[attr="class","header"]LIVE LIFE FOR YOU NOT FOR OTHERS

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He hated holidays. It had always just been a lonely experience for him. His dad had always had business at the time, so holidays had always been him spending his time alone in a hotel room. Years of that had led to him just not wanting to get out and about and just hole himself up in his house, ignoring his phone anytime it rang since he hadn’t wanted to talk to anyone.
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Instead, he had just focused on practicing his dance routines. Trying to perfect a routine he had already perfected. His excuse would be that there was no such thing as practice. Not unless he was to collapse from exhaustion or something. Which he wasn’t usually careless enough to do.
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Nebula had had enough of this though and had pawed at him until he had gotten out of bed that morning fairly early. Knowing the Absol wouldn’t stop, he had gotten ready for the day. Which had involved a quick shower and him getting dressed in his usual type of outfit, just with a rain jacket over it.
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That had all been hours ago and now he was making his way through one of the routes close to Rustboro. It wasn’t lost on him that he probably wasn’t too far from Niky. He supposed he could swing by and see him. He just hoped he hadn’t been one of the ones trying to get ahold of him. He knew Mikael had been, since he had been close enough once to see his name come up.
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The sound of music pulled him out of his thoughts, causing him to stop in surprise. The sound wasn’t far from him, so he wondered if he should go check it out. Before he could think too much on it, Nebula seemed to make that decision for him and started heading in that direction.
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He stared after the Absol in surprise before hurrying after her. He was about ready to scold her when he noticed just who she was leading him to. Scolding momentarily forgotten, he stopped to listen to the older male play and sing.
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“That was amazing,” he said with a smile before seeming to remember the reason he had come across the older male. Smiling falling off his face, he turned towards the Absol, giving her an annoyed look. “And you shouldn’t have run off like that,” he scolded.
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Nebula, for her part, didn’t seem to be fazed by her owner's annoyance. Noticing this, Jade sighed before turning his attention back to Niky.
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“I wasn’t expecting to run into you out here,” he told him, his gaze flickering briefly to the Larvesta who had subconsciously given a wide berth.[break] Niky Racz

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[attr="class","header"]LIVE LIFE FOR YOU NOT FOR OTHERS

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Startling him hadn't been his intention, and he gave him an apologetic look. He didn't pay much attention to the Larvesta, though, knowing Nebula would protect him if need be. Nebula was good about that, considering how protective of him he was.
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As Niky went on to talk about Karens, he couldn't help but wince with sympathy. He had dealt with plenty of Karens in his life. Just not for the holiday. Or any holiday, really. Just some people he had met over the years who didn't approve of the way he was living his life.
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"Sorry to hear that. Dealing with those types of people is never fun. I usually don't leave the house during holidays, so I haven't had the problem over the holiday," he told him. Nope, he had just been fairly lonely. But resigned to the way things were to do anything about it. Not that he was about to admit that to the older male. There were just some things a person didn't talk about.
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As the question was returned to help, he couldn't help but shoot a glance towards Nebula.
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"Nebula was itching to go for a walk," he said, ignoring the look Nebula shot him. It was as much of a pointed glare as a Pokémon could give.
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A glare that some people gave to someone who wasn't being completely honest.[break] Niky Racz

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[attr="class","header"]LIVE LIFE FOR YOU NOT FOR OTHERS

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The comment brought a laugh out of him. "You should definitely, one time, turn around when they ask for the manager like you're going to go get the manager before turning around and letting them know you are the manager. I bet the look on their face would be priceless."
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His attention would momentarily go to the Larvesta. The fact that she helped her owner was great but... "Have you ever had anyone shoplift because they had fallen on hard times and needed the money they could get from reselling it?" he asked curiously.
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He had heard many tales of homeless kids. Tales that just tore his heart apart. What must it be like to struggle to feed yourself?
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At the comment, he nodded. "Well yeah, but they all have families of their own and I wouldn't want to impose. Besides, I'm used to it. My father always had business meetings during the holidays."
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Though just because he was used to it didn't mean it didn't hurt. He longed to be around others for what was usually a happy time. But since he didn't want people to worry about him, he usually acted all nonchalant about the whole ordeal, like it didn't bother him.
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Talking about his emotions wasn't his forte. His dad had never been the affectionate sort, and while he could be affectionate when the time called for it, he had never gotten the hang of communicating his feelings.
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So no, he wouldn't be telling Niky he had been depressed. Besides, guys just didn't do stuff like that.
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"She can look at me anyway she wants. I've said my piece," he said, glancing over at Nebula.
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At the mention of another song, he nodded. "That would be great," he would say as he got ready to listen to another song. And once it was over he would clap. "That was great, does your sister often sing duets with you?" he would ask as he remembered that he had said he had song this song with his sister originally.[break] Niky Racz

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[attr="class","header"]LIVE LIFE FOR YOU NOT FOR OTHERS

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"Sounds interesting," he agreed, thinking about how people might react to not being served. Some people just needed to be humbled. As far as he was concerned, the saying 'the customer is always right' wasn't always accurate, especially if said customer acted like the store workers were servants.
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He supposed he had a point. Still, he wondered if it was always that simple. Sometimes the reasons behind someone's actions weren't always clear. "I suppose so, but I feel bad if it's a kid," he said at last. Kids ruining their lives over things like that just had a way of making him feel bad.
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When his family was mentioned not caring, he winced slightly. "I think my dad had a falling out with his side of the family when he got my mom pregnant when they weren't married, or at least that's what my dad told me. So I never met either side of my family," he told the older male with a small shrug. He didn't really care; he had left that life behind him.
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Deciding not to dwell on it too much, he instead listened to the song by the older male. As Niky answered his question, he listened to what she had to say. "Sounds like good bonding moments. Makes me wish I had a sibling of my own."[break] Niky Racz

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[attr="class","header"]LIVE LIFE FOR YOU NOT FOR OTHERS

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He supposed that was good. Still, for a kid to resort to stealing, that was still hard. Either the parents weren’t parenting their child, weren’t being treated well, or were orphans. I couldn’t really picture someone coming from a loving home as being a thief, not unless they grew up entitled, and even then, that was a bit of a stretch.
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“It’s good they don’t immediately get shipped off to Juvie or jail,” he said at last.
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Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that children stealing spoke of a troubled upbringing. It wasn’t a topic he really knew how to broach. Sure, he spoke of his less than pleasant upbringing, but that didn’t mean he really knew how to talk about it.
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Growing up, he had been torn between wanting a sibling and not wanting one. A sibling would’ve meant having someone to talk to. However, a sibling would’ve just been someone else for his dad to be disappointed in. Someone else for his father to deride.
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If he wasn't absolutely sure his father wasn’t fond of children, he might have imagined a sibling being the child his father wanted. This imaginary sibling got all his father's attention while he got none. However, he was well aware that wouldn’t happen.
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So while part of him had wanted a sibling, a much bigger part of him realized it was a good thing he didn’t.
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As he mentioned his sister trying to pressure him into returning to show business, he couldn’t help but wince. He knew what it was like to be pressured. His father had done it all the time. Always trying to pressure him into conforming to what he thought was best.
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“Sorry to hear that; it’s not nice to be pressured. Though I doubt your sister is doing it for malicious reasons, I’m assuming you had a real hard time after the accident,” he said, the last part being said a bit hesitantly.
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He wasn’t trying to pry. However, he did have a bit of a theory on why his sister might be trying to pressure him into returning to his singing career.[break] Niky Racz

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[attr="class","header"]LIVE LIFE FOR YOU NOT FOR OTHERS

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It was just as he thought. The sister probably found it hard to believe he could just be okay now. Seeing her brother sink into depression must have been hard for her. With depression like that, it would be hard for some people to believe that they could just be over it. And some people did hide depression behind smiles; it could be that his sister assumed her brother did the same. And to remedy the depression her brother wasn’t really in, the sister thought getting back into the spotlight was the answer.
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“You’re strong. Stronger than I would be if the situation were reversed,” he told him. He was sure if his dream was ripped away, he wouldn’t have been able to just accept it.
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At the mention of having a Pokémon battle with his sister, he couldn’t help but be a bit amused. “Is your sister much of a trainer?” he inquired before continuing. “I must admit I’ve never been one for battling, but my Pokémon seem to enjoy it, so that may change.”
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The next question was a bit of a surprise, especially considering his comment about moving past sad things. “Yes, practicing routines helps cheer me up, at least for a bit. However, depending on what has me down, the feelings often return after I’m done with practicing my routine,” he admitted.
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"Ah, but sad feelings never last. They eventually fade away. So even if performing my routine doesn’t fully make me feel better, I know I will eventually feel better,” he told the older man, shooting the blonde a grin.[break] Niky Racz

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[attr="class","header"]LIVE LIFE FOR YOU NOT FOR OTHERS

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Yeah, his father definitely wouldn’t have won a father of the year award. Sure, his father hadn’t ever hit him, but he had been cold. He had one thought of asking his father if he had been part of the military but had held off, not wanting to do something to get his father to snap at him. One of the easiest ways to get his father to yell at him was to inquire about his past; his father, like him, was a fairly private person.
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“I suppose so; honestly, I try not to think about my father too much. He never raised his hand against me, but he was cold,” he said with a small shrug. Things could’ve been worse; he was well aware of this, so he tried not to let it get him down. Besides, despite his upbringing, he had grown up just fine.
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He had to admit he had never really understood the type specialist. Wouldn’t it be better to have a well-rounded team? Even his own team was pretty well rounded, though he supposed he did sometimes have more than one of the same type on his team, though if he planned on battling someone he would switch up his team before the battle to sure he had a varied team.
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“I try to keep my own team varied. Though I’ve really only been able to apply that method when it comes to catching wild Pokémon. It’s that reason I haven’t had a Pokémon get knocked out by a wild Pokémon though,” he commented, thinking about how he had often used type advantage to his advantage when it came to catching wild Pokémon, something that could easily be applied to battling another person’s pokemon.
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Returning to the city would probably be best. Maybe get something to eat upon returning, probably to go so he didn’t have to deal with a crowd of people. “Yes, let’s head back,” he decided at last.[break] Niky Racz

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