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The wait didn’t take long, and before he knew it, the man at the front desk was telling him the gym leader was ready to see him. A fact that made him a bit nervous.
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Pushing down his nerves, he got up, directing a nod towards Kevin. “Thank you,” he murmured softly before making his way to the elevator to the left, pushing the button to the third floor once he had boarded.
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The ride wasn’t a long one, and before he knew it, he was following the directions he had been given to the gym leader's office. Upon arrival, he would be met with a spacious room filled with memorabilia of Raikou, which was definitely not something he was expecting.
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Knowing there were more important matters, he refocused his mind, focusing his mind on the other things he could see instead. Like the larger-than-average Umbreon and the large Raikou Plush, the gym leader was currently on.
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Putting the Umbreon in the back of his mind, he made his way closer to the gym leader. Seeing that he seemed lost in thought, he realized he would probably have to speak up.
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“Umm, excuse me, I’m here for the interview,” he said, forcing himself to speak at a moderate volume.[break] Josh Devlin

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[attr="class","header"]THAT’S HOW SUPERHEROS LEARN TO FLY

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Getting his attention didn’t take much effort, and before long, the older male was greeting him. “Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said once it was clear he had the dark-haired man’s attention.
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Before he could respond to the older male's comment about being early, the older male’s hand entering his field of vision distracted him. Though he was aware of proper etiquette and how shaking hands was part of that, he still couldn’t help but feel uneasy. After all, physical contact was still physical contact, no matter what form it took.
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“Sorry, I’m afraid I’m not the biggest fan of physical contact,” he said, his tone apologetic and his smile somewhat self-deprecating. It wasn’t like he could help the way he felt, but it still left him with mixed feelings, even so.
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Not wanting things to become awkward, he just decided to move on with the conversation. “M..Josh,” that was going to take some getting used to. He wasn’t used to being so informal with someone he considered superior.
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“My name’s Beckett; Beck works just as well, though,” he said, pausing to give a polite dip of his head to the older male before continuing on. “As for the position I’m interested in, I’ve heard you’re hoping to add a few Pokémon caretakers to your roster,” he commented as he sat down in the chair in front of the desk, having momentarily forgotten that he was still standing.
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Sitting would also keep him from fidgeting too much while he spoke. He was just lucky he had been able to refrain from stumbling over his words or speaking inaudibly.[break] Josh Devlin

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[attr="class","header"]THAT’S HOW SUPERHEROS LEARN TO FLY

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“Just with people,” he mentioned upon hearing the question. “I find petting Pokémon to be kind of therapeutic,” he explained, hoping that would be a good enough response to get him to believe that taking care of all the Pokémon’s needs wouldn’t be a problem.
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Large Pokémon didn’t bother him. After all, Sesi was bigger than the average Ninetales. Seeing the Alolan Ninetales every day made him often forget that, especially when one didn’t have a normal-sized Ninetale to compare to. Really, the only reason he would know it was bigger than average was because his friend had said as much.
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“Large Pokémon don’t bother me. There’s never been a Pokémon I really have a problem with. I mean, I have my preferences when it comes to Pokémon I obtain for myself, but that doesn't mean I don’t enjoy the other Pokémon,” he explained, trying not to sound as awkward as he felt.
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To him, it was really hard to put into words how he felt. Outside of his friend, he really wasn’t used to talking to people. And he was sure it showed.
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The next question would be a relief. Now that was one he could easily answer without feeling awkward. Well, awkward. “Not really; you might find this surprising, but I’m pretty shy. I’ve never been the best at approaching people, especially if it’s to get something I want.”
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There was that, but there were other reasons. He didn’t want to make someone mad at him. Nor did he want someone to say that they had lost. There was also the fact that he wasn’t fond of confrontation, but that often conflicted with his habit of putting others needs and desires before his own, and that included his Pokémon. So, in other words, if they wanted to battle, he wouldn’t get in their way.
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An even easier question to answer. And one that wouldn’t be awkward in any way or form. "Unfortunately, I only have two at the moment. Though I’m hoping to acquire more in the future, I have a Hisuian Braviary and an Alonan Ninetales. Sora, my braviary, is one of the bravest Pokémon I’ve ever met. He’s also fairly confident. Basically, he’s everything I wish I was. He’s a protective sort as well, more towards me than anyone else, but he’s not opposed to helping someone out of a tight spot if he has to. Sesi, I would say, is gentle and compassionate and would be the acting mother of my Pokémon. While I take care of my Pokémon, she makes sure I take care of myself as well.”
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It was clear from the way he spoke that he was very fond of his Pokémon. To the point that he had probably given more information than was required.[break] Josh Devlin

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[attr="class","header"]THAT’S HOW SUPERHEROS LEARN TO FLY

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“I do have some past experience with tending to the needs of other pokemon. For awhile, I worked for a wealthy man. One of my tasks was tending to the needs of his Pokémon. I would say my task was pretty similar to that of a butler,” he explained. That was putting it lightly, without the darker side of what he had really been to Val and without him really lying.
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At the mention of his lack of gym badges, he debated how best to answer. “No, I’m originally from Kanto. And I didn’t get ahold of any Pokémon of my own until after I had come to Hoenn,” he admitted before continuing. “Though I wouldn’t be opposed to taking the gym circuit.”
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The fact that he wouldn’t necessarily be expected to have a badge was definitely surprising. But what he had been hoping for. He was hoping that he could acquire the gym badges at a later date if he had to. And even though it didn’t seem like it would be necessarily required, he made note of looking into taking part in the gym challenge anyway.
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The questions gave him pause. He has never been the most confident person, but he supposes he should just speak from the heart. “A small part of me has always envied trainers. Growing up, I didn’t have the same freedom to just go off and be a trainer. As silly as it sounds, I feel that working at a gym will give me the feeling of making a childhood dream come true. Of course I’ve moved past dreams of grandeur, but it’s still a nice thought.”
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Like most kids, he had dreamed of becoming a Pokémon master. Or becoming a gym leader. Or champion. But his upbringing had quickly dashed those dreams.
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“I’ve always had a deep appreciation for Pokémon. There’s so much a Pokémon can do. I’ve never seen them as just tools but as companions or even family. And I would like to believe that family should be everything. But that’s only part of it. I’ve always been the type to put others needs before my own, and I like having someone to take care of.”
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Hopefully, his response will work as an answer. He hadn’t sounded too sappy, had he?[break] Josh Devlin

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Val’s Pokémon as long as any of his so-called business partners. He had to tend to all of their Pokémon. Most of the time, without any help, they didn’t have a large amount of Pokémon. Together, it might have been twenty Pokémon, maybe a bit more, which, considering the fact he hadn’t a lot of energy, was a good thing.
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Seeing no point in continuing to harp on past experiences taking care of Val’s pokemon, he simply nodded. Talking about his past was starting to make him a bit uncomfortable, but he knew the fact that he had experience taking care of Pokémon would come in handy.
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To his relief, the older male seemed to agree with his sentiment. He wasn’t sure what he would do if Josh only saw Pokémon as tools. “Exactly. There are too many people who see themselves as above Pokemon,” he said, seeming saddened by the fact.
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So far, it seemed he was doing well, if the way the gym leader was reacting was any indication. Even so, he was still never guilty of messing things up in some way. The next line of questioning gave him pause. Purposefully looking back wasn’t something he did very often, much preferring to look forward; however, he could understand why something more recent would need to be provided. Out of all the stuff, he could say there was one that stood out.
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“Over the past few years, I’ve found music can have a calming effect on animals. I’m musically inclined, being able to play instruments such as guitar, violin, and the ocarina. I’ve never had the confidence to go up on stage and perform, though, so I’ve made do with playing for my Pokémon and best friend. Every now and then, my Pokémon will have trouble settling down at night, so I’ll play a bit of guitar or a few notes on one of the other instruments so I can calm them enough to be able to go to sleep. I’ve used my musical abilities to calm agitated Pokemon,” he explained to the leader.
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He wasn’t a hundred percent sure how to explain. Probably because he didn’t fully understand how his music could have such an affect on Pokémon. But if, on the off chance, any of Josh’s Pokémon ever became agitated, they could come in use.[break] Josh Devlin

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[attr="class","header"]THAT’S HOW SUPERHEROS LEARN TO FLY

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If he weren’t so fixated on bird Pokémon and other flying types, as well as Vulpix and Ninetales, he would probably have been a collector of Pokémon that had musical talent. There were definitely Pokémon outside of bird Pokémon that could carry a tune in this form of fashion.
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“I like Pokémon I can soar through the air with, so probably,” he agreed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. There was no greater freedom, in his opinion, than to take to the skies with his Pokémon.
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Of course, he had a deep admiration for Pokémon in general. But like everyone else, he had his preferences when it came to the Pokémon he owned. Even he, with his gentle disposition, wasn’t an exception to that.
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The next line of questioning made him think.
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Like strengths and weaknesses? He couldn’t think of a specific moment off the top of his head when it came to personal success or personal failure. Well, he could, but both are stuff he kept hidden, like his work as an author when it came to personal successes or his life before coming to Hoenn when it came to personal failures.
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“I guess I regret not being able to do more when Rocket invaded Kanto. I’ve never been big on confrontation, so I ran. I didn’t have Pokémon at the time, but I could’ve done more. You know, you helped people evacuate,” he told him, frowning slightly. With how old he was at the time, keeping that as a regret was probably unfair. However, deep down, he would also be the type of person who cared deeply for other people.
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Personal failures weren’t hard to think of, but successes were. After some thought, he thought of something. “Due to growing up in poverty, I never had the means to get a formal education. So things like reading or writing are self-taught; other basic skills like cooking are self-taught as well.” He had mostly learned to cook from watching others but had never actually been formally educated.
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“So I guess that makes me versatile,” he finished. He had always had to adapt, even if that meant teaching himself stuff he should’ve had to learn as a child.[break] Josh Devlin

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