Undyne finished watching the previous match and was sitting in the locker room. She slapped her cheeks a couple times before getting up. "Ladies and gentlemen!" The announcer's voice could be heard through the speaker. "The next match will begin in a few minutes!"
"That's my cue." Undyne exited the room and walked down the hall towards the arena. She emerged into the sunlight to the cheers of the crowd. As she ascended the stairs, her opponent came into view: Bakuzan, the two-time winner of Super Fight. Around them, paramedics were at the ready. He stared at Undyne with a grim visage, seeing her only as an obstacle to overcome.
"You think she's got a shot?" Saitama asked Alphys.
"Absolutely! Undyne's the greatest!" Her enthusiasm attracted the attention of a few spectators. "I-I mean, she's trained so hard and she's so cool...I'm sorry." She buried her face in her claws as the audience turned their attention back to the arena.
"How's Genos doing by the way?"
"Oh, I'll give you a code for the live feed. Do you have your phone?" Saitama reached into his pocket. "Yep." He pulled out a flip phone and opened it. "What's the code?"
"A clamshell?!" Alphys' stared incredulously. "You're a hero and you only have a clamshell?!"
"Yep. Got it when I graduated high school."
"My God! It's ancient! Just, just take my phone!" She shoved her smart phone into his hand. "We'll get you an upgrade after the tournament!"
"Um...okay..." He held it up sideways and the screen shifted accordingly. "Uh...did I break it...?" Saitama whispered. He slowly looked back at Alphys. Her gaze was fixated on Undyne. Seizing his chance, Saitama pocketed the device and nonchalantly turned to the arena.
Undyne stepped in front of the imposing man, both their faces unflinching. "So I hear you're a champ." Undyne pointed out.
"What of it?"
Undyne smiled a little. "Honestly, I was hoping for some advice. You and that Suiryu guy are the only vets here and I couldn't pin him down-"
"Let me make this clear," Bakuzan growled. "We are not friends. This is no game. When true martial artists fight, it is to the death." Undyne's friendly smile turned into a scowl.
"Is that why there's a medical team here?"
"Huh," Bakuzan scoffed. "Those fools. The only reason I haven't been able to get my message across is because they interfere."
"And what's that?"
"In this world of martial arts, it's kill or be killed." Undyne didn't flinch at his words.
"I'm not going to kill you." Undyne's answer made the bear-like man smile.
"You think you can? Have you even..." Undyne's unflinching eye told him everything. "Well, won't this be a treat?"
"Contestants! Take your positions!" The referee called out, breaking the conversation. The two did as instructed; Bakuzan's face returning to his previous stony expression. Undyne took a stance, but Bakuzan stood tall, completely open. "And...Begin!" At the referee's announcement, Bakuzan simply walked towards Undyne. She scoffed before taking off at Bakuzan with her fist held up. "Rraaahh!"
When she was in striking range, Bakuzan caught it with his hand. With his free hand, he formed a fist. "Ashura Thrust!" With a blur of motion, Bakuzan slammed it into Undyne's stomach. The impact was so great, it caused her to gag before being pushed some feet away. When her tumble was done, she struggled to get back up. Before she could get on her feet, Bakuzan had already closed the distance. "Hell Banishing Knife Hand!" Just before the chop connected with Undyne's head, she blocked it with her arms, the force of the impact cracking the floor beneath her. Before she could react, Bakuzan's leg came flying in from the side. "Howling Demon Low Kick!" It didn't have much wind-up, but Undyne could still see the strength in it. Still blocking Bakuzan's chop, she tried to shift to her right so she could focus on blocking the kick. While she shifted her position, she was still knocked to the side, managing to catch herself before skidding out of the arena. "Oooh! And a devastating kick from Bakuzan!" The announcer reported. "Do you think contestant Undyne will recover?!" This time, she managed to leap onto her feet in a moment. "Interesting," Bakuzan commented. "My attacks would've crushed a lesser man's bones." Undyne looked at her arms. They were a dark shade of blue where she was struck. She clenched her fists at her sides and scowled at Bakuzan. But instead of cursing out her opponent, she closed her eye and took a deep breath. "Remember..."
A few weeks earlier...
"Again!"
Undyne charged Bang at his command, going in for a few jabs when she was close enough. Each of them were sidestepped by the old master. She quickly did a low sweep kick which he jumped over. Taking advantage of the momentum, Undyne spun and went for an uppercut. She smiled when she thought she had him, but Bang arched backwards. His legs whipped upwards, knocking the bottom of Undyne's jaw. The fish hero flew onto the ground while her teacher nimbly landed on his feet. "Good improvisation. But that's not the point."
"You didn't exactly give me any hints!" Undyne shouted. "You just told me we were sparring! It feels like when I was being trained by Asgore!"
"Who?"
"Asgore Dreemurr, king of monsters. Right, I never talked about him."
"Oh?" The mention made Bang raise an eyebrow. "Sounds like a fearsome fellow."
"King Fluffybuns? Ha!" Undyne laughed. "He's one of the biggest softies out there. Even more so after we left the underground. Traded his trident for a pair of gardening shears."
"Ha ha ha!" Bang burst out laughing. "I'm sorry. The thought of a monster like that! Ha ha ha!"
"That's not to say he's not strong." Undyne continued. "I mean, it took me forever to knock him down just once." Bang stopped laughing after a few seconds.
"I forget that monsters are different where you come from. Here." He offered his hand which Undyne took. "Do you know why my technique is called Water Flowing Rock Crushing Fist?"
"Because it sounds cool?" Undyne's answer made the martial artist smirk.
"A good guess but no. It's because the philosophy of this style revolves around water, the strongest element."
"Oh?"
"The essence of water is not to go into a fight guns blazing, but to study the opponent's moves and then strike; seeping through the cracks and opening them."
"Like how water erodes rock."
"Exactly! I would have thought it would be more obvious to a fish, but you caught on quicker than most of my old pupils."
"Well I'm glad I didn't disappoint."
"Ideally you would have already seen the opponent fight or they have a physiology similar to humans, but we're rarely afforded that luxury." Bang punched the air, quickly retracting his fist.
"That's the only opportunity you may get." He pointed to his right eye. "So train your eye, your reflexes and your mind."
Undyne nodded in determination. "Right."
"Let's take a break, it's almost lunchtime."
"Thank god! I'm famished!"
As they started to walk out, Bang turned back at Undyne. "I'm curious. How would you and this King Asgore usually spend
your breaks."
"We'd usually just drink tea and talk about the surface. He tried to get me into gardening and flowers but it didn't stick." Bang smiled.
"I hope I can meet him someday. Speaking of tea, Charanko! Is that pot of oolong ready?!"
"Yes, master!" Charanko's voice came from behind one of the screen doors.
"Shall we?"
Undyne closed her eye and took a deep breath. She took a stance and exhaled, her opened eye and mind focused on the man in front of her. He walked forward just like before, but Undyne stood her ground. "Too scared to come at me, eh? Then I'll end it!" The ogre-like man dashed at Undyne, closing the distance in a few seconds. "Bear-Slaying Middle Kick!" Before the strike could connect, Undyne leapt up, managing to dodge the kick by a few inches rather than jump high in the air. Her legs were bent and as Bakuzan's attack passed her she answered with a quick kick of her own. Her foot struck his cheek, managing to knock him back a step. As she was landing, Bakuzan made a fist. "Ashura thrust!" He aimed for where Undyne's face would have been if she hadn't immediately gone into the splits. She then punched into his solar plexus, holding him aloft. It dazed Bakuzan for a few seconds, but he made a fist, ready to chop down on the arm that kept him up. Before it could connect, his opponent retracted her arm and stood up in an instant, smashing her knee into Bakuzan's chin. The force made him back flip, landing on his head. The rest of his body hit the hard ground with an audible thud. Despite this, Undyne made another stance, ready for a possible counter attack. She was snapped out of her concentration as she heard the sudden cheering of the crowd. "What...?"
"Ten!" The Undyne just noticed the referee's voice. "Winner: contestant Undyne!"
"Unbelievable, folks!" The emcee shouted. "The two-time winner's streak has been broken by newcomer Undyne! Is this thanks to her tutelage under the legend Bang, or her monstrous strength?! Either way, we might have a new contender for the championship!" Undyne made her signature grin and raised her fist in triumph. "Uuughh..." She looked to see Bakuzan stirring on the ground.
"You alright, big guy?" She reached her hand out to help him up. Suddenly, Bakuzan snapped out of his daze and pulled onto Undyne, bringing her down to the ground. He then flipped on top and prepared to dive into her with his elbow. The hero rolled out of the way of Bakuzan's body.
Crack!
The strike pierced the concrete of the arena, startling most of the onlookers. Undyne jumped back onto her feet. "What the hell?!" She screamed. He turned to her giving an aura of hatred and bloodlust. She was unfazed, however. "Pull this crap again and I'll make sure you regret it." She turned around, leaving the beast to stew in his rage.
The crowd was abuzz with chatter. "Did you see that?" One of the onlookers said. "Bakuzan attacked her, but she just left!"
"Yeah, I didn't know a monster could be merciful."
"I guess that's why they let her be a hero even though she's a monster."
"And the way she fought! She was like a real martial artist!"
"I know! So cool!"
"See?!" Alphys shook Saitama's arm. "I told you she was incredible! You were worried over nothing!"
"weren't you the one who was worried?" sans asked walking up to the two.
"I, uh...maybe..." Alphys' face was blushing in embarrassment.
"lighten up," sans chuckled. "your girl won. you got as much right to celebrate as the next drunken guy at the bar."
"I...wouldn't quite put it like that..."
"oh yeah, wasn't there a blonde tin man with you?"
"Genos? He said there's some monsters he needed to fight." Saitama answered.
"Oh yeah, how's that going?" Alphys asked.
"How's what going?"
"Genos. I gave you my phone to watch him. Is he winning?"
"Oh! Uhhh...Yeah. It was just so much action I had to take a break...Yeah." Saitama looked away as he made his excuse. "I'll go back to it later, don't worry."
"Okay, sure." Alphys accepted. "Oh, wait! What about Papyrus?"
"one step ahead of ya, doc." sans winked. "blizz already told me they beat the baddie."
"You have Blizzard's number?" Alphys asked.
"yup. gotta keep track of him somehow. told blizz if she wanted my brother for her club, she'd need to keep me posted. plus we've got a deal going where i host her socials for a discount. it ain't bad."
Vrr!
The sound of vibration drew sans to pull out a cell phone from his pocket. He looked at the text and sighed. "looks like he's gone off to find some kidnapped hero. maybe i should go..."
"Well you wouldn't be missing much." Saitama noted.
"Hey! Undyne was incredible! I'd like to see you do what she did!" Alphys defended her girlfriend.
"yeah, let's see you do the splits." Saitama cringed at sans' joke, no doubt imagining what he'd land on.
"NOW I KNOW THEY WENT THIS WAY." Papyrus stood on a bridge looking out at the river below him. "I WAS RUNNING PRETTY FAST, TOO! DID THEY TRICK ME!"
Boom!
A quake shook the pavement under his feet. "WH-WHAT WAS THAT?" As he asked, a young man dressed in a hero outfit and scarf ran past him. Papyrus took notice and called out. "HEY! FELLOW HERO!" The skeleton began to sprint towards him. "HAVE YOU SEEN MY TEAMMATE?! A MEAN LADY WITH A WHIP TOOK HIM AWAY! HE'S WEARING A SUIT LIKE THE REST OF MISS BLIZZARD'S FRIENDS!" The young hero looked back at his pursuer. "I'm in the middle of an emergency right now! I'll look for your friend after!"
"THEN CAN I TAG ALONG?! I'D FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE WITH A COMRADE AT MY SIDE!"
"Sure! Whatever floats your boat!"
Papyrus managed to catch up to his new friend and they dashed through the streets, the crashes becoming louder with every block.
"UM, DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD GET HELP OR-" Papyrus cut himself off as a giant black tentacle snaked around a corner. It's underside was covered in eyes the size of heads scanning every direction. All at once, they shifted their gaze on the two heroes. The duo were shaking as the tentacle abruptly struck the building it was by. As the building was leveled, it revealed a titanic dark purple octopus with more eyes on its body. "Hey," the young hero whispered. "Maybe we should-"
"RUUUUUUUNNNN!" The octopus made a bellowing noise, drowning out Papyrus' scream as the two heroes turned tail and ran as fast as they could.
The next few fights were mostly unremarkable with the exception of Suiryu winning with a single kick and one fighter mercilessly beating his opponent to a bloody pulp. "And now here we have a most unexpected matchup!" The emcee announced. "The upstart newcomer Undyne verses Sour Face! What you folks might not know is that Sour Face left the school that Undyne is a student of! Will she be a match for her senpai?! Let's watch and find out!" At that signal, both Undyne and Sour Face came out and entered the ring on their respective sides. The hero punched her palm. "You ready for your medicine?" Sour Face didn't react, simply standing and grimacing. "Anndd...Begin!" The moment the referee started the match, Sour Face lifted his arm, the sign of surrender. "Oh?! It looks like contestant Sour Face has given up just as the match has started! How unexpected!" The martial artist then made a ninety degree bow to Undyne prompting her to relax. "What are you doing?"
"Miss Undyne! I wish to apologize!" He shouted like a nervous kid making a speech. "After witnessing your fight against Bakuzan, it is clear I am not worthy to face you! What's more, breaking off from Bang's school yet still using what I learned was cowardly and disgraceful!"
"Are you doing this just to get out of a beating?"
"N-no!" Sour Face gulped. "Once this tournament is over, I will see Master Bang and ask for forgiveness! Whatever punishment he might have, I will accept! Gladly!" Undyne frowned at Sour Face's declaration.
"Well, if that's how you want it." She turned around. "Just don't expect me to put in a good word for you." As she walked away, Sour Face continued to stay bent for several painful minutes before wrenching back up.
"IS HE STILL CHASING US?!" Papyrus asked his new friend.
"Do you still hear buildings getting crushed?!"
"YES!"
"Then yes!" Suddenly, a shadow darkened the ground beneath them. Papyrus looked up to see a train car hurtling at them. "OH GOD!" Before it landed, a figure dashed from a side street and grabbed the two runners. It then jumped headfirst through a cracked window and out the other side as the car rolled down the street.
"That was close," he noted. "Are you two alright?" The human hero looked up at the face of his savior. He wore a full-body black skin suit with corresponding parts of a skeleton printed on. "Bone!" Said hero put down the others he saved. "Thanks! You really saved our bacon!"
"I should be thanking you, Red Muffler. If you hadn't drawn the monster, I wouldn't have been able to get the injured to safety." Bone turned his head to get a good look at Papyrus. "Wait, you're..."
"OH MY GOD!" Papyrus squealed. "ANOTHER SKELETON! FIRST SAITAMA SKELETON AND NOW YOU! DO YOU COLLECT ACTION FIGUES?! DO YOU COOK?! DO YOU TELL BAD JOKES?! THAT LAST ONE ISN'T A DEAL-BREAKER BUT SANS IS ALREADY LIKE THAT AND SO'S SAITAMA SO-"
"You stole my theme!" Bone shouted.
"HMM?"
"I was a bone-themed hero long before you joined the association, pal! Then you went and got ahead of me in the rankings! I've been waiting a long time to give you a piece of my mind!"
"AH! DID I DO SOMETHING BAD?!" Papyrus fell to his knees and put his hands together. "I'M SO SORRY! I DON'T WANT TO LOSE THE FRIENDSHIP OF ANOTHER SKELETON! ESPECIALLY NOW THAT SAITAMA SKELETON STARTED TELLING TERRIBLE JOKES LIKE MY BROTHER!"
"Guys!" Red Muffler cried. "We've got bigger things to worry about!" The trio turned to face the giant octopus that was continuing its rampage.
"Of course!" Bone exclaimed. "This is the perfect opportunity!"
"HM?" Papyrus tilted his head in confusion.
"Whoever can defeat this monster will prove they are worthy of the mantle of skeleton hero!"
"WHA-?! BUT I-?!"
"Ah! What luck!" Bone ran towards a toppled milk truck down the street.
"MISTER BONE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Papyrus dashed over to his fellow hero as he opened the cap from a milk bottle. "I was born with unusually dense bones which become stronger when I drink milk."
"OF COURSE!" Papypus put his fist in his palm in realization. "MILK BUILDS STRONG BONES! I SHOULD ADD IT TO MY SPAGHETTI WHEN I COOK NEXT TIME!" Bone chugged down the drink and threw the empty bottle on the ground. "And now..." he clenched his fists and squatted slightly like he was powering up. "Bone density quadrupled!" He then fearlessly charged at the monster. "Hear me, beast!" His announcement drew it's attention. "In the name of all the lives you've upended in this carnage, I will stop you!" Papyrus squealed in admiration.
"GO GET 'EM SUPER-COOL SKELETON!" At that moment, one of the octopus' tentacles slammed down onto Bone like a flyswatter. "NOOOOO! MY NEW FRIEND!" As the appendage laid on top of Bone, Papyrus' gaze went back to the milk truck. Without thinking, he dashed over and grabbed a bottle in each hand. "IF ONE DIDN'T WORK, TWO DEFINITELY WILL!" The skeleton popped off the caps and chugged them down. "I FEEL IT!" He clenched his fists as a blue glow surrounded him. Leaping at the tentacle, he wound up his fist. "PAPYRUS GREAT ULTRA SAVIOR REGULAR PUNCH!"
Wham!
The tentacle was propelled by Papyrus' strike right into the octopus's face, making a loud, sloppy smack as it collided. Papyrus knelt by the collapsed Bone's side."MR. BONE! SPEAK TO ME! SPEEEAAAK TOOO MEEEE!"
"The...milk..." he groaned. "Didn't...help..."
"WELL IT HELPED ME! I EVEN PUNCHED THAT ARM AT THE-"
Grrroooaaarrr!
The octopus roared as its eyes focused onto the one that struck it.
"...OH POOP..."
"Run!" Red Muffler shouted. "Grab him and run!"
"That's enough running," a voice from behind stated. Muffler turned and saw a man with long black hair and scarred face in a tattered brown poncho. Underneath was a minigun which he made an effort not to hide.
"Death Gatling?"
"We'll take it from here." Behind him were more oddly dressed individuals including a man in a toad suit head and brandishing a chain-sickle, a man wearing fake butterfly wings, antenna and a speedo and another who might have been a heartthrob had his chin been longer than his face.
"HEY!" Papyrus waved at Smile Man. "DIDN'T I SEE YOU AT THE PARK WITH THAT GIANT GOOSE?!" Unfortunately, Smile Man chose to concentrate on the monster coming for them.
"Everyone!" Gatling called out. "Focus on the eyes!"
"How obvious," a smooth-sounding voice noted. The other heroes stood aside as another man strolled towards them. He wore black light armor and a white cape. In his blonde hair were blue star-like accessories and at his hilt was an unusually long sword.
"Flashy Flash." Gatling was clearly surprised by this man's presence.
"The eyes are every animals' weakspot. Any child can tell you that. Getting them all, however, might prove a challenge for you."
"Then what do you suggest?" Gatling tried to keep civil as Flashy Flash unsheathed his sword.
"Only watch." He took a stance and in an instant, he charged faster than a bullet. The only thing that could be seen was the objects the wind he whipped up blew. "AH!" Papyrus yelped as he was pushed down by the force of the wind. Immediately, gleams of light appeared on every eye of the octopus followed by geysers blood as they were sliced like giant fruit. Just as immediate as he left, Flash was standing back where he was before his attack. "Wow," one of the other heroes gasped. "So that's the power of an S class hero."
"THAT WAS AMAZING!" Papyrus ran dragging Bone by the hand. "YOU WERE SO FAST! AND SHINY! YOU WERE LIKE A, A-"
"Flashy Flash?" Red Muffler pointed out.
"YES! A FLASHY FLASH! YOU'RE LIKE MY BROTHER! ONLY COOLER AND LESS ANNOYING! LIKE ME!"
"Graaagggghhhh!" The octopus began to flail around it's arms while howling.
"Don't be concerned," Flash reassured. "It's merely in it's death throes."
The monster then flipped itself over, exposing a horrendous toothy maw. The tentacles began whipping wildly, destroying anything around it. "Run!" The toad hero shouted just before the group got out of the way of the octopus' strike.
"It's not dying!" Death Gatling shouted. "You just pissed it off!" Flash had already taken off before Gatling's chastisement. "Dammit!"
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Papyrus screamed as a tentacle doggedly pursued him. "SAAAAAVE MEEEEEE!" The tentacle lifted up and was about to slam down on the skeleton, but it was stopped as a barrage of bullets peppered its wounds. Papyrus turned to Death Gatling and his smoking minigun. "OH! YOU SAVED ME!"
"You want to stay alive? Then quit making so much noise and follow me!"
On one of the few intact buildings, Flashy Flash was watching the destruction the enraged octopus was wreaking. "Looks like I've got no choice." He sheathed his sword and prepared to redraw it. "My ultimate move..." All of a sudden, the octopus was launched into the air. "It jumped-?!" The heroes gasped incredulously.
"No! Look!" In the air was a figure floating holding its hand up like it was grasping the creature. "TORNADO!" Papyrus was right, the Tornado of Terror had the octopus in her psychic clutches as it were. As she slowly closed her hand, the monster was compressed into a ball of flesh, blood pouring out of it by the gallon. Once the tentacles were fused to the body, she let go; the now crushed body of the octopus plummeting onto the ground, nearly landing on the other heroes. The heroine herself floated down towards them, but stayed above them. "What are you idiots doing just standing around, gawking?! Honestly! You were so useless that I had to come here and take care of this overgrown order of takoyaki! And you!" She pointed at Flashy Flash. "You're supposed to be an S-class hero! You couldn't finish one measly monster?!"
"TORNADO!" Papyrus came running and waving. "I KNEW YOU'D COME SAVE ME! ER, NOT THAT I NEEDED IT, BUT I'M REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THE HELP!"
"You again?!" Tatsumaki was caught off guard by Papyrus' appearance.
"Do you know this guy?" Flash asked.
"YOU BETCHA!" Papyrus pulled out some of his drawings. "SEE? HERE'S ME AND TORNADO ON A PICNIC! AND HERE'S ONE WHERE WE'RE DRIVING MY BED IN THE CITY! OOOH! AND HERE'S ONE OF ME, MY BROTHER, MS. BLIZZARD AND TORNADO HAVING A FAMILY DINNER! SANS' PET ROCK ISN'T HERE BECAUSE YOU SHOULDN'T FEED PETS AT THE DINNER TABLE!" Everyone but Flashy Flash was dumbfounded by the supposed familiarity between the two heroes. "Well," Flash sheathed his sword. "I was going to scold you for taking my prey, but seeing that a friend of yours was in danger, I'll let it slide."
Tornado turned red in the face from a mixture of rage and embarrassment before crushing Papyrus under her psychic power. "I don't care if you helped Blizzard! Embarrass me like this again and I will grind your bones to dust!" Like a supersonic missile, she flew away faster than the eye could see. When she was far enough, Papyrus began to lift himself up. Red Muffler offered a hand which the skeleton took. "THANK YOU VERY MUCH, NEW FRIEND!"
"From the way you talked about her, Tornado must be quite the tsundere."
"SHE REALLY IS, BUT THAT JUST PART OF HER CHARM! NYEHEHEH...! WHAT'S A TSUNDERE?"
"And that concludes the first round of the semi-finals! Once again, Suiryu stuns us all by finishing his opponent in one kick!" The announcer recapped the previous match while Suiryu casually walked away from his unconscious opponent with a smile. "No matter who wins the next fight, one things for sure: they'll have their hands full with this champ!" Undyne watched from the sideline with her arms crossed. Her narrowed eyes studying this mysterious fighter. "Hey!" Sour Face's voice snapped the hero out of her concentration.
"Huh? What are you doing?"
"I just wanted to warn you. You've seen your opponent's matches, right?"
"Uh...yeah. Choze, I think his name was?"
"Then you know what he's like. He's beaten everyone to an inch of their life with a smile. He might even be more brutal than Bakuzan!"
"I've seen how he fights, I don't think he'll be a problem."
"But... But..."
"It's Suiryu who I'm really concerned about." As if he heard his name, Suiryu turned his towards the two and flashed a smile. Undyne and her senpai raised their eyebrows at the recognition. "You, you think he was smiling at me?" Sour Face asked his kohai.
"Will contestants Undyne and Choze please take your places?!" The emcee announced.
"Well, looks like I'm up."
"Hey," Sour Face called at Undyne as she left. "Be careful." The fish woman grinned.
"You just keep my spot warm."
Undyne was soon face-to-face with her challenger on stage, Choze. He was a moderately tall man with bleach-white hair wearing black gloves, a red diamond sweater and belted khakis. His eye's were wide and subtly creepy as they were trained on Undyne. As the two fighters drew near, Choze chuckled. "What's so funny?" Undyne asked.
"These fools," he opened his arms to the crowd. "They're so easily impressed by Suiryu's little kick. Beating someone in a single blow is too easy." He adjusted his gloves. "To truly show your superiority, one must utterly crush their opponent."
"Is that why you beat people when they can't even defend themselves?" Undyne's eye narrowed.
"I thought a monster would understand. When one is stronger than everyone else, it only makes sense to use it to punish the weak. Only then they will see there is no choice but to obey. My clan has only chosen the most genetically perfect offspring to reproduce, culminating in my existence. This tournament is only the first step in our plan. When the masses have seen my strength, they will come crawling to us in reverence! Eventually, we will rule the world!" Choze's proclamation made Undyne snicker. "Did I say something amusing?" Choze kept his smile while clenching his fists.
"You're pretty delusional, you know that?"
"Really? Enlighten me."
"Even if you beat me and Suiryu, I've seen a guy so strong, he could beat you like it was nothing. Of course, I doubt you'll be getting to him anytime soon."
"Then I'll have you tell me his name with your dying breath." Choze's smile became a wicked grin. "The referee might have kept me from finishing my last opponents, but I doubt they'll stop me from disposing a monster."
"Contestants!" The referee called from the sidelines. "Get ready!" Undyne breathed deep and took a stance. "Begin!" Choze immediately leapt into the air, planning to bring his fist down. "Water Flowing Rock Smashing Fist!" Before Choze landed, he was assaulted by a flurry of blows to the stomach and chest before an uppercut to the jaw sent him flying to the edge of the arena. The referee rushed to Choze's side and examined him. After a few seconds, he raised his hand. "The winner is contestant Undyne!" The crowd burst into cheering and applause, even more-so when Undyne grinned and raised her fist in triumph. "This is unprecedented folks! The first-time rookie monster is off to the finals! This is why I love this job!"
Meanwhile, in a mostly empty street, Garou was watching the Super Fight tournament playing on a tv in a store. "Tch," he scoffed. "She's still wet behind the ears. I'd have taken that chump down in a quarter of the time."
"So there you are!" A voice from above called out. Garou looked up to see a garish, man-sized bird circling him. "A talking bird?" As it landed by him, green slime poured out from the nearby sewer grate with two eyeballs in the muck. It formed into a blob that moved next to the bird. "Who the hell are you?"
"Allow us to introduce ourselves," the bird, while having an elegant voice, opened its beak once rather than move with it's words. "I am Phoenix Man and this is Sludge Jellyfish. We are from the Monster Association. We've heard what you've done, and we would like to make an offer." Phoenix Man produced a letter from his plumage. "We would like to invite you to join our ranks. Having someone capable enough to defeat an S-Class hero would be invaluable to our cause."
"And what would that be?"
"Overthrowing the Hero Association and taking over the world, of course." Garou then tore up the invitation.
"Don't care. Piss off."
"Ho ho!" Sludge Jellyfish gurgled. "Do you really think you have a choice you little-"
"Now, now," Phoenix Man raised his wing. "I notice that you're watching the Super Fight Tournament. Are you scoping out the competition. Studying that ravishing monster-turned-hero?"
"Something like that."
"Then I suggest you go there in person. One of our more powerful members is on his way to make them an offer, one that might interest you especially. And even if you refuse, I'm sure there'll be high-ranking heroes dispatched to try to stop him." Garou perked his ears up when he heard that. "You'd better hurry, the offer won't be on the table for long." Phoenix Man flapped his wings as he took to the air and his partner to the sewers. "Remember, Hero Hunter! A lone wolf rarely lasts long! It needs a pack to succeed!"
When the two monsters were far enough away, Garou smiled. "I guess I'll swing by for a bit..."
You might be wondering why Undyne able to use the Water Flowing Rock Smashing Fist against Choze when she didn't use it against Bakuzan. She did use it against the robot in the King chapter off screen when she was fighting the robot. But as Garou pointed out, it's still imperfect. Still, she trained under both Asgore and Bang and still has her own crazy strength so she's still a strong contender. Of course, that'll be put to the test when she fights Suiryu, so stay tuned.
