islandshore | 66 - video - backdated to the 20th;

[It's around evening that the feed clicks on to show Riku... seated on a rooftop overlooking the ocean because hey, sunset. It's a great view, an even greater backdrop, and there might be some greater reason behind it.

In fact, there most certainly is.]

So, summer. Probably the best time to hit the beach. The sun, the sand, the surf... What's not to like? For all my complaining about the islands, I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss them sometimes.

[He pauses, shaking his head.]

But this isn't about me. It's about Sora. See, his birthday's coming up on the 23rd, so we're gonna be having a party down in Vermilion. A beach party.

[He raises an index finger, grinning.]

But, see, Sora's a sap. He'd make friends with just about anyone, so this party's gonna be open to anyone who wants a good time. Might even make it a potluck-- celebrate the summer with a bang, before the temperatures drop. It is almost August now...

[After a few moments, his grin fades, and he looks toward the ocean with a calmer expression.]

Though I've gotta wonder. What do you think the average age is for guys like us? And for that matter, I wonder how many people have stuck around for more than a year... Seems like there aren't as many kids as adults nowadays. Kinda funny when you think about it.

[The locals start their journeys at age ten, yet so many of them are twenty and up...

He shrugs, waving a hand.]

Anyway, we can set up transportation if you're outta town. Otherwise, I'll catch you later.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Feathery freeloaders are a given everywhere in this world, except within caves. But avoiding their presence is not worth dealing with the Zubats, in my opinion.

[Really, as far as he's concerned, Wingulls > Zubats. It's not even a contest.]

Wisdom is good to have, but it does not quite compensate for all the losses one suffers after five years here. Still, I do appreciate the opportunity to help younger arrivals.

Hmm, you think repels would work?

[He's never tried them outside caves and forests, but he does have some left in his pack...

Give him a moment while he contemplates this while peeking down at the sandy shore.]

I hear you. So many people have come and gone, but we're still here. Feels weird. Even Cobra's left...

[And Riku thought he'd never go.]

They should, but you might have to use them carefully around the younger Pokémon guests.

[He's not sure how many of the guests will have low-leveled teams, but better safe than sorry.]

That was a shock to hear, I admit. Few people here today were present when I first arrived, but I'd come to expect that those who remain would stay... well, not quite forever, but close.

I know, right? Cobra made a name for himself. Not necessarily a good one, but he was memorable. Now that he's gone, I feel like we're gonna see a lot less crazy villainy.

[Which is good. He should be happy, but...]

Makes me wonder how much time we've got left.

Perhaps his colleagues will attempt to honor his memory with particularly far fetched schemes. Not that I hope they will, but they'll have more room to do so now.

[Nature abhors a vacuum, and all that.]

The exact amount matters little; the answer will always be 'too long'.

See, now I'm just picturing some crazy fanatic erecting a snake statue somewhere in his honor. But that's if they even took him seriously...

[He trails off, with a striking realization.]

But the local grunts are kinda on the dumb side.

[They're even kookier than Cobra was.]

...Which is probably one of the reasons this world is so peaceful, now that I think about it. If the majority of those who wish to harm others do not have the intelligence necessary to do so on a large scale, war is unlikely to happen.

[Unlikely, not impossible. They've only been here for five years or so; most peaces last longer.]

Btu I wonder what changed. Lt. Surge claims he's a war veteran, but he's young enough that it must've been recent. At least within the last twenty years...

[Maybe even the last ten years, so what could've brought about this seemingly endless peace? That's just another logic hole in this already crazy world.]

...He never mentioned that the war occurred in Johto or Kanto, did he? Perhaps these regions are an anomaly.

[Kalos had seemed peaceful, too, but it's not like they had the chance to explore much of it.]

Nope. He just called it "the war," which could mean just about anything.

[There's a bit of a pause, and then his eyes narrow.]

Unless there was some kind of Legendary intervention, and everybody got brainwashed...

...Perhaps there was, at that. The Legendaries we've seen were relatively benevolent or not actively malicious, but I doubt that's the case for all. Every light needs its darkness, and not all types are positive by nature.

[Cecil's eyes narrow, too. Thinking about all that almost gives him a headache.]

Gotta keep balance and all that. Don't you remember those golems? I think they prove there's some pretty sick Legendaries out there.

Assuming they were Legendaries and not something else. Sometimes it's tough to tell...

Those golems struck me more as... a force of nature. Not exactly something that was deliberately and maliciously out for our blood, no matter how destructive they turned out to be. Then again, it's not as if we had the opportunity to speak with them and discern their motivations.

Hmm... I'd say there could be some kinda dark type legendary, but that almost feels too cliché.

Now, an evil fairy legendary. That'd be something else. I mean, about the scariest fairy you've got right now is Granbull. Otherwise, they're all so cutesy.

...That's assuming that the evil Fairy-type would not also be cutesy. I fought a pink-garbed little girl and her older sisters, once; she was easily as powerful as her elders, and just as cruel too.

Wait, seriously?

[Give him a second while he gapes at the camera. That's... weird. Not totally surprising, but weird.]

So what were they? Witches? Demons? Just a bunch of crazy kids?

They were human-looking monsters, minions of the Empress of the Winds. Luckily, they made their nature extremely clear the moment they appeared before us; otherwise, I'd surely have believed they were innocent hostages.

You know, I'm surprised they didn't use their looks to mess with you. If they had acted like hostages, they would've had an edge in that fight.

...Well, until you figured it out. And I'm sure you would've.

Perhaps I'd have been fooled, but that would not have mattered much. I was travelling with three wise friends at the time; they'd easily have seen through any deception.

66 - video - backdated to the 20th;

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