Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and others, are owned by Eastman and Laird and Fox Box.
Road Rovers, and others, are owned by WB.
Chapter 4:
Legend of the Five Dragons
Night has fallen on the area of the river area, and the heralds of the ancient one was near its shore. "At last brother mystics we have arrived. The first artifact is ours." The field leader to the mystics said to the others once they were close enough. The water mystic summoned the wave that would carry them to shore, and once on the sand the five continued to the location.
'Something's not right.' The mud mystic thought as he scanned around where the river should be and only saw the rock beneath the waves. The creature's suspicions were confirmed when he and the others have seen the guardians of the relic lying in defeat.
"NO!" The metal mystic shouted in alarm at the sight of the demons before them. "Who did this to you?" He demanded after turning one of the demons belly up and pressed his wooden sandal down on the creature's belly.
"Tribunal…new acolytes…" The creature uttered since he was still wounded from the flames.
"And the cask? Where is the cask?!" The interrogator questioned with his already red eyes starting to glow brighter with anger.
"They…they have it." The kappa admitted even though most of his friends told hi to lye if the Mystics came to them.
"You had one duty: to protect the cask!" The metal one shouted in anger with his claw-like right hand close to the creature's face.
"They fought like demons." The turtle-like creature shouted back as his defense statement.
"But you are demons!" The metal maniac shouted back since he failed to see how creatures fought LIKE demons could defeat actual demons. "Demons who failed in your duty. The supreme master we have come to revive accepts no excuses, and neither do we." He added before he and the others raised their three pronged spears together, and killed the failure of demons.
"Aw, I can't sleep." Michelangelo said after tossing and turning on his blanket with zero results.
"Me neither." Donatello admitted to the child of the team after a yawn. Raphael heard them and decided to say something.
"Shh, you'll wake the old guys." The one in red commented before he and the others looked to the two elders in the room. The men in question were simply sitting on their heels with a pot of tea between them.
"They're not sleeping; they're meditating. There's a difference, Raph." The eldest of the four corrected the battle crazy one.
"Not in my book." Raphael answered back before rising to his feet, and as the others were doing that the canines of the acolytes were just outside their room, but decided to wait a moment.
"So much danger. Never wanted this for them." Splinter said with his eyelids closed tightly. The creature's partner heard that, along with other comments, and decided to make it stop.
"Splinter, I can not meditate with you muttering like that." Ancient One said with a groan before adding more casually, "Besides, my butt has fallen asleep." The rodent heard the irratation in his old friend's voice, and believe that it was best aplogize for his behavior.
"My apologies, Ancient One." The rat said while pouring himself a new cup of hot tea. "But the Ninja Tribunal troubles me each day. I cannot allow their foolish judgment to cost me my family - not again." He added after setting down the pot back on the burner.
"Again?" Hunter whispered while still trying to stay out of sight. They continued to listen to the conversation.
"Your sons are capable…sort of." The elderly human said back with a scratch of the head.
"Hello? We're like five feet away. How about showing a little tact." Michelangelo said to the two role models in the room. Leonardo was about to question what his father was talking about, but someone else was quicker on the draw.
"Master Splinter, what do you mean when the Ninja Tribunal cost you your family? Honestly, what are you talking about?" The turtles turned to see the rough collie standing in the doorway, and knew that she was the one that asked that.
'Outspoken fido. I like her a bit more.' Raphael thought as she and the rest of them came in all ten gathered around the rodent and the round man for more information.
"I am certain that my sons have told you of our back story, so you should know that I speak of 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 Ninja Tribunal's aid." Splinter said to the creatures gathered around him.
"Yoshi was my prized pupil, but he insisted on becoming a guardian." Ancient One explained, and it was then the group could only imagine what the conversation must have been like.
"My lords, we must form an alliance. The Shredder's threat is beyond imagining." The blue outfitted man said to the cloaked four after bowing in respect.
"This alien bug imposter you call the Shredder is nothing to us. He is not the real Shredder." The armored one known as Chikara said to the skilled warrior. He heard what she had to say, but the honorable man tried again.
"Do not underestimate him. He may even channel the evil of the one you fear." Hamato Yoshi said to them with an accusing finger for good measure, but that statement also fell on deaf ears.
"A distraction. We must remain vigilant against a return of the true Shredder." The cloaked master of spirit said back in his usual calm tone.
"Masters, please reconsider." Ancient One said to the four since he felt a pang of impending doom, and has had that feeling for a while.
"We have spoken. Go now, and trouble us no more." The helmeted Kon said back with a gesture of dismissal. Seeing that this tactic was pointless Yoshi and Ancient One, of a younger time, walked out of the monastery.
"The mighty Ninja Tribunal ignores my masters warnings, and because of the Tribunal's cold indifference one of the countless victims of the Utrom Shredder will be my Master Yoshi, and the Tribunal did nothing…nothing. Had the Tribunal heeded Yoshi might be alive today." Splinter said to them and allowed a tear to fall from remembering the fall of his master.
'I doubt a forewarning note would have solved this problem.' Shag thought as he recalled the time he typed up a note that saved their master from destruction.
"The Tribunal sees a bigger picture than we do, Splinter. At least I hope they do?" Ancient One commented and prayed that these elders did know what they were doing.
"Is anyone going to tell us what the shell is going on here?" Raphael asked in his own blunt fashion.
"Real Shredder? True Shredder? Utrom Shredder?" Michelangelo questioned since he too was totally confused over this little story.
"Da. How many of these Shredders are there?" Exile questioned while trying to understand the situation while counting on his fingers with zero success.
"My sons, Road Rovers, it is time you know the true story of how this all began. Of an evil darker than all evils. A primal force of malevolence that was and is the Original Shredder." Splinter said to them, and that was when his old friend carried on.
"No one really knows what level of the dark depths spawned him, but…" Ancient One paused for dramatic effect before continuing with, "Back in the year 300AD in the Amato the Shredder rose from some foul stinking pit. In the form of a terrible tengu: a demon that had but one goal - to subjugate the world and turn it into his own personal empire. Full of agony and destruction." What he said chilled all the warriors and even caused Shag to jump into the arms of his leader out of fright.
'Sounds horrible.' Leo thought as he pictured people fleeing from a fifteen foot tall demon in Shredder armor while spewing green flames from his mouth.
"The Shredder tengu spread his evil everywhere. He seemed unstoppable. But there were five great warriors in Japan at that time. Their courage and victories were legendary." Splinter said to them as he envisioned the same as his son, but then envisioned four of the last people the rodent ever thought of.
"And you young pups have all had the honor of meeting them." Ancient One said before explaining what he meant. "There was Hisomi." He started to say causing both Blitz and Michelangelo to picture the man using his battle fans on a totem pole and tearing it down in no time at all.
'If he's tough now; I don't think I want to meet up with him back in the day.' The canine and turtle thought as one since he did seem brutal to them.
"Chikara." The elderly male said, and at the mere mention of her voice Exile seemed to go weak kneed.
'She is more stunning than any tree in any Forest Tree Illustrated.' The husky thought as he pictured her picking up weights that even he would have troubles with; even if he used both hands.
"Juto." Splinter said and saw a smile appear on Raph's face, and knew that the main reason he liked that Tribunal member was because he specialized in the one thing the one in red loved - weapons.
"Kon." Ancient One added in and Donatello could picture the master of spirit throw a spear, snuff out fifteen tiki torches, and still make a bulls eye on the far wall. "And perhaps the most skilled and ambitious of them all - Oroku Saki." Ancient One commented and the four could picture the man in question slice down a wooden manaquine down with a single sword slice: even with armor.
"Saki? Shredder's fake human identity? He was real?" The swords-turtle questioned aloud, and interrupted the flow of the tale.
"Don't interrupt, Leonardo. Just listen." The human help tell the tale stated before going back to the origin story. "So, these five great warriors were summoned before the emperor who informed them they were the worlds last hope." Ancient One was interrupted, but this time by three voices.
"Whoa, no pressure or anything." Michelangelo commented since a demon with that kind of might against five ordinary human warriors would be a little difficult.
"That doesn't scare me. I would simply bite the demore repeatedly on the squishy tushy parts." Blitz commented since that was his answer to all of their problems.
"Don't' be a weird boy." Exile quickly followed up; just as he always does. With a clearing a throat from the rat the two species allowed the story to continue.
"The empire's greatest craftsmen have forged armor for the warriors. Special armor engraved with spells and talismans of purity. Armor they would soon wear into battle against the evil Shredder tengu." Splinter said and they could all picture the armor fitting the four's outfit color schemes perfectly along with a purple/black for the fifth member.
"The warriors fought bravely." Ancient One said to them as they all pictured the five riding into battle on five white stallions: using archaic weapons such as arrows, and spears.
"Despite overwhelming odds they refused to give up." Splinter added causing them to picture the green member to stab the demons face cheek the her spear, but being forced to let go due to the creature's evil energy. "They vowed to fight to the bitter end." He added as they pictured Kon throwing a mace to the beast's head, and tying his end to a tree.
'Foolish mortal.' The beast most likely thought as he smashed the tree with his retractable arm, but the chain still held him.
"Saki's attack were the most savage. The most damaging." The round one informed and the four pictured the man cutting the chain before stabbing the beast's thigh with his sword, slash to gut, slash to gut, slice off left horn, and completely slash off left arm causing the beast to fall on to his back.
"I am Oroku Saki, demon, let my name be the last sound you here." The mortal taunted with his head looming over the creature's chest.
"It was he who finished the demon." Ancient said to them causing all to picture the warrior stabbing the demon, the demon dissolving, and a party going on to celebrate their victory.
"The emperor held a great celebration, and decreed that the warriors would be known as the Five Dragons. There could be no higher honor." Splinter said to them and saw the sheepdog to get out of his leader's hands because the gentle one thought that the story was over.
"He awarded them their own banner - the three toed sign of the dragon." The human said and they all could picture the five without their helmets receiving that banner and all of them smiling for this great honor. "But their celebration was premature." He added causing Shag to yelp with fright and resume his quivering motion.
"I thought the worst was over." The sheepdog said through whimpering after leaping into Exile's arms. The bearded man decided to continue the tail.
"Saki's battle with the tengu had been fought on more than the physical plan." He said to them in a foreboding style causing them to think of what they thought Oroku last said to the beast.
"I am Oroku Saki, demon…" He started to say, but the others cut it off there and thought of what the demon had to offer.
"There is greatness in you, warrior. I can make you a god among these insects. Every wish - fulfilled, every dream made real, you could rule all, have all. Just allow me inside your soul and the world will be yours." The beast said to the mortal.
"The demons words ignited some dark part of Saki. He accepted the offer." Splinter informed them, and when they saw the canine's confusion on how could the demon be alive if Saki slain the beast Ancient One carried on from there.
"Invisibly, the Shredder's evil spirit merged the Saki's, so even as the warrior landed the final blow the tengu was only an empty vessel. The dark spirit of the Shredder had filled Oroku Saki, and now he was host to the greatest evil the world has ever known." The could picture the energy entering through the eyes, and the man making an evil laugh while holding their new banner.
"Oroku Saki's betrayal plunged Japan into an age of darkness." Splinter informed causing all to think of a mystical solar eclipse and the man in question walking up to the tip of a cliff. "The malevolence essence of the Shredder swelled within him and all around him. There seemed no limit to the evil of which he was capable." Splinter carried on causing them the think of wraiths as his bodyguards, and Saki blowing up his training ground with beams of dark energy.
'This could not have really happened; could it?' Muzzle thought while listening to the story, and found that even he was getting a knot in his stomach from this tale.
"Having created an impenetrable stronghold and his only true opposition destroyed Saki became the most feared Warlord of all. His name was spoken in whisper…" The rodent started, but let his friend finish for him.
"And the name they all whispered was the Shredder." The elder said as they all pictured more dark spirits killing soldiers, and their boss blasting at random things with his powerful beams. "The dragons vowed to defeat the dragons at all costs. They needed to increase their powers, so they sought out mystical knowledge. The ancient spells and wisdom that would allow them to stand against the Shredder's might. They studied hard and learned much. The dragons scoured the globe for masters of the mystic arts who would be willing to teach them." Ancient One told them causing their imagination to think of how that could have gone.
'I know I can do better than two mystic spheres.' A young Kon thought as he saw his trainer create two spheres and kept them over his head. With a little concentration he was able to create four of them with little to no difficulty.
"As their knowledge grew so indeed did their power." Ancient said causing them to think of Juto creating not one but two ocean tornados with a smile of satisfaction on his face. "Until finally they became more than warriors. More than merely human." He said causing them to think of Hisomi charging through a thick forest with that famous speed of his, and tearing down the trees without the use of his hands. "The dragons evolved becoming forces of nature themselves." He added to his earlier comment.
'That would have been fun-ski to see.' Exile thought as he pictured Chikara lifting a boulder twice her size and out of pure will through it into a mountain in the distance.
"Beings of sheer power, but tempered by wisdom and purity of heart." The round one informed them causing them to picture the four gathering together, nodding in silent agreement, and headed out to handle their old friend.
"And at last they were prepared to confront the Shredder once more." Splinter said to them which caused them to picture the four armored back up, and riding on horseback to the fortress. They even thought of a conversation between the five after barging in through the windows.
"My old friends, are you in such a hurry to meet your doom." The demon in human skin questioned to the four in his throne room.
"It is time to pay for your crimes, Shredder." Kon said to his former friend with a finger gesture he will soon be given.
"You fools are the are the only ones who will pay. Pay with your pathetic lives!" The villain shouted back at them before firing his fist beams at them, and expected them to be disintegrated, but instead they were deflecting his move.
"This time when the Shredder attacked the dragons were ready." Ancient One said as they pictured Saki trying an optic blast and Kon firing a big orb of good energy that would force the beams to hurt the source.
'He survived a blast of his own power.' Hisomi thought with wide eyes as he and the others saw their fallen friend get back to his feet.
"Now, you shall taste the terrible beauty of true power, and you shall be - DESTROYED!" Shredder shouted out at them as he concentrated hard to transform into…
"The Shredder manifested his dragon avatar - foul monstrosity: his decayed spirit made flesh, but the four heroes were prepared even for this. Their training allowed them to tap into the eternal energies of the Astral Plane, and they too manifested their dragon avatars. Dragons of purity and light and power." Splinter said causing them to picture five different dragons ready to swipe scales.
'Now that must have been epic to see.' Raphael thought as he felt the rush he got when ever he went into battle come to him after hearing about this fight.
"Ready to fight evil in an epic battle of dragon against dragon." Splinter said and they could picture it: Chikara knocking the demon from the tallest point of his fortress, Shredder destroying his stronghold entirely with his fireballs, along with a four on one midair fight.
'This should help.' Hisomi dragon thought after pulling out a throwing star, and tossed in at his enemy. The item took out the right claw, through the left wing, and took out the left claw.
'You will pay for that.' The dragon thought as he sent twin beams from his wounded hands at Kon who changed dark to light, and sent it right back at him. The others joined him, and with their energy working as one Shredder was forced to return to his human form, and crash to the earth.
"The four heroes have defeated the supreme evil." Ancient One said to them even though they knew that much was going to come to this story.
"But, though he was defeated the Shredder could not be destroyed. His dark magic was too great." Splinter said as they all pictured the four victors, revert from dragon to human, and come up with a new plan.
"So, the four heroes had to figure out a way to keep him and his evil contained forever." Ancient One said causing all to think of a coffin of sorts along with what Shredder would saw once he came two.
"WHAT! What are you doing!" He shouted at them as he tried to move his body with zero results.
"The dragons kept him helpless as they placed him in what they prayed would be his final resting place." Ancient One said to them allowing them to think of this piece as well.
"I will return! This world will be mine! You will pay for this! You will-." He shouted and stopped when the lid was placed and sealed over him.
"Since that faithful day the Tribunal had kept a careful visual over Shredder's helmet, gauntlet, and body. For if these three artifacts EVER would come together the Shredder could very well be revived." Splinter said to them which caused all of them to be in awe at the four's dedication.
"Wow, seventeen hundred years. That's one long visual." Michelangelo said as he, and the others could picture the four armored warriors at various spots at the monastery, scanning the area.
"They knew the Shredder's evil would never die." Ancient One explained to the slacker even though he knew the ninja knew that much.
"They began training others. Those that could help them in their fight. Acolytes chosen for their potential, and purity of heart." Splinter explained to the ten, informing them that there were more than just the four to watch over those items.
"The Tribunal taught an art of fighting with the power of a dragon at its core which will become known as Ninjitsu." Ancient One said to them, explaining the true origin of that form of fighting.
"And these immortals, the remaining dragons, became known as the Ninja Tribunal." Splinter said to them, finishing the tale which told them what their four teachers had to go through.
"So, there was a real Shredder." Leo said, seeing if he, and the others understood everything.
"And the alien Utrom Shredder we fought was an imposter who was only using the name of the Original Demon Shredder to gain respect." Donatello continued from his brother, and it was then a Rover took over.
"And this Original Shredder has all sorts of tail kicking magic powers that almost destroyed the Ninja Tribunal." The Retriever said and looked over to the swords-turtle to pass it on.
"And now someone is trying to resurrect him. The greatest evil the world has ever known, and the only ones who even know about this." The blue one was interrupted by the clowns of the respected teams.
"Cute." Blitz started to say while trying and failing at puppy dog eye.
"Green, and way the shell out of our league." Michelangelo finished for his friend before continuing with, "Um, any chance we could still go home?" The answer was given glares from all, including Shag who knew that this mission was more important then self-preservation.
"I thought not." The Doberman concluded for the chucker since he knew his team were willing to go through any mission if it meant that the humans would be safe.