[ It had taken way longer to get here than initially intended. First off, Snake was surprised to see that damn tree was no longer in the way, so it meant he didn't have to go down to Azalea (yet). He would if he wanted to get the badge, but that'd come later... He still hadn't beaten Falkner, and honestly didn't feel like it at the moment. Felt better to just get out and traveling.

Unfortunately, he had to do it on one of the hottest days for traveling. This Summer had been pretty mild for the most part, but it seemed as soon as August rolled around, the real heat came out to play. Though it might have also seemed worse because Snake had basically quit smoking and everything was worse after that. Stumbling over to a nearby bench, Snake sprawled on it, looking entirely too eager to sit down. He and Otacon had ridden to Goldenrod on S2's back, and after a while, it actually became a literally pain in the ass. But now they were able to relax, despite Snake having flashbacks to how long he had been in Goldenrod before, and god had he not missed the music. He flipped open his Gear, checking for any updates. ]

I heard something about Free Ice Cream? I could use that... [ He smiled at Otacon. ] For you, too, I know.

Oh yeah... [ He held up another Pokéball. ] Caught another one. This time it's a... bug. Dragonfly? It's called a Yanma or something like that. [ A smirk. ] Flying beats Bug, at least that hasn't changed.