Chapter 13-A Battle at Sea

Below deck…

"Master Splinter!" Raph called out as he quickly approached his father, who had just finished giving Mikey the red leaf tea for his fever before looking up at his red-banded son.

"Raphael, what is wrong?" He asked as he tried to keep himself calm after sensing the urgency in his son's voice.

"A sea dragon just popped out of nowhere from da sea and it looked like it was getting ready ta attack when Leo told me ta go and tell ya about it," Raph explained as calmly as he could despite the light shaking sensation in his body.

"Hmmm, it will be difficult to battle a sea dragon whilst it is in the water since it is in its element, but it is known to fly out of the water when it needs to," explained the Ancient One whilst brushing his beard in thought, before Master Splinter stood up.

"Raphael, stay here and watch over your brother, the Ancient One and I will go and provide support and guidance to the others whilst they battle the dragon," Master Splinter told his son, who nodded and sat next to Mikey, before he and the Ancient One left to join the others in their battle with the sea dragon.

Once he knew they were gone, Raph looked back at his sick and wounded brother, who was sleeping peacefully and sounded like his breathing was a little better than before. He then placed a hand on Mikey's forehead and noticed that his fever was at a steadier temperature than it was earlier, but he knew that it might rise again once the tea's effects have worn off.

"Oh, bro…why did dis have ta happen ta ya, huh?" Raph said with a sigh before moving his hand from Mikey's forehead to his cheek. Sensing a presence near him, Mikey stirred and opened his eyes halfway before he turned his head to lean into Raph's hand that was still on his cheek.

"Mmm…R-Raph…?" Mikey said quietly after catching a glimpse of his red-banded older brother.

"Hey, Mikey…How are ya feeling?" Raph said softly with relief in his voice after seeing Mikey awake and speaking to him again.

"A l-little b-better…still h-hurts…" Mikey replied whilst leaning further into Raph's hand for comfort before continuing with tears developing in his eyes. "I-I'm…scared…R-Raphie…"

"It's ok, bro, I'm here…I won't let anything happen ta ya," Raph soothed him as he grabbed his little brother's hand with his spare hand.

Suddenly, a loud bang was heard and the boat began to shake and rock, causing Mikey to groan in pain and distress because it was disturbing his wounds and was too weak to defend himself if something were to happen to him.

Raph immediately gathered his brother into his arms by placing one arm under Mikey's head and shoulders and then placing his other arm under Mikey's legs before lifting him slightly and gently towards his plastron in order to hold him securely whilst minding his injuries.

"I got ya, Mikey…" Raph said whilst he looked at his brother with a warm and determined smile, which Mikey weakly returned.

"I-I know…y-you always do…" Mikey whispered as he looked at him before closing his eyes and slipping into a comfortable sleep, knowing that his big brother would keep him safe.

Raph looked down at his brother with a surprised look before he smiled again after he heard those words. He couldn't believe that Mikey would trust someone like him to protect him despite how he treated him and what he said to him during yesterday's first ambush.

It just goes to show just how unique Mikey really is; he was always known to quickly forgive someone when they scold or insult him for being a bit immature or not paying attention, but it was his kind and fun-loving heart that had kept his family from losing their sanity and falling apart since it brought fun and happiness to everyone's lives, no matter how many times they told Mikey to grow up.

Another loud bang and shaking sensation occurred a moment later, and Raph braced himself and his brother to stay still in one place to prevent too much movement that would cause more pain for Mikey.

"What da Shell are they doing up there!?" Raph whispered to himself as he looked up towards the doorway that leads to the top deck whilst holding Mikey close.

/

Above deck…

The group braced themselves with weapons in hand as the sea dragon attacked by charging his head towards the deck. They managed to dodge and attack the dragon's head, causing it to back away from the boat for a moment, before it growled and whipped its tail hard against the side of the boat, causing it to rock back and forth.

It then let out a mighty roar and the sea around itself and the boat began to glow before turning into whirlpools, resulting in the boat to not only become trapped with nowhere to go but also rocky to a point where everyone was struggling to stay in one place.

"We've got to stop the dragon from hitting and rocking the boat too much or Mikey's condition will quickly get worse!" Donnie shouted out to Leo before heading up to help Adam with steering the boat.

Leo nodded at him and then noticed Master Splinter and the Ancient One coming straight towards them from below deck.

"Master Splinter, is Mikey-" Leo tried to speak but was cut off by Master Splinter, knowing what his son was about to ask him. "He is fine, Leonardo, Raphael is watching over him for now. Watch out!" Leo turned back around after hearing his master's warning just in time to see the sea dragon breathe out a hydro blast towards the group.

Everyone managed to dodge it in time, but the attack had caused the deck's surface to become more slippery due to the high amount of water that the dragon released.

"This will make it difficult for us to move and dodge without falling over or slipping in the wrong direction!" Donnie said with worry after seeing Joi and Torra slip whilst trying to regroup with the others.

"We cannot fight the dragon whilst it is still in the water, so we must try and make it fly into the air where it is most vulnerable since it can only survive underwater," the Ancient One explained whilst holding on to the side of the boat to keep himself from slipping.

"How do we get it out of the water?" Faragi asked whilst keeping an eye on the sea dragon, which was circling around the boat and waiting for them to make a move.

"Hmmm, it is only able to swim in cold waters since its skeleton and scales are made from the same element as ice because sea dragons lay their eggs within the ice under a snowy mountain. If it gets too close to warmer waters, its scales will weaken and it will have no choice but to fly into the air for only a short time due to its need to breathe underwater," the Ancient One explained with great detail.

"Warmer waters? Then we're going to have to raise the temperature up a bit, but how?" Leo said whilst placing a hand under his chin to think about what to do before Donnie jumped down from his time on the steering wheel and answered Leo's question.

"I know who can help us turn up the heat, and that's Raph!" Everyone looked at Donnie in astonishment and then at each other before Leo spoke with a smile.

"You're right, Donnie; Raph's power has been known to heat things up. After all, he is a hothead."

"Well then, what are you waiting for? Go and get him up here!" Joi said in a serious tone, knowing that this wasn't the time to joke about.

"But isn't he watching over Michelangelo right now?" Torra reminded them with a concerned look on his face.

"I know, but if he really wants to help Mikey, then he will need to help us stop the dragon in order to get back to the temple quicker," Donnie answered him before turning to Leo, who nodded in agreement and they both hurried below deck to find and get Raph.