A/N: This original character is named for Greg Cipes, who voices Chiro. Anyone who's familiar with Mr. Cipes should clue in on the references.
Gregory Antauri Nieli
1.) He loves to surf. The wind tugging at his hair, the feeling of flying, and the movements with the ocean beats fighting Formless any day. Then when he catches a particularly high wave, he's suddenly thrust above the clouds. He holds his breath. There's the world. Shuggazoom is spread out beneath him like little toys. Everything changes.
2.) For a long time – a very long time – he hated Auburn. He can never give an explanation. Only in later years does he come to call it a bout of jealousy. Auburn had everything; the perfect life, the perfect family, the perfect skills. It seemed to come naturally to the young Robot Monkey. Gregory had to work for all that he had. Little does he realize is that that was what made it worth it.
3.) His first experience outside of the Super Robot and unsupervised is shortly after the war reaches its peek. His father as been dead for two weeks, and all he really wants is to get away from the place that serves as an unpleasant reminder. For a full three hours, he was known as "the kid with the surfboard." He forgot his argument with Nova. He forgot that his father was dead and his mother had disappeared, leaving him an orphan human in the care of five Robot Monkeys. He forgot that he'd have to live for the rest of his life, knowing that he could've prevented his father's death. When Antauri came to get him, he made sure not to go quietly. And ended up bursting into tears.
4.) He thinks mayonnaise should be taken off the shelves, dumped into the Pit of Doom, buried, and its creator drowned, decapitated, beaten, and burned at the stake.
5.) He doesn't like to ask questions. Not because he's too proud, but because he enjoys the satisfaction. He enjoys the rush of adrenaline you get once you solve a problem by yourself.
6.) He doesn't resemble his parents in any way, in appearance or personality. (Praise the Lord.) Jinmay's sweetness and innocence has never rubbed off, nor has Chiro's heroic sense of duty. Just to prove how different he is, he bleaches his hair when he's fifteen, swears every other word, and treats the Robot Monkeys like the primitive, beastly little animals they really are. Yet when he grows out of those rebellious stage, he's surprised when no one holds a permanent grudge.
7.) The chime of a ringing bell makes him shudder, but in a pleasant way. When he's seven, his mother takes him to the church in order to help him understand the social values of "ordinary" people. The bells ring with the force of an earthquake. At first, he's terrified. Now, whenever he hears them, a ghostly smile crosses his face.
8.) It's more out of habit that he treats people like dirt then out of pure cruelty. This was the way his biological father spoke to them. So it must be alright to do it. Even when he's grow up and learned to respect others, a certain dark side always causes people to be put on edge. The consequences of his actions as a young adult shadows him for the rest of his life, and beyond the grave.
9.) He likes Nova best out of the Robot Monkeys. She doesn't talk to him like he's a useless toddler or rebuke him when he renounces his destiny to become the Hyperforce's next leader. (Even though she is totally against the decisions. He knows she won't admit this.) Sometimes, he feels like she is the only being alive who gets what's going on through his head, and not in an Antauri-ish way.
10.) When he wins the Shuggazoom Surfer Championship, he's twenty-six, the war has finally come to an end, and all of the Robot Monkeys are there to witness this historic event. But the trophy is just a sweet bonus. Gregory can't remember the last time he had so much fun. As a television reporter would later describe it, he flew over the waves. He felt at one with the water. He wasn't just a surfer riding the waves; he was one with the sea. He really can't describe the feeling of success better then that. On that day, he is no longer just the son of Chiro. He adopts the persona of Gregory Nieli, a proud surfer.
Back on the beach, he's given his reward and the crowds celebrate his victory. He turns towards the team, waving jubilantly. A plummeting feeling rises in his stomach. Chiro's not there, nor is Jinmay. However, if they were, it's a good guess that their smiles would outshine all the others. Their son has learned.