49 A Relaxing Day

Al hefted the stick in his hands. It was neither too heavy, nor too big. Merely the size of his palm, it felt good against his skin, its rough surface digging into his hand in a reassuring way.

"Yip! Yipipipip!"

The little guy yapping at his feet made him laugh before he pulled back his hand and threw the stick as far as he could. It sailed through the air, occasionally blanketed by the sun that shone brilliantly in the sky, and with one last excited "YIP!", the black husky ran in its direction, almost tripping over his little feet in his excitement to get to the stick.

Putting both his hands on his waist, Al breathed in deeply, enjoying himself for what felt like the first time in quite a long time. Deciding that he needed to treat himself and his little friend who had woken up from his hibernation a few hours after his uncle had left the house, he had planned out an entire day to be spent with the armament.

He had been quite shocked to see that the puppy had grown remarkably after sleeping for just a few days. He was already almost double the size he had been when he had gotten him, which wasn't saying much, though, as he had been a tiny, weak little guy then. He was still a puppy now, albeit one that reached halfway to his knees when standing straight, and in his mind, at least, he was still a kid who loved the simplest things.

With a start, Al realized that he had started calling the armament 'him' instead of 'it'. In a way, it was his own mind's unconscious decision to unequivocally love the armament as if he was his own brother like he had said to his uncle Joseph, and with a smile that came from this thought, he waited for Beri to return.

The park he was in was empty, for the most part, as he was in the area that was a flat grassland. He knew for a fact that there were other, more beautiful regions with blooming flowers, towering trees, and orchards where one could pluck fruits and eat them if they were capable, but he had been most interested in this place, first, where he could play with Beri.

When the gods had restructured the entire Earth, they had treated humans like pigs, penning them up in huge apartments clustered together into the new cities of the planet. While doing so, though, they had also created large areas like these where people could enjoy the outdoors…if, and only if they were rich enough. The entry fee was steep, clocking in at around $ 200 for an entire day, and although he had deliberated on it for a few minutes, still caught up in the poverty of his situation before, he had given in in the end after seeing how energetic the puppy had been.

Besides, the money he had was more than enough for a few indulgences like these now and then. It wasn't also like he wouldn't earn more, so without thinking too much of it, he had splurged while promising himself inwardly that he wouldn't waste even a single second, even if it meant that he would have to hold his pee for the entire day.

As soon as he remembered this, he felt an uncomfortable feeling in his crotch that he ignored. Beri was soon back, and as he bent to the little guy, he was greeted by the puppy's tongue, licking him until his face was completely wet. He smiled despite the stickiness and tried to pick up the stick, causing Beri to jump and try to get on top of him so that he could sit on his shoulders. Nodding, he obliged, deciding that the dog might never get tired of fetching the stick.

They had already been at it for two hours, and his energy levels were starting to run low. Deciding to check out those orchards to see if he could really get some fruit, he headed in the direction of the teleportation portal that could take him to all the places inside the park.

Just as he reached, a man stepped out, dressed fashionably in clothes that were actually the worst one could wear in a place like this. Sure enough, his boots became caked with mud as he took a few steps forward, and his cape that dangled to the ground picked up tufts of grass that instantly ruined his splendor.

His perfect hair and embroidered robes were still flashy, though, and at the moment, Al felt severely underdressed, wearing just shorts and a stained casual shirt. He ignored the man, at first, thinking that he had come to enjoy the grassy land, too, but then, he frowned when he saw that he was heading towards him.

He only stopped when the man reached a spot right in front of him and flourished his cape, a gesture that would have seemed grand if not for the grass that flew as soon as he did it. He looked appalled as he realized this, but recovering quickly, he said, "So you are he. Well met. I, grand hero Orceus, will meet you one day on the battlefield of an odyssey. Then, I shall show you what I am made of."

He smiled, expecting something from Al. Al had no clue what he was supposed to do, though, so with a nod and a curt, "Alright…congrats, I guess?" He walked on, reaching the teleportation podium and flashing away, leaving behind the man with a confused face.

The orchards looked pretty damn good, planted cleverly so that each differing variety of fruit complemented each other, resulting in a beautiful melange of color and scent, and as he walked to them, he played with Beri who just loved being picked up to run along his shoulders and then onto the ground. He also occasionally scratched Beri on the spot right between his eyes, and each time he paused, the way the puppy cocked his head and pleaded Al to continue always made him grin and relent.

While he was eating an apple that he had picked on the way, another individual came up to him. He only heard this one's approach but did not spot them due to the screen of the trees all around. It was a woman, this time, wearing equally grand clothes. But in the same way as the other, her long gown was now brown due to the ground, and a few leaves had settled on to the top of her styled up hair.

"I, imperious hero Joanna, will show you what I am made of soon. Dread it, run from it, it will still come for you, so despair…for then, everything you've achieved shall be in ruined."

He still didn't understand. With a chuckle due to how funny she looked and because of the fact that she had copied her dialogue, he just said, "Good luck with that. I would pick out the leaves from my head first, though," and went on his way.

The third hero came for him while he was admiring the fountains in a specific part of the park along with Beri, who had just gotten soaked after jumping into the water without a care for the world. With a smile, he had been watching the Husky wring himself to get dry, his black fur shining in the bright sun, and that was exactly when he heard another voice behind him, which made him turn around with some exasperation, this time.

"You might think that—"

He decided to interrupt the man, fed up, thoroughly, by all these people who seemed intent on wasting his time and hard-earned money.

"I think that you can keep what you have to say to yourself. If it's something about meeting me in an odyssey, then all I have to say is that I look forward to it. Goodbye! Come on, Beri!"

He stepped away, thoroughly peeved for the first time, but then, he actually began to think about why this was happening.

Caught up in his intent to enjoy the park as much as possible, he hadn't given the time to think about the encounters, assuming that they might just have been from those with enough of a background to find out his identity. In fact, he had even been expecting this ever since the end of the odyssey, but why were they seeking him out in this manner, as if they needed to make their presence known?

Unexpectedly, he found the answer when he found Helena actually waiting for him at the teleportation podium nearby. Her face broke into a brilliant smile when she saw him, and after folding her hands, she said, "So there you are! The entire world is buzzing about you, and you're out here, playing with your dog! Well, come with me. The government has made an announcement…and I think you'll be very interested to see what it is."