Chapter 3: Noodles by Night
There was not a cloud in the night sky as the stars twinkled like diamonds as the ninja turtles (who were out of their disguises) sat on top of one of the taller buildings in the valley.
Mikey sighed. "We haven't had much food all day." He moaned. "A turtle can't live on nothing, yo. I'm feeling weak!" He whimpered dramatically as crawled over towards Raph, who promptly shoved him away.
Leo leaned against the edge of the roof as he gazed out over the village. "You know, I've been thinking about it, and I don't know why, but… it kinda feels like more than just coincidence we're here."
Donnie yawned, leaning against his bo staff. "Well, the odds of us suddenly passing out and waking up in another dimension we've been to before but in a different location by complete chance is approximately eight-hundred-seven million-quintillion to one. But… if we're here for a reason, what is it?"
Raph groaned. "Who cares?" He asked. "What are we even supposed to do now? The only way home we know of is thousands of miles away and across the ocean from here, plus we've got no food and no money."
Leo put a hand on his chin in deep thought. "Well… how about we scout around the village tonight. You know, get a sense of where to go in this place, get something to take our minds off everything that's happened."
Raph stretched his arms. "Well, it beats just sitting here all night doing nothing. Let's do it!"
Jumping and flipping across the rooftops, the turtles bounded noiselessly through the night like they always would back in New York.
With a gap-toothed grin, Donnie sprinted towards the edge of a rooftop. "Check it out!" He said, jumping off the roof with a whoop and pulling a clean roll onto the roof below.
Beaming brightly, Mikey sprinted forward and jumped to the other rooftop, performing a double front flip before landing on his feet. He laughed as pumped his fist in the air, Donnie lightly applauding him.
"Top that, turtle chumps!" Mikey challenged as Leo and Raph stopped at the edge.
Donnie smirked, gesturing for them to accept the challenge.
Leo nodded. "Alright, guys." He smirked, backing up a few steps. "Check this out!" Running forward, Leo did three front flips before launching himself into the air with a graceful back flip, landing on the opposite roof before performing a final cartwheel.
"Woah." Mikey said in awe while Donnie shook his head fondly.
"Cute, kiddies." Raph cracked his neck before backing up. Without warning, he dashed forward, jumping off the roof slamming into his brothers like a bullet, knocking them down as they tumbled in a pile of green limbs.
Raph laughed hysterically as his brothers got up.
"Hey, what was that?" Donnie questioned. "You didn't do any flips!"
"Oops." Raph grinned shamelessly.
"So where to next?" Mikey asked.
No one had the chance to answer as they heard the sounds of crashing, shattering, and breaking. They looked down from the roof they were standing on to see across from them was a small restaurant below them.
And from the looks of it, it was being raided by a group of crocodiles, three to be exact. They were splashing bowls and throwing over tables while threatening what appeared to be an elderly goose in a red and gold peasant attire with what looked like a noodle hat and a big fat panda bear wearing burlap pants.
"What's going on?" Leo asked.
"Looks like some kind of protection racket or something." Donnie surmised.
"Yeah, bunch of Purple Dragon wannabes." Raph scowled.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Mikey said, looking ready to jump down. "Let's go help 'em out."
However, Leo quickly put a hand on his shoulder. "Mikey, are we sure we want to do this? We don't even have our disguises."
The party turtle gave his oldest brother a dull look. "Have you ever left some poor guys helpless to some thugs?"
Leo sighed. "Fair point. Let's go."
"BOOYAKASHA!" At Mikey's yell, the four turtles leapt through the gate and into the restaurant.
The thugs all stopped as they, along with the goose and the panda, snapped their attention to the four ninja turtles.
"Alright, let them go." Leo warned slowly. "You don't want any trouble."
"We, on the other hand, do!" Raph added.
Snapping out of their shock, the three crocodiles growled at the turtles. "We'll have you know, this part of the neighborhood is ours! So why don't you slither back to the ocean you came from? Or better yet, go back to Oogway at the Jade Palace?" One of them, who they figured was the leader, taunted.
"Actually, we're freshwater turtles." Donnie corrected. "I suspect we're derived from the diamond-back terrapin, but it's possible we're a common box-"
"Get 'em!" At the command of the leader, the two other crocodiles charged at the turtles.
All it took for the turtles was one glance at the thugs to know that they wouldn't be needing their weapons.
The smaller crocodile lunged at Leo with a small hammer, but the blue clad turtle easily dodged the swing as he stepped out of the way. Mikey then leap-frogged over his older brother's shell delivering two spinning kicks that sent the crocodile spinning into the wall.
Shaking his head of his dizziness, the crocodile charged again, this time swinging the hammer at Raph, who easily ducked under the swing. Before he could get another swing in, Raph hit him in the snout with the back of his hand.
Meanwhile, the larger crocodile tried to punch Mikey, but the party turtle easily kicked him in the face before Donnie sweeped his feet out from under him. Mikey was about to continue fighting when a delicious scent caught his nose. Turning his head, the orange clad turtle found his attention drawn to a half-eaten bowl of noodle soup that smelled absolutely delicious.
As he continued to smell the soup, Donnie punched the crocodile in the chest, knocking him towards Mikey. The orange clad turtle punched the crocodile in the back, his gaze never leaving the soup as the thug bounced back to Donnie who casually kneed him in the gut. Bouncing back to him, Mikey nonchalantly kicked the crocodile in the behind, knocking him back towards his smart older brother who lazily punched the crocodile in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him.
Mikey noticed a small spoon next to the bowl of noodles and picked it up to have a taste. Unbeknownst to him, the smaller crocodile Raph had been fighting earlier had gotten up. He raised his hammer above his head and was about to bring it down on the youngest turtle when suddenly a bowl hit him in the face.
Surprised, Mikey looked over to see it was the panda who threw it. "Thanks, panda dude!" He thanked with a thumbs up.
"No problem!" The panda replied.
Donnie found himself being backed into a wall by the larger crocodile, who attempted to chop him up with an axe. But the smart turtle easily dodged, looking like he wasn't even trying as the thug swung at him again. Donnie ducked under the blade, and with a kick to the chest, sent the thug flying.
The leader found himself backed against one of the many tables, a cleaver in his hand while Leo took a more relaxed position, folding his left arm behind his back while holding out his right arm in a 'come at me' gesture.
Narrowing his eyes with a snarl, the leader charged at the blue clad turtle. But with the flick of his wrist, Leo knocked the blade out of the leader's hand, punching him in the chest with two rapid strikes. Before the leader could react, Leo then pulled back his leg and kicked the leader onto the table.
Dazed, the leader suddenly found himself forced him to his feet by Leo, who pinned him with an icy glare.
"Get outta here." Leo said coldly.
The leader didn't need to be told twice as he quickly stumbled out of the turtle's grip, running for the gates along with the two other crocodiles. "This ain't over, greenie! You ain't seen the last of Fung!"
Huffing, Donnie folded his arms across his chest. "Greenie? Really? Is that the only name these low-lifes can come up with for us?"
"Are you guys alright?" Leo asked the goose and the panda as he jumped down from the table.
"Yes, we are now, oh thank you so much!" The goose thanked, shaking the blue clad turtle's hand (which was huge in comparison to his wing). "I don't think I've seen anyone like you around here before."
Leo winced slightly. "We're… new around here." He lied. "Just here from… Japan. I'm Leonardo, and these are my brothers, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo."
"'Sup?" Mikey quipped, earning a smack to the head by Raph.
"I am San Ping. And this is my noodle shop, the best one in the village." The goose said. "And this is my son, Po."
"Yeah, that's me." said the panda. "And you guys were awesome! I've never seen kung fu like that!"
"That's because it's not kung fu." Donnie explained, sounding a little weary. "It's an ancient Japanese martial art called ninjitsu."
Po gasped in awe. "You guys are ninjas?!"
"Heck yeah, we are!" Mikey smirked. "Ninja style, bra."
"Say, since you saved my business, and your new arrivals here, why don't we make you all some noodles, free of charge." Mr. Ping offered.
"Oh, we don't want to impose…" Leo started before he heard a loud low rumbling sound. He and his brothers slowly turned to see Mikey sheepishly clutching his stomach.
"You know what… I think we can allow that." Raph said.
Being set down at a table, the elderly goose and the panda went into the kitchen, cooking and preparing the soup before bringing it out.
"Behold, four bowls of my special noodle soup." Mr. Ping announced.
Hesitantly, the turtles each picked up their chopsticks as they observed their own bowls of soup with interest. Each of the turtles picked up some of the noodles, eating them at the same time.
As soon as the noodles hit their taste buds, all four turtles stiffed, their eyes comically popping out of their sockets.
"It's like I've got a one-way ticket to flavor-ville!" Donnie exclaimed.
"Not bad." Raph admitted.
"This is really good." Leo smiled.
"It's almost as good as pizza!" Mikey cheered, which earned rather shocked stares from Leo, Raph, and Donnie. "I said 'almost'."
"Glad you like it." Mr. Ping said proudly. "After all, it has the secret ingredient."
"Really?" Donnie said, slurping some more noodles. "And what is this secret ingredient?"
Mr. Ping waved his wing. "Well, I can't tell you because then it wouldn't be a secret."
"Hey, this may sound like a dumb question, but what's pizza?" Po suddenly asked.
Leo, Donnie, and Raph froze while Mikey's eyes widened. "What?!" He exclaimed, shooting up from his seat and grabbing Po by the shoulders. "You know, pizza! Crust, tomato sauce, cheese! It delivers?!" He cried, his voice growing more and more desperate.
Po winced. "I don't think I've heard of that." Po winced as Mikey slowly let go of him, staring blankly. "Uh… are you okay?"
Mikey fell to his knees, clutching his head as he screamed to the heavens. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He was finally silenced when Raph smacked him upside the head. "Thanks." He smiled.
"Don't mention it."
"Is he alright?" Mr. Ping asked.
"He's fine." Leo replied. "He's just being over-dramatic like usual." He then took another slurp of the noodles. "So, Mr. Ping, do those thugs come around here often?" He asked, changing the subject.
The elderly goose sighed. "Yes, as a matter of fact, bandits often come into the village trying to take whatever it is they want. But thankfully, the Furious Five are always there to protect us."
"'The Furious Five'?" Raph asked inquisitively.
"Cool name." Mikey said. "But I would'a named 'em something cooler like… 'the Furious Five'."
"That's what they are called." Donnie told him.
Mikey's face turned sullen. "Yeah, but I wanted to name them that."
Po gasped in astonishment, dramatically holding his cheeks. "You've never heard of the Furious Five?!" He then rushed into the shop. "Hold on, wait here!"
Still sitting at their table, the turtles waited as the fat panda carefully went up the stairs presumably to his room before coming back down carrying what appeared to be several action figures in his arms.
As he set them down on the table, the turtles all noticed that each of the figures looked like those five warriors they had seen battling the bandits earlier that day.
"Master Tigress." Po introduced dramatically, setting the action figure down. The action figure of course being a female tiger with a traditional red chinese vest with a golden vine pattern and silk black pants and sandals on her feet. "Master of tiger-style kung fu and defeater of the mighty boar!"
He then placed another figure on the table. "Master Viper." The figure being a green viper with two pink lotus flowers near her blue eyes. "Master of viper-style and daughter of the Great Master Viper. She's also the best ribbon dancer in the village."
"Master Crane." This figure was a white and dark blue crane, wearing a conical rice hat, loose blue pants with a purple sash wrapped around his waist in the style of a shaolin. "Master of crane-style and a graduate of the Lee Da academy, one of the greatest Kung Fu academies in all of China!"
The next figure he put down was a monkey wearing studded leather wristbands, loose brown sweatpants with the waist being wrapped in a gold sash. "Master Monkey." Po placed the figure down. "Master of monkey-style and a master comedian too."
The final figure he placed down was a green mantis, who looked to be the same size as the real thing. "And finally, Master Mantis. Master of mantis-style and also a master at acupuncture."
"Cool." Mikey whispered in awe while the other turtles admired the figures. "They're like superheroes!"
"I know!" Po said. "All of them were trained under Master Shifu, who was trained by this wise turtle guy named Grand Master Oogway."
"Oogway?" Leo asked. "And he's a turtle like us?"
"Yep! He, Shifu, and the Furious Five all live up there, in the Jade Palace." He pointed up to the large temple up in the mountain.
Leo chuckled a bit, having finished his noodles. "I take it you're quite a fan."
"You bet I am!" Po confirmed.
"Awesome, dude!" Mikey cheered, the two sharing a high-five.
"Well, if you're done with your noodles, I'll be taking these back in." Mr. Ping stated, picking up the empty noodle bowls and taking them back into the kitchen.
With him gone, the turtles sat around at the table rather awkwardly in relative silence with only Po to keep them company.
"So, Po," Donnie spoke up, being the first to break the silence. "Do you have anything else you're interested in besides Kung Fu?"
The panda rubbed his chin. "Well… I had some thoughts about maybe being a comedian, maybe a cleaner, a dancer, or even a doctor. But… I've always been into Kung Fu for a long time." He chuckled humorlessly, his enthusiasm quickly dropping. "Heh, but what chance does a big fat, chubby, clumsy panda like me have of becoming a master, especially when my dad expects me to run his shop someday?"
The turtles, especially Mikey, quickly felt sympathy for the panda (yes, even Raph).
"Po," Leo said, standing up and placing a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to look up. "If there's one thing I've learned in my life, it's that you can never give up hope." He smiled a bit. "Trust me on that."
Po smiled back. "Thanks, Leo - I can call you that, right?"
Leo chuckled. "Yeah, sure."
"Who knows? Maybe you could be a kung fu master one day." Donnie encouraged.
"Yeah, man, you just gotta believe!" Mikey added.
"And lose some weight." Raph muttered, earning a glare from his brothers. "But yeah, if you work hard enough, maybe you could do it."
"Thanks, guys, again." Po smiled.
Leo turned away, pulling out his t-phone from his belt and checking the time. It was nearly midnight now.
"Alright, guys," He said, putting away his phone before turning to his brothers, "it's getting late. We should head out."
Raph, Donnie, and Mikey all groaned as Mr. Ping came out from the kitchen.
"So, you are leaving?" The elderly goose asked.
"Yeah." Leo said. "And we'd appreciate it if you didn't speak of this to anyone. We'd prefer to remain anonymous right now."
"Well, if that's what you want, then fine." Mr. Ping agreed while Po looked a little saddened.
Noticing this, Mikey spoke up. "Don't worry, Po. We could come back tomorrow."
Po perked up. "Really?"
Mikey nodded. "Yeah! Right, dudes?" He turned to his brothers, who at first looked like they were going to shoot that idea down until Mikey gave them the infamous puppy eyes, which caused them to cave in.
"Yeah, we'll be back tomorrow." Raph said.
"But we've gotta go right now." Donnie added.
"And we'll be back for more of those awesome noodles, dudes!" Mikey also said.
"Goodnight, guys." Leo said as he and his brothers headed out of the shop, quickly leaping up to the rooftops and going out into the night.
This chapter definitely took a lot of inspiration from several early episodes of the 2012 TMNT show like "New Friend, Old Enemy" and "Never say Xever." Next chapter will start getting into the movie's plot, I promise!
