"I THINK I FOUND HIM! IS THIS THE ONE?"
"Oh, yeah. That's him, alright."
"Let me get this straight," the dummy inquired, a skeptical look settling in his beady eyes. "You WANT me to fight you? After what you saw me do LAST TIME?"
"That's right."
"...Why? You humans have a couple screws loose, if you ask me."
"Says the one who's stuffed body keeps falling apart...Look. I need a training dummy. And one that can fight back hard and give me a decent workout without getting hurt itself is a win-win. Papyrus, you said that he was also Undyne's training dummy for a while?"
"HE TECHINICALLY STILL IS...BUT SHE SELDOM USES IT ANYMORE, SHE GETS TO PRACTICE ON REAL OPPONENTS SO MUCH NOW."
"I see...But he never actually fought against Undyne?"
"Nope. Just sorta sat there while she beat me to a pulp. Didn't mind the attention much. In fact, I was pretty laid back...until...you know what you did," he growled.
"Oh, I'm gonna have a good time punching you out," Ginger sneered. "Don't hold anything back! Papyrus. Care to watch?"
"WELL, I'VE GOT NOTHING BETTER TO DO AT THE MOMENT, SO YES! THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL OVERSEE YOUR SELF-TRAINING REGIMENT!"
The dummy fired up his first onset of cotton missiles, and his young adversary swerved around them as they came. She hadn't been half bad at the whole dodging bullets thing so far, but if there was room for improvement, she was more than willing to fill it in. When the cotton balls ceased, she sprinted at the dummy and gave it a series of light punches around the middle, spun to its back and elbow its side, then stun it with a backhand straight up before sending a solid uppercut flying up his chin. It knocked the dummy's head clean off.
"I'll give you credit," the disembodied head remarked as it floated back to the top of the body and reattached itself there. "You're strong for a human. Might stand a chance against Captain Yells-a-lot yet...A chance."
"Well, every second you're here, that sliver of a chance gets a little bigger!"
And she shot her leg out, knocking the dummy's middle right out onto the floor. She saw Papyrus flinch from out of the corner of her eye.
"AND...THIS DOESN'T HURT YOU AT ALL, MAD DUMMY?"
"I'm a ghost. I'm incorporeal. If for some reason my SOUL decides to join permanently with this dummy body, we ain't got nothin' to worry about."
"Hey, Pap. Got anything to time me with?"
"MY PHONE HAS AN INTERNAL CLOCK! THE TIME NOW IS...JUST ABOUT ONE IN THE AFTERNOON! WHY DO YOU ASK?"
"Just wanna see how long I can keep this up!" she replied, sending another hook at the dummy and ducking beneath another cotton ball.
The training continued in this manner for quite some time, and with each slug, kick or smack, Ginger could feel herself getting more and more adept at the blunt-force attacks. Even without claws or wings, she was still a dangerous opponent. And she was glad of it.
She and the mad dummy continued hurling attacks(as well as a few insults) at each other until Ginger had completely drained herself. But the possessed training dummy, being incorporeal, didn't seem like he'd lost an ounce of his energy.
"Had enough?" the dummy barked.
"You...You're lucky...to be...a ghost..." she huffed. "Or you...you'd be...the same...if not worse."
"MY GOODNESS..." the skeleton remarked, checking the time. "YOU WERE AT THAT FOR ALMOST A GOOD FORTY MINUTES."
"Great...! Progress...! Next time..."
She cleared her throat and swallowed mid-sentence.
"...Next time let's see if we can get to an hour!"
"MY, MY...YOU REALLY ARE A DETERMINED YOUNG HUMAN."
"Oh, you have no idea."
...
"What sort of books did you leave here, Papyrus?" Ginger wondered aloud, undoing the pile and skimming over each title as she picked it up.
"Advanced Puzzle Construction for Critical Minds"
"Of course he'd have something like this..." she commented.
"The Beginning Builder's Basics to Architecture"
"Huh..."
"G_ _d_n _a_say's Pas_ion for Flav_ur"
The author's name on the top, along with some of the more easily read title, was blurred in several places by what looked like water damage, so she could only make out a few letters of their name...or HIS name, maybe, if the assumption that the obviously male human on the front cover was him.
One thing was for sure, he looked like a frinking donkey.
She put it aside and read the title of the book beneath it.
"Peekaboo with Fluffy Bunny"
"...What...?"
This...wasn't something she expected to see in the pile. A tiny, colorful boardbook among the sophisticated manuals and guides. Come to think of it...didn't Toriel have a copy of this book? She thought she remembered skimming over the title of it on the bookshelf in her would-have-been room. Did she once have children herself? She didn't seem like the youngest monster, but she was by no means elderly from what she could see. Ginger wondered if she'd come across any of her daughters or sons during her trek. If she did, she'd probably suggest to them that they pay her a visit; she seemed quite lonely.
It was the least she could do for Toriel, after all she did to help her.
She put the children's book aside and skimmed over the next title.
"HAND-TO-HAND: A Guide to Unarmed Melee Combat. By Captain Doge Polemuttis"
"Hello, what's this?" she marveled. This was just what she needed. "Thank you, Papyrus."
The human opened the book up to somewhere in the first half, and found a brief description of the different types of punches, along with illustrations of the maneuvers and target areas, and how to utilize them in melee combat.
"Jab: Make sure to keep hand in front of your guard.
Difficult to land with efficient strength, but good for
feigning the real punch(e.g. hook or straight.) Use
to help keep enemies at bay."
"Overhead: Deliver to the head for best results. When
carried out correctly, the offender's entire body can be
thrown out of whack. However, because of its efficiency,
it is very predictable and easy to defend against. Use
wisely and sparingly."
"Hook: Very versatile and efficient, seeing as the entire
body can be put behind the blow for maximum output.
Deliver to the chin or ribcage to stun the opponent while
also dealing major damage."
"Uppercut: Hard to block; useful defensive mechanism
in short-range combat. Can be delivered to the chin from
below, or, less predictably, below the ribcage. May cause
added bonus of abdominal regurgitation, which can be
used as an opportunity to flee or further strike."
There were a few more, but Ginger had read enough for now. The mad dummy was sitting silently in the corner of the shed, probably having dozed off. Did ghosts sleep? It seemed that they could. But they didn't get tired. Maybe they just did it out of boredom.
But it was nearly time to start up another training session, and she was eager to put what she'd read to use, so he wouldn't be bored much longer.
"HUMAN!"
The familiar smell of spaghetti wafted through the shed. It was time.
...
"You really have been doin' your homework on this. You made me fall apart, like, what? Twice? Three times as much as the last time?"
"Heh..."
Her legs caved in, and she sat down on the wood floor.
"You...could say...I have...Papyrus...How long...?"
"NEARLY FIFTY MINUTES. ALMOST AN HOUR."
"Close...Enough...! HA!"
The human let the rest of herself fall over. She was exhausted, but satisfied with her progress.
"YOU SEEM AWFULLY WORN OUT FROM YOUR TRAINING, HUMAN. CARE TO FINISH THE SPAGHETTI?"
"I'll...do that...Just...give me a second..."
"I HAVE NEWS. UNDYNE JUST CONTACTED ME. SHE'S GOTTEN SO WRAPPED UP IN TRACKING YOU DOWN AND TRYING TO OUTTHINK YOU, SHE'S GOING TO GO THROUGH PART OF HOTLAND, JUST TO MAKE SURE YOU DIDN'T SLIP PAST THE LAB CAMERAS IN THAT DARK CLOAK OF YOURS! THERE ARE A LOT OF PUZZLES IN HOTLAND, AND...WELL...SHE'S NOT VERY GOOD AT MOST OF THEM, SO SHE'LL BE A LONG WHILE! CARE TO VENTURE BACK TO WATERFALL AND KILL SOME TIME?"
"Sounds...sounds like a plan," she answered, regaining her breath. "Just...Wait until I finish the spaghetti and...let me put my cloak back on. No sweater. That thing's gettin' too sweaty...And, uh...By the way."
"YES, HUMAN?"
"The spaghetti...You followed my advice, didn't you...? About the box and the oil...?"
"YES INDEEDY, I DID!"
"Big improvement...Sans is gonna be pleased. We should convince him to try some..."
"GREAT IDEA! WE'LL HAVE TO DRAG HIM OUT OF THAT GREASEHOUSE HE KEEPS GOING TO, THOUGH..."
"Just make sure you let me be the one to tell him. If it's you, he might not believe it."
...
Riverperson's been kinda quiet this round... Ginger said to herself.
"Tra la la...I hear Asgore has a favorite food..."
"IS IT SPAGHETTI?"
"Probably...Probably not...Tra la la..."
At least the mysterious figure had decided to say SOMETHING. Although why they'd waited until the ride was nearly over, neither of them knew. Not long after the brief exchange of words, the two passengers stepped onto the riverbank just south of Gerson's store.
"Come again some time. Tra la la..."
As they walked away, Ginger started up.
"Do they always talk all weird like that?"
"OH, YES. AND BELIEVE ME. THEY'VE SPOKEN OF STRANGER THINGS THAN THE KING'S DIETARY PREFERENCES."
"Freaky..."
When they reached the end of the path, Ginger saw a monster putting some gold in the donation box she'd set up. It looked up at her, showing his face.
And the human immediately recognized it.
"Oh, no...Not you," she moaned.
"Wow...You came all the way back..."
He tensed his muscles.
"...just to see me flex."
Ginger rolled her eyes. At LEAST Aaron was decent enough to lend a hand to Temmie.
"Guess you decided to change your mind, eh?" he continued, not noticing Papyrus. "Knew people couldn't resist these muscles. But enough about me. Let's talk about you. Education? Hobby? Talents?"
"Self taught. Fighting. And also fighting. And for the last time, I don't care about your muscles."
"Dang...You play hard to get. Almost as hard as Undyne, and she plays the hard card like a boss."
"That's because I've already BEEN gotten. By someone else. Like I already told you."
"OH, DEAR..." the skeleton remarked. Clearly, the human was not a fan of the local sea horse.
Aaron finally noticed him when he spoke. And when he did, his jaw dropped, revealing two rows of goofy-looking horse teeth he'd been hiding.
"YOU'RE the one who swept her off her feet?" he questioned, still gawking in disbelief. He then turned toward the human.
"Why!? How!? He ain't got no meat on those bones!"
"ERM...YOU'VE GOT THE WRONG ID-"
Ginger rose a hand for Papyrus to stop. She wanted to see what would happen.
"You prefer that? Over THIS?"
And he flexed again.
"Puh-lease, Aaron. You think I can't-"
And the human tensed her own muscles.
"-FLEX for myself?"
"Oh, flexing contest, huh? Alright. Challenge accepted."
Papyrus looked on at the scene as it played before them, at a complete loss for words. Aaron, the buffest sea horse in the entire Underground, having a flex-off with a comparatively skinny, but nonetheless very determined human.
And the most ridiculous part was that he looked like he was losing.
"Jeez! Your muscles might be small, but it looks hecka good when you flex!"
"At least mine don't look like they're about to burst, like yours! You better hope they make flex tape if that happens so you can fix 'em!"
"Flex tape? That's a load of baloney! I'm not-"
And it was then that Ginger heard a cracking noise coming from somewhere inside the monster. The look of utter horror mixed with a growing notion of pain on his face was all she needed to see to know what'd happened.
He'd torn something.
"That's a lot of damage," the human remarked.
"...You know what...?" Aaron whimpered, his face contorting. "...I think I'm gonna go find some flex tape..."
He kept his arms stuck in the position they were in as he pushed across the path with his eel tail towards the river. The Riverperson, still boarded there, watched him retreat.
"Tra la la...Let's hope he doesn't saw my boat in half..."
"SEE WHAT I MEAN ABOUT THEM?"
"What are they even talking about?"
"I DON'T KNOW. AND I'M HONESTLY NOT SURE I WANT TO."
They exchanged confused glances, but ultimately, they decided it didn't matter much. Ginger opened the box to see if anyone besides Aaron had decided to donate.
And when she pulled the lid open all the way, her eyes bugged out like a Temmie eating Temmie Flakes.
The box was nearly packed full with gold! It was incredible! People around here were so good to each other. So kind, so generous...She almost felt bad knowing she'd have to leave them behind when she left the mountain.
"WOWIE...DID YOU DO THIS!?"
"This just might be enough..." she almost whispered. "...Here's the plan, Pap. Can I call you Pap?"
"OF COURSE! IN FACT, UNDYNE SOMETIMES USES THAT FOR ME."
"Cool. Anyway, I'm gonna take this box o' dough to Temmie Village. In the mean time, do me a solid."
"I'M LISTENING!"
"Go into Gerson's shop and buy the Cloudy Glasses and Torn Notebook. Tell him I sent you. The human. Who knows? He might just give you a discount."
"CAN DO!"
He rushed into the shop, and Ginger followed the path across the bridges again until she made it back to the mushroom path, and from there, she went down south, the chipper commotion of the Temmies growing louder as she drew nearer.
Before she knew it, she was going around the corner and looking out over the many Temmies that made their home in the little village.
"dA HOOMIN! sHE'S BAK!" one of them exclaimed.
"hUMAN!"
"uWAAAUGH! wAT's in teh boxx?"
"mISTERRY box!"
"iT'S A BIG SEECRET!"
"Whatcha got there, kid?"
"Something for the Tem Shop keeper," she answered. "Hope it's enough."
"Ohhh, I think I know what that's for," Bob realized. "She'll be in for a pleasant surprise, wouldn'tcha say?"
"One would think. I'm about to find out."
Ginger turned the corner back into the Tem Shop. The silver-haired Temmie was still sitting there waiting.
"hOI!" she greeted. "welcome bak to tEM sHOP!"
"Hey, Temmie. Got a lil' somethin' for ya."
"uWA? a bOX? 4 me!? tHANK!"
"Oh, it's not the box, Temmie. It's what's IN the box."
"hN?"
She cocked her head in confusion.
"Why don't you open it and see what's inside?" she finished, putting it down on the ground beside her cardboard countertop(seeing it was too heavy to set down on the cardboard without crushing it.) The shopkeeper complied, and flipped it open.
"WOAUH!" she exclaimed, stumbling backward. "tHAS a lOTTA mUNS! lES sEE!"
And Temmie began the long process of counting the coins. It didn't matter to Ginger how long it took; she was enjoying every minute of it, seeing the monster's huge smile grow wider and wider every passing moment. She eagerly awaited the total, and eventually...
"...988G! oOOOOH, sO cLOS!"
Darn...Just off by twelve.
"bUT tEM can earn da rest ov da muns! tHANKS DONASHUN!"
"Hang on, Temmie..."
She checked her messenger bag; she still had 79G. Plenty. She dug out a dozen and placed it before the little monster.
The total needed had been achieved.
"WOA! tHIS is...tHIS IS...can tem realy acepts...?"
"It's all yours, Temmie. Donors from probably all over Waterfall stopped by to help pay for it. Even Aaron."
"aARONz!? hNN! nU! hIS muscles r...not cute! mONSTURS...y u so good 2 tem!? tEM gRATFUL! vERRY GRATFUL! OKs! tem go to colleg and make u prouds! tEM be bak soonn!"
She grabbed the box, stuffed the extra dozen gold into it, flung it up onto her back(where it somehow stuck without a strap) and dashed out of the shop, running as fast as her little legs could carry her out of Temmie Village and bound for New Home.
Ginger had done a great thing for the little shopkeeper, and she left the village with a satisfied smirk on her face. As she walked the mushroom path, she wondered what sort of education Temmie would pursue. Would she be a professional salesperson or trader, like Trader Mags back in the Kingdoms? That old magpie always seemed to be carrying something for everyone, be it a relic from the human world, a dousing rod, some trinket made by a blacksmith, or anything like that. This was why she was so renowned.
Especially with the owls of the Great Tree, who prided themselves on their advancement compared to most other owls. However, it was being said that Trader Mags was paying less frequent visits to the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, and even secretly associating with a few low-laying Pure Ones. If King Boron found out, he'd probably convict her of treason, and either banish her from the Ga'Hoole Tree altogether or even have her killed. That Snowy Owl...He'd only been getting worse. In fact, some of the other Guardians, even a few veteran Guardians were said to be starting to doubt the future of the Tree with the way he was ruling it. He was ruining their good legacy with his unbridled attempts to permanently destroy the Tytonic Union. And for what reason? Simply because he didn't trust them? Sure, the Pure Ones weren't always so good and just, but that had all changed with the Great Downing, which had lead to the Great Restoration. Boron had practically driven himself mad trying to find some ulterior motive to the Pure Ones' sudden change of philosophy, and his snipe hunt had blinded him from the reality of the situation. If he weren't so fixed on his goal, maybe...
"Wait...Where am I going?"
Ginger had been so lost in thought that she'd forgotten where she was. The mushroom path looked...different. And she couldn't see the dirt road from which she came anymore. Had she wandered onto a different part of it?
The path wasn't quite as well-lit anymore, the only light source in the immediate area coming from some dimly-glowing fuchsia crystals and glowing blue lanterns scattered about. But the grass was still glowing just enough to see the path without much more assistance, and she could see that it twisted and turned, yet still continued east. She avoided a few dead ends she saw up ahead, and continued, not knowing if she'd be taken back to the dirt road leading back to Gerson's shop or somewhere else entirely.
Finally the grass ended, and before her was a long pool of shallow water. Wondering where this new path she'd found would lead, the human waded through it, and its low temperature made her stiffen, despite not even being knee-deep. Finally, she stepped back onto dry land, and another narrow strip of it lay ahead, similarly to the pool.
The air had gone quiet again...Too quiet, and that familiar sense of dread loomed over her. But she dismissed it as nothing but the dreary atmosphere doing that...She was in Hotland, right? Why would she have come back looking for her so soon?
She squinted as she drew near what looked like an Echo Flower; it looked like a dead end. At least this made it easier to find her way back, in a sense...An Echo Flower, all alone all the way out here. Ginger wondered what it had last heard, so she bent down to listen to it.
But just when she was about to cup her ear to the flower...
"Behind you."
That voice. That deep, booming she-voice.
And then came the clanging boots.
Ginger whizzed around. It was her. She was right there, right in between her and where the pool began.
"...Seven," the captain stated. "Seven human SOULs. With a power as great as that, our king...King Asgore Dreemurr...will become a god. With that power, Asgore can finally shatter the Barrier forever. He will finally take the surface back from humanity, and give them back the suffering and pain we've endured...Understand that, human?"
She stood her ground, even staring an inevitable death right in the eye. She would not die a coward's death.
"You think I'm going to make it easy for you?" she replied.
And that was when Undyne summoned her glowing blue spear.
"This is your last chance at redemption, human." she snarled. "Give up your SOUL...or else I'll tear it right from your body."
"Try me."
And try she did. She stepped closer.
And then began to run right at her, spear ready to skewer the human right through the heart.
"Hey! Undyne! I'll help you fight!"
Both the victim and the attacker heard the voice coming from the small patch of grass just to along the north of the cave strip, and a familiar-looking young monster emerged. He looked at Undyne, then at Ginger, then at the captain again, and then back at the human.
"YO!" he exclaimed, beaming at his friend. "You actually did it! She's right in front of you! You've got front-row seats to her fight!"
He looked back up at his idol excitedly, admiring her spear as the awe-inspiring blue light emitting from its magical energy glowed fiercly and lit up the cavern with a ghostly glow. She had it pointed, and he followed its line of trajectory to see that it was aimed right at...
...Ginger.
He looked back and forth between them once more, confused as to what exactly was going on.
"...Wait a minute," he pondered. "...Who's she fighting?"
The captain growled in frustration, then grabbed Kidd by the side of his face and began to drag him away from the scene.
"H-hey!" he protested as she pulled him along. "You aren't gonna tell my parents about this, are you!?"
Undyne gave the human one last menacing glance over her shoulder before disappearing. The young Pure One didn't say anything. She just stood there and returned the glare as they disappeared.
She listened in to the Echo Flower, trying to take her mind off of all that'd just occurred.
"You're not gonna tell my parents about this, are you!?"
Darn...It changed.
Now she'd never know what it heard before Kidd's hollering. Oh, well...It didn't matter. What mattered now was that she get out of there and back somewhere safe.
Kidd probably didn't know it, but he'd REALLY saved her hide, just by being there. She'd have to make sure to thank him next time they ran into each other...if there was a next time. If Undyne decided to rat him out for his antics and get him grounded, she wasn't so sure she'd ever get a chance to see him again. She just hoped she had more MERCY towards her fellow monsters than humans.
Odds were, however, that she wasn't going to drag him all the way back to Snowdin if she knew she was still in Waterfall.
Ginger huffed to regain her composure, then stepped back into the water...noticing another path of glowing grass heading north just across from it. Perhaps she'd been to focused on the situation at hand to notice it before. Either that or the fact that it was so dark, at least. Maybe both. But she followed it, wondering where it might lead.
Hopefully somewhere she won't plan on following me to.
The grass stopped shortly after it began, and the dirt path ahead was lined with Echo Flowers. The human bent down to listen to one of them, having not heard the last one. She was somewhat intrigued by these odd parroting plants; there was nothing like them on the surface, as far as she knew. Perhaps magic had something to do with it.
"...Hmmm...I-if I say my wish...you promise you won't laugh at me?"
It was a female voice; high-pitched and somewhat nasally. And it sounded...oddly familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. But she guessed it didn't matter much, so she moved on to the next one.
"Of course I won't laugh!"
She stopped short. Was that...
"...Undyne?"
It was the same pitch. Same strength. Same volume. But she didn't exactly sound like an angry murder machine, like all of the other times she'd heard her speak.
"S-someday, I'd like to climb this mountain we're all buried under. Standing under the sky, looking at the world all around...That's my wish."
The flowers continued the passing conversation as she walked on. Who was Undyne talking to? A friend of hers, perhaps?
"...*snort*...Tcha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha...!"
"H-hey! You said you wouldn't laugh at it!"
Way to keep your promises, she scolded internally.
"Ha...heh heh...Sorry. It's just funny...That's my wish, too."
Ginger sighed, shaking her head. This was a starkly different image of the captain from what she'd seen thus far. Cheerful, in good humor...strangely tender. It was odd. Whoever she had been speaking with, they must have been fairly close.
There was a plaque on the wall before the trail turned a corner, and she read it, assuming that it added up with the other ones.
"However...There is a prophecy. The Angel...The One Who Has Seen the Surface...
They will return. And the Underground will go empty."
An Angel? One that would free the monsters? One that had seen the surface?
...Was SHE the one the prophecy spoke of?
She hoped not. It would spell certain doom for her if it did.
The dirt road lead onto another bridge, and she went to see where it lead. Maybe to Hotland? Who knew?
She climbed onto it. The memory of Undyne's glowing spear platforms came back to her; she considered herself lucky to have gotten past that. She considered herself lucky to still be alive and in one piece at all, even.
"Yo!"
She turned around. A short figure was coming towards her across the bridge.
"K-Kidd?" she realized. "How'd you find me?"
"You didn't follow us back, so I figured you must've gone this way. In a place like this, there are only so many places you can disappear to, you know?"
"Yeah...I figured as much. But what about-"
"...Hey. Mind if I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"You, uh...Um...You're...Not really from the capital, are you?"
She stopped short. He knew.
"...No. I'm not," Ginger answered, turning away. "I lied to you. I lied to a few people about that, actually...I'm sorry."
"Hey, wait, Ging'. I'm not mad or anything like that. It...makes sense. You'd wanna keep yourself safe, right? Since you're...you know...a human, and all..."
"How'd you guess? Did, uh...she tell you?"
"Yeah. She did."
"She say anything else?"
"Not too much. Just...'Stay away from that human.' And that she didn't want me to 'get attached.' Haha...She, uh...really wants you-"
"Dead. I know."
Kidd hissed through clenched teeth. He didn't like being in the middle of this situation, but deep within, he knew he had to do...something about it.
"I, uh...guess that makes us, like...enemies or something, I guess? But I...kinda stink at that sorta thing, you know? She told me not to get attached...Heh...Too late. Ha."
"...Sorry about that, too."
"Uh...I got an idea. S-say something mean to me, so I can hate you? I know we're buds and all, but...i-if this is the way it's gotta be..."
"...Uh..."
"It's fine. Say somethin' nasty! Rude! Bad words, even! Tell me the worst thing you've ever heard anyone say!"
"I..."
So many possibilities were flooding her head. Coward. Idiot. Mooncalf. Yeepish wetpooper. Dishonorable scum. Racdrop. Sprink.
Filthy no-good pile of MacHeath scat.
That one's familiar...
He was a child. He never meant any ill will towards her. All he wanted was to be friends. She couldn't bring herself to let spill the stream of horrible insults that she had stored away in the back of her mind. So when she finally decided to open her mouth...
"You...You're a...jerk."
Kidd looked perplexed.
"Huh...? Yo...That's your idea of somethin' mean? My sister says that to me all the time!"
"...Sorry, Kidd, I...I've got a lot stored away, but...You haven't done anything. You shouldn't have to hear any of it...let alone have it directed at you," she sighed again.
"...Hmm...Guess I gotta do it, then..."
He puffed out his chest.
"I...I hate your guts."
She didn't answer. She just stood there, knowing that neither of them were enjoying this.
"...Man, I...I'm such a turd, huh?" he added, instantly feeling bad for having said it. "I...I'm sor-"
"Don't worry about it, Kidd. You should, uh...probably go home now, though. Do that for me?"
"...Y-yeah," he agreed.
The monster turned tail and began his sprint back the other way.
A fatal mistake.
He lost his footing again, and Ginger watched in terror as he tripped over his own feet trying to keep himself from falling and leaned towards the side, off of the unguarded bridge. Before either of them knew it, he was biting down on the wood with his thick incisors.
"W-wait! Help!" he shrieked through a mouthful of wood. He knew he could only hold on that way for so long.
"Kidd!" the human exclaimed, rushing to his assistance.
She was in such a state of shock that she failed to notice the sound of clanging boots approaching.
Ginger firmly grasped his head in both of her hands, then tried to pull him up that way. She was glad she was able to lift him easily enough, having trained so much.
"Come on! Don't...slip!" she grunted, pulling him along the path of the bridge, up and sideways, until she could reach his sides. She grabbed him below the shoulders and lifted him back up onto his feet. Once he realized there was firm ground beneath him again, he pushed himself up to stand.
The human heaved a sigh of relief.
"Hey...You okay, Kidd?"
He was breathing quickly and heavily, and was shaking.
"...Kidd...?"
"I...I almost-"
"I-it's okay, Kidd, I gotcha, now. I gotcha..." she reassured, letting him lean his scaly head against her and patting his back a little to try and calm him down.
"If...if you weren't here, I'd have been a goner," he acknowledged.
"You're safe, okay?"
"Ha..."
*clang-clang-clang-clang*
She tensed, and both of them knew exactly what was behind them.
"Oh, no..." Kidd squeaked before releasing himself from the human's grasp and turning to face Undyne. How long had she been there? Had she just arrived? Did she see everything and just stand there watching to see how things would play out instead of intervening?
Weird, the monster thought. And...sorta creepy, actually.
He knew he had to do something he never thought he'd do. He stood his ground against who he would otherwise be bathing in the mere presence of.
"Y...Y-yo...Undyne...She's a good human. She saved me. I-if you wanna hurt my friend...You're...You're gonna have to get through me first."
The captain stood there, not saying a word. This was not what she'd expected to happen.
But he couldn't hang around her forever, could he?
She backed away, then turned and headed in the other direction.
"She's gone..." Kidd marveled quietly.
"I...can't believe you actually did that."
"It was the least I could do, Ging'. You...really saved my skin, you know? I guess being enemies was just a nice thought. Heh...We'll just have to be friends instead."
"Sounds like a plan."
"Haha...well...You said it yourself. I should be gettin' home, now...I bet my parents are worried sick about me."
"Careful out there, Kidd."
"Hey, don't worry. I'll just take the Riverperson's boat back to Snowdin! No more narrow bridges! Later, dude!"
And to her relief, Kidd WALKED across the bridge instead of running. A smarter option, especially for someone without arms to pull themselves back up if they fell.
"...Thanks, Kidd," she whispered.
Just when he disappeared, her phone rang. Papyrus, maybe? She hoped; he needed to hear about this.
"Hello?"
"HUMAN! I HAVE ALARMING NEWS! UNDYNE RANG ME A WHILE AGO AND SAID SHE COULDN'T TREK THE ENTIRETY OF HOTLAND BECAUSE OF THE INTENSE HEAT AND IS GOING BACK TO WATERFALL!" he rambled. "BY NOW SHE'S PROBABLY-"
"She almost did me in just now. If it hadn't been for this kid I met, I'd be toast," she told him, slowly making her way back from the bridge to find the mushroom path again.
"OH, DEAR ME, THIS IS BAD. WE NEED TO FIND SOMEWHERE ELSE FOR YOU TO HIDE!"
"It seems like she'd headed back your way. But if she knows I'm all the way out here already, I doubt she's going all the way back to Snowdin. Got any ideas?"
"HMMM...I MIGHT. PERHAPS YOU COULD LURE HER INTO TEMMIE VILLAGE, THEN WHILE SHE'S SEARCHING THROUGH THERE, I CAN CALL HER AND SAY 'UNDYNE! THE HUMAN HAS JUST MADE A MAD DASH WEST WHILE YOU WERE SEARCHING THROUGH THE SEA OF TEMMIES! AND IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE SHE'S STOPPING! PERHAPS YOU CAN BEAT HER TO SNOWDIN WITH THE AID OF THE RIVERPERSON AND SET UP AN AMBUSH!"
"P...Papyrus, you're a sprinking genius! Wait; I have something you can add!"
"I'M ALL EARS!"
"Tell her to set up the ambush...AAAAAAALL the way at the door to the Ruins, and to sit and wait there, since I'll be there eventually! She'll be there for a long time...Because I'm never going to show up! It's perfect! Although I WILL have to think of a safe enough way to lure her onto the mushroom path...Speaking of which, I just found it again. I'm gonna need to keep going if we're gonna do this thing the right way.
"WHY DON'T YOU SEE IF ANY OF THE WATERFALL LOCALS YOU'VE MET WOULD BE WILLING TO HELP YOU OUT? MAYBE THEY'LL HELP SLIP HER UP! AND I'LL DO MY PART ONCE SHE'D WELL WITHIN THE PRESENCE OF THE TINY TEMS!"
"We're so sneaky, aren't we? Heh heh..."
"LET'S JUST HOPE SHE DOESN'T CATCH ME HELPING YOU...IT WOULD RUIN OUR WONDERFUL FRIENDSHIP."
"I understand your frustration," she told him, trying to find her way around the dimly-lit mushroom maze. "You and Undyne...sound like you're pretty close, you know? Even if she is trying to murder me."
"OH, YES! WE'VE BEEN THE BEST OF FRIENDS FOR QUITE SOME TIME! SHE'S EVEN THE ONE WHO TAUGHT ME HOW TO MAKE SPAGHETTI! AND OTHER TIMES, SHE TRIED TO SLAY MY OTHER BEST FRIENDS WITH HER SPEARS. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. BUT I AM WILLING TO SEE PAST HER FAULTS! IF I DIDN'T WE WOULDN'T BE SO CLOSE."
"So...You're really fond of her, huh?"
"WHY WOULDN'T I BE? WE ARE THE BEST OF FRIENDS, AFTER ALL."
"Hm...Heh heh heh..."
"HUMAN...? WHAT'S WITH THE SLY CHUCKLE?"
"Oh, nothing. Just had a thought. Hey, I see the dirt path up ahead. Talk to you later. In fact, I might just go into Temmie Village myself now. She probably doesn't think I went in there right away...because she doesn't think anyone would want to, probably."
"AFFIRMATIVE, HUMAN! OH, AND BY THE WAY, I TOOK THOSE ITEMS OF GERSON'S HANDS. HE SEEMED QUITE PLEASED TO SEE THEM GOING TO SOMEONE LIKE MYSELF."
"Great. He said something to me about wanting them to be placed in good hands, and you seemed like the perfect candidate."
"THESE ARE...F-FOR ME? WOWIE! YOU REALLY DO CARE, HUMAN!"
"You're welcome. Hey, gotta go."
"FAREWELL, HUMAN! AND GOOD LUCK!"
Most of the Temmies were just doing their thing; one was sitting, staring at an egg, another was doodling on a piece of paper, two others were chasing each other, the list went on. Ginger thought it might be clever to hide in the large crevice in the wall to the far east; it was a little small for her, but it would subvert Captain Undyne's expectations, that was for sure, and maybe she could dig further into it and hide herself even further into the dirt.
Unfortunatrly, the crevice was already being occupied by another Temmie.
"What're you doing in there, huh, fella?"
"sHHh..." it hushed. "feeling ov being wached."
"Hiding?"
It nodded.
"Good spot."
If she couldn't hide there, maybe the empty Tem Shop would serve such a purpose. Maybe Temmie's abandoned cardboard-
"hOI, humANN!"
"Temmie!?"
It was the same one that had supposedly left for college not too long ago, the only difference in her from then and now being the little black graduation cap she now proudly wore atop her silver-haired head.
"Y-you...How did you finish college in fifteen minutes flat?!"
"iT dOESENT MATTR! tEM DID IT! tEM go 2 cool leg and learn MANY THINs! tEM evn got degree in TEM STUDIES! tEM can tell u all about tem's DEEP HISTORY! eVEN learn how 2 makE an sel new ITEM! tEM will...rULE da BANKIN WORULD!"
"So, you're going to be a professional business-Tem?"
"yayA! look at new iTEMS! 2 sel!"
She displayed a new price sheet. It was exactly the same as the last one, except for the one new item listed on the bottom.
"Temmie Armor-9999G"
Ginger's eyes widened. That one expensive item. Temmie caught wind of her inner thoughts through her expression.
"yOU wan da temy ARMOR! nO?" she realized. "temy ARMOR gOODS! it mak any batle a EASY VICTORIS!"
"Maybe, but...Man. There's no way I could afford that. Even with a donation box of my own."
"dONT worry! u pay 4 tem colleg! I give u tem armor FREE OV CHARG!"
"Wh-...R-really?"
"u don so much 4 tem! tEM mak u tEMMIE ARMOR as thank! bESIDE! u sMOL fur a fiter! wONT be a CHALENGE!"
She pulled out a tape measurer from her box and motioned for the human to stand up straight. The tiny cat-dog began taking measurements; her full height, her leg width, the waist, the shoulders. Ginger ended up having to sit down for some of them, as the monster couldn't reach that high.
"hNNNNNN dONE! i go 2 da gARBAGE dUMP to lok for good METULLZ! mETULLZ 4 da tEMY ARMORR! nex time u come, shud have armor redy!"
"How much metal is at the dump?"
"lOTTA scrap mEtullz! lOTA other stuf too! gud 4 sCAVENGING!"
"Temmie, I don't know how I ever got along without you fellas," she thanked her, scooping up the tiny college graduate in her arms.
"uWAAH! finish cool leg? bECOM profeshunal salestem? aND hOOmin hugz!? dis day...cannot gett any bettr!"
Ginger put her back down, and she scurried off to the dump. She went back into the main village. One of the Temmies was scratching behind one of its dog ears just outside the shop entrance, and it paused to look up at her.
"Hey, kid."
"Oh. Hey, Bob."
...Wait...
And that was when she had an idea.
"Hey...Bob?"
"Hm?" he acknowledged, finishing scratching his ear.
"You mind helping me out with something?"
"Sure, sure. What's on your mind?"
"Brace yourself. This is a long story."
...
"...You sure this's gonna work, Ginger?"
"One can hope. Besides, if she won't go in there herself, we have to MAKE it happen somehow."
"My only hope is that she doesn't destroy the village in a fit of rage."
"Ah, ha. I, uh...Well...She IS the Captain of the Royal Guard, right? Wouldn't she get into trouble for that?"
"...You do have a point. As ruthless as she is, she does have to maintain SOME form of professionalism to keep her job, you know what I'm sayin'?"
"Exactly. The scent you picked up getting stronger?"
Bob sniffed at the ground; Undyne's unmistakable scent trail was leading down the trail. And it was getting stronger.
"Stop...I think she's at her house."
"She has a house here in Waterfall?"
"You go hide. I'll do the talking, and the you can ring up your skeleton buddy."
"Where do you think'd be a good place?"
"Try Blook Acres. It's just up north the middle road; two houses, leaning apart from each other. Can't miss 'em."
"Wait. Blook...Blook, as in...Napstablook?"
"Know him, do ya? Kinda keeps to himself, but he's a nice enough fella, I suppose. Oh, I think I heard her door open. Go, go, go!"
Ginger didn't hesitate; she sprinted up the middle path, and there were the two houses. One rainy grey and the other sort of pinkish brown. She tried the grey one first and stepped inside. The inside of the small house was a little rundown; cracks in the walls, chipped wood flooring, a few cobwebs here and there...
A familiar-looking ghost doing something at his computer in the far corner.
"...Napstablook?"
He turned to face her.
"...oh...you came...sorry, I...wasn't expecting that. It's fine though...I don't have much, but...make yourself at home."
"What, ah...Whatcha doin' there, Napstablook?" she inquired, trying to peer over his..."shoulder" at his computer screen.
"...oh...it's nothing...just...working on a mixtape, is all..."
"Mixtape?"
"You know...for making...songs, and stuff like that...not much else."
"So, you're like, a composer?"
"...not exactly...that sounds a lot more sophisticated than what I do...I just make little tunes and...share them on the music forums...they don't get too much attention..."
"Mind if I have a listen?"
"...really? Oh...sure...let me get it for you..."
He booted up one of his CDs, and a waving, somewhat eerie, yet also oddly catchy tune filled the house.
"...oh...this is one of my favorites...the ambiance...spooky, isn't it?"
"Yeah...You made that?"
"...it's a remix...I didn't make up the tune."
"That reminds me...Have you ever seen that statue that plays the music box not too far from here?"
"Oh...that's been there a long time...it stopped playing music one day, though."
"Well, if you're interested, it's uh...started up again. Might give you some more inspiration for your spook tunes."
"...heh..."
There was a knock at the door.
"...come in..." the ghost moaned in that quiet voice of his.
The door opened, revealing a small white cat-dog with a blue shirt and black head of hair.
"Done and done. She just went into the maze. You're in the clear."
"Awesome! Hold on, guys, I gotta make a call."
And she rang the skeleton.
"Papyrus."
"IS IT TIME, HUMAN?"
"The time has come."
"ALRIGHT! I'M ON IT!"
And before one could say "Nyeh heh heh!", he was gone.
"Thanks for the help, Bob! And, Napstablook. Thanks for havin' me over. Keep working on those mixtapes."
"...okay...bye..."
She followed the Temmie outside."
"So, where are you gonna go off to? I'm headin' back to the village. Wanna come with?"
"bAHB!"
Ginger turned west to face the source of the noise. It was the Tem Shop Keeper, carrying a load of metal on her back towards her home village.
"Oh, hey, Temmie," he greeted. "You workin' on your Temmie Armor?"
"tEM work hardd 4 hoomin! sHE do...gud THINs fur tem! hUMANN! bOI!"
And she was off.
"You know, you might consider paying a visit to the Trash Zone yourself. If you find yourself in combat with Undyne, it'd be good to have a few tricks up your sleeve...And by tricks, I mean defensive tools."
"I know. I've been there once before, but I never got the chance to browse much. Maybe I'll do that, now that I have the chance."
"Hey, and by the time you're done doin' that, Temmie might just have that armor ready for you. Catch you later, kid. Oh, and if you're going to the Trash Zone, be careful not to fall into the abyss. They say it's bottomless, and I don't wanna be the one to find out the truth for myself...and neither do you."
"Eesh...I'll keep that in mind, Bob."
"Okay. See you on the flip side."
And Bob trotted off in the direction of his Temmie kindred. It dawned on Ginger that her Tough Glove...was probably not going to be good at punching through Undyne's sturdy metal armor. She'd have to make some other sort of weapon. A sharp one. And what better place to gather resources than the dump? Yes...This was what she'd do.
All of the plotting, all of the chases, all of the confrontations. Eventually, there would be a battle. Sooner more than later, most likely.
But all the while, she remained determined.
A/N: OI! This was longer than I'd hoped it'd be. But I didn't want to leave too much out. A LOT just happened in such a short time period, and it's uh...kinda hard to squeeze all of that into ~6,500 words...So it's, like...more like an extra 23%. Not including these notes, heh...
And Fun Fact: Doge Polemuttis is sort of an O.C. He's the former Captain of the Royal Guard I made up. He was a Shiba Inu monster...of course. Founded the Canine Unit for Snowdin. Killed by the human of Justice...who also might have done something to the incumbent...yeah, never mind, I don't wanna spoil my own story too much.
The next chapter is gonna be sort of interesting.(maybe sorta fluffy. I actually have it written already, lol) I won't spoil too much, but in a nutshell, we'll finally encounter a character that has yet to make a physical appearance in the story, although he/she won't actually BE particularly significant until a bit later...Take a guess who, why don'tcha?
Anyway, thanks again for reading! Remember to R&R! :D