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To his relief, they didn't question his orders. He was well aware that some people might not be too keen on listening to someone so much younger than them. His father had been one such person. Then again, they had seemed more than willing to listen to him when he had first arrived, so he supposed he shouldn't be too surprised that they didn't question his orders.
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Once they were ready, they started the trek. It wasn't hard to see that the brisk pace was a bit taxing on the others. It wasn't as if he was heartless, so he couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. Unfortunately, staying out in the open wasn't the best idea, so keeping the brisk pace was a must.
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Finally, they reached the top and he paused to allow the others to catch up. He also allowed for a small break while the others caught their breath. The first to reach the top was, of course, Yannick, and the older male was immediately taken by the view. He supposed if he didn't think about what lay ahead of them, he could admit that there was something breathtaking about the Silent Icelands.
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"It's one of the reasons I enjoy what I do," he admitted, staring out into the distance before turning his attention to the older male. "You definitely should. It can't be healthy to stay cooped up all the time," he pointed out, glancing at the others as they finally joined them at the top.
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After making sure they were ready to continue, he resumed walking. He was content enough to allow the silence of the place to surround them, but the silence was broken once more by the leader of the group. While there wasn't really anything wrong with the question, he still couldn't help but be confused by it.
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Wondering what an office and Slatesport had to do with anything. The only thing he could think of was that was where he worked. But one didn't need to work in Slatesport to work in an office, and that's where he was confused, not that he really showed it. Instead, his silence could be taken as him thinking of the best way to respond.
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Finally coming up with a response that wouldn't give too much away, he glanced over his shoulder. "I've always liked a good adventure, nature, and Pokémon, so I decided to try my hand at being a ranger. Being able to make a difference is a bonus."
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Though he had somewhat spoken the truth, making a difference had been the main reason he had decided to be a ranger. That, and he had wanted to distance himself from the kind of person his father had been as much as possible.
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There was also the fact that he didn't like sitting still. Sitting still meant thinking. And thinking could lead to thinking about stuff he didn't want to think about. That was part of the reason he had decided to become a photographer on the side.
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"Being a ranger isn't all I do, though. I'm also a photographer on the side. Mostly nature and Pokémon."
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Yep, just a freelance photographer. Nothing strange about a ranger having another job. Nothing strange at all. Not unless it was all for the wrong reasons, anyway. At least when it had come to getting started.[break] YANNICK SOLETTE

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

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He seemed to really believe in the league's ability to do good. The young man, on the other hand, couldn't. He had seen firsthand how dark the world could be. In fact, Josh had as well. And yet, the gym leader still clung to the belief that the league would save them from Team Rocket, even after what he had been made to do to get one of his Pokémon. What was the point of it all if they all fell into darkness themselves to triumph over evil?
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"Right," was his simple response, his expression giving nothing of his inner turmoil away. Or that he was far too bitter to simply believe that things were dealt with so easily.
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Now wasn't the time to be thinking about all that. They had a job to do. Something that was made easier by the uniforms they wore. As long as they acted casual, there was no reason for anyone to suspect they weren't part of Team Rocket. Though luckily for them, they didn't run into anyone as they continued to look for their destination.
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One of the rooms they passed made him grit his teeth, and it was only due to the self-control he had that he didn't barge into the room where they were more than likely doing an illegal experiment on a Pokémon. Instead, he chose to direct a glare towards the ground. Luckily, having such control over his emotions, it didn't take long for him to regain his composure and for the emotionless mask to slip back into place.
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In fact, by the time they came across the next security camera, he was able to impassively watch as the Salazzle melted away the area around the lens, causing the lens to fall away from the camera and shatter.
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Hearing the older male, he nodded, watching as Josh withdrew his Salazzle. Now it was just the two of them since he had already withdrawn Volt a while back. But that was okay; they would draw less attention to themselves if it was just them.
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As he allowed Josh to take the lead, he allowed his gaze to scan the area around them. He planned on remaining vigilant as they looked for the Pokémon and a person they could get to activate the computer.[break] Josh Devlin

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

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A voice in the back of his mind told him that the fire in the bathroom was a setup, a distraction. Because, let's be honest, what would be the point of setting a fire in the bathroom unless it was to divert attention from something else? The nagging voice in the back of his mind was never wrong, but what could be done? It wasn't like they could allow the fire to continue in the bathroom.
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A shout from behind him almost made him spin around, his fist ready to swing, expecting someone to sneak up. He might not care for violence, but that didn't mean he wouldn't knock someone out if they thought they could get the drop on him. He barely refrained from doing so, and it was lucky that he did. Instead, he chose to glance over his shoulder just in time to see the girl from before dart away from the punch table.
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It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened. He was about ready to go after her himself, but Sterling was already heading in that direction. As they promised to take care of it, he nodded before whipping around to pin the guy who had told them about the bathroom fire with a glare.
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"If you were one of the ones who orchestrated that," he paused to gesture towards the punch table, "you and I will be having words," he finished before stalking towards the bathroom to put out the fire.
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Threats weren't usually his thing, but if there was one thing he hated, it was being made a fool of. Though in reality, the worst that would happen was the perpetrators being given a lecture before being handed over to the proper authorities. But they didn't need to know that.
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Heading to the mens room, he encountered no further people. Unknown to him, the dark expression on his face was enough to deter others from getting in his way as he approached the men's room.
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Upon entering the men's room, he was relieved to find that the fire wasn't a big one. For now, it was contained to the trash can, so it hadn't really started to spread. Which was a good thing. Still, it wouldn't do to waste time.
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So, without further ado, he turned on one of the sinks and allowed the water to run as he filled a bottle with water. Then, he poured the water over the fire. He continued the process until the fire was out before inspecting the trash can where the fire had been.
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At first, he didn't see anything. Then, he noticed the cigarette in the trash. 'Of course,' he thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. While it was likely that the fire had been accidentally caused by throwing a still lit cigarette in the trash can, he doubted it. The girl trying to get him and Sterling to party, the fire in the bathroom soon after they had dismissed her attempts, and the spiked punch right after they had been called away to check out the fire. It all seemed too convenient to just be a coincidence.
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Resisting the urge to sigh, he made his way out of the bathroom, his face set into a neutral expression. The first thing he needed to do was to tell Sterling about his findings, and then see if that guy from before knew anything.
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"There was a cigarette in the trash," he said upon reaching the other's side. "But something tells me that the fire in the trash can was no accident. Someone set it, knowing that we would have to go do something about it."[break] STERLING WARDEN

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

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With the three Pokémon dealing with the trap, he would keep his attention focused on his companions. Hearing Ivy's question, he would glance at her. "While that's the general idea, if the Salazzle were to get hurt, Celestial would heal her. The same goes for our Pokémon if they get hurt while helping the Salazzle," he pointed out.
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Seeing the shine from his peripheral vision, he would glance towards Shalin. So that was a sygna suit. He had never seen one in person before, at least not when it was active. Pulling his eyes away from the glow of the sygna suit, he eyed the Flygon that Shalin had summoned. So it seemed the Flygon's move would help enhance Celestia's Heal Pulse, which was a good thing.
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With the possibility of injuries being healed, they don't have to stress themselves out so much about being careful. Returning his attention to the trap, he gestured for Nyx to help cut through the trap with one of her pinchers. Unlike Ivy, he didn't request his Pokémon to use a move on the trap. Instead, the Gliscor would simply put her pincher around part of the trap to cut through it.[break] ivy ashton, Shalin Nariya

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

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Having the day off, he had decided to use the day to walk around Lilycove. It had been his grandparents' idea, and he was supposed to be using the day to relax and get away from anything work-related. The camera hanging from his neck spoke volumes on the fact that this wasn't the case, though.
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Even if he was taking a bit of a coffee break until he got back to work, he was sure the pictures he took would look good in a new collection he was working on. It was nice having a second job when he didn't have ranger duties to tend to. It gave him something to do and kept him from wasting his time doing nothing. That's what he told himself, anyway.
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He had just raised his thermos to his lips when someone ran into him. Only quick reflexes kept him upright and from dropping his thermos filled with coffee. If the other person had just apologized, all would be good. But he was totally not in the mood to deal with someone who blamed him for something that was totally their fault.
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"Newsflash, idiot, you're the one that ran into me," he snapped, pinning her with an impassive glare. Seriously, who did this woman think she was?[break] nabi park

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

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While he knew it was unavoidable, he still found it hard not to react when another Rocket Grunt was taken out. At least he was only unconscious, though, and not dead. That's what he told himself anyway, to not react. Still, though, it was hard. He didn't like the idea of hurting others.
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Once one started, it was probably hard to stop. Not that he would know this firsthand. He had never raised his hand against anyone or anything in his life. It was more like that part of him that still wanted to make excuses for his father, even after all this and after everything he had done.
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Inflicting pain onto others wasn't something he could get behind, even if it was unintentional. This was where it would start. And then... he allowed his thoughts to trail off, deciding it would be best not to let his thoughts go there.
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What mattered now was finding a uniform to make himself blend in. However, before that, he had to find out exactly what was up with that map Josh had taken a picture of. He hoped it was actually something incriminating and that this hadn't all been for nothing. Though he supposed if that was the case, the gym leader wouldn't have taken a picture of it.
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Hearing that it showed potential strike points was definitely something he wasn't expecting. He didn't understand all this. Didn't understand why everyone just couldn't get along. It wouldn't be hard if people just learned to set aside their differences.
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"Hopefully they'll come up with a plan to stop them," was all he said. There was more to say, but he wouldn't dare voice it. That he wanted it to be a plan where no one got hurt, even if they were the bad guys. It was weakness to think like that. The kind of thinking that got people killed.
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Though he supposed now wasn't the time to be thinking about that. They didn't really have a lot of time to waste and needed to get into one of these uniforms. Something he wasn't really looking forward to. But beggars couldn't be choosers.
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Upon looking through the uniforms, he was quick to find one in his size. After sending a glance in the other male's direction, it was clear he had found one in his own size as well and seemed about as happy about having to put on the uniform as he was. That was obvious just by looking into the other's eyes.
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Being used to suppressing his own emotions, he wasn't really expressive with his own emotions. Instead, his own displeasure was reflected in the way he held the uniform. Like someone would hold something that was gross.
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Resisting the urge to sigh, he finally put on the uniform before turning towards the older male. As he mentioned staying alert and trying to blend in, he nodded. Hopefully, they would fool people long enough to pull off what needed to be done.[break] Josh Devlin

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

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As a lover of Pokémon, he soaked up whatever knowledge he could about them. Of course, he knew Salazzle's skin was corrosive, but he hadn't known it was that corrosive. To be fair, the facts he knew about Salazzle were just facts he had picked up here and there. Like Salazzle being a female-only species and having pheromones that worked as a reverse harem to make the male Salandit more keen on whatever the Salazzle wanted. Not anything that would help them in the long run, though.
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Though he kept a safe distance, he was close enough to be able to look over the contraption. It seemed sturdy enough and probably more resistant to breaking if the Salazzle's corrosive skin hadn't corroded the metal yet. Even without him getting as close to the trapped Salazzle as the other two, he could still see that the metal hadn't really started to get corroded. At least not enough for them to be able to pull the trap apart with their own hands.
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That meant they would need a Pokémon. A Pokémon strong enough to break the metal of the contraption. It seemed he and the dark-haired woman were on the same page. She released a Mabosstiff, a Pokémon known for having strong jaws that could break through anything. Even so, he may have trouble getting through it on his own.
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His gaze flickered briefly to the Type: Null around, working on getting through the trap, before he released Nyx from her Poké Ball. "Help them pry apart the trap, don't worry about breaking it. It'll be trashed anyway," he told the Gliscor, knowing that with her pincers, breaking through the trap wouldn't be too hard.
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Once he was sure she was helping, he took out another Poké Ball, releasing a Shiny Galarian Rapidash from it. "Celestia, be ready to use Heal Pulse if you have to," he told the Pokémon before turning back to the trapped Salazzle to check on the progress.[break] ivy ashton, Shalin Nariya

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

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Something he said must have been favorable since even the only female of the group was acting positively towards him now. Though he wasn't exactly sure what he could've said that would've swayed the most skeptical of the group. Oh well, he supposed it didn't really matter. Nor did he really care enough to ask about it either.
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As the leader of the group explained that none were really trainers, he nodded. None of them seemed the type. Not that he said that. It did mean that defending them from Pokémon would fall solely on him though.
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"I am quite good at battling, so that shouldn't be a problem," he reassured them in a monotone voice. To be honest, despite being good at battling, he wasn't a fan. He hated having to hurt Pokémon when rangers were meant to protect Pokémon. And yet he would do everything he could to protect these three if he had to.
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The fact that they would listen to what he had to say was a relief. Some might be miffed about following the orders of someone younger than them. Especially if the person was still in their teens. Not that these people would know that he was that young. They could easily believe he was in his early twenties for all he knew.
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Hearing the introductions, he inclined his head before speaking. "Nice to meet you all."
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After that, he would fall silent. To some, he might seem to have become wrapped up in his own thoughts as he waited for them to mention more of what they wanted. But if one were to look at him closely, they would see the way his gaze scanned their surroundings as if watching out for threats as they continued to get prepared for the expedition.
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It would be further proven that he was alert when he turned towards Hammond before he reached him. Probably having heard the older male's footsteps. Or maybe having seen him approach from his peripheral vision.
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Taking the map, he scanned it to see where in the silent Icelands they wanted to go first. The location they wanted to explore first didn't seem too far from their location. Which made sense. Most would want to start near where they were located and go from there when it came to exploring. So it made sense that their first location was near them.
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The path seemed straightforward as well. But that didn't mean they should let their guard down. Upon hearing Yannick's comment, he nodded. "Seems to be pretty straightforward from here, but stay on guard."
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"Also, we should set a brisk pace. Being in the open will mean anything will be able to see us for miles. It also wouldn't do to still be out here after the sun goes down. Luckily, it seems we have a few hours of sunlight left, so I don't believe that will be too much of a problem," he explained, having to resist the urge to rub his throat after saying so much. Geez, that had been a lot of words to say.[break] YANNICK SOLETTE

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He shook the other's hand and nodded along to what he said. "Yeah, most of my Pokémon are fairly new though. The Pokémon I've had the longest are my Corviknight and Zebstrika, all the others haven't been with me long," he explained, his attention fixed on the Sharpedo as he spoke.
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Hearing the question, he turned his attention back towards him. "I came to Hoenn to live with my grandparents three years ago. They were young when they had my mother, so some people tend to think they're my parents," he told the younger male. What he said was true. His grandmother had been eighteen and his grandfather had been nineteen when his mother was born. So they were both in their fifties.
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Thinking of his mother made him think of his father. Thankfully, before he could think too much of those times, he was pulled out of his thoughts by the older male's exclamation. Coming out of his thoughts, he watched the interaction between the older male and his Pokémon.
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Sports. He couldn't say he had ever really gotten into sports. Full-contact sports wouldn't have been a good idea when he was continually getting injured. There was also the fact that his own father had seen them as a waste of time. In fact, he had had the sporting channels locked on the television and wouldn't have reacted well if he had ever seen him watching sports.
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"I actually don't know much about sports. Perhaps you could give me a crash course on the world of sports one of these days," he suggested. Though he hadn't had much interest in the subject when he was younger, he was the adventurous type and did enjoy learning new things. Perhaps he would get an appreciation for the subject if he could see it from the point of view of someone around his age.
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Though the talk of sports had momentarily distracted him, that didn't mean he had forgotten the older male's question. So after the small discussion about sports, he answered his question. "I've recently joined up with the rangers. I'm still in training, but I hope to be able to make a difference. I'm also a photographer on the side."[break] Caleb Kahilii

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So far, the girl and her friends weren't doing anything aside from talking. That didn't mean he wasn't going to keep an eye on them, though. They were probably just waiting for them to let down their guard. Yes, he knew that made him a bit paranoid, but considering the things that had happened in his life, it was to be expected.
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Deciding he might as well converse with the younger teen, he turned his attention towards them but kept an eye on the girl and her friends with his peripheral vision. Conversing had always been hard for him, though the younger teen didn't seem to be the best at conversing either. In fact, both brought up their move without really going into detail. It was basically the kind of small talk one made when they didn't know what else to say. Though he supposed their conversation could be worse. They could've decided to talk about the weather, after all.
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Even when having a better topic to talk about, he sometimes still found it hard to know what to say. So instead of saying anything about their own revealed information of having to move suddenly, he simply nodded. Silence lapsed between them, and he took the time to let his gaze trail over the people around them, surveying their surroundings.
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He was momentarily distracted from his people watching by Sterling asking whether he wanted some of the food they had gotten. He eyed the cookies and chips on the plate, but before he could respond, someone approached. Having seen the person approaching in his peripheral vision, he had already turned to face the other male before he even started speaking.
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The men's bathroom. One of the only places they hadn't been keeping an eye on. The other place being the women's bathroom.
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He mentally cursed himself for being careless as he turned to the younger teen. "We should check it out," he told them before he started to head in the direction of the men's bathroom.[break] STERLING WARDEN

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

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So maybe he should've gotten closer to the computers instead of keeping watch. Of course, he said that knowing that wouldn't have worked. He would've been too on edge to focus on anything that was on the screen. Too busy wondering if someone was sneaking up on them.
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Before he could return the question, the older male spoke up once more. True, that had almost ended up with them being caught. Which would've been bad. He highly doubted that would've ended well for either of them. Just the thought made him uneasy. Not that he allowed his misgivings to show. Like always, his expression was pretty neutral, giving nothing away.
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As the gym leader explained about the map, he had taken a picture of his usual impassive expression faltered, showing how incredulous he thought the whole thing was. He quickly regained his composure though before speaking. "Please tell me that the only reason they have a map you can easily go buy at the welcome center pulled up on their computer is because they have locations set up on the map that are of secret hideout like this one. Tell me they're not really that idiotic," he said, and although all of what he said was said in a lowered voice, the last part was muttered under his breath.
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He followed after him and contemplated the plan. It was a good plan. And he couldn't think of one better. It was a shame they didn't have a Pokémon on them that could just mess with the people's memories. That would've definitely come in handy.
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Since they didn't, though, he didn't give voice to that plan. Instead, he decided to give his thoughts on the older male's plan. "I must admit I'm not too keen on the idea of possibly attacking people, but at the moment I can't think of anything better, so it's the best plan we have."[break] Josh Devlin

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The sound of his name caused him to briefly turn and look behind him. Unsurprisingly, he was met with the sight of Shalin, a ranger captain he had the chance to work with not too long ago. Before greeting the older ranger, his gaze would flicker briefly to the Type: Null by her side.
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Though a lover of all Pokémon, Type: Null was still a Pokémon he couldn't support. Not after finding out how it had come to be. Not that he allowed his discomfort to show. As always, his face was devoid of emotion, giving nothing away about how he felt.
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Just as he had gathered himself to return the greeting, the woman he had approached to help spoke up. Realizing that the time for small talk had come to an end, he simply inclined his head as a way of greeting before returning his attention to the dark-haired woman.
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The mention of traps was definitely concerning, and his eyes narrowed slightly. His own gaze would flicker to the Salazzle she had pointed out before turning his attention to Shalin. "Have you ever come across a similar situation?" he inquired of the older ranger before making his way over to the Salazzle to get a closer look at the situation.[break] ivy ashton, Shalin Nariya

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"Likewise," was his simple response as he shook the older male's hand. He was about to inquire as to who he and his companion were when the only woman of the group spoke up. His gaze flickered briefly to her, but he didn't bother speaking. Compared to how his father had been, that was nothing.
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The older male coming to his defense was definitely unexpected, though. Even after three years, it was hard to believe anyone would just stand up for another person. People doing things out of the goodness of their hearts was something he wasn't entirely sure he could get behind.
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Deciding to think more on the niceties of people later, he decided to see what was actually needed of him. Giving a tour of all the areas was to be expected. That was kind of what one did when they surveyed the land. You couldn't really survey the land if you didn't explore what it had to offer, after all.
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"The way I feel on the matter doesn't matter. I gave my supervisors my word I would go through with the mission, and I never go back on my word," he said in response to what the older male said.
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The consideration for his feelings was another thing he wasn't too familiar with. To be honest, he wasn't sure how to react to such a thing. Not that he really reacted to much of anything to begin with. He usually retained a pretty emotionless expression throughout everything he went through.
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"Cautiously, there are still some pretty volatile Pokémon that make the Icelands their home. My advice is the Pokémon are best avoided. We wouldn't want to get attacked while we're getting a lay of the land," he said in response to the question. While the cold was definitely a problem, the biggest danger would be wild Pokémon. While it was true Pokémon would attack anywhere, Pokémon in the Icelands seemed to be especially violent.[break] YANNICK SOLETTE

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