The week after the Super Bowl would see a lot of the start for the real training that Shelly and Wanda would have as they went through the process to join the Rhino Guard, or at least to join its main units. Their headquarters was actually at a different location in Animalia rather than at the main police station, though that was mostly due to the fact that the Rhino Guard wasn't established at the same time as the rest of the Animalia Police Department. The fact that the Rhino Guard members were also largely bigger than Animalia's regular officers had different requirements.
"We'll get a start with some of your physical training," Sudan spoke as he lead them into a large training room.
It was large an rectangular and Shelly quickly noted that its ceiling was also high enough that she could stand fully erect without much trouble. And that was something of a personal relief. Many of the ceilings in Animalia and Lyre didn't bother her that much, at least not in the way that Animalia's Theropod and Sauropod Dinotopians were troubled, but that didn't mean that the height she'd gained in her transformation wasn't enough to be cramped in certain situations.
"A lot of this will probably be an extension of hand to hand techniques that are part of any and all police training," Sudan continued as he lead them into the room, "but there will be other measures that will have to be included regarding your natural weaponry... as while we would hope to avoid using lethal force, as all police forces should, we cannot be unprepared for the possibility of needing them."
Both Wanda and Shelly nodded as they followed. Wanda had some certainty with how to proceed, as while the Wooly Rhinoceros was extinct, it was still built like the living rhinoceros species, and as such its use of its horns would also be similar. Shelly was a bit less certain. While she did have a horn on her nose, it wasn't super long and the two horns above her eyes were actually longer, which could well mean that if push came to shove, she couldn't truly charge in the same way the rhinoceros Animalians could.
In addition as they entered, they found that Sudan had a few other Rhino Guard members who were there as well, but had been standing at a point where neither Shelly nor Wanda could have seen them when they first entered. With them was someone neither of them expected, Rex Ramos, the paleontologist who'd been recently working with Horizon with regard to some of their theories that related to Project Mesozoic and taking notes on the various Dinotopians, including himself. Sudan turned back to both of them before he continued again.
"However, with what we can see... we will have to do some things a bit differently," Sudan said slowly, "Wanda, my partners will help you with the basic stances and teach you the proper charges... both using lethal and non lethal methods. Shelly... you will be working directly with me... Partly because you've already had some police training and thus many of those stances are things you already know and partly because your anatomical features are different from modern animals."
Wanda and Shelly both nodded and Wanda was soon walking across the room with the other two rhinoceros Animalians leaving Shelly with Sudan and Animalia's resident Tyrannosaurus.
"Now... I'm sure you're to some degree aware on the theories on what a Triceratops used its horns for as part of the regulations related to conversion," Sudan said slowly, "but Mr. Ramos here has done a lot of work and study on dinosaurs and would be invaluable in brainstorming some ideas..."
"Of course, sir," Shelly nodded, "I'd think that the two horns above my eyes could well be the main weapon... though a lot of what I've read wouldn't necessarily suggest that they were intended to charge at predators with them."
"And they probably didn't," Rex commented, "as the animal that would have been strong enough to kill a Triceratops... the Tyrannosaurus Rex was both larger and taller than Triceratops. The Triceratops could easily disembowel a T-Rex with its horns, but the blow might only mean that the bigger animal would only fall on top of it."
"But that wouldn't apply to Shelly, correct?" Sudan asked.
"Because as a Dinotopian that she can stand on two legs, yes," Rex nodded, "Though with the length of the horns above her eyes, that'd probably something to find ways to avoid making contact with rather than going into someone with them... as getting the target off of those horns would then be difficult."
"So, what do you think?" Sudan asked, "we figured a bull would be the best possible teacher, given where a bull would have its horns, though I wanted to run it by you first..."
"I really can't say," Rex said slowly, "I can tell you what the actual animal used its horns for... primarily in fights with OTHER Triceratops... and could use them as something to deter attacks by predators... but I'm no expert on combat, and my instincts are more geared on figuring ways around those horns, not how best to use them."
"If it comes down to it, I think I can look down the horns and follow them in," Shelly commented, "IF things get to the point of a lethal confrontation. And since I'm not a strict quadruped the way the actual Triceratops was, I can push a target off if need be. And could leave things in a non lethal situation to a shoulder/hip check."
Sudan did nod to that. It wasn't quite what he'd hoped for, but then it was the best he was probably going to get for the moment and thus he'd go with it. And the more non-lethal avenues was also something that he could more easily work with, as it would relate knowing who that Shelly and Wanda would need to hold back with and by how much. And there, they had special tackling dummies set against a corner of the room. The dummies had pressure sensors in them that could tell just how much force was applied, which was critical when one considered just how strong an Animalian and particularly the larger ones could be.
"Okay, we can work with that," Sudan spoke as he moved to collect one of those tackling dummies, "Starting with the basic tackles and so on. Though there... remember that you will probably have to hold back a lot with regards to the force you exert in the blow. As while Animalia wants to be prepared for any possible situation that may arise, for the most part when we've had to deal with criminals, they've been humans who are much smaller and weaker than we are."
Shelly slowly nodded. Animalia really didn't have much to contend with regards to Animalians causing trouble. It was theoretically possible if there was a case where someone was mentally imbalanced before becoming an Animalian and wasn't prepared for the influx of instincts that related to that animal in question, which is what happened with Heather and set up the Rhino Guard's first operation with regard to responding to her. However, the odds of that were generally rather low and that most situation that they were most likely to face would relate to dealing with someone that was much smaller than them and thus wouldn't be a major threat to them.
Sudan set the big tackling dummy up on an end and then walked over to pick up an iPad like device. Shelly guessed it had the readouts for the pressure sensor in the tackling dummy. With it, he returned to steady the tackling dummy and looked to Shelly.
"Okay, we'll start with your best and the most strength you can put into it," Sudan spoke as he looked to Shelly and then glanced to see Wanda and his other two Rhino Guard members. They were working Wanda through the various stances and what made the best stance to charge out of. "I'm assuming it be high... but it would be nice to know for sure."
Shelly nodded and took a few steps back and then assumed the basic ready stance that she'd learned while going through training in her state's police academy before cancer earned her an honorable and early discharge. It gave her a reasonably wide stance to be able to hold firm against anyone attacking her but wasn't such that she couldn't dodge or charge as the situation would require. With the present case being training, that sort of situation was obvious. She then took off across the matt, feeling it the material compress under her steps, but it didn't impede her. As she got close to the tackling dummy she moved her head to a side and dove forward, as if tackling the dummy in a football like manner. Both came to the ground with a loud thud and skidded a few feet along the top of the matt. As Shelly returned to her feet, she noted Sudan looking to the pad he had picked up a few moments before.
"So... how'd I do?" Shelly asked.
"The form is perfect," Sudan commented, "and I'll say that you've easily exceeded what any other member of the Rhino Guard has managed with the pressure sensor."
"Probably just my greater mass, sir," Shelly commented as she stood up and set the tackling dummy up again.
Sudan soon rested a hand on top of it to steady it. He looked to her with a small nod of agreement. The fact that Triceratops is larger than the White Rhinoceros and the Wooly Rhinoceros was the most likely reason for the greater force that Shelly had been able to deliver in her tackle was fairly obvious. But that still didn't change how impressive the numbers that the pressure sensor indicated. In fact they actually did exceed the numbers that Sudan had guessed Shelly could reach, which only made it more impressive.
And so, that first day of training continued in essentially monitoring just how strong Shelly and Wanda were and helping both with the means of holding back their great strength, which would be critical. Especially given the force that both the Rhino Guard's Dinotopian and Cenozoic Animalian could exert when going all out. That force would be more than enough to snap a human spine and cause major, if not lethal, damage, and as such Sudan and his other officers did their best to coach Wanda and Shelly on how to hold back in cases where they may be deployed against someone that wouldn't be big enough or strong enough to go all out on. Rex remained for much of the day, and Sudan did consult him a bit with regard to Dinotopian strength levels, but outside of that he remained rather quiet.
All things considered, both Shelly and Wanda ultimately felt fairly confident that they'd had a good start to their training.