004 ⟡ JULY TEST DRIVE

[bayhelpers]

⋆✩ test drive 04 ✩⋆

The day begins like any other.

Routines, eventful scenes, and boring errands — no matter what you were in the middle of, there's a moment where everything begins to feel wrong. A searing pain tears through your body, so intense that it feels like every nerve has been struck at once. Muscles spasm, joints scream in protest, and as you double over, you find yourself clawing or clinging at anything within your reach. As your attempts to maintain composure fail you, your bones begin to twist with an agonizing force, the pain rising in a crescendo until it becomes unbearable to even breathe. Then, as quickly as it began, everything stops.

For a single, terrifying moment, there's nothing. No sight, no sound, no touch, no taste, no smell — just the weight of nothingness swallowing you whole. The absence of sensation might even be worse than the pain, leaving you adrift in a void you can't escape. Hopelessness threatens every fiber of your existence, and try as you might to fight it, your darkest thoughts begin to surface, flooding your mind in an onslaught of suffocating feelings and ideas.

In the darkness, you hear a voice.

It's faint, a gentle flashing of something warm along the edges of your mind, like sunlight itself. It's a voice, but you can't identify who or what it comes from, how it sounds, or what it means — still, you know it's directed at you. Something tugs at your heart, a powerful ache that throbs once and ripples outwards. You can feel the aches again, like fresh sores throughout your body. You feel off, like something isn't quite right, like you're not where you should be, or who you should be. But the voice continues, whispered just beyond your understanding. The sound is warm like hope, and it wraps around you, distant yet intent, before you wake up.

i. arrivals

STRANDED ON A BEACH

Beneath your body is wet, thick, sand. In the early dawn hours, one would think all color drained from the world. Eyes open to the shadows of distant buildings, with massive cliffs looming ever closely in the faint twinkling of sunlight. Water, for those particularly unlucky, laps at the body to leave a persisting chill — sinking into bones that no longer feel familiar.

It’s impossible to tell how you got here. All you have is those last moments before it felt as if your entire being was being broken down and stretched into this uncanny shape, this thing that doesn’t feel like you. Even the ground itself seems to agree. It shifts, and rumbles. Gathers into mounds, rising up and over with the sounds of dying gasps. But wait.

That isn’t normal sand. That sand is alive. That sand, gathering into shades of pink, of blue, of green, it all forms faces before your very eyes. An enemy, you may think? A monster? A threat?

“OhhhHHhHH…What has happened to us..?”

Or perhaps, someone in the same predicament as you?

“Someone…Someone get Mightyena!!”

Albeit someone who clearly knows more than you do here, on this beach that slowly regains its color.

CASTLES OF SAND

⟡ Severity of dysphoria and disorientation symptoms are entirely up to the player, as is the duration of time these symptoms last.

⟡ The Sandygasts on the beach of Bottlecap Bay are in fact residents of the town by proxy. They are at their most active during the summer, and can thus act as helpful NPCs to help player characters toward the town.

⟡ These Sandygasts are very strange in color. The colors they appear in include — Pink with lilac stones and a blue shovel; Moss green with brown stones and a black shovel; Deep red with black stones and a cyan shovel; Dark purple with white stones and a black shovel. They don’t know how their colors changed either, but they certainly remember being normal Sandygast before everyone arrived.

ii. see the sunset

COPPERAJAH-TONE

With newly arrived Pokemon settling in from the beach, the town quickly moves to adjust existing plans until they’re certain the shores are clear. It only takes a few days before they’re back on schedule however, and every Pokemon including those same arrivals will find themselves with an open invitation to the shoreline.

With the recent successes of Bottlecap Bay, public opinion is at an all time high, which is reflected in the activities pulled together in response. Through much of the Summer season, the beach of Bottlecap Bay becomes a literal hotspot of activity. Beach activities that many will find familiar take part at all hours, with equipment set up at small stands for public use.

A volleyball net is a particularly popular feature of the beach, with a particularly spooky form of gameplay spotted in the evening hours where Ghost types reign. Multicolored buoys float out to section off a safe zone of the water for Pokemon capable of it to swim at their leisure as well, with Bottlecap’s very own Dondozo and Tatsugiri acting as lifeguard.

The most popular game by far however is sand sculpting. Tools of wood and stone can be gathered up to shape the sand into any number of shapes, and some Pokemon may even offer small rewards to those who make especially impressive ones.

Be sure not to accidentally use the sand of one of those colorful Sandygasts however.

Beach Day Breakdown

⟡ During the entirety of July, beginning on the 15th, the beach is open for public summer games.

⟡ While examples listed above are available, Players are encouraged to include their own Beach traditions within reason. If you are unsure, please ask under questions.

⟡ Beach fun will happen during the day and night alike. During the day, the beach is far more active; Pokemon are livelier, and enjoy much more cheerful activities. At night, while many Ghost and Dark type Pokemon enjoy the games, there are also often small campfires where quieter traditions such as apple roasting and scary stories happen.

⟡ Alcohol may be present at the campfires of the evening. Please be sure to mark threads including alcohol with a warning, and remember that characters under the age of 21 may not partake.

iii. mentorship methods

BUDDY SYSTEMS

A whole host of new Pokemon arriving is no longer a fully unanticipated scenario for Bottlecap Bay. While the town has persistently done their best to seek a solution to so many displaced new citizens, they have also come to recognize a growing pattern in their arrival. Every other month, these new Pokemon have appeared.

Therefore, the combination of their recent peace and the local nature of these particular arrivals has given them an easy option for guiding these lost new souls. Rather than any of the Guild leaders seeking out ideal Pokemon among their ranks, those who have arrived from other worlds themselves are tasked with a new assignment. Help their fellow interlopers!

At minimum, each Guild Leader suggests a few basics to cover, but the methods with which they do this is ultimately left up to them. A tour of the local sights? A chance to test their mettle with brand new powers? Or perhaps simply a listening ear from one who understands the strangeness of these new bodies. The world is truly their Cloyster.

A MENTOR MINDSET

⟡ Each of the Guild Leaders will offer to their existing members few points they consider most vital to teach to the newcomers. Mightyena focuses on making sure the new Pokemon have a place to sleep, and insists that they be taught how best to fight. Ribombee emphasizes a need to show the necessary work ethic of the community, so that an understanding of how much they need to work together is understood. Polteageist in turn, gives a list of necessary establishments to familiarize themselves with, beginning with the Clinic, Archives, and Questboard.

⟡ During much of the month, various Pokemon maintaining stores and eateries within Bottlecap Bay will be offering their own helpful advice to guides and their charges. This trivia is minor, but typically focused on what the food is like, or what the benefits of certain articles of clothing might be.

⟡ Any Pokemon who helps another newcomer will earn 50 points for their Guild! As well, newly arrived Pokemon who put up with the guidance will receive a voucher for a custom, non-magical accessory, such as a hat or scarf.

ADVANCE TRAINING

After considerable research and effort, Polteageist has once again teamed up with Dr. Denne to craft a series of ever popular escape rooms, hinting that participating in them will be very useful in the future. Joining the effort is none other than Cheri and Oran's own Ribombee and Mightyena as well, making it a truly unified project. With so much investment going into these exercises, it's no wonder that every Pokemon from another world, new and old alike, is offered the chance to try at least one when they have the chance.

THE NORTH

⟡ Located just between the Canopy and the beginnings of Bottlecap Bay’s southern coastline, the lush greenery of the Northern Forest's entry has been sectioned off into a training ground. Pokemon are grouped into random pairs, and tasked with finding the end of a hand-crafted maze within this early area of woods.

⟡ While many threats within the Northern Forest are well documented, some may still come as a surprise. Wild Pokemon such as Bug and Grass Types may still be encountered, as well as mushrooms releasing rage spores.

⟡ The Forest itself is also a threat — though it seems to understand these Pokemon mean no true harm, vines and plants will move when not directly looked at, creating added navigational challenges.

⟡ Pokemon who show no signs of escaping on their own after a certain point will find themselves retrieved by a local Grafaiai or Mankey, as enlisted by Bottlecap Bay.

THE MIDDLE

⟡ Located a good distance down the southern coastline of the Bay, a section of the Middle Forest's entry has been carefully sectioned for a training ground. Supervised in part by a recently recruited Bloodmoon Usaluna, Pokemon will be grouped into random pairs, and tasked with finding the end of a hand-crafted maze in this early area of woods.

⟡ Due to the presence of heavy supernatural fog, Pokemon participants are warned heavily in advance of what to expect. The fog is known to literally reach into others, creating visions and hallucinations, as well as a deep loss of identity the longer they're exposed.

⟡ The end of the maze does not lead out of the Middle Forest. Instead, Pokemon must find their way back from the uniquely marked bone pile; because of the fog, this return is far shorter than the journey in.

⟡ Pokemon who spend too long within the Middle Forest while showing no signs of successfully escaping will quickly be retrieved by Ursaluna, whose Mind's Eye grants relative immunity to the Fog's effects.

THE SOUTH

⟡ Far to the south of Bottlecap Bay, beyond the farthest stretch of wooded coastline, the Southern Forest lies shrouded in darkness. While there is no longer a thick haze of fog, its unique dangers mean that numerous Ghost Pokemon have been recruited to monitor a simple challenge within the woods. Specifically, two Pokemon will be paired at random, led a short ways in, and told to find their way out.

⟡ Due to the mechanics of the Southern Forest, nothing within this 'maze' has been crafted personally. Pokemon are sufficiently disoriented by the forest's own ability to alter its surroundings when none are looking directly at them, as well as the significant time dilation that occurs here.

⟡ Local Ghosts who have entered an agreement with Bottlecap's recently recruited Spiritomb will be available as both obstacles, and guides. As obstacles, they will intentionally lead Pokemon astray by joining the team in disguise, playing on the Forest's ability to create inconsistencies in memory and experience both.

⟡ Any Pokemon who spend too long within the Southern Forest with no signs of being able to return on their own will be led home by Ghost Pokemon acting as guides. These Pokemon take care to not shapeshift into anything other than themselves.

✩ OOC NOTES.

⟡ TDM CWS: Disorientation, Dissociation (Escape Room Prompts), Body Dysmorphia, Possible Pokemon Injury

⟡ TDMs are game canon and act as events for the month they are posted.

⟡ New characters can link to their top level beneath the NEWBIE DIRECTORY

⟡ All new arrivals are not assigned to any one guild. However, they may assume themselves to share rooms within any one of them during the course of the TDM.

⟡ Remember that at least one thread for your application must come from the TDM! There is no comment minimum, but we will be looking for engagement, as well as for players and characters who take the time to delve into things like character thoughts, emotions, morality, and other deep themes. Take this time to engage with the setting as you would in game!

⟡ As a reminder, reserves and applications are permanently opened. Please see their respective pages for details on processing time.

⟡ Have any questions related to the TDM? Ask here! If your question is more general for the game, please make sure to direct it to the FAQ page instead. Thank you, and happy threading!

FULL NAVIGATION

Comments

circle in the sand

[friendlyflower]

Who knows. Did you spawn with that skull? [He's sitting in partial shade under a palm tree, still tired from... everything. He's been entertaining himself by saying certain clouds are shaped like weird, dark, and/or grotesque things.] It's not part of your body, but it's part of your character design.

[seacub]

I definitely arrived with it, [he says easily. He's nor surprised that Flowey is exhausted. Physically, emotionally...well, either way, he's not about to rain on the other's parade and honestly there have been a few clouds where he even paused, looked up, and agreed with Flowey's description.

With not an ounce of anxiety, even.]

The Pokemon here mostly assume it was my mom's, which I've corrected every time. I'm pretty sure even real cubones don't all wear their mother's skulls.

[friendlyflower]

[Interesting factoid. He stuffs that one away in his mind for later. He turns his attention to Emporio's sand castle efforts.]

Hee hee... That makes 'em just Cues.

[Ugh, Chara might have been right about a certain someone having rubbed off on him. That joke was awful.]

[seacub]

[A pause. A delay, joke sinking in.

...It seems he can't tell if he needs to groan or laugh, because what comes out seems to be both. And also, his sand castle ends up a fatality of his head when he rocks forward with the motion.]

PfffFFFNNnnnnn- That-

That was terrible, [He wheezes, pulling himself back from the sand.] Now I just wonder what the 'cue' part is for...

[No one tell them it's 'Cub'.]

[friendlyflower]

Heh... [He laughs, too. He feels like, somewhere, a certain someone is mocking him for making a pun. But whatever.] Your sand castle's ruined. It needs some structural integrity. Let me show you!

First, get a bucket of wet sand. You're going to pack it like this. [He starts bossing Emporio around on the ins and outs of sand castle construction, helping with his roots whenever he can.]

[seacub]

[Emporio accepts the bossing quite readily, as it turns out- nodding with genuine curiosity, and watching carefully.]

Oh...Oh, yeah, it would probably stay wet for a while huh...

I never got to build a sand castle before, and it's not really something you see in books so...

Thanks, Flowey!

[friendlyflower]

Hee hee, anytime. [He places a few shells around for decoration. The urge to knock it down is nearly overwhelming.]

... So. Been training recently? [He's thinking about the powerful attack he saw Emporio use during their recent quest together. He didn't seem happy about it...]

[seacub]

Hmmmmm... [That happy hum is the hum of someone who's now about to try building their own.

Emporio blinks though, turning to focus on Flowey. It's an easy misconception, not that he knows to correct it. He as definitely upset during the moment he gained that new attack.

But that wasn't quite the reason.] Huh? Oh, a bit. I try to practice a lot...otherwise, what if something happens because I got overwhelmed, right? Since I'm 'ground type', supposedly plenty of attacks I should have would be ground type...

...Well, I guess I thought it would be more like moving earth with instinct, which is what made me worried about it...

[friendlyflower]

[Sometimes, Flowey thinks he only understands half of what this kid says. He thinks he gleans something, though: it wasn't the attack that upset him, but everything else. In the past, Emporio told him about a man trying to absorb everyone's souls and stuff... kind of like him.]

Uh, alright. Well, you did peachy for yourself before. Really saved me back against that shapeshifter thing.

CW: Implied Pokemon Death/Related discussion

[seacub]

Hah, well, this 'mystery move' I have is still a little frustrating, but...

[Emporio quiets at the reminder of that event. He doesn't feel that bad about the end result. Sometimes, it really do be kill or be killed. But...

Nervously, he nods, glancing in Flowey's direction.]

....I'm glad I was able to do something. I...

...h...that Pokemon hurt you really bad. I mean, I know it...it looked worse than it was, but I was really afraid that you were going to...

[...Die, he doesn't say.]

continued CW

[friendlyflower]

[... Oh, is that it? Flowey thought it was about how Emporio had to inflict violence or something. He forgot about the 'care' thing. It's all fitting together for him, now.

... Though the fact that anyone cares about him feels baffling.]

Oh, I get it. Emporio, hey... Listen. I'm way to stubborn to die. Trust me. Besides, I had you there. And... Firepaw. But you work in the clinic, so you wouldn't have let me wind up dead.

[The talk about him dying reminds him of his existential crisis recently. Right, aging... he's kind of shoved that in the back of his mind and locked it up for now.]

... You've been through a lot. But it's okay! Whatever happened back then is over. Sure, there's some real creeps in this world, too. But we can face 'em together! As...

[He hesitates, feeling unworthy applying this word to himself.] ... as friends.

[seacub]

[Turns out, growing with felons has upsides.

...Maybe? Maybe.

Regardless, even with Flowey's reassurances, the cubone looks plainly anxious. It's a look that says...he knows it's over. He knows it's behind them. But he can't just shake it off.

He just can't.

He manages a small laugh though, when Flowey mentions 'creeps'. It quiets, just long enough for an earnest and meaningful nod- proof that he's taking the other seriously, when he says 'friends'. And from there, he's back to that sad yet amused smile, his focus forced onto his sand castle.]

Heh...y- yeah. At least they aren't the kind of people I saw at home though. And definitely nothing like the worst of them. So we can definitely take it.

[friendlyflower]

[Flowey's quiet for a moment. The waves come and go, their gentle roar filling the silence.

He gets it. He still has dreams about the people he killed. Sometimes he wakes up still thinking it was all a long nightmare and he'll be Asriel again.]

... Yeah. [He's really not good at this whole 'comforting' thing.] Hey, you're in the Lum guild, right? Maybe the Archives have some information on your attacks.

[seacub]

[He strongly suspects neither of them are good at it, really.

They're doing their best.]

Mnn. Yep. The archives are largely public, as long as you have a guide to make sure nothing gets misplaced or broken...

...but, uh. The sorting system is a little...lacking...

[Just go off vibes. It's fine.] None of the librarians want to change it though.

[friendlyflower]

Heh. I'm used to that. [Monsters weren't exactly known for being organized, either.] We'll have to check it out! After we're done here, anyway.

[With the sand castle done, he returns to his spot in the shade. How ironic that the sun, after all this time underground longing for it, hurts him.]

... A lot of this stuff is weird. I don't think I have an affinity for plants, just like you can't move the sand by instinct.

[seacub]

Right! The sun's still pretty high up... ...I wouldn't mind coming back here when it's dark, but it feels like a waste to leave now. Everything I read about beaches made it seem like it's best during the day.

[Mannnn though.] ...I can't tell if it's more or less confusing than Stands...

[friendlyflower]

The beach at night has appeal, too! You can have it to yourself! Mostly.

[At least, except for the ghosts. But those are more Flowey's style than people acting all happy and having fun in the sun.]

Say, what are these 'stands'? Are they like souls? Or magic powers? Why are they called that?

[seacub]

[A beat, as Emporio considers that, hand to chin and everything.]

...I'm not actually sure.

[Somewhere in the distance, a shout of BECAUSE THEY STAND WITH YOU is echoing, but no one can hear it.]

I just know that the people in prison with them called them Stands...so, that was what I called my ability.

Even though not everyone has a Stand though, I'm pretty sure they're intrinsically linked to the idea of the soul. If you removed someone's memory and nothing else, there seemed to be a chance that someone could survive that. Weather Report did at least, though he's the only one I know of who technically did... ...I'm pretty sure that when Jolyne's dad had his Stand but no memory, he was still comatose.

...but if you remove both... ...it's like the body just stops. Maybe not immediately but...within a few minutes, a person just dies.

[He says it with distance in his voice. A controlled attempt to keep his emotions from getting involved, before he moves on.]

S-so, I guess it's a mix of both things really. Every Stand was unique to the person it came from after all! Though, that was easier to tell with people whose Stands manifested beside them...

[friendlyflower]

Interesting. [He thinks on this for several moments. There really are so many worlds out there, huh?]

In my world, different types of human soul had different powers. Green souls could shield themselves from harm. Yellow souls could fire at enemies when they were in danger. None of that applied to monster souls, of course. Anyway, the real draw was resetting, but that had its limits.

Humans used to have more magic than that. They sealed us monsters underground with a spell, after all. Who knows what happened with that? Either they all forgot or banned it because it was associated with monsters.

[He loves tutorializing! He seems proud of himself after he finishes speaking.]

Do you miss your Stand?

[seacub]

[Emporio listens with clear interest initially, doing his best to stack a low wall of bucket shapes together in a sort of 3D pyramid. More generalized Stands, it almost feels like. Which apparently didn't apply to Monsters, somehow. And then-

He freezes, visibly, when he hears 'Reset'.

He doesn't move except to breathe after that. It's enough that Flowey can ramble on until he's finished the tangent, until the question is asked.

...no doubt Flowey can see that Emporio can't answer immediately, either. Not until he clarifies, in a small, trembling voice-]

....Resetting..?

[friendlyflower]

[It's never a normal conversation with this kid, is it?

Flowey remembers how strongly Emporio reacted during their quest. He recalls bits and pieces of what Emporio has told him: someone killed his mother. There was a man who could absorb stands, like souls. Maybe the same man who tried to absorb souls and trap the world in hell, and now the world might be gone.

They've clearly both been through it. Who is he to judge when he's just as messed up, himself?

... really, though, he's more like the villain in Emporio's story than Emporio himself. Emporio almost reminds him of Chara, instead.

... But Chara would never say something like, "I'm glad I met you," like Emporio did.

Flowey thinks for several long moments, unable to identify the facsimile of feelings in his empty heart.

The last thing he wants to do is make Emporio upset. He doesn't want another 'Firepaw's birthday' type situation. But all Flowey wants to do is learn everything that happened to him, so he can really understand. He takes a breath, remembering the delicate art of 'playing nice'.]

... bad memories? Well... sorry. I'm not good at talking, anymore.

[Maybe he never was... but especially not now, when everyone is such a mystery to him.]

Do you remember what I told you? Back when we were with Firepaw on that quest. I was brought back to life as a flower. I had been injected with 'Determination'. The will to live. The power to change fate.

That power is unique to humans in my world. In the Underground, where monsters were locked up... sometimes, if a human was killed... they could come back. As if it never happened. Think of it like a video game. Or, rewriting an ending in a story you're writing.

I had that power because of my 'determination'. I reset the timeline a lot. I tried to help everyone at first... you know the rest.

[He gives Emporio a moment to- hopefully- process that information.]

Before you ask, I can't do it anymore. So don't worry.

[His tone takes on a somewhat more genuine, soft note.] I wouldn't... I wouldn't do that to you. Or anyone. Not anymore.

CW: Massive end Stone Ocean Spoilers! + refs to attempted murder of a child.

[seacub]

[Reflexively, he shakes his head.] N-no. You're fine, [he insists almost automatically.] It's...

[And then Emporio is silent again. It gives time for Flowey to...explain himself, perhaps. Explain a matter that's more different from what Emporio experienced, than Flowey likely expects. And to that end the cubone nods occasionally- an indication that he's listening, he's learning, he's tucking the information away.

And then he takes a shuddering breath, starting first with-]

...I trust you. ...I know...you wouldn't, if you could right now.

[The best of it.

And then...]

...The world I came from...

...is probably gone.

[The worst of it.

Emporio stares at the sand as he speaks, because if he let himself watch any reaction, he fears he would just stop. But talking about it now only hammers home, he thinks, just how much he really hasn't 'gotten over it'.

No matter what he wishes.]

...It...it sounds almost like a mercy. The one you're describing. ...don't get me wrong. I know it wasn't. I can see easily, how fast that kind of power would have gone wrong.

But your resets still left everything else...and everyone else able to 'choose' something different- it...it let things change. It had to, if you were able to help, and then kill, [he adds stiffly- but that stiffness is not held for Flowey, and that much is clear.

It's something else.

Something worse.]

...It only happened once, technically. Maybe twice. ...But that was enough.

That Priest I told you about...he kept talking about what 'heaven' was supposed to be. About the 'peace' of knowing what was going to happen, and carrying on with it. I didn't...

...I didn't really listen, because he was trying to kill me at that moment.

[Emporio stops working the sand, just sitting on the spot.]

...He sped up time. Anything that wasn't alive- the water, the planet, the universe...faster, and faster, until it reached the 'end', and started over.

...A 'reset', [Emporio 'clarifies', perhaps unnecessarily.]

I guess the idea was he would keep doing that until...everyone's souls just. Knew what happened and...kept doing it. That was what he used to try and kill me, [the boy says, almost as an off hand thought.] ...He stopped speeding things up before the 'time' he started. ...So that everything I did 'had' to happen, and he could just...trap me.

...he just...replaced everyone I knew, after killing them. ...Th...they weren't even there anymore. ...and then...

[One, technically two, and the world was gone, Emporio said.

Perhaps Flowey can connect the dots- someone was trying to kill Emporio.

Emporio has long said he has not died.]

continued CWs (probably the rest of the thread)

[friendlyflower]

[Flowey's expression shifts from 'mild irritation' to shock to pensive. He's quiet for a while.

He knows he doesn't have all the details, exactly, but...]

... you don't know that.

Don't get me wrong. Things differ between worlds, right down to the nature of souls. I never heard of a 'stand' before meeting you. And I sure as heck couldn't reset like that.

But it seems to me if you killed the guy who was doing the resetting. Well. Things could've just gone back to normal. [Maybe mentioning Emporio 'killing' isn't really tactful, but he doesn't know how to sugarcoat things.] That's how it would've worked if I killed another person with Determination, back when I could reset. [It's more complicated than that, but no need to get technical.]

Either way, it doesn't matter. I stand by what I said. Don't tell me you forgot.

... You did all you could back then. The past is the past. The world is there, the world is gone... you're not going to know unless we get a chance to go back. So why torture yourself over it?

You're still here. Anasui's here. Take a deep breath.

[He takes a deep breath, too, almost as if he was partially talking to himself.]

Everything's fine.

looks between this and undertale canon like HAHA,,,OH NO

[seacub]

[Emporio...

Shakes his head.]

...Their souls were gone, Flowey.

...I know it's over. ...I did what I could, and Weather's Stand even let me do it. ...Stands...they have to be compatible to even be given to another person. And people only ever have one. So, being able to take in Weather Report to avenge everyone and stay alive was...

[...Alarming. Heartbreaking. He literally carried their wishes, and those wishes stayed.] ...I don't know why it's so hard to not get over things, but I'm at least trying.

[And with that...he smiles a bit, at Flowey's attempts of reassurance. Rather wryly at that.] Yeah. Anasui's here, even though he died. ...So. ...at the least, I know we can stay here.

[This isn't where Flowey was going with it, that much he knows. But it's important to clear this up, and to show that...he honestly prefers this next part.] When I first got here... ...before Anasui appeared here, I asked Polteageist about that.

...If he'd make me leave, when we found a way back to everyone's worlds.

[oh]

[friendlyflower]

[So it really is the worst-case scenario. It's like if he did manage to destroy the world like he planned, but before he could remake it... his hollow chest aches with guilt.]

... I'll stay here, also. [With Emporio. With everyone.] There's no reason for me to go back.