Chapter 3: A Splintered Master
The Channel 6 van reached a tall building. April emerged with a cassette tape as she turned to Pikachu. "I'll be right in a minute!" she told the Mouse Pokémon.
("I'll wait,") he promised. April entered and found the receptionist desk with an elderly woman watching.
"Another Shredder incident?" she believed.
"Another one," April confirmed. She handed the woman the cassette and the notes.
"I'll let Mr. Thompson know," the woman informed. "Another hero over the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?"
"It's more than you think," April advised. She left and entered the van before driving off. She drove the van before parking it and opening a back alley manhole cover.
("Wait, down here?") wondered Pikachu before he hung on April's shoulder as she climbed down the ladder into the sewer. ("Not the first time...") They proceeded down a corridor.
"I know Splinter will enjoy having you around," April promised. "I wonder… Were Torkoal and Forretress the only two Ash and Brock have?" Pikachu shook his head. Leonardo spotted the two as the rest followed.
"April!" he called out. April waived before reaching the group.
"Well, it's not the first time I've been in a sewer," Ash admitted.
"We've been in some dinky and dark places," Brock added.
"Apparently, nothing can shake these amigos," Michelangelo laughed. "They told us that they had two other buds who were at a pizzeria of their own before they came to help us out." As they walked, Pikachu leaped back onto Ash's shoulder. April had a soft whine to Pikachu's regrouping.
"How did you meet these guys?" he asked.
"I was ambushed by some street thugs when they rescued me and brought me to their Lair to understand them better," April briefed.
"They found the right girl to help out in their fight against Tin Can up there," Brock summarized. They soon reached a large portion of the sewer that looked like a living room with a television set in front of a couch and a kitchen through a large door.
"No way!" gawked Ash. "This is where you live!?"
"It is," Donatello confirmed. "We even have our own resting chambers and laboratory."
"Wow, you have everything you need!" awed Brock.
"Especially when we're dealing with Shredder," Leonardo added. "It's also where we train with our weapons. Master Splinter did give them to us when we were ready to defend the city."
("That's pretty cool,") Pikachu awed. April giggled to Pikachu's reaction.
"Just wait," she teased. Pikachu nodded before he heard something and turned to another doorway.
"I hear new voices, Leonardo," a man spoke. From a different doorway was a brown anthropomorphic rat wearing a magenta robe and holding a walking stick. Ash and Brock gawked to the new humanoid creature.
"We apologize, Master Splinter," Leonardo offered. Ash, Brock and Pikachu couldn't believe the humanoid rat.
"You're kidding, right!?" snapped Ash as he pointed to the rat. "That's your master!?"
"Hard to believe, huh?" nudged Raphael. Splinter came to the group.
"And who might these youths be?" he asked as he came to Ash.
"They're trainers, Sensei," Donatello replied. "They came from another world and helped us protect April from Shredder and his goons."
"Let's not forget this little rodent with a big electrical personality," Raphael added.
"They go by Ash Ketchum," Leonardo started as he pointed to Ash with an open palm, only having three fingers to it. "And that's Brock Harrison. Pikachu's Ash's partner." Pikachu hopped down and walked to confront Splinter. He knelt down to see the Mouse Pokémon.
"So, you were able to help my sons out," he thought as he petted Pikachu. "It's almost too humorous to believe someone so small could provide a huge asset." Pikachu squeaked to imply his ability to help out.
"It's okay, Little Dude," Michelangelo eased. "He just needs to see you in action." Pikachu felt eager to prove to Splinter.
"I'm sorry if this is offensive," Ash apologized beforehand. Splinter raised his hand, hearing enough.
"I know what you want to ask," he guessed. "And yes… I am a mutant like my sons." Brock nodded, figuring out Splinter's truth.
"I would like to know about it," he wished.
"I'm sure we all would, including that other turtle," Raphael added. Splinter seemed interested with Ash's Torkoal.
"Other turtle?" he repeated. Ash grabbed his ball and opened it, releasing Torkoal. Splinter seemed intrigued to Torkoal. "Oh, this is interesting… A red tortoise is something I've never seen." Feeling the shell, Splinter became more fascinated. "And why is your shell so warm?" Brock had an idea about helping Splinter out.
"Ash, get the Dex out," he pondered. Ash realized the idea.
"Right, they can know about Pokémon with it," he figured. He pulled out a red hand-held device and gave it to Donatello
"Is this helpful to know who they are?" he wondered before he hit a button that caused the cover to flip off. He and April blinked before he pressed another button as it aimed at Torkoal. A picture of Torkal emerged on the monitor.
"TORKOAL, THE COAL POKÉMON," it computed with a woman's voice. "TORKOAL BURNS COAL IN ITS SHELL. IT CAN BILLOW SMOKE FROM ITS NOSTRILS OR THE TOP OF THE SHELL SHOULD IT BE ATTACKED." April awed the information.
"I see…" thought Donatello. "Coal is Torkoal's natural fuel that he can use to heat his body and have as a deterrent in struggles." Torkoal nodded to the claim. April decided to use the device on Pikachu after taking it from Donatello.
"Let me see about you, Pikachu," she requested as Pikachu stood up. Pikachu's picture showed up on the screen.
"PIKACHU, THE MOUSE POKÉMON," it registered. "PIKACHU STORES ELECTRICITY IN ITS SACS BEFORE EMITTING THEM OUT OF FEAR OR EXCITEMENT. SHOULD THERE BE A TRIBE OF PIKACHUS NEARBY, THE COMBINED ELECTRIC ATTACKS WOULD BE EQUIVALENT TO A THUNDERSTORM." April whistled to the information.
"You've got some juice to give, huh?" she teased. Pikachu laughed. Ash seemed interested to know about the Turtles and Splinter.
"So, now that we're all acquainted," he voiced. "Brock and I have a pretty important question."
"Yeah, how did all of you become… who you are?" asked Brock. Splinter felt obliged to tell their new friends of the story.
"I shall explain, my friends," he offered. Michelangelo felt the need to do something while the story was told.
"While Master Splinter explains about us," he spoke up. "I'm gonna make some pizzas. I feel the need for scrambled egg and zucchini for this!" He retreated to the kitchen as Brock questioned Michelangelo's idea of toppings.
"Scrambled egg and… zucchini?" he repeated.
"We like to experiment with different toppings," Raphael warned. Ash, Brock and the Pokémon were weary of what the Turtles eat.
"The story of my students and myself actually begins in Japan with a man named… Hamato Yoshi," Splinter began. "There existed a ninja clan known as 'the Foot.' Hamato Yoshi was their Shido-shi, teacher of the warrior ways of enlightenment. Yoshi was a quiet man who was an admirer of Art. However, one of Yoshi's students sought to usurp his leadership of the Foot Clan: Oroku Saki. One day, a master sensei, a teacher, visited the school of the Foot Clan. Saki made his move and pinned Yoshi with a large knife, preventing him from bowing to the master sensei. When Yoshi removed the blade, his supporters accused Yoshi of plotting an assassination."
"I see," Brock believed. "It sounds like Saki succeeded in this usurp that you mentioned."
"Correct," Splinter confirmed. "Disgraced, Yoshi was removed from the Foot Clan altogether. Having no choice, Yoshi came to America without a penny. He was forced to live in the sewers, these… underground tunnels. His only friends were the rats. One day, Yoshi was greeted by new friend in four baby turtles, believed to be from a pet store and dropped on accident and fallen down the drainage holes. Back in Japan and under Oroku Saki's evil leadership, the Foot Clan turned into an army of crime."
"Seems Saki wanted more than leadership of the Foot Clan if he turned ninjas into thieves," Ash believed.
"It was far worse than that, Ash," Splinter corrected. "Back in New York, Yoshi was living happily with his turtles and rats… but then, one day… the turtles were covered in a glowing goop. It was a powerful mutagen. It caused whoever touched it to take on the form of whatever animal they had most recently been in contact with." Ash and Brock gasped as they looked to the Turtles before them.
"That would mean that when they were covered in that mutagen, Yoshi had to have been touching them to create you guys!" realized Brock.
"It sums us up to the equation," Raphael pointed out.
"The turtles started becoming human," Splinter concluded. "But Yoshi had most recently been in contact with the rats."
"Hold on," Ash gawked. "You mean you're Yoshi!?"
"Correct," Leonardo replied. "Of course, we didn't know about names but seeing splinters of wood he made with his new form, we called him Master Splinter."
"That makes sense," Brock nodded. "But… what about you? I was thinking names of Ryu or Kenji or maybe Joe." April lifted an eyebrow at the last name Brock thought up.
"Joe?" she repeated. "Are you serious?"
"Well, something short," Brock tried to reason. Ash shook his head.
"But Yosh- I mean, Master Splinter," he corrected himself. "How did you come up with the names?"
"You see, young Ash," Splinter spoke. "In turn for the name to me, I named them after my favorite Renaissance painters." Ash, Brock and the Pokémon looked confused.
("After painters?") squeaked Pikachu.
"Leonardo was named after Leonardo da Vinci," April listed. "Michelangelo was named after Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni. Donatello was named after Donatello di Niccolò di Betto Bardi and Raphael was named after Raphael Sanzio da Urbino. I took some time to look up the names of the Renaissance period."
"We'd like to know more about it," Brock wished. April nodded.
"Maybe a trip to the museum can work," she offered.
"I knew the outside world would consider them 'freaks'," Splinter continued. "So, I trained them in the art of Ninjutsu."
"Ways of the ninja," Brock clarified.
"Donatello can disarm any adversary with his wooden Bo," Splinter listed. "Raphael… No sword on Earth can withstand his Sai techniques. Leonardo… His swordsmanship with his katanas has no equal. Michelangelo, prodigy of the whirling Nunchaku. Together, they became the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles… and that is how we all came to be." Ash, Brock and the Pokémon awed the tale of Splinter/Hamato Yoshi.
"Did you ever find out where the powerful mutagen came from?" asked Ash.
"After they met me, we learned that the mutagen came from Shredder," April answered.
"The same guy I called a Tin Can?" guessed Brock. Donatello shook his laughing head.
"It's not the worst insult he's been given," he shrugged. "But Shredder was once named Oroku Saki." The connection made Ash realized the grudge between Splinter and Shredder was deep.
"That figures," Ash sighed.
"Shredder mutated Master Splinter to further humiliate him more than needed," Leonardo added. "Not to mention that he mutated us as a means to work for his army." Michelangelo emerged with a couple pies of pizza that had pieces of scrambled egg and chopped zucchini over.
"But naturally," he voiced before sharing the pizzas. "We said, 'No way, Jose' to ol' Shred-head!" Brock nodded, knowing the Turtles better.
"Good move," he accepted before having a question in mind. "Did you ever try to find a way to reverse the mutagen's effects on Yoshi?"
"A couple of times, actually," Donatello informed. "Shredder once had a ray gun called a 'Retromutagen Ray Generator' that reverses mutations. He dared us to take it from him, but Splinter destroyed it when he wanted to use it on us Turtles."
"He's always boasting, 'Tonight, I'll dine on Turtle Soup'," Michelangelo imitated.
"It was the only way to save my students from certain doom," Splinter reasoned.
"And another time," Raphael voiced. "Donatello used what's left of the mutagen to change Splinter back to human." Ash believed the plan failed.
"Didn't work, huh?" he guessed.
"Actually, it did," Leonardo briefed. "But the effects were only temporary." Ash sighed, thinking the effects of the mutagen was permanent.
"There is no need for pity, my friends," Splinter assured. "I now proudly accept my new identity as a rat. After all, I now have a keener sense of smell and night vision. As long as I am still myself, that is satisfactory with me." Ash still felt terrible about Splinter's misfortunes.
"I'm glad that you see the light of the situation, though I would've rather have you as human," he wished. "What about those other two Shredder sicked on April?"
"Yeah, that Rhydon-looking guy was hideous," Brock mocked. "And that giant pig… Those two don't seem too bright."
"You mean Rocksteady and Bebop," Leonardo named. "And I suspect the Rhydon you mention is a rhino like Rocksteady." Ash nodded to the comparison.
"Back when they were humans," Donatello informed. "They were originally two members of a vicious gang of street punks who worked for Shredder and attacked April before we saved her. In order to make them stronger, Shredder picked those two and like he did to us, mutated them to what they are today."
"Yeah, those bozos aren't smart enough to tell left from right," Raphael mocked.
"Or even count to ten," Michelangelo added. Pikachu laughed to the thought.
"They may not be smart, but they're still dangerous with their brute strength and weaponry," Leonardo warned. "The next time you encounter them, watch out." Ash and Brock nodded.
"We'll keep that in mind," Brock promised.
"Now, if you think the Gruesome Twosome are ugly," Raphael added. "Wait'll you meet the real brain behind today's heist, Krang… and I do mean 'Brain'." Now, the trainers twitched at Raphael's briefing.
"Krang?" repeated Ash. "Who's he? No one good, right?"
"You have no idea, dude," Michelangelo gulped. "He's a mondo evil alien dude from a place called Dimension X." Brock seemed interested to Michelangelo's mention.
"Dimension X?" he repeated.
"A dangerous parallel universe," Donatello started. "Krang was originally the dictating warlord with an army of soldiers made of living rock. We don't know the full details, but somehow… Krang was beaten pretty bad, his body was destroyed, and he was banished here on Earth."
"Fortunately, the author will brief everyone in on who Krang looks like real soon," Raphael teased. Ash began to show concern.
"I can't wait," he murmured. "What about the Technodrome that you mentioned at the plant?" Donatello chose to answer as they ate the scrambled egg and zucchini pizza.
"It's a gigantic mobile fortress that has terrorized New York," he replied.
"It's miles and miles underground right now," Michelangelo pointed out. Leonardo had more about Krang.
"And Krang is the one behind the mutagen's chaos, as in he created it," he proceeded. "Somehow, he met Shredder and convinced him to team up. He made Krang a robot which he uses as a new body. That body contains dangerous weapons. It's best to understand when you confront him as well." Brock nodded to the warning.
"You know, this pizza's pretty good," Ash praised. "Do you have more baking?" Michelangelo giggled to the request.
"You bet!" he seemed to accept. "Any reason, dude?" April had a guess.
"What about that Forretress that you brought out?" she wondered. Ash and Brock looked to each other and nodded.
"I guess we can show you our other Pokémon," Brock prepared. With more balls on hand, he and Ash threw them toward the ceiling.
"Come on out!" summoned Ash. Their balls opened to reveal Forretress, a red crayfish with large pincers, a green humanoid gecko with a pinkish abdomen and leaves protruding from its arms, a small black swallow, a blue four-legged mud fish with a large headfin and orange soft spiky cheeks, and a small green kappa-like creature with orange fingers and bill-like mouth and a lilypad on the head. The Turtles and April were shocked.
"What in the world!?" she gawked. "These can't be like Pikachu!" The tiny swallow flew to Ash.
"They are," Brock confirmed. "Ash and I train them. These are our Pokémon."
"Our training and partnerships helped us bond," Ash added. "It's like Taillow that just joined my shoulder." April petted the mud fish on the back.
"Some of them are cute like this one," she complimented. The mud fish awed the words she spoke as she used the device again.
"MUDKIP, THE MUD FISH POKÉMON," it buzzed. "MUDKIP'S HEADFIN CAN DETECT DANGER BY SENSING MOVEMENTS WITH THE WATER AND AIR." Mudkip sniffed the pizza and wondered to the food.
"These are some fascinating creatures you two have," Splinter awed.
"I see him as a mix of Leonardo and Michelangelo," Raphael judged the gecko who put a twig in its mouth. April chose to examine the gecko.
"GROVYLE, THE WOOD GECKO POKÉMON," the Dex registered. "GROVYLE IS THE EVOLVED FORM OF TREECKO. THEIR AFFINITY AS TREE CLIMBERS AND WITH DEVELOPED THIGH MUSCLES, GROVYLE EFFORTLESSLY CAN JUMP THROUGH FORESTS TO DEFEND FROM PREDATORS." A word from Dex made April and Leonardo blink in confusion.
"Evolved?" he voiced.
"Most Pokémon evolve," Brock clarified. "It's their way of growing up." Mudkip, Forretress and the creature with the lilypad came to Brock. "These are mine: Mudkip, Forretress and Lombre." The other creatures came to Ash.
"And these are mine," he announced. "Pikachu, Torkoal, Grovyle, Taillow…" Then, he petted the crayfish. "…And Corphish!" The Pokémon cheered to welcome their new friends. As the Turtles and Splinter began to interact with the other Pokémon, April came to Ash.
"Say, is it alright if I borrow Pikachu?" she requested. "I live in an apartment building in the city, and I have a phone if Channel 6 calls." Ash giggled to the thought.
"Absolutely!" he allowed. April giggled and Pikachu hopped into April's arms.
"I promise to keep him safe," she wished. Ash believed April as she saw Mudkip. She became interested to having Brock's Pokémon along. "Brock, is it okay if I bring your Mudkip as well?" Feeling no harm to the idea, Brock smiled.
"Sure!" he allowed. Mudkip became worried. Brock knelt and petted Mudkip. "She wants to show you where we're at right now. It's only going to be for tonight." Mudkip relaxed and accepted. Meanwhile, deep underground, a giant orb-like tank fortress stood on a cliff over boiling magma. A giant eye was at the top of the fortress. Shredder, Rocksteady and Bebop returned to a massive screen with someone in front. It was a giant bald man wearing red shorts by appearance. Turning, the man was a robot wearing a hi-tech glass. Krang sat in the missing hole of the midsection, appearing like a brain with a face.
"Shredder!" he snapped. Seeing the bruises on Rocksteady and Bebop, Krang realized the ordeal. "Let me guess: you Nimrods failed again!" Shredder groaned to the temperament.
"It wasn't our fault!" complained Bebop. "Some kids with animals beat us up!" Krang couldn't believe the tale Bebop briefed.
"A likely story," he dismissed, two tendrils crossed to the disappointment.
"It's true!" backed Rocksteady. "A toitle breathing fire, a mice shooting lightning…"
"And you two are supposed to be strong!" snapped Krang. Shredder was on the computer board and hitting several buttons.
"Would you believe us with April's report!?" he offered as the giant screen turned on which featured the action from the power plant.
"The infamous Shredder and his army stormed the Queens County Power Plant, only to be met by more than just the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," April voiced. Then came Ash and his Pokémon, followed by Brock. "A young teenager and a boy with mysterious creatures like a turtle breathing fire and a large mouse emitting electricity were able to stop Shredder's bid to steal the Plant's power. The identities of these two and their incredible creatures are unknown, but our four amphibious heroes have more help, and Shredder's reign on New York has become incredibly difficult. Hopefully, we get more information as the investigation continues. Reporting from the Queens County Power Plant, this is April O'Neil, Channel 6 News." The video ended and Krang looked surprised.
"Well, I wasn't expecting that," he gulped. "That mouse emitting electricity like that could only get the Technodrome moving a mile."
"But you see what I mean?" pointed Shredder.
"Oh, I see what you mean," Krang snapped back. "I see that you three have no backbone to fight back!" Using the joysticks, Krang aimed an arm at Rocksteady and Bebop before firing off like a rocket. The two anthropomorphic goons ducked as the Rocket Punch struck the wall behind. The punch destroyed the wall and reduced it to rubble… on top of three others. "We don't have enough power to get off of this cliff and it will give way at any minute!" Getting free, Team Rocket started to crawl from the destroyed wall.
"What in blazes!?" gawked Shredder in surprise.
"What's the big idea!?" snapped Jessie. Hearing her, Shredder believed the Technodrome was infiltrated.
"Rocksteady, Bebop, get the stowaways!" he ordered. Rocksteady and Bebop reached the debris and dug Team Rocket out. Rocksteady kicked Meowth over to Shredder.
"Hey, how does it feel ta get ya tail kicked yaselves!?" he snapped. Shredder hoisted Meowth up by his scruff.
"What have we here?" he wondered. "What else can be taught to speak with mutagen?" Meowth gawked and turned to face Shredder.
"I need no mutagen ta speak my mind!" he argued. Rocksteady held James's arms behind his back while Bebop had Jessie in a headlock.
"There are two people who are allowed to manhandle me!" argued Jessie. "The twerp and the boss… and neither of you are them!" She struggled, shaking her body to free herself.
"Ooh, she's a feisty one!" snorted Bebop. Shredder seemed to have an interest with Team Rocket.
"Krang, I have an idea," he plotted. "And it involves these three!" Jessie wasn't willing to go along with the idea.
"There's no way I'm going with any planning you have, Sir Knives-A-Lot!" she argued. Shredder fixed the blades on his gauntlet between Jessie's head.
"I can easily end your beauty with one swipe," he warned. Jessie's face read fear.
"Jessie, let's just give them what they want!" advised James.
"So, ya wanna cooperate?" pondered Rocksteady. James willingly nodded, not wanting to be mauled.
"They may be useful after all if we can get power restored," Krang plotted. "We're in for something big." A scheme began to play out for Krang.
TO BE CONTINUED...