Chapter 53: Magnetic Reaction
The holographic images of the Kojima Brothers have knocked Ash into the water. The brothers came after the Turtles, Brock, Splinter, Mona Lisa and Pikachu. "DESTROY THE TURTLES!" the Kojima Brothers echoed.
"Whatever these creatures are, my students!" warned Splinter. "We must battle with honor!" The Kojima Brothers rose their weapons, ready to carry out Shredder's mission. Just as they closed in, they were aglow. They started to writhe in pain before vanishing with Ash directly behind them.
"You have to give Acme Electronics credit," he voiced, seemingly unhurt and holding the destroyed projector. "They do make their holograms lifelike."
("Ash, you're okay!") cheered Pikachu.
"That was some quick thinking, Ash!" huffed Mona Lisa.
"And we will need to stay as quick, my students," Splinter assured. "We must stop Shredder and his plans at all costs."
"Hopefully, Pete and Kazuo made some leeway to preventing him using the fusion reactor," Brock advised.
"Then, let's get a move on!" urged Leonardo. The Turtles and Trainers led the way with Mona Lisa following and Splinter hanging back.
"LET'S KICK SOME SHELL!" they chanted. Back at the university, Kazuo was still handcuffed to a pipe while Pete hung upside-down on the giant magnet.
"Oroku, you will not get away with this!" warned Kazuo.
"Baby brother, you were such a spoiled sport," Shredder scoffed as he worked on the control cabinet.
"Takes one to know one," Pete spat.
"And you're one to talk given your position," Shredder mocked. "Besides, I'm about to unleash… unimaginable destruction on Manhattan… and you two insist on ruining my fun!"
"Your baby brother and I have the task to uphold the law," Pete reminded. "What did you expect?" Suddenly…
"STOP!" whined Krang repeatedly. "Turn off that magnet!" Shredder shut the magnet down.
"What's going on!?" he snapped.
"We have a problem!" claimed Krang. "The Technodrome hasn't moved an inch! The magnet is actually causing the Technodrome to sink even deeper into the magma!" Shredder turned to Pete, thinking him on the magnet was causing the issues with the fortress.
"Give me a minute," he excused as he pried Pete from the magnet. Pete rolled off before standing up. "Your back isn't normal. You shouldn't be able to stand!"
"Tell that to several of my classmates," Pete bragged as he and Shredder began fighting. Outside, police surrounded the building with Bebop and Rocksteady hanging out of the windows.
"NYPD!" an officer shouted with a bullhorn. "We have the place surrounded! Drop your weapons and surrender!" Rather than obey, Bebop and Rocksteady began firing laser blasts.
"Come and get us, Coppers!" shouted Rocksteady. He stopped and turned to Bebop. "I always wanted ta say dat line. I hoid it in a movie once." The police returned fire and scared Bebop and Rocksteady back.
"I dink dey saw da same movie!" gulped Bebop. In a room just below, Michelangelo used the Turtle Line to hook a grate. Mona Lisa climbed up the Line and used her sticky toes to latch onto the ceiling and lift the grate.
"Do you see anything, Mona Lisa?" asked Donatello.
"Yeah, a mutant rhino and pig," Mona Lisa described.
"Bebop and Rocksteady!" warned Leonardo. Mona Lisa saw a metal bucket of water on a set of wheels.
"Ash, toss me Pikachu!" she commanded. Ash nodded as he threw Pikachu to Mona Lisa. The Mouse Pokémon caught Mona Lisa's tail and climbed up. She pushed the wheels that reached Bebop and Rocksteady who turned at the wheels before the bucket tipped and splashed the two. "Use Thunderbolt!"
("Oh, I know why!") cheered Pikachu before unleashing Thunderbolt, striking the two mutants. Bebop and Rocksteady were heavily electrocuted. They staggered right onto the bucket and the wheels where they tripped and flew down the stairs.
"I guess getting out and helping isn't so bad," Mona Lisa smiled as she helped the Turtles and Trainers up the Line. Raphael led the climb.
"I see we might have a ninth Turtle on hand," he teased.
"I'm just a little older than you, dear," Mona Lisa countered before giving Raphael's lips a smother. Michelangelo giggled while the others reached.
"I should say neither is Ash," Michelangelo shrugged. "But it's the thought that counts."
"We'll take care of Shredder," Leonardo instructed to Mona Lisa. "You return to the Lair." Mona Lisa nodded before returning back underground. Back at the reactor, Pete was now tied up with Kazuo as Shredder worked to jostle the Technodrome from the lava bed.
"It's starting to work, but we need more power!" ordered Krang. "The Trans-Dimensional Portal cannot stay open much longer!"
"We're already at danger levels!" warned Shredder. "Anymore, and the fusion reactor-"
"Just do it!" snapped Krang. Shredder increased the power of the reactor.
"You would've had a better chance sending the entire island into the Pacific Ocean than bring it near Manhattan," Pete pointed out.
"I'd rather dominate this place and rid the Turtles than send it into the largest body of water," Shredder denied. "How does that saying go: Killing two birds with one stone?" He laughed as Pete and Kazuo growled. Somehow, the jostling freed the Technodrome and sent it hurling through the portal, enraging Kazuo.
"Oroku, how can you destroy hundreds of millions of lives like this!?" he growled.
"Simple," Shredder justified. "We've tried everything else."
"And this will be another example of your failures!" called out Brock. The Sakis turned to the Turtles and Trainers.
"Friends, you have arrived!" praised Kazuo.
"Naturally…" sighed Raphael.
"We were worried about you two," Ash expressed. Shredder scoffed to the arrival.
"So, my baby brother led you to find me," he bragged. The Turtles, Trainers and Pikachu gawked to the confession.
"YOUR BROTHER!?" they replied. Kazuo dipped his head.
"It brings me great shame about this," he mulled.
"Oh, don't sweat it, dude," Michelangelo eased. "It's not your fault you're Shredder's little bro."
"Ye- Yeah, it's just... bad luck," Raphael shrugged.
"I mean, we did suspect that to be the case," Brock gulped. "But we weren't seeing the relationship."
"No kidding," Ash agreed.
"You know, older siblings teach their younger members what goes on in the world," Pete mentioned. "I should know since I'm an older brother myself… so, in a sense… Oroku actually did a fine job."
"How did I do 'a fine job'?" questioned Shredder.
"You taught him about the crimes you committed which prompted Kazuo to pursue law enforcement," Pete bragged. "It didn't have to be direct."
"Well, I guess it tends to happen," Shredder shrugged. "But it doesn't matter. In a few minutes, you'll all be destroyed when the Technodrome returns to Earth!" Seeing the screen, the Technodrome was freed.
"So, that's the occasion!" realized Donatello. "Shredder used the reactor's super magnet to free the Technodrome from the lava!"
"Exactly…" confirmed Shredder. "Oh, before I forget… Ash, Team Rocket has been locked away in a Supermax Prison in Dimension X for the next 500 years… and years last longer there than here on Earth."
("That's good to know,") Pikachu sighed.
"But I'll make it easy on you and put you out of your misery!" huffed Shredder as he pulled out a laser gun.
"That is what you think!" refused Kazuo as he kicked Shredder's arm, knocking the gun out of his hand. Shredder became upset at Kazuo's interference.
"Why you little-" he growled before Pete flipped and wrapped the helmet with his feet.
"You seem to forget about this!" he grinned as he pulled Shredder back to the pipe as he arched his back on the way down. The momentum smashed Shredder's head into the chain holding Pete to where he broke free. Shredder reeled from the blow.
"What technique was that?" gulped Kazuo.
"One where you need to be double-jointed," Pete summarized. The Turtles and Trainers raced to get Kazuo and Pete back.
"Hang on, you two!" urged Brock. Laser blasts forced the group back.
"Hold it right dere, shellbacks!" urged Rocksteady.
"But we gotta go!" teased Ash as he threw a tonfa and Brock threw a kunai. They hit the laser guns, knocking them out of Bebop and Rocksteady's hands. One flew over to Pete who grabbed it.
"What are you doing!?" gawked Kazuo.
"Just hold still…" warned Pete as he fired. The laser destroyed the cuffs. "There!"
"Thank you, agent," Kazuo praised. "Now, to do something about Oroku." He confronted Shredder who scuffled.
"You never had the gall to beat me, you softhearted wimp!" he mocked. Kazuo wasn't bothered.
"You never appreciated my strength, Oroku!" he roared before heaving Shredder into the portal. Leonardo, Michelangelo and Pikachu kicked the other mutants into the portal before it vanished.
"I knew you had it in you to do that to your brother," Michelangelo praised.
"Thank you… I think," Kazuo pondered. Suddenly, Krang cackled.
"Farewell, reptilian troublemakers!" he taunted. "In a few moments, you'll all meet your doom!" Kazuo came to the monitor.
"You will not win, Oroku!" he warned. Shredder seemed unmoved.
"You won't live to see my triumph," he mocked. "Say hello to our ancestors!" He laughed as the feed cut off. The Technodrome passed through another portal.
"The Technodrome!" gawked Donatello. "It's free from Dimension X's gravitational pull!"
"And it's aiming straight for us!" added Michelangelo. They had to think fast.
"Anyone with a suggestion?" asked Ash.
"I got two…" replied Raphael.
"And those are?" questioned Brock.
"Okay, this is the point at which we get squashed like bugs," Raphael started. "Or, turn to Donatello for help." Everyone looked to each other for a second.
"DONATELLO!" they replied. Forced, Donatello came to the console.
"Well. Seeing as how this is a giant magnet," he studied. "I'll have to realign the polarity of the electrostatic impudence-"
"IN ENGLISH!" the rest roared. Donatello realized the mistake.
"Oh, right," he excused. "In other words, I simply do… THIS!" Operating the control panel, the magnet caught the Technodrome and jostled it around, throwing those inside on a whirlwind of strewn bodies. However, it didn't return the Technodrome back.
"Now what?" gulped Leonardo. Studying the gauges, Donatello realized the problem.
"I'm afraid there's not enough power to send it back to Dimension X," he figured. Panic began to set in.
"So like, what do we do, dude!?" irked Michelangelo.
"If we can't send the Technodrome back to where it came from," Brock pondered. "We need to send it somewhere." That's when he eyed Ash with his chin cupped. He was thinking before he snapped his fingers.
"I think I have an idea," he offered as he got to the panel.
"What's that, Ash?" wondered Donatello as Ash worked on the controls.
"As Michelangelo would like to put it," he started. "Let's help Shredder and Krang… chill out!"
"Ash-san, what do you mean?" questioned Kazuo.
"Simple," Ash grinned. "I'm sending the Technodrome to crash right in the middle of the frozen Arctic!" The magnet pushed the Technodrome to an icy desert where a polar bear watched on. The Technodrome fell into a canyon and crashed. Everyone inside the fortress rolled from the crash.
"Where did we end up!?" mulled Krang. Recovering, Bebop and Rocksteady headed to the door.
"Let's go see!" an excited Rocksteady cheered repeatedly. He opened the door where a blizzard blew in. "Whoa, look at all da snow! Looke like school's closed!"
"We ain't been ta school in 15 yeas!" pointed out Bebop.
"I know!" agreed Rocksteady. "I just like ta say it."
"Shut the door!" complained Krang. "Were ya born in a barn!? And bring me a hot water bottle!"
"Make that two hot water bottles!" corrected Shredder. Back at the Lair, Ash confronted Splinter about the occasion.
"I find it upsetting that Oroku and Kazuo are practically opposites of each other," he started. "I mean, I've met my fair share of siblings who don't see eye-to-eye. Heck, I travel with a pair of siblings." Splinter studied Ash's ordeal.
"It is disturbing to know how Kazuo and Oroku are not only brothers, but students of mine back in Japan," he briefed. Ash seemed a bit caught off-guard.
"Kazuo was a Foot Ninja?"
"Yes. Where Oroku sought conquest, Kazuo sought enlightenment." Standing up, Splinter grabbed a circle where half of it was black and half of it was white. There was an eye on each side of the large ends as the circles cut was curvy. "Let me show you this." Seeing the circle, Ash looked puzzled.
"What's that?"
"This is Yin and Yang. Upon Chinese philosophy, they represent the cycle of oppositions eternally intertwined with each other. The white is Yin, commonly light and good; and the black is Yang, darkness and evil." Intrigued, Ash viewed the symbol as if it was spinning.
"Opposites… Where there's darkness, so to must be light."
"That is one of many meanings to the Yin and Yang… but the Chinese philosophers illustrated the purpose of the symbol: Balance." The meaning had Ash blink.
"Balance?"
"Ponder this: Where there is evil, there must be good. You brought up another good example with light and darkness."
"Wow, Master… There can be so many things that can relate to Yin and Yang: love and hate, give and take, ups and downs… It almost feels like everything around us is part of this symbol."
"One must not think of finding equals that balance. However, what is necessary is how one achieves balance."
"It sounds more complicated than it is. I mean…" That's when Ash brought out a hard badge that looked like a bar holding two silver circles. "This Balance Badge I got from Norman when I beat him in a Pokémon Gym Battle isn't the same thing as the Yin and Yang." Intrigued, Splinter's curiosity peaked.
"How so?"
"When I battled his Pokémon, he combined his Pokémon's size and abilities which confused me. I still remember Brock stating how much I rely on speed and how much it hurt me than it did help at that moment. I soon got back on track and won the battle."
"I see… In a sense, you had to achieve your own balance for your victory."
"But even then, finding balance gets lost at times."
"It is that that you lose finding balance. One must understand their center and when it becomes toppled, they must refocus and attain a form of enlightenment before they continue."
"It sounds easy to hear, but understanding… it could mean a lifetime."
"Perhaps longer than that. Pure balance is a fantasy that those who seek enlightenment envision. Achieving balance is the first step to better with the world around you." The advice made Ash bow.
"I see… I do apologize for asking of this…"
"No, you sought knowledge of the situation involving Kazuo and Oroku. I offered what may help out in the future." That's when Donatello came in with Pikachu.
"I got good news," he voiced. "I managed to determine the algorithms and have just about completed the Trans-Dimensional Portal. You, Brock and Pikachu are going home tomorrow." Ash smiled, anxious to return to the Pokémon World. At Channel 6, Irma got a call.
"Really?" she gasped. "Okay! I'm sure everything will be fine. I'll see you tomorrow." She hung up as April came by.
"Did Brock call?" she guessed as Tonya came around.
"He did," Irma confirmed. "Donatello said that the Trans-Dimensional Portal will open tomorrow to take Ash and Brock back home."
"Well, that's good news," Tonya nodded. "Though, I did wish to have more time with Pikachu."
"I'm sure you'll get an opportunity soon," April promised.
"It also means that we're going in opposite directions," Irma admitted. April and Tonya seemed surprised to hear about Irma leaving.
"Are you leaving?" asked Tonya. Irma nodded with a frown.
"I had fallen for Brock at first sight," she admitted. "I want to be closer and be able to learn about the new world." April realized Irma's decision.
"Irma, I wish you didn't have to leave," she hoped. "Don't get me wrong. The new people have helped me just as much as you did."
"And I do feel as if you've got as much help as needed," Irma agreed. "Even though Pete's going back to Washington after the ordeals with Mr. Thompson and Vernon." April sighed to Pete's true identity.
"They say that pictures are worth 1,000 words," Tonya quoted. "One of them is 'Memory.' Why not take a picture as such?" April and Irma awed and enjoyed the idea. Tonya got in front of the two others as she whipped out a camera. She took a picture of the two with April giving Irma a hug from behind. Meanwhile, Pete returned to his apartment and removed his suit, a tank top underneath.
"Man, what a day," he sighed. "I go from learning about a stolen diary and electronics to learning that Shredder has a brother who's not like him." He looked to see boxes full of clothes. "Well, only a few more days before I head back to DC. All I can do now is propose to her before I return to headquarters." He put the jewel case by the phone when it began to ring. "I bet that's my supervisor." He answered the phone. "Sir?"
"Rockman, I received the report from the National Newscasters Bureau about your work regarding the case," a man's voice spoke. "Sending you out there to investigate Burne Thompson's criminal activity was the best decision we could've made in regard of Television CEOs."
"Yes, sir. I'm in the process off packing up for my return to Washington."
"About that… The bureau is actually wanting to send you to a branch in Albany." The new direction made Pete blink.
"Albany, sir? Why the state capital?"
We're nearing completion of the building there for state cases like the one you were assigned to. In addition, we're promoting you to this as New York's Special Investigations Chief." The promotion made Pete gasp.
"Sir… This is…"
"A gust of wind of a new direction, right?" His own quote used against him, Pete laughed nervously. "I would like you to report there in three days."
"Count on it, sir!"
"I trust that you will. Dismissed." The phone was reattached to the stand. Pete plopped on the chair and took a breather.
"Well…" he huffed. "I guess I didn't need to pack up so suddenly." He picked the phone back up and dialed a number. A couple of rings later…
"This is the Landlady of the 22nd Street Apartments," a woman called.
"Hey, it's me," Pete identified.
"Pete, are you calling me about your security deposit?"
"Not quite… I was calling to ask if it's too late to make a payment on my rent."
"Pete, not really… but why are you asking me about this? You told me that you're moving out by the end of the week."
"Changes in regard of my bosses. They have me reassigned in Albany and not Washington."
"Oh my… Can you make the rent by tomorrow?"
"Of course!"
"Thank you. I'll be seeing it tomorrow." Pete hung the phone again and picked up the case.
"Now, there's nothing really stopping me from what I want to do," he smiled. What plan had the ring involved and are the Trainers and Pokémon heading back?
TO BE CONTINUED...
