After getting back up after a few hours of sleep, and a short trip to MTT-Brand Burger Emporium to get a Starfait for Frisk, the humans have started back on their path. The purchase left them at 7 Gold.
Chara: "That guy seemed pretty done with everything."
Ben: "That tends to happen when you work fast food. He's probably tired from dealing with customers all day."
As they make their way out the back of the MTT Reaort, they see a couple of shadow figures in the distance. After a few seconds of staring, the shadowy figures run away.
That's when Alphys calls them, and Frisk picks up her phone.
Alphys: "Huh? Who are they? N-No one else s-should be here. Oh well! We can't worry about that right now!"
Alphys hangs up, and Frisk puts her phone away.
Frisk: "So I guess we'll be fighting some more."
Ben: "It seems so. Let's just get through it."
=============================================================================================
After a lot of battles and traveling through the maze that is The Core, the humans make it to a red and glowing door. A bird like shape, reminiscent of the Deltarune, is hanging above the doorway. In the center of the circle piece is a glowing red dot.
As the humans were exploring The Core, they earned 670 Gold and a Glamburger. Ben had to eat one of his Cinnamon Buns, and Frisk was fine because of the healing effects of her Apron.
Chara: "I have a feeling there's going to be a boss fight behind this door."
Frisk: "Oh, I have no doubt about that."
Chara and Frisk both look at Ben, who is looking up at the door, but he seems to be lost in thought. Frisk pokes Ben's arm, jolting him out of his daze, before turning his attention to Frisk.
Ben: "Yeah?"
Frisk: "You seemed distracted. Is everything okay?"
Ben: "Yes. I've just been thinking about how Alphys has been acting recently. It's a bit suspicious."
Chara: "What do you mean?"
Ben: "Well, back at the bombs and the tile puzzle, it seemed that Mettaton was helping Alphys with her speaking."
Chara: "Oh yeah. That's pretty suspicious."
Frisk: "But why would Alphys work with Mettaton?"
Chara: "I'm sure we'll figure it out at some point beyond this door."
Ben: "Then let's see what lies beyond it."
The three humans make their way into the room, with Mettaton standing in the center. The humans stop a couple of yards away from the robot.
Mettaton: "OH YES. THERE YOU ARE, DARLINGS. IT'S TIME TO HAVE OUR LITTLE SHOWDOWN. IT'S FINALLY TIME TO STOP THE "MALFUNCTIONING" ROBOT." He makes air-quotes when saying malfunctioning. ".....NOT!!!"
Ben: "What do you mean by that?"
Mettaton: "MALFUNCTIONING? REPROGRAMMING? GET REAL. THIS WAS ALL JUST A BIG SHOW. AN ACT."
Frisk: "And Alphys was part of it, right?"
Mettaton: "CORRECT, MY DEAR." He does a little bow. "ALPHYS HAS BEEN PLAYING YOU FOR FOOLS THE ENTIRE TIME."
Ben: "But why would she do that?"
Mettaton: "AS SHE WATCHED YOU TWO ON THE SCREEN, SHE GREW ATTACHED TO YOUR ADVENTURE. SHE DESPERATELY WANTED TO BE A PART OF IT. SO SHE DECIDED TO INSERT HERSELF INTO YOUR STORY."
Frisk: 'Like some self-instert fanfic.'
Mettaton: "SHE REACTIVATED PUZZLES. SHE DISABLED ELEVATORS. SHE ENLISTED ME TO TORMENT YOU. ALL SO SHE COULD SAVE YOU FROM DANGERS THAT DIDN'T EXIST. JUST SO YOU WOULD THINK SHE'S THE GREAT PERSON THAT SHE'S NOT."
Ben: 'Alphys and I need to have a serious talk after this.'
Mettaton: "AND NOW, IT'S TIME FOR HER FINEST HOUR. AT THIS VERY MOMENT, ALPHYS IS WAITING OUTSIDE THE ROOM. DURING OUR "BATTLE," SHE WILL INTERRUPT. SHE WILL PRETEND TO "DEACTIVATE" ME, "SAVING" YOU ONE FINAL TIME."
Chara: "That's definitely Hero Syndrome."
Mettaton: "FINALLY. SHE'LL BE THE HEROINE OF YOUR ADVENTURE. YOU TWO WILL REGARD HER SO DEARLY THAT SHE'LL EVEN BE ABLE TO CONVINCE YOU TWO TO NOT LEAVE.......OR NOT."
Mettaton sighs dramatically in a robotic voice.
Mettaton: "YOU SEE, I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS PREDICTABLE CHARADE. I HAVE NO DESIRE TO HARM HUMANS. FAR FROM IT, ACTUALLY."
Ben: "Oh, that's good for us then."
Mettaton: "INDEED. MY ONLY DESIRE IS TO ENTERTAIN. AFTER ALL, MY AUDIENCE DESERVES A GOOD SHOW, DON'T THEY?"
Frisk: "I mean, I guess."
Mettaton: "AND WHAT'S A GOOD SHOW WITHOUT A PLOT TWIST?"
Ben/Frisk/Chara: "Huh?"
The door behind the humans closes, and the sound of knocking can be heard from the same door.
Alphys: "H-Hey!!!" Her voice is somewhat muffled. "Wh-wh-What's going on!? Th-th-the door just locked itself!"
Five red spotlights surround Mettaton, with a white spotlight shining on the robot.
Mettaton: "SORRY, FOLKS!" He pulls out a microphone. "THE OLD PROGRAM'S BEEN CANCELLED!!! BUT WE HAVE A FINALE THAT WILL DRIVE YOU WILD!!"
Ben: "I have a really bad feeling about this."
The platform they're all on shoots up high into the room, before stopping.
Ben: "Feeling just got ten times worse!"
Mettaton: "REAL DRAMA!! REAL ACTION!! REAL BLOODSHED!! ON OUR NEW SHOW, "ATTACK OF THE KILLER ROBOT!"."
A battle is initiated. Ben and Frisk's souls are yellow, and ready to fire.
* Mettaton attacks!
Ben opens up ACT and hits Check.
* METTATON - ATK 8 DEF 999
* His metal body renders him invulnerable to attack.
Chara: "So violence is completely out of the question in this fight."
Ben: "Yeah, seems so." He turns his attention to Mettaton. "So I'm guessing it was you that messed with us through the Core, right?"
Mettaton: "YES, I WAS TYE ONE THAT RE-ARRANGED THE CORE! I WAS THE ONE THAT HIRED EVERYONE TO KILL YOU TWO! THAT, HOWEVER, WAS A SHORT-SIGHTED PLAN. YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD BE A HUNDRED TIMES BETTER?"
Frisk: "Letting us go?"
Mettaton: "NO. KILLING YOU TWO MYSELF!"
Ben fires a bullet from his finger at Mettaton, but it just bounces off. Ben continues to fire, with Frisk joining in. However, every shot only bounces off of the robot.
Mettaton: "THAT WORTHLESS PEA-SHOOTER WON'T WORK ON ME, DARLINGS. DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT ACTING IS!?"
It's the human's turn now, and Frisk opens up ACT and presses Burn.
* This is probably what you'll do if things continue in this manner.
Chara: "I mean, it's not wrong."
Mettaton: "LISTEN DARLINGS, I'VE SEEN YOU TWO FIGHT. YOU'RE WEAK."
Ben: 'Upgrade would seriously shut you up.'
Mettaton: "IF YOU CONTINUE FORWARD, ASGORE WILL TAKE YOUR SOULS. AND WITH YOUR SOULS, ASGORE WILL DESTROY HUMANITY."
Chara: 'Right. That.' She looks down at her hand and clenches it. 'I hope they're wrong about you, dad. Even with what happened to me and Azzy, I'm sure you wouldn't destroy humanity. Right?'
Mettaton shoots a lot of boxes at Ben and Frisk, who destroy them with their blast before the boxes could reach them. The attack ends.
* Mettaton.
Ben opens up MERCY and picks Spare. It does nothing.
Mettaton: "BUT IF I GET YOUR SOULS, I CAN STOP ASGORE'S PLAN! I CAN SAVE HUMANITY FROM DESTRUCTION!"
Mettaton fires two sets of the same attack. Two boxes on one side of the attack area, with a robotic arm filling up the rest of the width. Ben and Frisk get past those with ease, and they fire a blast at the last arm, a yellow band around it, which retracts the arm. The attack ends.
Frisk tries to spare, but it doesn't work.
Mettaton: "THEN, USING YOUR SOUL, I'LL CROSS THROUGH THE BARRIER AND BECOME THE STAR I'VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF BEING!"
Chara: "Well, a robot would get pretty popular."
Mettaton: "HUNDREDS, THOUSANDS....NO! MILLIONS OF HUMANS WILL WATCH ME!"
Mettaton shoots yellow-band arms, with Ben and Frisk retracting them. The last attack is a row of boxes across the width of the battle area, with a bomb at the center. Ben and Frisk avoid the bomb and just shoot at the boxes. The attack ends.
Humans spared. Again, nothing.
Mettaton: "GLITZ! GLAMOUR! I'LL FINALLY HAVE IT ALL! SO WHAT IF A FEW PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE? THAT'S SHOW BUSINESS, BABY!"
Frisk: "I'm pretty sure it isn't!"
Before Mettaton can send and attack, Ben's phone rings gas. He takes it out, and then answers it.
Alphys: "U..Uh....I can't see what's going on in there, but d-don't give up, okay!? Th....There's o-one l-l-last way to beat Mettaton."
Ben: "And why should we trust you? Mettaton told us about your little scheme."
Alphys: "I-I know! B-B-But there is a w-way you beat him!"
Frisk tugs on Ben's shirt, getting his attention.
Frisk: "We should hear her out. Now, and later."
Ben stares at Frisk for a moment, sighs, before turning back to the phone.
Ben: "Fine. How do we beat him?"
Alphys: "It's....um...it's a work in-progress, so don't judge it too hard. But...you know how Mettaton always faces f-forward?"
Ben: "Yeah? So?"
Alphys: "It's because there's a switch on his back. S-S-So if y-y-you c-c-can turn him around...um....and, um....press th-th-th-the switch, he'll be....um....he'll be vulnerable."
Ben hangs up on Alphys, stuffing the phone away.
Ben: "Jeez, that stuttering was getting on my nerves. It wasn't just me, right?"
Chara: "Yeah, it was kinda annoying, especially in the situation we're in."
Frisk: "It was kinda annoying, yeah."
Ben: "Okay, just wanted to be sure."
Ben opens up ACT and picks Turn.
Ben: "Hey, Mettaton!"
Mettaton: "YES?"
Ben: "There's a mirror behind you."
Mettaton: "OH??? A MIRROR??? RIGHT, I HAVE TO LOOK PERFECT FOR OUR GRAND FINALE!" He turns around, exposing the switch. "HMM...I DON'T SEE IT. WHERE IS IT?"
Ben gestires to Frisk to flip the switch, and she obliges. After that, Frisk backs away from Mettaton, who is standing perfectly still.
Mettaton: "DID YOU. JUST FLIP. MY SWITCH?"
Mettaton turns back around, and his screen starts going crazy, changing color rapidly. Mettaton's body also shakes violently, only ending when a burst of bright light blinds the humans, forcing them to cover their eyes. That's when they hear this.
???: "OH YES~."
The humans uncover their eyes, and they no longer see Mettaton. However, they see two spotlights shining at a smoke cloud in front of them. As the smoke disappeared, it shows the outline of a humanoid figure. Guitar is playing in the background.
???: "If you flipped my switch, that can only mean one thing. You two must be desperate for the premiere of my new body."
Frisk: "Uh, we didn't know about that."
???: "So you just flipped my switch for no reason?" He scoffs. "Rude. Lucky for you, I've been aching to show this off for a long time. So, as thanks, I'll give you two a handsome reward."
Frisk: "I'm guessing it's not a nice reward."
???: "I'll make sure your last moments..."
The smoke cloud disappears, revealing a humanoid robot standing in front of them.
Mettaton EX: "ABSOLUTELY beautiful!"
* Mettaton EX makes his premiere!
Mettaton is dancing, and a ratings chart is behind him, with it slowly going down. Ben and Frisk's souls are yellow.
Ben: "Mettaton EX, huh? Weird."
Frisk: "And what's with the ratings chart?"
Chara: "Maybe if we raise it enough Mettaton with stop."
Ben: "Maybe. We'll just have to see how this goes."
Ben opens up ACT and presses Check.
* METTATON EX - ATK 8 DEF 1
* His weak point is his heart-shaped core.
Frisk: "So we just aim our blasters at his core?"
Chara: "Seems so."
Mettaton EX: "Lights! Camera! Action!"
Mettaton EX sends out legs. The first one is in the way and Frisk blasts it. This makes the leg glow yellow and move back and forth. Ben and Frisk run past that one when they're an opening. They then shoot and run past a second leg. And then they have to run between two sets of two moving legs. To get past, they had to go between the small opening between the legs as they were moving. The attack ends.
Frisk opens up ACT and presses Boast.
Frisk: "That was so easy! We aren't going to get hit at ALL."
* Ratings gradually increase during Mettaton's turn.
Ben: "So we do have to raise the ratings."
Mettaton EX: "Drama! Romance! Blood-shed!"
Mettaton sends out three rows of attacks, side-by-side, heading down towards the humans. The first row, on the left is a bunch of little Mettaton's with umbrellas. There's another row of those on the right. The middle row is a bunch of bombs. Ben and Frisk avoid the bombs and shoot exclusively at the robots. The attack ends.
Frisk opens up ACT and picks heel turn. Frisk then turns to the audience and scoffs.
* They're rooting for your destruction this turn!
Chara: "That probably means you have to get hit."
Mettaton EX: "I'm the idol everyone craves!"
Mettaton sends out two sets of three motionless legs, with four boxes moving left to right between the sets. Ben shoots the first leg, then the second, and then the third. This leaves a small window, between the three moving legs, to make it through. Frisk, however, hits one of the boxes purposefully, which boosts the rating by +100 and makes her lose 5 HP. Frisk then shoots at the last three legs one by one, before she and Ben run past them. The attack ends, and Frisk heals by 1 HP. Frisk's HP is at 16.
Ben: "So, was that worth it?"
Frisk: "Not really."
Ben: "Then let's not do that one." He opens up ACT. "How about we try Pose?"
Frisk: "Oooh~ That sounds fun!" She presses Pose. "Let's do it!"
Both Ben and Frisk pose dramatically, boosting the ratings by +200. The audience only nods.
Mettaton EX: "Smile for the camera!"
Mettaton sends out an arm with a yellow band, five Mini-Mettaton's, and another yellow-band arm. Frisk retracts the first arm by shooting the yellow band. Then, she and Ben destroy the Mini-Mettaton's by blasting them, and then Ben retracts the last arm. The attack ends.
Ben and Frisk pick Pose again, posing dramatically once again, and boosting the ratings by +200 again.
Mettaton EX: "Oooh, it's time for a pop quiz!"
Ben: "No!" He pulls on his eyelids. "Why did it have to be a quiz!?"
Mettaton EX: "Don't worry. This is an essay question."
Ben and Frisk are given a paper, a clipboard, and a pen. A screen behind Mettaton says:
ESSAY PROMPT: Why do you love most about Mettaton?
Chara: "Whoever wrote that question needs to go back to school."
Ben writes down his answer: Your heart. And Frisk writes hers: Your hair. This boosts the ratings by +160. Frisk heals again by 1 HP, her HP at 17 now.
Mettaton EX: "Beautiful. Sometimes the fewest words speak the loudest."
* Mettaton is saving your essay for future use.
Ben: "What could you be use that for?"
Chara: "Probably best to not think about it."
Ben and Frisk pick Pose and dramatically pose again, boosting the ratings by +200.
Mettaton EX: "Your essay really showed everyone your heart. Why don't I show you mine?"
Mettaton exposes his heart, with Ben and Frisk shooting at it. Some shots hit, others don't. The heart sends out waves of electricity that they have to dodge as Mettaton sends out Mini-Mettaton's.
Ben: "I'll get the heart, you get the Mini-Mettaton's!"
Frisk: "Got it!"
Through their coordination, they get past this phase. At the end of the attack, Mettaton's heart makes a loud explosion sound, before returning into Mettaton.
Ben and Frisk pick Pose and pose very dramatically, boosting the ratings by +202.
Mettaton EX: "Oooh, I'm just warming up?"
Mettaton sends out about twenty Mini-Mettaton's, which Ben and Frisk take out easily. The attack ends, and Frisk heals by 1 HP, it now at 18.
Frisk: "I'm so glad I got this apron."
Ben and Frisk pick Pose and pose even more dramatically, boosting the ratings by +206.
Mettaton EX: "But how are you on the dance floor?"
A disco ball hangs above them, it shining two blue spotlights on either side of Ben and Frisk. They both stand still as the lights start rotating. When the next one is a white light, Frisk shoots at the disco ball, changing the light to blue. They do this a couple of times before the attack ends.
Ben and Frisk pose dramatically again, boosting the ratings by +200.
Mettaton: "But can you keep up the pace?"
Mettaton does the same attack as before, but much quicker. So quick that Ben and Frisk can't keep up. Ben loses 3 HP and Frisk loses 5 HP, but Frisk gains another 1 HP.
Ben HP: 17.
Frisk HP: 14.
Ben: "That was very fast."
Frisk: "Way too fast."
Ben and Frisk pick Pose and pose dramatically, boosting the rating by +200.
Mettaton EX: "Lights! Camera! Bombs!"
The battle area becomes very narrow, and rows of unbreakable boxes and bombs start coming down.
Ben shoots the first, which starts beeping very fast. Ben and Frisk move to the side, avoiding a beam of destruction. Ben and Frisk do this repeatedly until the end of the attack.
Chara: "You should be careful about those bombs."
Ben: "Yeah, I know."
Ben and Frisk pick Pose, posing dramatically and boosting the ratings by +200.
Mettaton EX: "Things are really blowing up!"
The same attack from before, but the bomb and box move faster. This makes it challenging, but Ben and Frisk get out of it unscathed. As the attack ends, Frisk heals by 1 HP.
Ben's HP: 17.
Frisk's HP: 15.
* Smells like Mettaton.
Ben and Frisk sniff the air.
Ben: "Smells like......air?"
Frisk: "I don't smell anything either."
Chara: "I can't smell anything. Ever."
Ben and Frisk just stand there awkwardly. They just press Pose, posing dramatically again and boosting the rating by +200.
Mettaton EX: "Time for our union-regulated break!"
Instead of an attack, the letters "HAPPY BREAKTIME!" are plastered onto the battle area. This lasts for a few seconds, before the break ends.
Ben: "That was a surprise." He twists his spine, popping a few joints. "I would never have expected a break in the middle of a fight."
Frisk: "Neither did I. But I'm not complaining."
Ben nods his head as he picks Pose, he and Frisk posing dramatically as the ratings boost by +200.
Mettaton: "We've grown so distant, darlings. How about another heart-to-heart?"
Mettaton exposes his heart again, and it shoots out waves of electricity while also surrounding itself in eight boxes. Ben and Frisk blast away the boxes and shoot the heart a few times, before eight more boxes surround the heart. This happens a couple of times, which only ends when Mettaton's arms fall off while the heart goes back into Mettaton. Mettaton still dances as the attack ends. Frisk also gains another HP.
Ben HP: 17
Frisk HP: 16
Ben: "I did not expect that to happen."
Chara: "I bet his legs come off next."
Frisk: "Same."
Frisk chooses Pose with her and Ben posing dramatically, boosting the ratings by +200.
Mettaton EX: "A...arms? Wh...who needs arms with legs like these."
Chara: "I bet Monster Kid would be very happy if he heard that."
Ben & Frisk: "Absolutely."
=============================================================================================
After a while of fighting, and another attack on Mettaton's heart, Mettaton lost his legs and the ratings have skyrocketed. Mettaton's body is starting to malfunction, but he's still continuing the show.
After reaching about 10,000 ratings, the music stops and so do the attacks.
Mettaton EX: "OOH! LOOK AT THESE RATINGS! THIS IS THE MOST VIEWERS I'VE EVER HAD!!! WE'VE REACHED THE VIEWER CALL-IN MILESTONE! ONE LUCKY VIEWER WILL HAVE THE CHANCE TO TALK TO ME BEFORE I LEAVE THE U UNDERGROUND FOREVER!!!"
Ben: "Sounding a little optimistic there."
Mettaton EX: "LET'S SEE WHO CALLS IN FIRST!" His face goes blank for a moment, before going to normal after a beeping sound. "HI, YOU'RE ON TV! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ON THIS, OUR FINAL SHOW?"
Caller: "oh........hi......mettaton. i really liked watching your show.....my life is pretty boring."
Frisk: "Wait, I recognize that voice."
Caller: "but......seeing you on the screen....brought excitement to my life.....vicariously. i can't tell, but...i guess this is the last episode...? i'll miss you...Mettaton..."
Frisk: "That's definitely Napstablook."
Napstablook: ".....oh...i didn't mean to talk for so long.......oh.........."
Mettaton EX: "NO, WAIT! WAIT, BL-!" A beep is heard from Mettaton. "H....THEY ALREADY HUNG UP.........I'LL TAKE ANOTHER CALLER!!!"
A dialing sound can be heard from Mettaton as he takes another caller. In fact, he takes several.
Caller 2: "Mettaton, your show made us so happy!"
Caller 3: "Mettaton, I don't know what I'll watch without you."
Caller 4: "Mettaton, there's a Mettaton-shaped hole in my Mettaton-shaped heart."
Chara: "A smaller hole, or is the hole the size of the heart?"
Mettaton seems speechless, and he looks down, a conflicted and guilty look on his face.
Mettaton EX: "AH.....I.....I SEE. EVERYONE.....THANK YOU SO MUCH." He pauses for a moment, before looking at the humans. "DARLINGS. PERHAPS.....IT MIGHT BE BETTER IF I STAY HERE FOR A WHILE."
Ben: "That's probably for the best, Mettaton. Besides, there's a lot of competition on the surface."
Mettaton EX: "EXACTLY. HUMANS ALREADY HAVE THEIR STARTS AND IDOLS, BUT MONSTERS ONLY HAVE ME. IF I LEFT, THE UNDERGROUND WOULD LOSE ITS SPARK. I'D LEAVE AN ACHING FIELD THAT CAN NEVER BE FILLED."
Chara: "I wouldn't go that far."
Mettaton EX: "SO.....I THINK I'LL DELAY MY BIG DEBUT. BESIDES, YOU'VE BOTH PROVEN TO BE VERY STRONG. MAYBE EVEN STRONG ENOUGH TO GET PAST ASGORE."
Chara feels a pang in her nonexistent hear, but she ignores it for now.
Mettaton EX: "I'M SURE YOU'LL BOTH BE ABLE TO PROTECT HUMANITY." He laughs quietly. "IT'S FOR THE BEST, ANYWAY. TO TELL YOU BOTH THE TRUTH, THIS FORM'S ENERGY CONSUMPTION IS INEFFICIENT."
Frisk: "Does that mean you'll die?"
Mettaton EX: "NO, DARLING. IN A FEW MOMENTS, I'LL SIMPLY RUN OUT OF BATTERY. I APPRECIATE THE CONCERN NONETHELESS." He winks at the two. "NOW KNOCK 'EM DEAD, DARLINGS!"
Mettaton EX looks out to a camera.
Mettaton EX: "AND EVERYONE....THANK YOU. YOU'VE BEEN A GREAT AUDIENCE!"
In a bright flash of light, the battle ends and Mettaton lies deactivated on the ground. From behind the humans, Alphys runs in.
Alphys: "I...I managed to open the lock! Are you two..?" She sees Mettaton on the ground. "Oh my god."
Alphys runs past the humans and inspects Mettaton's body.
Alphys: "Mettaton! Mettaton, are you..?" She sighs and looks back at the humans. "Thank GOD, it's just the batteries." She turns her gaze back to Mettaton. "Mettaton if you were gone, I would have....I would have...."
Alphys turns back to the humans and sees the glare on Ben's face. This look makes her nervous.
Alphys: "I m-mean, h-hey, it's n-no problem, you know? He's just a robot. If you messed it up, I c-could always j-just build another."
Ben and Alphys gaze at one another, with the former constantly breaking eye-contact. Alphys eventually falters and returns to Mettaton.
Alphys: "Why don't you go two go on ahead?"
Ben: "Gladly." He says in a dry tone, grabbing Frisk's hand. "Let's go."
The three humans start leaving, with the living ones eating items to max out their health. Ben eats a Cinnamon Bun and Frisk eats a Hotdog.
The three exit the room and start walking down the hall. After a short way down, they're stopped by Alphys. Frisk looks back to look at Alphys, but Ben keeps his back turned.
Alphys: "S....sorry about that! L-let's k-keep going!"
Ben grunts as the four start walking. As they walk, Alphys begins talking.
Alphys: "S-so you're about to meet ASGORE, h-huh? You must be....y-you must be....pr..pretty excited about all that huh?"
Frisk: "What makes you say that?"
Alphys: "W-well, I mean, y-you'll finally get to go home!"
They all reach the elevator, and Ben presses the button on the door, opening it. Before they could step in, Alphys stops them.
Alphys: "W...Wait!" The humans stop and face her. "I mean, um....I....I was just going to....um, say goodbye, and..."
Alphys slowly morphs from an awkward smile, to a face full of guilt.
Alphys: "I can't do this anymore." She turns around. "I....I lied to you two."
Ben: "Yeah, we know. The whole pretending to be our hero thing, which, I'm still annoyed about."
Alphys: "N-not that. A human SOUL isn't strong enough to cross the barrier alone."
Ben and Frisk are shocked at this, but not Chara. She knows.
Ben: 'I mean, it's not a problem. But still.'
Alphys: "It takes at least a human soul.....and a monster soul." She turns around and faces them. "If you want to go home, you'll have to kill ASGORE and take his soul."
Alphys turns back around and starts walking away. After taking a few steps, she stops.
Alphys: "I'm sorry."
Alphys runs away, leaving the humans to ponder.
Frisk: "I mean, we don't have to kill Asgore."
Chara: "But he'll still try to kill you two."
Ben: "At this point, who hasn't." He enters the elevators, Frisk and Chara following him in. "I say let him just try and stop us."
Ben presses a button in the elevator, which starts a very long elevator ride.
During the long trip, Chara only has one thing on her mind.
Chara: 'Should I tell them, or should I keep quiet?' She looks at Ben, a light blush on her cheeks. 'What if he doesn't trust me again?'
Chara shakes those thoughts from her mind, because she knows what she must do.
Chara: 'I should-no! I HAVE to tell them!'
Chara takes a deep breath, hoping to have what it takes to tell them. Eventually.
(Ben's Items: Pie, Hotdog, Glamburger.)
(Frisk's Items: Pie, Starfait, and Snow Piece.)
Box: Punch Card.
That's the end of the chapter. See you in the next one!