William Flynn Copernicus

Lieutenant Commander William Copernicus is a Naval officer of the Johto Navy, currently in command of the Goldenrod-class destroyer DD-418, JNV Bastion. A lifelong resident of Johto, William first considered enlisting in memory of his father, who had commanded DD-73 JNV Celaeno during the Great War, and died the previous summer in a car accident that William considered himself responsible for.

Appearance
William can usually be found in his dark blue officer's uniform. His hair, which has been bleached yellow by his time at sea, is usually hidden under an officer's cap- formerly his father's, but now his own. His prosthetic, which replaces his entire left leg from foot to hip, is usually hidden under his pant leg, but gives him a noticible limp when he walks.

He suffers from almost constant bagged eyes, but after quitting smoking, his health began to improve rapidly.

Personality
William started out as a shy, quiet person who would try to help others before he was satisfied. Now, he has been hardened, but still puts the safety of others before all else. When in command, he is a cold, no-nonsense leader who demands obedience. Off of duty, Will tries to be as cheerful as possible- which, due to current circumstances, is not very- but once someone gets to them, he does become a good friend.

Biography
William was born on December 16, 1920 to Marion Edwards Copernicus and James Copernicus. His mother was the heir to the successful Edwards Steamship Lines. Although the company's vessels had been seized by the Johto Navy for wartime use, her share in her father's company gave her a significant fortune to raise her son on.

Growing up in Goldenrod City, William did very well at the basic levels of education, and enjoyed going to the harbor with his father. He found himself closer to his father, and knowing of James' honors from the Great War made him strive to make his father proud.

However, once William was old enough to enter the university system, he found himself unsure and indecisive about his future, resulting in a summer of country road trips in the family's Packard sedan. One night, after returning from a trip to Olivine with his father, the car lost control in the rain and collided head-on with a truck. William survived with little injury, but his father was killed instantly.

William fell into depression after the accident, and kept to himself for the rest of the summer. On his birthday, he came out of his room for longer than five minutes, to overhear the radio calling for recruits to help in the new war against Kanto. Will persuaded his mother to let him enlist, and he rushed to sign up. At first, he was denied, but he managed to enlist as a first-rank seaman.

During the War

 * Note: Spoilers Ahead*

During training, William met Lottie Jogan, a girl from Olivine City, and the two became partners if not friends. During the Battle of Undella Bay, William found himself assigned to his father's ship from the Great War, an old destroyer named the Celaeno. William acted as a lookout while fighters launched off of Johto's aircraft carriers. When conditions were too rough and he was ordered to the deck, he was injured when a Qwilfish exploded in front of him. Nonetheless, he managed to save another crewman, order his Pokémon to shoot down a Kantonese Spitfire, and put out a fire before being incapacitated when the ship rolled. After the battle, he was awarded several medals and a promotion, and recieved a broken left femur and a concussion from the battle.

In between battles, William passed his recovery time by joining a polo team. He became friends with the team's leader, a Hoennian pilot named Rosetta. With his leg broken, he used a wheelchair and his roped-up Buizel to play, although they lost their match.

When the Battle of Ecruteak struck, William was still on the Celaeno, and commanded a patrol boat with Jogan. The two made it to the tower base before running aground in the shallow river. As a trio of Rogues attempted to hijack the grounded patrol boat, the Brass Tower had burned to the point of structural failure, and collapsed into the river. William and Lottie barely escaped, but were separated. Afterwards, William formed an intense hatred of the Rogues, partly because of the unknown fate of Lottie, whom he realized he loved.

William regained consciousness downriver, and spent the night at his home, where his Buizel evolved. After his action in the battle, his broken leg did not set properly, resulting in severe pain and irritation for Copernicus. He turned to smoking to act as a painkiller; this act promptly landed him in urgent care as his weakened body began to shut down from the side effects.

The next time Copernicus saw real action was in the Goldenrod Blitz, when as a Chief Petty Officer, he comandeered the JNV Celaeno and steamed it out of the harbor, shooting down attacking aircraft and ramming a Kantonese destroyer before his ship was destroyed. Despite losing the Celaeno, William was seen as a hero, and was promoted to Lieutenant Commander, recieving command of a brand new destroyer. When he was sent to Olivine to command the ship, he was reunited with Jogan, now a Lieutenant, and managed to confess his love.

He was in charge of the new ship, the JNV Bastion, on its shakedown cruise around the Sinnoh area, when Cherrygrove was seiged by advancing Kanto forces, having already taken multiple other cities. When the Bastion finally managed to assist, the Johto Navy was all but annihalated, with Kanto and Hoenn taking heavy casualties as well. During the battle, William's Totodile was killed by a Razor Leaf attack, but before he could avenge the loss, he recieved word of the capital's destruction. William ordered the Bastion to surrender, and the surviving Johto ships followed suit.

Pokémon

 * Avvol (Floatzel): Avvol was William's first assigned Pok émon as a Buizel. The otter had been a loner, and was captured by the military while he was playing in a remote bay.  He tended to goof off instead of do actual work, and saw everyone as a friend.  After Ecruteak, he evolved into a Floatzel, and also became much stronger.  His personality shifted from mischievous to a more tough, strong-guy attitude, and soon looked for ways to show off. He was friends with his other teammates, William, Jogan's Buizel, Dave, and Montague's Klang, nicknamed GiGi.
 * Axel (Totodile): Axel was William's second Pok émon, recieved before Undella. He was a very happy, friendly creature who did not like to fight, but would do anything to make others happy.  He was originally as outgoing as Avvol, but after being affected by Confusion at Undella, he tried to stay behind more.  He later sacrificed himself to save Avvol.
 * Angel (Vaporeon): Angel was William's final Pok émon to be recieved.  She had started out as a wild Eevee, before she was captured and forcefully evolved into a Vaporeon.  The forced evolution traumatized the young Eevee, and caused much of her personality to be locked away.  She was a cold, quiet, and powerful addition to William's team, and rarely interacted at first.  However, when handed to William's mother after the Goldenrod Blitz, she began to cry, and managed to release her emotions.  She is now much closer to her former personality, while still retaining her seriousness and power.