Chapter 3: After the Sparks
Scene 1: The Courtyard, Moments After the Fight
Dust still hung in the air. The energy left behind from Yash and Kabir's violent clash pulsed like an invisible heartbeat through the courtyard. Everyone was still frozen in place. No one spoke. No one dared.
Kim stood between them, his palm glowing faintly from the pulse of energy he'd used to break the fight apart. His voice, calm yet absolute, rang out:
> Kim: "Enough. One more move from either of you, and you'll answer directly to the Foundation's disciplinary unit. Trust me, none of you want that."
Kabir glared at Yash, jaw clenched, but turned without a word and stormed off toward the barracks.
Yash, breathing hard, lowered his fists, glancing at the team who'd gathered around them. He looked ashamed, but didn't apologize. Instead, he quietly walked toward the training tower.
Mayra whispered to Maya, "Well… that escalated."
Chibi Moment 1:
Mayra's eyes twinkle mischievously.
> Mayra (chibi style): "Kabir's ego just got punched in the face by Yash's reality!"
Maya: flicks her forehead
> Maya (chibi annoyed): "Not the time, Mayra!"
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Scene 2: Command Hall — Emergency Assembly
Within thirty minutes, the entire squad was summoned. The room was tense. Shrey sat next to Maya and Arjun. Adi leaned against a column, arms crossed, unreadable. Mr. Okashun stood near the back, observing with folded arms. Dr. Jain was typing furiously on a tablet.
Captain Jacks entered last. When he walked, everyone stood. He nodded.
> Captain Jacks: "You may sit."
A large screen showed a paused video still—Yash punching the ground beside Kabir's face.
> Captain Jacks: "This is not a battlefield. Yet. But that's where you're all headed. If you can't control yourselves in a courtyard, how do you expect to survive a real war zone?"
Kim stood next to him now, arms behind his back.
> Kim: "You have the potential. But as of now, none of you are fit to be operatives."
Maya's fists clenched. Shrey leaned forward, lips pressed.
> Captain Jacks: "So, starting tomorrow, you enter the Special Discipline Program. Two weeks. No off-days. No exceptions. Failure is not an option. You will either break… or be reborn."
Everyone remained silent.
> Mr. Okashun: "And for those who believe this will be like your previous training weeks... let's just say: we've barely begun."
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Scene 3: The Dorms — Night of Reflection
Kabir sat in his room, bandaging his hand. His punching bag lay in the corner, split. A video from his sister played on his phone: her smiling face, telling him how proud she was. Tears welled up. He threw the phone across the bed and wiped his eyes.
Yash sat by his window, writing in a leather journal. The words weren't clear, but the last line read: "I can't lose myself again."
Maya, Mayra, and Adi were in Maya's room.
> Mayra: "So… we're all pretending today didn't happen?"
> Adi: "No. We're preparing for what comes next. That fight was the beginning of something we can't ignore."
Maya remained silent. Then she stood.
> Maya: "We survive. That's what we do. Let's rest. Tomorrow will be worse."
Arjun practiced forms in his room in the dark. His focus was sharp. Controlled.
Chibi Moment 2:
Arjun misses a step and crashes into his table.
> Arjun (chibi): "A ninja must not be clumsy… A ninja must not be—OW!"
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Scene 4: Dawn — Beginning of Special Training
Fog covered the training grounds. The squad stood in formation. Captain Jacks, Kim, Dr. Jain, and Mr. Okashun stood before them.
> Captain Jacks: "Welcome to Phase II: SCP Response Protocol. From now on, you will train like operatives. Think like operatives. Live like operatives."
A massive gate opened behind them, revealing a new sector of the facility — darker, colder, and lined with labs, containment chambers, and open combat rings.
> Kim: "Each day, you'll be tested on logic, ethics, field command, containment breach response, interrogation, and combat discipline. We don't just train soldiers. We build SCP agents."
Shrey's POV: He swallowed hard. The tone had changed. This wasn't school anymore.
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Training Day 1-3: Containment Logic and Ethics
They were shown case files of real SCPs. One involved a doll that caused hallucinations. Another, a mirror that showed alternate realities. The recruits debated how they'd contain or neutralize them.
Maya excelled at ethical scenarios. Yash handled logic puzzles with brutal precision. Kabir struggled with patience but grew quieter.
Chibi Moment 3:
Mayra tries to convince the team the doll SCP is cute.
> Mayra (chibi with sparkly eyes): "I'd adopt it and give it a tiny hat!"
> Dr. Jain (chibi deadpan): "It will make you eat dirt and believe you're flying."
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Training Day 4-6: Emergency Response Simulations
The recruits were thrown into mock containment breach scenarios—without warning.
Alarms would sound in the middle of meals, drills, or even rest time. They'd race to respond.
Shrey and Arjun proved adaptable in chaos. Adi showed surprising leadership. Mayra... accidentally locked herself in a supply closet.
> Mayra (from inside): "Okay! I panicked! But I'm safe!"
They began to bond. Tension from the fight slowly melted as exhaustion replaced anger.
Kabir and Yash were paired repeatedly. They still didn't speak much—but they also didn't fight.
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Training Day 7-10: Physical Reinforcement and Mental Tolerance
Grueling routines began—climbing, endurance runs in heat suits, mental puzzles while upside down.
Mr. Okashun oversaw pain tolerance tests. He was relentless.
> Mr. Okashun: "SCP fieldwork doesn't wait for painkillers. Learn to function through discomfort. Or die."
Shrey passed out from heat exhaustion on Day 8. Maya stayed by his side until he recovered.
Adi, though usually reserved, started sharing tips on breathing techniques.
Chibi Moment 4:
Kim surprises everyone by showing up at dinner in a pink apron.
> Kim (chibi calm): "Nutrition is key to psychological strength. I made soup."
> Kabir (confused): "Is this poisoned?"
> Kim: "No. That's Tuesday."
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Training Day 11-13: Ethics Tribunal and Tactical Exams
They were put into mock trials, acting as SCP agents explaining their actions after simulated breaches.
One test: Mayra chose to save a civilian over containing the SCP. She failed. Another: Adi had to sacrifice a comrade to stop a viral anomaly. She passed—but barely.
Each recruit faced their own morals.
Yash was visibly shaken after his scenario: he let an innocent child die to contain an entity.
Maya talked to him afterward.
> Maya: "You chose the mission. But don't lose yourself to it."
> Yash: "What if I already have?"
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Day 14: Final Exam Briefing
Captain Jacks addressed them all in the central plaza.
> Captain Jacks: "Tomorrow, you will face the SCP Foundation Proving Exam. It is based on real scenarios. You will be judged not by success, but by your decisions under pressure."
> Dr. Jain: "Survive. Think. Adapt. Fail with honor, or succeed with meaning."
The squad stood together. No longer just a group of students.
They were comrades.
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Closing Scene: Rooftop Reunion
That night, the core team—Shrey, Maya, Mayra, Yash, Kabir, Arjun, and Adi—sat under the stars.
> Shrey: "Remember how we got here?"
> Arjun: "We almost killed each other."
> Mayra: "And now we're about to face horrors with matching uniforms."
> Maya: "We may fail tomorrow. But if we do… we do it together."
Kabir glanced at Yash. And for the first time in days, he spoke to him.
> Kabir: "Don't hold back tomorrow."
> Yash (nodding): "Neither should you."
They all stared ahead. Tomorrow would define everything. And all started remembering what happened then in two weeks.
End of Chapter 3 After the Sparks