Chapter 10: Dimensional Warpath
The hole in the sky displayed a new dimension that started to pull Earth from orbit. With the super antenna, the Technodrome opened the hole after acquiring all of Earth's electrical power. "Earth is heading into that dimensional portal!" alerted Donatello. "The whole planet is on a one-way trip to Dimension X!"
"Then we're on our last hope in stopping Shredder!" pointed out Ash. "And I don't think Master Splinter can do it alone!"
"We gotta stop this!" urged Leonardo.
"Either that of we go to a nearby gas station to get a map for Dimension X!" gulped Raphael. They're on the move while Pete took a camera out and snapped a few photographs while April and Pikachu set a tripod up. Military tanks rolled up to the Technodrome, some with rocket launchers. A mustached man in a tan military uniform stood on one of the tanks.
"FIRE!" he shouted. The tanks fired with everything they had. However, a pink light enveloped the Technodrome. Each shot and blast couldn't get through the light. Quickly, the uniformed man found a problem. "CEASEFIRE!" Every tank stopped shooting. Almost immediately, the military unit emerged. "They got some sort of protective force field. Our shells just bounce off of it!" The situation to him was too great. "Gentlemen… I'm afraid to say, but the Earth is doomed." The Turtle van rolled up to the tanks and everyone exited.
"Donatello, I hope you have some incredibly last-minute plan to save everything here!" wished Raphael.
"Why is it always me?" muttered Donatello. Brock saw the tanks still on site.
"Those tanks would make Team Rocket's machines a run for their money," he murmured as he saw one more that has a missile launcher attached above a rocket launcher. "What about that!?" Donatello saw it and realized the issue.
"Of course!" he figured. "I know a way to get rid of the Technodrome once and for all!" They huddled for the plan. "Leonardo, you take Ash and Michelangelo into the Technodrome and rescue Master Splinter. Brock, Raphael… you're with me." Everyone nodded as they split.
"We may need permission to use that tank!" thought Brock.
"That, or face a court martial!" added Raphael. Ash, Leonardo and Michelangelo reached a manhole cover.
"We need to find a way to bypass that force field," Leonardo pointed out.
"This is far different than someone using Dig," Ash added. As the three entered the sewers, Splinter reached the controls inside the Technodrome.
"So, Splinter…" voiced Shredder. Splinter turned to see his nemesis. "You came to shut down the portal, huh? It's pointless. It's set to automatic. The portal will remain open until we pass through it. Today is the day I conquer this wretched planet!"
"The only thing you've conquered is your own soul, Oroku Saki," Splinter retorted. Shredder charged, ready to start a fight. Meanwhile, Ash, Leonardo and Michelangelo got out from the sewers to find the treads of the Technodrome.
"We're under the belly!" announced Ash. They found a method to climb up the side.
"How do we get in?" asked Michelangelo. Using bars hanging, Leonardo reached a panel with a word on there.
"What do you know," he laughed. "Another entrance…" He flipped upside-down and tore off the panel.
"Gotta love turning the Technodrome into a jungle gym," he teased. The three entered inside the Technodrome as Raphael, Donatello and Brock reached the military.
"General!" called out Brock. The military uniformed man turned to find the teenager and Turtles, gasping in shock.
"What in blazes are you!?" he argued.
"Don't you watch TV?" teased Raphael. Donatello stepped up.
"Listen, we can stop that mobile fortress," he claimed. "We just need one of your tanks." The general wasn't budging despite quickly surrendering to the Technodrome's force field.
"These tanks are for Army use only!" he refused. "Besides, you're… turtles and a mere teenager! You need to evacuate from here, now!" Quickly, Brock stepped up.
"Look, we've been inside of there-" he started before Raphael escorted him back.
"Let's go, soldier!" he urged as he pulled Brock away. He struggled to free his arm from Raphael's grasp.
"You're suppose to do that around a pretty girl!" he complained. A young blond woman came to the captain in army fatigues.
"General, we may need their help!" she suggested. "If they've been in that fortress…" Brock paused his struggle.
"Okay, now you can escort me out," he surrendered. Raphael and Donatello walked around one of the tanks while dragging Brock away. "Well… now what?"
"We may need to borrow that missile launcher," Donatello plotted.
"Newsflash, Donatello…" reminded Raphael. "We need Army Surplus permission… and that thing is brand new!"
"Keep in mind, I saw the hopelessness in the General's eyes," Brock added. "He's already waiving the white flag while we still have a few ideas to try." Inside the Technodrome, Krang watched as the gravitational force started to pull Earth towards the portal.
"Soon, Earth will be enslaved by General Traag and I will have dominance over everyone!" he gleefully praised. That's when the lights started to flicker. "Oh, it's just a hiccup. Don't worry… I can fix it." In a cell, Jessie was behind bars of electrical power. When the "hiccup" occurred, the bars vanished. She awed the moment and escape.
"Thank you, opportunity!" she teased. James and Meowth found Jessie freed.
"Jessie!" they cried. Jessie was happy to be back with her team.
"Tell me some good news," she wished.
"Well, da twoip is okay," Meowth started. "Which means Pikachu would be okay as well."
"No surprise then when their other rat has sneaked into the Technodrome," James added. "They'll come as well."
"Then we can ambush them quickly!" sneered Jessie. "Let's go!" They raced off to snatch Pikachu. His owner, Leonardo and Michelangelo continued to go through the Technodrome, forcing doors open.
"It must be nice wearing those gloves, amigo," Michelangelo mentioned. "I would've developed calluses with all of those doors."
"You know what they say," Ash started. "No pain… no gain." They entered a storage facility where they looked around. "I just hope Master Splinter is okay." Before long, Rocksteady and Bebop found the three.
"Nowhere ta hide, toitles!" grunted Rocksteady.
"We's got ya trapped," Bebop added.
"Figures, the gruesome twosome would lie in wait," Michelangelo mulled.
"And they're not the only ones!" teased Jessie. Ash turned to find Team Rocket back together.
"What timing," Ash grinned. "It's an even fight with a few more losers like you." Jessie steamed at Ash's retort.
"How about we let it slide by giving Pikachu to us!" ordered James. Ash's grin grew.
"You think I'd hand Pikachu to you that quickly?" he taunted. "You'd have to beat me in order for me to tell you."
"That's exactly what we intend to do to you, twerp!" snapped Jessie. "Dustox, come on out!" She threw a ball that released a purple moth with yellow eyes and ragged green wings.
"Cacnea, let's stick the twerp!" sneered James. His ball opened where a green ball-like cactus appeared with spikes for legs and stubby cacti arms. It flew back to James and hugged him. James wailed in pain. "I said the twerp! Not me!" Leonardo saw the two new Pokémon and wondered about what they were.
"A moth, I can understand," he mentioned. "But a living cactus?"
"Hey!" shouted Bebop. "Let dem Rockets deal with da twoip!"
"Yeah!" sided Rocksteady. "It's time ta pay ya back fer all ya did ta us!" Rocksteady and Bebop trained their weapons as Ash had a ball ready.
"Grovyle, I choose you!" he called out. Grovyle appeared as Ash looked to the crates.
"Dustox, Poison Sting!" ordered Jessie.
"Cacnea, Pin Missile!" ordered James. Ash watched Team Rocket's Pokémon attack with various spikes flying at Grovyle.
"Jump backwards!" he commanded. Grovyle, Michelangelo and Leonardo leaped to the air as the pins and needles flew after Rocksteady and Bebop. The two mutated goons dropped their guns as they were pierced heavily. Michelangelo used a grappling hook to wrap Rocksteady and Bebop. Jessie wasn't done.
"Dustox, use Whirlwind!" she ordered. Dustox flapped its wings as hard as possible and caused winds to swirl around.
"Keep jumping back!" urged Ash. Grovyle leaped to the large pile which jostled from the winds. Ash grinned, believing he had Team Rocket in checkmate. "Now, kick that drum." Grovyle kicked an oil drum away. It was enough to cause the pile to fall. Leonardo and Michelangelo flung Rocksteady and Bebop at Team Rocket as the avalanche of debris crashed down on them. Now, Team Rocket, Rocksteady and Bebop were buried in the trash. Ash stood above Jessie with a smug. "How about that: I don't issue an attack and yet, I still win. What are the odds?" He joined Leonardo and Michelangelo as they left the others in a heap.
"Sorry we can't clean up your messes!" taunted Michelangelo. Humiliated, Jessie scowled and used all of her might to break free of the debris.
"You won't be laughing so much when I get my hands on Pikachu!" she screamed. The boys were frightened by Jessie's anger. Back outside, Donatello, Raphael and Brock entered the tank with the missile launcher. The General saw and pointed.
"Those Turtles are after the missile launcher!" he shouted. "Stop them!" Brock closed the cover.
"Brock, take the controls!" ordered Donatello. "Raphael, take the missile launcher! We're going to need an exit!" Raphael took control of the rocket turret.
"One exit, coming right up!" offered Raphael. The missiles were aimed at the street before Raphael pulled the trigger. The blasts opened up a hole in the street big enough for the tank to fit through.
"Perfect!" grinned Brock. "Hang on!" The tank entered the hole while the General gritted the outcome.
"They got away!" he mulled.
"Should we go after it, General?" one soldier asked.
"No, no one would believe me if I told them some turtles and a child took one of our own weapons!" the General denied. Back in the Technodrome, Traag was on the giant monitor with Krang addressing him.
"General Traag," he called. "Is your fleet ready?"
"We are ready, Lord Krang," Traag confirmed. "Our Armada Starfighters are ready to attack Earth the moment it comes through the portal." Earth was in dire straits. Splinter and Shredder battled on a small platform.
"This cat-and-mouse game has gone on long enough!" argued Shredder. Splinter dodged a swipe before scoring a roundhouse kick, knocking Shredder near the edge. As he recovered, Shredder saw what seemed like a hole of darkness. He faced Splinter again as Ash arrived. "Now, rodent! Meet your doom!" He charged and scored a front kick that knocked Splinter over the edge. He grabbed the side, not falling over into the endless darkness.
"Michelangelo, can I see that grappling hook?" asked Ash.
"What do you mean, dude?" wondered Michelangelo as he handed the grappling hook to Ash.
"You'll see," he sneered. Shredder stood over a seemingly helpless Splinter.
"As the new ruler of Earth," he shouted. "This will be my first extermination!" Out of nowhere, the grappling hook hooked around Shredder's arm. Ash pulled taught on Shredder's arm to keep him away from Splinter.
"You know, the 'Ruling with an Iron Fist' trope doesn't need to be taken literally," Ash teased. Shredder seemed stunned to see Ash coming to Splinter's aid.
"You with that electric rodent!" he recognized. "I certainly didn't think you'd go down easily. The least I can do is study your origins and maybe find a creature from there to do my bidding." He muscled the rope to pull Ash towards him.
"I don't mind another rival, but you need to cut the slack," Ash grinned as Leonardo sprung out of nowhere and sliced the grappling hook's rope. It made Shredder stumble backwards to Torkoal with Michelangelo ready.
"Overheat, amigo!" he commanded. Torkoal was all red before he unleashed a heavy flame that caught Shredder and propelled him over the side, into the abyss. Michelangelo helped Splinter up.
"Thank you, my sons," Splinter praised. "Including you, young Ash."
"You can thank us when we escape," Leonardo pointed out. They raced out of the room and out of the Technodrome.
"We cannot leave this place too soon," Splinter muttered. They left as Shredder fell into some sewage which doused any flame from Torkoal's Overheat.
"That child is something else," he grumbled. "I'll make him and the Turtles pay… along with the dry-cleaning bill." As he got out of the sewage, Ash, Splinter, Leonardo and Michelangelo escaped.
"I just hope Donatello has a plan to get rid of the Technodrome," Leonardo huffed.
"I know our brothers have something up their sleeves," Ash mentioned.
"I thought Brock was a friend, not a brother," Michelangelo reminded.
"It matters not at this time," Splinter refocused. "Remember: Shredder's own evil has already doomed him to fail." Realizing Splinter's words, Ash looked back up and recalled that brief battle with Team Rocket.
"And Team Rocket with how obsessed they have been for Pikachu," be understood. Shredder reached the controls, shoving Krang.
"Move it!" he snapped. Krang became rather upset at Shredder's rudeness.
"My, someone's pushy," he nagged. Shredder didn't listen.
"I want the Turtles, Splinter and that boy eliminated!" he yelled.
"Don't waste your time! In five minutes, Earth will be ours in Dimension X. The Armada fleet will turn this city to atoms."
"I must destroy them! They humiliated me for the last time!" The Technodrome turned as Ash, Splinter and the Turtles escaped.
"I think Shredder's found us!" gulped Leonardo.
"Good, let them come after us!" urged Ash. As they left, Pete, April and Pikachu were on the street by the path Ash and the Turtles took.
"So what would the Turtles do with the Army's STAM launcher?" wondered Pete. Pikachu blinked to the name Pete gave off.
("STAM launcher?") he repeated.
"He means Surface-to-Air Missile Launcher that the Turtles absconded," April clarified. "Though, I'm more worried about the rocket that it had." Seeing Ash, Pikachu leaped down to join, only to find the jewel box in Pete's pocket.
("What's that?") he wondered. Watching Ash pass by, Pikachu refocused and joined Ash.
"Hey buddy!" he greeted. "Glad you could join!" Inside, Jessie saw the struggle between Shredder and Krang. They fought for control of the Technodrome. When she looked at the monitor, Pikachu's tail was viewed.
"Pikachu's alive!" she scowled. "Now, I can get him for sure." She joined the scrum while Brock viewed pipes in the sewer.
"Looks like a dead end!" he surveyed.
"The last thing we need is to blast through those pipes," Raphael pointed out. "We'd end up getting flushed into the ocean!" He turned to Donatello. "Say, are we under the Technodrome?" Watching a radar, Donatello studied the area.
"We're close to it," he calculated before getting on the Turtle Comm. Leonardo answered.
"Come in, Donatello!" he called out.
"I have an idea," Donatello plotted. "Can you get the Technodrome to Times Square?" Looking at the direction, Leonardo had an answer.
"We're already on it!" he replied. The chase continued. Those on the surface found a road split into two streets with a building acting as a divider.
"Is that Times Square!?" asked Ash.
"That's where we need to go!" confirmed Leonardo. In the Control Room, Krang, Shredder and Jessie fought for the controls.
"No one will stop me making Turtle Soup!" bragged Shredder. Grappling still, Jessie refused to let Shredder attack.
"You… can… eat… your… soup… when I… have… Pikachu!" she refused.
"The world is almost ours!" nagged Krang. The Technodrome
"It's a go!" briefed Donatello to Raphael and Brock.
"Let's line this up and prepare the rocket!" prepared Brock.
"Roger will-co!" agreed Raphael with a sheepish grin. "I love that military lingo!" The rocket was aimed high. Leonardo, Splinter, Michelangelo, Ash and Pikachu stood as the Technodrome barreled at them. Splinter rose an arm.
"Whatever happens, my students," he instructed. "Do not move until I say so."
"Wait, I'm a student?" joked Ash. More rockets in another launcher appeared.
"Farewell, accursed-" started Shredder before Jessie returned to wrestle him some more. The rockets aimed at Ash, Pikachu, Splinter and the Turtles didn't move.
"Remember, stand your ground," Splinter encouraged. In the scuffle, Jessie's fist was by the brown ignition button. Donatello saw the position of the Technodrome.
"NOW!" he called. Raphael pulled the trigger. The rocket began to launch.
"Now!" urged Splinter. Everyone leaped out of the way as the giant rocket emerged and struck the Technodrome's underbelly. Instead of exploding, it carried the Technodrome to the sky. Shredder and Jessie stopped with Krang looking puzzled.
"What's happening?" he asked. Shredder realized what the military brought and knew the only weapon that seemed to have found a mark.
"We're beiog carried away by a giant rocket!" he gasped. Jessie blinked at the outcome.
"Well," she irked. "Height of irony, huh?"
"You… IDIOTS!" snapped Krang as the rocket and the Technodrome entered the portal and vanished. Battleships eyed the Technodrome.
"It's coming through the portal!" warned Traag. "Attack!" The fleet opened fire on the Technodrome. "STOP! IT'S US!" The Technodrome crashed into a new planet. Shredder, Krang, Team Rocket, Rocksteady and Bebop looked to be in shambles. "This is just great! We lost our chances to get what we came for and ended up with nothing but a wrecked Technodrome! And worst of all, we're stuck here in Dimension X!"
"For a brain, you're clearly not thinking positively," Jessie scoffed. "At least it's not Dimension Y."
"As much as I despise her, she has a valid point," Shredder sided. "We could've wound up in Dimension Z!" As if he heard enough backtalk, Krang got in a scrum with the two who ruined his global domination. Back on Earth, power started to restore, lighting Manhattan again. Crowds cheered as Ash, Brock, Splinter, the Turtles and Pikachu were hailed as heroes. Pete had the camera on April.
"The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and their human friends were able to stop the infamous Shredder and sent the Technodrome to a new dimension," April reported. "As power is being restored all over the world, we have these youths to thank. Upon phone calls and messages I've received, I will promise to do an interview on these two and their incredible creatures. As for now, Shredder has been cut from our fears for good. This is April O'Neil, Channel 6 News." Pete lowered the camera and nodded to April as girls and young women gathered around Ash and Brock with some hugging Pikachu.
"Well, I guess we've seen the last of old Shred-Head," Raphael scoffed.
"And you were right, Master Splinter," Donatello praised. "Shredder's own evil was his undoing."
"And your virtue was able to defeat him," Splinter added. Ash and Brock got a lot of love from the young women.
"I can safely say that Team Rocket blasted off for good," Ash admitted.
"They were still in the Technodrome?" laughed Brock. "At least they can't come back over and sue us for copyright infringement." April came over to the boys, giving them a hug while Pete clutched the box in his pocket.
"I want it done right," he muttered to himself. The Turtles gathered around the Trainers.
"Dudes, let's go and celebrate!" cheered Michelangelo. "We're heading over to Vinnie's for a victory pizza!" Brock, Ash and Pikachu agreed as Pikachu joined Michelangelo's shoulder.
"You guys get going," April excused. "I got some editing to do back at the station." Pete came forward and bumped fists with Ash and Brock.
"I can't wait to see you guys again on the street," he praised. Ash and Brock nodded before joining the Turtles.
"Man, it's been a long day," Ash mentioned. "The Trilithium Crystal, the surfacing of the Technodrome, the portal to Dimension X…"
"I know, but it's all over," Leonardo assured. They entered a pizzeria with "Vinnie's" above the windows. A raven-haired young man in glasses and wearing a chef uniform brought over a pizza made with a special pizza dough. Pieces of chicken, ground pepper, cilantro and red onion were on the pizza with glaze of barbecue sauce.
"This is some big pizza!" awed Donatello.
"Vinnie allowed me to make this BBQ Chicken Pizza," the brunette briefed. "I made it on focaccia bread." The Turtles and Trainers awed the pizza. They also received sodas, salads and breadsticks. Leonardo addressed the group.
"Fellas, I propose a toast," he voiced. "To our great victory against Shredder and the Technodrome."
"And to our two new friends who helps us beat them," Donatello added.
"Amen to that, dudes!" laughed Michelangelo. Ash, Brock and Pikachu accepted the praise.
"No problem, guys," Ash accepted.
("You're welcome,") Pikachu squeaked.
"Yeah, we're just glad we could help out," Brock smiled.
"True, but you guys have definitely helped us out more than you ever know," Raphael pointed out. "Thanks to your help, ol' Shred-Head and his bozos are trapped in Dimension X with the Technodrome."
"Not to mention that Team Rocket's trapped with them," Ash added. Brock shrugged, wishing he heard the last of them.
"They won't be missed," he dismissed. Pikachu nodded in agreement.
("I hear that, Brock,") he sided.
"Anyways," Leonardo addressed. "Because of that, you guys are now Ninja Turtles yourselves: seventh and eighth." Ash and Brock blinked to the new titles.
"Seventh?" repeated Ash. "And eighth?" Brock also wanted some information.
"If Ash and I are the seventh and eighth Turtle," he started. "Who are the fifth and sixth?" Michelangelo chose to speak up.
"Those would be two more awesome buds," he brought up. "Zach and his big bro, Walt." The Trainers seemed interested in the new detail.
"I'm sure you two will get to meet them one of these days," Donatello promised. "Trust us, they're really good friends of ous, especially Zach." Ash seemed satisfied with the details.
"They sure sound like awesome guys alright," he figured. "Well, in that case… Brock and I accept the honor of being Ninja Turtles!" Brock grinned, hoping the opportunity could help him in his goals.
"You said it, buddy," he agreed. The Turtles were ready to accept their new allies.
"Then here's to us, fellas!" honored Leonardo. Everyone rose a slice of the focaccia crusted pizza as their toast.
"TURTLE POWER!" they cheered. To the Turtles, new allies in their fight against evil. To Ash, Brock and Pikachu… new friends and partners granted. Manhattan has a lot to look out for.
TO BE CONTINUED…
(As of today, Ash's adventures in the anime have come to a close. However, I won't be closing any opportunity to end my stories because of this. I still have tons more with ideas looming, some dark and some hilarious. Ash's story has ended, but his heart lives on.)