After dinner Kaugei and Kisano headed outside to practice their bending.
"You don't always have to do as Master Roukai says, just relax and do what you're comfortable with," said Kisano.
Kaugei struggled as he attempted to create a blade out of the surrounding shadows. The shadows gather around his hand and solidify into a ninjato-like shape.
"Its good to see that you've successfully made something, but can you cut anything with it?"
Kisano picked up a small fallen tree branch and threw it at Kaugei. Kaugei swung at the branch. However, as his sword hits it, it dissipated back into its original medium.
"Well, at least you made something cool looking," Kisano remarked sarcastically.
Hands are heard clapping and a boy walked into Kaugei and Kisano's presence.
"Ha,ha,ha," the rude boy laughed. "It seems you can't do anything right Kaugei," Heroku scoffed.
"What do you want Heroku!?" shouted an irritated Kaugei.
"I want you to leave my classes you pathetic dunce, you can't even bend a proper shadow blade."
Kaugei felt anger burning inside him. He clenched his fist and felt his breathe getting heavy.
"That's right, get angry it will help numb the pain as I beat you up in front of your girlfriend."
It was enough that Heroku insulted Kaugei, but the way he made fun of Kisano nearly set Kaugei off. Kisano stepped in front of Kaugei and pushed him back.
"Let me handle this Kaugei."
Kaugei bit his lip in frustration, while he let Kisano take over. He wanted to fight Heroku to prove that he could shadowbend, but not if it meant losing his cool in front of Kisano. Kisano turned around and faced Heroku.
"Heroku you know how my mother and your mother are good friends. Do you want me to tell them about how you are bullying Kaugei?"
After Heroku fully absorbed Kisano's statement he had a dumbfounded look upon his face. This look turned into one of irritation.
"Fine, little girl! I'm gone, but I will fight you one day Kaugei. Just you see little miss sunshine won't be protecting you forever."
Heroku stormed away still filled with a desire for a fight.
Kisano turned around and grasped Kaugei's still clenched fists. She holds them gently and he uncurled them into her palms.
"Just ignore him Kaugei. He must bully others because he feels miserable inside."
"You're probably right Kisano. One of these days, I am going to lead a mission and Heroku will serve under me."
Kaugei looked up into the night sky anticipating what the future may hold, while Kisano stood idly by.
"Police officers are everywhere, how are we supposed to get near the target?" a squad member asked.
Kaugei stood silently still and thought it through.
"Kisano I want you to take three members and go to the left alley up ahead. Heroku I want you to take three members and go to the right alley. I will take the center alley and on my signal, I want you to throw the smoke bombs. Once it is dark enough that no one can see us I will move in on the target. Now, move out."
Kisano took three members and jumped across the rooftops being careful not to be seen. She clamped a rope down and slid down it. Her teammates quickly followed suit. She took her position in the left alleyway. Heroku does the same with his squad members. Kaugei leapt onto the roof positioned closest to the front of the middle alleyway. He waited as the wagon got closer. He pulled out a purple rag and dropped it. As the rag neared the ground, smoke bombs were thrown from all three directions.
"It's an ambush!" exclaimed the police lieutenant.
The shadowbenders closed in and started taking out police officers by bending the surrounding darkness around them. With their hands bound behind their backs and feet stuck together, the officers found themselves unable to bend. The squad then bent the shadows around the officer's faces, keeping them from breathing. They were incapacitated, but not killed.
Kaugei bent the shadows around the roof of the wagon and in one swift stroke tore it apart. He saw a child inside, who looked no older than 6 years of age. He stopped and thought, Why is the target a child? As this thought came into his mind he realized the consequences of carrying out the mission.
"Pull back!" shouted Kaugei.
"Why, the target is right there?!" Heroku shouted back.
"I'm team leader, pull back now!"
As the team pulled back the smoke started to dissipate and more officers rushed to the site.
"They're they are! Get them!" shouted an officer.
The officers extended their metal coils and ensnared some shadowbenders. The benders struggled to escape, but they could not move their hands. Bending was out of the question. The rest of the benders fought back and several of the officers suffered neck lacerations from there own shadows choking them.
"Kaugei, we have to get out of here!" shouted Kisano.
Kaugei looked around seeing if there was a place to manipulate more shadows. He saw a man hole and forced the shadows through it causing the cover to come flying up. The man hole cover came crashing down with great force next to the police lieutenant, scaring him half to death. Kisano bent the shadows and caused them to fly out in all different directions. The shockwave of pure dark energy forced the officers to fly back. When the officers steadied themselves back off the ground, they saw that the shadow benders were gone. The dumbfounded lieutenant shouted, "Send out all the police squads and search all the tunnels! Search every nook and cranny until you find them!"
What the lieutenant had not realized was that by the time a search party had been gathered, the benders would've been far away by then.
