Chapter 19: Tribbling Parenthood
Brock was in a bind. Hanging out of Channel 6's ledge, he chased Tribble before he slipped and was now holding on while the Neutrino baby tailed a pigeon. A crowd formed in fear at the two who were on the edge of death, literally. "Don't kill yourself, kiddo!" urged Burne. "It'll look bad for the station!" The Turtles, Ash and Pikachu found Brock's cliffhanging moment, knowing he was in trouble. The Turtles were without their eye-masks, but jackets matching their colors, blue sweat pants and baseball caps.
"Scope it out, dudes!" urged Michelangelo. "There's Tribble!"
"And Brock's in trouble!" gasped Leonardo. Seeing what Tribble chased, Ash quickly had an idea.
"She likes birds?" he thought before planning. "You guys get Brock! I got Tribble! Swellow, I choose you!" Ash released his avian who cawed. "Swellow, get to the ledge! Wait for my signal!" Swellow flew to the building while Brock started to lose his grip.
"We're coming, Brock!" called out Donatello. Before Brock could climb back up, the pigeon flew off and Tribble reached, only to overreach and fall where Swellow also reached and have the Neutrino baby land on his back. They flew down safely.
"Yes!" cheered Ash. "Swellow got Tribble!"
"But who's got Brock!?" pointed out Raphael. Brock lost the last of his grip, but April, Irma and Burne were there to catch him.
"We gotcha, kid!" informed Burne. Using all of their strength, they pulled Brock onto the ledge and through the window sill. The crowd cheered as Brock waived to the crowd as Swellow came to Ash and he picked her up.
"I think I know what you like to do," he giggled as she started chatting. "You want to fly some more?"
"Not unless we get the Neutrino leaders' permission, dude," Michelangelo denied. Swellow shrugged his wings. As the groups gathered, Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady emerged through a portal with Meowth joining.
"Now, if only this Analyzer works again," Shredder mentioned.
"But, Boss…" spoke Bebop. "Ya are da one who dropped dat Analyzer ting." Shredder was in no mood for backtalk.
"Shut up…" he mulled. They walked to a TV store where Channel 6 had Burne holding Tribble while Ash, Brock and April stood in the back.
"Boss, it's dat Neutrino brat!" noted Bebop.
"And dose twoips in the back!" added Meowth. Burne wanted to do some damage control with the viewers.
"We at Channel 6 want all of our viewers to know how sorry we are of the unfortunate incident that occurred in our studios," he spoke while Tribble sucked on her thumb. "And we want to remind you all to bring your babies down to Channel 6's 'Pretty Baby Photo Contest' today!" The group watching knew where Tribble was.
"Aw, dat's so sweet," Rocksteady mocked.
"So, da Neutrino twoip's in Channel 6," Meowth noted.
"Let's go, you dimwits," Shredder ordered. "That Neutrino brat is ours." In the Technodrome, a Foot Soldier scoped a cell but it was empty. It bailed while Zenter and Gizzla watched from the bars above.
"Ooh, you are so clever, my cool daddy-o!" praised Gizzla.
"We're two shakes smoother than that Foot Soldier!" scoffed Zenter. "Let's split the scene!" A while later, the couple left the still mangled Technodrome in a green cruiser looking like a hot rod.
"They've escaped!?" gasped Krang. "Oh… no…" Their freedom found, Zenter had an idea.
"Let's get our hip chick!" he declared. They flew off. Back in Channel 6, a line of parents with newborns to toddlers ready to be displayed. Irma held Tribble who giggled and chatted. Irma couldn't help but coo at Tribble's attempt to talk.
"Ooh, you're the cutest, hands down!" she awed. She turned to April while Brock returned to her side. "April, why can't we enter Tribble in the contest? She's a shoe-in to take First Place." April turned to Irma from the latest parents after they praised her for her help.
"Because she's not from around here, Irma," she reminded.
"So?" doubted Irma. Brock put a hand on April's shoulder.
"I'll explain things to her," he offered. April trusted Brock as he came to Irma. Tribble looked up to Brock. "Irma, keep in mind that Tribble isn't a human baby, but a Neutrino. I mean, think about it: if we had a baby to enter into the contest, how would you feel of our child lost to a baby that isn't human? Think of the scandal that it would cause." It took Irma a minute to realize the ordeal.
"Yeah, you do have a good point," she trusted.
"Believe me, I'd be furious if my kid lost a baby contest like that," Brock shared. Tribble chatted as if she understood Brock's point. Shredder looked inside where there were many parents with their infants.
"Hopefully, this works," he muttered as Bebop started rolling in wearing a wig and a dress and pushing a stroller and Rocksteady wore a business suit and a fedora.
"Youse talking about a master of disguise, Oroku," Meowth in the stroller bragged, wearing a bonnet. After a quick in-and-out, Shredder donned a fedora as well and trench coat.
"If we need to get close to that Neutrino brat, we might need it," he muttered. April, Brock and Irma scoped out many of the babies with Tribble still held by Irma. A baby with milk chocolate skin cooed to Tribble as she cooed back.
"You think this one is a winner?" she assumed. More chatting from Tribble as Shredder started becoming impatient.
"If we get Miss O'Neil over here, we can hold her hostage for the Neutrino baby," he plotted. As April and Brock took pictures, one ivory-haired mother became interested in Tribble.
"Is she not allowed?" she asked.
"No, she's the mascot for this," Irma lied. Tribble chatted along as she wriggled her fingers.
"She's still cute," the mother complimented. Brock came over to Shredder and the mutants.
"Let's see who we have here," he cheerfully pondered.
"Oh, he's only a few weeks old," Bebop explained with his best feminine voice.
"We made sure he was fed before we came here," Shredder spoke, hoping to fool Brock. Brock looked inside, but Meowth's whiskers were barely poking through.
"Plenty of brats around," Rocksteady noticed.
"Yeah, and we've already disqualified one for not actually being human," Brock lied.
"Was it a Neutrino baby?" asked Bebop with his "feminine" voice. Brock heard and caught Shredder's crew with the trap. Shredder gasped and smacked his helmet.
"Now how would you know about a Neutrino baby… Bebop?" he sneered as he tore the hood off of Bebop's head, exposing the mutant and revealing the posse.
"You fool!" sholded Shredder. The Turtles, Ash and Pikachu entered to check on the progress.
"Looks like one family is going to need some counseling," Leonardo joked.
"Yeah, and in a hurry!" sneered Raphael. "Shredder and his cronies at it again!" They ripped off their disguises as many children screamed and cried in fear.
"Grab the Neutrino baby!" ordered Shredder. Bebop and Rocksteady raced to Irma and Tribble, but Brock beat them to girls.
"You'll need more than ugly looks to get to this kid!" he mocked.
"Says da breeding twoip to Meowth!" roared Meowth. Ash, Irma and April gawked at the Alley Cat Pokémon.
"Krang finally let you out of the Technodrome, Meowth?" teased Brock. April cringed to Meowth.
"A cat?" she muttered. "And it can talk?"
"At least it wasn't as bad as when you became a feline," Irma recalled. Michelangelo cleared the hall as Bebop and Rocksteady fired at the heroes with blasters. Team Rocket also entered, trying to save Meowth as the Turtles and Trainers dodged the shots. Ash swatted Bebop's blaster with his tonfa.
"Hey!" complained Bebop. "Don't ya know dat it's not nice ta hit a lady!?"
"I dealt with ladies who are as strong as you," Ash grinned.
"Oh really?" awed Bebop. "Dey must be if ya are telling da truth." Jessie had a bazooka aimed at Irma and Tribble.
"While those reptiles are dealing with Metal Head's mutants, we'll take Pikachu and the twerpette!" she plotted. Donatello aimed and threw his Bo into the barrel, striking the ammunition inside and blowing up in Jessie's face as she flew back into James, knocking them down. Shredder reached Irma and snatched Tribble.
"I have you now!" he claimed. Tribble made her fingers glow by wiggling. Suddenly, Shredder was flying upward and he struggled. "This isn't supposed to happen!" He dropped Tribble where Brock was in position.
"I gotcha!" he claimed as Tribble landed in his arms. "Not even Tilly was this much of a problem." Tribble just chatted away as Rocksteady confronted him.
"Gimme dat baby!" he demanded. Brock sneered to Rocksteady's demand.
"Rock on rock!" he believed. "I can go with it!" He ran onto the globe and started to run while Rocksteady chased, making the globe spin faster and faster.
"Stop spinning and get the brat!" urged Shredder.
"Gimme a break, boss!" whined Rocksteady. "I'm chasin' dem around da woild!" That's when Brock grinned.
"Let's use a little science!" he plotted as he stopped and used the momentum to bash Rocksteady into the wall high up, back first.
"That's gonna leave a mark!" irked Ash. Brock landed with Tribble softly on the ground as Rocksteady fell onto Bebop, flattening the mutant warthog. Shredder also hit the ground on top of Team Rocket.
"Well, dis went worse dan we tought," Meowth gulped. "Outta da way!" He ran off after activating a device that opened a portal. Entering, he vanished.
"We're out of here!" surrendered Shredder as he, Bebop and Rocksteady left. Everyone else breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'd say those guys were bigger babies than Tribble," Raphael mocked.
"That's for sure!" agreed Irma as the cruiser zoomed in and entered the hall. Zenter and Gizzla were happy to see them.
"Greetings, cats!" welcomed Zenter. Ash and Pikachu were shocked to see the Neutrino couple as their heights were up to his chest. "What's the haps?"
"Wow, so you are Zenter and Gizzla that the Turtles mentioned!" awed Ash.
"What about our little Tribble!?" wondered Gizzla. Brock came over to Gizzla with Tribble in his arms.
"She's right here," he smiled. Tribble reached for Gizzla.
"Mama!" she called. "Mama!" Gizzla took and hugged her baby.
"Oh, Tribble!" she cried. "Was she a good girl?"
"She was totally fabulouso!" answered Michelangelo. Zenter laughed.
"See, honey?" he nagged. "I told you she wouldn't be trouble!" The Turtles, April and Irma looked to Brock as he chuckled to the claim.
"It's like I told them," he smiled. "It helps that I raised my nine younger siblings back home." Gizzla giggled to Brock's claim.
"Now that's a real Daddy-o!" she teased.
"And he's a cool cat on top!" added Zenter.
"What about the capital and General Traag?" asked Leonardo.
"Not to worry-o, Daddy-o." Zenter dismissed. "Those swinging stonies moved on after we showed them who's boss!" Ash came to the cruiser and knelt to see the infant.
"Hey, Pikachu and I can't wait to see you again," he wished. Tribble patted Ash's face. The cruiser took off to the sky.
"Bye, Tribble!" called out Donatello as everyone waived. "See you soon!" The cruiser left the station and headed back to Dimension X. April and Irma confronted Brock about an item.
"Nine siblings?" she repeated.
"Yeah!" confirmed Brock. "Forrest is the the oldest after me, then there's Salvadore, Yolanda, Tommy, Cindy, Suzie, Timmy and the twins, Billy and Tilly." April backed off and whispered to Irma.
"I suddenly know why he wants to be a breeder!" she warned. Irma's face became red, unsure of how to respond. Back in the Lair, the Turtles and Trainers reminisced on their time with the Neutrino infant.
"You know, I miss Tribble," Donatello started.
("You do?") wondered Pikachu.
"Me too…" added Leonardo. "It's rather quiet around here."
"Maybe, and it does remind me of what I did before I joined Ash and Pikachu," Brock offered. "What about you?" Seeing his squinted eyes turned to him, Ash snickered.
"Part of me feels like I hadn't held Tribble long enough," he admitted. "After all, it was the first time I held a baby."
"I'm sure you'll get another chance, amigo!" offered Michelangelo. "Besides, I have something to remember the little dudette."
"And that is?" questioned Raphael.
"A giant pablum pizza with strained spinach topping!" named Michelangelo. The other Turtles, Ash and Pikachu gagged to the pizza topping and ran out.
"Speaking of babies," Brock spoke with a smug. "That's baby spinach, and it doesn't look good on there." Michelangelo shrugged to the point. Meanwhile in an apartment, Pete was on the phone.
"Is that everything?" he asked. A pause. "Alright, I don't wanna worry anyone." Another pause. "Okay. I've got to turn in. Mr. Thompson wants me to come in early." He hung the phone up and pulled out the box. 'I'm sorry, April…' He put the case back in before shutting the lights.
TO BE CONTINUED…
(I want to extend a shout out to the Denver Nuggets [NBA] and the Vegas Golden Knights [NHL] on their franchise's first ever championship titles. Many more to come!)