#{ Oh Giacomo you dumb ass. }

[seginbeats]

Dark type specialists are interesting to me.

Actually, any trainer that specializes in one type interests me, because I believe that the trainer reveals a lot about their personality, morals, passions and beliefs through the type that dominates their team of Pokémon. All of the elements have positive and negative aspects; you can have a water-type specialist like Kofu who represents the bounty of the ocean, how it feeds us, how we rely on it for food. At the same time, we see Team Aqua's Archie as a symbol of all that we fear about the sea: all consuming waves, storms, drowning, being stranded.

There's no such thing as a "bad" type, but I believe that specific Pokémon types have more stigma than others. Ghost, Poison of course, but I'm going to focus on the Dark type right now.

All of the antagonistic teams across the board have grunts, admins and leaders that use dark types; dark type Pokemon are aggressive attackers, and prominently have the Intimidate ability. Characters such as Grimsley, Nanu and Piers are heavily implied to be social loners, struggle with their moral compass, and are more often than not, seen as less-than-savory in their personalities.

Even NPC characters such as punks, delinquents and street thugs are usually seen carrying dark type Pokémon in their squad. What im saying is that these trainers have a tendency to become criminals.

Dark-type specialists seem to lean morally grey, or chaotic. These characters are using Pokémon that they can relate to, tame efficiently and remain in sync with. To understand a dark type means to know what it's like to be in sullen, deep, overwhelming feeling.

Since prehistoric days, we as humans have feared the dark. It's the unknown. It's a factor we cannot predict. Anything can be in the dark-- things are hiding in there. Are they hiding from larger beasts that are stalking the shadows-- or are THEY using the black corners as the predators, waiting to strike? You're only safe in the dark if you know how to use your teeth and surrender to some of your base, primal instincts.

I'm rambling about all of this because Giacomo as a dark-type specialist is so interesting to me. He's not-- BAD by the standards of other Pokémon antagonists. Clearly the kid is loyal to his friends, his team's cause, and knows when to back down and stop. Here's the thing though: plenty of other terrible people are also overly loyal to their friends and their cause to a fault. (Team Rocket, Team Flare, etc etc.)

What I'm saying is that the kid is decent in attitude, but he's using dark types for a reason. He's smart, terribly smart; he was counsil president after all, wrote up the code of conduct for Team Star and got them to listen. He's a good trainer, Giacomo has a Kingambit for fuck's sake, that isn't an easy Pokémon to evolve up, let alone work alongside. He plays dumb and acts immaturely because he IS still just a teenager. But he's not afraid to be manipulative and cunning in order to get what he wants; zero impulse control means that he's going to follow his base instincts and do what he needs to win, to be safe and to be sure that he has the advantage over someone. He chases dopamine. He chases thrill. He dislikes adults, doesn't trust them at all. At the same time, he takes the validation of an adult and runs with it.

He's such a toss up. He has the potential to become a really, really awful person as an adult. Giacomo is easily manipulated, and if he believes what he is doing can potentially help his friends, he's not going to question it because of the poor impulse control. Or, he can turn out to be a brilliant trainer who uses his knowledge to overwhelm opponents as a gym leader. It all depends on the adults who wind up surrounding him, and the choices he makes on his own. (Think Anakin Skywalker; giving in to the light side or the dark side.)

But at the end of the day, he IS a dark type specialist, and he isn't above playing dirty and being shady, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Giacomo will never be a "good person" by accepted societal standards.