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

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He didn’t know the other people Josh mentioned. However, now was not the time to be thinking about people he hadn’t met yet being here. No, what mattered now was ensuring the older male was well. His friend Josh’s well-being was important to him.
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“I know what you mean. I thought I heard you vote earlier, but...” he trailed off, unsure how he should go about saying what he wanted. Worried he might offend one of the people he considered a friend, Josh should know him well enough to know he didn’t mean anything with what he said.
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With that in mind, he pressed on with what he had been about to say. “I was hoping that I was mistaken. I had just imagined the sound of your voice.”
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He didn’t have to see that he hated the thought of friends being in harm's way. If he knew Josh, he was pretty sure he would be thinking something along the same lines. One would be pretty heartless to not care about the possibility of their friends being hurt.
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Not that he really wanted anyone to be hurt. It was just that his friends took priority when it came to worrying. He knew them better than anyone else, after all.
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The older male's voice pulled him out of his thoughts, confusing him for a minute until he noticed the Raging Bolt. Someone else might’ve pointed out that that wasn't really Raikou. Someone who cared enough. He wasn’t that kind of person, though. Instead, he simply nodded before speaking.
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“That’s good. I managed to acquire the one that looks like Entei. They won’t be here though; they weren’t on me when I was nabbed,” he said, his thoughts straying to his gouging fire as well as the other Pokémon that hadn’t been on him during his abduction. Were they missing him?
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What about his grandparents?
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Before he could think too much about it, and because he was depressed, he mentally shook himself. Deciding a distraction was in order, he decided to get back to the original task of finding out about his companions well-being.
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"Anyway, pokemon aside, how are you? In the waking world, I mean? You’re not hurt, are you?”[break] Josh Devlin

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

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At the mention of hearing the voices of people he recognized, he couldn’t help but wince. "Yeah, aside from your voice, I thought I heard Elise Calcifet as well,” he said with a small frown. The idea that so many well-known people could be here was worrying. However, if it weren’t for some lesser-known people, he would almost think it was some planned attack against those who had some kind of standing in Hoenn.
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His gaze flickered briefly at the Raging Bolt once more, and he debated what to do. In the end, he decided to admit his own acquisition of a gouging fire. This seemed to surprise the older male, who told him they should finish such a conversation in the waking world.
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Though a bit confused, he simply nodded his acceptance before deciding to change the topic of the conversation.
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The fact that Josh had been hurt and probably poisoned was concerning. Though there was also a bit of confusion,.
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“When did that happen? I don’t remember you being among the ones to get punished.”
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Once he received an answer, he would grudgingly decide he should come clean about his well-being. He hated worrying people, but it wasn’t like he would be able to hide it upon waking anyway. It's better to just get it done and over with.
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“I’m afraid I’m not doing too well. I wasn’t able to avoid the creature while we were on cleaning duty,” he explained, finding interest in the ground.
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Knowing he would want to know how badly he was hurt and feeling he owed him for letting him know he had hurt himself, he sighed before continuing. “I believe I have a minor concussion, bruised, maybe cracked ribs, definitely not broken. I know what a broken rib feels like. Anyway, though I don’t have any broken ribs, I’m pretty sure my left arm is broken. I also have cuts along my arms. It’s not so bad, though it doesn’t even really hurt,” he said, adding on the last part to try and make light of his injuries.
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Though it wasn’t like the last part wasn’t true,.[break] Josh Devlin

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

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“If it weren’t for ordinary citizens being caught up in this mess, I would almost think it was some kind of planned attack against those who have a standing in Hoenn. You know, take away important figures among Hoenn to weaken the government. I mean, take away enough important people from the government, and cracks will begin to form,” he told the older male. However, the fact that ordinary civilians had ended up here told him that wasn’t the case.
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There was also that one thing that had been mentioned. Something about a three-day war. Or some such nonsense. His cellmate had seemed just as clueless as he was on the subject, but he figured if anyone knew what the Megalopolans were talking about, it would be Josh.
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“There is something, though. Something about a three-day war? That was their basis for all of us being brought here, or so they claimed. Except...” he trailed off, frowning.
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He hadn’t taken part in a damn war. He was pretty sure he would remember if he had. Especially if it meant going against the Megalopolans, who he hadn’t ever seen until he had been brought here.
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As the conversation circled around legendaries, he shrugged. “I’m afraid I can’t help you there. Perhaps that one kid will know. Maybe ask him when we manage to find a way back home.”
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Talking about his injuries wasn’t what he would call fun. However, it had to be done before they ended up running into each other in the waking world. “If we could just get to our Pokémon, I should be fine. Celestia should be able to heal me enough for it not to cause too many problems if we can pull that off,” he pointed out.
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“I’ll manage, I’m sure; I’m pretty good at that after all. Though I must admit, I wouldn't be so hurt if I hadn’t let my guard down. While we were only on cleaning duty, my cellmate, Elaine Highland, was attacked by the creature. When it wondered off, I went to make sure she was okay, and that’s when the creature came back,” he admitted, seeming quite angry with himself.
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He still couldn’t believe he fell for such a ploy.[break] Josh Devlin

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

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None of what Josh said sounded familiar. It definitely didn’t happen in the years he had been here. It had been around three years since he had come here—almost four. I would’ve definitely remembered something like what Josh was telling him happened, no matter the kind of headspace he had been in when he arrived.
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“I moved here around three years ago, so I haven’t been here as long as some others,” he explained, his expression thoughtful. "Still, they’re the ones who invaded. What did they expect people to do? Just roll over and allow them to take over. It’s not like Hoenn attacked first; they were provoked and retaliated in kind,” he pointed out, keeping his tone neutral, not that that wasn’t the way he usually spoke.
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There wasn’t much they could do on their own. That had been proven when one of the prisoners had been killed when they had first woken up here. They were pretty powerless without their Pokémon.
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At the mention of being too fast for capture while on his Pokémon, he nodded. “I’m used enough to having to evade maneuvers that catching me while I ride a Pokémon isn’t an easy feat either,” he told the gym leader. Not unless he flew directly towards their captures anyway. Which he definitely wouldn’t do. This wasn’t like those Wingulls he had faced off against.
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At the inquiry, he nodded. "Yeah, though I doubt it has any control over what it does. The creature is as much a prisoner here as we are, maybe even more so since it seems they are nothing but a puppet here,” he said, frowning at the thought of being a puppet. Just the thought made him shudder.
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Puppet or not, just the thought that Josh had avoided serious injury was a relief. “I’m just glad you haven’t gotten hurt. As for the creature, it’s stronger than it looks, that’s for sure. Strong enough to send me flying, though that may be due to it catching me off guard,” he admitted, wincing inwardly.
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“If we could find a way to free it, I’m sure it would be useful to us. I don’t see any reason for them to have turned it into a puppet unless they were wary of it. Something tells me the creature could easily oppose the three wardens,” he told the gym leader.
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Of course, freeing the creature would be easier said than done.[break] Josh Devlin

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

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“I came to live with my grandparents when I was sixteen. It was pretty late in the year, though, during the late fall. As injured as I was, I had to heal enough for the doctors to feel comfortable enough to release me into their custody. And then after I was, I still had to recover, though considering I’ve never been good at the whole bed rest thing, I probably set my healing back a bit,” he admitted with a shrug.
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All in all, considering that the first year had been spent in recovery, he wasn’t sure if he could really count it. He only did it because, technically speaking, he had been in Hoenn for three years, even if that first year was spent with his grandmother threatening to staple him to the bed if he didn’t stop wandering off. Of course, it had only been an empty threat.
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At the mention of Lesser Megalopolis, he frowned. “I haven’t really been near any of those rifts. My grandparents would say I get myself into enough danger without purposefully seeking it out. However, I’m an explorer at heart, so it’s only a given that I would end up in dangerous situations.”
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When living with his father, he had kind of been confined. He was only able to stay around Hammerlocke unless his father went somewhere. He hated not going where he pleased. There was a reason he had wanted to be a trainer when he was younger, after all.
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The conversation would soon turn to riding ability. “I’ll consider it. I feel that I will need to let my arm heal before that can happen. If I really had to, I could probably guide Rook or any of my other Pokémon with only one hand, but probably not well enough to race with them,” he pointed out.
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“If we’re left here too long, I’m afraid they’ll have to rebreak my arm,” he confessed. There was no way to keep the bone in place, so the likelihood of the bone starting to heal incorrectly was high. If that happened, his arm would need to be broken again to fix it.
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At the idea of working together, he nodded. “I could coordinate with everyone as long as I’m not expected to hurt anyone. Knocking our captures back is one thing, but purposefully harming them is another. I refuse to lower myself to their level.”
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He wouldn’t be his father.[break] Josh Devlin

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

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He didn’t want to think of it like that. They might not have a choice. For so long, he had convinced himself that someone could control the way things turned out. And in his mind, that meant always sticking to your values. To your morals. If he didn’t have that, then what did he have?
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The mention of perhaps having to resort to killing made him flinch slightly. It was barely noticeable unless one was really paying attention. And probably not unless one knew him well.
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“It’s not just hurting people or even the prospect of killing people that’s the problem. I promised myself I would never be like my father. I worry that if I allow myself to hurt someone, that will be the first step in becoming the kind of person my father was.”
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Worry was putting it lightly. He was afraid of the idea of becoming like his father. However, he would never openly admit to being scared of anything. It was in him to ever admit to something like that.[break] Josh Devlin

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