Warning: Bit of a rant in the author's notes so skip ahead to the beginning of the chapter if you want to avoid it.
Sorry this chapter took so long. I've just been feeling a little depressed since I've been scouring stuff like tumblr and archive of our own for recent 2012 tmnt stuff, and have lately been seeing a lot of people bashing the show to hell and back, calling it crap compared to Rise (which it is not), and it makes me so mad that people say that the 2012 turtles are abusive to Mikey, or that 2012 April is a bad character, or that 2012 Raph is just a jerk who hates his brothers, or that 2012 Splinter was a bad parent, because none of that is true, and it actually gave me a headache for several days it made me so infuriated. And the absolute worst part is that a lot of this comes from people who are fans of Rise of the TMNT. And I actually used to think that show was alright, liked it even. I was one of the few people who actually gave it a chance when it came out and harbored no ill-will against it for years. But after the fans of Rise (not all of them, some of them) began bashing the 2012 show all while putting their show on a pedestal, especially after the movie on Netflix came out (which was good but is now ruined for me), it's really driven me to resent Rise now because of the Rise fans' self-righteousness and bigotry towards the 2012 show. And to make things worse, people fall for it! And it feels like there's nothing I can do about it which makes me feel so depressed, angry, and hopeless. Like what happened? People used to love this show, and now it feels they're turning on it. I just... don't understand. I have been trying to ignore it though, which has helped a little, but not by a lot. Still much appreciated to people who are fans of Rise who can also appreciate the 2012 cartoon.
Sorry about that rant, I've just had a bad few past weeks, and I just needed to vent. With that said, let's begin!
Chapter 6: Welcome to New York
Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo, April O'neil, and Casey Jones led Po, Tigress, Viper, Crane, Monkey, and Mantis into their home as they pushed past the turnstiles.
"Welcome to our crib, yo!" Mikey said, happily jumping onto the tire-swing.
Po and the Furious Five looked around in amazement and surprise at the Turtles' lair. "You guys… live here?" Po asked.
"Yep, home sweet home." Raph remarked as leapt down onto one of the beanbags in the pit near the tv.
"When I heard you guys lived in a sewer, I thought it'd be old, smelly, and cramped." Mantis commented. "But this is actually alright."
"Yeah, it feels very… homey." Viper added with a smile.
"Not bad." Monkey grinned as he hopped onto the tire-swing with Mikey.
"Thanks for letting us stay in your home." Tigress said.
"Not a problem. Besides, it's not like you guys could stay at a random hotel." Leo replied. "And since you're all here, why don't we show you around?"
Po and the Five smiled as they bowed to the Turtles. "We would be honored for you to show us your home." Tigress smiled.
"So this is the lab, or my lab specifically." Donnie explained as they entered his lab, Po and the Five looking around, or in Po's case, messing around.
Po rushed over to the desk, peering curiously at the boiling chemicals in the beakers, his face taking the shape of the beaker as he looked through it from behind.
"Ooh, bubbly…" Po said dreamily, reaching to poke one of the beakers.
"Po, please don't touch anything," Donnie said, lightly swatting Po's hand away, "Mikey does enough of that already."
"Hey!" Mikey protested.
Crane couldn't help but look around the lab in amazement, from Donnie's desk to his trophy shelf. "Wow, this is almost like a library." He commented.
"It's definitely well organized." Tigress added.
"Well, thanks, guys. I do what I can to keep this place in pristine condition." Donnie said pridefully, leaning against his desk.
"Yeah, when stuff isn't blowing up in here." Raph quipped to Casey, making the two laugh while Donnie frowned at them in irritation.
Mantis leaped onto the desk, noticing the metallic head of a turtle with a yellow bandana tied around it's face. "Hey, uh, what's this thing?" He asked, curiously poking it with his pincer.
Donnie looked over, seeing what Mantis was asking about. "Oh, that's Metalhead. Or… what's left of him, at least." He answered.
"Metalhead?" Monkey asked curiously.
"Mikey." Leo, Raph, Donnie, April, and Casey all said, pointing to the party turtle.
"Cool name, huh? My idea." Mikey said proudly.
"So what happened to the rest of him?" Po asked as the others looked back at Metalhead's head.
"About a year ago, after one of our raids on the Kraang, I took a Kraang droid back to the Lair and used reverse engineering technology to build him." Donnie explained.
"He did it 'cause he kept breaking his staff." Mikey joked to the others.
"Oh, shut up." Donnie said, lightly shoving him. "I outfitted Metalhead with all the best gadgets and weaponry to help us fight the Kraang. But after the Kraang took him over, I had to destroy him myself, though I eventually rebuilt him after a while."
"So why is he just a head now?" Viper asked, peering curiously into Metalhead's darkened optics as she tilted her head slightly.
Donnie sighed. "The last fight he had was a real hard one. I'd upgraded his artificial intelligence so that he could function on his own, but he ended up becoming smarter and smarter."
"Artificial intelligence? What's that?" Crane asked.
"Think of it like a man-made mind." Donnie explained. "You could basically say I upgraded Metalhead until he actually had a mind of his own."
"So, wait, does that mean he can think for himself?" Po asked, with a look on his face that made it seem like he was questioning the meaning of life. "Or dream, or sleep, or eat?"
"Anyway, after a while, we started getting paranoid that Metalhead was getting too smart for his own good." Donnie said, continuing the story. "But before I could reboot his systems, he locked us in the lab and took off."
"So where did he go?" Tigress asked.
"He led us to a portal which took us directly to a Kraang facility where the Kraang had captured tons of mutants and were planning to use them as a mutant army." Donnie explained. "Metalhead was able to free the captives and reopened the portal to get us home. The only problem was that Metalhead had to stay behind to keep the portal open. We all managed to escape, but this was all that came through with us." He finished, picking up Metalhead's head and holding it in his hands while he gazed down at it in slight sorrow. "I have been meaning to rebuild him, but for now, I'm just honoring his memory."
Po and the Five smiled and nodded as they all wandered around the lab for a short time.
Viper slithered along, gazing in wonder at the trophies on the shelf; from the jar containing the remains of the Creep, to Snakweed's claw, to Slash's spike, to the Obturaculam Somnioren, and a large metal containment barrel that had a frozen set of eyes, a mouth, and guts inside…
… wait, what?!
Viper let out a terrified shriek as she jumped back into a fighting position at the sight of the tank.
"What?! Viper, what is it?!" April exclaimed as the others rushed over to her.
Po, Tigress, Crane, Monkey, and Mantis all yelped as well upon seeing the frozen tank while Leo, Raph, Donnie, Mikey, April, and Casey all collectively winced.
"Okay, what the heck is that?" Monkey asked. "Some kinda freaky science experiment?"
Donnie sighed solemnly. "No, that's… Timothy. Or… the Pulverizer as he liked to call himself."
"'Pulverizer'?" Tigress questioned, sounding rather incredulous, but immediately regretted that as she noticed the saddened look on the smart turtle's face.
Seeing how Donnie was feeling too down, Leo decided to fill in for his younger brother. "It happened a long time ago, when we first fought Baxter Stockman. Only thing was that we didn't know we were being watched by Timothy." He explained.
"He was so inspired by us that he tried to be a vigilante and fight crime. He even put on this rubber turtle costume." Mikey added. "He was actually kinda like you, Po, only before you learned kung fu."
"Ah." Po said, patting his enormous belly in understanding.
"Meaning he nearly got wasted the first fight he got in until we jumped in and saved him." Raph continued. "We tried talking him out of crime-fighting, but he wouldn't listen and just ended up getting into more trouble."
"For a while, we didn't see him again until we found out he joined the Foot Clan to try and be a better ninja." Leo added before he rubbed the back of his head. "It didn't work out too well."
"What happened?" Crane asked.
"The Foot were stealing mutagen from the Kraang with the intent of creating a mutant army for Shredder." Donnie explained. "Timothy volunteered to be mutated first with the intent of taking Shredder down when he became a mutant."
"Wait, he wanted to be a mutant?" Viper asked in disbelief.
"We didn't believe it either." Leo answered dryly.
"We tried to stop him, but in the end, we were too late." Donnie said in a regretful tone of voice. "He ended up mutating into… this." He gestured towards the frozen jar. "We contained him in this jar and brought him back here so he would be safe."
"So, how come he's on ice like this?" Po asked, tapping the glass of the jar with his finger.
"During our little falling out with April over her dad mutating into a bat back when accidentally we spilled all those mutagen canisters over the city, I was going through a hard time since I was still trying to figure out how to make retro-mutagen while we had to find every mutagen canister we had spilled." Donnie explained. "I started venting my frustrations to him about wanting to help April's dad, and he was a good listener, maybe too good a listener as he wanted to be April's friend, not to mention he blamed us for his mutation."
"Which is stupid, since he was the one who wanted to be mutated, and did it to himself on purpose." Raph added.
Donnie nudged his hot-headed older brother slightly with his elbow as he narrowed his eyes a little at him. "Anyway, Timothy had been feeling so lonely and resentful that he managed to drink some of the mutagen we had collected during our hunts, which somehow allowed him to grow appendages and allowed him to bust out." Donnie continued. "From there, he went on a rampage trying to find April, but I managed to trick him into drinking a canister of failed retro-mutagen which caused him to freeze over, hence what you see before you." He lightly patted the glass of the jar as gazed at Timothy's frozen expression sadly.
"And he's been like this ever since?" Crane asked, to which Donnie nodded.
"That's awful." Viper said sympathetically. "And you haven't managed to cure him yet?"
Donnie shrugged. "I just haven't had the time. But once I synthesize some more retro-mutagen, I'll be sure to cure him for good."
"Well, enough of this depressing stuff." Mantis spoke up, deciding to change the subject (as well as the mood). "Why don't you show us what else is here?"
"Welcome to the kitchen, yo!" Mikey said excitedly as they all walked into the room, gathering around the table in the middle.
Po placed a hand on his chin as he carefully inspected the room. "Hmm, nicely lit, appliances are all in order," He grinned as he shrugged, "everything checks out for me." He then walked up to the fridge curiously. "Although I'm not really sure what this is…"
Before Leo, Raph, Donnie, Mikey, April, or Casey could warn him, Po swung open the door to the freezer, only to let out a loud yelp before he slammed it shut.
"Po? Po, what is it?" Tigress asked out of concern for her panda, though it was masked by a sense of apprehensiveness.
Shakily, Po pointed to the fridge, eyes wide in shock and fear. "Th-there's something alive in there!"
Tigress, Viper, Crane, Monkey, and Mantis all stared at the panda like he'd grown a second head. "What?" They all asked simultaneously in confusion.
Mikey, however, smiled gleefully. "Oh, I see you've met our delicious little friend…" He paused as he went over to the fridge before swinging it open in a dramatic fashion, "... Ice Cream Kitty!"
To Po, Tigress, Viper, Crane, Monkey, and Mantis collective shock, what stared back at them was a small cat made seemingly out of strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla ice cream.
Ice Cream Kitty tilted her head curiously at the six gobsmacked kung fu warriors before she let out a friendly meow.
Gently, Mikey scooped her up and held her out in front of them. "It's okay, she doesn't bite." He said cheerfully while Ice Cream Kitty lovingly licked his face.
Viper gasped as she slithered up onto the table, allowing her to get a nice view of the mutant cat made of ice cream. "Oh my goodness! She's so cute!" She squealed, a wide smile coming onto her face as she gently petted Ice Cream Kitty with her tail.
Ice Cream Kitty purred happily, leaning into Viper's touch while the others observed her curiously.
Mikey laughed as he licked Ice Cream Kitty between her ears. "And she tastes so good, too!" He added.
Po quickly walked over and took a lick himself, instantly liking the taste. "Mmm, she does taste really good!" He exclaimed, giving Ice Cream Kitty another lick.
"So how did you guys end up getting a mutant cat made of ice cream for a pet?" Monkey asked humorously, scratching Ice Cream Kitty's chin.
"It was sort of my fault. Well, it was also Donnie and Mikey's fault as well." April explained sheepishly. "I found this stray cat on the streets while I was on my way to the guys' place and I brought it with me."
"I was still trying to figure out how to synthesize retro-mutagen at that time and Mikey's was the one who ruined my experiment by spilling his ice cream on it." Donnie added, giving the party turtle a slight glare.
Mikey huffed. "Hey, dude, you can't argue with the results." He retorted, stroking Ice Cream Kitty between the ears. "Kitty here pretty much ate some of that mutagen ice cream, and lo and behold, we have an Ice Cream Kitty!"
Just then, Ice Cream Kitty stared right at Tigress, the tall feline staring right back in complete silence.
Then, Tigress tilted her head to the left.
Ice Cream Kitty also tilted her head to match Tigress.
Tigress then tilted her head to the right, with Ice Cream Kitty following her actions.
The two then leaned in and lightly sniffed each other before Ice Cream Kitty meowed and licked Tigress' nose, leaving a small speck of ice cream.
Tigress licked the ice cream off of her nose, pursing her lips and nodding her head as she hummed to herself in thought. She then turned back to the others. "You were right, Mikey," She said before she grinned, "she does taste good."
Raph then walked back into the kitchen, apparently having left while the others weren't looking, holding a small purplish-red baby turtle in his arms. "You think she's great? Wait 'till you get a load of this little guy!" He then held out the baby turtle proudly, the baby letting out a happy trilling call.
Po, Tigress, Crane, Monkey, and Mantis looked in surprise at the appearance of the baby turtle, but once Viper set her sights on it, hearts formed in her eyes as she immediately rushed over to him.
"Oh my gosh, that has got to be the most adorable thing I've ever seen!" Viper gushed, leaning her head close to the baby, who cheerfully licked her nose and made her giggle.
"What exactly is that?" Crane asked as the others crowded around Raph, all of them focused on the baby turtle.
"A baby turtle?" Monkey questioned with a light chuckle. "Geez, Raph, what'd you do, lay an egg at some point?"
Raph frowned at Monkey, lightly flicking him on the head. "This is Chompy." He explained clearly. "He's a baby alien turtle I'm raising. You remember when we told you guys about the Triceratons?"
"Those alien dinosaurs who tried to destroy the world along with the Kraang using the Black Hole Generator? Yeah, sure." Mantis replied.
"Well, before the Triceratons invaded Earth, we were trying to stop them from finding all the pieces of the Black Hole Generator." Raph explained. "They managed to get the first two pieces, so we had to beat them to the third and final piece, which was on this volcanic lava planet called Magdomar." He lightly petted Chompy's shell fondly. "After a little scuffle with the Triceratons and Lord Dregg, I ended up getting separated from the others because of these earthquakes, which is when I found this little guy." He then nuzzled noses with Chompy, the baby alien turtle happily nuzzling him back. "We tried returning him to his giant lava monster of a mom, Tokka, but Chompy here ended up hitching a ride on me when we left Magdomar, and he's stayed with us ever since."
He then fed Chompy a small piece of pepperoni, which the baby alien turtle joyously ate.
Chompy contently swallowed the piece of pepperoni, letting out a loud burp and breathing out a small burst of flames, startling Po and the Five.
"Well, gotta say, guys, your home sure isn't boring." Po commented, earning a laugh from Leo, Raph, Donnie, Mikey, April, and Casey.
"And finally, here's the Dojo." Leo announced as they walked into the massive room, their feet feeling light on the soft red tatami mats.
Po, Tigress, Viper, Crane, Monkey, and Mantis couldn't help but look around the room in awe. The whole place was well-furbished, weapons hanging from the walls as they were lit by the light that leaked in through the skylight grates.
But what really caught their attention was the massive tree that stood nearly near the center of the Dojo, standing tall and healthy even in a place so deep underground like this. And on the other side of the room were well-preserved Japanese wallpaper art.
"It's beautiful…" Viper breathed.
Leo sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, we try to keep it as nice as possible." He said humbly.
"Well you guys did a great job because this place looks awesome!" Po said excitedly. "I mean, how the heck did you manage to grow a tree in here?!"
Tigress wandered around the Dojo before she noticed something by the wall on the opposite side of the room from the entrance. As she got closer, she noticed that on a small shelf were two photographs.
The first photograph was of a small family. A Japanese human man with kind yet stern eyes stood next to a beautiful Japanese woman who smiled a sincere and kindhearted smile. Within her arms sat a small infant girl swaddled in a blanket.
The second photograph was of a figure she recognized, Master Splinter, Hamato Yoshi himself, and noticed the same stern yet kind eyes that the man in the first photograph had. It didn't take her two and two to figure out that the man in the first photo was most likely Hamato Yoshi. In the photograph, Tigress also noticed the Turtles standing in front of Splinter smiling joyously as they all looked to be young children when this photo was taken.
It was then that Tigress also noticed that the two photos were placed in a sort of structure with small candles on both sides and incense. A small bowl with a small offering sat before her and that's when it hit Tigress exactly what she was looking at.
She was looking at a shrine.
A shrine for dead family members.
The others quickly noticed her staring and walked over, gazing upon the shrine.
"That's for Master Splinter, isn't it?" Tigress spoke up after a long silence.
Leo, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey all exchanged forlorn glances before turning back to the shrine and nodding.
Silence once again filled the Dojo as they continued to gaze upon the shrine, with April holding Donnie's arm and the two staying close to each other, Casey wrapping his arm around Raph's shoulder in a half hug,
Po, Tigress, Viper, Crane, Monkey, and Mantis all placed their fists into their palms and bowed to the shrine, showing their respect.
"We're so sorry for your loss." Crane spoke up.
"Thank you." Donnie said. "All we can do now is honor his memory, and carry on as best we can."
"Well, enough of this sad depressing stuff," Casey said, attempting to change the subject, "we should head out for patrol tonight."
"You're right, Casey." Leo agreed. "C'mon, guys, let's head out!"
The Turtles, April, and Casey headed towards the exit to the Dojo when they noticed that Po and the Furious Five were still standing there.
"You guys coming?" April asked.
"What do you mean?" Viper questioned.
"Ain't it obvious? You guys are in New York!" Raph said with a smirk. "You're not gonna stay cooped up down here the whole time!"
That took Po, Tigress, Viper, Crane, Monkey, and Mantis completely by surprise. "We're… we're going into New York…?" Po asked.
"Obviously!" Donnie stated. "Tonight, you're gonna see the bright lights and sights of the City that Never Sleeps!"
"Well, I'm all for it!" Monkey said excitedly. "It'll be interesting to see what New York has to offer!"
"Remember to stick to the rooftops and stay close to us." Leo reminded them. "We find that most humans treat us better when they don't know we exist."
"We understand." Tigress nodded. "And we'll be careful, right?" She turned to Viper, Crane, Monkey, and Mantis, who all nodded. She then glanced at Po with a stern look. "Po?"
Po flinched at his lover's sternness. "Yeah, yeah, I'll be careful, this won't be like Gongmen. Pinkie promise!" He raised his pinkie finger.
"Well, let's get going, dudes and dudettes!" Mikey announced. "The Big Apple Awaits!"
Wind rushed by the Ninja Turtles, Po, the Furious Five, April, and Casey as they leapt from rooftop to rooftop with ease. The bright lights of the buildings in the distance shone brightly like stars in the night sky as the group bounded aimlessly across the city.
"I gotta say, being in a new world, while sorta freaky, is also pretty exciting!" Viper commented as they leapt to another rooftop.
"I'll say, this place is way bigger than Gongmen City!" Crane added as he flew above them. "It's bigger than even the Forbidden City!"
"Well, New York is the biggest city in the world, or, our world at least." Donnie stated. "It sure is nothing to scoff at."
"So, is this what you do every night?" Tigress asked as they leapt another rooftop.
"Pretty much." Raph said. "Ever since we killed the Shredder and Karai took over the Foot, along with putting away Don Vizioso, crime's pretty much been on an all time low."
"Still, that doesn't mean we shouldn't be vigilant." Leo stated before they came to a stop at a random rooftop. "Looks like there's nothing tonight. Maybe we should head back."
"Well, this first trip has been a little disappointing." Mantis lamented in a disappointed tone. "I was hoping to hit something tonight."
They were about to head back down to the nearest manhole when Mikey suddenly zipped towards Leo, clutching his arm tightly. "WAIT!" The party turtle exclaimed, halting everyone in their tracks. "Why don't we take them to Murakami's?" He asked.
"That's a great idea, Mikey!" April piped up. "Let's go!"
Heading across town and checking to make sure no one was around, the group quietly leapt down towards the streets just outside of a Japanese styled restaurant.
"So, where exactly have you brought us?" Monkey asked.
"This place belongs to a good friend of ours." Leo stated. "Mr. Murakami's a great guy."
"And you're sure we'll be welcome?" Crane asked, sounding slightly skeptical.
"Yeah, Mr. Murakami won't mind what you look like. Heck, he didn't mind how the guys looked." April said. "And you'll soon see why."
They were about to head inside when they noticed the silhouettes of four figures inside, and from the looks of it, they were trashing the place.
"Oh, come on!" Casey said with dread as they all rushed up to the restaurant.
"Who are those creeps?" Po asked.
"The Purple Dragons." Leo said. "A local gang around here. They think they own the streets."
"Yeah, but really they're a bunch of pushovers." Raph added. "Except for their leader, Hun. He's actually kind of a challenge."
They heard the crashes of pottery and tables from inside getting louder. They knew they had to act soon.
"So much for not hitting things tonight." Donnie commented.
"Oh well!" Mantis smirked in a sorry-not-sorry fashion.
"BOOYAKASHAAAAA!" Mikey shouted as they all burst through the door and into the small restaurant, taking combative stances.
The Purple Dragons all immediately halted in their assault, staring at the Turtles, Po, the Five, April, and Casey in surprise.
"You turtles again?!" Hun grumbled, shoving Murakami to the ground. "And I see you've made some new freakish friends." He added, noting Po and the Furious Five.
"Freaks? Wait, is he talking about us?" Viper questioned, sounding offended while Tigress growled and the others glared at Hun.
Po, meanwhile, looked down at his large belly, rubbing it with a slightly hurt look on his face. "I'm not freakish, am I?"
"When will you punks ever learn?" Raph asked rhetorically.
"Get them!" Hun yelled, pointing at the group.
Tsoi growled, holding a sledge hammer, charging forward and raising it above his head as he tried to bring it down on Po, only for the to easily bump him away with a simple belly-gong.
Sid was next as aimed a punch at Mikey, who easily knocked him away with a simple kick.
Finally, Fong grabbed a meat cleaver and tried to swing it at Leo, only for the blue clad turtle to knock it out of his hands with a flick of his wrist and knock him down with a simple shove.
Hun scowled at seeing his gang members taken down so easily. "Useless fools!" He grumbled before taking a stance. "I'll take you all on myself!"
Tigress raised a brow. "He's not serious, is he?"
"Don't underestimate him." Casey warned, gripping his hockey stick. "Trust me, I learned that the hard way."
Hun then charged forward, landing a flying kick on Raph and sending the both of them flying out the door to the restaurant, with them landing in the streets as the others rushed outside.
Raph quickly kick-flipped Hun in the chin, getting back on his feet as he and the rest of the group circled around the Purple Dragon Leader.
Hun looked around at the group that surrounded him before taking a stance.
Casey and Mikey were the first to charge forward, but Hun easily deflected their punches and swings before kicking Casey in the chest and grabbing the straps attaching his sports bag to him. He then spun Casey around and threw him into Crane, who caught him.
Hun then deflected a kick from Mikey before striking him with several rapid punches to the chest and then knocking him away with one final punch.
He was then set upon by April, Tigress, Leo, and Raph as he swiftly dodged their attacks before split-kicking Leo and April away. However, Hun was caught off guard as Raph sweeped his feet out from under him and Tigress kicked him mid-air, sending him flying into Po, who grabbed him and slammed him into the ground before jumping on him and squashing him under his weight.
Hun shakily attempted to get back onto his feet, only to be smacked across the face via a flying kick from Mantis, sending him staging to his feet. He barely blocked a strike from Viper, only for Monkey to wrap his tail around his wrists, pinning his arms together, as the simian master punched him rapidly in the face before releasing him.
Before Hun could recover his bearings, Mikey and Casey both rushed towards him, nailing him in the face and sending him flying down the street where he landed flat on his back, his shades practically shattered.
Getting back up, Hun looked back at the restaurant, seeing his fellow gang members stumbling out of the entrance all barely conscious, before he shifted his gaze back to the Turtles, Po, the Five, April, and Casey as they all stood before him ready to give him another beatdown.
Hun cursed under his breath, realizing he probably wasn't going to win this tonight.
"Dragons, fall back!" He ordered as he, Fong, Tsoi, and Sid fled down the streets, turning a corner and heading out of sight.
Mikey sighed happily as he expertly twirled his nunchucks back into his belt. "Ah, another day, another Purple Dragon stomping." He said, he then raised his hand. "High three!"
The group all shared the high-three as they cheered in victory before heading back into the restaurant.
Looking around, Donnie quickly spotted Mr. Murakami on the floor, looking rather beaten. "You alright, Murakami-san?" He asked as he helped him up.
Murakami rubbed his head. "I am alright, Donatello-san." He said before he smiled. "It seems you've helped save my restaurant once again."
"Like a turtle do." Mikey said cheerfully.
"It's good to see you're okay, Mr. Murakami." April said.
"Ah yes, thank you my turtle friends. You too April-chan, Casey-san."
As he thanked them, Po and the Five quickly noticed the chef's eyewear. "Oh my gosh. You're blind!" Viper exclaimed while the others looked surprised.
"Man, what kinda jerks would attack a blind man?" Po said.
"Pathetic jerks, that's who." Tigress answered with a small scowl.
"Don't worry, guys." April stated. "Mr. Murakami may lack sight, but he's incredibly skilled in cooking."
"These are some new friends of ours, Murakami-san," Leo said, "Po, Tigress, Viper, Crane, Monkey, and Mantis."
"Welcome, new friends." Murakami greeted them. "Any friends of my heroes are friends of mine."
"Heroes?" Crane asked curiously.
"We saved him from Xever and the Purple Dragons." Raph explained.
"And they gave me the idea for a new food that has become incredibly popular here." Murakami added.
"Ooh, what's that?" Po asked, practically salivating.
Leo grinned. "Let him cook and see for yourself." He said. "Mr. Murakami, a round of our favorite!"
"Coming right up!" Murakami replied, setting straight to work.
As Murakami cooked, Po and the Five couldn't help but look in awe at how the blind chef made the food with such ease despite his blindness, the fluidity of how he cooked the water and minced the ingredients with ease.
"That is so cool…" Po gasped.
"It's an art." Mikey said dramatically.
Several trays of gyoza were then passed out before them, all of them smelling delicious. "Behold my specialty," Murakami said proudly, "Pizza Gyoza!"
"Pizza Gyoza?" Tigress questioned as she, Po, Viper, Crane, Monkey, and Mantis stared at their food curiously.
"Trust me, I wasn't sure at first, but it's delicious." April reassured as she, Casey, and the Turtles were already digging into their gyoza.
Po, Tigress, Viper, Crane, Monkey, and Mantis all looked at each other before they shrugged, picked one up, and popped it into their mouths.
As soon as it hit their taste buds, their eyes comically popped out of their sockets.
"This is really good!" Mantis exclaimed before eating another gyoza.
"This is amazing!" Viper said happily before she scooped it all up into her mouth and swallowed it whole.
"Wow, you're a really good cook, Mr. Murakami." Crane said with a nod.
"I wish my mouth was bigger!" Monkey said, stuffing as much gyoza into his mouth as possible.
"This is literally one of the best things I've ever tasted…" Po gushed.
Tigress hummed contently as she continued to eat her gyoza in peace.
"And as a bonus, a side dish of noodles." Murakami said, placing a bowl of noodles down for two of them each.
"Awesome! Thanks, Murakami-san!" Donnie said with each of them sharing noodles, Leo with Mikey, Raph with Casey, Donnie with April, Po with Tigress, Viper with Crane, and Monkey and Mantis.
Po and Tigress shared their bowl of noodles, they ended up looking away as they both chewed on the same noodle strand. And before they knew it, their lips were pressed up together in an awkward kiss while the others whistled in a teasing manner.
The panda and tiger's eyes both widened as they pulled away, blushes adorning their cheeks. Tigress then turned to her panda with a sly smile as she placed her hand on his cheek, turning his head towards her as Po smiled shyly.
Seeing Po and Tigress, Donnie attempted to do the same with April as he used his chopsticks to pick up the other end of a noodle strand April was eating, placing it into his mouth when she wasn't looking.
As she turned back to eat her noodles, she noticed her noodle strand was connecting to Donnie's mouth, to which the purple clad turtle wiggled his eyebrows charmingly.
April playfully rolled her eyes as she bit into the noodle string, severing it from her mouth as she swallowed the rest of the noodle.
Donnie's expression fell as he slurped up his half of the noodle, almost looking disappointed before April leaned in and kissed him on the lips, much to his surprise.
April giggled as she pulled away, seeing the flustered look on Donnie's face. Donnie grinned, wrapping an arm around her hip and pulling her close, both of them nuzzling their heads together.
And so the group sat in their chairs, happily enjoying their meals and even engaging in small talk about their experiences so far in New York. For this was a peaceful moment, one to be enjoyed by family.
Next up, the Turtles, Po, and the Five are about to get into some spooky shenanigans in the next few chapters with a certain time master in training… so stay tuned!
