Author's Note: This is the start of a rewrite of RE: DETERMINED, as I have been unsatisfied with what I have put out so far and want to plug up any plot holes; past, present, and future. This prologue is going to act like an introduction to the character of Ryutensei, though it details his previous world (a minor crossover) quite a bit. Just a fair warning. Enjoy!
"—Ryu, I just want to talk with you, please! I didn't mean to say what I said back then!"
"Why should I speak to a murderer?" Ryu asked, a singular eye turning to stare at the orange-haired teen, who's black eyes widened with slight fear as he flinched back. Ryu's red eye narrowed dangerously. "That's what I thought."
Ryu reached for the door, about to leave the Castle Shock, but he was interrupted by his brother. "Ryu… please take care of yourself," Blaze pleaded, causing Ryu to pause momentarily. He then scoffed and left, closing the door behind him with a large thud. He snuck past the Royal Guards and ran off, only wanting one thing.
'I just rather die…' So he could meet up with his mom and dad in the afterlife…
This world is known as Earth. Home to Magic and technology. Humans and Monsters. Working together in harmony.
Or at least, it used to be that way.
A long time ago, a war broke out amongst a civilization of humans and Monsterkind. The King of Monsters, Asgore Dreemurr, and the King of Humanity at the time; William Shock, were forced to fight despite their own feelings about the situation.
After a long battle, humanity came out victorious. It wasn't even a fair fight. Humans were naturally stronger than Monsters. Their souls resonated with Trait Magic, something the Monsters did not have. The powers of their souls allowed them to easily crush the opposing side, as their magic was more powerful despite being less varied.
Humanity sealed the Monsters underground, beneath a mountain, and locked them away with a Magical spell. It was meant to be invincible and absolute, meant to last until the end of time.
The barrier could only be broken with the power of 7 Human Souls, the same amount of power used to originally create said barrier. Amongst the many, many years that Monsterkind lived underground, various humans fell into the pit of Mount Ebott. Each for their own reasons.
But now, in 201X… the Prince of the Lost Isles, a descendant of the man who helped seal away Monsterkind… stood before Mount Ebott. He had heard the legends. Those who climbed the Mountain never returned. He'd likely die from the impact of the fall, he supposed, as he stared down the gaping maw of the mountain.
...His eyes glared down defiantly at the entrance, his clothes half-wet and dirty from all the swimming he did to get here. He was hungry, thirsty, and most of all; tired. He felt like death. "Let's get this over with…" He rasped out, and fighting his own self-preservation instincts… Ryu jumped down the mountain.
But he didn't die. The impact came quickly enough… but sadly, even in his tired and hungry state, his body was far too durable for his own liking. Even a fall from that far high wasn't enough to give him a swift end, he supposed.
"This isn't supposed to happen," Ryu heard a female's voice say next to him. He forced himself to look upwards. "Hey, you alright? Come on, get up!" Ryu was helped up by a young girl who seemed barely younger than him, dusting off the golden flower petals from his clothes. The girl herself wore a blue shirt with pinkish-purple stripes, blue pants, and brown shoes. "You're lucky you landed on the flower bed, you could've died there."
"Who… are you?" Ryu asked confusedly as the girl smiled.
"I'm Frisk! Looks like we're stuck in the same predicament! C'mon! I can help you find a way outta here, I think!" Frisk said, before taking his hand and guiding him along. They walked through a strange purple gate, finding a singular flower staring at them. No, seriously, a flower with a face was staring at them, smiling.
This totally wasn't weird.
RE: DETERMINED - 00
The Prologue: A Forgotten Tale (プロローグ: 忘れられた物語)
"Howdy!" The flower greeted, startling Ryu as he nearly had a heart attack. TALKING FLOWERS?! WAS THAT A THING NOW?! "I'm Flowey. Flowey the Flower! Hmm…" The flower tilted itself to the side, as if it was thinking. "Hm… you two are new to the Underground, arentcha?" At their nods, the flower tutted. "Golly, you must be so confused… Don't worry, though! Little ol' me can help you figure things out! Got nothing better to do, after all!" Flowey smiled kindly, bringing some sort of comfort to Ryu… though, at the same time, something felt… off. "Ready? Here we go!"
Just that moment, two glowing hearts appeared, one in front of Ryu and the other in front of Frisk. Ryu's was red and yellow with a purple heart inside of it, and Frisk's was pure red. Their souls. Ryu knew what he was looking at instantly. Flowey seemed somewhat startled but shook it off quickly enough. "See that heart? That's your SOUL! The very culmination of your being!" Flowey began. "Your SOUL starts out weak, but can grow strong if you gain lots of LV." Ryu was about to ask a question, but Flowey cut in. "What's LV, you ask? Why, it's LOVE, of course! You want some LOVE, don't you?"
Well, love did sound innocent enough… But if anything got weird, he was nope-ing himself out of this conversation. He didn't like the idea of his soul being shown in front of a Flower Monster, if at all. "Don't worry, I'll share some of mine with you!" Flowey winked. "Down here, LOVE is shared through… little white… friendliness pellets!" Flowey said, as a bunch of white seeds appeared behind them; floating in the air. The hairs on Ryu's body spiked up slightly as he felt a sudden chill crawl up his spine. Something was definitely off here. "Are you ready? Catch as many as you can!" As the pellets moved towards them, Ryu instinctively moved to the side, taking Frisk along with him as he noticed the seeds impact with the floor like explosives; burning the floor.
In that moment, Flowey's expression shifted from one of kindness to a cruel smile. "You were told what's going on, weren't you?" Flowey's dark gaze shifted to Frisk, who seemed unfazed by all of this. "You just wanted to see me suffer, didn't you?!" Mere moments later, a ring of those… bullet seeds surrounded them as Frisk's grasp on Ryu's hand tightened. She didn't seem scared, so Ryu decided to trust her. "Die." Flowey began to cackle as the ring got closer to them, before being ignited with flame. A fireball then knocked the flower to the side, right into an adjacent wall. Well then… that happened.
"Look sharp, Monster approaching." Ryu heard in his head as he grit his teeth in annoyance. Great, so he was still stuck with it. "Hey, I don't like you either, so shut up. We're going to be working together from here on out, brat." The essence of Corruption hissed, as Ryu huffed and helped Frisk up.
"What a terrible creature, torturing such poor, innocent youths." He heard a motherly voice say, as he looked up to see a female Monster smiling down at them. She had a goat-like appearance, with short horns and droopy ears. She also had a pair of visible fangs and long eyelashes, and her irises had a dark red tint to them. She had an anthropomorphic body, with paws at the end of her limbs. She wore a long purple robe that displayed some sort of… symbol or rune on it, one that seemed vaguely familiar to Ryu. He looked over at Frisk, who still seemed calm, so he let his guard down; trusting the girl again as she seemed to have some sort of idea of what was going on… somehow. "Do not fear, my dears. I am Toriel, Guardian and Caretaker of the Ruins. I pass through every day to see if any humans have fallen through."
Well, this just kept getting weirder…
"So… you're telling me that if I help you out, we can save all of Monsterkind." Ryu incredulously asked Frisk, the girl nodding enthusiastically.
"Yeah! I've done it before-" Ryu was about to speak up, but a quick glare from the girl with the eternally shut-eyes stopped him from saying anything. "But the thing is, I was never satisfied. There were people still hurt down here, people who deserved better. I'm hoping that you can help me save them!" Frisk replied, her legs dangling from her bedside. Ryu sighed from the carpeted floor he was lying on, before nodding.
"I'd say you're completely and utterly insane, but whatever. I've got better things to do than worry about the ramifications of what you're saying." He looked at Frisk, who was looking at him as if waiting for him to say something. "...How do I help?" He asked, as the younger girl then grew visibly excited by his approval.
"Well-"
"Wait, lemme do something first." Ryu interrupted Frisk, as he bent down and picked up the butterscotch-cinnamon pie slice that Toriel had given him. He was way too hungry to just wait around or listen to anyone's plans right now. He voraciously consumed the treat, to Frisk's amusement. Well, this would likely entertain her.
They eventually made their way out, with Ryu having cleaned himself up as he walked over to Toriel, who was sitting down at a large chair near the fireplace, reading a book. Her eyes lit up when she saw them, a gentle smile on the ex-Queen's face. "Ah, good morning, my children."
"Good morning," Ryu greeted her back with a tentative smile.
"Um, I want you to know how glad I am to have some company here," Toriel stated, causing Ryu to pause momentarily. Was this a bad idea? Frisk really seemed to know what she was talking about, but he didn't want to take a shot in the dark and fail… he didn't want to hurt anyone. Frisk noticed his hesitation and gently squeezed his hand, reassuring him slightly. "There are so many books I'd love to share with you two. I want to show you my favorite bug-hunting spot-"
"How can we leave the Ruins," Ryu asked, his words causing Toriel to freeze up. Eventually, she laughed softly.
"Ah, funny joke, my child. You almost made me believe you wanted to leave." Toriel said, but Ryu wasn't backing down. His eyes narrowed.
"How can we leave the Ruins, Toriel."
Toriel stared at him blankly, before removing her glasses slowly and getting up shakily. "I have to do something," Toriel said, as she swiftly left the room. That totally wasn't suspicious at all, Ryu thought. He followed her on instinct, Frisk following shortly after.
Ryu was unsure of where Toriel had gone, but Frisk seemingly did, pulling on his arm and dragging him to the basement where Toriel disallowed them to explore. Toriel stood before them, her back turned, as she exhaled. "You wish to return 'home', do you not?" She asked in a cold tone that sent shivers down Ryu's spine, just out of the sheer unfamiliarity and the wrongness of it. Toriel wasn't meant to be a cold person, his mind told him. She was the kind, motherly Goat Mom.
Toriel continued before either of them could respond. "Ahead of us lies the end of the Ruins. A one-way exit to the rest of the Underground…" She then shifted her gaze to Frisk and Ryu, multiple emotions swirling in her red eyes. One of which being love. Tough love. "I am going to destroy it. Now, be good children and return upstairs."
Ryu was stubborn, though, and followed her. Frisk didn't even need to instruct him on how to proceed, he just didn't like idea of being stuck anywhere, even if it was with a kind lady like Toriel. "Every human that falls down here meets the same fate," Toriel continued when she heard the footsteps behind her. "I have seen it again and again. They come, they leave… they die. You naive children… if you leave the Ruins, they… Asgore will kill you. I am only protecting you. Go to your rooms."
Again, he refused to listen and walked on, following her as if he hadn't heard her warnings in the first place. "Do not try to stop me," Toriel advised, her tone still as cold as ice. "This is your final warning."
He refused to heed her warnings and followed her to the exit, where Toriel stood before a giant purple door with the Delta Rune inscripted on it. "Hmph. You are just like the others." Toriel huffed. She then turned to face the duo, with Ryu stepping forward defiantly. "There is only one solution to this. Prove yourself. Prove to me you are strong enough to survive."
And just like that, a battle broke out.
Thus, their first obstacle was the kind and motherly Toriel, her magical flames surrounding them. Ryu breathed out softly, trying to calm his nerves as a cold mist escaped from his lips. He coated his body in icy cold magic, all in an effort to protect himself and Frisk if need be. He quickly took the situation into his own hands once he noticed a stream of fire jetting in Frisk's direction, pushing her aside and taking the fiery blow for himself, feeling his magical coating melt away and his body burning. Toriel's eyes filled up with tears. "Why must you make this so difficult, my child?" Ryu grinned weakly as the flames licked and cooked his skin, refusing to show the main he was going through out of sheer determination.
"Sorry, Goat Mom," Ryu gritted out, using the terminology he had adopted from Frisk. "But I care about you too much to let you and all of Monsterkind rot down here!"
"Why?!" Toriel demanded through her blinding tears.
"Because you're the first source of motherly love that I could properly remember in a long time!" Ryu snapped, causing Toriel's eyes to widen and her Magic to die out. Ryu took this moment to charge right at Toriel… and hugged her tightly. "Please… if you really do love Frisk and me… you'll let us go." Toriel instantly hugged back, collapsing into a sobbing mess as she healed the boy's wounded form with her Magic.
"A soul as pure as yours… why did you have to suffer so? Why did you fall?" The former Queen sobbed out, as Ryu weakly hugged his new mother figure, yet didn't say anything. He was unsure if he even could.
Eventually, Toriel released him from the hug, though not without reluctance. "If… if you truly wish to leave the Ruins… I will not stop you. However, when you leave… Please, do not come back." Ryu silently nodded, having expected this outcome. Frisk told him as such. Toriel then paused. "Your original clothing should be all cleaned out and fixed, so you may return upstairs to put them back on. After all, I have damaged what I've given you."
"Thanks, mom. Really." Ryu said, but despite his best efforts, couldn't find a way to vocally express his emotions right now. He didn't want to leave Toriel all alone forever… he would find a way to save his new motherly figure from her loneliness one day…
He swore it.
After leaving the Ruins, Ryu and Frisk found themselves out somewhere… different. Snowy. Cold. Empty. Stiff, dead looking trees with no leaves surrounded them. "Word of advice… don't freak out when a monster comes up to shake your hand." Frisk said, as they walked through the empty forest.
"well, well, well. don't you know how to greet a new friend? turn around and shake my hand." Ryu heard from behind him, as Frisk grinned from where she stood near the strange bridge they had approached. He turned around and shook the shadowed, short figure's hand, only to be met with the sound of a whoopee cushion going off, along with the shadowy figure being revealed to be a short Monster that seemed to be made of bone. "heh, the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. it's ALWAYS funny…"
The Monster paused momentarily, the lights in its eyes going out as Ryu was forced to stare into its black eyes… he seemed to be thinking, but then he returned to his normal self. "anyways, you two are humans, right? that's hilarious. i'm sans. sans the skeleton. i'm actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now. but... y'know… i don't really care about capturing anybody. now, my brother, papyrus? he's a human-hunting FANATIC." Ryu had no idea how to respond to anything this 'Sans' person was talking about. "hey, actually, i think that's him over there."
"Wait, a human hunter? Where?" Ryu could hear Frisk's snickers from behind him, as she immediately walked down the bridge and hid behind a conveniently Frisk-shaped lamp.
"yeah, your friend there has the right idea. come on, walk through the gate thingy. we can find you a place to hide." Sans then pushed him through the bridge and then pointed at a sentry post. "behind there, go on then. and be quick about it." Ryu didn't bother to argue as he immediately hid, just in time too, as another skeleton rushed in. This one was taller, wearing a strange suit of armor (or what looked like it) and a red scarf. "sup, bro?"
"YOU KNOW WHAT'S 'SUP', BROTHER!" The taller skeleton said in a loud and boisterous voice. "IT'S BEEN EIGHT DAYS, AND YOU STILL HAVEN'T… RECALIBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES!" Papyrus seemed pretty frustrated about this too, like this was something he was tired of seeing Sans do (or not do in this case). "YOU JUST HANG AROUND OUTSIDE YOUR STATION! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?!"
"i'm just staring at the sentry station." Ryu froze, his blood running cold. Was Sans about to out him to his human-hunter brother? "it's really cool. wanna take a look?"
"NO!" Papyrus adamantly refused, causing Ryu to release a small sigh of relief, as he was unknowingly holding his breath. "I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT! WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE!? I WANT TO BE READY! I WILL BE THE ONE! I MUST BE THE ONE! I WILL CAPTURE A HUMAN!" Papyrus then took a superhero-like pose. "THEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL GET ALL THE THINGS I UTTERLY DESERVE! RESPECT… RECOGNITION! I WILL FINALLY BE ABLE TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD! PEOPLE WILL ASK… TO BE… MY FRIEND? I WILL BATHE IN A SHOWER OF KISSES EVERY MORNING!" Interesting. Looks like this guy just wanted either friendship or recognition from… someone. Someone he admired, probably. If what Frisk was saying was true, then he could ask her about what was up with him.
"hm... maybe this sentry station can help you," Sans said, still pushing for Papyrus to check Ryu's hiding spot and sending the young former Prince into a small anxiety attack.
"SANS! YOU ARE NOT HELPING, YOU LAZYBONES!" Papyrus was now throwing a small fit, tired of his brother's antics probably. "ALL YOU DO IS SIT AROUND AND BOONDOGGLE! YOU GET LAZIER AND LAZIER EVERY DAY!"
"hey, take it easy, i've gotten a ton of work done today." Ryu's bad joke sensors were going off, warning him that Sans would be a threat to his sanity. "A skele-ton." Ryu was now internally screaming in pain, as he took damage from that horrible pun.
"SANS!"
"come on. you're smiling." Sans' eternal grin widened, as Papyrus sighed tiredly.
"I AM, AND I HATE IT!" The taller brother said, crossing his arms over his torso. "WHY DOES SOMEONE AS GREAT AS ME… HAVE TO DO SO MUCH TO GET SOME RECOGNITION AROUND HERE?"
"wow, it really sounds like you're working yourself…" No, no, no, no. Don't you dare fucking do it, Sans. Ryu was literally about to scream. "to the bone." Ryu muffled his screams of agony as he covered his face in his hands.
"UGH! I WILL ATTEND TO MY PUZZLES!" Papyrus declared, apparently having enough of Sans' puns as well. "AS FOR YOUR WORK… PUT A LITTLE MORE… BACKBONE INTO IT!"
...This was hell. This was hell and Ryu was paying for the sins of some future or past incarnation, wasn't he? That was the only explanation for these horrible puns. Papyrus left, and then Sans 'coughed' into his hand. "alright, you two can come out now." Ryu wasn't even sure if he wanted to anymore. He just wanted to curl up and hide forever.
Eventually, Frisk forcefully dragged him out as Sans gave them some parting words of advice. "you oughta get going. he might come back. and if he does…" Sans paused dramatically before winking. "you'll have to sit through more of my humerus jokes."
"Sans, I don't think Ryu's going to react to your jokes in any way except pain." Frisk commented, as the skeleton Monster stared at the convulsing form of Ryu.
"huh. you might be right." Sans shrugged carelessly. "oh well. can't please everyone." Just as Frisk, still dragging Ryu, was about to leave; Sans interrupted them. "actually, hey… hate to bother ya, but can you two do me a favor? i was thinking… my brother's been kinda down lately. he's never seen a human before. and seeing two just might make his day. don't worry, he's not dangerous." Sans interrupted as Ryu was about to speak up, having stood up once he felt the danger of puns had retreated for now. "even if he tried to be. thanks a million. i'll be up ahead." And Sans left… the wrong way…?
"Don't bother questioning Sans, you'll just give yourself a headache." Frisk advised, as the duo left again.
Frisk had left him to complete the next encounter, the Papyrus one, as she went off to go talk with Sans. Something about convincing him to not be a threat? He didn't really understand how the lazy skeleton could threaten him, but he rolled with it. He walked over to the encounter zone, blinded by the snowy blizzard surrounding him as he began to see a silhouette of Papyrus. "HUMAN RYU!" The aspiring Royal Guardsman called out. "ALLOW ME TO TELL YOU ABOUT SOME COMPLEX FEELINGS. FEELINGS LIKE… THE JOY OF FINDING ANOTHER PASTA LOVER. THE ADMIRATION OF ANOTHER'S PUZZLE-SOLVING SKILLS. THE DESIRE TO HAVE A COOL, SMART PERSON THINK YOU ARE COOL. THESE FEELINGS… THEY MUST BE WHAT YOU ARE FEELING RIGHT NOW!" Well, he wasn't completely wrong, Ryu supposed… "I CAN HARDLY IMAGINE WHAT IT MUST BE LIKE TO FEEL THAT WAY. AFTER ALL, I AM VERY GREAT. I DON'T EVER WONDER WHAT HAVING LOTS OF FRIENDS MUST BE LIKE. I PITY YOU, LONELY HUMAN RYU. BUT FEAR NOT! YOU SHALL BE LONELY NO LONGER! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE YOUR…"
"Friend?" Ryu suggested once the skeleton mysteriously went silent.
"..." Papyrus blankly stared at him before looking away. "...NO… NO, THIS IS ALL WRONG! I CAN'T BE YOUR FRIEND!" Okay, ouch. Not like he didn't have feelings or anything. "YOU ARE A HUMAN! I MUST CAPTURE YOU! THEN, I CAN FULFILL MY LIFELONG DREAM! POWERFUL! POPULAR! PRESTIGIOUS! THAT'S PAPYRUS! THE NEWEST MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD!" And with that, the battle began, with Ryu never once attacking the skeleton and staying defensive with his rather limited magic.
Ryu was managing to keep Papyrus from hurting him too badly by using Ice magic and shields to block or counter incoming bones, a bead of sweat trailing down his head. If he wasn't trying to avoid hurting people, this fight would have been infinitely easier. But he had a quest, to free all of Monsterkind and to make up for the sins of the past. "SO, YOU WON'T FIGHT?" Papyrus realized eventually, putting a hand to his chin. "THEN, LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN HANDLE MY FABLED BLUE ATTACK!"
And with that, dozens upon dozens of blue-colored bones shot towards Ryu, with the young ex-Prince closing his eyes in anticipation. Blue stop sign, blue stop sign, blue stop sign, he thought, trying to avoid panic. Think of a blue stop sign. Don't move an inch!
And the bones passed through him harmlessly, causing Ryu to sigh in relief… until he fell onto his face, a bone hitting his head suddenly as Ryu now had a faceful of snow. "YOU'RE BLUE NOW!" Papyrus declared, as Ryu tried to get up, realizing something was off. His body felt heavy… really heavy… like gravity had increased. Oh shit. "THAT'S MY ATTACK!"
Fuck.
"Wow, look at you, bulldozing through everything in your way. You're really a wild card, aren't you, Ryu?" Frisk teased her brother figure as they left the cold of Snowdin and into the next area. She grew somewhat serious as she stopped him from getting too close to what she referred to as 'Waterfall'. "Ryu, the next person in our way is legitimately and truly dangerous. This will be one of the first opponents where your opponent will be genuinely trying to kill you. Be prepared." She warned, before letting him enter the bushes before them.
Then, a familiar presence entered the Waterfall area, with Ryu looking out to see Papyrus talking with a menacing armor-clad figure. He could only hear Papyrus, because of his loud voice and nature, though. "H… HI, UNDYNE! I'M HERE WITH MY DAILY REPORT!" The skeleton Monster stuttered out in an almost militaristic fashion. "UHH… REGARDING THOSE HUMANS I CALLED YOU ABOUT EARLIER… HUH? DID I FIGHT THEM? Y-YES, OF COURSE, I DID! OR AT LEAST, I FOUGHT ONE OF THEM. THE OTHER WAS STAYING BEHIND, LEAVING ME TO DEAL WITH THE MALE. B-BUT I FOUGHT HIM VALIANTLY! WHAT? DID I… CAPTURE THEM? W-WELL…" Papyrus almost seemed to look their way, as if he somehow knew Ryu and Frisk were hiding in the bushes. "NO. I TRIED VERY HARD, UNDYNE, BUT IN THE END… I FAILED. THEY PACIFIED ME." The armored figure turned to face Papyrus directly, as he somewhat startled. "W-WHAT?! YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE BOTH THEIR SOULS? B-BUT UNDYNE, THAT'S A LITTLE OVERKILL, IS IT NOT? B-BESIDES, YOU'LL SEE, THEY'RE KIND! RYU'S PLANNING TO-"
"...Who's Ryu." Were the first words he was actually able to hear from Undyne, and Frisk seemed genuinely surprised too.
"R-RYU… IS A POWERFUL HUMAN. H-HE CAN LEARN FROM OTHER PEOPLE'S MAGIC AFTER BATTLING THEM! HE'S ALREADY REPLICATED FIRE AND ICE MAGIC FROM SOME MONSTERS EARLIER, AND I THINK HE MIGHT BE ABLE TO REPLICATE MORE IN THE FUTURE!" Papyrus explained in a hurry. "I-I AM HOPING RYU MIGHT BE ABLE TO USE ALL HIS POWER TO USE SOME SORT OF SUPER MAGIC SPELL TO BREAK THE BARRIER!"
"...Papyrus, humans are selfish. I don't know this Ryu guy, but humans won't do something like that. He'll probably just use whatever magic he has to leave."
"NO, HE WON'T!" Papyrus was now adamantly defending Ryu, and the young Prince was touched. "IF OTHER HUMANS ARE LIKE THAT, FINE. BUT RYU ISN'T LIKE THOSE HUMANS! HE CARES ABOUT US AND WANTS US TO GO FREE!"
"Hah, I'll believe it when I see it." Undyne scoffed, before glaring at Papyrus through her armor. "Just go home, Pap." The skeleton was forced to back down, as he then reluctantly left. Frisk then tugged at Ryu's arm and pulled him through the bushes slightly, catching Undyne's attention. Ryu looked at Frisk in a panic, as she seemed eerily calm like she wanted this to happen. The armored Monster took steps toward their area, summoning a spear into her hand. Ryu was frozen still with primal fear, as he stared impending death right in the eye. The Captain of the Royal Guard then dispersed her spear when she determined (wrongly) that no one was there, and disappeared into the shadows moments later.
Ryu then looked at Frisk in a panic. "WHAT THE HELL-"
"I apologize for nothing." Was Frisk's casual response.
Ryu felt a faint vibration in his pocket as he drew out the phone Frisk gave him, walking through the depths of Waterfall. He accepted the incoming call, already knowing who it was. "Hey, Frisk."
"Ryu, you sure you want to do this? Undyne is really tough. Your life will legitimately be in danger here. I can still come over to help you." Frisk offered him, bringing a faint smile to the ex-Prince's face.
"Sorry, sis, but I need to do some things on my own. Can't have you babying me like a tour guide." Ryu responded, as Frisk tiredly sighed and wished him luck. He hanged up the call and walked up to a large rocky spire where Undyne stood, facing opposite to him. "Undyne! I'm here! Now what?"
"...Seven," Undyne stated, as Ryu blinked in confusion. "Seven human SOULs, and King Asgore will become a God." Undyne slowly shifted their attention to Ryu, as he could feel her glare even under their helmet. "Six. That's how many we've collected thus far. Do you understand now? Through your seventh and final soul, this world will be transformed. Your family sealed our kind away, and now, with your soul; our tragedy will soon end." Undyne then sighed. "First, however, as it is customary for those who have made it this far… I shall tell you the tragic tale of our people. It all started long ago…"
...Ryu silently stood, waiting for the story to start as an awkward tension built up. "No, you know what?" Undyne muttered, though Ryu was still able to pick up on her mutterings due to her voice still being kinda loud. "SCREW IT!"
"oH sHiT-"
"WHY SHOULD I TELL YOU THAT STORY, WHEN YOU'RE ABOUT TO DIE?!" Undne grabbed at her helmet and ripped it off her head, revealing her true face. The humanoid Monster with the fish-like face then glared down at Ryu with her one eye, visible frustration and fury in them. "You! You're the only thing standing between everyone's hopes and dreams! Alphys's history books made me think humans were cool, with their giant robots and flowery swordsmen. But you?!" Undyne grinned maliciously, showing off her sharp teeth. "You're different! You're a Shock! You're not just a human, you're a danger! A menace to our kind! The only good kind of Shock, is a dead one! And let's not forget your wimpy little goody-two-shoes-shtick! Oooh, I'm making such a difference by hugging random strangers!" Undyne mocked him, causing Ryu to grit his teeth in frustration. "You know what would be infinitely more valuable to everyone? IF YOU WERE DEAD!"
Ryu froze at that, his eyes widening in slight panic. Undyne noticed the shift in the atmosphere, both literal and metaphorical, almost instantly. "Uh… brat?" Sure, just because Undyne was a royal guard trained to do just this, it didn't mean she was completely devoid of empathy. She could tell something was wrong as the boy's eyes welled up with tears. Maybe her wording was a bit too harsh, Alphys had warned her of that in the past…
Suddenly, an uncomfortable pressure enveloped Undyne, as she was about to reach out to the human; noticing some frost building up on her armor as she grew closer to him. "What the… Was Paps serious?" Undyne muttered, befo-
"Aaah… how topical. He froze the Underground."
"Time for a redo, then."
After the stress of Undyne (where he, uh… might have died a few times), Hotlands, and the CORE; came the next obstacle. Mettaton. As Ryu walked into the final room that would lead to the elevator, he looked at Frisk, who shrugged. "You've got enough magic power now, Ryu. Handle this yourself. I'm your guide, not your babysitter." Frisk said in a bored manner, causing him to sigh as he stepped up to face the over-glorified computer box.
"OH, YES. THERE YOU ARE, DARLING." The robot greeted him. "IT'S TIME TO HAVE OUR LITTLE SHOWDOWN. IT'S TIME TO FINALLY STOP THE 'MALFUNCTIONING' ROBOT… NOT! MALFUNCTIONING? REPROGRAMMING? GET REAL. THIS WAS ALL JUST A BIG SHOW. AN ACT. ALPHYS HAS BEEN PLAYING YOU FOR A FOOL THE WHOLE TIME, MAGICAL. AS SHE WATCHED YOU ON HER SCREENS, SHE GREW ATTACHED TO YOUR ADVENTURE. SHE DESPERATELY WANTED TO BE A PART OF IT. SO SHE DECIDED TO INSERT HERSELF INTO YOUR STORY. SHE REACTIVATED PUZZLES. SHE DISABLED ELEVATORS. SHE ENLISTED ME TO TORMENT YOU. ALL TO SAVE YOU FROM DANGERS THAT DIDN'T EXIST, TO GAIN YOUR TRUST. SO YOU COULD THINK OF HER AS THE GREAT PERSON… THAT'S SHE'S NOT. AND NOW, ITS TIME FOR HER FINEST HOUR. AT THIS VERY MOMENT, ALPHYS IS WAITING OUTSIDE THIS ROOM. DURING OUR 'BATTLE', SHE WILL INTERRUPT. SHE WILL PRETEND TO 'DEACTIVATE' ME, 'SAVING' YOU ONE FINAL TIME. FINALLY, SHE'LL BE THE HEROINE OF YOUR ADVENTURE." At this point, Ryu was just letting Mettaton go on with his monologue out of boredom. "YOU'LL REGARD HER SO HIGHLY, SHE'LL EVEN BE ABLE TO CONVINCE YOU NOT TO LEAVE… OR NOT. YOU SEE, I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS PREDICTABLE CHARADE. I HAVE NO DESIRE TO HARM HUMANS, FAR FROM IT ACTUALLY. MY ONLY DESIRE IS TO ENTERTAIN. AFTER ALL, THE AUDIENCE DESERVES A GOOD SHOW, DON'T THEY? AND WHAT'S A GOOD SHOW… WITHOUT A PLOT TWIST?" And with those words, the door behind them shut with a thud, and someone knocked from the outside. Alphys.
"H-hey! Wh-wh-what's going on?" The royal scientist asked through the door, her voice muffled. "The door locked itself!"
Mettaton drew out his arms and microphone, as the floor beneath them lit up with stage lights. "SORRY, FOLKS! THE OLD PROGRAM'S BEEN CANCELLED! BUT WE'VE GOT A FINALE THAT WILL DRIVE YOU WILD!" The floor beneath them then rose… and then rapidly shot them upwards, wind whipping past Ryu as Frisk got up to help him in this fight since like Undyne, it's not like she could get out of it. "REAL DRAMA! REAL ACTION! REAL BLOODSHED! ON OUR NEW SHOW… 'ATTACK OF THE KILLER ROBOT'!" And with that, the battle against the robotic entertainer begun.
"...Ryu, this next part of the story is gonna be sensitive. You'll learn more about Chara and Asriel, but I'm also afraid you might get a bit too emotional." Frisk warned Ryu as the duo reached the next zone, known as New Home. The former human Prince idly stared at the gray house before nodding stiffly as he entered, tapping the save point beside him with Frisk as he did so. The moment he did, a wave of nostalgia hit him… as if he had returned to somewhere familiar. He walked over to a padlock, reading the note attached to the thing preventing him from going downstairs.
Howdy! I'm in the garden. If you have anything you need to get off your chest, please don't hesitate to come! The keys are in the kitchen and the hallway.
Ryu wandered aimlessly, using his memories of Toriel's home to navigate 'New Home', before two Froggits jumped in front of him. "A long time ago, a human fell into the ruins. Injured by its fall, the human cried out for help." The frog Monsters then hopped off, as Ryu continued searching once he was free. He entered the kitchen and took the yellow key that sat on the kitchen countertop, immediately leaving said kitchen.
Once he left the kitchen, two Whimsuns fluttered over to him. "Asriel, the King's son, heard the humans call. He brought them back to the castle." The flying, shy creatures then flew away, as Ryu silently digested this information. The information on Asriel and Chara's true identities, their stories, was one thing Frisk kept from him after all. He walked to the other side of the house, finding a room that seemed eerily similar to the room he and Frisk were sleeping in originally back at Toriel's. On the floor were two presents, which he flipped over to reveal a dagger and a heart-shaped locket. He gave both to Frisk, and the duo left the room again.
By then, they were interrupted by three Moldsmals. "Over time, Asriel and the human became like siblings. The King and Queen treated the human child as their own. The underground was full of hope." The gelatinous creatures then disappeared, as Ryu walked past a room with a sign above it. 'Room under renovations'. He took the next key, colored green, as he stared at a mirror next to him.
"Despite everything, it's still you." The voice of Corruption said into his ear, sending shivers down his spine as he hated hearing its voice. He left the mirror immediately, not allowing himself to look at the purple-colored demon that appeared next to his reflection. He walked over to the stairs and opened the gate, walking down.
Then, two Migosp scurried out of nowhere to interrupt them. "Then… one day… the human became very ill." They scurried off, with three Vegetoids took their place, the living carrots speaking to them.
"The sick human only had one request. To see the flowers from their village. But there was nothing we could do." The Vegetoids then dug themselves back into the dirt, as Ryu continued to listen to the story that Frisk had heard dozens of times over.
"The next day… the next day…" The two Loox before them went silent, as one then continued the story despite their sadness. "The human died." The Monsters then rushed off, with Ryu feeling something grow in his throat. He was starting to be affected by the story despite not even being apart of it, or knowing who Asriel or Chara were aside from small comments from Frisk.
Two Snowdrakes appeared, or at least two Snowdrake-like Monsters. "Asriel, wracked with grief, absorbed the human's soul. He transformed into a being of incredible power."
A trio of Ice Caps. "With his sibling's soul, Asriel crossed through the barrier. He carried their body into the sunset. Back to the village of the humans."
More Monsters, three Woshuas, wobbled up to them. "Asriel reached the center of the village. There, he found a bed of flowers. He carried the human onto it."
"Suddenly, screams rang out. The villagers saw Asriel holding his sibling's body. They thought that he had killed her." The three Shyrens, not looking at them, told the story with their backs facing them.
An assortment of ghost-possessed dummies appeared. "The humans attacked him with everything they had. He was struck with blow after blow. Asriel had the power to destroy them all."
Knight Knight and Madjick stood up next, carrying the next part of the fable. "But… Asriel did not fight back." Knight Knight raised her staff and slammed it into the floor for further emphasis. "Clutching their sibling in hand, Asriel smiled… and walked away."
Three Final Froggits jumped down from the ceiling, nearly startling Ryu. "Wounded, Asriel stumbled home. He entered the castle and collapsed. His dust spread across the garden."
A trio of Whimsalots flew out, holding their small spears. "The Kingdom fell into despair. The King and Queen had lost two children in one night. The humans had once again taken everything from us."
An eyesore of Astigmatisms strolled out. "The king had decided it was time to end our suffering. Every human that falls down here must die. With enough souls, we could shatter the barrier. We have acquired six souls… yet our greatest enemies from the outside have learned of our status. They split Ebott from the rest of the world with the power of their greatest King."
"But still, it's not long now." An assortment of creatures appeared. A Loox, a Migosp, and a Moldsmal. "King Asgore will let us go. King Asgore will give us hope. King Asgore will save us all."
A Pyrope and two Vulkins appeared. "You should be smiling too! Aren't you excited? Aren't you happy?"
They had reached the end, where a single Froggit stared down Ryu with a blank look. "You're going to be free, Ryu."
Ryu stared down at it, before nodding hesitantly as it hopped off. Ryu then turned to Frisk, with tears in his eyes. "It was me, Frisk… my dad was the one who split Ebott from the mainland. My family was the one who killed Asriel… this is my fault…"
"It isn't… the things your ancestors did aren't on you. You don't carry your family's sins." Frisk assured him… before leading him into the next area, where Sans stood with a blank look in his eyes.
Ryu stood in the Judgement Hall with Frisk and Sans, with him looking at the skeleton monster seriously. He looked at his adoptive sister. "Frisk, go on without me. I think Sans and I need to have a nice talk."
Frisk looked at Ryu worriedly but nodded. "Be safe, bro." She then left them both reluctantly. Ryu stared at Sans intensely and then broke the silence.
"What do you want, Sans." He asked. Sans chuckled.
"nothing much, really. i'm just really suspicious of you and your intentions. your LV, your Level of Violence, is higher than it's supposed to be, and your EXP, EXecution Points, are somehow zero. it's really confusing and off-putting." Then the skeleton's face darkened. "and i don't like anomalies. you were never supposed to fall in this timeline kiddo."
Ryu shrugged. "Well, I did fall, what are you gonna do about it?"
"try and make you give up all your secrets, by killing you over and over again," Sans responded, his right eye flashing blue and yellow. "even if i'm normally too lazy for this." Ryuuto frowned and summoned his Determination Shield.
"You can certainly try, Sans." He said, his eyes turning a dark purple as he tapped into his Corruption. For a few moments, human and Monster stared at each other, with Ryuuto clenching his shield tightly. Then Sans made the first move, summoning a barrage of bones and shooting them at Ryu.
Ryu expanded his shield, deflecting the attacks with the red barrier. Ryuuto heard a strange sound behind him and saw a weird dragon skull. It fired a blue beam of energy at him, which his body immediately reacted to, jumping above it and landing on the skull, punching it, and turning it into wisps of Magic that he absorbed. He then immediately turned, summoning his own dragon skull, which was black in color. It's purple eyes looked at its summoner. "Fire," Ryuuto commanded. The black Blaster shot a purple-red beam at Sans' Blaster. They ended up stuck in a beam clash, with blue and purple-red fighting for dominance. Ryuuto felt the Blaster draining at his Magic, so he called it off and then ducked under the beam, which burnt his hair slightly.
Ryuuto glared at Sans. "I won't fight you! I won't hurt you!" Sans frowned, summoning more bones and Blasters.
"your LV says otherwise, brat!" The skeleton Monster shot back. Ryuuto clenched his fist and summoned two Determination Shields, fusing them into one massive shield. The barrage of attacks was blocked, but the shield broke. Sans stomped his foot on the floor, his eye flashing brightly. Bones came out of the floor and rushed at Ryuuto, who put his hand out.
"GALE WIND!" He roared, a massive ripple of wind shooting out from his palm and shattering all the bones. He sensed a Blaster near him and his hand crackled with black lightning.
He turned around quickly, swiping his hand through the air. "BLACK STORM!" He hissed as a wave of lightning erupted from his hand, and rocketed towards the Blaster, splitting it in half.
...
"...ugh… that being said…" Sans had sweat dripping down his skull, staring down Ryu tiredly. "you, uh… won't really give in, will you? listen. i know things are a bit weird between us; with me killing you a few dozen times…"
"Try 300 so far, asshole." Ryu remarked, spitting blood to the side as his body tried to heal his burns and puncture wounds.
"listen, I can see now, you're not so bad of a person. who else would try to spare me countless times when i murdered you again and again?" Sans huffed. "so, why not a truce?"
...He shouldn't have trusted Sans.
"GET DUNKED ON."
...
"you're, uh, very determined, aren't you? you'll never give up, even if there's, uh… absolutely no benefit to persevering whatsoever. if i can make that clear. no matter what, you'll just keep going. not out of any desire for good or evil… but just because you think you can. and because you 'can'... you 'have to'."
674 times. Ryu had died 674 times to this man(?) due to his suspicions, and both Ryu and Sans were finally starting to get worn out. Despite this, despite the trauma of his repeated deaths, Ryu couldn't find it in him to stop or give up. He blamed his Determination. But still… he had to win, right? There was too much at stake here. He couldn't give up. Determination surged through him, nullifying his pain and flooding his body with newfound strength and energy.
"Enough!" Ryu threw his hands outward, a wave of a pale green aura exploding off of him and causing Sans to fall to his feet, lethargic.
"huh... guess you had something up your sleeve after all…" The skeleton Monster grinned up at him. "you gonna kill me or something?"
"..." Ryu silently walked forward, as Sans sighed, preparing for the worst… and then looked up in surprise as Ryu walked past him. "I told you once, Sans. I told you a million more times. I'm not going to kill you. I'm not a murderer." Ryu glared at the skeleton before leaving to find and assist Frisk.
"This is the barrier," The tall form of the King of Monsters said to Ryu in his deep-toned voice. "This is what keeps us all trapped underground. If… if by chance you have any unfinished business, please do what you must."
"I already know all of this, sir. I'm ready." Ryu declared, as Asgore sighed, a tired look in his eyes.
"Then, I cannot delay things any further, it seems." Asgore said sorrowfully when the tubes that contained the souls emerged from the ground, three on the left and three on the right. Only difference being is that one was empty, meant for the final soul… either him or Frisk. Asgore took a moment to compose himself when he let out an exhale through his nostrils, "Humans. While it may have been brief. It was nice knowing you. Though...I truly wish we would've gotten to know each other better and longer." He continued to say with a weak smile. Ryu's eyes narrowed, determined to fight if he had to do so again, even though he wished he could save this kind old man from his regrets and the weight on his shoulders. "Goodbye." He then finished before lowering his gaze and preparing to battle them, unknowingly for a second time. However, before the battle could commence, an astonishing scene happened before them. Before Asgore could make his move a fire ball was thrown and struck him in the side creating a strong but small fiery explosion knocking him back a few feet away with a pained grunt. Ryu shielded his eyes with his clothing and hair flapping a little from the intensity of the impact.
Ryu lowered their arms down and looked over to his savior. The liberator had their arm out with their body covered in the shadows of the chamber, but upon stepping out, the twins instantly recognized them. The long purple robe that displayed the Delta Rune on her chest. The pair of visible fangs and long eyelashes, and the irises with a dark red tint. And of course, the body of an anthropomorphic white-furred Nubian Goat, structured with droopy ears and short horns. "What a miserable creature. Torturing such poor, innocent youths..." She said in a soft but stern tone of voice. Ryu's eyes lit up as he stared at the monster who took him in and gave him a new family.
"Goat mom!" He cheerfully said, temporarily ignoring Asgore in his elation, running over to Toriel and hugging her tightly. "You came back for me!" Ryu blinked in realization as he then looked up at the tall ex-Queen of Monsters. "Wait, why'd you-"
"I could not leave one of my children alone, could I?" Toriel smiled knowingly. "I saw Frisk on my way here and told me you would be here… so I made my way here, to ensure you didn't have to make a choice you're too young to handle. I would hate to force you to kill a man to pass the barrier…" Toriel then gently stroked his hair. "But is all okay now, my child. No one will ever harm you again, I promise."
"You don't need to worry that much about me, mom," Ryu smiled slightly, before shifting his gaze to Asgore as he walked over to the man and helped him up. "Besides, I wouldn't dream of killing Asgore. Fighting him, weaken him, sure. But never kill. He's made some mistakes in the heat of the moment, but everyone makes mistakes. Plus…" He shifted his gaze to the soul jars, staring at the 6 souls of his old friends. "I know those humans he killed. And I know them well enough to be able to say that they wouldn't hate Asgore for what he did. He was put into an impossible situation, got emotional, and then found himself unable to retract what he said in time."
"Young man… who… are you?" Asgore hesitantly asked, as Ryu paused and turned around to Asgore with a cheerful, childlike grin.
"Prince Ryutensei James Henderson-Shock of the Lost Isles! But please, call me Ryu!" He introduced himself, as Asgore's eyes widened. "I decided to come here to pay for the sins of my predecessors, help you all go free!"
"Ryu… thank you, Ryu." Asgore said after a moment, the golden-maned King smiling softly "Perhaps together we can figure out a way to break the barrier."
"Oh, that silly thing?" Ryu scoffed, a faint smirk on his face. "Just give me the souls later and I can break it myself, 7 souls to break the barrier, and due to my… circumstances, I'll live through the process." Asgore seemed shocked, before he laughed slightly.
"Ah… I cannot express how much your words mean to me, young Ryu." Asgore said, his eyes gleaming with tears. "To know that I do not need to kill another human, to know that the humans before do not hate me…" Ryu's smirk shifted into a gentle smile as he hugged the broken King.
"It'll all be fine now, goat dad." He said in a soothing tone, releasing his peaceful aura instinctually. After a while, he let go of the man, feeling much better as he had found a way to avoid fighting Asgore.
Asgore then shifted his attention to Toriel. "I'm surprised you've come back, Tori," Asgore said, a gentle hand placed on Ryu's shoulder. Toriel's eyes narrowed in annoyance.
"Do not 'Tori' me, Dreemurr!" Toriel snapped as Ryu winced. "You pathetic whelp. If you really wanted to free our kind you could have gone through the Barrier after you got one soul, and then take six souls from the humans, come back, and free everyone peacefully!"
"Don't act like you're any better, mom!" Ryu cut in, startling both Toriel and Asgore. "You *abandoned* your Kingdom and your people when they needed you most, especially Asgore. You could have calmed him down, tried to reason with him. Instead, you left, leaving him to deal with all this pressure alone! It's not like he *wanted* to kill those humans!" But Ryu wasn't done cutting into Toriel with his words. "Furthermore, let's say we go along with that suggestion! So, Asgore took a soul and went up! Do you *really* think the humans would react kindly to him; especially with what happened to Asriel?! If he had done that, he would be walking to his death! So tell me, how is your suggestion any better than his plan? Your suggestion that clearly you spent time on, is even more flawed and dangerous than Asgore's, which was made up on the spot during an emotional point of weakness!"
"I-"
"I'm not saying either of you are right. Both of you made bad decisions. But I will not tolerate you just bashing on Asgore, mom." Ryu's eyes narrowed dangerously, before he felt someone bonk his head.
"Just calm down, Ryu. No need to get so emotional about something that's years old," Frisk sighed. "We can get these two couples counseling on the surface later." The girl then came close to him and whispered into his ear. "No matter what, remember to not fall into anger or hate. Asriel is a victim too."
"Yeah, sounds like a great idea, actually." Ryu agreed with her original suggestion while taking note of what she said, before he heard rapid stomping approaching the barrier.
"NGAHHHHH! RYU! ASGORE!" A large dust cloud was kicked up as a tall figure landed, soon revealed to be the tall blue-scaled fish woman, Undyne. "Nobody fight… each… other." She stared at the scene, before laughing nervously. "Guess I got here pretty late."
"Yup," Ryu agreed simply, though an amused smile was on his face. "Nice to see you though, Undyne."
"Hello," Toriel greeted Undyne with a smile, recognizing her as a friend due to how calm and easygoing she seemed around Ryu and Frisk; humans. "I am Toriel. Are you my children's friend?"
"Uh, yeah! Nice to meet you!" Undyne grinned, before looking at Asgore as she walked over to the King. "Hey, Asgore, is that your ex?" She asked the King, who nodded sadly. "Sheesh. That's rough, buddy."
"H-hey!" Another figure made its way in, revealing itself to be the short lizard monster, Alphys. She seemed somewhat exhausted from running here, sweat dripping down her face. "Nobody hurt each other! …" She quickly went silent as she looked at Toriel confusedly.
"Oh, are you another friend? I am Toriel. Hello!" Toriel smiled kindly, as Alphys laughed nervously.
"U-uh, hi!" Alphys then looked at Ryu in confusion. "There's two of them now?!" She whisper-shouted, as Ryu grinned wider, his amusement ever-growing as he sat on Asgore's shoulder.
"HEY! NOBODY FIGHT ANYONE!" A boisterous and loud voice chimed in, as Papyrus made his debut. Alphys got out of the way when he arrived, standing next to Undyne. "IF ANYONE FIGHTS ANYONE, THEN I'LL... BE FORCED… TO ASK UNDYNE FOR HELP!"
"Heya, Papy." Ryu called out, as Papyrus' eyesockets lit up with joy.
"HUMAN COUSIN RYU! YOU'RE ALRIGHT!" Papyrus cheered. "I'LL HAVE TO MAKE SOME CELEBRATORY SPAGHETTI LATER, TO CELEBRATE THE PACIFICATION OF THE KING!" Papyrus then looked at Toriel confusedly. "OH, HELLO YOUR MAJESTY!" He greeted, mistaking her for Asgore.
"Oh, hello there!" Toriel giggled, finding his antics amusing.
"PSST, RYU! DID ASGORE SHAVE… AND… CLONE HIMSELF?" Papyrus asked as Ryu covered his mouth with a hand, laughing under his breath.
"hey guys," A laid-back voice called out as Sans slid in, Ryu looking over at him with narrowed eyes. Sans looked back at him with shame and regret for a moment, before refocusing on the group. "what's up with you all?"
"That voice!" Toriel gasped as she made her way to Sans. "Hello, I think we may know each other?"
"oh, hey… i recognize your voice." Sans agreed.
"I am Toriel." Toriel introduced herself for the umpteenth time. "It's nice to meet you."
"the name's sans. and, uh, same."
"Oh, wait, then…" Toriel shifted her gaze to Papyrus. "This must be your brother, Papyrus! Greetings, Papyrus! It is so nice to finally meet you. Your brother has told me so much about you."
"WOWIE… I CAN'T BELIEVE ASGORE'S CLONE KNOWS WHO I AM!" Papyrus seemed quite honored and blushed a little as Ryu snickered again. "THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!"
"Hey, Papyrus, what does a skeleton tile his roof with?" Toriel asked, as Ryu stiffened up. Oh god, please no.
"HMM… SNOW-PROOF ROOF TILES?" Papyrus asked, not getting where this joke was going, unlike Ryu.
"No, silly. A skeleton tiles his roof with… SHIN-gles!" Toriel smiled at Sans, as Ryu then chose to fall off Asgore's shoulder. Luckily, the king caught his new… son? The boy did call him 'goat dad', so he supposed he was a father again…
"I CHANGED MY MIND!" Papyrus groaned.
"THIS IS THE WORST DAY OF MY LIFE!/This is the worst day of my life." Papyrus and Ryu simultaneously said, bonding over their hate of puns. Everyone had a little laugh at their misfortune, with Papyrus and Ryu eventually joining in, before they settled into a calm (yet somewhat awkward silence). Especially between Alphys and Undyne.
Just then… "OH MY GOD!" Metatton's voice dramatically called out as he popped his head in, a bored look on his face as he stared at the fish and lizard monsters. "WILL YOU TWO JUST SMOOCH ALREADY?! THE AUDIENCE IS DYING FOR SOME ROMANCE!"
"HEY, SHUT UP!" Undyne threw a spear at Mettaton, who wisely moved back into hiding and missed the spear as Undyne grunted angrily. "Man, the nerve of that guy, am I right Alph?" Alphys was silent. "U-uh, Alphys?"
"No. He's right. Let's do it!" Alphys declared, as Ryu's eyes snapped open. Was this really happening? Was his ship finally going to sail?
"Oh? Uh? Well? I guess? I-If you want to?" Undyne stammered, an embarrassed look on her face. "D-don't hold anything back!" The two then leaned in, as Ryu's excitement only grew, sparkles appearing in his eyes as he giggled excitedly. It was happening!
That was cut off instantly by Toriel, however, being very overprotective of her children's 'innocent' eyes. "Wait! Not in front of the children!" Toriel said as Ryu's excitement died down and he pouted. He wasn't that young, why did parents always try to shield their kids from romance? Eventually, things calmed down, this time for real; with no awkward tensions as Asgore let Ryu stand on the floor again. "My children, it seems you two must stay here for a while…" Ryu felt Frisk take his hand for a moment, passing him her dagger and nodding before taking her place with the rest of the new family Ryu had built. "But looking at all the great friends you have made…"
"I think I can live with this if I have to, mom." Ryu nodded in agreement.
"H-hey, that reminds me." Alphys looked over at Papyrus in confusion. "Papyrus… you called everyone here, right? Well, besides, uh… her." Alphys looked at Toriel for a moment before continuing. "Uh… anyway, if I got here before you, how did you know how to call everyone?"
"LET'S JUST SAY…. A LITTLE FLOWER HELPED ME!" Papyrus cheerfully said, as Ryu then felt his heart stop.
"A little… flower?" Ryu and Alphys asked simultaneously, before a large thorned vine shoved its way in and wrapped around everyone except Ryu. Flowey dug his way out of the floor a moment later, a wide grin on his face.
"You IDIOT." Flowey cackled madly. "While you guys were having your little pow-wow… I took the human souls! And now, not only are those mine, but all of your friend's souls are mine, too!" Flowey's tendrils raised three more people to attention, as Ryu's eyes widened. Frisk, Chara, and Gaster were caught up as well, despite their best struggles. "I've got to admit, I didn't expect for you to be able to do the things you've done! Bring back the lost scientist? Revive the Fallen Child? You're certainly a miracle-worker, Prince Ryutensei." Flowey mockingly praised him. "And now, you've done me a favor, gave me a miracle! With your help, I'll truly become a God! I'll achieve my TRUE FORM! Hee hee…"
"Why! Why are you doing this, Flowey?" Ryu demanded, resisting his urges to strike out against the mad flower.
"Huh? Why am I doing this? Don't you get it?" Flowey seemed amused. "This is all just a game, a show, a story. If you leave the Underground satisfied, you win the game. If you 'win', you end the story. You won't want to come back or watch this anymore, you wouldn't play with me anymore. But this game between us will never end!" Flowey grinned manically. "This story will never reach a conclusion! I'll hold victory in front of you and tear it away, each and every time! But hey, listen…" Flowey's grin shifted to a smug smile that made Ryu's blood boil. "If you do defeat me, keyword *if*, I'll give you your 'happy ending'. I'll bring your friends back. I'll destroy the Barrier myself. Everyone will finally be satisfied. But that WON'T happen! You… I'll keep you here no matter what!" Vines grabbed at Ryu's body and limbs, cutting into him as he bled. "Even if I have to kill you 1,000,000 times!" Pellets surround Ryu, slamming into him and damaging his soul while also leaving him with bullet-sized wounds everywhere. Ryu whimpered in pain, genuinely fearing the end for the first time as the final pellet swarm came for him… only for them to burn up immediately as a pillar of fire surrounded Ryu; leaving him undamaged. "...What?"
"Do not be afraid, my child…" Toriel smiled despite the pain she was in, wanting to comfort her new son. "No matter what happens… we will always be here to protect you." Ryu's eyes widened as he felt a bit of his hope return.
Flowey growled as he summoned more pellets from the sides, which were blocked by a bone and a blue spear respectively. "THAT'S RIGHT, RYU!" Papyrus grinned, a determined look in his eyes to try and make Ryu feel better. "YOU CAN WIN! JUST DO WHAT I WOULD DO… BELIEVE IN YOU!"
"Hey, brat! If you got past *me*, you can do anything!" Undyne cheered him on. "Don't you worry about a thing! We're with you all the way!"
An entire circle of pellets surrounded Ryu and shot at him, this time blocked by a large skull appearing over him and protecting him. A Gaster Blaster. "you seriously haven't beaten this guy yet? come on, he's literally got nothing on ya. you're an anomaly, he's just a dumb flower." Sans winked, though it was clear he was pretty tired as the blaster faded moments later. But still, that gave Ryu more of the strength he needed to stand up, his wounds healing slowly.
Flowey tried again, this time blocked by some lightning bolts and a fire pillar. "T-technically, it's impossible for you to beat him, but… somehow, I know you'll do it!" Alphys grinned in an attempt to encourage him despite her fears.
"Ryu, for the sake of humans and monsters alike, you must stay determined." Asgore said in a serious tone.
"UGH!" Flowey summoned a plethora of large vines in an attempt to stab Ryu, but this was for naught as a third was blocked by a skeletal hand that was emitting a green barrier, another third sliced up by red knives, and the last third burning to ash. "Don't tell me the one who broke the rules of the void would let a simple flower beat him," Gaster said, the former scientist looking up at him with a tired smile.
"Same here!" Chara joined in, an angry look on the first Fallen human's face. "If you don't win this, I'll be pissed! You're the only decent human I know, aside from Frisk!"
"I leave my hopes and dreams with you, Ryu." Frisk smiled kindly, her eyes finally opened to show honey-gold orbs of kindness. "You can win this." Just then, a swarm of footsteps approached the barrier, as all of Monsterkind flooded the room to encourage and hopefully help their human friend.
"La la la!~"
"You've got this!"
"We're with you all the way!"
"You've GOT to win!"
"You can do this!"
"Ribbit."
All the kindness and hope traveled to Ryu's soul, further enhancing his determination as he glared at Flowey defiantly, standing up as he looked down on the flower. Flowey, on the other hand, was visibly distressed. "Urgh… NO! Unbelievable! This can't be happening… You… YOU!" Flowey's distress shifted into a dark grin. "I can't believe you're all so stupid! ALL OF YOUR SOULS ARE MINE!" Just then, a bright flash of light enveloped Ryu's senses, cutting him off from reality as everything *broke*.
Ryu looked around nervously, finding himself in the blackness of non-existence, of the void. "Oh, gods… not again…" He then noticed a figure in the distance. A small person, wearing a green long-sleeved sweater with yellow stripes and black pants. But what was really noticeable was the fluffy white fur and the floppy ears. They looked at their hands and clenched them into fists repeatedly, as if in awe, before laughing softly. "A… Asriel?"
"Finally… I was so tired of being a flower." The young Monster prince softly said, before turning around with a genuine smile on his face. "Howdy! Ryu, it's been a long while!" He didn't even know Asriel, what was he talking about? Was he having delusions? "Its me! Your best friend!" Just as he said that, Asriel's eyes went black with white slits, multicolored flames enveloping his form as Ryu was briefly blinded. His eyes then widened as he now stared up at a floating, tall young adult version of Asriel. He had long fangs and had finally sprouted horns like his parents. He also wore a long, dark robe similar to Toriel's, with the Delta Rune on it, along with a heart locket. "Asriel Dreemurr." The God of Hyperdeath smiled down at him menacingly, as Ryu prepared for battle.
The battle wasn't a battle, though. It was a massacre. Ryu wasn't like Frisk or Chara, he wasn't a pure Determination soul. He couldn't outlast Asriel because he couldn't keep up with him. The only thing keeping him from losing was the fact his friends were counting on him. But even then, he wasn't sure of how long he could keep this up. "I'll destroy it all, Ryu…" Asriel smiled at him, floating in the endless polychromatic void around them. "All your progress… everyone's memories. I'll bring them all back to zero!" Asriel raised his hands up high as lightning collapsed from the boundless skies, with Ryu barely able to dodge the attacks. "It's better if it ends that way, y'know? To lose your memories, it'd be better than knowing you will lose to me over and over again. It'd drive you mental."
"I'm… not giving up!" Ryu growled as he got up to his feet and floated upwards to face Asriel, who laughed.
"I know your type. Optimistic. Ready to say anything in order to gain a 'happy ending'. Nothing in this world is that easy, kid." Asriel shook his head in faux pity, before grinning again. "You can't just get a happy ending because you just 'love your friends'." Asriel raised his hands, as stars fell from the sky and exploded into stardust, Ryu barely able to avoid the projectiles. "Because you 'never give up'." Asriel disappeared, as Ryu was sent into a state of fear, looking around for his enemy desperately. He then was knocked to the floor again, as he was stabbed from behind by one of Asriel's swords, his Chaos Sabres.
"Not… giving up…" Ryu forced himself to get up, coughing blood onto the prismatic floor as Asriel tutted sadly.
"Your determination… the power that let you get this far…" Asriel's expression shifted into one of mad glee. "It's gonna be your downfall!" Asriel summoned more lightning that struck Ryu directly and knocked him to the side. Asriel smiled in satisfaction, knowing he would finally be able to win, since this young man wasn't as determined as Frisk. "Now, enough messing around! It's time I destroyed you once and for all!" The Prince of Monsters stuck his hands out as something materialized in front of him. Ryu looked up at what he created eventually. It was the skull of a large creature, one resembling a demonic goat and was akin to the Gaster Blasters that Sans used but complete with two sweeping horns at the top and a second pair at the bottom. The Beast let out a deep and demonic laugh, before it opened its maw and began to drain the world into it like a black hole. Ryu couldn't resist, and was finding himself being pulled towards it. A blinding white light overcame him as Ryu tried to flee, and when it faded, Asriel stood before him with begrudging respect in his eyes. "Even after all that, you're still alive. I underestimated you. Oh well, it's time you die." Asriel summoned his energy cannon and fired it up as Ryu closed his eyes, having lost all hope.
"Are you really going to just give up?" He heard a voice in his head say, but unlike Corruption, it was unfamiliar. It had an accent he couldn't quite place, but when Ryu saw his wounds closing up with black essence, he knew what it was. "Come on, you're better than this. Don't give up at the end. Keep going."
Memories flooded Ryu's mind, as his will to live reignited. 'I don't want to die. I want to live. For them.' Ryu thought, as something in him shattered. He eventually got up, as Asriel's eyes narrowed, firing upon Ryu. Ryu raised his hand a moment later, his face overshadowed by his hair as he grabbed the blast and redirected it to the side, an explosion moving his hair from the force as his eyes were both a deep, dull crimson. He was determined… but he didn't care about holding back anymore.
Ryu rose to the air, glowing red and yellow spectral wings appearing on his back as Asriel looked at him in shock, lightning surrounding the young teen as he raised a hand. White energy crackled in the palm of Ryu's hands before he brought them down as a massive rainbow-colored wave of power. Asriel's eyes widened, having a feeling he'd regret fighting Ryu more than Frisk. He tried flying away from the beam, but Ryu's focus kept tracking him. Eventually, Ryu canceled his spell, but only to recharge and refire the attack with more power behind it. Asriel tried shooting at Ryu, but the teen simply grabbed the attack and absorbed its magic, a bored look in his eyes. Ryu snapped his hands as they were sent back to the rainbow dimension, with the teen bringing his hand back as arrows of energy manifested and shot themselves at Asriel. Asriel didn't even block, as he was confident that nothing could-
When an arrow pierced the Prince of Monsters' arm and caused him to bleed, Asriel genuinely felt fear. What had he brought upon himself? It was then that Ryu fired upon Asriel with a flurry of Gaster Blasters, Asriel deciding to fly up and out of the blasters' reach, but finding as the energy beams hit the floor; they shot up more projectiles of all types. Arrows, spears, fireballs, ice shards. Each piercing through his defenses like they weren't even there, damaging the supposed 'God of Hyperdeath'. Asriel growled as he sensed someone behind him and tried firing at Ryu with a fireball, but the teen countered him by smacking his arm to the side, before grabbing him with Gravity Magic and slamming him into the floor. Asriel closed a fist as he sent more Star Blazings at his foe, with Ryu sighing boredly as he snapped his fingers and turned the large star projectiles into fine dust.
Ryu then sent his focus back onto Asriel, who had transformed into the Angel of Death and was trying to summon up more magic. "No you don't." Ryu muttered, charging right at Asriel and grabbing him by the neck, furious hatred in his dull crimson eyes. He brought his other hand back, his fist glowing with dark energy as he punched Asriel into the air, sending him flying. He then teleported back to them and caught them with an arm, flinging him to the floor casually. Asriel landed on the floor, bleeding and groaning as he glared up at his foe, who raised his hands to the sky. A massive sphere of magic coalesced above Ryu, before solidifying as a city-sized sphere of destructive magic. Asriel summoned his Hyper Goner in preparation, causing Ryu to roll his eyes as he brought his hand down and shot down the massive magical attack as a laser. Hyper Goner attempted to consume the magic… but it couldn't, as it instantly shattered and exploded. White light enveloped the room.
"No matter what, remember to not fall into anger or hate. Asriel is a victim too."
Ryu's eyes widened as something stopped him from further continuing the battle. He looked up, as he saw Asriel slowly healing himself with a pained look on his face. "Damn, you're something. Remind me to kill you quicker in the next life." Asriel muttered as Ryu didn't bother to fight anymore, his eyes regaining their light. He didn't care about fighting. He wanted to save Asriel and the others, and he knew how.
"Everyone, give me strength." Ryu muttered, as he then felt something in him break, but not in a bad way; not like before. It was like a dam being opened and pure magic flooding into his body. Asriel's attention was shifted to Ryu again as he saw the boy glow faintly, with a white aura surrounding him.
"W-what the hell are you?" The God of Death asked in genuine fear, as he could feel the power radiating off of them, and Asriel's power was dwarfed by this sudden influx of Determination.
Ryu kindly smiled in response. "Your friend. I'm going to save everyone." He said, before dashing right at Asriel, faster than the Fallen Prince could react, and hitting them with a barrage of attacks that were meant to daze them. Ryu then created a rainbow sphere of energy and infused every ounce of emotion he had into it. His love, his sorrow, his wishes, his dreams. "This is the end, Asriel!" He shot the attack right at them just as Asriel tried to swipe at them with a clawed hand; which he intercepted with a calm expression on his face before laughing softly.
"You're not that bad... for a human!"
"I admire you, Ryu. You've done so much more than me in one timeline than I have in hundreds of thousands of Resets. You're pretty cool!"
"Well, some humans are OK, I guess!"
"No! That's not true! My friends like me! And I like you, too!"
"Your fate is up to you now!"
"You are our future!"
"NO! WAIT! YOU'RE MY FRIEND! I COULD NEVER CAPTURE YOU!"
"nah, i'm rooting for ya, kid."
Ryu smiled calmly. "It's alright, Asriel. You don't have to hurt anymore." Ryu said, as his Astral Purifier did its job. The innately pure energy forced Asriel to return to his child state and stripped him of his malice and animosity, as the young boy began to cry once reality had repaired itself from the birth of the God of Death.
"I'm so sorry…" Asriel cried as Ryu sighed, his body releasing all the pent-up magic in it as he looked at the young formerly deceased Prince. "I always was a crybaby, wasn't I?" Asriel said with a tearful smile before he grew more dejected. "Look at me, acting like I really know you… this isn't like Frisk… I know nothing about you…" Asriel then sighed as Ryu looked away. "Ryu… there's a lot of good you've done here for the people of the Underground. You've really become their hero, y'know? As you know, when I was Flowey, I was soulless. I lacked the power to love other people. However, with all these souls inside of me, I have not only my own compassion back… but I can feel everyone else's too. Every Monster's… as well as Frisk and Chara's emotions. They all care about each other, so much. And they care about you, too. I wish I could tell you how everyone feels about you. Gaster… Papyrus… Sans… Undyne... Alphys… Mom and dad… Frisk and Chara… people are weird." Ryu cracked a smile at that last bit, he could certainly agree on that. "Even though they barely know you, it feels like they all really love you." Asriel laughed softly, before growing remorseful. "Ryu… I… I can understand if you can't forgive me, that if you hate me for what I've-"
Asriel froze as he felt cool arms wrap around him, giving him the first hug in a long time. His eyes widened and filled up with tears as he quickly hugged back. "Ha.. ha… I don't want to let go." Eventually, though, he did let go as a more determined look settled on his face. "Thanks, Ryu… for everything. But right now I need to-"
"Hold that thought, give me the human souls and I'll handle the rest." Ryu said as he snapped his hands, Asriel nodded and released the human souls as well as the Monster ones, with Ryu grabbing all 8 human souls and absorbing them. He took a deep breath as he focused on the barrier and shattered it with a singular punch, his magic striking out and breaking the millennia-old spell. Asriel smiled at the sight sadly.
"Ryu… you're… you're going to do a great job, OK brother?" Asriel said, as Ryu shifted his gaze to the sad child. "No matter what you do. Everyone will be there for you, okay?" At that, Ryu smiled.
"Azzy, don't despair. I've still got tons of soul power, and right now, I can do anything with all this built-up Determination. I promised everyone a perfect ending. That includes you. I'm not leaving you behind." Ryu put his hands out in front of him as the souls manifested and circled around him. A bright light shot out… and all was well.
Ryu later found himself standing outside of the Cursed Mountain along with all his friends and family, staring at the sunrise. He smiled. This was perfect. "Oh my…" Toriel gasped, having forgotten the beauty of a sunrise.
"Isn't it beautiful, everyone?" Asgore smiled, as both he and Toriel were holding the hands of their children, including the recently revived Asriel.
"W-wow, it's e-even better than on TV…" Alphys marveled. "WAY better! Better than I ever imagined!"
"You humans LIVE with this?!" Undyne barked as Ryu shifted his smile to her and nodded. "The sunlight's so nice… and the air's so fresh! I really feel alive!"
"HEY, SANS, WHAT'S THAT GIANT BALL?!" Papyrus asked his older, shorter brother.
"we call that the sun, my friend." Sans answered. Papyrus gasped.
"THAT'S THE SUN?! WOWIE! I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M MEETING THE SUN!"
"I could stand here and watch this for ages…" Asriel muttered, in awe of the beauty of the surface world he was never given a chance to see before.
"Yes, it is truly beautiful…" Toriel smiled at Asriel, overjoyed to have her precious children back… and all because of two children and their determination to save Monsterkind. "But we should soon think about the future."
"Oh, right." Asgore coughed into his fist. "Everyone… this is the beginning of a bright new future. An era of peace between humans and monsters." Asgore then looked at Ryu, who was now sitting on the edge of the mountain's cliff. "Ryu, I have something to ask of you, if its-"
"If you want me to become your ambassador, I'll have to decline for now. I'm a bit too tired for that," Ryu cut in with a tired expression on his face. "I'll help as much as I can though. I'm a Prince, my word in the Lost Isles especially carries a lot of weight."
"I'll handle being the ambassador then," Frisk hummed.
"ALRIGHT!" Papyrus cheered. "FRISK'S GONNA BE THE BEST AMBASSADOR! AND I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS… WILL BE THE GREATEST MASCOT! I'LL GO MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION!" And with that, Papyrus ran off.
"...welp. someone's gotta keep him outta trouble." Sans winked in their direction. "see you guys." And with that, Sans walked… back? Ryu didn't question it.
"Man, do I have to do EVERYTHING?" Undyne groaned, though she seemed more amused than anything. "Papyrus, wait up!" And there went Undyne, running right after Papyrus.
"Hey, Undyne! Wait up!" Alphys smiled and chased after her girlfriend, leaving only the Dreemurrs and Gaster.
"I'll get to making sure the hotheads don't get into too much trouble. Undyne can only do so much, after all." Gaster eventually said, as he walked off after his son just like Undyne and Alphys.
Ryu looked over at his siblings and motioned for them to take their parents down the mountain with his eyes, as they nodded and understood instinctually. Toriel, however, waited instead of following the kids like Asgore. "Ryu, you came from this world, right?" Ryu nodded in her direction. "So you must have a place to return to, do you not?"
Ryu smiled sadly. "Not anymore, sadly. But that doesn't matter." He stood up and dusted himself off, smiling up at Toriel. "I'm staying with you all. You're my family now." Toriel seemed somewhat flustered by the answer.
"What? Are you sure?" She asked as Ryu nodded with no hesitation. "I see… Ryu, you really are a silly boy. If you had said that earlier, none of this would have happened. It is a good thing you took so long to change your mind." Toriel laughed softly. "Well… I suppose… if you really do not have any other places to go… I will do my best to take care of you for as long as you need."
"Ah… that sounds… like fun…" Ryu's eyes drooped as he felt tired and was about to fall forwards, but Toriel caught him before he could fall down the mountain. His soul was spent, and 'shut down' to let him restore his power naturally. Toriel smiled.
"Sleep well, my child."
RE: DETERMINED - 00
The Prologue: A Forgotten Tale (プロローグ: 忘れられた物語) - END