Chapter 2: Heroes need no Half-Shell
Four anthropomorphic turtles, an anthropomorphic warthog, an anthropomorphic rhinoceros, ninjas and a reporter have gathered while Ash, Brock, Team Rocket and the Pokémon hid from the action. April saw an opportunity to reach the new arrivals with her camera. "Okay, now to make my way to them," she whispered as the Turtles battled Shredder and the clan at the power plant. She made her move before shurikens flashed in front of her, striking the wall. April stopped and turned to the action. She stood and returned to filming. The trainers looked on, puzzled.
"Okay, just what in the name of Pokémon did we just get ourselves into?" asked James.
"Looks like a battle between some kooky monsters and a guy in a steel helmet," Jessie guessed.
("This is messed up,") gulped Pikachu. Ash spotted April with the camcorder closing in on them with sidesteps.
"Hey, check out that lady in the jumpsuit," he whispered. "It looks like she's recording the action." Brock, James and the Pokémon also spotted April with Brock's eyes becoming hearts.
"Whoa, what a knockout!" he gasped. "A beautiful sunflower has blossomed in front of me! I gotta get to her!" He started to reach over the crates they hid behind, but Ash yanked him back over by the bottom of his jacket.
"Not now!" he halted. "It's not safe to go after her with all of this going on!"
("We're in a crisis!") cried Pikachu. Brock gulped to the chaos.
"Oh, right!" he irked. "So, what can we do?" Ash groaned to the situation.
"We can't tell who's on who's side," James observed. "It's a mess!"
"Yeah…" agreed Meowth. Within the battle, Shredder eyed the Turtles in hopes of gathering them to throw into the portal with his gun. The ninjas started to gain momentum as their leader found April.
"Bebop!" he called out. "Rocksteady! Grab April O'Neil and hold her hostage!" Bebop and the rhinoceros turned to April who began to realize her dilemma.
"Right, boss!" the rhinoceros accepted. He and Bebop started going after April as she lowered her camcorder. Her fear began to rise.
"Oh no!" she yelped. The turtle with the blue mask was cornered by the ninjas.
"APRIL!" he called out. April was cornered.
"Nowhere to run, Miss O'Neil!" the rhinoceros taunted.
"Yeah," snorted Bebop. "Da Toitles will definitely give up when dey see you with us!" To the trainers, the approaching attack on April revealed the sides.
"Bad guys!" snapped Ash and Brock.
"Eh, better than me," Jessie shrugged. Ash looked up to the crates stacked.
"Brock, give me a boost," he plotted. Brock nodded before Pikachu jumped on Ash's shoulder. Brock formed his hands to make a foot stand. Ash stepped onto Brock's hands before he lifted Ash to the top of the crates where Ash lifted himself onto the top. Grabbing a red/white ball, he and Pikachu eyed April backed to the same crates by the rhinoceros and Bebop. "I choose you!" He threw the ball above the three below before it opened and a beam came between, revealing a red turtle with a coal-like black shell. The three below seemed stunned to see a turtle with a different color.
"What in the world!" gasped April.
"Oh look, Bebop!" the rhinoceros pointed. "It's anotha toitle, but not like dem Teenage Mutant Ninja Toitles."
"Yeah, and dat it's a different color dan dose otha four, Rocksteady!" added Bebop. Pikachu leaped off of Ash's shoulder before Ash leaped to April's side.
"Torkoal, Flamethrower!" he commanded. The new turtle breathed fire that scorched Rocksteady and Bebop, their screams of pain being apparent. Shredder and the other turtles became surprised with the new turtle and what it was able to do.
"What in blazes!?" gawked Shredder.
"Whoa, that little dude is protecting April with that new turtle!" awed Michelangelo. Somehow, Rocksteady and Bebop were able to get the fire doused.
"Oh, dat was a bad move!" snapped Rocksteady.
"We'll take ya with April!" demanded Bebop.
"How about a Thunderbolt!?" sneered Ash. It was a cue for Pikachu to leap and disperse a blast of electricity, shocking Rocksteady and Bebop. Shredder and the Turtles seemed to be stunned.
"A turtle that breathes fire," Raphael reviewed. "And a mouse with an electric disposition? What kind of backwards Japanese action came to Manhattan?" Bebop and Rocksteady fell, shocked from Pikachu's attack. Shredder became agitated at how the two anthropomorphic creatures were having a difficult time getting April.
"Can't you two idiots do anything right!?" he scowled. "Take April O'Neil hostage!"
"You need to put a lid on it, Tin Man!" snapped Brock as he appeared to stand by Ash. "You won't lay a hand on her!" Shredder gasped to the new arrival.
"Now, there are two dudes protecting April!" noted Michelangelo. Rocksteady and Bebop got back to their feet, shaky from the shock.
"Youse two will pay for dat!" snorted Rocksteady. April turned to the Turtles before coming up with a plan.
"You two, follow me!" she called before running to the Turtles. Ash, Brock and the Pokémon followed.
"No you don't!" shouted Shredder. "Get them, you two imbeciles!" Rocksteady and Bebop recovered as they began to chase.
"April, hurry!" the purple-masked turtle urged. April arrived with Ash and Brock nearby.
"April, huh?" pondered Brock.
"This is what I warned you about!" the blue-masked turtle sighed.
"Like I'm missing a good story, Leonardo?" she defended. Ash saw one of the ninjas approaching from the side. He lowered his shoulder and tried to tackle the ninja. Success as he knocked the ninja over with a metallic clang on impact.
"Clang?" he realized. "They go clang?"
"Wow, that sounds familiar," Raphael snickered.
"Right, the Foot Soldiers are robots!" the purple-masked turtle briefed. Brock realized what was needed.
"Robots, huh?" he repeated before grinning with a ball of his own. "Forretress, come out and use Spikes!" The ball opened and a pink creature in a steel-like boulder emerged before it fired spikes that sheared through the Foot Soldiers. The Turtles were stunned to see Brock had a partner himself.
"Mondo tubuloso!" awed Michelangelo. "The tall dude's got a bodacious-looking creature too!"
"Not only that," Leonardo pointed out. "We have Shredder's group outnumbered." Shredder snarled through his steel face mask.
"Looks like this just isn't your day, Shred-Head!" taunted Raphael. Shredder wasn't ready to surrender.
"I'll show you who's day this is!" he yelled before looking to Rocksteady and Bebop. "Don't just stand there, you fools! Get them!" Rocksteady and Bebop charged in but Ash rushed the warthog.
"Take this!" he shouted before nailing Bebop's midsection with a hook to the gut. He followed it up with an uppercut. Rocksteady looked to Bebop, distracting him. Brock turned to the Pokémon.
"Torkoal, use Iron Defense!" he called out. Torkoal wondered to why Brock was giving the order, but it trusted him and withdrew its body into the shell. "Pikachu, use Iron Tail on Torkoal!"
("I see your plan!") squeaked Pikachu. His tail was aglow before he smashed Torkoal like a hockey puck and slammed it into Rocksteady. The blow barreled Rocksteady into Shredder and knocking him down. Bebop landed on top of the other two as Ash and Leonardo slowly waited for the next move. Shredder struggled to stand.
"Get off me, you incompetent idiots!" he scowled before standing up. The Foot Solders were scrap, the attempt to kidnap April was foiled and there were two teams ready to stop his planning. "Blast it! We'll never win at this rate! Retreat!" Rocksteady and Bebop soon got up and raced after Shredder.
"Youse don't have ta tell us twice!" cried Rocksteady. He and Bebop ran out of the plant and into the modules before going underground the way they came up as Ash and Pikachu gave chase, only to lose sight.
"Great, they got away!" grunted Ash. The rest soon followed with Michelangelo palming Ash's head.
"Hey, don't sweat it, dude," he assured. "This always happens."
"Yeah, they've been doing that for three seasons already," Raphael informed. Ash sighed, knowing their struggle.
"Still, thanks for your help," the purple-masked turtle praised. "We stopped Shredder and his goons from stealing this plant's power."
("No problem!") giggled Pikachu. Leonardo wondered about the newfound help to their ambush.
"Though, we've got some very important questions for you two," he voiced. "Like, who are you guys? Where did you come from?" He looked to Torkoal. "And just what are these creatures you have? They're amazing!" Michelangelo rubbed Torkoal's head, praising the Coal Pokémon.
"Yeah, dudes!" he chuckled. "Especially this awesome turtle that can breathe fire! That was bodaciously hot!" April looked to her camcorder, remembering that she caught the action on tape.
"And this story's just as hot!" she pondered. "Two mysterious boys appearing out of a strange portal, using amazing and powerful animals to help the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles battle Shredder and his two mutants!" She giggled to the story. "Wait until Burne sees this!" Without missing his opportunity, Brock grabbed April's free hand.
"Perhaps I could please you even more, April!" he flirted. April wasn't sure what Brock wanted. "Maybe say, a romantic dinner for two? Or a-" Ash grabbed and pulled Brock's earlobe, breaking his hold on April's hand and dragging him from the group.
"Looks like I'm gonna have to do Max's job for a while," he sighed. Brock flailed in pain.
("He's done it before,") Pikachu sighed. April knelt to the Pokémon, thankful for their help.
"Meanwhile, you were incredible protecting me," she praised as she lifted Pikachu to kiss him on the forehead. It brought out a squeal from Pikachu and a blush. "Oh, that's so adorable!" Ash checked around the plant with Raphael behind.
"Looks like Team Rocket escaped while we helped you with Shredder," he realized.
"And who are they?" asked Raphael.
"They're an organization from where Brock and I'm from," Ash briefed. "There's a trio who are after me for Pikachu, but they haven't been good at it."
"Apparently…" scoffed Raphael. "They don't sound like Rocket Scientists." That made Ash giggle a little as he turned to see April with the camcorder on a tripod and a microphone.
"April O'Neil, Channel 6 News," she signed off. She turned the camcorder off before going to the Channel 6 van.
"I was meaning to ask," Ash wondered. "Why did she had that camera the whole time?" The purple-masked turtle came to Ash with an answer.
"She's a reporter for the local Channel 6 station in downtown New York City," he briefed. "She's also a close ally for intel from above and a great support, though not a lot of people appreciate us." Ash itched his head.
"How can you guys not be appreciated?" he shrugged. "Who doesn't like ninjas?" Leonardo decided to answer for the other two.
"What Donatello is trying to say is that we're mutants like Rocksteady and Bebop who you were able to face," he replied. "Most humans would call us freaks and shun us." Ash began to realize the Turtles' ordeals.
"Oh…" he accepted. April returned to the Turtles before Pikachu jumped into her arms.
"I don't know how long you need to be here to clean up," she wondered. "But I think Master Splinter would want to know about these guys and to keep them from too much exposure too soon." Leonardo understood April's concern.
"Agreed," he believed. "When you're done editing in the van, we can head back to the Lair."
"Got it," April allowed before returning to the news van.
"So, what was going on that Shredder and his mutants tried to steal from here?" he asked.
"From our speculation," Donatello spoke. "Their base, the Technodrome, is running low on power. They would want to steal some to get it back to the surface." Brock heard the name and became curious.
"That doesn't sound like something you keep hidden," he pondered.
"Trust me, amigo," Michelangelo started. "The story's a lot more gnarly when Master Splinter tells you." Brock gulped to the upcoming story. April drove up in the news van.
"Alright, I'm heading back to the station to drop it off!" she informed. "Then, Pikachu and I'll meet you back in the Lair!"
"Alright, April!" allowed Leonardo. April drove off with Pikachu in the passenger seat, both buckled. The van took off while Ash, Brock and the Turtles gathered. "We're done here. Let's get to the Turtle Van and return to the Lair." The Turtles led the trainers to a yellow van with a green roof and a shell decal on the front. Raphael slid the side door open. Everyone stepped inside as Leonardo took the wheel and drove off, a decal of teeth on the bumper.
"So, now that we seem to be teammates," Michelangelo spoke up. "We need to know each other." The van entered the city as the Turtles and Trainers began to learn about each other.
"By the way, Ash…" spoke up Brock. "Why did you let April have Pikachu?" There was one answer that applied to the situation.
"I thought he can still protect her," he replied. It was a new adventure as Ash, Brock and the Pokémon were about to learn about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
TO BE CONTINUED...