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

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Until three years ago, correspondence with his grandparents had been few and far between. Partly because they lived in Hoenn, and partly because his father hadn't cared for him talking to his grandparents, even if it was just through letters. He was well aware that his father had only allowed the letter exchange to keep his grandparents happy and to stop them from asking questions.
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Because of that, he had been surprised when his father allowed him to sign up for a pen pal program when he was seven, though he had to admit he had been closer to eight. It had been especially surprising since the idea had come from his grandparents. An idea they had had after he had mentioned in one of his letters that he mostly kept to himself. Mistaking this as shyness, his grandparents had suggested a pen pal program, and he hadn't corrected them.
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He had kept up a steady correspondence with one person, usually only telling him trivial stuff and never anything too personal. Anytime he was asked about more personal matters, he had kept his responses vague or would claim to be a private person, which wasn't exactly a lie. It had still made him feel a bit bad, though.
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His guilt only got worse when he forgot about his pen pal for a time. It wasn't until he had gotten a letter from the other about him moving to Hoenn that he even gave some thought to his pen pal. And the fact he was coming to Hoenn had him acting before he could think.
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Telling the other he was in Hoenn himself, somehow it had turned into them meeting in person. Not that he really minded, but he knew that he wasn't the nicest person. In fact, he had been called a number of names before, the most popular being asshole. Hopefully, the older male wouldn't be too disappointed when he met him in person.
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Realizing he had become wrapped up in his own thoughts, he shook his head to clear his thoughts. The designated meeting place was Dewford, so he had decided to ride Jet to the island. Not the usual Pokémon he would ride, but one he was hoping to get a closer bond with. Though his other Pokémon was on his person, safely tucked away in their Pokéballs. He was too paranoid to go around with just one Pokémon.
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As he began to near the island town, he began to look in earnest for his pen pal. Luckily, due to receiving pictures of him over the years, he knew what he looked like. Spotting him, he guided Jet to where the older male was before dismounting once he was close enough to the shore.
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As he faced the older male, he took in his appearance, noticing his clothing choice was more simple. Ever had chosen to go with a blue button-up, close to the color of his eyes, over a pair of dark blue jeans. Though one would notice he had opted to leave the button-up completely open to reveal the black undershirt underneath.
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"Hello, I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long," he said, his gaze flickering briefly down to the Staryu. "Getting some training in?" he inquired, looking back up at the older male.[break] Caleb Kahilii

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

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To his relief, he hadn't kept the older male waiting, not that he showed he was relieved. Instead, he just seemed to focus on what else the older male had to say. As he explained that the Staryu was new to the team and he wanted to train up its surf attack, he nodded in understanding.
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"Jet is pretty new to my team as well. His training isn't much of a problem, though. I just wanted a chance to bond with him," he explained, indicating the Sharpedo. While he preferred the company of Rook, he did try to give all of his Pokémon ample bonding time. He didn't want any of his Pokémon to feel that he didn't care about them.
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That's why, even when he had dismounted from Jet, he allowed the Sharpedo to remain outside his Pokéball. "It's nice to officially meet you as well. My name is Ever Blackwell, and this is Jet," he said as he ran his hand along the top of the Pokémon's head. It was clear he cared deeply for his Pokémon, even if his expression remained completely neutral.[break] Caleb Kahilii

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

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He shook the other's hand and nodded along to what he said. "Yeah, most of my Pokémon are fairly new though. The Pokémon I've had the longest are my Corviknight and Zebstrika, all the others haven't been with me long," he explained, his attention fixed on the Sharpedo as he spoke.
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Hearing the question, he turned his attention back towards him. "I came to Hoenn to live with my grandparents three years ago. They were young when they had my mother, so some people tend to think they're my parents," he told the younger male. What he said was true. His grandmother had been eighteen and his grandfather had been nineteen when his mother was born. So they were both in their fifties.
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Thinking of his mother made him think of his father. Thankfully, before he could think too much of those times, he was pulled out of his thoughts by the older male's exclamation. Coming out of his thoughts, he watched the interaction between the older male and his Pokémon.
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Sports. He couldn't say he had ever really gotten into sports. Full-contact sports wouldn't have been a good idea when he was continually getting injured. There was also the fact that his own father had seen them as a waste of time. In fact, he had had the sporting channels locked on the television and wouldn't have reacted well if he had ever seen him watching sports.
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"I actually don't know much about sports. Perhaps you could give me a crash course on the world of sports one of these days," he suggested. Though he hadn't had much interest in the subject when he was younger, he was the adventurous type and did enjoy learning new things. Perhaps he would get an appreciation for the subject if he could see it from the point of view of someone around his age.
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Though the talk of sports had momentarily distracted him, that didn't mean he had forgotten the older male's question. So after the small discussion about sports, he answered his question. "I've recently joined up with the rangers. I'm still in training, but I hope to be able to make a difference. I'm also a photographer on the side."[break] Caleb Kahilii

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

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"Rook, my Corviknight, is my longest companion. I've had him since I was ten. I found him as a Rookidee. Volt, my Zebstrika, I caught as a Blitzle three years ago. All my others I've caught more recently. With the exception of Celestia, my Galarian Rapidash, she just showed up as a Galarian Ponyta one day," he explained upon hearing the other speak of his own Pokémon companions.
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As the other male mentioned his devotion to sports, he nodded. Ten hours wasn't anything. Then again, Ever was someone who would stay up days on end. He went out of his way to avoid sleeping and saw nothing wrong with it. He was the guy who always had to have something to do and wouldn't know what it was like to take it easy if it hit him over the head.
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"That would be great. I don't mind a bit of a workout. A bit of a workout does the body some good. And all I see when it comes to sports is just another way to work out," he said, ignoring the little voice in the back of his head that told him he shouldn't push himself too hard.
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Any kind of compliment was still new to him, and he had to resist the urge to duck his head like some bashful kid. He had gotten through life not showing his emotions; he couldn't allow himself to let that slip now. Even if he didn't think Caleb would try to use his emotions against him, it was too ingrained in him not to allow his emotions to show, no matter the circumstances.
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Still, he had to get a grip on the embarrassment that was trying to make itself known. Luckily, he managed to do that before he spoke again. "Keeping Pokémon safe, that's my main goal. I want to help Pokémon. Some might wonder why not be a Pokémon doctor then. But I want to do more than that. Tending to injured Pokémon is all well and good, but I want to try and keep Pokémon from getting unnecessarily hurt if I can."
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The cop part of his question needed more thought. He couldn't just say my father used me as his own punching bag, and the thought of running into someone like that makes me break out in a cold sweat. Nope, no way could he say something like that. All that would get him was the older male's pity, and he didn't want his pity.
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So he needed another answer. He supposed he could stick to some of the truth but not the whole truth. Yes, that is what he would do.
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"As for why I decided to be a ranger and not an officer... I would rather not get up close and personal with really bad people if I can help it. I know as a ranger it can't be fully avoided, but officers tend to deal more with keeping the really messed up people at bay than rangers do."[break] Caleb Kahilii

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

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He supposed so...
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But he didn't see it the same way.
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Telling him that he cared more about Pokémon than most people didn't seem like the best idea, even if it was true.
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There was also the fact that he didn't have the highest regard for his own life. Being a doctor was all well and good, but to him, it was kind of boring. Seriously, where was the thrill in just tending to someone's wounds compared to trying to tame wild Pokémon?
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Sure, there were poachers and trappers...
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But he honestly felt that the good outweighed the bad.
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"I suppose..." he said finally before continuing. "Rangers are still rarely on the front lines, though. Not like officers and soldiers. I suppose if someone really, really, really pissed me off, I wouldn't have a problem punching them in the face. But that's a big maybe."
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"Let's try another approach. I don't want to kill. Knock them out, tie them up, throw them in an underground cell so they never see the light of day again, I don't care. I'd rather not kill."
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He cared a lot about Pokémon.
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He wanted to keep them safe.
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In the long run, wasn't that all that mattered?[break] Caleb Kahilii

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