A/N: 2003 ver, just some kind of… space battle arena thing! Hope you enjoy!
Whenever they got themselves into space, they always got themselves in trouble. That trouble usually involved a stolen spaceship, and that was the case this time as well.
How they had gotten themselves into this mess was a long story, but how they got from their own (stolen) ship into a prison on some strange planet was a shorter one. Their ship had apparently belonged to the enemies of the planet they had arrived to, and their explanations that they weren't allies to their enemies were coldly rejected. They had been thrown into a prison, and apparently they were waiting for their turn to take part in some kind of 'arena game.' They had been in one before, so they couldn't help but wonder what it was with them getting into weird space games.
In this prison, their hands weren't tied nor did they have shackles in their legs. They had learnt the painful way that the guards could electrocute them with just a press of a button, bringing memories from the Triceraton prison. Oh, good times.
"How do we always end up going to prison when we visit space?" Mikey had asked.
They had been marked with numbers; Mikey was 1, Don 3, Raph 4 and Leo 5. Don had already figured out the meaning of the numbers. "It must be the order we'll be entering the arena. Remember, they said that the tradition here is that the oldest of the group was usually the last one, right? Mikey is the youngest, so it makes sense." Nobody had been pleased about Mikey being the first, especially Mikey, but there was no way to chance the numbers.
It also bothered them that this time they would be fighting alone. If they'd face anything like the monster they had faced in the Triceraton battle arena they'd be in trouble. It had been hard enough to beat it even with the four of them – so to do that alone…
They'd find out today. They had been picked up from their cell and walked into a simple, grey room. In the room there was sitting a strange, bluish creature with red eyes. He looked cautious, watching the turtles with care and backing up a bit as they arrived.
"Oh right, the teams have five members, that's why the number 2 was missing. You must be our fifth member, right…?" Don asked, and carefully the blue alien nodded. Mikey grinned, stepping a bit closer to talk to him.
"Heya, I'm Mikey. Digging your skin color! What's your name, dude?"
The stranger didn't show any emotion, just tilted his head. "I don't carry a name here. I just fight to get out", he said in a high pitched voice. "I hope you won't make a big show. I don't want the audience to vote us to the next battle."
Mikey was a bit surprised, looking back at his brothers. But the stranger continued. "I also hope you don't disappoint on the arena. You don't look too strong."
Mikey's eyes shot back at him, looking down on him. He was shorter and smaller than the turtles, yet he spoke like he could take all of them here and now.
"Well, when we came in, you were looking pretty scared", Raph grumbled, stepping forward as well. "You talk big for your size."
"I don't want to fight", the stranger said. "I was just wary of you. Sometimes you get aggressive prisoners in your group, so you have to be careful. They don't care who they fight – many have been killed in these waiting rooms by their own group members. I wish to get along. I wish to survive. I hope you do too."
"So, you've been on the arena before?" Leo spoke up.
The stranger nodded. "And I see you have not. Just my luck", he mumbled, sounding annoyed. He then eyed the turtles, noticing the number 1 on Mikey's arm. "Hm. I hope you can take down at least one", the stranger grumbled, then turning away from them. So much for "wanting to get along."
"Any advice you could give us?" Leo asked. The stranger scoffed. "No advice will help you here. You either can or can't fight." Leonardo crossed his arms and looked at Don, who just shrugged.
"Attention!" A loud voice; the announcer. "We'll go through the rules now. Attention, please. They won't be repeated.
"On the arena, you will fight to death. If you manage to kill your enemy, you'll face the enemy group's next battler. If you kill them as well, you'll then face their third member, and so on. However, it is possible to yield by dropping on your knees, and that means that both of your knees will have to touch the ground. If you yield or die, the turn to fight will be given to the next one in your group.
"If the last one of the group yields, their life will be spared. After a month of prison they'll get a new group and get to try the game again."
"Well, why don't we all just yield, so when Leo yields we'll just be spared?" Mikey piped in.
"Yeah, and after a month we'd just be here again", Raph grumbled. Mikey shrugged. "But we'd figure out how to escape during that time." Don and Leo hushed them; they'd need to hear the rules properly.
"If the last one of the group does this, all the previous survivors in his group will be executed."
Mikey stared and Raph shook his head, should've figured something like that. Even though it made no sense.
"Okay, maybe we won't be doing that", Mikey decided, sounding nervous again.
"If the last one of the group dies, his group will be executed. The audience can vote against it, if they want to see the group or some of its members again on the arena. In that case, they'll go back to prison and attend the game again", the announcement continued in the same, monotone voice.
"If the last one of the group wins, the audience votes for their life. They get spared if the audience wants to see them again."
"Harsh", Mikey breathed. "And stupid, who made these rules?"
"This game is not meant for the whole group to survive", Don mumbled. "It's meant for the survivor of a single individual – who is often the oldest and most experienced of the group, the last one. If the last one has got a bad group who loses or yields quickly, the last one has bad chances of winning as he'd have to win everything by himself. Therefore they yield, surviving themselves, but getting their weak group killed… hoping that next time they'll get a better group so that they could win. It's brutal; they're doing this for fun, for winning."
They were impressed by Donatello's quick analysis, but it also made them feel even more uncomfortable about the situation they were in. The stranger wasn't that impressed, just scoffing at Donatello's words, already knowing all this.
"Think we're going to be against some really awful, experienced guys who just want to win?" Mikey asked, laughing nervously.
"With our luck, yeah", Raph said grimly.
Leo was frowning, thinking about the rules; he was the last one, but even if he won, it didn't automatically mean he'd get spared. The audience had to vote for him. The audience would have to vote for his brothers as well, unless they found a way to escape before that. But for now, he hid the worry, placing a firm hand on Mikey's shoulder.
"Or they could have a group of unexperienced members like us", Leo tried to comfort his brother. "Even though we're unexperienced on this arena, were not unexperienced in battle– think of this as a normal fight, just no weapons. Think about all the battles we've been through."
His words made the stranger look at them with mild disbelief. He clearly didn't see them as fighters.
Mikey bit his fingers, a nervous habit of his, not really listening to his brother as more frightening thoughts had entered his mind. "But what if they all really are some battle gods, it would be like five final battle bosses in row, oh man, we're goners–"
Raph slapped the back of his head. "Shut up, Mikey. We ain't scared of some aliens who want to win something this stupid", Raph grumbled.
"We'll just win, go to the prison and figure out how to escape before the next game", Leo added. "Or even better, figure out a way to escape before going back to the prison." His brothers turned to look at Leo when he spoke, and Leo looked back at them.
"What?" Leo asked.
"Did you just sound nervous, Fearless Leader?" Raphael teased and Leonardo crossed his arms, looking grim again. Don stepped a bit closer before he spoke.
"It's because you're the last one, right?"
Leo fell silent, but nodded eventually. He clenched his fists. It was Raphael's turn to place his hand on Leo's shoulder. "Oh, don't worry. Don't you trust us to be able to fight? There won't be anything left for you if it's up to me."
"I don't like to just watch", Leo mumbled.
"Want to have all the glory yourself?" Raph continued, sounding way too cocky. Leo didn't like that, didn't want Raph to take this too lightly, and he shook Raphael's hand off.
"It'd just be better if we could fight together", Leo sighed, and his brothers silently agreed with that.
"First group – get ready!" the announcer's voice howled through the arena again. A door on their left opened, and the brothers looked at each other. They knew there was security everywhere, and they'd just get into trouble again if they hesitated now. They walked to the door, Mikey slower than the others.
"I don't wanna", Mikey whined, but Raph pulled him after them.
"Just yield then", Raph said. "Don can do that too – I can fight your opponents", he continued his blustering. Don laughed a bit at that.
"Well, I'm going to try to take down at least one", Don said sheepishly. "But Raph is right, Mikey. If things get too rough, just yield." Don's reassuring look made Mikey take a deep breath and calm down a bit.
"Well, I'm the Battle Nexus Champion – this should be no problem!" Mikey announced, making Raph groan and Don chuckle. It would be better if Mikey got his spirits up, as long as he wouldn't get too cocky.
"Better watch it, Don – could be that there's nobody left for you", Mikey continued, but was unable to completely shake the nervousness from his voice. Raph grinned and looked at Leo. "Same goes for you, Fearless", he smirked. "There's no way I'm yielding."
"Battlers. If you decide to yield, you will be returned here, where you can watch the battle continue. Keep in mind that we don't provide healers; if you die from the wounds you got from the battle, it does not matter to us. You have five minutes before we begin."
Mikey's confidence disappeared and he was panicking again. "But- but what if I can't get to my knees before they decide to beat me, what if I fall on my shell instead? What if they hit my pretty face and there are no healers– "
"Mikey", Raph grumbled warningly. Leo turned to look at his brothers.
"Listen, don't take any unneeded risks. Avoid situations where you couldn't get on your knees, don't let them grab you, avoid taking hits to the head. If it looks even a little bit like the next blow would really hurt you – just drop on your knees. If there are no healers, we can't take that kind of risks", Leo spoke gravely.
The stranger laughed for the first time. Leo ignored him.
"I think we can take a hit or two, Leo", Raph grumbled in return, ignoring the stranger as well. "I'm not getting' on my knees after the first punch I take."
"But we don't know what we'll be up against – they could be much bigger than we are. It would be easy for them to prevent us from kneeling, and they'd easily… kill us. Do you want to risk that, Raph?"
Raph answered with silence, but Mikey turned to Leo with big, sad eyes. "Then how are we supposed to fight against someone way bigger than us without weapons? Remember when we fought that giant tentacle thing on the Triceraton arena? We would've really gotten our shells kicked without that statue!"
"Well haven't you guys just traveled the universe", the stranger mumbled upon hearing about the Triceratons, but he was ignored once again.
"You have to think out of the box, just like back then", Leo said. "Wear the enemy down and use your agility against them. You're great at that kind of stuff, Mikey. You can use your brains when you really want to."
Mikey snickered a bit. "Was that supposed to be a compliment?"
"Take it as one", Leo smiled back. But his smile quickly faded. "And remember; don't hesitate yielding. It doesn't matter if you don't beat your opponent. Just… don't get hurt."
Mikey's face was a mix of confidence and fear, but he gave Leo a thumbs up. "Hurt? When do I ever."
"It's time", the announcer interrupted them. "Number one."
"Wish me luck, bros", Mikey said, and they heard how he tried to keep his panic in control. A door opened in front of them, but before he went, Raphael patted his shell.
"Don't push it", he said in a low tone, and Mikey smiled at him. "See you in a bit", Don said, and Mikey grinned. "Naturally! After all, I am the Battle Nexus–" the door closed behind him before he could finish. Raphael shook his head, and they all moved to the window where they could see the arena.
During their discussion they hadn't had time to really look at it, but now they saw it clearly. They saw the audience, but couldn't hear loud cheers like the last time they were in the same kind of situation. No, there were no reporters updating the audience on the situation nor a generally cheery atmosphere. They were all just waiting patiently… for the bloodshed.
Leonardo bit his lip as he watched Mikey appear on the arena. At the same time his opponent appeared too, and they all grimaced a bit. He was muscular and tall, and actually looked a bit like the opponent Mikey had had the last time they had battled at the Battle Nexus. Mikey had gotten kicked around back then, but had won at the end. So they didn't know how Mikey would react to this, would he remember his last battle and be scared, or be confident since he won the last time?
"There's nothing to use on the arena. Just your own hands and legs", Don observed.
"Wouldn't be the first time Mikey beats a guy like that without any outside help", Raph pointed out. They'd just have to watch and see.
On the arena Mikey was feeling nervous. Like his brothers, he thought the guy looked familiar; maybe he was from the same planet where his opponent from the Battle Nexus had been. Mikey wouldn't let that affect him; apparently all the guys from that planet tended to get into battle arenas.
The arena wasn't very big, but the walls around it were huge. When he looked up, he could see the audience. It was eerily quiet, but Mikey didn't have time to think about the audience. He had to keep his eyes on the enemy, couldn't let his attention slip. They started circling each other, Mikey trying to figure out how to take out this guy way bigger than him. Going for the legs would be the easiest way, the bigger they were, the harder they fell, right? But he'd have to get close, and he didn't want to give this guy a chance to grab him.
As they stared at each other, Mikey didn't feel any kind of bloodthirst coming from his opponent. He looked like the kind of guy to be easily agitated and therefore his consecration would be easy to break, but he didn't feel like that. Maybe he just wanted to survive and get out of here like he did. Or maybe he was just good at hiding his thirst for battle – you just couldn't know. But the feeling he got was more like… like he wanted to respect him. Like neither one of them really wanted this, but just had to. He could've started with taunting, trying to get the other one worked up, but he settled for waiting.
And he didn't need to wait for long; his opponent lunged, ready to punch. He was tilted forward, so going for his legs now wasn't a good idea, so he should go for his neck. Just as the fist came close Mikey jumped, but to his shock his enemy had expected him to do that. He grabbed the smaller turtle while he was in the air, smashing him on his shell to the ground. "The small ones always go for the neck", his opponent whispered as Mikey struggled in his grip.
"No!" Raph bellowed, punching the window. Don moved unconsciously closer to his brothers, looking worriedly at the arena. Leo clenched his fists, but forced himself to stay calm, placing his hand on Raphael's arm.
"Mikey will get free", Leo said, but it didn't make any of them feel better. The stranger chuckled as he watched.
"You sure talked big earlier but here we are now", he said. Raph stepped away from the window, ready to punch the guy, but Leo stopped him.
"Raph", he warned, and they returned to the window. Seeing Mikey was more important at the moment.
They moved just in time to see how the enemy's fist connected with Mikey's face.
It made all of them flinch, and Raph growled loudly. "I'll go there and I swear I'll–"
But Mikey's struggling had paid off; he had managed to get his leg in position and kicked his opponent's face, and with a grunt the giant let go of him. Mikey jumped back up, and before putting some distance between them he kicked his opponent again. He hadn't quite recovered from the first kick straight to his eye, so it was easy to hit. This time Mikey only hit his cheek, so it wasn't as effective, but hey, it was something.
But now there was some distance between them again, and Mikey had time to touch his hurting face. His opponent had really hit him hard, and by the headache and pain it had caused, Mikey figured he couldn't take any more of those. He had to shake his head a bit to clear his mind, yeah, definitely couldn't afford taking any more of that.
His opponent had recovered, looking a bit irritated by his eye, but otherwise nothing in his posture had changed. He was the one to attack first again, and Mikey panicked a bit. What should he do now? Try to do what he had tried at first or just try to avoid him? That would basically mean just running away. And that would mean Mikey would just waste his energy for nothing; there was no way out of this.
Well, if he couldn't go up, he'd go down. As his opponent came closer Mikey slid under him and appeared behind him, and before the giant could turn Mikey had jumped. A swift kick got a pained grunt out of his enemy, but it wasn't enough to make him fall. Afraid of the punches Mikey put some distance between them again, and that gained an annoyed grunt form the giant. Not so patient after all.
Or maybe he was, because he didn't lunge again. They were back to circling each other, and it just went on and on until Mikey could feel his patience ending. But this was better than taking a punch, so he wasn't in any hurry.
Distant booing could be heard from the audience. Well, at least they wouldn't want to vote for Mikey, which was good. Or was it? He couldn't remember the rules. It felt weird to think that being popular wasn't good – Mikey liked to be popular! But, well… not like this.
The audience didn't seem to matter to either one of them, so the circling continued. Until a loud, whistling noise came from their left side and Mikey turned to look. But that was a mistake; his opponent hadn't cared about the whistle, and in just seconds he attacked. Mikey's attention was instantly back on him, but he had no time to move; a strong kick sent him flying through the air. His shell took the impact of his fall, but the kick really hurt. Mikey groaned, knowing he'd need to get up and away. He had been so stupid to look at the whistle, it had just been a bluff by the announcer – but he had been startled by it!
Mikey got up, shocked by his opponent's speed – he had already caught up. Mikey couldn't move fast enough this time either, but he tried to block the punch. He managed to guard most of his face with his hands, but the force sent him back to the ground. But this time he did not hesitate. As the enemy's hand came down to grab him again Mikey gave his fingers a strong kick, making him pull his hand back. With a swift move Mikey was back on his feet, trying a direct approach this time. He kicked the enemy's stomach, and when he reeled forward Mikey got a chance to jump up and kick him on the head. That sent him stumbling backwards, so all that was left was to repeat what he had done.
The giant was soon on his back on the ground, but still conscious. That's when it hit him; they had to fight to the death. No way would he do that, so he looked around him on the arena. What could he do?
His opponent groaned and tried to get up, but Mikey jumped on his stomach and gave him a kick strong enough to send him unconscious. The moment he did that the announcer spoke.
"The enemy is down. All that's left is death."
The audience was still silent; the battle hadn't been worth cheering for. Mikey looked helplessly around himself. "I don't want to do that; can't I just let the guy go?"
It took a long time for the announcer to answer. "We don't care. Bring in the next enemy."
Mikey's opponent disappeared from under him, and Mikey grinned. He had won! Mikey turned to look at the direction where he expected his brothers to be, but couldn't see them. Well, he knew they were somewhere up there, so he gave them a thumbs up, hoping they'd see it.
Raphael grinned down at Mikey, turning to look at the stranger. "In your face, you asshole. Better keep your mouth shut."
The stranger just crossed his arms and said nothing. It was for his benefit that Mikey had won, so why would he complain? The turtle creatures just got on his nerves. Newbies.
"Let's just hope the next one isn't worse", Don said. "Mikey already had a close call at the beginning of this fight."
Mikey had turned to face the entrance where his next opponent would appear from, feeling a bit nervous once again. The adrenaline from his victory was slowly leaving him, leaving more room for fear.
After a short wait the entrance opened, and Mikey wished it hadn't.
This opponent was about the same size as the first one, but covered in scars. Just scar after scar. And he looked mean as heck. Mikey gulped, well, he had already taken down one, right? One for all of them, right? Besides, next in turn would be the stranger, not one of his brothers. The need to just kneel and get out of here grew strong, but Mikey held his ground. He could do this. Maybe. Probably not.
It was clear from the start that there would be no circling; the audience had suddenly gotten loud, cheering upon seeing the new opponent. If the audience loved him, then it meant he had been here before and had made the audience happy. And if the audience was happy, then Mikey was in trouble.
And indeed, no circling. The red-scaled opponent sprinted towards him accompanied with a loud shriek. The being wasn't just big, but fast too. With a yelp Mikey avoided him, but it was immediately after him again. The situation was what Mikey hadn't wanted it to be; he was just aimlessly running away from the beast hunting him, screaming from the top of his lungs. All he needed to do was to kneel, but he hadn't even touched the beast. He'd need to try, at least. Mikey made a sharp turn, using the tactic he had used with the giant earlier. He slipped through the beasts legs, or at least he thought he had done that.
He had only gotten half-way when the beast grabbed his hand and lifted him up in the air. It brought Mikey in front of its face, grinning at him with a mouth full of sharp teeth. Which it shouldn't have done; Mikey's flexibility was of use once again, and he kicked the being in the face. He was on a roll with kicking monsters in the face today.
But the opponent didn't even seem to be bothered about it; its grip did not loosen. It just tightened and Mikey grimaced against the pain, aiming his next kick to its stomach. It hit, but the enemy's eyes just lit up at that. With horror Mikey realized that it opened its mouth, aiming to take a bite.
Mikey punched the side of its face with his free hand, gaining an angry growl from it. It grabbed his other hand to prevent Mikey from punching, but the turtle had decided to not give it a taste; Mikey kicked, this time with both of his legs. Two strong legs to the chin did the trick, and Mikey was released.
When there was ground under his feet once again Mikey felt the urgent need to get away, but his opponent was faster to recover than expected. Its hands came down, hitting Mikey on the back of his head, making him fall on his plastron. Mikey moaned in pain as he blinked sand from his eyes, letting out a horrified scream as he suddenly felt teeth on the side of his shell. His opponent really wanted a bite, but had chosen a bit bad place to try. The audience cheered loudly, but Mikey didn't like the fact that there would soon be teeth marks on his shell. But the position was awkward; he couldn't really move or he'd give his enemy a perfect chance to switch from shell to skin. But the apparently-hungry-beast had decided to try to fix that itself; Mikey felt how it tried to turn him around in order to bite him elsewhere.
"What the fuck, is that even allowed?" Raphael shouted, punching the window again. "He's trying to eat him!"
"Oh, everything's allowed here", the stranger said, but sounded quite worried knowing he'd most likely be against that beast next. He could only hope the beast would be slowed down by the meal it was about to get.
Mikey tried to fight back – but there was nothing to do. It would soon be able to turn him around, and he'd become a turtle burger for this beast. Leo's words don't get hurt were suddenly loud in his head and oh, what would he give if one of his brothers were here to have his back.
But they wouldn't be.
The beast finally got a better angle and repositioned its mouth.
The only thing muffling Mikey's scream was the audience howling around them.