Undertale: Reason to Live

Chapter: 74

Frisk stuffed the sink's drain with rags and turned on the water. He smiled as the water quickly filled up the sink and submerged the phone inside it.

Frisk was so satisfied. He turned back to texting his family.

"Guys, I did it!" Frisk said to the group chat. "I stole Mettaton's phone, locked myself in a closet, and dumped it in a sink full of water. Now, Mettaton won't be able to track me! I'm free!"

Everyone cheered Frisk on and congratulated him on his success, except for Alphys.

"Frisk," Alphys texted. "His phone is waterproof! I know! I made it myself!"

"What?" Frisk responded before he heard a loud ring from the phone in the sink.


Frisk looked into the sink in a panic. The phone was vibrating and ringing a muffled song that Frisk could hear despite it being submerged in water. It was from Inferno.

"Frisk?!" Frisk heard Mettaton yell from down the hall. "Frisk, you little brat, where did you go?!"

Frisk quickly rolled up the sleeve on his right arm, reached into the water, and declined the call before Mettaton could get within hearing distance. As Mettaton's footsteps grew closer, he pulled the phone out of the water and turned off the ringer. Then he hid in a corner and prayed for the best.

Mettaton stopped in front of the janitor's closet where he was hiding. Frisk practically held his breath.

Mettaton tried calling Frisk again, but Frisk declined the call again before the phone could make a peep.

"Oh, my God," Mettaton complained. "He's declining my calls! What an ungrateful little brat!"

"Now, now, sir," Inferno chided. "I know you're upset, but you need to remember that Frisk is just a boy with a rough past. You need to be more patient with him. He's gone through a lot of changes in one day, and he's acting out because he's upset…"


"Inferno, he stole my phone. All my plans are on it. If I don't get it back, everything's out of whack…"


"Mettaton, no offense, but this is a bigger problem than just your missing phone. Frisk is rebelling. He's fighting against you at every step because he's miserable and thinks you don't care. He wants nothing to do with you as it is, and I have a feeling that things will keep getting worse. I hate to say this, but at this rate, there's no way he's going to be good for business. Maybe, we should rethink this whole plan. I just don't think we're capable of dealing with him as he is."

"You know, Inferno, you might have a point…"

Frisk felt his spirits lifting. Inferno had done it. If Mettaton thought he was more trouble than he was worth, then he would have to let him go. It was too perfect…

"After tonight, I'm going to keep Frisk out of the spotlight for a while," Mettaton said.

Frisk could practically hear his heart sinking as a few tears wet his face.

"Sir?" Inferno asked.

"That's right," Mettaton replied. "Starting tonight, I'm going to keep Frisk at home, so we can deal with his issues. In the mornings, I'll get tutors to catch him up with school. In the afternoons, I'll take him to intense psychotherapy. In the evenings, I'll spend time with him nursing him back to health. Then rinse and repeat. I'll keep him that way until he's emotionally stable enough to go out in public again. Then, maybe in a few months, Frisk will be improved enough for another public debut…"

"Mettaton, you can't put a timetable on psychological recovery, especially not with children. It's going to be a huge investment of your time. Can you really afford to spend that much time with him? I still think your time would be better invested in other things."

"Inferno, don't you realize how worthwhile an investment Frisk is? With him around as a regular presence, there are so many opportunities to be explored and so many ways for us to inspire our lovely audience! You know what a big deal that is, Inferno?! Do you know how much we could do? We could inspire all monsters! We could improve human-monster relations! We could free people! We could be the saviors of the Underground! Think of what that'll do for them, not to mention our ratings."

"I understand, sir, but none of that will happen if Frisk refuses to cooperate. He hates you enough as is. If his current family loses the obstacle course, Frisk's behavior will get much worse."


"All the better for showbiz, Inferno. The drama is great for ratings. Besides, I've already signed the little human's adoption papers. I can't just let him go."


When Inferno didn't respond, Mettaton dramatically posed against the door causing Frisk's heart to skip a beat.

"I appreciate all your concerns, Inferno," Mettaton said. "But you need to trust me on this one. I know what I'm doing. We've got it all under control."

"Sir, Frisk stole your phone and ran away," Inferno said more sternly than before. "I don't think we're in control here."

"Don't worry, my dear Inferno. I'll get Frisk back somehow and find a way to make him cooperate. I know I'll figure out something. I do know how to charm any heart. I can also be persuasive when I want to be. I'll win the boy over, and if that doesn't work, I've got the psychotherapists."

Mettaton then turned around and continued walking down the hall.

"Don't dilly dally, Inferno," Mettaton chided. "If we don't find my son soon, my audience and I shall be rather put out."

Inferno sighed disappointedly before walking to catch up with his boss.

When the two's footsteps were out of earshot, Frisk finally allowed himself to breathe and let his body tremble with fear.

His first response was to update everyone on the group chat. Frisk then sat silently as he tried to pray and calm himself down while he waited to receive the comforting messages from his family.

He couldn't believe what he just heard. If Frisk and his family lost this fight, he would be locked away and brainwashed until he conformed, just like the kids at the mental health wards…

Frisk's memory was interrupted with a text message unexpectedly from Undyne.

"Punk, remember what I told you about being scared?" Undyne texted. "It sucks, but you can endure it. If you can endure it, you will survive. You have already outsmarted the Ultimate Jackass King once. Find a way to keep it going. Destroy that phone before he catches up with ya."

"Wow, that was really encouraging," Sans replied. "I'm impressed. You have more of a soft side than I thought."

"I can't tell if that's a compliment or not," Undyne replied. "I'm not sure how to react."

"That was a compliment," Sans replied.

"Yeah," Alphys gushed. "You're amazing!"

"That better have been a compliment," Papyrus added. "No one insults my wife!"

"PAPYRUS, FOR THE LAST TIME, WE ARE NOT MARRIED!" Undyne replied.

The last reply made Frisk snicker so much that he decided to add laughing face emojis to his text message reply.

To that, Sans replied, "I'm glad your spirits are holding up, Frisk. Stay determined, kiddo."

"Yeah, Mettaton saying those things is a sign that he's already upset with you," Napstablook added. "If you keep pushing and do something really bad, he'll not want you for sure."

Frisk smiled and replied, "Ok, I'm going to climb the vents to the top of the building and throw Mettaton's phone off the roof. That should break it for sure."

"That'll do it," Alphys replied. "Mettaton's phone shouldn't be able to withstand a fall from that height."


"Good plan, kiddo," Sans responded. "Then, get out of there as quickly as you can. Be careful, Frisk."


Everyone else sent encouraging messages of the same caliber.

Frisk sent a thumbs-up emoji and looked for something he could climb on to reach the vent on the wall above him just under the ceiling. Against the wall across from him was a cart filled with janitor's supplies. It was the perfect boost.

He stood up, walked over, and pushed the cart to his side of the room.

Frisk very easily managed to climb on the cart and keep himself balanced while he undid the screws of the vent with the same technique he used in the bathroom.

Frisk smiled when the screws and grating fell on the floor without a problem. The abilities he had before were returning. Maybe he could endure this mess without being enslaved by Mettaton after all.

Frisk made sure both phones were tucked away securely in his pockets before he climbed into the ventilation shaft. Once inside the vents, he used his slowly recovering determination to go as fast as he could, and Frisk made remarkable progress. God was so good.

Frisk continued crawling through the vents for a little while without interruption.

Unfortunately, that was when the Voice in head said, "Frisk, I need you to trust me. No matter what happens. You'll get through this, and you'll show mercy."

"Why on earth are you saying—AHHHHH?!" Frisk yelled as he fell through a loose grating into the studio below him where he and Mettaton were before.

The audience gasped in surprise and horror at seeing the human child fall from the vents. Fortunately, before Frisk could fall on an audience member, he was caught by his soul and pulled over the seats until he was placed safely on the stage.

Frisk took a moment to catch his breath and gather his bearings as he looked around for his rescuer and saw River standing off-stage to his left.

While the audience murmured confusedly, Frisk ran over to River and said, "Thanks for saving me! Now, let's find Burgerpants and get out of here."

"We can't, Frisk," River said placing a hand on Frisk's shoulder before the child could run off-stage. "Not now."

"Why not? What do you mean?"

"Mettaton has ordered everyone to look for you. Burgerpants included. Now that the audience members have seen you, it's only a matter of time before someone breaks the news to Mettaton. If I shortcut you out of here now, Mettaton will know I had something to do with it, and he'll use his legal authority as your guardian to have me arrested for kidnapping and maybe you arrested for stealing."

Frisk's eyes flashed in a panic as he asked, "Wait, could he do the same thing to my friends if they come here to save me?"

"Yes, unless they have the correct legal documentation to fight him. Understand now?" River replied. "We have to come up with another plan."

Frisk felt his heart drop. His friends were risking much more than he realized to help him. Frisk's actions had more unintended consequences than he knew. There just had to be something he could do to make the situation better…Wait, there was…

Another idea struck Frisk's mind like lightning. He knew just how he could buy his friends time and get his buddies at the studio out of trouble.

Once again, God was good.

"River, I have an idea," Frisk said before stepping back out onstage. "Just watch."

The audience silenced their murmurs as Frisk made his way to the center of the stage. The latter smirked as he pulled out Mettaton's phone and waved it in front of the audience.

"HEY, GUYS!" Frisk yelled as loudly as he could. "WHO WANTS METTATON'S OLD PHONE?!"

The audience began yelling and clamoring towards the stage as quickly as they could in an excited frenzy. Frisk's confident expression sank as the horde of monsters closed in on him. In a panic, he tossed the device into the crowd, and all hell broke loose.

Monsters used all the powers at their disposal to obtain the technological device before them. The fire man used his flames to keep others away while Aaron fought back with his acidic sweat. A froggit jumped on top of the phone while the two were fighting each other. A parsnik sent her snakes to attack the froggit while she picked up the phone in her mouth. It was absolute chaos.

Frisk smiled and glanced back at River who gave him a thumbs up. River then gestured for Frisk to come over to him.

"I must say, child, that was brilliant," River said clearly impressed.

"I just pray it'll keep everyone occupied for a while," Frisk replied. "Let's go."

River grabbed onto Frisk's hand, and they shortcut outside to the boathouse.

"Now, what?" Frisk asked.

River lifted his right hand. It glowed brightly in a purple light.

"What are you doing?" Frisk asked.

"I'm calling my boat, so we can escape," River replied.

"We have to go to Snowdin. Can't you just shortcut us there?"

"I can't shortcut that far, child. My magic isn't as strong as your brothers'. That's why I use the boat. Besides, even if I could, I don't know where in Snowdin you want me to take you."

"We have to go to the Ruins and we can't make it there by the river, but you don't have to worry. Once we arrive in Snowdin and I run by the house to get my book, I'll lead us there. I just need you to protect me."

"That's a tall order, child," River said turning to Frisk with a smile in his voice. "What will you give me for completing this mission?"

"Well, uh, I have the checks…" Frisk began.

"I'm kidding, child," River said in his calm and dry tone. "I thought I could lighten the mood with a joke. I guess it didn't work. Sorry. Tee hee hee."

Frisk chuckled to himself while looking out in the water for his ride.

"I guess it worked after all," River said with more emotion escaping through his monotone.

"What is it with you skeletons and bad jokes?" Frisk asked out loud.

"Now, you're the one who's being racist," River responded sarcastically.

Meanwhile, back in the building, a grey-haired temmie finally managed to grab the phone and run away from the crowd with it.

"YEAH, IMMA GO TO COLLEGE NOW!" she yelled gleefully as she quickly ran backstage with the phone in her mouth.

The crowd saw the temmie bolt backstage and ran after her just as Mettaton was opening the door to the backstage area with Inferno and Burgerpants following close behind him.

Temmie saw the opening and stretched her front legs until they reached past Mettaton and the two monsters behind him.

"What the…?!" Mettaton asked out loud as Temmie's head and body quickly propelled forward to catch up with the rest of her.

"HOI, METTATON!" Temmie yelled with the phone still between her teeth as her body returned to its normal shape and she continued her dash.

Not a second later, the crowd stampeded through the trio standing by the door. Mettaton stomped his foot and created a portal into the backstage area on the other side of the crowd. Burgerpants escaped the horde with his telekinesis while Inferno flew with his fire.

"What the hell is going on?" Burgerpants asked out loud as the horde of monsters finally passed by. "Was that the audience?"

Mettaton ran into the hall out of breath and gasping for air as his two companions landed on the ground.

"Mettaton?" Inferno asked. "Are you alright?"

"That…temmie…" Mettaton said between breaths. "She has my phone!"

"What?" Burgerpants asked.

Mettaton dashed past Inferno and Burgerpants after the crowd following Temmie down the hall. The other two quickly used their powers to fly and catch up with him.