Chapter 16: Exposed!

"Been four years since we last saw one another, have we made any progress on the case since then?" Proxtere asked as he heard Derek breathing from above him. Proxtere only saw his gray eye mask lenses before Derek decided to drop down. Proxtere liked Derek's straight face he had on him. "You're wondering what I'm doing back in town?" Proxtere asked as he witnessed light smoke generating around the area and even some emanating off of his younger opponent.

Derek made the first move and threw a spinning roundhouse kick into a cartwheel kick, Proxtere blocked each before push kicking Derek backing him away. "I came to see if you've lived up to your potential. Your sense of judgment when it comes to openings could still use some work." Said Proxtere as he dashed in and closed the opening between them.

Derek slipped under his jab and ducked his cross before countering with an oblique kick, as Proxtere was stumbling back, Derek eased into the crane stance but Proxtere felt a very different kid than the one he knew. Proxtere rushed toward him again and fell into Derek's foot sweep kick but he stopped himself from falling on the ground as he levitated both of them before kicking his adversary away as he got back on his feet. He was stuck within Proxtere's control as he floated like he had no gravity in the air. The wind embodying villain threw him towards a wall with his gusts of wind, instead Derek vanished as he entered a cloud of smoke he placed to catch him.

Proxtere looked above him, he saw Derek attempting an elbow drop on him, he blasted him with strong winds to push towards the ceiling instead but he pushed his adversary into another cloud of smoke instead. The wind embodying villain was anticipating the next direction he'll appear but he had no way of knowing, until he looked below him as he surveyed the area and saw the smoke on the ground under him getting thicker, with only a split second when he realized, he was able to dodge a flying uppercut.

The drop with both feet was too strong to block, it broke through his defense, it made him perform a backflip and created distance. "You're resembling Elias more these days." Proxtere stated as he gave a slight smirk as he dusted himself off. Derek was only warming himself up, readying himself to not hold back.

Derek suddenly felt his heart begin racing then his head became throbbing with the most intense headache he's ever felt. The hero's body felt like the sun was burning him up inside before he was forced off his feet and he fell onto his knees. The piercing feeling he felt from his eyes was so intense, he pulled off his eye mask, he had enough strength to generate and with the physical strength he could muster, crawl toward a smoke portal resembling a cloud that he could barely see as he left a trail of parchment colored ashes falling from his stomach.

"It's been nice catching up, you'll survive this just fine." Said Proxtere as he stopped caring and walked away. The young champion for Justice had his whole life during his youth flash before his eyes as his body began feeling more fragile, he shook as he crawled but he refused to give up. Memories of himself waiting for his missing father, mother and fraternal twin brother began to circulate in his mind. The oath he swore to his Grandfather when he reluctantly agreed to discipline him, train him in martial arts and allowed him to be homeschooled. Losing his childhood friends.

"Hold a few quotes of everyone dear to you close, let it keep you held down." He remembered his father telling him as he continued to struggle and crawl. "Witnessing Injustice can be like a humongous flame burning blindingly bright in front of you, we'll start with teaching you how to allow it." He remembered his Grandfather telling him.

"They were here because you have a great destiny, the greatest way for you to honor them is to allow their tragedy as fuel for you to accomplish extraordinary goals, bring great Justice to some of the world, you've lost when you decide to give up." Derek remembered his Grandmother's words that allowed him to keep pushing forward. Derek passed out when he got so close.

"Gramps, I figured you'd know what was happening to him best, Derek's ill with some sort of ash coming off of his body!" Said Settembre, the only friend the young hero has in his life. "They were right all along." Said Derek's Grandfather, Settembre recognized a sincere disheartening tone in his close friend's Grandfather's voice as he walked away, leaving Settembre holding Derek's hand as he was unconscious on Settembre's bed.