Chapter 21: Dimension X-Treme Measures

Raphael, Michelangelo, April, Vernon, Pete, Ash and Pikachu were trapped in Dimension X after Shredder used a dimensional teleporter to bring the Turtles in. Luckily, the Neutrinos stepped up to give the unwanted visitors a lift. In the lair, Donatello worked on a mechanical gate, but sparks coated the machine with Leonardo, Splinter, Irma and Brock watching. "Oh, this thing needs a new power transformer," Donatello diagnosed. Brock crossed his arms, his friend on his mind.

"But where can we find one?" he asked. Splinter had an idea.

"Perhaps you can borrow one at Channel 6," he suggested. Irma snapped her fingers and knew what to look for.

"Pete told me about one in the storage closet," she recalled. "I can call Mr. Thompson and see if he can pitch it to us." As she reached the phone, Leonardo felt comfortable about the situation.

"Knowing that Irma's here, it gives us a chance to get our brothers and friends back from Dimension X," Leonardo believed.

"Besides, this generator is our only hope," Splinter offered. "For them and for us." Back in Dimension X. the cruisers reached the Technodrome, knowing Krang's trans-dimensonal portal was the only way back to Earth.

"Like, now what?" asked Michelangelo.

"Hey, Daddy-o!" eased Zak as the cruisers popped the hoods and various cutting tools on telescopic arms to tear through the chassis. "Did you forget that these are the coolest vehicles in the known universe?" After cutting through the steel, the cruisers flew in. At the TV station, Brock and Irma were in the tech room when they start searching for a power transformer. Burne entered.

"So, April, Pete and Vernon are in a different dimension while you're still here with your boyfriend," he voiced.

"Knowing Pete, he'll have evidence to back their claim, Mr. Thompson," Irma assured.

"Oh, he better!" exclaimed Burne. "My ratings are going to take a huge hit with Vernon not around!" He stomped off before Brock could get a word in.

"Why do I have a feeling your boss and April don't get along?" he murmured.

"It's more that he values people watching over who works for him," Irma replied. "I swear, Pete would be better at running this than him." Brock nodded, understanding Irma's point.

"Sounds like you were falling for him before I came along."

"I thought he'd be my type, until I saw him break his back… or at least it looked broken. He straightened out and looked fine, but it gave me the creeps."

"Boy, he wouldn't be able to hold a camera, huh? It makes me wonder how he and the others are doing." In the Technodrome, the visitors were busy running through corridors.

"I bet the others are wondering how we're doing," Raphael spoke up.

"All we need to do is find the portal back!" warned Ash.

"We'll need to search the whole pad if it comes to that!" pointed out Zak. The group came to a door as Kala held Pikachu.

"Let's see if it's in here," Raphael suggested. He opened the door, but found vehicles inside, looking like a garage. "And see that I'm wrong." Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady greeted the others with blasters.

"Well, well," Shredder sneered. "Rocksteady, Bebop, show our guests some… old-fashioned ninja hospitality." Rocksteady and Bebop fired their blasters and the humans and Neutrinos retreated for cover while Ash and Pikachu joined the Turtles. April fell after her foot caught something and rolled over. Pikachu fired Thunderbolt as Raphael threw a garbage lid like a frisbee. The lid struck the Thunderbolt and shocked Shredder's mutants, dropping their blasters.

"Dat hoit!" complained Bebop.

"Our blastas!" whined Rocksteady. Ash stood on some pipes and holding a rope. He let out a Tarzan yell as he swung down and kicked the mutants with a foot each. Pete tended to April as she grasped her ankle.

"Looks like it's twisted, but it looks okay," he studied.

"You had to have hurt your leg a lot to know this!" whimpered April as Vernon came over a snatched the camera.

"Now to get footage for my show!" he sneered. Raphael stood against Bebop and Rocksteady.

"You two need glasses!" he taunted. "You couldn't hit me with-" He stopped and gulped when Rocksteady and Bebop hurled a giant tire. "A rubber tire!?" It was a direct hit as Raphael was flattened. He slowly recovered. "Now I know how roadkill feels like."

"Good…" grinned Shredder.

"Here's better, Chrome Dome!" shouted Michelangelo. Shredder turned to a face-full of oil sprayed from a hose. "This'll keep you from rusting!" Shredder fought as his face was lubed up. Pete and Pikachu looked around, knowing one person was missing.

"Vernon!" he shouted. "Where are you!?"

("Come back here!") squeaked Pikachu. That's when they saw a white cruiser fly out. Pete growled to who he believed was inside.

"And he's got my camera!" he realized. Ash reached a large door with "LAUNDR-O-MATIC" above it.

"Raphael, give me a hand!" he requested. Raphael joined and both jumped before pulling the door down to open it. Michelangelo covered the floor with oil.

"Come down here and fight, you web-footed freak!" yelled Shredder. However, he, Bebop and Rocksteady slipped constantly, unable to get any footing. Raphael flung Ash who slid on the oil as Team Rocket came into.

"It sounds like the battle's getting good," Jessie believed. Out of nowhere, a skating Ash swung around and snagged Jessie as James and Meowth watched.

"JESSIE!" they gasped. Jessie had no control as Ash spun her around.

"How does it feel to have something slick back at you?" sneered Ash as he whipped Jessie into the other trio. The momentum caused all of them to enter the doorway. Zak and Dask kicked James and Meowth into the same doorway. Michelangelo and Raphael closed the door. Raphael looked at the control panel.

"Now let's see…" he read. "Rinse… Spin…" That's when he found his choice. "Here we go: Super Wash!" He hit the button where the washing machine started.

"That'll clean up their act!" laughed Michelangelo.

"Who knew doing laundry would have this much fun?" joked Ash. "Now, let's get back home!" Inside, Shredder, Team Rocket and the mutants were getting the spins, literally.

"GET ME OUTTA HERE, YOU MORONS!" yelled Shredder. The heroes reached the control room as they looked through the mangled area.

"Hard to believe we came through here moments ago," Ash shrugged. Kala, holding Pikachu in her arms, seemed concerned.

"This pad could use some radical remodeling," she voiced. Pete reached the same room to tell the others of a problem.

"Guys!" he alerted. Everyone turned to Pete.

"What's up, Pete?" asked Raphael.

"Vernon!" named Pete. "He's missing!" Gasps alerted everyone.

"It would be better if he stays missing," Raphael shrugged before April realized an item was missing.

"What about your camera?" she questioned. Pete dipped his head.

"I think he's got it to find controversial material," he murmured. "I can't leave either of them, especially the footage in there."

"He's right," Michelangelo agreed. "We need him back with us."

"Don't worry, cats," Dask voiced. "I'll tell your crew about the situation when I make contact." As the rest of the heroes left, Shredder, Team Rocket and the mutants returned soaking wet to Krang from the wash and Krang seemed bemused.

"What happened to you?" he wondered.

"Don't ask," Shredder groaned.

"He just did," James replied.

"Oh, ha ha," Krang mocked a laugh. "While you were soaking in the tub, I found out something important: This is no ordinary mountain we're stuck on… it's a volcano." Team Rocket gawked at the news.

"A volcano!?" repeated Jessie. "I don't wanna get melted!"

"Simmer down, it's probably not so bad," Krang eased. "If there are some precisely-placed explosive charges to cause an eruption, it'll blast the Technodrome loose." Shredder believed Krang and knew who could do the act.

"I see," he replied. "You can have the Rockets plant those charges while-"

"You've done enough damage already!" snapped Krang. "We have Turtles, Neutrinos, reporters and that one Trainer running amok in succession! Bebop and Rocksteady will deal with the intruders while you and Team Rocket mine the crater under my supervision!" Jessie and James protested as the heroes flew through the Technodrome. Raphael, Michelangelo and April rode with Zak while Pete, Ash and Pikachu rode with Dask and Kala.

"There's no sign of that square anywhere!" irked Kala as Pikachu sat on her lap.

"Vernon hightailed it out of here, but where?" pondered Pete.

"Knowing him," April assumed. "He's looking for some topics for his show."

"Like the one we're all going through isn't big enough?" nagged Raphael. "Even I bet he wouldn't survive in the Pokémon World if given a chance, let alone here in Dimension X." Ash and Kala giggled to the thought.

"I can think of one hot spot on this Squaresville planetoid," Zak guessed. "The Blastorama Pleasuredome!" To Pete, the name gave him pause.

"Why do I have a feeling that's a place kids aren't allowed in?" he wondered. They soon flew towards a tower shaped like a mushroom with a domed structure on top and lights illuminating underneath.

"This is it, cats and kittens!" advised Dask. Inside, they spotted Vernon trying to recover from a three-eyed blue bull-like alien and a giant cybernetic humanoid while inside a small ring.

"The Smasherino Arena is our home to work off tension from mining Plutonium," the humanoid informed with a southern accent and holding a mace. The bull-like alien wielded a stone mallet. "By fighting!" Vernon wanted no part of the scuffle.

"Timeout!" he pleaded as he retreated and the two miners advanced. He grabbed a tall glass and a glass mug. "You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses, right?" Watching, Pete smacked his head.

"Trust me, it works better if you were involved," Raphael sympathized.

"And I can fight," Pete added. Ash came forward with a Pokéball.

"I hate to save him, but…" he muttered before he threw the ball. "Torkoal, use Flamethrower!" Torkoal emerged before blasting the miners with Flamethrower. Feeling the heat, the miners turned to Ash and Torkoal. "Picking on a coward makes you the same!" The miners growled at their fun being interrupted.

"We don't like outside interference!" the cybernetic one argued. "If you want to fight us, we could use a good victim." Ash jumped in with Raphael as Pete took Vernon and April found the camera.

"Didn't you learn the first rule in journalism?" he scolded Vernon. "You don't go looking for trouble, you look for trouble already happening!"

"Like you know how to be a journalist when all you do is hold a camera!" scoffed Vernon.

"Because I know what to look for," Pete muttered. Ash and Raphael faced the miners.

"How about picking someone your own size!" yelled Raphael. The miners charged at Ash and Raphael, but they were too quick as the smaller pair circled around each swing of the mallet and mace. Still, Dask didn't like the mismatch.

"We gotta help those hep cats out!" he urged. However, the Neutrinos, Pete, April and Michelangelo were roped by a lasso. Rocksteady succeeded in getting them.

"Some round-up, eh partner?" complimented Bebop. Before they could move, Pikachu and Torkoal got behind Bebop and Rocksteady. Seeing Torkoal in position, Ash had an idea.

"OVERHEAT!" Everyone stopped moving but Torkoal burned up before releasing his Overheat attack, scorching Bebop and Rocksteady and propelling them into the miners. Pikachu used Iron Tail to cut the rope. Everyone free, Ash turned to the miners. "There you go: someone your size." He escaped as the heroes and reporters got on the cruisers back to the Technodrome: Raphael and Michelangelo with Dask in the white, April, Ash and Pikachu with Kala in the green and Vernon and Pete with Zak in the white. Suddenly, a Turtle Comm buzzed. Ash answered, Leonardo on the screen.

"Guys, is everyone okay?" he called.

"We're fine, aside from a few close calls," Ash replied. "Did you guys find a way to get us back to Earth?"

"We did, but it may not be up for long," Donatello warned. "It's going to be up for a minute tops." That's when Zak spotted activity in the volcano.

"Look alive, cats!" he shouted. "We got some activity down in the volcano!" Everyone looked on as they saw Shredder, Krang and Team Rocket working.

"Careful with those charges!" warned Krang. "There's not a lot of time before they go off!" Ash viewed Krang as Jessie yelled from the other side.

"You should save on at least one of the charges for that suit of yours!" she snapped. Viewing the action from above, the Neutrinos became fearful.

"Those Big Daddies are going to use bombs to free the Technodrome!" gasped Kala.

"And if that happens," Dask cringed. "We Neutrinos will be Cruisin' for a Bruisin'!" Ash grinned and Vernon gasped to the sight.

"Kid, you're not thinking about fighting them!" he gulped. "What would your parents think!?"

"Vernon, I was raised by a single mom," Ash replied. "And she walked on the wild side like I do." The red and green cruisers flew down where the Turtles, Ash and Pikachu reached them. Krang watched them leap from the cruisers and land.

"The Turtles!?" he gawked. "What happened to Rocksteady and Bebop?"

"They're bounced for us to deal with you," Michelangelo grinned. Seeing Krang, Ash started to giggle.

"So, you must be Krang," he assumed. "Glad I'm not the only one thinking with a stomach. It makes me feel related." Krang steamed to the taunt while Meowth cackled as he clutched his gut.

"Dat was so funny, my stomach already hoits!" he laughed.

"Hey, you got the kitty tickled," Raphael smiled.

"You may have made him laugh," Shredder mulled. "But you won't get a smile from me."

"That's because we're here to give you a real fear factor!" roared Michelangelo as he hooked an explosive charge from James's hands with the grappling hook and pressed a button. "Now if I press this…" Krang and Shredder realized that he activated the charge.

"Don't throw it in the middle!" shouted Krang. Rather than listen, Michelangelo did just that and threw it in the center of the volcano.

"RUN!" shouted James. He led Jessie carrying Meowth, Shredder and Krang out of the volcano as Donatello contacted Raphael through the Turtle Comm.

"I can only hold this for fifteen seconds!" he alerted. April, Pete and Vernon gathered.

"Open it now!" commanded Raphael. A portal opened and the visitors started to enter.

"Hopefully, I get to see you again, you cool cat!" cooed Kala before she kissed Ash and Pikachu on the cheek. Blushing, the trainer and Pokémon nodded before he entered the portal as the Neutrinos left. The timing couldn't have been closer as the charges detonated and caused the volcano to rupture and lava to consume the treads of the Technodrome, trapping it even more.

"Wait until I get my hands on those brats!" complained Krang.

"YOU DON'T HAVE HANDS, DIMWIT!" yelled Jessie. Back in the Lair, the visitors returned to the relief of others.

"See?" joked Raphael. "Nothing to it. We got back in time as well." That's when the portal exploded and fell to pieces.

"Timed that really well," Brock scoffed.

"True, but who knows…" pondered Ash. "I think they might find peace in our world after telling Zak about it."

"Oh, you mean Zak, Dask and Kala?" believed Donatello.

"Those guys," Pete confirmed. "It wasn't so bad." Pikachu agreed with a few squeaks. At Channel 6, Burne, Pete and April watched Vernon in front of the camera with Burne shaking his head.

"I can't use this footage!" he called Vernon out. "It's nothing but pictures of you!" That's when he pointed to a different screen with the views of Dimension X, the Turtles fighting with Ash and other sights. "But this! This is good! Good, good, good, good, good! April, Pete, you two are magnificent! This is the scoop of the century!"

"If you think it was easy," Pete shrugged. "I have an easier time popping my shoulders out of my sockets than doing all of that." April slugged Pete in the arm.

"Please don't," she denied.

"For a young cameraman, you got lucky!" scoffed Vernon. "Especially since I'm the star of the show!" Now Pete scoffed back.

"Newsflash, Vern!" he voiced. "When it comes to news stories, the scene and the action are the real stars, not the reporter."

"Like that matters!" dismissed Vernon. Burne came to and palmed Pete on the arm.

"I want you to keep it up," he praised. "I picked a great cameraman for this station." Then, he turned to Vernon, less than sympathetic. "And you! I don't wanna ever catch you touching a camera, let alone using one again!" Vernon flinched while April stood firm with a smile. Back at the Lair, Ash and Pikachu were getting ready to watch the rented movie.

"At least you'll see the movie with me and I don't have to spoil it since Shredder interfered," Ash giggled. Pikachu giggled as well as Irma brought out popcorn.

"And that Shredder's stuck in that hardened magma after what we did with it," Michelangelo added. Splinter didn't believe the matter with Shredder concluded.

"Even from another dimension," he voiced. "He was still a menace to you, my sons. I fear we will hear from him again."

"Let him," Brock sneered. "With your training, we'll be ready for him." Suddenly, the monitor displayed the Neutrinos.

"Ash, thanks a mondo for helping us and providing a new pad to stay from that Big Daddy," Dask mentioned.

"And Ash, if we see each other again," Kala added. "I can't wait to hold other cool creatures you own. That Torkoal is a cool burner!"

"Not just you guys," Ash offered. "The entire race can come by."

"No prob, hep cat!" smiled Dask.

"We'll see ya later!" waived Kala. The screen turned off.

"Just imagine the rivals you could have with Neutrinos as trainers," Brock plotted.

"All the more to prepare," Ash grinned. "But first, it's movie time."

"Right, let's watch Snow White & the Seven Samurai," Leonardo declared. The Turtles agreed as they, Brock, Irma joining on Brock's lap, Ash and Pikachu sat with popcorn to see the movie with no interference.

TO BE CONTINUED...