Mediziner's Notes: Mostly filler but I also felt this chapter was done a bit too shoddily... So I'm not very proud of it... Trying to end chapters on specific notes is also one of my nightmares I face... Heh...
This Chapter was originally uploaded: 8/12/2019 on DeviantART.
The Leader within Cover Art is drawn and commissioned by Erilmadith-Everyoung on DeviantART. You can also find Radiant Prism's full reference there, too.
Enjoy!
...
"Huh, well isn't that a surprise, you actually managed to persuade Duke into letting you teach Radiant Prism and actually taught her properly without bailing from boredom?" Power Joe said, taking a sip of his fuel canister.
"Tch, I hate doing paperwork but I don't mind helping another fellow Brave. It was going to be my turn at some point so I wanted to teach her sooner than being last to pick." Drill Boy grumbled, fumbling with his soccer ball, kicking it up to balance on his knees. "I really want her to speed up with the learning already and start patrolling alongside us as soon as she can."
"Now it's Duke who's the only one left to teach her." Dumpson said, pulling his attention away from paperwork, though looked disgusted upon seeing Power Joe's fuel canister. "...Why are you drinking that in here? That stuff doesn't exactly smell good for Boss and Deckerd's going to give us a warning if he sees any of us drink fuel here let alone find fuel stains." He frowned, not wanting to get an earful of Deckerd's rules being repeated about consuming fuel in the office. Power Joe seemed to wave off the warning, reminding him that Yuuta was currently out patrolling with Gunmax.
"I've done it a few times when neither of them were in here, and Shadowmaru's often busy with those tasks that the Commissioner only assigns to him since he's always-" Power Joe ceased as he noticed a crumpled ball of paper land on his desk, wondering what it was all about as he picked it up, only to suddenly yelp upon being pounced and knocked out of his chair by none other than Shadowmaru. "Wh-What the hell, Shadowmaru!?" He exclaimed, completely taken by surprise while Dumpson exclaimed unhappily, explaining to Power Joe that it was why he should've never brought any fuel canisters in the office. The red and yellow Brave was a complete mess, covered chest to lap in Power Joe's spilt fuel as he stood from his desk.
"See, Shadowmaru. You're a dog through and through. Wolves would never chase after a crumpled ball of paper." Kagerou grinned, having entered the office.
"Kagerou!" Shadowmaru snarled, moving away from Power Joe as he ran towards his older Brother. "Quit throwing around crumpled paper, it's a waste!"
Getting up from the floor, Power Joe could only pale when not only did most of the fuel get on his frame and even worse, splattered on Dumpson, but also that Shadowmaru happened to have smeared the paws of his dog form's paws, inadvertently spreading the fuel about further in the room with each step upon chasing after Kagerou while Drill Boy had fled under his desk from the commotion the two ninjas were making, keeping his head down. "G-Guys, stop it already, you're tracking the fuel!" Power Joe exclaimed. Try as he may, he ended up getting no response while Dumpson addressed him to get the cleaning equipment in the storage closer behind their desks, doing as told.
After he gathered the cleaning equipment, he pondered on how he could get the ninjas to stop running around as the mess was spreading further and further, noticing that they were all Shadowmaru's paw prints while the prototype continued to gingerly and expertly avoid stepping in the freshly made tracks in the midst of avoiding the purple Brave. The sounds of the doors opening was enough to make Power Joe freeze as he slowly looked to see who entered, being that it was McCrane. 'O-Oh good, it's just McCrane...' He thought with a silent, nervous laugh.
Immediately, the Combat Detective noticed the prints and looked at Shadowmaru and Kagerou who had ceased their little bickering upon him entering, then noticed the source of where the fuel prints came from, he didn't need to know where the tracked fuel came from, and shook his head, clearly disappointed.
"Power Joe, please get this mess cleaned up. This is the eight time you've brought fuel canisters in here behind Deckerd's back." He said, entering as he avoided stepping onto the fuel stained paw prints Shadowmaru left behind until eventually reaching his desk, noting about how messy Dumpson and Power Joe's desks were.
"I know, I'm getting to that since you've finally stopped the ninjas from running around the room..." Power Joe said unhappily, handing Dumpson some cleaning equipment to clean off the splatters of fuel on his frame and the mess on the desk. As they were cleaning, McCrane had been inputting a couple of commands into his computer, searching for something. After roughly a few minutes into what he was doing, he thought for a moment then inputted a few commands, intending to send some photos. "Power Joe, look at your monitor for a moment." When the bright yellow Brave did as told, he looked at the image that McCrane sent him. "Have you seen this vehicle with this exact license plate following you while you were patrolling?"
"Uh... Let's see..." He gave a moment to study the car's model close up, taking note of the license plate on it before standing straight and shaking his helm. "No, I haven't seen a car with that license plate in my patrol route since I've been in here a few minutes ago on break, why?"
McCrane frowned, having suspected as such. "I see... Dumpson, what about you? Knowing that you were out taking Ayako to Haneda International Airport, you wouldn't have happened to have seen this car on the way?" He proceeded to send the same image over to Dumpson, who took a glance, then shook his helm.
"Hmm, I haven't noticed anything while I was talking with Ayako along the way, and keeping my visuals on the road."
"Eh? Ayako went to the Airport?" Drill Boy repeated, coming out from under his desk. "Where is she going to? I bet she likes traveling a whole lot."
"England." Replied Dumpson, having managed to clean off much of the fuel from his frame but knew too well that he still reeked of fuel as a visit to the mechanics was needed to get the stench out otherwise Deckerd would think that he's getting bad habits from Power Joe. "She's going to write a book about the Scotland Yard over there after covering some big scoop that happened in the country."
"Eh!? I know we've worked with King and the rest of the Scotland Yard before in the past but I thought she'd have a book about them already!" Exclaimed Drill Boy, surprised. "Why would she need to write about them when she's met with them whenever they came over here to visit?" His response was met with a shrug as Dumpson explained about how it's difficult for Ayako to take vacations but even if she did, she was heavily devoted to her job to do so. Drill Boy could only reply while making a face. "I don't think I could handle remaining indoors all day everyday, I'd go crazy and I'd rather move around than sit all day at a desk!"
As the three Build Team members chatted away. McCrane continued to study the image for a bit longer, then decided to look into it further as he got back up after turning off his computer. "I'm going to locate the vehicle in question and see if I can find the owner." He told his Brothers, then turned to address Power Joe. "Power Joe, you should return to patrol once you've finished cleaning up the mess and eliminating the smell of fuel. I'd like your help in finding this car."
"I intend on getting back to patrol anyways after I clean up this mess." Sighed Power Joe unhappily, giving a glare towards the ninjas whom he just witnessed leaving the office as he seemed to pale, but felt relieved when Shadowmaru wasn't leaving anymore tracks behind. 'At least Shadowmaru's not tracking more paw prints anymore...' He thought. "I'll be joining you back out on patrol soon."
Shortly after McCrane left, Drill Boy looked over at Duke who had just came back from refueling and returned to his desk to resume what he was doing. He didn't seem to have paid too much attention to what happened other than having more likely smelled the stench of fuel from when Power Joe had spilled his fuel canister. He noticed that the Knight Detective had been quickly absorbed looking at something displayed on his computer monitor. Getting a devious idea he managed to sneak around behind Duke, then kept low to let the desks hide him until he was behind Deckerd's seat. Bringing out one of his smaller appendages, he carefully slithered them up and over onto Deckerd's desk, being as quiet as he could. He waited for a moment, peeking over for just a second then extended his appendage to then knock over Deckerd's cup of pens and pencils, managing to attract Duke's attention to the noise. In the blink of an optic, he quickly retracted the appendage before Duke could take notice.
Duke began to put the cup right side up and relocated the pens and pencils that spilled out back in and returned back to what he was doing.
Both Dumpson and Power Joe had been observing their mischievous little Brother messing with Duke. They'd glance every few seconds to see what Drill Boy was going to do next, that is until when Power Joe finally finished cleaning up the mess as best as he could then left to resume patrol. After a few little tricks up his sleeve, the next thing Drill Boy attempted to do, that is until he was caught, was attempt to poke Duke in one of his wing designs for his helm, but only for that small appendage to be caught in one swift movement.
"Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow! Duke, that hurts!" Drill Boy yelped, struggling to free it.
"Then I advise not repeating it again." Warned Duke, letting go. "I'm in the middle of reading an important message from Lady."
Drill Boy examined the appendage, checking for damage by moving the small finger joints to ensure it still worked as he frowned. "So cruel..." Muttering unhappily, he returned back to his seat without a word.
...
Deckerd watched as Radiant Prism fired at the target assigned to the firing range stand she was currently using. He felt the need to help Radiant Prism refine her accuracy, knowing that since she hasn't had much time in between lessons to keep her aim refined which was a necessary thing for all Braves. He's aware that she was almost done with the lessons that he assigned everyone to teach her save for the fact Duke was the only one left to teach her after having agreed to let Drill Boy teach her. His thoughts drifted, wondering to himself as to how could she use both handguns, trying to figure out how could someone use two instead of one but had been observing her accuracy results, which were improving with each attempt. Another thing that he thought about was Kagerou, of course he already knew the ins and outs of the laws here in Japan, but the only issue that he was having trouble about inducting him entirely into the Brave Police is that not only would it be a tough start for him, but also the fact remained that he needed to learn how to get over his fear of humans since he was no longer going to be put under a reformat. 'Hm... This is going to be a very difficult decision. I want Kagerou part of the team, I know Shadowmaru would also want him part of the team, but...' He thought, crossing his arms over his chest in deep thought. 'There's the issue about his fear of humans, something he retained after being restored by the mechanics and is even afraid of some of the Build Team... And myself included. This isn't good for him as I wouldn't be able to make him an official member of the Brave Police team until he gets over his fear, he'll need to learn to adjust to humans but how will I do that...?'
Then the idea struck him.
He turned to look at Radiant Prism, hearing the spent magazines eject from her handguns falling to the floor and then watched her perform a dual reload. He was confused for a moment but had to remind himself that her own handguns were different than his, even recalling how Duke's own handgun was different from his and the rest of the team's despite he doesn't use it much... And essentially can hold more bullets rather than the six shots. 'Hm, this means that Duke and Radiant Prism are the only ones who hold the most ammo and can continue returning fire slightly longer than the others before having to reload...' He thought.
"How is my performance?" Radiant Prism asked, looking at the results herself.
"You're doing well. Though Ir recommend that in between studies you should try to make time to keep your aim refined, but you've been improving slowly overtime with each result." Replied Deckerd. "I'm... Just a little surprised that there are other Braves out there who can dual wield handguns. Ah, do all of the Brave Police team in Germany dual wield?"
"No, I'm the only one who does. Everyone else has a standard single handgun, all like mine in appearance. I can either dual wield or use only one handgun, but my more stronger point is using both since I first performed my duties in stopping crime left and right since not long after I was activated."
Radiant Prism was about to practise once more, that is until when the sounds of footsteps stopped her, turning to see Kagerou enter.
"Ah, Kagerou, I was wondering where you were." Deckerd smiled.
"Shadowmaru told me I should try and practise my aim, though I wasn't sure how I was going to use a handgun since using handguns as a primary wasn't written in my databanks... At least to my knowledge" Replied Kagerou uneasily.
It was no surprise to Deckerd, he knew how much Shadowmaru wanted his older Brother to be part of the team but it was surprising that the prototype clearly has a lot of knowledge that he lacked. He felt terrible that he hadn't taken into consideration until now that Kagerou is the only one who doesn't exactly have any experience with firearms, at least not like Shadowmaru. 'There is certainly a lot that Kagerou will need to learn and train himself into, far more than I originally thought.' He thought with a frown. 'Being a prototype, he must not have almost everything we're normally pre-fed with... Ah, but McCrane's on patrol duty today, and I'm not really the best person to ask for weapon lessons as that task falls better to him, being far more skilled than any of us combined but he's also slightly wary of him...'
"If you'd like, I can teach you how to use a handgun efficiently, Kagerou."
Kagerou perked slightly, a newcomer to the team was going to teach him? "Normally you are quite inexperienced yourself, aren't you?"
"Well, I won't lie in saying that while I might be much more newer compared to the both of you, I'm fairly skilled with my handguns than close range, but at the same time I also admit that it's not on the same equal level as McCrane and a few others but it should be enough to still teach you." Replied Radiant Prism. "I want to help others as much as I can." She looked to Deckerd. "I desire to help others as much as possible, especially after he gave me a second chance and letting me stay since I want to make myself as useful as possible, no matter what."
"It's your choice if you'd like to refine your aim with Radiant Prism." Deckerd said. "The both of you can learn together."
Kagerou remained silent, clearly he was thinking things out. Shadowmaru did tell him before he left that Deckerd was there, but it surprised him even more that a rookie of all Braves actually offered to teach him, and she was much more younger than any of them combined. This... Was a tough choice for him, but he knows that it's one of the main important tasks as a newcomer to the Brave Police, he needed to start learning to trust Deckerd and the Build Team. The others? He doesn't recall that much...
"Alright, show me."
Kagerou took the spot right next to Radiant Prism and upon starting after instructions from Radiant Prism on how to use the weapon in return, his aim was clearly on the low side but did fairly well for using a handgun for the first time. As Deckerd watched, he considered the three of them fortunate that Azuma wasn't present to rant and discourage them about their accuracy which was something Deckerd was glad for as he couldn't do with him being present and giving Kagerou a hard time. He still needed time to adjust to humans, and he hoped that he understood and would give the prototype the time he needed to adjust. Of course he didn't forget that Radiant Prism also has an issue with humans himself...
'Hm...'
He thought more deeply into this issue, continuing to watch as Radiant Prism occasionally gave Kagerou a few tips and how to reload efficiently without wasting too much time. Questions were thrown about, especially about the different appearance of the pistols in comparison, but Kagerou improved at an impressive pace, with Kagerou learning and considering that he's never seen Radiant Prism before in the earliest moments of his activation when he was still rogue... Now he knew who was best suited to help Kagerou and perhaps even the others should McCrane be unavailable. Glancing at the results occasionally, he could see that Kagerou was learning very quickly but to him it wasn't anything new because he knows well about Kagerou possessing the same advanced technology like that of Shadowmaru, the two were essentially twins after all. At the same time, Radiant Prism seemed to be refining her aim extremely well, too. 'The more they train, the more they'll improve and the Vice-Commissioner won't have to give the Commissioner too much of a hard time.' He thought with a smile.
'Alright.' He then contacted Duke privately, explaining to him about his plan.
-You're asking me to not only to teach Radiant Prism tomorrow, but you're asking me to try and get Kagerou to trust humans again?-
"Yes, the reason is... Well..." Deckerd gave himself a moment, then explained. "It was only McCrane, Power Joe, Dumpson, and I at the time of when we were dealing with a case about machines with A.I.s being targeted by what we had believed to be by a criminal piloting a machine, but instead it turned out to be none other than Kagerou himself. During this time, we never knew that he had Super A.I. like the rest of us did until he started talking to us. I'll admit it was very troubling for me and the others to deal with one of our own who's been destroying property of both civilian and community property..." Deckerd then frowned. "...I couldn't think about arresting or even attacking Kagerou during the most critical moment when we were dealing with him. It was also during this time that we were introduced to his younger twin Brother, Shadowmaru who didn't want us to arrest Kagerou..." Deckerd thought back those two years ago when it all happened... He knew it affected Shadowmaru when he couldn't recover his Super A.I. and it took him time to get out of his grieving and work alongside them.
He wasn't the only one however, it did greatly upset him and the Build Team that a criminal had stolen one of their own and even made copies to create the Chieftains...
-Deckerd?-
While the threat of the Chieftains and the Fahrzeurgs have ceased, he was aware that there were many Black Chieftains that still roamed about the world. Not all having gotten over their assault on the world...
-Deckerd!-
"Sorry, Duke. I lost myself in thought..."
-I've figured, but my answer remains the same. Yes, I'll try to see if I can help out in any way I can to assist with getting Kagerou to slowly trust humans again.-
"This step is also crucial for Radiant Prism, if we consider what happened with her back when she was still in Germany."
-Understood.- The call soon ended and he hadn't realised that Kagerou was staring at him, startling him. "Something wrong, Kagerou?"
"We're out of ammo."
Deckerd made his way over to the brave sized machine, a new installment for the Braves to use that bore the same commands as the human sized one, typing a few commands into the keyboard to view the history of the test results, becoming impressed that they had improved so much over the course of his conversation with Duke. However thinking about that, he hoped that Kagerou hadn't listened in...
"Very impressive, Kagerou." Deckerd smiled. "You're picking up on using a handgun very nicely. Keep up the good work overtime and you'll be getting closer to being an official member of the Brave Police alongside Radiant Prism."
Kagerou simply nodded in response, somewhat wary of the Brave Detective but not as much.
...
"Remember Power Joe, keep an optic out for the vehicle shown in the image I've sent you." McCrane warned, having no doubt it must be one of the foreign criminals though he couldn't exactly confirm it completely.
"Yeah, I'm keeping my optics peeled. So far there isn't anything to report." Replied Power Joe. "I've been monitoring the cars around me but I see nothing suspicious so far."
-Oh? Sounds like you two have gotten yourselves into a bit of a struggle, have we?- Gunmax chimed in. -What's this about a vehicle? Did some petty lawbreaker slip out of your sights?-
"No, Power Joe and I are looking for a vehicle that had been tailing me a while back." McCrane said. "Here, I'll send you the image of what the vehicle looks like, with the license plate."
There was a bit of a pause until Gunmax spoke. -Hm, I've seen this one before, the license plate is sort of familiar.-
"You have!?" Power Joe exclaimed. "Where!?"
-Stopped at one of the local stores to take a break after the kid and I dealt with a speedy lawbreaker and noticed this one had been following me for a few minutes. Guessed it would've been some foreigner wanting to curiously take a closer look at me or something, what's the fuss about?-
"Gunmax... That might've been a criminal driving that car." Power Joe slowly told the Motorcycle Detective. "One that McCrane's trying to find."
-Eh!? A criminal!? When was this!?- Yuuta exclaimed in surprise. -Gunmax, why haven't you told me?-
-I didn't want to jump to conclusions and just arrest someone at ran- Wait, that vehicle was driven by a criminal...? Why haven't you guys informed me about this sooner?-
"I can't say for sure but I believe the suspect has picked you as the first target in their path before targeting me beforehand and if I'm not wrong, Dumpson might have been next during when he was taking Ayako to the airport..." Replied McCrane. "If you happen to see the same vehicle with that particular license plate again during patrol before Power Joe and I do, let us know. Should you encounter the vehicle's moving around, keep an optic on it and don't lose sight of it."
-Okay, the kid and I will keep note while we're patrolling.-
"Whatever he was doing to you, McCrane, and possibly Dumpson couldn't be good." Power Joe said. "Now that I think about it, I feel like something big might happen soon..."
The call ended afterwards, both McCrane and Power Joe felt uneasy about what was going on, the latter inquired his older Brother for more info. "I have a feeling that the criminal could have been idly observing us, whether or not they're trying to collect info on us, I'm unsure about but I have a feeling that they may come out again either sometime later, or tomorrow to try and observe us from afar." The mobile crane explained. "When we're done with patrol, I'll speak with the others about this."
As time passed, things were relatively quiet other than having encountered some commotion that they quickly resolved and dealt with. Shadowmaru had decided to join in on the search for the criminal and their vehicle but nothing turned up. When those assigned to patrol eventually returned back to the station later that evening, they found through a few recordings about that a vehicle had been stolen from one of the car rental shops. Searching through the cameras they did see the crime happening but their faces were obscured, making the case even more difficult to solve.
"The recordings aren't enough, while we've seen where they've been going, they have been following some of us." Duke pointed out. "If you look here in these specific recordings..." Typing in a few commands into his keyboard, Duke rewinds the recording until he stopped it at a specific time. "Right here, you can see that he seemed to be looking for someone else... Which I assume at the time would've been Power Joe."
"Huh... I never saw that vehicle, I was on my way back to the station for a fuel break." Power Joe replied with a shrug.
"I feel guilty that I didn't even notice them while I was speaking with Ayako at the time..." Dumpson frowned, feeling guilty that he had allowed the criminal to tail him from a distance.
"But we'll learn more once Shadowmaru comes back with any evidence he might find, maybe he'll have more better luck than us, right?" Drill Boy asked.
"Shadowmaru is very thorough in his search." Said Kagerou. "Not just because of our advanced technology, but during my previous... Status as a mere prototype at the time, I did ensure to have him trained to rely on other means of tracking and finding criminals and to try not to rely too much on the advanced systems unless absolutely necessary."
"But hasn't he used his advanced systems on multiple occasions?" Yuuta asked.
"It may appear so, but he knows not to rely on them too much. Constant usage would cause us to rely too much and we'd eventually become too sloppy in using normal means of investigation. I've learned this overtime before I'd have to teach Shadowmaru the next set of lessons."
The doors suddenly opened as Shadowmaru entered. In his servo, he held the stolen car found at the sight where it was last seen they had paused looking at. Right away, Deckerd asked the Ninja Detective if he's found anything hinted at where their suspect has gone, but only for the purple Brave to shake his helm. "No, it seems our criminal is far more clever than the ones we've dealt with on a scale that even I'm surprised they've managed to cover their tracks well." Setting the car down on his desk, he looked to the Soccer Detective. "Drill Boy, if you'd please?"
"Okay!" Getting up, Drill Boy got up from his seat. Approaching the car, he used his smaller appendages to carefully open the door which had been already unlocked beforehand. Once he had done his job, Shadowmaru began explaining the things he's learned, and from being able to get a better inspection of what was needed, everyone was left scratching their heads.
"So it is one of the criminals I'm after..." Frowned Radiant Prism. "I'm not surprised... But the longer they're here, the more concerning it is. They'll be trying to speed up looking into the machine they stole to see what else they can discover... I'm really worried about them becoming such a problem that it would stir the Japanese government in such a way that..." Unable to finish her sentence, the German Brave could do nothing but just remain at the station... Her lessons weren't completed, and she promised Redlight that she would obey any and all of Deckerd's orders... And he's never given her an order to go patrolling. "Regardless, I really need these criminals behind bars again... And that machine destroyed."
"Try not to think too much about it, Radiant Prism. If this machine is so highly advanced, it won't take them a whole day to figure out everything it has to offer." Deckerd assured. "We've dealt with powerful criminals in the past, and even if they did manage to figure everything out, we know how to deal with them accordingly."
"...Yes sir." Despite Deckerd's words, Radiant Prism still felt uneasy about it all.
They looked into the case a bit longer until it was time to retire for the night. Deckerd and Yuuta were the first to leave after they met up back down in the repair bay where even the mechanics were preparing to close and turn everything off for the night so they too could head home. Once their respective leaders left, Drill Boy then privately contacted his Brothers, wanting to speak to them privately up on the rooftop. When the entire Build Team gathered there, Dumpson was the first one to ask Drill Boy what did he want to talk to them about. "I was thinking... Yuuta and Deckerd always leave the station to head back to where Yuuta lives, right? So I thought about how you guys have friends and why haven't you guys gone to spend the night at their place too?"
The older Braves looked at one another for a moment, then returned their attention back to Drill Boy. "Well, I can't really fit in the garage of either Masaki, Kikumaro, or Emily's houses... I'd take up all the space for the driveway too so I wouldn't be able to even make room for their parents' cars..."
"It's the same with Power Joe." Dumpson replied next. "The parking spaces for Ayako's apartment complex aren't meant for construction vehicles... I'd take up about roughly almost two to three parking spots, which could anger the other residents..."
"Compared to us..." Power Joe's attention turned to McCrane, grinning. "At least you get to recharge with Seia since her base has plenty of space."
"Even if I'm on good terms with the Land Defence Forces, I don't make it a habit to visit the base constantly." Replied McCrane, trying to keep his cool. "Where as you two can choose to visit the others, I can't do so as often as you two can and I have to respect when Seia is too busy to see me. I'd say you two are lucky that you can see them at all."
"Ehh? Does that mean you don't like seeing Seia, McCrane?" Drill Boy asked curiously.
"I-" Unsure how to answer, it didn't help that both Power Joe and Dumpson were staring at him, wanting to know the answer to Drill Boy's question. He proceeded to shake his head. "We need to recharge, there's work to do tomorrow." He eventually said, deciding to avoid the topic entirely as he made his way towards the lift, calling for it.
The other three could only look at one another, the way he avoided the topic... Could something have happened between the two?
...
Searching the station, Duke had been searching for Kagerou with the intention of letting him know of Deckerd's orders. He had started with the main office, corridors and even searched the rooftop but couldn't find a trace of him. 'This would have been easier if he had our communication badges...' He thought unhappily. The station had become relatively dark, save for the dim lights offering very little light so that no one would bump into the walls or doors despite the Braves by default all have basic night vision if they needed to do night patrols. The Knight Detective checked the offices once more, no one was there much to his disappointment. "I need to speak to you, Kagerou. I know you're somewhere around the station and that you can hear me. I'm no stranger to some of Shadowmaru's use of eavesdropping on others." He was no stranger to the spots Shadowmaru had made to hide himself in, knowing the Ninja Detective liked to be out of sight at times. He gave himself a moment to peek through the blinds of the window, then turned around and jumped at seeing the dark blue coloured Brave standing in front of him a few meters away, his glowing green optics giving him away.
"You need me for something? I was about to go and assist Shadowmaru on an assigned mission given to him by the police department that requires his skill." He replied.
"I only needed to inform you about that Deckerd has assigned me to help you with a certain... Issue alongside Radiant Prism." Duke said, giving himself a moment. "It's by his orders and to help you prepare better for when you've become an official member of the Brave Police."
"...I thought I had been made as an official member of the Brave Police." Replied Kagerou, tilting his helm slightly.
"Well, yes- In a form but you're not exactly officially part of the team yet. You don't have a communication badge like the rest of us and you don't have a handgun- Something all police officers require, even Shadowmaru carries one of his own even if he may not use his very much."
Kagerou frowned as Duke explained other reasons why he wasn't an official Brave Police member yet. He was beginning to think that this was not going to be an easy task, thinking that he'd have to be put in situations that he wouldn't want lest he risk... No, Shadowmaru did tell him that they're not going to take away his freedom or anything like that, but intend on making him more part of the Brave Police... To him it was much better than what the others had wanted to do with him once he was done training Shadowmaru long ago.
"...We'll start in the morning, is that fine with you?" Duke asked.
"I wouldn't be late to whatever I'm arranged to do. But unlike Radiant Prism, I don't need the lessons that you and the others have been teaching her."
"No, because there are other things that we'd like for you to address and hopefully resolve."
"Such as...?"
"We're aware that the two of you have a fear of humans. Aside from different cases as to why, we know from Shadowmaru that you feared them due to the original plan of theirs of when they planned to have you reformatted and sent elsewhere, while Radiant Prism became afraid due to a selfish man's foolish desire of wanting to dispose of her due to failure in stopping and arresting a group of criminals- The same ones that are still somewhere in hiding."
Kagerou simply narrowed his optics, dimming them slightly. "...I find it strange that despite she fears humans, she still intends on attacking that large machine the criminals are piloting. But perhaps it could be due to her fear being temporarily pushed away to stop crime, as is with the entire Brave Police."
"It's not an impossible task to conquer your fears." Duke replied. "There is always a balance of many things in life, bravery cannot eliminate fear entirely, nor could fear itself entirely eliminate bravery."
There was a long moment of silence, until eventually Kagerou gave a nod after letting it all sink in. "Compared to the other members, you seem to know quite a whole lot. But keep in mind that neither myself or Radiant Prism can get over our fears in a single day, because nobody can get over their fear in an instant." His attention then started to focus onto the area just below Yuuta's desk, to which he then called Shadowmaru out as the purple Brave slowly came out of his hiding spot.
"Shadowmaru...? Why were you eavesdropping?" Duke asked, clearly disappointed at this.
"I was hoping to come out until you two were done talking." Replied Shadowmaru. "I would've waited outside, but I prefer to keep out of sight at times."
"You didn't conceal yourself completely, little Brother." Kagerou smirked. "I've already been well aware that you sneaked in here through the ceiling no matter how quiet you were."
Duke was a bit stunned at how Shadowmaru managed to sneak his way into the office without him even hearing that the ceiling cover had been moved let alone did he even take notice to even see the Ninja Detective. Then again he shouldn't be surprised considering that it was most likely that he hid himself carefully behind Kagerou in the midst of his conversation with the prototype. "I won't keep you two any longer, I'm sure the both of you have a special mission assigned to the both of you. I need to head down to the repair bay and join the others now that this conversation has come to an agreement."
Once Duke left to join the others in recharging, Shadowmaru looked over at his elder Brother. "Are you really sure about wanting to come along, Kagerou? As Mr. Knight said, you aren't officially a full member of the Brave Police quite yet."
"What's wrong with wanting to see my little Brother in action? I want to see how much you've improved in a real scenario rather than the mock trainings we've done together."
"Hm... I suppose I could show you more of my improvements over the past two years." Shadowmaru smirked. "You might have seen my combat skills have improved and a few other things, but I can tell you that I've improved on other things you've yet to see in action. Let's go, we should head out."
"You take the lead, then." Replied Kagerou, the two ninjas left the station and towards their assigned mission.