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[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD FLETCHLING APPEARED!

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Rhys nearly bobbled his yogurt cup as a Fletchling alighted on the other end of the bench, canting her head and tweeting inquisitively at the man. Gaius growled lowly, turning to lumber toward the small bird, but Rhys waved him off. Digging into his pocket and coming up empty, Rhys crouched over slightly to rifle through his satchel, eventually withdrawing a safari ball which he tossed lazily at the Flying-type, capturing it in a spray of light.
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Satisfied, he took another bite of his frozen yogurt and scrolled a few pages further in his tablet. "Weird, though, it references a draconic language. What do you make of that?" He asked of his Nidoking, who responds with another blank stare. Rhys sighed, rolling his eyes. Granted, pokemon were not necessarily the best conversational partners, but he felt strongly that if another human were joining him at this particular moment of time his yogurt spoon would end up in their eye socket.
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Wait, that wasn't right. Calm, cool, collected. Think of the chocolate chips.

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[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD MIENFOO APPEARED!

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Rhys's next round of reading was interrupted by the ground shaking.
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Wait, that wasn't supposed to happen.
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He looked around in bewilderment, setting his eyes on Gaius, who had unleashed an EARTHQUAKE that sent a curious Mienfoo scampering in the opposite direction with a squeak. Sighing, he thumbed the power button on his tablet and folded the case closed, reaching down to stuff it into his satchel. It was just as well - the idea of taking a break in the Safari Zone had not been an unsound one, but it wasn't the best environment for quiet reading.
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"Alright, we'll keep moving," he assured his Nidoking, standing from the bench and slinging his satchel over his shoulder. Fortunately, his yogurt was finished, at least, but what to do with the cup? He didn't see a trash container in any direction, which was...well, inconvenient.
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Screw it. Was he a member of a feared and respected terrorist organization bent on world domination or not?
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He crumpled the cup and threw it over his shoulder, setting off down the path. He didn't even feel guilty for it.

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[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD VAROOM APPEARED!

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Actually being able to walk did wonders for Rhys's stiff muscles; he hadn't realized how sore he was until he got moving again. To be fair, he'd had an eventful several weeks, and with the S.P.E.C.T.R.A. Gauntlet on the horizon, he didn't have time to rest on his laurels. As far as pokemon-to-pokemon contests went, he had confidence in his ability to navigate the situation.
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Person-to-person battles, however, were another matter, and Rhys was not fool enough to assume that there was no one in his organization who would stoop to such tactics if it meant eking out a win. He'd read the books, of course, and watched a few videos on the subject, but in this instance studying was no match for practical applications, and while he had absolutely no interest in testing his abilities against a hostile opponent at this stage, he hadn't found a sparring partner, either.
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The low, grumbling sputter of a Varoom caught his attention as the pokemon hovered into view, though it moved notably more slowly than the others of its kind Rhys had encountered. Gaius moved to attack, but Rhys held up a hand, forestalling the Nidoking. Despite this grace, the Varoom seemed to show no sense of speed for its own survival, whether in the offensive or the defensive.
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Canting his head, Rhys dug into his satchel and tossed a Safari Ball at the pokemon. Perhaps that bore some investigating.

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[attr="class","wildtitle"]A WILD LILEEP APPEARED!

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Well, that settled it. Rhys would simply have to squeeze in what little personal training time he could find before the big event - that is, if he didn't want to embarrass himself completely among the slew of other like-minded Grunts.
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A small cluster of brightly-colored flowers peeked out at him from the side of the path, and he paused to survey them idly. He supposed if there were a turning point in his career - well, another turning point, it might be something akin to this. Be a lab rat for the rest of his life, getting nowhere, and spinning in circles for his bosses' benefit.
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Or, get a little mettle under him and actually make a name for himself. Actions did, after all, speak louder than words, and nowhere was that more true than in the lower rungs of Rocket itself. He let out a long, low sigh, and one of the flowers turned to look at him curiously. He blinked at it, nonplussed, and it offered a low squeak. Wait, that wasn't a flower - it was a Lileep, peering at him from the thicket of greenery.
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With a little laugh, he tossed his final Safari ball at it; it would be a nice parting gift, nonetheless. Straightening, he snapped his fingers, beckoning to Gaius. "Come on. Time to go learn how to throw a punch."

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