Wordcount: 11,991
Legs are Like Friends; the Longer You Have Them, the Softer You Get
Frisk stepped out onto a circular platform surrounded by darkness. Mettaton stood in the centre, back turned. The door shut behind them. Here we go.
"WELL WELL WELL. THE HUMAN ARRIVES," he said, in a monotone. "TIME TO FINALLY STOP THE 'MALFUNCTIONING' ROBOT…
"NOT!" he said decisively, spinning around. "I'VE NEVER BEEN MORE FUNCTIONAL IN MY LIFE! WHO DID SHE THINK SHE WAS FOOLING, REALLY..."
Frisk rolled their eyes. "Enough of the vague talk, Mettaton. What's your deal?"
"OHO!" he laughed knowingly. "YOUR CONCERN IS APPRECIATED, BUT ALPHYS IS MUCH MORE DESERVING OF IT THAN ME!"
Frisk clenched their fists. "What did you do to her?" they demanded.
"PFFFFFFFFFT," he snorted. "YOU SHOULD BE ASKING WHAT SHE DID TO HERSELF!"
"Humour him."
"Alright, fine. What did she do to herself?" they asked, making sure he saw their eyes doing a sick 360 in their head.
"WHAT DIDN'T SHE DO?" he replied smugly. "ALL THIS TIME, YOU THOUGHT SHE WAS PROTECTING YOU FROM ME… BUT THAT IS WRONG! COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY WRONG!" he shook his head vigorously. "NO, YOU SEE, SHE DID PROTECT YOU, OH, SHE MADE SURE OF THAT. BUT FROM THREATS THAT WERE MERE FIGMENTS OF HER IMAGINATION!"
Frisk groaned. "What the hell are you even saying?"
"WHAT I'M SAYING, HUMAN, IS THAT THIS WHOLE FIASCO WAS A SET-UP! A HOAX! A CON! ALL TO MAKE YOU THINK SHE WAS THE GREATEST PERSON… WHEN ACTUALLY, SHE'S NOT."
Frisk practically did a spit-take, recoiling. "Wha— so you're telling me this was all just a big friggin' lie? That there was absolutely nothing to worry about?" they exclaimed.
Mettaton shifted uncomfortably. "...FOR THE MOST PART," he said. "UNTIL MUFFET AND HER CRONIES RUINED EVERYTHING. HOWEVER, DESPITE HER SHORTCOMINGS, I FOUND THAT SHE WAS OF MUCH USE TO ME."
"You were Muffet's 'mystery caller'!" they shouted, outraged. "I know you were scum, but I never thought you'd sell me out like that."
"OH, GET OVER YOURSELF, DARLING!" said Mettaton, pish-toshing for added effect. "TO REACH THE TOP, YOU HAVE TO CLIMB THE SHOULDERS OF OTHERS."
"She was gonna kill and probably eat me!" countered Frisk.
"SO WHAT IF A FEW PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE?" asked Mettaton, so dismissively that it blew out 10% of Frisk's brain cells. "THAT'S SHOWBIZ, BABY!" Then, a little more somberly. "HOWEVER, IT PROVED TO BE SHORTSIGHTED. I KNOW NOW THAT I SHOULD NEVER HAVE TRUSTED THOSE WANNABES TO DO..." His voice got louder. "WHAT MY COUSIN CAN DO BETTER!"
Something strolled out of the darkness. A pink creature resembling a cat, dressed in a bright pink dress. Frisk wasn't even entirely sure it was a monster, the soft fabric on its face and metallic joints speaking for themselves.
"Oh, real nice," they scowled. "Can't fight your own battles, Mettaton?"
"Hahaha. Hahaha! HAHAHA!" the creature cackled. "Remember me?"
Frisk stared, unsure for a moment. Before it finally hit them. "That dummy..."
"Who are you calling dummy, dummy?" she asked, smirking. "I have now found the perfect vessel! And I've been trying to fuse with it. For three days. Got that?" she asked. "THREE. DAYS!"
Frisk rolled their eyes. "Maybe your failure means it isn't the perfect vessel."
"BUT!" she shouted, "I know JUST what I need! Tension! Conflict! BLOODSHED! THE PERFECT EMOTIONAL COCKTAIL TO BECOME ONE WITH MY NEW FORM!"
"AND I COULD OFFER THEM JUST THAT!" said Mettaton. "THE TWO OF US, AGAINST ONE HUMAN…" he smirked once more. "AND ONCE I REVEAL MY TRUE FORM… IT WILL BE ALL TOO EASY TO DEFEAT YOU."
"C'mon then!" shouted Frisk. "If your 'true form' is so great, show me! Right now! Let's get down to business, the three of us!"
"SO SELFISH…" he snickered. "YOU'RE THAT DESPERATE FOR A PREMIERE OF MY NEW BODY?"
"In your dreams, asshole," they spat, disgusted. "God, Alphys has shit taste in sex robots."
Mettaton stopped. His cousin became agitated. "Uh oh. Uh oh! UH OH! NOBODY mentions that ti—"
"DON'T EVER. TALK ABOUT THE PROTOTYPE."
He reached a hand behind his back. His cousin looked like she was going to say "uh oh" again, but the room flashed white, completely blinding everyone.
"Ohhhhhh yessss," came a deep, metallic voice. Spotlights appeared, silhouetting a humanoid body in the smoke. "A premiere indeed…"
He pointed directly at Frisk. "If it's a premiere you'll want, it's a premiere you'll get! Drama! Action! Bloodshed! All here on the premiere of our exciting new show… 'ATTACK OF THE KILLER ROBOT'!"
How many times is he gonna say "premiere"?
The fog disappeared, the lights flashing once more. Before Frisk stood a robot with quite possibly the widest hips they had seen before. Purple irises stared back, framed in a silicone face. His black hair was slicked into some kind of 80s' boyband hairstyle. There was a small glass dome surrounding a heart symbol in his chest. His left hand (or lack thereof) was some kind of blaster, a set of crosshairs on top. A sword with a blade of purple light was sheathed on his right hip. He struck a pose Frisk could only reluctantly describe as 'flamboyant', grinning. "Break a leg, maybe both," he said, voice so saccharine it made Frisk gag.
A disco ball extended from the ceiling, flashing all kinds of colours over the space. Frisk noticed stadium seating similar to the type they'd seen on some of Mettaton's live shows. They were moving to form a colosseum-type arena.
His cousin pulled what looked like some kind of magic wand with a bell attached to it. It was bright, like a glowstick in the night. In her other hand, she held a small pistol-like weapon with two green tubes running into the back, a blue gauge on the top. Frisk was just going to go out on a limb and say it was a ray gun. Even though they had no proo—
She fired the weapon, a beam of light tearing through the air towards them. They sidestepped it just in time, staggering and nearly falling, caught by surprise. Okay, news flash, I have proof. It's a ray gun.
"Let's dance, mew," she cackled, adding a sudden innocent meow and wink at the end of her sentence. Frisk just shook their head, trying to ignore any questions or confusion creeping up on them. Just keep your head in the game and focus.
"Mettaton Type 2 makes his debut," said Chara. "Mad Mew Mew also came along."
Mettaton flicked a switch on the side of his blaster hand, the aperture around the barrel opening a little more. He fired a set of clear blocks with white edges into the air. They floated there, forming a large cube. Frisk just stared. Am I supposed to be scared for my life or…
The cube began spinning, displacing a few blocks at a time. Okay. I can deal with this. Mew Mew began firing her ray gun, waving the magic wand enthusiastically. Frisk dodged the beams and cubes, becoming a little anxious when they realised more and more cubes were appearing in rapid succession. Okay, this is a little more than I can handle. Okay, I'll just blow them all up.
They summoned a fireball and lobbed it at a cube. It bounced off. "Are you— no, that is bullshit!" they protested, continuing to dodge. "You do not bounce off like—"
Their phone started ringing.
"Oh my God, are you fucking serious?" they nearly screamed, taking their phone out while they built up their Barrier spell around them. Slamming it against their ear, they asked, "Yes?"
"I-i-is this a bad time?" asked Alphys.
"Unless you can tell me how to DESTROY THESE FUCKING BOXES then YES, it IS is a bad time!" they shouted. "Level with me for once in your life, lady!"
When Alphys spoke again, it was like she'd been blown across the room by the full force of Frisk's words. "uhh… yeah.. sure…. s-sorry..."
The boxes were surrounding their shield, and were closing in on it. Tiny cracks were appearing in their shield. They squeaked. "ABOUT NOW WOULD BE GREAT."
This brought her back. "A-alright," she said. "I installed a feature on your phone. There's a number combination, and it enables a special ray that can break those boxes. Type 15111509. G-good luck," she added, breaking the strength that her voice held just a second ago. She hung up.
Frisk sighed. "Thank God. Alright..." They began typing in the code. They heard a 'ping' as the ray became active. And the shrill strain of their magic as the pressure cracked their Barrier open. "Shit."
The cubes all smashed right down on them, a cloud of dust erupting from the point of impact. Mad Mew Mew cackled. "You're TOAST!" she gloated. "I can feel it. The emotions, the energy…! It's—"
A red glow tinted the dust. Mettaton frowned. Mad Mew Mew looked on questioningly. Frisk's silhouette strode out of the cloud, a red tube shield surrounding them. They dispelled it, looked around for a second, blinking. "Aw, you— you REALLY thought you had me, d-didn't you? I—" A laugh forced its way out. "I just ruined the whole thing, didn't I? Ah… hahaha."
Mad Mew Mew scowled. Mettaton returned the smirk. "Oh, but the show only just started, darling. There's plenty more to come."
Like I don't really know that, dumbass. They tried a quick fireball, but Mettaton, in demonstration of his new body's capabilities, pirouetted out of the way extremely dramatically. A Jumbotron-esque screen turned on above them, reading "+50 Drama".
Great, now he's giving himself points. They rolled their eyes. What a jackass.
They started shooting more fireballs, but Mettaton just kept dodging. Coupled with the fact Mad Mew Mew was still firing that ray gun at them, they were having a really unpleasant time right now. They needed to somehow separate the two. But they had a feeling this was going to take a while. They just had to survive long enough to ask the right questions. And then continue surviving.
Sure. What could possibly go wrong?
Frisk summoned their scatter fireballs. Mettaton struck a pose that allowed one of the fireballs to just pass right between his spread legs.
"Mettaton strikes a mildly suggestive pose. Mad Mew Mew."
Really? they asked, while dodging a few blasts from Mew Mew's ray gun, firing off a few yellow blips at a small cluster of boxes Mettaton summoned. "Mad Mew Mew"? That's all you've got?
"Was she doing anything particularly noteworthy?"
Small replicas of Mettaton's earlier form burst out of the boxes Frisk had just destroyed, floating slowly towards the ground, aided by only a parasol. Their speaker faces crackled, firing a few sparks at them. Frisk dodged them swiftly, blocking some more of Mew Mew's blasts by summoning their sword, then dismissing it just as quickly as it had been summoned.
Does that thing ever run out of bullets?
"Drama! Action! Rrrromance!" exclaimed Mettaton, for no apparent reason.
"Hmph," mused Chara. "Doesn't appear to be any around."
Frisk was about to make a witty comeback, but then realised what Chara meant and frowned. Jerk.
Mew Mew was still blasting away like 'tomorrow' wasn't a word. As Mew Mew aimed towards them again, Frisk summoned their sword and blocked the beams of light, causing them to bounce off, a few heading right for Mew Mew. She gave a high-pitched meowing sound and dove frantically out of the way. Frisk circled around the arena, trying to get close to her, but was quickly blocked by a stack of boxes. They scowled, destroying the boxes with the yellow magic emitter. By the time they were done, Mew Mew wasn't there anymore. In fact, one could say she was behind Frisk. They dodged nothing in particular, spinning around, their sword materialising in a fast blur of red. Mew Mew had already fired a shape cluster bullet from her wand at them, knocking them off their feet. They groaned, flipping themselves back onto their feet. That didn't go as well as I'd hoped.
"Right, so, uh... what are you supposed to be?" they asked cautiously, holding their shield. They weren't about to get knocked down again.
Mew Mew laughed. "Haha. Haha! HAHA! I, uh, actually have no idea. I just thought this body looked cool."
"You know what else looks cool? The prospect of not fighting you," they replied, while she pelted the shield with light beams.
"Oh, but it's too late," she purred, giggling girlishly. "Only one way out! To win! BUT THAT'LL NEVER HAPPEN!" she cackled, shooting a set of blue and red spinning discs out of the tip of her wand. "So the only way out is for you to die!"
Frisk blocked them, and countered with a ricocheting burst of magic. It missed. Mettaton laughed.
"Well, I think that's enough warming up," said Mettaton. "Now the main event! I'll go first, and then my cousin will have her shot at defeating the human!"
Music began pumping out of huge wall-mounted speakers at roughly eleventy million decibels. A well-tuned electric guitar began laying down a lead, some very audible bass working alongside it, supported by some decently paced drums. Frisk ignored the music, turning their attention back to Mettaton, who was beginning his turn. He brought more parasol robots seemingly out of nowhere, sending them up into the air, raining sparks down on Frisk. Frisk dodged as best they could, but still felt the sharp sting of electricity as they moved. Then, the boxes. A row was moving towards them, but they quickly shut it down with a few precise shots from the emitter on their phone. They felt a pulse around them. They spun around. The only physical reaction they had time for was their eyes widening as they dived out of the path of Mettaton's Mega Man ripoff hand blaster. They stumbled on their feet, backing away to avoid the sudden tower of blocks that came speeding past them.
"Not bad!" said Mettaton. "You've got some real moves, darling. But just how well will they fare on the dance floor?"
"What is that even supposed to—" they were saying, before a disco ball flickered to life above them. The lights grew brighter. Frisk then noticed that the colours were very specific. Blue and orange. "Oh." That's what it's supposed to mean.
Mettaton snapped his fingers, and lasers shot out of the lights, beginning to spin around the room. Frisk was able to just avoid most of them, but trying to come to a sharp stop when running and suddenly spotting a blue laser wasn't exactly the easiest thing they'd ever done. And the split-second sensation of an icy cold piranha plunging through their chest wasn't the easiest to forget, either.
Mettaton was dancing, as though trying to make a point. He twirled, pirouetted, moonwalked, it was like there wasn't a dance move in history he hadn't already performed. What point he was trying to make wasn't exactly obvious, other than that he was an extremely good dancer.
Frisk, despite all the action going on around them, still found the Jumbotron screen a bit interesting. It appeared to be showing a graph of ratings (presumably how many poor, unfortunate souls had tuned in to watch a sex robot and furry beat up a human on live television)
So, what'll happen if they drop? Frisk wondered. God forbid they increase.
"Perhaps indulging Mettaton's desire for fame will quell his will to fight?"
They grimaced. There is no way in hell I'm helping that fucker's ratings go up. They dodged more lasers, shooting a few boxes and dodging a cluster of sparks.
They summoned all the politeness they could possibly muster, and, in what turned out as quite the insincere tone, they asked, "So, uh... what's your personal best for ratings?"
"Oho, but only a true fan would know..." he smirked, sending forth more parasol bots, that instead flew straight at them, surrounding and beating them with their metal parasols. Frisk swatted at them, but they were like insects. The more they attacked, the more they kept coming. They summoned their sword and swung it in a circle. They cleaved a few in half, spent magic exploding inside their metal shells. They took out a few more with some slash attacks while simultaneously destroying more boxes, and dodging more sparks. It looked like Mew Mew was getting really impatient. She really wanted to show off her 'true power' that badly.
I guess I gotta prove myself or something. Then maybe I'll be able to take her down.
They grabbed one of the stupid parasol robots and threw it to the ground, crushing it under their boot. They looked up at Mettaton, not saying a word. What was there to be said anyway?
Mettaton, looking dismissive, said, "My best viewer count was in the seven-thousands, but I'm sure we'll smash that total easily with this show, won't we, darling?"
"How many of those viewers were real people with lives and not computer programs you paid for?" they jabbed
Mettaton gave an indignant "tch". "Whatever, brat. I don't have to justify myself to you," he replied sanctimoniously.
"Alright. Alright! ALRIGHT!" shouted Mew Mew. "I've had enough of waiting! They're clearly bored, cuz! They wanna see my TRUE power!"
Mettaton looked as though he wanted to argue, but conceded. "Very well. My cousin!" he shouted to the spotlights above. He disappeared back into the fog surrounding the arena. Frisk faced Mew Mew, sighing. "Are you really sure you wanna do this?" they asked. "Because I don't. I'd rather be at home with a nice cup of—"
A red and blue glow surrounded Mew Mew's hand. Frisk's body was completely engulfed in it. There was no pain, not even a sensation worth noting. Okay... this is... odd.
Then, suddenly Frisk felt a tear. As though their conscious had been ripped away from their body. It was the most disorienting thing they'd ever felt. As though they were only floating within a hollow vessel of a body.
"What the—" the two humans said in unison.
"Haha. Haha! HAHA!" cackled Mew Mew. "My true power! See how well you fight with a split body, mew!"
Split body?
"I... I think I just took your arms," said Chara, awestruck.
"What?" asked Frisk, a little panicked.
"Uh, split mode, duh!" she said. "Control over your body's split between a sub-version of yourself."
"Uhh... and that works how?"
"Oh my God. Oh my God! OH MY GOD!" she screamed, as though it were blindingly obvious. "The sub-you has control of your top half and you have control over the bottom! There! Now can we get this show on the road, or do I have to coddle you like a bitch?"
Frisk would've recoiled, but they only had control below their waist. So they just... leaned back a little. "Uhhh... sure. I guess. Not really happy about it, but— AH! Jesus!" they gasped as a red and blue disc was thrown in their direction. They jumped out of the way, thanking non-existent God that they got to use their legs. But they didn't entirely trust anyone else to pilot their arms, head and so on. Not that they didn't trust Chara, but they just felt more comfortable knowing that they knew what they were planning on doing.
Speaking of Chara, they decided to make themselves known again. "If you want to live, you'll have to trust me. I need the most communication you can give me. Understand?"
"Yeah... God, I don't like this."
"Neither do I. But this is our only option..." said Chara, looking thoughtful for a moment. "As of now, at least."
"What is that supposed to— SHIT!" The red/blue discs were practically centimetres from their face. Jerkily, their body flung itself out of the way, with Frisk's legs stumbling pathetically as Chara tried to summon the sword. "Would you slow down?" they shouted. Chara turned the head towards Mew Mew, who was firing more discs and a few geometric projectiles from her wand. "Would you dodge?" they shot back.
Frisk clumsily manoeuvred their legs out of the way, but it was really throwing them off with no physical input above the waist, asides from them still sharing the mouth and eyes, the latter being one of the more disorienting aspects of it. Going back to their previous comparison, it was like they were floating within their body, seeing everything from their own eyes, but frozen in place, only able to move their legs. Quite frankly, Frisk had no other words for it than "fucking creepy".
Still, looked like they were in for a long ride. Guess I'd better get with it, and quickly.
Chara was becoming noticeably frustrated as they tried to summon multiple things, failing every time. They grit their teeth. "Damn." They chuckled a little. "Of course. This isn't me."
Alright, wanna clue me in? Please, I'm dying here.
"It doesn't matter," said Chara. "I'm sure we can do this without magic." They withdrew the revolver. "I need your 100% concentration."
"Heh, don't you mean... 50%?" they asked, trying to lighten the mood.
Chara rolled their eyes. "Typical."
"I get it. Let's do it. I'm gonna move now."
Chara instantly steadied themselves for the movement. "Try not to stop. It could be helpful."
It really was a new kind of crazy, half of their body controlled by another, while Frisk dodged Mew Mew's furious attacks. They were frenzied and almost incoherent, a blur of rays and shapes. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out why. The spirit possessing the dummy had been a highly-strung, furious specter, and that personality had clearly carried over to her new form.
Maybe I can do something to overwhelm her? Even if it's making her angrier, they wondered. It could work.
But right now, they could only focus on talking to her and dodging her many attempts on their life. Mettaton was watching from afar, not appearing to interject at all.
Huh, well at least he's so confident in himself that he let it be a fair 1v1.
They dodged yet another shape cluster, trying to conjure up some hard-hitting words for Mew Mew. "So, you wanna fuse with that body, right?" they asked.
"Well, of COURSE!" she answered crossly. "That's what I told you!"
"Are you sure this is the way to do it?" they continued. "Drama, action, bloodshed, trying to kill me? Haven't you considered another way?"
"Duh, of course I have!" replied Mew Mew. "Why do you think I agreed to this? I've tried PRACTICALLY EVERYTHING and I STILL. CAN'T. FUSE."
"Well, if we'd just stop fighting then maybe we could figure this out in a less murder-y fashion," they said. Still, something told them it wasn't going to work.
"Dude, this is CLEARLY the only way to do this!" she replied. "I'm ninety-five percent sure of it!"
"The other five percent says there's definitely another way," they argued. "Things are never so clear-cut."
She looked like she desperately wanted to say something argumentative, but couldn't. Frisk inwardly smirked. C'mon. Admit it.
"OKAY, FINE. Maybe there's another way," she admitted. "But this is easily the BEST WAY to fuse!"
"Pretty sure murder isn't the best way, but I reckon I can still change your mind," they said.
All of this while she was attacking them. This was 100% not what they signed up for. They dodged another shape cluster, silently wishing they were a literal God that could just breeze right through here. They couldn't tell what Chara was thinking, but it was probably just "please stop this nonsense".
Mew Mew groaned. "UGH! Enough with the playing around, I'm being serious here! Can't you just sit still for five seconds?"
"Not down to get murdered, thanks," they replied. Any ideas?
* Nothing relevant. Keep at it.
Mew Mew attacked harder and harder, and yet, despite the frenzied nature of the attacks, she didn't appear to be getting tired. This disturbed Frisk to some extent, and they could tell Chara was getting more and more frustrated. They just tried their best to stay in tune with Chara's movements, however clumsy and delayed they may have been.
Mettaton just stood off in the corner weirdly, watching the scene unfold. Frisk considered trying to drag the fight out to hopefully wear Mew Mew out or make Mettaton join in. However, they weren't entirely sure that would work. Nonetheless, they were beginning to see the more subtle nuances of his character. His gears were turning, and though they didn't know what he was planning, they knew it couldn't be anything beneficial to their safety.
"Stop running!" shouted Chara. Frisk was taken by surprise and stopped at the wrong moment. They lost their balance. Chara tried to steady them, but they went down, Frisk screaming profanities at the powers that be that had lead them to this point. Chara rolled them over, but it was too late. Frisk had, without want of a better word, royally fucked the both of them. They saw the glowing blade of Mew Mew's sword go right through their stomach. For the first time, Frisk heard Chara's scream. It sounded... hellish. Like millions of tortured souls all digging into their skull, resonating with the same chant. You did this. This is your fault.
Frisk thankfully, had their eyes forced shut and didn't try to open them as the vomit-inducing sound of their internal organs squishing against the hot friction of the magic-coated blade reached their ears. The very thought of what was happening would've made them throw up, had they been granted control of their top half.
Needless to say, it was made infinitely worse by Chara's tortured screaming. Disgust and self-hatred creeping up on them, Frisk now just wanted to die so they could go back and stop the screaming. They would've tried RESETTING but they had no idea if they even could, with Chara still in control of half their body. Thus, they had no option other than to die.
Thankfully, this happened fairly quickly. Mew Mew was fucked, like all other monsters that had tried to kill them, but she wasn't a masochist. She finished the job fairly quickly, the familiar blackness covering their vision, all senses disappearing.
Frisk half-gasped, half-screamed as they sat up. They covered their mouth with their hands, the feeling of horror not letting up just yet. "W-what the fuck..." they whispered. Their vision blurred, body shaking. "Chara... I— I'm so sorry, I was a fucking idiot..."
Chara didn't even speak. Just stared at nothing blankly.
Ooookay, I think I broke them.
"Relax, I won't break that easily," said Chara, a faint boasting note in their voice. "Though that was certainly painful."
Frisk sighed. "All I had to do was stay focused... and I couldn't even do that, huh...?" They muttered to themselves bitterly. They drew their knees up to their chest, hiding their face in between them. "Fuck."
"I suppose I should tell you. I do have a plan. I just need you to work with me. Focus on nothing else." They stared at them, eyes piercing them like the sharp end of a knife. "I'm trusting a human of all people, so I need your word that you're going to do what I tell you to."
Frisk swallowed and nodded. "I will. I wanna beat Mettaton as badly as you do."
Chara smirked. "How would you know what I want?"
Frisk rolled their eyes. "Something tells me you don't wanna join his fan club."
They gave an amused 'hmph' in response as they headed back down the corridor towards the 'CORE' doorway. Defiance filling them, Frisk stepped through, aggressively stomping towards Mettaton.
"OH? YOU'RE APPROACHING—?" Mettaton was speaking, when Frisk cut him off by flinging a magic projectile at him. He dodged quickly, scowling at them. They returned with a smirk.
"FINE. FINE THEN," he chanted. "MY COUSIN!"
Frisk spied the silhouette of Mew Mew getting closer as a white light enveloped the room, disappearing suddenly, leaving just Mettaton and Mew Mew, standing side by side.
"Break a leg, maybe two," he said devilishly. Frisk could now only roll their eyes. They'd heard it all before.
"Mettaton Type 2: Electric Boogaloo, featuring Mad Mew Mew," opened Chara.
Huh, that was a nice one, thought Frisk, now busy constructing an excuse to jump straight to Mew Mew's turn.
"Hey, I don't wanna screw around here," explained Frisk. "So, just let your cousin show me her full power so we can settle that and then get to the main event, alright?"
Mettaton frowned. Frisk could tell he was definitely a bit thrown off by what they'd said. But quickly, his cocky grin reappeared. "Oh, but you have to prove yourself first, darling."
"I think your cousin's the best person to decide that, no offence. Really," they added, mock-serious. They could see his fists clenching, ready to fire back another argumentative sentence. But Mew Mew quickly shut it down.
"All right. All right! ALL RIGHT! Let's get this bloodbath STARTED!" she shouted excitably, whipping out her wand and firing off a burst of geometric shapes at them. They dodged, quickly sidestepping a blast from her ray gun, then spinning gracefully (if they had any left to fall from) out of the path of two red and blue discs. She fired multiple bursts from her ray gun, Frisk quickly countering by smashing them away with their shield. She swung the wand, an electric-like discharge left as the head collided with their shield. She raised it up above her head, then swung it down. Frisk swung their shield to meet it, wanting there to still be enough time to move. By now, Mettaton had dissipated into the background, muttering to himself, probably about how this was his show and how dare they take the spotlight from him, yada yada yada.
Mew Mew thrust the wand forward. Frisk blocked it with their shield, then grabbed the handle with a free hand. Mew Mew, outraged, reached for their hand furiously. They let go quickly, rushing at her side and nearly blowing her off her feet, using the Shield as a battering ram. She reached for her ray gun. Frisk fired off a cluster of low-energy magic bursts. She loosened her grip, and the gun flew up in the air, clattering on the ground somewhere in between the two. Without bothering to perform another movie cliche and stare Mew Mew down before making a grab for the gun, they just went with it and dashed. They kicked it hard, sending it over the edge of the colosseum, presumably into the depths of the Earth... or wherever the Underground went.
Her reaction wasn't pleased. She growled. Hissed. Shrieked. Spat a little as well. Then, heaving with unconcentrated rage, the head of her wand started glowing red and blue.
"Here it comes," warned Chara. "Be ready."
Frisk nodded. "Got it."
The glow surrounded their body. Frisk once again felt that creepy, odd but familiar sensation of their body splitting.
* Make a run for her in three...
Mew Mew grinned, showing her sharp, impossibly white canines. "Yeah... Yeah...! YEAH...!" she chanted, egging whatever hocus-pocus she was doing on.
* Two...
The sensation with settling, and Frisk could already feel their range of control slipping down, like they were sliding down, back against a wall. Mew Mew's hand moved towards the seemingly infinite disc spawner on her hip.
* One.
The spell ceased, settling the two into each half of the body. Mew Mew grabbed the disc and drew her arm back, ready to throw it, hoping to catch them by surprise.
* Dodge!
Frisk threw themselves, still a bit clumsily, to the left, the disc barely missing them. Mew Mew cursed, but wasn't done trying yet. Which figured, considering that they had only just gotten started. She swung her wand at them, leaving a trail of eerie glowing flames in its path, which promptly set off after them. They tried their best not to focus too much on them.
So, what now? asked Frisk. You think we'll be able to make her stop?
* I'm sure. In this case, I think we'll have to outlast her, until she runs out of puff. Then, we may be able to convince her to stop.
You sure you don't just want to fight her? they asked.
* Yes, that would be easier. But I sense it isn't really what you want.
You know me too well. Way too well...
* Watch it, bullet on your right.
Frisk brought their attention back to the fight and moved to the left. Mew Mew did some kind of pirouette, spinning the wand as she went. Star-like projectiles were raining down left and right, all the while, Mew Mew was monologuing about her new vessel.
"With this new body, I'm FINALLY complete! This body just screams 'Me. Me! ME!' doesn't it?" she was saying.
"It really does suit you," Frisk replied, not missing an opportunity. "Especially when you're trying to kill me."
"I KNOW RIGHT?" she shouted, oblivious to the second half of Frisk's answer. "It's amazing, it's brilliant, it's perfect! And now... NOW! I can be the best training dummy Undyne could ever ask for!"
"If she wasn't currently wanted," muttered Frisk.
"At least... That's what I would say if I had any idea where she was, mew," said Mew Mew somewhat abashedly. Frisk always wondered how these monsters held conversations while fighting to the death. The war must've been a true prime-time special.
"WHAT'S WITH THAT LOOK?" asked Mew Mew angrily. Then, a look of realisation. "No, don't tell me. She's run off with a REPLACEMENT?"
"How did you figure that?" asked Frisk, perturbed, as they dodged a wild stream of discs.
"TRADE SECRET. But now I know exactly what I'm gonna do to them," she said, scheming. "Wanna know what I'll do? I'LL RESPECT THEM!"
"How honourable," muttered Frisk, before giving a sharp keening sound as the tip of Mew Mew's sword just missed their face. "Wow, that's just... Uh..." They were honestly lost for words. They didn't have a lot of time to be surprised and slightly terrified as Mew Mew started violently swinging her blade, blasting clusters into the sky that split into eight smaller shape clusters. "AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP!" she shouted. "NOTHING BUT THE BEST! HAPPY FOR THEM!"
Frisk quickly dodged a falling shape, sidestepping her wild swing. They nearly fell over when she thrust the blade forward, forcing them backwards. "Jesus!" they shouted. "What the hell's your deal? Just leave me out of this!"
"I need to FUSE!" Mew Mew shouted back. "But it STILL. ISN'T. WORKING!" She cursed, firing another set of clusters from her wand, tossing a few discs into the mix as well. "Do I really have to use my Ultimate Power?" she wondered aloud.
Frisk rolled their eyes. Oh great. It's one of those again. "Honestly, I could care less. Whatever makes you happy and not want to murder me is cool," they replied.
Mew Mew looked agitated. "ARE... YOU..." she paused. "Trying to help me fuse?" she asked, cautiously.
Frisk quickly nodded. "Of course! I'm happy if you're happy. Just, uh... try to keep the violence to a minimum, 'kay?"
Mew Mew didn't seem to hear anything past "if you're happy", because she, with lack of a better term, went Super Saiyan. She raised her sword, which crackled with pink energy. "THEN DIE SO I CAN FUUUUUSE!" she howled.
Fuck.
Frisk sidestepped her wild strike, backing up immediately after as she tried to swing it the other way. She smacked the head of the wand onto the ground, sending a red and blue shockwave through Frisk. They felt their control switch. Marginally quicker on the uptake this time, they tried to summon their shield to block another strike, but weren't quick enough. The sword slashed through their arm. They screamed, hitting the ground. They backed away, a scowl twisting their features as they tried to heal their wound at the same time. We're switched. I've got this.
Their legs moved of their own accord, bringing them to their feet. "Nice shot," said Frisk, with as much venom they could spare. Their snark was expensive, after all. "Think you can hit me again?"
Mew Mew gave them a cocky smirk. "Just TRY me, mew!" she taunted. Frisk summoned both sword and shield, staring her down, waiting for her to make her move. Unfortunately, it seemed more like she was waiting for them. They could tell Mettaton was now confused as shit, watching the two simply stare at each other.
* She'll hit you if you run at her. Try some kind of pincer tactic.
English, Chara. Do you speak it.
Left and right, curving towards your enemy.
They took the left side, Mew Mew firing a blast from her wand, but missing. They fired off a ricocheting projectile in Mew Mew's direction, and another scatter fireball to the right, as they continued their charge toward Mew Mew's right. They were determined to get this over with, so they decided they would take Chara's advice and try to limit their magic usage, until they could safely go all-out.
Mew Mew seemed aware of what they were doing, and brought her sword to meet theirs. Their blades locked, both resisting the temptation to give in as their tenacity overwhelmed their senses. Adrenaline flowing rapidly through Frisk's arterial highway, they finally managed to push Mew Mew off them. She stared, shocked for a moment, then swung it again. Frisk blocked with their shield, then swung right back. The blades clashed again and again, each blow taking a physical toll on both. Mew Mew raised her wand. Frisk in turn raised their shield at the last second. The core of the cluster exploded upon impact, but most of the shapes were blown backwards, towards Mew Mew. She raised an arm to shield herself from the recoil, and then her sword as she spotted Frisk getting closer. It was fruitless, as they slashed down with as much force as their determined soul could possibly muster. Sparks flew, and a small explosion of spent magic coating ensued. When the smoke cleared, Frisk found they'd completely snapped her blade, leaving her with about a quarter. The magic coating it was also no more. Unfortunately for her, her wand was also useless, the head having lost its power in the explosion.
Both panted heavily. "Just stop," said Frisk through gasps of air. "I don't want this."
"Ha... Ha...! HA! I know you do," she answered. "And you're doing an absolutely tubular job!"
Frisk let a snort escape them. "Are you honestly trying to kill me with 90s' slang?" they asked.
Mew Mew stood. "Amazing job! Gnarly! Mondo! Sick! Meowsers! IS THAT WANT YOU WANT ME TO SAY?" she screamed in their face, slamming the snapped sword and wasted wand on the ground in fury.
Frisk stared back at her, stunned into silence. But it wouldn't last. Their face became twisted with an expression of pure hatred. "I don't want you to say anything!" they shouted back. "I don't even want your mercy. You guys suck, all of you. Especially you," they added, cocking their head in Mettaton's direction. "Fuck you and all you stand for, boltlicker." Mettaton gave an overdramatic gasp in response to this.
"Mettaton dials the number for the FCC."
Frisk turned away and shuffled over to the corner, arms crossed, emotions overflowing like a 1st-grader's cliche volcano project. They didn't care anymore. They didn't even care if Mettaton tried to attack them. They were tired of the whole mess. They just wanted to take a sledgehammer to reality itself.
After maybe a minute of this, they heard Mew Mew's voice. "Uhh... hey," she said tentatively. "Are you... okay?"
Frisk laughed. It tasted like acid in their throat. "No. I'm pretty far from fucking 'okay', thanks for asking," they replied.
"You're mad," she observed. Frisk kept their head down, a hateful smirk plastered over their features. "How observant of you."
"I know that feeling," she said.
Frisk didn't answer.
"Maybe you were right," she admitted. "Maybe violence just isn't the way to fuse. But if that isn't, then what is...?"
"What do you even want?" they asked bitterly. "Just fuck off."
"I want you to tell me what I'm doing wrong," she said. "How can I—"
"Let me give you a few ideas," said Frisk. "One, trying to kill me. Twice, might I add." It took all they had not to say And succeeding once. "Two, being that much of a dumbass to believe that killing is even the way to fuse, and finally three, I don't even know what three is, but I'm sure I can think of plenty more!"
Mew Mew sighed, obviously knowing there was nothing she could really say.
"Now get outta here. Before I kill you."
Mew Mew hung her head, sighing heavily. "This... this was all just..." She shook her head, turning and leaving.
Mettaton hadn't said a word yet. Good.
Unfortunately, it was not to last. Mettaton emerged from the sidelines, looking indignant. "What a twist of events! We'll be right back after these messages."
Then, when he was done with that: "Well, great job, brat. You ruined a perfectly good fight with your storming off like a child."
Chara looked at him out of the corner of their eye. "Tch. Who does he think he is?" they asked.
Frisk chose to ignore the fact that Chara was also unimpressed with their tantrum. To an extent, even they were.
"Though, I suppose it's not all bad," he said thoughtfully. "It'll mould your image nicely."
"This is all just a game to you, isn't it," Frisk replied.
He scoffed. "Showbiz, that's what it is to me," he answered. "Get used to it, darling."
"Get used to this," they replied, but it wasn't Frisk speaking. It was Chara. "Life isn't a game. Life has consequences."
Frisk was bewildered. "Chara, what the— what are you doing?" they asked.
Chara didn't answer, taking a step towards Mettaton. Then another. And then another. Mettaton just looked on cockily, hand on hip, head cocked to the side, as though he didn't even care. "Good, good. That'll make you look fabulous for the cameras."
More music began pumping. This time, it was a bass-y piano supported by... a bass. A slap bass specifically. Some electric guitar began creeping in, some background noises adding immersion. Chara appeared to be ignoring it, and were now approaching Mettaton once more, a scowl on their features, their irises turned red through possession.
"Welcome back, ladies and gentlebeauties!" greeted Mettaton. "Our climactic final battle is upon us all! Will the human prevail against the killer robot? I don't think so!"
"Chara, c'mon, whatever this is, isn't necessary," said Frisk hastily, abandoning their usual Mettaton comments. "I'll take care of it, don't worry."
Then, Chara's thoughts slipping into their mind: This is none of your concern.
Their single-sentence answer was unnerving, but Frisk assumed Chara knew what they were doing. "Alright, I guess. Try not to have too much fun."
They were sure they saw Chara smirk at this. Mettaton was already beginning his assault, summoning a herd of parasol robots out of nowhere. Sparks came flying out of their 'speakers'. In an instant, they had smashed into a red shield, that, similarly, had appeared out of nowhere. It was shaped more like an actual shield, this one, unlike Frisk's. Frisk was, truthfully, a little surprised that Chara was even able to do that. They'd expected their magic to be a bit rusty, but it seemed like they knew exactly what they were doing.
The aperture of Mettaton's laser hand tightened a little, and he released a pink-glowing laser beam. Chara dodged it, smashing parasol bots with their shield as they went along. Mettaton fired again and again, trying to cut them off, but Chara seemed to have all his movements figured out before he even planned them. Frisk was in awe. How were they so good? How could they tell what movement to make and when? They supposed it was the times they'd sparred with Asgore when they were alive. After all, no question Asgore would be a tougher opponent than Mettaton.
Chara blocked his laser with the shield, sending a spiral of fire in Mettaton's direction. Frisk watched with admiration as Mettaton just managed to dodge, but was instantly bogged down with vines ensnaring his legs. Chara summoned a Dreemurr Beamer, which promptly blew out everyone's eardrums with a rainbow-tinged laser. "Wow..."
Unfortunately, Mettaton had managed to dodge in the nick of time. They weren't sure how, but Chara didn't seem all too concerned. Mettaton huffed a little. "Your idea of drama seems to be far removed from mine, darling," he said, regaining his cocky air. "Perhaps you need a demonstration."
They smirked. "Really..." they said. Mettaton snapped his fingers and summoned a new disco ball. This one floated from side to side, firing beams of blue, orange and white light as it spun erratically, like the dice in a Yahtzee shaker. Chara slipped in between crisscrossing white and blue lasers, leaping through the orange ones while firing a volley of bouncing fireballs towards Mettaton. It didn't seem to matter to them that he dodged every single one, or that he seemed to have the upper hand at the moment. Frisk wasn't sure what was going on in their head, but they were sure of two things. One: Chara definitely had some kind of plan, and they were probably in control. Two: Mettaton was really showing off his dance moves now. He was contorting his body in ways they didn't think even physically possible just to dodge minor threats. Then again, it was all just a big game to him. Or TV show. Or showbiz or whatever the hell he called it. So, maybe they would play his game. Maybe they would try to upstage him just for the benefit of increasing his ratings and seeing what came of it.
So, they decided to shoot Chara a message. "Hey, Chara," they said. "Kinda busy right now I can tell, but I think you should try to increase his ratings. Maybe it'll help us beat him."
Then, their telepathic voice hitting their mental 'ear'; sarcastic and maybe even snarkier than they could ever hope to be: I thought you didn't want to?
"Well, we kinda have zero choice anymore," they conceded. "Just keep doing what you're doing, but maybe, uhh..." they scratched their chin in thought. "Do some really cliche movie things?"
A scoff, as Chara steps backward to avoid a box that's spinning haphazardly about the arena. You really are a source of wisdom, aren't you.
"Braindead audiences like his go crazy for that stuff," defended Frisk. "Just say something cool like, 'You couldn't hit me if you tried' or flip your hair or some shit." They thought about the few notable tropes they'd seen in TV. "Also try a pose. Edgy, badass, whatever. Maybe even suggesti—"
* Is this for his viewers, or mine? remarked Chara amusedly, not surprised by Frisk's flirting.
"Touche. But I reckon they'll work. Just try it," they insisted. "What do we have to lose anyway?"
Chara summoned a fire tornado and spun it around the box, wearing down its defensive coating so they could focus on Mettaton's other attacks, dodging and firing the phone's ray at the same time. Not counting the conversation they were currently holding with Frisk. They really had to admire them.
Mettaton fired another laser in Chara's direction. They spun out of its path, flipping their hair up. Frisk snorted, finally realising how stupid they must look every time they did this kind of thing. They could practically hear the scowl in Chara's voice. This is your fault.
"Oh yeah, I know," said Frisk casually. "I accept full responsibility for this great idea." They glanced over at the ratings chart. Mettaton's ratings (which had been sitting at about 2,000 when this all started), had risen a little. Only by about a hundred. Which meant they were going to have to up their game a bit, or pull something drastic.
"Oookay, so that didn't exactly do all that much," they admitted.
* How does striking poses and spouting cliche nonsense telepathically make more people want to watch his program? they asked. I mean, yes, it is being live-streamed, but he's the number one celebrity in the Underground, how are his ratings not higher for such an over-hyped program?
"You're over-analysing it, Chara," Frisk relied.
* Well, if you don't have a better idea on how to increase that number, you're going to hear a lot more than just an analysis.
"That sounds hot," said Frisk shamelessly. "Uh... maybe just try antagonising him, make him lose his cool. Then maybe the word'll spread?" It was a pathetic suggestion, Frisk had to admit, but it was the only one they had.
Chara gave the most visible eye-roll they could muster. This is going to be a long day.
They dodged Mettaton's laser, sending a stream of fireballs his way. He, of course, dodged, and summoned more parasol bots. Chara swat them away with the Shield and simultaneously scorched them with blasts of fire.
Mettaton gave a dramatic gasp. "How positively scorching! Your fiery passion is commendable, darling. I could almost see your heart in it..." And then the vomit-inducing seductive smirk. "How about I show you mine?"
The glass dome opened up. The heart slowly floated out, then enlarged to roughly the size of a human heart. It pulsed slowly, a white shimmer to it. Chara eyed it with interest.
* Interesting. Mettaton Type 2, 65 ATK 50 DEF. Opened his heart so you could fill it with bullets. How polite of him, they quipped, getting an audible snort from Frisk.
"Heh. Good to see you haven't lost your charm," said Frisk.
The heart jolted mid-air, releasing a shockwave of sparks. Chara stepped back, blocking it with their shield. The heart released more sparks, now in a more erratic rhythm. Chara dodged them, the storm of energy flying right by their ear as they withdrew the revolver and fired directly at Mettaton's heart. It missed badly, only skimming the edge, but he still flinched. Albeit with a smirk and a creepy "Yeah..."
* Damn. I thought I had him, they muttered, before going back to attacking. They hurled fireballs at it, a few actually hitting, resulting in more pained "Yeah"s, as they danced in a symphony of sparks and lasers. They fired one last time at him, this time hitting it perfectly, though they paid the price for it, getting hit from the side by an orange laser. They clenched their teeth, refusing to give him any satisfaction. Mettaton's joints were sparking a bit as he drew the heart back into the glass dome, attributable to the fact it had just been shot with a physical bullet. He wasn't fazed by this, though.
"Nice try darling," he said, hand on hip. "I may not be unbreakable in this form, but I'm far from a rustbucket. Now—" he clapped, the ground beneath them transforming into a dance floor. "—let's see how long you last on the dance floor!"
* Smug bastard, muttered Chara. Let's see how well you dance with only half a body.
The floor lit up, and Frisk quickly realised what he was doing. "It's not a dance floor, it's that coloured tile maze from before!" they shouted. "Goddamn it, what a cheap move..."
Chara frowned. Bother. I don't remember the rules.
"Neither do I," said Frisk.
Mettaton just stared at them. "Well, what are you waiting for?" he asked rudely. "Get moving!"
"What are the rules?" asked Chara.
Mettaton huffed, but the air of superiority was obvious. "Must I explain myself? Really?" he asked. With one last laugh, he explained, all very quickly: "Pink tiles can be walked on safely, green tiles have no effect here, red tiles are solid, yellow tiles zap you, orange tiles change your flavour to 'orange', whatever that means, purple tiles make you slide, and change your flavour to 'lemon mixed with milk'? And finally, blue tiles will shock you if they are near a yellow tile or if your flavour is 'orange'. Otherwise you're fine." Hands on hips, a smile straight from his ego, he asked, "Now may we begin?"
"Oh yes, certainly," said Chara, flashing an equally cocky grin right back. The tiles' colours alternated for a few more seconds, before freezing, and a timer going off. Mettaton gave a sadistic laugh. "Better run, darling, you wouldn't want that timer to run out now, would you?"
Chara seemed to consider jumping over tiles for a moment, but then decided against it, for whatever reason. They moved to the pink tile on the left, and were sliding towards a red tile when they noticed Mettaton's laser priming out of the corner of their eye. They dropped to one knee, ducking their head out of the laser's path. They turned to look at him with such an awful expression it made even Frisk shiver. Good thing I'm not on the receiving end of it...
Chara stood, then made a quick dash for the blue tile ahead, dodging spark clusters thrown by the parasol bots hovering mid-air. Chara wasn't doing so badly, despite having their flavour changed to 'orange' and attempting to pass over a blue tile, resulting in a hearty zap. Despite this, and a couple of other minor setbacks, they appeared to be about to make it through. Then, all the tiles around them suddenly changed to red.
To summarise the live reaction that Frisk witnessed upon occurrence of this phenomena, there are one thousand split-seconds in a single second. Through this one second, Chara's face went from confused, to shocked, to anger, to absolute outrage.
"What," they said, anger covering any questioning intonation their voice may have initially had. "What are you doing?"
"Get real, darling," he said, looking disappointed once again. "Did you honestly think I'd even give you the slightest chance of winning? Like I've said, this is showbiz."
Chara looked like they were about to explode, and Frisk didn't mean that figuratively. Literally, they looked like they were about to make every bomb in existence look like a joke. They reached into the trench coat pocket and withdrew the device Sans had given Frisk back in Blowdin. They pressed the red centre button. The tiles flickered momentarily, then lost all colour, reverting to black. Mettaton, momentarily stunned, was a complete sitting duck when Chara practically flash-stepped in front of him, driving a blur of red right across his metallic chest. Frisk gasped, shocked at the sheer speed of it all.
Mettaton was still frozen in place a second or two after the blow. Frisk was able to see now the glowing red trident, a golden flower head sculpted at the end of the handle, its triple prongs sharper than even Lucifer's silverware. Chara gripped the weapon so tight their knuckles had gone completely opaque white.
* Frisk, they said calmly. If you do not have any ideas to end this fight, I will bury this insufferable prick six feet under.
"I... I mean, not that I'd say no to that, but..." They took a deep breath. "Ugh, I dunno. Just... just hold him off, okay? I think I know how we can win this."
* You think?
"Just give it a chance, please," said Frisk flatly.
* Fine.
Mettaton blinked, seemingly out of his trance. "Well. I see you've no respect or appreciation for theatrics," he said huffily, tossing his slicked boy-band hair. "That's fine. You just need to stay still..." with an anime-esque flash of his eye, he delivered his killer end: "WHILE I MURDER YOU!"
He fired a huge, sudden blast of his laser, with Chara taken by surprise. They managed to block at the last second, but there wasn't enough resistance in it, and it blew them off their feet. They managed to recover okay, and were back at it again, fueled by their mutual hatred of the glamorous ex-sex-bot. They pointed the trident directly at him, a twister of fire bursting from the middle prong. Mettaton dodged, unsheathing his own sword.
"Oh yeah, this dumb thing again," said Frisk, rolling their eyes. "Remember how I cut Mew Mew's in half? I reckon you could do the same."
* It's coated in a kind of magic, observed Chara. I figure I can chip away at that protection gradually, and then take him by surprise and beat him down. We mustn't neglect that heart though.
Mettaton swung his sword quite impressively, though Chara didn't seem to think so. They stepped back quickly, flashing him a bored look. They blocked him with the trident, blade sparking against the blood-red handle. He raised his hand, trying to summon more parasol robots.
"Platelet Steeper!" they shouted, sending a double-helix spiral of red pellets at his arm. He grunted, stumbling back. Chara rushed at him, trident raised. He rolled out of the way, spinning around at the exact moment Chara did, the tips of their weapons grazing each other. Mettaton tried again to summon more bots, but Chara refused. They sliced the trident across his arm, not severing it but putting his back against the floor. They raised it once more, plunging it down into his chest. A pink energy pulse radiated outward, blowing them off their feet and tossing them across the room. They rolled a few times, but quickly picked themselves up. They brushed Frisk's messy hair out of their face, fingers slicked with fresh blood. They grit their teeth, anger starting to boil. They screamed, "Helios Mayhem!", slamming the trident to the floor. The battlefield was bathed in a red-hot glow; great pillars of fire erupting from the ground, spitting fireballs in a spiral, some of said fireballs even exploding into smaller fireballs. Mettaton, for a fleeting second, had a look like he realised he fucked up, before he covered it with his cocky smirk. "Yes, show us your power, darling."
"You're going to burn," they swore, pointing the trident directly at him, casting Inferno Twister. He just dodged. Frisk was becoming a little worried that they were taking this a tad too personally, might be over-exerting themselves. They trusted Chara, but they had never seen them in a rage like this before. Though, knowing them, they figured they hadn't even seen the half of it.
* Don't worry about me. I have this under control.
"I know you do," they said. "Just give him a good ass-kicking. Draw that heart out somehow, and just rain hell on it."
* Easier said than done, they replied, dodging more of Mettaton's parasol robots, while the robot in question brandished his sword like some clueless cosplayer, still chanting "Drama, romance, bloodshed" like it was some kind of magic spell.
"Maybe if you can... distract him? You could land a pretty good lick on him," they suggested. "He looks like he's losin' it the longer he goes on."
* I'll do my best.
They whirled the trident in a blur of red, summoning a group of fireballs, all coming towards them. The trident repelled the fire, scattering it in all directions. Mettaton barely dodged one, charging at them immediately after. "You might think you're industrious, you may think you're clever, but I'll win this fight, whether you like it or not!" he shouted, plunging his sword down. Chara's expression didn't change at all. Just that same blunt determination in those twin irises of red. They blocked him, driving the handle in between his legs. He gave a not-so-glamorous auto-tuned scream. Using the trident as a lever, they pushed it forward, slamming his back to the ground. They summoned three Dreemurr Beamers, charging them. "Do you concede?" they asked, daring him to say no.
"Do you really think a star like me can be canceled that easily?" he scoffed. "Go ahead and set those dreadful things off, I'll just dodge them. And I'll keep dodging until you slip up and hand me victory, on the shiny silver p—"
The Beamers gave a soft 'ping' and fired simultaneously, lighting up the entire colosseum. They knew what to expect when they turned around, and drove the trident hard into him. Mettaton yelled, more so in frustration than pain. "Give up," they hissed.
"Go off, darling," he retorted, aiming his cannon hand at them. "Sparkling Quasar!"
"Inferno Twister!"
A bright pink light was charging in the barrel of his cannon, so bright it was practically blinding them. Still, they ran towards him, determined to end this once and for all. Mettaton grit his teeth, almost as though he wasn't expecting them to do something so suicidal. He really didn't know them at all.
Aiming directly at their chest, he released. The laser of pink energy ripped through the air at the same moment Chara hurled their trident, middle prong ablaze, directly into the barrel. The kickback from the laser had made it impossible for Mettaton to grab it. The funnel of fire blew right through the cannon as Chara hit the ground, laser passing right over their head. The subsequent explosion, however, threw both parties to opposite ends of the room. Mettaton slammed against the wall back-first, Chara taking a huge hit to the side. They wheezed, coughing blood, though it could have been from the re-opened head wound. They felt like they'd broken a rib or two. But that was nothing they couldn't handle. They wiped their mouth on the back of their sleeve, dragging themselves to their feet.
"You've lost," they shouted through the smoke, panting heavily. "Surrender."
Through the smoke came an all-too-familiar arm. It wrapped around their neck, slamming their head against the wall. Chara groaned, stars dancing around their head, limbs flailing and grasping for Mettaton, trying to prise his fingers off their neck.
"You..." he panted. "You really are a little shit, aren't you? Think you can take my arm? Think it fucking matters?" he yelled, grip strength increasing. Chara's eyes were bulging out of their sockets, grabbing for his face now, but he was too far back for Frisk's pathetic midget form to grasp.
Speaking of Frisk. They were currently screaming any obscenity they could think of that described their enemy. "Fucking psychopath!" they raged. "Let them go, you fucking coward!"
"I don't need arms, I don't need anyone."
Chara blindly reached for the gun, their thoughts racing, brain rapidly losing oxygen. I'm actually dying, they thought, almost with exhilaration. This is what dying feels like. The pain isn't even that bad.
But this wasn't their body to let die. It didn't belong to them. They needed to see it through to the broken, beaten and scarred end.
"Who needs arms..."
They cocked the gun, dark circles spinning before their very eyes, latex-gloved hands still choking the very life out of their being. They shakily raised it, barrel pointed directly at the dome housing the pink heart.
"With LEGS LIKE THESE?"
They pulled the trigger. Everything seemed to happen in slow-motion, though they figured it was because of how oxygen-deprived their brain was. The glass shattered into a million tiny shards, the heart sparking and spasming as the bullet ripped through it, splattering a pink goop throughout Mettaton's internals. He stared, so shocked he'd been shot, grip not loosening in the slightest, but not tightening either. In their own state of shock, Chara fired again, then again, then again, emptying the whole chamber into his chest. They couldn't tell which bullet had been the killshot, but he crashed to the floor, bringing them with him. His fingers loosened slightly, but because of this, they were able to pry them off. They hacked and coughed, gasping in the Underground air, the incredible feeling of life rushing through them, like God's word. They rolled over, throwing up whatever Frisk had eaten earlier. They slumped against the wall, breathing slower now.
Finally, after a minute of silence, Frisk said, "Holy shit."
Chara nodded. "Indeed. Take control of yourself now, Frisk. And most importantly, take care."
They nodded. "You did great out there, Chara." They slipped back into their body without another word to them. They could tell they needed to be alone right now.
All of a sudden, the doors to the room opened, and Alphys came stumbling in, nearly tripping over herself. "O-oh my God! Are you okay?" she asked, rushing over to them, helping them to their feet. "I-I can't believe what just happened in there..." Before Frisk had a chance to respond, she looked over at Mettaton's wrecked corpse. She gasped. "Oh no! Mettaton!"
She ran to his side, fretting over his melted circuits and all the pink goop inside him. She scooped out most of it. Frisk groaned. "Are you fucking serious, Alphys?" they asked. "That fucker tried to kill me and you're trying to save his life?"
"He's my only friend!" she retorted, tears forming in her eyes.
Frisk scoffed. "Yeah, your friend without benefits. Because he's dead," they jabbed. It was worth it to see the look of terror on her face at the word 'dead'.
"N-no! He can't be dead! I know there's a spark of life in there somewhere..." She kept searching around in his shell. Frisk looked at her with disgust.
Chara sighed. "I know why she cares so much for him. I'm sure you know too?"
Doesn't mean I don't want that fucker rotting in an e-waste collection depot.
She screamed in relief. "OH MY GOD THANK GOD," she said in one breath. "His power light's still on! He's alive..."
"Okay, y'know what, fuck this. Goodbye, Alphys," they said, walking away. They exited the colosseum, following the hallway. A right turn later, they could see the elevator at the end, left wall flanked by bright blue tubes and air ducts.
Finally. My ticket to the capitol.
"H-hey! Wait up!" came Alphys's voice.
"Ugh, what is it now?" they asked, turning around. "Are you done feeling my attempted killer up?"
Alphys went red, but ignored them. "I-I'm sorry that happened. It's my fault. I..." she rubbed her arm sorrowfully. "I didn't protect you at all."
"None of this is your fault," said Frisk. "It's his. Besides, I made it, didn't I? Which means you succeeded."
She looked surprised. "S-so you're not mad about me making up all that stuff?" she asked tentatively.
Frisk rolled their eyes. "Actually, no. I'm super pissed. But lucky for you, I don't have the energy to rip into you for it."
They turned back and continued walking to the elevator. Alphys followed, still talking their ear off. "S-so, I guess this is it. Your journey's over! You can finally go home!"
They looked over their shoulder. "Yeah, it's not gonna be that easy, unfortunately." Alphys gave a questioning look in response. "I need a monster soul to cross the barrier. I'll have to kill Asgore."
Alphys froze. "H...how...?" she swallowed. "W-who told you that? D-did he tell you?" she demanded.
Frisk raised an eyebrow at her concern. "No, it wasn't him. And hey, it can't be all that bad. You're a scientist, you could probably figure out another way!"
"Um... actually..." she stammered, fidgeting with her coat nervously. "I..."
"Don't tell me," said Frisk, their own nerves starting to show. "You d—"
"I don't have anything, okay!" she shouted. "That's the only way for you to get home! You have to kill Asgore and take his soul! That's your only option, do you understand?"
Frisk stared at her, eyes wide open, shell-shocked. "Are... are you shitting me right now? You're the Royal Scientist and you can't even help me leave without killing your king?"
She was shaking on the spot, face buried in her hands. "You lie to me, lead me into the path of two killer robots, don't even try to help and then the MOMENT you can make up for it, you turn your back on me? Tell me you can't do anything to help me?"
She looked up at them, her glasses pushed up onto her forehead. Eyes puffy, tears streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry..." she whispered.
She turned on her heel and ran off. By the time they'd snapped out of their shock she was at the end of the hall.
"Hey, Alphys, wait!" they shouted, running down the hall after her. "C'mon, we've gotta be able to work something out!"
She was already gone.
"FUCK!" they screamed, slamming their fists against the wall. "FUCKING BITCH!"
They hit the wall again, screams more primal and animalistic than human. They wondered if their hands were bleeding at all, because they sure were hurting like a bitch. Kinda like Alphys. Who does she think she is anyway, giving me that kind of ultimatum?
They went to hit it again.
"Stop."
Chara's voice was low and commanding. Despite their uncontrollable rage, they relaxed their hands, sliding down the wall helplessly. They crumpled to their knees, giving a weak chuckle that quickly dissolved into desperate laughter.
"What the fuck am I supposed to do now...?"
Chara sighed, placing a hand on their shoulder. "Whatever you can."
Salutations there, comrade! We have now reached the end of the CORE arc! REJOICE, FOR NEW HOME IS COMING!
I'm sorry for taking so long to finish this. This chapter really bored me to make sometimes, but I hope it's enjoyable for you guys to read. I know I had my enjoyable moments writing it too.
Now, let's get to Chapter Trivia™!
1. The code Frisk inputs for the box-destroying ray is 15111509. This is a combination of my birthday and the release date of Undertale.
2. I specifically chose "like a bitch" because of Samuel L. Jackson's incredible performance in Pulp Fiction where he asks Brett if Marsellus Wallace looks "like a bitch".
3. I have no comments on Mew Mew's "Split Mode" other than that I just figured that was the best way to execute it.
4. Yeah yeah, "oh, you're approaching me?" funny Jojo reference. I did it.
5. Let me try to break down the end of Mew Mew's fight for you. Frisk's outburst of fury kinda beats her down a lot, since she's usually a really angry person, and not used to seeing someone as angry as her, thus why she calms down a lot. And because she can't really fight them anymore because her weapons just got wrecked.
6. "Let's see how well you dance with only half a body" was a reference to one of Gelorum's lines in Hot Wheels: World Race, the movie that preceded Acceleracers. They were a big part of my childhood, so I had to throw it in.
7. Yep, there's a nice bit of reveal on Chara's moveset. Some of their attacks use blood as a motif, such as Platelet Steeper. Since it ain't spoilers, there's also Luminol Buster which takes the name of a tool used at crime scenes that turns bright blue when it comes into contact with blood. The rest that don't use such motifs use fire, vines and so on.
8. Mettaton's still alive, yes. But only barely. Chara really did a number on him with that gun. For reference, they emptied a full chamber into him. A full six bullets. He brought it upon himself.
9. "Yeah, your friend without benefits" is a reference to a line Rigby says in the Regular Show episode "Diary".
10. Frisk screams "FUCK! FUCKING BITCH!" specifically to reference Noah's reaction to Mary Asher hanging up on him in the TribeTwelve episode "Mary Asher Phone Call".
Anyway, here we are again. It's always such a pleasure to reach the end of these chapters so I have an excuse to laze about a bit and not work on it. In fact, I can't even blame drawing for this, since I haven't been doing a whole lot of it as of recent. Though I guess now I do because I'm gonna be playing the shit out of the new Ori game in the days following.
Anyway, thank you for stickin' with me, guys. I honestly do appreciate it.
Order your tickets to the capitol now on Ticketek,
- offbrandbiscuit
