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-Day 683-

You know...

If you don't pay attention to something, it'll be over before you know it.

Like a school day! if you don't pay attention to it, it'll fly by.

Another excellent example of this is Time.

Time waits for no one and just keeps on moving without a care in the world and before you know it, two years will pass by.

So is the truth for Lincoln Loud and Ronnie Anne Santiago as it has been an entire 2 years since Python "took them under their wing", in their own words.

Lincoln was currently wearing a pair of pants, just looking at himself in the mirror, analyzing all the differences that had happened, especially to him.

He had gone through many changes in two years, such as how he was now 16 and much taller, going from 5'4'' to a solid 5'10''. The bio-cybernetics that Uroborus installed into him had been modified to be more and more compatible with him, to better suit his strength and abilities. He hated to admit that Uroboros was a great doctor...

No extreme modifications like super speed, pyrokinesis, or even telekinesis just yet, they haven't "graduated" to that level apparently, in the Doctor's own words. The only things they have gotten were the "basic" things, like voice changers, enhanced grip strength (which was more important than he realized, as the General demonstrated two years ago), and enhanced eyes along with a large database of languages, installed directly into their brain.

Uroboros continued to reach new heights of cruelty, having pulled everyone's eyes out on literally the same day and then making everyone run blind. He found it "hilarious". One of the mentors laughed and sighed, saying "Good times" as if it was something he'd seen constantly. Then again, it probably was.

So far, though, no one has been given any character-defining abilities that everyone didn't already have.

His body was more fit and built, he noticed while staring himself down, the constant military training and things they put in their food sped up the development process of certain areas.

"Staring at yourself in the mirror, again, Huh?" Ronnie asked, groaning as she climbed out of the bed, holding up the blanket to cover her very exposed body. "I thought we already established that you looked hot?" She giggled.

Ronnie herself has developed, growing more into her own body.

Ronnie didn't appreciate her bra size just suddenly growing after the conversion process.

Maddison explained that sometimes, as future female operatives of Python, they would be sent on more covert assassination missions, and what better way to attract a man or woman's attention. Ronnie hated that reasoning and wished for Uroboros's death all the sooner.

Just like Lincoln, she hadn't received anything spectacular yet, just the basic stuff. She had grown and was 5'8'' now, her body just as strong, built, and healthy as his.

Ronnie climbed out of bed, using the blanket as a towel of sorts to cover herself up as she came up from behind, hugging him and pressing her body against his.

"Yeah... Just thinking about everything the doctor has put us through..." He said as he placed a hand on Ronnie's arm, "I miss our friends and family, the most..." He said softly, making Ronnie hug him tighter.

"I know, Lincoln, I miss them too," She said as she rested her head on his back and listened to his heartbeat, "But we need to be strong... We'll get out of here and find them again, you know this... If we escaped now, they would just hunt them down and kill them... We need to take our time and plan our moves carefully," She whispered to him.

"I know," He nodded, "It's just that..." He took a deep breath, and sighed, "Waiting around here, in this damn facility, every day... It feels like they're taking a part of our souls with every new operation, every new test, and experiment... We can't even feel cold anymore, anything we do feel is controlled through a button in Uroboros's hand."

"I know Lincoln, I went through the same things as you," She reminded him, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry, Sorry," He said, turning and holding her close to him, "I just get worked up about this, you know..."

"Yeah... I know..." She said softly, leaning up to give him a passionate kiss. Lincoln naturally returned the kiss with just the same amount of passion.

"Do you think we have time for... You know...?" Ronnie asked, biting his lip for a moment.

"Mmm, definitely not," Lincoln said, pulling away from her to speak, "It's Monday and our day off was yesterday and..." He looked at his hand, a holographic clock appearing, "It's almost 6 am, you know how General O'Reilly gets if we're late, get dressed, beautiful." Lincoln said, giving Ronnie a peck on the cheeks.

Ronnie blushed bright red.

"I told you not to call me that!" She contested.

"Or what? You'll fight me?" He challenged.

"Yeah! Maybe I will!" She accepted.

"You won't fight me naked," He said, slipping on a shirt.

"That's what you think," Ronnie said, throwing a haymaker punch at Lincoln, instantly, Lincoln leaned back and avoided the punch, slipping on a pair of shoes as he did so.

"I'll see you at the training ground, P.A said it was the dojo for today, maybe Sensei Kyōshi is back from his mission in Japan." Lincoln said, ducking under another punch and blocking a kick, "Come on, you're getting predictable."

"I'm just going easy on you!" Ronnie said as she tightened the blanket around her body, "Besides this blanket is more restrictive than I'd like..."

"Maybe if you had clothes on..."

"Hey!" She put her hands on her hips, "I didn't hear you complaining last night when you were-"

"Attention! Everyone who isn't already at the dojo in 15 minutes won't be eating for the rest of the week!" A voice said over the P.A systems. They didn't recognize it, must've been a new guard.

Ronnie tsked before throwing the blanket at Lincoln.

"I'll meet you at the Dojo." She said, going into the connected bathroom to get showered and dressed.

Lincoln pulled off the blanket and looked at himself in the mirror one last time.

"Another day..." He said softly, "Means another step closer to freedom..." He repeated the mantra he's been saying to himself for the last two years, something Maddison shared with him during a testing session...

~Day 43~

Lincoln punched the hanging boxing bag, once again, punching it off the ceiling with no mercy.

"Do it again, LL-6247," Uroboros said with a sigh on the other side of a two-way glass panel, "I told you to hold back on your strength, being angry and having those kinds of cybernetics, you'll destroy everything around you. You need to learn more self-control, son." Another boxing bag lowered from the ceiling, "Now use only 10. Percent. of your strength, this time."

"And I told you-" He pointed at the Doctor, "I'm not your son, so you DON'T get to call me that!" He shouted as he punched the bag again, as before, the punching bag flew off the hinges.

"LL-6247!" Uroboros shouted, "If you don't-" He shouted but paused, Lincoln was confused. Why did he stop talking? He heard whispering coming from the other end before a door to the testing facility opened up and Madison walked in.

"LL-6247, after some convincing words from your sponsor, MD-S421 will be your sparring partner until we replace all the punching bags you destroyed in your anger," Uroboros said before sighing, "I need a drink..." With that, the P.A cut out. They could hear footsteps walking away.

Lincoln looked at Maddison.

"I still don't understand what a Sponsor in Python does?" Lincoln asked, crossing his arms and letting his guard down. In the month he's known her, she hasn't been known to be aggressive and/or a spy for the Doctor, someone he could trust.

"A sponsor makes sure that..." Instantly, she was in front of Lincoln, her fist glowing with glowing energy. His eyes widened at the sight of it. "The Sponsee follows the rules and order of command..." She drove her fist into his stomach with an incredible amount of force.

The pain hit him all at once and all the air left his lungs instantly, he took a deep gasp, hunching over and holding his stomach as he felt his stomach's contents rising before he retched all over the floor next to him.

"What... Are you doing, Maddison?" He asked, wiping his mouth clean as his mind rattling with several questions, mainly why the hell she was doing this? He thought he could trust her? He thought she was someone he could rely on...

"That's not my ID, LL-6247," Maddison said as she punched Lincoln across the jaw and sent him flying through the training area, slamming him effectively into a wall. She began to walk towards him, "You haven't been respecting the chain of command and as your sponsor, it's MY job to make sure that you understand the consequences..." She then picked him up by his throat, choking him out, "And it's better me than the General..." She said before swinging him and slamming him into the floor, the floor cracked under him from the sheer force that Maddison exerted.

He groaned in intense pain, currently Lincoln felt like all his bones were broken. He didn't even know that Maddison was so strong... Then again, she was one of the people who've been here the longest, he shouldn't be surprised by this development.

She crouched in front of him, hand resting on her knee.

"You alright Loud? Had to make it look convincing, Uroboros should be gone by now..." She whispered, looking at her hand and a holographic image of a clock appearing in her hand. "Drinking at 10:30 am on Thursday, you must've really frustrated the Doctor, Lincoln. Don't worry, he left to check up on his experiments..." She said.

"What are... you talking about...?" Lincoln asked as he sat up, feeling his mechanical ribs snapping back into place as he sat up."How do you know that?"

"Don't worry about that, I was his assistant for a while before becoming a mentor/sponsor for you freshmen." She explained.

"Why are you a sponsor anyways? Those fists are deadly..." he said, rubbing his sore side as his jaw popped back into place. "God above that feels horrible..."

"Well... The good doctor doesn't exactly trust me enough to let me leave Base, he has a right to not trust me too... So I was deemed "Useless in the field" but still considered an asset to Python. I was an assistant for a while but they decided to make me a Sponsor... I was at the top of my generation, after all. Best fighter. Along with..." She paused, remembering something. "Nevermind, just know that... If you want for all this to go right, you and Ronnie need to mellow down and follow orders and the chain of command..." She said softly.

"Python doesn't tolerate intolerance for too long... A Zero tolerance policy. Remember that the only reason General O'Reilly didn't put two in your skull a month ago, is because the Doctor found you interesting enough to keep alive..."

"Well... Can you at least tell me if you know any way out of this hell hole?" He asked, hoping there was a way out.

"Sorry, Lincoln, I can't tell you that... Not yet anyway." She said with a soft laugh, "If you try to escape without being properly prepared, you'll only get hurt, exhibit A," She said, lifting her prosthetic arm to show him. "You're lucky, you can get that arm cut off and then replaced by the end of the week. Back then, this is how we got special abilities." She said, clenching her prosthetics fist and watching it light up in white energy. "Not as good as what you guys got going on though..."

Before Lincoln could ask for more information or any questions, Maddison's head snapped forward, looking at the One-way mirror, before back at Lincoln. "He's coming back, do you understand what I told you?"

Lincoln thought of her words... Which were essentially, "Calm down and follow orders or you'll die too soon..." He sighed and nodded, getting to his feet.

"Fine... I'll hold back..." He said with a scowl.

"Good... Now..." She said, grabbing him by his throat with her rather strong prosthetic.

"Do you understand your place? LL-6247?" She asked.

They could both hear Uroboros coming back into the observation chamber, most likely watching the interaction between them.

"Yeah... Maddison-" He was slammed into a wall once again.

"What was that, LL-6247?" She shouted.

"Y- Yes... MD-S421...!" He corrected himself.

Maddison could be scary when she wanted to be... She dropped him and leaned forward, whispering.

"Another day... means another step towards freedom, Lincoln... Never forget that..."

With those final words, Maddison turned, nodding at the glass before she left the training champer, the door sliding closed behind her.

"Ahem, now LL-6247, are you ready to cooperate?" Dr. Uroboros asked through the PA system.

Lincoln took a deep breath and sighed, ready to scream at Uroboros to go jump off a cliff but remembered Maddison's words...

'Another day... Means another step towards freedom...' He thought to himself as he nodded at the glass screen.

"Yes, Doctor... I'm ready..."

~Current~

At any given chance, Lincoln was ready to put Uroboros through the wringer of pain at the first opportunity but he has to be patient, he'll get his chance, he knows it.

"Another day-" Lincoln began.

"-Means another day towards freedom." Ronnie finished, walking out of the bathroom whilst drying her short hair. Only C-3's were allowed to have long hair, not the lowly A-1's.

"You ready for another day in hell?" Lincoln asked as Ronnie threw the towel away, together, they opened the door to the facility. Python no longer locked them inside of their rooms, the Candidates knew better than to be caught wandering the halls when they weren't supposed to. Especially after several examples of what happened to those who tried escaping or causing trouble.

There was a particular memory that was burned into the Couple's mind, from the last people who tried to escape Project Python...

He thought about it as they walked.

~Day 203~

"How are you feeling?" Maddison asked, snapping her fingers in front of Lincoln and then Ronnie, "Nothing going wrong with the new eyes right?" She asked, watching as the couple followed her fingers.

Currently, Maddison was with the pair in a med bay of sorts, the same one from Ronnie's examination from her first day here. The Sponsor was tasked with making sure that her sponsees didn't die or claw/scratch out their new eyes from arising setting pains.

"No... No, they feel fine..." Ronnie said, blinking before hissing and covering them. "God DAMN it!" She shouted, groaning, "I've felt Uroboros ripping out my damn nerves and resetting them, I know he can make this setting process hurt less!" She said, wiping away a bloodied tear from her eye and sighing, laying back in her medical bed.

"Don't touch your eyes, Ronnie," Maddison said as she provided Ronnie with a cool wet rag, using it to wipe the sweat and blood. "And you know how the Doctor is, always looking at the Candidates' pain for humor and enjoyment," She said as she handed another wet rag to Lincoln, "At least no one died during Blind Week this time," She commented.

"You guys call it Blind Week?" Lincoln asked.

"Are we supposed to call it anything else?"

Before either of them could respond, they all heard quite a commotion on the other side of their door.

"What's going on, Maddison?" Lincoln asked as they all went to the door, Maddison waved her prosthetic hand over the panel. It beeped green and the door slid open, looking, the trio watched as a pair of candidates were currently wreaking havoc. They have since knocked out their Sponsor, catching him off guard and getting out of the room. They had already killed 3 guards.

Maddison closed her eyes in thought, thinking about what to do, before opening them again, she sighed as she removed her hat, handing it to Lincoln.

"Stay here, hold this," She said, stepping out into the hallway, arms crossed behind her back. "Candidates SA-4519 and JD-4520, you've..." She looked over the bodies on the floor, "Killed three guards. While it would be your Sponsor's job to discipline you, they are currently indisposed at the moment, I believe. So, I'll do it myself, until the General arrives..."

She got into a fighting stance, arms coming in front of her, ready.

There was a silence in the hallway for a moment.

"Our names..." MA-4519 began... She was a red-headed girl with freckles with fierce green eyes, holding so much pain. "Are Mary and John!" She shouted, a Scottish accent ripping through the air when she spoke. She jumped, running onto the wall. It was impressive, Lincoln didn't even think it was possible to wall run.

Mary, the redhead, springboarded off the wall, doing an impressive spin kick on Maddison.

It was instant, their newly installed eyes were the only reason they could see what had happened. As the kick came down on Maddison, she leaned back, catching the foot by the ankle. She used the momentum of the kick to throw her down the hallway.

"Mary!" JD-4520 shouted, also known as John. He had the same green eyes and red hair as Mary and the same strong accent when he spoke. He ran in next, sparring the grace that Mary had while moving through the hall and simply going for a right hook.

Maddison was quick to catch his fist, twisting his wrist and bringing him to his knees.

Lincoln cringed, recognizing the General's move anywhere. He then saw Mary, getting up and wiping some blood from her eyes. Her own eyes hadn't set in yet, either.

"How can you stand by and let this happen to us! Weren't you kidnapped by Python too!?" She shouted, running forward again, swinging at Maddison. She let go of john.

"Yes... That's true..." Maddison said, dodging several punches and kicks from the twins.

"Then why!? Why do you work for them!" They shouted at the same time, going for a double punch.

Maddison's eyes flashed bright white before she caught both of their fists and brought them to their knees once again.

"It's the same reason you both fight for each other," She said as she leaned over them, "I lost someone I love to Python, I'll do anything I can for them... And that means staying here..." She said to them before grabbing them by their hair, "I'm sorry," She said, knocking their heads together hard.

They stumbled, trying to hold onto consciousness but it was no use, as they fell next to each other.

Mary reached out for her brother and held his hand, John squeezed back.

"In the next life brother..." She said, softly, eyes fluttering.

"May it be easier..." He said

Maddison sighed as she crouched in front of the Twins...

"Zero tolerance... Means Zero. Tolerance..." She said before turning back to Lincoln and Ronnie, who were still watching from their room.

Maddison gave them a sad look, watching as General Shepard entered the hall, leading a group of four guards in full combat armor filed into the hallway, two guards went to Ronnie and Lincoln and pointed their rifles in their direction.

"Back in your room, now," The first said, pushing them inside as the other two went to the fallen twins.

"Status on candidates?" General O'Reilly asked.

"Still breathing sir," One man said, pulling back the hammer of his pistol, "Give the command, I'll put two in their skulls." He said.

"No, not necessary," Uroboros said, suddenly walking into the hallway, he went up to Maddison, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Good work, MD-S421..." He said, walking past her.

She nodded, crossing her arms behind her back and standing straight and looking forward with her normal stoic expression.

"It was no problem, Doctor," She said as Uroborous crouched in front of the twins and inspected them and opened their eyelids, shining a light into their eyes. He gave a thoughtful hum before standing back up.

"General, take them back to my lab, please... I think that they'll be perfect test subjects for something I've been working on..." He said laughing before turning to Lincoln and Ronnie. Walking up to the pair, they stepped back, wanting to keep their distance from the mad scientist.

"Ah RS-4710, LL-6247. Glad to see that you didn't join in on the foolishness as the Frasor twins..." He said, watching the Guards carrying the twins away.

"..." They stayed silent, not knowing what to say as well as not wanting to interact with him.

Lincoln got phantom pains around his body, remembering the things he went through being the first test subject for this new generation of Cybernetics, a wave of anger and fear rising in his chest at the same time, by just looking at Uroboros.

Ronnie herself had to hold in her anger and control herself, as to not mistakingly attack the Doctor who hurt Lincoln and herself, who tore them away from their family and friends and ripped her body and mind apart mercilessly... It was a miracle that anyone here was still able to hold on to their mental states.

Maddison stepped in front of them.

"Of course they wouldn't sir, they know better than to try to make an escape attempt against Python... They know the consequences... Right?" She asked, eyeing Lincoln and Ronnie.

They hesitated before Lincoln nodded and stepped forward.

"Yes, MD-S421..." He said, crossing his arms behind his back and standing up straight.

"We understand the consequences..." Ronnie said, standing straight as well.

Uroboros started at them silently before nodding and turning around, leaving the room.

"Rest, the real hell begins tomorrow..." He said, the door closing behind him.

They stayed silent for a few moments before they relaxed, releasing the tensions in their bodies.

"Maddison, what's going to happen to them?" Lincoln asked.

"Yeah, are they... Are they going to be ok?" Ronnie asked.

Maddison stared at the door Uroborous walked through for a moment, staying silent. She clenched her fist tightly before lifting her fist and punching the wall next to the door, leaving a sizable dent behind. She dropped her arm to her side and turned to Lincoln and Ronnie, it was obvious that she was angry and hurt.

"You both better not be planning any escapes anytime soon... Do you understand...?" She asked, threateningly, pointing at them. She also avoided her entire question.

"W- We aren't, I swear!" Lincoln said, waving his hands in front of him in a disarming manner.

"We couldn't even if we wanted to, this place is a literal island..." Ronnie added.

Maddison nodded before going up to the door.

"I need to go to a meeting with the other sponsors, do NOT cause any trouble." She warned, aligning her C-3 Army Cap straight, and quickly leaving before the pair could get a word in.

Lincoln sighed and sat in a chair.

"It's like every day that we're here, nothing changes and hope seems more and more like a fleeting memory." He said, rubbing his temples.

"Hey, don't think like that. Especially after spouting about all that crap about living to see another day or whatever, last night."

"Another day means another day closer to freedom." He corrected.

"Whatever, you can't give up yet, we have people waiting for us..." She said, resting a hand on his shoulder and sitting in the chair next to him, holding his hand and resting her head on his shoulder.

"They haven't broken our spirits, not yet and they never will..." Lincoln said as he leaned into Ronnie, closing his eyes, feeling tired suddenly. He remembered the doctor mentioning this as a side effect of their recent eye surgery.

"Yeah... Let's get some sleep, I'm feeling kinda tired..." She whispered as they soon both fell into unconsciousness.

After that, Lincoln and Ronnie both realized that simply getting out of Python's walls wouldn't be enough to ensure freedom, they needed to be able to get through an ocean of water.

Be it by plane or boat even through some kind of teleportation, they still haven't figured it out just yet.

They knew that Python had several helicopters and many planes from Investors when they visit the island, but those were always on 24/7 guard, by either drone, cameras, or soldiers, and most of the time it was all three. Even if they were able to get one, Python had rocket launchers... That was a fun training exercise

No, No, they needed to go by the water...

Maddison informed them of several underwater submersibles hidden in the lower parts of the base, used by active operatives around the world. It's how they were transported here. After stealing one, they'd need to destroy the rest so that they couldn't be followed. They'd also need to rig the airfield the minute they had a chance.

Lincoln soon also realized that he needed to be careful on who he could trust, Zola, Eric, and Ronnie were good but he wasn't sure about everyone else, as some to most of them seem to have fallen victim to Pythons brainwashing, just giving up on their old lives... Even accepting their classification number as their assigned names.

Most of them fell in love with this new lifestyle here, glorifying Uroboros as some kind of savior who saved them from dire straits, those same people would go out of their way to be the best of the best and try to prove their loyalty to Python. It was them that Lincoln needed to avoid, they could not be trusted at all. They would sooner sell them out than consider they didn't want this life.

Arriving at the rather spacious dojo, Ronnie looked around. Already spotting the rest of the kids that have survived up until this point.

At the beginning of the second year, Uroboros had split the kids up into teams with specific purposes. Lincoln had to admit, his selections were spot on. It had to have been divine luck for the Doctor to have so many specialized squads. This had also led to the formation of competition between the cliques, naturally.

Lincoln stepped deeper into the dojo with Ronnie at his side, looking at all the formed cliques practicing their specialties, while they waited for the general to appear.

"To keep it simple, I'll speed past them for you..." Lincoln said to readers, angling the camera to the first group. "First, the Tigers, people born to fight and only made better by Pythons enhancements... Steer clear if you don't want a fight on your hands..." The Tigers were currently sparring with each other and throwing heavy punches, blood, and other fluids going everywhere. They truly never held back.

"Then we have the Eagles... A group of five, all-girl marksmen that formed after a few days in the range proved them to be the best there ever was... Not only are snipers their bread and butter, but they're also good with just about every gun and ranged weapon there is..." Said Eagles were currently using throwing knives to hit a target from more than 100 feet away, hitting dead center every time.

"And next, we have the Foxes... The best adaptable squad there is, during climate training, they always push the limits and were known to break records without even trying and are probably the best suited for heat or cold-based missions." Ronnie said this time, coming up next to Lincoln, "Also the best at water-based missions, let's not forget that crucial detail." Ronnie said, reminding Lincoln.

Looking over, the couple could see the Foxes were currently all submerged in boiling water, all conversing and talking like they were relaxing in a hot tub after a long day's work. The other half of the clique was in an ice bath with dry ice. They could be heard discussing how to make it colder or hotter to push beyond their limits once again.

"And finally..." Ronnie said as they turned to face, "We have the Chameleons..." Looking around, they couldn't be seen anywhere. "Yeah, the name speaks for itself..." She said as she looked around the dojo, trying to pinpoint these kids. "They all have been practicing stealth and most importantly, blending in with the crowd... During stealth practice, they were the last people that the General found..." Ronnie pointed above. "Ceiling." She announced.

A teen fell from the Dojos ceiling with a groan, landing on his feet.

"I just lost twenty pills..." He said as the rest of the Chameleon squad came out of hiding all laughing and boating the first to get discovered.

Usually, when talking about pills, people here at Python meant pain killers and energy supplements, or maybe some... other types, you know, to keep the edge off from so much accumulated stress of being a literal child soldier. But mainly it was also used as a currency inside of the compound,

Now you may be wondering, what was Lincoln's clique good at?

If Lincoln had, to be honest, they were probably the best well-rounded out of everyone in this facility.

Zola was the best fighter, Eric was the sneakiest, Ronnie was an excellent marksman and Lincoln himself was the most resilient and adaptable while also being a natural leader of the group... They didn't even have a name yet.

It was an interesting development to see this happen, in the General's own words, they were "The perfect strike force" in most all combat situations. This strike force usually landed on top in competitions against each of the other squads, leading them to be despised by the others.

"Hey guys, are we late?" Zola asked, running in with Eric riding on her back. Both her and Eric's accents had seemed to have become less and less defined, as spending time with the majority of Americans seemed to have mellowed them out but they were still there if you listened hard enough.

Eric jumped off her back and dusted his wrinkled uniform.

"Nah, the general isn't here yet," He said as he looked around, "Huh, is the bleeding sensei not back yet?" He asked.

Also looking around, Lincoln confirmed that the sensei wasn't back but something... An instinct or feeling told him otherwise... Lincoln walked forward, looking around.

It looked like four other people from separate squads were also investigating the area.

"I was here first, Adalene," Lincoln said, looking at a french girl from Eagle squad, "You know, I know you are the finest buteur in of all Python, so it is not at all a fair advantage to compete against you. With your superior eyes and all," He commented as the five of them went up to the Sensei's area, where he sits and judges the candidates during training.

"Hm," Adalene rolled her eyes, flipping her short hair back as she gave Lincoln a look, "Flirting will get you nowhere, Lincoln, Eagles are taking this one for the bag," She said as she looked around the area before being pushed aside by a rather large blond-haired giant. "Watch it, Gawain," She said to the German boy. Said German giant turned to face her and gave a wide smile.

"Sorry, but if this is a test and the Tigers won't be losing this one again," He said politely, lifting the Sensei's Chabudai, a low-hanging dining table imported from Japan, but found nothing underneath.

"You clowns are overestimating your abilities," A raven-haired Japanese kid said, he was wearing glasses, "Fox crew are gonna find... Whatever it is before all of you idiots!" He boasted, adjusting his glasses.

"Just because you can survive in boiling water doesn't make you better than us, nerd," A voice said from behind, scarring the entire group, making Lincoln feel homesick. "Besides, we all know that Chameleons have this entire thing under control." He said, flipping his brunette hair with a laugh. One look and the Spaniard was identified.

"Why do you even still have those, Tenjin? Python gave us these new eyes for a reason." The sneakiest person in the entire compound of Python said, leaning over Tenjin with a questioning look.

Clearing his throat, Tenjin spoke.

"Well, Mateo," He struggled to pronounce the name "They remind me of home I guess... And these just feel comfortable to me, I don't know... It's like, why do you still wear that trinket?" He pointed at her wrist, pointing out the small silk fabric bracelet with several colored beads on it.

Mateo was quick to hide the bracelet.

"Touche," He said with a huff before walking forward and looking around the area as well, "Now what are we even looking for?" He asked, nudging Lincoln. "Any ideas, Lincoln?" He asked.

Lincoln was deep in thought before he turned to face the wall, where 5 distinct katanas were. They were hanging on the wall.

"There," He pointed at the blades, "If I'm right, the feeling is coming from Sensei Kyōshi swords. You all know it too." He said.

"Lincoln, perhaps maybe you don't remember what happened to Gawain her the last time he touched the swords?" Adalene said.

A distinct memory popped into everyone's head, it was of Master Kyōshi slicing the arms of Gawain in one slice, letting him bleed on the dojo floor while he instructed the candidates to never touch the swords. If he was instructed to keep them alive, Gawain surely would've died there.

Gawain was seen rubbing his forearms, "Yeah, I gotta agree with Adalene on this one..." Gawain said, muttering something in german that roughly translated to "That shit still hurts..."

Lincoln looked at the swords, seeing those around him hesitating...

But he knew that he couldn't afford to hesitate, not now and never again, he needed to get stronger to be able to break out of here in one piece, back to his family and back to his own life.

He gritted his teeth.

"Fine, the worst that can happen is that you lose an arm that can be reattached," Lincoln said before reaching out and grabbing the middle sword off the rack. The entire dojo fell silent as they watched grab the forbidden sword and remove it from the wall.

Instantly, the thing he was feeling stopped.

He smiled, he was right.

"Grab a sword guys, we're fine," Lincoln confirmed.

Everyone was hesitant but all eventually grabbed swords off the wall.

Lincoln laughed to himself as he drew the katana from its sheath and looked at his reflection. He then saw a glint in the blade, looking closer, he saw a figure falling from the ceiling. He reacted quickly, holding up the sword in a defensive stance.

Everyone watched as Master Kyōshi brought down his Katana, it clanging with Lincoln's quite loudly across the Dojo.

"Ah, mister Loud," He said in a carefree town, wearing a blindfold of all things, "I see you've chosen the "Totsuka no Tsurugi". Good choice." He said before doing flipping mid-air and landing across from Lincoln gracefully. Kyōshi's dark hair, which reached his ankles, was done up in a high ponytail for today. That usually meant a hard test was sure to come.

"I see that you four are hesitant to follow the Loud's path, let me assure you, he was right on the money, as the Americans say..." Kyōshi said, standing up straight and putting his sword back in its sheath. "Today is your final test in my class," He said, shocking everyone. The candidates couldn't believe it... They chattered amongst themselves on what he could mean by that.

He rose a hand, and everyone quickly silenced to listen to him speak.

"But this test is different than the others, to say the least," He said, pointing at the five candidates across from him, "You five are the only ones who are going to be tested. You showed that you all have the innate instincts and senses that Python is looking for, to know something was wrong by just feeling it in your chest. You are the ones strong enough, smart enough to lead teams."

Everyone's eyes widened at his words. He couldn't be serious?

Lincoln couldn't imagine himself in any kind of leadership position of any kind and here was Kyōshi, telling him that he had the senses and instincts that could lead a team? And why was he wearing a blindfold!?

"Sensei, please, you can't be serious about this? All we did was swords off the wall." Gawain said as if he could read Lincoln's mind and shared his thoughts. He was also holding a sword that looked too small for his big hands.

"I agree, with Gawain," Mateo stepped forward, inspecting his own Katana with interest before turning to Kyōsh, "It could not have been this easy, there has to be something else!" He said.

Kyōshi smiled as he slowly drew his blade.

"Always the observant one, weren't you, Mateo," Master Kyōshi said as he took a stance, "You've seen through me, that was only the first part of your test. The second part... You five must work together... To cut my ponytail..." He said simply.

The task sounded easy, sure, but they remembered the first time they entered his Dojo and were greeted with the same test.

Everyone tried, but no one could get close enough to even touch his ponytail and everyone was left with cuts and humiliation for failing and his hair still on his head.

Lincoln looked down at his sword before taking a deep breath.

"I don't think we exactly have a choice..." He said as he took a similar stance to the sensei, slowly walking forward. The other four followed Lincoln's lead.

"We're not going to die here, right?" Mateo asked, "I still have people out there that need me..." He said softly. Lincoln understood where he was coming from.

"Don't worry, Mateo... We'll be fine... this is just a test after all... I say a good old-fashioned count down is in order..." He joked as everyone began to surround Kyōshi from all angles, ensuring that he would not escape or catch them off guard.

"Ready when you are..." The Sensei said as his eyes jumped between the five supposed leaders to be, he was giving a wide smile, excited to see how his students have grown over two years under him and his teachings.

"5..." Tenjin said, taking off his glasses.

"4..." Gawain continued, taking deep breaths and hoping he wouldn't need to reattach his arms later...

"3..." Adalene said, smiling confidently as she aimed at being the one to cut the ponytail and prove herself to be the best in all of Python.

"2..." Mateo said, taking a passing glance at his bracelet before smiling, just

Silence in the dojo as everyone watched what was going to be an amazing fight or an embarrassing failure of a test.

The five were determined, however, to win this test at any cost imaginable... They all had their own motivations for winning, some more obvious than others but right now, they had one goal in mind.

Cut. That. Ponytail.

Lincoln gave a small smile and whispered...

"1..."

To be Continued...

Sorry, I was tired and decided that it's been long enough without a chapter/update. Wanted to give y'all the confidence that it wasn't abandoned. Have nice day/night