Chapter 16: Undyne Has Enough, Part 1
"GIVE THEM TO ME." said Undyne, who had barged her way into Kenneth's office… again.
"Hm? Weren't you busy being dragged around for shaved ice by my friend and my… other friend's… child?" Kenneth asked.
"I ESCAPED."
"How?"
"NONE OF YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS, YOU SMUG, CONDESCENDING, SELF-RIGHTEOUS PRICK." Undyne growled while panting heavily.
Kenneth lifted a finger and opened his mouth to retort… but then he lowered his finger while shutting his mouth.
Glancing to the side while humming and scratching his chin, Kenneth took a moment to think.
"You'll have to be more specific about what you want from me. I'm assuming you're not here for a job."
"The heck… NO! I'm here for the human souls!" Undyne exclaimed.
"Ah, I see. Thank you for the clarification."
"Uh… what?"
"You're a moron."
"EHHHHH?" Undyne recoiled.
"Did you really think you could just barge in here and demand to have godlike power?" Kenneth remarked.
Undyne hesitated… before scowling.
"YES."
"I see. And why do you need power?"
"So I can kill the wendigo bitch." the fish woman hissed.
"Let me get this straight. You… want me… to give you… the precious human souls… that allow our society to function… just so you can kill one of my two close friends?"
"GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?"
"Nope."
"OF COURSE YOU WOULD SAY THAT… wait… really?" Undyne blinked.
"Sure."
Undyne took a few steps back, for that wasn't the answer she was expecting.
"Is this another prank or something?"
Undyne glanced around for hidden cameras… again.
"What makes you say that?"
"Because people have been pranking me since I came to this HORRIBLE city!"
"Hm…"
"What's with that smug look? Are you calling me a LIAR or something?"
"Well, the only person who's tricked you so far was Lucia. Have I ever lied to you since our first encounter?" asked Kenneth, tapping his fingers against his desk.
"Uh…?"
"No, of course not. Partly because that first conversation was offscreen, but that's not the point. The point is… you can trust me to mean what I say."
Undyne tilted her head, not sure what to make of that claim.
The werewolf was starting to remind her of those manipulative villains in her favorite shonen animes, the ones who tend to make dramatic speeches with phrases such as 'the world must be purified' or 'what is evil' and stuff like that.
"Undyne, pay attention!" Kenneth barked.
Undyne shook her head in annoyance, smacking her palms against her head.
Her hands were trembling, and she felt a sudden burst of nervous energy.
"But honestly… why are you going to all of this trouble? Why not just put some distance between you and her instead of resorting to violence?" the man probed.
Undyne took a deep breath.
"Why would I NOT resort to violence? She hurt me! So I'm going to KILL her."
"I thought that you were against the use of violence because it's 'easy.' That's why you hate humans-"
"This is COMPLETELY different!" Undyne deflected. "She attacked me first, so it shouldn't be a problem if I kill her in self-defense…!?"
"Is that a statement or a question?"
"ARRRRGGGGHH!" Undyne whined, shaking her fists.
As Undyne began to pace across the room with loud stomps, Kenneth sighed.
"Tell you what… recent events have left me rather stressed. Would you kindly take this soul so I can have some peace and quiet?"
With a wave of his hand, a yellow soul appeared in the mayor's left palm…
And Undyne immediately touched it with her left hand without thinking, which is definitely something that she would do in a situation like this.
Standing outside the office, Alphys was attempting to make small talk with Gerson… which mostly involved nodding whenever the turtle monster wasn't rambling.
"And there she was, sitting on a bench, wrapped from fin-to-boot with gauze bandages like an Egyptian mummy! I couldn't just let her spend the whole afternoon feeling sorry for herself, now could I-"
Woosh.
Gerson trailed off, as the sound had reminded him of something that he had tried very hard to forget.
Alphys didn't know what that sound meant, but she had a sinking feeling that it wasn't good.
Gerson firmly grasped the doorknob and twisted it.
The door swung inwards, letting them into the room.
Within the room, the mayor calmly sat at his desk, fingers interlaced.
Below the mayor, Undyne's clothes were lying in a heap on the carpet.
They were stained with white, silvery liquid.
Because there was a silvery puddle that was staining the carpet.
"You really should have just left her to mope, Sir Gerson." said the mayor.
Alphys's eyes widened.
She opened her mouth to scream-
"Shush, shush, shush... Don't worry. Restoring her physical form isn't as difficult as you might think, given how science has progressed since the ancient times." Kenneth interrupted, standing up and tucking his chair in.
Alphys took a step back.
Gerson did not take a step back.
"Besides, look at it this way… Undyne can now obtain the power she needs to kill the wendigo… with some assistance from you, of course. Now how's that for a plot twist?"