Previously: Frisk and Deos ate some Hot Dogs made by Sans, which were surprisingly edible and then they (along with Flowey and Toriel) found out how the Green Soul child died, meanwhile Cali and Dr. Alphys had some naughty thoughts about their special someone and Cali gave Dr. Alphys some coaching on assertiveness.

(Hotland)

Frisk, Flowey, Deos and Toriel (in her astral form) progressed through the puzzles in part of Hotland, a moving walkway that required quick timing of button pressing, thankfully Dr. Alphys was able to assist with that (and there was three of them to press the buttons at the same time) then there was the steam vent maze, where they needed to move from island to island at the same time as the buttons that they land on changed the direction of where the steam vents took them, then they found the two Royal Guards that they saw earlier coming from behind them.

"Hey! You guys! Stop!" Said the dragon-like Royal Guard, as he and the rabbit-like Royal Guard caught up with them.

"We've, like, received an anonymous tip about a human wearing a striped shirt. They told us they were wandering around Hotland right now..." Said the rabbit-like Royal Guard.

"I know, sounds scary, huh?" Said the dragon-like Royal Guard.

"Well, just stay chill. We'll bring you someplace safe, OK?" asked the rabbit-like Royal Guard.

Frisk, Flowey and Deos decided to play along for now and followed the Royal Guards, who then stopped after a short walk back.

"...huh? What is it, bro?" The rabbit-like Royal Guard asked

"The shirt they're wearing?" The dragon-like Royal Guard asked back

"...like, what about it?" The rabbit-like Royal Guard asked, then the dragon-like Royal Guard looked at Frisk

Deos knew where this was going "Your armor is filthy, here's something to wash off that grime" he then used a light water spell to make a stream of water appear, just enough to wash off the grime that was on the dragon-like Royal Guard's chest piece, this causes a temperature differential that is too much for him as the water boils off his chest piece.

"...can't...take it...armor...too...HOT!" this make him take it off "much better" Deos quickly shielded Frisk's eyes, the rabbit-like Royal Guard is nervous about this sudden development.

Deos then talks to the dragon-like Royal Guard "I think he likes you and I mean REALLY likes you and don't think that it can't work out, I hear things are working out with Dr. Alphys and Undyne" he then looks at the rabbit-like Royal Guard "He feels the same way as you, in fact he wants to get some ice cream." This surprised both Royal Guards, they question how this red garbed person knows this. "There's a vendor near the way into MTT Resort or at least he should be there by now or at least it won't be long before he is there."

"S-sure, thank dude!" The Royal Guards then went ahead and left the others alone. Frisk, Flowey, Deos and Toriel then continued along the path.

"I thought you were going to fight those two, I am glad that you had another way." Toriel said, in her astral form.

"If Frisk was alone, they'd figure out how to do what I did without magic, while those two tried to kill them." Deos said, they then found themselves in a dark location, Deos sighed with some annoyance.

"It's that time again..." Deos said, as Frisk called Dr. Alphys, who quickly replied.

"A-another dark room, huh?" Dr. Alphys asked "Don't worry!"

"Why does that not fill me with confidence?..." Deos asked himself quietly.

"M-my hacking skills have got things covered!" Dr Alphys said, nervously as the lights came back on to reveal Mettaton dressed as a news anchorman doing the news.

"OHHHHHH YESSS!" Mettaton said

"Oh no..." Deos said, quietly

"GOOD EVENING, BEAUTIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES! THIS IS METTATON, REPORTING LIVE FROM MTT NEWS!" Mettaton said, as Deos rolled his eyes behind his mask, Flowey is not too amused either. "AN INTERESTING SITUATION HAS ARISEN IN EASTERN HOTLAND! FORTUNATELY, OUT CORRESPONDENT IS OUT THERE, REPORTING LIVE!" Deos is starting to wonder if Flowey had the right idea regarding Mettaton...

(Deos' Apartment / Lab)

Cali is being told what is happening with the MTT News report with Frisk and Deos reporting live on the situation. "A glass of water?! The basketball is more interesting than that! That dog is something that I think is worthy of a report, the movie script and game...that's just some shameless advertising, the present...he's running out of ideas!" Cali said, with annoyance.

"Yeah, t-that's why I have a lot of anime here, there's a l-lot more entertainment value in that" Dr. Alphys said

"I'll give you that one, even though it can sometimes be a little...'fan service-y'" Cali said.

"I have Deos to think for some of it, it s-started as something to get me to h-help you out, but l-later...I learned that your Order actually wanna help us, even you...even though..." Dr. Alphys said, before Cali cut her off.

"I didn't like secretive people, but today, I realized that I was being a hypocrite, how can I hate you for hiding something, when I've been doing the same thing...we were more alike than I realized. I've got something to talk to you about, besides the modifications that you're working on for Mettaton." Cali said.

"What is it, Cali?" Dr. Alphys asked, she then proceeded to listen to Cali...

(Hotland)

Frisk decided to open up the box for the Video Game which reveals something already lit... "...THOSE RED CYLINDERS WITH BURNING FUSES...OH NO! THIS GAME LITERALLY IS DYNAMITE" Mettaton said.

"So we've got ourselves the 'Hotland Bomb Scare'?" Deos asked

"INDEED! CHECK OUT THE REST OF THE ROOM!" Mettaton said with tension in his voice, as the set broke down and he was flying using his rocket boosters. "IT SEEMS EVERYTHING IN THIS AREA IS ACTUALLY A BOMB!"

"Yeah, so what now?" Deos asked.

"BRAVE CORRESPONDENT...IF YOU DON'T DEFUSE ALL OF THE BOMBS..." Mettaton said, he then flies to a big pink bomb with a timer "THIS BIG PINK BOMB WILL BLOW YOU TO SMITHEREENS IN TWO MINUTES! THEN YOU WON'T BE REPORTING 'LIVE' ANY LONGER!".

"...and you thought that Sans' jokes was bad." Deos said to Flowey, who didn't feel like arguing right now. "Well, we'd best get started then!"

"GOOD LUCK, DARLINGS! OUR NINE VIEWERS ARE GOING TO LOVE WATCHING THIS!" Mettaton said, as he flew away.

Deos then looked at Flowey "Flowey, use your vines to bring all the explosive objects to us", Flowey silently complied as things were going well so far, it was then Frisk received a call from Dr. Alphys "Let me guess, there's a bomb defusal app on the phone?"

"Y-yeah, h-how?..." Dr. Alphys asked with some confusion.

"Thank you, you do the rest of what you're doing and we'll take it from here." Deos replied, as the explosive items were brought to them by Flowey, he then looked at Frisk "please use the defuse option on each one as it enters the 'green zone' and hand the phone to me when you're done with the last one, trust me I know what's ahead." Frisk nodded and defused each bomb, there was a lot of time to spare and Deos then had the phone passed to him by Frisk and then proceeded to get to the big pink bomb, Mettaton then flew into view.

"WELL DONE, DARLING! I DIDN'T EXPECT YOU TO DO ALL THAT SO QUICKLY, NOW IT WON'T EXPLODE IN TWO MINUTES!..." Mettaton paused "INSTEAD IT'LL EXPLODE IN TWO SECONDS!" Deos then tapped the
defuse option at just the right time, just before it reached zero on the timer.

"You were saying?..." Deos said, with some amusement.

"CURSES! IT SEEMS I'VE BEEN FOILED AGAIN!" Mettaton said, Deos could see him for what he is and that he was good at making it sound convincing. "CURSE YOU THREE! CURSE YOU, DR. ALPHYS FOR HELPNIG SO MUCH! BUT I DON'T CURSE MY EIGHT WONDERFUL VIEWERS FORM TUNING IN!"

"That bad, huh?" Deos asked, quietly.

"UNTIL NEXT TIME, DARLINGS!" Mettaton said as he flew away.

"I would come out of here and tell him what I thought of his show that was threatening my child, but it is too soon for me to reveal myself, Asgore might be watching or someone might tell him about me being on one of Mettaton's shows." Toriel said, in her astral form, slightly angry at what has happened.

"Things are about to get more...hectic from here, but thankfully we're prepared for that, I know what to expect, so hopefully we can get through with minimal problems...although not without irritation..." Deos said, with annoyance towards the end.

"We have not seen the last of Mettaton have we?" Toriel asked

"No, we haven't, there's just one more where it's just an illusion of danger and then...I'll talk to his 'agent' before we get to the CORE, we need to get moving..." Deos said and they kept heading through Hotland, searching for the way that will lead them to the Capital and there, Asgore...

Where will Mettaton appear next and what will his next show be? Is there anything else that will try to stop them in Hotland? Find out in Chapter 24: Dancing and Singing