Matthew Gemm: Hahaha, maybe (to both the goth & pizza things). Hard work pays off, well at least for Drew here. I'm really thinking about doing the Amazon thing. It is predictable, but I thought it would be an interesting thing for Drew to experience.

Chapter 25: Silence, Speed, Balance, and Invisibility

(TMNT 2003-10 Dimension, turtles' lair, a week later)

Drew's training in Taijutsu had been temporarily halted whilst Master Splinter had him work on Intonjutsu, escaping and concealment, and Shinobi-iri, stealth and infiltration, techniques & exercises. The teen explained to Master Splinter when he first escaped his parents & their allies and also when he hunted the Shadows he would often take the form of a big cat to remain undetected because of their stealthy nature. The old master had been teaching him stealth techniques for silent movements at varying speeds. Master Splinter has set up a few tests for Drew whilst the turtles watch. Master Splinter had a lit candle in his hand whilst the rest of the liar had been cloaked in shadow.

"So how do you think he'll do?" Mikey whispered.

Raph smacked the back of Mikey's head with his left hand.

"Shut up and we'll find out shell for brains." Raph hissed.

Mikey grumbled as he rubbed the back of his head. Master Splinter's eyes searched the darkness, for he knew there was a chance of seeing Drew. Despite his power slowly fading, his eyes still glew somewhat in the dark. Though he could not see the teen at the moment. Drew was creeping slowly through the darkness. Drew then leapt up and slowly crawled on top of the ceiling silently. Leo thought he saw a brief glimpse of a pair of glowing green eyes.

'Ahh, I see.' Leo chuckled in his mind.

Master Splinter's eyes searched the shadows, trying to find any trace of Drew. However, the teen had been moving silently whilst he tried to find a way to turn off the light without revealing himself.

'Where is he? We did this three years ago, and each of us took a different choice to get the candle…only Leo was able to…go from the top!' Donnie realized in his mind.

Drew saw Master Splinter's ears twitching, then the teen leapt away. The old master looked up to see the teen wasn't there.

'He had it in the bag! Why didn't he try to extinguish it?!' Rah growled in his mind.

Master Splinter thought he saw a glimpse of Drew's eyes to his left, but then thought he saw them to his right.

'Where are you Drew-san?' Master Splinter thought, his eyes scanning the area around him.

However, suddenly the light had been extinguished. Master Splinter gasped, having not realized Drew had rushed past the old master from the front whilst quietly blowing out the flame of the candle. The lights of the lair were turned back on. The old master turned to face Drew.

"Well done Drew-san." Master Splinter said.

Drew bowed then stood back up.

"Nicely done Drew." Leo said, approaching Drew.

"Yeah, nice work. Excellent strategy with confusing sensei with your swift movements." Donnie added.

"Thanks guys, though my glowing eyes are a draw back." Drew said.

"Dude that makes you look cool! I wish I had glowing eyes!" Mikey chuckled.

"Well you don't have them Mikey. So quit dreaming." Raph grunted.

Mikey grumbled.

"What's the next test?" Drew said.

"A moment." Master Splinter said.

Master Splinter had a part of the lair be placed with tall pieces of wood. The old master and Drew were balancing on one each.

"This training shall focus on two essential disciplines: the way of balance and the way of invisibility." Master Splinter said.

The lights then were turned off, but at the corners of the training area is where candles had been lit, providing some light but not to where they bathed the area in light itself (most of the training area had been cloaked in shadow).

"You must be silent if you wish to avoid my walking stick." Master Splinter said, twirling his walking stick in his right hand.

Drew narrowed his eyes. The old master lunged fast, rushing at the teen. Drew leapt to the side, carefully landing on another pole. Master Splinter raced along the poles then swung his stick towards Drew's right side. The teen leapt over the attack and then landed on another pole.

"Very good. You must learn stillness and alertness, for they are the only defense against the unexpected." The old master said.

Drew quickly ducked under the jab from the rat mutant's walking stick, then leapt over to another pole as Master Splinter swung downwards. Master Splinter then leapt at Drew again with his walking stick swinging from the side, but Drew quickly somersaulted over the attack then landed on another of the poles with his left hand while holding the rest of his body in the air.

"Good…now try to take my walking stick from me." Master Splinter said.

Drew pushed himself off the pole then landed on another pole then raced towards the rat mutant. Master Splinter leapt over the slash from Drew. The teen lunged at the old master again, but Master Splinter quickly leapt past him. The two quickly turned to face each other.

'He's continuing to hone his abilities, this is good. His powers are helping him learn and master these techniques far faster than I thought.' Master Splinter thought.

Drew somersaulted towards the rat mutant and threw forth his arm to grab the walking stick. However, the old master quickly swatted his hand away with the stick then threw a jab with the stick. Drew dodged to the side. Master Splinter swung again, but suddenly felt his stick was gone. Drew had taken it out of his hand, the walking stick was now in his right hand.

"Well done Drew-san, you are continuing to improve." The old master said.

"Thank you, sensei, I couldn't do it without your guidance." Drew said, bowing to the rat mutant.

Master Splinter bowed back. Drew then handed the walking stick back to the old master. Master Splinter then back-flipped off the pole and landed on the ground gracefully.

"Now, continue to work on your skills of balance and invisibility. My sons, you need to re-practice your techniques as well. Please join him, and take some time to practice…but not too long. I am going to get some rest. We shall continue training in the morning." Master Splinter said.

The old master's students bowed. Raph, Donnie, and Mikey leapt onto the poles. Leo walked over to Master Splinter.

"Do you think he'll be ready soon?" Leo asked.

"He still has to master more techniques, but he should soon be able to be a true ninja. However, I hope Donatello and the others find a way for him to get back to his home dimension…for I fear the worst for him." The old master answered.

"Yes…I hope they find one too. If Drew does become one though, I hope he won't have to use what he's learned." Leo replied.

"Yes…I hope so too." Master Splinter agreed.

Leo bowed to his sensei, then ran over and leapt onto a pole. Master Splinter turned to watch his students, then left to get some rest.

To be continued…