- Chapter 9 -
New Friend, Old Enemy
In a simplistic dojo, two figures, one male and one female, meditated. A door slid open, and a ninja slipped in, dressed all in black, with a headband bearing a red trident-like footprint (1). He crept up on the male, drawing a sword and bringing it down on him. Before the attack could land, the man effortlessly caught the blade without even turning around.
Standing up, the man kicked the ninja away, snatching his sword in the process. Another ninja jumped into the air behind the woman, sword raised. The woman dodged easily, leaving the ninja's sword to plunge into the wood of the floor and get stuck. He hurried to get the blade out, only to be laid out flat by a punch from the woman. The first ninja jumped onto the man's back from behind, brandishing a knife. In retaliation, the man elbowed him and flipped him over his shoulder.
The two looked over their fallen adversaries as they groaned in pain on the ground, wrapping an arm around one another. At that moment, a nearby door slid open, revealing a room with a window overlooking the city. The one who had slid the door open was a man of Brazilian descent with a black afro, a white T-shirt under a black leather vest, black studded leather gloves, and torn blue jeans. Standing at the window, looking out on New York with this newcomer by his side, was the Shredder himself.
The two figures went wide-eyed at the sight, immediately bowing in respect to their master.
"Master Shredder," the man greeted reverently
"I trust that my greatest pupils have been using their time wisely," Shredder remarked, still looking out the window.
"Of course, Master," the woman answered. "We have assembled an army of ninjas. The Foot Clan await your orders."
"Excellent, because I've discovered an old enemy in New York. Hamato Yoshi."
On cue, the Brazilian man tossed the two a photo, depicting Hamato Yoshi and an unscarred, unmasked Shredder together. Shredder wore a helmet with a camo pattern, and both men wore dog tags around their necks. The picture was taken during their brief time serving in the JSDF (2).
"Hamato Yoshi is alive?" the man asked in surprise.
"And he is training ninjas of his own. No doubt with his cohort, Kasumi Lee. Finally, I will finish what I started all those years ago." Shredder turned to the two, giving them both serious glares. "Find Hamato Yoshi, Kasumi Lee, and their students. I want them all wiped out."
"We will not fail you, Master," the woman promised.
"I know," Shredder replied. "But to be certain, the two of you will be working alongside Xever."
On cue, the Brazilian man stepped forward, twirling a butterfly knife in his hand. The first man snarled, glaring at the newcomer with much hostility.
"I don't need any help," he growled. "Especially from this street rat."
"Are you sure, rich boy?" Xever replied, smirking.
The woman got in Xever's face, poking him in the chest threateningly. "You wanna test us, buddy? We'll take you on any time!"
Shredder punched the wall with a loud thump, getting their attention. "I am not interested in your petty rivalry! Xever is familiar with the dark underbelly of this city. You will work together."
The two figures resigned themselves to that, but it didn't mean they liked it.
"Don't worry, Master Shredder," the man announced.. "We will find Splinter and his disciples... and kill them all."
"It won't be too hard to find Kasumi Lee," the woman interjected. "She's the richest woman in New York, practically a celebrity."
Elsewhere, the Turtles, alongside Hisako and Kagome, were out for a nighttime workout. The seven ninjas were jumping across the rooftops in the city, pulling off multiple flips and leaps as they went. Donnie saw a rooftop ahead and got a running start.
"Check this out!" he declared as he went. He jumped, pulling off a midair flip perfectly before rolling across the rooftop, coming to a stop with a smirk.
"Props, Don," Mikey called out to him. "Now watch this!"
He pressed a button on one end of his nunchaku; a blade popped out and the chain extended, converting the Nunchuck into a kusarigama (3). He used the chain to swing over the roof, landing perfectly before bowing. Donnie applauded politely before the two turtles turned back to the rest of their family.
"My turn!" Hisako announced.
She took a running start, vaulting off the roof and somersaulting in the air, landing on her hands before backflipping onto her feet.
"Oh yeah!" Mikey said, giving a thumbs up.
"A-thank you," Hisako replied, grinning proudly. "Next!"
"Step aside, guys," Kagome said, cracking her knuckles. "Watch how Kagome Lee struts her stuff."
She scrambled up a water tower nearby, then performed a midair somersault, landing perfectly on her feet with her left hand supporting her weight. Everyone applauded.
"Respect, Kagome," Mikey complimented. "Extra points for the superhero landing (4)!"
"Thank you, thank you," Kagome replied with a smile. "Don't throw flowers, just send money."
They looked to the other rooftop where Leo, Raph, and Vee were still standing.
"Gonna be a tough one to beat, Vee!" Hisako called back.
"Well then," Vee smirked, "let's see what I got."
She took several steps back, then charged forward, pulling off two back handsprings before she jumped, landing on her hands on the edge of the roof, vaulting to her feet at the last second.
"Woo!" Hisako cheered, clapping.
"Nice one," Kagome remarked.
Vee smiled, then turned back to where Leo and Raph were.
"Beat that, Leo!" she declared.
"If you insist," Leo replied.
He took a few steps back and pulled off multiple front handsprings before jumping off the roof. He performed a midair somersault, then landed on the edge of the roof before pulling off a midair side flip, landing on his feet.
The others applauded before they turned back to Raph, who flexed his neck, cracking the joints there before standing back. Rather than do an intricate or impressive move, he just jumped straight forward and rammed into everyone, tackling them down and knocking them all into a heap. Kagome saw stars briefly, but quickly came back to her senses, feeling someone laying on top of her. She looked down to see Raph... with his face in her chest.
"Hey!" Kagome exclaimed, shoving him off. "Raph, you pervert!"
Raph blushed and rubbed the back of his head.
"That's... not what I meant to do." He blushed, his face a darker shade of green. "Not the whole 'my face in your boobs' thing."
"Yeah, that was not cool," Hisako added.
Kagome was blushing, one arm across her breasts. Vee rolled her eyes.
"Oh, don't act like you didn't like it," she teased with a playful smirk.
"Shut up, Vee!" Kagome snapped.
"Raph, that was out of line," Leo reprimanded sternly. "You could have seriously hurt us, and don't even get me started on the levels of wrong your landing had."
"Hey, you think I meant to land face-first in her airbags?" Raph retorted. "It was an accident!"
"But ramming into us sure as hell wasn't," Vee shot back.
Before they could continue the lecture, they heard a noise nearby.
"We'll talk about this later," Kagome interjected. "Something's happening."
They crept along, one hand on their weapons. Drawing them, they ran out to see-
-a simple, black-and-white kitten.
"Gyah!" Raph exclaimed, backing away as Mikey laughed.
"Ha!" said the orange-banded turtle. "Priceless."
Raph glared at him. "If you say one word, I swear to God I'm gonna push you into traffic."
Leo crossed his arms. "Mikey, we talked about this."
"What?" Mikey asked. "It's funny!"
"No, it's not," Kagome said reproachfully. "Not after what happened with Old Hob."
"Fine..." Mikey sighed. "I'll get rid of the cat then."
He picked up the cat, noticing a collar and a tag.
"Okay," he let out, reading the tag, "its name is..."
"Mittens!"
"Yeah, good guess," Mikey said before realizing it wasn't one of his siblings who said it. "Wait, who said that?"
They looked across the street, seeing a man leaning out an upstairs window bordering the fire escape.
"Mittens?" he called. "Where are you?"
"That must be the owner," Mikey said, beginning to make his way over before the others grabbed him.
"Are you nuts?!" Kagome declared. "You can't let any other humans see you, Mikey!"
"Chillax, it'll be fine," Mikey said. "I'm not so scary."
"You're a big green mutant armed with ninja weapons," Vee pointed out.
"Okay, fine," Mikey groaned, putting his nunchucks on the ground. "Better?"
Raph facepalmed.
"You... are an idiot," he let out, not looking up from his palm. "Seriously. There can't be any living creature on the planet less intelligent than you."
"This guy's gonna see that I'm just a regular cat-loving dude like him," Mikey insisted. "Next thing you know, we'll be best buds!"
Before they could stop him, Mikey jumped down, heading for the man's apartment. Hisako sighed.
"This is gonna end badly," she let out.
"Bet on it," the others replied in unison.
"One strawberry banana chocolate parfait says the man freaks the hell out at the sight of him," Kagome wagered.
"I'll raise a double chocolate fudge sundae," Hisako countered.
-X-
As the man continued to call for Mittens, Mikey landed on the edge of the fire escape. The man gasped.
"Hi!" Mikey said cheerfully. "Here's your-"
Unfortunately, he was cut off by the man's terrified scream. "Ugly, green, mutant freak!"
"No, wait!" Mikey insisted. "I got your cat!"
"Help!" the man screamed. "He's got my cat!"
"Dude, chill! I'm just trying to-"
Without warning, the cat, energized by its owner's words, hissed and attacked Mikey. The cat slashed and clawed at his face until Mikey fell off of the fire escape, landing heavily with a thud. The other six watched the whole exchange, wincing at the sound of his fall.
"Looks like we're getting ice cream, Hisako," Kagome said, fist-bumping the other girl.
"I'll get him," Leo sighed, leaping over the edge of the building.
-X-
Leo helped Mikey back up to the roof, where the latter sighed remorsefully.
"Someone wanna help me with this?" the orange turtle asked, turning around to reveal the screeching cat still latched onto his shell.
Leo pinched the cat on the back of the neck and pulled it off, shooing it away.
"Face it, Mikey. Humans will never understand you," Raph insisted. "Hell, we don't even understand you."
"Hisako, Kasumi, and Kagome understand us," Mikey retorted. "April and Casey understand us." He looked up, and smiled. "And I bet that guy would!"
He pointed up at the billboard, the others looking up to see what he was referring to. On the billboard with a picture of a man with a thick beard, advertising a martial arts expo.
"Chris Bradford..." Kagome let out skeptically, her eyebrow raising. "The martial arts superstar with a chain of dojos across the country, said to be the next Chuck Norris. He's your soulmate?"
"Mikey, he's an actor," Donnie said flatly.
"So?" Mikey mimicked Bradford's pose on the billboard. "We have so much in common!"
"What if you stop standing like that?" Vee questioned flatly.
"We'll... have a little less in common, but still a lot," Mikey allowed, pointing to the billboard. "And look! He's in town for a martial arts expo!"
"Absolutely not," Leo quickly shot down.
"Oh, come on!" Mikey whined. "We could learn his secret kata, the Death Dragon!"
"We're not going, jackass," Vee insisted sternly.
Donnie looked up at the sky, seeing it begin to lighten. "Guys, it's almost dawn. We need to get going."
They turned to do so, but Hisako suddenly clutched her head, sensing something. She came to a stop, her siblings quickly taking note of her pause.
"What is it, sis?" Raph asked, placing a hand on her back.
"We've got a problem." She looked around, her body tense. "Someone's hunting us."
At that moment, multiple figures dressed in ninja uniforms suddenly surround them.
"What the hell?" Raph declared.
"There are ninjas in New York besides us?" Kagome asked.
"Bad ninjas," Hisako corrected simply. "Very bad ninjas."
The rival ninjas all charged at them, and the seven quickly engaged in a fight. They battled furiously, channeling every iota of skill they possessed just to stay alive. Raph ended up back-to-back with Leo, and noticed a smile on his brother's face.
"Why are you so happy?" he demanded.
"It's just nice to be fighting other ninjas," Leo replied. "Not robots, or aliens, or other mutants, or Purple Dragon goons."
"You are one messed up turtle," Raph told him flatly.
Eventually, two larger masked figures jumped down, one dressed in red, the other in blue.
"These must be the ringleaders!" Vee shouted.
"Then let's take 'em down!" Donnie declared.
The red figure charged at Leo, landing a solid punch that send him flying across the alleyway and slamming into the wall. The red figure then turned to Raph, kicking him aside.
Kagome charged at the blue figure, and managed to land a slash with her Shiranui blades. That was the only blow she could land before getting hit with a roundhouse kick that knocked her flat on her back. Vee tried her luck next by approaching from behind, only for the blue figure to respond with a backhand to the face without even turning around.
"Wow," Vee said, rubbing her nose. "These guys are good."
Hisako charged at the red figure, slashing at him with her tessen. He blocked with his spiked arm-guards, then grabbed her, landing a solid headbutt to her face. Hisako stumbled back, disoriented.
"Okay..." she let out, shaking her head. "Ow."
Donnie charged at him next, but the figure grabbed his staff and yanked it out of his hands. He then used it to swat the purple turtle aside. Mikey lashed out with his kusarigama, but the figure grabbed it and yanked him forward, grabbing him by the belt and looking him in the eyes.
"What are you?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
"The term is turtle," Mikey replied. "Now let go!"
He landed a sucker punch before jumping back. Before either side could make another move, they heard sirens approaching.
"Crap, it's the fuzz!" Kagome exclaimed.
"You got lucky this time." the blue figure hissed before she retreated, her companion and minions following. The Turtles, Hisako, and Kagome followed their example just as squad cars pulled into the alley.
"That was way too close," Leo said.
"Who were those guys?" Raph asked.
"I got a nice conk on the head, so I couldn't get much," Hisako said. "Just the name of their clan. They call themselves the Foot."
"We better tell Sensei and Kasumi," said Leo.
Down in the dojo, the group explained the situation to Splinter and Kasumi. Needless to say, they were more than a little surprised.
"The Foot Clan?" Kasumi asked in shock. "Here? In New York?"
"That's what I heard," Hisako nodded. "They looked like this."
She stuck her hands into Splinter and Kasumi's heads, her fingers phasing into their skulls as she shared her memories of the fight, showing them everything from her point of view before removing her hands.
"It can't be..." Splinter whispered.
"You know these guys?" Donnie asked.
"Yes," Kasumi answered. "The Foot Clan is the oldest of all ninja clans in Japan. And longtime rivals of the Hamato Clan."
"But why are they here?" Leo questioned.
Kasumi turned to Splinter, a worried expression on her face.
"Yoshi, you don't think he's here, do you?" she whispered.
"It must be," Splinter replied. "After all these years, he's found out I'm alive."
"He?" Kagome inquired.
"The leader of the Foot Clan, and once a good friend of ours," Kasumi clarified. "Oroku Saki. The Shredder."
That got a shocked gasp from the seven children.
"The one who killed Dad?" Kagome asked.
"And Tang Shen?" Leo added, getting a nod from the older two.
"But how did they-?" Donnie began before it hit him. "The shuriken on Channel 6! He must've seen the report!"
"Not good..." Hisako muttered.
"Their leaders were crazy good," Leo recalled. "By which I mean, they were good... and seemed a little crazy. Besides, they had all these men with them. It wasn't a fair fight!"
Splinter raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, fair fight?"
"They played dirty, Sensei," Raph said. "There was no way we could win!"
"A fair fight is something either side could win," Leo added.
"So," Splinter said, "a fair fight is a fight you could lose?"
"Well, yeah..." Leo said uncertainly. "I mean..."
Splinter slowly approached him. "You don't want to assure your victory?"
"No, I do," Leo insisted. "But-"
Without warning, Splinter tripped Leo up and pinned him to the ground by the neck with his staff.
"Hey!" Leo objected.
"Was that fair?" Splinter asked.
"No! It wasn't!"
"Did I win?"
Leo opened his mouth to object, but conceded. "I see your point."
Splinter backed off and helped his son up. "Seek victory, not fairness."
"While Yoshi was a bit rough, he's not wrong," Kasumi said. "We did raise you to be honorable, but some warriors won't fight fair. In a life or death fight, you should do whatever it takes to get out alive. Especially when the Foot are involved."
"Hai," the others said, bowing.
-X-
Later, the seven were relaxing in the main room of the lair with April, who had come down for a visit. Donnie was on his computer, Leo was pounding away on a punching bag, Raph was doing pushups, Vee was reading an old Sherlock Holmes novel, Kagome was playing with her cell phone, April was reading the latest cover of Seventeen magazine, which had Kagome's picture on the cover (5), Hisako was trying to meditate, and Mikey was reading a magazine titled Martial Pain, which bore a picture of Chris Bradford on the cover.
"Whoa, that's rad!" he declared. "Man, I wish Chris Bradford and I were friends."
"Mikey, you already have human friends," April pointed. "Me, Hisako, Casey, and Kagome."
"April, you guys don't count," Mikey stated matter-of-factly. "We saved your life, Kagome grew up with us, we saved Casey from the Purple Dragons, and Hisako's technically a mutant too. You four have to like us."
April looked visibly hurt by Mikey's words, and Kagome sighed.
"Mikey," she admonished, "remember that little talk we had about tact?"
"Yeah, not the best way to put that," Hisako added. "Besides, Chris Bradford is a celebrity. I don't think they're allowed to have friends." Kagome cleared her throat at that, and pointed to the magazine April was reading. Hisako blushed in embarrassment. "Right... people skills. I'm... gonna go elsewhere."
She got up and made a quick escape from the room.
"Too bad there's no place for freaks to meet people where no one can see how hideous they are," Raph deadpanned.
"Wait..." April realized. "There is! The Internet!"
"Well, I suppose that's true," Kagome admitted.
"Very true," Donnie agreed. "I use the Internet all the time. Nobody knows I'm a turtle yet."
"You're also a bit more... not Mikey," Leo interjected.
"Hey!" Mikey objected.
April bookmarked her spot in the magazine and put it to the side. "Donnie, can I see your laptop?"
"Uh... sure!" Donnie said hesitantly. "Hang on."
He quickly exited out of what he was doing, which was mooning over a picture of April on his background, and handed it over. April typed away for a few minutes before eventually showing the laptop to Mikey. "Here. Facebook. It's a site where you can make friends with anybody online."
"Booyakasha!" Mikey cheered, jumping to his feet. "I need a page yesterday!"
April helped him make a page, and Mikey rapidly typed away on the computer. "Oh, sweet... Chris Bradford's on here! He'll be my first friend!"
He sent a friend request, and leaned in expectantly.
"Mikey, people don't always respond immed-" April was cut off when they heard a small beep from the computer. "But sometimes they do."
"Automated message," Donnie said.
"Gotta be," added Raph.
Mikey laughed in joy. "No way. Chris Bradford has accepted my friendship!"
Vee looked up from her book. "Say wha?"
"What was that?" Hisako asked, reentering the room with a Dr. Pepper can in hand.
"Apparently, Chris Bradford has accepted Mikey's Facebook friend request," Leo told her.
"And now, it's gonna go to his head," Raph said flatly.
Mikey handed the computer back to Donnie and stood up, walking toward the exit.
"Hey, where are you going?" Vee asked.
"To hang out with my friend, Chris Bradford," Mikey said, putting emphasis on the word "friend."
"Mikey, he's famous," Kagome pointed out. "He probably has thousands of friends."
"And guess who's number five thousand, two hundred eighty-six?" Mikey asked.
"Uh..." April began, "you?"
"Daniel Ramirez!" Mikey corrected. "And I'm right next to him! Later!"
He took off, leaving his stunned siblings and friends behind.
"Well..." April let out, sinking into the couch cushions. "This should be interesting."
"Should we go after him?" Vee asked.
"Nah," said Raph. "He's gotta learn somehow."
Hisako had other plans, chugging her soda before crushing the can and tossing it into the garbage.
"C'mon, Kagome," she insisted. "We need our victory ice cream, anyway."
Kagome nodded and stood up, the two following after Mikey.
In Chinatown, Chris Bradford himself was exiting the local athletic club alongside a red-haired woman with brown eyes. They made their way home as Mikey shadowed them from the rooftops, unaware that Hisako and Kagome were shadowing him as well. They noticed that Mikey was about to jump down toward them.
"No..." Kagome whispered. "He couldn't be that stupid, could he?"
"It's Mikey," Hisako answered simply. "And right now, he's too excited to care."
Mikey jumped down, landing right behind the two.
"What up? Hey!" he said, the two looking over his shoulder at him. "I'm-"
He didn't get any further than that before the two started flinging shuriken at him. Even as he dodged, Mikey was still star struck. "I'm being attacked by Chris Bradford! This is so cool..."
Kagome facepalmed at that.
"This... this is the epitome of stupidity," Hisako groaned, mimicking her friend.
"At this rate, I just gotta ask," Kagome remarked. "Does Mikey even have an actual brain?"
Mikey continued dodging, seeing that neither warrior showed any sign of letting up on their attack.
"No, wait!" he tried. "We're friends!"
Bradford hesitated at that, a shuriken poised for attack. "What?" he asked, genuinely confused.
"We're Facebook friends!" Mikey explained. "You accepted me, remember?"
"Oh..." Bradford said before smirking and stowing away the shuriken. "Of course! Nice to meet you."
He held out his hand, and Mikey eagerly shook it for a bit before Bradford pulled away.
"Uh..." the woman let out before looking back at the home she and Bradford shared. "Won't you come in?"
Mikey eagerly nodded and the two led him into their home as Kagome and Hisako looked on in confusion.
"Uh... what just happened?" Kagome asked.
"Yeah... I got nothing," Hisako answered. "Spy on them through the roof?"
The two went over to the building and looked around.
"No skylight," Kagome said before shrugging. "Like Raph said, Mikey's gotta learn the hard way. Now how about that ice cream? I'm buying."
"Lead the way," Hisako said, smiling.
Later on that night, the five Turtles were investigating the area where the kitten had attacked Mikey.
"The Foot must have been watching us from here," Leo said. "The perfect place to stage an ambush."
"The sound of Mikey's screams must have drawn their attention," Donnie said.
Speaking of Mikey, he was going on and on about his visit with Chris Bradford and his girlfriend, who he had found out was named Gina. He hadn't shut up all night.
"And then Chris Bradford put on his hakama!" he declared. "Man, that guy can rock a hakama."
"Well, maybe he'll wear it again when he takes you to the prom," Raph said sarcastically, clearly sick of hearing all of this.
"And then he-"
"Oh, will you just shut up?" Vee snapped, exasperated. "You've been going on about it for three damn hours, Mikey!"
At that moment, Kagome and Hisako showed up, Kagome holding a strawberry banana chocolate parfait, and Hisako a double chocolate fudge sundae.
"So, how'd the visit go?" Kagome asked.
"Amazing!" Mikey declared. "Bradford is so-"
"I can't take it anymore!" Vee shouted.
She jumped to her feet and ran to the edge of the roof, making as if to jump before stopping.
"Just kidding," she said, walking back to them. "But seriously, Kagome... he literally hasn't shut up about Bradford for the past three hours."
"Wow..." Hisako said, surprised. "That's a new record."
"Ooh, someone sounds jealous," Mikey ribbed, turning to Raph and Vee. "You guys just can't admit that you were the 'R' word."
Raph raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Wrong?" Mikey pointed out.
Donnie facepalmed at that, and Raph scoffed.
"We're not wrong!" he snapped.
"Well, if you guys don't wanna talk about my friend..." Mikey turned to Leo and Donnie, "I've got two other brothers who do."
"Actually, I'd much rather talk about literally anything else," Leo said quickly.
"Like the concept of the silent W, perhaps?" Donnie remarked.
"Fine," Mikey snorted. "I'll go talk to a guy who likes to talk about Chris Bradford more than anyone else: Chris Bradford."
With that, he was off. Vee rubbed her eyes in annoyance. "I swear, I'm gonna kick April's ass for introducing him to Facebook."
"This is not gonna end well," Leo remarked.
"On the plus side... finally, some peace and quiet," Raph said in relief.
At Bradford's dojo, he and Gina were sparring, trading punches and kicks when Mikey entered.
"There's my best buddy in the whole world!" he declared, smiling.
Bradford groaned in exasperation, before putting on a friendly face.
"Michelangelo, Mikey, the Big M," he called out, turning to him. "How ya doin, buddy?"
"Glad you could make it back," Gina added.
"I am stupendous, Chris," Mikey replied. "Chrissy B... I gotta work on your nickname." He snapped his fingers. "Rad Brad!"
Bradford and Gina exchanged looks before shrugging.
"You know," Bradford began, "I was just thinking how we're such close friends, and yet I know so little about you."
"Yeah," Gina agreed. "You hardly talk about yourself, or your family."
"You think we're close friends?!" Mikey asked, elated.
"Of course!" Bradford said. "Now tell me everything about you."
"Well, where should I start?" Mikey wondered, before getting an idea. "Ooh! I named all six of my toes! (6)"
"Fascinating," Gina groaned flatly before recovering. "But we were thinking more along the lines of your impressive ninjutsu skills. You must have an incredible sensei."
"Oh, he is the best," Mikey said, before lifting his foot up. "Now... back to my toes."
"Okay!" Bradford said, changing the subject. "Who's hungry?"
"Me!" Mikey declared. "I like pizza! Do you like pizza?"
"Yeah, sure," Bradford answered.
"Whoa..." Mikey said. "We have so much in common."
Bradford nodded, smiling on the outside, but annoyed on the inside.
-X-
Later, the three sat around the dinner table, Mikey eating a pizza Gina ordered.
"So, since we've gotten so close," Bradford said, "maybe you could tell us a little more about your siblings."
"Oh, yeah," Mikey said, his mouth full. "They're good people. But sometimes, I don't think they respect me."
As he greedily shoveled pizza into his mouth, Gina cringed.
"I... can't imagine why," she said, just barely managing to hide her annoyance with the orange-banded turtle.
"Me either," Mikey said. "I mean, they're always picking on me."
-X-
After the meal, Mikey examined a beautiful antique katana in the dojo.
"Wow..." he whispered. "This looks old."
"Yes, yes, it's over four hundred years old," Bradford groaned, exasperated. "But back to your sensei."
Mikey sighed, turning to him. "Look, Rad Brad, I'd love to tell you... but there's just some things I have to keep secret."
"But we're friends," Bradford argued, slowly walking over to him. "And friends share their secrets, don't they?"
Mikey misinterpreted his meaning. "Are you saying you're gonna show me your secret kata, the Death Dragon?"
Gina quickly jumped at the opportunity.
"Tell you what," she told him, "as a show of trust and friendship, we'll show you the Death Dragon."
"Really?!" Mikey declared. "All right!"
"On one condition," Bradford said. "You have to swear not to show it to anyone."
Mikey nodded, raising his right hand as if to swear an oath. "I promise, I won't show a soul."
Said oath lasted a grand total of 1 hour, because the second he made it back to the lair, Mikey was showing the secret kata to his siblings and Kagome.
"And then he kicks, twists, and sweeps the leg!" Mikey declared, doing just that. "The Death Dragon!"
"That was amazing!" Leo declared, awestruck.
"Yeah, it's devastatingly effective and complex," Donnie remarked.
"And yet, even Mikey can learn it," Raph deadpanned.
"Gotta admit, that was pretty cool," Hisako said.
"Do it again, Mikey!" Vee said excitedly.
Before Mikey could do so, the laptop beeped and he hurriedly ran over.
"It's Rad Brad!" he said, typing away for a minute. "He wants to get together for a little b-ball. Can't wait to find out what the 'B' stands for."
After finishing and sending his reply, he made for the door.
"You're going now?" Kagome asked.
"Sorry, guys. Human friend stuff. You know how it is," Mikey said before stopping. "Oh, wait. No, you don't."
With that, he left, laughing to himself.
"Ugh..." Vee said, annoyed, "I swear, ever since he met Bradford, he's been acting more and more like a jackass every second."
"Want me to make him afraid of his own shadow for a few days?" Hisako asked. "It straightened him out last time."
Vee shook her head, waving her hand dismissively. "I'll just kick his butt when he gets back."
In Bradford's darkened dojo, Xever examined the katana Mikey had looked at earlier. Bradford continued typing on his computer as Gina got ready.
"The freak is on his way. The trap is set." Bradford told them.
"Finally, we can stop pretending we actually like that kid." Gina remarked. "He's such a pain in the ass."
"Don't worry, Gina," Xever remarked. "I'll put the tartaruga (7) out of your misery." He unsheathed the katana, examining the blade with an appreciative eye. "Pretty weapon for a tough guy. In prison, we made our own weapons.
"I'll keep that in mind if I'm ever stupid enough to wind up in prison," Bradford retorted.
Xever scowled, then stabbed his katana into the ground and stormed off.
Back at the dojo, Leo and Raph were sparring as the others looked on. Leo attempted the Death Dragon, only for Raph to dodge it.
"Not quite!" Raph declared.
"Wait, I think I got it," Leo insisted.
He pulled it off successfully just as Splinter and Kasumi entered the room. They gasped in shock, recognizing the maneuver instantly.
"Where did you learn that move?!" Kasumi demanded, getting a confused look from the five of them.
"Mikey's new friend taught us," Hisako explained. "And he taught us. Isn't it cool?"
"No!" Splinter snapped. "The man who taught him that kata is no friend! It was one of Saki's signature moves."
"Saki?" Kagome asked. "The Shredder?!"
The realization hit them like a ton of bricks.
"Chris Bradford is a member of the Foot!" Raph explained.
"He was just pretending to be Mikey's friend to get to Sensei..." Vee added. "It all makes sense now."
"And Mikey's going to meet with him tonight," Leo remembered.
"He's in trouble!" Donnie exclaimed. "We gotta find him!"
Mikey had made it to Bradford's dojo. He looked around, confused to find all the lights were turned off.
"Rad Brad? Hello~?" he called out. "Are you guys planning a surprise party or something?"
On cue, the masked figures in red and blue from the other night emerge from the shadows. Mikey gasped and backed up nervously, before bumping into someone else. He whirled around to see Xever.
"Welcome, tartaruga," he said. "This is the end of the line."
Mikey glared at them. "Tell me what you've done with Chris and Gina, or I swear you guys are in serious-"
The three villains attacked him all at once, Xever fighting with an acrobatic capoeira style. The red figure laughed, backing him into a corner.
"Haven't you figured out who I am?" he asked, kicking Mikey in the gut. "We've already met face to face."
"No, it can't be," Mikey gasped. "You're... the guy with that cat?!"
The blue figure sighed.
"Idiot," she muttered as she and the red figure removed their masks, revealing them to be Bradford and Gina.
"No..." Mikey gaped in disbelief. "I thought we were friends. I introduced you to all my toes!"
Gina scoffed and kicked Mikey across the room. As he slid to the ground in a semi-conscious state, she went over and hogtied him.
"You actually thought people like us would want to be friends with a freak like you?" she asked. "How pathetic."
"I say we chop his head off," Xever said, gesturing to the katana on the wall.
"Nothing would make me happier than to off this little annoyance," Bradford agreed, "but we need him alive for now. All part of the trap."
The three walked away, leaving a depressed Mikey alone to wallow in his misfortune.
"Aw man..." he moaned. "The others are never gonna let me live this down."
-X-
At that very moment, Mikey's siblings and Kagome were rushing to the rescue. They slipped in at a nearby window, and cautiously looked in to see a bound Mikey surrounded by Foot Ninja.
"Crap..." Kagome hissed. "They got him."
"And they're expecting us too," Hisako added, hearing their thoughts.
"Double crap," Vee swore.
"Full stealth op, guys," Leo said. "We get in, grab Mikey, and get the shell out."
The other six nodded, slipping into ninja mode. Stealthily making it into the building, they darted from the shadows, taking out the Foot ninja before going over to Mikey. He opened his mouth to say something, but Vee clapped a hand over it.
"Shh," she hissed, putting a finger to her lips as Leo cut Mikey free.
With their final member free once again, the group slipped out the window. They didn't make it far before Hisako sensed something.
"Careful, guys," she warned, rubbing her temple. "Bradford's watching us, hoping we'll lead him back to Sensei."
"Then let's set a trap for him," Raph suggested.
They slipped into the sewers, while Bradford and his ilk watched from a distance with night vision goggles.
"Perfect," he said with a smirk. "We've got them right where we want them."
-X-
The Foot slipped into the sewers, unaware that the Hamato siblings and Kagome were lying in wait. As they crept along in their search, the group struck from the shadows, silently taking out the Foot ninja one at a time. After a few minutes, only Xever, Bradford, and Gina were left. It didn't take long for them to notice their diminished numbers, the three coming to a stop as Xever struck up a flare. In the red light of the flare, the three scowled at the sight of their henchmen tied up and dangling from the ceiling.
"Show your faces!" Xever snarled.
He felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned to see nothing before the flare was blown out by an unseen enemy.
"It's a trap!" Gina shouted.
"Bingo," came the voice of Leo.
The seven of them emerged from the shadows, weapons drawn.
"This is for pretending to be my friends, you bastards!" Mikey shouted.
"Take 'em down!" Bradford declared, and the fight broke out.
Kagome and Lee found themselves facing off against Gina, who smirked at Kagome.
"You must be Kasumi Lee's pretty little girl," she said. "Fair warning: after we're done with Hamato Yoshi... she's next."
Kagome snapped at that, and charged at Gina in a rage, backing her into a corner.
"YOU THINK YOU CAN THREATEN MY MOTHER?!" she screamed, landing a one-two punch that split Gina's lip open.
"Yeah!" Vee cheered. "Get that bitch, Kagome!"
Kagome pulled off the Death Dragon, knocking Gina flat on her back.
"That kata!" Gina declared in shock. "But that means-"
"Yeah, Mikey broke his promise to you," Kagome taunted with spite. "You gonna cry?"
"Newsflash," Vee informed Gina. "Mikey can't keep a secret, especially from his siblings."
Donnie and Mikey found themselves fighting Xever, who danced around before grabbing Donnie around the head with his legs. Spinning around, he threw him into Mikey, who jumped to his feet and whacked Xever with his nunchucks.
Bradford punched Raph across the room and advanced on him. Leo jumped him from behind with his katana, only for Bradford to turn around and catch the blades with his bare hands before tossing him aside.
"You're good," he said. "But I'm better."
Suddenly, his body seized up, surrounded by green energy. Hisako approached, her hand outstretched and eyes glowing.
"So what does that make me?" she asked, twisting her hand as she curled it into a fist.
"What the-" Bradford croaked.
He never got the chance to say anything else. Hisako forced him to his knees, holding him there as she ran forward, jumping and slamming her right kneecap into his face. His nose crunched loudly as she struck with all her might, knocking him down.
"Hey, guys!" Hisako announced. "I just took down Chris Bradford. Does that make me the next Chuck Norris?"
"I'd say yeah!" Raph said.
"Woo!" Hisako cheered.
The fight raged on for a bit, and very soon, the three villains were backed into a storm drain.
"How did you know?!" Bradford demanded.
Hisako smirked, tapping the side of her head. "Let's just say I've got a few more brain cells firing than a Foot goon like you."
"Also, that move you showed Mikey: rather telling," Leo added.
"Wanna see it again?" Mikey asked.
He charged forward, rapidly pummeling Bradford before hitting him with the Death Dragon, knocking him into Xever and Gina and onto their backs.
"Hit it!" the orange turtle shouted.
Leo and Raph turned a nearby switch, and raw sewage sprayed down the sewers, flushing the screaming Foot ninja down the drain.
"Make sure to hold your breath!" Vee called down. "Makes the trip easier!"
"High three!" Mikey declared, the seven exchanging high fives and laughing in victory.
Later, the seven celebrated with a fresh pizza, but Splinter and Kasumi sat off to the side, lost in thought.
"Aren't you two hungry?" Kagome asked.
Splinter sighed. "I fear we are celebrating too soon."
"Too soon?" Raph asked. "We swept the bad guys away in a river of raw sewage! Sounds like the perfect time to me."
"The Shredder knows Yoshi's still alive," Kasumi pointed out. "And even worse, he knows about all of you."
"My worst nightmare come true," Splinter lamented.
"So..." Leo let out. "It's not over?"
"No," Splinter answered. "It's just beginning."
The others looked down at that, Mikey sighing in self-loathing.
"It's all my fault," he said. "I should have never thought I'd be friends with a human."
"Mikey, don't be so hard on yourself," Kagome said, placing a comforting hand on his back. "You're a good guy."
"Just a really stupid one," Hisako said.
"I second that," Raph added.
Mikey sighed. "Bradford didn't think I was so good."
"Eh, he was a psychotic killing machine," Vee pointed out. "You deserve way better friends than him.
"Besides, you've already got some great friends right here," Donnie added.
Mikey thought it over, then smiled. "You know what? You're right. Thanks, guys!"
"Any time," Raph said, patting his head.
With that, Mikey went over to the laptop, opened up Facebook, and promptly unfriended Bradford.
"Ha!" he declared, grinning. "Sweet revenge."
That got a laugh out of everyone else.
Author's Note:
(1): Decided to go with the Three-Toed Sign of the Dragon from the 2003 show for the Foot Clan's insignia.
(2): It's never mentioned in the 2012 show, but it's implied they might have had military experience from that photo. What I think, anyway.
(3): A traditional Japanese weapon that consists of a kama on a kusari-fundo – a type of metal chain (kusari) with a heavy iron weight (fundo) at the end. The kusarigama is said to have developed during the Muromachi period. The art of handling the kusarigama is called kusarigamajutsu.
(4): Deadpool movie reference. For more info, look up Three-Point Landing on TV Tropes.
(5): Kagome models occasionally. Her creator has pictures of her doing photo shoots and on the cover of Seventeen on Deviantart.
(6): Using their design from the 2012 show.
(7): A word in Italian, Portuguese, and Galician language that basically means "turtle."
Well, another one bites the dust.
Gina is Bradford's girlfriend. Her name comes from the wife of Chuck Norris, Gena O'Kelley.
Voice cast for this chapter:
* Gina- Jennifer Hale (Naomi Hunter from Metal Gear Solid, Jean Grey from Wolverine and the X-Men, female Commander Shepard from Mass Effect, Black Cat in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Katnappe in Xiaolin Showdown, Disney's current Cinderella voice, Kronika in Mortal Kombat 11)
Please R&R. Until next time!