The drive to Undyne's house was mercifully short.

Frisk spent most of it watching the city pass through the window.

The farther they drove, the more the streets changed. The crowded blocks gave way to quieter neighborhoods, where the buildings were smaller and the roads less busy. There were fewer storefronts and more houses packed closely together, their porches facing the street.

Papyrus filled most of the silence.

"UNDYNE, I BELIEVE FRISK SHOULD KNOW THAT MY TRAINING ADVICE IS EXCELLENT."

Undyne kept her eyes on the road.

"Your training advice is usually something along the lines of 'try harder.'"

"IT IS A VERY EFFECTIVE STRATEGY."

"Is it?"

"YES."

Frisk smiled faintly from the back seat.

Undyne glanced at her through the rearview mirror.

"Don't encourage him."

"I didn't say anything."

"You smiled."

Frisk looked out the window.

"...Sorry."

Papyrus gasped.

"NEVER APOLOGIZE FOR APPRECIATING MY GREATNESS."

Undyne groaned.

"Here we are."

The SUV pulled into a narrow driveway and stopped beside a modest two story house.

Frisk stepped out and looked around.

The house was not what she had expected.

It was simple.

Practical.

There were no signs of wealth or extravagance. The paint was slightly worn, and the front steps had clearly seen better days. A few potted plants sat near the entrance, though one looked as if it had been nearly crushed by something heavy.

Frisk glanced at it.

"Did something happen to that?"

Undyne followed her gaze.

"...Papyrus tried to help me garden."

Papyrus immediately raised a finger.

"THE PLANT WAS WEAK."

"It was a tomato."

"IT LACKED DISCIPLINE."

Frisk laughed under her breath.

Undyne unlocked the front door.

"Come on."

They stepped inside.

The interior was just as unpretentious.

There were a few pieces of furniture, a television, a small kitchen, and various signs that someone actually lived there rather than simply occupied the building.

A set of weights sat near one wall.

A pair of worn boxing gloves rested on a shelf.

There were several old photographs scattered around, some showing Undyne with other members of the Family.

Frisk's eyes lingered on them for only a moment.

Undyne noticed.

"Don't worry about those."

Frisk looked away.

"Okay."

Undyne tossed her keys onto a small table.

"Training's outside."

Papyrus immediately marched toward the back door.

"THE TRAINING GROUNDS!"

Undyne followed.

Frisk brought up the rear.

The moment she stepped into the backyard, she stopped.

It wasn't much.

The yard was relatively small, enclosed by a wooden fence. The grass was patchy in several places, and parts of the ground had been worn down to dirt.

But one section had clearly been turned into a makeshift training area.

A battered punching dummy stood near the center.

It looked like it had been repaired more times than Frisk could count. One arm was attached with a thick strip of duct tape. The torso was covered in faded marks and dents. A few old throwing targets had been nailed to the fence behind it.

A heavy punching bag hung from a wooden frame near the side of the yard.

The frame itself looked sturdy enough to survive a hurricane.

Frisk slowly looked around.

"This is where you train?"

Undyne grinned.

"Sometimes."

She walked over to the dummy and gave it a hard punch.

The entire thing swung backward.

"Most of the time, I don't need much more than this."

Papyrus stepped beside Frisk.

"UNDYNE HAS DEFEATED THAT DUMMY OVER FOUR HUNDRED TIMES."

Undyne shrugged.

"Probably."

"IT HAS NEVER DEFEATED HER."

"That's because it's a dummy."

Papyrus considered this.

"THAT IS TRUE."

Frisk looked at the battered figure again.

It suddenly seemed less like a training dummy and more like a warning.

Undyne noticed her expression.

"Don't worry."

She stepped away from it.

"You won't be fighting that today."

Frisk relaxed slightly.

"We're starting simple."

Undyne walked toward the center of the yard.

"No weapons."

"No magic."

"No fancy techniques."

She pointed toward Frisk.

"Just you."

Frisk swallowed.

"And what am I supposed to do?"

Undyne smiled.

"Learn how to stand."

Frisk stared at Undyne.

Undyne stared back.

For several seconds, neither of them moved.

Then Papyrus raised one hand from the edge of the yard.

"THIS IS GOING TO BE AMAZING!"

Undyne slowly turned her head toward him.

Papyrus lowered his hand.

"...I WILL BE QUIET NOW."

"Good."

Undyne turned back to Frisk.

"Feet shoulder width apart."

Frisk adjusted her stance.

"Not like that."

Frisk shifted.

"Wider."

She shifted again.

"Your right foot is too far forward."

Frisk corrected it.

"Good. Now bend your knees."

Frisk bent them.

"Lower."

She lowered herself.

"Lower."

Frisk frowned and lowered herself further.

Undyne nodded.

"Now you're standing."

Frisk blinked.

"I was standing before."

"Not properly."

Papyrus nodded enthusiastically.

"THAT MAKES SENSE!"

Undyne ignored him.

She walked around Frisk slowly, inspecting her posture from every angle. Frisk resisted the urge to look over her shoulder.

"Don't turn your head."

Frisk immediately stopped.

"Keep your eyes on me."

She did.

"Good."

Undyne stopped in front of her.

"You've been in fights before."

It wasn't a question.

Frisk hesitated.

"A few."

"A few?"

Frisk shrugged.

"Enough."

Undyne smirked.

"Street fights?"

Frisk nodded.

"Running away?"

Another nod.

"Stealing?"

Frisk glanced at Papyrus.

He was sitting on an overturned crate, watching them with an enormous grin.

"Sometimes."

Undyne folded her arms.

"Thought so."

Frisk's eyebrows tightened.

"What does that mean?"

"It means you've learned how to survive."

Undyne stepped closer.

"But survival isn't the same thing as fighting."

Frisk said nothing.

"You know how to move when someone surprises you. You know how to run. You know how to hide. You probably know how to hit somebody when they're not expecting it."

Frisk looked away.

Undyne snapped her fingers.

"Eyes."

Frisk looked back.

"But you don't know how to fight someone who knows what they're doing."

Frisk's jaw tightened.

"I can fight."

Undyne smiled.

"That's what everybody says."

She stepped back.

"Come at me."

Frisk froze.

Papyrus leaned forward.

"OOOH!"

Undyne pointed at him without looking.

"Papyrus."

"Yes?"

"Quiet."

"YES."

Frisk looked at Undyne.

"You're serious?"

"Very."

Frisk swallowed.

She raised her fists.

Undyne didn't.

She simply stood there.

Relaxed.

Balanced.

Completely unarmed.

Frisk took a breath.

Then she moved.

Her first step was quick.

Her second was faster.

She swung.

Undyne moved her head a fraction to the side.

The punch missed.

Frisk immediately followed with another.

Undyne caught her wrist.

Frisk twisted.

Undyne released her before Frisk could use the momentum.

Frisk stepped back.

Undyne hadn't even broken a sweat.

"Again."

Frisk attacked.

This time she aimed lower.

Undyne blocked the strike with her forearm.

Frisk threw another punch.

Undyne stepped inside it.

A hand caught Frisk's shoulder.

The next thing Frisk knew, she was staring at the sky.

She landed hard on the grass.

Papyrus jumped to his feet.

"FRISK!"

Undyne held up one hand.

"She's fine."

Frisk groaned.

She rolled onto her side.

Undyne stood over her.

"You telegraph."

Frisk pushed herself up.

"What?"

"Your shoulders."

Undyne pointed.

"Every time you're about to throw a punch, your shoulder moves first."

Frisk looked down at it.

"You're watching that?"

"I'm watching everything."

Frisk stood.

Undyne's expression remained completely serious.

"You're also leaning too far forward."

Frisk adjusted herself.

"And you're staring at my hands."

Frisk looked at Undyne's face.

"Better."

Frisk took another breath.

Undyne nodded.

"Again."

This time Frisk waited.

She watched.

Undyne waited too.

The silence stretched.

Frisk couldn't tell what she was looking for.

Undyne wasn't moving.

Wasn't blinking much either.

Frisk suddenly lunged.

Undyne blocked.

Frisk ducked.

She swung upward.

Undyne caught the punch.

Frisk tried to pull away.

Undyne stepped forward.

Frisk stumbled.

Undyne hooked a foot behind her ankle.

Frisk hit the ground again.

Papyrus winced.

"OOF!"

Undyne looked toward him.

"She's learning."

Papyrus nodded rapidly.

"YES! SHE IS!"

Frisk sat up.

She was breathing harder now.

Undyne crouched in front of her.

"Your instincts aren't bad."

Frisk looked surprised.

"But your instincts were built around escaping."

Undyne pointed toward Frisk's chest.

"When somebody comes at you, you think about where you're going to run."

She pointed toward the fence.

"You look for openings."

Then toward the house.

"You look for cover."

Then back to Frisk.

"You don't think about controlling the fight."

Frisk frowned.

"How do I do that?"

Undyne stood.

"You learn."

She extended a hand.

Frisk took it.

Undyne pulled her upright.

"Again."

The training continued.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Every time Frisk thought she had figured something out, Undyne found another weakness.

Frisk tried attacking from different angles.

Undyne anticipated them.

She tried waiting for an opening.

Undyne refused to give her one.

She tried getting close.

Undyne redirected her.

She tried keeping her distance.

Undyne closed the gap.

At one point Frisk managed to land a glancing hit against Undyne's shoulder.

She froze.

Undyne looked down at the spot.

Then back at Frisk.

A grin spread across her face.

"There."

Frisk blinked.

"What?"

"You finally stopped trying to win."

Frisk stared at her.

Undyne raised her fists.

"You reacted."

Frisk understood.

Barely.

Undyne motioned toward her.

"That's what I want."

Frisk raised her fists again.

Undyne attacked first.

Frisk barely got her arms up in time.

The impact forced her backward.

She recovered.

Undyne came again.

Frisk moved.

Not perfectly.

Not quickly enough.

But she moved.

She blocked the next strike.

Undyne threw another.

Frisk ducked.

A third.

Frisk stepped aside.

Then she struck.

Her fist connected with Undyne's ribs.

Undyne stopped.

Frisk stopped too.

For half a second, there was silence.

Then Undyne laughed.

A loud, genuine laugh.

"That's it!"

Papyrus immediately started cheering.

"YES! FRISK! YOU DID IT!"

Frisk lowered her fists.

She was exhausted.

Her arms felt like they were made of stone.

Undyne looked pleased.

"You're still terrible."

Frisk's expression fell.

Papyrus gasped.

"UNDYNE!"

Undyne pointed at Frisk.

"But you're less terrible than you were an hour ago."

Frisk couldn't help it.

A tiny smile appeared.

Undyne noticed.

"Don't get comfortable."

The smile disappeared.

"Good."

Undyne stepped back.

"Tomorrow, we do this again."

Frisk stared at her.

"Tomorrow?"

Undyne grinned.

"Every day until you can stay on your feet."

Papyrus stood and stretched.

"AND THEN SHE WILL BECOME A GREAT WARRIOR!"

Undyne nodded.

"If she works."

Papyrus placed both hands on his hips.

"SHE WILL!"

Frisk looked between them.

For the first time since arriving at the house, she felt something unfamiliar.

Not safety.

Not yet.

But confidence.

Small.

Fragile.

Earned.

And somewhere deep inside her, she knew that if she stayed here long enough, Undyne might actually teach her how to fight.

Not like a thief.

Not like someone trying desperately to survive.

Like someone who could stand her ground.

Undyne picked up a towel and tossed it at her.

"Go drink some water."

Frisk caught it.

"Then?"

Undyne's grin returned.

"Then we're going again."

Frisk stared at her.

Papyrus burst into laughter.

"WELCOME TO TRAINING!"