Chapter 44: Stay Buffed Up
Escaping from Team Rocket, Bebop and Rocksteady, the Turtles and Trainers ran underground with the heiress to the Shellhammer Chemical company, Buffy. Learning about the company, Shredder ordered Team Rocket, Bebop and Rocksteady to capture her to obtain a special rocket fuel formula to free the Technodrome from its molten anchor. The Turtles and Trainers had their chance to rest with Buffy in Ash's arms after the escape. "Well, that would've been better without that kind of interference," Brock mentioned, Pikachu on his shoulder.
"Doesn't that make us all curious," Raphael pondered. Buffy clung onto Ash a little harder.
"Keep me away from them!" she cried. "Martians!" The move made Ash stumble a little.
"Whoa, what brought this on!?" gasped Leonardo.
"We're Turtles, not Martians!" corrected Donatello.
"And we saved you from those other guys!" added Michelangelo.
"You came to kidnap me!" cried Buffy. The Turtles seemed baffled to Buffy's sudden behavior.
"Ash, you might wanna do something!" gulped Raphael. Ash felt pressured to help Buffy understand the situation.
"Would you have preferred to go with the warthog and rhino?" he questioned. Hearing Ash, Buffy stopped and turned.
"You mean those who appeared before they did?" she guessed. Ash nodded. "No! I don't know anything!" She cried and lunged her head to Ash's shoulder. "It's too much!" Ash held on to Buffy.
"I'm here," he assured. "Let's get to the Lair to get your ankle treated." Feeling protected, Buffy agreed. They reached the Lair where Brock wrapped her ankle.
"It's a mild sprain, so you should be okay after a little while off your feet," he diagnosed.
"Thanks, Brock," Buffy sighed.
"At least the dudette can return to her mansion in peace," Michelangelo shrugged. Splinter used his walking stick to bop Michelangelo's head. He yelped.
"One must honor respect to those misplaced by the forces beyond her control," Splinter reprimanded. Michelangelo rubbed his head from the pain.
"So, is this some sort of costume party that you stumbled upon?" wondered Buffy.
"Unfortunately, Miss Shellhammer," Splinter apologized. "What you're seeing is indeed reality. My sons and I became mutants against our will." Buffy wasn't sure to believe Splinter.
"You're kidding…" she struggled in thought.
"Those guys who attacked you, Ash and Brock were also mutants as mentioned before," Leonardo recalled. "It's a lot more complicated than what's on the surface."
"They were created to cause chaos on the streets, but their master here provided a more righteous path for them," Brock spoke. "They live underground to avoid scrutiny… and after Ash, Pikachu and I arrived, we followed for the same reason." Buffy gawked to learning about the occasion.
"You mean to tell me that you've been in these slimy sewers this whole time?" she realized.
"It's not like we have a choice in the matter," Ash shrugged. "What could the people think of Pikachu when they see him?" Pikachu hopped onto the table adjacent to the chair Buffy sat on and observed.
"Oh, I see what you mean," she figured. "So, all of you are these monstrosities created against your will and forced into isolation." Pikachu growled to the identification. Seeing her mistake, Buffy tried to backpedal. "Sorry… You're far too cute to be considered a monstrosity."
"But for the most part, she's not wrong," Raphael sighed. "Bebop and Rocksteady are two of the worst ones, and don't get me started on Baxter."
"Still, Pikachu isn't the only creature Ash has," Donatello pointed out. "And Brock isn't empty-handed either." Buffy seemed interested.
"What do you mean 'Pikachu isn't the only creature'?" she asked.
"Here," Brock offered as he opened Mudkip's ball, releasing the Mud Fish Pokémon. Buffy gawked to the new creature. "Mudkip is like Pikachu. We're actually from a different world than on this one, let alone Manhattan."
"Wait, you're aliens!?" questioned Buffy. "And I was accusing those four of the same thing!"
"Hey, no shells off of our backs," Michelangelo brushed off. "But Ash and Brock have some radical Pokémon than just Mudkip and Pikachu." The name made Buffy blink.
"They do?" she wondered.
"Yeah, here you go!" spoke Ash as he released Swellow, Torkoal and Corphish. Buffy seemed in awe at the Pokémon that she tried to walk over to the Pokémon. However, her sprained foot forced her to a knee. The Pokémon became worried. "Don't move so much!"
"It's okay," she dismissed. "I'm fine." The Pokémon came over to meet Buffy.
"Careful with Torkoal's shell," Donatello advised. Buffy blinked before turning to the Coal Pokémon.
"This tortoise?" she guessed before petting Torkoal's head. She smiled at the feel of Torkoal's head. "Feeling you and seeing you, I'm starting to wish this wasn't where I want to live. I'd rather be in your world and see what else is there." This made Ash realize her happiness found. "I can't believe this finding, but it's one I can smile to. Still, I do believe this place is not a good place to stay. It's too musty and slimy."
"That may be, but this is our home," Leonardo pointed out.
"And besides," Raphael spoke up. "We're still trying to figure out why those bozos were after you." Buffy realized she was targeted.
"Do you know what they want?" asked Donatello. Quickly, Buffy turned her head away.
"No!" she spat. The Turtles gawked to the sudden refusal.
"But dudette!" voiced Michelangelo. "It could be important to stop Shred-Head from going after your pretty little head!"
"I said no!" refused Buffy.
"We're only trying to help you!" reminded Brock. Buffy still refused to comply.
"No way!" she growled.
"But-" started Leonardo.
"Guys!" hollered Ash. Everyone turned to the crush of Buffy as he stood in front of her. "Let's back off from it. She's not comfortable with what happened to her just recently."
"But Ash-" voiced Donatello.
"My sons!" snapped Splinter as he tapped his stick. Everyone turned to the mutant rat. "All of this bickering will solve nothing. It would be wise to stave from the issue until there is a more suitable moment." Ash helped Buffy back on the chair.
"Is there a reason that giant rat is sounding like a big know-it-all?" she wondered.
"He was a teacher in Japan before he was kicked out against his will, and that's before he suffered the mutation that made him like this," Ash explained. Buffy gulped to the reality while Michelangelo shook in jealousy, falling for the teen after seeing her interview with April.
"Well, I'd rather not stay in this place with how it is," she still complained.
"And going back to the estate isn't an option with Shredder's goon squad still on the hunt," Donatello agreed. That's when Brock snapped his fingers, an idea in mind.
"I know!" he spoke up. "We could have them in April's or Irma's apartments!" Buffy awed the idea.
"It'll have to do," she sighed. In the Technodrome, the machine was seen by Krang through the monitor under the fortress.
"The construction to free the Technodrome is proceeding at a faster rate than expected," he awed. "However, we still need the heir to the Shellhammer company." A screen shifted to Bebop appearing.
"How is the progress in locating that girl?" questioned Shredder.
"Well, uh… Not good, boss," Bebop shuttered. "We had her, but dem toitles showed up and took her away." Shredder pounded on the panel in anger.
"It's always the Turtles!" he raged before pointing to Bebop. "I gave you 17 different tracking devices! Go find that girl or else!" Bebop disconnected. At the streets elsewhere, the Turtles, Trainers, Pikachu and Buffy emerged. Seeing a carousel ride, swing set and other parts of the park made Buffy eager. The Turtles were without their eye masks but wore winter caps of their color as well as coats.
"It's West Park!" she cheered. "I always wanted to see this place!" She dashed off with Ash and Pikachu behind.
"Don't go too far!" warned Ash. The Turtles were rather gob-smacked at the location.
"7,000 manholes in this city, and you had to bring us here?" complained Raphael.
"It's the nearest one to a payphone," Donatello shrugged. They turned to Buffy sitting on a swing.
"Push me, Ash!" wished Buffy.
"Okay!" smiled Ash as he pulled the chains linked to the swing and the set. He pushed Buffy while Pikachu was on her lap. To the Turtles, Ash had Buffy under control.
"As long as Ash is taking care of Buffy," Leonardo planned. "We can call April up." Brock saw the payphone and offered to call up April. The Turtles watched Buffy dismount the swing after ten minutes before finding a concession stand and ordered ice cream.
"Did you want that one, Pikachu?" she pointed as Ash soon followed. Pikachu agreed to the choice of ice cream.
"Your family never wanted you to leave their side, huh?" pondered Ash while crossing his arms.
"Just imagine my frustration to how my parents wouldn't allow me to get away from my grandfather, even after his passing."
"You don't have to tell me how he died. I don't want you to get upset."
"No, it's just us right now." Agreeing, Pikachu squeaked to answer. "Anyway, let's go and see what else Manhattan has to offer."
"Okay!" They started to walk away with the Turtles watching.
"Um, shouldn't we want to make sure they stay close by?" voiced Raphael. "They're acting as if this is a date!"
"And a blind one, too," Michelangelo added. They proceeded into town as Brock came over.
"Hey, I got Irma and she said we can have her stay at her apartment," he reported. "She even said that she wants to make sure by joining us."
"Oh, that was quick," Donatello awed. "Let's get the two to the apartment." They tailed Ash, Buffy and Pikachu as the streetlights started to light up.
"I do wonder about the nightlife of Manhattan," she wondered.
"The last time I was out this late was when the Technodrome nearly destroyed the city," Ash lied. "Who wouldn't be awakened by the rumble of that mobile fortress's treads?" Brock knew that it wasn't the latest he's been out.
"Misty told me about the incident in the Orange Islands involving a few legendary Pokémon which Ash tried to complete a quest," Brock cleared up. "I heard it lasted until the next sunrise."
"Yeah, that's late," Michelangelo agreed. Irma appeared from across the street.
"Ash, Buffy!" she called out. The youths turned to Irma who came to the pair.
"Irma, what's up?" asked Ash.
"Brock called me and said that you can stay in my apartment for safety," Irma briefed. Ash nodded, expecting his friend to help out.
"Why do I need safety?" complained Buffy as she shrugged her shoulders. "Who could be after me!?" Suddenly, laser blasts rained at them. They avoided the blast where the Turtles began to arm themselves. Looking, they found the group that first appeared to take them.
"Well, there's them," Ash pointed out. "And those in white are actually after Pikachu."
"So, that's why they're with Shredder!" growled Irma. "If only I could be a mutant, I'd protect Pikachu."
("Irma, don't,") Pikachu denied. Jessie aimed a ray gun at the heiress.
"End of the line, twerps!" she warned. "Bring Pikachu and the twerpette with us and no one gets hurt!" Ash growled to the threat, but Buffy couldn't believe what she was called.
"Twerpette!?" she repeated. "The nerve of you! If you're going to insult someone, 'Twerpette' is the lamest form of it, let alone to me!" Irma gulped to the snappy response.
"I heard she can be a bit nagging, but this is warranted," she muttered.
"Hey, we's don't wanna hear resistance!" snorted Bebop.
"But we was told ta get her, no matta what!" snickered Rocksteady. Ash flipped out the tonfas and prepared to fight. The Turtles broke out of their disguises and came to protect their friends.
"You have to get through all of us to get to Buffy!" warned Leonardo. To Meowth, it wasn't a problem.
"Luckily, our boss gave us a few weapons for it!" he mewed as Bebop threw a bomb. Raphael gulped.
"Everyone, get behind us!" he shouted as the Turtles got their heads and limbs inside their shells. Ash, Brock, Irma and Pikachu ducked behind the shells as the bomb exploded. It propelled everyone through doors into a concert hall. There, young people were dancing to a band on stage which included a young brunette man wearing a denim jacket and sunglasses. The blast and the group breaking in caused the music to stop.
"Whoa, hold, hold, hold!" the man with the microphone halted. The Turtles started coming out of their shells, literally, and feel disoriented.
"Hey, anyone get the manufacturer of that bomb?" mumbled Raphael. Ash came to Buffy.
"Are you okay?" he asked. Buffy was on top of a couple of women, cushioning her fall.
"Yeah," she whispered. Seeing the Turtles, the man on the microphone nodded.
"Let's rap it," he signaled. With Bebop and Rocksteady holding the weapons, Jessie and James could only smile.
"There's nowhere to go," James mentioned. Looking around and seeing the band back on their instruments, Ash grinned.
"Well, I guess we can make the best of a bad situation," he plotted. "Shall we dance?" Those after Buffy blinked in confusion as a whistle sounded.
"Righteous…" giggled Michelangelo. Rocksteady raced after the Turtles as the heavy beat began. However, Leonardo and Brock tripped the mutant rhino to the ground.
Yo! it's the green machine;
Gonna rock the town without bein' seen;
Have you ever seen a turtle Get Down?
Slammin' Jammin' to the new swing sound;
Yeah! Everybody, let's move;
Vanilla is here with the new Jack Groove;
Gonna rock, and roll this place;
With the power of the ninja turtle bass!
Iceman! Ya know I'm not playin';
Devastate the show while the turtles are sayin';
Ninja, ninja, rap! Ninja, ninja, rap! Ninja, ninja, rap!
Go, go, go, go!
Go ninja, go ninja, go! Go ninja, go ninja, go!
Go ninja, go ninja, go! Go ninja, go ninja, go!
Go, go, go, go!
As Irma kept close to Buffy, Ash and Brock got in the musical groove to fight as they took down Bebop with some swift evasions and counterattacks like gut punches and leg sweeps. Bebop swung a punch, but Ash swung his body back to dodge before scoring a shoulder to the sternum. As Ash stepped back, he leaned his body forward before Brock vaulted off him and hooked his legs around Bebop's head. However, Brock flung his body backwards and flipped the mutant warthog over him to the ground.
Lyrics, fill in the gap, Drop that bass and get the ninja rap;
Just feel it, if you know what I mean;
Give it up, for the heroes in Green!
Just flowin', smooth with the power, kickin' it up, hour after hour;
'Cause in this life, there's only one winner;
You better aim straight so you can hit the center;
In it to win, with a team of four;
Ninja Turtles that you gotta adore it's the...
Ninja, ninja, rap! Ninja, ninja, rap! Ninja, ninja, rap!
Go, go, go, go!
Go ninja, go ninja, go! Go ninja, go ninja, go!
Go ninja, go ninja, go! Go ninja, go ninja, go!
Go, go, go, go, go!
Team Rocket realized that Ash, Brock and the Turtles were getting the upper hand. "Who knew they'd rely on the power of music!?" gasped James.
"I'm not sure who's feelin' da beat more!" gawked Meowth. Without warning, Donatello and Michelangelo got behind Jessie.
"Hey, you're missing out on this!" joked Michelangelo as they bashed backwards, striking Jessie in the back shell-first. They knocked Jessie into the fray as Ash leaped onto Jessie's shoulders from the back.
"Don't you dare!" she warned.
"Come on, Jessie," Ash sneered. "I know better than to hit an old hag in the face!" Like Brock, Ash flung himself back before flipping Jessie end over end and into Bebop and Rocksteady before they fell over in a pile. April, hearing the action from afar, recorded the entire moment on camera.
"Pete's gonna love this!" she cheered in glee.
Villains you better run and hide;
Because one day you might not slide;
So Choose your weapon but don't slip;
Vanilla's in control with the flex of the mic grip;
Rockin' the crowd the way it should be rocked;
With the Miami drop that you like a lot;
You know, it's Hittin' like a Ninja Turtle when the bass kicks in;
You better check your level;
The power of the Ninja is strong;
Fightin' all the crooks until they're all cold gone!
Ninja, ninja, rap! Ninja, ninja, rap! Ninja, ninja, rap!
Go, go, go, go!
Go ninja, go ninja, go! Go ninja, go ninja, go!
Go ninja, go ninja, go! Go ninja, go ninja, go!
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go!
With the bad guys down for the count and the crowd cheering the excitement, Ash, Brock and the Turtles celebrated with breakdancing like spinning on their shells or treating the dancefloor as a pommel horse. Even Brock and Buffy were impressed with Ash's moves as she and Irma joined in the boogie.
"Ash!" called out Brock. "I had no idea you could dance!"
"Neither did I!" laughed Ash. "It's unreal! I'm just letting the music move me… but speak for yourself, Brock!"
"Trust me, I never danced myself! Man, the things you never know you could do until you try!"
"Then, let's show these guys and ourselves what else we can do!"
"I'm with ya all the way, buddy!"
Ninja, ninja, rap! Ninja, ninja, rap! Ninja, ninja, rap!
Go, go, go, go!
Go ninja, go ninja, go! Go ninja, go ninja, go!
Go ninja, go ninja, go, go, go, go, go!
Irma, Buffy and Pikachu also danced to the music for some time before leaving. "Boys and girls, Vanilla… ICE!" someone named to applaud. The crowd cheered as the Turtles, Trainers, Irma and Buffy left Team Rocket, Bebop and Rocksteady lying. All they needed now was a safe place…
TO BE CONTINUED...