War Has Changed

[Snake appears to be in the National Park, looking a little glum. He's sitting on Solid, having a smoke. Sunny is holding the PokeGear, and turns it towards Roy the Drifblim and Chicken the Pidgeotto, who are eagerly battling one another for practice.

The old soldier exhales and looks to Solid, who's staring at him with big, curious eyes.]



What?


[Sunny chirps and flies towards Old Snake, the video feed zooming into his face a moment.] Sunny... Cut that out...

Tooookiiii~

[ Old Snake's voice can be heard over the PokeGear. He's talking to someone... Probably his Pokemon, as their are some cooing sounds as well as low growls. The Gear was probably turned on due to Sunny's constant fiddling with it. ]

--doning you. I just want you to know that... If I disappear, if I leave and don't come back... Don't cry. Don't be scared. Otacon will take care of you... He's a good guy... My best friend.



It's sudden for you... I've known about this for a while... Thought I could forget about it, but it looks like my past is catching up with me...

Solid, you're strong, durable, big... You can protect everyone. Vulcan, you're a good listener, especially if someone needs to be heard. Roy, you're a great lookout, and a second pair of eyes for those who need them. Chicken, battling with you is an honor, and anyone would feel proud to have you on their side. Mk II, you're a real force to be reckoned with, I'm glad I could call you my friend.

And Sunny... You're that small flame in the darkness... You keep shining, even when things look hopelessly dark.



[ Sighs... and reaches for the PokeGear, recognizing that it's on. ] I'm not going to forget any of you... No matter where our paths lead us.


Thanks. [ the feed ends. ]

[at the beach, Snake is giving his Pokemon time to rest and bathe. Chicken is splashing in the water, enjoying the coolness on her feathers. Mk II's resting on the sand, eye closed, and Sunny is being bathed by Old Snake... who is not wearing a shirt. Seems he's making use of the time near the water to cool himself off, too. He was planning to head out on Route 30 tomorrow, after all... And he wanted to feel ready.]

Stop wiggling... I'm almost done...

Briiii!

[Snake has decided to take some quiet time and make use of figuring out what's inside his bag. He's left the Pokegear nearby on video, so he can remember what he was doing later... IT'S NOT LIKE HIS MEMORY IS GOING OR ANYTHING. That included reading the handbook on being a Pokemon Trainer. For him, this wasn't too different from what he was used to, except he usually had to call Otacon to learn how to save, how to crawl, punch, use weapons, etc. Looks like the save function was different in this world...

Snake had a lot on his mind recently, due to what he'd experienced before coming to this place... His mother was seriously wounded, and he'd only learned that she was his mother just moments before. Everything was happening too quickly... Everything that she'd told him... It was still swirling in his mind. He could still hear the sounds of Raging Raven screaming for him to fight her. Still see the look of agony on Big Mama's face...

He hadn't had a good night's sleep in the last week. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see her pained expression...

Reading the handbook had now become a way for him to take his mind off of what he'd seen... what he wished he could forget, just for a short while. It was selfish, he knew, but... it was too much.]

Brrri brrrrri!

[Snake blinked, looking over at Sunny, who was hugging his leg as he sat on a tree stump. She looked worried... so he reached a hand over and patted her head.] Hey... Sunny, I'm fine. Just... go play with Chicken and Mk II.

Toki... briiii...

[Sunny shook her head, hugging him tighter. Snake sighed, reaching down and picking her up, gently placing her on his lap.] All right... [He went back to reading the handbook, stroking Sunny's head as he did.]

... Stay out of tall grass... running in tall grass makes Pokemon more liable to attack... Hnn. I wonder if sneaking in tall grass is an option...