Bridging The Gap; The Final Records In Unova: An Autobiography

The Illusion Of Morality

The sun beamed high overhead in a cloudless sky this warm afternoon as June, Courtney, and I walked down the sidewalk of a small city that was the outskirts of our next destination where me and Courtney would be battling for our next Badges.

I looked away from the Town Map in my hands to the buildings on the block we were currently on, which were mostly food stores, the occasional clothing or strictly shoe selling store popping up rarely. Across the street to my right, I could see similar stores.

A teenage boy who was walking by glanced up at us before looking at the ground and walking around us quickly.

"Where are we?" Courtney asked quietly, her eyes scanning the city.

"Not far from the next city with a Gym," I answered, staring firmly ahead.

"You never did tell me where we're headed to," Courtney said gently.

I could tell by the somber tone of her voice that she was still deeply troubled by what had occurred recently with Team Solace and was trying hard to hide it and move on.

Ever since I had decided that we would continue on our journey back in Verdew Town, despite the warnings for everyone to beware of Team Solace's return, as well as the warnings to be on the lookout for any prison escapees, the tone in our group had started to get more serious.

Back in Kanto, when Team Solace had first emerged, I was confident that they'd be put to a stop, even by my own two hands. They were stopped, but in the process, many people and Pokemon were killed or injured, including me and my Pokemon.

But now, Team Solace had returned, and I no longer felt any confidence in being able to stop them myself. I knew that they had to be stopped, and I was certain that someday, they would be. I just wasn't sure how, or when. I sometimes even found myself fearing a world where Team Solace was unstoppable and had achieved their victory and vengeance on the world.

"Gary?"

Courtney's voice made my heart jump and I turned to her. "Huh?"

"Are you going to tell me at all?" she asked me, her eyes on the street ahead of her. "I'd like to know where we're headed to."

"We're just outside of Virbank City," I answered her, looking down at the Town Map. "That's where my eighth Badge and your tenth Badge are located at."

"I wonder where the Unova League Conference will be held this year," Courtney muttered.

"After I get this final Badge, we can figure out all that, I guess," I said. "It's the middle of April. We still have a few more months to go until that time arrives."

Courtney simply nodded.

June rarely spoke the past couple of days, which meant no arguments with Courtney, thankfully. But her obvious sadness was weighing me down, making me feel depressed. After what had occurred during the last Team Solace attack we had encountered, I knew that June was going through a lot, mentally.

I stared at her sadly, wondering if there was anything I could say or do, or if I should just be quiet and let her handle this on her own. If I say nothing, will I seem like I don't care? I questioned. If I ask how she is, she may not be ready to talk and end up snapping at me. I turned my gaze to the pavement, feeling even worse as I chose not to speak.

"Virbank City is where rock music superstar, Roxie, lives, right?" Courtney asked, looking at me.

"That's right. She's also the Poison type Gym Leader," I said, turning to her.

"She's the bassist and frontwoman for the band Wheezing and the Explosions," Courtney added.

"Yeah," I muttered. I wasn't a huge fan of their music. It was just too loud and hectic.