A New Life Through The Eyes Of Kanto: An Autobiography

Opening The Bug Gates

I scooped a few large spoonfuls of cereal and milk into my mouth and chewed eagerly, swallowing within seconds and scooping up more. While chewing, I scooped even more food from my bowl before I'd swallowed the current mush in my mouth, chewing on the new food sitting on my tongue.

"Gary, please eat slowly," June said with worry. "She isn't going anywhere. Take your time."

I ignored June and continued to eat as quickly as I could.

June sighed and lowered her eyes to her remaining piece of toast, picked it up, and ate it slowly. She then picked up a small carton of milk and drank it down.

I slurped the milk from my bowl and placed it on my tray. Grabbing my plastic cup of orange juice, I drank it down hurriedly and let it drop into the tray. "Let's go!" I said eagerly, staring at June for a second before I stood up and ran to place my tray with the other dirty ones, stacked the bowl with the other used ones, sat my spoon in a container full of stained utensils, and threw the cup in the recycle section for plastics.

"I knew you'd be like this," June said as she put her trash where it belonged. "That's why I didn't bother getting a lot of food this morning. We've been here a good two minutes and you're already done."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go." Impatiently, I ran up the stairway to leave the cafeteria of the Pokemon Center, June hurrying behind me, and pushed open the door, stepping into the lobby of the building.

A few people were sitting around by themselves and gazed up at me for a brief second before looking away.

Sunlight shined in from the windows. It was cool inside of the building with the air conditioning on.

Nurse Joy was reading a newspaper, a form of pure beauty and perfection right before my eyes.

I walked towards her, smiling as I inhaled silently but deeply, mentally building myself up as I puffed out my chest.

"Oh, great..." June mumbled.

I stopped at the desk and Nurse Joy looked up at me with wide, warm eyes. "Oh, hello, Gary! How was breakfast?"
"It was okay, I guess," I said, my smile fading and my eyes lowering.

"Oh? Why's that?" Nurse Joy asked with concern.

"I was quite lonely. The food was fine, but it's always nice to have someone there with you," I answered casually, disguising the terror pumping from out of my heart and through my veins, yet encouraged by... something to keep speaking smooth and calmly. "Someone nice. Someone beautiful. That special someone who draws you in and you can just tell that you are meant to be." I heard a strange noise near me, but I ignored it, lost in Nurse Joy's eyes, the sea if ever I saw it. "Someone with conversation. Someone with an incredible life they're currently living and isn't aimlessly wandering the Earth."

The noise got louder, and Nurse Joy seemed to look around for the source of the noise as she turned red from my comments.

"That person is clearly you, Nurse Joy. A beauty living the greatest, most selfless life someone could be: caring for Pokemon. What could be in the news today? I wonder. You most certainly know, and I would love to know what has your attention held so captive." I smiled huge, tightening the muscles throughout my entire body to keep my nervousness at a standstill.

Nurse Joy smiled, but then gazed down sadly. "Well, unfortunately, it's Team Solace..."

My smile faded. "Team Solace?"

Nurse Joy nodded, her eyes closed. She opened them to gaze at the paper. "A large number of Ariados were found in houses, under some form of Confusion. They were attacking people, not aware of what they were doing. Once the Confusion wore off, it was complete mayhem. People were running around in a total panic with large flamethrowers or other weapons, attacking the Ariados. The Ariados fought back, in self defense now, and things just got even worse. Among quite a few other losses, and many, many injured, it seems two children and a married man who had kids of his own were killed during the chaos. The two kids were killed by Ariados. The man was killed during the fighting between the people and the Ariados. Right now, it's being assumed this entire thing was triggered by Team Solace. They say they have evidence, but it hasn't been released yet and the case is still under investigation."