islandshore | 52 - video/action for travelmates;

[Here we have Riku. Or more specifically, we have Riku and a book. When he looks at the camera, it's with a soft chuckle. Then he starts reading off the page.]

A young man, callow and foolish in innocence came to own a sword. With it, he smote Pokémon, which gave sustenance, with carefree abandon. Those not taken as food, he discarded with no afterthought. The following year, no Pokémon appeared. Larders grew bare.

Just let that sink in for a second. A sword. Killing and eating Pokémon. Still with me?

[Then he'll continue.]

The young man, seeking the missing Pokémon, journeyed afar. Long did he search, and far and wide, too, until one did he find.

Asked he, "Why do you hide?" To which the Pokémon replied...

"If you bear your sword to bring harm upon us, with claws and fangs, we will exact a toll. From your kind, we will take our toll, for it must be done. Done it must be, and for it, I apologize."

To the skies, the young man shouted his dismay. "In having found the sword I have lost so much. Gorged with power, I grew blind to Pokémon being alive. I will never fall savage again. This sword I denounce and forsake. I plead for forgiveness, for I was but a fool."

So saying, the young man hurled the sword to the ground, snapping it. Seeing this, the Pokémon disappeared to a place beyond seeing.

[Riku snaps the book shut, placing it down. Afterwards, he shifts into a more comfortable position, arms folded over his chest.]

So, ignoring the obvious anti weapons message here, this story's pretty interesting. It's an old legend from the Sinnoh region, and if it holds any truth, it means that the people in this world used to use real weapons and actually hunted Pokémon. Plus, when you look at stuff like Skarmory's Pokédex entry, you see bits about forging swords from their feathers. You gotta wonder why they stopped and why they're so paranoid about people defending themselves.

You think it's because people abused that power?

[Either way, he's glad he swung by the library. Sometimes they actually do have interesting reads.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Man, I don't get it. I mean sure, you could make some argument about Pokemon being properly sentient or understanding or whatever and whether or not it'd be wrong to kill them, but hunting's just what you do to survive.

I'll grant that going further than that is stupid and probably cruel, and I'll also admit you can get by without actively hunting in a place this modern. But now I'm wondering how people in this place's past got by after they quit hunting them.

That's the real question. You see meat in stores and restaurants, but nobody ever explains where it comes from. People fish around Pallet town, but if you try fishing, all you'll ever get are Pokémon.

[It's like there's something greater going on. Intervention? Locals trying to hide their secret livestock? Hah...]

But you're right. Intelligent or not, I don't think hunting them is wrong, as long as you're not going on a slaughtering spree. It's not like they don't hunt each other, anyway.

That always did kinda bug me. I've been fishing all over the place and I've never caught actual fish.

[Lancer crossed his arms, frowning as he tried to determine just where all the mystery food could have come from. It seemed like a train of thought he quickly gave up on, largely for lack of any ideas.]

Sure it isn't--that's just how the world works, intelligent or not. Just because one jackass with a sword went a little crazy doesn't mean everybody should starve to death or whatever.

Then again, I've heard people argue that one person's failures can ruin things for everyone. Seen it happen, too. So, if the legend is true, it could be one of those cases.

Doesn't make it any less irritating, though.

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