Space Case
Age: Fifteen
"Raph, get my medical bag. Stat!"
"Guys."
"Check if he has a temperature!"
"Guys."
"Stay with me, Bro!"
"GUYS!"
Everyone froze.
Leo looked around the kitchen at his brothers frozen mid-panic.
Meanwhile, Splinter sat calmly at the table, a cup of tea in his hands with a quirked eyebrow serving as the only sign that anything about the situation struck him as irregular.
Leo took a deep breath.
"All I said was that I, Leonardo Hamato, am giving up Space Heroes for good. That's all."
"He's delusional." said Donatello. "We need to get him to the medical bay now!"
"Donnie, I'm not—"
Mikey grabbed Leo in a tight hug. "It's okay, dude. You'll be better soon."
Leo growled. "Enough!" He shoved Mikey away.
"I'm not sick, okay?! I'm giving up Space Heroes to become a better leader. Space Heroes is an unnecessary distraction, and as the great General Butakao said—"
"Woah, woah, woah. Hold your butter cow." interrupted Raph.
"Butakao!"
"Buta-whatever. Are you trying to tell me this whole Space Hero thing is just you going on another newly elected leader power trip?"
"I do not go on power trips!"
"Yesterday you tried to make Mikey do a thousand backflips blindfolded." said Donnie dryly.
"Yeah, bro! You know I get nauseous at nine-hundred ninety eight!"
"Which is why you need to practice to overcome that!" shouted Leo.
Raph turned to Splinter. "Sensei, will you knock some sense into this knuckle-head?"
Splinter looked from Raph to Leo before setting down his tea cup.
"I admit it is peculiar that you would give up something you love so much so easily, Leonardo. What brought about this decision?"
"I wanna be just like General Butakao, sensei. At age ten he burned every toy he ever owned, and by the time he was he was in his prime he had toppled six shoguns leading a band of ten men armed only with a wok a pair of chop sticks! If I become a leader like him there's no telling what I could do!"
Splinter smiled. "I see…In that case I think you're making an excellent decision."
"Yes!" shouted Leo.
"Michelangelo, as of this moment you now own all of Leonardo's Space Hero memorabilia."
"WHAT?!"
"Awww, yeah, boi!" Mikey flipped over the counter and sprinted for Leo's room.
"But sensei!" shouted Leo.
"What is the matter? Did you wish to burn them instead?"
"No, but…I…"
Raph and Donnie burst out laughing.
"Relax, Leonardo." said Splinter. "I'm sure Michelangelo will take excellent care of your discarded toys."
Mikey rushed up holding an armload of Space Hero stuff.
"Hey, sensei. Should I take Leo's collection of ultra-rare comic books too?"
Leo's jaw dropped.
"By all means, Michelangelo." said Splinter. "And make sure to alleviate him of his cardboard cut outs as well. We wouldn't want him to be tempted to pick up his old ways."
"Sweet!"
Leo reached out a weak hand as Mikey zipped away with all his prized possessions. Meanwhile Raph and Donnie continued pounding the counter in laughter.
"Great job, Fearless." laughed Raph. "You're lookin' more Buta already!"
Leo glared at them before taking a deep breath. He turned and bowed to Splinter.
"Thank you, sensei. For helping to free me of my childish possessions."
"Anything to help, my son."
Leo turned and marched away with his head held high.
And Splinter watched, a smile on his face and a rather curious glint in his eye.
The next morning…
Mikey stood at the stove rocking out to a song on his headphones as he worked two skillets at once.
"Batter in the pan, to make my cakes.
Flip 'em up fast, don't hit those breaks.
Stack 'em up high.
Stack 'em up fly.
Sy-rup
Serves it up
For this turtle guy.
BOOM!"
Mikey SLAMMED the handles of both skillets causing four perfectly cooked pancakes to flip through the air and land neatly on four tall stacks of similar pancake on the table.
"Aw, yeah, son! Fifteen in a row, yo!"
Mikey flipped over the counter into the living room.
"Breakfast is ready!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.
Slowly, Raph, Donnie, Leo, and Splinter drifted into the room.
"Are those pancakes?" asked Donnie with a massive smile.
"Special request from sensei, bros." said Mikey with a wink.
"They can be a special request from Shredder for all I care." stated Raph excitedly as he jumped into his seat, his hands flying to the utensils.
Leo walked towards the table.
"Did you get my-WHAT IS THAT?!"
Leo flung a frantic finger at Mikey who was currently sporting a batter covered baby sling across his chest. And in the sling sat none other than—
"My Space Hero limited edition action figures from the Garpozian saga!"
"Uh, I think you mean my Space Hero limited edition action figures from the Garpozian saga." corrected Mikey.
"You took them out of their box?!"
"Well, duh! They looked so sad all cooped up and un-played with."
"They were in mint condition!"
"What's it to you, Fearless?" asked Raph through a mouthful of pancake. "Didn't you give up Space Heroes so you could be more like General Butter Cow?"
Leo turned a fiery glare on him before taking a deep breath.
"You're right. Mikey can do whatever he wants with them. Even if it's completely—"
He took another deep breath, centering himself once again. He looked at Mikey.
"Did you fix my breakfast order?"
Mikey nodded. He flipped over the counter and grabbed a bowl from next to the stove.
"One bowl of pickled ume plums. Extra sour and served with a smile."
Mikey slid the bowl in front of Leo.
"Ume plums?" asked Donnie.
"But you hate pickled ume plums." stated Raph. "You called them demonic sour balls from the pits of Gribulon 7."
"General Butakao had a bowl of pickled ume plums every day for breakfast." stated Leo as he took his seat. "If he can do it then so can I!"
Leo stared at the bowl. He took a deep breath and then popped one of the soar morsels in his mouth.
Immediately he cringed, his face contorting as everything in him rebelled against the vile flavor. Eventually he managed a weak smile.
"Tasty." he squeaked out.
"This is harder to watch than Donnie trying to flirt with April." said Raph.
"Hey!"
"Well, I for one applaud Leonardo's dedication." said Splinter as he helped himself to another pancake.
"Thank you, sensei."
"No, thank you, my son. Your devotion to become exactly like Butakao has inspired me."
"It has?"
Splinter nodded.
"As such you may skip today's training session while I instruct your brothers on how to follow your example."
"WHAT?!" shouted Raph.
"Really?!" exclaimed Leo, a massive grin across his face.
"You can't be serious, sensei!" shouted Donnie.
"Please, my sons. We all have areas we can improve in and I believe there is great benefit in Leonardo's mimicry. Now Leonardo, why don't you go 'hang out' with April while I instruct your brothers."
"Yes, master Splinter!" said Leo. He quickly scarfed another plumb, struggled for a moment to hold back his vomit, and then sprinted for the turnstiles, a beaming smile still plain across his lips.
Raph turned to Splinter.
"You seriously want us to be like him?!"
"I never said I wanted you to be like him." answered Splinter as he took another bite of pancake. "I said I wanted you to follow his example."
The three turtles stared at Splinter before looking at each other.
Leo practically skipped down the sewer tunnels on his way back from April's.
Today had been a perfect day! He had started his new…tasty breakfast regime, spent an entire day educating April on all of General Butakoa's 447 military exploits—
Elsewhere…
April SCREAMED into her pillow.
-And now at long Splinter was finally teaching his brothers to follow his example. I mean, it was always inevitable that his brothers would see his value and seek to imitate him, but to have Splinter openly acknowledge his superior technique and discipline had him grinning from ear to ear!
He jumped over the turnstiles as he entered the lair, excited to see the results of Splinter's training with his less disciplined brothers.
"Guys!" shouted Leo. "I'm home!"
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
Leo jumped as an explosion burst forth from the lab.
He quickly ran into the smoke filled laboratory where he saw a purple banded figure in a white lab coat standing covered in soot.
"Donnie? Are you okay?"
The lab coat wearing figure turned only to reveal—
"Mikey?!"
And indeed it was! Standing in the center of Donnie's lab was Mikey, only instead of his usual orange mask he was wearing his brainy brother's purple mask underneath a pair of large, black goggles.
"Salutations, dear Leo! I trust your excursion to April's house was enjoyable?"
Leo stared, slack jawed.
"Uh…what?"
Mikey zipped over to Leo.
"I was just testing my hypothesis on mixing unstable chemical compounds with high energy pizza toppings, and I must say that the results were indubitably fascinating!"
"I…you…What did you do to Donnie's lab?!"
"Tut tut, my dear turtle bro. This is my lab now. Master Splinter said I needed to focus more on my academic studies and what better way to do that than to imitate the smartest person I know?"
"Donnie?"
"Precisely! And in the spirit of Donatello, GET OUT OF MY LAB!"
Mikey DROP KICKED Leo right in the chest sending him flying out of the lab and skidding across the living room floor.
Leo lay on the ground for a moment, rubbing his head.
"Hugh! Oh, yeah! Feel the burn!"
His eyes widened.
He quickly sat up and turned to the side where he watched an extremely heavy barbell pumping up and down in the air.
And for a moment Leo wondered if Mikey's drop kick had given him a concussion.
"Donnie?"
Below the barbell Donnie smirked, his usual purple mask replaced with Raph's usual red one.
"'Sup, Fearless?" mocked Donnie.
"What are you doing?" asked Leo standing up.
"What's it look like I'm doing, shell for brains? I'm pumping iron!"
Donnie sat up and dropped the barbell.
"Whew! Feels good!"
He kissed his bicep.
Leo could only watch as Donnie put on a mini-gun show with his olive green forearms.
"Is there a gas leak in here?"
"Nah." replied Donnie. "Master Splinter said I needed to work more on developing physical strength, and who's better at physical strength than Raph? Hey! Let's wrestle!"
Before Leo could so much as say a word Donnie TACKLED him, knocking the wind from his lungs and sending them both tumbling across the lair and right through the doors to the dojo.
The struggling pair rolled across the dojo's carpet laden floor before finally coming to a stop next to the tree in the center.
Donnie shoved Leo's shoulders to the ground.
"Hah!" shouted Donnie. "Pinned ya, dork!"
Donnie leapt up from on top of Leo, rolling his arms as he strutted towards the door.
Leo stayed on the ground. Maybe if he didn't move the world would stop and everything would go back to normal.
WHAP!
"Ow!"
Leo cried out as a sharp pain blossomed on his skull.
He jolted up.
And quickly wished he had stayed on the ground.
"Raph?"
There in front of him, wearing Splinter's robe, was none other than Raph, his usual red mask replaced with—
"Is that spaghetti?" asked Leo weakly.
Raph thoughtfully stroked a mustache-beard combo made of pasta hanging from his face.
He SMACKED Leo again with Splinter's cane.
"Ow!"
"These are udon noodles, young turtle." said Raph in a steady voice. "I am most disappointed by your lack of noodle knowledge."
Leo's eye twitched.
"What is happening?" he asked, his voice begging for reason.
"Master Splinter said that I lack self-control. So I have become the most self-controlled person I know. Now away with you!"
Raph SMACKED Leo again with his cane.
"Ow! Stop that!"
"I have no time to listen to such silly requests. I must now meditate. And then boil a new mustache."
Raph sat down in a meditation position, his pasta-beard jiggling with every movement until coming to a full stand-still.
Leo just stared. How had his life fallen apart so quickly?
"Master Splinter." he whispered.
He quickly got up and sprinted for the door. If there was anyone who could bring order, some shred of reason to this madness, it was his father.
"Master Splinter!" shouted Leo, desperation ringing in his voice. "Master Splinter!"
"Booyakasha!"
Leo's stomach dropped like a glacier into the Arctic Ocean.
"Please, no."
He ducked just as a skateboard sailed over his head.
From the ground Leo turned towards the skateboard and watched all his newly formed nightmares come true.
For there, upon the skateboard, was none other than Master Splinter himself, his flowing robes exchanged for a loud, Hawaiin patterned shirt-shorts combo with Mikey's orange mask wrapped around his face.
"What is up dude?" asked Splinter with a smile.
Leo stared, his breath coming in frantic pants.
"Whhhhhhhhhy?!" he screamed from the floor.
"You dudes are always saying I need to be more fun." explained Splinter. "And who is more fun than your bro, Michelangelo?"
Splinter kicked off, skating across the lair.
Past where Donnie was pumping iron.
Across the doors to the lab where Mikey was holding up a pair of smoking beakers in triumph.
Looping around Raph as he walked towards the kitchen eating half his mustache.
And then back around Leo who stood watching everything he knew implode before his very eyes.
"ENOOOOOOUUUUUUUGH!"
Everyone in the lair stopped as all eyes went to Leo.
"This is insane!" shouted Leo.
"What are you talking about, Dork-a-nardo?" asked Donnie.
"You know very well what I'm talking about! None of you are acting like yourselves! Mikey is acting like a science nerd, Donnie's a jerk, Raph's got udon on his face, and Splinter is acting like…Mikey!"
"It appears dear Leo is having some sort of mental break down." pondered Mikey.
"Most undisciplined." added Raph.
Leo stared at them in defeat as he dropped to his knees.
As Leo stared at the floor Splinter walked over and lifted up his chin.
"Are you saying you do not like the new us?" asked Splinter.
"Yes."
"And you would rather we be ourselves?"
"Yes! Finally, someone gets it!"
Splinter smiled.
"Then perhaps it would be wise for you to take your own advice."
Leo stared.
"Huh?"
Donnie, Raph, and Mikey smiled as Splinter helped Leo to his feet.
"For the past few days you have been focusing on becoming General Butakao when what you should have been focusing on was becoming Leonardo."
"I don't understand." said Leo.
"General Butakao was a great leader. But you don't need to become General Butakao to be a great leader any more than you need to act like Donatello to be smart or like Michelangelo to be fun or like Raphael to be strong."
"Though I gotta say," said Raph. "I'm liking the progress Donnie's makin' on those biceps."
Raph punched Donnie in the arm.
"A-ha-how!" screamed Donnie. "Don't do that! My arms as so sore I'll be lucky if I can lift a beaker by next Tuesday."
Splinter looked from them back to Leonardo.
"There is much we can all learn from each other," said Splinter. "but to become a great leader you must become the leader you were meant to be just as your brothers must become who they were meant to be. Understand"
Leo smiled.
"Hai, sensei."
Leo bowed.
A pensive look crossed his face.
"Sensei," asked Leo. "Is it always bad to act like someone else?"
Splinter raised an eyebrow.
"Full speed ahead!"
Leo grinned. All around him the center of the lair had been transformed into a cardboard and scrap metal recreation of the space ship from Space Heroes.
And Leo stood at the helm, dressed as Captain Ryan and loving every moment of it.
Donnie ran up to him.
"Captain Ryan! The Garpozians have fired galactic torpedoes at the ship! What do we do?!"
Leo slapped him.
"Get a grip, Crenshaw! We need to come up with a plan to counter attack. Dr. Mindstrong, how should we proceed?!"
Splinter turned around in a rolly chair, a green gem stuck to his forehead.
He stroked his beard.
"Hmmmm. Lead them into the Plasma Nebula then take them from behind."
Leo grinned as did all the other turtles.
"You heard him, men." commanded Leo. "To the Plasma Nebula!"
"YEAH!"
Author's Note: Woooooo! Chapter ten is finally here! The tenth chapter. Double digits! I'M SO EXCITED!
First off I just wanted to thank you all so much for sticking with this story for ten whole chapters! I hope you're all having fun because I'm TOTALLY having a blast! Writing for the Turtles is such a blessing, and I'm so happy to know it's helping all you beautiful people out there in internet land smile!
Let me know what you thought of this latest chapter! Thank you so hyper much for reading, and, as always, have a hyper happy day! LOVE YOU GUYS~!