[attr="class","header"]WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER

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It was a lovely day outside, and since he had no prior commitments, he had decided to spend the day riding around Hoenn on his Pokémon. As usual, his chosen mount was Mirage, his Hisuian Zoroark. While he would sometimes ride one of his other Pokémon, Mirage was usually the one he went for since he had the strongest bond with him out of all his Pokémon.
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He was enjoying the rush of Mirage using agility to surpass his top speed when the sound of voices reached him. Curious, he gave Mirage's reins a gentle tug to cause him to slow down before looking around. It was, of course, Mirage who would pick up the scent of the other person and her Pokémon, and he would allow Mirage to take them in that direction.
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Soon enough, they would come across a girl, perhaps a few years older than him, and her Pokémon. From the way she was dressed, he could only assume she had been on a run or that she had been doing some sort of training.
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"Hello, sorry to intrude. I wasn't really expecting to run into anyone out here," he said, swinging himself off of Mirage. If she was paying attention, she might notice he sounded a little breathless and that he was a little flushed, showing he was still riding the high of having Mirage go as fast as he could.[break] Thea Naito

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[attr="class","header"]WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER

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He supposed that by "that" she meant they were on a break. Still, it was good to know he wasn't bothering her. His return smile was a bit awkward, as he still felt a little uncomfortable around people his own age due to the isolation he had experienced before coming to Hoenn.
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To distract himself, he allowed his gaze to trail over their surroundings. He noticed the Pokémon she had with her: a Minccino, a Primeape, and a...
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The last one that caught his attention was a Wigglytuff. Before he could mention that he had one himself, the girl returned from looking through her bag.
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The offer of water caught him off guard, but he accepted it with a nod. "Thanks," he said as he reached into his own bag and pulled out what seemed to be a small bowl. If it wasn't already obvious what he was going to do, it soon became clear when he placed the bowl in front of Mirage and poured some of the water into it.
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Only after taking care of Mirage did he take a drink himself. "Thanks, he's a Hisuian Zoroark. He's the one I've had the longest," he explained.
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"His name is Mirage," he added in response to her question.[break] Thea Naito

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[attr="class","header"]WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER

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"Yeah, I caught him as a Zorua when I was ten. Well, I say caught, but he technically chose me after me and my sister saved him from some other Pokémon that had ganged up on him. I tended to his injuries while my sister chased off the Pokémon. However, with how protective he is of me, one wouldn’t think there was a time he needed saving,” he explained, a chuckle escaping him when he said the last part.
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Mirage was probably his closest friend. Sure, he had human friends now, but he would never be as close to them as he would Mirage. With Mirage, he felt he could talk about anything.
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"Yeah, I wouldn’t know what to do if something happened to him. We kind of just look out for each other. Outside of my siblings, he was my first friend, so we’re pretty close.”
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As she introduced her Pokémon, her gaze flickered at them. Before she said anything, she was already introducing herself. “It’s nice to meet you, Gominha, Zeus, Belle, and Thea,” he said with a friendly smile before continuing. “And my name is Absalom, but I also go by Axel.”[break] Thea Naito

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[attr="class","header"]WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER

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“He really is,” he agreed, looking at the Hisuian Zoroark fondly. While he loved all his Pokémon, Mirage would always be special to him for being his first friend outside of his family. Sure, the spectral fox couldn’t exactly respond back to him, but he almost felt like Pokémon would listen to what a person had to say without judging the person.
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Deciding to move on with the introductions, he introduced himself to the older ten. At the compliment, his fact heated up a bit in embarrassment. "Thanks, I really like the name Thea as well,” he mumbled clearly, a bit flustered from the compliment. Growing up, the way he had getting compliments wasn’t something he was really used to since, until about four years ago, he hadn’t really interacted with anyone outside his family.
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Luckily the conversation topic changed, and his embarrassment died down. "Oh, I like taking walks through nature, or should I say rides through nature,” he said with a small chuckle when he uttered the last comment. “I was never allowed out much when I was younger, so I like to make the most of it when I can, and nature is very interesting.”[break] Thea Naito

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