Ellen Burks is a 10-year-old girl from Village Bridge.
History
Early Life
Ellen lived in Village Bridge her entire life. With the exception of a few trips to Lacunosa Town, she never ventured outside of her hometown. She recently went on a vacation to visit her aunt and uncle in Accumula Town, though her parents had to stay behind in Village Bridge because of their work. This trip to Accumula Town made Ellen highly curious of the world outside Village Bridge. As her vacation drew to a close, she tried to convince her parents to let her walk home, so that she could see more of the world. Her parents eventually agreed, on the condition that Terry, their family pet Herdier, accompany her to protect her on her journey.
Shiny Beast Group
One day in Accumula Town, Ellen saw a trainer passing by with a multitude of foreign Pokémon following him. Ellen's Solosis, Solo, sensed that the trainer had one more Pokémon with him -- an incredibly powerful one -- that he was keeping in its Pokéball. Struck by curiosity, Ellen later tracked the trainer down. The trainer introduced himself as Ryan Sanders and explained that he was in the Unova Region with a powerful Entei on a special mission. Seeing this as an opportunity to explore the rest of Unova, Ellen insisted on joining him. Ryan at first refused, but then accepted after seeing Solo's surprising power. The two later met up with Sonja Baron, Zach "Grey" Hikari, Ray "Orange" Hakuda, Thomas Solson, and Justin Icewater, who were in Unova with a female Raikou to find the criminal known as "Black", as well as to prevent dimensional disturbances in the area with the help of a group of Shiny Legendary Beasts.
As the group approached Striaton City, they met Plasma Agent Evan Tierra, who challenged the group to a battle. The group fought, Evan one by one, each person fighting one of the Plasma Agent's Pokémon. Ellen fought Evan's Swinub with Artemis. After the battle, Ryan's friend Alex Lockwood joined the group with a male Raikou.
After spending the night in Striaton, Thomas and Justin decided to leave the group. The rest of the travelers journeyed to Nacrene City, where Ellen encountered a Purrloin that stole an apple from her. Terry chased after the Purrloin, but the cat-like Pokémon got away. Afterward, the group was attacked by a swarm of Swoobats that were fleeing from a 'bruja.' Realizing that the Swoobats had come from Castelia City and that the 'bruja' was likely still there, Ryan, Evan, and "Orange" teleported into the city while Ellen and the others walked. When the group reunited in Castelia, they found "Black." They chased after the criminal, who revealed himself to be Zach's brother. After "Black" seemingly killed Zach, Maddison Hayes showed up, explaining how she had planted bombs throughout the city. She then kidnapped her sister Sonja along with Ellen, taking them to the top of Coeur Tower in the heart of Castelia.
In Coeur Tower, Hayes tied up the two girls, leaving her Bronzong to guard them while she worked on completing her final bomb. The Ford Agent explained that she was sending a message to Team Rocket and Team Liberty -- that their war was affecting other regions like Unova.
Finally, Ryan, "Orange," and Evan arrived at the top of the tower, where they battled Hayes in an attempt to rescue Sonja and Ellen. During the fight, Kyle Eston, who had left the group just before Ryan and Ellen had joined it, returned to help stop Hayes. Alex arrived late, too, crashing through the window with Raikou. However, after listening to Hayes' reasoning for the bombing -- to send a message to Teams Rocket and Liberty that their war affected regions even as far away as Unova -- Unovan native Regis Naser turned on the group and sided with the Ford Agent.
After a long and difficult battle, Hayes retreated, leaving the group alone at the top of the tower with her final bomb completed. The Shiny Suicune sacrificed her life to help the others escape the tower before the bomb detonated. Shocked by the destruction of Castelia, the group headed to Nimbasa City to recuperate.
After they rested up, the group saw "Black," who had escaped to Nimbasa, attack Blair, Whitlea, and N, reverting Reshiram, Zekrom, and Kyurem back to their stone forms. The group followed "Black" to Route 16, where he stole Plasma Agent Summer Shirayuki's Oshawott. Ryan and Alex then took off after "Black," leaving the rest of the group behind. After watching Zach's battle with Burgh, Ellen flew with Sonja to Black City, where Evan was correcting a misunderstanding between Ryan and Alex and two Plasma Agents, who believed that Ryan and Alex were trying to steal the Oshawott.
Evan then brought the group to Plasma Castle for a meeting with the Sages. After the meeting, Blackskull, Ethan Gold, and Richie Eston from Team Liberty joined the group. The next day, Ellen saw the same Purrloin she had met in Nacrene. Terry chased after it, with Ellen chasing after Terry, but they eventually found themselves cornered by a pair of thugs that the Purrloin had angered. Ellen tried to fight off the thugs herself, but eventually Solo had to return to the Pokémon Center to bring the rest of the group to help. The others in the group quickly chased the thugs off, but when Ellen went to see if the Purrloin was okay, the cat-like Pokémon scratched her and then ran off. Ryan and the rest of the group took Ellen to the Pokémon Center to get her arm bandaged up and then, after a brief snowball fight, continued their journey.
On Unova Route 14, Ellen found the Purrloin lying unconscious on the side of the road. Worried, she picked up the Pokémon, put it in an empty Pokéball, and rushed it to the Pokémon Center in Undella Town. The Purrloin woke up halfway through the Poké Center treatment, but Ellen stopped it from running out the door, explaining that she had captured it. The Purrloin was not too fond of being captured, but nevertheless decided to stick with Ellen, who nicknamed the Purrloin Chrono. However, because of their past experiences with him, Ellen's other Pokémon, Terry in particular, were still wary of Chrono.
Seeing as Christmas was just a few days away, the rest of the group decided that they should get Ellen home in time for the holidays. They managed to get her to Village Bridge the day before Christmas Eve, and decided to spend Christmas at the Burks' house.
On Christmas Eve, they discovered that Ellen's father worked for Déoza, a weapons company that has connections with John Ford. The revelation left Ellen scared and confused, but some guidance from Entei helped to calm her. The group left for Dragonspiral Tower on Christmas Day, leaving Ellen in the care of her parents. After a discussion with her father, Ellen decided that although she agreed with Ford's ideals, she disagreed with his methods. That night, she and her Pokémon ran away, hoping to reunite with the group at Dragonspiral Tower. However, she barely got past Opelucid City before Palkia, summoned by Evan, teleported her along with the rest of the group (which was currently fighting "Black" on top of Dragonspiral Tower) to Plasma Castle in Black City.
At Plasma Castle, Zach was able to summon Kyurem from the God Stone, but when "Black" and Zach's father showed up, Zekrom and Kyurem were fused into Black Kyurem. A corrupted Zach and Black Kyurem fought against Evan, Seth, and Palkia. The battle moved from Plasma Castle to the area over Accumula Town, and Ellen could only watch the battle unfold on the news.
By the time Zach was finally defeated and Black Kyurem was separated, the Six Sages of Team Plasma demanded that the Liberty and Rocket agents leave Unova at once. Determined to help them defeat the Ancient Darkrai, Ellen accompanied them in their exile.
Battle Against the Ancient Darkrai
No longer welcome in Unova, the group teleported to Team Liberty's base on Four Island, where they prepared to battle the Ancient Darkrai that had covered Sinnoh and Hoenn in darkness. Before the battle, Evan used his power as Hero of Space to grant Ellen limited powers of Space. With this power, Ellen could essentially see the world how Palkia saw it, and could use this ability to help her Pokémon narrowly dodge attacks.
Once everyone was ready, Ellen joined Seth, Evan, Klim, and many others that had been part of the Unova group in traveling to the Sinjoh Ruins where the Ancient Darkrai had set the stage for their final battle. When they arrived, the Darkrai began to summon Sombra, the Alpha Darkrai. Then the Darkrai split up to fight the members of the Team Liberty strikeforce. Ellen and Ryan found themselves facing Seven. During the battle, Artemis evolved into a Mienshao.
By the time they managed to defeat Seven, Sombra was nearly free. Nine arrived to speed up the process, unleashing the Alpha Darkrai from his prison. Ellen fought valiantly alongside the others. However, just when they thought they had finally defeated him, Sombra absorbed the other Darkrai (except for Five and Nine) into his essence, becoming a monstrosity.
Overwhelmed by the powerful Darkrai, Ellen and her Pokémon fell into the Dark Void. However, even from the Void she was able to lend some energy to Seth, the Hero of Time, who ultimately sacrificed himself to defeat Sombra once and for all.
Ceasefire
Upon the defeat of the Ancient Darkrai, Team Liberty and Team Rocket leaders announced a ceasefire as both sides struggled to recover from the destruction the Darkrai had wrought. Wanting to do all she could to help, Ellen followed Ryan to his hometown of Fortree, which had been badly burned in a fire. During the peacetime, Solo evolved into a Duosion. This evolution split Solo's mind in two, causing him to constantly second-guess himself. To reflect this sudden change in personality, Ellen changed his name from Solo to Duo. Also around this time, Ellen celebrated her 10th birthday.
After six months, Fortree was nearly restored to its former glory. One day, Ellen was approached by a young man who introduced himself as Tyler. Upon seeing that Ellen was having trouble controlling her Purrloin, Tyler offered a spicy Pokéblock. Ellen explained how Chrono had always been troublesome and that she hadn't seen any improvements in the past six months. The two discussed possible reasons for Chrono's behavior, then Tyler urged Ellen to keep trying, assuring her that she had great potential.
The term potential reminded Ellen of the words Maddison Hayes had used to describe her back in Castelia. That night, everything Ellen had tried to forget about her adventures in Unova and battle against the Ancient Darkrai returned in a series of nightmares: Maddison Hayes at the top of Coeur Tower, the terrifying form of Sombra, and the revelation that her father's company Déoza has connections with John Ford. Ellen was also worried about her failure to bond with Chrono and her newfound frustration with Duo.
The following morning, Ellen went for a stroll with her Pokémon, trying her best to forget the nightmares. However, she soon walked in on a battle between a Seviper and a Zangoose. The Zangoose attacked Chrono, who had been hiding in the tall grass planning to scare Ellen, having mistaken the Purrloin for the Seviper. While Ellen watched the wild Pokémon battle with worry, Chrono struck back at the Zangoose. The wild Pokémon were displeased at the cat interrupting their battle and hurled Chrono over the edge of the cliff and into the river.
Without thinking twice, Ellen jumped after Chrono, diving into the river and rescuing him. Soon after she caught up to the Purrloin, however, they both fell over a waterfall. Terrified, the rest of Ellen's Pokémon followed her.
Ellen's Journey
The Berry Lady's Wisdom
When Ellen awoke on a beach, she found the rest of her Pokémon huddled around her, except for Chrono, who was still unconscious, suffering from the effects of the Seviper's poison. With all her berries washed away by the river, Ellen picked up the Purrloin and trekked into the woods, hoping to find someone or something to help cure Chrono.
By evening she came to a small home that belonged to an old woman known as the Berry Lady. Using her knowledge of medicinal herbs and berries, the Berry Lady fixed a remedy for Chrono's poisoning, then offered to let Ellen rest there for the night. Upon hearing Ellen's story about her troublesome Purrloin, the Berry Lady suggested using a Tamato Berry to "domesticate" Chrono by making him more friendly at the cost of his speed in battle. When Ellen seemed hesitant about more or less forcing Chrono to like her, the Berry Lady told her of a woman in the far-off Kalos Region who could read a Pokémon's memories. She did not know where in Kalos this person lived, but pointed Ellen toward Sootopolis City, where she could find the memory woman's cousin, a Kalos noble who had recently taken up residence there.
The next morning, Ellen left the Berry Lady's house and traveled east, hoping to make it to Lilycove, from where she could take an underwater ferry to Sootopolis. However, she hit rough waters earlier than she expected, for she had to pass the island graveyard of Mt. Pyre. Working together with her Pokémon, Ellen built a raft out of trees and vines to cross the waters. However, as she approached Mt. Pyre, a dark fog drifted in, caused by the mountain's resident Ghost Pokémon.
When the Ghost Pokémon sprang their ambush, Ellen tried to command her Pokémon into a counterattack, but found that the battle against six enemies at once was too chaotic for her to try and make sense of. Longing for the strategic minds of those who had traveled with her in Unova, Ellen quickly found herself overwhelmed. Sensing her trainer's plight, Artemis moved to Ellen's side and pointed out that the Ghost-Types were not attacking maliciously, but were simply toying with them.
Realizing that the entire attack was essentially a mean-spirited prank, Ellen called on Chrono to come up with a plan to out-prank their enemies. Putting his mischievous nature to good use, Chrono commanded the rest of Ellen's Pokémon to launch a series of attacks that annoyed the Ghost Pokémon so much that they eventually retreated, lifting the fog and banishing Ellen and her Pokémon from the mountain.
Although Ellen was glad that her Pokémon had all been able to work together to make it out of the situation, she couldn't help but wonder about the questionable morals of their strategy.
The Gardener's Content
Upon landing at the shore north of Mt. Pyre, Ellen and her Pokémon quickly made their way east, hoping to catch the last ferry out of Lilycove. Along the way, however, Terry found a Tailow that had become wedged between the bars of a metal fence. Ellen and her Pokémon quickly worked to free the Pokémon.
A humble gardener by the name of Arddwyr revealed himself to be the Tailow's trainer. He gratefully thanked Ellen for her help, and offered to make her a warm bowl of soup. Although Ellen was anxious to get to Lilycove, she was also eager to see that the Tailow recovered, and agreed to go with Arddwyr. The gardener showed her to his humble abode on the outskirts of Lilycove. While he prepared the soup, he told Ellen of how his son had been very sickly and died when he was around Ellen's age. His wife had been completely devastated. It took her many years to finally show signs of recovering from her grief, but the nightmares caused by the Ancient Darkrai undid all that. She was so overcome with misery that after the Darkrai were defeated she grew deathly ill and died soon after that. Ellen expressed her condolences to the humble gardener, who responded that although his family had been thoroughly destroyed piece by piece, he had been able to start anew with his foundling Tailow. Arddwyr stressed to Ellen that family is the one thing that matters most.
That night, Ellen debated whether or not to use the Tamato Berry the Berry Lady had given her. After long hours of mental debate, she ultimately decided that she couldn't grow Chrono's trust by going behind his back. Nevertheless, she kept the berry with her in reserve.
The next morning Ellen headed to Lilycove to take a submarine-ferry to Sootopolis. Along the way, she was stopped in her tracks by a wild Absol, who gazed straight at her, as if trying to warn her of something. The encounter disturbed Ellen, even moreso when she realized that no one else seemed to have seen the Disaster Pokémon. No one else, that is, except for Amelia Zann. The mercenary spy explained that people only see what they want to see, and that because they didn't want to see the Absol, they ignored it. Amelia then went on to question Ellen's views on the border between good and evil, instead claiming that there was only a boundary between evil and more evil. Although Ellen stubbornly affirmed the truth of her ideals, Amelia left her with more questions than answers as she boarded the submarine-ferry to Sootopolis.
The Noble's Contempt
Upon arriving in Sootopolis, Ellen visited the home of the Kalos noble the Berry Lady had referred her to; a relatively easy task considering the noble's mansion took up a sizable chunk of the rocky wall surrounding the city. The nobleman, named Rugissement, took a liking to Ellen's determination and insisted on dragging her on a tour of his absurdly expansive (not to mention expensive) mansion. Along the tour, Rugissement lamented how his home had been damaged during the Ancient Darkrai invasion and insurance had refused to pay for repairs.
It wasn't until they had reached the noble's massive library that was purely for show and served no practical use that Ellen finally managed to ask about his cousin, the woman who could read the memories of Pokémon. Rugissement admitted that he had lost touch with his cousin, but said that she had been in Anistar City last he'd heard. Upon hearing that Ellen was going through all this trouble for a disagreeable Purrloin, Rugissement suggested that Ellen simply replace Chrono with another feline Pokémon. Furious at the thought, Ellen stormed out of the mansion.
While eating lunch on one of the city's many cliffs, Ellen thought over what Rugissement had said and realized that Evan had given her Maturin in a similar fashion. The thought troubled her, but Maturin assured her that he bore his old trainer no ill will.
Ellen was still sitting on the cliff when Zach recognized her. Surprised to meet a friend in such an obscure place, Ellen quickly introduced herself to Zach's companions, Olivia, Dahlia, and Aspen Seaton. Ellen quickly saw that although most of them were family, the group did not get along all that well. Aspen seemed insistent that Zach's actions in southeast Unova made him some sort of monster, while Olivia fiercely defended Zach and Dahlia, while siding somewhat with her sister, just wanted the arguing to stop. All the while, Aspen's Lucario, Aria, read Ellen's aura and found her to be not nearly as innocent as her age would have one believe. Eventually Ellen decided to accompany Dahlia and Aspen to their aunt Kiri's house, while Zach trained with Olivia.
After Ellen unintentionally eavesdropped on Zach and Olivia confessing their love to each other, the entire group went out for pizza. However, even a simple meal could not go by without incident. Olivia's Sneasel attempted to steal a slice of pizza from Zach's Lucario, which prompted Chrono to steal the Sneasel's half-eaten slice. Aria noticed and used her aura powers to grab the Purrloin in a mental vice grip. It took many people and Pokémon to break up the rising tensions, and Ellen feared her Pokémon may have just made enemies among their new friends.
The Groudon Incident
Ellen was awoken early the next morning by an earth-shattering roar. The entire city shook as Groudon burst out of the ground and began wreaking havoc in the city. Ellen, Zach, and the Seatons worked together to try and stop the monstrous Legendary from completely crushing Sootopolis. As they fought, four trainers from Sinnoh flew in to help: Dack Majors, Luke, Madison, and Tower Tycoon Palmer. As the group of trainers fought off the colossus, a Gardevoir, Rapidash, and Noivern appeared to hinder their efforts. Madison's Froslass summoned a hailstorm to try and cut off Groudon's source of sunlight, but soon after the Heatran that Dack had captured used Magma Storm, causing fire to mix with the ice raining down from the sky.
Amidst the chaos, Ellen noticed a scrawny-looking Eevee dart into an old abandoned building whose roof had started to collapse from the ongoing battle. Fearing for the Pokémon's life, Ellen ran in after it. Aspen followed, not wanting Ellen to become trapped in the unstable building as well. They found the Eevee pinned by a fallen support beam. The wild Pokémon swiped Ellen away fearfully, and it was only with Aspen's help that the young girl managed to free the Eevee. By then, the building had caught fire from the Magma Storm. With the stairs blocked by the flames, the two trainers had no choice but to jump out a second-story window. Duo was barely able to catch them with his telekinesis, but Ellen and Aspen still landed hard amidst the city's wreckage.
Meanwhile, the Rapidash, Gardevoir, and Noivern had been defeated, and the gathered trainers and Pokémon managed to deal a finishing blow to Groudon. However, once the Groudon was defeated, it reveal itself to be a Ditto belonging to Hannah Wright, Dack's partner within Team Rocket.
Although Dack caught up to Hannah, she managed to escape, but not before revealing her aim to launch an attack on Celadon City with the army that she had at her disposal now that she was a Rocket Executive.
Armed with the knowledge of Hannah's next target, the group decided to teleport to Celadon in hopes of preparing for the coming battle. Ellen wanted to help, but realized that she had been away from Fortree for a long time, and that Ryan was probably worried about her. Brightening, Ellen said that she would find Ryan and bring him to help the group fighting in Celadon.
Appearance
Ellen and Solo
Ellen has light auburn hair and brown eyes. She is somewhat small for her age and wears a light-pink shirt and Capri pants.
Personality
Ellen is kindhearted and lighthearted and has a childlike innocence. However, because of this she is very naive, yet also curious. She grew up with her Pokémon and is thus extremely close to them. Although she cannot speak to Pokémon, it is not hard for her to understand them, even when she has had very little bonding with them.
Upon learning about the Liberty-Rocket War and witnessing the extreme measures taken by Ford to end the war, Ellen became convinced that there was a more peaceful way to stop the fighting. She is determined to help bring about that peace without resorting to violence like Ford.
Pokémon
| |||||
 Slightly smaller than the average Duosion |
Nickname: Duo |
Gender: Male |
Specialty: Although he is strong with Special Attacks, he tends not to use them often; he also has strong Special Defense | ||
| Species: Duosion |
Ability: Magic Guard |
Personality: As a Solosis he often used his telepathy to communicate with Ellen, trying to be a voice of reason. With his evolution, Duo's brain has now split in two. Consequently, he is a lot more indecisive about things. Often he can see both sides of a situation, which is both a blessing and a curse. Whereas before he had a modest nature, now he is more quirky. | |||
| Moves: | |||||
| Wonder Room |
Signal Beam (move tutor) |
Recover |
Experience: 12 |
Trivia/Misc./Other: Duo was Ellen's first Pokémon | |
| Rollout |
Psyshock |
Telekinesis (egg move) |
Obtained at: Village Bridge | ||
| |||||
 The yellow on the tips of her whiskers are the same shade of yellow that they were when she was a Mienfoo. Also, her eyebrows are a bit less prominent than usual for a Mienshao. |
Nickname: Artemis |
Gender: Female |
Specialty: Quick footed and agile, she has great Speed, but is a little lacking in Defense | ||
| Species: Mienshao |
Ability: Inner Focus |
Personality: Artemis retains her serious nature. Although she is a bit quicker to fight than she was as a Mienfoo, she still prefers to do so with grace and elegance, turning her battles into more of a dance. | |||
| Moves: | |||||
| Jump Kick |
Meditate |
Drain Punch |
Experience: 12 |
Trivia/Misc./Other: Ellen received Artemis for her seventh birthday. | |
| Swift |
Calm Mind |
Aura Sphere |
Obtained at: Village Bridge | ||
| |||||
 The white patches of fur on his body are slightly darker than normal |
Nickname: Chrono |
Gender: Male |
Specialty: He has great speed, which comes from all the getaways he's made after his thefts. | ||
| Species: Purrloin |
Ability: Limber |
Personality: Not much is known about Chrono's past, except that he grew up on the streets of Accumula Town, where he quickly learned to forage for food. In addition to stealing food, he will also play pranks on people for fun. He is very bitter toward and distrusting of all humans, although the fact that he doesn't try to run away from Ellen suggests that he trusts her more than usual. Despite his capture, Chrono continues to have a naughty nature. However, Ellen is convinced that there is some good in him. Ellen's other Pokémon, Terry in particular, are still wary of the Purrloin. | |||
| Moves: | |||||
| Scratch |
Pursuit |
Fake Out |
Experience: 7 |
Trivia/Misc./Other: | |
| Hone Claws |
Slash |
Charm |
Obtained at: Unova Route 14/Undella Town | ||
| |||||
 The leaves of the bushes on his back look a little more ragged. |
Nickname: Maturin |
Gender: Male |
Specialty: Counterattacking | ||
| Species: Grotle |
Ability: Overgrow |
Personality: At one time a newcomer, Maturin has easily been accepted into Ellen's team. He remains careful and unyielding, although he is not quite as playful as he was as a Turtwig. Instead he spends time deep in thought, pondering over the tough questions that have recently plagued Ellen. True to the song Ellen once sang, "his thought is slow but always kind." | |||
| Moves: | |||||
| Seed Bomb (egg move) |
Leaf Blade GM Approved |
Crunch |
Experience: 7 |
Trivia/Misc./Other: Ellen received Maturin from Evan, who caught it in Celestic Town | |
| Withdraw |
Curse |
Tackle |
Obtained at: Four Island | ||
| |||||
 Same as a normal Oddish |
Nickname: Isabella |
Gender: Female |
Specialty: She can be very fast, especially when her ability Chlorophyll kicks in. Perhaps she is almost too fast, which may be the cause of her clumsiness. Her speed can also be a problem when she uses Ingrain, as the move roots her to the ground. | ||
| Species: Oddish |
Ability: Chlorophyll |
Personality: Deep down, Isabella is truly eager to help, but she tends to be clumsy and can often find herself doing more harm than good. She is self-conscious of this trait, and has thus developed a bashful nature. | |||
| Moves: | |||||
| Absorb |
Sweet Scent |
PoisonPowder |
Experience: 0 |
Trivia/Misc./Other: Isabella was intended to be given to Ellen as a present for her tenth birthday, and was finally given to her after she lost to her father in battle. | |
| Sleep Powder |
Lucky Chant |
Ingrain (egg move) |
Obtained at: Village Bridge | ||
Quotes
"You have potential, little one--the same potential that Ford felt in me when we first met." -- Maddison Hayes, to Ellen
"Why pick the lesser of two evils when you can choose good?" -- Ellen, to her father on the destruction of Castelia
"You have your whole life ahead of you. But never forget the one thing that matters most: your family." -- Arddwyr, to Ellen
Trivia
- At nine (now ten) years old, Ellen is the youngest Rise of the Rockets character.
- Technically speaking, Jamie Arthur is younger than Ellen, only being five years old. However, as a clone, Jamie has the appearance of being in her twenties.