DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. Metal Gear is created by Hideo Kojima and owned by Konami. Genshin Impact is owned by miHoYo.

METAL GEAR SHOGUN

Episode 21
RENEWED LIGHTNING

/-\ FOXHOUND Headquarters, May 13th, 2007 /-\

Ei woke up from another pleasant night – that made a full week without any nightmares. Ever since her encounter with Rose on April 30th, Ei had been severely motivated. Her drive to achieve greater heights was renewed, and her overall energy had skyrocketed. With this newfound invigoration, she had been able to fully complete a simulation of the Shadow Moses Incident – start to finish – without any breaks.

Ei dressed up in her uniform and went down to the front room. Maxine was there as always, diligently working at her computer station. She noticed Ei and looked over to greet her.

"Good morning, Snake!" She waved. "Are you doing well today?"

"Yes, I am, Max." Ei replied. "I've been getting much more sleep as of late. I feel like I've just been given a boost of power."

"Heh, sure looks like it." Max chuckled. "Something happened last week that gave you a lot of energy, right?"

"Yes, I suppose so." Ei answered. "In any case, I'm ready to begin today's regimen."

The start of Ei's training for the day was quickly taken care of. As she had been feeling more motivated than usual, her performance was exceptional. Her weight training exercise was handled with ease, with more additional weight from earlier exercises. When faced with maneuverability training, she was able to perform the different techniques elegantly and efficiently.

The next part of Ei's training was an obstacle course that tested her speed and control with such maneuvers. She was able to get through it with very little exhaustion as she flipped, climbed, and crawled through and around the various hazards that stood in her way. Ei was also much faster than she usually was, thinking of ways to bypass difficult or problematic areas to cut back on time. Put simply, she was nigh-unstoppable.

When the time came for her weapons training, she had been told she would be performing weapons training in VR. Ei was used to this, since she would be placed in VR simulations to test her knowledge on the various weapons and equipment items she was taught to use on the field. She was directed to the VR training facility and put into one of the simulation setups for training.

/-\ Virtual Reality /-\

Ei once more materialized in virtual reality. Standing on top of a platform, she took note of the sniper rifle that was in front of her. She walked forward and picked it up.

[Today your training will be sniping practice with the PSG1 sniper rifle.] The voice instructed her. [The training simulation will consist of five different stages, where you will shoot targets at a distance. You must hit all blue and orange targets to move on to the next stage. Blue targets will do nothing when shot. Orange targets will explode upon being shot, and will destroy all targets or obstacles within the blast radius. However, if you shoot a red target, you will receive a penalty. Do you understand, Snake?]

"Yes, I understand." Ei responded.

[Very well.] The voice spoke. [The exercise will begin in three, two, one…]

BGM:

Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance – VR Remixed Variety Mission
By Norihiko Hibino

The chime that signaled the exercise to start played. A platform materialized some distance away from the platform Ei stood on, with a few floating obstacles between the two. There were six targets in total: three on each side of the opposing platform, each at a different height. Ei moved to the right of the platform she stood on, crouched down, and gazed through the scope of the sniper rifle. Zooming in and taking aim at the top-right target, she fired, hitting its center.

Ei unzoomed the scope a little, widening her field of vision. A little lower and to the left was another target, one which she moved her sights to and shot in the center. She zoomed out and lowered the rifle down to the target below, zooming back in and shooting it as well. Aiming over to the left side of the opposing platform, Ei trained her sniper rifle to the lowest of the targets on the left. She shot each of the targets in a short period of time, as they were not too far apart. Upon shooting the final target, a chime played, and the simulation began to alter its configuration.

The targets reappeared, though moving this time. The one in the bottom-left was rotating steadily, while all the other targets moved side to side. Ei took aim at the bottom-left target, waiting for it to show its front. Eventually, she shot the rotating target in its center, moving her sights upward to focus on the moving targets. She hit the top-left target, though not in its center. She shot the middle targets in the same manner, but managed to bullseye the other two targets on her first shot.

Another chime played, and both platforms began to change. Ei's platform gained an upper, middle, and lower level, while the opposing platform changed its shape entirely. It was much wider and longer, with multiple obstructions permeating the platform. More than twice the number of targets appeared on it and began to move around. Ei, who was standing on the upper floor of her platform, jumped down to the middle level and got into a sniping position.

Underneath a large obstruction was a set of four targets, slowly converging into a straight line. Ei saw the convenience of their proximity and shot each of them, one by one. Aiming over to the right, she shot a target in one of its inner rings, reloading the PSG1 afterwards. Five targets down, eight to go. Looking to the back of the opposing platform, Ei saw an orange target, partially obstructed. She aimed at the target and shot, hitting it in one of the inner rings again. The orange target detonated and took two unseen targets with it. Now, she only had five more targets to shoot.

Zooming the scope out a little, Ei was able to spot a collection of targets over to her left. She trained her sights on the closest one, firing and hitting it in the center. Moving over to the next ones, she saw they were also in a close proximity, despite two of them being behind some obstacles. She shot the three targets, hitting each in the middle, and began looking for the last target. It didn't take long for the target to move out from behind an obstacle, resulting in it being shot by Ei.

With another chime, the targets reappeared in a slightly different formation, along with a few red targets. Ei aimed back at the center, shooting a lone target dead-on. She observed a group of blue targets clustered around an orange one, and shot the orange one in the bullseye. It exploded, taking the surrounding targets with it. From there, Ei patiently observed the opposing platform, picking off some faraway targets with pinpoint accuracy.

In the back, in front of a set of obstacles.

One.

In the front, right where she shot the first target this stage.

Two.

Underneath the obstruction where she shot the orange target.

Three.

A pair of targets in the back, just coming out from behind the obstacles.

Four.

Five.

Ei looked over to the left again, seeing a lone target about to move behind some cover. She quickly but precisely shot it in its center, zooming out to search for the remaining targets. She spotted another in the back, moving her sights over to shoot it. A moment later, another target emerged from the left of the platform, which was promptly eliminated. Seconds later, the final target revealed itself in the back, and Ei aimed back over to shoot it. However, she only hit one of the inner rings of the target, destroying it nonetheless. She reloaded the sniper rifle in preparation for the final stage, as the chime prompted the simulation to change.

Ei's platform began branching out, forming multiple levels along a wider platform. The opposing platform had now split up, turning into what appeared to be a set of multiple buildings with open "windows" to shoot into. Ei scanned the buildings for a short while before aiming her sights towards the center building. She shot the targets as they showed themselves, but missed several of her shots. She eliminated all targets in the center building before focusing on the building behind it. There were two targets inside, each at the highest and lowest levels with open windows. Ei shot both of the targets before moving onto the next building.

The leftmost building had several orange targets on it, forming a chain. Ei shot the target at the end of the line, causing a chain reaction that detonated all of the orange targets. The building behind the leftmost one had a single blue target, behind a set of red targets. She waited for a clear line of sight to shoot the blue target, eventually landing a shot right in its center.

The rightmost building had some of the windows blocked off, while others were open with no obstruction. Ei shot some targets through some of the open windows, but there were still targets left to shoot before the simulation ended. An orange target drifted out in front of the building, which Ei trained her sniper rifle at. When she shot, the orange target exploded, destroying the obstructions covering the building's windows. Inside were the remaining targets. Ei aimed and shot all the targets that were now revealed, completing the simulation.

[Excellent work, Snake.] The voice congratulated. [Your skills have improved yet again. We are impressed.]

BGM end

/-\ Fort Hamilton, FOXHOUND Headquarters /-\

Ei entered one of the dining areas of the base, having worked up an appetite from her training. Despite feeling as if she had extra energy, she still had to eat food to sustain herself. She began walking over to the counter before a voice stopped her.

"Hey, Jacqueline!" Ei heard from behind her. She turned to see Rose walking over to her with a paper bag in her hands.

"Oh, Rose." Ei spoke. "It's good to see you. I was just about to get some lunch."

"Well, Jacqueline, maybe we could sit together?" Rose asked her. Ei gave some thought to sitting at the same table with Rose, but then decided that it wouldn't hurt to.

"That's fine with me." She answered. "Let me just prepare my tray first."

"Oh, that won't be necessary, Jacqueline!" Rose interrupted her. "Just come over here!"

BGM:

Sonic Adventure 2 – The Base
By Tomoya Ohtani

Ei followed Rose over to one of the tables and sat down across from her. Rose placed the paper bag she was holding on top of the table in between them.

"Rose?" Ei questioned. "Why is preparing a tray for myself not necessary?"

"Well…" Rose began, slightly embarrassed. "Last week, when we first met, I kinda got the idea into my head that 'oh, I've met somebody new and we're doing things together,' and… You see, when I was making some lunch for myself, I sort of… made extra."

Ei paused for a short time. Rose seemed to have made some extra food while thinking of her. Well, her demeanor might have been a little awkward, but Ei found it cute.

"You can cook?" Ei asked her.

"Oh, yeah!" Rose clarified, pushing the paper bag over to Ei. "I mainly do it for myself, but if you'd like it, I can make some for yourself from now on."

"I see." Ei spoke, checking the contents of the bag. It appeared to be a thermos full of soup with some salad and half a sandwich. She removed them from the bag and began to eat, starting with the sandwich.

"Well?" Rose inquired. "How is it, Jacqueline?"

Ei blinked. She chewed a little, trying to discern what taste the sandwich had. She didn't know what it was, but the combination of the bread and the meat and cheese inside just tasted… strange.

"It's… interesting, to say the least." Ei responded, trying not to be rude. "Tell me, Rose, have you ever tried cooking something different?"

"Like what?" Rose asked.

"I don't mean anything specific." She clarified. "Just, do you ever think about preparing a meal that you've never tried to make before?"

"Well, not really." Rose answered. "But I guess I could try making something new."

"What do you want to cook?" Ei asked her.

"Let's see… how about sushi?"

"Sushi?"

"Yeah." Rose answered. "It's Japanese. Maybe I could make some for you sometime?"

Ei thought a little. "Um, there's no need to get out of your comfort zone too soon." She said quickly. "In the meantime, you can simply make whatever you'd like for me."

"Really?" Rose spoke, looking happy. "Oh, I'd love to, Jacqueline!"

Ei nodded, feeling happy for Rose. It seemed that she was passionate about cooking for her, specifically.

"So, how's your day so far?" Rose asked her.

"Oh, it's alright." Ei took a small bite of the salad and drinking a bit of the soup. She quickly tasted something off. The salad tasted as if it was a mixture of different vegetables thrown together to see what would work. The soup was different, like it was just a single flavored liquid that didn't have much substance. And finally, the soup was cold, and the salad was hot. How was that even possible?

"Is something wrong, Jacqueline?" Rose asked. "You look troubled."

Ei noticed and tried to dismiss her concerns. "Oh, no, nothing's wrong! I already told you, everything's alright." She stood up and packed up the food Rose had cooked for her. "Thank you for the foo, Rose. I'll finish it later. You can make some more for me next time."

"Of course, Jacqueline!" Rose said warmly. "I can make whatever you want, anytime!"

With that, Ei began to walk off. After exiting the dining area, she tossed the bag into the closest trash can she could find. Ei could hardly believe it. She found someone who was just as bad at cooking as she was, if not worse.

BGM end

Thanks for reading again! Sorry for the delay, I've had to get a new keyboard since my old one broke. Also, I want to make sure that people are still reading up to this point, so make sure to leave some reviews. I'll expand some more on Ei and Rose next time! See you then!

-Azzy Asbourne

Music:
VR Remixed Variety Mission: watch?v=Zulcn0P6bkM
The Base: watch?v=BSbQoMZE1Ds