Gaster's given you an opportunity to convince him that Asriel can be brought back, and you're determined to do so.

Leaning forward a little against the table at Grillby's, mimicking Gaster's own posture, you start to talk.

"You and I both know that Asriel can come back. I fought him, and he broke the Barrier. And it was him, even as a child. Flowey may be an 'empty husk,' as you said, but then, doesn't that mean if we fill him up, he can be Asriel again?"

Gaster nods just a little. "You're right, I'll give you that. Theoretically, if he has enough power, he would turn back into Asriel. But, then, where do we propose we get that power?"

"Well... Can't we... Give him a Soul somehow?"

Gaster's brow rises. "How? Take it from someone? That would kill them."

"What about how you gave Sans and Papyrus Souls?"

"Different scenario entirely."

"How is it different? You're giving a Soulless being a Soul!"

"Because then, it was putting a piece of my Soul into a piece of my body. Their frames were conditioned to my Magic, and compatible with my Soul. On the off chance that someone were willing to give up their Soul to Flowey, it wouldn't be enough- the incompatibility between Asriel's essence and the foreign Soul would cause too much energy leakage, and it would be completely ineffective."

"That can't be right!" You argue. "Because if that were true, then how did he turn into Asriel when I fought him?!"

"You can still fill up a leaky bucket if you pour water into it fast enough, Frisk, so long as you're putting in more than is falling out.  The power equivalent of seven human Souls poured emotion into Flowey fast enough that it made up for the incompatibility. Which then brings us a step further- you wouldn't just need to kill one human to get a Soul, you'd need to kill seven. And as much as I'm for killing humans, I get the impression that's not what you want."

You sit back, thinking on that. It's true; Flowey didn't turn into Asriel until he had six human Souls and all the monster Souls. He just became that strange, creepy... Omega Flowey with the six Souls. And he was still sadistically emotionless.

So... is there no way, then? Because you're not going to kill seven people. You're not going to kill anyone. Ever again. And without either seven Souls or a compatible Soul, Flowey will remain Flowey.

... But what about a compatible Soul? What if you could get that?

Gaster sees your expression shift. "What now?"

"Well... you said you put a piece of your Soul into Sans and Papyrus. So what about... If Toriel or Asgore put a piece of their Soul into Flowey?"

Gaster seems to muse on that for a moment, then he shakes his head. "No. It wouldn't work. Mainly because, again, my Soul into my body. Toriel and Asgore are both Toriel and Asgore. Even though Asriel came from them, he's still Asriel. Not Toriel and Asgore put together. So even if you could get a Soul fragment into him, and even if you could grow it into a full Soul, it still wouldn't be enough." He pauses. Then, "I mean, I suppose, theoretically, Toriel and Asgore could--" He seems to realize what he's saying, and hesitates. Then he shakes his head, muttering something under his breath. "Maybe they could... make another one, but even still, that would still be like making another child. A sibling to Asriel, not another Soul for Asriel. It wouldn't work."

You frown. "But what if you did both of them? A Soul fragment from Asgore, and one from Toriel, and put them together to make an Asriel-Soul fragment?"

Gaster gives you a look. "Were you not listening to what I just said? Asriel wasn't just Toriel and Asgore put together-"

"No, that's not what I mean! I mean, kinda, but not quite. It's like... like making a cake! Asgore and Toriel are like the eggs and flour, and if you add certain amounts of both, you'll get Asriel. The cake isn't just eggs and flour together, and no one would eat just eggs and flour. But when you put them together, with all the right ingredients..."

Gaster leans forward and looks at you. "Frisk, I'm only going to say this once. There's a lot of monster procreation that we don't know anything about. It extends beyond even my abilities to just go... make a Soul, and it's so much more, so much bigger than just shoving two Souls together and seeing what happens. And even if it were possible to do so, I have no idea how much of each of the 'ingredients,' as you put it, would be needed to make Asriel exactly. And just sticking a fragment from Asgore and a fragment from Toriel together? Even if they were precise amounts, that would work no more than trying to fit two pieces from different jigsaw puzzles together. It simply wouldn't work." He sighs, shaking his head. "Asriel was my prince, Frisk, and a very good kid. I would love to have him back as much as you, but..."

You both sit there for a long time. You try to think of something, anything, but Gaster's just shot down all your hopes, all your plans.

"So-..." you ask quietly. "So there's nothing we can do?"

"Frisk, I-..." Gaster sighs. "There's-..."

"What?"

"... Do you believe in heaven, Frisk? That there's life after this? That there's something... bigger than this?"

After a moment, you nod.

Gaster lets out a small chuckle. "It's kind of hard not to, as a monster. We're beings of hope, and it's hard not to believe in..." He trails off. "... It's a little funny, actually. I'm a scientist. I believe in proofs, in evidence. That there's an explanation for everything, that can be explained through material means. But I'm a monster, and I'm still reliant on hope. I have to believe that there's a heaven, because if there isn't something after this, then what's the point of it all?" He shakes his head a little. "Point is, Frisk, you'll be hard pressed to find a monster who doesn't believe there's a heaven. And Asriel... his Soul is dead, Frisk. In heaven, I believe. It's only his consciousness here, stuck in Flowey." Gaster gives you a small smile, and the sympathy in his expression surprises you. "Isn't it time that we let that go, too? Doesn't Asriel deserve to rest in peace?"

The expression that crosses your face is reflexive horror. "Y-you mean kill him?!"

Gaster shrugs a little. "In the sense that you're thinking... I suppose so, yes. But Frisk," he continues as your revulsion deepens, "wouldn't that be a mercy? Think about it. He's emotionless. He can't feel, he has no love, no hate, no joy, no anger, no sorrow. He's just... empty. You could even debate he has no real HOPE, as it's only determination that's keeping him here. He has no purpose. Is... is that really even truly alive? Does he truly have a life here anymore?" Gaster pauses. "... And... if you were stuck like that..." He trails off, but you know what he was going to say.

If you were stuck like that, would you want to keep going?

But it doesn't matter. Because you're not going to kill anyone. Not even Flowey. Not even if he's not fully alive.

Gaster sees the resolve in your eyes and nods. "It's not an easy thing to think about, is it?"

There's a long silence as you proceed to think about hard things.

Finally, you look up at Gaster. "... Could you do it?"

"Hm?"

"Kill him. Could you do it?"

"I would consider it an act of mercy. For my prince."

"But could you actually do it? Look him in the eyes and-..."

"... Yes. It might be hard, but... yes. Asriel is dead. Flowey is proof that the dead aren't meant to return. It would merely be allowing Asriel's consciousness to join his Soul."

You think on it. You know from experience, you could do it.

And it's not the thought of doing it that makes you sick, it's the knowledge that you could do it.

Gaster lets out a sigh, drawing your attention back to him. "Look. Since I've actually met you, in person, you've been trying to convince me you're a good person. And, I'll admit it, you've kinda grown on me." He stands up, and starts to leave. "So I'll tell you this now; if you really want to convince me you're a good person, you'll do the right thing."

Then he's walking out, telling Grillby to put the expenses for the burgers on his tab.

And you're left sitting there, thinking.

You're not going to kill Flowey. You're not. He is alive, he really is! You can't kill him. You're never going to kill anyone again.

Maybe Asriel is dead, but Flowey is alive. You know it. He moves and thinks, and maybe he doesn't feel, but he's still alive.

Nonetheless, you don't think the twisting feeling in your stomach is from the burger you ate.

§

A/N

I'm actually pretty satisfied with this chapter. I managed to fit in all the things I wanted to, and some other stuff for later plot that I thought I would have to move to later. But I got it all in! :D

Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! Comments and votes are my Favorite Things, and every notification I get makes my day!