Augustine Sycamore

Augustine Sycamore is a recurring character in Pokemon: New Horizons. He is the National Professor of Kalos, and as such he represents the nation in the area of Pokemon, and is in charge of the Kalosian Starter Program.
An eccentric, Sycamore is nevertheless brilliant. He specializes in genetics and the study of Pokemon Evolution, and is one of the few who might be called an authority on the theory of Mega Evolution. He believes that life shouldn’t be taken too seriously, and encourages others to express themselves and be true to their hearts to seek out their true happiness and fulfillment in life.
He serves as a major influence and mentor to Mige Fjord throughout the series.

Character

Professor Sycamore is an eccentric, who conducts himself in a fairly unconventional way for someone of his station. He seems to hold little regard for how others believe a Professor “should” act, approaching problems with his unique method of problem-solving and out of the box theories. While he certainly has his critics, he is nevertheless beloved by the trainers who know him, and he commands a great deal of respect among the academic community.
He is known to be jovial, energetic, and excitable. He eagerly listens to the stories of those who pass through, and his natural curiosity compels him to have a handful of projects going on at once. When his attention has been caught by something, he tends to fixate on it until his curiosity is satisfied. He is a fan of the novel and the extreme, with a childlike love of new gadgets and inventions. He meets every day with optimism and often looks on the bright side of life, giving others the benefit of the doubt and a helpful hand.
Sycamore is a very helpful person, always willing to lend a hand to those in need. He’s extremely generous with his wealth and the space in his lab, providing free food and lodgings for Mige and his friends, and even taking in and looking after both Clem and Lyn while Mige is away. He is always available to those who call on him, whether it be for advice, to share a discovery, to report some kind of findings, or even just to chat. He loves people and holds a deep respect for life in all of its forms, and he detests the taking of any life.
He is known for his ability to keep calm and clear-headed in even the most difficult or dangerous situations, though when things get heavy he is able to get serious. It is clear that while he doesn’t like causing harm, he is still more than capable as a battler, commanding a team of extremely powerful Pokemon. No matter the danger, Sycamore will always step up to help and he’ll make sure that everybody makes it to the other side in one piece.
Sycamore very rarely sleeps, and when he does it doesn’t seem to be for very long—most of the people in his lab, even Mige, can’t recall a time that Sycamore was ever asleep; he’s just around somewhere. He always seems to carry around a large mug of coffee (his favorite of which has a picture of an Espurr’s staring face). A true Kalosian at heart, he has a love of food and wine, and he keeps a large collection of different alcohol and coffees at the lab, which his guests are free to help themselves to. He’s notably a very good cook, especially when making traditional Kalosian foods. A good night to him is one spent with good food, a bottle of wine, and wiling away the hours talking and laughing with friends. He is also a good dancer, and can DJ.

Sycamore is also an avid environmentalist and patron of the arts. He works with numerous charities and benevolent foundations, and he’s started many himself. He works closely with the gym leaders across the country to assist their plans to better their communities, and he is vocal in both his staunch anti-war stance and his loathing of military action, promoting diplomacy instead.
While he is a child of wealth and a member of the Kalosian Aristocracy, he doesn’t conduct himself in an “acceptable” way, flouting tradition and offering respect only to those who earn it. He does not seem to like most of the “upper crust” of Kalosian society, and they don’t like him much in return. There is strong anti-Sycamore resentment among many in high society, seeing him as a radical and a fool that will turn Kalso into a laughingstock on the world stage. They seem to ignore all of the good he has done, and the goodwill he’s earned with even those who were once Kalos’ enemies. The nation’s current relationship with Unova, while not perfect, is much better now than it was even ten years ago, and much of that is thanks to Professor Sycamore’s efforts to establish goodwill and cooperation with Professor Juniper and other Unovan institutions.
He is invested and heavily involved in Mige’s efforts against both the Horizon Institute and Team Relic. Sycamore detests both groups for the evils they have committed. Team Relic has corrupted and defiled the things that make Kalos beautiful by using violence to force people to regress in both knowledge and cultural advancements. The Horizon Institute are monsters, selectively breeding and raising children like weapons or tools, and killing anyone who gets in the way without a second thought. He is determined to stop them, and is happy to stand beside Mige and his friends as they all work toward a better world.

Appearance

Sycamore is tall and wiry, with long legs and long arms. He’s got some muscle on him, but he’s also an artsy, eccentric scientist. He has thick black hair that seems to refuse staying combed, with strong cheekbones and a good jawline. He looks a bit younger than he is; many of the characters have expressed surprise when they find out his age.
The way he dresses is a bit eccentric as well, often blending styles and colors—but he always looks fashionable. He likes shirt with collars and often wears slim-cut trousers, with either sandals or loafers.

Outfits

Sycamore’s main outfit is a button-up shirt, usually either dark blue, dark red, or grey, with the top button undone and no tie. He wears a yellow belt, and slim-cut black chinos. He also often wears a white lab coat over his outfit (sometimes even when he’s not in the lab). He rolls up the sleeves of both the lab coat and his shirt underneath.
When attending the Celosia’s gym match, he wore a hot pink t-shirt with a Skitty riding a rainbow-star on the front with brightly colored striped slim trousers. At the Battle Chateau, he seemed to dress in his usual clothes but with a black suit coat instead of a lab coat.
A notable piece of clothing he owns, which has been more or less given to Mige, is a t-shirt with the word “yeah” on the front.

History

Augustine Sycamore is the son of Daniel Sycamore, a poor but hopeful young botanist, and Cheri Sycamore, a debutante and member of the influential Monet family from Lumiose City. He had a fairly unconventional childhood, living in a modest townhouse in west Lumiose. He has fond memories of going to the market with his mother to buy fruit and fresh flowers, and going to the parks with his father to learn about the plants. He was brilliant and curious from a young age, bursting with questions. His maternal grandparents seemed to hate his father, and they didn’t seem terribly fond of young Augustine, either. His mother’s marriage to his father—a penniless academic—was controversial among the upper crust. His parents didn’t care, though.
“It doesn’t matter what ignorant minds think about you, son,” his father had said, “As long as you try your best every day, you treat others with love, and you follow your heart’s call, then you are doing nothing wrong. Do not let others’ words steal your joy away.”
Augustine took these words to heart, and quickly became regarded as a strange child. When he was thirteen, his father died while studying unique flora in Paldea. For the funeral, Augustine, his mother, and his younger sister traveled to Couriway Town for the first time where he met his great grandparents (his father’s parents had both passed when his father was very young). He fell in love with the pastoral town. For the two months they were there that summer, Augustine spent much of his time roaming the hills and mountainsides, where he met all kinds of travelers and Pokemon. He filled notebooks with his observations. While he had never considered himself an academic, Augustine felt close to his father when he was in nature, taking notes on wild Pokemon and cataloguing the plants he found there.
In 1995, For his 15th birthday, Augustine announced that he would not be attending art school but would instead start a Pokemon journey. His mother was surprised, of course, but supportive. As long as Augustine followed his heart, she would always support him. Louisa made Augustine a simple friendship charm bracelet, and she wore a matching one. Sycamore would wear this bracelet every day for many years—and he still does most of the time.
His first Pokemon was a Gible that he met while it rampaged through Lumiose Market. Sycamore gave the Pokemon chase without any Pokemon of his own, eventually managing to calm her down. He befriended Gible and earned her trust before she eventually let him capture her. During this time, Augustine met a very tall and serious young man named Flordelis Lysandre. The two didn’t get off to a great start, as Flordelis saw Augustine as little more than fool—and then lost to Augustine in a battle. Augustine had no hard feelings, though Flordelis would refuse any offers of friendship.
His journey properly began in 1996, where he befriended and caught many Pokemon. He didn’t “build a team”, rather he just met Pokemon or helped them, and if they wanted to join him then he let them. Along the way, he would run into Flordelis a number of times, and each time the boy treated him coldly. They developed a sort of rivalry, and it was friendly on Augustine’s part. Augustine also met and befriended a girl named Diantha, who was passionate, creative, and had a bit more “sense” than Augustine had. The two started traveling together, and after an incident in Camphrier Town, Augustine earned Flordelis’ respect, and he would join Augustine and Diantha.
They traveled across Kalos together, getting into adventures, stopping a number of poaching operations, and earning gym badges. Augustine and Lysandre had a rivalry that was friendly on both sides, but still intense; they inspired each other to keep growing and getting stronger, and their win/loss record against each other became more or less even. Diantha would express romantic interest in Lysandre who didn’t seem to return the feelings, and Augustine was there to console her through that.
Along the way, Sycamore and his friends came across Professor Rowan, a famous researcher from Sinnoh, who was in the area to assist an excavation research project in Geosenge Town. On Halloween night, Sycamore would save Rowan’s life from a cultist (it was a whole thing). That same night, Sycamore witnessed Mabel mega-evolve her Mawile to stop the Cult Leader, driving that darkness from Geosenge Town for good. Mabel somehow caused Sycamore and his friends to forget her and what they saw, but a part of the memory lingered in Augustine’s consciousness. Either way, the incident nonetheless earned Augustine Rowan’s thanks, and the professor gave Augustine his contact information.
Augustine, Diantha, and Lysandre would all compete in the 1997 Lumiose Conference. They all gave it their all, and all found themselves in the Top 8, when Augustine found himself matched against Lysandre. The two clashed, and it is considered by many to be one of the greatest League Bouts of all time. However, Sycamore had no desire to beat his friend—Lysandre was extremely determined to win the conference. It meant the world to Lysandre, but Sycamore really only collected badges because it was “something to do. He knew that it should be Lysandre who won the Conference, but he wanted Lysandre to earn the victory. Near the end, Sycamore and Garchomp let Lysandre score the finishing blow. Lysandre thanked Sycamore for such a good battle, and promised it would be one he would always remember. Lysandre would go on to win the championship, defeating Diantha in the finals. Lysandre would then go on to become Master Champion of Kalos.
After the League, Lysandre would use his money to purchase a townhouse in Parterre. Sycamore would live here with Lysandre and Diantha for about three years. Diantha began to pursue her dream of being an actress, while Sycamore decided to finally go to school to pursue a degree in science. Originally he wanted study either environmental science or botany, but became fascinated with biology and, eventually, genetics. Lysandre attended to his duties as master champion.
The three of them would talk, smoke, spar, drink wine, and dream about the future. Lysandre was already master champion, after all. Sycamore and Diantha began a brief relationship during this time, though Diantha’s burgeoning career as a model and actress, and Sycamore’s growing passion for research and science, eventually compelled them to amicably end things and remain friends.
“Maybe we can try again someday,” Diantha mused, “If our roads ever meet again.”
“Of course they will. You and I, and Lysandre; our roads will always run together, even if we’re apart. That’s the nature of friends and loving people.”
Sycamore would eventually go on to become Professor Rowan’s assistant for several years, before leaving to establish his own research into Pokemon evolution and the role genetics play in Pokemon Breeding. His work completely revolutionized the world of Pokemon Breeding, and cemented his name an authority on Pokemon within Kalos.
Kalos entered the Pokemon Starter Program in 2002, along with Hoenn that same year. The original Kalosian professor was Professor Laurel. Upon his retirement in 2009, Sycamore was approached to take over the position, an offer he accepted with enthusiasm. He saw it as a way to help mentor young people and was determined to use his position to not just Kalos better, but the whole world.
He moved the lab into his mother’s family’s mansion in north Lumiose, and it wasn’t long before he purchased the two homes next door and connected them, turning his lab into a huge complex that is an entire block in size. His policies and decisions drew a lot of ire from the upper crust, but Sycamore ignored them for the most part. He would be a major role in Kalos “stepping into the future”, and was able to make Kalos one of the earliest adopters of the Pokemon Storage System.
For the last decade, Sycamore has been dutifully helping the people of Kalos and guiding young trainers on their paths—whether they are starter trainers or not! In 2020, he witnessed a true Mega Evolution on television, reigniting his passion into the subject. He would later hire the young trainer responsible, Mige Fjord, as his aide in the hope that they could finally crack the code and solve the puzzle that was Mega Evolution. He was excited—and if he’d known just how crazy the coming year would get, he’d probably be even more excited.

Relationships

Sycamore is well-liked in general, though busy schedule and obsessive nature mean that he has few real friends outside of his work. He tends to be very close to his aides, who see him as a sort of father figure, and he maintains contact with all of the starters who pass through his lab.
His best friends are still Lysandre and Diantha. While they don’t see each other near as often as he’d like, he still cherishes them both and values the little time that they do get to spend together. He’s immensely proud of them both, and honored to be counted among their close friends. He has an especially close relationship with Lysandre, and both have separately told Mige that they see the other like a brother. Whatever differences they may have, they still deeply respect one another and even now they continue to inspire the other to keep striving to grow. He is growing more concerned for his friend, however, especially since Mige has revealed Lysandre’s potential turn toward madness. Sycamore is desperate to avert this future and save his best friend.
His other most notable relationship in the series is with Mige, his newest aide and the only person to achieve Mega Evolution in more than one hundred years. He respects Mige a great deal, admiring the boy’s vast intellect, down to earth nature, occasional bursts of whimsy, and especially the way Mige treats Pokemon and approaches training. So much of Mige reminds Sycamore of himself at that age—and also of Lysandre. He sees much potential in Mige, and hopes that he can guide him toward something that Mige will find fulfilling and make him happy. He has promised Mige to help him against Team Relic and the Horizon Institute, vowing to be with him until the bitter end. He has done much and gone to great lengths to help Mige and his friends in their efforts to save the world.

Pokemon

Sycamore loves Pokemon. Of course he does—he’s a Pokemon Professor. This passion goes beyond the purely academic; while is one of the world’s leading authorities on Pokemon, Sycamore is also a Pokemon Breeder and something of a naturalist. He is fascinated and awed by Pokemon, and finds that simply coexisting with Pokemon to be rewarding in and of itself. He treats them with respect, compassion, and care. Anyone who would mistreat, abuse, abandon, or otherwise exploit Pokemon are worse than scum in Sycamore’s eyes, and such individuals are usually the cause of his rare flashes of anger or hostility.
As a trainer, Sycamore goes with his guy. He pays little mind to type advantage, and doesn’t build a team with things like coverage in mind. He just travels with and battles with his friends and partners, letting his heart and their mutual trust guide them in battle. It seems to work out, as Sycamore is widely regarded as one of the greatest Pokemon trainers in Eurastos even today.

On-Hand

• Garchomp (starter)
• Zigzagoon
• Gogoat
• Lapras
• Vivillon
• Azumarill

Powers and Abilities

Beside being a great trainer, Sycamore is an extremely intelligent man; he is a genius and seems knowledgeable about a wide variety of subjects and topics. He has an eidetic memory and a mind that seems to natural solve problems and puzzles. He is a capable engineer, a medical doctor, a geneticist, a physicist, and more.
He is a great dancer, he can make clothes, he can work on cars, he’s a skilled cook, and he can even DJ. Among his long list of skills, one of them is not driving. While Mige and Clem love riding with Sycamore, that is not the consensus. He drives like a maniac, speeding, not slowing down for sharp turns, occasionally driving the wrong way on one-way streets, sudden stops. It’s like a roller coaster, only far more likely to end in a visit to the hospital—which, thankfully, it never has before. Most characters seem to dread driving with Sycamore.

Achievements

Pokemon League Conferences

Sycamore has competed in five Pokemon League conferences. His standards are listed below:

• Kalos League

Kalos Badges

As he competed in the Lumiose Conference, Sycamore has collected at least eight badges from around Kalos, though it is unknown specifically which badges he received.

Alternate Versions

Sycamore tends to feature prominently in the background of many futures, though he has never directly appeared. While he does not survive in all of them, his most common role is to take care of Mige and his friends for awhile and then continue to serve as a mentor and father figure as they all grow up, get married, and live full lives. He seems to continue working as the Kalosian professor for many more years.
In a number of futures, Sycamore retires around the late 2030s and appoints Mige as his successor. He is still usually alive in these timelines, sometimes still living and working in the lab, and other times he moves to the Sycamore chalet in Couriway Town.

Appearances

Sycamore is a major recurring character in Pokemon: Seasons, and has featured in most of the episodes throughout both seasons. He also makes appearances in the Wish Upon a Star and the Pokemon: Pathways specials.

Trivia

• His favorite type of music is a cross between jazz and Kalosian House and Trance Music
• It is not-so-subtly implied that Professor Sycamore smokes marijuana, and in the past claims to have dropped acid.
• Sycamore can play the guitar, the piano, the violin, and the Clarinet.
• His favorite movies are “artsy hipster” movies, or “Mige Movies” as Celosia and Crystal would call them. Midnight Taxi is one of his favorites.
• Sycamore’s favorite flavors are bitter flavors, which certainly explains his love for coffee, though he also greatly loves sweets. He’ll eat anything though, to be honest.

Sycamore

Full Name: Augustine Sycamore
Nicknames: August (Lysandre), Auggie (Diantha, Theron)
Birthday: October 12, 1980 (aged 40)
Hometown: Lumiose City, Kalos
Eye Color: Light Blue
Hair Color: Black
Height: 6’02"
Relatives: Daniel Sycamore (father)
Cheri Sycamore (mother)
Louisa Peeters (sister, younger)
Philippe Peeters (brother-in-law)
Carlyle Peeters (nephew)
Tanya Peeters (niece)
Blood Type: AB+
Occupation: Academic, Scientist
First Appearance: NH001 - A New Horizon
Status: Alive