Here's another long chapter, where the battles are reaching their end!
And to top that off, quite a lot of unexpected, crazy things happen, which you'll have to read and find out!
Wanna keep it somewhat fresh for you all this time. Perhaps I succeeded...?
Chapter Start!
(Meanwhile...)
"For the last time Muffet, NO!"
"Oh come now, Dearie! My request is perfectly and viably reasonable.~"
"What could possibly be reasonable about taking off my clothes!? In the middle of the street, no less?!"
"I can't fix up them up if they're on your body, Dearie. So come on!~"
"NOOOOOOOO! STAY AWAY FROM ME!"
how did this happen. no, seriously. how did this happen? Sans thought with hollowed eye sockets and visible sweat dripping down his skull as Muffet-completely out of nowhere-suggested that Red discard her clothing so that she could help stitch it back up...completely nonchalant about everyone still being within the Void. Nope, Muffet's main concern was fixing Red's clothes, disregarding the fact that would leave Red somewhat more exposed than she currently was right now, and she really didn't like how exposed she currently was right now. Does Muffet mind? Given the fact that she was currently chasing the poor embarrassed canine down, not really.
"This is NOT the time for this, Muffet! Knock it off already!"
"But if I don't do so now, I'll probably forget to do so later!"
"Make yourself a reminder with your webs!"
"Will it make you feel better if I did the same? I can totally do that for you, bestie!~"
"NO WAY!"
"Well, the spider's got her priorities straight." Parvos chuckled as he sits idly in Papyrus' magic cage, with his arms folded and tail swishing in boredom. "Tell me, are the both of them short-skirt wearing types, or did the spider talk Little Red into it? I'm guessing on the latter."
"i dunno how i feel about ya talkin' about them in that manner..."
"I mean seriously, can the spider's skirt get any shorter?"
"..."
"I'm messin' around, Sansy Boy! Lighten up a little!~" Parvos chuckled again, scratching his ears while tauntingly sticking out his tongue.
"i dunno how ya can joke at this point of time. quite a bit has happened and yet ya just take it as it is and continue upon your own thoughts."
"Well sticking to those thoughts for too long isn't gonna do me any good, so I choose to just take it as it is and move on. Trust me, it isn't worth the trouble hanging onto every single thing that happens. It's just too much energy to spend thinking about." Parvos shrugged while his tail sways once again. He turned towards Sans again with a slightly raised eyebrow. "Don't you do the same?"
Sans didn't know if he should make conversation with his hated enemy...but given the circumstances-him being completely exhausted and placing trust in the others being alright-he decided to relent, signified with a sigh. "i kinda do. but sometimes i can't really help myself. must have been from hangin' out with all my weird friends for so long...i ain't exactly normal myself. normal's actually pretty overrated, but that doesn't always take away the surprise."
"I know, right? Sometimes the shock value gets to you. Other times you learn to expect it, but it still gets ya in the end! Weird how that happens, huh?" Parvos laughed outright this time, slapping his knee. "I tell ya, ya think you get used to life, it manages to surprise you anyway. It throws ya lemons, you make lemonade. Throws a lemon tree, you make the lemonade AND lemon cake as an extra. A lemon forest...well shit, I dunno what to do in that situation, except hope like hell that I can get through it, somewhat in one piece."
The duo sighed tiredly, while Parvos laid down on the ground with the amount of room he currently had. After a moment of silence, Sans spoke up again. "tell me, parv. you seem to be pretty slippery when it comes to makin' friends...yet the guys i've seen and fought against seem to be particularly attached to ya. i'm guessin they're much different than the others you've accompanied, aside from shamir and the other cats. you're close to them as well, ya can't really deny that."
"...Yeah. Perhaps I can't...but what does that matter?" Parvos shook his head as his smile turned slightly bitter. "I've had plenty of 'friends' before now. Thought I could actually count on them at certain points of time...but then I made a pretty big mistake of placing my full, doubtless trust in them. Once they've seen a pretty big opportunity to increase their own merit, they were rather quick to kick me to the curve and leave me for dead."
"huh."
"It ain't a first time thing, either. Happened multiple times, and those times were many. I was a young, stupid kitty back then. I tried to trust in other friends I've made from then on out...one mistake after another. Possible friend? Left me for dead. Trusted comrade? Insulted me for my weakness. Possible blood/dust brother? Tried VERY hard to kill me to, once again, gain their own merit. Every time I tried to genuinely reach my paw out to someone I might possibly trust, it ends up being a mistake. With every step forward, there's two steps back, and three knives at my throat." Parvos chuckled, a bit more darkly this time. "Then I realized my second mistake...letting my old man choose my friends."
Sans could see genuine frustration lace Parvos' face for the very first time. "that so...?"
"Every 'friend' I've ever had either had a significantly disturbing case of social darwinism or tall poppy syndrome in their minds. And sometimes it's outright harmful to progress." Parvos shrugged, frustration vanishing. "But alas, my superiors insist that's the way our world has to be, for the betterment of humanity and monsters, resulting in growing amounts of superiority complexes of many times in both species. some are worse than others and others resulted in very long-lasting consequences for both, and the world at large. At that point I simply stopped trying. Have been doing pretty well ever since."
Sans sighed. "so in other words...ya found it easier to stop carin' instead of staying determined to change your situation..." Sans hated how similar that sounded. Especially since Parvos didn't have the luxury of a temporal do-over, accidental or not.
"Growing up from then on was easy, since I worried about no one...and eventually I didn't even worry about me. I started doing things just because. And eventually...two squads actually tried to reach out to me and be my friends. Obviously I didn't take them...only for them to do my best to force themselves in my life anyway, regardless of how badly I hurt them." Parvos shook his head. "They claim they've formed a bond with me. And one was more hellbent to solidify it than the latter. At some point...I didn't know what to do."
"You could have tried letting us in, ya know." Dynamo eventually stretched as he laid beaten on the ground, but he seemed at peace with it. Ice Wolf sits beside him, just to be sure. "For as long as we've known you, even though you treated us like dirt, we still followed you, wanting to be your friend. That hasn 't changed even know. But we do kinda want to beat the crap outta you for being such a moron."
"Tch, yeah right. After everything I've pulled, you'd still wanna be my friend?"
"IF YOU WOULD ALLOW US TO BE, THEN OF COURSE WE WOULD!" Papyrus says quite bombastically while pressing a fist to his chest. "TRUST AND ACCEPTANCE COME BEFORE FRIENDSHIP! YOU ALREADY HAVE THE GREAT PAPYRUS'S ACCEPTANCE! IF YOU CAN TAKE MY HAND OF TRUST AS WELL, THAT WILL LEAD TO TRUE FRIENDSHIP! AND FROM THERE, WE'LL LEARN TO FURTHER TRUST EACH OTHER!"
Parvos chuckled, shaking his head. "Oh really? And who placed that belief in you, oh Great Papyrus?"
"UNDYNE DID!"
"...Seriously?"
"YOU MAY NOT BELIEVE SO AT FIRST GLANCE, BUT UNDYNE PLACES GREAT EMPHASIS AND IMPORTANCE UPON TRUST AS MUCH AS SHE DOES FRIENDSHIP. IT IS USUALLY VERY HARD TO EARN HER TRUST, INCREDIBLY SO. ESPECIALLY FROM HUMANS, THOUGH SHE HAS EASED UP IN THAT ASPECT." Papyrus paused a bit, noticing Parvos was indeed paying attention. "...BUT. EARN HER LOYALTY. EARN HER RESPECT. EARN HER TRUST...BELIEVE THE GREAT PAPYRUS WHEN HE SAYS THAT YOU'LL VERY RARELY FIND A FRIEND MORE DEVOTED THAN HER. SHE MAY NOT EXACTLY BE FRIENDLY WITH YOU IF YOU'RE NOT CLOSE. BUT IF SHE TRUSTS YOU AND YOU PROVE AND REMAIN WORTHY OF THAT TRUST AND LOYALTY...THERE'S NO AMOUNT OF HARDSHIP THAT SHE WILL NOT GO THROUGH FOR YOUR SAKE."
Parvos huffed a bit, looking at his lap. "...Huh. So that's what makes her a warrior?"
"MORE IMPORTANTLY...THAT IS A MAJOR PART OF WHAT MAKES HER A HERO."
"courage, loyal, stubborn, foul-mouthed, fierce, genuine...undyne's all of those things and more. we couldn't ask for a better friend than her." Undyne's the one who pushed Papyrus to become the best he can be, and beyond, accepting him for who he was. Papyrus wanted to talk about loyalty. Undyne certainly had Sans' loyalty, and he feels regret that he didn't live up to that admiration as much as he liked to in the past. he wanted to do better. he wanted to be better, despite what his overall nature would tell others.
There's a reason Asgore chose her to be Asriel's combat instructor, and it continues to show itself whenever she has the chance.
"We trust you, Parvos. And we want you to trust us." Will said while wrapped up in Muffet's webs. "We're alike in the most important ways. We're outcasts. We've all done bad things, well-meaning or not. Despite that, we've all came to one another for sanctuary. Shamir and the others count as well."
Dynamo sighed while looking idly towards Parvos. A cigar hung from his maw, something he was allowed to do via Ice Wolf's permissive nod. "We ain't perfect, Parv. We're all messed up in some way or another. But at least we have each other. We've got you. And you've got us. So...will ya mind steppin' outta your father's grip, try being less of an asshole, and let us into your trust circle? Stop leavin' us outta your heart. Okay?"
Parvos turned towards him, mulling over everyone's words. He then turns towards Dynamo with a tired smile. "Ya usually smoke when you're relaxed. Luckily you have absurdly powerful and enduring lungs for a gator monster. Ya really believe in them that much?"
"Come on, Parv."
"Alright alright. I'll think about it."
"That's all we're asking!" Will beamed, wiggling in his caccoon. "Oh, and you're gonna have to apologize to Shamir and the other felines. You really hurt them, ya know."
"...that's gonna suck a little."
"i honestly hope they knock your ass out, then forgive ya." Sans chuckled.
"Rasha will probably take up that mantle." Parvos chuckled as well.
"I already told you, Muffet. KNOCK IT OFF!" They heard Red shout, and out of annoyance, Red tossed a non-lethal magic bomb towards Muffet, who gleefully dodged once again. The bomb soared...right at Sans' feet...while he was too tired to move much...
"...why me...?"
BOOM!
The others stared idly, with Red's paws covering her mouth, which was uttering apologies. Now Sans was covered in black soot, smoke coming off his body, as he swayed to and fro.
"...yup. that's all for me, folks..." Sans sounded off, before he fell forwards on his face, groaning.
"YAHAHAHA!~" Parvos cackled, clapping his paws then holding his sides. "That was comedy gold! Pup, do it again!"
Least we're all somewhat calmed..kinda...I still hope Dyra is safe. Dynamo said while removing his cigar and puffing out a ring of smoke.
This was going to be a very anxious wait for him.
Gerson thought so before, and he'll think it again. As much of a scumbag as Aindreas was, his tenacity was incredible. The mage was fully aware that he has long since lost this battle, but he simply does not give a damn. No, he's fighting until he has absolutely nothing left. And, to Gerson's slight annoyance, he had quite a bit of magic power to spare, despite physically being on his last legs. This was what made humans so dangerous. Their Determination was definitely one of their shining traits.
On the other hand, monsters are no longer slouches either, as Gerson is making perfectly clear with his continued resistance.
"It's utterly baffling that you're capable of such power. Monsters such as yourselves shouldn't be capable of being so steadfast." Aindreas muttered as he slashed at Gerson with his sword, once again parried by the tortoise's hammer.
"A bit of help here, a bit of conviction there...you'll find that monsters are just as capable of breaking their limits and reaching new heights as humans are. Couple youngsters inspired me to continue doing so myself." Gerson swung his hammer, with Aindreas jumping back. "Comin' outta retirement so I can better guard my people and loved ones is one of the more risky decisions I've made in my long life, yet it's also one of those I regret the least."
"That lack of hesitation will be your undoing."
"Says the one who's not only outnumbered, but greatly weakened." Gerson shrugged as he twirled his hammer and slammed it into the ground-the resulting shockwave threw Aindreas off his feet and sent him crashing along the ground. Aindreas resisted crying out at the pain that kept increasing the more exhausted he became. And yet he remains standing, uncaring of his condition, refusing to die so easily. Gerson grunted, such tenaciousness from an enemy is worthy of respect. Unfortunately, that wouldn't save him from Gerson. Aindreas knows this well, hence his refusal to surrender and desire to achieve victory at any cost.
Thus his next action couldn't have infuriated Gerson more if he tried.
Adam would suddenly begin groaning in pain and fell over on his side, clutching his chest with his eyes tightly clenched. Alvina panicked and slipped to his side. "Adam!"
Gerson could vaguely sense it, but he sensed what little remains of Adam's energy was being leeched, and flowing into Aindreas. Gerson's glare intensified as Aindreas was beginning to recover as a result of this. Gerson leaped towards him, his hammer pulled back for a much stronger swing. "Enough of that! Haven't you hurt that boy enough?!" He was answered by an immediate blast of darkness that nearly engulfed Gerson within it. Though it vanished after a bit, and he crashed on the ground on his side. He winced. Numerous injuries covered his body, which included his shell being badly cracked. When he tried to get back up, Aindreas stomped him back into the ground, kicking his hammer away. He noticed Asgore and Toriel making their way towards them, and summoned a majority of phantoms of himself to deter them and keep hem occupied.
"If he refuses to rejoin me, so be it. His final contribution can be lending me his energy, another type of dark magic he refused to wield...I am not so hesitant." Adam muttered as he manifested his sword once more. "Troublesome tortoises and troublesome treacherous students of mine...I may not survive the Dreemurrs last afterwards, but they shall mourn your deaths afterwards."
"So spite is your remaining method...how...pitiful..." Gerson grunted. Dark and Black Magic are highly likely to corrupt those that practice it, and encourages the practitioners darker impulses. Aindreas can preach otherwise about 'mastering' it, but his heart and soul were still weak to it. He was no different than the others, not like Adam.
Alvina was at a lost on what to do. Temmie and Alex were too wounded and exhausted to move, Asgore and Toriel were being disrupted by phantoms, Adam's being drained of magic and soul energy until there was absolutely nothing, and Gerson was at Aindreas' mercy. Even of Asgore or Toriel do get through and kill him afterwards, he would have taken the aforementioned two with him, purely out of spite. That was what Dark Magic did to one's psyche.
...Stop.
She had to do something.
Stop it please...!
An entire family with immense magic potential within them, dark or not, and she was the only one without it? No way.
...No. I have to make him stop!
She needed to do something. A good friend and her only brother were going to die before Asgore or Toriel could get to them.
I know you're somewhere within me, magic! I simply can't be the only one in my family without it! Do whatever you want! Take over my mind, corrupt my soul, forever change my appearance, I seriously do NOT give a damn right now! Just help me put a stop to this!
What happened next was a barrage of blurs for her.
Aindreas didn't really comprehend what happened. One moment, he was simultaneously pinning Gerson down and draining Adam of everything he had, the next he was tackled down and being viciously mauled by something big with bestial fury. Grunting in slight panic, he used a burst of darkness to push the figure off of him. He coughed while gazing at the various claw marks on his body, then looked towards the cause. What he saw was more than a bit surprising. A tiger cloaked in glowing black and purple magic was snarling viciously at him, with it's fangs bared. He almost asked where it came from...until he saw the color of it's fur.
Crimson. Like Alvina's hair.
Her magic awakened...and it appears to be highly related to Beast Magic! Was this because her brother was in serious danger of dying...?
That wasn't the only thing that shocked him. Immense magic was pouring out of Alvina...far more than any single member of her family have produced on their own.
He was given no time to ponder, as Alvina instinctively changed forms again. This time it was a beast rabbit. She swiftly hopped right over him and sent a powerful kick into his back, that very nearly snapped it in half. He grunted and recovered quickly, turning towards her; she closed in on him in moments with impressive speed and headbutted him hard in the ribs, sending him crashing farther back. Blood poured from his mouth as he attempted to regain control of the situation.
She's obviously not very skilled with this magic despite how powerful it was making her, seeing as she just awakened it. But with how weakened Aindreas was, nowhere near to Alvina's extent, it was very unlikely to matter.
Regardless, he resisted. Alvina jumped at him again, only for Aindreas to dodge and smash a green flamed fist into her head, inciting a yelp from her. "I will NOT be killed by an inexperienced mage who only recently awakened her power! I won't be humiliated like that!" Alvina landed on her feet, shaking her head from the burn, but didn't stop her assault, charging him again. This time he throws a more powerful blast that greatly pushed her back and left her with greater burns. He sends yet another blast to keep her from recovering again, but she shape-shifted once again. His eyes widened when the smoke cleared, revealing a monster armadillo form...it's hardened skin left her barely damaged.
She then changed form again. This time, it was more anthropomorphic in nature, being a sort of weredog. It was slightly muscular in form, and two slight swellings on it's chest reminded one that this was a female. With a bestial roar, Alvina rushed towards Aindreas, who tried to shield himself with a magic barrier, but one full-hearted slash broke right through it, and a second left even deeper slashes across his chest, knocking him to the ground. She didn't pause here either; she immediately pounced him and began pounded on his chest with her bare fists, howling wildly in the process. She didn't let up her assault for an instant, constantly smashing her fists into him, not noticing the blood beginning to cover her fists.
"ALVINA! THAT'S ENOUGH!" Gerson shouted out to her. She had enough sense to comprehend this, and stopped her assault there, though was still snarling at her helpless prey with intense hatred. Aindreas could barely move anymore, his ribs impaling his lungs and leaving him hardly able to breathe, unable to even utter a curse upon the one who defeated him. Gerson limped over to see Aindreas' current state, and solemnly shook his head. "You're the one who took away this girl's family and made sure most had no chance of becoming good, forcing us to put down four of them. Adam is at least trying to better himself despite how much he doesn't believe he deserves. And here you lie, your end at the hands of the remaining one who has kept any decency in her soul...what a scenario, eh?"
The sound of Aindreas' soul shattering followed right after, and he became completely limp.
"Alvina...?" Adam managed to mutter as he slowly approached her, with Temmie in his arms and Alex limping alongside him. Alvina turned towards Adam while breathing heavily in her current form. Adam took a deep breath, not stopping until he was completely in front of her. "Alvina...are you okay?"
Alvina gazed at her brother for the longest time, quietly looking him over. Her fur in her current form was wild to emphasis how desperate she was to save him, and the look in her eyes told him she didn't regret her actions at all, though was definitely overwhelmed by how sudden this was. After a moment of silence, the feral look in her eyes softened, the darkness surrounding her body vanished, and she lightly wrapped her arms around him and pulled him against her chest-she was a few feet taller in her current state-then began gently hugging him. He soon felt the tears lightly landing on his head and Alvina shivering slightly while hugging him.
She was relieved he was alright, more than anything.
Adam sighed with a soft smile, lightly returning the hug. She likely couldn't communicate vocally with her current status and was also likely unable to change back into a human right now, so body language was all she could do. That was fine, as Adam hugged her soon after. "I'm alright, Alvina. I'm alive because of you. You saved me and Gerson."
"Goodness gracious..." Toriel muttered as she quickly caught up with them, Asgore accompanying her. She immediately got to healing them as best as she could, having of plenty of energy left after getting over her initial vertigo from defeating Akai. Asgore got on his own knees and assisted her to his best ability at the moment. "Are you all alright...? We deeply apologize for not getting here sooner. Aindreas' blasted phantoms prevented us from progressing, from his actions of restoring his reserves by leeching from Adam..."
"Bastard was willing to do anything to win at this pointy, even if it's a menial victory..." Scythe muttered while shaking his head, carrying Akai over his shoulder. "He may have been a very skilled dark mage...but of course, that dark magic emphasized most of his negative traits...including spite."
"Such pettiness..." Asgore mumbled while shaking his head. "There's likely to be more dark mages like him...some more dangerous than others, and obviously more powerful. However..." He slowly turned to the transformed Alvina, who was currently, lovingly cuddling her brother from sheer relief. "Alvina is a dark mage herself with her reawakened Beast Magic...but she and Adam are proof that not all of them are doomed to a path of darkness...they're still decently good people."
"Yeah. There's barely any of those anymore. Believe me, I know. We've tried looking in many places." Scythe chuckled a bit bitterly.
Toriel sighed while she finished healing what she could for the moment, her paws landing on her lap as she leaned against Asgore, who wrapped a comforting arm around her. They were now sincerely hoping that their friends and children would emerge victorious as well.
Still, no one expected Alvina to awaken her magic this way...or that she had magic at all, deeply dormant or not. Then again...this may have been the motivation she needed.
"I think I've finally gotten a slight grasp on exactly what kind of warrior you are combat-wise, Undyne the Undying." Ratoveros said as he again clashed blades with Undyne, both of them pushing against one another with magic sparks flying from the grinding.
"Fuhuhu. Ya really think so?" Undyne grinned while pushing his sword upwards and kicking him in the chest, greatly pushing him back a decent amount of feet. He managed to stop himself by jabbing his blade in the ground, and huffed at her question.
"You are obviously a knight with many noble qualities. Look past your extremely rough exterior and you embody much of what a true knight aspires to be, with a variety of combat proficiency, especially with weaponry. Not only that, but you're able to channel your rage constructively rather than let it overwhelm you. You channel great anger without sacrificing combat efficiency, which makes you even more dangerous." Ratoveros explained while standing up, pulling his sword from the ground. "Take all of that into account and I find you the strangest Berserker-Type Knight I've ever seen."
Undyne grinned while lightly wiping her mouth. "A berserker...yeah. I think you can fit me in that category!" She leaped and slashed at him with her spear again, which the large feline quickly parried with his sword, coated in black flames. It was becoming clear that their stalemate was slowly beginning to shift to Undyne's favor, but Ratoveros impressively remained steadfast, continuing to match her blade for blade.
What a strange warrior, she is... Ratoveros mentally muttered as he again parried a slash from Undyne, then sent one of his own, accompanied by a black wave of lightning. She managed to swiftly dodge it, only receiving a mild singe in her side. She grits her teeth through it and grinned, slashing at his side in return, leaving a gash. Even though she's not very proud of it at the moment, she obviously enjoys the intensity of combat. And despite that, she is completely on the side of righteousness. He pulls his paw back and fires a wave of black fire-lightning. Undyne defends with a manifested shield before her with the Delta Rune on the front. She grunted, and the shield cracked slightly from the attack's sheer power, but it did not break. The attack soon dissipates, and so does her shield moments afterwards.
"I wear my heart and soul on my sleeve." Undyne muttered. "If I think something's shitty, I say so. If I want to do something, I put my entire being into seeing it done. And I'm always in favor of a good scrap once in a while. But what I don't condone is picking on the weak just because I'm stronger than them, or try and keep them from improving themselves be it strength or character out of fear or jealously." Undyne glares as she slashes at Ratoveros again, lightly getting a cut on his chest. "Say whatever you want about me, I live my life however the hell I want. Just so happens that I like to help others however I can. Whether it be beating the crap outta their bullies, or teach them how to do it themselves...or just being their friend. I like having those traits as a part of my life, nothing like yours, which only leaves you distant and alone." She jumped towards him and slashed with her spear again, causing him to raise his blade in an attempt to parry again. But it was a feint; the spear disappeared from her hands and was replaced with gauntlets once more. She dropped down and uppercuts his sword out of his paws, disarming him. "I may not be the most peaceful gal around, and none of us are looking for a perfect life or anything like that, but it still beats whatever kind of life you're trying to lead!" After this, ten spears shot up from the ground and ran him through in different directions. He coughed a bit. In his weakened state, such an attack left him unable to continue. He falls over on his back, finally defeated.
Undyne was the victor.
And despite that...Ratoveros wasn't upset. He almost seemed satisfied. It didn't end the way he wanted, but he seemed fine with this regardless.
"...You ARE right about one thing. As long as Ebott is fighting on it's own against a much larger and more expansive enemy, we won't survive." Undyne muttered as she balanced a spear on her shoulder and looked towards her fallen enemy. "So we're gonna have to go outside for real, and make some great and powerful friends. And we'll do so through kindness, loyalty, and trust. Not pure brute force. No 'with us or against us' bullshit. If they don't wanna team up and we can't convince them otherwise, that's fine. If they do agree to be our friends, or reliable allies at the very least...that's even better."
"...Hehe. The idealistic ones always did get in my nerves." Ratoveros muttered. He raised his paw ever so weakly, and waved it slightly. On cue, the felines he took control over, Shamir and the others, suddenly collapsed in the middle of fighting the Pack. They were slightly confused by this, while Ratoveros simply lays back down, feeling himself turning to dust. "There...I released them. Consider it your reward for besting me..."
"...Thanks." Undyne muttered. She wasn't cold enough to just write off a gesture like that, even if it is from an enemy. It only proved that despite Ratoveros embracing his intensely negative worldview, he wasn't completely without honor.
"You've earned them back fairly. Far more than I ever did or could. I'll concede to you fully, Undyne the Undying." Ratoveros muttered. "...If I may...request something of you."
"...?"
"...Take care of my son..." Undyne seemed legitimately surprised by this. From what they say about one another, Parvos and Ratoveros absolutely hated one another. So why...? "He won't be interested in avenging me, so don't worry. I don't care what you do. Punish him. Yell at him. Force him through labor. Just...don't let him die."
Undyne thought this over for a bit. Parvos has caused her and the others, especially his feline group, lots of pain and annoyance. Ratoveros didn't seem to like Parvos much either. But apparently not enough for him to not wish him well beyond his own death. With a thought like this swirling around, Undyne could only sigh.
"I'm gonna beat the ever-living hell outta that cat for being such a pain in the ass. After that, I'll find him something useful to do. He'll earn his place here."
"...Ahaha...maybe by then he'll learn some...proper discipline..." Ratoveros nodded while resigning fully to his demise. Undyne turned her back on him and closed her eyes as he faded fully into dust. That was quite a last request he was asking her to fill...and both of them knew she'd do what she could to see it through.
"NGH-" Undyne clutched her left eye while hissing in pain. She swayed a bit, but didn't fall. However, she could sense her magic was returning to normal. Going straight back into Undying mode was out of the question. She sighed as she placed her eye patch back over it. Timed out. If that had happened at any moment during the fight, I would have been seriously screwed.
Alphys had still been busy with Dyra, while Warkie watched idly from the sidelines. It's become increasingly clear to Alphys that his specialty lies more into reconnaissance than combat, and thought about how far away he was from his comfort zone and realm of competency. He must really not have wanted Dyra to go at this alone. And there was even less doubtful that he regretted allowing her to be a part of this. Well, there was no getting out of it for either of them. Not until Alphys won.
And she intended to do so.
"We're close to putting an end of this, Alphys! You might wanna hurry up and kill me if you don't wanna die first!" Dyra said madly as psychic light shot towards Alphys. A digital wall manifested and blocked against the attack. Her grip on her sanity was rapidly deteriorating, which was what Warkie feared. Regardless, Alphys stayed focused and stayed steady.
"Neither of us are going to die today. I won't allow it." Alphys said strongly while holding out, until she pushed her paw against the digital wall that spread multiple digital blades towards Dyra. Many of them slashed at Dyra's sides and face, none of them meant to be lethal. "I'm not going to just let a fellow scientist die pointlessly. I'm getting us both out of this alive. And maybe we can even be friends."
"I'm not interested in being friends with you!" Dyra shouted as she throws a ball of psychic fire towards her. Alphys narrowed her eyes as her wrench charged with energy and deflecting the fireball back towards her. She dispelled it with ease. "At the very best, you are a rival! A rival I intend on taking out of the equation!" She shouted vehemently as psychic air charged within her paws, and pushed the buildup psionic magic towards Alphys.
"Rival...?" She narrowed her eyes as digital wings charged from her back and flapped once, boosting her into the air. They dissipated quickly, and the energy gathered in her paws to form a large digital hammer. "I'll gladly accept you as my rival, but only after we accept each other as friends!" She shouts while smashing the digital hammer down on Dyra. Dry tried to conjure psychic earth to counter it, thought it proved to be too much, and was smashed into the ground. Alphys fell to the ground on her back, panting slightly while adjusting her glasses. Drya lies unconscious next to her, eyes whited out. "Ah...that was really rough..."
"She's alive...she'll be fine after this, I hope...thank you, Alphys." Warnie said to her, again through Sound Magic. Alphas smiled and nodding quietly to herself.
She was tapped out, hopefully she can depend on the others to end things on a better note. She had faith in their ability to see them all through this, despite how immense the threat was towards them. She believed in them as much as the others.
...I'm gonna really want some instant ramen after this crazy chaos...
[Music: Your Best Nightmare]
Asriel, Chara, and Frisk knew they were in for some difficulty. Flowey X was getting more and more tired of simply toying with them when they've made it abundantly clear that they would not be toyed with. It was a bit more difficult for Frisk to portray this attitude, but he was totally ready to prove himself. His glowing gold and blue eyes were quite a testament of this. He must have grown confident enough to open them fully, and if they had the time, it would definitely be something for the others to talk about as a small side discussion.
But for now, bigger problems await them.
"You three are annoyingly determined, I'll admit that much to you. After all, I'm one of the ones that know you best." Flowey muttered while glaring at the three of them. "But that doesn't matter, for it won't save you from me! I've wasted enough time attempting to draw out fun from the three of you! Now I'm gonna skip that part entirely and get to the slaughter!"
"You're not gonna kill us. We've come too far for something like that to happen." Asriel stated resolutely.
"We'll defeat you and knock some sense into you. Then you'll be our friend again!" Frisk said, just as determined.
"You'll save yourself the humiliation and just knock it off already." Chara muttered.
"Tch! You're become cocky little brats. How's this then?!" On Flowey's cue, six balls of light manifested in front of the trio, revealing to be the souls of the six. Justice, Integrity, Bravery, Patience, Perseverance, and Kindness. Each of them had a spectral form, and they had their respective weapons, defense, and powers at the ready. The trio flinched violently, remembering that they would have to free them as well. "It's gonna be pretty tough for you to take these kiddos on once again, won't it?!"
"Well, that's troublesome." Gaster muttered from afar, casually dodging attacks from the doppelgangers pursuing him. He thinks a bit, then raised two of his floating hands. "In that case, allow me to even things out quite a bit."
Snap.
Seconds later, Asgore and Toriel appeared right beside the Dreemurr Trio, their injuries mostly nonexistent now. They both blinked and looked around in confusion and shock. Asgore recovered first, gazing towards Gaster.
"Your Majesties. I realize that you have many questions, but now simply isn't the time. We have more important things to deal with that are of the utmost urgency." Gaster has adjusted to the Void's domain. He couldn't do much since Flowey X would cut him off if he tried to do any more. But what he was able to warp space around them and bring them straight here, first making sure that that their battle was over and their friends next to them were safe. The others would just have to rest, but Asgore and Toriel were needed here to help their children. And 'erasing' a majority of their injuries was definitely a plus. "All you need to know right now is that your children need your assistance." He says while firing a Gaster Blaster towards the Sans duplicate that was doing the same towards them.
Asgore and Toriel both looked towards one another, then Gaster, then their children. And after a brief look into each other's eyes, they agreed. Both noticed that their children were facing the six souls...once again. And Photoshop Flowey on top of it...
Asgore narrowed his eyes.
"Boys, jump!" Asgore chanted as he swung his trident, sending a wave of flames towards them, mentally muttering an apology towards the six souls manifestations. The Dreemurr Trio jumped over the flame wave as it hits the six of them, sending them flying away a reasonable decent distance. Asgore narrowed his eyes while clutching his trident. The manifestations returned as they surrounded the two parents. They stood back to back with steeled eyes. Haven't they been through enough? This abuse of them has to end.
"Children! Keep focused on Flowey! We'll hold the souls here!" Toriel shouted towards them as she defends against five glowing blue knives from the patience soul. She narrowed her eyes slightly. He sent manifestations of the souls power, so he's still connected to them. However...defeating them should weaken him drastically, if not completely. But the main point is to keep them away from the boys so they can defeat Flowey. After that, their souls should return to their bodies...they just need to hold on a bit longer...!
"Grah! You seriously got their parents here to help?! Annoying!" Flowey X snarled as he sent another storm of vines towards the Dreemurr Trio. "You just couldn't let the three most involved with time travel shenanigans fight on their own without their help, could you?!"
"You have made us all very desperate with your presence, Flowey X. Do you really think that we can afford to play fair at the moment?" Gaster replied dully, sending another flurry of blasts towards the duplicates. "Pay his taunting no mind, focus on defeating him."
"You don't have to tell us that!" Asriel said strongly as he slashed apart several of the vines heading his way. Afterwards, he lit them with intense flares to burn some of the vines away along with slashing them. "Flowey! You said you were done toying with us! It doesn't matter how many pieces of our past you dig up, it won't overwhelm us!"
"...You sure about that...?" Asriel's eyes widened as Photoshop Flowey conjured something else up right in front of him, faster than he could react.
It was himself again...but as the Angel of Death.
"Wha-?!"
[Music: Burn In Despair!]
"You truly believe in those words, huh? Let's see you prove it!" Asriel was soon overwhelmed by being punched with a multicolored fire fist into his face, sending him a a great distance across the Void.
"Asriel!" Chara shouted out after him as he attempted to follow him. Though he was soon cut off by a crimson slash that nearly sliced off his other arm. That would have simply been too troublesome. He turned to see himself as well, only with glowing demonic eyes and blackness dripping from his eyes and mouth. The Real Knife was firmly within his copy's grip. "You've gotta be kidding me..."
"Don't leave so soon! Come along and play!~" His copy chanted eagerly as it slashed the Real Knife towards him in a red crescent. Chara grunted and jumped over it, only to be punted across the ground a few seconds after, which was followed by sinister, unhinged laughter throughout the Void.
"Asriel! Chara!" Frisk gasped a bit, seeing his siblings become overtaken by their respective copies once again. Before he could go assist them, Flowey X shifted right him front of him, wearing a psychotic grin of his own.
"Nuh-Uh, Frisky Bits! You're playing with ME!" He chanted manically as he swun his large spiky arm across towards Frisk. He was barely able to defend against it by using Support Magic to increase said defense, but the attack was still strong enough to smash him across the ground, flopping a bit before landing on his front, coughing and twitching a bit. Flowey tilted his head and cackled again once he sees Frisk shakily stand up, blood dripping from his head. "Daw, did I hit ya too hard? Don't wanna be known as Frisk the Fragile, do ya?!"
Frisk tsked while doing his best to heal with the little seconds he had, before being swarmed by friendliness pellets from all sides. He initially burned them all away, but was soon struck with a bomb right at his feet. The blast hurled him away even further, rolling across the ground until coming to a stop, wincing once again from the pain building up. But regardless, he pushed himself back up so as to keep himself from being caught further off-guard. Flowey was being even more relentless than before, and it seriously wasn't doing him any significant favors.
But he couldn't back away from this. They were so close to ending this, and it wouldn't do anyone any good to back away now. With Support Magic, he surrounded himself in a barrier. Reinforcement around his body to serve as a layer of armor.
Keep fighting...my brothers will be fine...just don't get killed in the meantime...!
"Show a little initiative, Frisk! You seem to be losing some steam!~" Flowey shouted as his arm smashed down upon Frisk. The latter looked upwards quickly and shots a larger ball of fire towards it to counter it the best he could. The arm shifted to the side from the impact, landing it right beside Frisk.
'Don't die...!'
Asriel coughed a bit as he held his bloodied snout, panting slightly. Moments afterwards, he needed to roll to the side as lightning soon struck where he was just lying. He looked to the side to see his copy as the Angel of Death was slowly approaching him. Memories flashed before his eyes as he remembered how he's taken that form before. How the feeling of unfathomable power coursed through his reborn body, and how euphoric he felt for having the ability to feel emotions again, how he felt like he could shape the world however he wanted...and then he remembered how exactly he gained that power in the first place.
No. Never again. Power gained that way wasn't worth it, especially with how he was planning to use it.
"I don't care about destroying this world anymore."
He was driven completely insane by a lack of emotions.
"After I defeat you and gain total control over the timeline... I just want to reset everything."
But regardless of his own pain, that was no excuse for his actions.
"All your progress... Everyone's memories. I'll bring them all back to zero!"
He was being a selfish little kid, only thinking of himself. He can't be crying just because things don't go his way.
"Then we can do everything ALL over again."
If he kept going back to the beginning, he wouldn't get meaningful anything done in the future. He couldn't allow the past to trap him like that. He had to be stronger than that.
"The power that let you get this far... It's gonna be your downfall! Now ENOUGH messing around! It's time to erase this timeline once and for all!"
No more of that. Erasing the past won't accomplish anything. He wouldn't be able to learn from the past if it was never there, it ultimately helps in shaping the future.
"-!" Asriel pushed himself up as a blast of lightning nearly struck him. Though he was open for another attack; his copy fired a powerful Chaos Buster laser into his chest, knocking him deep into the ground, creating another crater. He winced as he tried recovering. He forced himself to move before ready, avoiding a Chaos Saber nearly stabbing through his back.
"You could have stayed in your little dreams. You could have stayed within your childish fantasy back then, without trying to fool yourself into thinking you're anything besides that." He heard his doppelganger sigh as he twirled his blades and threw one of them towards Asriel. He parried the sword, sending it upwards, only to receive Shocker Breaker to the chest, singing his shirt and blasting him further back. His Locket miraculously remained undamaged, but his body was a different matter. "Your story was supposed to have ended long ago, and yet you persisted. Risking everything for redemption that is completely beyond you. The mindset of an infantile child."
"...You're not changing my mind..." Asriel muttered gravelly as he picked himself back up again. "I still have...quite a bit to make up for...it's a journey I plan on staying on. Me staying dead would have accomplished even less than me trying for life again..." He said while gritting his teeth. "My path...my fate...is for me to decide. I'm not going to let a shadow of my past tell me that what I'm doing is pointless!"
"Your future is rife with hardship and pain, you walk a path in which your success isn't even slightly ensured. Are you truly willing to risk everything so blindly?"
"Of course...happy endings...have to be earned...I'm willing to put up with a little pain to make sure my loved ones happy..." Asriel muttered as he held up his paw, gathering magic within it, a rainbow ball, his eyes overshadowed. "It's okay if I lose once in a while...I'm fine with being knocked to the ground, so long as I can get up again and keep trying...Master Undyne drilled that into me..." He says seriously. "And there is one thing. Only ONE thing...that she'll never, ever allow me to lose at...I must never lose to myself."
"Hm...?"
...Chaos Bloom. Asriel mentally muttered. The rainbow ball quickly expanded and brightened extremely quickly, a powerful shockwave ringing throughout the area. His doppelganger's eyes widened as he was fully engulfed by the blast...Asriel swore he saw a ghost of a smile before it hit.
Chara, in the meantime, grunted as he pushed himself back up while wiping blood from his mouth...ignoring the bloody slash across his chest, he regarded it as unimportant. Anything that isn't lethal, he will ignore. Because right now, a copy of him was standing quite a few feet away, twirling the Real Knife in it's hand a few times, it's disturbing smile etched across it's face as blackness dripped from it...he hasn't smiled like that in a while. Perhaps he'll get back into it, it'll give a good scare towards his enemies. But for now, he needed to focus, and quickly.
"With your guidance. I realized the purpose of my reincarnation."
No. NO. Screw that. Screw. That. He didn't need that right now in his head right now. Besides that, he remembered how soft-spoken he was...he must have grown out of it. And not in the most desirable of ways.
"Power. Together, we eradicated the enemy and became strong."
Power for power's sake is completely, utterly pointless. He doesn't care about it if it's used selfishly. And he was too demented to decipher friend from foe. He should have never dragged his family into his hatred-filled actions.
"You think you are above consequences."
Now THAT was just hypocritical nonsense coming from him at the time, and he knew it. No one had been able to stop him until they deliberately started breaking more rules than they should be allowed, completely overriding fate's path for them. He was thankful for that in the end.
"Since when were you the one in control?"
They took that control from him by force. It was the only way they could truly reach him.
"The demon that comes when people call its name."
Damn right he was a demon. The whole entire shitshow started with him, he doesn't need to be reminded. All because he couldn't let go of a petty grudge against humanity. The costs were NOT worth the attempt. It was all because of the hatred of a petty, malevolent demon. He was supposed to be the monster's angel after falling, but turned out to be a demon.
...A child thought to be an angel...who fell from grace before and after committing terrible sins.
...a Fallen Angel.
Chara bitterly scoffed at how appropriately that fits him. Once again, he's reminded of how much better Asriel and Frisk were as a whole compared to trash like him, and always would be. They should have never wasted their energy saving someone as worthless as him. But...that doesn't mean he had to stay worthless.
"You stopped gaining power for it's own sake. Why do you need a reason for it...?" His copy uttered curiously towards him. "Wait, nevermind. There's such a great and amazing things about 'reasons.' They can be simple. Doesn't matter if it's petty or not, it's completely capable of being a motivation in of itself. Why bother looking for more 'justified' reasons?"
"Power simply for power's sake is pointless and a waste of time. I've got more important things to do than waste time for something as worthless a motivation as that..." Chara muttered.
"It was motivation enough for you, after enough times, wasn't it?"
"That doesn't make it right...!" Chara grimaced as another crescent slash crashed against his chest, leaving an even deeper cut on him than before. He stepped back a bit, then grimaced again as he was slashed across the back with another slash, falling on his face.
"You wanted to make the humans pay for what they've done to you, isn't that right? Why in the world would you regret taking action for something you feel so passionate about, regardless of the cost?~"
"The cost was EXACTLY why my actions were pointless! All I accomplished was further ruining the monsters lives while killing both myself and Asriel. And I had the gall to be pissed at HIM for doing the right thing! Even if he hesitated at the last moment, the blame falls on me for dragging him into it in the first place!" Chara clawed at the ground while gritting his teeth. "That's an utterly shitty thing for a big brother to do to his sibling...and yet he...Frisk...my parents...they still..."
He could hear his copy lunging at him with the Real Knife glaring and itching for his blood. He didn't mind. He only needed a second to focus. Afterwards, he stood up, slightly shaken, and narrowed his glowing crimson eyes. His copy then ran him through with the Real Knife...then appeared shocked as Chara firmly holds onto the arm that did so with his flesh hand.
If the wound isn't lethal, ignore it. Chara thought with steeled determination as his shadow arm pulsed and grew with sinister magic as he pulled it back, then thrusts said arm at his copy, blowing it away in a vortex of black and red swirls, until it crashed against a wall in front of him, annihilating his copy for good. He sighed as the Real Knife disappeared, the wound it caused bleeding slightly. ...Huh. Annihilating Crash. I think that's what it's called... The childish part of him wondered for a bit. In his bits of watching anime with his brothers, he remembered that attack belongs to one of his favorite characters...what an eccentric inspiration.
Regardless, he was done here. Time to regroup, quickly.
Asgore's trident parried the knives coming his way, as well as parrying many projectile punches and kicks. Patience and Bravery were relentless with their attacks towards him. It didn't help that Justice's bullets were also getting past his defenses, piercing through his body every several moments. Though before he could be overwhelmed too much, Gaster would separate them with a row of bones towards them.
"Human... It was nice to meet you. Goodbye."
"I do not want power. I do not want to hurt anyone."
"I just want to see my wife. I just want to see my child."
"This war has gone on long enough. You have the power...Take my soul, and leave this cursed place."
"Human... I promise you...For as long as you remain here...My wife and I will take care of you as best we can."
Asgore blinked as he heard the echoes of his voice throughout the Void, looking around strangely. "What is this...this is my own voice, is it not...?"
Toriel was meanwhile defending against the onslaught of souls Perseverance, Kindness, and Integrity. Kindness was throwing green balls of fire towards her, which she managed to dispel easily enough, though it turns out to be a ploy; Perseverance would send purple chains towards them that Toriel would roll a bit to dodge from, only for Integrity to speed towards her and kick her hard in her cheek with Ballet Shoes. She yelped as she rolled across the ground, landing face-down in the dirt.
"A one-way exit to the rest of the underground. I am going to destroy it. No one will ever be able to leave again. Now be a good child and go upstairs."
"Every human that falls down here meets the same fate. I have seen it again and again. They come. They leave. They die. You naive child... If you leave the Ruins... They... ASGORE... will kill you. I am only protecting you, do you understand? Go to your room."
"There is only one solution to this. Prove yourself. Prove to me that you are strong enough to survive!"
"You pathetic whelp. If you really wanted to free our kind... You could have gone through the barrier after you got ONE SOUL..."
"As terrible as ASGORE is... He deserves mercy, too."
"...It appears that Flowey is truly bringing out all the stops...fighting us emotionally and mentally as well as physically...and it might be working..." Toriel mumbled as she grunted while pushing herself up from the ground, her right eye swollen shut and patches of blood matting her fur. She wasn't stupid. As she heard her own voice before hearing Asgore's, she remembered which of the two was more selfless and righteous, despite how disastrous they were.
She should have been there. She should have been there. But despite her kind words and warm aura, she was ultimately only interested soothing her own suffering and loneliness instead of everyone else's. ...and that wasn't fair at all. If there's any silver lining to her selfishness, it's that despite all that she's said and done at the time...she didn't hate Asgore enough to want him to die. Hearing that almost EVERY route that wasn't Pacifist ended with his tragic and lonely death-one of which was outright suicide- made her feel disgustingly sick to her stomach out of sheer guilt.
The fact that he insists on forgiving her no matter what speaks volumes about how much bigger his heart was compared to hers. At this point she's glad Gerson, Sans, and Undyne told her off and called her out on her actions and lack of action. It's because of that big heart of Asgore's that he's let her off so easily. In his heart and soul, they were still family. And she tried to selfishly sever that bond when he was only doing what he could, even if it was misguided.
That should have been unforgivable.
"TORIEL!"
Her eyes were snapped open as Asgore was in front of her, defending her against a torrent of combined attacks from the six souls. He was continuously spinning his trident while taking the time to look back and bring her back into focus. And she did so readily, standing back up despite her injured state, flames igniting in her paws while her crimson eyes flared.
She's got better things to do than wallow in self-pity. She's above and beyond that phase, for the sake of her friends that needed her. Her husband needed her. Her children needed her. Her family needed her.
With her resolve reborn, Toriel assists Asgore as she gathers a larger ball of flames in her paws, and tosses it towards the souls, making sure it was nonlethal. It crashed into them, knocking each of them down to the ground, their forms returning to the shape of hearts, and then back to Flowey.
Frisk was having a difficult time, but he refused to buckle under the pressure. Flowey cackled as he unceremoniously smacked him aside with his arm again, knocking him across the ground with a gleeful laugh.
"You're not gonna last much longer at this rate, Frisk! You might wanna throw in the towel while you still can! Go ahead, roll over and die for me! Over and over, like the good old days!~"
"...Are you actually going to keep spouting that nonsense until you start believing in it...?" Frisk asked quietly.. "Lie to us all you want, Flowey. But don't start lying to yourself..."
"What...?"
[Music: Finale]
Frisk used support magic to heal some of his wounds, but mostly used it in order to augment both defense and attack-in regards to magic AND physical ability-by ten. That was going quite a bit over his current limit...but that's alright by him. He couldn't afford to settle for just his best, Flowey's too powerful for that. Going beyond that should be able to serve his intentions.
"Don't keep spewing that same stuff without actually believing in it...and I can tell that you don't!" Frisk shouted as white fire gathered in his hand. And without hesitating, he threw the fireball towards Flowey. A few moments after, it expanded and exploded right at Flowey's second mouth. The explosion itself was MUCH bigger than the other times, enough to send Flowey back quite a big distance. Frisk winced a bit; there were burns on the hand that he threw the fireball with, but nothing too severe. He could heal that quite easily. Flowey shook his head a bit as he hurriedly began healing himself.
"G-Geez! That was actually much more intense than the others! What's gotten into you all of a s-" Flowey's eyes widened as he felt his healing not only significantly slowed, but nowhere near as effective as the others. And his defense was lowering drastically. H-How!? I still have control of the souls! He then noticed Frisk's eyes flashing for a couple seconds while flicking his hand. He's downgrading the effectiveness of my healing and further downgrading my defense while upping the damage I'm taking...! Frisk was being reckless right now. There's no way that he can recover his energy as fast he was spending it to weaken Flowey. He probably knew it too...yet he's making it clear he didn't care about that at this point. "...It's getting too dangerous to let you keep going." Flowey said seriously as he shoots a storm of friendliness pellets towards Frisk, not giving him a moment to recover.
A firestorm generated right in front of Frisk, burning away the flames. It was then pushed towards Photoshop Flowey, the flames continuing to intensify until the storm crashed against the being, leaving significant burns all over his body. His slowed healing and increased vulnerability to damage made him scream in agony at how intense the burns were. He patted his arms with multiple vines in an attempt to recover better.
"You've really expended a lot of your energy, Frisk."
"It is alright, my child. We are here now."
"I think we can all agree that we need to put a stop to him quickly."
"We have to stick together for this to work, Frisk. Flowey is still really powerful right now."
Gaster looked over to the others, seeing that Asgore, Toriel, Chara, and Asriel have all come to Frisk's aid. Would have been more practical to have the whole group, but Flowey would be making sure that didn't happen. They would just have to make due, and that certainly wouldn't be easy...yet he feels like they can pull it off regardless. But he would prefer it if they would get it done quickly.
"Seriously?! All five of you are getting in my way?!" Flowey shouted as he swiped his large arm across. Asgore could see it coming from his side; he planted his feet, as well as his trident in the ground, and stopped the arm with both of his flaming paws. He growled while he was pushed back a bit, but he remained firm and stood his ground, refusing to be pushed further. "I drudge up memory after memory, and yet none of them were able to stop you?! You're all are far more determined than you're truly worth! An impressive feat, but I won't allow it to grant you the win!"
"Apologies, but we'll be doing just that..." Asgore began.
"...and make you come to your senses!" Toriel finished.
When they said this, both of them sent yet another torrent of flames up Flowey's arms. Then while he was busy with that, they both gathered their fire magic above their heads, then pushed the ball forward-multiple spears of flames shot out and impacted Flowey's body, and each of them exploded after several moments, pushing him further back. They continued throwing torrents of flames towards him regardless of his attempts to block it.
"This is our chance to knock him down for good." Chara stated bluntly.
"I'm already on it...Frisk. Do you think you can augment our magic...all we need is one massive boost of attack power." Asriel said seriously as he raised a single paw, a familiar shape taking form. Chara nodded in understanding, and surrounded the energy it was gathering in red and black flames. Frisk placed his hands on both their backs while using support magic to augment their own as high as he can currently take them...his vision was blurring.
"Okay...here we go." Asriel muttered as his attack as ready and overcharged, with extra boost from both Frisk and Chara. He dropped one hand and kept his paw forward, his eyes narrowed and fierce as he took aim at the distracted Flowey.
"Hyper Goner."
A massive beam of light coated in darkness shot forth from the heads maw, instead of sucking things in like a vacuum like before. Flowey's eyes widened in shock, unable to defend anymore, as the blast hits him head-on...
[Music Stop]
The Dreemurrs were sitting in the Void at this point. All of their clothes were dreadfully torn up, injuries littered their bodies, and their magic was just about completely spent. It was amazing that Frisk was still standing, but had closed his eyes once again while panting tiredly. Though the site of normal Flowey sitting right in front of them with his head down-and looking just as battered as the others-was a bit concerning, they didn't worry at all. He had completely lost his will to fight. Asriel could still feel the power of the other souls within him, but it appears he has no desire harmfully to use them.
He just seemed...tired. And...ashamed.
"...I can't believe I allowed myself to be manipulated by such a ploy..." Flowey muttered while shaking his head. "What a disgrace. First I've been defeated, then I've been hijacked, then I got soft, then I got manipulated, and then I got seriously beaten up again...when did my life become such a joke...? The only bigger joke is Smiley Trashbag..."
"...Guess he still has the energy to insult Sans, despite him not being here." Chara deadpanned.
"...I've had enough. I'm done." Flowey sighed while shaking his head. "...But of course, you lot aren't finished, are you? No. Noooooo. You all are terrifyingly hellbent on whatever goals you set your mind to. Especially you five. Trying to stop you was kinda stupid, really."
"Flowey..." Frisk said quietly.
"...Don't worry. I'm not gonna ask you to kill me or anything. If there's one thing I'm glad I lost while hanging out with you idiots, is being a coward."
"There is no need for you to insult yourself, Flowey. It is as you said, you have been manipulated. We know that you did not mean to do any of this..." Toriel sighed as she leaned against Asgore once again. He was fully prepared to support her to keep her from falling. He kept a paw around her and rubbed her shoulder slightly. "If it is of any help...do you know who did this to you...?"
Flowey shook his head while glaring at the ground. "...some guy called the Prophet...all he did was hold his hand out towards me...suddenly I was driven mad and felt a need to mindlessly destroy...felt like he was digging his fingers into my mind..."
"Hm...it would seem that the perpetrator behind the most important part of your manipulation is behind this. It's unlikely we'll be able to find him, he'd be gone by now." Asgore said. He wasn't entirely sure. Time within the Void is quite difficult to grasp upon. Even if no time passed at all, the Prophet would still have enough time to retreat from the area undetected. Looking for him wouldn't be possible at this time. But for now... "Regardless, we managed to save you, and the others are likely to have won their battles as well, though not without significant difficulty."
"Hmph..." Flowey mumbled. He then turned towards the Dreemurrs, facing them fully. They went through a lot of hardship because of him, though some of it was a result of their own actions, or something they had absolutely no control over. What matters is that they've suffered, and they've suffered a lot. And...they were going to continue to suffer, he is definitely sure about that. They were going to be put through quite a bit of hell, along with their friends, and likely himself as well...and he'll probably suffer for their sake as well. And they've already proven just how much suffering they're willing to endure to make sure they were all safe and happy. Their Determination is proving to be more and more unbreakable by the crisis, it appears. Not even their pasts were enough to completely stop them in their tracks. After some time, he turned solely towards Asriel, waiting for him to speak as well. He just noticed that Asriel, Chara, and Frisk's respective Heart Lockets were the only things to remain completely undamaged on their bodies. "What say you, Mr. Prince?"
Asriel stated his intentions, clearly and resolutely: "Flowey. We're not going to abandon you. You're our friend and our family." Asriel said as he got on one knee and lightly patted Flowey's petals. "We're no longer the same being. We're both two different beings, we have our own personalities, and able to make their own choices."
"I see. Well, it seems that some people's choice are to seriously destroy us. Humans and Monsters alike. Heh. Looks like the world we're in is much worse than you thought it was, huh?"
Asriel placed his paw on his chest, where his Rainbow Soul lies. "...Each of us here right now want to make the world a better place. Me and Frisk, as Prince of Monsters and Ambassador, wish to see Humans and Monsters hand and hand in harmony, even better than the previous times. Dad wants to be a much better King to his people, and further help them help themselves become strong and kind. Mom has sworn to herself that she'll never run away from her problems, or away from people that need her, as Queen of Monsters. And Chara is hoping that one day, with each contribution he gives to the best of his ability, he'll have done much more good for the world than harm."
"..." Chara was silent.
"You seriously believe that this world can be a better place than it currently is? Especially with all that's happened so far." Flowey questioned.
Asriel smiled. "Both humans and monsters. We can be messy, awkward and selfish. Sometimes even cruel. But we're trying. Whether we aim to make the world a better place or not is a choice we have to make on our own." He patted his chest with his paw clenched into a fist. "But for us to make that choice, we have to have a chance. And we're just determined enough to create that possibility for everyone who's willing to take it." Asriel then holds out his paw. "Are you willing to take that chance with us, Flowey?"
"...Undyne really has been a strong influence on you, hasn't she?" Flowey scoffed. Then he looked towards the Dreemurrs expressions...all of them were smiling confidently. ...These crazy bastards actually think they can do it...ah what the hell. Flowey reached a vine out and held Asriel's paw. "...You do realize that we're in for some serious hell, right?"
"Turning a dream into reality sometimes takes a lot of hardship and effort, Flowey. I think we're quite willing to bear the former and put in the latter."
"...Alright, you've convinced me." Flowey huffed. "I'm gonna release the souls and take us outta the Void...but before that, I'm gonna use all of my power...and make my own contribution to your dreams."
"...?" Frisk tilted his head.
"Don't worry, it's nothing bad. In fact...it's a true act of generosity." Flowey grinned as he pulled back slightly. "Several factions in the outside world are insisting on making things frustratingly harder on you all, having an unfair advantage on several fronts, and there's some truly, frighteningly powerful enemies you'll have to face on top of that...well, I'm gonna give you the first push to evening the playing field."
"What are you talking about...?" Chara questioned.
"Let me put it this way. At this very moment, until after I do what I'm about to do, I'm a living cheat code. And like Smiley Trashbag, for the sake of everyone, I'm perfectly okay with cheating a little."
They couldn't question the flower any further on this, as he suddenly spreads his petals and with the remaining power he had from the six souls, began glowing brightly and lighting up the Void.
The Dreemurrs had to shield their eyes from the incoming light...
Cutting things off here.
Sorry, but the full results of what Flowey has done will have to be explored in the next chapter, as well as certain reactions to certain things. I'll keep this note relatively simple and short, letting you find out for yourselves in the next chapter. One hint: Flowey did indeed do a LOT of shameless cheating...for everyone's benefit.
Gaster: Act 2 finally ends with the next chapter, dear readers. After that, things for my dear comrades will truly begin to get serious...sometimes. Ah! Do not worry, my presence will also be addressed like many other important subjects.
Until next time!