Chapter 20: On the Vern of Dimensions

A stakeout. The Turtles and Trainers hid in the shadows during the mid-morning on the surface. "No sign," Ash reported from the side of the alleyway on his Turtle Comm. Michelangelo popped from a trash can with his Comm.

"Everything's cool in this direction, dudes," he whispered. Donatello lifted a manhole cover on the street.

"It's all quiet here as well," he spoke through the Comm. Behind another alleyway, Brock saw a balding mustached and rather rotund man with suspenders holding his small pants and a blue shirt.

"Heads' up!" he reported. "Target is approaching!" Leonardo from behind a nearby dumpster looked up. Jumping onto a small ledge, Raphael prepared his assignment.

"Why do I get the difficult stuff?" he complained. The balding man reached the door and flipped the sign on the door from "CLOSED" to "OPEN."

"Warning!" notified Brock. "Parties closing in!" The balding man unlocked it as a crowd of people started running after him.

"Now, Raphael!" called out Ash. Raphael sprung from the roof to the ground with a rubber human mask and entered first before the crowd. A tense minute followed before a huge groan billowed. They dispersed as Raphael hid by Leonardo.

"Package has been received!" the disguised Turtle reported. "I repeat, package has been received!" The others cheered.

"Snow White & the Seven Samurai is ours!" cheered Brock. As the Turtles and Trainers celebrated, the same couldn't be said for April, Irma and Pikachu. They watched a blond woman with her hair tied in a bun and wearing a red dress with a gold necklace.

"I was picking up my son, Johnny, for wrestling class," she claimed. "We live in a quiet neighborhood. Then I saw him and he was coming straight towards me!" A video emerged of a pizza boy skateboarding down the sidewalk with a pizza box in hand. Vernon appeared in a black tuxedo.

"Skateboarding pizza delivery boys: Threat or menace?" he sneered as "Vernon" appeared on the TV. "On the next 'Vernon'." The girls and Pikachu watched on, rather disgusted by Vernon being on a show.

"I don't get it, Irma," April sighed. All three were at a desk with a microphone on top. "Why should Vernon have his own talk show?"

"Because he's controversial," Irma replied. Pikachu seemed confused to Irma's wording.

("What is 'controversial'?") he asked. The women seemed surprised about Pikachu wanting to know.

"You want to know?" teased April. Another clip emerged, this one where someone held a sign reading "VERNON" behind Vernon.

"Welcome again to 'Vernon'," he greeted. "Today's question: Did Elvis invent the video game?" Pikachu shook his head to the topic Vernon brought up.

"You'll just have to dig up something controversial, yourself," Irma suggested. Burne entered and overheard Irma.

"She's on the money!" he announced. Pikachu and the women turned to Burne.

"Chief?" called April.

"Ratings have been taking a hit before I agreed to Vernon launching a new show which is killing it," Burne applied. "You need to dig me up a hot story, or it's back to fashion shows for you!" April stood up, facing Burne.

"You'll get a hot story, alright!" she claimed as she exited with Irma carrying Pikachu. They traveled down a hallway when Vernon exited a studio and spotted her.

"Well, if it isn't Channel 6's fashion reporter coming out of retirement," he mocked. Pikachu snarled, wanting to shock him for insulting April.

"Give it a rest, Vernon!" snapped April. Vernon seemed taken aback by the retort.

"Why, you…" he growled. "Mr. Thompson will hear about this!"

("About what?") growled Pikachu as a brunette woman in a tank-top, black leggings and blue stiletto heels came to Vernon with a notepad and pen.

"Mr. Vernon?" she called. "Can I have your autograph!?" Vernon smiled, getting praise from someone.

"Of course, you can!" he accepted. Pikachu crossed his arms while the other women watched.

"Success sure has gone to Vernon's head," Irma mulled.

"Why not?" muttered April. "There's so much empty space in there." Pete also emerged and sighed to Vernon's attention. "Pete? What were you doing in there?"

"Trust me, I wanted no part of Vernon's new show," Pete shook. "But Burne wanted to give me a raise. I know I missed some time because of my doctor's appointment, but I'm not actually desperate for money." Pikachu hopped onto Pete's shoulder to comfort. "Pikachu? Did April pick you up?"

("She did,") Pikachu replied.

"I just felt the need to have him around as a little support," April briefed. Pete understood April's reasoning. In the Technodrome, Krang was getting visibly annoyed by the situation going on.

"As if it's not bad enough that we're stuck in this desolate wasteland," he mulled. "I'm stuck with two humans who cannot get over their own greediness!" Bebop observed the landscape.

"I don't see anyting wrong with dis place," he snorted.

"No one asked for your opinion, you pig-headed pea brain!" snapped Krang.

"Face it, Braniac," Meowth started. "Youse talkin' about one obsessed about gettin' Pikachu while da otha one wants ta destroy dem Toitles. Dey ain't tryin' ta be on da same page!"

"So I've noticed," Krang mulled. Jessie stood up first.

"Meowth, you know how valuable Pikachu is to the boss!" she stammered. Shredder stood next.

"And you know the humility the Turtles have repeatedly given me!" he added. "I will rue the day when they fight no longer!"

"But, boss!" voiced Rocksteady. "What do you have in mind?"

"We still have the trans-dimensional communicator to Earth," Shredder plotted. "I can make the Turtles fall into my grasp!"

"You need to relent yourself, Shredder!" snapped Krang. "What needs to be done-"

"What needs doing is the demise of the Turtles!" argued Shredder before storming to the control panel.

"And Pikachu is important to our needs, you living gray matter!" added Jessie. In the Lair, Leonardo brought in popcorn while the others waited for him.

"From what Donatello told us," Brock started. "This movie is a parody of the actual fairy tale."

"Right, amigo," Michelangelo confirmed. "It's a mix of fairy tale, action and martial arts."

"I can only imagine how those three mix together," Ash giggled. Leonardo was curious to something.

"By the way, won't Pikachu be jealous that he's not seeing the movie like we are?" he addressed.

"He may," Ash replied. "But I wanna see how good it is before telling him."

"I hope for the same," Raphael agreed. The video started.

"Irving Q. Nakamura Productions presents: Snow White & the Seven Samurai," a man spoke." Starring-" The video cut out to the sight of Shredder.

"Oh, don't tell me the video store had a bootleg of the film!" complained Donatello.

"That, or Shredder knows how to hack hardware," Brock believed.

"Greetings, accursed Turtles," voiced Shredder.

"It's the latter!" warned Leonardo.

"I have a proposition for you and those Trainers," Shredder spoke. However, the broadcast reached Channel 6's control room where April, Irma and Pikachu gasped to Shredder's appearance.

"What the heck!?" she gawked.

("Proposition?") repeated Pikachu.

"You'll meet me in an hour at the Southside Dump and I'll be waiting to destroy you," Shredder offered. April believed she found her breakthrough.

"We have our story!" she believed.

"We'll need a crew for this!" suggested Irma.

"No way!" denied April. "I don't want Vernon catching onto this! We'll go alone!"

("About time!") squeaked Pikachu as he joined April's shoulder.

"Did you hire me for this!?" questioned Irma as she followed. Vernon also viewed Shredder's message from his dressing room.

"I'm more eager than ever to do you shellbacks in!" the former pupil of Yoshi proclaimed. Vernon's take was the same with April.

"I'll get right down to the Southside Dump and scoop April," he plotted as he curled himself into excitement. "Boy, do I love media journalism! It makes me feel so macho!" He left as Pete watched.

"Vern, what's up!?" he asked.

"I'm heading to the Dump!" he proclaimed. "A new controversial topic has arisen!" Pete sensed trouble and followed.

"I'm coming too! Mr. Thompson wouldn't want his new talk show host getting wasted!"

"Ha ha… I thought after you graduated from UW-Madison, you'd leave the cheesy puns behind."

"Hey, don't milk my state any more than that!"

"Fine, but don't get in my way!" Somehow, the broadcast was reached in Dimension X by some more Neutrinos.

"Remember, Turtles," he taunted. "You have one hour to meet me there." A Neutrino hand reached and turned off the monitor in a red cruiser.

"It's not coming from Earth, cats and kittens!" a carmine-haired young Neutrino studied, wearing triangular sunglasses and a blue jumpsuit. He also drove the crusier.

"You mean that it's coming from here in Dimension X, Zak?" a redhead Neutrino believed with her hair spiking up and forming a swirl on her forehead. She wore a green blouse.

"Yeah, sounds like old Shredder's gonna make trouble for those swingin' Turtles, Kala!"

"We gotta help them! We Neutrinos never let down a pal!"

"Hey, Zak!" a bluish-purple-haired Neutrino spoke. He wore a yellow jumpsuit with a purple diamond as a decal and purple lines over his shoulders. Zak nodded.

"Roger, Daddy-o!" he accepted. "Neutrinos, let's rock and roll!" They flew off in the cruisers.

Back in the lair, Splinter joined in the conversation.

"Remember: Southside Dump in one hour," Shredder warned. "Be there." The TV turned off.

"Jeez, I don't get it!" complained Raphael. "He still thinks he can conquer while stuck in Dimension X?"

"Master Splinter, what do you think?" asked Leonardo. Splinter studied Shredder's message.

"It's obviously a trap of some sort," he advised. "Shredder himself said as much."

"Meaning that we need something to spring the trap back at him," Brock plotted.

"Brock, don't kill my obvious plan of not showing up," Raphael irked.

"It's not like he's leaving us a choice," Ash added. "If we don't, he's got some new invention from Krang to attack the city."

"And that's a chance we can't take," Leonardo agreed. "Let's go!" The Turtles and Trainers left, but not before Raphael turned to Splinter.

"If we don't come back, can you cancel my subscriptions to Turtle's Home Companion?" the red-masked Turtle requested.

"You'll be fine, my son," Splinter assured. Raphael shrugged before joining the rest. In the Technodrome, Krang was upset with Shredder's message to the Turtles.

"How in the universe do you expect to face the Turtles!?" he shouted. "The dimensional portal isn't even working!"

"For someone who calls himself the Shredder," James mulled. "You're not what I call the sharpest tool in the shed."

"You're one to talk, you dull-spined weakling!" snapped Shredder. James flinched. "Besides, the dimensional teleporter does work. We once used the device to bring the Foot Soldiers to Earth, so why not bring the Turtles to Dimension X?" Krang gasped to the thought.

"You're going to bring the Turtles here!?" he realized.

"Of course!" confirmed Shredder. "This way, Bebop, Rocksteady and I can deal with them." Jessie realized Shredder's intention.

"And at the same time," Jessie added. "Pikachu will be ours while we leave the twerps in your care, if you have any!" Rocksteady and Bebop seemed eager to battle the Turtles while Krang lost his composure.

"Morons…" he mulled. "I'm surrounded by morons." At a dump site, the Turtles and Trainers arrived and looked around. Donatello couldn't stand the stench emitting from the wasteland.

"This reminds me of Gringey City, except smaller," Ash brought up.

"So why couldn't Shredder use this elaborate trap in a cleaner place?" mentioned Brock.

"Why don't you ask him when he shows up to destroy us?" suggested Raphael. Close by, April had her own camcorder recording the Turtles and Trainers.

"Looks like we beat Vernon to the area in question," Irma spoke.

("We may spring the trap back at Shredder,") Pikachu plotted. Suddenly, a mysterious noise rattled eardrums softly.

"Be on your guard, everyone," Leonardo warned. "We don't know where it'll come from." That's when Vernon emerged holding a camcorder of his own.

"What…" irked Ash.

"This is Vernon with an exclusive interview with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Pokey-Mon trainers," he bragged as he pointed the camcorder at Raphael. "Tell me how the city's new 'Clean Up the Sewers' program will impact your lifestyle." It got under Raphael's nerve.

"How about I show you an impact on your lifestyle?" he argued. Pete, trailing from behind, palmed his face.

"Vernon, this is dangerous," Donatello warned. "Beat it." Vernon seemed offended by Donatello's rejection.

"Show some respect for the media, will you?" he complained. "Besides, you have kids helping you out!" He turned to Ash and pointed the camcorder at him. "And Ash Ketchum, when you train with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, do you wear a turtle shell like they do? Imagine the controversial topics involving children with mutants: What relationships do kids and mutants share, should there be any?" Brock came forward to help his friend.

"What we do below the manhole cover is none of your business," he exclaimed.

"It should be, son!" replied Vernon. "You and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles bring up at least two episodes of controversial topics!" Seeing Pete as Pikachu returned to his master, Ash wondered about Vernon's presence.

"What does he mean by 'controversial'?" he asked. "Heck, what does 'controversial' even mean?"

"To summarize, controversial is about hot-button topics that people will disagree with," Pete shortened. "It's like a certain breed of dogs that people deem dangerous: one group wants it destroyed while the other want to raise it to be better with society."

"Trust me, I don't want to see any animal destroyed for any reason."

"I hear you. Of course, Vernon's trying to mix topics together. Honestly, Elvis behind video games? He was a singer who died before video games were even created." Suddenly, an illuminating whirlwind emerged out of nowhere and was coming after the group that included April and Irma. Everyone saw it… except for Vernon.

"Uh, Vernon?" voiced Michelangelo. Vernon continued to maintain focus on the Turtles and Brock.

"I hate to mention this," Donatello spoke up. "But there's a glowing whirlwind coming right for us!" Still, Vernon never looked.

"Please," he scoffed. "Don't give me that old 'glowing whirlwind' routine! I'm after a story!" That's when the whirlwind sucked him in as he yelped.

"I got news for you, Vern!" shouted Raphael. "You're the story!" Vernon continued to yelp, wanting to get down.

"He's going around for another spin!" snickered April before the whirlwind came after the others as they tried to stay grounded.

"And we're next!" gasped Raphael. Donatello realized the ordeal.

"So that's Shredder's plan!" he figured. "That whirlwind must be some kind of dimensional transporter! He's trying to drag us into Dimension X!" Brock reached the women as Ash held Pikachu with one arm and a rebar in the other.

"Donny, that's one gust of wind of a new direction that I wish wasn't taken literally!" yelled Pete. The winds were powerful enough that the women struggled to hold.

"Hang on, Irma!" she encouraged.

"I-" winced Irma. "I can't!" Irma's grip slipped, but Brock caught her before she flew into the whirlwind.

"I gotcha. Irma!" he promised. April's grip slipped and she flew into the whirlwind with a yelp.

"APRIL!" gawked Pete. He released his hold and pursued April and Vernon, then Ash lost his handle a flew in.

"ASH!" cried Brock. "PIKACHU!"

"I'm going after them!" determined Michelangelo as he released his hold and flew in. "COWABUNGA!" Raphael was sent flying while holding a car door.

"WHOA!" he yelped as he flew into the whirlwind. Those who entered the swirl of winds vanished before it died down.

"Michelangelo!" called out Leonardo. "Ash! Pikachu!"

"Raphael!" called out Donatello. "April! Pete!" Brock helped Irma on her feet.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Irma dove onto and hugged him.

"Thank you!" she cried. "But what about April and Pete?" Brock turned to the only Turtles not engulfed as Shredder gasped at the failed attempt. Those already inside got literally dumped on and buried, including Team Rocket.

"I had two Turtles to go!" he growled. Back at the Dump, everyone pondered about the next move.

"Donatello, does that trans-dimensional portal of yours still work?" asked Leonardo.

"No, it never did," Donatello denied.

"We need it to work," Leonardo urged. "It's the only way we get everyone else back here."

"I'll help out," Brock offered. Donatello nodded, knowing he needed all of the help possible. In the Technodrome, the Turtles, reporters, Ash and Pikachu looked at the mess.

"Come on, we need to boogie!" urged Michelangelo. Everyone else started to follow.

"Are we inside the Technodrome!?" questioned Pete.

"We are, and in Dimension X!" confirmed Michelangelo.

"And me without my passport!" irked Pete.

"But you can't find a better scoop than this!" cheered April.

"That's what you think, April!" challenged Vernon. "I'll show you who's the real news hound!"

"Ha!" scoffed April. "Real news hound!? You couldn't hang onto your own camera!"

"Hey, let's get out of here before we give out information!" urged Ash. April and Vernon turned their heads away.

"How ironic," Raphael murmured. "When a child is the mature one…" They reached a window and Michelangelo brought out a rope.

"Over here, dudes!" he called as he tied and exited, sliding down the rope. Others followed with Ash and Pikachu last. Before reaching the bottom, Ash and Pikachu saw the landscape of the island.

"I'll take the trees and what water's on here," Ash muttered. "But the sky is another thing."

("Why so much red?") squeaked Pikachu. Vernon walked back from the rest on the ground.

"Let me be far away when those two land," he wished.

"Is that you doubting my outdoor skills, Vernon!?" countered Ash. Vernon's face irked to the question.

"No, you're doing just fine!" he denied before turning his head away. "It's that rodent he has…" After Ash and Pikachu landed, Michelangelo undid the rope. They soon darted for the woods.

"Well, that was easy," Raphael sighed. The Technodrome's lasers began to fire on them. Everyone dodged each shot.

"You were saying!?" snapped Ash. Rocksteady and Bebop chased the group into a plain.

"We need cover!" cried Vernon.

"It's an open plain!" roared Pete.

"Maybe if we wish real hard, someone will save us," grumbled Raphael. Suddenly, two cruisers flew in and fired back at Rocksteady and Bebop. Michelangelo became excited.

"It's the Neutrinos!" he called out. Raphael's snickered as he turned to the fourth wall.

"What I tell ya?" he shrugged. Arriving, Zak was in the green cruiser while Kala and the bluish-purple-haired Neutrino were in the red.

"Climb in, hep cats!" the bluish-purple-haired Neutrino offered. Pikachu bailed Ash and joined the Turtles into the red cruiser. April sat in the front with Zak as Ash, Pete and Vernon sat in the back.

"Kala, Dask, aren't we glad to see you!" laughed Michelangelo. The cruisers took off as Rocksteady and Bebop ducked as they reversed and flew at them. They got back on their feet but were stomping mad.

"So, what's this all about!?" asked Ash.

"Krang has tried to bust our pads for a long time, always cruisin' for a bruisin'," Zak mentioned. "We keep telling that guy to put an egg in his shoe and beat it, but he wouldn't."

"The Neutrinos and Krang's soldiers have been in a war for a long time, and the Turtles come to help the Neutrinos out," April clarified. "They keep having the upper hand, but Krang's pretty persistent."

"That has to bite!" irked Ash. "Maybe if we can find the world Brock and I'm from, you don't have to worry about wars like that!"

"Hey, don't have a cow!" eased Zak. "We're still hanging tightly against that big daddy!" Pete rolled tape on his camera set he wore.

"I suppose you chose the green because of your favorite football team?" poked Vernon.

"Hey, just be lucky that Mr. Thompson will see that this place is real," Pete snapped back. Kala held Pikachu on her lap while Dask drove.

"An absolute cutie!" she cooed.

"Don't get so tight with it, Kala!" warned Dask. Raphael chose to change topics.

"You guys don't have a trans-dimensional portal back at your pad, do ya?" he asked.

"Nah, not on my crummy allowance," Dask denied. Pikachu became a little worried.

("Now what?") asked Pikachu.

"There's only one and Krang has dibs on it!" claimed Kala.

"You mean, back in the Technodrome?" gulped Michelangelo.

"That's the story, morning glory!" shrugged Dask. Now a task for the heroes began, and what awaits them in Dimension X?

TO BE CONTINUED...