I apologize for the long wait. I'm hoping the length of this makes up for some lost time.
Not the world's best timing right now. We're just finishing a little ambush from the Foot. And guess who I had a run-in with? Zeke! Trying to constrict my arm. It's not gonna work. "Ooh, this Arbok, it's constricting my arm." I said, not scared. He's squeezing as hard as he can, but he's not moving much.
"You have some intense muscle in here." He hisses. I grab him by the tail, unraveling him off of my arm. "Listen, you wanna defeat me, you're gonna have to try harder than this. Besides, you're a cobra, not a boa constrictor. So act like one." I growl in his face.
"If that's what you want." He hisses. I spin him in my hand, speeding up every second, and I let him go, sending him sky high and flying in the air. "Sayonara, Zeke!" I call out to him, not that he heard me.
"Odd. The Foot ninjas nor Zeke have been much of a challenge recently." I realize. "Maybe we're just that awesome." Raphael replies with that sexy smirk he's giving me. "Eh, I don't know. His fighting, it's been lousy ever since he gave me these scars." I reply back.
"You know who I'd hate to be? The guy who has to tell Shredder about this." Donatello asks us, then explains with a smile. That I agree with. But they're up to something, I can tell. I need to prepare for it. But how am I gonna do that?
We finish our patrol with a quick stop at TCRI. I keep hearing noises from a little ways off. It almost sounds like a horse having a fight with a snake. It's been going on for a good hour and a half. Raphael sighs. "I was afraid this day would come. We've run out of butts to kick."
I shake my head, amused, right before the horse noises start getting louder. "Wait, maybe we didn't." I said, my noise in the air for a scent. I hop down to ground level and see a purple snake Pokémon. Zeke again?! He looked unharmed, especially after I threw him like a ball and chain a while ago.
And some ninja trying to squeeze into a window. The guy looks familiar. But I can't quite put my finger on it. There's another group of Foot ninjas with them, surrounding us. I jump in first, crushing most of them with one tackle. These ninjas are way too easy to take down. After a while, the remaining ninjas retreated.
I chase one of them, barking. "That's right! Get outta here, bugatti!" I roar, nearly biting one of the ninjas' legs off. "Everything okay? I heard-" Oh, I forgot about that one. I dash in between his legs, tripping him. He yelps as he falls.
He gets up and turns to see us. Charmeleon pinned the guy to the ground and growled at him. "Whoa, wait, Marcel, it's me! Call your Charmeleon off!" The ninja shouts, waving his hands. I know that voice anywhere. "Charmeleon, get off him. He's cool." Charmeleon does what he's told.
The ninja removes his mask, and I saw that goofy smiling face I'd never thought I'd see again. "Pulverizer? Long time no see." I greet him. "Hey, guys. How awesome is this? Bet you guys were wondering when you'd see me again." Pulverizer said with a smile.
"Yes." I said.
Raphael looks away. "No."
Pulverizer chuckles and puts an arm around Raphael's shoulder. "Raphael, still the jokester, I see. Good one." Pulverizer aims to lightly punch Raphael in the shoulder, but Raphael catches it and squeezes it. "Ow!"
"Take it from me, Pulverizer. I can tell when Raphael's joking. And I can assure you, he's not joking now." I tell Pulverizer, poking Raphael on the cheek with my nose. We look at each other sexually. The rest of the boys give us weird looks.
"Okay... Anyway, what do you guys think of my new threads? I'm a ninja now." Pulverizer said. "What exactly are you doing with the Foot Clan?" I ask him. "Well, last time, you told me I needed to practice. I told this little snake guy here what happened," Zeke wraps himself around Pulverizer's arm. "And I joined a Bradford dojo to hone my craft."
"And with that, he impressed us with his moves, and now he's joined the Foot Clan." Zeke finishes. Seriously? I mean, it's not that I don't like the guy, but they actually let someone like him in his, um, background, to join the Foot Clan?
"And I've already made the rank of Ashigaru-Sha." Pulverizer said. "Do you know what that means?" I ask him. He shakes his head. "No."
"It means 'footmen' or 'cannon fodder.'" I tell him. He doesn't look like he understands. "I'll add on to that. In traditional Japanese warfare, they were the expendable soldiers. They're usually sent in first to waste the enemy's ammunition, set off traps before the real soldiers arrived, those sort of things." I explain to him.
"Nah, the Foot wouldn't do that. We're the good guys."
"Okay, besides why you'd think a ridiculous thing like that, why would you trust scaly over there?" I ask him. "He said he could help me. He's the one who brought me to the Bradford dojo." Pulverizer explains. "But he-!" Zeke glares at me. No, he really is using Glare, paralyzing me a little.
"Are you okay?" Pulverizer asks me. I don't answer, or react at all for that matter. A hand waves in front of me. I blink, but I can't move. "Perhaps he's rendered speechless because of the good work he's been doing lately." Zeke said.
"That's not the thing..." Donatello said, glaring at Zeke. "I'll recon intel and, uh, send you a text. I hope he's okay." Pulverizer said. Zeke doesn't take his piercing eyes off of me. "I wouldn't worry about him too much." He said.
I can't feel my anything. I don't know how I'm still standing. Someone snaps their fingers in my face. "I think he's paralyzed." Donatello said, taking out a Cheri Berry. I try my best to consume it. When I did, I could move again. "Zeke used Glare. He's up to something, and I intend to find out what."
After coming back from our patrol, Splinter didn't seem very happy about our report, so he leads us into the dojo. "You five have defeated much of the Foot Clan with ease." He said. Raphael looks at Leonardo. "Why does he make that sound like a bad thing?"
"Because you have grown complacent!" Splinter answers. "Each of you have become dependent on your own weapon. But there are times when you might not be able to fight with what you know. And when that happens, you must adapt to your environment." Splinter explains. Kijani nods.
"Oh, I get it. For example, say there was, oh, I don't know, a comic book lying around. We could use that as a weapon, right?" I ask them. "Exactly." Kijani said, nodding.
"But you guys can't send us out there armed with nothing but a comic book." Raphael argues. I put a hand on his shoulder. "Not a comic book." I mutter to him. "So what do you want us to do?" Leonardo asks. "I want you to embrace the unfamiliar. Switch weapons."
One half of me is nervous, but the other half is excited to try something new like this. We all switch weapons. Leonardo has Donatello's bō staff. Donatello has Michelangelo's nunchucks. Michelangelo has Leonardo's katanas. Raphael has my torch (which I haven't used in a while), and I'm stuck with Raphael's sais.
This might take a bit of getting used to. But hey, I'm a mutant tiger. I'm a master of adaptation. After living in the city for several years, this shouldn't be an exception. "Guys, shh. We have to be quiet. Ninjas are quiet. Quiet down." Michelangelo said, trying to imitate Leonardo.
Donatello and Raphael laugh. I cover my mouth with one paw, snickering a little. "I sound nothing like that!" Leonardo said. "Yes, that's why we're laughing. Because you sound nothing like that." Raphael said.
"Face each other." Splinter instructs.
Leonardo faces Raphael. Donatello faces Michelangelo. "Um, Splinter, I don't have a sparring partner." I tell him. He turns to his partner Pokémon. "Leisurely." Kijani said, facing me. He gets down on all fours. "Hajime!"
Leonardo trips over his staff, Donatello hits himself in the head, Michelangelo spins his swords in his hands, but then loses control and drops them. Raphael starts having trouble either igniting the flame of spinning it in his hands.
Kijani swings an arm. I ward off the blow with the sais and throw him off. He tries to swing another arm at me, but I spin kick it, delaying the attack. I seize the opportunity while he's distracted and swing my head into his chest, flinging him into the air a bit and landing on his rear.
"Yame!"
The boys stand back up. I help Kijani to his feet. "Very good." He said.
"You will continue to fight this way. It will teach you resourcefulness and versatility." Splinter instructs us. He then walks to his room. I lick my paw and stroke the back of my head with it. I has swag.
"How'd you do it? You were able to handle my sais with no problems." Raphael asks me. "I've spent the last fifteen years watching you train. Although, I taught myself, really." I explain to them. They nod in understanding.
Okay, we received a text from Pulverizer (who blew our cover), and we were in an alley outside of TCRI. But now we have bigger fish to fry. We were all battling Bradford, Xever, a bunch of Foot Ninjas, and, oh joy, Zeke again.
I have him tangled up in the sais. I took this as an advantage to keep the slippery guy still. Zeke grows frustrated as he tries to untangle himself without getting more stuck or stabbing himself. He flickers his tongue in my face. "You're going in the right direction for more scars." He said.
"Dream on, scaly." I taunt him, right before a Flamethrower nearly burns my whiskers off. "Sorry! Still trying to work this stupid thing!" Raphael said, jiggling my torch. "Don't call it stupid! You'll hurt its feelings."
"Fight first, be silly later!" Raphael replies, right before he unintentionally shoots a Fire Blast from my torch, knocking out both Zeke and Bradford's Machoke. "Did I do that? Oops." Raphael jokes.
"Okay, you position it like you're holding a cannon. Okay? Then you jerk it towards you like you're using a gun." I explain to him. "Got it-Ow!" An Aqua Tail hits Raphael on his right and knocks him down on his stomach.
Xever's Feraligatr pins him down, growling as he did so. His teeth become cryogenically frozen, signifying that he was about to use Ice Fang. I roar, lighting an arm on fire, and slam said arm into Feraligatr's mouth, joining him in the pile with Zeke and Machoke.
"Hey, can I have my sais back?" Raphael asks me. At that moment, I notice that the rest of the boys gave their own weapons back. "No, you can not." I answer.
"Why not?"
"One, I'm not going against Splinter's wishes. Two, I'm having too much fun with your sais. Keep the torch for all I care. I don't use the old thing anymore."
"I thought you said it had feelings?"
I raise my brows at him. "You dare use my spells against me, turtle!" I said to him dramatically, pointing a sai at him, right before I'm met with a metal foot to the face. The impact caused me to drop the sais. Xever has me pinned to the floor, one of his robotic feet pressed against my chest.
"Well, if it isn't the giant house cat." Xever taunts me. "I see you've got some new scars."
"Well, if it isn't the largemouth bass who won't keep his mouth shut." I retaliate back. "Oh! How'd that burn feel?" Raphael shouts, laughing hard. I bite Xever's robot leg, crushing it, and throw him elsewhere.
"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty." I hear someone taunt behind me. A large, tan and white fist nearly crashes down on me before I jump out of the way. It was then I noticed that the large, tan and white fist came from none other than Bradford.
I make whistling noises like I was calling a dog. "Bradford, come here, boy." I'm having a hard time holding back laughter. This is too much fun. Bradford growls and charges for me, but I slide out of the way. He slams a fist on the ground again, missing me.
I step up on Bradford's fist, which was stuck in the floor. "Hey, Bradford. Remember when you sliced a part of my tail off?" I ask him. He chuckles. "Good times, huh?" He asks me, a bit nervous. "Yup. For that reason alone, consider this payback." I support my weight onto my arms and kick him in the nose. Hard.
He finally gets his hand unstuck and clutches his nose in pain. Surfacing the metal plate on my head, and using every ounce of strength I have, I ram my head into Bradford's stomach, sending him into the wall. I like to call that a mix of Zen Headbutt and Iron Head. Iron Headbutt. Perfect.
"Hey, um, have you guys heard of this guy called Kirākyatto?" Pulverizer asks us in a deep voice. My ears perk up upon hearing the question, oblivious to the deep voice. "I think he just took some mutagen."
"Okay, listen, Pulverizer, unless you're really tired of living, stay away from Kirākyatto." I tell him with a serious look on my face. "He's dangerous. Extremely dangerous."
"Were you guys friends or something?"
"Sort of. After he got bit by a rabid bat and went crazy like you wouldn't believe, he's had some kind of vendetta against us, especially me. Donatello was lucky enough tranquilize him before he got mauled."
"Whoa, really?"
Donatello nods. "I feel sorry for whoever got bit by him. He had rabies."
"He definitely had behavioral problems, including serious aggression. He killed very few people, but he's more under control now. Even if so, his bite can paralyze you like a Thunder Wave works." I explain to him. "Kirā gained some kind of electrical power in his teeth during his little rampage. His bite paralyzes, that's about it. But the lightest brush of the claws will result in a bloody cut."
Pulverizer shudders upon hearing the description I gave him. "I don't wanna mess with him." He said. "No. You don't."
Big bad Kirā, he's as mean as they come,
You want somebody scary, then he's number one,
He's got a special trick you might not expect
To stop someone moving with one little peck
Oh, big bad Kirā, he'll always cause a fright,
Big bad Kirā, will stop you with his bite,
He's not very big, but he's meaner than mean,
He's the scariest kitty that you ever did see,
Big bad Kirā.
Pulverizer and the turtles are giving me their full attention, as they know what I'm singing is true.
Big bad Kirā is a kitty, it's true,
You need somebody rough, he knows what to do,
But he won't take kindly to remarks on his size,
He'll zip up your lips, from a look in his eyes.
Big bad Kirā, he'll always cause a fright,
Big bad Kirā will stop you with his bite,
He's not very big, but he's meaner than mean,
He's the scariest kitty you ever did see,
Oh, big bad Kirā, he'll always cause a fright,
Big bad Kirā, will stop you with his bite,
He's not very big! but he's meaner than mean,
He's the scariest kitty you ever did see,
Big bad Kirā.
"Heed my warning, Timothy, if you want to live." I warn him. "Do not look him directly in the eyes."
"Trust me, I'll be careful." Pulverizer said. "Anyway, I'm gonna go spy now!" He runs into yet another car. I shake my head. He's cool, but he's not the sharpest tool in the shed. I just hope Kirā doesn't hurt him. But to be honest, he doesn't really care for the human race. He never has.
Anyway, we made it back to the lair with no problems. The boys are cheering on a mission well done. But they didn't use the weapons Splinter wanted them to use. I didn't need my torch. I haven't used it in a month, and I'm just fine. I didn't just leave it behind, though.
I know what some of you are thinking; if you don't use it as much as you used to, then why didn't you get rid of it? My answer is, in case I really need it. Like, say there was an Abomasnow causing trouble in the streets. Wait... I could beat that thing with my bare hands. Okay, you guys got me, but you know what I'm saying.
I jump upon noticing Splinter's presence. "So you decided not to follow my lesson." He said to us. "Sensei, we don't get it." Raphael argues with a shrug. "How does switching weapons help us in a fight? We were doing fine on our own."
"Then you still do not understand the point of the lesson. So now you will learn to adapt, by having no weapons." The boys gasp upon hearing this. My eyes widen a bit. "Hand over your weapons. Now!"
I watch as the boys hand over their weapons. I sigh and lightly toss my torch on the floor, making a wooden clanging sound as it hit the floor. The boys and Splinter hear the noise and turn their attention to me. "Marcel, you do not have to hand over your weapon." Splinter said to me.
"I know I don't have to. But I want to. If the boys have to go out there without a weapon, then I'm willing to do the same. Besides, I'm fine with or without it."
The boys look at each other with small smiles. Splinter picks up my torch from the floor. "That is a very kind thing of you to do, Marcel."
"Thank you, Sensei-oof!" Raphael cut me off by pouncing on me in a hug. I return it with one arm. It wouldn't be fair if I was the only one who had a weapon, anyway.
The five of us are in the lounge doing our own thing. But me, I'm pacing around, worried about Timothy. He never actually listened to me, but he seemed focused intently when I sang that song about Kirā. I'm hoping he listens for once. Kirā can very easily kill him, whether he cares about the human race or not.
When he said he doesn't care about something, he wants nothing to do with it. But he might cause trouble that relates to whatever he claims he doesn't care about. Confusing, right?
I jump when my mechanical collar vibrates. I don't really have a phone number, but I guess he's able to call me anyway? I put it on speaker. The boys stand near me to listen. "Hello?"
"This is Special Agent Delta-Niner, calling from behind enemy lines." A familiar voice said. "Ah, Timothy. Did you find out anything interesting?" I ask him. "I did. The mutation experiment is going down in Broom Street, in the Bowery. They're on their way here now." He answers.
"Good work, Timothy. At least I knew you'd be useful." I glare at the three oldest brothers, who just roll their eyes. "Oh, that's not even the best part. Are you ready for this?"
I glance to my left and right for a second. "Hold that thought." I tell him. "Should I be excited or worried?" I whisper, covering the speaker. The boys shrug. I sigh and uncover the speaker. "Okay, spill it."
"Shredder and Kirā are gonna mutate just one Foot soldier first, as a test. And guess what? I volunteered."
I fall over on my back out of shock. Has Timothy lost his absolute mind?! "Have you lost it?! Do you have any idea how dangerous mutagen is?" I scold him. "Oh, come on. It'll be cool. Throw some mutagen on me, and boom, I'm a superhero-"
Out of rage, I hang up. How can he just let himself do something as dangerous as this? He has no idea what mutagen can do to him! I punch the nearest wall with so much force, it left a cracked dent.
"Whoa, whoa, hey." Leonardo strokes my head. "It's okay. We'll save him." He said "Easier said than done." I growl. Donatello puts a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry, bud. We should've gotten the guy out when we had the chance." He apologizes.
"Well, we're getting him out now. Let's roll."
I knock Xever off of the roof, frustrated. I swear on the lord, if Kirā lays one finger on Timothy, I'll tear him limb from limb! And the same goes for whoever else is there! I'm not letting an innocent human being get mutated on my watch.
I leap in through the window, tackling Timothy out of the way of the mutagen. Bradford, Xever, and a bunch of Foot ninjas look at me. I snort smoke out of my nose. "Get him!" Bradford orders the Foot ninjas.
Time to show these guys what a mutant tiger can do. No weapon, no problem. I punch one in the face, knocking it out. One charges at me with its katana. I grab it's arm and perform a shoulder throw.
"Clever kitty." I hear a demonic voice said to me. I turn to see Kirā growling at me. He unsheathes his claws. "But cleverness will only get you so far!" He runs for me. I do the same, baring my teeth. We collide with each other, stabbing one another with our claws.
He scratches me across the nose, causing me to roar out in pain and hold my nose. Kirā just laughs that evil laugh. "You were foolish to care about this idiot. And your terrapin friends were even more foolish for believing you." Charmeleon uses Fire Fang on his shoulder. Kirā whacked him off with his wing.
I cut him off from attacking Charmeleon by aiming an Ice Beam at each of his feet, sticking them to the floor. Kirā tries to free himself to no avail. He hisses at me. I just chuckle darkly and cross my arms. "You were saying about cleverness?"
A scream interrupts my thoughts. Oh no, Timothy must've gotten into the mutagen. I turn to the mutagen tank. Oh my god, he did. Kirā's face changes. "You fool! No matter. I don't mind watching him suffer." He said, not caring. He just lies there, stuck like glue to the floor.
Timothy walks around the area, like he needed to touch something. But he's covered in clothing. There's nothing to mix his DNA with. We all keep his distance from him. Except Kirā, who just watches with malice. "Timothy is jacked up!" Michelangelo said.
He eventually stops walking around and falls to his knees. His clothing, skin, and muscles melt and fuse together to create a single celled, acid like jelly, encasing his organs, eyes and mouth. He 'stands' back up and roars at us. The remaining Foot ninjas, Bradford and Xever manage to escape, locking us in.
I'm too focused on Timothy right now. The poor guy. He didn't do anything to deserve this. And I vowed to myself that I wouldn't let him mutate himself. I bury my face with one paw. How could I let this happen? I'm such an idiot. I might as well-
"Marcel, watch out!"
I'm too caught up worrying Timothy, and I don't realize that he's heading straight for me. The crate I'm standing on collapses, and I land on my back. I look up to see the giant blob mutant of which used to be a human. He's even scarier up close.
The boys grabbed his attention, and he's trapped inside a mutagen tank. We manage to escape just in time before the place went kablooey. I got a good look at Timothy. My heart sinks at his new state of mind and being. No explanation necessary.
Wait, did Kirā survive that explosion?! He survived that explosion!
We return back to the lair with Timothy. Leonardo explains the story to Splinter. Now he knows why I feel so bad. I'm rubbing my head against the glass, trying not to cry. "You're not crying, are you?" Raphael asks me. Ignoring him, I continue rubbing my head against the glass.
I was crying. I didn't realize how much I actually cared about Timothy... until it was too late. You never know what you have until it's gone. I jump when I feel a hand on my shoulder. "Marcel, I-"
I raise a hand to silence Donatello. "You don't have to apologize. Just promise me you'll try to change him back." I tell him. "I will..." He smirks. "Billie."
I tilt my head. "Huh?" I'm confused. Everyone except Splinter snickers a bit. "Timothy called you that." Donatello explains to me. I snicker a bit, too. "I have no idea where he got that name from, but, oh well."
I feel guilty about tonight's events. But knowing that Donatello will do everything he can to bring him back, I start to feel better almost instantly.
But I can't help but wonder what that horse noise was...
Once again, I apologize for the long wait. I have a lot going on at home, I can't keep up. I'm hoping the next chapter comes around sooner. The song Marcel sang to Pulverizer about Kirā is based off of "Big Bad Kenge" from the Lion Guard.
Be on the lookout for a small trigger warning in the next chapter...