mauville City to Fortree City went smoothly, only taking two days rather than the three he had expected.
As they were passing through the city of trees, an old man warned them that something had been attacking unsuspecting trainers. With a promise to be careful, Mercury kept pushing forward. As he and Anubis stepped onto Route 120, rain started to fall.
Despite the old man's warning, Mercury often took shortcuts through the long grass of Route 120, thinking to save time. During one such foray, the team was attacked by a Kecleon, but it was easily driven off by Anubis. While his back was turned, however, something else attacked with a Razor Wind.
A wild Absol was the assailant. The attack had sent Anubis flying, and cut a deep wound in Mercury's leg. Wishing to protect his trainer, Anubis fought back. Though the Absol was captured, the duo had to limp back to Fortree City to rest, causing another day's delay. Time was running out for the two.
They would make it to Lilycove City with only a day to spare. Mercury summoned his Lapras and set out on her back, urging her as fast as she could go.
Unfortunately, it was not enough. The next morning, Mercury saw smoke on the horizon. Some time later, he passed by a ship full of evacuees from Sootopolis. They informed him that the city had been destroyed by the ancient pokémon Groudon. Though he was too late, Mercury pressed forward, hoping that he could jog his memory by seeing the city and remembering what he was supposed to do there.
Sootopolis and Vermilion
In Sootopolis, Mercury encountered a Pokémon Ranger named Lachina. After a nap and some brief explanations, she took him to her superior and they told him about the next attack being slated for Two Island. The higher-up ordered Lachina to escort Mercury to the island and try to stop whatever disaster was coming.
The two made their way on Lachina's partner pokémon to Slateport, where they caught a ship to Vermilion in hopes of finding a ferry to the Island. Upon departing in Vermilion, they got tickets and went in search of a place to rest. While walking, Zac Blazer saw Lachina's Altaria and attempted to capture it. Lachina blocked the ball, and a quick, intense conversation ensued.
Blazer informed them of something odd going on in the Vermilion Gym, and Mercury and Lachina agreed to investigate with him. While walking, Lachina made a comment about Floaroma, stirring memories for the aura wielder.
They got to the gym and saw the door ajar. Stepping inside, they saw four figures at the other end who hadn't noticed them. Anubis attempted to approach them and listen to what they were saying, but set off an alarm. As Mercury was trying to order a retreat, another man entered behind them and closed the doors.
A fight followed, during which Zac's leg was broken, but the trio was still victorious. Mercury ordered Lachina to take Zac from the gym, then began to torture the apparent leader of the opposing group before being stopped by a woman named Payton.
Payton explained that they were also looking into the strange goings-on in the gym, and that David was an ex-cop. While this was going on, another man entered the building, and Mercury's humane side came back into control. He offered to accompany them to the hospital, where Lachina reacted in shock at the state of the man Mercury had assaulted.
He and Lachina left the others with Belle LaDonna while they went to the Pokémon Center. Along the way, Mercury explained to Lachina about the person that wasn't quite himself. He also explained that he would rather be called Jared than Mercury, to separate the two.
Upon arriving back at the hospital, they found that a strange trio had slipped in and murdered David. Another battle took place, with the other trio escaping through a hole they'd blown in the wall, leaving only the name 'The Vermilion Company' as a clue.
After some sleuthing and preparation, Payton led them up the hill to a Mansion at the edge of town. Inside, they encountered a man named Malcolm Vermilion, who set loose a Shadow Onix to fight with Mercury's Shadow Absol. Mercury, controlling Jared, made his way up the stairs and attacked the people in the room beyond, killing Malcolm and injuring Payton's sister Vivian.
Jared came back to reality when Lachina came up the stairs, and he realized that he was mentally unstable, maybe even a monster. As they were leaving the building, Jared sent the others ahead while he and Anubis set the building aflame.
The next day, they visited Vivian and Payton in the hospital before catching their boat tot Two Island.
Appearance
Jared is young in appearance, no more than 17 or 18. He has straight silver hair that brushes his shoulders, framing a smooth, angular face. A long, ragged scar runs from the left side of his chin up his jawline, disappearing behind his left ear. His eyes are grey and show only a cold indifference towards most people, with a fiery rage for those who get in his way.
He wears a leather duster, with an extra panel on the shoulders to help shed rain and protect from physical blow. Underneath this he wears a simple T-shirt, jeans, and heavy hiking boots.
Jared can see Auras, with his own being a pale grey color. The shape is smooth, surrounding him like a shell, guarding his thoughts and feelings from the outside world.
Aura
Mercury using Aura Sphere.
Jared is an aura wielder, slowly relearning his capabilities as he remembers his past. Currently, he can utilize the following powers:
- Aura Sense
- Aura Focus
- Aura Sphere
- Aura Slash
Personality
Jared is best described as driven and focused, letting nothing stand between him and his goals. He can be reckless in his pursuits, pushing his team and himself to the point of exhaustion and over. Despite this, he does have a great love for his pokémon.
Despite his cold nature towards others, he believes in an underlying goodness in the world, and people just have to work to bring it to the surface.
Pokémon
| |||||
 Has a white mask instead of a black one. |
Nickname: Anubis |
Gender: Male |
Specialty: Can change the typing on his Aura Sphere | ||
| Species: Lucario |
Ability: Inner Focus |
Personality: Focused and intent, Anubis has been with Mercury since the beginning, and has absorbed some of his trainer's personality. Despite this, Anubis is often the voice of reason, urging Mercury away from dangerous paths and keeping him from pushing too far. | |||
| Moves: | |||||
| Aura Sphere |
Power-Up Punch |
Counter |
Experience: 7 |
Trivia/Misc./Other: Anubis can communicate with his aura powers; is named for the jackal-headed god of the afterlife in Ancient Egyptian mythology. | |
| Swords Dance |
Foresight |
Bone Rush |
Obtained at: | ||
| |||||
 Larger than average, with a thicker shell. |
Nickname: Oggie |
Gender: Female |
Specialty: Increased defense due to size and denser shell. | ||
| Species: Lapras |
Ability: Shell Armor |
Personality: Calm, gentle, and nurturing, Lapras would rather flee than fight, and her moves reflect that desire. | |||
| Moves: | |||||
| Sing |
Confuse Ray |
Safeguard |
Experience: 2 |
Trivia/Misc./Other: Named for the Ogopogo Lake Monster | |
| Rain Dance |
Water Gun |
Perish Song |
Obtained at: | ||
| |||||
 Right eye is milk white. Most of its body is covered in black scar tissue rather than white fur. |
Nickname: Styx |
Gender: Male |
Specialty: Battle lust increases attack as it takes more damage. | ||
| Species: Absol |
Ability: Justified |
Personality: Vicious, feral, and blood thirsty, this Absol seems to have gone mad from all the disasters happening recently. | |||
| Moves: | |||||
| Razor Wind |
Shadow Rush Shadow Move |
Quick Attack |
Experience: 4 |
Trivia/Misc./Other: Named for the river that, in Greek Mythology, creates the boundary between Earth and the Underworld; One of the escaped Shadow Pokémon made by Ace | |
| Sucker Punch |
Psycho Cut |
Night Slash |
Obtained at: Route 120 | ||
| |||||
 Broken horn, chipped boulders. |
Nickname: Stones |
Gender: Male |
Specialty: Accuracy due to size. | ||
| Species: Onix |
Ability: Rock Head |
Personality: Aggressive and territorial, but compliant to orders | |||
| Moves: | |||||
| Rock Slide |
Shadow Rush Shadow Move |
Stone Edge |
Experience: 4 |
Trivia/Misc./Other: | |
| Iron Tail |
Rock Tomb |
Double Edge |
Obtained at: Vermilion City | ||