Asriel: Here's a bit of another downtime in of thing, with a bit of training thrown in. You all won't mind, will you?
Red: Hope not. I've made a decision, and I wanna stick to it!
Toriel: Dear me, it's indeed a decision worthy of acknowledgement.
Dogressa: She's taking a bit of initiative for herself...I believe I can get behind that, just a little bit.
Doggo: ...Sorry. Still can't see you guy very well. Can ya move? Just a little bit?
Dogamy: *Sigh*
Chapter Start!
"Lady Undyne! I would like for you to help me train!"
Pause.
"...No, that sounds a bit too desperate..." Red pouted as she began pacing in front of the door of Undyne and Alphys' residence, wondering how was she going to ask the former to train her. She has been pondering it for a while now, as she knows that she's the one who trained Asriel. She didn't exactly know how to ask her though, which is why she was standing in front of her door at the moment. And not only that, she needed a bit of assistance from her fellow Pack. And also, an extra, just as important member.
"RED, I THINK YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT THIS A BIT TOO SERIOUSLY. IT IS NOT VERY HARD TO MAKE A REQUEST WITH UNDYNE." Papyrus said with folded arms. "IT IS TRUE THAT LIKE YOU, SHE TAKES HER DUTIES VERY SERIOUSLY, AS WELL AS HER POSITION OVERALL. BUT WHEN SHE IS OFF DUTY, SHE IS ACTUALLY VERY CASUAL AND EASYGOING, AS WELL AS VERY ENERGETIC. YOU HAVE NOTHING TO BE NERVOUS ABOUT BEFORE YOU ACTUALLY GET STARTED." He says reassuringly.
"He's right, Pup. You have nothing to worry about. Just be sure to go up to her and answer. It should be simple enough for you, shouldn't it?" Dogressa smiled softly while gently petting her head. Red's cowl was down, so the paw fully made contact with her pink hair as well as her ears. "You'll be fine."
"Are you sure...?" Red said uneasily.
"HERE. I'LL GET YOU STARTED." Papyrus said as he reached over Red and knocked on the door. There the sounds of a few automatic locks deactivating within, before the door suddenly opens. Papyrus smiles as he strolls in. "ALPHYS HAS PROVIDED IMPRESSIVE A RATHER IMPRESSIVE SECURITY SYSTEM WHEN IT COMES TO HER HOUSE. AUTOMATIC LOCKS ARE JUST ONE OF THEM, AND SHE HASN'T REALLY SHOWN US THE REST OF THEM YET. SHE DECLARES THAT THEY WON'T BE USED UNLESS THEY'RE REALLY NEEDED!" But really, many humans and monsters that knew Undyne by now wouldn't be so foolish as to try and break into her house. So there wasn't really much to worry about in that regard, but Alphys figures it's better to feel safe than sorry.
They entered the house unimpeded, while Red was twiddling her paws nervously. Lady Undyne...Asriel is always telling me about her when it comes to his training. She is fierce, she is passionate, and she is passionate. She is the second most powerful female monster from Ebott, bar Lady Toriel herself. I'm...actually quite nervous on asking her for help...I don't know her as well as the others. Red shook her head and clenched her paws. No Red. You can do this! Just need to stay confident. A powerful and respectable leader of a powerful and respectable authority figure that the Pack defers to for assistance. She's Asriel's teacher, and Asriel is really strong! So surely she can help me in my own training too! She placed a paw on her chin. Though I do wonder, how does she spend her downtime. It must be something quite productive...
Red and Papyrus soon entered the living room...and the former was rather surprised was rather surprised by the discovery, to the point that her ears folded against her head and her muzzle was slightly open.
"FUHUHUHUHU! All right! Ultimate victory!" Undyne grinned while stretching her arms upwards, looking incredibly proud of herself while the controller drops in her lap. "It took five long tries, but I finally took that bastard down!"
"Geez. Retro games are infinitely more difficult than modern-gen games. Either the nicer ones took over or they eventually decided to go easy on us..." Alphys sighed as she rubbed her eyes slightly. "Now remember, that was a team victory. You needed a helping hand at some point or else you were going to break the controller again. And I can only rebuild the same one so many times before we have to buy a new one."
"I already know, Alph. It ain't a team without you on it." Undyne cooed while hugging Alphys from behind, kissing her atop the forehead. Alphys giggled while her tail wagging gleefully the side. Undyne snickered, though she stopped once she raised her head and see Red and Papyrus standing in the doorway. "Oh. Red and Papyrus? What's up?" She narrowed her eye suspiciously. "Did you break the window to get in here? I told you, you can't be doing that do casually! Humans thought someone was breaking in the last time you did it up here!"
"IT WAS A MISUNDERSTANDING THAT WE WERE FORTUNATELY ABLE TO CLEAN UP. ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL." Papyrus claimed with a grin, which only made Undyne facepalm. "BUT I HAVEN'T VISITED MY DEAR FRIENDS FOR MYSELF. NO, IT'S RED THAT'S MADE THE REQUEST TO SEE YOU PERSONALLY. HERE YOU GO, RED!" Papyrus pushed Red along, making her trip a little. Undyne raised an eyebrow as Red tried to steady herself. She took a breath and proceeded with her request.
"Lady Undyne...I would like to make a request, and ask for you to help me train!"
Undyne looked a bit surprised at Red's request, and she could tell that she was completely serious about it. Red was firm with her request, yet she wasn't completely sure how it would turn out. She was all business right now, and Undyne guessed that she cold give the pup props for showing some strong initiative. It's not that Asriel and Papyrus didn't have any. Far from it, they actually had plenty. It's just that she thought Red would be perfectly alright with having the Pack help teach her how to fight, but this proved her wrong. She wanted to be better...so she supposed she'll heed her. Her mind made up, she cracked a grin as she sets Alphys to the side, and stood up on her feet.
"Alright then. I think I've got a way to do this." Undyne said as she takes out her phone. "Papyrus, call your brother. I've got a pretty good practice session that's gonna need more than us. As for me, I'll be calling Asgore, Toriel, and Asriel for assistance."
Red blinked. "Huh? Wait, what do we need them for?"
"You want help training, right? Well, I'm about to take care of that, as well as a few other things all at once." Undyne said while clenching her fist. I'm about to hit multiple target objectives dead-center with a single spear. Fuhuhuhu...
(Later...)
It was of no surprise that Alphys wasn't really as physically fit as her significant other. Alphys was short and chubby all around, and it sometimes makes her nervous due to that kind of difference. Undyne being who she is, has never taken up a problem with how Alphys looks. Being short and chubby only makes her much more fun to pick up and cuddle whenever she wanted. Still, she did want to have a full understanding of Alphys' limits when it came to exerting herself. And this particular instance was one example.
"Huff...huff...ah..." Alphys panted, having to wipe some slight sweat from her head as her brisk jog turned into an exhausted walk. She was currently walking up Mt. Ebott with the group that Undyne called in, which consisted of Asgore and Toriel, Papyrus and Sans, Dogamy and Dogressa, Ribras and Rasha, Doggo and Shamir, then finally Asriel and Red. The latter was confused and also curious to find out what Undyne was up to. Asgore and Toriel left Gerson to keep an eye on Frisk, Chara, and Flowey. And the ones waiting for them at the mountain were revealed to be Tempest and Lunar. All of them trekking away from the mountain, where they couldn't indirectly bother the humans with what they were intending to do. Alphys panted heavily as she placed her paws on her knees, gasping for breath. "Huff...oh boy...I...i'm beginning to see white...I'm getting light headed...don't mind me though...I'm fine...I totally got this...totally...okay...maybe not..." She gasped as she was then picked up and slightly tossed into the air by Undyne. She adjusted her position so she caught her in her arms. Alphys gasped and placed her paws on Undyne's shoulders. "Undyne...?"
"I gotcha, Alph. Don't want ya exerting yourself more than you can take before we actually start the activity." Undyne grinned as she effortlessly carries Alphys piggy-back style. Alphys blushed but nonetheless held onto Undyne as tightly as she could. Compared to most other things Undyne lifts, Alphys might as well have been a kitten...a really cute kitten. Alphys has the catgirl jackets to prove it.
"Not that I do not spending time with my beloved friends...but is there a particular reason why you called us out here, Undyne? I know you tried explaining it on the phone, but I didn't really understand it at the time." Toriel asked with her paws clasped. "And...do those two have something to do with what we're to do?"
"You could say something like that." Tempest said with folded arms. He seemed to be in a slightly embarrassed mood today. Lunar yawned, patting her mouth.
"I decided to participate too, if for no other reason than pretending not to exist yet is boring as hell. I can see why you all might have gone mad Underground, it feels so claustrophobic down there. I ain't down with that." Lunar shook her head while jabbing a thumb towards Tempest. "Don't mind this shorty here. He's upset over nothing."
Tempest blushed while clenching his fist. "I was coming to get you to tell you that we're needed...then I find you completely nude under Waterfall! We're not primitive, Lunar! Why couldn't you bathe like a civilized person, with the actual showers?!"
"No thanks. Besides, bathing under a Waterfall feels more natural to me."
"You could have at least warned me! I know you sensed me coming!"
"I shouldn't be responsible for what your eyes land on." Lunar huffed, placing a paw on her hip. "Face it. You're just traumatized that the first beautiful naked woman you've seen is your sister."
"When you say it so casually, of COURSE I think it's bad!" Tempest shouted. Toriel and Dogressa quickly covered Asriel and Red's respectively and in time, waiting for the argument to pass. At least with this, there was no doubt that they were related.
"Tempest Tempest...you'd better mind your Temper Temper!~" Darkness beamed with a chuckle, infuriating Tempest due to the pun. Sans chuckled as well. Papyrus raised a hand in protest..then he lowers it and rubbed his chin.
"...OKAY. I SUBMIT. THAT WAS ACTUALLY KIND OF FUNNY."
"i know, right?~"
"Alright punks and punkettes, listen up!" Undyne folded her arms. "From our experiences with Selom Archipelago, we've confirmed that there are still plenty of enemies out there, and they're gonna mess with us for messin' with their business. As such, we gotta be ready to defend Ebott from anything that tries to do it or it's denizens harm. Most of us have to be ready to protect those that can't protect themselves. So, we're gonna indulge ourselves in a bit more practice. And we'll be doing it in pairs! First up is me and Alphys, to Papyrus and Sans!"
Red blinked and tilted her head again. "What...how will this help?"
"Understanding how your comrades fight is training in of itself, Red." Undyne informed, raising a finger with one hand and placing the other on her hip. "You yourself are part of a pack. And as such, you already have some natural sense of cooperation with your fellow canines. So we don't have to worry about that. As for me and Alphys, this is important for her too. She has a new area of magic to use, and she needs the practice. That's my other reason for doing this."
"My digi-kinesis is part of my techno-magic. I can probably do many more things I simply haven't unlocked yet..." Alphys said quietly. "To avoid what happened again, I have to learn how to use this techno-magic. Find out what I'm capable of, and increase my understanding of it so I'll use it more efficiently in the future." Alphys adjusted her glasses. "I suppose I can call it experimentation~"
"Ah. Learning experiences. Aren't they grand?~" Darkness chuckled. "We shouldn't be able to bother the humans with our activities up here. So don't worry too much...just a little. Would rather not cause too much of a ruckus, you know."
"Rules for this session are simple!" Undyne said with a strong nod. "First one to get knocked down, spells automatic defeat!"
"UNDERSTOOD." Papyrus saluted as he and Sans stood on one end of the rather large area of land, luckily chosen due to the lack of wildlife and plants that could get caught in the crossfire. "ALRIGHT UNDYNE, ALPHYS, I'M READY. SANS, ARE YOU READY?"
"possibly."
"I'LL TAKE IT."
Alphys took a deep breath and sighed, cracking her fingers. Okay...my techno-magic is based upon my knowledge of both magic and technology. So I have to be creative from both ends. Think creatively like Asriel, Alphys. It'll help you in the long-run...
Sans didn't move in the slightest, multiple bones manifesting around him and shooting towards Alphys. Alphys acted quickly while thinking quickly. Digital energy gathered around her and formed into a shield, deflecting nearly all of the bones and destroying them upon impact. Alphys gently moved the shield aside to see Sans grin. "heh. so that's the digikinesis i've been hearin' about. that's not bad branch for your technomagic at all." He said as more bones manifested around him and shot towards her again. She reacted quickly yet again by rolling to the side. Her glasses flashed as three pods appeared around her and shot multiple laser shots towards him. He manages to dodge each one of them with multiple swift sidesteps, though he was eventually tripped up by a laser shooting at his feet right in the middle of one. Seeing him stumble, Alphys held out her paw as yet another, weakened laser shot him in the chest, easily knocking him down. Sans groaned as Alphys stood over him with folded arms. Her eyes flashed yellow for a bit, and he understood the meaning.
It helps that I know how you fight, doesn't it?
Undyne handled Papyrus in a relatively similar manner. She held her hand out as a bright blue naginata formed. Papyrus was immediately countering with a bone lance of his own, and the blades crashed against one another, with the energy clashing slightly. They jumped back and they both lashed at one another repeatedly. Papyrus was able to stand his ground against her for a few moments, and was even able to push back against her. Undyne spun her naginata and slashed the blade down on Papyrus, in which he defended with his lance and managed to push her back with enough force behind his push. She skids back a few feet, before opening her eye and grinning. Undyne swiftly slashes in a diagonal direction, with Papyrus preparing to counter with his own slash. She grinned widely as she dissipated her weapon and shifted to another one. A bright blue whip in which she tossed as soon as she swung wrapping around his legs. She immediately pulls, making him trip and land flat on his back with a grunt. She dissipated it as well and folded her arms with a somewhat smug grin.
"Alphys is applying her skills of analysis to bring focus to her techno-magic. Her high IQ is no doubt going to give her plenty of ideas on how to use it to it's full potential." Asriel says, which surprised Red for a moment. The entire time, Asriel's eyes were wide with wonder, as well as deep levels of focus that she doesn't usually see in him, at least for as long as she's known him. He must really take his teacher's lessons seriously.
"Great observation, Asriel. Alphys still has quite a ways to go." Undyne nodded. "Now on a less mature note...girls win!" She says as she briefly gives a hopping Alphys a high-five. "Now then, Fluffybun Duo with the two smaller dragons! Don't be too extreme though. We really don't wanna make a mess out of the mountain."
"Yeah yeah. Let's get this over with." Lunar yawned as she stretched out a little. She had no interest in rules such as 'getting knocked down first' because the fight wouldn't really be called a fight. But she could see the warrior within Undyne, and she knew what she was talking about. She pointed towards Toriel. "Alrighty then, I guess i'm stuck with this one." She raised an eyebrow slightly and folded her arms. Toriel blinked a bit confused by her gaze. "I'm looking at your face, and I'm sensing the aura you exhibit...I can see that you are a woman to be feared. A feared woman with...a surprisingly cute-looking face. That's a strange combination."
"Um...thank you...?"
"I believe that was her way of giving compliments, Tori." Asgore nodded as he stretched out with a warm smile. Tempest didn't seem to understand Asgore very well, so he didn't fully know what to expect. Except that he gave a small glare towards Darkness, who bowed his head knowing that he fully deserved it.
Tempest vanished with a gust of wind. Asgore narrowed his eyes as he tries to sense where the dragon might be. From the sidelines, Red also decided to pay closer attention, now convinced that paying attention was indeed important here. Asgore could faintly hear the sound of a weapon being summoned and knew it wasn't Undyne. Realizing that he can cloak himself and everything on him Asgore went for a more widespread way of drawing him out instead of waiting for him to attack. He simply folded his arms and generated a greater degree of head from his body. It soon spreads over him and turns into a wave of intense heat. It spreads out in a wide arc, with Tempest having to reveal himself to attempt to defend. The moment he does, Asgore stomps the ground with a wave of flames emitting from it. The flames burned Tempest's feet, and he ended up falling on his side and holding said burned feet. Asgore mumbled a soft apology to him.
Lunar would not be satisfied with simple practice, but she'll indulge Undyne's wishes because it was better than nothing. Lunar launched herself at Toriel, punching at her. Toriel held out her paw and blocks the strike before it could fully make contact catching it in her paw. The reaction time was admirable and she didn't move an inch anywhere else, she just glared back at Lunar with silent scolding. Lunar guessed that she was still somewhat miffed with the fact that she was the one who seriously hurt her son to satiate her desire for battle. This thought was further enforced when Toriel grabbed her by the wrist with the same paw and she felt a harsh burning sensation on said wrist. She then proceeded to lift Lunar over her head and smash her into the ground, right on her back. Lunar groaned a bit, but was nonetheless impressed. Toriel bends down a bit while helping Lunar up.
"My apologies. I must have thrown you against the ground too hard. But you seem like you could handle it quite well." Toriel commented. Though through her eyes, Lunar picked up on the veiled threat: Endanger my son with your blind desires again, I'll sear your scales right off.
Ah. Compared to her husband and son, SHE'S the merciless one if she so desires. I...can honestly get behind that~
Undyne nodded. "Tempest is much more of a stealthy fighter, simply waiting for the appropriate moment to strike without revealing himself. But since there isn't much room for that, Asgore flushed him out with high waves of heat, then burned his feet. Toriel simply subdued Lunar since she already knew she wasn't interested in using any magic to fight." Asriel nodded attentively while Red also took in the information, now fully paying attention. Red she was glad that she because Dogamy and Dogressa were up next, with Ribras and Rasha on the opposite side. They soon got out their axes. Ribras' axe had the image of fleur de lis, while Rasha's had two red leaf clovers.
"All four of us are axe wielders...how nice of us to have some sort of connection." Dogamy commented kindly.
"I do agree, it's a nice feeling." Ribras agreed, nodding just as kindly. Both off them then turned to see how their beloveds would react-
CLANG!
They jumped in fright as Dogressa and Rasha clashed axes with one another, gritting their teeth with determined glares and sharpened teeth.
"I must set a strong example for my pup!" Dogressa barked strongly.
"Then I probably shouldn't make this easy for you!" Rasha hissed with a vicious swish of her longer tail.
Dogamy and Ribras both watched them with rather wide eyes, before stepping back a few feet from their mates. A silent agreement between them is to stay out of their way for now. Dogamy shook off his slight terror and swung his axe towards Ribras and he returned the axe. Both magic axes pushed against one another while they still tended to stare a bit nervously towards their mates. At least they had quite another thing in common between them aside from their proficient axe wielding. They were rightfully terrified of their mates. Just hearing how fiercely they were clashing their axes against one another was enough to send shivers down their spines...though some of those shivers were shivers of genuine admiration. They've long accepted that their mate was the stronger of the two and they were fine with that.
Dogressa spins her axe in her paw before stopping and slashing down on Rasha. Rasha in turn holds her axe horizontally and blocks the blow, both of them still growling at one another. Red was simply staring at her foster mother in growing admiration. The intensity wasn't missed by any of the others either, especially when they began seeing cracks in the ground, cracks that grew with each powerful impact. Undyne tilted her head while Alphys clumsily held onto her so the vibrations wouldn't make her trip over herself. One especially well-timed swing from the both of them caused a particularly strong shockwave tthat knocked both of them off their feet and on their sides with pained grunts. Dogamy and Ribras immediately dissipated their weapons and went to their sides, the practice long forgotten. Undyne cut them a break then, knowing nothing else would matter if their mate was hurt. It's just how they are.
Red sighed a bit as she scratched her head. Oh Papa...
"Laaaaame.~" Lunar called out which earned her a light elbow in the ribs from Darkness. "Well it was!"
"That doesn't mean you have to be rude about it."
"Bleh!~" She stuck her forked tongue at him before pointing to Asriel and Red. "It's your turn now! Spar against the other two for my semi-amusement!"
What the golly is 'semi'-amusement...? Asriel sweatdropped. But nonetheless, he walked alongside Red, as they approached Shamir and Doggo respectively. "Red...you already know my magic, right?"
"Hm?"
"Fire Magic, Lightning Magic, and Stellar Magic. Along with some summoning bits of magic weapons."
"Now hold on a second! Stellar Magic?! I've never seen you use that!" Red exclaimed, feeling somewhat skeptical. Asriel raised his paw, and willed multiple colorful stars to levitate above it, Red's skeptical eyes turned into glowing eyes of childish wonder. "Woooaaah..."
"I can cast magic relating to the stars and potentially other cosmic and celestial objects. I didn't really think too much about it, though Undyne gave me a few ideas. It's obviously my most powerful magic of the three...I'm still trying to gain control over the higher level spells, though."
Red eyes the magic stars for a few moments, then stared Asriel in the eyes. "You're gonna show me more of that someday. I wanna see!"
"Sure. But not now. Now..." Asriel trails off as he stares calmly towards Shamir, while Doggo turns to Red. The latter nods as her sword manifests in her hand.
Uncle Doggo can't see me unless I'm moving...as much as an advantage like that would be useful, at this moment it would be unfair to him.
Shamir pulls his swords and was ready to begin. His first action was to pounce towards Asriel and slash downward with his swords. Asriel was quick to respond, raising his arm and defending against the blades. Red was quick to notice that his arms and feet were glowing a distinct rainbow, with the former covering his arm as if they were gauntlets. It wasn't too difficult to figure out that this was his Stellar Magic in play, while being rather basic. Shamir grunted as he crossed his swords and slashes at him again. He was met with surprise as Asriel parries the slash with his paws, his magic protecting his paws from damage. Shamir narrowed his eyes and only slightly pressed his offense, but Asriel continued to parry every one of his strikes with practiced grace that Red didn't expect to see from him. Though obviously it was something to observe.
Red soon shook her head regained focused on Doggo, who managed to regain his own focus and begin attacking her. Red took a breath as she parried both of his swords away, causing him to stumble to the side slightly. He shook his head and turned around again, slashing at him with both his swords with much more discipline than before. Red was surprised for a moment as each of his slashes became slightly more coordinated than the last, though she was still able to parry most of the attacks without too much difficulty. That is, until he did a slight feint which caught her off-guard from the right, and he attacked from the left. She was just barely able to avoid being slashed by swiftly changing paws and pushing back against the slash. It was surprising, since even during the few moments she stood completely still, he was still able to pinpoint her location and attack her. That is, until she briefly saw him twitch his nose. Locating via smell...
Asriel swiftly parries another slash with the back of his paw, which was still covered with the slight tint o rainbow acting as magic gauntlets. After seeing that Red was having slight trouble with her own battle, he turned back to Shamir and saw him slash downward with both blades. He caught them both with his paws, gripping them slightly. Shamir's eyes widened in response. Asriel turned towards Red and nodded to her. Seeing his intention, Red nodded as well, briefly parrying another one of Doggo's slashes. They soon jumped away from their respective opponents and swiftly turn around while passing one another. Asriel swiftly kicks Doggo down, while Red slashed horizontally, knocking Shamir down as well as knocking his blades out of his paws.
Lunar smirked with a nod of slight approval. Yeah. That'll do.
"Fuhuhuhu...great job!" Undyne grinned with folded arms with a nod. "Asriel, you've obviously improve, as usual. And Red, your skills with the sword have been acknowledged once again.I can tell you're only gonna get better. Both of ya!"
"heh. you kiddos are gettin' pretty good at this." Sans grinned with a shrug. "though, that's to be expected from the former. it's even more impressive for the latter since we're still gettin' to know ya."
"MOST IMPRESSIVE, RED. KEEP THIS UP, AND YOU'LL SURELY BECOME QUITE A GREAT PART OF THE PACK,. NOT THAT THEY STILL AREN'T INCREDIBLY HAPPY TO HAVE YOU! NYEH!~" Papyrus cackles gleefully.
Dogressa and Dogmay looked upon their daughter happily. She seemed just slightly embarrassed by the mount of attention and praise she was getting, prompting her to birefly hide in her hood. Asriel smiled at her as well, briefly nodding. "You really were great, Red."
"Me? What about you? You're the one who's parrying sword strikes with your bare paws! Did Undyne teach you that too?!" Red exclaimed.
"Technically I covered my paws with magic gauntlets...but yeah, I can see why you might think that's impressive."
Undyne huffed with a fold of her arms. "I'll admit, I do like my super cool weapons. But there's something just so gratifying about overcoming those things simply with your bare hands. Asriel's getting better at it! And I guess he has a little help from his magic, but that's a given for many monsters. Though the main part of this exercise is to show that working as a tea be a pretty significant thing. All of us have different houses to live in, but we're always a team. All of us."
"nothin' wrong with bein' a team player to a team of this size." Sans remarked.
"INDEED. I QUITE LIKE BEING ON THIS TEAM."
"Standing together is what brought us this far, Red. Before you appeared, we have accomplished certain important objectives that could not be achieved alone." Asgore nodded. "And with the world outside of Ebott not being as hospitable as we hoped, cooperation within ourselves and our monster and human bretheren something we must continue to hone."
"I see..." Red nodded a little. After a moment of thought, she soon turns to Asriel." Asriel...you're going to keep getting in trouble, aren't you?"
"What?! Trouble?! I didn't do anything!"
"You know that's not what I meant." She sighed while shaking her head. "You're making it clearer and clearer to me what kind of person you are. And it's obviously a Prince who isn't afraid to step off his throne in order to help the common folk. I bet you don't even like sitting in a throne!"
Asriel rubbed his neck slightly. "I don't make a habit of trying to appear to be better than everyone else just because I'm a Prince. I realize that some circumstances won't allow me to help it, so i apologize afterwards. And yes...I don't want to just relax while everyone is working so hard to make things better for everyone. I want to be part of that effort, too."
"You've made that clear..." Red said. "What's also been made clear is how dangerous things can get outside of Ebott. There are people out there that don't like you. So much that they want to hurt you. What you need is someone to have your back while you continue to do what you need to do for the sake of monster-human relations." Her eyes sparkled as she clenched her paws, and her tail began wagging. "Yeah...that's what I'll do! I'll have your back by being your bodyguard! This way I'll be able to protect you in case something decides to mess with you...or you're getting in trouble for someone's sake because you're trying to help them."
Asriel blinked in surprise. "You...want to be my bodyguard...?"
"In all honesty, I'm rather concerned by that choice." Toriel said while sharing a look with Dogressa and Dogamy. Though after some consideration, they both nodded. "But I also do not think it's a terrible one."
"I AGREE! EVERYTHING CAN GO EVEN MORE SMOOTHLY THAN IT USUALLY DOES WHEN YOU HAVE A PARTNER TO COUNT ON. IN SOME CASES, MY PARTNER IS UNDYNE. IN OTHERS, MY PARTNER IS SANS. THE SAME WORKS FOR THE DOGI, AS WELL AS KING ASGORE AND LADY TORIEL. AND THEN THERE'S UNDYNE AND ALPHYS, CHARA AND FRISK, ASRIEL AND CHARA, CHARA AND MUFFET...AGAIN, ANYTHING CAN GO MORE SMOOTHLY WHEN YOU HAVE A TEAM!"
"He's not wrong about that, at least in regards to us." Ribras said while hugging Rasha. She smiles and returns the hug, and both of them quietly purred.
"Yeah! You see, Asriel? This isn't a bad idea!" Red declared strongly. "So what do you say? Let me be your bodyguard! I'm totally gonna be the best bodyguard you'll ever have!"
"so what will your team name be? 'fluff and ruff'?" Sans quipped, and Toriel had to hold back a snort, along with her giggles.
"THAT NAME IS TERRIBLE!" Papyrus glared in annoyance.
Red rolled her eyes and turned towards Asriel. "So what do you say, Asriel? Will you allow me to be your personal guard dog? Someone who has your back in case someone serious tries messing with you? Also, I don't want you constantly going into danger by yourself..." After taking a moment to cool her excitement and realize what she just said, she blushed and twiddled her paws, a pink blush on her cheeks. "I mean...I'd totally be fine with you saying no. It's just an idea...an idea I really want you to say yes to..but you don't have to..."
Asriel thought over her offer. He honestly didn't think too much about having a bodyguard since he can handle himself relatively well. Still, he considered this option much more preferable than fighting on his own. Besides, it sounded nice to have a partner who will have his back and covers some of his flaws, and vice versa. Plus, this role potentially gives Red a higher sense of purpose that she's eager to believe and place her effort into, so he isn't going to dissuade her from doing so. After some consideration, Asriel smiles and nods.
"Okay Red, I accept."
"Really?!" She couldn't keep the gratitude out of her voice, and her tail began wagging again.
"Of course. Trouble is bound to find us again, or vice versa. Either way, we'll have each other's backs when those times come. As of today, we are officially partners in combat." Asriel scratched his head sheepishly. "Of course I would much rather avoid fighting at all...but some cases really are unavoidable, especially in terms of protecting another. That's when I'll be counting on you the most." Asriel smiled as he held out his paw, then slightly closed it. Red blinked for a moment. Then she understood, holding out her own fist and gently bumping it against his own. After a moment, she smiled fondly.
"I won't let you down."
Asgore and Toriel, as well as Dogamy and Dogressa, looked upon the scene with the most fondness within their eyes. They then turned towards their beloved and proceeded to nuzzle noses.
It was true. Happier times usually come from being part of a dependable team.
(?)
A very common stable when it comes to the concept of bravery, is the the ability to face things despite the fear that tries to hold them back. The ability to act in the face of fear. Being able to take risks and to act innovatively. So...one must wonder what might happen when that bravery is taken into something extreme. The kind of extreme in which one completely disregards the danger or consequences of a situation.
One would not call that bravery. Utter foolishness fits better. Even the bravest can at least try considering what kind of impact their actions might have on the world around them. Someone like this doesn't make the attempt to try at all.
This is how the situation turned out when this human teen has been found breathing heavily while lying against the wall of a compound, covered in numerous bruises. Though the ones he attacked are in worse shape, he was still pretty badly injured. Parvos sighed as he stared at the mess that's been made, rubbing his neck with a sigh. In all honesty, it wouldn't really bother him if this teen went around causing destruction for the cause, but in this case he completely rushed and attacked with no piror thinking whatsoever. This was going to cause a few setbacks for everyone, especially the boy's comrades.
"Welp...they don't call your soul Rashness for nothing, I guess..." Parvos shook his head. "Look, i'm all for causing chaos as much as you are. But walking into ambushes just to prove your tought...while not a bad test, isn't exactly smart. In fact...that was pretty dumb."
"I don't see what the big deal is. I'm just doing what I was told, no-holds bared." He pouted while standing up and cracking his neck slightly. "Nothing will get done if we don't get a bit reckless once in a while, will they?"
"Point taken." Parvos shrugged. "When you've been brought back, I expected you to be reckless. But this was on an entirely different level. And...I guess I rather enjoy seeing the consequences. good source of amusement." He says as he turns and gestures for him to follow. "We're done here. Let's go."
"Whatever..." He rolled his eyes and followed the feline monster out of the compound. "So you've already found the other three."
"Pretty much. Only two left. And they, alongside Pertinacity, are the strongest among you. So retrieving them is vital." Parvos explained. 'At least, vital to Ratoveros. I''m just waiting for what happens when we actually get you all together. I'm sure it'll be quite a show..."
Shadow cats soon emerged from Parvo's shadow. Each of them growled deeply as they prowled upon the unconscious bodies of some of the defeated mages. They bared their fangs.
By the time they disappeared, they were left as mangled corpses.
Asriel and Red officially declared themselves a team in regards to fighting. The former doesn't take a lot of favor in fighting, while the latter has no qualms about it whatsoever. The former is much more mature than the latter. One is royalty, the other has chosen to be the knight. One is fluffy, and the other is...also fluffy.
Huh.
In all seriousness, these two will be having each others backs for the foreseeable future. And believe me when I said that they need each others support when that future eventually becomes the present. And that time is significantly sooner than they would like. Times will soon get rough for them, and they, along with the others, will need each other more than ever. But for now, let's have a little bit more downtime.
Asriel: Red is my partner in combat. We'll have each others backs!
Red: *Blush* Um...yeah. Sure. That's what I wanted after all~