[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

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Josh arrived quickly and he stopped petting Celestia to give the older man his full attention. Being good at reading people, he could tell that the man wasn't exactly happy. He didn't blame him, as the mission didn't seem like it was his cup of tea either. Josh knew that the mission had something to do with Rocket, and he was lucky to not have had anything to do with them until now. He had been on other missions that were Rocket-related.
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He nodded towards the older man and said, "I'm just happy to help," his expression giving nothing away. What he had said was true, but he couldn't help but wish that the mission had been something else. He just couldn't shake the feeling that the mission would be hard for him.
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As he mentioned an email, he checked his phone and realized that he had printed the report from his email. He had forgotten about it, as he had done it before he had his coffee. It was good that he hadn't lost his chance to go over the report. He quickly looked over the report before slipping his phone into his pocket.
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"Hmmm, Volt might work. If I have him use a low-level electric attack, it could short out the camera," he told the older man before returning Celestia and releasing Volt. It didn't take long for Volt to do what needed to be done. Josh watched for a few seconds as Volt stayed out of view of the security cameras and used Thunder Wave on a few, causing them to shut down. It could be viewed as a camera getting too much charge.
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Speaking of cameras. He decided to bring up the fact he had a camera. "I work as a photographer on the side, so if you don't have a camera, we could use mine. It would be better than having to use our phones."[break] Josh Devlin

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[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

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To be honest, before this mission came along, he hadn't given much thought to thwarting Team Rocket. Sure, he knew that the time would probably come at some point, but he hadn't really taken the time to think about it. For the most part, he had avoided thinking about it, not wanting to waste time thinking too much about people who could give his father a run for his money.
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He knew dealing with Team Rocket wasn't a joking matter, and considering the fact that the older ranger had a sword on him, it was clear he was prepared for the possibility of things going south, of things ending on the violent side. Though hopefully, this could be resolved without any conflict.
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Thankfully, he wasn't given much time to think about how the mission could go before they were moving on with the mission. It seemed Josh approved of his idea, even giving him pointers on how he could make his idea better. Listening to what he had to say, he nodded before following through with what he had said, using Thunder Wave to crack the lens of the cameras to make them unusable.
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Once he had discreetly disposed of security cameras on his end, he regrouped with the gym leader. Upon meeting up with him, he noticed that he had a Salazzle out of her Pokéball. Eying the Pokémon briefly, he returned his attention to Josh for further instructions.
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Taking in what he had to say, he nodded. "Yeah, I really don't want to draw unnecessary attention to us," he agreed, waiting for the signal to go into the building, figuring he would just follow after the gym leader and his Pokémon.[break] Josh Devlin

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[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

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He was prepared for anything, his eyes fixed on the entrance of the hideout with Volt sticking close to his side. However, he couldn't see much from his position behind the gym leader, so he wasn't exactly sure what had hit the ground. Judging by the size of the thud, it couldn't have been a person; it didn't sound big enough. It also couldn't have been something very small unless it was heavy, so maybe it was a camera?
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As they all moved around the corner, he finally got to see what it was and realized that his hypothesis was correct. It had indeed been a camera, another security camera. He hoped they wouldn't come across too many of those.
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Already braced, he didn't react when he saw two rocket grunts as the doors opened. He had kind of expected to run into some of them sooner or later, so it didn't come as a surprise. After all, it would be too much to hope that they could get in and out without being noticed.
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His eyes fixed on the rocket grunts, he barely paid any attention to Volt moving past him or the actions Josh took. The rocket grunts were the most obvious threat, at least to him.
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What he wasn't expecting was the use of Bullet Seed weapons, but he made sure to keep his expression neutral. Luckily, he didn't receive any damage. The Salazzle, Josh, and Volt made sure of that. The closest he came to being hit was when one of the bullets hit the wall next to him, causing him to flinch slightly. It had sounded like a whip to him.
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Wary of any more threats, he decided enough was enough. "Volt, do you think you can send a low-powered surge of electricity to disable their weapons?"
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Not needing to be told twice, Volt moved to a position where Josh and Fire Eyes wouldn't be in the way of his attack before sending a low-powered Spark towards the automatic weapons. The plan was to use the electricity to short out the weapons without causing any harm to the grunts, or at least any serious harm, if they got caught up in the attack.[break] Josh Devlin

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[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

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The gym leader appeared completely unaffected by what was happening, which made him wonder about the kind of missions the older male had been on. However, now was not the time to ask, especially when they were in the middle of a dangerous mission.
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Ever, on the other hand, seemed unfazed as well, quickly adapting to the chaos around him. This was nothing compared to what he had experienced living with his father, which was quite sad.
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Nevertheless, the chaos was starting to get to him, causing annoyance. That's why he impulsively told Volt to disable the weaponry without considering the consequences.
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Upon hearing the explosion, he let out a displeased sigh. He hadn't intended for it to be so dramatic. His only goal was to disable the weapon and continue with the mission.
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Instead of dwelling on it, he focused on moving forward. He believed that the sooner they completed the mission, the better. There was no point in thinking about what could have been done differently, although dark thoughts still lingered.
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Pushing aside the negative thoughts, he followed the gym leader as they continued on. He remained alert, hoping to avoid any more surprises. This was unusual for him, as he typically remained guarded.
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They passed several rooms until they reached the largest one, filled with computing equipment. While Josh examined the surveillance equipment, Ever kept watch. He knew he wouldn't be much help if they were attacked, but he could at least warn the gym leader.
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As the gym leader mentioned using someone as a hostage, Ever couldn't help but wince. He didn't agree with the idea either. "It's better than trying to fight our way through," he reluctantly admitted. It would also save them time, although he chose not to mention that.
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"Does the map indicate which areas we should avoid?" he asked, curious as they prepared to follow the gym leader to their next destination. He hoped they had marked rooms with automatic weapons or security cameras.[break] Josh Devlin

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[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

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So maybe he should've gotten closer to the computers instead of keeping watch. Of course, he said that knowing that wouldn't have worked. He would've been too on edge to focus on anything that was on the screen. Too busy wondering if someone was sneaking up on them.
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Before he could return the question, the older male spoke up once more. True, that had almost ended up with them being caught. Which would've been bad. He highly doubted that would've ended well for either of them. Just the thought made him uneasy. Not that he allowed his misgivings to show. Like always, his expression was pretty neutral, giving nothing away.
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As the gym leader explained about the map, he had taken a picture of his usual impassive expression faltered, showing how incredulous he thought the whole thing was. He quickly regained his composure though before speaking. "Please tell me that the only reason they have a map you can easily go buy at the welcome center pulled up on their computer is because they have locations set up on the map that are of secret hideout like this one. Tell me they're not really that idiotic," he said, and although all of what he said was said in a lowered voice, the last part was muttered under his breath.
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He followed after him and contemplated the plan. It was a good plan. And he couldn't think of one better. It was a shame they didn't have a Pokémon on them that could just mess with the people's memories. That would've definitely come in handy.
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Since they didn't, though, he didn't give voice to that plan. Instead, he decided to give his thoughts on the older male's plan. "I must admit I'm not too keen on the idea of possibly attacking people, but at the moment I can't think of anything better, so it's the best plan we have."[break] Josh Devlin

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[attr="class","header"]EVERYDAY BY MYSELF I’M BREAKING DOWN

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While he knew it was unavoidable, he still found it hard not to react when another Rocket Grunt was taken out. At least he was only unconscious, though, and not dead. That's what he told himself anyway, to not react. Still, though, it was hard. He didn't like the idea of hurting others.
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Once one started, it was probably hard to stop. Not that he would know this firsthand. He had never raised his hand against anyone or anything in his life. It was more like that part of him that still wanted to make excuses for his father, even after all this and after everything he had done.
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Inflicting pain onto others wasn't something he could get behind, even if it was unintentional. This was where it would start. And then... he allowed his thoughts to trail off, deciding it would be best not to let his thoughts go there.
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What mattered now was finding a uniform to make himself blend in. However, before that, he had to find out exactly what was up with that map Josh had taken a picture of. He hoped it was actually something incriminating and that this hadn't all been for nothing. Though he supposed if that was the case, the gym leader wouldn't have taken a picture of it.
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Hearing that it showed potential strike points was definitely something he wasn't expecting. He didn't understand all this. Didn't understand why everyone just couldn't get along. It wouldn't be hard if people just learned to set aside their differences.
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"Hopefully they'll come up with a plan to stop them," was all he said. There was more to say, but he wouldn't dare voice it. That he wanted it to be a plan where no one got hurt, even if they were the bad guys. It was weakness to think like that. The kind of thinking that got people killed.
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Though he supposed now wasn't the time to be thinking about that. They didn't really have a lot of time to waste and needed to get into one of these uniforms. Something he wasn't really looking forward to. But beggars couldn't be choosers.
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Upon looking through the uniforms, he was quick to find one in his size. After sending a glance in the other male's direction, it was clear he had found one in his own size as well and seemed about as happy about having to put on the uniform as he was. That was obvious just by looking into the other's eyes.
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Being used to suppressing his own emotions, he wasn't really expressive with his own emotions. Instead, his own displeasure was reflected in the way he held the uniform. Like someone would hold something that was gross.
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Resisting the urge to sigh, he finally put on the uniform before turning towards the older male. As he mentioned staying alert and trying to blend in, he nodded. Hopefully, they would fool people long enough to pull off what needed to be done.[break] Josh Devlin

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