War Has Changed

[ Snake's sitting on a dock in Olivine, having spent a long time in this city, but not minding too much. The salty smell of the sea kept him motivated, and it was a nice change from the previous towns he'd been in while in Johto.

Plus, there was that matter of challenging the Gym Leader here, too... But for now, the old soldier is trying his luck at fishing on the docks.

Sitting next to him is Sunny, his Togekiss, who is smiling and idly trilling a song while Snake sits on the edge of the dock, hands holding the fishing pole firmly. ]

Hnn... Not really a lot here except Magikarp, huh.

[ Sunny ruffled her feathers, looking happy. ]

Maybe I'm not using the right bait... [ Turning, he reached into Sunny's feathers and withdrew the PokeGear, flicking it on and placing it near himself. ]

Might as well see if anything interesting's happening somewhere else...

[Snake had been in Violet, trying to deal with the rainfall-- it was a nice change from the dryness of before but.. his bones always ached before it rained, and with the rainfall now, his arthritis wasn't getting any better.

On the plus side, he'd retrieved his Steelix back from Heather through the Pokemon Center communications, and things seemed to be getting calm again. He hadn't heard from Otacon in a little while, but assumed that no news was good news.

Snake had been making a note to call Heather in order to speak with her father-- he had said he'd do that.

Unfortunately, the old soldier was a little distracted right now. Not only was there a lot of rain-- the Pokemon in the streams were really acting strange. Snake had decided to try and check out what was causing it when he'd slipped on some mud, sending him crashing down on his rear. When he'd landed, not only had his Gear fallen and turned on, but the Shiny Stone that he'd purchased (on Sunny's persistence) also fell out, rolling a few inches and plopping into the pool of water by the Sprout Tower.]

Damn! [Snake grunts, and moves close to the edge. Sunny, who had been watching, quickly dives in after the stone, to which Snake opposes greatly but is too late to stop her.] Sunny, no!

...

[There was silence. A great amount of it... Snake swallowed hard, unsure of what to do. Was she all right? Should he dive in after her? His bones would hate him forever if he attempted it, but... Just as he was about to make a decision, the water began to glow... No. Something in the water was glowing.]

Hn--? [Snake slowly stood up, taking a step back and taking out a Pokeball if necessary. Whatever was in there... was big. It was rising up as well, and Snake could only watch in utter shock as a large, smiling Bird rose out of the water, shining with light.]

Kyeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!




... What... the...

[The video feed flicks on, showing itself to be in Ilex Forest. Looks like Snake must be taking his sweet time to get to Goldenrod this time-- or his back really does hurt that much. Whatever the case may be, the video turns to look at Snake, but... There's nothing there.]

Hn. I've been doing some research of my own... The townspeople talk about a Guardian who lives in this forest... ...Could that Guardian be a Pokemon?

[Slowly Snake sits up... at first it looks like a bunch of grass but then the grass effect disappears, revealing Snake. Octo-camo had its uses. He reaches for the PokeGear, presumably held by Sunny, and turns it off.]

[Snake is sitting in his hotel room, his Pokemon playing around on his bed... well except for Solid and Roy, but for good reason. He flicks on the PokeGear and begins recording.]

Are you guys holding up okay? This thing's nasty. [ The blizzard, he means. ] Haven't seen one this bad since I was in Alaska... Try to find shelter with a slanted rooftop. If it's flat, there's a chance the snow will break through. If you can, get into a Pokemon Center.

If things get bad here, I'm willing to brave the outdoors to get to the Pokemon Center in Goldenrod, but I don't think that'll happen.

[ Sunny, Vulcan and Chicken are all making happy sounds as they jump up and down on Snake's bed, which is viewable from where he's recording... Vulcan is sort of being flopped around by the jumping, but he appears to be having a good time. MkIII on the other hand, is hovering close to the bed, powering what looks like an electric blanket. He looks at Snake, then the video feed, and all three eyes suddenly look very happy. ]

... At any rate, we're doing all right here. If you need anything, just give me a call.

[ Who's that romping about with his Pokemon? Okay, not quite so gayly, but he's leapt onto Solid and trying to wrestle with him. The feed is moving up and down; probably Roy has gotten hold of it.

Wrestling a rock is hard to do, but Snake doesn't care. He's having a grand ol' time, and Solid is wriggling in place.


Despite the nightmare passing, Snake couldn't help but be overjoyed to see his Pokemon again. And the best way he can show it is by play-fighting with them. Still, he intends to talk to Heather and Otacon (maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaybe Liquid) about what happened and get their thoughts. ]


Hnn--rhrhhgh! [ falls onto his back, but he lies there, looking happy. Solid leans down, nuzzling him with his big rocky snout. The rest of Snake's Pokemon team gathers around him, with Sunny leaping on top of the old man and hugging him, cryyyyyyyying. ]

Hey... Sunny... [ pets... ]




[ Suddenly, Mk II begins glowing. Snake looks over, surprised. ] Mk II? [ Mk II is evolving!! Snake watches in amazement... but the end result is a little jarring. ]

... Uh.



... I guess... Mk III?

[ 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. ]

[The sound of a door opening, though there's also that rather irritating sound of a CRYING TOGEPI... And then Snake's voice... It sounds much more grumpy than usual.]


OTACON. I'm in Violet... Help.

[To anyone who may see the old man, he's looking mighty exhausted right outside of the entrance-building to Violet, carrying a wailing egg Pokemon. He's soaked with sweat, looking like he just dove in a pool, though he was probably craving one right now. He's panting, quite visibly, and his shirt is sticking to his skin, looking a little more skin-tight than usual. Despite having been prepared when he left for Violet... he wasn't prepared for the massive heat-wave... and he looks like he might die of heat stroke... figuratively.]

[Snake's chilling outside the PokeMart. He's got a bottle of water, along with some snack foods, and some other things for the trip... he's not got a lot of P left, but he doesn't really care at this moment. He's got food, he's got a cigarette... Life is good.

At first, his Pokemon didn't approve of him smoking... much like the Sunny in his own world... But eventually, he got her to see things his way...

With some smokes of her own.

So, sitting on a bench outside, Snake and Sunny sat side-by-side, "smoking" and chillaxing, looking quite at peace with life.


... As to how Snake managed to actually light his cigarette... He had Mk II to thank for that. Managing to teach him how to not ELECTROCUTE SNAKE in the process was a tough one.]

Hnn... It's been a long time since I could relax like this...

Bbrrriii...

... If you sigh like that, you sound like me.

[Sunny smiles up at him, and Snake smirks, before removing his bandanna and gently tying it around her head.]

Now you're Solid Sunny.

[Today was a good day.]

[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...