Kristoff Zellerbach

Kristoff Zellerbach is a young trainer from the tiny village of Windy Town. He is a logical young man with goals and ambitions that he is reluctant to share with others. Kristoff was one of the three official 2020 Unova Starters.

Character

Kristoff is a little intense. He is a very serious and logical person, and seems to have a lot to prove. He is not a mean person, per se, but he has little patience for tip-toing around things and is often blunt to the point of rudeness. He doesn't mean to hurt anybody; he's telling the truth and sometimes the truth is uncomfortable.
He doesn't seem to like being around people, usually preferring to be by himself in most settings and involving himself with others more or less when he's being forced to. He doesn't like working in groups, and he hates feeling like he's being talked down to or that others aren't taking him seriously.
When he feels like he's being condescended to, or that others think he can't do something, he becomes indignant and often quite rude. The most notable example of this seems to be with Jenn Greene. It's clear that he does not respect her experience or authority, claiming that since she is only a year or two older than the group she couldn't possibly have anything worthwhile to teach them, and proceeded to spend the entirety of their travel along Route 01 undermining, ignoring, and talking back to Jenn.
However, that's not all there is to him. Kristoff has shown a willingness to relax sometimes, and even break the rules. This was most effectively demonstrated in The Accumula Fishing Spectacular!, where he attended a party when he was invited by Aerik, to the surprise of everyone who knew him. Having played beer pong and sticks, among other games, Kristoff has showed the the capacity to kick back and have fun like other people his age.
It's clear that Kristoff has something of a big chip on his shoulder, like he has something that he has to prove to everybody else, and he seems fairly single-minded in that goal.

Appearance

Kristoff is a little taller than average, with a lanky frame; he has long arms and legs, and all of his clothes seem just a little too small for him, like he hit a growth spurt relatively recently. He has messy black hair and blue eyes, with fair skin. He wears large, black horn-rimmed glasses that he is more or less helpless without.
He dresses practically, wearing plaid shirts and jeans under a blue field jacket. He has sturdy, black hiking boots and a large, red hiking backpack with pots and pans hanging from it.

History

Pre-Series

Kristoff was born in Windy Town, Unova. His father was killed in the Great War; his father was killed when Kiloude City was retaken by Kalosian Forces in 2006.
The entirety of Windy Town seemed to depend on the trains that passed through on their way to and from Roshan City to support their economy. The train station employed most of the town in one way or another, and his family were not exceptions. His mother and her family had owned a small restaurant there, who specialized in selling box lunches that looked like various Pokemon depending on the flavor (with the spicy Darmanitan being a favorite).
He grew up in the show, helping to clean when he was a child, then manning the till and helping with meal prep on top of that when he got older. Kristoff's life was hard; he had no real friends and was home-schooled so that he could spend more time helping at the restaurant, especially after his grandparents passed away unexpectedly when he was 10 years old. Day in and day out, he worked hard--and his family made a pittance in return.
His only real salvation came from the passing trainers who would come through on their way to Roshan City to challenge the gym there. He used to sneak out (pretending to take out trash) and spend his lunch breaks watching them talk or battle for fun. He became enamored with the idea of training, and started to spend a lot of his money on instructional DVDs and other books to help him understand the theory of it more.
When he came of age, Kristoff told his mother that he wanted to strike out on his own as a trainer. She was less than supportive, but he had done the research. He knew what to do, he'd saved a little money; enough to take the train to Aspertia City. All he needed to do was train and he could start the gym challenge there.
His mother did not support the decision. She needed him at the restaurant, end of story; she couldn't afford to pay a new employee, and Kristoff was good at his job. They argued about it back and forth until she relented enough to make him a deal: he would apply to the Starter Program. If he was accepted, he would send most of the starting money back home and he could try his hand at being a trainer. But if he didn't get at least half of his badges by Christmas holiday, he would come back to the restaurant.
It wasn't the best option, but the way that he saw it, it was the only one he had. He agreed and began the process of applying to the program. On April 10, 2020, Kristoff received his confirmation letter from Professor Juniper: he had been accepted.

Seasons

Kristoff arrived in Nuvema Town around the same time as the other starters and Aerik. On June 1st, 2020, Kristoff arrived at Professor Juniper's Lab for orientation and to receive his starter Pokemon. He chose Snivy, as she seemed to be quiet and thoughtful; she had the same kind of serious nature that Kristoff did.
He would lose all three of his Orientation Battles; he lost against Phoebe, Elijah, and Aerik. The next day, he would leave Nuvema Town along with the other starters, Aerik, and Jenn. Along the way, Kristoff made his first capture; a female Pidove.
After arriving in Accumula Town, Kristoff intended to strike out on his own. He found himself having a bit of trouble, though; he lost a trainer battle against someone named Jimmy with a Patrat, and he failed to capture two other Pokemon.
When invited to a party by Aerik and his friends, Kristoff went, albeit a bit reluctantly. However, he did seem to relax a little and have fun--though he also showed himself unable to handle his liquor. He would fall asleep midway through the night, though not before drunkenly thanking Aerik for thinking of him. Kristoff woke up early, left a note for Aerik and left the party to strike back out on his own.
This is the last known place where Kristoff was seen.

Pokemon

Kristoff has wanted to be a trainer for a very long time, but he seems to be struggling with it a bit. As a trainer, he has demonstrated being well-read about Pokemon and knowledgeable about the life--though he's discovering that knowledge does not always equate to capability or experience.
He is shown to struggle with a lot of aspects of the life, especially battling. The one thing he seems to have caught on to pretty quick was catching Pokemon; according to Elijah, as of A Midsummer Miracle (SS005), Kristoff had already captured upwards of a dozen Pokemon, though none of these are currently known.

On Hand

While Kristoff has at least 12 Pokemon under his ownership, and presumably has a full team, only two of Kristoff's Pokemon are currently known.

Snivy

Pidove

Achievements

• Selected as one of the three 2020 Unova Starters
• Competed in the first annual Bolkstoff Bash (Top 8)

Badges

1. Trio Badge

Appearances

Kristoff has appeared in two of the eight episodes of Pokemon: Seasons so far, though he has been mentioned in other episodes.

• The Start of Something Big (SS001)
• The Accumula Fishing Spectacular (SS002)

Trivia

• Kristoff participated in the first on-screen trainer battle, which he lost against Elijah.
• Kristoff made the first on-screen capture in Pokemon: Seasons when capturing Pidove in The Start of Something Big (SS001). It was also the first capture among the 2020 Unova Starters.
• As of Triple Trouble (SS004), both of Kristoff's known Pokemon are female.

Kristoff

Full Name: Kristoff Zellerbach
Nicknames: Kristy (Elijah)
Birthday: September 01, 2004 (aged 15)
Hometown: Windy Town, Unova
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Black
Height: 5'10" 
Relatives: Walter Zellerbach (father, deceased), Irma Zellerbach (mother)
Blood Type: B-
Occupation: Pokemon Trainer
First Appearance: The Start of Something Big (SS001)