Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Ugh, late again,” You mumble, staring up at the tall sign showcasing the times the bus is supposed to appear.

Obviously, it fucking hasn’t yet despite the fact it should’ve showed almost twenty minutes ago.

Huffing a breath, running a hand through your thick hair and messing with the tresses, grimacing at the feeling and hoping to get home soon so that you can fucking wash it , you sigh, “‘Ya know, when I said I wanted a slow day, I didn’t mean like this -”

The wind whistles, soft beeps of traffic deeper into the city.

“- aaaand I’m talking to myself like a crazy person.” You grumble, bumping your head into the electronic sign, “ Great. Just fuckin’ great. Fantastic, really, because fuck my life in particular apparently.”

Because what the hell else is new?

Jostling your bag, you shift your shirt and fix it, squinting at the darkening sky governed by clouds, “...So the bus hasn’t arrived, it's about to rain, and I got a dumbass computer and switch in my flimsy ass backpack that could short circuit if I don’t make it home in time.”

Because you got Pokemon Romhacks on that fucking thing, and an Undertale genocide run you’ve started for the first time ever. Only at Hotland, but holy fuck does killing all the monsters take a shit ton of time; also, fuck Undyne’s fight, you spent four hours on that bullshit.

Should you take the risk?

You’ve been waiting forty minutes for the bus; another twenty minutes and it’ll be dark out.

…Yeah, you can make it home in twenty minutes.

If you run.

Breathing deep through your nose, biting back a curse, you bolt down the sidewalk, sneakers thumping and squeaking against the concrete with every step, white blowing from your mouth with every heaving breath, breathing in the frigid winter air and cursing every god known to man for making the bus so late, wind blowing in your face and whipping your hair back with a crack.

Then the rain starts, because why wouldn’t it?

And it’s cold as balls; this shit’s gonna fuckin’ freeze over by midnight!

Ugh, looks like you’re pouring salt on your driveway tonight again…

Skidding to a stop, you puff out hair in deep, calculated breaths, jogging in place as you wait for the crosswalk to turn green, and then bound over the white lines, feet pounding the cement-

BEEEEP!

-you freeze , eyes zipping to the right as the very same bus that had been late to your stop skids on the icy roads, losing control.

Then it flips, and you jolt back to reality, lurching to the left to get away get away get away-!

Heaviness falls on you anyway, and you feel a sharp, agonizing bolt of pain and the sick sound of crunching bones in your ears before it all falls away just as quickly as the muted screams in your ears.

‘Am I screaming?’ You question just before your mind tumbles out of the darkness, vision spotty and blurry figures trying to push the bus, something grabbing your bag strap, ‘Am I being robbed? Tch, figures.’

They yank again, and your vision goes black for a second, then flashes back, blurrier than before.

‘Because when did my life ever go right ?’

Ha.

Imagine your life going right .

Ain’t that a funny joke?

Ugh… you internally whine, ‘When did it get so cold?’

[SKILL CREATED!]

[SKILL [CHILL RESISTANCE] OBTAINED!]

Ack - nevermind! Now it's too damn hot! Why is death hot ?! And not in the fun anime way!

[SKILL CREATED!]

[SKILL [HEAT RESISTANCE] OBTAINED!]

[SIMILAR SKILLS DETECTED! SKILLS MERGED!]

[SKILL [THERMAL RESISTANCE] OBTAINED!]

And you never even got to beat Emerald Elite Redux on your computer in between your shiny hunts on Scarlet and Sword! Man…

‘I wanted to continue my journey, dammit… fuck you, sucky world.’

[REQUEST HEARD! GATHERING ADMINISTRATIVE CONFIRMATION ON REQUEST, PLEASE HOLD…]

[...]

[...REQUEST GRANTED! [PC] MENU CREATED! 143 POKEMON BEING MOVED, PLEASE HOLD…]

[...2 OUT OF 143 POKEMON TRANSFERRED…]

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[...61 OUT OF 143 POKEMON TRANSFERRED…]

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[...108 OUT OF 143 POKEMON TRANSFERRED…]

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[...143 OUT OF 143 POKEMON TRANSFERRED! MOVEMENT COMPLETE! DOWNLOADING FILE [EMERALD ELITE REDUX] TO SYSTEM BANK…]

[Download Progress: 1% out of 100]

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[Download Progress: 100% out of 100]

[DOWNLOAD COMPLETE! SYSTEM WILL NOW CHOOSE A RANDOM WORLD!]

You groan, faintly hearing sirens as your vision finally begins to go dark, eyes closing slowing, ‘Ugh… shut up and just… let me die, you… fuckin’ annoy…ing ass voi…ce…’

The void consumes you entirely, but not before one last message rings out in the back of your mind.

[REQUEST: ‘LET ME DIE’ PROCESSING…]

[UNKNOWN WISH. REQUESTING ADMINISTRATIVE HELP!]

[...]

[LOCATING SPECIES WITH NATURAL THERMAL RESISTANCE…]

[...]

[...WISH GRANTED! REQUEST: ‘LET ME DIE’ HAS INITIALIZED A SPECIES CHANGE IN THE FOLLOWING WORLD!]

[SPECIES ARCHETYPE: UNDEAD]

[SELECTED SPECIES: SKELETON!]

[NOW CHOOSING WORLD…]

[...]

[...WORLD CHOSEN!]

[WELCOME USER TO THE MULTIVERSE OF UNDERTALE! LOCATING AU FOR REINCARNATION…]

[...LOADING, PLEASE HOLD…]

[...]

[...UNIVERSE ARCHETYPE FOUND! [TRAINERTALE] CONNECTED.]

[SELECTING TIMELIN- ERROR, NO CODE FOUND]

[LOCATING BACKUPS…]

[...LOADING, PLEASE HOLD…]

[...]

[...ERROR, NO BACKUPS FOUND.]

[ALERT, [ADMINISTRATIVE OVERRIDE] ACTIVATED! WELCOME BACK [ADMIN D].]

[[UNIVERSAL MAKER] ACTIVATED! PLEASE CREATE YOUR AU.]

[...]

[...ARCHETYPE CHOSEN: TRAINERTALE…]

[...AU VARIATIONS [SWAP] AND [FELL] CHOSEN. CHARACTERS RANDOMLY GENERATED BASED ON CHOICES.]

[CHARACTER FILES [SANS] AND [PAPYRUS] DELETED.]

[CHARACTER FILE [W.D. GASTER] EDITED. 50+ LINES OF CODE ADDED, SAVING PROGRESS.]

[PLEASE NAME AU.]

[...]

[...]

[AU: ‘MIXEDTRAINERTALES’ CHOSEN BY ADMINISTRATOR!]

[GAME TYPE: DATING SIM, RPG]

[COMMAND: ‘ALL ROMANCE ROUTES LOCKED UNTIL SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS ARE MET’ ACTIVATED BY ADMINISTRATOR!]

[REQUIREMENTS SET!]

[COMMAND: ‘DIFFICULTY SET TO HARDCORE’ ACTIVATED BY ADMINISTRATOR!]

[DIFFICULTY SET! LOADING QUESTLINES AVAILABLE IN HARDCORE MODE.]

[...]

[...HARDCORE QUESTLINES LOADED!]

[UNKNOWN SOUL TYPE FOUND.]

[[UNIVERSAL EDITOR] ACTIVATED! PLEASE CHOOSE 1 OR MORE SOUL TRAITS.]

[...]

[TRAITS [JUSTICE], [KINDNESS] AND [DETERMINATION] CHOSEN TO HOST! [SOUL TYPE: HUMAN] SELECTED!]

[SOUL IS READY FOR TRANSMIGRATION.]

[MESSAGE FROM [ADMIN D]: Good luck kid. Oh, and if you get traumatized… eh, skill issue. Have fun, and don’t die too soon; I went through a lot of paperwork to get you killed ahead of your due date for this project!]

—-

“...subject sho… comprehension, ne…ore research till-”

God, what a grating voice.

“...tem ind…tes mass amo…gic. …’ore data requ-” 

Ugh…. shut the fuck upppppp !

…It’s silent for a long moment.

Thank you.

—

[Wake up.]

When you finally awoke, it was thanks to a bright light beaming into your eyes and the loud scratching of some shitty pen on paper- and that damn voice in your head, what in the fuck -, sluggishness falling off you like water instead of the typical sleepiness that stuck to your skin like the most annoying tar in the world, sitting up.

One look around says it all.

‘Holy fuck, this is not the fucking hospital,’ you think to yourself, kinda just… disconnected from it all in the moment. Eyes drifting to something moving , you spot a tail- like, a spine like tail, with the hooked end like a scorpion- and trail your eyes down to your hand.

Bone.

White, pearly bones and sharp phalanges.

You blink once, ‘Oh.’

You touch your face, feeling smooth bone and brush the corner of your eyes, finding them hollow of any eyeballs, ‘...I’m a skeleton.’

No ands, ifs or buts about it.

…Are you allowed to freak out right now?

You feel like you should be freaking out, but you’re not ; as if you’re understanding your surroundings, but not truly comprehending it because its just so bloody fuckin’ out there .

Because in these moments, you were no longer human; just a skeleton.

What the flying fuck is even happening ?

Eyeing yourself, shifting your legs underneath the blue cloth, you note in the back of your mind- a really small skeleton. Like, ‘I look like a toddler’ kind of small.

‘What in the fuck-?’

“Ah, so you’re awake.”

You jolt hard , slamming your tail into the table and piercing right through the metal with the pincer, wide eyes- eyelights?- staring down the massively tall skeleton before you, dressed in a gray sweater, black slacks and a white coat, peering down at you with distaste.

Two cracks on his skull- one up, one down-, holes in his ungloved hands, and tall as shit with a dower expression on his face…

Blinking, you fight back the urge to gape , ‘Holy shit, that’s Gaster .’

Of which, the only reason you knew that is because you got shown Handplates whilst scouring the internet for some good rated undertale comics, and it was a treat… even if Doctor Gaster was a fucking asshole there.

…Oh wait, he’s here for you , shit.

You shift under his unnerving gaze, glancing away to just… not feel his gaze? Not see the distaste he holds for you?

For whatever reason???

God, how you wish you had a shot of vodka right now, because what in the flying fuck.

“Hm…” the male hums, glancing at his clipboard and writing something on it, the scratch of pen against paper startling loud in the unnervingly silent laboratory, “...subject M-3 is functional yet nonverbal; at least aware enough of high authority to bow its head.” A part of you bristles , ‘’IT’?! BITCH!’ “More studies to conduct, but the subject is at least obedient.”

Dark violet eyelights flicker at you, and you notice the instant disdain , “...For now.” Gaster concludes verbally, and one of his summoned hands grabs you and picks you up- like a feral animal, you snap your jaws at his hands with a snarl, bristling even if in the back of your mind you know he… probably isn’t going to cause you any harm, the forefront of said brain is screaming DANGER -, walking through a long hallway and tossing your ass right into an open room without a door.

Stumbling, you hiss as your knee scrapes against the floor, getting up and attempting to dart for the door-

Something crackles , dark blue light covering the doorway.

-only to trip on your own tail, slamming to the marble tiles with a loud THUNK , “Oof-!”

Gaster only hums from outside “So it can verbalize…” he muses, and the scratching of his writings echoes shockingly loud , even as he walks away from the doorway, his shoes clacking softly against the floor, his last words echoing in the hallway, “hm… managing to summon a partial ecto, even from moments after awakening… something to be studied, that much magic could be of use to Monsterkind.”

Then, just as quickly as the sound had appeared, it wavered and broke into silence.

You huff, pushing yourself up and plopping on your skeletal bum, your new tail- god is that weird- flicking and scraping the tip against the tiles with a shrrk , shaking your head as you brush your gown down to properly cover yourself again, “Ugh… jerk.”

Though, that definitely wasn’t the same voice you heard before you died…

Gaster’s was deep, but as unfeeling as he tried to make himself, you could already see and hear the snide and cruelty beneath the surface.

The voice you’d heard so loud and clear, crisp as if someone had jammed earbuds within your own ears, was almost feminine ; robotic in a way, but definitely softer in tone.

[You would be right.]

You jolt , looking around wildly, “Heh-?!”

The same voice scolds you just as suddenly as it appeared, [Hush child, the Doctor is watching. Always watching; just speak to me inside your mind.]

‘...Like this?’

[Good.] The feminine voice seems pleased, despite how robotic it sounds- almost like an AI? But… not? What in the fuck is even happening -, [Now, I’ll keep this brief; you died.]

Instantly, your face deadpans, rolling your eyes… eyelights , ‘Yeah, no shit sherlock. Thanks for pointing out the obvious,’ you snark within your own head, chest tight and bitter.

The voice huffs, like some annoyed mother that was just sassed by her own child, [Shush, I’m not finished! You died, yes, and were reincarnated into an AU of Undertale. Ever heard of Trainertale?]

‘The Pokemon AU where the Monsters have access to Pokemon and train them? Yeah, vaguely,’ you respond, leaning back against the wall and looking up at the white ceiling, ‘I only skimmed the AU when I saw it collide with one of my other special interests, but… yeah, I remember it. What about it?’

[Take a guess as to which AU you were reincarnated into.]

You pause, and blink , ‘...Okay, cool; sensing a ‘but’ here.’

[Nice to know you’re at least a tad perceptive when you want to be,] the voice sasses, and you could almost see the eyeroll, [think of this AU as a mixture between… Undertale, Underswap and Underfell. Some Monsters are kind, some are swapped places, and some are just cruel . The Administration calls this place ‘Mixed Trainertales’.]

‘...So lemme guess; Gaster is more like his fell counterpart? So he’s just a dick?’

You only knew a few of the more popular AUs, to be quite honest; Underswap and Underfell were a given, you’ve seen like… two versions of Swapfell (or is it Fellswap? Hell if you know), Dancetale from some fanart, Outertale because it was space themed and that was a good enough reason for you to like it, Dusttale, Horrortale, you think you saw some sort of Mafia or Mob AU, Dreamtale thanks to one of your old friends shoving it in your face, whatever the fuck Error and Ink are because you had no idea , and Underlust which you… didn’t really care for? You didn’t hate it either, to be honest, even if the original was fucked .

That’s like… what ten? Twelve alternate universes?

Out of what must be hundreds?

So yeah, you’re only making vague guesses with what you got up in the ol’ noggin.

‘…Wait, what was that an administration-?’

[More like borderline sociopath and sadist, detached from reality within the lab and just seeing anything under his as some thing to be experimented on.]

The grimace comes naturally, ‘Greaaaat. Just my fucking luck; more childhood trauma! Only this time, it's with a man that defies the Geneva convention like a teenager defies their mom.’

The voice snorts, [You’re self aware, at least. But you do have an advantage here; the world, for you , works like a game. Stats, seeable abilities, EVs, IVs; the like. Like Elite Redux, and the Admin was kind enough to allow you access to the Pokemon in your Pokemon Home boxes as an… apology of sorts. Even has given you your own stats that you can raise, but I’d focus on just surviving for the first year or two. Keep your cards close to your chest. Though, you only get access to those same Pokemon when you manage to Escape the facility.]

‘Noted,’ huffing a small sigh, wilting, your eyelights flicker tiredly as your hands mindlessly fumble with your tail, which pops with a click click click with every vertebrae, ‘so essentially, I’m stuck here and have to work my way up to escape. And if I don’t escape, I’ll never get access to my Pokemon which I’m sure includes Legendaries and plenty of mountain-breakers.’

[Essentially.]

‘Fuck. My. Life.’

The past week has been torture for you; Gaster- or rather, as you’ve taken to calling him because he’s a FUCKING ASSHOLE, The Doctor - has been forcing you through experiments that you physically can’t fight.

Run in a room till you pass out, get stuck with needles and scream as lava trails up through your bones whilst the Doctor watches , and having to flex your magic whilst dodging shots lest you die a second time.

Not that you think that he’d kill you so soon, but he sure seemed like he wanted too.

Sometimes, he even shoves you into your room, uncaring if you crack something, and you’ve heard him grumble something about how “the unneeded experiment survived”.

Which, um…

Wack??? Rude???

At least he hasn’t pulled out your soul yet… or attempted , really.

Not like it seems like he could; the voice in your head- they called themselves [System] for… whatever reason. You didn’t like that, so the voice in your name was just Artis . Meaning ‘Artificial Reigning Intelligence and Symbiotic System’. At least, that’s the acronym that they gave themselves for their name; you just didn’t want to call them system - had told you; your Soul was locked away by them, save for just a little shard.

You could view it with ease; outsiders? Not near as easy, even in an Encounter.

At least you had access to the Pokemon you caught on your switch, which accessed their move pools and abilities on Elite Redux, but you don’t think attempting to escape this early is a good idea; at least for a few years.

Let the Doctor think he has the upper hand.

Because when needed and necessary, you’ll get outside, unlock your PC, toss out your Houndoom, burn this fuckin’ shitspot to the ground , and run.

Easy!

But… the Doctor also gave you stimulation outside tests; you wouldn’t say they were toys , but a rubix cube is a rubix cube, and he even tossed a children’s book at you through the forcefield.

It wasn’t much, but it helped to aid your boredom.

Not for an exceeding amount of time, mind you, but… eh, it is what it is.

It was at least nice to know that Mt Ebott was somewhere in the world that wrote in english though; it looked like American english, but it could also be, well, English english.

If it was London, wouldn’t there be like… propaganda about the Queen or something?

You got no idea.

Fumbling with the rubix cube, solving it easily for what must’ve been the hundredth time at this point, you perk up a little at the sound of the forcefield deactivating, watching the Doctor step through, his lab coat billowing and attire as perfect as it typically was.

Blinking your eyelights at him, your gaze trails to the Umbreon at his feet- ‘A shiny,’ a part of you mused, ‘hm… I’m used to seeing Banette or Dusclops, but seeing another new Pokemon is cool!’ -, then back to Gaster who wields three basic pokeballs in his hands.

“Experiment M-3, you will be taking one of these failed experiments.” He commands, not asking for permission since you weren’t a real person in his eyes, “The other two will be disposed of. Take your pick, and make it quick; I do not have time for your nonsense.”

Before you can even process- disposed of?! What the fuck Gaster?!-, he clicks the capsule buttons and out pops three Pokemon.

A Shroomish, a Ducklett, and a Vulpix; all small, all young , with little to no injury outside a scrape of two.

You blink, and a trio of screens appear over each one.

[Shroomish, the Mushroom Pokemon (male)]

[Grass]

[LVL 5]

[Abilities: Technician, Dry Skin]

[Innates: Effect Spore, Toxic Boost (Locked)]

[Ducklett, the Water Bird Pokemon (female)]

[Water / Flying]

[LVL 5]

[Abilities: Damp, Swift Swim (Locked)]

[Innates: Big Pecks]

[Vulpix, the Fox Pokemon (female)]

[Fire / Fairy]

[LVL 5]

[Abilities: Flash Fire, Pyromancy, Drought (Locked)]

[Innates: Flaming Soul, Immolate (Locked), Quick Feet (Locked)]

Near instantaneously, your eyes lock onto the Vulpix at the sight of it having access to all six of its abilities; yes, half of them are locked, but those can easily be unlocked with due training.

Plus, all of Gaster’s- sorry, the Doctor’s - Pokemon are either Ghost or Dark types from what you’ve seen; a Fairy type would be irreplaceable.

Plus, Fire and Fairy together is a banging type, annulling one of Fairy’s weaknesses in Steel, giving it six resistances, two immunities, and only four weaknesses in Poison, Water, Rock and Ground.

But if you teach it Energy Ball, that nullifies three out of its four weaknesses…

“...I’ll take the red one,” you find yourself mumbling, and the Vulpix perks up at being chosen, whilst the other two young Pokemon’s eyes fill with fear .

A part of you withers at the look, and you turn your head away from the pleading gazes, taking Vulpix’s pokeball from the Doctor and watching him return the other two Pokemon before leaving without another word.

Slinking against the wall, you slide down silently and curl up, knees pressed to your chest.

Vulpix whines, and shuffles herself in your arms, curling up inbetween your chest and knees, and you just let her, wrapping your arms over her and pressing your temple to the top of your head.

‘Where is the kindness that everyone spoke of when it came to Monsters…?’

Artis pops in, sounding almost sad - not the crushing wave of guilt that you felt, but just… a detached sadness, [Gaster has always detached himself from his subjects. Since the two he wanted to survive, the ones that would’ve become his sons, died prior to your forming, he is taking his rage out on you and any Pokemon that is not his own.]

Periwinkle colored beads of magic burn at the corners of your sockets, dripping silently down your cheekbones, ‘That doesn’t make it right or fair .’

It’s silent for a long moment.

[...No, it doesn’t.]

Chapter Text

Two months into your existence within the prison laboratory, and you were so very happy that you’d chosen Vulpix as your first Pokemon.

Not only was she intelligent and quick witted, but she learned so fast too; the Doctor forced you through your typical tests, and had Vulpix go through her own, but together you were supposed to battle random Pokemon that the Doctor brought in and she was downright brilliant .

Your first opponent, two days after obtaining Vulpix, had been a Hoothoot; a Normal and Flying type, something that Vulpix wasn’t weak against, but not strong against either.

Thankfully, Artis had shown you the moveset that Vulpix had gotten in that moment, and you’d gotten a… quest of sorts.

[Defeat the Level 7 Hoothoot!]

[Quest Reward: +3 Potions, +50% EXP bonus to Vulpix, +4 EV to any stat]

[Failure: -10 Love and Affection with [W.D Gaster], +25 EXP to Vulpix, no food for two days]

Yeah, safe to say, you weren’t taking any chances with losing .

Vulpix didn’t know many attacking moves, as much as that sucked, but she had Quick Attack, Flame Burst and Mystical Fire, with secondary moves like Disable, Spite, Confuse Ray and Hypnosis.

Decent for her first battle; Flame Burst and Confuse Ray made this fight piss easy though, since Vulpix would just confuse the Hoothoot on your command, rapidly fire three Flame Bursts around it whilst it was disoriented, and it would repeatedly stumble and flail into the attacks and burning remains till it inevitably passed out on the floor, spirals in its eyes.

[Quest Completed!]

[+3 Potions added to Inventory, 156 EXP + 50% = 234 EXP! Vulpix has leveled up twice and is now Level 7!]

[Please choose one stat to add EVs to: ]

You didn’t stick around to see if the Doctor would take care of it like he did Shroomish and Ducklett. You clicked Speed- Artis told you that, unlike the game, Pokemon have no limits here except reaching Level 100; their stats will continue to grow forever- and rush out of the battlefield with Vulpix at your heels.

That had been months ago, and whilst the levels weren’t a extreme jump like how you’d prefer , Vulpix sat at a fairly decent Level 14 these days, and had added Fire Spin, Thunder Wave, Draining Kiss, and Charm to her moveset; you’d been tickled upon learning of Draining Kiss, and incorporated that into Vulpix’s training routine, teaching her to use it without you having to order her.

If she felt tired or weak, get in close and use Draining Kiss ; it’ll heal herself, restore her energy, and fuck over their opponent because their energy was stolen right from underneath them.

It wasn’t perfect, you’d lost four of the twenty battles you and Vulpix had been forced into, so you went hungry some days, but that was okay; some quests were nice enough to add bread to your winnings, putting them in your inventory to keep fresh, and both yourself and your Pokemon would ration it, splitting half a loaf between you each day you didn’t eat.

Circumstances were far from perfect… but it was better than nothing.

Of course, there were your own stats that you could raise too… but you were pretty much told to leave that alone for now. No use to raise stats that would naturally grow on their own yearly, as long as work was put into them.

You agreed, but still .

At least your perks- the only ‘major plus side’ outside having the Pokemon on your Switch that the Admin had given you access too… once you fucking escape - were nice; [Temperature Immunity] , [Magical by Nature] , [The Grim Reaper] , and [Jack of all Trades ].

You had a fifth perk, but it was flat out awful till you turned ten; before then, all figures of authority would have a minimum of -5 Love and -10 Affection with you, but if you lived past that, then the reverse would happen. You’d get that same Love and Affection in the positives instead, a permanent +15 to your Luck stat, and get a yearly birthday gift that is a random helpful item, bi-yearly being a Pokemon egg instead, till your first century.

Which was… yeah, that’s great!

If you live past ten years old.

Which you weren’t exactly counting on , to be quite honest.

“Vul?”

Snapping out of your own mind, you glance at your partner Pokemon to see that she’d woken upon realizing you were no longer petting her fur, and you flash a weak smile, “Sorry bud… just thinkin’. You know me; always in my own head! Hehe…”

If a fox could properly frown, you’re sure Vulpix would .

“Vulpix, seriously, I’m fine,” you try again, and the fox has the actual gall to snort at you, slapping her paw against your knee with a huff.

Sassy little prick.

You huff, “Why do I even put up with you?”

“Pix.”

“Bitch, that is not a fuckin’ answer- ”

“Experiment M-3,” the Doctor’s voice- emotionless, apathetic, monstrous, cruel - freezes you, ice spreading through the marrow in your bones as you whip your head towards your Creator, who only watches you from behind the forcefield disgust in his eyes , “I need you to follow me. Now . Return your pet.”

Not a request, but an order.

‘Tch, typical.’

Biting back a grimace, you take a small breath to calm the bundle of ice in your chest, smoothing over your expression as you mumble, already returning Vulpix to her pokeball, “...Yes Doctor.”

Pushing yourself up, brushing off your rags hospital gown, you stroll over to the forcefield as its brought down, and as soon as it is, the Doctor is already walking away and you have to jog just to keep up with him.

Walk behind the Doctor, never in front or beside, you are not his equal.

Keep quiet, don’t make any noise; noise irritates the Doctor.

Spoke when spoken too, and nothing more. Questions bring punishment.

Mentally repeating these rules you have beaten into your own head to prevent being starved or having worse experiments done to you- you didn’t need to experience the Electrocution Chamber again.

Once was enough, thanks.

(Even now, you can still feel the currents running up your legs, through your marrow and shocking your Soul so bad you thought you heard a crack .)

(But no, it wasn’t your Soul; it was your skull hitting the floor.)

“Your SOUL has settled enough for me to begin my examinations,” the Doctor’s voice snaps you out of your own mind, and upon hearing his words, you almost break out into a cold sweat, “I am taking you to the Secondary Lab to have a look at it and your statistics, and see if you hold actual use or if I’m merely wasting materials on a failure .”

‘Shit- ARTIS !’

[At your command, Host.]

You throw a question instantly, ‘Can you make a false soul for him to look at?! Or am I fucked?!’

[A ‘prop’ version can be called using a few shards of your true SOUL, but it will only display half of your stats with the exclusion of your HP. Seeing as only you can showcase your true SOUL and pull it out, similar does it to your Stats.]

As if hearing the holy grail, you relax , ‘Thank the stars- fuck man, I was terrified! Give me a WARNING next time!’

Artis giggles in your mind, echoing simply, [Apologies.]

Still, if it's going to show half of your stats- Attack and Defense, you think they’re called?-, then you just hope they’re not too high of numbers.

If you saw, like, 200 on one of them, you think you’ll just kill yourself.

…Or throw out your Walking Wake from your PC and let it run rampant.

…Wait, fuck, shit, you can’t do that yet.

…Eh, whatever.

The Doctor would deserve it too, the bastard.

Breaking out of your murderous thoughts, you almost bump into the monster, who only gestures on the steel bench he uses as his experimentation bed, “Sit.”

You follow orders without question, pulling yourself up onto the tall bench and sitting, taking conscious care not to swing your legs like you’d do at a typical doctors’ visit.

Grabbing some sort of scanner like device and a needle, the man summons three extra hands and covers one in a mist of violet-

-and you feel fifty pounds heavier instantly .

Fighting back the urge to squirm , you silently take the needle that’s slotted into your bone, biting back a vicious his that wants to escape your fanged maw as the Doctor rests the scanner over your chest, connecting it to his computer and pressing a button to start it, ignoring your sharp winces and the way your tail jolts and coils behind you at the pain.

Pain.

Gods , that hurts like a motherfucker- !

Was this bastard making you suffer for no explainable reason again?!

‘Artis, is this SUPPOSED to hurt?!’

[No.]

Welp, that answered your question.

Note to self; when given the chance, kill The Doctor.

Shove him into the CORE, or maybe just stab him; you’ll wait till you get bigger, but murder couldn’t be that bad.

Just this once.

“Hm.” The man hums as the machine whirls and yanks the ploy soul out of your chest with pained gasp, covered in a very faint yellow aura.

The screen was in wingdings, but Artis was nice enough to show you a translation in front of your own eyes.

Bless this AI stuck in your head; they’re a real dream.

If you didn’t have them, you’d probably have lost it or dusted from lack of hope… especially since without them, you wouldn’t have known that you had a system to begin with .

[EXPERIMENT M-3]

[LV 0]

[HP: 450]

[ATK: 15]

[DEF: 25]

[Boss Monster (Young)]

[Soul Trait: JUSTICE]

Damn right you’re justice- you’ll get justice against this two legged bastard and rip his fuckin’ ribs out to beat him bloody with ‘em-

“Much higher HP than I was expecting.” The Doctor mused, scraping his pen loudly against the paper attached to his clipboard, expression dull as was usual, “Mediocre stats, but given its age, that is to be expected. Justice alignment might be an issue later on… hm… conditioning will need to be pushed ahead of schedule.”

You froze .

‘WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN CONDITIONING , YOU CRACKED BASTARD?!’ You shriek in your mind, outraged, marrow bubbling in your bones like lava in a volcano ready to erupt , ‘WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?! AND ‘ IT ’?! I’M NOT A FUCKING OBJECT!’

Noted; make his torture long and brutal once you’re given the chance.

Feeling your body get yanked down by gravity, the other floating hands strap you to the table as The Doctor leans over you, faux-lips pulling into a cruel, amused smile, “Well, I have work to accomplish, and since my original experiments perished before your creation… I suppose you’ll have to do.”

Panicking, your body does what is most natural.

Stabbing your tail into the man attacking you, snapping your jaws at his fingers with a vicious snarl.

Unfortunately, you don’t hit his soul , so no genuine damage is dealt except some ripped clothing.

The man blinks once, twice, and has the audacity to laugh , “So it can fight back; fun, but a true shame, I promised the King a mindless superweapon. Oh well, breaking the ineffective minds of those lesser than me is always fun for me.”

Horror floods you like a tidal wave.

‘ARTIS!’ You cry, yanking at your binds, ‘GRAB AND RELEASE VULP-’

Something stabs into the faux soul, and despite the fact it shouldn’t be real , shouldn’t hurt you …

… It does.

PAIN.

The world around you floods with red.

IT HURTS.

Waves toppling over you.

MAKE IT STOP, PLEASE!

Dragging you under.

…Someone follows.

I DON’T WANNA DIE!

Abyssal waters sinking its claws into your ankles and yanking. The creature paddles further, trying to reach, to burn away the darkness.

NOT AGAIN!

Darker yet Darker, pulling you down down down .

I CAN’T DIE AGAIN! I CAN’T ! ARTIS-!

Your lungs burn , hands reaching out towards the shadow above coming closer .

HELP ME!

Your vision swims, just like the wafting tides above. The shadow sobs, limbs weakening with every paddle of its tawny paws.

PLEASE!

You drown in the darkness… and the fox goes still .

…

Crimson waters waft beneath the eternal moon.

You awake the following morning in your cell, plasters covering cracks and holes in your bones, soaked with marrow and your body trembling in the aftershocks.

Vulpix laid against you, curled into your side, her head on your chest.

Chocolate brown eyes crack open, white pupils glancing at you silently, meeting your eyes, reassuring .

Something brushes against your mind, gentle.

Safe/Love/Okay?

You sob, and you break.

Vulpix closes her eyes, and rumbles softly, brushing her tails against your hand.

Here. Safe. No evil.

Chapter Text

It’s… been a rough few months since the first proper ‘experiment’ done to you- something something about ‘conditioning needing to be maintained’-, and the only limelight throughout all of it was Vulpix, her power- magic? You had no fucking clue. Do Pokemon have magic? …Food for thought, actually- brushing against your soul, smoothing over intent to quell any rising anxiety or panic attacks.

It wasn’t perfect- far from it, really- but…

…Having your partner at least made the pain bearable .

Sure, scars were building up on pearl white bones… but you had her and Artis, and for you, that was enough to keep you sane.

On the plus side, that incident seemingly lit a fire in the vulpine Pokemon’s heart, and she took to battles with all the ferocity of a woman scorned, not giving the opponent Pokemon any room to truly hurt , nor allow their escape.

Sharp teeth rip open throats, gorge stomachs, and maul out their eyes.

More often than not, those opponents left in body bags rather than pokeballs.

You had… no real clue on why she was so bloodthirsty, but it’s gotten to the point that she’s fighting off Gaster’s Pokemon; Draining Kiss and Shadow Ball makes quick work of them, with the only ones who can take the hits being Dusclops and Banette.

Though, you were just a little smug on the fact that The Doctor’s own Pokemon refused to help him; they wouldn’t go near you, and if they did, then it was to secretly deliver some snacks whilst he was busy with other experiments.

So that said plenty about their character, as far as you were concerned.

Though, you noted you could finally see The Doctor’s Pokemon’s levels- probably because Vulpix had gotten stronger, so there was less of a barrier between the two? At least, that’s how you understood it. Or maybe Artis had still been ‘settling in’ just as you had, and hadn’t had all of their functions yet? … Why is everything so damn complicated? You need a fucking shot… or ten-, with Banette reigning on top at a steady level 42, and the weakest being his shiny Umbreon, who was level 28; nearly the same level as Vulpix.

Not only that, but with your surplus of knowledge, you’d been experimenting with moves to see what she could learn, and what she couldn’t . You think she’s definitely able to use Psychic-type attacks, but the only one you’ve managed to teach her, with Artis’s guidance, was Psywave, which was… not strong at all but that was fun.

At least Vulpix had learnt Energy Ball, Incinerate, Protect and Shadow Ball! Small mercies.

Resting in your room with your rubix cube, you twist it in midair very slowly with your magic- forced to practice it by the command of the Doctor, lest you get another painful experiment done to your faux soul. Which was bullshit ; you hated that you could feel it, it was awful! Even just having three shards of your soul meant that, whilst weakened, you were still feeling the experiments in their entirety-, moving soft auras of magic around the cube as you fumble with it, occasionally dropping it before picking it back up again, Vulpix pressed to your side, reading one of the few children’s books in your cell room.

“You know ‘Pix,” eyelights flick to the vulpine creature, the cube falling into your hand as a ding rings out in your mind ([Gravity Magic has leveled up! Gravity Magic is now level 2] ), sharp fingers- phalanges? Claws?- scratching the surface of the cube and marking its exterior for the upteenth time, “you don’t have to know how to read, right?”

Want.

You blink, side eyeing the tiny fox, “You want too?”

The Pokemon nods her head without looking up from her booklet.

“...Why?”

Smart. Helpful. Escape.

Silent for a moment, musing over it, you glance at the Fox Pokemon, “It's helpful for when we escape the lab?”

Vulpix nods resolutely, flicking her tails.

“...Very well, I can’t really argue on that point, especially if you’ll be able to read and navigate signs,” you relent, knowing your partner had a pretty good point all things considered, leaning back against the wall and going back to practicing your magic. Artis said that you had the ability to learn skills till you turned 20, and after that, you wouldn’t learn another skill ever again… at least, not one that you could level up and master nearly as quickly as you could with the system.

Which meant you had about… Seventeen years? Sixteen and a half? Artis said that this body was about three years old- it had just been incubating for much longer till your soul ‘manifested’, so to speak.

[Sixteen and a half.]

‘Thank you Artis.’ The response carries immediately within your mind, genuine gratitude lacing your tone before going back to your previous thoughts; so sixteen and a half years…

You wanted to reach a high enough level with your magic skills- only consisting of Bone, Gravity, Soul and, surprisingly, Electricity Magic as of currently-, and learn a couple of other skills or abilities, like swordsmanship and healing magic, if only for your own piece of mind. Maybe survival or magic sense?

Huffing a small sigh under your breath, you go back to practicing your magic, even if it strains your… mind? Soul?

Whatever; you had a skill to master.

Several hours later, you magic wobbles and dissipates, dropping the rubix cube to the floor with a loud clack as your hands shake, bones rattling loudly.

Vulpix leans against your hip silently, brushing her tails over your lap, allowing you to pet them slowly, mind feeling stuffed as Artis’s voice rings in your head like a church bell, just as loud and hard to ignore, [Gravity Magic has leveled up! Gravity Magic is now level 4! Mana Manipulation has been created due to constant use of mana; Magic Manipulation is now level 2! Mana has reached critically low levels, please eat and rest to recharge.]

God you hated leveling this fucking skill up, the magic was just so finicky . Like, sure, you understand magic is wonky, anyone would because where is the logic , but its just annoying how it is.

[Training Mana Manipulation first would benefit you more in the long run.]

‘By doing what ? Flexing my magic like a fucking muscle or band?’ You sass internally, rolling your eyelights.

But Artis just deadpanned, [Yes, exactly that.]

‘...Oh.’

Well, that made sense at least.

No use doing it now, but it can be a ‘tomorrow you’ problem.

Huffing a sigh, you lean back against the white wall, just staring out into the beyond…

AKA this white ass fucking room.

“...Would it kill the doc to add some color every once in a while?”

[He’s evil, young soulling.]

Crack bastard.

“Yeah yeah, I know I know,” you roll your eyelights fondly at the responses both your companions give you, brushing your fingers through Vulpix’s soft fur, snagging any knots and gently working them out till they untangle because god forbid that rat bastard give you a fucking brush.

…Aww man, now you miss your hair! Goddammit.

“Experiment M-3,” the voice calls from beyond the forcefield door, and you wander your gaze back to it, blinking once at the sight of the Doctor standing there, clipboard in hand, “it is time for your daily battle.”

“Yes sir,” you sigh, pushing up from your seat and signaling to Vulpix, who rolls her eyes but gets up onto her paws, stretching her back out like a cat, flaring her tails outwards for a moment, then paddles after you, forced to follow Gaster.

At least his Banette shot the two of you a worried, knowing look but continued after her own trainer, and you flick your eyes to the basic information about her that Artis always shares.

[Banette, the Marionette Pokémon (female)]

[Ghost]

[LVL 42]

[Abilities: Cheap Tactics, Surprise!]

[Innates: Scare, Haunted Spirit]

Internally, you hum at the information- from what you’d seen, having multiple innates wasn’t a surprise, but more than one ability was apparently rarer here before your… reincarnation .

Or, at least, very few of the Pokemon that the Doctor forced you to battle had a second ability, let alone an unlocked one.

Why was Vulpix with all six?

Something about absurdly high potential; you’d only been paying half attention to Artis when they’d been explaining it.

[Hey!]

See?

Vulpix huffs at the Banette’s look, turning her head away- as far as the fox was concerned, if these Pokemon stuck with Gaster, they were just as bad as him- and keeps in line with you as you glance around the laboratories hallway, mapping out the layout.

Definitely the True Lab, no doubt about that.

Without a shadow of a doubt, as eerie as the lab was, if it was dark, the lights shut off, it’d be way scarier.

Like, you’re no stranger to the dark- preferring it, if you were honest- but this place was fucked .

Vulpix curls her lip, and steps closer to your feet, ears folding back.

You glance at her, ‘Seems like she agrees… can’t blame her, poor thing.’ You muse, mouth curling into a small frown before continuing on after The Doctor by the Battleground Doorway.

“Get inside,” he demanded coldly, and you bite back the urge to snark the bastard, tell him to shove it , and walk inside with Vulpix beside you, the door slamming shut as the lights flicker on, the doorway at the alternate end of the room raising up and allowing the creature inside to exit.

Gold eyes gleam in the shadows, a black, three-toed foot stepping out into the light for a moment, seemingly testing the waters as it’s eyes keep locked onto you.

It’s silent for a long moment…

…And the figure swaggers out.

You curse at the sight of the Pokemon, Vulpix growling at your side, ears pinning back once more, ‘A Croagunk, are you fuckin’ serious you bloody damn bastard!’ Cursing The Doctor, you shoot the window a sideways glare and turn your gaze onto the bipedal toxic dart frog-like Pokemon.

Eyelights flick to the screen hovering above it.

[Croagunk, the Toxic Mouth (male)]

[Poison / Fighting]

[LVL 20]

[Abilities: Merciless]

[Innates: Dry Skin, Poison Touch]

‘What the FUCK Gaster?!’ You shriek internally, shooting the window another dark glare because really? Out here picking the worst possible targets for you to battle? Seriously motherfucker?!

The only advantage you have here is the fact that Vulpix is a higher level, and likely has better stats.

But Croagunk is not only a physical attacker, with Vulpix having horrid defenses, but this fucker has Poison Touch unlocked, meaning that if he hits Vulpix once , it’s a 30% chance to poison her.

And three times means it’s almost guaranteed to poison her, and if it doesn’t, the fourth attack surely will.

‘Okay, game plan, game plan,’ rapidly thinking, you try to come up with a… decent strategy that won’t fuck you both over , ‘uhhh Vulpix knows Thunder Wave, I can use that to slow it down. Use Disable on it if it shows that it’s got access to Poison Jab, Confuse Ray to see if it’ll attack itself and give us some breathing room, Agility so that Vulpix stays above Croagunk’s speed stat, and spam Charm and Psywave, debuffing it and then doing damage. That’s my only chance of winning this, because if Vulpix gets hit and poison sets in, this’ll be over .’

[Defeat the Level 20 Croagunk!]

[Bonus: Defeat Croagunk without Vulpix getting hit.]

[Quest Reward: +3 Super Potions, +2 Antidotes, +50% EXP bonus to Vulpix, +1 Point to any of your stats, +8 EV to any stat]

[Bonus Reward: +5 Super Potions, +2 Pokeballs, +2 Levels to Vulpix, Random TR, +20 EV to any stat, 5 loaves of bread]

[Failure: -20 Love and Affection with [W.D Gaster], +40 EXP to Vulpix, no food for three days, double the experiments]

Biting back a groan- yeah, sure, give a nearly impossible bonus quest! Thanks Artis -, you gesture to Vulpix, and the Fox Pokemon snaps her jaws as she leaps in front of you and onto the battlefield, flaring out her tails as she crouches, growling at the opposing Pokemon.

Croagunk narrows its eyes- his? Artis said that they’re male- and flexes its fingers, crouched-

“Vulpix, Thunder Wave!”

-only to flinch at the sudden order, getting hit with the sparking wave and grimacing, cutting its movement speed by half, and Vulpix is quick to make herself faster with Agility at a snap of your fingers- a silent command, one you’d come up with weeks prior once she’d learned the moves. Not every command had to be verbal -, doubling her speed and running around Croagunk, whom of which hissed and threw his palm out, arms glowing white.

“It’s using Brick Break!” You shout, knowing that the attack, while being rebuffed by Vulpix’s Fairy-type status, was no weak attack, especially not with Poison Touch, “Vulpix, Dodge!”

The Fox Pokemon hissed, ducking under the attack and leaping up when the frog strikes from below, flipping back-

-only to miss her trajectory and get the three-pronged fingers slammed into her belly, knocking the tawny fox back across the field with a yelp.

[Alert! Bonus Quest failed!]

‘Fuck…’ Watching Croagunk, you scowl and glance at Vulpix, who rises to her paws and shakes her head, yipping defiantly.

‘Okay, Poison didn’t set in- good.’ Pursing your lips, you narrow your gaze at the opposing Sinnoh Pokemon, ‘...Artis.’

[Yes?]

‘What exactly does Dry Skin do again?’

[Water and Rain heals Croagunk, Fire and Harsh Sunlight harms it.]

Oh, neat.

Flashing a dark grin, you spray a hand outwards towards the frog, “Vulpix, Incinerate and Fire Spin! Keep it locked in place!”

She yips agreeingly, breathing in deeply as she jumps, pulling her head back then swings it forward, blowing out deep red flames at the frog, who moves to dodge but freezes, crackles of electricity bouncing around its limbs as they grimace.

‘BINGO!’

The flames hit spot on, doing a significant amount of damage just from where you stand, and Vulpix doesn’t let up, spewing out a second round of flames that twirl around the Pokemon, keeping them locked in place through curling spirals of fire.

Croagunk huffs, shaking off the paralysis and opening his mouth, shooting needles of poison at Vulpix, who burns most of them away with Flame Burst, landing on the white tiled floor.

Unfortunately, a few needles hit, and Vulpix stumbles, a purple tint settling between her eyes and snout.

You curse, “Dammit; she’s poisoned, gotta end this fast. Psywave!”

Shaking her head, Vulpix staggers back onto her paws, brown eyes glowing bright blue, tangible auras of blue and pink wafting towards the struggling Poison and Fighting type, hitting it in a burst that echoed a scream.

Croagunk swayed, taking a step back-

-then fell, flopping onto the tiles with a wet thwap .

[Defeat the Level 20 Croagunk!] (COMPLETED!)

[Bonus: Defeat Croagunk without Vulpix getting hit.] (FAILED)

[Reward: +3 Super Potions, +2 Antidotes, +50% EXP bonus to Vulpix, +1 Point to any of your stats, +8 EV to any stat]

[+609 EXP! Vulpix has leveled up! Vulpix is now Level 26.]

Breathing a sigh of relief, you allot the EVs to Special Attack, scooping up Vulpix into your arms and bolting out of the room, the Doctor glancing boredly to the side at the sight, scratching something onto his clipboard but turns away, deeming you unimportant.

Bare feet clack noisily against the dusty tiled floor, bolting back through to lay you partner on the bed, opening your ‘Inventory’ and grabbing an antidote- it wasn’t in a potion or bottle, but just a small vial. Considering everything… yeah, okay, that made sense, even if it annoyed you. One time use item indeed-, popping the cork and forcing the weakened fox to open her maw, pouring it onto her tongue alongside a second vial of a blood-orange colored liquid.

As a super potion, it should pretty much heal Vulpix back to full health.

Normally, you wouldn’t dare to waste such a valuable material, but considering the circumstances, you didn’t care.

“Get better, get better, get better -!”

Exhausted brown eyes creak open, white pupils locking onto your expression, a gentle brush to your mind.

Over?

You bite back a choked sob, snatching your partner up and holding her to your chest, “Yeah bud… over.”

Eyes close silently, relaxing in your grip.

Good.

And suddenly, you don’t feel half as good as a trainer.

Is this what it’s like? This felt cruel.

You wanna go home.

Chapter Text

[Gravity Magic has leveled up! Gravity Magic is now level 12!]

[Mana Manipulation has leveled up! Mana Manipulation is now level 20!]

“ Finally ,” you breathe, relaxing a little at the sight of Gravity Magic- aka Blue Magic-, finally hitting level ten; a third of the way to mastery, and Mana Manipulation at level fifteen, “that took forever . Knew I shouldn’t have spent all that time focused on Bone and Lightning Magic… and singing, I have no damn idea why I spent time on that stupid thing,” you grumble, shooting a sideways glare to the two skills sitting innocently in your ‘skills’ tab.

[Lightning Magic - level 13]

[Bone Magic - level 16]

[Orange Magic - level 15]

[Singing - level 16]

[Healing Magic - level 5]

Well, then again, there’s only so much time that someone can spend locked in a cell with a rubix cube, a picture book, and their own magic before they get bored and have to spend the rest of their time filling the space somehow .

And for you, that was music.

You weren’t… bad , per-se; more like someone at the same skill level as a handful years of training their voice.

So nothing crazy; you were a kid, not Beyonce.

Though, healing magic was useful, especially after experimentations and battles for you and Vulpix; it wasn’t much, but you could raise HP a significant amount in a short, quick boost, though the magic needed for it was straining on your core; possibly because of lack of mastery.

Sighing, you plop on the ground, staring blankly up at the startling white ceiling, thinking to yourself, pondering the time you’ve spent prisoner in the lab under the Doctor’s cruel hands and penchant for perfection… and whatever else that mad bastard did with his experiments.

Hell if you knew; all you knew is that you were created- well, this body at least- with the dust of a skeleton monster from the war, and a scorpion monster whose dust had been donated to the lab for testing.

Which is why you had a scorpion tail to begin with; cool, and a little eerie to look at, you’re sure, from another’s perspective, but that didn’t change the fact that you’re some fucked up, lab made hybrid - a soul as powerful as a human, with a body of a monster.

A fucked up amalgamate for sure.

How nice.

Nope, you don’t need therapy.

[You do.]

Nooope.

[Sigh.]

‘Ehe~’ you chuckle, then trail your thoughts back to… what were you thinking about again? Oh, right, your time here.

Damn goldfish memory.

Peering up, blinking once, you muse to yourself, thoughts bouncing around like a hockey puck, ‘Its been four years since I woke up in this world… my stats have risen a little over the years, both the system’s and this universes’, and now I’m physically the size of… what, a seven year old? Though, magic wise, I’m about the same as a lower-end to medium level boss monster. Still, I’m at least getting better,’ you think, remembering how horrible you used to be- with the exception of your Perception, Magic and Intelligence stats, you had 1 in practically everything else. Now, minimum, your stats were typically 5, with Charisma and Luck being at 2.

Sighing, you sit up and pull up your stat sheet, glancing over the point spread.

LV 1

Strength 5 / 50 [+]

*Fifty push ups will make you topple over. If you get a weapon, you can crack someone's kneecaps!

Perception 8 / 50 [+]

*You’re a bit less perceptive than the typical person, but you do notice some things. Others? Not so much. About as average as an older human teen.

Endurance 7 / 50 [+]

*You’re about as hardy as the average teen.

Charisma 2 / 50 [+]

*You don’t stutter despite being a fucking mess! Congrats!

Intelligence 10 / 50 [+]

*You were in college; if you weren’t at least functional , then you’d be a failure. But you’re nowhere near ‘smart’ either; at least, not in the traditional sense. About average for a young adult.

Agility 6 / 50 [+]

*You can run around at a rate that’s about the same as a 12-year old. Sure, you’re not winning any speed competitions, but considering your age you’re decently fast.

Luck 2 / 50 [+]

*You can probably not die… if you’re incredibly careful… Just kidding, I cast ‘Crushed by a Piano’!

Magic 23 / 50 [+]

*You’re a Monster! Magic runs in your blood! You’re about as strong as the average Boss Monster! You lack control though, but considering things, it could be worse. You’re plenty strong as it is; practice makes perfect.

Stat Points: 12

You crinkle your nasal passage at the stats, flicking your tail irritably, “Tch… shitty fuckin’ sheet…” you grumble, rolling your eyes and overlooking the stats. Strength, Agility and Endurance could be raised naturally, and you hold no care for Charisma since, currently, it is entirely useless to you.

If you were a bard, that’d be another story altogether, but that isn’t the case here.

And you don’t see a reason to put anything into intelligence, and perception could be useful, but it's not like The Doctor is hiding his motives to begin with.

So what else better to shove half the points in than luck? At the very least, you’re less likely to die because the world will, by nature, lean towards your ‘end’ of things.

Is it RNG cheating? It sure fucking is.

The other six points… maybe t

So with that in mind, you click the ‘+’ symbol six times, bringing Luck up to a fairly solid 8.

Luck 8 / 50

*Decently lucky for a mortal! Nothing outrageous, but naturally, good stuff has a better chance of happening to you than it else would otherwise.

Perception 10 / 50

*You're as perceptive as the average adult! You can notice little things, but you can also miss them too; you don’t exactly have hawk-eye vision after all.

Charisma 3 / 50

*You’re a tiny bit cute… in a wet cat kind of way.

Intelligence 12 / 50

*You were in college; so you’re decently smart! As smart as an adult human academically, though if you don’t read about the subject nor are interested in it, it doesn’t come as easily.

Blinking in confusion, you mumble, “Decently lucky for a mortal …?”

[Mortals typically have luck anywhere from three to eight, with the most Unlucky having 1, and the Luckiest motherfuckers out there having 13, ironically. You’re now at 8, which means you’re a bit luckier than the average soul- at least, on the scale. ‘Upper-levels of average luck’, I guess.]

“Well, that makes me feel better at least…” you grumble, brushing the window away, “so I have a better chance at living to ten?”

[About 40% more likely, yeah.]

“Fuck it, I’ll take it.” You sigh, shaking your head as you pull up your perk menu, wanting to re-integrate yourself with the perks that you currently have at your disposal, eyelights flickering as they trail over the eight total perks in confusion- you’d been told that you had five , not eight.

Race Perks:

[ Temperature Immunity ] - Temperature changes don’t even affect you! Not in the slightest! You could stand in the midst of a rock surrounded by lava, or stuck in a blizzard in the infinite arctic, and it still wouldn’t bother you.

[ Magical by Nature ] - You’re a Monster, but not just any monster; a Skeleton Monster, one of the rarest types, being heavily reliant on magic compared to other Monster Types, and a nearly extinct species! On top of that, you’re a crossbreed with a Scorpion Monster! You get +15 Magic upon being reincarnated and formerly being a Determination Soul human, and +5 Magic per LV you obtain and +2 Magic per year alive; Magic MAXES out at LV 7, OR at 15 years of age. Due to Scorpion Monster heritage, +1 Endurance and Strength every year. MAXED Stats will not rise further unless you absorb a Human Soul. Excess points gained will be added as [Status Points] to be spent instead.

[ Justice is Blind ] - 43% of your soul is made up of the Justice (Yellow) Trait! You have the natural skills of [Karmic Retribution] , a natural detection of whether someone speaks lies or their truths, and [Rapid Fire] , a magical bullet spell, though the ‘active’ skills of [Karmic Retribution] and [Rapid Fire] are locked until you hit maturity. You judge not on appearance, not on their backstory, but on that person’s actions and the situation surrounding said actions. The Guilty shall fall to your feet, and the Innocent shall be shielded by your blade. Due to being a human in your former life, this trait’s power is increased by 30%, and you gain +1 stat point per LV.

[ Kill them with Kindness ] - 37% of your soul is made up of the Kindness (Green) Trait! You have a natural affinity for [Defense Magic] , like barriers, and a lesser affinity for [Healing Magic] ! However, while those with these soul traits are not known for their battle techniques typically, there’s nothing people and monsters alike fear more than an enraged Healer or Doctor! Fear the White Mage. You are kind to most, empathetic in a way that few folks outside Kindness Souls are, but you are neither stupid nor naive. However, due to once being human in a past life, intent is only half effective against you; from combat with intent to kill, or intent to heal and mend- it is only half effective. Due to being a human in your former life, this trait’s power is increased by 20%, and you gain +1 stat point per LV.

[ But it Refused ] - 20% of your soul is made up of the Determination (Red) Trait! Those with True Determination souls are known for breaking the mold, bypassing hurdles and trials with nothing but their own wit and skill… and maybe a little spite. You have a natural affinity for both magic and combat in equal measures, and can resist [Resets] and [Reloads] with it. A blow that SHOULD kill you will instead just place you at 20 HP, increasing your strength and magic by +200% for ten minutes, and when it stops, you will pass out from exhaustion. Due to being a human in your former life, as well as naturally having the Determination trait previously, this trait’s power is increased by 50%, and you gain +3 stat points per LV.

[ The Grim Reaper ] - As said before, you have Magic, on top of being a Skeleton Monster! You have a much easier time mastering [Blue Magic] , [Orange Magic] , and [Bone Magic] . As Skeleton Monsters were also masters at their chosen weapons during the War, any weapon you grow an affinity or liking to will automatically put that specific skill at the Advanced rank (Level 11)!

[ Jack of all Trades ] - You can easily learn and advance any skill to Advanced, but have to put in twice as much work to Master a skill. Ability to ‘learn’ a skill through the System becomes obsolete at age 20; so learn all you can.

[ Ill-Fated ] - Fate has hated you from birth, and this new life is no exception! Start at the worst possible time frame, all authority figures will be at a minimum -5 Love till you turn ten. However, if you live past age ten, +10 Love and Affection with all authority, +15 to Luck, a random item yearly on your birthday, and a Pokemon Egg given to you upon every other birthday till you hit your first century.

You hum at the sight, squinting at the transparent screen- ‘Grim Reaper’ would go killer with a pair of swords or a scythe… for just a moment, you consider the thought of recreating Crescent Rose from RWBY and bite back the cry of WANT -, whilst Jack of All Trades, to you, was insanely useful.

But also a pain in the fucking ass; because you want to master some skills, and you only have until you were twenty to do that. Not to say you’d never master a skill afterwards , its just that it would have none of the accelerated growth, and that was the pain in your ass, not the ability of skills stopping being learned- though, that was annoying too.

Ill-Fated, as you recall, fucking sucked as of currently, but if you managed to survive and escape, or even just survive to ten, it would be incredible ; you’d get a special gift every birthday, be it a useful item or a Pokemon Egg, and a total of fifteen extra points to Luck. Even if you never spent another point into the stat until then, that would level it out to twenty-three ; you’d have what, possibly, equates to ‘protagonist luck’.

Ash Ketchum luck?

You’re gonna go with ‘Ash Ketchum luck’.

‘Though…’ you purse your ‘lips’, tilting your head in thought, ‘a century ? Do monsters even-?’

[Asgore is almost two thousand years old, same with Toriel, and Gaster is 1’688 years old. Skeleton Monsters in particular, can live thousands of years at a time due to their nature.]

…Well, that answered your question.

Temperature Immunity was about as good as you expected, but in the underground, it still had its uses, considering the True Lab was situated in Hotland, and from what you remember of the official games, Sans and Papyrus lived in Snowdin.

“So yeah, that checks out.” You mumble, flicking your gaze to the last perk on the screen.

Now, the ‘soul’ perks were strange- 43 plus 37 was 80, and the extra 20 leveled it up in total to 100%, so it was obviously the culmination of your being.

At least ‘Magical by Nature’ was a damn good perk.

But still… Justice with Kindness and Determination secondaries…?

’Are there anyone with that in the multiverse?’ You wonder, baffled at the combination- since when did Determination and Kindness go together???-, and Artis pops up, a source of information as always, [There’s a plethora of Justice and Determination within the multiverse, and a number of those with Kindness and Determination too, but all three combined is a rarity. There was another soul with it, but they and their universe were deleted.]

‘...Deleted???’

[Error Sans.]

Your face scrunches up into a grimace, ‘Ah.’

That made sense, but you’d really like to unlearn that little fact; you didn’t need another layer of stress than what is already carried upon your poor little shoulders, thanks.

[You asked.]

“And I regret it,” the grumble comes unbidden, your head shaking at the mere thought.

Vulpix, laid out on your lap, snorts at that, rolling her eyes fondly.

You should relax more, master.

“First off, fuck you, I do not need to hear that from you of all people, ‘Pix,” you snark, shooting the Fox Pokemon a dull look, “secondly, haven’t I told you a hundred times to stop calling me that?!”

Yes.

If this were an anime, you’re sure you’d have a ikari mark on your skull, thumping in time with your boiling irritation as eyelights shoot the fox a glare, “So you’re just doing it to annoy me?!”

I thought that was obvious?

“We’re partners! Where the hell did the snark towards me come from?!” You whine, throwing your rubix cube at the fox, who just uses Protect without a word, the brightly colored, scratched up cube bouncing harmlessly off the light teal barrier.

“...Fuck you.”

Vulpix snorts again, unbothered by your words since she damn well knew that they had no true ill will behind them, and lays her head down on her front paws instead of responding further, eyes closing.

Pouting, you glance to the window hovering over the fox with keen, irritated eyes.

[Vulpix, the Fox Pokemon (female)]

[Fire / Fairy]

[LVL 45]

You bite back a huff, pursing your lips and leaning back against the wall, arms crossed; Vulpix’s power levelling had grinded to a halt a few months prior for the most part, each level growing more and more difficult to obtain to the next; possibly because there weren’t Pokemon being brought in that would showcase themselves to be a genuine challenge or threat, you’d wager.

At least she was a little stronger than The Doctor’s own Banette, considering you know for a fact that Vulpix could kick the shit out of Dusclops and Umbreon without breaking a sweat.

Honestly, as much as you love Vulpix and have gotten quite acquainted with how she- and likely other fire types- work, you’d love to grab another Pokemon of some kind.

Well, at this point, as stupid as it sounds, you’d even take a Weedle! Because at least that evolves into Beedrill, and you remember using a Beedrill on one of your Redux Teams during a nuzlocke playthrough.

Poor thing ‘died’ about three fourths of the way through Hoenn, but there was no doubt in your mind that if it weren’t for that exact Pokemon, you never would’ve beaten Brawly or Wattson.

Praise be the absolute monstrosity that was Sniper primary ability, powering critical hits by double, with Merciless that made all attacks 100% crit rate if the opponent poisoned or paralyzed, and Hyper Aggressive which hits twice, and a 100% hit rate of Toxic since Beedrill was Bug and Poison type.

Fucking monstrous, and that wasn’t even considering the mega evolution.

“Ugh,” you groan, flopping back, swiping the windows away to be left to your own devices, picking the rubix cube up with your telekinesis- sorry, Gravity Magic. You have no idea why its even named that, its fucking telekinesis - and begin solving the cube from afar rapidly, bored out of your mind.

Gods you loathed this room. When the hell will you be able to even break out?

[When you hit 25 in Magic, since 20 is what low-end boss monsters have.]

You pause.

With just two of your twelve points, you would’ve had just enough -

Zipping up, you glare at the tiny textbox, “ ARTIS! ”

[What?! I was being helpful!]

“Not half an hour ago, obviously!” You snark, groaning as you flop down, “What has the world even come too ? My own AI, not coming to my aid!”

[You know, I could be like all the other Systems in the multiverse and just be a dick.]

“That’s not in your programing.”

[...Damn you for knowing that.] The system cursed, and you could almost imagine the entity pouting and sulking in the corners of your mind.

You bite back a snort at the imagery; yeah, as if you hadn’t learned quite a few little tidbits about your ‘digital assistant’ over the two years that you’ve had them.

However, the air shifts and you snap to sit upright as the clicking of shoes echoes in the hallway, followed by the soft padding of something else that you don’t recognize due to it being an unknown variable.

Soft, but the steps held weight .

‘A Pokemon?’ You internally question, getting up to stand as the forcefield drops, just as The Doctor rounds the corner, glancing to see one of his ‘floating hands’ pressing the cell button and turn your gaze back to the monster-

-only to bite back the doubletake you want to do so badly.

A furry man- in more ways than one- with white fur, patches torn off his exposed, muscled arms, long floppy ears with tempered, longer strands on the end, a muzzle with fangs, tall white horns curling backward with gold bands and horn tip jewelry, a long black beard and hair with golden yellow streaks tied back into a low ponytail, a scar over his right eye that showed it to be blind, and a single orange eye peering at you keenly, towering even over The Doctor, dressed in dark purple, black and gold.

Eyelights wobbling, back going rimrod straight, you flick your eyes to the box above sitting atop the goat monsters’ head.

[Asgore Dreemurr]

[The Millennium King]

[LV 9]

‘What the FUCK?!’ You scream in your mind, stiffening further because what the actual shit is the king of monsters doing down here?! He’s never come here- or, if he has, its never been to see you!

And level 9 ?!

From what you’d read online prior to, well, dying ; contrary to what most people think, you don’t have to be level 18 to get to Mettaton NEO. You can be as low as LV 8 for Undyne, and as low as LV 12 to fight Mettaton.

But when he dies, the player will always be shot up to LV 19, no matter what.

And Asgore had an LV that was equal to about killing 60 monsters !

So, your point still stands; What. The. Fuck.

“Experiment M-3,” the call of your ‘name’ has you snapping your gaze up to The Doctor, who gestures to the monster beside him, expression dark and brooding, “this is the Underground’s own king, Asgore Dreemurr. You will respect him as you do me, lest I lose my temper .

Glancing to the goat, who peers at you curiously, you bite back a sigh and turn to the monster, bowing politely, “Greetings my Liege.”

Asgore waves a hand, “No no child! Don’t call me that- you don’t have to bow!” He frets, and The Doctor clenches his teeth, hands gripping his clipboard, “Yes, it does , Asgore. It is merely an experiment.”

“That is a child , Wingdings,” the ruler of all monsterkind responds sharply, shooting the man a look that says… something to the man, because The Doctor just turns his head and scowls, whilst you blink in confusion.

‘Ooookay…? Weird.’

Crouching down, Asgore offered the palm of his hand to you, expression softening in a way that confuses you, “Come here and let me see you, little one.”

You flick your eyes to The Doctor, but seeing as he only scowled further and said nothing, you step out of the cell silently, and Asgore takes one look at you before turning on his old friend, snarling, “GASTER! This child is in rags - my goodness, I have half a mind to throttle you, millennium-old friendship be damned!”

Yeah, so Asgore was already at the top of your ‘good enough adult’ list, seeing as he wasn’t taking Gaster’s shit apparently.

Which, god, you wish you could do that without being tortured till you passed out.

Big mood buddy.

Left to your own mind, standing there, you break out with a loud yelp when Asgore picks you up and walks away with you, Vulpix perking up at the sound and zipping after you, yipping angrily at the goat monster that strides through the lab and to the elevator.

Behind, the mad scientists blinks.

Shaking out of his own stupor, the skeleton monster rushes after you and the king of the underground, “Asgore!” The Doctor yells, scowling still- a part of you wonders if it ever leaves his face… then remember that he’s an asshole and let the thought fly out the metaphorical window uncaringly-, trailing after the taller boss monster, “Put it down!”

“Absolutely not,” he responds resolutely, not tearing his eyes away as he inputs the elevator code, “I am getting this poor thing some proper clothes in color , and I swear to the Angel above Wingdings, if you try to stop me, I will fire you as the Royal Scientist.”

Pausing, The Doctor couldn’t help but grimace- he couldn’t do without his funding, let alone his job, and Asgore always was a stubborn man.

“... Fine ,” he spits, vicious and enraged, sharp phalanges scraping against his clipboard, “but have it back by tonight.”

The goat sniffed dismissively, stepping into the elevator, your body still tucked in his arms and Vulpix at his feet, “You have no reason to give me orders, Wingdings.”

With that, the elevator slams shut.

And W.D Gaster breaks his clipboard.

The elevator buzzes and rickets as it goes up up up , and you sit in Asgore’s hands, blink twice, and question aloud, scrunching up your nasal ridge, “What the fuck just happened.”

In response, the king laughs, “Careful with that tongue, little one! If Tori was here, she’d scrub your mouth with soap!”

“That punishment is invalid because I can just desummon my tongue.”

He snorts, shaking his head, “Hehehe… goodness, you got a mouth on you. Reminds me of Chara, stars.”

You perk up at the name- you didn’t know much about Chara, just that they were ‘evil’ to some, and simply ‘Frisk’s consequences’ to others.

Personally, you were inclined to agree with the latter; Chara seemed bloodthirsty in genocide, but if they were truly the ‘narrator’ of Frisk’s journey, then they were chill otherwise. “Chara?”

“Oh, yes, you’ve been…” Asgore trails off, squinting his gaze into a sideways glare at seemingly nothing, musing in his own head before continuing as if he never paused to begin with, “ah, my apologies. Chara is one of my children; a human child.”

“...Those meatsacks?”

“Snrrk-” he snorts, slapping a hand over top of his muzzle to bite back his snickers, “ stars , polite in front of Wingdings and a sassy brat otherwise; you truly are a wonder.”

You cross your arms over your chest, shooting the ruler a dull look, “It's called survival instincts , sir. You should try them.”

“I’m a king, I don’t need them,” Asgore waves a hand dismissively, continuing unabashedly, “but yes, a… ‘meatsack’, as you had called them. I’m sure Wingdings had told you about humans?”

“The Doctor tells me nothing outside how I’m to break the barrier and kill them,” you deadpan in return, and the goat grimaces, “...Dammit Gaster… no, you don’t have to do that…?”

You stare at him.

Asgore stares back.

“...You are asking for my name.”

“I am indeed.”

Loosely shrugging your shoulders at the man, you shake your head, “Unless you count being called ‘Experiment M-3’ a name, then I don’t have one.”

The man stares for a long moment, baffled, “You don’t even-?” He cuts himself off as the elevator draws to a stop, expression darkening, “...I’m going to throttle Wingdings.”

“Kill him?”

“Unfortunately little one, I cannot.”

You purse your lips, and Vulpix huffs at the monsters’ feet as he steps out of the metal coffin- sorry, elevator , “You should, he’s an asshole.”

“Well, as king, unless Wingdings is explicitly a traitor, I cannot kill him.”

“But if someone else did?”

Asgore pauses, and blinks twice, “...Then it would be out of my hands, considering what I’ve seen today.”

Mouth tugging into a wide grin, you smugly smile at the man, Vulpix raising her head proudly because she knows she’ll be able to kill him once his guard is dropped, “Noted~ thank you for answering.”

“... Stars, do you remind me of Tori when she was still a soldier. How about this- let’s just call you ‘Monarch’ till we find a better name for you?” The black and gold-haired goat monster chuckles, and you blink, figuring that was… going to stick more than he thought it would, “...Okay.”

He hums, continuing his pathway through hotlands and to an elevator that leads to New Home, Vulpix at his feet and unfaltering at the massive steps the man takes, keeping up with ease. Asgore, in turn, peers an orange eye down at the Fox Pokemon, “...hm. What a particular Vulpix…”

You shoot him an amused look, “Good or bad ‘particular’?”

“Good,” he replies, returning your look, “most first stage Pokemon cannot keep up with me, and just from where I stand, I can see how packed her leg muscles are, and a glossy coat. Gaze is sharp too; unclouded, which is a genuine surprise. Whomever trained her did a spectacular job.”

“Thank you!” You preen a bit at the praise- honestly, after so much time in the True Lab, a little stroke to your ego is exactly what you needed-, “I trained her myself! Under The Doctor’s watch, but besides him watching us battle, all of the training was done by me.”

The downright flabbergasted expression you got back was well worth it, in your opinion.

It made you grin.

Shaking his head, Asgore studies you with one eye, curious as he passes through the streets of New Home, “That so? My, a prodigy of a century… the last time I’ve seen such talent was when the formal Admiral of the Monster Army was still around, when my mother was still Queen.”

“Has there been none since?”

“Not as young as you,” he denied, blinking, then shakes his head, grumbling something under his breath that you couldn’t catch despite your curiosity.

‘I wonder what that was about…?’

[Old people have problems, don’t worry about it.]

‘...Okay??? Didn’t need the ominous warning Artis, but thanks anyway.’

The walk was a bit longer, but Asgore finally stopped at some… strangely cute, gothic red and black building with darkened windows with white webbing-designed curtains, and steps inside with you still nestled in his arms, calling out, “ Spindle! I have an emergency to be taken care of!”

“ What Asgore?” A feminine voice calls back, a tall figure stepping out and rolling her multiple eyes behind her glasses, “Can’t you tell that I’m- oh my stars who is that poor thing .”

You blink at the spider monster in front of you, who looked… pretty damn similar to Muffet. Six arms, as was typical, long black hair in an elegant updo bun, clasped with a golden spider ‘clasp’ that kept in shape, with her front fringes just as long and tied into pin drills that reminded you vaguely of that… red vocaloid girl. Teto… something, you think? Whatever. Her four eyes were a dark purple, with pink irises that peer at you in shock, dressed in a business casual that you’d seen classmates in college wear before; a white, sleeveless top with a ruffled seam down the front, a tight black pencil skirt, shiny black stiletto heels, and red tights.

She was pretty.

Like, really pretty.

Can you say that?

You’re a kid, so they shouldn’t get mad at you, technically… ‘Eh, fuck it we ball,’ you internally mull, and point to the woman- Spindle? -, “You’re pretty!”

The spider monster blinks all her eyes twice, seemingly still astonished… before cooing and zipping forward, yanking you from Asgore’s arms, “Awww~! Now aren’t you the sweetest lil’ thing?” She crooned, plopping the girl down on a plush chair, “I think my daughter would love you! Do you like spiders and bug-type Pokemon?”

“I like Joltik and Volcarona.” You respond blankly.

“Good enough!” She laughs, and crouches in front of you, tilting her head, brushing a fringe over her shoulder, “Hello dear, I’m the owner of this simple little boutique, Spindle Mayday; however,” she pats your skull with one hand, cooing, “you can call me whatever you like?”

Deciding to be a brat, you blink innocently up at her, “Can I call you mine?”

Spindle freezes and sputters, staring at you, downright bewildered .

Asgore wheezes behind her, turning away and leaning one hand on the wall.

Your partner Pokemon sighs, facepalming with her paw.

After a long pause, in which you started to get nervous, Spindle breaks the silence by cackling , sharp and wicked sounding that reminded you of a witch or villain from some saturday cartoon, tapping your nose ridge with a finger, “Oh you ~” she crooned, shaking her head in disbelief, “you are gonna be a little heartbreaker! Stars Asgore, where did you find this little cutie?”

Coughing into his fist, fixing himself up from bursting out laughing again, Asgore clears his throat and answers in an even tone, not giving anything away, “They were with Doctor Gaster, of course.”

“And he didn’t dress-” Spindle pauses, and leans down to you, whisper, “sorry dear, pronouns?”

‘Huh,’ you blink, peering up at the spider, ‘Monsters sure are progressive…’ “...Uh… they/them and she/her?” You offer, head tilted to the left.

“Thank you hun,” she pats your skull again with one hand, shooting Asgore a look , “now, where was I…? Oh yes! And he didn’t clothe her properly?!”

Shifting into an open seat made for customers to lounge or wait, the king of the underground sighed, “I know Spindle; that’s why I brought her here. I need you to give them a handful of outfits.” He reaches into his breast pocket, pulling out a red pouch with a gold string and jingles it, coins clinking loudly, “I’ll pay for it, of course.”

“I’d have done it for free,” she huffs, waving a hand dismissively, “I should just get her an entire wardrobe!”

Asgore deadpanned, and you grimace- yeah… no thanks. Thankfully, the goat spoke on your behalf, “ No Spindle; a week's worth of outfits is enough.”

She narrows all four of her eyes at him, squinting, “... Fifteen outfits.”

“Eight.”

“...Twelve?”

“Ten.”

“I can work with ten,” Spindle shot out, grinning impishly and scooching around the back, swift as a spider can be, her Ariados and Spidops coming out of the back when she whistles, already spinning silk for her to use whilst the woman colors it with dye, and then grabs some other outfits she has from the kids section of her boutique, nabbing a black dress with gold ruffled stitching at the bottom, a swallow-tail neckline with a big gold bow tied underneath it with cute, puffy sleeves.

It didn’t have stripes, but considering your size, you doubt anyone would ever consider you not to be a child.

“You’re so cute~! ” Spindle gasps, walking around you, “Oh, get you some cute little janes, and some socks, and you’d be the bell of the ball!”

You flush brilliantly at the praise, putting your hands on your face, “Stooop!”

The woman just cooes again, and presses your soft cheekbones- gotta love how magic makes your face almost elastic… still confuses you on how that works-, whilst Vulpix just lounges on Asgore’s lap, resting and relaxed as his paw strokes her back, the male monster amused and absentmindedly reminding himself to visit you more.

Perhaps he should steal you out of the lab more often; he’s sure that Asriel and Chara would love to have a friend, even if its one that is a little older.

You were put into dozens of outfits at Spindle’s own choice, and despite how she whines about wanting you to leave with an entire wardrobe , ten outfits are managed instead; two full dresses, four sets of just plain skirts with various shirts inbetween to mix and match, two pairs of shorts, and two pairs of long pants, with four pairs of shoes total to choose from.

And seeing as she ‘didn’t want your poor skull’ exposed, something about ‘it could get discolored!’, you were given four bandanas and two head cloth wrappings to style as you please, so you choose the orange one, tying it around your skull and tying the ends into a cute bow, and let the leftover ribbon trail down at the side- kinda like a side ponytail! Your genius strikes again-, dressed in a puffy sleeved, high-neck ruffled collar peasant shirt that was easy to move around in and breathable, an burnt orange sleeveless vest with green vines stitched into the bottom ends of it for a pop of color, brown shorts, and knee high leather boots. Technically, they were supposed to go to the calf… but you were just little.

Loathing it, of course, but it is what it is.

Spindle was even kind enough to tie a pink bandana around Vulpix’s neck, and the Fox Pokemon happily preened, head raised and smug as shit about it.

“You know, you’re not a bird.” You deadpan to the fox.

You’re just jealous that I’m prettier.

“What is there to be jealous of? Raggedy ass fur?” You snark, and dodge an ember, “Ha! Nice try bitch-” wack “-ow,” grimacing, you rub your head as Spindle rests her hands on her hips and scolds you to hell and back over your language.

Too bad you really don’t care, even if the soft scolding warms something in your chest.

“Well, I best get this one back to Wingdings,” Asgore thunders, picking you up again and you just sigh, not even attempting to fight it- the hell are you going to do against an eight foot behemoth of a monster? Jackshit, that’s what. “I’ll make sure to drop by with her again.”

Spindle huffs, shaking a fist at the king of monsterkind, “You better!” She snarks, jutting a finger at him, “Or, at least let me know when you nab her, so that I can send Muffet to the palace! Because god knows that girl needs friends, and knowing you ‘Gore, you’re gonna nab that girl and just take her to the castle to play with the princes.”

He wilts at the callout, shooting her a look that more so belongs on a kicked lillipup, “Am I that predictable?”

Both you and Spindle deadpan, “Yes.”

Asgore wilts again, whining.

Two hours later, you’re back in your cell, The Doctor having thrown you in and left in a tiffy, not even paying attention to the Pokemon Egg in your hands, nor the extra pokeball to your belt.

“I had a lot of fun today,” you mumble, recalling how… nice today had been.

For just a second, you’d seen freedom , you’d seen the underground , and it reignited the waning fire in your soul to GET OUT of this cold, sterile hell.

Vulpix yips her agreement, snuggling against your side as you brush a hand against the shell of the egg- a gift from Asgore that he had bought you on the way back because you had just glanced at the egg.

“Think of it as a way to say sorry for missing so many birthdays and gyftmases,” he’d told you after paying, smiling as he safely tucked it into your arms, and you’d been confused but took the gift anyway.

After all, you’d been needing a new Pokemon anyway; who were you to look a gift horse in the mouth?

Glancing down to the egg, your head turns to the side, eyelights burning with curiosity at the thick shell, “I wonder when it will even hatch?”

Crrk.

You stare at the thick crack down the middle, thinner cracks branching further… before the top popped off.

Revealing a strange looking Seel with a blue muzzle, dark blue ‘ears’, a horn of ice, and when it flipped out of its egg, the rest breaking, a belly the same color as its muzzle with tail flipper made out of spikes of ice.

It struggles, and looks up at you with big, dark blue glistening eyes, “Arp?”

Slowly, ever so slowly , your eyes drag to the screen sitting innocently above the strange variant.

[Seel, the Draconic Lion Pokemon - Redux Variant (female)]

[Ice / Dragon]

[LVL 1]

[Abilities: Draconize, Slush Rush (Locked)]

[Innates: Prism Scales, Hyper Aggressive (Locked)]

“... Ah. I see.”

Resting against your side, your partner cackles evilly.

“...Shut up Vulpix.”

Seel blinks cutely, watching the bickering of her meema and auntie, and tilts her head in confusion, “Ork?”