I was in a deep sleep, my Fire type Pokémon sleeping with me. Charmander is doing great, by the way. Turns out we have more in common than we thought. One of those things is, we're both heavy sleepers. And... civilized eaters.
Apparently, Michelangelo wanted to skateboard in the lair. I tried talking him out of it, but it was no use. Somehow he got his brothers involved. If they get in trouble, that's their problem. They'd better not say I didn't warn them. Cuz I did.
And for that reason alone, I didn't hear Michelangelo shouting. I didn't wake up until, um... Either until Splinter caught the boys skateboarding in the lair, or until I heard screaming. Yeah, that was it.
I awoke with a jump. So did Charmander. I doubt this'll end well. "How many times have I told you not to skateboard in the lair?" Splinter asked. "None, Sensei." Michelangelo said.
"I shouldn't have to tell you!" I shrunk a bit. He sounded upset. "You're right, Sensei. We definitely should have known better, and we deserve to be punished," Leonardo said to Splinter. "You're taking this remarkably well." I said.
"Marcel," Splinter called my name. I sat up. My Charmander did the same. Is this about what I said? "Since you were not involved, I believe you should choose a punishment for my sons." O-oh! Okay. Why me? I didn't want to go crazy with the punishment. Besides, they were practically giving me the puppy dog eyes.
"Umm..." I stroked the tuft of fur in my chin. My eyes wandered off to the large ramp. "How about they clean up their mess?" I said. The boys nodded. Splinter didn't seem satisfied, though. "No? Okay, uh..." I'm drawing a complete blank. I got nothing. Nothing except for this, "Then... Think about what they did?" That was the first thing that popped into my head. The boys made comments of agreement.
"How about being grounded for a week?" Splinter asked. I don't know. Does he need to go that far? This earned comments of disagreement. Of course that didn't work. "You four are grounded for a week!" Splinter confirmed. The boys groaned, and as if on cue, the ramp collapsed. I winced. I didn't want to do that. I'm not getting blamed for this, am I?
...
"Gah, this bites! I can't believe we're stuck down here for a week!" Raphael complained. Oh, shush! A week isn't that bad!
I stood up and Raphael attacked me. "This is your fault!" He hollered, jabbing a finger in my chest. Yep, I'm getting blamed for this.
I roared and shoved him. "Don't pin this on me! You think I wanted to do that? You have no one else to blame but yourselves!" I retorted louder than I expected. I turned around and crossed my arms. Instantly, I felt a small wave of guilt wash over me. "You're right. I'm sorry." Raphael said. Guess that wave of guilt washed over him, too. "I shouldn't have yelled at you."
"Eh, it's okay." I said. I pulled him in for a quick hug, of which he returned.
"Guys, guys! You wanna see what I made?" Donatello asked, holding some odd device in his hand. He sounds enthused. And so was I. "I wanna see! I wanna see!" I barked, wagging my tail. "Okay, okay, okay. Remember the other day I was scrounging in that military junkyard?" At the same time the boys said, "No," I said, "Yes." They looked at me. "I went with him." I explained. "Continue, Donatello."
"Well, I fond an incredibly advanced AI microchip made from, get this, self-assembled chain-linked copolymers!" He said happily. I wagged my tail some more. "That my favorite kind of copolymer!" Michelangelo said. I bet he doesn't even know what a copolymer is. I know I do.
"Mine too! And I used it to make this!" Donatello said, pulling out that device. "The most advanced music player in the world!" I made that mrrow noise. You know what I mean. "So who wants to try it?" Donatello asked. I was about to volunteer, but Michelangelo beat me to it. "I do! Toss me the T-Pod!" He said.
"T-Pod?" Donatello asked. "Turtle. Pod. T-Pod. I'm so good at naming stuff." Michelangelo answered. I can't argue that. Donatello tossed the 'T-Pod' to Michelangelo. He plugged in some earbuds.
Then something struck my head. "Wait, are you really gonna plug an advanced piece of military technology into his head?" I asked with concern. "Marcel's right. What if it melts his brain?" Raphael asked. "It won't. And even if it did, who'd know the difference?" Donatello answered. I buried my face in one paw. He's joking, right? How stupid do they think he is?!
Michelangelo pressed the play button and started screaming. Charmander jumped. "What? What's wrong?" Donatello asked. "It's polka! Make it stop! Make it stop!" Michelangelo said, dropping to his knees. I wheezed out, laughing. Does he really hate polka music that much? Donatello walks over and presses the skip button. I'm more into pop, funk, and country.
Michelangelo went quiet for a moment, then slowly rose and started dancing. I stood next to him and danced with Michelangelo. I copied his moves perfectly. Let's just say, my hips don't lie. The boys stared at me wide eyed. "What?" I asked. Charmander applauded happily like a child. He's so stinking cute!
"That's it! I gotta get out of here," Raphael said, turning to leave. "Oy! Where you going? You're grounded." I said. "I don't care. I gotta do something or I'm gonna go nuts! Let's find a skate spot." Raphael said, stepping on his skateboard.
"Skate spot?" I'm totally in!" Michelangelo said. "But what's Splinter gonna say?" I asked.
"I don't know what's going on because they snuck out while I was asleep!" Raphael said sarcastically in a surprisingly good Splinter impression. "Real mature. But I'm your leader and as your leader I say nobody's going." Leonardo ordered.
"Well, as your followers, we're going anyway."
"Well, as your leader... I'm going with you... to lead you... away... from... bad... stuff."
I sighed, which turned into a yawn. "Okay, you four wanna go out against Splinter's demands, go right ahead. Charmander and I are going to bed." I said sleepily.
"Are you sure?" Raphael asked.
"Yes," I said. "We're sure."
"Okay. Good night, then." Leonardo said, and left without another word. I walked over to my bed. Charmander nuzzled into my chest. With that, we fell asleep.
...
I woke up and saw a familiar face on the TV. Baxter Stockman. I had the most realistic dream. I dreamed that the boys had a run-in with Baxter Stockman. Looks like my dream came true.
"How did he upgrade his armor so fast?" Leonardo asked. I squinted my eyes and saw the T-Pod in his armor. "He has the T-Pod?!" Donatello asked Michelangelo angrily. "Oh, um, I might have dropped that during the fight." Michelangelo answers sheepishly.
"You left it during the fight!?" Donatello replied angrily.
"It pains me to say this, but not the smartest move on your part, Michelangelo." I said with little confidence. "It's your fault!" Michelangelo said.
"How is it my fault?!"
"You know I can't be trusted with nice things!"
He... Kinda has a point there. Donatello looked ticked off.
"Yeh, ol' Baxter Stockman," I growled, elbowing Donatello. "I know him. He never saw me. Now you have to find a way to get the T-Pod back." I wasn't mad at Michelangelo. In fact...
"You know, It wasn't completely his fault. If you three knew he couldn't be trusted with the T-Pod, then why did you leave the T-Pod with him?" I asked with a bit of venom in my voice. "How were we supposed to know?" Donatello was still ticked off. I won't allow him to talk to me like this. "We'll talk about this later." I barked. "When you're calmed down." I added.
"Now then, I wasn't involved in this, therefore you four got yourselves into this mess, you four have to figure it out. And if this helps any, we should inform Splinter about this."
"What? That we've turned some nutjob into a super villain? Do you know what he'll do to us for that? I mean, he pounded us to the ground for being sleepy!" Raphael objected.
"That's not my problem!" I spat. "I told you four not to go, you went anyway. I made the right decision not to go—"
"What kind of friend are you!?" Raphael interrupted me. Charmander and I flinched. "We got our butts kicked by some dude in armor, and you're standing here lecturing us like you don't even care!"
"You think I don't care? I'm trying to help you!"
"Yeah, you're a real big help,—" I put my paw on his mouth. My nose was scrunched up in a snarl. "We are not having this argument." I hissed.
"Okay, you've beat him once, you can beat him again. I suppose you'll have to track him down and come back before Splinter knows about anything." I said this even though I'm telling Splinter anyway.
"If my opinion counts for anything, Marcel is right." Michelangelo said. "Thanks, Michelangelo, but not entirely." I admitted. "Didn't think so." I patted his shoulder. The boys walked off, but not before I heard Raphael say, "Some friend you are."
My eyes widened. Did he really just say that? Am I really a bad friend? I hope not. I ignored his comment and went to the dojo door. No turning back. This has to be done. I lightly scraped the door. It opened to reveal Splinter. And Kijani. "Is something troubling you, Marcel?" Kijani asked. "Yes." I answered.
"Care to tell us?" Splinter asked.
I took a deep breath. "It's about your sons."
...
All of the lights were off when the boys returned. Nonetheless, I was standing with Splinter and Kijani, my Charmander on my shoulder. Thanks to my night vision, I could see the boys trying to creep around.
The lights turned back on and revealed us. "Ah, Sensei!" Leonardo said, alarmed. "And where have you been?" Splinter asked. "Nowhere." Leonardo answers. Uh-huh. "Then how come Marcel comes in telling us that you went out when you weren't supposed to and got a beat down from some guy in armor?" Kijani asked. Busted.
"Uh, no, we just..."
"We were hit..."
"By a..."
"Bus?"
Each of us, except for Charmander, raised an eyebrow. I gave them an 'Oh, really?' kind of look.
"Hit by a bus?!"
"Well, what was I supposed to say? Meteor? Cow? Flying building?!"
"Enough!" Splinter brought his cane down. "Tell me what really happened." The boys went into the dojo, giving me sideways glares, except for Donatello and Michelangelo.
"Do you think I did the right thing telling Splinter what happened?" I asked Kijani. "You did. And I'm proud of you." Kijani answered.
After a while, the boys came out of the dojo. "Look, I'm sorry. I did what I thought was right. If you guys hate me for it, then—" The boys cut me off by surrounding me in a hug.
"Please, don't be sorry." Leonardo said. "We're the ones who should be sorry."
"Especially me. We wouldn't listen to you." Raphael added. The boys parted. "We promise to make it up to you." Donatello said. "Calm down, guys. It's okay." I said. "You four made a mistake. We all do. But it's what you do to fix your mistakes that really matters."
"That's deep." Michelangelo said. "Isn't it?" I purred. "So what's the plan?"
"We're going to take down the Stockman-Pod." Michelangelo said. I shook my head with a smile. "I can always leave the names to you, Michelangelo." I said, rubbing his head.
"This time, you're coming with us." Leonardo said. "Right?"
I walked over, wrapped an arm around Leonardo's neck, and gave him a small peck with my nose. "Of course I'm going with you. I'm not letting you guys have all the fun." I said with a smirk.
...
We were on a rooftop waiting for Baxter Stockman. "Not having any doubts or anything, but are you sure this'll work?" I ask. "Like Sensei said; don't fight the armor, fight the guy inside." Leonardo said. That makes total sense. "And one thing we know about bad guys, they love chasing—"
"Me." I interrupted. The boys looked at me. "What? No—"
"Look, I'm the one that wasn't here when you needed me the most, I'm the one who should be chased." I explained.
I saw missiles heading our way. I tackled the boys out of the way. "Stockman-Pod's got missiles!" Michelangelo screamed.
"What on Earth, yo?" I asked. "Now who's trembling in terror?" Baxter said. "And who's the cat?"
Name's Marcel," I said. "And I'm here to show you what happens when you mess with my family." With that, I cloak myself in fire and use a full-force Flare Blitz. It sent Stockman backward, but not much. "Is that all you got?" Baxter said. I'm not letting some heavy duty armor stop me!
I ran around him in circles in an attempt to make him dizzy. It worked. I used Flare Blitz again. Baxter flew farther than last time. "Nope!" I taunted. I ran in front of him, my steel claws scraping across the ground. I lunged, but Baxter caught me and threw me against the wall.
That hurt worse than I thought it would. I fell to the ground, unable to move. My Charmander attacked Baxter from behind, enraged.
I tried lifting my head, but I had little strength. I was thrown hard against the wall. "Any last words, kitty?" Baxter said. I was cornered with no strength left. "Yeh." I said softly. "Two words. Get him!"
The boys attacked Stockman. I didn't see much. I blacked out in the middle of the fight. So much for being chased. Gah! I feel like an embarrassment!
Charmander's POV
Michelangelo smashes a beehive in Stockman's face. I was flat out furious when he threw my trainer against the wall. He's unconscious now. Hopefully we can beat Stockman without him. He falls into the street. I manage to get the little circle thing out of him. His arm starts to short out.
I chuckle darkly, wagging my tail. Stockman laughs awkwardly. "Wanna call it a tie?" Leonardo asked Raphael. He cracks his knuckles and smirks. "Not yet," Raphael opens up a dumpster. I begin laughing, knowing what's about to happen next. The rest of the boys throw Stockman into the dumpster. I hear yelling. "Now it's a tie," Raphael replies.
They turn to Marcel's motionless body. Donatello walks up to him first, inspecting his injuries. The rest followed suit. "Is he gonna be okay, D?" Michelangelo asks his older brother. "He's unconscious. He'll be fine." They carefully pick up Marcel, and they carry him back to the lair without another word said.
We went back to the lair and told Splinter about the mission. "Where is Marcel?" He asked. "He was knocked unconscious. Other than that, he's okay." Donatello said. "Good. You all showed wisdom and great skill in defeating the Stockmanpod. I am proud of you all." Splinter said with a smile."Does this mean we're not grounded anymore?" Leonardo asked. Splinter stroked his beard in thought, the smiled, "Yes." The boys smiled in relief. Then, Splinter's smile turned into a smirk, as he got his stick, "But first; Randori!"
The boys ran from Splinter and I chirped.
Marcel's POV
I slowly woke up to a nose in my face. I screamed an eight-year-old boy scream. My Charmander puts a paw on my head, calming me down. "How long was I out?" I realize, now frantic. "Not long," Donatello answered. "About an hour."
"What happened to Stockman?" I asked. A grin formed on my face. "Did you kick his butt?"
"You bet your stripes we did." Raphael said. "I expect nothing more from the greatest ninjas I know." We wandered off to do our own thing. How many new guys are we gonna run into? Doesn't matter. Whoever it is, let's just get one thing clear...
There is nothing, and I mean nothing, that baddies can throw at us that we can't handle.
At last! I am now officially at the fifth episode checkpoint!
In 'Metalhead', you will see the relationship between Marcel and Donatello. As well as a little bit from Marcel's past.