The world doesn't change because of genius.

[It's been a while since Ishimaru's been seen on the network; the time he's had lately that hasn't been given to travel has instead been given to routine, to settling somewhere up inside his head where socializing is less important than getting things done, even though he isn't entirely sure what he's supposed to be getting done anymore. It's not the best pattern to be in, and if he must be there at all he knows somehow that it's better if it's temporary - doing this for too long leads to loneliness and that weird sense of distance when interacting with people, almost like he doesn't understand them anymore despite the fact that he sees some of them daily, and he'd really prefer to avoid that.

But at the same time, the holding pattern is familiar, though it seems that part of it - not quite knowing what he's supposed to be doing with himself anymore - has been on his mind more often than not lately.

Either way, he wasn't at work today - the weather has been horrible for two days - and so he's just sort of been studying at home all day; thankfully the Eevees haven't let that be all he does today, and once in a while they seem to send Eeveemaru to get up on the table and..."help" with whatever it is Ishimaru is trying to do until he gives in and plays with the horde a bit.

He's got Eeveemaru with him when the feed pops up, the little fuzzball up on his shoulder and looking into the 'Gear a bit too fascinatedly and wearing that little white uniform jacket, as always; Ishimaru's actually not matching him, instead wearing a black coat and a scarf he's had for a while, patterned after Ho-Oh's plumage. It's sort of a warm outfit, given that he's indoors, but it's comfortable and it's soft and the evening hours have brought some chill with them despite the heat in the house anyway.]

One of the things I've started to like about this world is how it gives so many new opportunities - not just for making friends and getting to raise Pokémon, either, though that's obviously important also! But there are a lot of challenges as well...you find out a lot about yourself when you're somewhere so far from home, I think. Some of it's good, some of it's not so good - but it's all a learning experience, and I'm glad that I've gotten to go through that here!

It's a little confusing at times, though; where I'm from, there's a lot of emphasis on being the best at what you do. You always have to keep up and never let yourself slip; you have to know what you're doing at all times, and if you don't, you need to act as though you do. It's a lot of pressure, but the thing is that it's constant, and it may sound a little weird, but once something that's constant like that goes away, you can find yourself missing it - or at least, I sort of do, I think, just because that sort of structure and pressure always let me know what I should be doing with myself. This world doesn't give us as much direction, and that's...strange...

[He trails off a bit, thinking.]

But something this place has taught me, though - and I think it's a good thing! - is that a lack of structure and direction doesn't have to mean that there's nothing that can be done - this world actually rewards hard work and steadfastness far more than the one I'm used to. With enough dedication, we should be able to achieve whatever we want here due to the way this place rewards it - we can make what we want of our time here, instead of working toward a definite goal with a narrow margin of success! It's a very freeing concept; I'm not used to it, but I think I like it, or at least the message behind it.

I still don't have a set direction that I've trained my sights in, but I think I'll find it one day, if I work at it hard enough; I hope the same becomes true for the rest of you as well! Decide what you want and work toward achieving it; you have the chance to do that here, even if you didn't wherever you come from!

I hope you've had a good and productive day; if not, I know tomorrow will be better! So just keep your heads up!

[Aaaand end feed. Sometimes talking things out does help in some ways; who knew?]

[Well! It's been a while since Ishimaru's been around on the network, but with the weather being what it is, it doesn't feel right to not say anything at this point, either. And besides, he's been in Kanto for quite some time now; it'll be good to maybe speak to some of those still in Johto that he hasn't seen in a while. He's still not entirely used to this whole "missing other people" business, but he supposes that's part of the tradeoff for having friends.]

With the weather being so bad and only looking to get worse from here, I have a suggestion that may or may not be viable - several of you may remember the swarm of Bloobers from earlier in the year, correct? A lot of us obtained Bronzongs during that incident, if I remember correctly!

[...okay, where the hell is this going - ]

Bronzongs seem able to bring rain from other places; they can supposedly open portals and do it! I've never directly witnessed that part, but obviously they do bring a lot of rain with them when they're determined enough!

Wherever they got it from, though - would it be possible, do you think, for them to open those portals and put some of our rain over there? It might help mitigate some of the damage, anyway...

[Well, that was...surprisingly sound, logic-wise, for a plan that literally amounts to "WE SHOULD TAKE THE STORM AND PUT IT SOMEWHERE ELSE."]

Either way, if I haven't spoken to you for a while - I'm going to ask that you check in with me and verify that you're all right and sufficiently prepared for what's about to come, particularly if you're in one of the coastal cities! Even if I don't know you or you're new to the area, I hope that you're doing all right!

Hopefully today is a good and productive day for you, and if not...well, I would say "perhaps tomorrow will be better" but that much is questionable!

[ISHIMARU.]

Things are going to look up soon, however, I can feel it!

[...that's better.]

[VIDEO]

[Ishimaru is outside again today, seeming to be taking advantage of the nice weather while it holds; at least he's looking at the camera today, and his gaze is shifting...a little less, maybe. He still seems a bit tired but at least he's calm; the view behind him is, once again, that square in Goldenrod near the Center.]

The place I came from put a lot of emphasis on punishment...both for what we did, and what we didn't do. Failure to act in a certain way, to do as we were told, was punished; failure to not act in the way that we were expected to was likewise punished. Rules and laws and "justice" were used to control us, not to guide or help us; instead of keeping us safe, they were used to tear us down.

No matter what we did, we were going to be wrong.

[His voice remains firm but calm through all that; he's not shouting, but he doesn't seem about to cry, either. Just...working through it, really.]

When situations are hard like that, and seem unwinnable, it's easy to forget what justice is intended for. It's meant to protect people, and most importantly, it's meant to give people hope - for themselves, and for the future!

So even if...even if you haven't always done what's right, even if you've made mistakes or taken punishment - if you choose to do right afterwards, the wrong you've done doesn't have to define you!

I think there comes a time when you deserve to be considered good again!

[...yep, there's the shouting.]

It's not going to be easy - it's something I'm still working on, too. But if we're willing to work hard and not lose hope, I think we'll all be all right, in the end! We just have to do our best.

I hope today is both good and productive for you, and if not, I know that tomorrow will be better!


[ACTION]

[Returning to Goldenrod City has been...strange.

It's not strange in the way that coming to a new place tends to be strange, or perhaps returning to an old place that's changed drastically in your absence; there's no lack of familiarity, and if anything the strangeness is caused by just the opposite - there's a weird sense of returning home to it, and Ishimaru isn't entirely sure what to do with that. He hasn't felt that way since before Hope's Peak; it's weird to experience it now, but it's not altogether unwelcome.

...granted, it's not something he has long to dwell on; he finishes the video and takes a while to just...collect himself, but eventually he heads back to the house. And as soon as he manages to get the front door opened there's a sudden sharp skittering of nails against the floor and the vibrations of twenty-odd Eevees hup-hup-hupping their way down the stairs, and he flinches a little and braces for the moment where the swarm hits -

And then there's a thud, and there is quite simply nothing.

...

... ... ...

Huh.

It takes him a moment to open his eyes, given that they'd slid closed while he was in the middle of preparing for impact; apparently the thud was the fuzzball legion all sitting in unison, and now they're just kind of parked on the floor and headtilting like confused pugs because grandpa's home and we sat and why is he just standing there.

He's clearly going to be spending some time playing with the fuzzballs today, because oh my god they did so well. c: ]

[Well, tonight will see another post from Ishimaru, and while the sun has long since dipped down beneath the horizon, the video is lit by an odd, bright purple light somewhere in front of him, and a dimmer red one that seems to be sort of sliding around slowly just out of view somewhere to his left; he's back in that white uniform, simply because it feels weird to him not to wear it, and while he's definitely outdoors, he seems to be rather high up - really, if the texture of the floor he's kneeling on is any indication, he seems to be on a roof somewhere.

Of course, if you're familiar with Ecruteak City, you'll likely recognize the view just barely visible behind him; he's up atop the Tin Tower today.

Either way, however, he seems in much higher spirits this time around; he's sort of smiling, even, though not quite - he's never really done happiness very well as far as facial expressions go, nor has he really done it very naturally - and his words are quick, rushed with excitement.]

Most of my studies deal in concrete fact - the paranormal, the theistic and the unexplained have never been anything that I've found useful, and so while I know a few of the more common myths from my own world, I've been willing to set them aside as just stories! But since coming here, I've met people who can say those stories are a reality - people who have spoken to ghosts, or been ghosts themselves; people who know of the existence of fairies and done magic themselves, or people from other worlds entirely. It's been interesting, if difficult to believe sometimes!

But it also makes me wonder how many of the myths here are true; I think a lot of it is like our creation mythology back home, just centered around Pokémon - people saw the animals here and attributed the creation of the world to their power, when that might not be the case. I think it warrants further study either way, though!

The place I'm at now...they say that one of the Legendary Pokémon used to call it home, but now it travels the world looking for trainers who are pure-hearted. I'm pretty sure that means I'll never see it, but I'd like to become the sort of person where it's at least a possibility someday.

[He'll be up there for some time longer, after the video cuts out and the feed goes dark; he's got his Litwick up there with him, and he's leaning up against one of the railings, looking out over the city skyline.

He also has a rather small Slugma up on the railing next to him; just...try not to knock it off if you join him, that'd make everyone kind of upset...]

[VIDEO]

[Well! From the sound of the BGM, Ishimaru is currently back in Violet, though he's apparently holed up in Nondescript Hotel Room #356; he seems to have set the device on the table in front of him, and one of his Pokémon is actually out with him today - admittedly, it's a small pink tapir with flowers on it, and while it's definitely levitating itself it's tethered itself to his hair in a way that makes it look more than a little like some sort of really fabulous Combine headcrab. At least, he doesn't seem to mind - if anything, he seems a bit...lost in thought today. Not distracted, per se, just really contemplative.

And maybe a little peeved. Though that might be just his normal expression, it’s sorta hard to tell sometimes.]

So I've been told that I should probably start dressing like a "normal person."

[...okay, yeahno, he’s definitely a little agitated, though it's definitely more frustration than anger; he seems to realize then that his Munna is back and...well, doing the hair-thing again, and he takes a moment to retrieve her, holding her awkwardly in folded arms.]

While I find the way I dress to be completely appropriate and necessary, apparently that isn’t considered to be the case here! I don't see why - I'm a student, and therefore my clothing should reflect that! It's my profession for the time being, and as such the uniform of my profession is something that I should wear with pride!! It isn't proper conduct to do otherwise!

How...ever...

[Whatever he was going to say after that, he falters quite a bit; just...let him get his defensiveness levels down a little bit.]

...As fashion is something I've never really had a grasp on, I would...like to hear about what constitutes "normal" and how it can be achieved, as one's presentation goes!

Thank you for your time, and even if you don't reply, I want you to keep your head up and your eyes trained forward! Today is going to be a good day, I can tell!

[...yeah he kind of doesn't do "normal" well, um.]


( [VIDEO - PRIVATE TO DANGANS, ALSO DORUMON] )

( [PRIVATE VIDEO TO COLONEL ARCHER] )


[VIDEO]

[For once the feed is showing somewhere other than Goldenrod when it flickers on; Ishimaru seems to have taken up refuge on one of the larger rocks near the beach in Cherrygrove. He's not too high up, because there's no sense in risking literally falling into what would surely be a really anticlimactic set of injuries; his expression on the video is still rather severe, but that's moreso due to just being how he is rather than him actually being displeased with anything.

Dear lord, though, is it overcast out here.]

While it troubles me to see how little people prioritize education and proper study over everything else, I understand that most see pointless activities as a -

[...he hesitates for a moment, flinching back a little and blinking at something that can't exactly be seen on the feed; he shakes his head after a second before moving on, seeming to decide that whatever small stimulus caused that isn't worth bothering with.]

...r-right, anyway!! People have been trying to explain why they engage in such senseless activities and that they don't see them as a...

...

...waste...of time...

[He twitches a little again, swiping across the bridge of his nose with two fingers and studying them intensely, as though understanding whatever he was swiping away is fundamental to saving the damn world.]

Is it raining...?

[It's about then that he looks up, and...]

...Kyohei, shut that off for a second -


[VIDEO, ABOUT TWO MINUTES AFTER THE FIRST.]

[Well! Ishimaru's no longer in view - it seems he's decided to hold the device instead - so it's a bit hard to tell if he's still got that immensely strict expression going on; however, the camera is slanted sharply skyward, toward that overcast sky. The angle isn't an error; rather, it's showing off some...rather thick white flakes falling from on high.

Snow in June? Snow in June. Thank you, mods.

Ishimaru can be heard laughing a bit in the background; the sound is oddly blunted, but it still the sound of a person that is approximately a thousand percent done with the day.]

This makes no sense whatsoever. None.

[At least it's too warm to stick for very long, though the moisture on the device is contributing to some awesome JJ Abrams lensflare effects.]

Tell me - is it doing this where any of you are as well, or...?

[The feed will shut off immediately after that's out there; those wanting action can find him wandering around Cherrygrove, looking incredulous as hell and, as Parker would describe it, he's definitely appreciating the sky today because good lord he cannot stop staring at this.

A thousand percent done.]

[VIDEO]

[Well, today's video from Ishimaru is no less shouty than the first, though he seems to be less...manically enthusiastic this time around. Surely, this is progress!

Or, well, it would be, if it weren't so damn awkward-looking; he hasn't quite gotten the hang of addressing large groups of people over the feed like this, and as such his posture is a bit too tight, arms folded close against his chest, and his expression is still incredibly severe, though it's difficult to tell if it's through anger or just sheer...uh, passion. Let's. Let's call it that.

That said, he's still outside, seeming to be on one of the routes, the device apparently propped up on something; Goldenrod's skyline is rather visible close behind him, though, so he obviously hasn't gone too far.]

Through both my own curiosity and in the name of a personal project I'm undertaking, I have a request for the rest of you that have found yourselves in this place! It's not very much, and will only take a moment of your time - but if you have any sort of particular life motto or words that you happen to live by, I would like to hear them! If you have several, I would like all of them...and if you don't happen to have any, I'm sure that others would be willing to inspire you, should you want it!!

[...honey.]

Otherwise, keep your heads up and your gazes trained toward the horizon; it's been a beautiful day today - if a bit wet out sometimes - and hopefully a highly productive one for all of you!

[Okay, so he still hasn't quite learned how to people. He's working on it...]


[ACTION]

( Cut for length/the sake of reading list preservation! Tl;dr - there is a Magikarp. Training it is going...interestingly. )