Chapter 41: Insected City
In the Technodrome, a cage full of different insects and arachnids was being lowered into a vat of the accidentally made mutagen created by Bebop and Rocksteady. "We've combed through the Technodrome and come up with these three bugs," Shredder briefed. "It's a start, but this will be a step in the path of conquering Earth."
"And it all started with an accident," James shrugged.
"Still, I must congratulate you on this," Krang praised. "This might actually work."
"What do you mean, 'might'!?" snapped Shredder. "It will work!" He picked up a dropper and squirted drops onto a scorpion, a mud wasp and a mantis. "James, prepare the trans-dimensional portal to open and close quickly."
"Can do!" accepted James. He opened the portal before Shredder tossed the cage through it. The cage broke when it hit the ground and the insects began to grow.
"If only that redhead twerpette joined the twerp and Pikachu," Jessie voiced. "I'd be watching it with those 3D glasses they have at comic book stores." Krang overheard Jessie, curious to what she meant.
"Who are you talking about?" he asked.
"It's irrelevant," Jessie dismissed. Meanwhile, the Turtles and Trainers were able to meet up with Genghis Frog, a member of the Punk Frogs. They rode the blimp after taking care of a housefly that was mutated.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Genghis," Brock welcomed.
"Likewise," Genghis greeted. "Any buddy of mah ol' pals, the TMNT is a buddy o' mine."
"Glad to feel welcomed," Ash smiled.
"And to hear that ya're also TMNT," Genghis joked. "Ya guys have so much, I can't keep track with mah toes on mah webbed hands!"
"Yeah, the details are a bit of a stretch," Raphael shrugged.
"Though, what were you thinking, trying to eat that giant fly?" questioned Ash.
"Yeah, didn't you realize that the fly was way too big for your mouth?" pointed out Brock. "Where was your common sense? It's like Michelangelo said when we all saw you dangling by your tongue, 'you bit off more than you can chew'."
"Well shucks, fellers," Genghis shrugged. "Ah couldn't help mahself. Ah'm a frog and it's a fly. It's called a Law of Nature. A giant and yummy-lookin' fly like that there was too much fer lil' ol' me to resist. If Attila, Rasputin and Napoleon were with me, they would do the same thing." Ash, Brock and Pikachu quickly developed an image in their heads about Genghis with three other frogs hanging onto the mutant housefly like before. They developed drops of sweat at the sight.
"Anyway, what's with the surprise visit, Genghis?" asked Michelangelo.
"Well, it's like this," Genghis started. "Ah was sitting on a lily pad one day catchin' flies—as I am wont to do – when ah said to mahself… 'Self, is this really all life has to offer?' So, I came here to this big city and visit mah friends and have some fun."
"But what about the others?" wondered Donatello. "Why didn't they come?"
"It's crawdad season!" briefed Genghis. "Mah buddies wanted to get what they can!"
("Crawdads?") repeated Pikachu. Suddenly, a beep. Leonardo found out his Turtle Comm was active.
"Leonardo here," he replied after answering it.
"Leonardo, the city's being invaded by big bugs!" shouted April.
"There's more?" asked Brock.
"Yes, like a giant wasp outside the station!" cried April. There was a giant mud wasp bringing mud to Channel 6.
"Guess we got more work ahead of us!" irked Ash.
"We're on our way, April!" advised Leonardo. Genghis gulped to the thought of battling more bugs.
"Gosh, how much fun can one frog stand?" he pondered.
"Try a full day dealing with Shredder's shenanigans," Brock replied. They soon found the giant scorpion attacking innocent people. They dispersed as the stinger swung down, stabbing the pavement. A truck was smashed by the tail after the driver bailed. Seeing the scorpion, the heroes realized the size of the situation.
"That is one humongous insect!" gasped Michelangelo as the Turtle Blimp landed and they confronted the scorpion.
"Actually, a scorpion's an arachnid," Donatello corrected. "Not an insect."
"I don't think now's the time for a biology lesson!" pointed out Raphael. The scorpion raced after the Turtles, Trainers and Genghis. Brock had an idea.
"Let's see if this scorpion can take an explosion!" he plotted as he threw a Pokéball. "Forretress, let's go!" The ball opened and Forretress emerged. Facing the giant scorpion, Forretress shelled itself up. The stinger from the scorpion aimed at the Bagworm Pokémon. "Use Rapid Spin!" Forretress spun where Ash had a follow-up.
"Use Iron Tail on Forretress, Pikachu!" ordered Ash. Pikachu raced after a spinning Forretress before smashing Iron Tail on it. The strike propelled Forretress into the scorpion's head, bashing it back.
"Now, use Explosion!" ordered Brock. Forretress was aglow as Pikachu retreated. That's when there was an explosion from Forretress. It blasted the scorpion into the air and crashing onto his back, not moving after that. Brock came over to Forretress who opened up with swirls in its eyes. "That was perfect, Forretress. Take a rest." Forretress moaned before it went into its ball.
"A big blast from somethin' that small," Genghis gawked.
"We can explain, but we need to save Channel 6," Leonardo urged. They moved out while mud piled on the station as those inside watched.
"What is that!?" gawked Irma. "And what is it doing!?"
"It's a mud wasp!" identified April. "It's building a nest on the station!"
"Could it be any more disgusting?" irked Irma. Burne had an idea as Pete also eyed the giant mantis chasing others with its forearms swinging wildly.
"We must establish a strategic retreat!" yelled Burne before he ran to the elevator. Everyone else ran to the elevator before Pete looked to the joined Burne in the elevator.
"April!" he called. "Irma, this way!" Watching Pete running to the stairs, the women stopped as the elevator door closed.
"Nuts!" gasped April.
"We still can get out!" urged Irma. They followed Pete down the stairs as the mantis smashed a few utility poles. The wires above snapped and fell. In the stairwell, the lights suddenly shut off. "The power!" Realizing that the power in Channel 6 had been severed, April gulped to the outcome.
"Burne and Vernon are in the elevator trapped!" she gasped. "Makes us glad we followed Pete instead!" Burne and Vernon were banging on the door while they were blacked out in the elevator, scared out of their minds.
"HELP!" cried Vernon.
"GET US OUT OF HERE!" cried Burne. The action didn't go unnoticed from the Technodrome and the group watching through the monitor.
"Who would've imagined that a few giant insects would bring the city to a standstill?" chortled Krang.
"It still bugs us that some little buffoonery is the catalyst of conquering New York," Jessie shrugged.
"But we're seeing the results," Shredder pointed out. "Humanity won't stand a chance when we use the mutagen on thousands of more bugs!" Krang felt the need to spread the fear.
"Then, we should proceed to Phase Two," he plotted as he gave Shredder a large container. "Go to Earth and enlarge some ants, enough to ensure the city's collapse. There's a time-delay mechanism on the vial. Just find a close-by anthill and drop it off." To Team Rocket, Bebop and Rocksteady, a trip back to New York was at hand.
"We'd like to go with you and see about how to further bug those people," Jessie offered.
"Can we also go?" pleaded Bebop. Shredder crossed his arms.
"I'm probably going to regret this," he muttered. "Let's proceed." Just as Bebop proceeded onward, Rocksteady stopped and wrestled in front of Krang, Meowth and the humans. The humans looked to Krang with deadpan looks.
"Hey, don't look at me!" he gawked as he fingered Shredder. "You created them!" Back on the streets, the scorpion recovered as it smashed cars with its pincers. Genghis, the Turtles, Trainers and Pokémon struggled to find a way to keep it down.
"This big guy can be great in an auto-wrecking yard!" gulped Raphael. In a sweep of its arm, the scorpion clasped Michelangelo as the others leaped clear. He yelped in fear.
"That scorpion's got Michelangelo!" gasped Donatello.
"Figured that out all by yourself, huh?" nagged Raphael. The scorpion tried to snag Michelangelo's head, but he withdrew it into his shell. He reappeared after the pincer cleared.
"Dudes, do something!" he yelled frantically. "This thing's trying to give me a haircut!"
"He doesn't have any hair," Brock murmured. Genghis pulled out an ax as he found a fire hydrant close by."
"Ah know!" he believed before turning to the perilous Turtle. "Hold on, Michelangelo! My trusty ax will strike on your behalf!" He hacked the hydrant with the ax. Water gushed out from the broken hydrant. Leonardo realized the plan.
"Good thinking, Genghis!" he grinned as he pulled a manhole cover from the street. "Now for a little change of direction…" He used the cover to the water, and it changed its path to spray in the scorpion's face. It irritated the arachnid which caused it to drop Michelangelo.
"We gotcha!" called out Donatello as he and Leonardo reached and caught Michelangelo before all three of them hit the ground. Ash and Pikachu came to the three Turtles.
"Michelangelo, are you alright?" concerned Ash.
"We're good," Michelangelo sighed. The scorpion started to retreat from the water in its face.
"Let me help!" urged Brock. "Mudkip, Lombre, Water Gun!" He threw his Pokéballs where Mudkip and Lombre emerged. They sprayed Water Gun. The scorpion ran off, knocking down a fence with a sign that read "NO TRESPASSING."
"Okay, we got that scorpion where we want him!" cheered Leonardo.
"Are you sure we don't have him right where he wants us?" pondered Michelangelo.
"But this does buy us time to have a group check in on April," Ash pointed out. Agreeing, Leonardo had an idea.
"Since you offered yourself," he started with Ash. "You can go with Michelangelo and Raphael to Channel 6 while the rest of us deal with Scorpio." Nodding, Michelangelo, Raphael, Ash and Pikachu headed to Channel 6 while Brock, Genghis, Leonardo and Donatello entered a construction area to face the scorpion. Ash got on his Turtle Comm.
"April, we're on our way over!" he alerted.
"Well, that's fine," April muttered. "Irma, Pete and I escaped the giant mud wasp building its nest, but Burne and Vernon are still trapped." The heroes stopped and thought about the approach.
"Well, at least April and Irma are safe," Raphael shrugged. However, Irma got on the Turtle Comm.
"But there's a bigger problem," she voiced. The heroes turned back to the Turtle Comm. "There's a giant mantis that's roaming wild!" To the heroes, they needed to find out the ordeal.
"A mud wasp, a scorpion and a mantis; all kaiju size," Raphael believed.
"Either way, we need to find out how to exterminate these pests," Michelangelo urged.
("Let's get to April and fast!") pushed Pikachu. He led the rest to the station as Donatello used an excavator at the construction site against the scorpion. Mudkip and Lombre continued to spray the scorpion's face.
"Come on, Scorpio!" taunted Donatello. "Let's see what you're made of!" He and the scorpion clashed with Donatello using the bucket as a club. It bashed the scorpion over and over, driving it back.
"Donatello sure is handy with a steam shovel," Genghis awed. "And yer watery creatures are a big help."
"Well, Ash and I have trained each other for situations like this," Brock bragged before noticing someone missing. "Wait, where's Leonardo?" Suddenly, a concrete truck backed toward a trench. Leonardo leaned out the window.
"Donatello, Brock, lure it this way!" he called.
"Okay, one more push!" urged Donatello. The bucket smashed the soaked head of the scorpion as it fell into the trench.
"This'll teach you to mix it up with us!" shouted Leonardo. Cement poured onto the scorpion and buried it as it started to harden.
"Good," Genghis nodded. "Dat cement can hold dat scorpion for some time." The Turtles regrouped with Brock and Genghis.
"Now that we have the scorpion in a rock and a hard place," Leonardo expressed. "Let's use the Turtle Blimp to catch up with the others." Brock recalled Mudkip and Lombre before reaching the Turtle Blimp. Meanwhile, Team Rocket, Bebop and Rocksteady were searching through the grass at a vacant lot. Shredder supervised the group's search for ants.
"So, what are we looking for in dis abandoned lot?" questioned Meowth.
"Anthills," Shredder answered. "If we find one, we can drop the device of mutagen into there, and an army of ants will run rampant throughout Manhattan!"
"Ya know, boss," Bebop muttered. "Somehow, I tought workin' fer ya would be more glamorous dan dis."
"You can always quit and become a member of Team Rocket," Jessie offered as she sat. That's when she felt a bite. She jumped at the bite. "Yow!" Hearing, Shredder came over to find the anthill Jessie sat on while she rubbed her butt.
"Perfect!" he praised. "Now to use the- AH!" Bebop accidentally backed into Shredder and bumped him just enough to where he fumbled the beaker. It smashed after it hit the ground and an ant had the mutagen splash its head. Angry, Shredder turned to the mutant that caused the incident. "Bebop, you dunderhead!" Suddenly, there was a blast. Everyone backed away before seeing an ant become much bigger than they were.
"Uh-oh…" gulped Bebop. As the ant grew, Krang spoke up with the communicator.
"Shredder, what's going on!?" he complained. "Have you found any ants yet!?" Shredder got the communicator out.
"There's been a slight complication," he murmured. Seeing the ant looking down at them, Team Rocket, Bebop and Rocksteady bailed. "I-I'll get back to you." He put the communicator away before running.
"If that's an ant, I'm calling uncle!" cried James. More problems are starting to bug the heroes. How can they regain control of it all?
TO BE CONTINUED...