The Damned

Video game reference, lulz! Wally managed to get one of these. It looks like a child, though... an innocent child. Sending a child to war is the act of a mad man. But then I remembered that all of these things were made for combat. Even the little ones. Good god, Otacon wasn't lying. I'm not even in the forest yet, and this one is at least the size of my hand. But insects are rich in protein, and I may need it if my rations run out. A quick check of my roster shows I've managed to get a variety of them. But I could really go for something patriotic. Something with wings. Alone, calling out into the darkness... . Truly, this little bird is a kindred spirit. A loner, like me. But also a warrior. For those of you that aren't up on your current military technology: MQ9 Reaper The old man that told me pods will be teleported to storage wasn't lying. The instant I had Reaper in my hands, the pod vanished in a small flash of light. I had to make my way back to the town to retrieve him. The little amphibian frog thing wasn't much use to me for now, and it didn't seem up to the challenge ahead. Better to put it in a safe place for now. Reaper is working out great. He's fast, brutal, and isn't afraid to get his claws dirty. I've promoted him to Sergent, and placed the team in his command. Flapcakes still manages to somehow secure supplies during our battles. He's not much of a fighter, but his skill at procuring vital materials is too handy to ignore. I've decided to promote him to Resource Acquisitions Officer. Another bird. But it's a seagull, and I hate seagulls. Our boot camp session has paid off for Trio. She learned a basic attack, one that confuses the opponent. I can see some sort of waves emitting from her when she does it. I suspect that Troi is one of those mind-reader types I heard about.

Luckily, there are no witnesses around this time. I can approach him from behind and snap his neck in an instant. I never feel good about killing, but there is too much at stake to risk hi alerting someone. I must have tipped him off somehow. Luck is on my side, though. He's just a civilian on a walk. I slipped going down the steps towards the beach. I must be getting old. The girl sees me stumble down the steps, but doesn't seem scared. She's another local, just out for some sun. But her advice is correct. Avoiding the enemy is the best way to avoid a fight. Now I know... and knowing is half the battle! The others on the beach, however, seem suspicious. I use all my training to slip by undetected. This little expedition has finally gone my way! I have spotted a boat. But it's too risky to steal it. I could end up rousing too much attention. Besides, my contact instructed me to get to the town north of here. I should still see about renting it from its owner, just in case... but the shop is empty. The poor man must have given up fishing once the containment fields were set up around the beaches. The loss of one's purpose in life can be as crushing as any defeat. I manage to acquire more wild berries for my supplies. Otacon: I have that satellite intel I told you about before. The beach in front of you is currently inaccessible, but there is a forest north of you that leads to the next town, Rustboro. Snake: Perfect. DAD gave me a hint that I should head that way and contact a woman named Roxanne. I'm supposed to get some sort of badges from her and some other people. DAD wants me to bring them back to him later. Otacon: OK, Snake, but that forest is Petalburg Forest, and the trees are so thick, satellite telemetry isn't available. I don't have any waypoints or even basic directions for you. Snake: Not a problem. I've got a good sense of direction. Otacon: That's not the only problem, Snake! The forest is filled with wild bio-weapons. Your own team might not be strong enough to make it through. Snake: How bad can it be? Otacon: There are bugs the size of your head in there. Snake: Bugs? Otacon: Thousands of them. Tens of thousands. Maybe even millions. Snake: ... Right, time for some boot camp.

And with that, we never saw Wally again. I would later learn that Wally had been killed near his home town during my battle with the Elite Four. A stray piece of clock shrapnel had grazed his skull, and he fell down a ravine. The fall didn't kill him, but the twenty pounds of explosives he was carrying were on a timer. He had been somehow coerced into becoming a suicide bomber from the looks of it. What could they have done to him in such a short period of time that would make him give up his life like that? What kind of monster would do such a thing to a child? These Gyms must be meeting places for DAD's group. There could be cells in every major town and city on the island. These "badges" must be some kind of item needed to make contact within their group. If each Gym Leader has one, that means I'll need to make contact with four of them. The kid lived next door to the Gym all this time. Maybe this is how he came to so enamored with the creatures... WHO TOLD Y- I mean, yes, I'm new to the island... Not a spy at all. The industrial requirements for weaponizing biological organisms must be pretty big. Pollution from the labs and plants that make the chemicals and whatever else they use must be getting worse. Children born weak, like Wally, must be more susceptible to the effects of it. I'm spent years in cities and war zones, and I haven't noticed anything so far. I didn't know this until later, but almost immediately after he got his first "pokahmon", he was dragged off by someone. I always felt bad about that. I only had hi under my wing for a minute, but not being there afterward still pains me a bit. The smiles of innocence are fleeting. I say my goodbyes and head out of town. On my way past the town limits, I spot another potential guard.

The boy has been caught up in the bio-weapon training scheme. Giving them to children must be some for of indoctrination. It gives them power, power that can be controlled by others, and gives them the thrill of battle. A truly intoxicating feeling. I've seen children soldiers in Africa and parts of Europe. They either die as children, or grow up to become the worst of the worst. I can only hope that luck gives Wally another way out. A test? To see how far I'm willing to go for my mission? Or is this DAD's way to make sure the boy doesn't get killed by his inexperience? Mine likes to spend more time looking for supplies then fighting or training. He also doesn't know how to make a latrine. I can already hear Otacon snickering at his desk. Pervert. Right, left, right, left, come on, maggot! Double time! Proper supervision of new recruits in important. Without training and supervision, they could easily hurt themselves from their own ignorance. And the battlefield is an unforgiving mistress... The boy seems to have natural talent. Did he decide to do this on his own, or did someone catch a glimpse of his potential and guide him towards here? I still need to talk with DAD any way. DAD trusts this kid enough to casually hand over a bio-weapon. Is this trust earned? Or does DAD not consider him a threat?

Snake has managed to get to Petalburg City, the base of operations for "DAD", a deep-level infiltrator who has agreed to provide assistance for Snake's mission. But before he has the chance to make contact, he is side-tracked by a mother looking for her missing son... Out adventure returns... NOW! They've added teleportation to this technology. I can already see entire cities falling to a mass of soldiers, appearing in pods, materializing by the hundreds at once, with no way to stop their advance. War has changed... for the worse. This Wally child must by around here somewhere. I should check out this store, just in case. Kids love comic books, and this would be the place to get them. But he's not here, either... Heading towards the city limits, a patrol guard spots me. There's no way to avoid him now, but I can't start a fight in front of the locals. Gym? What Gym? I don't see a Gym anywhere. Is this some form of diversionary tactic? ... Fucking hippies. I've found where my contact "DAD" is based. He's in the local boxing arena... at least I think it is. I don't see any boxing rings around. Must be behind those doors. Sports gyms are good meeting places for tough guys like myself. We can pretend we're there for some exercise, and more often than not, others there are fellow agents... BUT FOR WHICH SIDE? I used to be a Green Beret. We were the toughest motherfuckers in the world... until the budget cutbacks. He's unusually cheery for having a covert ops agent land on his doorstep. The place must be under surveillance. TARGET SIGHTED! BEGINNING RETRIEVAL!

OK, it turns out I am seriously under-leveled for this next few parts, so I'm spending some time (outside of the story) leveling up. You're going to see a few level jumps in the next while. Nothing major, maybe four or so levels on average. This is not a error or oversight on my part. I'll have a new part ready later today. Sorry for the delay, but I had to take a break from it last night. Zombies can't shoot themselves, you know.

Hey, no one mentioned the new episode. Come on, people! http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2758-Achievements

I don't know the exact numbers, but I suspect that they receive several dozen submissions a week, if not more. It's going to take time to go through them all.

I got a plan for the finale of this, but I need someone with actual video skills and the gear to do it. Also, I think you guys will like what I got for the first Gym Leader battle, it's something that I'm going to use for each one. Next up, Wally the suicide bomber makes his first appearance.

OK, that's this batch. Next one later tonight or tomorrow morning.

Boy, are you Wally? Your mother is loo- I... I have reached Nirvana. The world is not what it seems. The material world is not the one true world. Physical and material wants are not the way. True peace is the denial of the physical and the embracing of the transcendental. BUT I HAVE A MISSION! No time for enlightenment. Wally could be in his house... Semper Fi! They have this tour for people like you. They even pay you for it! It's in Afghanistan, and it's for three years. I know someone you can call for details. Surely he's in here. Is that near Baghdad? This Norman seems to be in deep with these things. I wonder who he is, exactly. Maybe DAD knows... Where the fuck is this kid?

I spotted an object not far from the girls location. It was just barely visible from where I was standing. At first, I thought it might be a lost containment pod, with perhaps another bio-weapon inside. But then I thought it could be a trap. I wanted to send Flapcakes to check it out, but he refused. Turns not it was not a creature, but another vial of that medicine. I don't know how long it was there, but it seems fine. I'm taking it just in case. Petalburg City is supposed to be the homebase of my other contact, "DAD". We don't really have much info on him or his outfit, but he seems to have interests that align with ours. Best heal up the troops before any other surprises pop up. Yes, and the day his identity is known to the public, his ass will be owned by the first government that can get their hands on him. Best to keep your name and face hidden when you have such important knowledge. You mean this berry is the same as those vials I tried and also died from? Is there anything on this island that is meant for human consumption!? Negative. That is classified information. I tried to order my team to tell me what happens when tehy are healed, but they can only understand basic verbal commands, and are not able to speak. I'll have to find a way of giving them a scanning device. Another lost child. Some cultures let children have the freedom to experience. Others choose to hold onto them tightly and guide them along with rigid teaching. Some, like my own, were neither. Perhaps this is the boy in question.

I don't have any video gear or software, and it seems like a giant hassle to record all of it any way. Pictures and text are fine, and they can be easily (I hope) saved and archived as stand alone files, with working links. Besides, between video editing and uploading, this is much quicker and easier to work with. Not to mention I'd end up running the "METAL GEAR!" joke into the ground by the end of the first video. Do you want to hear someone saying that at every possible opportunity? Over and over every single video? Fuck no.

Losing is war's way of telling you that you weren't good enough. You may want to shoot yourself for your failure to your unit. I spotted some berries growing near the road. They aren't plentiful, but I may be able to survive off of them should I run out of rations. - http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Berry - Berries are free (but weaker) versions of potions and other medicine you can buy in stores. They can also be grown where you find them,and farmed for more. One berry will usually give two when the plant grows, and more if you take care of it by watering them. You can also give them to your Pokémon to hold. In battle, they will automatically use them when the conditions are right (like, low health, they eat a berry to heal part way, or if paralyzed, eat a berry and recover) if they have the right kind. A girl seems to be guarding this spot, but not as any kind of warning. She seems to be a civilian that has a personal interest in this place. Hopefully, those berries I just found weren't hers. Stidge's battle isn't going that well. She tries hard, but effort alone won't get you through combat. You need skills and experience as well. She barely manages to take out the opponent. Time for Flapcakes to get some han- claws-on experience. That same growth that the others had. If these keeps happening, what will happen to them? Even weapons, especially living ones, need some care from time to time. These are my soldiers now, and as their commanding officer, it's my responsibility to watch over them. She wishes to advance through the ranks. Ambition is a key trait for officers. Some day, I may end up saluting and calling her "sir".

Damn it, there's no way he hasn't spotted me! I'll have to face him. IN THE FIELD OF BATTLE! His sneezing could give us away. I can't risk the exposure. The tall grass should keep his body hidden for now. I've only traveled this far, and my team is already starting to tire a bit. I should check on... what's this? Flapcakes has managed to acquire supplies while fighting! His underwhelming performance during the battle wasn't because he was a bad fighter. No, it was because he was scouting out the area and finding items vital to the success of the mission! I'm going to put him up for a medal. Howl is a move that raises the users Attack stat one level. This equates to a 50% boost to its Attack. See http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Stats for more details about the whole system. Stidge isn't tough enough to finish this battle. Time to bring out the big guns. Stidge received enough experience points from his share of the battle to level up. Leveling up adds to each stat, depending upon several factors. Basically, she's a bit better overall then before. Growl is kind of like the opposite of Howl. It lowers attack, but not of the pokémon using it. The opponent is the one that suffers the drop. This means that after being hit with a Growl, your pokémon have lost 1/3 of their ability to cause damage. Doing this can be very beneficial if you're up against something that has lots of Attack power. I think Flapcakes is sneaking out of its pod to steal money for our team. Usually, such behavior is a court-martiable offense. Given the nature of our mission, though, I'm not going to do anything about it... yet. Continued...

You're a total fucking idiot. I should shoot you for delaying my mission. At least my path is clear now. Otacon said that I shouldn't have to worry about any organized defense on the island. What few guards there are will be part of the two factions that are constantly at odds. Even then, I should be able to avoid any unnecessary combat. His accent has a hint of Cantonese to it. He may be working for the Ministry of State Security. As long as I'm not discovered by enemy agents or delayed too long, I should be able to make my way to the target. Trainer? It must be the term for anyone that controls the bio-weapons. It makes sense. Attack dogs have trainers. Drug-sniffing dogs have trainers. I figure that a weakened enemy would be good practice for the new recruits. Stidge overdoes it in the training session, but it's good to see her bare her fangs a bit. She may just yet work out... Stidge goes through the same strange growth that Steyr had. Also, somehow, money fell into my pockets during the battle. Only a fool gives away his secret advantages before the fight. I spot another local, and decide to sneak past him. I can't tell who is a civilian and who could be an agent. Best to avoid them both if I can help it. But just when you try to doge one bullet, another is right behind it. Continued...

Snake has met his contact, acquired his own bio-weapon,and after being sent to retrieve Professor Birch's daughter, managed to obtain containment pods, called Pokéballs. Now able to capture his own, Snake is ready to complete his mission. But a drastic turn of events has forced him to detour into unknown territory. Just as this hardened soldier is ready to go, a tender moment with one of his contacts leaves him with feelings of uncertainty. The location: The island nation of Hoenn The mission: Stop the bio-weapons from leaving the island The stake: Planet-wide ecological chaos Only one man can save the world, and in an ironic twist of fate, he must use the very monsters he has been sent to stop to do it. Can he and his team of genetically-altered creatures stop the Elite Four in time? Can Snake trust the locals that are supposed to be helping him? Will he come across an even greater danger? Find out next, in Metal Gear Solid: Pokeable Ops! Even hardened soldiers can get homesick, or miss their family. But you have to push those feelings aside in order to complete your mission. Now that I have containment pods (or pokahballs, as the locals call them), I can begin making my own team. I'd still rather have a pistol or a rifle, even a single grenade. But our hands are tied. My first step into the grass where these creatures run wild scares a dog into revealing itself. It's the same kind that I found attacking Birch earlier. Could it be the same one? The fight goes my way. The little pup isn't big enough to stand up to Steyr. My intel on these pods is simple: weaken the target, disable its ability to fight, toss the pod at it. The internal system of the pod will somehow do the rest. I'm not a scientist, so I have no idea what happens to this things when these pods snap shut with them inside. They become strangely loyal and obedient to the one that captures them. It's almost like brainwashing... The "pokahdecks" that Birch gave me scans the dog and displays basic info of it. Big teeth, small body. Not unlike some of my old foes. But if I can train it, run it through boot camp, it could be useful. ocre named this, because he was the only one that answered my request for a name. I've heard that these creatures possess natural abilities, ones that they will instinctively use without being ordered to. Time to see what this pooch can do. Cowardice will not be taken lightly! But a good soldier also knows when to retreat... The Colonel taught me that. Abilities were something that was added to the game in Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald, and have since stayed. All pokémon have at least one. In this case, Run Away makes sure that no matter what the circumstances, the pokémon can escape from fights with wild pokémon. It does not, however, let it escape battles with Trainers. So if you don't want to fight yet another useless pokémon, or are running low on attacks, Run Away can be kind of useful. Another one. This one is some kind of rodent or something. I don't think it will be very helpful, but it may at least be useful for a diversion in a heated battle. Another coward. Playing dead isn't a good tactic in war. Most soldiers will shoot a body just to make sure. Luckily for it, we don't have to worry about bullets here. ocre came up with the name. Complaints go to him. If you would like to suggest names, why not hit up the IRC channel at irc://irc.esper.net/ocremix ? There's fun, games, and maybe even strippers! But not really. Oldale is just a quick walk away, so I quickly heal up my recruits. Those pods don't even have to be opened to fix them up. If this technology could be used on humans, every nation on the planet would be scrambling to get their hands on it. An army of loyal soldiers, each one carried around in something no bigger than an orange. An entire regiment could be packed away in a crate, and when injured, simply recalling them back into the pod could sustain them until proper medical treatment is available. Terrorists could have a field-day with this. Combine it with the PC storage system, and you could ship anyone with anything at any time. I should see about disabling this system, if not destroying it. But it may already be too late. Continued...

It's actually funny? Jesus christo, I managed to do something genuinely funny. How the hell did that happen?

Last one for the night. More tomorrow! Containment pods! Now I can acquire and keep more bio-weapons for myself. Good idea. Any changes in your routine could alert whoever is out there. But don't make it too routine. You know, just routine casually. I spot MOM almost immediately. She's not trying to be subtle. She's either really sure of her self, or she's actually that good. He has experience with these things!? Has he been here before!? I honestly have no idea how she got those shoes on me. It's like she's able to stop me from seeing or hearing her, or she can freeze time. Some sort of post-hypnotic suggestion from when she had me unconscious? I'll have to be prepared for it again next time I see her. There is no telling what she could be doing to me when I'm incapacitated like that. Why would he be joyed? The last time I saw him, he tried to kill me and a bunch of other people. And what is his connection to these monsters? ... I suddenly miss my own mom.

I'm not that comfortable with handing my only means of defense over to a stranger, but I have no real choice. Without Steyr in top condition, I could easily find myself outgunned in a battle. Everything about this place seems legit, but it's still strange how there is no cost to use it. Who can afford such advanced technology and let if be used by anyone here? Perhaps this is part of a monitoring system to track the ones with bio-weapons, to see what kind of growth and development is taking place. Long-term, extensive research in practical battlefield conditions could yield all kinds of data. Otacon might want to see some of this data if I can secure it. The civilian seems determined to block my way. No matter, because I have to escort the Birch girl back to her father first. I find it odd how they have the ability to store objects as data, and keep monsters in tiny pods, but he wants to sketch the footprint by hand. Is he afraid to use a digital camera? Could he have made a discovery that he doesn't want others to know about? There are too many questions about this island, and not enough damn answers. So impatient. Youth is wasted on the young. When I was her age, I was just managing boot camp. After that, I as in the thick of battle with comrades by my side. Alter all these years, I'm starting to feel old. Worn down. Spread thin like jam over a bread ration. Whatever her fate is, I can only hope it's not the same as mine. She's an agent like me, but she still has some innocence in her. I let May go ahead a bit, and decide to use the money she slipped me earlier. Stocking up on supplies is never a bad idea. I put down almost every...dollar? Rupee? Yen? Whatever this money is on medical vials. She's quick, I'll give her that. I wonder what kind of training her masters, whoever they are, gave her. She's almost reckless in her run down these slopes. Even I'm having hard time with them, and she just hops over them like a rabbit. I see her back at the lab with her father. She's hanging on him like a puppy on its new owner. Is it real love for her father, or part of an act to stay in his circle? It's hard to tell with her. She's been trained in science as well. Her role in his studies could be both to keep him inline and to make sure his findings get to the right people. WHOEVER THEY ARE. Saving the daughter has resulted in some sort of computer device. It may prove useful. I see... I'm going to "help" the professor too. It gives me reason to travel around the island, like his daughter. If it also has data on these creatures, it could have vital intel on whatever is out there. Continued...

Snake: Ten four. I just hope this doesn't take too long. The clock in my room is ticking down to detonation. Otacon: The detour is going to take about a day. Did you give yourself 24 hours before it goes off? (thinking back to earlier in the day) Snake: About that much, yeah... Otacon: Good, you're going to need it. You'll have to head back to Oldale and then try going West. I'll get that intel to you as soon as I can. Otacon out. Alright, double-time now, soldier. Back to town. The wild monsters aren't very tough, but they can still dish out the hurt. My Steyr is holding its own, though, and seems to have reached some sort of threshold. It's a bit stronger, faster and tougher now. It seems to gain strength with each victory. I still needed to find the Birch girl, though. The sooner I find her, the sooner I can get back to the mission. Luckily, she was not far from me... SUDDEN AMBUSH! DUCK AND COVER! FIRE IN THE HOLE! The battle was over fast. Her bio-weapon was supposed to have an edge over mine, but Steyr was a cut above it. During the battle, May slipped me some of the local currency. I'm thinking this is a way for her to help me on the mission, while still maintaining whatever cover story she has. OK, remember that thing about Rock-Paper-Scissor? And how Treecko is Grass and Torchic is Fire and Fire beats Grass? Well, because of their low levels, Torchic hasn't learned any Fire attacks yet. Combine that with Treecko being three levels higher, and Torchic had no advantage at all. In fact, a high enough level can negate the type advantage in a battle. But it's still a good idea to make useof these strengths and weaknesses, as they make for quicker, cleaner victories. Money is given to the player if he defeats other characters. But if the player is defeated, then half of his money is taken away. Multiple defeats can wipe out your cash reserve, making it hard to get items for your team. Avoid losing as much as possible! Now that our little charade is over, it's time to get he back to her father. Impatient little girl, isn't she? She does have her own critter, so she should be able to hold her own until she gets back to Oldale. I still wish she had waited for me. Our sparring session has left Steyr a bit ragged. time to see one of these medical units in person. Continued...

It seems the use of these bio-weapons is so commonplace, someone has put some kind of medical unit in each town to allow for the repair of these creatures. It's free to any of the population that has one of them. But such a network of medical units would be expensive, and they don't charge anything for using them. So just what is the benefit of offering free medical care? What kind of gain could any one get from such an expensive donation? Could it be an attempt at controlling the population, preventing them from getting too involved in this mess? "Do as we say, or your free hospitals go away"? This is getting deeper and deeper by the minute. Another creature! This one doesn't seem to be very strong, and mine, called a Treecko, is more than able to deal with it. The battle also seems to have had some sort of effect on it. It figured out how to use its biological traits to feed off of the opponent. This lets it replenish its health while weakening the foe. A cunning tactic. Absorb is a Grass type attack. Half of the damage it does to the target pokémon is turned into health points of the pokémon using it. So if Treecko does 20 damage, it gets 10 points added to its HP. North of here is the path to the river. East of that is the next town, and then to the beach. From there, I need to secure a boat to get across the water to the target. I better hurry, only 11 hours and 30 minutes left on that clock bomb. Pokéballs, huh? They're some sort of containment pod for the bio-weapons. If I'm to gather more of them for my fight, then I should look into them. Pokéballs are balls that open and close, and are hollow inside. The exact mechanism isn't known, but once a pokémon is captured inside of one, it somehow shrinks down, or is turned into data, or something, allowing for creatures of any size and weight to be carried around easily. There are several types to be found through the games. I've managed to acquire another vial of medicine. These ones are meant strictly for the biological weapons, but I should try to find a way to use them for myself. My life may depend upon it. Let's take a small sample and try it out... uuuuh, wha.. what happened. Oh god, my stomach and head and bowels... The test of the vial's contents was a failure. It seems that I will have to secure human medical supplies for myself. Even if I could spare one for you, I must warn you not to try it yourself. Whatever it's made from, it's not intended for human use. Don't even get it on your skin. I'm serious. That stuff could make Agent Orange look like a desert topping. Finally! The river. Crossing this gets my to the next town, and I- I can't make it over the edge of the water. Snake: Otacon! There's some sort of... barrier preventing me from crossing the river! Otacon: I know Snake! The waterways and beaches seem have a special containment field, designed to prevent the bio-weapons from easily moving about. If too many of them were to mix together, the ensuing fighting could damage the island. Whoever put these creatures here must have put this barrier system in place. Snake: How am I supposed to get to the target if I can't cross the river? Or get across the ocean? Otacon: That was never the plan, Snake. Didn't you get the encoded briefing on thePC in your room at that base? Snake: I checked it, but there was nothing there. But I did check the map before I left and memorized the most direct route. Otacon: That's not goingto work now, Snake. We need to take a detour to another town, and find a way there. I'll try to get some satellite feeds of the island to help you out. Snake: Ten four. I just hope this doesn't take too long. The clock in my room is ticking down to detonation. Otacon: The detour is going to take about a day. Did you give yourself 24 hours before it goes off? Continued...

A Steyr is a type of automatic firearm. It's known for it's odd design and look. You let your daughter out in that minefield of beasts by herself!? A somewhat subtle request I go save her. This is why I don't like involving civilians in these ops. They tend to wander into trouble that any experienced soldier would see coming from a mile away. But if I don't save her, the professor may deny access to any other useful intel or material I could need. Alright, Birch... you'll get your daughter back. An order is an order. Even if it issued by some non-combat geek in front of a computer on the other side of the world. Otacon: YOUR TRANSMITTER IS STILL ON. I CAN HEAR EVERYTHING YOU'RE SAYING. Snake: Negative, Otacon, *kchrrrrr* signal is breaking up *sshshhhhhhh*, didn't get that last message *bzzzzzzz* you're mom's a slut *ffttzzzzzzz* shutting down communications. Over. Otacon: Fuck you, Snake. Snake: Wouldn't you rather fuck your mother, mother-fucker? Otacon: That was my step-mother, asshole. Snake: Still makes her a slut. I know that. I'm just here to say I'M ON TO YOU. Best update MOM of my progress... Holy shit! She knocked me out with no warning! She could have killed me when I was completely at her mercy. I hope to god she's on our side... Tall grass is also good cover for snipers. They can survey the area without being seen, and the grass, in hot environments, can obscure thermal signals that infra-red cameras would detect. According to my map, past this town and across a small river is the first stop I need to make on my trek to the target. I hope I can secure transport once I reach the beachline. Continued...

Somebody used Teleport! The thread was moved to Gen Disc! I guess that's right, though, seeing how it's game-related. My bad. Thank you to whoever moved it! New part now. Snake, covert ops agent, arrived on the island of Hoenn, home to Pokémon. Meeting his first contact, MOM, he is given basic supplies and a base of operations. With orders to contact local scientist and Pokémon expert, Professor Birch, Snake has looked everywhere, only to be forced to explore outside the safety of the town... Our story continues... (wait for it...) NOW! A man being attacked a vicious guard dog! I have to help him! But I'm trained in eight different martial arts and can snap a dogs neck with my bare... oh fine. These grenades aren't grenades at all! They're bio-weapon containment pods! This may be my chance to secure one for myself. But which to choose? An aside from the Let's Play: Hello! For those of you that have NEVER PLAYED POKEMON (you sad, pathetic little people), these little bits are for you. I'll briefly explain things about the game as we go along. How the battles work, how the pokémon work, how this and that work... I'll cover it all as best as I can. But if you really want to know something about the games, might I suggest Bulbapedia? It has thousands of articles about the entire Pokémon universe, and can let you delve deeply into the finer aspects of the games as you want. Right now, we are faced with a decision: these three pokémon are the starters, as in, you start your team with them. The first is a Grass type, called Treecko. It's weak to fire attacks, but beats the crap out of Water pokémon. The second is Torchic, a Fire type. It fests on the smoldering remains of Grass types, but dies easily to Water types. The third is Mudkip, a Water type. It likes to put out Fire types, but Grass types will smack it down with little effort. See, it makes like a game of Rock-Paper-Scissor, doesn't it In fact, the whole game is based upon a more complex version of it. There are 17 types in all, each one with strengths and weaknesses against each other. Some pokémon get to be two Types at once, like Mudkips later form, which is Water and Ground. This means it is extra-extra weak to Grass attacks. I'll explain things more as we go on, but you really might want to check out Bulbapedia along the way, it can explain things much better than I can. Enjoy! OK, I asked someone on the IRC channel last night which to pick, and Treecko won by a landslide of 1 vote out of 1. Then someone said something mean and I went to bed crying. I gotta say, I'm impressed. I didn't even tell it to do anything. It just attacked the dog without hesitation. I can see now why these creatures can be dangerous... My contact has been found, but he seems reluctant to talk in the open. I suspect we are being watched... but by who? You have? But Big Boss is supposed to be... How do you even know about him in the first place? Where are you getting your intel from? No, I pulled it off with a genetically engineered reptile monster you told me to take. If I had my SOCOM with me,I could have ended it in one shot. Of course! This entire meeting is a way to explain how a new arrival to the island was given one of the bio-weapons. The professor is rather clever. Continued...

Where is my contact? He's not at home, and that kid from before said he was usually in his lab or out in the field. The wife eyes me carefully as I leave. She knows more than she's letting on. Birch's lab. They may very well make some of these creatures here. If he's to give me my own bio-weapon, this should be the place to do it. FUCK. OK, I'm running out of time. That "clock" only has twelve hours on it, and I still need to get to started. Maybe this child has seen the professor... Wars always make orphans. Orphans that grow up to become soldiers. Soldiers that kill each other. The dead leave behind their own children, making them orphans. It's a cycle of death the nev- Sanke: Tightass weeaboo... Otacon: I heard that. Any way, this kid might know something about the professors location. I'm a soldier, not a police officer. It's not my duty to protect people from harm. Otacon: You know your transmitter is still on, right? And by the way, it is your job to protect people. That's why you're on that island! OK... SHOW TIME! Continued...