Writer's Note: Yes, Mizuki's and Lisa are real. If you are ever in Mississauga, get thee to Mizuki. And ask for lotus roots. They're amazing.

Chapter Three

Two weeks later, Alphys was well enough to start her training. Before giving her any kind of weapon, Undyne started with the basics: working the body, heightening the metabolism, testing flexibility, and so on. Alphys took to these well, though at the beginning she did wince, then fall, several times. Though she never mastered these techniques, Undyne still decided to move onto combat, because she knew that it wasn't anything Alphys could help; it was just how she was built.

Next, wooden weapons. They started with hammers, but it didn't work, so staffs it in the living room with all of the furniture against the walls to make a big enough space, Undyne gave Alphys a staff suited to her size, while Undyne held a wooden version of one of her spears.

Alphys was a little nervous. After all, this was Undyne, the former Captain of the Royal Guard, who had fought her way to the top starting with Asgore of all people. Undyne stood calmly before her, wearing her usual work-out clothes, while Alphys, feeling silly, wore similar – though looser – clothes, holding the staff awkwardly.

They had at this point practised hand-to-hand combat as well, and Alphys found she was terrible with her arms, but rather decent with her legs and tail. It was why, now, instead of a hammer, she now held the long staff.

"Makes up for your shorter arms," Undyne had said kindly. Alphys had to agree; she felt oddly long and strong holding one of these things.

"Go first," Undyne offered, slowly moving into a stance. Alphys focussed like she had been taught, holding the staff hard with gloved hands (otherwise her palms got too sweaty to hold it properly), slowly dipping into one of her own. Without a sound, she lunged, holding the staff before her. Undyne leaned in and parried it easily with her spear, then shoved her back again.

Alphys got her balance fast enough – something that never would have happened before this training had started – and started forward again, this time swinging the staff to Undyne's left, trying to catch her off guard. Undyne again parried, then backed up and took a swing of her own, barely missing Alphys's nose as Alphys threw the staff up to defend. The two weapons hit, and the feeling shook Alphys so hard her arm went numb, and she dropped her weapon.

Undyne did not. Instead, she came forward again, startling Alphys into moving back and kicking upwards, missing completely. When she spun to try and use her tail, Undyne used the momentum and pushed her to the floor. Her response was a groan, one that instantly deflated her upon the carpet, eyes shut and panting. Alphys couldn't help it; she still wasn't used to how much physical activity this required of her. It had been weeks and it was still so easy to knock her down...

"C'mon, sweetie," Undyne gently poked Alphys's side with the tip of her bare foot. "Up you go, okay? You've gotta keep trying."

"I give up," Alphys gasped out. "I give up."

Undyne glared at her, her hands shaking as she held her spear. To hear those words from her, after all that happened, enraged her, but not specifically at Alphys - but at what had brought them here. With not-so-gentle hands, Undyne dragged Alphys to her feet, who went pale at once and swayed a little, one hand over her mouth, the other over her stomach. Undyne dropped the spear at once and held her, rubbing her back slowly as Alphys calmed down.

Apparently it wasn't easy for her, either. "I can't do it, Undyne. I can't do it. I-I j-just c-can't..."

"You can, Alphy," Undyne answered gently, completely erasing her hard tone from before. "You have to learn how to use your body. Because that's a weapon you always have on you. Okay? At least until you learn magic attacks."

Alphys coughed, a half-retch, half-sob, and again Undyne held her close, rubbing her sweaty back slowly. Resting her cheek on Alphys's head, Undyne glared at nothing, her eye filling, gritting her teeth with hatred at this whole situation. Especially when Alphys started to sob and cling to her.

Once she calmed down, Alphys said, "O-okay. We c-can t-try again."

Undyne peered down at her, and saw a familiar light in her eyes, that light she saw when she asked to learn to fight – the sign Undyne needed to know she was serious. With a nod, they separated, and once Alphys was ready, again Undyne gave her the first move.

One of the things Undyne taught her was to use her appearance as deception. Undyne never did, instead using it as intimidating, but that would never work for Alphys. Alphys looked weak, defenceless, and easily brought down. Instead of trying to change that, Undyne taught her to use those against anyone who automatically assumed them of her. She didn't think it would work on Undyne, but she knew she had to try, anyway.

Undyne waited, and Alphys waited, as well, holding her staff up before her with narrowed eyes, watching Undyne do the same. The longer she waited, the more Undyne's own eye narrowed, a frown slowly appearing on her face. Instead of saying anything, though, still she waited, and as a result, so did Alphys.

Until, finally, Alphys started towards her – at a walking pace. Undyne had tensed the moment she started forward, but then seemed to hesitate when she saw how slow Alphys was moving.

Concern flashed over her face. "Alphy, are you hurting? Do you need a second to—ngaah!?"

With that cry, Undyne hurriedly threw her spear up to parry of Alphys's sudden lunge. Alphys waited just for the moment she began to speak before suddenly steeling herself and rushing forward, her staff slicing upwards. The two made contact with a loud thudding noise, and for a moment they both struggled, Undyne's eye wide with shock, Alphys gritting her teeth against the residual pain of her injuries and from the amount of effort she was putting into the attack.

Seeing that Undyne was momentarily stunned, Alphys took a chance and, using her staff thrust herself back away from Undyne's spear, turning on one heel and swinging her tail towards her legs. She felt a solid thwack to the middle of her tail and winced from the pain, but for some reason, instead of wanting to give up, she got angry. She slipped back, jumping out of Undyne's range as she came forward, her face serious, now, her own teeth bared. Undyne's eye was rimmed in black, and something was lit within it, something Alphys didn't understand, but didn't have time to wonder at – not yet.

Undyne swung her spear so fast it was a blur, but by some reflex Alphys never even knew she had (indeed, one she hadn't had until she started training with Undyne), she ducked and threw her arms up to parry the blow with her staff, feeling the impact again in her arms, almost making them go numb, like before. But this time, she gritted her teeth and forced her weight to her legs, lessening the effect of the blow. With shaking arms, she tried to push Undyne off her, but Undyne was firm, like a rock embedded in more rock holding another rock. When Alphys looked up at her, she saw that expression again, and now, this close, she recognised it: Complete and utter awe.

It surprised her, and she let her guard down, allowing Undyne at once to kick her legs out from under her at once. It wasn't a hard kick, and Alphys managed to land just on her backside, but it still winded her briefly, and she had to take a moment to catch her breath, her eyes closed and a hand to her chest.

Undyne moved back slowly, staring at her. In a soft voice, she whispered, "Holy shit, Alphy."

Alphys looked up in surprise, feeling heat rush to her cheeks, afraid she had done something horrible or wrong. However, the expression on Undyne's face was anything but chastising. Wordlessly, Undyne dropped her spear, knelt before Alphys, and hugged her, hard. She started laughing, her face full of delight, and mixed with the laughter was the sniffle of tears. Alphys sat there, her staff limp in one hand, confused out of her mind.

"You did it," Undyne said happily, pulling back to cup Alphys's face in her hands, and Alphys relaxed at once. "You did it, Alphy."

Alphys shook her head, still confused. "I lost. You floored me."

Undyne shook her head. "But you fought back, Alphy. And you fought back hard. I've had to train people for months before anything like that happens, at least that smoothly. I just…" Still beaming, her smile the widest Alphys had ever seen, Undyne gently shook Alphys's head in her delight. "I'm so proud of you. I'm so damned proud of you."

Alphys stared at her. "B-but… if you'd been a human, I would have lost."

Undyne snorted. "Are you kidding me? No human would have lasted that long against you. I'm…" Her eye shone, and without another word, she kissed Alphys, hard, so hard that Alphys melted at once, her eyes closing and her arms going around Undyne. Against her lips, between kisses, Undyne murmured, "I'm so proud of you, Alphy. I knew you could…" When Alphys tried to protest, wanting to insist that she still lost, Undyne merely pulled her closer, until quite suddenly she was lying on top of Undyne – who was now also undressing her – something she found she wanted – and maybe even needed – very much.

Needless to say, that lesson ended quite well.

After that breakthrough, Alphys felt as if she had shed a skin, one of pain, of years of hiding in the shadows, of running away. It wasn't like she became a warrior, or as if she became as fit and muscular as Undyne (the only rival in that department was Aaron, and maybe Asgore), but she did find she had some muscle, and had replaced some chub with firmer toning. Her legs became stronger, almost shapely, and she felt better, stronger, though of course she would still always be round in some places and pointy in others. Her love of rich food, take-out, and terribly bad snacks would always see to that. However, she found that she didn't need as much as she used to, which was nice, too.

She eventually learned to summon magical staffs, like Undyne. Though never proficient with magic, she still was able to learn, since all monsters could. Though she started small, not used to magic and more at home with a blend of machine and magic, she eventually grew her staffs to the size she needed to suit her style. And once she did, she flourished in it, finding it fascinating and amazing, feeling silly she never tried it before.

Undyne spent most of her time staring at her with a kind of silly expression, either with a hand on her cheek and a dopey smile on her face, or simply gazing at her from the corner of her eye with a secret smile, one that spoke of other exercises spent after training, a look that usually resulted in more indoor sport of that kind. The training didn't stop, however. Though Alphys never floored Undyne – and knew she never would – still she kept trying. Every time she managed to get even a little close to, though, Undyne would beam at her, looking so happy her eye shone with tears.

Alphys didn't know it, but Undyne was now falling in love with her all over again this time. She knew that Alphys was a fighter deep down somewhere; she had seen it so many times when she made plans for some kind of mechanical thing, or some sort of new puzzle, or even in new ways to repair Undyne's myriad magical spears. There was strength in Alphys that most people missed, simply because all they could see was someone weak, someone short and round and, yes, nerdy. But what they didn't see was that, now, that introvert walked with her head higher, her hands no longer clutched before her, her eyes no longer always looking down or away, but forward, always alert, always watching. She wasn't paranoid; rather, she was just vigilant.

Soon, it became second nature to her, and one day, she sat down next to Undyne on the couch, paused the game she was playing, and said, "I want to go out."

Undyne immediately turned to her, giving her full attention. "Are you sure?"

Through the whole recovery process, as well as the training, Alphys had remained indoors. Despite the new confidence she now had, she still remained skittish, refusing to go out past their back or front yard. Even when Papyrus, sans, or the Dreemurrs offered, still she stayed inside, making up some lie that they all knew was a lie, but allowed anyway.

But now, here she was, finally ready. Undyne took her hand, and Alphys nodded, her eyes sharp. "I want to go out, Undyne. I want to see a movie, get dinner, maybe dessert, all of it. I want… I want to go out like we used to."

Undyne smiled gently at her. "Just us, or would you like Papyrus or Frisk to come along?"

"Just us," Alphys answered immediately, squeezing Undyne's hand. "I… I don't want to hide anymore, Undyne."

"I don't want you to, either, Alphy," she agreed. She turned the game off, then the TV, and stood up, stretching. "Let's get dressed and go. I have a great idea for a movie." She smiled widely, and Alphys groaned in dismay, instantly knowing what that meant: yet another cheesy horror movie by humans.

"Fine," Alphys sighed in defeat, as Undyne walked with her to their bedroom. "But I pick dinner."

"Deal."

They left the theatre in tears, laughing so hard they had to hold onto each other for balance. They had just left the stupidest movie they had ever seen, an anniversary showing of some cult movie that humans seemed to love but none of the monsters understood why (well, except maybe Mettaton, who had exploded later, "You have to read the books!").

Hand-in-hand, they laughed and laughed, then once they calmed, either Alphys or Undyne would quote a line from the movie and set them both off again. By the time they reached the restaurant (a fancy Japanese restaurant called "Mizuki", one Alphys adored for their lotus roots), they had barely calmed down, though the human owner, knowing them well enough by now, took it in stride.

"Good movie?" said Lisa, the aforementioned owner, as she got their food ready.

"Oh, god, no," Undyne snorted. "Terrible! But so hilarious!"

Lisa raised her eyebrows. "Ohh. I know what movie that is."

Alphys was giggling, occasionally snorting between, which she couldn't help. She tried to speak, but was laughing too hard, instead trying to try and pantomime it – and failing miserably, which had both Undyne and Lisa laughing.

"May I ask?" said Lisa, as they waited for their food to cook. "Monsters… you're nothing like the myths, yes?'

"Mm…" Undyne sighed, looking at Alphys, who blinked. She knew that look well.

"No," Alphys said, smiling. "Not really. We're actually not that different from you. We're just not made of the same organic materials, and we have access to magic because it was locked in with us - and therefore away from you. You see…" And she went on a tangent, explaining quite happily the differences between fact and myth, and Lisa was so interested that she actually sat down with the two of them as they ate to listen to her go on.

Undyne was grinning during the whole time, because she knew Alphys had that effect on people. She had one of those voices that just snagged you when talking about anything, even something mundane. To Lisa's credit, she was obviously fascinated, listening to Alphys as if she was a student in one of her lectures.

Once they had finished their supper (an hour later), Alphys did the silliest thing and hugged Lisa and thanked her for listening. Lisa laughed and said it was her pleasure. Hand-in-hand, full of good food and happy conversation, Undyne and Alphys left, on their way home.

When they were a few blocks away, Alphys got a text, and so did Undyne. It was the same one: "BEWARE OF HUMANS." From Papyrus, of course. Ever since everything happened, his drive of meeting and greeting humans had diminished somewhat, which wasn't helped when sans was gone for longer periods of time during this, with no explanation. Undyne had tried, numerous times, to draw him out or have him come over, but he refused. Alphys was worried, but Undyne knew her friend, and knew he would eventually be fine. He was like rubber; he always bounced back.

Ironically, his message was needed. Because as soon as they turned the corner – the very same corner that they had been attacked – there they were. Perhaps it was foolish to return to the scene of the crime, but Alphys had been firm when Undyne mentioned it: "I'm walking past there and that is that. Th-they can't win everything." Oddly, Undyne was satisfied by this, giving her a kiss on the cheek and agreeing.

Now, however, she wondered if it was hubris biting them both in their asses.

"Huh," said one of the humans. "You were right. It is them."

"Told you," said a second one. "I knew they'd be back."

Alphys tightened her hold on Undyne's hand, slowly moving in front of her. "W-we have the r-right. We l-live here," she answered sharply.

"Alphy," Undyne murmured, "let's just go."

"Listen to her, monster," said the first human, walking forward with a mean smile. "Or don't you remember what happened last time?"

Alphys's hand twitched within Undyne's, and Undyne clutched it close, shaking her head. Alphys didn't look at her; she was glaring at the one who had hurt her, who had rendered her helpless, who had almost gotten her wife killed.

And for the first time, she realised what it meant to be determined. All of the years of research, or experimenting, of subjecting others to it, she never really knew what they felt, never knew what it was like. She knew what it was like to need to survive, that desperation, that need, but this? This was different. This wasn't like that.

This was power.

Alphys dropped Undyne's hand and stayed in front of her. Undyne reached for her, but she was already dropping in stance, holding up her hands. A bright orange light shone out, then materialised into a staff in her hands. She was shaking, now, feeling anger and adrenaline boil her blood, but she stood her ground, not making a move, and not backing away.

Behind her, she heard Undyne do the same, and she was grateful. Undyne understood, and was there to back her up.

The humans were surprised; that was putting it mildly. "Magic," one said. "They can use it?"

"Because they're freaks!" the leader answered. "Nothing more! You're not afraid of them, are you? After we-?"

Alphys lunged forward then, her teeth bared, silent. Unlike Undyne, she never made a sound when she attacked, keeping everything inside, focussed on what she was doing and nothing else. A few of the humans scattered at once, but the three main ones, the chatty ones, stepped back, their hands up in surprised, lit by the orange glow. Alphys stood before them, mere centimetres from them, but she said nothing, her face, also lit by her staff, was eerily calm, save her eyes: they burned, like something within her was finally kindling to life and setting her blood aflame.

Undyne stood behind her, feeling rare fear course through her, but knowing better than to just leap in and take over. She knew this was something Alphys had to do – but that didn't mean she had to like it. She was afraid, her heart racing, her instincts on hair-trigger – but she still waited.

"Get the hell away from me, you freak," the first human was saying. They reached into their pocket and pulled out a switchblade.

And that's when Alphys laughed.

It wasn't the kind of laugh that Undyne made, or really anyone. It was a low, soft chuckle, one she had never made before, but would make again in similar moments as these. It spoke of someone tired of being on the bottom rung of a very tall ladder, and was about to start pushing people off to get to the top.

It set Undyne's blood on fire as well, because in that moment, she knew she had made her wife a warrior after all.

One of the three humans ran at that, smarter than their friends, obviously sensing something darker in that laugh than the other two. The one with the switchblade was staring at Alphys, visibly sweating now, but trying to keep their bravado up. The second human had a weapon as well, some kind of weird baton thing, but Alphys merely sniffed at them both, not impressed.

"Uh, kids?" Undyne broke in suddenly. "You may want to run. I know my wife."

"Shut the hell up, freak," the first one answered. "We know this thing, too, and we kicked her ass once. We can do it again, glowy shit or not."

Alphys grinned, her glasses glinting from the light of her weapon, making her look very megane indeed. Undyne shrugged. "I did warn you." With a wide grin that was all sharp teeth, she said to Alphys, "Go for it, love."

With a nod, she did. She walked slowly towards them, confusing them into staying in one place, just like she had expected. When they looked ready to attack, she beat them to it, swinging her staff towards the second human first, the one with the weird stick. Shocked, they tried to block it, but before the weapons even made contact, Alphys feinted and moved back to the first human, swinging her tail and slapping the hand that held the blade. With a yelp, they dropped the weapon at once, and Alphys then swung her tail again, knocking them down. She turned to the second human, who was staring in shock at their fallen friend, who was now winded and coughing.

Alphys blinked at them slowly, smiling slightly. The second human dropped their weapon at once and held up their hands. But their eyes moved to the side, the only warning Alphys got, before the first human kicked her legs out from under her. Her weapon vanished at once, and she landed hard on her back, just as winded as they had been.

The first human was already on their feet, blade back in hand, and Undyne was about to lunge forward, when Alphys held up her hands, summoned another staff, and parried the blade, sending sparks shooting through the dark night air.

Alphys gritted her teeth, her old injuries jarred back to pain from her fall, her concentration hard to hold onto, but she had to. She had to. She couldn't explain it, but she had to win.

Undyne noticed the second human picking up their weapon, and she threw her spear at them, stopping them at once. This turned out to be too much for them, and they turned and ran, leaving the one human behind.

They didn't seem to notice their friend was gone. Alphys locked eyes with them, seeing a kind of crazy light there that she hadn't seen before, save in the wildest of anime. She didn't even know humans could look like that, look like the very monsters they pretended to be without pounds of make-up upon them. Her arms shook, trying to keep them away, trying to find a window to push them back.

Then she felt stupid, and reached up with both legs, and kicked with all of her strength, landing a double blow to their middle and knocking them back. With a gasp, the human fell, dropping the knife at once, and Alphys grabbed it, her staff vanishing. The moment she touched the knife, something white-hot flooded through her, and she lunged forward, seeing only red, wanting to see only red—

Undyne grabbed her arm, stopping her, and she dropped the knife as if it burnt her, the feeling gone at once. The human sat on the ground, terrified, now, having seen something in Alphys that stuck something primal in them. Alphys felt her heart racing, shame snaking through her, but Undyne placed her other hand on her back, and she struggled to calm down.

"You're crazy," the human was screaming at them. "Fucking crazy!"

"Says the asshole who insists on attacking monsters," Undyne snarled back, fed up. "Monsters who want nothing more than to live in peace, you dipshit."

"She's crazy!" was the answer.

"Then maybe you shouldn't have attacked her before?" Undyne replied, this time with a toothy smile.

Alphys stood up taller, glaring, now, shaking a bit from adrenaline and how close it came to being a disaster. "Please," she said now, in that same low tone as her laugh had been. "Leave us alone. We just want to be happy. Don't you?"

The human opened their mouth, then shut it, looking confused.

"Never occurred to you before, that maybe monsters want the same things you humans do?" she went on. "That maybe all we wanted all along were the same things as you?"

The human looked furious now, but refused to look at either of them.

'You can fucking leave now, please," Undyne concluded, her eye flashing to emphasise this. The human shot her a glare, then slowly got to their feet. "And no, you can't get the knife," Alphys said, earning her a glare as well, before the human took off at full speed, shouting something rude but too stupid to record.

As soon as they were out of sight, Alphys turned to Undyne and clung to her tightly. Her eyes were wide open, her whole body shaking, but she wasn't crying. She was smiling, in shock from it all, unable to believe that she had actually done what she had done, and done it well.

Undyne grabbed her tight and lifted her off her feet at once, earning her a cry of surprise, before she twirled Alphys around with a laugh, one she couldn't help but join in, her arms thrown around Undyne's neck and her face buried into her shoulder.

When they both became dizzy, Undyne just held her close, so close that Alphys could feel her heart racing against hers.

And that's when she felt Undyne slowly graze her teeth down her neck, causing Alphys to shiver and move closer. "Home, please," Undyne whispered. Alphys nodded at once, and they raced home.

Undyne was laughing. That wasn't all that unusual after they made love, really, but this kind of laughter was almost maniacal. Still rather breathless, Alphys turned to her and saw she was laughing so hard she was crying.

"Don't you think you're being a little too heavy-handed with flattery?" Alphys said flatly, her eyes narrowed.

Undyne choked on her laughs and fell off the bed. Alphys rather thought that appropriate, but she helped her back up all the same. The moment she was back beside her, Undyne tackled her, rubbing her cheek against Alphys's and laughing again.

"I give up," Alphys said, though she was smiling at blushing. "What's the joke?"

"No joke," Undyne replied. "Just happy. You're amazing."

Alphys sighed. "Heavy-handed."

Undyne snorted and kissed the tip of Alphys's nose rather messily. "No, you dork," she replied. "Though yes, but-," Alphys blushed deeper at that, "—not quite what I meant. Alphy, do you have any clue what you did tonight?"

Alphys smiled a little. "Er, I-I… stood up for myself."

"You fucking kicked ass, Alphy,' Undyne corrected gleefully. "I knew you could do it."

"I… I didn't knoiw," Alphys admitted, looking Undyne right in the eye. "I was sure I was going to lose."

Undyne blinked, her smile flickering. 'What?"

Alphys nodded. "I didn't think I would win. I just… didn't want to not try."

Undyne's smile turned tender, and she gently kissed Alphys on the forehead, now. "That's usually how it works, dear wife."

"Really?"

"Yep." Undyne lay down on her back and pulled Alphys close, getting them both comfortable. "Do you think half the time I expect to kick all the asses before me? Nope. But I want to. And that's what makes the difference."

Alphys blinked slowly, the change in position reminding her how exhausted she was, now. "I had no idea," she admitted.

Undyne smiled at her. "Welcome to warriorhood, my love."

Alphys blushed and hid her face in Undyne's shoulder. "Wouldn't go that far," she mumbled.

"Oh, I would, and just did," Undyne answered. "I…" She cleared her throat, and Alphys looked up. "I was scared, Alphy, when I saw them again. But you… you just walked up and handed them their asses as calmly as the Nice Cream guy. I've never seen anything like it, and seeing it from you…" Undyne held her closer, her grip firm. "You're kind of my hero now."

Alphys eyed her for any traces of teasing, but only saw sincerity – of the shy kind, yes, but still sincerity. "Me?" she squeaked out. "To you?"

Undyne smiled crookedly, shrugging one shoulder. "Who knew, huh?"

Alphys said nothing, just pulled her close and kissed her, forgetting she was tired at once. Undyne laughed softly against her lips and kissed back, arms around her at once.

Alphys hoped she never had to use that power again, but she was glad she had it. In that alone, the fact that she had the ability but never wanted to use it unless as a last resort – that's what made her the warrior Undyne saw.

And now, she saw it, too.

-End