A/N: Hey dudes! Before we keep going I got some news for y'all: I finished writing the rest of the chapters! However, I was disconnected from the wifi for the week so I couldn't post them yet. Consider this a Christmas gift from me to you, because I'll be posting one chapter a day until we reach the finish. Anyway, on with the show!
In the next room, the Warners found two conveyor belts going opposite directions and three pole switches. On the other platform, a blue line of electricity blocked the rest of the path.
"This looks fairly easy," said Dot, "we just gotta get the timing right."
Alphys sent another group text.
*you'll have to press all three of them within 3 seconds. I can try to help you with the rhythm!
Wakko texted back.
*Thx Alphys!
A follow-up text from the scientist was sent mere seconds later.
*you don't mind about me texting, right?
Dot sent back a reassuring text.
*Nah, it's better than the calls. No offense.
*None taken.
The Warners stepped on the conveyor belt where the switches were.
"Whoa!" said Yakko. "Almost forgot how fast these things go!"
He pressed the first two switches, Wakko and Dot cheering him on while doing so.
"One! Two!"
As he was about to press the third one, Alphys sent another group text, distracting them.
*ok now press the third one!
They were already on the other side of the platform. Dot saw this as a good opportunity to take advantage of this fanfic's T rating.
"GodDAMNIT ALPHYS!" she shouted.
"Hey," said Yakko, "at least this puzzle's not too complicated. We can try it again, but this time we'll ignore any messages."
"Actually we don't need to!" said Wakko.
He pointed at where the electric shockwave should have been; it magically disappeared. This was followed by another text from Alphys.
*hey looks like you only needed to press two of them rofl
"Aw," said Yakko, "she felt bad."
Alphys updated her status.
*that's the last time i try to help with a puzzle lmao
This was followed by yet another group text.
*going to the bathroom, will be MIA for a bit.
"Somethin' tells me this is gonna help her more than it helps us," said Dot.
In the next room, they found a much more complex puzzle. It consisted of many tiny platforms with the steaming arrows from before and white squares with red dots. Wakko stepped on the square, causing the arrows to change direction.
"Oh, I get it now!"
"Now that's a good challenge!" said Yakko.
They all stepped on the arrow, taking them to the next platform. The arrows on it changed from right and up to left and down.
"Now we come to the question," said Dot, "do we go down or left?"
"Let's try down," said Yakko.
They hopped to the next platform, which had arrows pointing down and up. They took the down arrow, and landed on another platform with all four arrows.
"NOW let's go left," said Wakko.
The platform on the left was the same as the previous one. They went upwards next, changing the arrow to the platform above.
"One more oughta do it!" said Dot.
But as they jumped to that platform, the arrow was pointed in the wrong direction.
"Oops," said Wakko.
"Oh hang on," said Yakko after examining the puzzle again, "I think I got this."
Wakko and Dot followed their older brother's lead. He went back to the middle platform, then down twice, then up again, then they took their previous route to the last platform. That time, the arrow was facing left, meaning they solved the puzzle.
"Good job!" said Dot.
"Thanks, sister sib."
They jumped to the other side and carried on. Alphys updated her status again.
*OMG ppl think Mew Mew 2 is better than Mew Mew 1? LOLLLLL that's a joke right…
"Hey," said Wakko, "isn't that the anime she really likes?"
"I think so," said Dot, "that was what gave her away the first time we were on Mettaton's show."
They found a mouse hole, a twinkling star, and a table with a safe on it.
"Jeez," said Yakko, "what is it with mice and not getting the cheese down here?"
Knowing the mouse might one day hack the computerized safe and get the cheese filled them with determination. Meanwhile, Alphys updated her status again.
*omg...DONT THEY GET IT RUINS Mew Mew's ENTIRE CHARACTER ARC
*My Mew Mew 2 Review:
*Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 2 Is Neither Kissy Nor Cutie.
*Its Trash. 0 stars
They laughed.
"I didn't know she had it in her!" said Dot.
"That's what happens when you're a diehard fan," said Yakko.
They were interrupted and stopped in their tracks when a voice called out.
"Hey! You! Stop!"
The two guards blocking the way near Alphys' house approached.
"Haven't we seen ya before?" said Wakko.
"Like, I think so?" said the first guard.
"Yeah," said Dot, "ya turned us away earlier."
"Oh, like yeah! I remember that. Anyway, we've, like, received an anonymous tip about three cartoon characters looking like a rabbit, dog, and cat. They told us they were wandering around Hotland right now..."
"That sounds scary," said Yakko. "I mean, they could be anyone!"
"I know, huh? They're really hard to track down. But just stay still, we'll bring you someplace safe, OK?"
"Sounds fine with us!" said Dot.
They followed the knights back the other way, happy to know they duped them. But this didn't last long, for after five seconds they stopped in their tracks as the second knight mumbled.
"...Huh? What is it, bro?"
More mumbling.
"They look like a rabbit, dog, and cat? Like, what about it?"
"Hey," said Yakko, "like we said, they could be anyone! How can ya tell if we're lying?"
They made innocent poses as the guards turned around to examine them more closely.
"Bro...Are you thinkin...What I'm thinkin? Bummer. This is, like...Mega embarrassing. We, like, actually totally have to kill you and stuff."
"Well," said Dot, "it was nice while it lasted."
As the boundary box surrounded them, Dot noticed the second guard's armor was rather dirty, so she took out a handkerchief and wiped away the cooling dirt.
"Hey, if ya wanna be a better guard, ya gotta have clean armor."
"...getting...warmer," he muttered.
"Like, prepare to die, right?" said the first guard.
The boundary box stretched to be much wider, taking a rectangular shape. Yakko and Wakko dodged the projectiles consisting of stars flying up and down the box, but spotted a green symbol shaped like the guards' armor.
"Come on Wakko, we gotta get that!"
They leaped for it. Yakko winced as one of the stars hit his leg, taking away 3 of his HP, but both of them landed on the symbol nonetheless.
"...can't...take it," the second guard whispered. "...armor...too...HOT!"
He ripped it off, revealing his large muscles.
"...much better."
"Whoa," said Dot, "he's RIPPED!"
The first guard said nothing, but seemed nervous and started to heavily sweat.
"Gross," said Yakko, taking a few steps back.
Wakko approached the guard and quickly patted his back, then wiped the sweat off his hand.
"Ya have to be honest with your feelings."
This made him even more nervous.
"I...I..."
"...heh," the other guard responded.
The first guard attacked; the stars were mangled into spring-type projectiles. But whenever they got close to the kids, they avoided their souls.
"Wait," said Dot, "what's going on?"
"It's like what Goat Mom did..." said Wakko, missing Toriel.
"D-dude..." the first guard choked out. "I can't...I can't take this anymore! Not like this!"
"...what the heck?" said Yakko.
"Like, 02! I like...I like, LIKE you, bro! The way you fight...the way you talk...I love doing team attacks with you. I love standing here with you, bouncing and waving our weapons in sync...02...I, like, want to stay like this forever…"
"That escalated quickly," said Wakko.
02 didn't respond. An awkward silence filled the space around them.
"Uh...I mean, uh...Psych! Gotcha, bro! Haha!
"...01."
"Y-yeah, bro?"
"...do you want to...get some ice cream...after this?"
"Sure, dude! Haha!"
They looked at each other happily, allowing the Warner's to spare them. Before the guards left, 01 handed 100 pieces of gold to the speechless toons.
"Gotta admit," said Yakko, "that was kinda sweet. We did a good thing today."
As they continued making their way through Hotland, Alphys updated her status.
*oopswait how's the humanfolk doing
*Top 10 Shows That Make You Forget To Do Your Frickin Job
"At least she's giving us some space," said Dot.
Soon, the place grew dark again. Excited smiles appeared on Yakko, Wakko, and Dot's faces.
"Ya know what that means!" said Yakko.
"Mettaton!" they all shouted.
The lights turned on again, revealing them to be on a TV screen as the killer robot sat by a desk labeled "MTT" in an unknown room. He was also wearing a new outfit: red tuxedo with a yellow necktie. Alphys texted the kids.
*Are you serious?
"OHHHHHH YESSS!"
The Warners laughed, half because of Alphys' reaction and half because they knew they were in for another fun challenge.
"GOOD EVENING, BEAUTIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES! THIS IS METTATON, REPORTING LIVE FROM MTT NEWS!"
As he went on with his report, the Warners distracted the audience by making silly faces. Wakko made a gookie, followed by Yakko winking and wiggling his ears, then Dot pulled on her cheeks, stretching her face.
"AN INTERESTING SITUATION HAS ARISEN IN EASTERN HOTLAND! FORTUNATELY, OUR CORRESPONDENTS ARE OUT THERE, REPORTING LIVE!"
He seemed slightly irritated at the Warners potentially distracting his audience, but nonetheless covered it up.
"BRAVE AND EXTREMELY PLAYFUL CORRESPONDENTS, PLEASE FIND SOMETHING NEWSWORTHY TO REPORT! OUR TEN WONDERFUL VIEWERS ARE WAITING FOR YOU!"
"Will do, Mettaton!" said Dot.
They walked around the rest of the platform.
"Let's see...oh, this basketball looks familiar!"
"BASKETBALL'S A BLAST, ISN'T IT, DARLING? TOO BAD YOU CAN'T PLAY WITH THESE BALLS."
"GOODNIGHT EVERYBODY!" Yakko shouted while waving at the camera.
"OH MY, I SEE YOU STILL HAVE A DIRTY MIND~"
"I lost my innocence a long time ago."
"ANYWAY, THEY'RE MTT-BRAND FASHION BASKETBALLS. FOR WEARING, NOT PLAYING. YOU CAN'T GET RICH AND FAMOUS LIKE MOI WITHOUT BEAUTIFYING A FEW ORBS."
"Now I know where I saw it," said Dot, "Papyrus wore them on our date!"
"Wait sibs," said Yakko, "I think this one blows it outta the park!"
He pointed to Annoying Dog.
"This little guy's the one that took the artifact from us!"
"AND Papyrus' attacks," Dot added.
"WHAT A SENSATIONAL OPPORTUNITY FOR A STORY! I CAN SEE THE HEADLINE NOW: 'A DOG EXISTS SOMEWHERE.' FRANKLY, I'M BLOWN AWAY."
"That's the kinda news we need to see more often," said Wakko.
"OH, BUT WAIT! WHAT COULD THAT BOX NEXT TO THE DOG POSSIBLY BE?"
They walked over to a white box neatly wrapped with a red ribbon.
"Hey," said Wakko, "it's a present!"
"OH MY! AND IT'S ADDRESSED TO YOU, DARLINGS! AREN'T YOU JUST BURSTING WITH EXCITEMENT?"
"Totally!" said Yakko.
"Ya didn't have to treat us special," said Dot, extending her arm out in a modest fashion.
"OH, BUT I INSIST! WHAT COULD BE INSIDE? WELL, NO TIME LIKE THE 'PRESENT' TO FIND OUT!"
"Now we got our story!" said Yakko.
"ATTENTION, VIEWERS! OUR CORRESPONDENTS HAVE FOUND...A PRESENT! AND IT'S TIME FOR THE UNBOXING VIDEO!"
"Woo!" Wakko cheered.
"Alright!" Dot yelled.
"I've been waiting my whole life for this," said Yakko.
"LET'S FIND OUT WHAT'S INSIDE!"
The Warners quickly tore the box open...only to reveal a bomb. Their smiles faded to looks of disbelief; how could they have fallen for the easiest trick in the book?
"THAT ROUND, BLACK SHAPE...COULD IT BE? LOOKS LIKE CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY THIS YEAR. IF SANTA GAVE PEOPLE BOMBS INSTEAD OF PRESENTS!"
"How thoughtful of ya," Dot deadpanned.
"Ya even decided to light it for us…" Yakko trailed off.
"DON'T GET TOO EXCITED! YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE REST OF THE ROOM YET!"
They gasped as the rest of the objects turned into bombs. Mettaton flew out to their location as his room fell apart.
"IT SEEMS EVERYTHING IN THIS AREA IS ACTUALLY A BOMB! THAT DOG'S A BOMB! THAT BASKETBALL'S A BOMB! EVEN MY WORDS ARE…!"
They fell right out of the text box and landed on the floor, exploding on impact. The toons jumped back.
"Whoa!"
"I gotta say," Yakko remarked, "this makes it a LOT less embarrassing."
"Not bad for a not-cartoon guy," said Dot.
"THANK YOU, MY BRAVE CORRESPONDENTS...NOW, IF YOU DON'T DEFUSE ALL OF THE BOMBS…"
He flew to another platform over them, where a large pink bomb reminiscent of a fusion between a cherry and a pokeball started counting down.
"THIS BIG BOMB WILL BLOW YOU TO SMITHEREENS IN TWO MINUTES! THEN YOU WON'T BE REPORTING 'LIVE' ANY LONGER!"
"I hate to burst your bubble," said Yakko, "but this whole setup's not too deadly for toons like us."
"THAT DOESN'T MATTER FOR NOW, BECAUSE OUR NINE VIEWERS ARE GOING TO LOVE WATCHING THIS! GOOD LUCK, DARLINGS!"
"Thanks!" Dot shouted back. "I'll give him credit, this kinda sounds like fun."
Just then, Alphys sent them two quick texts.
*check your phones i installed a bomb defusing program on them
*use the defuse option when they're in the green zone
"Okay," said Yakko, "this is pretty suspicious. How would she even know we'd need this?"
"Don't got time to ask," said Wakko. "Come on!"
They ran to Annoying Dog, who fell asleep on his back. They pulled out their phones, opened the app, and aimed them in front of the small puppy like guns. An icon representing the puppy floated back and forth across their screens, passing a large green rectangle labeled "defuse zone". It would glow yellow once it was in.
"Ready, sibs?" Yakko asked.
"Ready!" Wakko and Dot responded.
The time limit coupled with the quickly-paced background music provided enough excitement to trigger an adrenaline rush for them.
"And…now!"
They pushed their defuse buttons, defusing the Annoying Dog bomb.
"Basketball next!" said Dot.
They ran to where the large bomb was as the basketball bounced out of control.
"This one's a lot quicker," said Wakko.
"Here it comes," said Dot, "go go go!"
They pushed the button just in time.
"I see a game down there!" said Yakko.
They ran down, passing by an orange laser then freezing as a blue one passed over them. Running through another orange laser, they reached the game. It moved across the rectangle, then paused for three seconds, then passed by again.
"3, 2, 1, now!" Wakko counted down.
They defused it.
"Man," said Yakko, "we're on a roll today!"
They ran to the other side, finding the script bomb on a conveyor belt.
"Quick," said Dot, "get that script!"
They leapt onto it, then found another pattern. Instead of going fully across, it zigzagged once then crossed over.
"There," said Yakko, "it's comin' right for us!"
They defused it right before it could leave the box.
"Present time!" Wakko shouted.
This time, the bomb seemed to defy logic. It went upwards, then appeared behind the Warners and flew back up.
"I'm impressed," said Yakko.
They pressed their buttons once it came back around a third time.
"Ha," said Dot, "got it!"
"But how are we gonna get the glass of water?"
They had thirty seconds left to catch the last bomb, which seemed to go haywire and fly all over. Just then, Alphys texted them.
*head for the center i'm using em fields to trap it there
They stepped on the arrow taking them to the left, then ran downwards and found the extremely agile glass of water. It was just like the previous bomb but sidescrolling instead. They defused it with only 10 seconds to spare. They flopped on the floor, sweating from all that running.
"Barely made it!" Yakko panted.
Mettaton flew back to them.
"WELL DONE, DARLINGS! YOU'VE DEACTIVATED ALL OF THE BOMBS! IF YOU DIDN'T DEACTIVATE THEM, THE BIG BOMB WOULD HAVE EXPLODED IN TWO MINUTES. NOW IT WON'T EXPLODE IN TWO MINUTES! INSTEAD IT'LL EXPLODE IN TWO SECONDS! GOODBYE, DARLINGS!"
Dot turned her head to look at Mettaton.
"Wait wha-"
The bomb exploded, covering the whole area in black dust. However, it didn't kill the Warners; they emerged from under a pile of soot, coughing. They looked at the camera for a few seconds, then they shook off the soot.
"Told ya so~" Yakko teased, crossing his arms as he smugly smiled at Mettaton.
Mettaton, however, was genuinely stunned. Compared to when Alphys interrupted, it seemed as if that event wasn't supposed to happen.
"...CURSES! I'VE BEEN FOILED BY TOON LOGIC! CURSE YOU, YAKKO, WAKKO, AND DOT! BUT DON'T THINK YOU WOULD HAVE GOTTEN THIS FAR WITHOUT DR. ALPHYS' HELP! SHE HAS BEEN HELPING YOU AN AWFUL LOT."
"Hey," said Dot, "Alphys might be helping us but it's not like we're depending on her or anything!"
"THAT MAY BE TRUE. YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE IS TRUE? I DON'T CURSE MY EIGHT WONDERFUL VIEWERS FOR TUNING IN! UNTIL NEXT TIME, DARLINGS."
He flew away, not giving them enough time to say goodbye.
"Oh boy," said Yakko, "we lost two viewers this time."
Alphys called him.
"What's up, Alphys?"
"Guys, I'm so sorry! I-I-I was supposed to change- I mean fix- I mean deactivate the b-bomb!"
"Hey," said Yakko, "it's okay. Ya shoulda seen Mettaton's face though, it was hilarious!"
"B-b-but what if that bomb actually killed you?"
"It wasn't serious," Dot remarked. "We can tell about these kinda things."
Alphys was silent for a moment; it soon dawned on the Warners that maybe Alphys wasn't truly helping them. But they decided not to interrogate her about it as she spoke up again.
"H-hey, I know I was kind of weird at first...But I really think I'm getting more...uh, m-more confident about guiding you! I know y-you said you wanted your personal space, so now I'm only h-h-helping when it looks like you need it."
"Well," said Yakko, "at least your heart's in the right place."
"Yeah, I guess. S-so don't worry about that b-big d-dumb robot…I can protect you from him! I-I mean if he's a-a little too out of c-control."
"I doubt that's gonna happen," said Dot. "He's been harmless so far."
"W-well I don't know what he'll do next, but still, be careful. I-I-I can tell he's...planning something big for his g-grand finale, and I think you might not be able to h-handle it on your own. I mean it this time."
The Warners looked at each other. They didn't know if they could believe Alphys considering everything that happened up to this point and their new epiphany about the lizard scientist, but they would also remain alert in case Mettaton actually did malfunction and put more emphasis on the killing than the entertaining.
"We'll keep our guards up," said Wakko. "Thanks Alphys!"
"No problem! A-and if it really c-came down to it, we could just t-turn...Um, nevermind. Later!"
She hung up before they could respond.
"Well," said Dot, "looks like she's in cahoots with Mettaton. This is getting a lot more interesting…"
"At least we're making her feel important," said Wakko.
"AND we're spicing things up on Mettaton's show," said Yakko.
Knowing they were making everyone including themselves happy filled them with determination.