Brendan

Brendan as seen in Pokémon: Ruby and Sapphire Versions
Brendan
Species	Human
Hair color	Black or Brown
Eye color	Brown or Grey
Age	12 (as rival)
Relatives	Player Character Norman (father) Mother Rival Character Professor Birch (father) Mother, Brother
Debut	Pokémon: Ruby Version/Pokemon: Sapphire Version

Brendan is the potential playable male protagonist of Pokémon: Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald Versions, as well as the remakes Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. Depending on the gender chosen by the player at the beginning of the game, he is one of two characters: the player character (and the son of Norman) or the rival character (and the son of Professor Birch). May is the alternate female lead.

Background

Playable Character

Brendan was the son of the gym leader Norman. He was born in Johto, but his family moved to Littleroot Town in Hoenn after Norman became a gym leader there. He soon met the neighbors, including his future rival May and Professor Birch, whom he saved from a wild Pokémon using one of three Pokémon from Birch's bag. Afterwards, Birch thanked him and let him keep the Pokémon. He sent her to Oldale Town where May would teach him about being a Pokémon trainer, and after the two battled and returned to Littleroot, Professor Birch bestowed upon Brendan a Pokédex for use in recording data on Hoenn's Pokémon, while his mother gave him a pair of Running Shoes as a parting gift.

Soon he started to explore Hoenn, challenging and conquering its eight gyms as he traveled. Early in his journey, he taught a sickly boy named Wally how to catch Pokémon at his father's request, which helped Wally to recover and improve as a Pokémon trainer. Brendan also battled May several times throughout his quest until May acknowledged him as superior and returned home. He eventually defeated even his own father. At the same time, Brendan had a series of confrontations with members of the criminal organization Team Magma (in Ruby), Team Aqua (in Sapphire) or both organizations (in Emerald). This culiminated in a battle with Archie and/or Maxie followed by a crisis involving Groudon and Kyogre. The problem was resolved when Brendan defeated the raging Pokémon (in Ruby or Sapphire) or when Brendan summoned Rayquaza to break up the two warring Pokémon.

Brendan became the Pokémon League champion after defeating Hoenn's Elite Four and their champion Steven Stone or Wallace. Afterwards, his Pokédex was upgraded to National Mode by Professor Birch, and Norman gave him tickets to the S.S. Tidal. In Emerald Version, Scott then invited him to come to the Battle Frontier and test out his skills there.

Rival Character

Brendan's Emerald costume.

Brendan is the son of Professor Birch living in Littleroot Town, and often sets out to help him with his research. He meets May when she visits his house at Littleroot Town in the beginning of the game, and Professor Birch later sends her to meet him when he is collecting data at Route 103. There Brendan will challenge May to teach her about Pokémon training. He then sent her back to Littleroot to receive her Pokédex and gave her several Pokéballs to begin her journey with. In Emerald, he met May again in Rustboro City and after registering each other in Match Call, Brendan would propose another battle, but this one was optional. Brendan would then meet May along Route 110. Challenging her yet again, this time after being defeated he gave her the Itemfinder. He then met her outside Lavaridge Town and gave her the Go-Goggles.

He appeared to May again and battled her outside Fortree City, this time rewarding her with HM 02: Fly upon being defeated. Brendan could then be found outside Lilycove City's department store on an errand for the professor, where he would challenge May once more. After losing, he decided to return to Littleroot and help Professor Birch with the Pokédex using the information he had gathered. Hearing about May's ambitions to challenge the Pokémon League, he considered doing the same one day before returning to Littleroot using Fly.

Brendan made one last appearance at the game's end, with he and Birch showing up after May had become the Pokémon League champion by defeating Steven Stone. Brendan apparently did not notice that May had already defeated Steven, as he attempted to reveal Steven's weakness to her.

Pokémon Roster

• Treecko/Grovyle, Torchic/Combusken or Mudkip/Marshtomp - Brendan's starter Pokémon, he uses it in every battle. It will always be a Pokémon with a type advantage to that chosen by the player character. This Pokémon evolves into its second form before the Route 110 battle, but is never shown in its final form.
• Shroomish - Used in all battles starting with the Route 110 battle in Ruby/Sapphire only. Brendan uses this Pokémon only if he has a Combusken or Marshtromp.
• Numel - Used in all battles starting with the Route 110 battle in Ruby/Sapphire only. Brendan uses this Pokémon only if he has a Grovyle or Marshtromp.
• Wailmer - Used in all battles starting with the Route 110 battle in Ruby/Sapphire only. Brendan uses this Pokémon only if he has a Grovyle or Combusken.
• Swellow - Used in the final rival battle at Lilycove City in Ruby/Sapphire only.
• Lotad/Lombre/Ludicolo - Used in all battles starting with the optional Rustoro City battle in Emerald only, and it is only used if Brendan has a Torchic/Combusken or Mudkip/Swampert. It evolves into Lombre by the Rustboro City battle and Ludicolo by the Route 119 battle.
• Slugma - Used in all battles starting with the optional Rustboro City battle in Emerald only, and it is only used if Brendan has a Treecko/Grovyle or Mudkip/Swampert.
• Wingull/Pelipper - Used in all battles starting with the optional Rustobro City battle in Emerald only, and it is only used if Brendan has a Treecko/Grovyle or Torchic/Combusken. It evolves into Pelipper by the Route 119 battle.
• Tropius - Used in the final battle at Lilycove City in Emerald only.

Other Appearances

Other Media

• In the Pokémon anime, Brendan has only made cameo appearances in the openings of several Pokémon movies, being seen in battle. In one appearance he was shown to be battling Lucas, the male playable character from Diamond and Pearl.
• He appears in the Pokémon Special manga as Ruby, being featured in the story arcs based on the third generation games. Ruby was obsessed with beauty and Pokémon Contests, and he runs away from home after arriving in Hoenn due to Norman disapproving of his son's participating in contests. After meeting Sapphire and being initially repulsed by her wild nature, they compete to see if within 80 days Ruby could win all of Hoenn's Pokémon Contests and Sapphire could beat all the gym leaders. He eventually becomes a pupil of Wallace and throughout the arc comes to repent his selfish ways and see Pokémon's inner beauty as well as embracing his battling talents, which he repressed after a traumatic event in his youth, in order to take on Team Aqua and Magma. He and Sapphire develop and admit feelings for each other, eventually recognizing each other from their youth, and at the end Ruby is shown to have captured Celebi before, and after he unleashes it Celebi creates a time slip which saves those that died during Groudon and Kyogre's battle. In the Emerald arc he and Sapphire arrive at the Battle Frontier to help Emerald capture Jirachi, and Ruby seems to show no recollection of he and Sapphire's confessions of their feelings to each other, much to her chagrin. By the end of the arc all of the Pokédex trainers team up to defeat Archie and the artificial Kyogre.
• He was featured in one episode of the Pokémon Generations anime which featured him fighting members of Team Magma at the Magma Hideout.

Trivia

• Like all protagonists in the main Pokémon games, his name is chosen by the player. Brendan is assumed as his official name, because it is the name automatically given him when he is a non-playable character.
• The headband of Brendan's hat in Emerald also appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as part of one of Pikachu's alternate costumes.