Epilogue-Welcome Back!

The next morning…

The Hamato family woke up after the morning sun had fully risen, and they decided to have breakfast in their room with Mikey, who had a decent night sleep without any issues with his health or his injuries despite still having to lay flat on his bed.

Shortly after finishing their breakfasts, which Mikey was able to do so without falling ill, the Ancient One walked into the room to pass on an important message to Mikey and the rest of the Hamato family.

"Michelangelo, the Tribunal Masters have returned, and they would like you to come to the meeting room in the afternoon to hear their decision…"

"A-Already…?" Mikey said in shock as he looked at the little man with wide eyes from where he was laying.

"Shell, da Tribunal don't mess around, huh…" Raph commented in surprise.

"Do you think you can stand up and move around, little brother?" Leo asked softly.

"…N-No…I-It still hurts to move…" Mikey groaned whilst wincing at the pain in his wounds after moving his limbs slightly.

"Don't worry, Mikey; it's my turn to use the Healing Hands on you now…After all, I still owe you for saving my life the other day…" Donnie said reassuringly before he got himself into position and readied his hands.

"Rin…Pyo…Toh…Sha…Kai…Jin…Retsu…Zai…Zen…"

Donnie started chanting the incantation whilst he made the symbols with his hands at the same time. Suddenly, his medallion started to glow and his purple bodily markings appeared brightly as warm energy flowed around his hands and in between his fingers.

Then, he placed his hands on Mikey's plastron and watched as the energy flowed through Mikey's whole body like a wave and started to heal the youngest's wounds. After a whole minute went by, Donnie ended the healing mantra and he saw that Mikey's wounds were almost fully healed.

"Ok, that should take most of your pain away, bro…You just need to take it slow as you move since your wounds were quite deep, so they're not fully closed yet…" Donnie said in his 'Doctor Don' tone.

"Got it…Thanks, Don…" Mikey replied with a grateful smile, which Donnie returned with a warm smile of his own.

"Let's get you up now, Mikey…Nice and easy…" Leo said as he carefully helped his youngest brother get up from his sleeping mat, with some assistance from Raph.

Despite grunting and groaning in pain from his still sore wounds, Mikey was able to stay standing without collapsing. Still concerned for his little brother's balance, Donnie lent him his bo staff to help support himself whilst he moved around.

"Alright, everyone, let's head to the meeting room…We don't want the Tribunal Masters to get impatient…" Leo said in a slightly serious tone.

The others agreed, and they all followed Leo out of the room to start their move towards the meeting room.

As they were halfway through the corridor, Mikey stopped and leaned against a wall to take a moment to get his bearings when he suddenly felt tired and achy.

"Are you ok, Mikey? Do you want us to walk with you?" Leo asked in concern when he saw a breathless Mikey leaning against the wall first.

"I-I'm fine, Leo…I just need a minute…" Mikey answered shakily.

But it wasn't his injuries that were bothering him the most, though; it was the thought of the Tribunal Masters looking down on him and telling him that he would be permanently banned from training as an acolyte.

Sensing this, Leo walked closer to Mikey and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder as he spoke in a reassuring tone.

"Hey…remember what we told you last night; we'll still be there for you, no matter what the Tribunal Masters' decision is…!"

"I-I know, Leo…I-It still scares me, though…" Mikey replied nervously.

"C'mon, Mikey, have some faith in yer self…!" Raph said firmly but encouragingly whilst placing a hand on Mikey's other shoulder.

"Yeah, you fought amazingly against Elderon yesterday, so I'm sure that the Tribunal Masters will at least praise you for fighting so well…!" Donnie pointed out.

"Maybe…" Mikey replied, still uncertain of getting a good outcome.

"You can do this, Mikey…!" Leo said supportively whilst giving Mikey's shoulder a squeeze.

"You'll be alright, bro…!" Donnie then said comfortingly whilst rubbing his little brother's head.

"Yeah, we're here fer ya!" Raph said lastly with a thumbs-up.

"Thanks, dudes…" Mikey replied with a warm smile whilst wiping away any tears that were developing in his eyes.

"I do not mean to interrupt, my sons, but we must not keep the Tribunal waiting any longer…!" Master Splinter suddenly spoke up in a serious but soft tone as he approached his sons.

"Right…Come on, let's go…" Leo said to his brothers before all four turtle brothers continued their walk towards the meeting room to see the Tribunal Masters.

/

The meeting room…

The Hamato family and the Ancient One entered the meeting room, and they saw the human acolytes standing in the middle of the room and waiting for their arrival.

"Hey, guys…" Mikey greeted with a warm smile. The human acolytes looked over at Mikey in surprise after seeing him walk towards them.

"Michelangelo! We're so glad you're alright…!" Joy said in relief.

"Indeed! It is good to see you up and moving around again, Michelangelo…!" Torra said in agreement.

"Same here, you two…" Mikey said with a nod.

Now that everyone was present in the room, the Tribunal Masters took their seats on their thrones and Master Kon spoke.

"Hamato Michelangelo, come forward!"

'Alright, here I go…It's time for me to take responsibility…' Mikey said to himself in his mind before he took one more deep breath and slowly made his way towards the middle of the meeting room, with his family and friends watching on anxiously.

"Michelangelo, are you ready to hear what fate we have decided upon you?" Master Chikara questioned with her booming voice.

"Yes, Master Chikara…I'm ready!" Mikey answered as he did his best to stand firm and remain calm, despite feeling anxious and scared on the inside.

"Very well…We will now reveal our decision!" Master Chikara replied in a serious tone before her and the other Tribunal Masters' eyes begun to glow.

Suddenly, a flash of light shown through the whole room, causing Mikey and the others to shield their eyes to prevent them from becoming blind by it.

Mikey instantly begun to think the worst and believed that this would be the end of him when the light struck him. However, he noticed that he wasn't feeling any pain and was instead surrounded by the feeling of warmth for a minute before it faded away.

Then, when he looked at his chest, Mikey gasped and couldn't believe his eyes as soon as he saw his medallion back around his neck!

"What? B-But…I-I didn't win the battle…" He stuttered in confusion.

"True, but did you hear Elderon say anything about you needing to win the judgement battle, Michelangelo?" Master Juto questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Huh?" Mikey said, a bit confused.

"The purpose of your battle with the Dragon of Judgement was to see if you really had the potential to fight like a true warrior…Whether you won or lost to him did not matter; it was your performance during the battle that was being judged…" Master Chikara explained.

"M-My performance…?" Mikey said, tilting his head to one side.

"Indeed…We have told you and your fellow acolytes before that your main mission was to retrieve all of the Tengu Shredder's artefacts for us to destroy, no matter the cost…However, a true warrior must also remember to follow the path of nobility when deemed necessary…" Master Kon replied with his arms crossed.

"So…what you're saying is that when Mikey jumped in front of the attack that was aimed for us and risked his life to stop it, he showed his noble side by almost losing his life to save ours?" Donnie guessed.

"Correct…And it was that moment during the battle that Elderon allowed Michelangelo to live and fight again…" Master Kon replied.

"So you see, Michelangelo; Elderon reminded you at the end of the duel that there is more to battles than just falling in defeat or claiming victory…Always remember that…" Master Chikara stated wisely.

"That is why your performance yesterday has impressed us, just enough for you to pass and earn your second chance…Congratulations!" Master Juto, whilst Master Hisomi bowed his head with a proud smile.

Mikey just stood on his spot with a stunned look on his face. Despite their strict and fierce nature, the Tribunal had a side to them that showed how much they cared about both their students and the mission at hand.

"I-I…T-Thank you, Tribunal Masters…!" He said gratefully, trying not to let his developing tears fall.

"But be warned, Michelangelo…from this moment on, there will be no more chances for you to continue with your training if you let us down a second time!" Master Chikara warned the young turtle firmly.

"I won't let that happen, Master Chikara…I promise!" Mikey replied with his face full of determination before he gave the Tribunal Masters a bow of gratitude.

"Very well…You may now join your fellow acolytes, and tomorrow you will be allowed to participate in our lessons once more!" Master Chikara said with a nod.

The others all cheered as they gathered around Mikey and gave him hugs and pats on the shoulders or head.

"Welcome back, Mikey!" Leo said proudly.

"I'm so happy for you, little brother…!" Donnie praised.

"Yeah, it's good ta have ya back with us on da team, bro…!" Raph said in relief whilst giving Mikey a noogie on his head, making the young turtle laugh a little.

"Congratulations, Michelangelo…! We knew you could do it!" Faragi said proudly.

"Thanks, everyone…!" Mikey replied whilst wiping his tears of joy from his face.

"I must say, young kumquat; it has been sometime since I last saw an acolyte pass Elderon's judgement duel…There have been many of whom that have not done the same…" The Ancient One confessed in amazement.

"Whoa, seriously!?" Mikey said in surprise.

"Well, it just goes to show that Mikey is one of a kind!" Leo commented with a chuckle, surprising and shocking Mikey when he heard that.

"R-Really!?" Mikey said, stunned at what he had just heard from his oldest brother.

"Of course!" The three older brothers answered in unison.

"We're really proud of you, Mikey…We've always have been…" Leo said with a warm smile.

Mikey was stunned for a moment after hearing those words before he started to tear up and engulfed Leo in a grateful hug, which the blue-banded turtle accepted greatly.

"So…Shall we head back to our room?" Donnie questioned with a bright smile.

"Yeah, we gotta celebrate!" Raph cheered in excitement.

"May we join you?" Joi asked.

"Of course; the more, the merrier!" Leo answered happily after releasing Mikey from the hug.

"Then I will arrange a celebratory lunch feast immediately…" The Ancient One announced before he made his way out of the meeting room to begin the preparations.

"Wow! Thank you, Ancient One…!" Mikey said ecstatically with a bow of respect. The Ancient One stopped at the doorway and smiled at him before he left the room altogether.

"C'mon, then; let's get goin'!" Raph said in a slightly impatient tone.

The others didn't have to be told twice, and they all started to hurry out of the meeting room to begin the celebration party.

Mikey, however, couldn't move any faster because his wounds were still too painful to allow him to make any fast movements. Luckily, Leo noticed this and came over to him as he spoke.

"Here, Mikey; I'll help you this time…"

"Thanks, bro…" Mikey replied gratefully whilst he allowed Leo to wrap his arm around his shoulders and help him move more easily as they headed towards the corridor that leads to the Hamato family's living quarters.

"Ah, Michelangelo! One more thing…" Master Kon suddenly called out, making everyone stop walking.

"Y-Yeah?" Mikey said, his nervousness beginning to return.

"Elderon wishes to give you and your brothers these gifts…!" The master of Weapons answered before he raised his arms and four little orbs of light appeared in the middle of his hands.

Then, the orbs floated towards Mikey who held his hands out as they appeared closer to him. Once they were above his hands, the orbs glowed softly before they changed their shape and gained a more physical form.

What Mikey and the others saw next made them gasp in surprise; the gifts that Elderon had given to the turtle brothers were four individual crystals that had been carved to look like turtles!

The crystals landed in Mikey's hands and he saw that they had a string cord threaded through the turtle heads to act as a necklace, and each one shined a single colour that represented the turtles' mask colours.

"What the-? W-What are these for?" Mikey asked in confusion.

"These crystals are a symbol of your courage and efforts during your battle with the Dragon of Judgement…and he would like both you and your brothers to have one each as a reminder of yesterday's battle…!" Master Kon explained.

"Seriously!? Wow! Thank you so much!" Mikey said gratefully and joyfully.

"We will let him know of your gratitude…Now, go; we will see you all in your next lesson tomorrow…" Master Chikara said with a small smile.

Mikey bowed before he and Leo walked towards their brothers. It was then that Mikey passed each of his brothers their respective crystals by giving them the ones that were the same colour as their masks.

"Wow…beautiful…Thank you, Mikey…!" Leo said in awe as he held his crystal turtle up and moved it around to look at the colour of blue shining back and forth.

"Heh, cute…" Raph chuckled flatly as he looked at his dangling crystal turtle in his hand.

"This is great…! Now, I can finally study its structure and colour-changing method…Thanks, little brother…!" Donnie said excitedly as his eyes sparkled whilst looking at his crystal turtle in his hands.

Everyone laughed before the turtle brothers thanked the Tribunal Masters with a bow and continued their walk towards the Hamato family's living quarters.

As they walked down the corridor, Leo noticed Mikey looking at his crystal turtle charm with a sad smile on his face.

"Mikey?" Leo said after a moment of silence.

"Yeah?" Mikey said.

"I really meant what I said back there; you made us so proud when you fought hard against Elderon…You may have lost, but you still fought like a true warrior…" Leo said sincerely.

"Thanks, Leo…and I'm sorry for being such a pain to you and the others…" Mikey replied, still wearing his sad smile.

"Hey, you're not a pain at all; you're our little brother and it's your job to keep us on our toes! Even if we do get annoyed with you sometimes, we will always love you and enjoy your company…!" Leo countered, giving Mikey a gentle squeeze in comfort.

"Leo's right, Mikey…Without you and your creativity, I wouldn't be able to come up with any new inventions needed to help keep our family safe…!" Donnie said in agreement as he walked back to Leo and Mikey.

"Yeah! And yer crazy knowledge of comic books and movie stunts really helped us out in sticky situations…!" Raph said next with a smirk as he followed Donnie's lead.

Mikey was stunned; he had never heard such amazing praise come from his older brothers before.

"Y-You guys…really mean it…?" He asked shakily with hope and pride building in his heart.

"Yes!" His brothers answered in unison.

After letting all of this sink in, Mikey smiled and begun to tear up before he opened his arms as wide as he could to signal his brothers into a hug. Leo, Raph, and Donnie smiled back and accepted the hug whilst being mindful of his still-healing wounds.

"Thanks, bros…" He whispered.

"Hey! What you guys doing!? Hurry up or you'll miss the celebration!"

Joi's loud voice suddenly called out, causing the turtle brothers to jump slightly and look over at her to see her standing and waving by the doorway.

"We're comin'! Don't get yer knickers in a twist, fer shell's sake…!" Raph called back in annoyance.

His brothers laughed at this before they continued their walk towards their living quarters, with their hearts full of happiness and relief now that Mikey was back with them in their acolyte training.

The end.

/

Author's note:

And that's this story finished! Sorry for taking so long to finish the last chapter; the reasons were the same as the ones written in my note in 'Mikey's Adventures in Oz' story. I hope you have enjoyed this story and that the last chapter was worth the wait. ;)