Chapter Text
Frisk has seen a lot of weird things.
The Underground was full of them.
And now, Ebott City, flourishing with monsters, is just as weird.
Before their adventure, did they ever even once consider the idea that an accident-prone, armless yellow monster would be doing their damnedest to ride a bike in the community park? Even with their overactive imagination (that they once prided, before finding out monsters existed and reality is much stranger than fiction), the answer is no.
But facts are facts and the fact of the matter is, Monster Kid is struggling (with admirable determination) to do just that, flailing from side to side precariously, as if an earthquake rocked the ground, as they try in vain to get the bicycle to do anything but wobble its wheels before giving out and throwing itself to the grass in a fit, rider and all.
Frisk can’t just leave MK alone like that, face-planted into the dirt with a bike frame tangled up over them. Poor guy falls over enough as it is, without having poor riding skills to blame—walking past that scene just feels too criminal.
They grab the bike and drag it to the side before crouching down beside the yellow monster, tapping a hand on the tan spikes protruding from their back to get their attention.
MK’s eyes shoot open and before they can manage another exaggerated groan of pain and defeat, they’re wriggling to sit up and start grinning, bright and energetic as always. “Yo, Frisk! Dude, check out my new bike! Pretty cool, huh? Huh?”
Very cool, the brunet signs, smiling a soft, fond smile just seeing the other kid's twinkling, excited eyes.
With practiced ease, MK pushes themselves back to their feet and returns to the bike’s side with a skip in their step, stooping over and managing to right it once again. “Totally cool, dude! Guess where I got it?”
Frisk eyes the slightly beat-up red frame, noting the chipped paint and scuffed tires. It isn’t new, that much is certain. They have an idea, but they shrug regardless and let their friend answer, as they clearly intend to do, bouncing on the balls of their feet and grinning wide, all teeth.
“The garbage dump! Man, can you believe people just throw out stuff like this?”
Even in the city, some things never change. The garbage dump is still a veritable treasure trove to the surface’s new inhabitants.
Even so, this is a pretty great find. The tires are worn, a little dirty, sure, but still intact. It’s a nice bike. One that looks a lot like the ones Frisk used to hope after when they saw them in shop windows but could never afford.
You know how to ride? Frisk asks, a grin playing across their lips. They can’t help it. MK’s upbeat cheer is contagious. The grocery bag containing pie ingredients Toriel requested goes forgotten, set aside on sidewalk, as this new, interesting scene takes over.
“Nope. But I’m learning!” With another bright-eyed grin, MK hops onto the bike and struggles to get the pedals moving, to keep their balance, and they have to give the monster credit for trying so hard.
Even if it ends up with the monster pinned between the bicycle and the ground again, struggling to get back up.
C’mon, it can’t be that hard. Again, the brunet is left to help up the energetic monster. But this time, they hold onto the handlebars, studying the bike with pursed lips. Watch and learn!
“Yo, hey, wait!” MK starts to protest as Frisk jumps up onto the seat and sets both feet firmly on the pedals, with determination, and pushes forward—
Or tries, anyway.
Just like MK, they topple over onto the grass with no progress whatsoever.
“Uh, what exactly am I supposed to learn from that?”
Frisk manages an annoyed stare as they wriggle out from beneath the bike and stand up, ready to try again.
Only to fall again.
And again.
And again.
“I don’t think we’re doing something right, yo.” MK’s expression scrunches up like they’re scratching at their skull in confusion. “It looks so easy when you see people riding bikes out there. Man, what are we missing?”
Frisk doesn’t bother picking the bike up again. The kid is right—they’re missing something. Something vital that all other bike riders have. What that thing is, they don’t know.
“HEY, KIDS!” A booming voice draws their attention as a blue-skinned woman wearing jogger shorts and a tank top slows her running pace and approaches. She looks tired, chest heaving after a long mile—or five, or ten, or fifty—run, but she’s as energetic as ever.
Frisk realizes Undyne might have the answer to their problem.
“What is that? Is that a BIKE? Sweet, I’ve always wanted to try one of these things!”
MK is bouncing up and down on their feet because their idol has arrived and doesn’t waste any time picking the bike up by its frame—yanking it up airborne—before setting it on its wheels on the sidewalk with a heavy clatter because she is just that strong and cool. “Right? Right?! It’s awesome! Hey, hey, Undyne, I bet you ride bikes all the time, huh?”
Can you ride a bike, Undyne? the brunet asks with a hopeful glint in their eyes.
“What? Sure! How hard can it be? You just—” she throws a leg over the seat and mounts it, setting one foot firmly on the pedal, pushing off against the ground with her other foot, and takes off—
—only to fall right over once the momentum wears down.
“WHAT THE HE—CK?” She catches her swear at the last second, side-eyeing the two children. “DUMB THING’S BROKEN!” She thinks about kicking the bike for a second, but thinks better of it at the sight of the kids’ faces and stomps the ground instead. Alphys mentioned it would be better to keep a good hold on her temper around surface humans, and what kind of girlfriend would she be if she didn’t listen to Alphys’ advice? She scratches at her head before picking the bike up again, never one to give up after failure.
I think you have to pedal, Frisk points out. Of course they know the basics of how to ride a bicycle—it’s just that trying is a whole other matter.
“Pedal, huh?” Undyne pulls her hand out of her hair (not noticing her claws got tangled and skewed her smooth ponytail) before giving the bike a long, scrutinizing look. “OF COURSE! That’s how these things work!”
“Man, you can totally do it, Undyne! We believe in you!” MK cheers from the side as the Royal Guardsman makes her second attempt.
…Which ends with her stumbling away from the wobbling thing before it falls on her again.
Her lips tremble in a sneer and her shoulders shake, she raises a hand to summon a spear, all a familiar stance Frisk is all too familiar with, but at the last second the redhead squeezes her eyes shut and sets her arms firmly at her sides, throwing her head back with a frustrated growl. “What is WITH this thing?! Here,” she reaches over and grabs Frisk by the head, pulling them up and setting them on the bike seat. “Your turn, kid!”
Frisk tries to sign out a protest, but finds that they need to hold on to the handlebars suddenly when the blue-skinned woman begins pushing the bike along from behind, leaving the child scrambling to set their feet on the spinning pedals knocking against their legs as they rapidly picked up speed along the concrete.
“Just—put one foot on the ground, one foot on the pedal and GET THE HECK OUTTA HERE!” That said, Undyne gives one final, mighty push before completely letting go of the bike and cheering loud as Frisk shakily tries in vain to steer the two-wheeled steed, managing one, two, THREE unsteady pedal cycles before losing control and swerving onto the grassy knoll lining the walkway.
MK and Undyne are quick to follow as the bike descends the hill and rapidly accelerates, somehow remaining upright.
“Whoa—you’re—YOU’RE DOING IT, FRISK!” The monster child cheers, before realizing a tree line awaits them at the bottom of the hill. “Uhh, dude? Dude, brake! BRAKE!”
“DAMMIT, KID, HIT THE BRAKES!”
But Frisk doesn’t know where the brakes are and looks back at them with a wide-eyed glance and half-open mouth.
“NYAAAAAAGGHH!” Undyne sprints down the hill, careful not to stumble and go rolling, but she is wearing the latest, top-of-the-line running sneakers, so she doesn’t think that will be an issue with their great traction, and throws out her arms to grab the child around the waist and yank them off the bicycle before it collides with the solid, unyielding trunk of a massive oak tree.
Frisk hangs from Undyne’s hold, looking out at the crashed bicycle (admittedly looking no worse for the wear and just as worn out as ever, but still in once piece) as MK waddles along to join them, wheezing slightly and eyeing the crash site with a growing sense of despair.
“Alright. Time to call in the big guns.” Never one to give up in the face of a challenge, especially when the kids are involved, she sets Frisk down and reaches into the phone holder strapped to her arm. She puts one hand on her hip while holding the phone to her ear with the other, grinning wide. “HEY, PAPYRUS, YOU FREE?”