The room was eerily quiet, the sounds of the surface cut off. I caught my breath as I locked eyes with Flowey. We stood a short distance apart from each other, the space around us littered with roots and vines. Flowey leered at me as two thick-looking vines rose up from the ground on each side of him. They towered over him, their twisted forms lined with sharp, jagged thorns.
Just as I was about to move, I stopped as a flash of light illuminated my mind. It was another vision –a glimpse of the near future. Flowey was smirking as the towering vines began to move in slow motion. It took me a second to grasp what I was witnessing. I'm seeing his attacks before they happen! I gasped. It was just as when I had fought that bandit girl, one of Aldous' gang. Concentrating on the details of the scene playing out in front of my eyes, I had enough time to concoct a plan. The right-most vine will strike first, aiming slightly to my right, I analysed quickly. The vine of the left will follow up with a sweeping attack – I'll need to double-back sharply if I'm to dodge it.
The vision disappeared in an instant – I was back in that closed-off room with Flowey. As if choreographed, I noticed a tell-tale smirk spread across his face. In the next moment, the right-most vine shot towards me with frightening speed. Acting on what I had seen, I lunged to the left. The vine flew past me, narrowly missing its target. The near miss left me flustered but otherwise unscathed. Peering up, I could already see the left vine closing in, its thorns arranged in an angled, swiping motion. I threw myself to the right, stumbling as the huge vine crashed along the ground to my side. I breathed a quick sigh of relief as I spun around. My movements had been clumsy and ill-timed, but I was unharmed.
Flowey had more in store for me. A set of four sharp-tipped vines rose up around him, plunging into the ground. Once again, time seemed to slow as my mind was filled with a slew of visions. I made a mental note of the pattern of his attack. Left, left, back, right. The scene from my mind unfroze as I sensed a trembling underfoot – something tunnelling towards my position. As predicted, the vines burst out from the ground one by one. Their pointed tips were aimed at me like spears, looking to pierce through me. I executed on my planned movements, dodging each vine in turn with all the speed I could muster.
The whole time, Flowey had looked on with disbelief at my unexpected agility. His set of attacks concluded with an uncertain pause – he seemed puzzled as to how he should proceed. His hesitation bought me a moment to breath. So these visions… are my memories? I pondered. Somehow, these memories of mine were beginning to blend with the present. Every time he'd launched an attack at me, I was able to foresee in my mind where he would strike next. A creeping thought told me that this was informed by experience – that he had struck me down any number of times before. That I was only now learning how to avoid those attacks that had put an end to me in past timelines. Shuddering, I pushed this macabre thought out of my mind. However, the mere thought had distracted me long enough for Flowey to launch his next attack. Another huge vine swung down from overhead, lashing out at me. I ducked low at the last moment. It brushed past me, knocking me roughly to the floor.
Flowey didn't appear to be amused by this clumsy display. "Useless," he scowled. "I can't believe you're making me do this."
I looked up from the ground in disbelief. "No-one's making you do any of this, Flowey!" I exclaimed, aghast. "You're the one with the power to stop it! I know this isn't what you want!"
"Shut up!" he yelled, sending a flurry of vine attacks my way in retaliation. I leapt to my feet, commanding myself to focus. Once more, the visions filled my mind in turn, one by one. My first challenge was a long vine, swiping sideways in a vicious curve. I ducked under it and rolled to the left, narrowly dodging a swift follow-up attack from Flowey. Two thick vines descended from above, swinging downwards in a vertical arc. I pivoted to the side as they slammed into the floor, causing the ground to shake. I wiped my brow with the back of my hand. I'd dodged another series of attacks in one fluid set of motions.
Flowey was momentarily startled, unable to comprehend how I'd managed to dodge such a relentless barrage of attacks. I saw his anger quickly resurface as a set of four more vines rose up alongside him. But I welcomed his renewed challenge as I felt a burst of confidence. I was already beginning to adapt to the constant visions that were forcing themselves into my mind. I let them guide my movements as I ducked and weaved through another volley of attacks with a surprising nimbleness.
Flowey bristled with rage. My ability to avoid his attacks without so much as a scratch only seemed to fuel his aggression. "Hold still!" he growled in frustration.
His attacks suddenly relented, to my surprise, tailing off in what I mistook for a moment of respite. As I tried to get my breath back, I felt something twist and tighten around my shoes. Looking down, I saw the roots were rising up off the ground, slowly wrapping themselves around my ankles to try and hold me in place. Though they were thinner than the tentacle-like vines Flowey had used to attack me, their grip was startlingly strong. Struggle as I might, I couldn't even lift my feet off the ground. I grimaced as they began to creep further up my legs, keeping me held in place and vulnerable.
I quickly remembered the hiking pole. Whipping the weapon from my pocket, I gripped the handle tight. As I beheld the gleaming blade, another mental image entered my head of an incoming attack from Flowey – a vine with a sharpened, dagger-like point sailing through the air towards me. I knew I didn't have much time. Kneeling down, I deftly hacked away at the plants using the sharp blade of the pole, their grip relaxing as I severed them from the ground. I managed to cut myself free of their grasp just in time to see the sharpened vine careening my way. Hanging low to the ground, I rolled out of the way as it soared past, smashing into the wall behind me.
The pointed tip of the vine had pierced through the wall, lodging itself in the rock. Flowey yanked at the trapped vine furiously as he attempted to free it, buying me another moment. I brushed the dust from my clothes with a single sweep. My determination was flowing, granting me strength I had never known, but I knew I couldn't afford to get too confident. While I had a reliable way of dodging his attacks, I was operating on borrowed time. If the fight were to go on, I would inevitably slow down from tiredness. If that happens, being able to predict his attacks won't be enough to keep me alive, I cautioned. I looked at the weapon in my hand, silently wondering if there was any way out of this other than the most obvious option. The dilemma wracked me – I couldn't stand to even think of it. Gritting my teeth, I stashed the hiking pole back in my pocket. I'm not going to use violence against him! I vowed. I need to get him to understand. That's the only way!
At that moment, the vine dislodged itself from the wall. It retracted to its starting position, rising up in front of Flowey and obscuring him from my sight. I watched as it drew gradually closer, towering above me like a thorny monolith. I braced myself as it approached, waiting for a vision to grace me with information of a forthcoming attack. But to my surprise, the towering vine abruptly halted its advance, swiftly retracting into the ground. It was some kind of feint. Flowey was wearing a malicious grin, a circle of silvery white pellets hovering around him. A look of shock crossed my face. It's the same attack as from Waterfall! I realised, albeit too late. Before I could react, Flowey expelled them forcefully into the air.
I looked up in terror. Just as before, the familiar white pellets danced around me, encircling me like a pack of vultures. I wanted to curse myself – he'd caught me off-guard and now I was completely surrounded. I didn't dare move, fearing what might happen if I tried. I could sense their deceptively destructive effect and knew what would happen to my soul if they were to ever make contact.
Flowey gave a gleeful, high-pitched laugh. "Gotcha! Not so slippery now, are ya?" he gloated. As if following an unspoken command, the pellets instantly turned inwards, shooting towards me with startling force. I felt my soul instantly push back against them, the energy sparking in my chest. This time, however, they didn't disperse. They hung there in the air, pressing heavily against the waves of energy my soul was emitting. I saw the focus in Flowey's gaze as he tried to break through my defences. We were locked in a wordless struggle.
My heartrate rising, I became conscious of a sudden exhaustion steadily creeping in. I was quickly growing short of breath. My soul was drawing power from me to hold off the projectiles, burning through my own energy at a rapid rate. I felt my legs wobble as a wave of dizziness hit me. Too weak to stand, I fell to my knees as the strength drained out of me. Just as before, the bullets were beginning to close inward. They were getting closer, slowly but surely.
I knew with a fearful certainty that I was being gradually overpowered. My soul was leeching more and more of my energy as it battled against the pressure Flowey exerted on me. It was a losing battle. It was only a matter of time before my soul ran out of power – before it gave way entirely. I began to despair. No amount of power I possessed could stand up to Flowey's insidious attack. He refused to relent, pushing me closer and closer to the brink.
"It's a shame, really," Flowey remarked, confident in his victory. "So much power – and so little brains."
I sensed he was getting ready to strike a final blow. I knew I needed to get him to stop right now. "Flowey! You need to see sense!" I panted desperately. "This isn't how it has to end!"
He was defiant, showing no signs of reconsidering. "Idiot! This is how it always ends: with you dead and the birth of a new timeline!" Flowey retorted, fixing me with a determined gaze. "Just what do you think is going to be different this time?!"
The pressure he was putting me under was suffocating. Kneeling, I curled into a ball in defence, covering my head with my hands and shutting my eyes tightly. I desperately tried to funnel whatever power I had left towards my soul. It all felt hopeless – Flowey was too strong. No matter what I did, the bullets drew closer and closer to my soul. Silently, I braced myself for the end.
A few moments passed in silence. Everything was black – no sound, no movement. But, somehow, I hadn't died. The terrible weight that'd nearly crushed my soul was gone. I could hear a faint humming in my ears. Slowly, I opened my eyes. The bullets were gone. Flowey was hovering above me, surrounded by a bright blue aura. He'd been yanked from the ground by an invisible force, his stem ripped clean from its roots. He was left flailing in midair, powerless to break free, as if caught in the grip of a gigantic, invisible hand.
I watched in shock as, in a single motion, the imaginary hand slammed him into the ground with startling force. It picked him up and repeated the action, over and over again. The rock flooring splintered and cracked from the repeated impact. Finally, the invisible force let him go, the blue aura dissipating. He fell to the ground limply, collapsing in a cloud of rock dust.
I became aware of someone's presence. I spun around. Sans stood by the far wall to my right. His left eye glowed a spectral blue – his right completely absent. He took a few steps forward, striding towards the centre of the room. His movements were accelerated from his usual lazy pace. He threw a quick glance my way. I felt my heart jump.
Flowey lay on the ground, unable to stand. He hauled himself up from the ground, propping himself up with his leaves. He was breathing heavily, his expression a mix of hatred and dread. "Trashbag!" he spat. "Stay out of this!"
Sans dusted himself off casually. "no can do, flower power. i heard what you said just now," he replied coolly with a shake of his head. He exuded his typical aura of calmness but I could tell there was a deadly seriousness to his words that seemed to have Flowey scared. In truth, it scared me too. "to think i was worried about you hurting a few folks on the surface." he continued, raising his left hand. Flowey was surrounded by the blue energy once again, totally unable to move. "yeah, you're far more dangerous than that." His voice was like ice.
Sans raised his arm slowly, his hand pointing to the darkness that loomed over us. Flowey was lifted high into the air. He was squirming against the power that held him in place, but to no avail. Uprooted and unable to fight back, there was no opportunity for Flowey to dodge the next attack.
With a single motion of his hand, Flowey was thrust backwards, slamming up against the far wall. Sans conjured up a mass of jagged bones – an entire legion of deadly-looking missiles under his control. By silent command, they shot out at blinding speed towards Flowey, striking the wall with brutal force. The power of Sans' attacks caused the wall to partially cave in, smashing the blackened rock to pieces. Flowey was buried under a heap of rubble on the floor, unmoving.
I couldn't believe it – Sans was more powerful than I ever could have imagined. Flowey simply didn't stand a chance. "Flowey!" I cried out in horror. I turned to Sans. "Stop it! You'll kill him!"
Sans looked at me with empty eyes. He was silent for what felt like an eternity. Then he spoke. "i warned ya this would happen, pal," he muttered solemnly. I could detect a hint of regret in his deep voice. "i don't like this any more than you do, but…"
He turned back towards the pile of rubble that lay in front of us, raising his left hand once more. At that instant, something flew into the room from over my shoulder. A terrifying figure resembling the skull of some unknown beast hovered in the air just behind Sans. I gazed at it slack-jawed. It was the very same creature I'd seen in my vision, although it was somehow more horrifying in real life. It looked down at the spot where Flowey lay with gleeful menace. As it slowly opened its jaws, I swore I could hear a faint crackle of electricity. Looking down at the rocks piled up on the floor, I spied one of Flowey's singed petals poked out from under the rubble. He was trying to crawl out from the rubble but couldn't free himself. He was completely defenceless.
I can't let this happen! I told myself. Without thinking, I charged at Sans, one hand outstretched. I needed to stop him from killing Flowey at any cost.
As Sans turned to face me, realising what I was trying to do, I saw a flash of desperation in his eyes. The blue flame in his left eye reignited suddenly, emitting a single pulse. I froze in place – I couldn't move my limbs. I was unable to move or even speak, my vision tinted hazy blue. Sans was staring straight at me. Any trace of his jokey nature had disappeared in an instant and had been replaced by something that truly scared me. A severity that was utterly cold – total. The creature skull had halted its attack and turned to face me. It gazed down at me with a ferocity that rivalled its master.
Neither of them acted. Sans looked down at me silently, unmoving. I secretly wondered why he didn't just do it – why he refused to kill me, knowing full well he could do so in an afterthought. It was only then that I fully understood. He really doesn't want to hurt me! it suddenly dawned on me.
My eyes widened as I saw something move over Sans' shoulder. An enormous vine had detached itself from the wall and was hurtling towards him. I tried to yell something in warning but his power prevented me from uttering a word.
Detecting a movement behind him, Sans spun around. But it was already too late. The vine slammed into him with incredible force, sending him flying across the room. He crashed into a wall in the far corner of the room, landing in a crumpled heap on the floor. He lay still.
I was suddenly able to move again, my sight returning to normal. I looked around quickly. The creature skull had disappeared. It took me a second to realise what was happening. It's just as I saw in my vision, I realised with shock, remembering the vision I'd tried to hide from him in our first encounter. No, my memory, I corrected myself.
Hearing the scraping of rocks, I spun around to face the pile of rubble that lay next to the pulverized wall. I watched as it began to shudder weakly. Some of the debris scattered from the top as a single, angry-looking leaf punched its way out through the rocks.