Chapter 51: A New Cup of Saki
The Lair was abuzz with Donatello creating a new machine with a conveyor belt. "What do we have here?" asked Brock.
"You guys are looking at a state-of-the-art snack machine," Donatello presented as the other Turtles and Trainers watched on. Donatello started to hit some keys to the machine, one which Michelangelo had doubts about.
"Uh… Truly awesome, dude…" he shrugged. "But are you sure you don't want me to grab some pizza from Vinnie's?"
"Come on, Michelangelo," Raphael nudged. "Where's your sense of adventure?"
"Yeah, you can't live on pizza alone," Brock agreed. Donatello continued to work the keys as the machine started to operate, the engine revving.
"By programming in a random factor…" he briefed and pulled a lever as Splinter emerged. "We'll get something new every time." The belt rolled a bowl of popcorn out. There was peanut butter drizzle and some green sprinkled onto it.
"I'm always wanting to try something new," Ash said. Everyone took a kernel and plopped it in their mouths. Immediately, they reacted with gags and spits. Needless to say, the flavored popcorn wasn't to their liking.
"Peanut Butter and… broccoli popcorn!?" gagged Leonardo. Donatello shrugged as he looked at the bowl.
"Well… it is a change," he shrugged.
"You must remember, my sons," Splinter advised. "Change is not always for the better."
"Exactly!" agreed Michelangelo. "We don't have to give up on a good thing so soon." Ash came over to the keyboard and observed it.
"Maybe you need to try a different approach and combination on this console," he suggested. "Mind if I give it a go?"
"Not at all," Donatello offered. Stepping up to the controls, Ash viewed the panel.
"Alright," he hummed. "Now let's see…" Carefully, he pressed keys on the panel. "Maybe if I press this… and this…" Finally, he pulled the lever where the machine produced chocolate pretzels with caramel drizzle on them. "Awesome! Chocolate and caramel coated pretzels!" Pikachu grabbed a pretzel and bit into it. The sweet and salty taste was enough for Pikachu to be excited.
("Yummy!") he cheered.
"Looks like a winner right there!" approved Raphael.
"Hey, some creativity from experience actually came out," Brock teased as he stepped to the panel. "My turn! I draw… this." He pressed some buttons of his own before a bowl of rich, orange-glazed peanuts emerged. "Bingo! Buffalo-flavored peanuts!" Ash snacked on a peanut to try. His eyes opened wide to the flavor.
"Whoa, spicy!" he awed.
"Heh, guess I should try your methods instead," Donatello acknowledged. Raphael looked at the clock as it changed from 5:59 to 6:00 in a couple of seconds.
"Guys. It's time for the 6 O'clock news," he notified.
"Okay," Leonardo replied. "We can have our new snacks while watching April."
"Really?" irked Michelangelo. "I thought you're more interested in Miss Blossom." Leonardo gave Michelangelo a smug look. When Pikachu turned on the TV, April wasn't on. Instead, it was a young redhead woman wearing a pink business suit.
"This is the Channel 6 News at 6," she greeted. "I'm Ruby Joules." The Turtles, Trainers, Splinter and Pikachu weren't upset that April wasn't on TV.
"Eh, better than Vernon," Michelangelo smiled.
"True, but where could April be?" wondered Ash.
"We're following developments into a break-in at New York University," Ruby reported. "So far, the police report lists only one item that was attempted to be absconded, a fusion reactor." Before anyone could respond, Leonardo's Turtle Comm beeped.
"That's gotta be April!" he believed as he activated his Turtle Comm. On the screen was April and an aged white-haired man wearing a blue conductor hat and an aviator jacket. His glasses were above his mustache.
"Guys, I'm here where the fusion reactor was nearly stolen," April started. "I think I can help with the details. Mr. Riley?"
"Of course," the old man acknowledged. "He was a brute of a man, covered in spikes… wearing a cape… and his face was covered with a metal mask." The Turtles and Trainers realized the culprit's identity.
"SHREDDER!" they realized.
"Get this," April continued. "He couldn't crack the security barrier, but what if he comes back!?"
"Let's calm down, April," Brock eased. "What about this fusion reactor that Shredder wants it?"
"This new reactor is the most awesome energy source in the world!" she reported. Ash nodded, knowing their call to duty.
"I've been wondering when Shredder would come back," Ash grinned. Meanwhile, in a different city with a different language on many buildings and billboards, something was going on inside a complex. Above the doors read "NINJA HALL OF FAME." A portal opened in front of a display case of three men wearing different colored robes. In front of the case read "KOJIMA BROTHERS." Shredder stepped out of the portal. He viewed his location.
"Ninja Hall of Fame…" he scoffed. "I'm starting to relate to some baseball player named Pete Rose who was denied entry into Cooperstown. I bet he's regretting those wagers." Seeing another case, there was a book opened. "I found it!" Reaching the display case, he smashed the glass. The security alarms rang. Shredder hoisted the book. "Thank you, Kojima Brothers! I will make good use of your ninja secrets!" The portal reopened and Shredder stepped through before closing back up. Police arrived through a door, including a dusty-skinned, raven-haired man in a gray business suit.
"No sign of the burglar, Lieutenant Saki," one officer quickly assessed.
"That's Lieutenant Saki, SIR!" the lieutenant emphasized. The officers quickly faced the lieutenant and saluted him.
"Yes, sir!" the officer apologized. "Lieutenant, sir!" The lieutenant spotted a problem with one of the officers' uniforms.
"Is that a loose button?" he addressed angrily. "Worn by one of my officers!?" The other officer bowed, noting the error.
"It won't happen again, Lieutenant Saki!" he pleaded.
"Good, now go and investigate," Saki ordered.
"Yes, sir!" the officers saluted before proceeding. Saki shook his head.
"The issues with police, nowadays," he murmured to himself. "No respect for the law." He came over to the broken display case. He spotted something inside. "What is this?" A closer look found a fingerprint. "It's a fingerprint…" He brought out a hand-held device that took a picture of the fingerprint while it analyzed.
"POSITIVE ID," it computed. "SUSPECT: OROKU SAKI, AKA, THE SHREDDER." The lieutenant growled at the name.
"Once again, he dishonors our family!" he snapped. "No matter where you are, I will arrest you, Oroku!" One officer came to the Lieutenant.
"Sir, this display case is the only damage to the Ninja Hall of Fame," the first officer reported.
"I also have the suspect's identity," the Lieutenant briefed. "He's known as… the Shredder. Do you know anything about this?"
"Yes, Lieutenant Saki, Sir!" the second officer confirmed as he overheard the information. "The Shredder has been seen in New York City." The lieutenant seemed fascinated with the detail.
"In America…" he pondered. "You two, report to the curator. I will head to this… New York City." At the university, the Turtles and Trainers were getting rather bothered about the report from Dr. Riley. An electric barrier crackled around the door frame.
"It looks like the security barrier's intact," Brock noticed. Leonardo seemed frustrated.
"This is becoming a pain," he pointed out. "We've been staking the university for three nights… and Shredder hasn't returned!"
"Which would've been time to finish the Trans-Dimensional Portal to send Ash and Brock home," Donatello sighed.
"You don't suppose Dr. Riley's making it up, right?" questioned Ash. "I mean, think back to Fort Charles." As Ash started to explain, Pikachu's ears perked up.
("Someone's here!") he warned. Coming inside was the lieutenant. The Turtles and Trainers seemed perplexed at who it is. He waived a flashlight around.
"Guys, it's not him," Brock warned.
"Well, he's probably the technician hired by him!" urged Raphael as he and the Turtles confronted the lieutenant who seemed puzzled to the approaching mutants.
"What is this now?" he gasped. "Hoodlums wearing turtle costumes?" The Turtles seemed flabbergasted at what the lieutenant addressed them as.
"Hoodlums?" repeated Donatello. "Us?"
"You know, we take offense to that," Michelangelo warned as he advanced with their weapons trained, causing the lieutenant to take a stance.
"I warn you," he started. "I am a Martial Arts expert!" Raphael wasn't convinced about the lieutenant's credentials.
"Sure you are," he scoffed. "And I'm the lead dancer of a Russian ballet school." Suddenly, the lieutenant grabbed Donatello's Bo and flung him over to the side.
"Donatello!" cried Ash and Michelangelo. The lieutenant faced and tripped Leonardo and Raphael in a blink of an eye. Michelangelo felt he was next when Ash stood up.
"Okay, you're skilled," Ash praised. "Who are you?" The lieutenant pulled out a wallet which dropped a flap, showing a police badge and his picture ID.
"I am Lieutenant Inspector Kazuo Saki of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department!" he named himself. "And you're all under arrest for breaking and entering, and assault on a law enforcement officer." Raphael gulped, thinking Kazuo wasn't joking.
"This is a funny moment to behold," he scoffed again.
"No, he's the real deal," Ash corrected. "Still, Saki? As in Oroku Saki?" Kazuo gawked to how Ash knew of the family name.
"It is a coincidence," he backtracked.
"We were hired here to keep an eye on the fusion reactor that Shredder's after," Brock briefed. Kazuo didn't look humored to the thought of Trainers being security.
"Why would a university hire mere children to watch something like a fusion reactor?" he questioned.
"Why would an officer from Japan be out of his jurisdiction?" countered Raphael. Before Kazuo could answer, the Turtle Comm sounded. Leonardo answered.
"It's gotta be from April," he believed. April did appear on the Turtle Comm.
"Guys, I heard a serious commotion over the police radio," she spoke up. "Acme Electronics seemed to have been robbed by Shredder." The Turtles were ready to move out.
"Oroku is here!?" realized Kazuo. "After he robbed from the Ninja Hall of Fame!?"
"He's making his return as big as possible," Brock believed. Leonardo had an idea as he turned to Kazuo.
"It seems as though we have a common enemy between us," he mentioned. "We can use your help." Kazuo pondered to the thought of teaming up with the Turtles and Trainers.
"Are you certain that you bunch are law-abiding citizens?" he asked.
"You need to see our track records to prove it," Brock sneered. Outside, everyone was in the Turtle Van with Leonardo driving… and Kazuo harping on him.
"You are driving over the speed limit!" he warned. "You need to slow down!"
"But if we do, Shredder will get away!" advised Leonardo. As Kazuo badgered Leonardo about more infractions, Ash, Pikachu on his lap, and Brock studied the lieutenant.
"Brock, remember how Kazuo reacted when we brought up Shredder?" asked Ash while Pikachu sat anxiously.
"Yeah, I'm also believing Kazuo and Oroku are related," Brock whispered. "If so, they're complete opposites of each other."
("That's not right,") Pikachu squeaked. Suddenly, the van came to a red light and stopped quickly. Across the street, they saw Shredder running into a van with some electronics in tow from a building sounding a burglar alarm.
"There's Shredder!" warned Michelangelo. Shredder entered the van and drove away.
"He's getting away!" cried Leonardo.
"I know the laws," Kazuo pointed out. "Red light means 'stop'." The red light stayed on while Shredder drove freely away with the stolen electronics.
"Great," Brock groaned. "Of all the times we have a police escort, we can't catch a bad guy." Ash and Pikachu palmed their heads.
"Brock, this isn't a police vehicle," Michelangelo muttered. "And it doesn't have the lights and sirens." At a warehouse, Shredder looked and commanded to Rocksteady and Bebop holding some of the electronics.
"Careful with the equipment, you imbeciles!" he insulted. "If you drop those, you'll be hanging by your thumbs!" Rocksteady and Bebop agreed. After putting the equipment down, Bebop turned to a console with a monitor.
"Look, Rocksteady!" he pointed to his fellow mutant. "An arcade cabinet!" Rocksteady got excited to play some video games.
"Really!?" he gleefully believed. "Ya got any tokens?"
"Yeah, but I'm gonna play foist!" declared Bebop. The two started to fight for the lever.
"Knock it off, you numskulls!" yelled Shredder. "That's delicate equipment!" Quickly, Rocksteady and Bebop backed off. "It's bad enough Team Rocket was just sentenced to 500 years in the Supermax prison in Dimension X that it's a pain in the neck to learn of that news." They came over to a table with a white cloth.
"So, what's dis supposed ta be?" asked Rocksteady. Shredder came over to another table with a light was on the opened diary.
"Prepare for the revival of the Kojima Brothers!" he warned. Hitting a few buttons on a keypad, three figures rose, spooking the two mutants. Rocksteady leaned into Bebop's arms. "Now, unveil the sheet!"
"Could you instead hang us by our tumbs, instead?" a scared Rocksteady requested.
"Never mind," Shredder groaned as he unveiled the statues of the three from the display case in Tokyo. One wore a teal robe over a lavender robe as it wore black clawed gauntlets. One wore a tan robe with green linens and a brown cotton belt with swords on the side. The last was shirtless but wore black slacks with a pair of blue shorts over. Rocksteady and Bebop jumped back, scared at the appearances.
"What da-" gawked Bebop as he held Rocksteady after he jumped scared in his arms.
"MAMA!" cried Rocksteady. Shredder smiled behind his steel mask.
"Another brilliant triumph!" he cheered "These are holograms of the Kojima Brothers, warriors of the Kurokuwashu Clan." Relieved, Bebop dropped Rocksteady who was in his arms.
"It's only a Holly gram?" he dumbly guessed. "What's a Holly gram?" As Rocksteady started to stand up, the shirtless brother kicked him on the head while wearing wooden platform sandals.
"Solid holograms," Shredder corrected. "And programmed with the secrets of the three greatest ninjas of all of history." Suddenly, his communicator beeped. Krang appeared.
"Shredder, what's taking so long!?" he complained. "We're supposed to have the Technodrome back to Earth tonight!"
"Well, how can I work with everyone nagging at me?" retorted Shredder. "Everything is on schedule!"
"Did you forget about those Turtles and those Trainers? It took a lot of time to re-right the island after that wretched Ketchum and his Shellhammer turned us over!"
"With the Diary of the Kojima Brothers in my hands, the Turtles and Trainers will be shredded like potatoes!" He activated the brothers who hopped from the table to the floor. "You two, bring out the dummies!" Rocksteady and Bebop looked confused.
"Ya mean us?" wondered Rocksteady.
"No, the other dummies, you dummies!" corrected Shredder again. Rocksteady and Bebop realized their mistake. They brought out stuffed dummies that looked like the Turtles. "Kojima Brothers, do you know your tasks?"
"YES, MASTER!" the holograms replied. "WE UNDERSTAND AND OBEY!"
"That's what I like to hear," Shredder approved. "Destroy the Turtles!" The brothers attacked with swords and hands. After a few seconds, Shredder saw enough carnage. "Enough!" The brothers stopped as the dummies that the stuff ripped out of them. "Good enough for you?" Krang rose a couple of his tendrils.
"I'm good," Krang admitted. "Now, get a move on! For breakfast, I'd like this city… on toast!" His maniacal laugh told the rest of the conquest at hand. There's a secret that Kazuo knows about Shredder and the Trainers seem to want answers.
TO BE CONTINUED...