Nessa

Nessa
Species	Human
Hair color	Black
Eye color	Blue
Base	Hulbury
Debut	Pokémon: Sword and Shield

Nessa is the one of the eight gym leaders of the Galar region's major league who appears as an opponent in Pokémon: Sword and Shield. She is the second gym leader faced in the game and specializes in Water-type Pokémon.

Background

Nessa's father was a fisherman, and her mother worked in the marketplace. She grew to become a skilled trainer of Water-type Pokémon and also liked fishing. Nessa befriended Sonia during their gym challenge, and the two remained close friends long afterwards. Nessa went on to become the gym leader of Hulbury while also working as a model. She was said to be remarkably different in each role. She kept herself more composed as a model, while she was more open to venting her frustrations when acting as a gym leader. Nessa was said to be a stoic gym leader and valued refined minds. To that end, her gym challenge consisted of a puzzle in which challengers had to turn pipes off and on in the right order to reach the exit. The gym leaders had battled each other to decide their placement. Nessa ended up placed as the second gym leader of the major division. The only leader of the major league to place lower than her was Milo. She declared him to be her rival, but he claimed that his only rival was himself.

Within Sword and Shield, Nessa was first seen with the other gym leaders at the gym challenge's opening ceremony at Motostoke Stadium. She then returned to Hulbury and spent some time fishing by the lighthouse until she was happened upon by Victor/Gloria. Nessa had heard a lot of talk going around about the trainer, and she gave them her League Card, so that they would know about her in turn. Nessa then returned to her gym and waited for the Victor/Gloria to complete her challenge. Once the challenge was completed, the trainer battled and defeated Nessa at Hulbury Stadium. She was frustrated by her loss, but she admitted to her defeat and told the trainer that they had an incredible spirit that might be strong enough to challenge the champion. She gave the trainer a Water Badge and pointed them towards the next gym. Nessa was also defeated by Hop, Bede and Marnie. After Victor/Gloria and Hop completed the first three gyms, Nessa joined Milo and Kabu in seeing them off from Motostoke.

Later in the game, Nessa participated in the Finals of the Championship Cup, along with most of the other gym leaders. Nessa was pitted against Victor/Gloria in the first round. She could tell that the trainer had grown much stronger and that Leon had an eye for talent, but Nessa believed that she could defeat both Victor/Gloria and Leon. She was ultimately defeated again in the ensuing battle, and she admitted that she wished that she had listened to what Sonia had told her about the trainer. Nessa returned to her gym; according to her rare League card, she accepted her defeat with a smile in the eyes of her fans as a model, while showing her anger around the gym. Soon afterwards, a new incident arose in which Dynamax Pokémon were suddenly appearing within their stadiums. Victor/Gloria, Hop and Piers arrived to help Nessa to deal with her variation of the problem, which was a Dynamaxed Gyarados. Together, they defeated it and restored it to normal. Nessa proceeded to tend to the Gyarados at the stadium. She told Victor/Gloria that they could call upon her help at any time and gave them her rare League Card.

Pokémon Roster

Nessa is shown to use the following Pokémon, with her roster changing between the two battles:

• Goldeen (gym battle)/Seaking (championship cup)
• Arrokuda (gym battle)/Barraskewda (championship cup)
• Drednaw
• Goliospod (championship cup only)
• Pelipper (championship cup only)

In both battles against her, Drednaw is the last Pokémon she uses and is the Pokémon that she Dynamaxes. Drednaw is also the only Pokémon that she uses for the team battle against Dynamax Gyarados.

Trivia

• Her name seems to be derived from "Loch Ness", the name of a popular Scottish lake that is associated with legends of an aquatic monster living in its depths. Her Japanese name is Rurina, in reference to the Japanese name for a flower known as the cupid's dart.
• Nessa's League Number is 049, which can be read in Japanese as a phrase meaning "to swim".
• Nessa often gives Sonia fresh seafood from Hulbury.