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

Slicing The Hand That Feeds

"I can't believe you let me fight against those people on my own," June said angrily. "You knew I was right, and you believed that Team Solace was behind that attack, but you didn't say a word. You just dragged me out of the building as if I was out of my mind!"

"June, you didn't fight with anybody," I told her.

"That guy grabbed my arm," June glared at me. "Are you trying to justify that?"

"Not at all. I tried to free you, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but that's about the only defense I got from you. Other than that, you just stayed quiet and let me do all the talking. You've seen that kind of wall before. You know exactly what it is! You know who was responsible for trapping Claydol in Virbank City! Why didn't you say something?!" June screamed at me.

"Because things aren't that easy anymore, June!" I shouted back. "In case you haven't noticed, everything is getting a lot worse than it was last time they were in action! Things aren't the same! They're..." I closed my mouth and stopped walking, staring angrily at June.

June also stopped and stared back at me seriously.

Courtney, Ella, and Trixa stopped as well, listening to us argue silently.

"What, Gary? They're what? Huh?" June demanded.

I swallowed and looked away from her, down the block the five of us had been walking down together.

We had just crossed 30th Street, having left Virbank City about an hour ago, the attack from Claydol that happened a few days ago still fresh on our minds.

"They're winning, June," I said softly. "They're spreading their influence." I turned to her as I started to feel even more fired up. "For you, I would have fought that guy. You know I'd stand up for you if you ever got into some kind of danger. That's not a question. But that wasn't worth getting beat up over! You don't seem to understand what's taking place around us!"
"Then explain it to me, Gary." June crossed her arms.

"They're convincing people Pokemon are evil!" I tossed my arms into the air. "People are siding with Team Solace! It's getting dangerous to even be a Pokemon Trainer, June!"

June's hardened face softened as she listened to me.

"Team Solace is worse than ever before," I continued, reflecting on their many actions so far, including shooting down Zorua and Zoroark, releasing the ancient Pokemon from Twist Mountain, attacking the peaceful Tranquill in their home, and the recent attack with Claydol in Virbank. "This doesn't even feel like they're trying to prove Pokemon are evil anymore..." I shook my head and my body started to shake.

"Could we talk about something else, please?" Ella whispered.

I closed my eyes tight and shook my head hard, squeezing my fists at my sides. My eyebrows furrowed as I opened my mouth to speak. "No! We can't! We have to be strong enough, now more than ever, to address these issues and not back away from them. Things for us, especially as Pokemon Trainers, are going to get increasingly difficult from here on, and we need to stand together and make the best decisions to overcome them. That means we can't be afraid of the name of Team Solace. We need to be open about this situation we're in. They're back, but they never really left, if you think about it. Prof. Oak said that Team Solace is much more than just the leader running it. It can be anyone. That belief system can start in anyone, and it can spread quickly. I-"

"Gary, just stop it!!" Ella burst out angrily.

I opened my eyes and turned to her in shock. "Ella..." That was when I saw Trixa.

Her hands were covering her face as she shivered in Ella's arms, crying quietly.

"Trixa. What happened?" I took a step towards her.