【Beginning】
Journeying across the realm by itself, Grumpy had grown increasingly aggressive. Wherever it traveled, it would mercilessly crush some opponent or another. Grumpy found its own maliciousness appalling, but it could never restrain itself. Every time it became agitated, it would feel as though there was a voice inside it saying,
- ???: ‘Don’t try to repress your anger! Let it all out!’
Grumpy gradually felt that it was no longer itself. It tried to stop itself from committing evil but felt helpless; it wished to repress its ferocious temper but repeatedly failed to do so. One night, when it was taking a rest in the forest, the noise fighting emanating from not far away kept it awake. Feeling irritated, Grumpy could no longer hold its temper; it charged towards the commotion.
Before his eyes were Nello and Merry — targets of both its longing and hatred; they were under attack from the gnomes. Though Merry fought as hard as it could, this battle was beyond its ability for they were outnumbered... Seeing the gnomes fast charging Nello, Grumpy suddenly leapt out from the bush at the gnomes, and drove them away.
【Before Battles】
- Nello: Thank goodness... We finally found you!
- The Grumpy Puppy: ‘Humph! Stop faking it, I won’t get fooled again!
【Enemy Dialog】
- The Merry Puppy: ‘Grumpy! We finally found you!’
- The Merry Puppy: ‘We took every effort to look for you!’
- The Grumpy Puppy: ‘Don’t pretend you care! You two never cared if I live or die!’
- The Grumpy Puppy: ‘I won’t believe you anymore!’
【End】
- The Merry Puppy: ‘You can not believe me. You can resent me...’
- The Merry Puppy: ‘But, you can never deny Nello’s effort!’
- The Grumpy Puppy: ‘Nello’s effort?’
- ???: ‘Don’t listen to him! It’s a pack of lies!’
At that moment, Nello walked to Grumpy’s side, gently put his arms around it, weeping:
- Nello: Sorry... sorry... I didn’t come for you at once. I’m really sorry...
- The Merry Puppy: ‘Grumpy, wake up! You don’t remember us?’
- The Grumpy Puppy: ‘How could I possibly forget you...! It is the two of you who abandoned me!’
- The Grumpy Puppy: ‘Do you know how I felt as I waited there for you two to return? It was one disappointment after another...’
- The Grumpy Puppy: ‘I’ve been... I’ve been waiting there for so long!’
- The Merry Puppy: ‘Nello was hurt at that time, and he had to recover before he could come for you.’
- The Merry Puppy: ‘Once he got better, he brought me along to search for you! It’s just...’
- The Merry Puppy: ‘...that there was no sign of you at that knoll. Since then, we’ve been roaming across numerous towns to look for you!’
- The Grumpy Puppy: ‘Really...?’
All the joyous memories of days past rushed into Grumpy’s mind, while a warmth surged from his heart, flooding its whole body. All hatred and darkness buried in its heart was now seemingly dispelled.
Grumpy Puppy’s eyes softened, while the strange mystical power exuding from it gradually dispersed. At that moment, Nello approached it. He squatted down and embraced Grumpy Puppy, said...
- Nello: Sorry...I didn’t come at once to pick you up. It’s all my fault! You were even forced to live by yourself for so long...
Grumpy softly licked Nello’s cheeks to express its apologies; Merry did the same thing but in a more vehement way to pacify him. Nello could not stand licking assault and burst into laughter. The louder he laughed, the harder the dogs licked. Finally, the merriment once lost had again spread across their faces and into their hearts...