Character

Tarsao

Created by Kuromegane2

In the misty bamboo forests of the Ibalon Region, Tarsao emerged as the sacred guardian of an ancient pact between the first human settlers and the spirits of the jungle—a compact sealed when the earliest inhabitants learned the art of defensive combat from these nimble, wide-eyed primates who danced through the canopy with vine-like tails and taught humanity the flowing, rhythmic strikes of Arnis through their own graceful movements. Nocturnal by nature, Tarsao's massive, luminous eyes evolved to pierce the darkness of the forest depths, granting them an almost supernatural ability to locate sustenance and perceive danger where others saw only shadow, making them invaluable guides and mentors to those seeking to master the balance between mercy and strength. Over generations, a spiritual bond formed between trainer and Pokémon, with each Tarsao inheriting an instinctive understanding that their role extended beyond mere combat—they were teachers of discipline, patience, and the warrior's code that demanded protection of the innocent and respect for all living things. The youngest Tarsao still carries this ancient responsibility in its blood, earning its place as the beloved starter companion of those destined to walk the path of the martial artist, whether they seek to wield bamboo staves with the precision of masters or to cultivate inner peace through rigorous training. During harvest festivals, Tarsao still drums out rhythms on bamboo stalks, their thunderous patterns echoing through villages as a reminder of the sacred contract that binds human and Pokémon in eternal partnership against chaos and cruelty. {Grass Starter: Tarsao (The Vine Scout Pokémon) A combination of tarsier (the tiny, leaping primate native to the islands) and buhao (the Bikol word for storm/mist) or bao (shell/canopy). Let's use Tarsao (tarsier + pao, a type of local bamboo). A tiny, wide-eyed, emerald-green primate with an incredibly long, vine-like tail wrapped around its waist. It is a pure Grass-type. It has massive, expressive eyes that let it see perfectly in the dim light of the dense bamboo forests. It uses its sticky fingers and vine-tail to swing effortlessly between stilt houses. Its final evolution grows into a sleek, Grass/Fighting martial arts master that wields dual bamboo stalks like Arnis sticks. It is a popular starter Pokémon in the Ibalon Region for girls because they enjoy seeing it eat berries on their shoulders. Yūjin Shinrinryū might have chosen this cute grass type starter Pokémon because it also blinks its eyes during daytime due to normally being a nocturnal Pokémon where it's big cute eyes helps it find fruits and berries in the night in the jungle. Guy Pokémon Trainers also choose this marsupial Pokémon because it is the Pokémon that learned humans how to use the arnis to defend against wild Pokémons back when the first humans settled in the Ibalon Region. Training with the Tarsao regularly will make any person become a very good martial artist and even a sword fighter if ever they incorporate the techniques from Arnis/Eskrima martial arts. They drum bamboos in festivals.} Character details: Class - Fighter, Alignment - Lawful Good. Note: I made this Pokémon as the grass starter Pokémon for the Ibalon Region in the Mabuhay Archipelago. The number of the regional Pokédex is #001 in the Ibalon Region. I'd personally choose this starter Pokémon but a forest dragon needs water to survive and also extinguish wildfires in the forest. If only I don't easily get sunburnt whenever I go outside, I'd choose this cute starter Pokémon. Who wouldn't want to feed it berries and see its cute little smile joyfully eating the berries. The original image is at the end of the images.