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"Then perhaps I'll ask him the next time we run into each other, assuming it's not a work day," he said, pausing momentarily before continuing. "Don't get me wrong, I love a good battle, but trying to do one after I've worked is asking too much. I'm worn out by work as it is, so any battle would have to be on a day off."
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As he spoke about his brother's exploits in the gym circuit, he couldn't help but be curious. "Sounds interesting, especially considering how tough I've heard Josh Devlin can be. I must admit I don't know as much about noah faber, though, aside from the fact that he's the gym leader of Verdanturf," he sounded impressed, though somewhat sheepish when he admitted the last part.
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To his relief, he didn't seem to think his comment on wardrobe choice was weird. Though at the mention of being distracted by the outfit choice, he couldn't help but wince. "Yeah, a few times in the past, the outfit choices were quite..." he trailed off, clearly trying to think of a way to put it nicely. "Flashy," he said at last.
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As the talk of wardrobe came to a close, he realized the people around them were starting to get up. "I guess we're finished," he said before turning towards the other teen. "It's been fun hanging out with you. Ummm well... I would like to do so again if you're up for it," he said, shifting uncomfortably and ignoring his buzzing phone in his pocket, probably his aunt calling wanting to know when he will be home.[break] Keenan Toral

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As he spoke of a charter, he nodded. "Fair enough, not that it would matter to me," he pointed out with a grin. "Though then again, I could use all of us just sitting in a room and not talking. Now that I think about it, we all probably have trouble figuring out what we should talk about."
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To be honest, despite being a bit on the socially awkward side, he had no problem conversing with others. It probably had something to do with running a restaurant. Being the owner of a restaurant, he had to have a certain level of social skills. Social skills that sometimes made him seem somewhat formal at times. Not that there weren't times he still messed up when it came to conversing in his restaurant.
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"I suppose so," he agreed when Biscotti pointed out it was a good way to make people laugh. Though he would rather not be the reason people laughed. That usually only made him feel even more embarrassed and left him even more flustered.
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Yes, he supposed that was true. But outside of his cooking getting complimented, getting complimented just caused him to become flustered. Sure, he still turned red as a tomato when someone complimented his cooking, but at least he had no trouble stringing a sentence together or making his words articulate.
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He wasn't sure who he was talking about but still nodded. "I suppose someone has at least done something like that. I think I was only so embarrassed because I had a strained relationship with my mother. Both of my parents actually. Not because they were necessarily bad parents, but because they expected a lot from me and then decided to become overbearingly protective when I was fourteen."
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He understood it, he did. His sister had cancer and was nearing her end. It had changed something about his parents. He couldn't go two steps without running into his parents. One of them asking if he was feeling okay or wanting to get him checked out at a hospital to make sure nothing was inherently wrong with him.
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If it were him, he wasn't sure he would be able to be as laid back about it. But then again, there was that one kid who seemed to struggle with his own health issues he had been born with. He had seemed to be just as resigned to the way things were as Biscotti seemed to be. In a way, it showed just how strong of a character such people had.
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"That's good, though I'm not sure if I would be able to be as accepting as you. Was there ever a time you just felt bitter about it all?" he asked curiously. Surely there had been such a time. Even if it had only been when he was a kid. When he hadn't been able to be like a normal kid.
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Deciding to move on, he decided to enlighten him on how his own condition had come to be. "Yeah, it hurt alright. I think I would've taken it better to being suddenly blind if it wasn't for the headache in the few weeks that followed," he said with a sigh. He had never been sure why, but he had always hated headaches, even before he had lost his vision.
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His mentioning of them being able to one day correct his vision made him frown. "Hmmm maybe, it's my brain that's the problem, not my eyes after all," he told him. It was clear he wasn't too keen on the idea. "I'm used to it at this point, not to mention that I didn't learn to cook until after I became blind. Getting my sight back would mean having to learn a new way of doing things."
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Shaking himself, he returned his focus to the task at hand. "Yeah, Venus is really good about that," he said with a note of pride in his tone. He would allow Biscotti to take his hand so the older male could take him over to Venus so they could finish corralling the farmers' Pokémon.[break] Biscotti Kingsley

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Hearing her compliment, his face heated up in embarrassment. "Thanks, attention to detail is kind of my thing," he said before realizing what he had just said, causing his face to heat up even more. Seriously, had he just said that? His aunt had been right about his flustered state when it came to getting complimented. Though she forgot to tell him the part about it making him stupid.
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"What I mean is, with my career, attention to detail is a must. If I don't pay attention to my surroundings, I could end up getting hurt," he managed to explain after the blush had died down. Hopefully, she wouldn't think too hard about his earlier response. Man, that had been embarrassing.
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As she explained where Sandy was, he was about to thank her, but before he could, she resumed speaking. Her next comment confused him. What did she mean by that? Was the wing literally under her, or was she pulling his leg? Because he couldn't imagine something like that. Seriously, wouldn't that be dangerous? It seemed like there would be the risk of whiplash or worse. Of course, he had no idea that she had a sygna suit.
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Deciding to swallow his questions, figuring it would just confuse him more, he decided to just focus on introducing his Pokémon. As Josh came up, he couldn't help but perk up. "Oh yeah, I know him. He gave me riding lessons. Though I didn't have Tempest at the time, my aunt found someone willing to give one up after I had met him. We met up again for a battle, though it wasn't a gym battle," he explained.
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As she mentioned training a Bagon, he nodded. So it didn't seem like she knew much more than he did. Well, that was fine. They could learn together. It would just be a learning experience for both of them.
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"Should we get headed that way?" he asked as he swung himself back onto Tempest's back.[break] Shalin Nariya

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He contemplated what he said. There had to be more to it than that. Most parents weren't like that. Most seemed to believe their child could do anything they put their mind to. That they could do no wrong. From what he had observed when being around other people's parents, that's the way most of them were.
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So why were Kee's and Aaron's so different? While he was a bit curious, he knew it wasn't his place to ask. Oh well, time to think of another subject. Since he wanted to try and get him away from a topic that might bring him down, he picked the subject that first came to mind.
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"Your brother seems like a capable battler from what I've heard. Perhaps I could battle him one day. Hopefully it'll go better than when I asked that one guy..." he said the last part musingly. Yeah, he had tried to ask Ever for a battle but had been rejected by the older male. First time he'd ever been called daft.
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Deciding just to focus for a bit on the play, he listened to the play go on. Though the fact they had forgotten one of the legendaries of Unova and how his sister might react was amusing. As amused as he was, he couldn't help but release a chuckle. From the sound beside him, he figured he had startled the other ten, which hadn't been his intention, so he shot him an apologetic look.
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"True, but my sister would've still had something to say about it. She was really into plays, and folklore, and all that kind of stuff. Is it weird that plays have grown on me more since I lost my sight? While I've never been fashionable by any means, the outfits were part of the reason I wasn't entirely sold on plays to begin with," he admitted, making sure to keep his voice low so that only Kee would hear him.[break] Keenan Toral

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The buzzing grew louder until it just stopped. He could only assume that it was because the woman and her Pokémon had landed. That thought had barely crossed his mind before she spoke, proving his assumption.
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As she inquired if he was really the person she was supposed to meet, he inclined his head. "That's me," he said before listening to her introduction. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Shalin and Sandy," he said, shifting uncomfortably. He was pretty sure that Sandy was a Flygon but....
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"Sorry, from the sound earlier, I would have to say Sandy is a Flygon. I'm blind though, so...." he trailed off. The thing was, without any sound, he wasn't exactly sure where the Pokémon was. "I'm not sure where she's at," he finished at last, whatever discomfort he was feeling earlier seeming to have gone away.
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As she explained their mission, he nodded. Though that did bring to mind his own companions. "Oh right, this is Tempest," he said, gesturing to the Manectric at his side. "And Hades, my Zweilous, is somewhere nearby. He's pretty docile for a Zweilous, as long as he doesn't think I'm in any danger anyway."
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All of his Pokémon were protective of him. But for some, like Hades, he wished they were less so. He didn't really need to be worrying that Hades would hurt someone because he thought they posed a threat to Shinobu.
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"Do you know a lot about Salamence?" he inquired, curious before continuing. "I must admit, that's not a Pokémon I've had many encounters with, if any."[break] Shalin Nariya

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Tempest tensed under his hand. It took a few minutes for his own sharp hearing to catch what Tempest had already sensed. A low humming sound that seemed to be growing louder. Frowning, he furrowed his brows as he tried to identify the source of the sound.
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Feeling Tempest quiver beneath him as a low growl rumbled, he stroked the electric-type Pokémon to calm her. It worked, and the canine Pokémon quieted down. Now that he wasn't distracted by any other noise, he could focus on the sound.
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As he concentrated on the sound, he began to recognize it. 'A Flygon,' he thought, slightly perplexed. He hadn't expected to encounter a Flygon all the way out here. Was it someone's Pokémon? If so, was it lost? Those were the only possibilities he could think of as the Flygon drew nearer.
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Not for the first time, he wished he could actually see what was happening. It was challenging to rely solely on his hearing and not be able to witness the events himself. However, he knew he would have to make the best of the situation with the resources he had.[break] Shalin Nariya

[attr="class","oocnotes"] + I’ve never had a Hydreigon in my Pokémon party in the games. The only time I’ve seen Hydreigon in the games was Mystery Dungeon: Gates of Infinity

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"Thanks, though I should let you know that I already have a boyfriend," he said, his tone light and teasing. It was clear that he didn't have a problem with the comment. If anything, he seemed amused by it, judging by the fact that he had teased him about it. All joking aside, it was time to get down to business.
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First things first, he needed to ask about the position he would be going for. While he waited for a response, he felt Tempest brush up against his leg. He had almost forgotten that he had instructed Tempest to lead potential employees to his office. She must have stayed after leading the potential employee to him.
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He absentmindedly started to pet Tempest when the potential employee finally responded. As he mentioned being able to cook, his expression became pensive. While he wanted to take his word for it, he couldn't for obvious reasons. He couldn't just allow anyone who claimed they could cook to work at his restaurant without knowing for himself if it was true or not. It would be bad for business if he hired him as a cook and it turned out he couldn't actually cook.
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Lost in thought, he almost missed the appearance of the Riolu. The cry alone confirmed what the Pokémon was before the older man mentioned the species. Though it had helped he knew what a Riolu sounded like considering he had one of his own. "You don't nickname your Pokémon," he blurted out, his face heating up slightly when he realized how that might have sounded.
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"That aside, I'm afraid I can't just take your word for it. I would have to check for myself if you can actually cook. I can see how you do in either situation. While I mostly cook, I've had to fill in as a waiter a time or two when we were short-staffed, something I'm not too fond of for obvious reasons."
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Being blind, he didn't really care for the waiting aspect of things. Not because it was particularly hard, but because he didn't like being up front. The noise level alone could cause him to go into sensory overload if he wasn't careful.[break] Damian Belle

[attr="class","oocnotes"] + I forgot he had a Riolu from an old member event

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While he waited, he decided to review a list of items in the inventory. Since he had nothing else to occupy his time, he wanted to assess what items they had in abundance and what they needed to restock. Fortunately, there was a braille version of the list available, so he didn't have to rely on his memory to recall what they were running low on.
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As he was engrossed in his task, he was interrupted by approaching footsteps outside his office. He quickly set the paper aside just as his office door swung open. The comment from the older man caught him off guard, and he wasn't sure whether he should take offense or not. In reality, he considered himself to be of average height and weight, so he couldn't quite grasp the intention behind the remark.
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Deciding to let it slide, he chose to proceed with the conversation. "Thank you for your interest. My name is Shinobu Fujimori, the owner and head chef of this establishment. However, if my name is difficult for you to pronounce, you can simply call me Shin," he said to the older man, offering a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. His gaze remained devoid of emotion.
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"Anyway, is there a specific position you're interested in?" he asked, eager to move forward with the interview. He hoped the applicant had a particular role in mind, as it would streamline the process. If not, that would be fine too, but having a clear direction would certainly make things easier.[break] Damian Belle

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Hades was surprisingly docile for a Zweilous, rarely displaying aggression unless he felt his trainer was threatened. Fortunately, his aggression was only directed towards other Pokémon. However, he worried that there might come a time when he would become aggressive towards a person out of fear that something would happen to him. While he appreciated his Pokémon's protective nature, he didn't want them to go too far and harm someone.
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In an attempt to help Hades with his temperament, he had requested training for him and someone named Shalin had agreed to help. After confirming the meeting location with his aunt, they decided to meet near Fortree along route 120. The specific location didn't matter to him as long as it allowed Hades to burn off some excess energy through exercise.
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Feeling a bit nervous, he decided to ride Tempest to the meeting place while allowing Hades to fly overhead. Once they reached the meeting point, he dismounted Hades but kept one hand on Tempest to ground himself. Despite his nerves, he couldn't help but feel curious. It was this curiosity that had initially led him to learn how to ride Pokémon, and now he was quite accustomed to it, at least when it came to riding on land.[break] Shalin Nariya

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He knew it was strange that a blind person would want to attend a play, but he was feeling a bit nostalgic. If this conversation had taken place a few years ago, he definitely wouldn't have chosen to go to a play. Anything that reminded him of his sister had been painful, so he had avoided it. However, he was now at a stage where thinking of his sister didn't make it feel hard to breathe.
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As he spoke about his brother, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the other male. Yes, he had gotten the impression that his brother was a bit reserved, though not as reserved as that one guy he had met. What was his name again? Emery? No, that wasn't right. Evan? Nope, though he felt he was getting closer. Ever? Yeah, that was it.
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"Sorry to hear that. It sounds like the opposite of my own parents. They were pretty confident that I could be a good trainer and complete the gym challenge. Maybe a little too confident," he admitted with a small shrug. Don't get him wrong, he loved his parents, but they had been a bit overbearing in telling him he would go far in life. If he was being honest with himself, there had always been a lot of pressure on him to make something of himself. That was probably why he was such a workaholic today.
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As they left the restaurant and made their way to the play's location, silence fell between them. It was a comfortable silence, though. Getting to their destination took longer than he had expected, but considering they were confirmed to be late, he figured they had gotten a bit turned around.
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Luckily, they were allowed entry despite the play already starting. He allowed Kee to lead them to their seats. As they sat down, he could actually focus on what the play was about, and funny enough, it was about the Three Swords of Justice in Unova.
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Since he couldn't see, all he could do was listen. And he took the opportunity to see how accurate they were. Despite the fact that they were missing one, they were actually pretty accurate. Though he was sure his sister would have called them out from the start. The thought made him let out a low chuckle.
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Realizing that the chuckle was somewhat unexpected, he whispered an explanation to the other teenager. "If they had done this in a play my sister attended, she would have called them out from the start. She would have called them out before they even had time to explain themselves."[break] Keenan Toral

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After putting on the white turtleneck and the dark blue jeans that his aunt wanted him to wear, he slipped on some black sneakers and made his way to the restaurant with Tempest by his side. As he walked, he rested one hand on the back of the Manectric, allowing it to guide him towards the restaurant.
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Although the restaurant was closed for the day, he still had to go in. Due to being understaffed, he and a few of his employees had to take on additional tasks to make up for it. This only happened when his family couldn't help out at the restaurant. However, all of them had their own jobs, and he didn't like burdening them with more work. That's why he had decided to finally make time to interview potential employees for his restaurant.
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This would be his first time conducting interviews by himself. Usually, his aunt would assist him, but something had come up at the last minute. Not wanting to cancel, he reassured his aunt that he could handle the interviews on his own. After all, he couldn't keep putting this off forever. He couldn't expect to continue waiting tables and cooking indefinitely.
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Upon reaching the restaurant, he instructed Tempest to wait at the entrance and guide any potential employees to him. Once that was settled, he entered the restaurant and made his way to his office. Leaving the door partially open, he sat behind his desk and waited for the potential new employee to arrive.
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Since he wanted some time to mentally prepare himself, he had arrived a bit earlier than the scheduled time. As he waited, he mentally reviewed the questions he could ask. These were the questions his aunt had helped him come up with when she had arranged the interviews.[break] Damian Belle

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Listening to what he had to say, he nodded in agreement. The main obstacles that usually prevented people from accomplishing things were unexpected events or lack of time. There never seemed to be enough hours in the day, and after a long day of work, no one wanted to clean. That's why he tried to schedule cleaning days when both he and another family member had the day off. However, whenever the scheduled day arrived, something would always come up, forcing them to go to work.
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After admitting that he didn't know much about Dewford, Kee started suggesting a few places they could visit. According to Kee, Dewford didn't have much to offer, which was expected considering its small size.
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The idea of watching a play intrigued him, even if he wouldn't be able to see what was happening. He could still listen and enjoy it. It had been a while since he had been to a play, probably when he was thirteen or fourteen. Although he didn't mind plays, he was more into the sports entertainment that Nimbasa in Unova had to offer.
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"A play wouldn't be too bad. My sister was really into them. She would often try to act them out weeks after we had seen one," he chuckled. "Nimbasa, back in Unova, is known for its plays and sports. Some people prefer plays, while others prefer sports. I leaned more towards sports myself, but I didn't mind plays. Although, it was probably more that couldn't say no to my sister."[break] Keenan Toral

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