Chapter 8: Mind and body!

Derek arrived at the address, it was a basic home in a clean and innocent looking suburban area. It didn't look special in the least bit but it was a decent sized place to live with a big family. Derek knocked on the door before another older woman opened the door for him, he wasn't expecting what he saw, a ton of children running around the home. They exchanged greetings with a smile and casual tones before he filled her in and she invited him. She directed him to go down to the basement. He walked down to their basement and was amazed by what he saw. It was surprisingly bigger than it seemed outside. He walked down and saw each of the Detectives doing a different activity, Lowelle and Dustin were eating a large plate of Mexican food, Tal was doing something on a laptop, Janece was breakdancing. He called out for their attention in a shy tone.

"Did you bring your costume?" Tal asked him in his chronically suspicious tone. "Yeah, I brought my gear." Derek nervously answered him as he took off his book bag. Tal delivered a chuckle that made the moment awkward, it made Derek feel awkward.

"You won't have to worry about field activity and won't have to worry about duty… for maybe a while, until your first instructor verifies you're ready for it." Dustin informed the young hero much to his dismay, he argued about it but Dustin shoved his arguments away.

"I learn much better hands on though, let me at them." Derek insisted when he saw Dustin and Tal on the verge of leaving for a reason unknown to him. "We'll get to that point but first because it's safer, we'll run you through the basics of combat." Dustin informed the young hero. "Yes, touching a different subject all this month, kid." Tal finished for his brother before the two left off.

"Starting with technique and form, we saw camera footage of you in action." Janece blurted out after the two of them left while she was doing a handstand. "We are not impressed, kid." Janece performed her impersonation of Tal as she told the young hero. "It's a waste of time and a month but I guess if I have to, this will only last that long." Derek declared with a tone Janece couldn't help but get hyped and cheer him on.

Dustin and Tal, having dyed their very abnormal hair, equipped their shades and found a comfortable spot to spy on the police department in a restaurant patio down the street from it, Dustin watched as the cars went by and realized how different their homes were compared to America.

"What's your theory?" Tal asked his older brother as he had the binoculars in his hand but didn't look through them yet to not draw suspicion towards them. "Someone's stealing and selling weapons in this city, right? We need to figure out the who, where, when and why, we already have the what and clearly there's only one reason for selling. I have the sense our perpetrator has at least one informant within this department and we need to suspect the correct officer, this officer will be our first lead to the remaining three." Dustin answered his little brother that's hearing officer voices from a listening device planted inside the police department his older brother planted from his customized and beloved laptop. "This will likely take about a month, won't it?" Tal asked as he gave him evil eyes. "We could always take the 'Janece approach'?" Dustin replied as he rested an ankle on his knee.

An entire month flies by the investigators and their apprentice as swift as a tumbleweed on a windy evening, a month filled with constant sparring sessions a day and endless conversations. "Final day, my young one, are you ready for your final combat test against me before you face off against Low?" Janece asked her temporary apprentice after training him in other martial arts. "Ask yourself that first, prepare everything you've got right now, Jan!" Derek replied before he rushed towards her with an appetite for combat that matched her little brother's. Derek slowed himself down once he was close enough to her, fists clenched tight, one hand high and the other low, feet grounded roughly shoulder width apart. "Basic stance and he's not rushing for the win." Janece obverves as she's backing away slowly with their observant gazes matching. Derek zipped closer when he recognized their uncomfortable distance and attempted the first attack in this test of theirs, leaping high above and dropping down with his right elbow, an attack she didn't suspect he'd try, she dashed backwards but he leapt forwards immediately once he missed with a flying knee that didn't work, finishing off with a flurry of rough elbow strikes with the last knocking her guard off. She recovered and dashed in for her turn