Flowey smirked as Frisk made his way back into the room. "Humans sure are interesting, or maybe it's just that you are particularly stubborn."

Frisk contemplated the benefits of responding before deciding that he didn't really care about them. "It's been 29 times now, Flowey."

"Oh really?" Flowey acted surprised. "I've just killed you so many times by now that I've lost count."

"This will not be the 30th," Frisk promised as what looked like wisps of purple flames bled off his right eye.

For the 30th time, shadows lengthened and the room became quiet. Frisk SOUL shone like a beacon in the darkness as he brandished his Aura-enhanced stick.

"Finally," Flowey muttered under his breath, too quiet to hear, "Well then, why don't we test that claim?" He called out as bullets formed in the air around him and shot out towards Frisk.

Frisk didn't hesitate to wield his stick like a staff, and with his Aura-enhanced reflexes, he dodged and deflected each and every one, even managing to deflect some back at Flowey.

When Flowey used his vines to block the returned bullets, Frisk launched himself forward, hoping to close the distance. Flowey had anticipated this and thick vines burst from the ground, trying to inhibit his progress.

Frisk maneuvered through the vines with practiced ease, deflecting them with his stick. When one came from behind, he rolled to the side and followed through with an enhanced leap. He landed on one of the vines that led back to Flowey and ran across it, weaving through the storm of magic that met him when he neared his target. Taking only a few pellets to his Aura when he couldn't dodge or deflect them all.

"Haah!" Putting his all into the next lunge, Frisk crossed the remaining distance in a blur, aiming for Flowey's smug face. His stick whistled through the air as he struck with all of his power.

*Slam*

Frisk came out of his attack, sliding across the ground and into his defending stance, already anticipating Flowey's dodge.

"HAhahahah!" Frisk spun around and focused on the source of the insane laughter, only for his eyes to widen when he saw Flowey. The flower looked almost unscathed; however, his top petal was blackened on the tip.

Frisk looked down to see that his previously normal-looking stick was giving off the same purple flames that his eye was. With renewed confidence and a smirk, Frisk dashed forward, ready to continue.

"Don't get cocky just because you damaged me!" Flowey screamed out, and the battle continued.

For several minutes, the battle went on in the same manner. Frisk was faster and tried to constantly close the distance while Flowey continued to barrage him with ranged attacks, making it almost impossible to do so. Both combatants already knew how the other fought, constantly predicting each other's moves.

Frisk knew he had to finish the battle soon. His PERSEVERANCE would get stronger as he fought, but he wouldn't be able to maintain this level of combat with his Aura forever.

Frisk dove backward through two vines and into a roll that allowed him to make some distance between them. Flowey slowed down his attacks, confused about what Frisk was doing, giving him the advantage.

Backing up some more, Frisk deflected some stray pellets and moved into a different stance. Frisk dropped his hold on his Aura, focusing his complete attention on the blazing fire of PERSEVERANCE that was flowing within him. He cocked his arm back and focused all of the fire he could into his makeshift spear.

All this happened in barely a second, leaving Flowey with almost no time to figure out what was going to happen. Still, he was able to put up a wall of vines in front of him.

"Pierce! Gáe Bolg!" Purple fire exploded out of the makeshift spear as Frisk launched it forward with all of his might.

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The attack didn't have the reality-bending abilities of the actual Gáe Bolg. It didn't have close to the raw power of its namesake, and Frisk had barely even practiced throwing his stick as a weapon before this. But the raw power of the perseverance built up throughout 30 fights, along with his intent, allowed the spear to home in on its target.

It ripped through the wall of vines that Flowey had put up with laughable ease, and Flowey was left to try and desperately dodge the flying spear.

Frisk was knocked back as the spear detonated, sending purple flames throughout the room. He lay there on the ground, his body shaking from exerting almost all of his magical energy. He wondered what would happen now. Did that attack kill Flowey? What would even happen if it did? The most likely thing would be a reset, and if that's the case, then-

Smaller vines burst from the ground, wrapping around him and picking him up. They proceeded to wildly swing him around, bashing him into the floor and finishing by smashing him into the wall of the cave, holding him there.

"AHH!" Frisk cried out in pain. He only managed to get his Aura back up after the second bash, leaving his body battered.

"Hahahaha!" Flowey's laugh rang throughout the room. "I suppose I deserve that for being so overconfident." He said this as he dug himself out of the ground.

He looked ghastly. More than half of his face was blackened by the flames, and there was a clear stab wound across the right side of his face.

"You finally did it though! I was wondering when that was going to happen. To think a human actually learned how to use magic in hours!" For some reason, Flowey seemed excited about the idea "you might just work." He whispered menacingly as he grew his stem out to come face to-face with Frisk.

Frisk was struggling. He had reactivated his almost depleted Aura but the strength wasn't enough to completely break out when his whole body was completely wrapped up. If only he still had his stick, he could channel those flames again to burn out of his prison, maybe even form the spear and cut. himself.. out…

"I just have to ask though." Flowey continued as Frisk gathered all of his remaining PERSEVERANCE in his right hand. "How does it feel to know that you lost again? That you'll never be able to beat me, and that even if you do, I can just reset the world back to how it was?"

Frisk bowed his head to buy time and focused on himself even harder. "You're underestimating me again." Frisk whispered out.

"Eeeh? Did you give up? Come on, speak up. I can't hear you." Flowey said as he leaned in closer.

"I said! You're underestimating me again!" Frisk screamed out as his right hand erupted into purple flames, burning away the restraints on that arm.

"Shit!" Flowey recoiled as the flames spun around Frisk's hand to form a crude spear, which he used to cut through the rest of his bindings.

"It's over, Flowey!" Frisk yelled, brandishing his newly formed pseudo-spear.

"Tch, I guess it is." Flowey scoffed, annoyed, and dug down into the ground.

*Boom*

Just as Flowey disappeared, a large fireball impacted where he used to be.

"What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth," Toriel said as she looked around the room. "Ah, are you alright, my child? I am TORIEL, caretaker of the RUINS. I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down." She called out as Frisk looked wearily at the spot where Flowey had vanished.

"My child?" Toriel walked over and kneeled down next to Frisk, whose eyes still had not left the spot. "It's alright, the creature is gone, and I am here to help. Why don't you put the weapon away and come with me to get healed up?"

Frisk didn't know what was going on. Shouldn't Flowey have reset by now? Was this ending just going to be another cruel joke played by the flower? He really should stay ready for any more surprises; he couldn't let his guard down.

But his whole body was shaking. The PERSEVERANCE and Aura that had been propping him up from the injuries sustained throughout the fight were running dry. Frisk's spear evaporated into the air, and with that went all of his fixation on Flowey. If the flower came now, he would have absolutely no chance at winning.

Frisk turned his attention to Toriel. Really turned his attention to Toriel this time, not just a glance in the middle of a fight to the death, but a long look this time. She definitely had a goat's head, with floppy ears and short horns. Her body looked relatively human-like, just with paws for hands, and she wore a long purple skirt with a rune on the front.

But this was not what Frisk was paying attention to the most. His tired mind only fixated on one thing.

"Fluffy." He muttered out before he could stop himself, only to quickly realize what he had said. "Uhhh, sorry abou-" he tried to say, but was interrupted.

"Haha," Toriel let out a small laugh, much nicer than Floweys', "It is quite alright, my child, you just went through quite a harrowing ordeal. Why don't you come with me to my house so you may rest there?" She suggested it in a kind voice.

"Umm," Frisk wasn't sure what to say and was still a bit embarrassed about his slip-up. "S-Sure, I guess."

"Good! Then please come here." Toriel said as she held out her hand for Frisk to take.

"Ok," Frisk said in an exhausted tone. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to do any puzzles. Right now, he almost felt like he was going to fall over.

Just as he brought his leg forward to take a step, Frisk was reminded of the fact that he had absolutely no strength left.

"Oh." He collapsed forward into Toriel's arms. His vision was going dark at the edges.

"My child! Are you okay?" Toriel called to him worriedly while picking him up into her arms.

"Fluffy" was the only thing that Frisk said before he finally passed out.