TABLE OF CONTENT
Welcome to UnderDespair
Bleak darkness.
That’s all I could hear. That’s all I could see. My bones refuse to shake as my sluggish eyes barely peel off a thin layer of darkness.
Is this… a dream? I want to fall asleep again…
Sleep? Again…?
The last thing I recall was my body collapsing in front of my campus. What happened after is a confusing mess with no memory.
*CLANG*
“What the—?”
My arm whacked something that gave a loud impact of metal. The echo continues as I patter every surface around my cramped surroundings. As I find my bearings to barely stand, a sudden weight lifts off my body. My shoulder bag is nowhere strapped to my chest. I quickly search all over my clothes, but all I can find are my glasses, wristwatch, and two pens intact in my coat pocket. Many would heavily depend on their phones, but I convinced myself to push my worries against its rising tide of anxiety and begin investigating.
First and foremost, I inspect the faded light seeping through the narrow gaps. Peeking outside and judging the design of the louvres, I immediately recognise that I’m inside a locker. Fortunately, after fumbling with the interior mechanism, the door creaks as I carefully slip out from the stuffy compartment.
“W… What is this…?” I scan my vision across the room. “Is this… my English class?”
It might have been, but the classroom isn’t how I last envisioned it. Flickering lights, mouldy green walls, worn desks and creaking floorboards from every particular step I take… The shock of the room’s condition sharpens my mind on high alert. Nausea fogs my mind as I breathe rapidly from internal danger, grasping for ventilation. The mucky air clogs my soul to forcefully cough and brush every dust off me.
Somehow, all the windows are covered by thick metallic plates with semi-glossy reflections. I don’t often look at myself to see a skeleton staring back at me, deranged and lost. I lack confidence in myself, knowing there will be people who’ll call me ‘Sans’. It’s nearly impossible not to compare with the original Sans from Undertale when he’s disportionately popular across the entire multiverse — creating a phenomenon that humans are psychologically conditioned to see skeletons with deformed round skulls as the ‘Sans’ species.
Disregarding my appearance, I hastily pry the cover open, but it’s sturdy and shut real tight. The more I struggle, the obnoxious the atmosphere shortens my breath with its poison. I quit before the muskiness gets deep into my system. If it wasn’t for the magnetic plates, I could understand the strange situation I’m in. However, without a doubt, this room seems abandoned for a tremendously long time.
I pull my sleeve to reveal the time pointing at 8:32, the same arms on the school’s clock. It took a moment to notice a monitor hanging above the teacher’s desk along with surveillance cameras covering every corner. It wasn’t there when I last arrived.
Before I could interact, the monitor triggered a bright screen of a shadowy figure behind unwanted statics interrupting the announcement.
“Attention! All Universe-City stud—ts must attend the Assembly Hall be—ore 9 o’clock for the ori——tation. Those who a—— late will receive a deadly punishment—!”
Shortly, a burst of eerie laughter plays throughout the speakers before the video deactivates, leaving me in dazed confusion. I couldn’t comprehend what just happened. The horrific news involuntarily sinks my bones into an icy temperature. Shivering and lightheaded in an abnormal circumstance of my daily life…
My head begins to scream: despair.
Universe-City
Out of every universe, there’s a time and place where skeletons co-exist with humanity on Earth. And out of the specks of realities, I exist under the radar of the vast multiverse. Although there’s peace among mankind, I sometimes forget the minority remains fearful of the undead.
When you live with humans for so long, you start to forget what you look like and begin questioning yourself. As a tiny soul shapes into existence, does appearance matter whose vessel you’re in when you’re still ‘you’ from the very core?
Human or not, my light is consumed by the mass of darkness from an unforeseen future, eating the protective layer to my insecurities…
…
Somehow, I lost consciousness. Thoughtlessly, I was on my feet as I picked up the pace, inspecting what was left in the stuffy classroom. My fear settles down after getting accustomed to the light’s rhythm. I try to recall the moments before I fainted, but my head continues to spin in circles, dominating with questions beginning with Why.
First of all, why did Universe-City turn out like this? As I observe my surroundings, I can come up with a few possibilities leading to a common interest. I’m standing in a prestigious institution where only talented skeletons can infiltrate. Knowing the fact draws attention to mankind with a new belief in us representing rebirth, bringing them new interests and discoveries into hope once more. Despite the pun, my university became famous due to its popularity and its upcoming stars of the new hope, future and dreams; making us worthy targets.
The second I observe the desks, I begin to question why I’m alone. It was hard to believe, but with the many-worlds interpretation, every student is a different variation of Sans across the multiverse. Due to an infinite number of alternative universes, the school permits ‘Sans-es’ solitary from each universe — meaning there can be one ‘Undertale Sans’ out of all the Sans-es from ‘Undertale’. Seeing the desks belonging to familiar classmates simulates my memory to remember how my homeroom used to be.
On closer inspection, I swipe a finger of dust, wondering how long it has been and why there’s so much. Despite the evidence on my fingertips, I can’t speculate the conclusion of the drastic changes. I find it hard to believe a highly secure institution in the middle of a major city could collapse in mere minutes! My intuition screams, but I struggle to reach the truth it’s calling to, leading to many dead leads. On the contrary, I’m dead certain this was my English classroom. Unless my speculation is wrong, I would applaud the culprit for perfectly recreating the room with accurate precision and recognisable resources stored at the back. Flickering through the materials, all the pages hint they’re at least a couple of years ago by their wrinkly colour.
As I look above for a new perspective, I wonder who’s behind the broadcast and what they want from me. Fear tightens my ribs like a teddy bear with its stuffing squeeze against its stitches, but I can breathe a little lighter as I recall the announcement wasn’t solely targeting me, the chancellor’s son. Tainted by my father’s reputation tied within the school, buried six feet deep from the surface, I can only hope it was a coincidence on the perpetrator’s part.
I swear I haven’t done anything to upset anyone — well, *maybe* with the exception that I’m an easy target around the school for having a mischievous interest in anime, human inventions and my continued fascination for the multiverse — but how did all of this happen?! Is this a nightmare?
Or am I still dreaming…?
With so many questions piling another, there’s nothing left to satisfy my curiosity as the empty monitor judges my remaining use of their time, alerting me to hurry. I tend to overthink, but it helps me stay rational while keeping my mind stimulated with feet on the ground. Still, I won’t get anywhere from staying in this creepy room. My belongings remain missing after double-checking the second locker next to where I escape from. At least I managed to settle down during my search for clues.
As I reach for the knob, my fingers twitch, pulling my hand away. Some invisible force triggers my instincts to freeze. I look carefully to notice the door is slightly opened. But there wasn’t any light seeping from the other side. Slowly, I approach cautiously before stepping my foot outside…
Unexpectedly, what’s waiting behind the door is a devoured, twisted hallway that came out from a school horror film. Destructive rubbles blocked every path across the hall and above, alluding darkness to swallow me whole to wander lost in the pitch black void… The air continues to be insufferable by the same plates covering every window from ventilation. Fear urges me to flee, but I couldn’t bring myself to defy the broadcast’s warning as my thoughts come up with many possibilities — like a terrorist attack could have caused the school in ruins!
Suddenly, the floor faintly roars in an oddly familiar agony for a short period. The ground trembles below my feet, causing tiny lumps of debris to clatter nearby, chanting a dooming prophecy. Scared to my death, the only path of escape leads me downstairs, guided by a small light fixed in the obscure darkness. As I carefully rush closer, I catch a glimpse of the elevator by the stairs. Logic reminds me to avoid the glowing buttons in emergencies as I’m only a level above the ground floor.
As I hurry down the steps, my vision blurs as the lens from a shaky cam. All I think about is escape. Salvation calls after seeing a brighter environment from the bottom floor. My mind is constantly in desperation for freedom until I crash into someone at the bottom of the stairway at the turning point.
“OW—!”
Holding in my pain, I slowly crouch lower to where a human stomach would hurt to relieve the uncomfortable ache against some kind of steel armour.
“OH NO!!! ARE YOU OKAY?!”
I heard that loud, playful voice from anywhere. Dialogues in Comic Sans and capital locks — speaking in one volume, it can only belong to an Underswap Sans. I lift my head to see a shorter skeleton in matching blue gloves, cape and bandana. With a wide cuirass and shoulder plates like a knight, he lends me his hand presumably out of kindness.
“B… Blue?!” I called out his name.
“YES, THAT’S ME!”
Instinctively, I grab his hand, but he roughly pulls me close to his face without warning.
“…BUT HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME?”
…
My mind is flooded with panic after he dropped the friendly tone. His eyes are intense, no longer playful as he clamps my hand tighter.
“W-W-Wait—! You don’t remember me?!”
“Nnn— NOPE! I’VE NEVER SEEN A LOST SKELLY LIKE YOU BEFORE!” Blue rapidly shakes my hand with an unsettling large smile. “SO… WHAT’S YOUR NAME? AND HOW DID YOU KNOW MY NAME?!”
“Y-You’re joking, right…?” I fearfully ask for reassurance.
I want to remind him that we were classmates last year, but all that’s left on Blue’s face is dread and suspicion. Despite his expression, I struggle to tell if he’s genuinely baffled or just pretending to be confused. Although he has a child-like demeanour, his high intellect and playacting can manipulate anybody to his advantage. He’s a brat, bully and my arch-nemesis, but he considered us as ‘friendly rivals’ as I always come top place in Science — and yes, that’s all it took to become Blue’s target as he hates losing more than anyone else in the world.
Feeling uncomfortable and confused, I stuttered before I remembered the broadcast roughly announced an ‘orientation’ as if we were freshmen. It makes me question if this is all a dream, or we’re playing on a massive stage like one of Blue’s highly believable traps he laid… Whatever outcome happens, I decided to play along with his games. I nervously explain everything as a mere coincidence with some misunderstandings for mistaken identity and guessing his name correctly — from the colour blue he wears — before I introduce my name like we’re meeting for the first time.
“And, err… I, umm… I’m not good with self-introductions and all, but… I-I’m Science Sans. But please address me as Sci — pronounced as ‘Sai’ — otherwise it’ll be confusing which ‘Sans’ we’re referring to nowadays…”
Although I have the habit of saying the last phrase to humans, it was also an excuse since I abandoned that name long ago as the first ‘Sans’ in Universe-City. I can easily pick up the common traits in every ‘Sans-es’, but through my speculations and theories… Do I consider myself a ‘Sans’ as someone who exists before Undertale?
Eventually, he releases my hand after hearing enough of my blabbering.
“MWEH HEH HEH! OH SCI… LET ME INTRODUCE MYSELF PROPERLY! IT IS I… THE BRILLIANT BLUEBERRY!”
…
I was nearly convinced with a mix of confusion before he abruptly laughed at my face.
“OH MY GOD— YOU’RE SO FUNNY!!! OF COURSE YOU CAN CALL ME THE BEST AND BELOVED BLUE!”
I recklessly laugh back to hide my cool. His oblivious, cunning yet playful side came from his universe, Underswap — an alternative universe where characters swap roles with their opposite encounters. To clear out the controversies, Blue is technically a ‘Sans’ despite he acts like every Papyrus — Sans’ brother, a tall skeleton — who dreams of becoming a royal guardsman.
With my awkward chuckle fading, I question Blue about the current situation, “Sorry for changing the topic. Have you seen the announcement in one of the classrooms—?”
“OH MY GOD, ME TOO!!!!”
Caught by surprise, Blue went ahead to finish where he cut me off. His story aligns perfectly with my alibi, believing he was inside the locker next to mine. I share a theory that we might not be alone, assuming others could be trapped in separate lockers. However, the armoured figure denied the possibility since he didn’t find anyone before we bumped into each other. As I try to prove him wrong, he refuses to admit that he didn’t check properly — like the locker I was inside.
Nevertheless, we agree to follow the announcement. I still believe the rest of the students could be ahead of us, waiting at the assembly hall. Or at least whoever’s responsible for the creepy broadcast…
OLDER VERSION ↓
That’s all I could hear. That’s all I could see.
It wasn’t long until my consciousness returns in a sluggish form. I open my eyes and peeks more darkness. I must be dreaming. I want to go back to sleep again…
Sleep? Again..?
The last thing I recall was myself collapsing at the front entrance of the school campus, but what happened after was a confusing headache with no memory.
*CLANG*
I accidentally hit something close and it gives out a loud impact of metal. As I stand, a sudden weight within me disappears. I’m not wearing my messenger bag. Relief instantly rises a high tide of anxiety flooding in my head.
Pushing my worries to the side, I inspect the narrow gaps for any source of light. There’s no doubt, I identify myself inside a locker. The door creaks as I slip out from the stuffy compartment.
“What is this..?” I scan my eyes across the room.
“Is this… my homeroom?”
Homeroom is located in every class of Building A. Excluding Science, the letter A stands for Academics that focus on subjects like English, Maths, Social Studies and Languages after attendance period is over. Each classroom in A-Block has a large blackboard, a teacher’s desk, about nine sets of student desks, two lockers, and educational resources stored at the back.
However, this place isn’t how I envisioned last time.
I begin coughing and brush every dust off me. There’s a strange odour in the atmosphere making it downright obnoxious to breathe in. The walls are mouldier and wooden floorboard creaks from every particular step I take. Oddly, all the windows are replaced with new metal plates. I pry opening them but it’s sturdy and shut tight. Without the magnetic plates, I could have a better understanding of the circumstances. For now, this room seems abandoned for a tremendously long time.
Just like my watch, the school’s clock points their hands at 8:37. I’m still early for roll call, despite the situation. It took some time to realise a monitor is hanging above with surveillance cameras installed every corner.
Before I could interact, the screen turned on its own. The visual displays a shadowy dark figure behind unwanted statics interfering with the announcement.
“Attention, all students must attend the Assembly Hall before 9 o’clock for a welcome ceremony. Those who arrive late shall receive a deadly punishment.”
The video turns off and leaves me confused. Being put in an abnormal circumstance in my daily life, I begin to panic mentally.
It took me a minute to explore my homeroom to calm myself down. During my exploration, I couldn’t find my variables and the locker next to mine felt empty. There wasn’t anything left to inspect and exited the room.
What’s waiting outside the door is a devoured, twisted hallway with cracked tiles, dark atmosphere and torn wallpapers. There’s no point turning back as the poison seeks into the open classroom. I want to escape this fear but I couldn’t imagine what would happen if I defy the school’s warning.
With rumbles blocking two paths across, I can only take the closest stairs down, leading me to the ground floor. I rush down to end up crashing onto somebody at the bottom of the stairway.
“OW!”
Holding my pain, I slowly crouch lower to where my stomach would hurt to relieve the uncomfortable ache away.
“OH NO! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!”
I heard that voice from anywhere. Dialogues in Comic Sans with capital locks can only belong to Underswap Sans. I lift my head to see a slightly shorter skeleton in a blue cape, lending me a hand.
“Blue?!” I called out his name.
“YEP, THAT’S ME!”
I gripped his hand as he pulled me up.
“BUT HOW DID YOU KNOW MY NAME?”
I wasn’t expecting another panic attack from his devilish grin. He refuses to let go without satisfaction.
“Wait, you don’t remember me?!”
“NOPE! BUT IT’S NICE MEETING YOU ANYWAY! SO, WHAT’S YOUR NAME? AND HOW DID YOU KNOW MY NAME?!” Blue rapidly shakes my hand with a friendly smile.
He must be joking… Did he forget who I am?
Feeling utterly uncomfortable, I stuttered before remembering that video. The announcement mentioned a ‘welcome ceremony’ as we’re freshmen. I nervously explain it was a coincidence, guessing his name from the colour blue he’s wearing before introducing my name as we’re meeting for the first time again.
Finally, he releases my hand.
“MWEH HEH HEH! SCI, LET ME INTRODUCE MYSELF PROPERLY. IT IS I, THE MAGNIFICENT SANS, BLUEBERRY!”
…
I was nearly convinced as Blue laughs at the funny look on my face.
“YOU CAN STILL CALL ME ‘BLUE’ FOR SHORT!”
I recklessly laugh back to hide my cool. I forgot his oblivious, cunning and playful side originally came from his Underswap universe, a world where characters swap roles with their opposite encounters. To make it clear, Blue is technically a ‘Sans’ because he has a body of one, even though he acts like every ‘Papyrus-es’ who dreams to become a royal guard.
With my awkward laugh gone, I question Blue about our current position.
“This sounds crazy but did you watch the video tellin-”
“OH MY GOD, ME TOO!!!!”
Caught by surprise, Blue begins describing the rest from where he cut me off. His story aligns perfectly to my alibi and I believe he was inside the locker next to mine. I share a theory that we might not be alone, assuming others could be trapped too.
On the opposite side of the hallway, there’s an enormous gate blocking the next facility. Besides the classrooms above, the rest of the doors and windows are locked to guide us to the Assembly Hall.
After taking a step, Blue brings up a conversation subjecting me. This feels all so familiar like deja vu. With his outgoing personality, he never stops talking as I always end up listening to him.
“HEY SCI? ARE YOU AN ULTIMATE TOO?”
“Yes, I’m-”
“WHAT’S YOUR ULTIMATE TALENT?!”
I barely put a smile before he interrupts me again. I take a moment before repeating my answer.
“I’m the Ultimate Scientist.”
Quickly before he says another word, I ask his title in return. Taken back from those days, he’s still full of himself. We stop a bit for Blue to present himself. He proudly places his hands on his hips as if there’s an existing crowd surrounding him.
“BEHOLD! I AM THE ONE AND ONLY MAGNIFICENT BLUE!! AS THE ULTIMATE PRESIDENT LEADER, I WILL ACCEPT YOUR FRIEND REQUEST!”
“Ah, I see…”
I knew that from the start. He always acts like a captain in his ‘battle armour’.
“AWW, YOU’RE NO FUN. I THOUGHT SCIENTISTS LIKE YOU SHOULD BE ASKING MANY QUESTIONS OR BE AMAZE AFTER SETTING THEIR EYES TO SUCH A HANDSOME YOUNG PRESIDENT!”
“EXCUSE ME?!”
Suddenly making fun of me, I don’t even know how to react! I avoid giving a comeback and change our focus to find the Assembly Hall. He agrees and childishly laughs like one of those annoying little brothers wanting your attention.
“HEY, CAN I TELL YOU SOMETHING?! HAVE YOU EVER HEARD BECOMING A ROYAL GUARDSMAN CAN EARN MILLIONS OF SALARY?!”
Funny, I’ve already heard those exact words last year that foul emotions of despair influence my mind to simply not care.
We barely passed the infirmary and Blue wouldn’t stop chatting. He’s on about wanting a motorcycle then brags about his action figures, pleasing everybody with tacos and watching a reality show featuring Napstabot before prioritising on talking about is his lazy brother.
Acknowledging what he says, I pretend to listen and agree on everything as I focus on my surroundings. I noticed the stench earlier isn’t leaking as we’re moving further from the classrooms above.
Finally, we arrived at the school cafeteria. The lunchroom is a large space with long rows of steel benches. The white walls with red and black chequered tiles give out a pizza diner aura. There’s even a food counter at the front of the kitchen where students can order their meals there.
Blue dashes to the kitchen with thrilling excitement.
“Blue! We can come back later, there’s not much time left!” I lied, wanting to hurry up. Then again, I could just leave him behind…
Regardless of what I’ve said, Blue didn’t listen and struggled to get past the swinging doors. He gives up after a couple of attempts, returning disappointed because I didn’t bother to help, knowing it would be locked.
“AWW… I WANT TO MAKE TASTY TACOS…”
"Seriously? Is this the time to make some?!"
After a small tantrum, we found the actual double-sided door with a sign ‘Assembly Hall’ next to it. Judging by the time we wasted, there should be about 15 minutes left.
Cooperating to push the burden door, a glimpse of light shines through the unfolded gaps. Beyond there, I discovered my theory was right.
We’re not alone after all.
The Open Ceremony
Suddenly, the door behind powerfully slams across the court. Thirteen skeletons shift their attention at our arrival.
“Yo! More FRESH-men have arrived!!”
“Do you think they’re the last ones?”
“DaMmIt, HoW MaNy mOrE arE ThErE?!”
With different voices piling over my mumbling, I wasn’t able to deliver a proper response. Unlike me, Blue explains everything with confidence until they’re convinced that we’re not responsible for their imprisonment.
Suddenly, a tall skeleton in orange stands out.
“sans..?”
“BROTHER? IS THAT YOU?!”
Blue recognises the only Papyrus in the room and immediately rush into his arms. If I recall, I believe Blue refers to his brother as Swap. Underswap Papyrus is known for his pumpkin coloured hoodie. Their different energy connects like magnets, bringing the mood hopeful to see our families again.
Absorbed from my thoughts, I realise Blue left my side. While he’s busy introducing himself, I observe around for familiar faces. So far, they’re all pretty recognisable. Besides Swap, there’s another skeleton in red without my prior knowledge.
Speaking of the devil, I realise his sportswear immediately! A red top, basketball shorts, a hooded jacket with fur and one golden tooth… That’s certainly Underfell Sans!
His jacket shows a tint of burnt umber from the indoor lighting and extra details like yellow fur on his cuffs and pointy zippers matching his sharp teeth are noticeable too. He also wears red converse over his yellow socks and a red eyeliner underneath his eyes.
His eyes… That one red glowing eye… A short glance can turn anybody in fear. It wasn’t long until our eyes met each other.
I feel a dangerous tension and quickly abort eye contact. I couldn’t help seeing an Underfell Sans for the first time. I’m too apprehensive to speak to him but I have to bravely ask his Ultimate talent sooner or later.
Sneaking myself to the main group, I listen over their conversation. As they chatter, I hear phrases concluding no memory of their lives in Universe-City other than given an Ultimate title and an entrance to this school. The fact that all of us woke up inside a classroom locker with amnesia, this seems all too suspicious to be a coincidence. Before announcing the important issues, we agree to introduce and share our names first.
Slowly, the group disassembles into smaller gatherings. Those who already address themselves to the Underswap brothers depart to chat with other peers.
“OI, NEW KID!! COME OVER HERE!”
Unbelievable, Underfell Sans calls me out with another skeleton tagging along. Approaching closer, I noticed his eye wasn’t red but two white pupils.
“Kid? I’m twenty-one, thank you!” I respond firmly while remaining polite.
Suddenly, his hand claws my skull tightly. Scare what violence he pulls, what I didn’t expect is a rough pat on the head. My face is flustered from their teasing as he continues calling me a ‘kid’ for being an inch shorter than him. Even though he hasn’t punched me yet, he does have the hellish vibe for being informally rude.
Soon, his buddy laughs with Underfell’s bullying. I want to logically correct them due to our height difference from our shoes but I couldn’t bring myself to argue back, predicting them continue making fun of me. When laughter meets their end, silence approaches. Underfell looks at me with an unhappy look. He was expecting a comeback but I refused to say anything. Now, I feel unsettled from his contagious staring.
“Dude, don’t scare the new kid!” The hooligan snaps our eyes. Unlike Underfell, he approaches me in a friendly manner with an eager smile. “So tell me, what’s your special talent?”
I’m still annoyed from before. Apart from Underfell Sans and Underswap Papyrus, it seems everybody forgot their school life… What I don’t understand is why I’m the only one still have my memories attached.
“Let me guess, a mad scientist?!” The edgy skeleton interrupts.
“Huh? Oh. Yeah.” I was absorbed in my thoughts and agreed when he mentioned the word ‘scientist’.
“HA! I KNEW IT! You’re such a nerrrrrrrrd..!”
“Wait, I thought he’s a dork?” Dance disturbs.
“Well, dorks are dorky. Nerds are nerdy. He looks nerdier to me! You can tell he’s wearing glasses!”
The two makes a mockery of me by using dumb logic in their arguments. Well done Sci. Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut. Then again, they’ll figure it out sooner or later…
“So, is that guy a ‘nerd’ too?”
Dance points at the skeleton with the ‘YOLO’ sunglasses. I hate being stereotyped, even Underfell Sans puts out a disgrace look at Underfresh Sans, wearing heavily outdated colourful clothing from the ‘90s.
“NEVERMIND THEN! He’s a trash poser from the looks of it. However, Sci’s a ‘real’ nerd! Dorks bring the storks and it doesn’t sound cuter than nerd!”
“Haha! Fine, fine!” Dance withdraws, “He’ll always be a dork to me!”
“Alright then, he would be my nerd!”
I naturally laugh back at their silly nonsense.
“Oh shut up! I don’t belong to anybody!”
…
I immediately close my mouth. They're stupid but I made myself even stupider. It was then, I realised, when did he learn my name?
Fear to face them, their laughter shortly returns my confidence. Underfell is laughing at himself, he didn’t think before he speaks. As for his partner, he snickers how right I am, finding me amusing. Their energy is contagious, couldn’t help but smile, wanting to be a part of their friendship. I never believed I would fall reciprocal for them after many years shutting myself in.
“Anyway, I’m Dance the Ultimate Street Performer!” The hooligan introduces himself.
“I’m Sci, the Ultimate Scientist!”
Dance wears a street-style cobalt blue hoodie, long gym pants and blue sneakers. For some reason, he always wears his hood over his black cap. As for his title, he influenced the world through music and dancing with his culture from Dancetale.
“Do you wanna know what’s my favourite genre? That would be…” He points to his ilium, “HIP,” then jumps with one foot, “HOP!”
“NICE ONE DAN!!” Underfell roars.
I admit, I never knew Dance is pretty cool and laid back. When it’s Underfell’s turn, I’m intrigued to learn about him. Before I could ask, Dance presents his buddy for him.
“And this unhappy goofball is Fell the Ultimate Basketball Player!”
“Pfft-!”
I struggle to control myself after Dance place bunny ears behind Fell’s skull. I burst out laughing with my cautiousness submerging out of my mind with the rest of my knowledge thrown out. I always predict everybody’s personalities but Fell’s behaviour is surprisingly different from my expectations. Was my research on the Underfell universe be mistakenly incorrect?
“What the hell?! Is my talent that dumb-?” He looks back at his sidekick for answers but caught him in the act. “DANCE!!”
The table has turned and it’s Fell’s turn to be picked on. Who would have ever thought the all-mighty dangerous Sans turns out to be an incredibly huge dork?!
Refusing to split up, the three of us decide to play a game to guess the rest of our classmate’s titles. After revealing everybody’s talents, the winner with the most answers correctly gets to call me a ‘dork’ or a ‘nerd’.
I begin with the first five at the left of the gym.
I point at the first skeleton, Classic. He’s the infamous Undertale Sans in a cornflower blue open jacket with an ash-coloured hood. Neither of them guessed his talent and in disbelief once I reveal he’s the Ultimate Comedian. Classic may not appear as one with his pink slippers and tennis shorts but he’s the real deal with an incredibly huge fan base as the #1 Sans.
Suddenly, there’s another skeleton trying to flirt with Classic. A purple hooded gilet with azure fur trim belongs to Underlust Sans. Hearing the word ‘Lust’ sounds inappropriate but he’s all talk, no bite. Fell judges him as a hooker while Dance thinks he’s a model from his stylish look and black leather fingerless gloves. I correct his title as the Ultimate Entertainment Actor.
“Hey, are you into BONE-age? Because you seem to have a BONE-r for it!”
Overhearing their conversation and witnessing Classic unhappy, we agree to move onto someone else.
Next is Reapertale Sans, a barefoot Grim Reaper in a black robe. Death has been standing alone as if his existence has been ignored. Dance earns a tally for guessing him as a spirit medium, although he’s officially called the Ultimate Spiritualist.
Fresh is next, he’s the Underfresh Sans Dance pointed earlier. He’s a tall skeleton wearing a red propeller cap and a ‘SWAG’ fanny pack. Even without a skateboard, Fell wins a point when he saw Fresh’s Heelys as the Ultimate Skater Pro.
Annoyed by Fresh is a black skeleton named Error. His name is easy to guess from the ‘Error’ statics surrounding him. Error wears dark clothing and has permanent blue streak marks underneath his odd-coloured eyes. I let Fell win again, who thought Error gives out a hacker vibe as the Ultimate Programmer.
At the other half of the gymnasium, the next pair we spot are two skeletons having a friendly conversation.
I point at Outertale Sans first. Outer is one of many Sans-es who wears similar clothes to the original. However, his design has an aesthetic of orange and blue with fluffy slippers sprinkled with star glitters. Dance wins this time, correctly guessing him the Ultimate Astronomer.
Next to Outer is a skeleton in brown named Ink. He has a large belt over his chest containing colourful vials of paint, pencils and brushes. There’s also a black stain on his right cheek and a long paper-material scarf around his neck. Fell calls dibs first and he’s right, Ink’s the Ultimate Traditional Artist.
Observing somebody else, I ask my friends if they could guess Cross. Besides his golden heart necklace and a red scar beneath his right eye, his extraordinary costume is completely black and white from X-Tale. Neither of them figures out he’s the Ultimate Royal Guard. Without his weapons, he’s difficult to guess.
Another one in monochrome is spotted next. Besides a white static covering his right eye, Geno stands out with his red scarf and a dry gash across his shirt. Again, nobody knows his talent. His appearance wasn’t obvious as the Ultimate Pharmacist, coming from the determination and drugs that saved his life in Aftertale.
The last skeleton alone is Horror with a cracked skull. His clothes are worn with dirty-white fur on his jacket and have a natural terrifying look coming from Horrortale. Fell guess his talent correctly as the Ultimate Butcher, telling me he got a murderer vibe but I put his remark aside.
Finally, we decided to approach the Underswap brothers since everybody knew Blue’s title. With four against two, Fell won and Dance has to start calling me a ‘nerd’ from now on.
“SORRY I LEFT YOU SCI!!”
“It’s okay Blue…” I forgive him.
Dance follows up exchanging greetings with Blue before introducing me to his brother.
“THIS IS MY BROTHER, SWAP! SWAP, THIS IS SCI! HE’S THE ULTIMATE SCIENTIST, ISN’T HE PRETTY USEFUL?!”
“eyy…”
Swap has a lazy appearance with an unsmoked cigar in his mouth. Letting out a handshake, he stares at my hand, leaving me awkwardly hanging. Slowly, he brings his fist out from his pocket. I wasn’t sure what his intentions were until he gave me a fist pump.
“cool.”
Acting aloof, Swap probably has a lot in his mind he rather keeps to himself. He’s a man with a few words speaking in lower cases.
“So… What’s your ultimate talent?”
I tried to start a conversation but Swap didn’t say anything and shrugs.
“So what?” Fell interrupts, “Are you the Ultimate Mute or what?!”
“OH, WHO ARE YOU AGAIN, RED GUY?”
Blue just noticed his awareness but through his act, he intentionally left him out.
“You seriously fuckin’ piss me off! MY NAME IS MOTHER FUCKIN’ FELL!”
This kind of attitude was what I was afraid of. He’s easily provoked by rage like a bomb, releasing foul languages to defuse his temper slowly. Fell couldn’t control his anger and ignored my advice not to fight.
“AWW… I’M SO SORRY! I WAS JUST PLAYING! WHAT’S YOUR ULTIMATE TALENT? WAIT, LET ME GUESS… ARE YOU THE ULTIMATE ANGRY BIRD?!”
Fell snaps. “BITCH! HOW DARE YOU TRY TO FUCK WITH ME, YOU UGLY BLUE MUTANT! YOU WANNA PLAY? YOU ASKED FOR IT!!”
Blue continues taking him lightly, smiling at the worst-case scenario without showing any weakness of his pride.
“I DARE YOU.”
Everybody finished chattering and circle the battle between two universes. I try to prevent the fight with Dance but Fell ignores us again. Cracking his knuckles, Fell is ready to fight Blue with his way of showing ‘LOVE’. Before he attacks, Swap stands in front and gives an upper punch, throwing his body in the air and land on the cold hard floor.
Eventually, Fell gets up and yells at them.
“WHAT THE FUCK?!”
“hello, mother-effing fell.” Swap speaks up. “if you talk to my brother with the b-word again, i’ll break your bones before you touch him.”
The more they provoke, the angrier Fell becomes. The fight all started when they ignored Fell, who was right next to us. However, the brothers are protecting each other from his hatred, it’s just Blue isn’t compatible around him.
“heh heh heh, did you have a nice trip?”
Classic, speaking in lower case Comic Sans, joins in. Not long after, I witnessed the worst potentiality of his talent. Everybody’s humiliating the fallen victim without consequences. The entire group, even Dance couldn’t stop laughing at Fell.
Surprisingly, I wasn’t laughing at all. Maybe I got so used to Classic’s jokes since I find him practically annoying for interrupting my classes. Nobody’s stepping up and Fell’s dignity is fading. Helplessly frustrated, his frustration became my anger.
“THAT’S ENOUGH!”
…
Two words, everyone shut up. I didn’t realise my words managed to get through their thick skulls and hurried to Fell’s side to check on his injuries.
“Go away.” He quietly growls.
“Fell, let me help-”
“I said go away! I don’t need anybody’s help!”
Feeling defeated, I understand where his behaviour is coming from, wanting to keep his strong ego present. Luckily, he’s condition isn’t critical so I move back before he tells me off again.
“That’s strange. He’s not dead… yet.” Death shares his thoughts to the public. “After their fight, no, ever since we’re brought here, everything’s strange. Somehow, I can’t summon or use our magic…”
“You’re right…” Outer agrees. “Usually I float around but I can’t levitate anymore…”
“Oh, I just remembered!” Ink examines, “Has anybody seen my giant paintbrush? There’s no way I ever leave without my weapon!”
Everybody checks on themselves. Nobody has Ink’s brush, Cross’ knives, Death’s scythe or anything in particular. Even my school bag is still missing.
“Speaking of which, can we finally discuss our main concerns?” Geno interrupts and leads the meeting, “Isn’t it strange how we all woke up with the same strange dizziness?”
“You are right. Horror has head pain…”
Despite Horror’s poor choice in words, everybody understands him clearly. We all felt the same migraine, more like we’re drugged to sleep.
“DO YOU THINK WE GOT CAUGHT IN SOME CRIME?!”
“Oh no~,” Lust says dramatically, “I did so many naughty things with people, am I in trouble~?”
“ShUp uP, yOu… F-FiLtHy gLITcH!!”
Ignoring Error and Lust’s comments, Cross continues the previous conversation.
“If somebody holds us responsible, they must be more powerful than a god, guardian and a destroyer of AUs.”
Referring to Death, Ink and Error, who else can be stronger than them? Gaster could recruit everybody peacefully but I couldn’t imagine anybody else holding us hostage by force.
“No offence but, why’s Swap the only Papyrus here?” Dance wonders, “You know? Since this is an all Sans school..?”
Everybody falls wary of Swap. He doesn’t have a comeback and keeps his mouth shut.
“WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?” Blue confronts, “ARE YOU SUSPECTING MY BROTHER IS BAD?!”
“Like I said, no offence!”
After stirring up another argument, everybody begins throwing accusations at each other. Nobody’s listening to me after I attempt to calm the group. While they’re busy fighting, I notice somebody takes the advantage to leave the assembly quietly.
“Where are you going?” Geno questions Fell.
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m leaving this shithole!”
“Brah, didn’t ya catch da announcement? Also, swearing is bad!”
“Yeah, I think I remember something about some punishment if we didn’t gather here in time?”
I check my watch and notice the clock has already passed nine.
Fell ignores Fresh and Ink. “Like I give a shit. Besides, it didn't mention when we could leave.”
He’s right for thinking outside the box. Even though cameras are watching us, I would rather play safe. As for a precautionary measure, I persuade him to stay too.
Right on queue, the entrance slams open before Fell reaches the door. Everybody shuffles away from the nightmare storming inside our school.
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