Aurea Juniper

Aurea Juniper is a character in Pokemon: Seasons and the regional professor of the Unova Region, with a specialty in the biological and mythic origins of Pokemon. She serves as the regional director of Unova's Pokemon Starter Program, and is the employer of Jennifer Greene and the other aides around her laboratory.

Character

Professor Juniper is a world-renowned and highly respected scientist and historian. She made her name discovering and cataloguing the Relic Castle. She has since established herself as one of the foremost scientific minds in Eurastos.
She is shown to be pleasant and mature. Juniper is very hospitable, and willingly offers her assistance to those who she feels need it, such as providing Aerik Hargraves with a starter Pokemon and making him an unofficial "fourth starter" for the 2020 Season.
Juniper has a voracious mind and her insatiable curiosity keeps her constantly striving to move forward to further expand mankind's understanding of Pokemon and the symbiotic nature that humans and Pokemon have with one another. While her particular interest is in the origins of Pokemon, she has her head in a hundred different projects, research papers, and experiments at any given time. This translates into her being a little bit of an airhead sometimes, and she often forgets basic things (eating, sleeping, her keys) to make room for all of the research and information she's involved in.
That's not to say that she's a scattered or disorganized person. On the contrary, she is actually quite well put together and capable of shrew observations. Juniper tends not to dawdle and isn't the kind to mince words, usually "getting to business" with little ado. She tends to be blunt and honest with others, though she's careful not to come across as rude. In private, she can be quite witty and enjoys strolls and casual conversation. But in a professional setting, she gets right to the point.
While she's an academic, Professor Juniper has an adventurer's heart. Despite how busy she is, she always makes time to travel to places around Unova to partake in some field research first hand.
Juniper is a surprisingly ruthless battler. She never collected badges, but her skill on the battlefield is impressive and not be underestimated. She thinks of unorthodox strategies, focusing more on the bond between her and her Pokemon over type advantage or conventional wisdom.

Appearance

Professor Juniper is 5'07, with an somewhat curvy build. She goes running every morning to stay in shape. She has fair skin and long, chestnut-brown hair that she usually just ties back into a bun or a ponytail. Her large and expressive eyes are a light brown. Her features are soft and pretty, and her smile is warm and accepting. She wears red-framed glasses, due to being near-sighted.
She tends to dress comfortably, preferring airy blouses or sweaters with a skirt over anything else. She wears tennis shoes in the lab, which actually caused something of a minor controversy when she first took over as Regional Professor.

History

Aurea Juniper is the oldest child of Cedric and Great Juniper. Aurea grew up in Aspertia City, a small community in southwest Unova. She had a good life, splitting her time between homework and exploring the countryside with her two best friends, Napoleon Carter and Becky Whitley.
Her father wasn't around very much, as he had to do a lot of traveling for his work as a historian and anthropologist. Whenever he WAS home, though, Cedric would regale young Aurea with stories about the places he'd visited, the adventures he had, the friends he made, and the stories that the people of those places held close to their hearts. It seemed important to Cedric that his children both understood the importance of stories and myths, and it really took root in young Aurea.
Throughout middle school, Aurea wanted to be a writer. Stories were important, and she wanted to add her own to the world. She was a prolific writer, filling countless notebooks with stories and observations and ideas. In high school, Aurea won a Provincial Essay Contest and part of that was winning a free trip to Accumula Town to visit the famous Orion University (along with the essay winners from the other Unovan provinces).
During that trip, Aurea met with many different representatives and professors. Her fascination was caught by the History department and their many interesting displays and exhibits. She had a lot of questions, and found the idea that much of history was essentially trying to fit together pieces of evidence like a puzzle to be appealing.
After high school, she accepted the scholarship to Orion University, where she and Becky Whitley would be roommates. Aurea would fall in love with this part of Unova during her years as a student, feelings that would eventually draw her back in her adulthood.
Aurea continued pursuing a degree in literature, though she spent a lot of time hiking and getting to know the passing Pokemon Trainer's. The local Battle Club, founded by legendary trainer and former Elite Four member Don George, was a big draw for trainers in the region.
She would often spend afternoons watching the battles (and maybe making a little money off of betting on them). One of the trainer's was a young man named Lionel Portman. He was a former semi-finalist in the Vertress Conference, and a finalist in the Lumiose Conference. He'd traveled the world and Aurea found herself drawn toward his worldliness and charm. The two would start an on-again/off-again relationship over the next few years.
Her life would eventually change thanks to a field trip that she almost didn't attend. Her anthropology class was traveling to Icirrus City to visit one of the oldest and most significant historical sites in Unova: the Dragonspiral Tower.
Aurea was familiar with the tower. Her father had spent much of his life studying it, and trying to understand its many mysteries. She had seen countless pictures and heard more tales and theories about it than she could count. When the class was going to leave, Aurea decided to skip out. She could pick up extra shifts at the coffee shop, she reasoned; maybe she could catch up on some projects she needed to submit. Becky, however, was going through an awful breakup and convinced Aurea to come along. It was on that trip, and seeing the grandeur of the Dragonspiral Tower for herself--really being present and feeling the thousand indescribable sensations that race through one's mind and spirit in such a place--that would ultimately lead Aurea down the road to science.
By the end of the year she had changed majors, against her academic advisor's suggestion, and began to pursue history and anthropology, like her father. She had to struggle to catch up and prove her worth in such a male dominated field, but before long she was near the top of her class.
She would attend Orion University for both undergraduate and the graduate level programs. She spent her summers working as an assistant for many great researchers in her area, attending digs or working out of one of Unova's many museums. She was relentless in her work ethic, and quickly gained a reputation as someone who was solid, dependable, and impressively hungry for the work.
Aurea graduated in 1998, at 24. With her degree, she did some traveling and worked a few sites in Unova, as well as Sinnoh and Kalos. During this time of her life, she met and became close friends with Lenora Boone. The two would keep in touch via e-mail when they weren't working together.
In the summer of 2000, Aurea accepted a position at the Castelia University as a staff researcher. She worked part-time at the library and spent the majority of her time meticulously going over the various relics and antiques sent in by archeologists for identification and classification. She was good at the job, earning a promotion fairly early.

Enter Harrison Hargraves

Early in her time working at the University, she would meet a hotshot cop from Kanto named Harrison Hargraves. He would come by the university looking for information that could help lead to stopping a ring of black-market antiquities smugglers and counterfeiters. Aurea actually proved quite vital in that effort---enough so that a pair of the criminals in question tried to shut her up. She'd be saved by Harrison and Hierophant. The two entered into a relationship together that would last several months, but they ended it mutually and on good terms with each other. Aurea would assist Harrison with his cases when she could---sometimes off the books and in secret.
At some point in early 2002, Aurea would assist Harrison once again, this time in helping to provide shelter for a woman named Aala and a little girl that Harrison was trying to keep safe. According to Harrison, she was integral to how things ended up playing out. However, exactly what occurred and why are not yet known to Aerik.
In 2003, Harrison and Aala would welcome their first child into the world. Soon after, Harrison would accept a position in the Accumula City Police Department. While they very rarely saw each other, the two did keep in touch. She was heartbroken for him when Aala would pass away some time later.

Aurea the Traveler

In 2006, Aurea was stuck in what she was now seeing as a dead-end job at the Castelia University. She had been teaching part-time by that point, in addition to her duties as a research assistant. Despite many assurances that her name was at the top of every list of promotion candidates, she was passed up every time for someone else that was less qualified but better connected (and also male). She was starting to get restless.
So she left and once more began to travel and conduct her own research. Of course this was made a bit difficult due to the Great War, but Aurea proved to be fearless, tenacious, and brilliant; a real adventuring archeologist and anthropologist. She made a name for herself as a sort of freelance academic.
In 2008, Aurea reconnected with her college sweetheart Lionel Portman while she was exploring a series of cave paintings uncovered in Lacunosa Town. He had fought in the war and had been injured. He moved to Lacunosa for his health. It was more than pleasant and resulted in them getting married by May. Of course, their marriage was as tumultuous as the rest of their relationship and they would divorce less than a year later.
During one of Juniper's expeditions, she had found evidence to suggest that an ancient site--the fabled home of the Hero Princes--might exist in the Relic Desert. Her colleagues dismissed her notions. She spent several years fighting to get someone to listen to her findings. In the end, the person to finance her expedition was unexpected: Professor Samuel Oak, of Kanto. He found her research to be intriguing and felt that if she was right, its historical value would be beyond priceless.
So, in September of 2009, Aurea made the trip into the desert. With her, she took only a small team, including her former student and loyal assistant Vivian Fennell. It took them nearly two weeks to arrive at the site, and another five weeks to uncover anything. But they did--a tower made of some kind of glassy, black stone. It was like obsidian, but it was different; Aurea had never seen anything like it before. She went inside and found a massive complex that had to be thousands of years old.
She would also go on to decipher most of the hieroglyphs and other ancient markings found within. The discovery made headlines around the world and Aurea soon became well known for the discovery of the "Relic Castle".
This success allowed Aurea to invest in further expeditions. While much of her attention stayed focused on uncovering the secrets of Relic Castle, she was eager to see what else may lie out there.

The New Regional Professor

However, it wouldn't be long before Aurea was approached by Alder--the Master Champion of Unova. He told her that the current Regional Professor, Professor Hawthorne, was retiring. He hadn't been meeting the expectations of the League Committee and may have been embezzling funds? He wasn't sure, but there was an investigation.
Anyway, that wasn't important. What was important was that Aurea was evidently the first choice to replace him. Aurea was extremely surprised to hear this news. She hadn't ever really been a trainer, despite a lifelong love and interest in Pokemon.
Alder explained that Aurea had a history of hard work and dedication. She was loyal and dependable, but most important to Alder was that she was a good person with the heart of a teacher. Alder didn't want Unova to produce more warriors. He wanted the Starter Program to select trainers who were curious, passionate, and eager to travel and learn. With the war behind them, Unova needed to change and grow, and Alder felt that Aurea was the perfect person to help that dream come to fruition. He wanted her to be a true Professor--that is, he wanted her to be a teacher to the next generation of Unovans.
She couldn't say no to that. However, she did have a few conditions. She didn't want to move back to Castelia City. She was tired of living in the city. If she could choose where her lab was, then she would be happy to accept the job. Alder just laughed; that was a perk of the job anyway!
Aurea thought long and hard about where she wanted to live, and remembered how much she loved the Orion Province. It didn't take long for her to take a page out of Professor Oak's book, like many of the regional professors before her, and choose to settle her own lab in a small town--namely, Nuvema Town.
At the end of the 2011 Season, Juniper was introduced as the new Regional Professor for Unova. While the choice was considered controversial at first, Juniper quickly proved to win over most of her critics with her intelligence, her poise, and her kindness.
Since then, Aurea has served her duty as a teacher for the Starters and any who come to ask for her help. She loves the job and frankly wouldn't imagine she would do anything at this point.

Relationships

Juniper is well known for being kind, witty, hospitable, and poised. She speaks with confidence and authority. She holds herself in a way that commands respect.
She expects professionalism when it's due and offers respect when it's earned. She is always polite, though certain people that have gained her ire instead get terse, short responses from her instead.
She is difficult to get a rise out of; she is calm and in control most of the time, and being one of the first major female voices in her field has taught her a lot about decorum, the need to assert oneself, and remaining calm in emotional situations (lest you be accused of being emotional and dismissed).
Juniper is very kind and very understanding. She is always available for those who need her help, even if they are interrupting something or waking her up in the middle of the night. She finds being a reliable authoritative figure in people's lives is important and provides exactly that. This does not just extend to colleagues or Starters; she would happily help whoever needed her.
For example, she did not hire Jenn for anything like experience or academic background. She hired Jenn because Jenn felt dependable and kind; the sort of person who could be a good teacher and friend to starters. And, to a point, Juniper could tell that out of everyone who applied, Jenn needed the job the most.

Pokemon

Juniper isn't a trainer in the traditional sense, but her job and her extensive experience traveling and exploring old ruins have allowed her to develop a very unique and potent style of fighting. She understands Pokemon in a very unique way among her colleagues, given that she approaches their study from a very different angle.
She has captured a variety of Pokemon in her time, though only three Pokemon can be considered "her team": a male Minccino named "Koro", a Yamask named "Willow", and an Accelgor named "Robi", who serves as her main battler.

On Hand        

Koro

Willow

Robi

Achievements

Juniper has achieved many, many different important accomplishments in her life. Listed here are the main ones that the average layman would know her for.

2009 - Discovered the Relic Castle to worldwide acclaim.

2011 - Became the second Unova Regional Professor.

Appearances

Juniper has been mentioned several times throughout Pokemon: Indigo Chronicles as a part of Jenn's storylines, but never made a physical appearance.
Since the start of Pokemon: Seasons, Juniper has appeared in one episode but has been mentioned in all four episodes.

Trivia

• Professor Juniper is the sixth Regional Professor to make an appearance in the World of Pokemon universe to date, after Professor Oak, Professor Ivy, Professor Birch, Professor Sycamore, and Professor Rowan.
• If one counts mentions, however, she was the fourth to be introduced overall, after Professor Oak, Professor Elm (mentioned only), and Professor Ivy (who appeared in Shades of Grey). While Juniper did play a minor role in Jenn's storyline in Series 2 and Series 3 of Pokemon: Indigo Chronicles, she did not appear directly.

Aurea

Full Name: Aurea Helene Juniper
Nicknames: Unknown
Birthday: September 30, 1975 (aged 44)
Hometown: Aspertia City, Unova
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Light Brown
Height: 5'07"
Relatives: Cedric Juniper (father), Greta Juniper (mother, deceased), Gertrude Juniper (younger sister), Cedric Juniper, jr. (younger brother) | Lionel Portman (ex-husband)
Blood Type: O+
Occupation: Professor
First Appearance: The Start of Something Big (SS001)
Status: Alive