CHAPTER 11: BELIEVE IN OURSELVES.

April woke up suddenly up. It had been just a dream, she knew that, but still that voice seemed so real, so familiar...it was best if she talked with Julie about it.

After the breakfast, Julie followed April in her room.

"What's happening?" Julie said worried.

"Well...I had a strange dream: I was in a completely white room. Suddenly, I see a shadow that starts talking to him, and I can't see his face. The things he said were so romantic...that from the first time he saw me he always thought about me, that he always would be by my side...he said that he loved me..."

She blushed. Julie remained surprised but at the same time she maybe knew who it was. April continued:

"You should have heard him! He seemed so sincere...as if the things he said came directly from his heart! The voice itself was very familiar too..."

"Maybe it is someone that loves you much but you haven't noticed him in that way yet."

"I don't know...I'm so insecure about how I feel for a certain person too. He's a good friend, but I don't know if I'm really falling in love with him..." Julie smiled:

"April, a very important thing is that you are sincere with yourself! Look at me: at the beginning, link was just my favourite turtle, but then, while I knew him better day by day, I just fell in love with him, I just couldn't stop my feelings for him. Love isn't a thing that you can push away so easily when it's there. It grows bigger, and the person you love takes your whole heart! Don't push away your feelings for him." April smiled back and said:

"I understand...thanks Julie! You are the best!" They went to the training room, where the Turtles were doing their morning-session:

Donnie was fighting against some magic training dolls, Rah was training his punches and kicks and Leo was training his balance on very high and thick bamboo sticks, while some magic dolls

attacked him. But where was Mikey?

"Where's Mikey?" Julie asked Raph.

"He's probably still sleeping." The turtle answered tired. Donnie said:

"I actually saw him a minute ago, but he just disappeared" The Ninja Tribunal came in the room to see how good the Turtles were doing.

Mikey entered the room riding his skateboard and shouted happy and exited:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'll now show you the funny way of training!

Yuhuu!" He flew and landed perfectly on the balance rope, riding his skateboard in a sublime way without falling down. He then flipped and went towards Raph. He hit one of the magic dolls (luckily enough Raph had dodged down from the weapon, because otherwise the nunchaku would have hit him) He continued towards Donnie and hit him on the head.

"MIKEY!"

"Sorry!..." He looked at Donnie and didn't see that in front of him, Leo was training his balance on the bamboo sticks! Leo wasn't fast enough to jump away, and Mikey crashed on them, making the sticks (and Leo) fall down.

"HOLY PIZAAAAA!" BOOM! CRASH!

A cloud of dust rose together with tense minutes of silence. Julie whistled and said:

"Somebody's in trouble..."

Some minutes later, Mikey was in his master's room, with a furious Splinter that was walking back and forth through the room.

"Michelangelo! What were you thinking when you went around with your

skateboard during a training session?! You could have...no, you did hurt

somebody!"

"I'm sososososo sorry Sensei! I just wanted to have a little bit of fun!" The sage rat sighed and sat down in front of his youngest son.

"My dear son, I wanted to tell you this since a long time...you have talent and potential, that you just waste fooling around! This talent can make you go far if you use it in a proper way, instead of monkeying around.

"Do you really think so Sensei?"

"Yes! I know it Michelangelo, trust me! You must just use it right!"

"But how?" He said with big eyes.

"You must believe, my son, believe in yourself, and you'll find a strength in your

soul that will help you..." They didn't finish theconversation; Raph entered the room and said:

"There's a tornado at the Wind Temple! the Ninja Tribunal says it can be one of Nisshoku's helpers!" Splinter looked at his sons with decided, severe eyes and said:

"Then go now, my sons."

Nisshoku was ireful.

"You are failures! I trusted you, but you're just as useful as stinking garbage!"

"But my lord, there are other temples to visit! We still have a small chance!" Sabaku said with an inch of hope in his voice.

"Yes! We can send Arashi! He will surely succeed!" Kazan said with an innocent smile. Nisshoku calmed down and thought about it. Then he said:

"All right, as you wish. Arashi!" A young man with the skin pale as white milk and the eyes red as fresh blood came out of a dark corner and said:

"You called me, master?"

"Yes! Go to the Wind Temple and make sure the Turtles get there. Take the fragment of the temple and the Turtles' fragment too."

"I will not fail you my lord." He said bowing, before disappearing in a wind spin.

"You better not do…" Nisshoku whispered silently.

When the Turtles, April and Julie came to the Wind Temple, a terrible wind was blowing together with an enormous tornado, that spin towards them. When it stopped, it changed form and became a young, pale and evil looking man.

"Good day! I'm Arashi, the black magician of the wind! Now give me your fragments of the pearl, if you don't want to get killed by my tornado! I already have the one of this temple!"

"And you think we'll give them to you so easily?" Leo took his katana out of the folders and started running towards the magician. But the pale man swept him away with the wind.

Raph ran to him too, but Arashi swept him away too.

"Hahaha! I'm to powerful for you! You can't beat me!" He boasted. Mikey had an idea. His manners reminded him of Raph, who got irritated very easily. He was sure Arashi was like that as well.

"Hey, Amashi! You talk a lot, but in the end, you're just an idiot who can't fight!" Arashi ran to him.

"My name is Arashi, and don't even dare insult me!" He tried to hit the turtles, but Mikey dodged it easily. As he expected, Arashi was a dude with low patience.

"And you call yourself a wind magician? gosh you're funny! You're not even that fast!" Mikey laughed, dodging the attacks. Arashi became very, very angry. He tried to sweep him away, but Mikey threw one of his nunchucks as a boomerang and hit the man right in the face.

"You're great Mikey!" Donnie said. Arashi on the other hand was furious and green of anger.

"IT'S ENOUGH! Let's see if you can fight well now!" He shaped a wind platform below Mikey's and his feet. Suddenly, they flew high up in the sky, away from everyone.

"MIKEY!" April shouted. Soon, creatures were created from the wind to keep them occupied.

"Well girls and boys, I guess we'll have to fight hoping that Mikey will win!" Leo said holding the katana tight in his hands. The other nodded and started fighting with the creatures.

Mikey and Arashi were now alone up in the sky.

"I bet you're not that good without your friends around!" Arashi laughed and shaped a bow and arrows in his hands and back and threw some arrows towards him. The orange banded turtle dodged some, but Arashi did hit him too. When Mikey tried to catch him with his kurisagama, the black magician quickly dissolved himself in the air. It didn't surprise Mikey, after all the wind was Arashi's element and became stronger if he was in the sky.

He was very hard to hit and catch. How could Mikey beat him?

"I'm invincible! I fight too well for you turtle! I'm stronger than you!" Ararshi said proud. Of course! Mikey would have used Arashi's power against him.

"EUREKA!" Mikey shouted suddenly. "Hey Arpashi! Do you really think some AIR ARROWS would have beaten me? PFUI! No one beats the almighty MICHELANGELO! Muhahaha!" Arashi became furious again.

"MY NAME IS ARASHI! And I'm better than you!" Mikey dodged fast his punches.

"What? Is my talking bothering you? Am I distracting you somehow? I'm getting on your nerves perhaps?" He jumped away from a kick. Arashi shouted angrily and tried to punch him, but Mikey just dodged them with an evil and funny smile.

"STOP…IT…YOU…STUPID…TURTLE!" He ran towards him, but Mikey tripped him and he fell like an idiot. The turtle knelt and came closer to him.

"Or maybe you're just a teensie little bit worried that I might actually…" He whispered in his ear:

"Beat you…" Arashi shouted again, but Mikey hit him down with one of his nunchaku. Now he would have beaten him. And how? He would have believed. All he had to do was believe in himself and his strength. He would have won, he was sure about that.

Suddenly, he felt more powerful, like a warm fire spreading all over his body. His chi medallion started to glow with an orange sunset like light and an orange pattern appeared on his body.

"NO! It can't be!" Arashi tried to hit him, but Mikey was very fast thanks to his chi.

"You seem to have some difficulty!" Mikey made a kick in the air and hit him hard in the face. He fell on the platform, remaining still for some seconds. But he slowly came up again on his feet, with his eyes glowing like fire.

"No…you will never beat me! I'm Arashi! THE BLACK MAGICIAN OF THE WIND!" He ran one last time towards Mikey, but the young turtle blocked his arm with one nunchaku and said:

"You might be stronger, but I'm smarter!" He threw him up and smashed him on the platform. The platform broke into pieces and Mikey jumped quickly after the magician, who had fallen before him.

Meanwhile, below them, the others were still fighting against Arashi's creatures.

"Look! It's Mikey!" Julie said surprised, looking up.

"Quick home delivery!" Mikey shouted. "Are you ready?" Mikey landed softly thanks to his chi. Raph, Donnie and Julie activated their chi too. Arashi landed and Mikey said:

"On my three! ONE…TWO…THREE!" They jumped and hit Arashi with all their powers.

"Noooo!" Arashi disappeared in a white light, back to his master. He had loose, and the Turtles had won again.

"You were amazing Mikey!" Raph said hugging him. Everyone hugged him tightly.

"Yeah, but now, it's time to go home!" Leo said and all agreed with a smile.