TRIGGERFINGER SEASON TWO - THE PROSPECT TRIALS

S02E03 The Third Trial Begins! A Battle Between Friends!

Stamos sat at the head of the table, surrounded by the ranking members of the Aces of Spades in the club's meeting room. To his left sat Blake, his Vice President, and to his right sat Ngaire who wasn't a part of the club but was invited to the meeting regardless. Beside Blake sat Kore, Scabs next to him, and finally Lars at the other end. On the other side of the table beside Ngaire sat Bill, then Trudy, then Red. They were discussing the potential prospects, and how they had fared in The Prospect Trials so far.

"So, the girl came first in the first trial," Red said. "Who had top marks in the exam?"

"Bolt," Blake answered. "His marks were the highest we've ever seen asides from myself and Kore. No questions incorrect or left out."

"And what about the fire kid?"

"Ash? Abysmal."

"Guess he doesn't have what it takes."

"Actually," Kore piped up. "If you'd seen what I have, Red, then you'd realize Ash has the biggest spark out of all of them."

"Well, I haven't seen what you have Kore," Red replied sarcastically. "And I don't think I need to. That exam is piss easy, a braindead monkey could finish it in his sleep. Not to mention, the kid can't even ride a motorcycle."

Red and Kore started bickering with one another, Kore continued to defend Ash but Red kept shutting him down. Stamos sighed, looking back and forth between the two, neither wavering. Bill and Trudy joined in, aiding Kore, telling Red to give the kid a chance but Red just ignored them. Lars chimed in, saying that there were still two trials left and that perhaps Ash might surprise them but again, Red was dead set in his mind that Ash was a failure waiting to happen.

"Do you have any idea who Nova is?" Ngaire asked Red.

"Of course I know who Nova is!" Red responded. "I'm not stupid!"

"Maybe you are if you haven't figured out the similarities between he and Ash."

"You're calling me stupid?!" Red turned to Stamos. "What is she even doing here? She's not a Spade!"

"Look, Nova was one of the greatest heroes this world has ever seen. The resemblance between he and Ash? Scarily uncanny. You can see it in the eyes. Don't knock Ash until you see him in action. He did single handedly take down a Hellhound, you know?"

"That wasn't a real Hellhound! If he had have fought a real Hellhound then he'd be dead right now. Trust me, I should know. I almost had one beat until-"

"Until I showed up and beat it for you," Kore remarked.

Red huffed. "Still don't know where the hell you came from."

"Where did you come from?" Scabs asked, tilting his head.

Kore shrugged. "Wish I knew. That's the thing about amnesia."

Stamos knew what they were talking about. 15 years earlier, an Abyssian Hellhound had escaped The Abyss and attacked a village of Uria worshippers. Luckily, Red was nearby on a mission and was quickly dispatched to fight it off. When Red was almost killed, Kore showed up out of thin air. They had never heard of him before, and apparently he had never heard of himself either. That's when Kore was initiated as a Prospect.

"We've gone off topic," Stamos announced, knocking his gavel against the table. "Yes, Kore's amnesia is a mystery to us all but this meeting is about The Prospect Trials. As I've already told Blake and Ngaire, the next trial will start today. In this trial we'll get to witness the kids' combat strength. They'll be pitted against each other in a tournament where the winner will get top marks. Red, I want you to facilitate. Is there anything else that would like to be said?"