Chapter 33: Son of Zorro and the Filching Pirate
-Ash stared down Captain Filch with the anemones surrounding everyone. Seeing Buffy held by Filch, Ash swung down with a rope and landed to rescue the party-goers. He, Raphael and Mona Lisa were trying to overthrow Filch after hijacking McDonald Crump's yacht and the private party. Ash faced Filch. "Let's go, Filch!" taunted Ash. "Mano-a-Mano!"
"I'm afraid that you're in no position to bargain!" mocked Filch. "Tie him up!" The anemones approached Ash.
"I agree… You ARE afraid!" returned Ash. "You'd rather have these guys fight on your behalf!" Filch snarled to the reply. "Besides, I'm not alone. I also have mutants!" Raphael and Mona Lisa kicked a few of the anemones off the yacht.
"Hey, Filch!" spoke Mona Lisa. "Remember me!? One that you kidnapped before!?"
"Seems you need a lesson in mutant madness!" added Raphael. More of the anemones chased after Raphael and Mona Lisa. Some started climbing out of the water, "We need to do something about these sea slugs."
"I told you, they're mutant anemones!"
"They're still slower than either one of us!" The two led the anemones away while more confronted Ash, one with a sword. Using his tonfas, Ash disarmed the sword and threw the anemone overboard.
"Only a coward would send his minions to do your work!" he scolded, pointing the stolen sword at Filch.
"You should be silenced, you seahorse!" snapped Filch. "You have no worth to save this maiden, let alone everyone on here."
"Probably afraid of losing that other eye," Ash sneered. Filch growled to the taunt. Meanwhile at the Lair, Michelangelo was watching a movie of a giant snail attacking a city. Brock came over to see the movie with Pikachu on his shoulder.
"Hey, it's practice time!" he announced. Michelangelo seemed bothered as he turned to Brock and Pikachu.
"Not yet dude!" he snapped as the other two Turtles emerged with their weapons. "Bugzilla's about to cream the giant snail!"
"You'll get another chance to see that movie in the near future," Leonardo promised.
"Besides, we still have Brock, Pikachu and the other Pokémon to help with practice," Donatello pointed out.
"I suppose so," Michelangelo shrugged. "I mean, Ash and Raphael are having a great time on that yacht." On cue, the movie cut out before it turned to the news.
"We interrupt our featured presentation for a special report," an anchorman voiced. Then, a voice.
"This is April O'Neil, reporting on board McDonald Crump's yacht," April started.
"That's not good!" gulped Brock.
"A little jumping the gun, padre?" questioned Michelangelo.
"The guests aboard McDonald Crump's yacht are being held hostage by Captain Phineas Filch," April continued. "Unless $2,000,000,000, which is what Filch has as a ransom, all of us will be forced to walk the plank!" Pikachu growled, ready to help Ash out.
"And Ash and Raphael's on that yacht!" realized Leonardo.
("We gotta save them!") squeaked Pikachu. Donatello understood the Pokémon's wish.
"Let's use the Turtle Blimp to reach the yacht!" he decided. They left for the blimp. Meanwhile, Filch didn't appreciate the act Ash performed.
"Ye shan't have interfered with my plans, boy!" he snarled. "I would've had you join the rest into Davy Jones's Locker Room!" Hearing his plans, Crump believed they were going to be thrown away.
"If you wanted to throw us to our doom," Crump started. "Why keep us as hostages!?" Ash shook his head.
"You're still trying to act tough, but all you wanted was greed," he figured. "It's just making you more of a coward instead of being a normal adult." Filch scowled at Ash.
"I SAID SILENCE!" he angrily yelled.
"Not a chance, Captain Filth!" shouted Ash, his tonfa pointing at Filch and the sword trained. "I will not be silent… and I won't be silent until you agree to fight me! Coward!" Filch became irritated. "Coward!" Buffy awed Ash's confidence. "Coward!" All Filch was hearing was "Coward!" repeating endlessly in his head. Mona Lisa and Raphael swam to Filch's submarine.
""Let's deactivate the force field!" urged Raphael. Entering, they found a control panel with plenty of lights shining below the buttons.
"That's the control panel!" shouted Mona Lisa. There were some more mutant anemones standing in the way.
"I'll hold them off," Raphael promised while holding one of Ash's tonfas. Mona Lisa agreed before rushing to the control panel. Back on the yacht, Filch brought out a rapier to face Ash.
"You've crossed the line, you scurvy dog!" he shouted. He charged at Ash who grinned to Filch being provoked. He blocked the initial swing from Filch.
"That's a lot better!" he smiled. "Now, you're fighting like a real pirate!"
"I'll make sure the sharks feed off your lifeless body!" snapped Filch. "And no one will save you!" That's when the Turtle Blimp found the yacht.
"That's what you think, Filch!" shouted Leonardo. Filch and Ash looked up and saw the Blimp.
"Looks like the Calvary arrived," Ash sneered.
"Big deal!" scoffed Filch. "My force field will deter any scalawag that tries to board." On cue, Mona Lisa finished shutting down the force field. Filch gasped. "My force field!"
"You were saying?" The Turtles and Pikachu roped down onto the yacht where the anemones flanked them.
"Avast, me hearties! Prepare to repel boarders!" Unfazed, the Turtles drew out their weapons as Raphael and Mona Lisa started to regroup.
"We're not scared of a little pirate talk!" scoffed Michelangelo. With Filch distracted, Pikachu reached Ash.
"Glad you could join, buddy," he whispered. "Go to the girl in the pink dress and protect her."
("Gotcha,") Pikachu whispered before running off.
"Shall we settle this, Filch?" he urged. Filch turned and they were back to clashing swords. They spun around to which Filch kicked Ash, but Ash blocked the kick partially with his arm. The kick sent Ash back, but he recovered. Filch lunged at Ash to stab, but Ash parried the strike and attacked, causing Filch to defend himself.
"Duck!" shouted Michelangelo. Ash heard and ducked flying anemones that crashed into Filch.
"Nice shot!" praised Ash. "Now for the hostages…" He returned to the group and the tied people. The man wearing the cardboard cutout felt bothered by the scenario as Leonardo brought out his katana to cut the hostages free while the other Turtles dealt with the anemones.
"Of all the outrageously insulting…" he growled furiously. "I can't believe I'm putting my life in the hands of some bratty child like you!" Ash turned to the mustached man. "It's an absolute scandal and insult, I tell you!" This was the same man who belittled Raphael for pretending to be a Ninja Turtle. Frustrated from all he said about Raphael, Ash pulled out his remaining tonfa.
"Here!" he offered. The mustached man gulped to the offer. "You wanna do the job and fight those mutants yourself? Be my guest." The mustached man panicked to the retort.
"Are you out of your mind!? I don't wanna fight those monsters and that pirate!" Standing up, Ash pulled the mustached man up by the collar. His look told the mustached man that he heard enough from him.
"Then sit on your fanny, stay put… and SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Even Leonardo jumped at Ash's anger. "Let me imply that if I hear one more word out of you, just… one more word… and I will feed you to those mutants! GOT IT!?"
"Y-yes sir… I'll be quiet." Done, Ash dropped the mustached man onto his buttocks.
"This is why I really hate rude snobs like you…" Buffy and Pikachu watched, awed by Ash's control.
("He rarely gets that mad…") he squeaked. Buffy heard Pikachu, worried about anymore mutants.
"You're far smaller than those anemones," she briefed as Ash reached her.
"He's not a mutant like those others," Ash corrected. "Hold still, let me get this off." He quickly undid the rope before Pikachu spotted Filch.
("Watch out!") he squeaked. Ash heard, looked and jumped back as Filch jumped and slashed at him. The jump took Ash back to the plank where Filch charged. Their swords continued to clash. They walked out further on the plank, concerning Buffy and Pikachu.
"Ash!" she cried out. April appeared with the camera trained on Ash and Filch.
"This is getting out of hand!" cried Vernon as he stood behind April,
"It's already out of hand, Vernon!" she growled. "And Ash is about to fall into the ocean!" Filch grinned to the battle about to end.
"I be impressed with ye," he praised. "Ye a brave lad… Foolish, but brave. Ye'd be a great crew member on me sub." One more step back had Ash's heel over the edge of the plank.
"Ash!" cried Buffy. Even though he never looked to his position, Ash felt that he was one step away from falling off the plank. He eyed Pikachu. Somehow, Pikachu nodded before reaching the plank, only for Mona Lisa to arrive. Filch seemed ready to end Ash's life.
"Have ye any last words?" he questioned. Ash flashed a smile.
"Just two," he replied before jumping back and over the plank. Buffy gasped, seeing Ash fall into the ocean. However, Ash grabbed the edge of the plank, bending it down before springing back up, flipping over Filch and Mona Lisa as she charged after Filch and whipped him with her tail. That caused Filch to be knocked toward the edge and balancing on one foot while precariously dangling over the edge of the plank. Ash looked back with a satisfied grin. "Go… fish." Filch fell back off the plank but Brock fired a grappling hook from the blimp and lassoed Filch's legs. Brock got on the Turtle Comm.
"Pirate is caught, guys!" he briefed. "I repeat, pirate is caught!"
"Glad that large grappling hook launcher I just installed worked," Donatello praised. The blimp carried Filch back to his captives and to the Turtles as April recorded the action.
"Please, let me down!" he pleaded, admitting defeat. "I'll share my power and wealth! We could rule the Seven Seas together!"
"The only thing you're sharing is a prison cell with a man named Bubba!" retorted Raphael. Leonardo was on the Turtle Comm.
"Okay, Brock," he voiced. "You can send Filch to the authorities waiting on shore."
"Ten-Four, Leonardo!" agreed Brock as he carried Filch away. Mona Lisa came to the Turtles while holding Pikachu in her arms.
"Oh, I now wished I had you when I was a human!" she cooed. Pikachu felt Mona Lisa's embrace, happy to meet a new friend.
"Now that Filch's going into custody," Donatello brought up. "What are we going to do about his sub?"
"I can destroy it," Mona Lisa offered. "It's probably better if it is and that no one else will suffer like I did." Pikachu felt bad about Mona Lisa's suffering.
"It's a pretty bad story that would make you like her in the last chapter," Raphael pointed out.
"Would you like some help?" offered Donatello.
"No, I got it," Mona Lisa refused as she released Pikachu. She leaped from the yacht as it neared dock and reached the submarine. She started the controls to get the submarine moving before she bailed out and swam back as the vehicle started to smoke. Back at the dock, Ash came over to see Buffy after an officer evaluated her. She jumped and hugged Ash.
"Oh, thank you for saving all of us!" she cried. "You definitely deserved that costume."
"I'm just glad that we saved everyone," Ash smiled. "And Crump's talking to the guy I came with." He sighed, still flustered by the night. "Not to sound cruel, but we had an exciting night out at sea."
"No, it's not cruel… and I agree. It was pretty exciting after you stood up for us. Maybe next time, I'll see you outside of your costume."
"Of course…" That's when a limousine rolled up. Buffy sighed.
"I guess my ride's here." She started to walk when she saw Ash take a step with her.
"Shall I escort you to your ride?" The gesture made Buffy smile.
"But of course…" As they reached the limousine, a soft song was played. "I think we can get one more dance before we call it a night."
"Of course…" They had a dance where they gazed into each one's eyes. About an hour later in the Lair, Raphael sighed about all that happened.
"You were negotiating with Crump on his pizzas?" wondered Brock.
"He even invited us to his office to talk about those in appreciation for our efforts," Leonardo briefed.
"Though, that one dudette definitely digs Ash a lot," Michelangelo teased.
"I blame April for the costume," Ash deflected, back in his clothes.
"Less blame, more praise," Leonardo suggested. Pikachu squeaked in agreement.
"Yeah, how did you like being in Mona Lisa's arms?" asked Ash. Pikachu shyly itched his head.
"Speaking of Mona Lisa," Donatello pondered. "We could use her to spruce Raphael's confidence." Just then…
"Who needs a confidence spruce?" voiced Mona Lisa. All turned to see Mona Lisa carrying boxes of pizza with April trailing.
"MONA LISA!?" the boys gasped. Ash came over to grab some of the boxes.
"Allow me," he offered.
"And this is what you originally look like?" asked Mona Lisa.
"More or less," Brock answered. Pikachu joined on Mona Lisa's shoulder again.
"It's safe to say that Pikachu's grown fond of you, Mona Lisa," Leonardo studied.
"Not that I mind," Mona Lisa giggled. "But, I came here to see what else Ash has. I'm sure Pikachu's not the only cutie." The Turtles enjoyed the pizzas while Ash has a new admirer. However, one young lady has a deeper desire…
TO BE CONTINUED...