The next day, as promised, the acolytes had the day to rest, relax, and recover from their ordeal the day before. Leo and Faraji both began to feel a lot better after some rest.
It was the following evening and everyone was having trouble sleeping when they knew they had to go back to training the next day. Mikey was probably the most restless. He wanted to go home and just relax for a change. He was tired of all this training. But it was fun discovering his new powers that he didn't know he possessed.
Mikey rolled around and just couldn't get comfortable. He rubbed his eyes. "I can't sleep." he said.
Don yawned. "Me neither."
"Shh! You'll wake the old guys." Raph warned.
Splinter and the Ancient One were both sitting over in Splinter's resting area. "They're meditating, not sleeping. There's a difference, Raph." Leo stated.
"Not in my book." Raph replied.
Splinter's trance began to break. "So much danger. I never wanted this for them."
"Uh, Splinter, I cannot meditate with you muttering like that. And besides, my butt has fallen asleep." the Ancient One said. Splinter's eyes opened to look at his friend.
"My apologies, Ancient One." Splinter said as he poured a cup of tea. "But the Ninja Tribunal troubles me more each day. I cannot allow their foolish judgment to cost me my family. Not again!" he exclaimed.
"Your sons are capable. Sort of." the Ancient One tried to assure the fatherly rat. He knew he cared deeply for his sons.
The turtles didn't exactly like it that their father and great-grandfather so to speak, were talking about them as if they weren't there.
"Um, hello? We're like five feet away. How about showing a little tact?" Mikey stated.
"Master Splinter, when you said the Ninja Tribunal cost you your family, what are you talking about?" Leo asked.
"I am talking about my beloved Master Yoshi; and of a time in the past. Yoshi-san was a guardian then, pledged to protect the Utrom. He came to enlist the Tribunal's aid." Splinter replied.
"Yoshi was my prize pupil. And he insisted on becoming a guardian." the Ancient One stated.
"The mightly Ninja Tribunal ignored my master's warnings. And because of their cold indifference, one of the bad outcomes would be my Master Yoshi's life. And the Tribunal did nothing! Nothing!" Splinter said sadly as tears came to his eyes. "Had they heeded Yoshi, he might be alive today."
"The Tribunal sees a bigger picture than we do, Splinter, at least, I hope they do." Ancient One said.
The turtles all glanced at one another. There was just still one thing they didn't know, and who was this evil anyway?
"Is anyone going to tell us what the shell is going on around here?" Raph demanded.
"Real Shredder, True Shredder, Utrom Shredder." Mikey stated.
"How many Shredders are there?" Don demanded.
The Ancient One and Splinter looked at each other as well, and knew now would be a good time to reveal the true story and information about what this Shredder really was.
"My sons, it is time you all hear about how all this began, of an evil darker than all evils." Splinter began. "A primal force of malevolence that was and is, the original Shredder."
"No one really knows of the dark depths that spawned him, but, back in the year, 300 A.D. in the land of Amoto, the Shredder rose from some fowl stinking crypt in the form of a terrible Tengu." the Ancient One spoke next.
They continued to tell the story of how there had been once the Legend of the Five Dragons. Their Shishos had once been students themselves, and learned multitudes of magic to take this Shredder on to defeat him. And there had once been an original Oruku Saki too. He had become the demon.
The four remaining Dragons even had dragon avatars, as did the Shredder. They fought as dragons to defeat the Shredder, and they encased the evil one in a sarcophagus, separated from his helmet and guantlet. They had held a 1,700 year vigil ever since.
"They began training others. Others that could help them in their fight. Acolytes, chosen for their potential and purity of heart." Splinter explained.
"The Tribunal taught an art of fighting with a dragon at its core. This would come to be called Ninjitsu." the Ancient One added on.
"And these immortals, the four remaining Dragons, became known as, the Ninja Tribunal." Splinter finished the story.
"So, there was a real Shredder?" Leo stated.
"And the alien Utrom we fought was an imposter, who was just using the name of the demon Shredder to gain respect." Don added.
"And this Shredder has a bunch of butt kickin' magic powers that almost destroyed the Ninja Tribunal." Raph added.
"And now, someone's trying to resurrect him. The greatest evil this world has ever known. And the only ones who know about this…" Leo said.
"Are cute, green, and way the shell out of our league!" Mikey exclaimed. "Um, any chance we can still go home?"
Splinter and the Ancient One glared at him tensely.
"No, I didn't think so." Mikey said.
It was going to be hard to sleep after having heard that story, but at least now the turtles knew more about what they were being trained for. They were so tired of hearing about having to deal with anyone called the Shredder for an enemy.
…..
Across the land, by the water, an evil looking ship came to rest at the shoreline. The five Mystics got off the ship. They were sure they would get their hands on the first artifact. But what they found disappointed them, and wanted to know what happened.
The Kapa Tengu were all wiped out, as in injured from their fight. Some were still unconscious, but one of them was awake. He was turned onto his back and a foot from the Metal Mystic was put onto his stomach.
"Kapa Tengu! Who did this to you?!" the Metal one demanded angrily.
"Tribunal! New acolytes!" the Tengu replied weakly.
"The cask. Where is the cask?!"
"They have it."
"You had one duty: to protect the cask!" the Metal Mystic was furious.
"They fought like demons!" the Tengu shrieked.
"But you are demons. Demons who failed in your duty. The supreme master we have come to revive accepts no excuses. And neither do we." he said angrily. Then all five Mystics went on to kill all of these Tengus.
They were sure that they still one more artifact in their possession however. And they still had to wait for a few more days before they could attempt to start fishing out their vengeance.
….
After a day off of training, it did give Leonardo and Faraji enough time to get back on their feet. There were no major injuries, just mainly some bruises and magic use burnout. It had been the first time that Leo had used his chi powers and had just wiped him out the most.
They had managed to get a little bit of sleep last night, but not enough. And here, this morning, despite being a bit tired, but still, all the acolytes showed up for training, and this time, their Shisho was Chikara.
She took them all to the edge of a mountain for their training this morning. All of her students got seated and she began explaining.
Being the only woman Shisho also meant that some of the guys might have found her attractive too, no matter how old she was.
"Strength of body, when combined with mind and spirit, can move mountains. Alone, however, the body shatters against rock, like a bristled twig." Chikara stated the obvious. It was amazing she was the Shisho of Strength, just considering she was a woman. That usually belonged to a man.
"Yeah, but rock beats scissors, and paper beats rock…" Mikey started going on about the hand game called Rock, Paper, and Scissors. His brothers were annoyed when he went on, but none of them were prepared when they saw Chikara pick a giant boulder that was beside her.
The acolytes all gasped, though Adam was mightily impressed. He smiled in a big way. "Whoa! Isn't she dreamy?" he asked Don, who was sitting in front of him.
Don wasn't so sure about that. "Chikara Shisho?"
Chikara then proceeded to throw the rock in the air and punched it from the bottom, making it shatter into many smaller pieces. The acolytes tried to keep from getting hit.
"Sure, dreamy like a panser tank." Don answered Adam's question.
Mikey had also apparently heard the question too. "Oh, I don't know. Give her a shell, add a touch of green, you might have something." he imagined.
Mikey was apparently annoying her. She had heard him. "Michelangelo, son of Splinter!" Chikara called him out.
"Busted." Raph stated.
"Stand!" she ordered. Mikey stood up as told. "Strike me with all of your strength!" she demanded.
"Um, this is going to result in me getting my shell kicked, isn't it?" he asked nervously. He held his right fist up. He went for the punch, and she only grabbed his fist and began squeezing it hard.
Mikey cried out in pain, making him go to his knees. "The body alone shatters against rock." Then she tossed him away from her. "Again!" she ordered.
Mikey rubbed his hand to get the circulation back in his hand. Then, he got a little frustrated. He went with a kick at her next. But she hit him in the shin, just below his knee. It knocked him down flat on his shell. "Ow." he said.
His brothers all burst out laughing. "Nice job, Mikey. I think you got her on the ropes." Don said and laughed.
Chikara then stepped up to the others. "Stand, Acolytes." she ordered. They did. Don went to help Mikey up.
"Prepare!" she demanded and she smashed her hands together, making a bright light start blasting to behind them. The acolytes protected their eyes.
Behind them, pieces of rocks started to come together. When the pieces were complete, they made stone warriors. The acolytes all grabbed their weapons.
"These Stone Oni are powerful, and nearly impervious. To defeat them will take more than mere muscle. It is time to see what I have taught you. Focus on your inner strength!" Chikara ordered.
"Are you ready to shatter some mountains, Banrai?" Raph asked his weapon. It glowed as if to answer him.
"I said inner strength!" Chikara made her right hand glow, and then, the weapons disappeared from everyone's hands. "No weapons."
The acolytes couldn't believe this. "You gotta be kiddin' me!" Raph shouted in fear as the Stone Onis started coming at them. "Oh man, no weapons! There's always a catch!" he realized.
"Fight, Warriors!" Chikara ordered.
Adam was the first one who charged, but he was rammed real hard and thrown away.
The others all began to scatter. Torra got up on one and he too got a good hit. Raph ended up next to Joy. "Any ideas?" Joy asked him.
"Oh yeah. It's shell kickin' time." Raph smiled at her, and he focused, bringing on his chi marks. There were two Stone Onis coming at them.
Raph smiled when he was focused. He ran to grab and meet the stone fist that was coming at them. "Coming about, Joy! Duck!" he ordered. Joy ducked as he lifted and swung his weight around, making the Oni crash into the other one. They had destroyed theirs.
Mikey tried to get away from his for a moment, and tried to do the same as Raph. "Focusing, focusing." he told himself, but his marks never came. When he went in for the punch, it was the same effect as when he tried to punch Chikara. Now the same hand was even more bruised. "Ow! But I was focusing!" he complained.
Leo kept jumping away from the one coming after him, until he was wrapping his hands in brown bandages. When the fist came down to the ground, he jumped onto it and tried pounding it. "Come on! Come on! Break!" He was trying hard.
The one coming at Don finally made the genius focus hard enough and his marks came on. He spun through the air and punched the Stone Oni in the chest and going through it. It shattered into a million pieces.
Raph and Faraji were beside him. They were impressed.
"I just thought it through, and wow!" Don said happily.
Leo had sadly not had that much luck. He rolled away and got to his feet again. He was in a low crouch as the stone fist was about to come down on him. "Hold!" came the order.
Leo was glad he hadn't been smashed into the ground, but felt he hadn't done a good job. "The lesson ends." Chikara said behind him.
"Torra Yoshida, Donatello, Joy Reynard, Raphael, you have all done well." Chikara praised them. She glared at the other four. "The rest of you; your focus and discipline are poor; you will do well to meditate on your utter failure here." Chikara said firmly as she walked off.
Leo helped Mikey up while Faraji helped Adam up.
"Hey! Don't I get a gold star for at least good effort? I stayed conscious." Mikey stated.
Don and Raph came over to Faraji and Adam. "How did I do? Was Chikara impressed?" Adam asked.
"You did great, Adam." Don said.
"Yeah, Chikara's probably gonna ask you out now." Raph went along with it.
"Sweet." Adam smiled.
The acolytes all left together. The Ancient One was left behind, watching them go back to the monistary. He thought of something that might make things easier to understand for at least two of the turtles.
Later in the evening, Leo and Mikey were off by themselves. Leo knew that he often had one of the greatest attention spans of his brothers. He hadn't understood why he hadn't had some sort of success with Chikara's lesson.
Mikey kicked a small rock off the edge when a voice cleared. "Leonardo, Michelangelo." the Ancient One began, "Do not let Chikara Shisho's beauty and lack of yelling deceive you. She is one of the harshest of the Shisho." he pointed out.
Leo and Mikey bowed in respect to him. "Ancient One, I'm not sure the Tribunal is happy with my progress." Leo said.
"Yeah! Chikara wanted to drop kick me off that mountain!" Mikey said angrily.
"The Ninja Tribunal would not waste their time on students who were not worthy." the little man said. "You are both doing well. You, Leonardo, they are hardest on, for in you, they see much potential. They expect you to rise to their challenge, as do I." he explained.
The two turtles bowed to him again, as he did too. "Thank you, Ancient One." Leo said.
"I wish you were training us instead of the Tribunal!" Mikey exclaimed.
"And who do you think trained me, Michelangelo?" the Ancient One stated before walking off.
Mikey and Leo glanced at one another again. At least he had helped them to understand a little more. Leo especially.
They went off to get some dinner afterwards, feeling a little better.
….
That night, Splinter had another dream premonition about the Shredder hunting him and his sons. This time, the evil one had killed his sons.
"NOT AGAIN!" Splinter cried out in anguish. Then the Shredder came out of the trees, ready to go after him too.
Splinter awoke in alarm. His sons were all asleep. "Night after night, the same vision." He closed his eyes and prayed, "Master Yoshi, tell me how to protect my sons from this coming darkness." he said as tears came to his eyes.
…..
The next day, Hisomi took the acolytes to some high mountains with paths on them. He was testing for super speed.
They all started out running like normal. Leo and Faraji were in front. Mikey and Tora were next. Raph and Joy were third, and Don and Adam were last.
"Chasing Hisomi isn't exactly boosting my moral. I'm getting tired of failing." Leo stated.
"Ah, my friend, so am I." Faraji replied.
"What are you talking about Faraji? You're doing great. You were given one of the Fangs of the Dragon." Leo complimented. "You're the most skilled warrior here."
"But I am not. I failed Chikara Shisho's lesson, just as I am failing Hisomi Shisho's right now." Faraji stated sadly.
In the very back, Don and Adam were trying to take their minds off the lesson a little bit. They were talking about something Don was wanting to invent when he got back to New York.
"You're kidding. You're going to put missiles in it?" Adam asked. "That's great!"
"Oh, I know. It'll have armored plating, a communication center, and be fully remote accessible! And I think my friend, Randall can help me do it too!" Don explained his thoughts. He missed Randall too.
"That'd be awesome! You could have the trunk pop open, and have a full trunk engine back there! You should call it: Turtle Taxi." Adam suggested. "And this Randall must be a great engineer like yourself?"
"Good idea! And yes, he is." Don praised the idea and his friend. "Um, we're not going to catch Hisomi today, are we?"
"I don't see that happening." Adam said.
Up ahead, Hisomi was getting faster. Mikey and Torra caught up to Leo and Faraji. "Move it or lose it, slow pokes!" Mikey shouted, making the two lead runners get out of the way before they were pushed aside. They began running again.
"How does he do it?" Mikey asked. "Okay, Torra. You and me, we're going to figure this out, and we're going to catch him!"
"Perhaps if you ran as fast as you talked, you would do better!" Torra scolded.
"No! We just have to remember what Hisomi said about stealth and movement, well, what'd he minded about them anyway." Mikey declared. "See it happen, picture myself there, and Chikara said, if I focus my chi…" he was focusing just right this time and his chi marks appeared, and it made him take off at super speed. "Wahoo!" he let out as he sounded like a race car taking off.
Torra pulled up in surprise. "Michelangelo?"
The others couldn't believe it either.
Hisomi was way far ahead of everyone else and running at super speed. He didn't figure the acolytes would catch up to him, but he looked back and saw Mikey running beside him.
Mikey looked up at him and shrugged.
Hisomi thought he would beat the orange wearing turtle and he went to make a game out of it. He ran on faster.
Mikey giggled and he put on the same amount of speed, catching up to his sensei again real fast. They both ran at super fast, almost race car type speed! Hisomi smiled and bowed his head at Mikey. He was obviously pleased with him. They both had a game race.
The other seven acolytes were left clear on the other moutain path. "I am never going to hear the end of this." Raph complained.
By the time they reached their destination, they were tired and breathless. They just couldn't figure out what Mikey had. But at least today was an improvement for Mikey over what had happened the day before.
…
The next lesson couldn't wait. The acolytes had a lesson with Kon in the afternoon. They were all in the monistary today. They were all sitting a big, wide circle.
Kon began the lesson, "While you walk on this Earth, your spirit walks in another world. What you see with your eyes is only one plane of existence. What you feel with your heart and chi, that is the world of the Spirit." He levitated off the ground and continued, "To truly combat the coming evil, you must be able to manifest your spirit as an avatar."
"Uh, a what, now?" Mikey asked, not sure what the Shisho was talking about.
"The Spirit Avatar taps into a warrior's deepest soul, manifesting a true totem of each warrior's inner being. Each of the Ninja Tribunal manifest a Dragon, the ancient symbol for wisdom and strength. The Dragon is a very rare avatar." Kon explained.
"The Dragon." Leo said in amazement, and he wondered if he could pull it off.
"Let us see what lies hidden in your hearts, young warriors. Meditate on your inner spirit, make it manifest." Kon went higher into the air.
"Oh, more meditation. Wonderful!" Raph complained.
Mikey tried to go for it and then, his back cracked. He rubbed his shell. "Who invented this pose? I think I'll meditate better lying down." he reached for one of his ankles.
Kon came down and gave him a knock on the head. "Quiet your mind to unleash your spirit." he ordered, and floated over a ways outside the circle.
Torra got into the meditation, and released his spirit totem. "Observe, Torra Yoshida. His avatar manifests… the Wolf represents ferocity and speed."
Adam was next. "Behold Adam's avatar… the Bear represents strength."
"Well done, Joy Reynard. The Hawk represents fearlessness."
"And Faraji Ngala manifests the Lion… symbol for honor and courage." Kon had now stated all of the human acolyte's avatars.
Leo was determined to bring out his avatar. He knew meditation was one thing he was best at, out of his brothers.
"Well, I'm feeling like a dud." Mikey said.
"With concentration and training, you will soon be able to meld your worldly form with your spirit totem." Kon explained.
Leo was determined to make his avatar appear.
"You will actually become…" Kon was cut off as a bright light filled the spotlight, coming from the lead turtle. Leo had reached his highest point of focus. His chi revealed his avatar as it roared proudly. It knocked the other avatars out of the picture.
"A Dragon! Inconceivable for one so young!" Kon said in shock. Then he looked at the lead turtle. "It seems we were right about you."
Leo's brothers went over to him, "Alright!" his bros praised him. Leo also felt he had done something right. He smiled.
"It seems there is more to you and your brothers than is apparent to the eye." Kon said wisely.
Leo's avatar flapped its wings for a moment before disappearing, and that was when Chikara and Hisomi came forward.
"Kon, ready the acolytes. The second artifact has been found." Chikara ordered. She was carrying her kanabo, which was almost like a giant bat weapon. Hisomi carried some metal tessons.
This time, Hisomi and Chikara were coming on this trip. They were soon on the ship. It was already dark out. "Heed me well, Acolytes. It is of the utmost importance that you secure this second artifact and that is returned here, to the Lap of the Gods, the Shredder's minions will be unable to resurrect their master. But be warned, I feel an ever shifting evil awaits you." Kon warned them as the ship was released and it was driven to its destination.
"Great! No pressure or nothing!" Raph said sarcastically.
A while later, after parking the ship and getting off, the two Shishos and the acolytes were walking through a swampy area. They had to get that last artifact back. They were soon nearing an entry point. Chikara and Hisomi had come this time because they knew who had it, and they didn't want anyone getting as near hurt as last time.
"There, the passageway to the second artifact." Chikara spoke up. "We must secure it at any cost, but beware. This is the warning of the Nezumi."
"Nezumi? A rat? We have to fight rats?" Don translated and asked.
Adam leaned down to talk to him, "Dude, your sensei is a Nezumi." he joked.
Don know that. Adam went back to normal before hearing more.
"The Nezumi is a shape shifting Tengu, with a taste for living flesh." Chikara explained. "So, remember your training." Then she and Hisomi led the way into the cave.
Once inside, soon, they found the second cask. It was sitting on an alter. There were also many human skulls nearby too, just emphasizing what Chikara had warned about.
"There, is that the second artifact?" Leo asked.
"What gave it away? The freaky alter, or the mountain of skulls?" Mikey asked nervously, gulping.
Some rats poked their heads out of the skulls to see they had company. Then they started running for the water. This almost reminded the turtles of back when they had fought that guy who seemed to be a Rat King.
"This is a trap." Chikara put her kanabo down.
"Trap? I hate traps." Mikey whimpered.
As soon as the rats got in the water, their size went from small to giant-sized! It made them look even more scary. Chikara was the first one to start getting some hits in to the monsters. She sent them flying into the walls.
Hisomi took out his metal tessons and started throwing them around, making the Nezumis fall to the ground, the ones that were high up.
The acolytes had never really seen their Shishos fight before. It was a little surprising.
Don and Mikey were next to each other. "We should bring Hisomi with us more often." Don said.
There was one rat that seemed to be the leader and he was in front of the alter. He made himself grow to a giant rat too, but looked more different than the rest. In his scary, scratchy voice, he ordered his comrades, "Rise again, my brothers. Engulf the Tribunal in our darkness!"
Some purplish ghost-like figures came out of the rat bodies, making them even more scary. They flew down to attack Chikara and Hisomi, covering them in their ghost bodies.
"Acolytes, attack!" Leo ordered.
All the acolytes went to join the fight. Adam hit some with his hammer.
Don called on his chi. "Byakko, go!" He got some hits in while in the air. When he landed, he stated proudly, "I'm a lean, green beat-down machine!"
Raph called on his next. "It's shell kickin' time! Banrai!" He turned into the saw again, taking as many as he could get to.
Then it was Mikey's turn, who was fighting beside Joy. "Inezuma, attack!" He got some good blows in too. "I love being a turtle!" he yelled proudly.
One of the Tengus side swiped Faraji, who was close to Leo. It knocked him down. "Faraji!" Leo cried out and went to check on him.
The lead Nezumi approached now. "Now you become food! The master will reward me!" he said.
"I don't think so, Tengu!" Leo replied back. He put his swords away and called on his own chi. His dragon avatar was revealed.
The Tengus started to be blown away from the dragon's light and purity. It also freed Hisomi and Chikara. They almost couldn't believe it that it was Leonardo's avatar that had freed them.
But Hisomi hurriedly went up to the altar to get the second artifact. He got the guantlet out of the cask.
"Is that-?" Raph asked.
"The Shredder's guantlet, the second artifact!" Don finished for him.
The acolytes regrouped and came up a small distance behind Chikara, who turned and walked up to Leo. "You have done well." she bowed to him in thanks. Leo did the same. For once, it was nice to be given gratitude.
"Perhaps there is hope yet." she said. Leo smiled happily. Hisomi had the guantlet.
They had what they had come for, now it was time to get out of here.
They were tired after the fight and when they made it back to the ship, they slept on it and headed back in the morning.
But that next night, a Nezumi came out of the cave to meet the heralds of the Shredder. The Earth one picked it up and it whispered in his ear that the Tribunal had the artifact.
The other heralds waited for the news. The Earth one said, "All is ready."
"Perfect!" the metal one proclaimed. "Soon, the master will be free."
It was a full moon tonight. Just what the Mystics were waiting for.