Segment 0.2 | A Flowery Tutoriel

[Enter Battle]

It's just like in a game setting, when you challenge an NPC, the background becomes different!

Flowey: Do you see that heart on top of you?

Polly: A heart?

I'm confused until I look up and see a glowing red pixelated heart on top of my head.

Flowey: That is your SOUL, the very culmination of your being!

I jump up to try to touch it, but my hand seems to pass through it.

Polly: That's... Cool, I say in awe.

Flowey: Heh, right?! Your SOUL starts off weak but can grow strong if you gain a lot of LV.

LV? I thought intrigued by the acronym.

Flowey: What does LV stand for? Why, LOVE, of course!

Polly: Love? Not level?

I've played many games to know that anything with "LV" means level. Or maybe I'm just overthinking it, I thought.

The kid catches on quick, I wouldn't be surprised though, after all this is a... Flowey thought, cutting off to continue my tutorial.

Flowey: You want some LOVE, don't you? Don't worry! I'll share some with you!

He winks, and little white orbs spread out around me.

What is this? I thought.

Flowey: Down here, LOVE is spread through... Little white... "Friendliness pellets!" Are you ready? Move around and get as many as you can!

The "friendliness pellets" come flying steadily at me. As I walk toward the "friendliness pellets," I get a strange feeling, and suddenly...!

???: Dodge those attacks immediately, Polly, the mysterious voice in my head exclaims.

Without thinking about it, I dodged the pellets. A moment of silence rings for both of us. An awkward situation.

Flowey: Okay... You missed them, buddy; are you okay? Flowey was certainly not expecting my sudden actions.

Strange... Unless they've... -no, I can definitely tell if someone has RESTARTED or not, but why did they dodge that? Flowey thinks.

Flowey: Y'know what? It's alright, it's okay; let's try this again, shall we?

A ring of pellets charges at me, but at a much faster speed this time.

Why did I dodge the pellets? I thought with confusion.

Just dodge them, and you'll see that there's more than meets the "leaf" of this flower, said the mysterious voice in my head. I dodged them again.

Was that a pun? I thought about the mysterious voice's words.

Flowey: Is this a joke?

Polly: Hmm?

Flowey: Are you braindead?

Polly: Hehe... Sorry about that?

Flowey: RUN. INTO. THE. BULLE- I uh mean friendliness pellets!

Yet another moment of quietness, this time shrouded in a somber undertone. Oh? So little fella is up to something, I thought.

Polly: Look, Flowey, I don't want any frien-

His face goes from normal to a more horrid, demonic face. An ominous vibe surrounds the area. The background music that was once there had gone away.

Polly: Uh... Flowey?

Flowey: You know what's going on here, don't you? You just wanted to see me suffer!

Caught in another round of those creepy pellets-no, bullets—harmless-looking but seriously menacing, Flowey pulls off some crazy moves, summoning a vine that shoots up from the ground and wraps around me like a vengeful snake. I'm freaking out as the vine tightens, choking the life out of me.

I blurt out, "W-What?!"

In an evil tone, Flowey said, "Die."

And then he loses it, laughing like a maniac while his crazy attack gets even more intense.

"In this world, it's kill, or BE killed! AHAHA!" he shouts.

Panicking, I struggle against the vine, thinking, "Damn, I didn't expect to kick the bucket just yet!"