Tridon stood behind Tiffany as she searched the usb's files. Tridon cleared his throat, snapping her out of her trance.
"Tridon?"
"Can I have a one on one spar with you?"
"What? Why?"
"I need to warm up my bones."
"But me?"
"Yeah."
"But you're better than me in all aspects. Why not have Jen spar with you?"
"Because you've taught me everything. I know I've 'topped my master', but I don't comfortable sparring with Jen. Only you."
"I can't teach you anything else. You know that."
"I know. I'm just asking you to fight me with everything you got."
Although hesitantly, Tiffany nodded, "Alright then."
Moments later, the girls watched Tridon and Tiffany stand a few feet from one another. Tridon dashed forward and threw several punches at Tiffany. All of which she dodged just barely. Tiffany jumped away to give her some space, but Tridon was quick on the draw.
He grabbed her and threw her over his head. However, she felt that the throw was light and that she was able to land on her feet. She dropkicked Tridon in his back making perform a handspring forward before backflipping and grabbing Tiffany with his legs.
He landed on his hands and started to move around in a circle before throwing her underneath him and pinning her. He threw one punch and stopped just inches from her face. Tridon flicked her nose lightly and smiled.
"I win." Tridon hopped off and offered a hand to her, "Thanks Tiff. I needed that."
"I-I..." Tiffany stuttered.
"That was so cool!" Tridon was instantly tackled down by Sayori, "You're such an awesome fighter. I mean, we knew that, but that was still cool!" Sayori spoke very fast and it was very hard to keep up with her.
"You never cease to amaze us." Monika said as she helped up Tiffany, "But Tiffany was great too. We can see where you got your combat expertise from."
"I didn't do as good as I wanted to." Tiffany mumbled, "Still, he's come a long way since I started training him. I'm still surprised he's this good after only a a few months of training. He's truly one of a kind."
"Yeah." Chelsea agreed, "I still don't know why my ex-boyfriend thought he had a chance against you. He should've figured it out the first time."
"Granted," Tridon started as he sat up holding Sayori, "I didn't start my training until maybe a week or so after that whole bake sale incident. Plus, I didn't do anything the first time. It was only the second time."
"I'm actually surprised that you weren't able to handle his friends too." Natsuki added, "You were already well into training when they jumped you. What happened there?"
"You were jumped?!" Sayori, Monika, and Sayori shout in unison.
"Thanks Natsuki. They still didn't know about it until now."
"Right..."
"Look," Tridon stood up and said, "I can take on a bunch of hacks any day. But Epsilon will be my biggest challenge yet. I just need the motivation to prepare for the inevitable fight against him."
"Epsilon will turn invisible to get an upper hand." Tiffany explained, "This means you have to be ready to fight a disappearing enemy along with him being able to hit you at any angle."
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"It's a stretch, but if we want him to be prepared, we'll have to set a scenario to where he will be attacked from all angles."
"Are you telling us to do it?" Monika quickly asked.
"Oh god no. He would wipe the floor with all of you even if you attacked him at the same time. I mean that he needs to set up a scenario for himself."
"That's uh..." Tridon closed his eyes and shook his head, "I hope you know my mind will create the worst possible scenario. It'll be like a living nightmare."
"Point taken." Tiffany looked at Sayori and said, "Sayori, I need you to be with Tridon and snap yourselves out of there when things get dicey."
"But he's training."
"I know and you just have to watch. Make sure nothing goes wrong and when some does go wrong-."
"Yeah I get it." Sayori interrupted, "I'll go whenever he's ready."
"Give me a minute." Tridon mumbled as he walked off.
Moments later, Tridon was seen in the armory of the hideout loading up. Sayori walked in on him putting the last bit of his gear. He closed his eyes and took some deep breaths.
"It's not the real thing Tridon."
"But it'll feel like the real thing and with how my mind is right now, it's not going to be pretty when I make this scenario."
"I'll be there. Albeit, not helping you physically, but I'll be there to support you. I'll be there no matter what. You know that. We're best friends. It's only right."
"Yeah." Tridon turned around and said, "Let's go."
Sayori watched Tridon walk off and couldn't help but feel the uneasiness in her chest, "I don't want you to suffer like this anymore. This has to end."
Tridon stood in the middle of the training field with Sayori at his side. He looked at everyone else who gave him the thumbs up. Tridon sighed and slowly snapped his fingers.
Both Tridon and Sayori were transported to the main lobby of Robert Arias Headquarters. Tridon looked around and saw Epsilon standing in front of them.
"Get to safety." Tridon quickly told Sayori. Moments after saying this, multiple Episilon's appeared around them, "Now!"
Sayori ran off while Tridon charged at the closest Epsilon to his left. The Epsilon dodged the first two punches Tridon threw and caught the next one. Before Tridon could retaliate, he kicked one of Tridon's knees out and kneed him as he fell.
Tridon fell back and rubbed his chin while the Epsilons proceeded to surround him while cracking their fists and necks. Tridon groaned and stood up. He swore to himself when they attacked him at the same time.
He pushed all of their punches to the side and tried his best to fight back, but he was outnumbered. No matter what he did, he would be countered and brutally attacked.
Tridon was knocked onto the ground while the Epsilon's surrounded him, "Do you really think you can beat me?" Epsilon growled as all the copies disappeared, "You need to figure it out by now. You have no chance to beat me alone. Even with all your friends, they'll be nothing but cannon fodder before I finish you off."
"Say what you want." Tridon took out a knife and stabbed a cloaked Epsilon, taking them out, "You know I'll never stop fighting." He stabbed another, and then another, "I won't stop until Robert's head is on a platter."
"Then am I so different from you?"
"Huh?"
"To your left!" Sayori shouted.
Tridon jumped back and dodged a knife from a Epsilon double and stabbed him in its neck. Tridon quickly backed up and looked around.
"You're becoming like me and you don't even realize it." Epsilon continued, "You may try to deny it, but that woman is turning you into a killing machine like me. Haven't you already passed her?"
"I-I..." Tridon jerked his head up and blocked a hand before instinctively stabbed the assailant. However, his eyes widened when he saw Sayori being the assailant, "What the hell?!"
"It's just an illusion!" Sayori shouted.
"I-I stabbed..."
"Tridon..." Sayori mumbled, "This is getting out of hand." Sayori snapped, but nothing happened, "What? Why isn't it working?!"
"Trying to leave are ya'?" A familiar voice to them started. Sayori turned around and saw the same Evil Tridon they fought last year, "Miss me Sayori?"
"Not you again!" Sayori backed up, but hit the Evil Tridon again, "No!" Sayori turned around and tried to swing at him, but it was quickly caught.
"Nu-uh." He cooed, "You wouldn't want to hit your best friend."
"You're not my best friend!"
"Am I not?"
Tridon looked over at Sayori being surrounded by his evil-self and his eyes turned a dark, crimson red. The red aura surrounded him. He growled softly as the aura grew larger and larger.
The Evil Tridon noticed this and smirked, "That's my queue. Have fun."
"What are you-?" Sayori looked at Tridon and saw him losing it, "Tridon!" Sayori looked at her hands again and said, "Hope it works this time." Sayori tried to snap, but stopped when a piece of debris nearly hit her, "What the?!"
Tridon roared incoherent words as the aura turned into a dark purple. Debris being ripped up around him was being tossed around and nearly falling on Sayori who could just barely dodge them.
"Tridon! Calm down!" No matter what Sayori said, nothing could be done. He was just losing it, "What's going on with you?"
All Tridon could hear was Epsilon's comments. Tridon grabbed his head and fell to a knee while Epsilon continued.
"In the end, your path will lead to more suffering for your friends. You could end it all now, but you continue to prolong their involvement with your problems. Now, you have your best friend endlessly worrying about your mental state."
"Shut it..."
"All you have to do is go to Robert and end this all now. End your friends' involvement. It'll be the better and only solution."
"Stop it!" Tridon roared, making his dark aura grow larger, "Get out of my head!" Wind picked up around them tossing the debris around more ferociously.
"I have to get us out of here." Sayori fought the force of the wind and eventually snapped, sending them back to the hideout.
Tridon's outburst was ended, but he was on the ground knocked out with remnants of the aura still emanating from him. Sayori stared at him just as Jen dragged her away and Tiffany checked on him.
"Everyone stay back. Jen, I need you to help me here."
"Yes ma'am." After Jen helped Sayori to her feet, she ran over to assist Tiffany.
"As for the rest of you, head to your quarters immediately. I'll call for all of you when everything is clear."
"But..." Sayori mumbled.
"Just go." Tiffany sternly ordered.
The girls looked at each other and walked off leaving Tiffany and Jen with Tridon. While walking away, they stared at Sayori.
Monika eventually asked, "What happened? What did you see?"
"An evil presence..."
The girls stared at Tridon as he laid almost lifeless on a bed. Tridon was hooked up to computers and was being kept alive through a ventilator.
Sayori pressed her hand on the glass they were watching him through and teared up, "Tridon..."
"Girls." Tiffany called out from behind them.
They turned around to see Tiffany accompanied by Jen.
"What exactly happened Sayori?" Tiffany asked.
"He was fighting off the Epsilons one by one, but they spoke to him." Sayori answered, "They were playing with his mind. I knew something was off, so I tried to snap out of there."
"But you couldn't?" Tiffany questioned.
"Yeah." She confirmed, "That's when I saw the evil version of himself again."
"Hm."
"Captain," Jen started, "I was there watching them remember?"
"You were there?" Natsuki asked.
"Based on what I've found in the usb drive, I've been able to get Jen to infiltrate scenarios when Tridon creates them. She observes the world and its actions. This time, she gave me evidence to review on Tridon." Tiffany walked past them towards a computer and entered a CD into it.
"What all of you didn't see is what Sayori and Jen caught."
Tiffany played a video played through the eyes of Jen.
"This is what she captured. I have yet to see it myself."
As the video played, it showed Tridon fighting off the Epsilons one by one, but eventually be overpowered by them. It led to all of them disappearing. Tridon spoke periodically. It was at that point that Sayori tried to snap back to the hideout, but she couldn't.
Evil Tridon stood behind Sayori and loomed around her. Tridon noticed what was going on around her and this is when he lost it. Eventually, a strong, dark force rose from Tridon and the heavy wind picked up. The wind pushed Sayori back, and even Jen, who was relatively far from them
This is where the video ends...
"I see." Tiffany mumbled, "I understand."
"What is it?" Sayori quickly asked.
"That darkness from the last adventure you lot had the previous semester is back and it's not holding back. It wants to take full-control of him."
"But why?"
"This darkness isn't natural. Almost as if it was placed inside him."
"Is that possible?"
Tiffany thought to herself for a second before shifting her glance to Tridon. She stared at him while he breathed heavily.
"We need to see Dr. Voltrov and Erica."
"What?!"
"They hold the answer to this dark power, and I think I know how they can help him." Tiffany looked over at Jen to say, "Stay here with him and make sure nothing happens."
"Got it." She respond.
"The rest of you get ready. We're going to put a stop to all of this."
A/N: Like I said, I had 3 chapters ready to be uploaded over this short period. I had been working yet, I waited to upload these chapters to give my mind a break. It was a short, yet much needed break. Right now, the chapters are leading up to the final fight against Robert that'll finally turn this story back into the club just having fun. Albeit, still with more drama. Then, you'll be able to see just who Tridon chooses. Based on what's been going on so far, have your thoughts changed on who the final girl will be? Or has nothing changed and is your favorite still in the race? Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed this chapter and I'll do my best to get the next chapters out asap. C'ya!
